Skinner's Sense of Snow

"Skinner's Sense of Snow" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons' twelfth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 17, 2000. In the episode, a snowstorm traps the students with principal Seymour Skinner and Groundskeeper Willie in Springfield Elementary. When Skinner uses his army skills to control the students, they overthrow him and take over the school. Meanwhile, Homer and Ned set out to rescue the children using Ned's car.

"Skinner's Sense of Snow" was written by Tim Long and directed by Lance Kramer. While the episode's premise is based on an occurrence in Long's childhood, the setpiece came from staff writer Matt Selman. Because the episode takes place in winter, Kramer found it difficult to animate. It features references to Smilla's Sense of Snow, The Deer Hunter and Kristi Yamaguchi, among other things. In its original broadcast, the episode was seen by approximately 8.8 million viewers, finishing in 33rd place in the ratings the week it aired. Following the home video release, the episode received mostly positive reviews from critics.

While the Simpsons attend a French Canadian circus called "Cirque de Purée", a wild blizzard hits Springfield, turning it into a snowsquall overnight. However, Springfield Elementary School stays open regardless of the storm, even though every other local school closes. Only some students, including the classmates of Bart and Lisa, show up while Skinner and Willie are the only faculty members at the school that day. To pass the time, Skinner plays his professed favourite film, a very low-budget, long-running, 1938 holiday movie called "The Christmas That Almost Wasn't, But Then Was," which Lisa later notices has very little to do with Christmas. By the time the movie's finally over, it's already the end of the school day, and Skinner lets the kids go home--however, Skinner and the students quickly realize that over the course of the day, the snow has piled up tremendously, leaving them and Groundskeeper Willie trapped inside the school, much to the horror of the kids.