- At his 20th anniversary celebration as school principal, Principal Skinner is discovered to be an imposter of the real Seymour Skinner.
- On the eve of his twentieth anniversary as school principal, Seymour Skinner is lured by his mother to Springfield Elementary for a surprise party. The celebration goes well until a strange man arrives, claiming to be the real Seymour Skinner. Principal Skinner soon admits that he is an impostor, and that his real name is Armin Tamzarian. He then tells the story of the events that led him to steal Seymour Skinner's identity and was living out his mentor's dreams as principal.
Armin was once a troubled young man. He stole an old woman's purse and, while making his getaway on his motorcycle, hit a pedestrian who happened to be a judge. As punishment, Armin had to join the Army and fight in the Vietnam War. There he met and befriended the real Sergeant Seymour Skinner, who became his mentor and helped him find meaning in his troubled life. Seymour told Armin that his dream was to become an elementary school principal after the war. Later, Seymour was declared missing and presumed dead after he was caught in an explosion. Armin took the news of the apparent death to Seymour's mother, Agnes. Upon meeting him, however, Agnes mistook him for her son, and Armin could not bear to deliver the message. He instead allowed Agnes to call him Seymour, and took over Seymour's life. Meawhile, the real Seymour Skinner spent five years in a POW camp, then worked in a Chinese sweatshop for two decades until it was shut down by the United Nations.
After these revelations, the people of Springfield begin to distrust Armin. He decides that there is no longer any place for him in Springfield, and quits his job. The real Skinner is then offered the chance to realize his dream and take over as school principal. He takes the job, but the townspeople soon realize that they prefer Armin over him, especially after he beats up Bart for deflaming the Pledge of Allegiance. Even though, he was trying to make the real Skinner laugh by using alternate wording. Whereas, Armin(as Principal Skinner) had only viciously reprimanded him for each disrespectful, unofficial wording because he knew better than to assult Bart. Even Agnes Skinner misses Armin, since she had lived with him for twenty-six years, and does not believe her actual son still needs her. The real Skinner had come home, after curfew, from a bar and fought with her every time she reprimands him for not spending time with her. Armin, however, has already left Springfield and gone to Capital City.
Marge Simpson heads to Capital City with Edna Krabappel, Agnes and the rest of the Simpson family. Armin Cruz refuses to come home despite the Simpsons and Krabappel's pleading. However, Agnes gets through to him that he's her real son, not Sgt.Skinner because he took care of her well. Before he even got a chance to protest, she orders him to the car, which he dutifully agrees. Once back in Springfield, Homer Simpson persuades Mayor Quimby and all the other citizens to allow Armin to resume his assumed identity as Principal Skinner. The real Skinner is unhappy about this, and refuses to give up his job and his dignity just because the people of Springfield prefer Armin to him. In response, the townspeople banish the real Skinner from town by tying him to a chair on a flatcar of a freight train. As he's taken out of Springfield, the real Skinner shoults out at them for demeaning him after he put his life on the line in the Vietman War. Judge Snyder declares that Armin will again be referred to as Seymour Skinner, that he will return to his job as school principal, and that no one shall mention the name "Armin Tamzarian" again, under penalty of torture.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content