The Simpsons 411-415

That 90's Show

This episode premiered on January 27th 2008. The lead in show was Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader and was followed by King Of The Hill. It ran opposite Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Shark and the U.S. Figure Skating Championship.

The title comes from That 70's Show.

The couch gag is the family is sitting on the couch and underneath is written Ceci n'est pas une couch gag. This is a play on the painting The Treachery Of Images by Rene Magritte. They then zoom out to a group of museum patrons looking at the painting. The joke, of course is that nothing is happening so it isn't a couch gag and yet the play on the famous painting makes it a couch gag. Get it?

The family is freezing because Homer hasn't paid the heating bill because he thought global warming would have kicked in. While finding things to burn Bart comes across Marge's old memory box. Lisa finds Marge's diploma from Springfield University. Lisa does the math and figures out that Marge didn't get pregnant right after high school so the parents tell the story. Homer and Marge are sharing an apartment in Springfield Place, their neighbors are Kirk and Luann Van Houten. Homer, Carl, Lenny and Lou (the cop) are in a band together. Homer is upset that Marge is accepted to college but he goes to work for Abe to get her the tuition money. Marge is infatuated of Professor August, a teacher of Woke. Homer is watching Seinfeld and when Marge quotes August he replies "no soup for you because I'm the master of my domain, Newman." August twists Marge's words to break up her and Homer. Homer becomes depressed and invents Grunge, an instant hit with the college kids. Marge and Homer get into a fight and break up, she runs off with professor August. Moe is running a cigar bar. Homer's band plays Seattle, which is mostly coffee bars including Starbucks. Homer burns his gold records while Weird Al does a parody of his song. Marge starts to get tired of August's constant wokeness and leave him, she see Homer on MTV and realizes all his songs are about her. Homer's band breaks up as rumor spread that he is on drugs. Marge finds Homer with a needle sticking out of his arm but it turns out to be insulin. Marge and Homer get back together. Marge and Homer go to the mini golf course to "snuggle" and Marge gets pregnant, and the rest is Simpson's history.

Kurt Loder and Weird Al Yankovic do their own voices.

The family is listening to Harry Connick Jr singing Walking In A Winter Wonderland.

Magazines Bart burns, Redbook / Popular Science /Big And Tall Halloween Costumes 

Marge's memory box was also in the episode Three Gays Of The Condo.

Homer burns the boat painting from over the couch.

Self Aware Joke, Homer talks about how a struggling Matt Groening created Futurama. Groening is the creator of The Simpsons, his first TV hit. 

Homer and Marge live in Springfield Place, a spoof on the TV show Melrose Place. 

Billboard outside of Homer and Marge's apartment "Sonic The Hedgehog says: Wait Until Marriage"

Homer records his songs at Groovetone Records. In the episode Jazzy And The Pussycats Homer wants Bart to get a record deal with Groovetone Records. 

It costs $3000 a year to got to Springfield U.

Abe runs Simpson Laser Tag "Enjoy this fad while it lasts"

At the university Comic Book Guy is talking about why LOTR can't be filmed.

Flounder from Animal House is seen in the background of the university, Marge confuses the Hillel Jewish center for a fraternity and Yamakas for pledge beanies. 

The history teacher teaches Woke, 10 years before Woke. 

Homer is reading The Bridges Of Madison County, the book was first published in 1992.

Homer is watching Seinfeld. He mentions "sponge worthy". This is from the episode The Sponge that ran on December 7th 1995. He quotes the Soup Nazi from the November 2nd, 1995 episode of the same name and says he's the master of his domain which is from the November 18th, 1992 episode The Contest.  Homer is also drinking a Zima

The boat painting is over the couch in Marge and Homer's apartment. 

Closing Time by Semisonic plays. This is a bit of a continuity error since it was released in 1998

Marge's painting for college is the Statue Of Liberty cutting off Florida. 

The campus has a statue, Moonbird by Joan Miro. This is a real statue and is in Washington D.C. There is also The Button by Claes Oldenburg. 

A stuffy professor mocks Homer for being a townie,  the character is based on Professor Kingsfield from The Paper Chase

Homer's grunge band is called Sadgasm. 

Marvin Cobain calls his cousin Kirk to have him listen to Homer's band. This is a spoof on Back To The Future. 

Self Aware Joke, after the commercial break Bart asks "Mom, why did you stop talking for 2 1/2 minutes", the length of the commercial

When dividing up their stuff Homer takes all the outdated stuff like the records and the typewriter. He also takes the Enron stock while giving Marge the Microsoft stock.  In 2002 Enron stock had crashed and was delisted from the NYSE trading platform.

When Marge and Homer are dividing up their stuff Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve plays.

Springfield's most wheelchair unfriendly restaurant is Top Of The Staircase Grill on a hill. 

Homer accidentally blows up an oxygen bar with his cigar. 

Homer does a version of Glycerine by Bush, but changes it out to Margine 

Future (from the 90's) things mentioned, Reality Shows, Brittany Spears, the baseball juicing scandal, "a President worse than Bill Clinton" (in 2008 George Bush jr was still President and the nation was in the midst of the economic collapse)

This episode was made because the show had been on the air for 19 years and the original origin story of Homer and Marge had become outdated. They decided to create a new origin story that would fit with the current age of the characters. A 10 year old Bart was conceived in 1998 instead of 1978. They recycle Homer's music career but instead of Barbershop Quartet he stars a grunge band. Ironically this show aired 16 years ago and once again the storyline is out of date, for Bart to be 10 he would have to be conceived in 2013. Basically this episode is a reboot of The Simpsons and claims everything that happened over the past 20 years never happened, maybe the show will get better after this.

Love, Springfield Style

This episode premiered on February 17th, 2008. Its lead in show and following program were both King Of The Hill. It ran opposite Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Big Brother and American Gladiators.

The title comes from the 1969 comedy anthology program Love, American Style.

The couch gag is the family runs in and connects themselves to a mobile. However Homer cause his end to groan towards the floor. 

It's Valentine's Day and Homer takes Marge to the carnival, where they can ditch the kids for two hours. Bart dumps Jello into the Tunnel Of Love ride, Marge and Homer get stuck next to a witch that keeps jumping out at them so Homer tells a romantic story.

L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole plays during the opening scene featuring various series couples. 

Bonnie And Clyde

Homer is Clyde and Marge is Bonnie. She convinces Homer to rob a feed store, owned by Abe. Bonnie gets bored so Clyde shoots down a plane. Ned comes along and agrees to drive them around. FDR removes all the air guard from Pearl Harbor to hunt for Bonnie and Clyde and asks someone to remind him to move them back, the Japanese Ambassador promises to do the job. Ned is upset that he's running around with criminals but figures it's the depression so what can he do, until he finds out they are unmarried and turns them in. He offers to help Wiggum catch the outlaws. Ned claims the car battery is dead and runs off. While being shot to pieces Clyde proposes to Bonnie.

Thompson's Machine Guns Presents The Bonnie And Clyde Hour, A radio program starring George and Gracie Burns. 

Robbie Robin in Tijuana Trouble. A Woody Woodpecker type character gets a taco from a sleeping Mexican mouse. When he eats it he power pukes winding up in a tree where a bunch of children mice beat him like a pinata. 

Shady And The Vamp

The story is based on Lady and the Tramp

The kids show up at the tunnel of love so Marge tells the story of Shady And The Vamp. The street mutt Shady tries to seduce Vamp but gets run over by a bunch of kids, she agrees to go on a dinner date. They go to Luigi's back door and he brings them spaghetti. The health inspector shows up and shuts the place down since the alley is full of animals on dates. Shady and the Vamp snuggle and she gets pregnant, Shady runs off pretending to be going on a fox hunt. Patty and Selma play the cats. The puppies look like Bart and Lisa, they set off to find Shady but get picked up by Willie the dog catcher. Shady heads to the pound to save the pups. Shady shows up and mauls Willie and takes the pups back to the Vamp. It turns out there are ll puppies.

Animals eating in the alley, Dogs, Monkeys, Walrus, Raccoons, Pigs.

The animals sing Any Minute Now. 

The dog catcher takes Goofy to the gas chamber. 

Sid And Nancy

Bart tells the story of Sid and Nancy. He is Johnny Rotten, Lisa is Nancy, a foreign exchange student in London. Nelson is Syd. Otto is trying to sell chocolate and Lisa runs off with a bar, when her current boyfriend Milhouse pays for it he's arrested by Wiggum, Otto was an undercover cop. (chocolate is filling in for heroin in this story btw). Martin plays Saturday Night by the Bay City Rollers on the jukebox so the Sex Pistols stuff him in the machine. (Dolf and Jimbo make up the rest of the band). Sid and Nancy share some chocolate and become addicted. The cops show up so Syd flushes all the chocolate. Syd is late to the concert and is all strung out on chocolate. Syd knocks over a speaker on stage and crushes drummer Dolf, the audience riots. Nancy announces that Syd is quitting the band and she's his new manager. Cut to CBGB's and Syd and Nancy are in letterman sweaters singing a pop song, Comic Book Guy throws them out the back door. Syd and Nancy make out while Homer dumps trash on them. He says to have a happy Valentine's Day and shut your gob. They naturally don't tell the tragic ending of the real Syd and Nancy. 

Shouldn't have fallen in love with by the Buzzcocks plays during the chocolate montage. 

San Antonio Arena. Tonight The Sex Pistols, Friday: The Sex Grahams featuring Billy Pistol. 

The Debarted

This episode premiered on March 2nd 2008. The lead in show was NASCAR and it was followed by King Of The Hill. It ran opposite Extreme Makeover, Big Brother and Dateline NBC.

The tite and plot of the eposide is based on the 2006 movie The Departed.

The chalkboard gag is "The art teacher is not fat, not pregnant" and the couch gag is a hand creates a Light-Brite image of the family on the couch. 

Marge discovers that Homer has been using his car as a taxi. Distracted by the kids fighting Marge runs into Moleman. Bart is late to school and discovers that Donny has taken his desk, he has to sit in one made out of an old crate and toilet. Donny becomes the new cool kid in school. It will take a week to fix Homer's car so they give him a loner, a shiny new car. While playing with the heater, air conditioner and rear window defroster Homer creates a tornado in the new car. Skinner forces Willie to play basketball, Bart slips steel insoles into his shoe. He then uses a magnet to move him around on stage in a very cartoon way. Skinner ends up in a dumpster full of lost retainers. Skinner demands to know who did it, Donny clams to be the perpetrator. It turns out Donny is a spy for Skinner and Chalmer and they wanted Donny to become friends with Bart. Bart takes Donny to the treehouse and gives him BlueVines. Bart shows Donny his collection of bathroom passes and doctor's notes plus rigged Cootie Catchers. Just as Homer and Marge are about to snuggle in the loner car Homer gets a call saying his old car is ready. While Milhouse and Nelson distract Skinner Bart sneaks into his office to steal the key to the faculty lounge in order to dump live crickets into the room, however it turns out to be the detention room. Later when Bart sprays "Kick Me" on Skinner's jacket he pulls away a hidden panel that changes it to "Kick Mediocre Study Habits".  When Donny hits Skinner with a spitball it turns out to be a secret message saying "Keep an eye on the Band Candy", later when Bart opens a stolen crate it turns out to be carrots. Bart sneaks into the copier room to make copies of his butt but when he pushes the button the wall rotate and he finds himself the model in the art class, and he's glued to the copier. Willie lets Bart know that there is a mole in the school but doesn't know who it is. Skinner meets with the kid in the library, Bart loses track of him but chases him to the dark rom, where he exposes Martin's photos. Bart almost catches the mole but finds himself in line for a flu shot instead. Bart takes his crew out to a field to find out who the mole is, he claims it's Milhouse so they stuff him in a locker in the middle of the field, Cletus comes along to use the locker because he thinks it's an outhouse. With Milhouse out of the way Bart reveals that he plans to egg Skinner's house with an ostrich egg. Homer sees his car being sold for $99, some hillbillies plan to use it for target practice, so Homer goes and gets it back leaving the new car at the repair shop. Skinner makes Bart help him put up a banner, Springfield Elementary Prank-Free For 14 Days, Bart notices Skinner has a blue tongue and realizes it's from the BlueVines he gave Donny. Bart leads his gang to the storage unit at the school and they accuse Donny. He tells them that he came from the Shelbyville Orphanage. They plan to soak Donny with Diet Coke and Mentos however Skinner and Chalmers are waiting because Willie set Bart up in exchange for a grade school diploma. They plan to send Bart to the toughest juvenile detention school but Donny crashes the Diet Coke and Mentos together and Bart escapes. Then Ralph points out that the rat on the fence is the symbol of obviousness. The story just ends with no real conclusion. 

Topher Grace does the voice of Donny, Terry Gross does her own voice.

Lisa reads The Joy Of Sax.

Homer's taxi license shows "Hair, none". 

Homer sings Driver Of A Loner Car to the tune of Owner Of A Lonely Heart. 

Skinner has two books: Public School Punishment Guidelines and Catholic School Punishment Guidelines (There is a crucified kid on the cover)

I'm shipping up to Boston by Dropkick Murphy plays while Bart tries to prank Skinner.

A guy is pushing a sign that says Bronson's View Blockers. 

Dial 'N' For Nerder

This episode premiered on March 9th 2008. The lead in show was American Dad and it was followed by King Of The Hill. It ran opposite Extreme Makeover, Big Brother and 100 Most Outrageous Moments Of All Time

The title comes from the 1954 film Dial M For Murder

The couch gag is there are several capsules on the couch. Frink drops water on them and they turn into sponge versions of the family except Homer's is shrunk down. Frink returns with a bucket of water to get him to full size.

Marge and Homer are about to snuggle but he's too out of shape to do anything. The next day Marge hires a nutritionist to help Homer lose weight, her plan is to substitute all his bad habits with bell peppers. Homer still gains weight. The kids are watching Sneakers, a show that tracks down cheaters, Marge decides to hire them to catch Homer cheating on his diet. Martin is digging for arrowheads. to trick him Bart steals Sideshow Mel's bone and pretends it's a fossil. Bart pulls a string and knocks Martin in the head but he goes over a cliff. Bart runs away. While watching TV a news story breaks in to report that Martin fell off the cliff and was probably eaten by a cougar. Lisa imagines going to prison where the only books they have are Danielle Steele. Bart plans to turn himself in but Lisa stops him since everyone thinks it was an accident. Homer is leaving at 4 on a Saturday afternoon so Marge calls the show and they track him. The school holds a memorial for Martin. Nelson starts to question Martin's death. Homer goes to an all you can eat restaurant. He has chips and salsa hidden in a briefcase. He goes to the Sleep Easy motel to eat greek lamb. Nelson catches up with Bart and Lisa at the Kwik-E-Mart and does a Columbo questioning. Lisa goes to talk with Bart but she finds a note. "I can't live with the guilt, I'm going to Martin's house to end it all", Lisa catches Bart at Martin's house and finds out that Bart came to help the butterflies hatch. Martin has a recording set up to play lute music when the butterflies hatched however when they turn it off the music continues. Homer gets caught by Marge and the camera crew at a pudding restaurant, however Marge tells off the show producers. After Lisa shouts that she killed Martin Nelson steps forward and has recorded the whole thing. Martin shows up wearing a leaf skirt, he was saved when his underwear got caught on a tree. A cougar almost ate him but he was launched onto an island in the middle of a lake where it took him a while to build a raft and return. The show ends with the NBC Mystery Movie opening sequence.

Sneakers. Complainant: Jennifer / Age: 23 / Is Acupuncturist boyfriend sticking it to someone else?

Springfield National Park, Now Smaller Than Ever. 

Springfield Elementary banner: Martin Prince Memorial, Tell Kindergarteners he's on a long vacation.

I will remember you by Sarah McLachian plays during the Martin tribute. 

Taj Mah-All-You-Can-Eat

Pudding On The Ritz, 300 new flavors daily.

The NBC Mystery Movie opening credits: Nelson as Columbo / Dr Hibbert as Quincy / The Rich Texan as McCloud / Burns and Smithers as McMillan & Wife. I imagine most people didn't get the joke and probably had to Google it.

Smoke On The Daughter

This episode premiered on March 30th 2008. The lead in show was American Dad and it was followed by King Of The Hill. It ran opposite Extreme Makeover, 60 Minutes and Dateline NBC

The title comes from the Deep Purple song Smoke On The Water

The couch gag is Wile Coyote paints a fake couch on the wall. The family runs into the wall except for Maggie who makes the Roadrunner sounds and runs off. The rest of the family sits on the painted couch except for Homer who crashes through the wall.

A giant lizard creatures comes in to Bart's room in the middle of the night, he wakes up and attacks it with a bat. Homer pulls off his costume head to reveal that he is dressed up like Lord Evilton from the Angelica Button books, he and Lisa are going to the midnight release of the last book. Bart continues to hit Homer with the bat. CBG tries to mock Lisa for her Angelica costume however she says she based it on the books, not the movies, everyone laughs at CBG so he gets on his broom and hops away in embarrassment.  The bookstore guy plans to hand out colored bracelets to determine people's place in getting into the store but Homer runs him over. Lisa reads the whole book before they get home. Bart is wearing a t shirt that says Magic Isn't Real. Marge sees a commercial for a ballet academy and wants to sign up.  Homer reveals to Bart that he makes beef jerky in the basement. Marge gets the cramps and the dance instructor kicks her out but he decides to teach Lisa instead but she's terrible. Lisa discovers that the ballerinas smoke in order to stay thin, she complains but breaths in the second hand smoke and improves. Homer offers to sell Apu jerky but when they go to the room it's empty, Homer accuse Flanders despite the raccoon tracks. Lisa sees her future self, and famous women smoking. Homer tries to drug the racoons but eats the tainted jerky, he then tries to shoot them with a crossbow but almost shoots Rod, Bart, a gas truck, an archery target truck which crashes. Marge becomes a stage mom. Homer discovers that the raccoons are a family living in the tree out back and makes friends with them. Lisa goes on a break but it's a windy day so she almost smokes but Homer catches her. Marge is so hooked on being a stage mom that Homer has second thoughts about removing her from the school. Homer gets Bart to keep an eye on Lisa but she sneaks off. Without smoking Lisa is a terrible dancer but the other dancers pressure her into smoking. Bart catches her and calls Homer. Homer turns a raccoon loose into the dance academy to steal all the cigarettes. The dancers return to the dressing room to discover their cigarettes are gone, they all do terrible in the second act. Lisa gives a speech about ballet. Lisa wears Hello Kitty nicotine patches. Homer tries to make Bart a Mexican Wrestler.

Angelica Button and the Teacup Of Terror / and the Deadly Denouncement. 

The Angelica Button books are based on Harry Potter. The lining up in costumes at the bookstore at midnight is based on the excitement of the release of The Deathly Hallows, the final book in the Potter series.

The book store is named Bookachino's. 

The family watches NCIS Miami. 

Chazz Busby Ballet Academy. Chazz is based on the character Joe Gideon from the 1979 movie All That Jazz. (The character was based on Bob Fosse)

Lisa took tap dance lessons in Last Tap Dance In Springfield and Bart danced ballet in Homer vs. Patty And Selma.

Chazz Busby Ballet Academy, No Fat Chicks / Opera Academy,  No Thin Chicks

The jerky room has a sign, Homer's Secret Area Keep Out

The Olmec head is back in the basement along with the Santa coat. It's nice to see classic Easter Eggs.

Line of the night "You have made a very powerless enemy"

The Hardy Boys, The Mystery Of The Odd Shaped Rock.

Marge's bumper stickers: Ask me about my daughter's talent / Dancers' moms do it in the wings. Marge's license plate is WA1A2N

Bart spying on Lisa smoking is a spoof on the killing of Colonel Kurtz scene from the 1979 movie Apocalypse Now. This Is The End by The Doors plays.

And so I come to the end of another 5 episodes. I have to say, the post movie era is starting to look better. Several of these episodes had the classic Simpsons feel to them even though one did the bit where they run out of story and just say "well, it's over". I'm kind of looking forward to what's coming up, how odd is that. 

 The Simpsons 406-410

Little Orphan Millie

This episode premiered on November 11th, 2007.  The lead in show was the OT and it was followed by King Of The Hill. It ran opposite Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, The Amazing Race and Football Night In America.

The title of the episode comes from the comic strip and movie Little Orphan Annie

The chalkboard gag is "There is no such thing as an iPoddy" and the couch gag is the family is on the cover of Modern Couch Gag magazine "10 couch gags to spice up your marriage. The boat painting is crooked.

At a picnic a bee gets on Maggie. Homer panic and jumps up getting the hive stuck on his head, he falls into a blueberry bush staining it and then ends up rolling in the green blanket. He comes up looking like Marge and she gets mad at him for mocking her. Kirk and Luann announce they are getting remarried. Homer can't pick out a tie so Marge says to pick out one that goes with her eyes, he doesn't know the color so they have a fight. The marriage is on a beach and Reverend Lovejoy gets hit by a volleyball (didn't see that one coming). Kirk and Luann go on a cruise for their second honeymoon so Milhouse stays at the Simpsons. Homer tells them a story with a commercial for The Container Store. During the cruise the boat starts rocking Kirk and Luann fall overboard. Bart shoves a hose down a hole in the yard and ends up spraying spiders on Lisa, Milhouse says the weekend is the best and he doesn't care if his parents ever come back. Festival Cruise Lines sends two guys in uniform to tell Milhouse his parents are lost as sea, just then Bart shows up with the hose to spray him saying "drown monster, drown". Later Marge tells Milhouse that there's always hope just as one of the sailors shows up to tell them they stopped searching. Milhouse decides it's time to grow up and act like a man. Homer tries to look at a photo to find out what the color of Marge's eyes are but the wedding album has a lock on it and the combination is their anniversary. Milhouse becomes a mopey kid, Nelson doesn't beat him up and Lisa becomes infatuated. Milhouse becomes the coolest kid in school and Bart is depressed by it. To be cool again Bart does krumping, but nobody cares. (Krumping was a popular free form dance in the day). Bart calls Solvang California to find one of Milhouse's relatives. (You'd think someone would have done this by now) Milhouse's uncle Norbert (Zach) shows up, he arrives in a biplane and is an Indiana Jones character.  Abe reminds Homer that he wrote a song about Marge so he sings it, Marge forgives him and her eyes are hazel. Homer suddenly remembers all the stuff from their past. Lisa convinces Bart that he loves Milhouse but he and his uncle are leaving. Milhouse and Zach are leaving by hot air balloon and Bart joins them. They just happen to fly over the island where Milhouse's parents are trapped, but Kirk crashes into them on his crude glider. They are rescued because Zach radioed for help but him and Kirk get into a fight. The end.

I'm going to have to go check but in the opening when Bart rides his skateboard past the people on the street we hear them speak, Helen Lovejoy says "Oh My", Moe say "Hey", Barney burp and Wiggum says "Watch It!" Has it always been this way? Also Bleeding Gums Murphy doesn't say anything because he's dead.

The 10 Commandments of Beer: 1. Thou Shalt Not Spill 2. Honor thy Lager 3. Thou Shalt Not Bear False I.D.  "The cornerstones of the Brewish Faith"

Beach Sign: Van Houten Wedding "Please Do Not Kick Sea Turtles"

The bad news arriving for Milhouse is a spoof on the scene from Saving Private Ryan. 

Homer offers Milhouse, Ocean Spray juice, Cap'n Crunch cereal, 7 Seas dressing, Chicken Of The Sea tuna, a Billy Ocean CD, The History Of Atlantic Records. Marge sends him to Moe's where he plans to get a Anchor Steam beer. 

Bart and Milhouse play Bar Brawl 4: Final Fracas.

Daily Fourth Grader: Bad About Milhouse 73%, Batty For Bart 27%

Solvang California phone numbers: Butter Cookie 8-2147 / Hans Christian Anderson 5-5166 / Aquavit 3-2599

The airplane to Solvang is shaped like a Danish hall. 

The Indiana Jones theme song plays when Mihouse and Uncle Zach return to Springfield. 

Eh, not that great. It was another "Homer and Marge's marriage is in trouble" episode and it would have been a nice change of pace to have Milhouse off on adventures every week. 

Husbands and Knives

This episode premiered on November 18th 2007. It ran in its usual time slot and opposite The American Music Awards, The Amazing Race and Football Night In America.

The title comes from the 1992 movie Husbands and Wives. 

The chalkboard gag is "The Pilgrims were not illegal aliens" and the couch gag is a hand opens up a Pop Up book of The Simpsons and the family is sitting on the couch.

Bart opens up the controversial Wolverine comic with the pop out claws, it hits Milhouse and he starts to cry, getting a tear on the comic book. CBG makes Milhouse pay $25 for the damaged comics. A new comic book store opens across the street, Coolsville and all the kids go there. Milo gives everyone Japanese candy and plays a Korean version of What's Up Pussycat. Lisa finds copies of Asterix and TinTin. Bart challenges Milo to prove he knows about comic books by saying who is stronger, the Mulk or the Thung, he asks Bart what he thinks and Bart is impressed. Marge compares herself to a cutout of Wonder Woman and thinks she's getting fat. The kids go to a signing by famous alternative comic artists, CBG busts in to say that Milo isn't one of them because he has a girlfriend however her name is Strawberry and she carries a Malibu Stacey lunch box purse. CBG tries to get his customers back by offering ninja weapons but gets called out for it and goes on a rampage. The comic book artists form the League of Extraordinary Freelancers and beat up CBG. Marge goes looking for a gym, she checks out L.A. Body Works, she has trouble with the treadmill and discovers that the showers have windows that look into the gym area. She sees the now closed Android Dungeon and decides to start her own place, Shapes A Gym For Women (this is based on Curves). The place is so successful they open a second gym, in a closed Krusty Burger, the place is closed because he smuggled in workers from Asia.  Marge goes on The Opal Show. Marge asks Opal when Straighman is going to pop the question so she hands out cuckoo clocks. Homer meets the husbands of successful women and finds out they are all second husbands after the women dumped their first husbands. Homer asks Marge about her day and he gets distracted by the TV. Marge meets all the criteria for a successful woman about to dump her husband. One of the husbands lets Homer in on the secret to keeping his wife, a complete makeover, diet and exercise. Homer decides to get his stomach stapled. Homer has to liquify his food to swallow it. Homer covers the bedroom in flowers and reveals his new look, however he has a lot of old skin. He decides to go back to the doctor for more surgery.  To honor Marge's success Quimby gives her a gift card to Sweat Pants Etc. Homer shows up as a muscly freak and the town chases him to Notre Dame Of Springfield. Marge says she's leaving Homer for a trophy husband and he plans to jump, but she pushes him instead. It turns out to be a dream Homer had while under anesthesia, the doctor had called Marge and she stopped the surgery, and had his stomach unstapled. Homer asks Marge why she stays with him and she says he's still the boy she fell in love with. The comic book artist spot a meteor headed for the Earth but they go to a benefit for old comic book artist instead. The Korean version of Pussy Cat plays again and at the end we find out that it was Jack Black singing the whole time.  

Daniel Clowes, Alan Moore and Art Spiegelman do their own voices. Jack Black does the voice of Milo.

Comics at the comic book store: Death of Superman / Death of Aquaman / Death of Casper / Caveman Robin / Black Robin "Right On" / Born Again Robin "Holy Trinity Batman!" / Wolverine comic with pop out claws / World's Finest Comics (Superman moves to Gotham city) /The Formidabel Mulk / Thung "Look who's doing the Super Thung Shuffle" (with the Chicago Bears) / A DVD of Watchmen Babies in V for Vacation 

The mattress store is called Snooze At 11

When Alan Moore gets worked up about the commercialization of his work he calms down by reading Little Lulu and singing the theme song.

When Marge is having trouble with the treadmill she sees Rainer Wolfcastle, Duffman, Kookie Quan and Miss Worldwide doing the video from OK Go's Here It Goes Again.

Shapes rules: No Men, No Cell Phones, No Mirrors, No Shame. "I am Woman, hear me sweat" "Pride Power"

Successful Magazine "Gym Dandy"/ Fortunate "Gym Cla$$! (there is an image of Marge reading Successful) / Rupert Murdoch's Wall Street Journal "Republican Tax Cuts Let Marge Simpson Succeed 

The Opal Show was first seen in the episode Ice Cream Of Marge

Palm Springfield Resort. Welcome Lady Busninessladies.

Warnings husbands are about to be dumped by their successful wives: 1. A Makeover 2. Doesn't want to talk about her day.  3. Happy and full of life.

Plastic Surgery Center "Correcting God's Mistakes"

I decided to look up Marge's success with the gyms but there doesn't seem to be a mention of them again, except in the video game. I guess this will be another Simpson thing that is just forgotten. Also this was the second episode in a row in which Marge and Homer's marriage was in trouble. 

Funeral For A Fiend

This episode premiered on November 25th, 2007. The lead in show was a Simpsons rerun (He loves to fly and it D'ohs) and was followed by another Simpsons rerun (You Kent Always Say What You Want) l. It ran opposite Extreme Makeover, 60 Minutes and Football Night In America

The title comes from the Elton John song Funeral For A Friend

The couch gag is the living room is empty, a magician walks in and throws out his cape, the couch appears from underneath it. He does it again and the family appears. 

Moe buys a plasma TV but refuses help loading it so he doesn't have to tip an employee. He drops it and all the plasma leaks out so he chases the Hibberts to see their in car dvds. They are watching Big Bird In China with Derick Jeter. Homer goes to Circuit Circus to buy a battery, the 50¢ one. They give it to him for free, with a $200 Tivo and a two year contract. Homer pays the $200 and walks out without the Tivo. Lisa uses a mechanic's cart to roll under the TV to hook up the Tivo. Marge watches Opal, her boyfriend Straighman has proposed, that they go on separate vacations again, Marge decides to speed through the cheering but that is most of the show. Marge saves Lost and watches all of Rome in one day and watched Two And A Half Men in two and a half minutes. She also had to choose whether to save her recording of Schindler's List or Sophies Choice (get the jokes?) She falls asleep in front of the TV and Keith Olbermann talks to her, and complains about her skipping all the commercials so she agrees to watch some of them. The family sees a commercial for Wes Doobner's Rib Hut, there is something for every member of the family. The only people at the place are the Simpsons but it turns out to be a trap created by Sideshow Bob. He is about to explain his plan but the family complains he never asks what they've been up to in between their encounters, Lisa talks about the strawberry fest. Bob brought a slide carousel. His plan is to leave a laptop running, when the battery overloads it will set off a stack of TNT. Bob quotes Shakespeare and Lisa corrects him. He gets on the laptop to look up the quote and gets blown up. Bob declares himself innocent by reason of insanity and blames Bart for his condition, his psychiatrist father takes the stand to tell the story of Bob's heart condition and confirms the crazy diagnosis. Bob asks the jury to consider what Bart did to them and they sympathize with his case. Bob pulls a vial of nitroglycerin and everyone panics, Bart jumps forward, grabs it and throws it out the window, however it was for Bob's heart condition and he drops dead. Cecil tells Bart to make his peace. Bart goes to the funeral home. Milhouse comes by the Simpsons and tells them where Bart went, suddenly Lisa realizes Bart is in danger, sure enough Bobt faked his death and plans to cremate Bart. The family shows up, Homer throws unclaimed ashes in Bob's face and Marge stops the coffin from going into the furnace. Lisa realized that the coffin had extra room for his large feet, so he wouldn't be cramped in it. Bob imagines hiding in a cake and killing the family but he's really in a prison wearing a straight jacket, and his whole family is sharing a cell. 

John Mahoney does the voice of Dr. Robert Terwilliger Sr., David Hyde Pierce returns as the voice of Cecil, Mahoney played Martin Crane and Pierce played Niles on the series Frasier. Keith Olbermann does his own voice.

Cecil Terwilliger was first seen in the episode Brother From Another Series. 

Circuit Circus is a spoof on Circuit City

Big Bird In China came out in 1983.

Batteries at the store: Ever-Ready / Durivolt / Max Power (Homer's name in the episode Homer To The Max) / Sometimes Ready / Dead Already (Homer's choice)

Tivo was launched in 1999. It has mostly been replaced by streaming in the modern world (like I'm doing right now). I tried Tivo, in order to use it I was going to have to get a dedicated phone line and pay long distance charges to connect with their nearest server, 90 miles away. I sent it back and got a refund. 

Itchy and Scratchy Show: Spherical On 34th Street. It's Thanksgiving and there is a big parade, there is a Poochie the Dog ballon. Itchy shows up and pumps Scratchy full of hydrogen gas, he then floats into the parade. Itchy lights a flaming arrow from the Pilgrim's float and shoots it at Scratchy. Krusty cuts to a commercial however Lisa skips them to Scratchy blowing up, his body parts raining down and the Pilgrims eating them. A dog and cat walk in with a sign that says "Happy Thanksgiving"

Commercials skipped: Suds McDuff (Old Yeller-Belly) / Turbo Diary (The Dad Who Knew Too Little) / Funzo (Grift Of The Magi) / Springshield (Poppa's Got A Brand New Badge) / Mr Sparkle (In Marge We Trust) / Wes Doobner's World Famous Family Style Rib Huts

Shows saved on Tivo: Afternoon Yak / Snuggle And The City / The Dog Talk-To-Er / Pimp My Laundry Room / Opal (today's topics: Iran Goes Nuclear, Spring Fashions, Opal's Pie Club)

There is a commercial for Prop 87, the talking frog sounds like Walter Matthau. "Paid for by Cartoon Frogs for Wetlands Destruction"

Wes Doobner's World Famous Family Style Rib Huts is an anagram for Sideshow Bob's World Famous Family Style Return.

After Sideshow Bob says they were all tricked by a commercial Homer says the next time a commercial comes on he's going to "Close his eyes, cover his ears and scream as loud as he can". The show cuts to a commercial and he starts screaming. (btw, since I'm watching this on Disney + there are no commercials)

Sideshow Bob's slides: The families escape from his last attempt (The Italian Bob) / Bob and his family trying to hitch a ride through the Chunnel to get to England / Bob working as a chimney brush / The changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace / At Parliament / The Sherlock Holmes Museum (I went there, it's right across the street from the Wax Museum) / Rowing on the Thames / Bob dreaming about murdering Bart / Sneaking back into the U.S. in a box car disguised as a Canadian comedy writer for the Jimmy Kimmel Show / Building the fake restaurant / producing the commercial to lure in the Simpsons 

Bobs commercial gets him an offer to direct a movie The Hills Have Eyes 3: The Hills Still Have Eyes.

When Bob turns on the laptop Clippy pops up "Looks like you're trying to blow up the computer.  Mind if I hug my kids?

Bob's parents are Dr. Robert Terwilliger Sr. and Dame Judith Underdunk. 

Simpson regulars on the jury: Cletus / Manjula / Kirk / Luigi / Ms. Hoover / Gil / Moe / Lindsay Nagel / Kearny / Bernice Hibbert / Moleman / Lenny

Kent Brockman lists the outlaws turned folk heroes: Billy The Kid / Bonnie And Clyde / Jesus Christ / Bob

At Bob's funeral Krusty plays Candle In The Wind with new lyrics. Snake leaves a wreath with a banner "Beloved Cellmate". Krusty promotes a DVD, Best Of Sideshow Bob 

Springfield Shopper headline: Boy Shames Region (photo of Bart) 

Springfield Funeral Home "Same price even for fatties"

Cremation speeds: Off / Gloating Speed / Kill him already

The Simpson's cake decoration "10th Fiendish Plot Foiled"

Eternal Moonshine Of The Simpson Mind

This episode premiered on December 16th 2007. The lead in show was The OT and it was followed by King Of The Hill. It ran opposite Extreme Makeover, Survivor and Football Night In America.

The title comes from the 2004 movie The Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

The chalkboard gag is "The Capitol Of Montana is not 'Hannah'" and the couch gag is a repeat of The Power Of 10 but Homer says "Weird" at the end.

The Duff blimp gets loaded with snow and crashes "Oh No" appears on the message board. Homer wakes up in a snow drift but when he gets home nobody is there. When Homer goes to the kitchen SLH attacks him. He goes to Moe's to find out what happened so Moe tells him about Homer drinking a Forget Me Shot. Homer panics about what he might have done, Wiggum says there was a domestic call to the Simpson's house. Homer remembers that Marge had a black eye, she says she walked into a door. Homer figures that Flanders called the police however he just heard the commotion but didn't see what happened. Homer remembers Marge saying "Stop Homer, please" and then flashing forward to her saying "My eye!" Homer goes to see Grandpa for help, he suggests visiting Professor Frink. Frink puts Homer in a machine that helps him relive his memories. Homer goes through a series of images. He finds where he came home, he hears the couch squeaking and walks in on Marge with another man. Homer gets Lisa from a memory. Memory Bart comes along to see if he could have kicked 10 year old Homer's butt, which he does so Homer takes him to see 20 year old Homer and Memory Bart beats him up too. While strangling memory Bart Homer crashes through several memories destroying them. Lisa tells Homer that she is just an image he generated in his mind so he decides to get some pizza, but calls the place and they tell him it will take 35 minutes. A bottle is blocking Homer's view but he can't move it because it's part of the memory. Lisa tries a scientific approach but Bart starts jumping up and down to hit Homer's brain and make it start working, real Homer starts bleeding out of his nose. The image jumps like a film in a projector and he returns to the part where he walked in on Marge, the mysterious figure turns out to be Duffman. Homer remembers Duffman saying "I'm just giving it to your wife, she'll be sore tomorrow" and comes out of the machine. Homer heads out into the snow and plans on jumping off a bridge, he says "goodbye cruel world" just as a truck from a bakery drives by, he shouts "And goodbye cruller world!", the driver says "goodbye Homer". Patty and Selma show up to encourage Homer to jump. When he won't do it they push him. They do a montage of Homer's life, he remembers that Marge wasn't having an affair with Duffman but was planning a surprise party for Homer, Marge got the black eye when Homer tried to open a bottle of Duff Champaign. Homer lands on a boat where his party is being held. Lenny and Homer remind him that he drank the Forget-Me-Shot so he'd be surprised. The boat has "The End" on the back but a question mark on the dingy it is towing. I have no idea what that is about. 

Hannah Montana ran from 2006 to 2011

Scrat from the 2002 movie Ice Age comes out of a snow drift and tries to get an acorn. Willie beats him with a snow shovel in order to get the nut. A group of squirrels pop out of the snow and attack him. 

Homer wants SLH to show him where the family is on MapQuest (launched in 1996) or Google Maps (launched in 2005)

Forget Me Shot recipe: Jaegermeister / sloe gin / Triple Sec / Quadruple Sec / gunk from a dog's eye / Absolute Pikl / the red stripe from Aquafresh toothpaste / the venom of the Louisiana Loboto-moth / stir with pregnancy test until it turns positive.

A high school glee club visits the nursing home and sings a depressing version of Oh What A Night.

Dimwillie's restaurant with a statue of a hamburger figure wearing a dunce cap. The character is a spoof on McDonald character Mayor McCheese.

Memory Recovery Institute "We do not do MRIs"

Frink's memory machine has a pamphlet "Your Memory Bubble And You"

Snow sculptures the Simpsons crash through: Snoopy / Peace Sign / Robert Indiana's Love / Lincoln / Kool-Aid Man / Bowling pins 

While experiencing a memory Homer sees a commercial for Synergy phones. It's a Beautiful Morning by The Rascals plays.

Suicide Bridge "In Memory Of Governor Chester L. Suicide"

Homer remembering his life is a spoof on Noah Kalina's video in which he took a photo of himself every day for 6 years. (He's now up to 20 years)

Marge writes a sign for the party, Homer, Congratulations on completing your community service.

Homer standing on the bridge is a spoof on the scene in the 1946 movie It's A Wonderful Life.Various parts of the episode are a take on the 1997 movie The Game including when Patty and Selma push him off the bridge.

This episode came out 8 years before the show Inside Out. Hmmm....

This was the last episode of 2007. Onward to 2008.

E Pluribus Wiggum

This episode premiered on January 6th 2008. The lead in show was American Dad and it was followed by King Of The Hill. It ran opposite Extreme Makeover, 60 Minutes and Deal Or No Deal.

The title comes from the official U.S. Motto, E Pluribus Unum "From many, one"

The chalkboard gag is "Teacher Did Not Pay Too Much For Her Condo" is and the couch gag is a tapestry of Realm Of: Les Flanders. There is an image of a castle with Ned as the King and Rod and Todd in the towers. The next panel shows Realm Of: Les Simpson with the family on the couch and SLH and Snowball II in the towers. There is a portrait of Marge behind the couch. The next panel shows Ned on a horse being followed by a group of knights carrying the couch. The Simpsons are shocked to discover their couch is gone. Ned has the couch on top of his castle. The Simpsons get in long boats and sale towards Ned, Grandpa's image is on the sail. There is a battle between the two families. The Simpsons are back home on their couch with the quartered body of Ned at their feet. Then the title segments are shown.

Carl, Lenny and Homer are watching out the window, they can't leave until Burns does and he's walking across the parking lot. The mailroom guy stops Burns to talk about how he went hang-gliding so Homer calls him to tell him that he has the guy's wife and makes him dance like a prospector but this entertains Burns. Lenny and Carl remind Homer that they want Burns to leave so Homer tells the mailroom guy to walk away, like a Rockette. Homer is looking forward to the deep fried pork chops but Marge reminds him that he is going to start a diet, so he heads out for fast food. He tosses all the trash he has in the car into the Krusty Burger drive up trash can, however the old battery he tosses in leaks acid onto the gas main. Homer sparks up a cigar and tosses the lit match into the trash can which blows up the fast food district. The Mayor holds a memorial with a banner "Fast-Food Boulevard: 1972-2008" , Homer insists on rebuilding the district so the Mayor declares a bond issue for the next election, however the Presidential Primaries aren't until June so he moves them up to Tuesday. Springfield's primary is now before New Hampshire. Dan Rather is interviewing people in New Hampshire when he's told about Springfield so he and the rest of the media rush off to do a story. A couple at the New Hampshire diner are all alone so they rob the place. Krusty talks with Jon Stewart about the election to steal his jokes. The Simpsons put up a political sign that says "Undecided" and are swarmed by political operatives and candidates. One group even brings a medieval door ram. Homer kicks everyone out, including Fred Thompson. Everyone gets tired of the media and the politicians and want to go to a dictatorship (did the Simpsons predict MAGA?). Homer suggests they write in the most ridiculous candidate, Ralph Wiggum wins, who immediately becomes favored by 53% of the voters. Lisa complains. The leaders of the Republican party call for the cancellation of the rest of the primaries and make Ralph their candidate. Since he isn't registered both parties start fighting over making him their candidate. When the Democrats are trying to convince Ralph to join them they say 'We have Alec Baldwin, they have Steven Baldwin. They might as well not have a Baldwin". Ralph says he wants to "Make this country great again", holy cow trump stole his slogan from The Simpsons. There is a joint commercial from the Democratic and Republican party, Ralph Wiggum: Pick A Winner. There is an image of Ralph with his finger up his nose. The end.

Dan Rather and Jon Stewart do their own voices. In 2008 Dan Rather was working for AXS-TV hosting The Dan Rather Report, after getting fired from CBS for running a story on Bush jr. having gone AWOL during his time in the Texas Air National Guard. Jon Stewart was hosting The Daily Show on Comedy Central.

Fast food places in Springfield: General Chang's Taco Italiano / Dead Lobster / We Have Restrooms / Captain Corn Dog Schnitzel Palace / Chili Blasters / KFP (with a panda in a bucket) / Vesuvius Pizza / Zesty's Pizza Subs. 

Hungry Like The Wolf by Duran Duran plays during Homer's fast food binge. 

Homer smokes Jerk Ass Homer Cigars

The Ribwich frog makes an appearance at the fast food memorial. He was first seen in the episode I'm Spelling As Fast As I Can.

Welcome to New Hampshire "Providing Cheap Liquor To Massachusetts Teens For 200 Years.  Rather interviews a couple at The Live Free Or Diner

The reporters rushing to Springfield "Which Springfield? The one the Simpsons live in!"

Decision '08 Springfield Primary. There is a CGI generated animation of an eagle going to vote. Names on the voting rolls: Public, John Q. / Six-Pack, Joe / Eagle, Bald / Sam, Uncle / Liberty, Statue Of 

Homer imagines a Think Tank, they are discussing Micronesia.

Residency Inn By Hyatt Embassy Suites By Courtyard By Marriot- A Starwood Hotel.

A Summer Place plays during a Republican commercial. 

Political signs: Vote Aleppo President / Vote For Huntingchurch / Elect Whinergirl / Hillary (Bill Clinton is putting up the sign) / Vane (wait, is that a Trump prediction?) The Simpsons have a sign that says Undecided 

When Homer suggest they write in the most ridiculous candidate Apu suggest Dennis Kucinich, who just happens to be standing in the bar but nobody sees him because he's three feet tall.

Kent Brockman says Roll over Anne Coulter and tell James Carvel the news. This is a spoof on the Chuck Berry song Roll Over Beethoven. 

Headbutt With Nash Castor. The opening has FDR and Reagan fighting. 

Burns on Bush jr. "at least he one, the second time, assuming they don't find those voting boxes in Ohio"

Trader Earth's Organic Market "Salad Bar Closed Tonight For Democratic Party Meeting"

When Lou and Wiggum get into a fight over former candidates Clancy says he's off to the offices of the World Book Encyclopedia. (I still have a set of those, I can't get rid of them)

Homer wants the most ridiculous candidate. Ralph's stance on foreign policy is "Stranger Danger" and he wants to make America great again. Did this episode predict Trump? It sure seems that way.

Lenny makes several jokes about Juan Peron and the military death squads. The result was that the episode isn't aired in Argentina. 

There have been a number of episodes where the story just ended as if to say "well, we ran out of story and time". This has to be the oddest of the bunch. There is no real conclusion to the plot, they just leave it hanging. 

This is also the end of this set of episodes. Most of them I never saw, even in reruns. So far the post movie era has been kind of bland. Maybe it gets better in the next couple of years.  Oh well, I've made it through 19 1/2 seasons, I might as well keep going.

I'm back. I took some time off for the holidays, a funeral and getting super sick. But all that is in the past now, except I have a lingering cough from being super sick. Back to watching The Simpsons. Why, I don't know.

 To the people who actually read this. This holiday season is starting to become a bit overwhelming. Decorations, parties and a funeral. Basically I haven't had time to watch The Simpsons. So, I'm on temporary hold until after January. I promise to be back watching again. I promise. But for the next few weeks I got other things to do. 

Sorry.

 There have been several eras of The Simpsons, The Golden Years 1-9, The Mediocre Years 10-13, The Dark Years 11-18. We now move into the Post Movie Years. Will the show get better? Will it still be hit and miss? I guess I'll find out as I venture further into my Simpsons Odyssey.

The Simpsons 401-405

He Loves To Fly And He D'ohs

This episode premiered on September 23rd, 2007. The lead in show was The OT and it was followed by King Of The Hill. The show ran opposite Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, The Power Of 10 and Football Night In America.

The title is based on the Delta Airlines slogan We love to fly and it shows.

The chalkboard gag is "I will not wait 20 years to make another movie" and the couch gag is a montage about the post dome Springfield, see below*

Mr. Burns is shopping at the mall, he accidentally swallowed a cell phone and it's set to vibrate. Smithers goes to get the number delisted. Burns is wandering around when he spots a penny in a fountain, he goes to grab it he falls in, Homer comes along to pull him out. Burns decides to reward Homer by taking him out to dinner. Burns asks Homer if he likes pizza and Homer says deep dish Chicago is his favorite, so they fly to Chicago. Lionel Richie shows up to sing Say You, Say Me but he changes the lyrics to "beer you beer me". When they arrive Homer refuses to leave the plane but they force him off and into a limo. They visit Second City where Homer and Burns suggest the improv team play a drunken billionaire at a Starbucks in Siberia. Homer comes home smelling like Chicago and brags about being on a private plane but he's depressed that he has to go back to his ordinary life. Marge hires Colby Kraus to be Homer's life coach. Kraus films Homer in his ordinary life but he can't think of anything he actually does. To prove he isn't a loser Homer tries to put on his sock but falls down the stairs. Kraus tells him the N-D-C's Never Don't Concentrate. After several failures Homer tells Kraus that he's a hopeless loser but then throws a perfect strike. Kraus tells Homer that in the bowling alley he's a different man and should wear bowling shoes everywhere he goes. Homer says "Fredrick J. Waxman, you're a genius!" When Kraus says "That's not my name" Homer replies "I wasn't talking to you". After Homer improves his life Kraus tells him there are companies that want to talk to him, the only one with a private jet is Handyman's Choice Copper Tubing, they are looking for a safety inspector to fly around to various sites. The YeeHaw Texan is in charge. When Homer gets home he sighs outside the front door but then comes in to say he got the job. Bart quickly hides the cake that says "At Least You Tried".  It turns out Homer didn't get the job and hides out at Krusty Burger. The school visits the Learn And Touch Reptile Zoo but Otto tries to ride the giant tortoise naked so they end up at Krusty Burger. While running from a freak fry Bart stumbles across Homer hiding in the ball pit. Homer tells him the truth, he accidentally told the YeeHaw Texan that he doesn't know anything about copper pipes. Bart insists Homer tell Marge the truth but instead he lies and convinces her that they are flying to NYC to unveil a new pipe, but he just wants to get her into the air to tell her the truth. However the pilot passes out and Homer has to take control, they call Kraus in order to coach Homer and encourage him to land the plane. Homer lands the jet but then taxis it off a cliff into the ocean, he tells Marge that jets are too dangerous so he's going back to the plant.

Stephen Colbert does the voice of Colby Kraus and Lionel Richie does his own voice. In 2007 Colbert was staring in The Colbert Report on Comedy Central.

*During the opening credits we see Bart's chalkboard gag which is a reference to the movie, he skateboards past a broken flag pole in front of the school /a destroyed building / A crane replacing the letter P in the Springfield sign / chunks of the dome being swept up by Willie, Skinner, Krabappal and Hoover / more destroyed buildings / the multi-eyed squirrel jumps on Bart's shoulder but is knocked off by a wrecking ball / A Burns Construction sign / A Burns billboard "Building Cheaply, Charging Dearly / Bart jumps his board over a chunk of the dome / he skates past President Schwarzenegger, Colin, Moe dressed up as the Emperor of Springfield, Russ Cargill, the Alaskan Shaman / the statue of Jebediah Springfield has been beheaded (this is a reference to the episode The Telltale Head) / Homer drives into the driveway with his pig crap silo strapped to the top of the car / the house is still under reconstruction / Plopper the pig is sitting on the couch while Spider-Pig plays. The family sits down, Homer holds Plopper and says "My Summer Love"

Mall stores: Restoration Software / Designer S'mores / Crazy E.T.'s Phone Home / The Shoe-In 

Mr. Burns shopping list: Laudanum / Cotton Gin / Spats / Cell phone / Brooklyn Dodgers

So here's a funny thing, in the show Homer says "A pri-pri-pri-private Jet!" but the closed caption on Disney + says "A G-g-g-g-gulfstream!"

The Itchy And Scratchy Show Come Flay With Me. Itchy is stuck in a center plane seat between a screaming baby and a fat guy. When he tries to wave at the stewardess the drink trolly cuts off his hand. The person in front of him reclines their seat smacking him in the head. The stewardess opens the overhead bin, a medieval mace, chainsaw and anvil fall out. The flight is delayed by three hours.

Sites Homer and Burns visit in Chicago: Ditka's / Wrigley Field / Wherever The White Sox Play / First Bank Of Oprah / Ferris Bueller's Day Of Beauty Salon (when they come out Burns looks like Bueller and Homer looks like Cameron) / Second City Theater "See Great Comedians Before They Get Fat" 

Homer puts up a sign for Lost Sandwich. Description: Delicious. He holds the stapler backwards and shoots himself in the forehead. 

Homer's pre bowling moves are a spoof on Fred Flintstone.

When Homer is trying to be better by wearing bowling shoes I'm A Man by Bo Diddly plays.

When Homer is hiding out from not having a job Claire de Lune by Debussy plays.

The chalkboard gag says they won't wait another 20 years to make a movie. The movie was released 17 years ago. 

Well, first episode of the post movie era and we're not off to a good start. 

The Homer Of Seville

This episode premiered on September 30th 2007. The lead in show was a Simpsons repeat (24 Minutes) and was followed by King Of The Hill. It ran opposite Extreme Makeover, 60 Minutes and Football Night In America.

The title is a reference to the opera The Barber Of Seville.

The chalkboard gag is "The Wall Street Journal Is Better Than Ever" and the couch gag is a repeat of the evolution of Homer however Marge asks him "Did you bring the milk?" 

Church is over and the Simpsons are racing to be the first out of the parking lot. Marge wants to go out to breakfast because she's tired of cooking however all the lines at the restaurants are too long, so they decide to crash a private party. It turns out to be a wake, they try to escape but Bart is trying to hustle the grandson of the dead guy. Homer gets recruited to be a pallbearer but falls in a grave at the cemetery. He winds up in the hospital with a spinal injury. It turns out when he lays on his back he has a perfect tenor tone. Burns is in the hospital looking for organ donors when he hears Homer singing, he wants to recruit Homer to be the lead in La Boheme at the Springfield Opera House. Marge gets jealous of Homer's success and groupies. When Marge and Homer are chased by fans a mysterious motorcyclist shows up and saves them, it turns out to be Julia, she has Homer make her the president of his fan club and threatens to say that he attacked her.  Homer finally tells her off but she tries to get revenge on him. Julia sneaks into the opera house disguised as the conductor and tries to shoot Homer with a poison blow dart. Wiggum tries to save him but falls off the stage, instead Marge jumps on stage and grabs a French horn sending the dart back to Julia. The police snipers open fire on her but mostly miss and then the chandelier falls on her, however her life is saved when a sniper bullet stops her heart, and the poison from spreading, then the chandelier squeezes all the poison out. She ends up on a stretcher with a juice box. Julia vows revenge on Marge and Homer decides to quit the opera, instead he paints Michelangelo's Creation Of Adam on the family ceiling with himself as Adam, Marge as God and Bart and Lisa as angels. Opera plays over the closing credits. Domingo sings a high note in place of the "shush" lady.

Maya Rudolph plays Julia and Placido Domingo does his own voice.

Regarding the chalkboard gag, on May 2nd of 2007 News Corps, Rupert Murdock's company, bought controlling shares in the Wall Street Journal and took it over.  Many expected the paper to turn into another Fox News and this was an attempt to assure people that it wouldn't happen. However...

First Church Of Springfield message board: Today's Topic: Jesus: The Real American Idol

Breakfast places in Springfield: Griddler On The Roof / T.G.I. Fried Eggs / Luftwaffles (the building is in the shape of a spiked German helmet) / Bodacious Frittatas / Buffet The Hunger Slayer / Denny's 

Starving Teachers Caterers, Largo and Krabappal are working. 

Homer sings If Ever I Should Leave You from the 1960 musical Camelot.

Burns' heart is operated by elves and a steampunk machine. 

Homer is in the Betty And Herbert Weinstein Pavilion in the hospital. A rather strange reference to Herbert Weinstein who murdered his wife Barbara and claimed it was because of a brain tumor.

The Springfield Opera house looks like the Sydney Opera House. 

Homer sings the scores frorm La Boheme in perfect Italian. 

Homer says Placido Domingo is his third favorite tenor. A joke about the Three Tenors.

Homer has Lenny and Carl in his entourage, a spoof on the 2004 TV show

When Lenny and Carl are trying to hook up with a couple of Homer's groupies they turn on Superhero by Jane's Addiction in the limo. 

Julia has Love You written on her eyelids in a spoof of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade. 

When Julia is trying to seduce Homer Don Giovanni by Mozart plays.

Homer sings Barber of Seville. 

Midnight Towboy

This episode premiered on October 7th, 2007. The lead in was a repeat of the Simpsons (G.I. Annoyed Grunt) and was followed by King Of The Hill. It ran opposite the regular programs.

The title of the episode comes from the 1969 movie Midnight Cowboy.

The couch gag is a stop motion of the family being built out of Lego blocks. Homer has hair and shouts "Woo Hoo!" but then a hand comes in and replaces it with just one small block. "D'ho!"

Maggie doesn't want to go to bed, meanwhile Homer is recreating Animal House with Bart, Lisa, Ralph and Milhouse, he even rides a motorcycle down the stairs like D-Day.  Bart dumps mustard on himself like Blutto. Marge tries to make Maggie a bottle of milk but she drops it, Homer cries over the spilt milk. He runs out to the Kwik-E-Mart but teenagers bought it all up to mix with Mentos and lottery scrapings to make jet pack fuel. Lisa suggests going on the internet to find a solution to the problem however she keeps clicking on the wrong spots. When she tells the kids "well you try" Bart opens the page with one click. Darn Kids. Marge signs up for a parent help service to deal with Maggie's clinging. Homer finally gets milk in Guidopolis however he has to park at the Savings and Loan, and his car gets towed. Homer begs for a break but the tow truck driver tells him he can ride along to the impound lot. The driver tells Homer he's his own boss. Louis sells Homer a truck and sets him up with the Springfield towing franchise as long as he only works the area and stays out of Louis's territory. Homer lets Bart ride his skateboard while hanging off the tow cable. The child helper forces Marge to stay in the kitchen while Maggie cries, Marge knees the woman and runs out to the living room to find Maggie playing with her blocks, she's spelled out "I'm OK" Homer tows the Channel 6 Helicopter with Artie flying it, Artie gains altitude and Homer is lifted off the ground until he throws a wrench causing them both to crash. Homer buys a round of drinks at the bar, Lobsterpolitans. Homer tows Lenny's car for exceeding the parking limit. Maggie makes her own breakfast and reads her own book, Marge feels unwanted. The town gets mad at Homer and make a plan to get revenge. Agnes suggest the plan a car in Guidopolis with a fake Springfield sign. Homer comes across the car and hooks up to it but gets caught by Louis. 

End Of Act 2

Louis tows Homer's truck with him hanging off the hook and drops him in a pit under his house. There is a group of tow truck drivers who Louis took prisoner. Parking gets out of control in Springfield. Maggie sets out to rescue Homer, she rides SLH to Guidopolis and finds him trapped in Louis's basement. She hooks his tow truck up to the bars and when he pulls out Homer escapes. Maggie gets jealous of the sack of potatoes Marge replace her with and wants a hug. 

Matt Dillon does the voice of Louis

The C.R.I.E Method, Creative Responses for Infant Edu-Loving!

Welcome To Shelbyville, No Milk / Ogdenville, Milk-Free Since '73 / MILK,  Mr T Is the Lion King, Capital City Playhouse. Welcome to Guidopolis, What are you looking at?

Signs in Guidopolis, Needed: Short Order Mook, Stolen Auto Parts (based on Manny Moe and Jack) / Mook-E-Mart / Guidopolis Savings And Loan, Parking For Customers Only. 

When Homer goes to Guidopolis On The Dark Side by the Beaver Brown Band plays. 

In the tow truck Cochise by Audioslave plays

Krusty is at the impound lot in Guidopolis. 

Homer worries about the sexy mudflaps so Louis pulls down a fat lady but Homer says it's still to sexy so Louis pulls down one of Homer. 

The YeeHaw Texan has Pogonophobia, a fear of beards and mustaches. After his car is towed he goes to make a call, at the Santa School. There is the sound of shots and "Ho Ho Ohhhh"

Louis's trap door is opened by a button hidden in a bust of Bon Jovi, a spoof on the Batman TV series. He also has an 80's Nagel painting on his wall. 

The tow truck drivers being held prisoner by Louis sing Under The Boardwalk.

Bart collects swear words out of the Bible for future use. 

I Don't Want To Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

This episode premiered on October 14th 2007. It ran in its usual time slot (the Simpsons rerun was Stop Or My Dog Will Shoot) and opposite the regular programs. 

The title comes from the 1969 autobiography I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.

The chalkboard gag is "I am not an FDIC-Insured Bank" and the couch gag is the family runs into the house and sits on the couch, only it's a doll house and they are doll size, a full size Maggie grabs Homer and shoves him in her mouth.  (btw, no Maggie isn't also on the couch)

Lisa is receiving the Student Of The Millennium award. Marge is mad at Homer for missing so many children activities and insist he attend the ceremony. He shows up an hour early and spends the time working on his Superman novel. Meanwhile Marge gets stuck in line at the bank, she starts a conversation with Dwight, who turns out to be a bank robber. When Homer tries to call her to mock her for being late it spooks Sal, who shoots Gil, the security guard and runs away, the cops are parked right outside. Dwight offers to give up if Marge promises to come visit him so he surrenders. Marge decides to keep her promise but instead goes to Shlomo's Judaica to take advantage of their dreidels sale. The second time she decides to go apple picking instead, at an orchard that is 250 miles away. Dwight is upset that Marge doesn't show up but she has been busy picking apples and missed visiting hours. Lisa complains about Marge trying to avoid Dwight. After a spam call from Ted Nugent Dwight escapes from jail. Itchy and Scratchy is interrupted by Kent Brockman to announce that Dwight has escaped from jail. Dwight says he'll turn himself in when he completes some unfinished business. Dwight kidnaps Marge and forces her to drive to the Plaster Mountain Amusement Park, it's where his mother abandon him and he wants to replace that memory with a fun one. Dr. Hibbert and Krusty who were both bank hostages just happen to be at the park. The cops are at the park but they are at the shooting booth. Marge and Dwight get on the Viking Boat and Wiggum tries to jump on but gets stuck running back and forth, and the on off lever gets stuck. Dwight jumps between the gears to stop the boat. Marge goes to visit Dwight, he tries to get her to distract a guard so he can knife another guard. Irish Lullaby plays over the closing credits. 

Steve Buscemi does the voice of Dwight, Julia Louis-Dreyfus does the voice of Gloria and Ted Nugent does his own voice.

Daily Fourth Grader headline: Lisa Simpson Awarded Student of Millennium. Ads: Lisa, We're looking forward to serving your needs, Conroy's Funeral Home / You think you're better than me? So do I! Congratulations, Willie

Dwight's partner in the bank robbery is Sal Naturile from the 1975 movie Dog Day Afternoon, complete with the rose box.

Marge's list of women who Homer can marry after she's dead: Lindsay Naegle / Booberella / Blythe Danner / Also: Feed The Cat.

Laffways magazine voted Krusty America's Least Funny Clown in 2007.

Wiggum watched the 1998 movie The Negotiator to figure out how to handle the hostage situation.

Bank hostages: Bumblebee Man / Dr Hibbert / Lenny / Old Jewish Guy / Agnes / Krusty / Jasper / Lindsay Naegle

Snake is angry because someone has been editing his bio on Wikipedia.

Gloria returns as Snake's girlfriend. She was first seen in the episode A Hunka Hunka Burns In Love.

Ted Nugent calls the prison to urge people to vote no on Prop 87, outlawing crossbows in public schools. Considering the number of school shootings and Nugent's political rhetoric this joke did not age well.

Marge watches A Kiss Before Frying on Couch Potato Theater. The movie is about a convicted killer who is waiting for a visit from his mother. The prisoner's number is JABF19, the Production Code for this episode. The prisoner's mother doesn't show up.

While scrolling across Springfield from the Simpson house to the Prison Ralph is seen floating by holding a bunch of balloons. 

Dwight escaping from jail in the sewer pipe is a spoof on the 1994 movie The Shawshank Redemption. The shirt he's wearing is a spoof on Robert de Niro's in the 1991 movie Cape Fear.

The two pipes coming out of the jail, Prison Waste, that Dwight uses to escape, and Pure Mountain Spring Water. 

Newspaper story: Hostage Returns Home To 742 Evergreen Terrace. Alarm code #3457

The Itchy And Scratchy Show. The Un-Natural. Take Me Out To The Ball Game plays. Itchy strikes out but Scratchy offers him a needle full of steroids. Scratchy has a newspaper with the headline Steroids cause Cancer but Itchy offers one that says Sluggers Make Million$. Scratchy gets super pumped and hits a ball all the way to the South Pole, where a penguin sits on it. He wins a Greatest Hero Ever trophy, however 6 years later he has to go before congress and is exposed, he continues to grow until he blows up Capitol hill and is then shot by passing planes. The statue of Lincoln comes to life, tears off Scratchy's head and uses the Washington Monument to knock it into the Hall Of Shame where mouse school children come to see it.

Dwight's mug shot number is 89910-211

Who Can It Be Now? By Men At Work plays during the montage of Dwight stalking Marge. 

The amusement park as a Dilbert's Flying Cubicle ride complete with the cartoon character's head. Other rides: Tilt Spew / Mr. Frog's Mild Ride / FedEx Presents: The Bathroom / It's A Long Line 

Treehouse Of Horror XVIII

This episode premiered on November 4th, 2007. The lead in show was a Simpsons repeat (Treehouse Of Horror XVII) and was followed by Family Guy. It ran opposite Extreme Makeover, 60 Minutes and Football Night In America.

Marge introduces the episode from her kitchen. There is an American Idol ad in the corner and she sucks it up with a DustBuster. Then there is one for Football On Fox, she sprays the logo and the players with bug repellant. This is followed by House, 24, Cops and Prison Break, she uses a handheld blender on Cops, a fridge magnet on 24, tosses House into the microwave, Prison Break runs away. She then serves meatloaf for dinner and inside it spells out Treehouse Of Horror with the various miniature body parts of the promo characters. The next slice spells out XVIII.  And then the credits. Homer eats a slice and then says "Mmmm, developed by" and then drools on himself.

Self Aware Joke: Marge opens the show and says "Remember Halloween, it was just last week". The show didn't run on the actual holiday because of the World Series.

E.T Go Home

Marge is making Cream Brûlée but runs out of butane in her torch so she makes Bart go to the shed for more. Bart tosses a ball into the shed and it comes back so he throws it harder and hits Kodos in the "lower region". Bart shows Kodos around his room, when Lisa sees him she wants to take him to Show And Tell. Kodos is building his device and Bart keeps bugging him so he throws a wrench for Bart to fetch. He sends Lisa to find out the secret locations of the missile defense facilities, she says they were in the New York Times. Homer thinks Kodos is Marge in the shower and asks for a massage until he realizes there are tentacles and no comments back. Marge wants to kick him out but he claims he's Jewish so she lets him stay, then the government shows up.  To fool the government agents Homer dresses up like Abe Lincoln. Bart tries to escape on his bike but the army is waiting, instead of flying away Kodos shoots them with his ray gun. Kodos admits that he was building a space portal for the invasion. The army shows up and wipes them out. The army saves Kodos to perform an autopsy on. 

The music from the movie E.T.  is used in the intro.

Bart is watching Itchy and Scratchy doing a waltz but has to turn the TV off.

Kang's list to build his phone: Fiber Optic cable, uranium 235, Two tickets to Avenue Q, seven billion body bags. 

Kang sings "We'll be killing every human in two day" to the tune of She'll be coming round the mountain.

The government arrives in a van labeled "Normal Truck, Look Elsewhere.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Paul Dukas plays while the aliens are passing through the portal. They are wearing disguises like a cowboy or a viking. Ride Of The Valkyries by Wagner plays when the army shows up.

The autopsy scene is a spoof on the 1995 Fox Entertainment special Alien Autopsy: Fact Or Fiction.

Mr. And Mrs. Simpson

Marge and Homer are at a marriage counselor. It turns out Homer is an assassin working for Mr. Burns. His target is Kent Brockman. Homer says he's going to Midnight Monkey Madness and Marge says she's going to be flipping over wheelbarrows in case it rains. Homer thinks of the perfect line to say before he pulls the trigger, but since he's alone he doesn't say it out loud. Just as he about to shoot Kent a mysterious woman shows up and stabs Kent. Homer tries to shoot the woman but hits all the guests. She throws a star  at him jamming his gun and another one in his forehead. He takes another shot at her, knocking off her wig and revealing that it's really Marge. They suspect each other, Marge makes lasagna and he thinks it's poison, but eats the whole thing. They both pull out guns and try to kill each other. They trash out the house. The kids walk in on them so Homer gives them ice cream to go back to bed. Wiggum shows up and Marge kills him, they "snuggle on his body".  It turns out they were talking to Skinner who called them in over Bart's behavior on the school bus so they shoot him.

This episode was based on the 2005 movie Mr. And Mrs. Smith.

Springfield Tuxedo Owners Honor Kent Brockman

Heck House

Agnes refuses to give the kids candy on Halloween so Bart talks the kids into tricking her. They pelt her with water balloons and laugh at her. The kids decide to spend the rest of the night pulling tricks, except for Lisa who complains. They toilet paper Wiggum, knock out Moleman and roll pumpkins into the path of a fuel truck which crashes into a hotel hosting the Republican Presidential Debate, which explodes and the building collapses. When Homer is defending the kids because of Halloween they drop Harry Plopper on him. The kids are lured into the Heck House at the First Church Of Springfield. Flanders plays the devil and shows the kids sinful scenes, Skinner buys a bikini magazine instead of a newspaper (with no Dunesbury) and he gets run over by a bus, the kids all laugh. Ned prays for the power to psychologically torture the kids and really turns into a devil. The kids are transported to hell where they see the 7 Deadly Sins. At the end the kids promise to all be good and only pray and fight in wars. Ned concludes by telling the viewers that they are going to hell for watching Fox programming which includes reading the Wall Street Journals. An Addams Family style song plays over the closing credits.

Blitzkrieg Bop by The Ramones plays while the kids run around doing tricks. 

First Church Of Springfield sign: Scaredy Cats Not Wanted. 

The magazine is Playdude from 1966 Inside: Topless Chicks!

The Springfield 7 Deadly Sins: Gluttony, Homer eating so much spaghetti that he turns into pasta / Anger, Willie kicks his tractor which turns into a killer robot and beheads him / Pride, Dr. Hibbert puts an Honors Student bumper sticker on his car and is crushed by a truck driven by Moleman / Sloth, Homer on the hammock "I thought I was killed by the magic spaghetti", as he's sleeping he's sliced into cubes / "And The Rest!" (a spoof on the original opening for Gilligan's Island) / Lust, Greed and Envy, Moe steals singles from a stripper and gets kicked in the lower region, "How I envy the crotchless". 

The hell in Heck House looks like the painting The Garden Of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch. 

 So that concludes the first five episodes in the post movie era. It seems to be another round of hit and miss. And dare I say it, the Treehouse Of Horror episodes, even in the bad years, are consistently good. This one was eh. Oh well, only 16 more years to go.

(Whew, I write these in advance of publishing them and found that I was missing some episodes. What could have happened to them? Why aren't they showing up in my draft file? I was thinking I was going to have to rewatch the five episode but then I discovered I had written an intro to this blog so the episode numbers weren't showing up. Now I'm laughing at myself)

 The Simpsons Movie

The movie premiered on July 21st 2007 in Springfield Vermont at the Springfield Theater. It came out in wide release on the 27th. That night (the 21st) the TV programs were The Wonderful World Of Disney (The Princess Diaries),  The Unit, Cops (on Fox) and America's Got Talent.

The movie starts off with the 20th Century Fox logo, Ralph comes out in the 0 to sing along with the Da-da-da-daaaa (haven't we all).  Scratchy lands on the moon, however Itchy stabs him with the flag pole and leave him behind. they hold a ticker tape parade for Itchy with two female mice dressed like Jackie Kennedy on the day of the assassination. In the Oval Office Itchy hears Scratchy calling from the moon, when he looks through a powerful set of binoculars he sees Scratchy still alive holding up a sign saying "I'm telling". Itchy gets an idea and goes to a portrait of a mouse Lincoln, behind it is the missile launch command. Itchy sends the entire nuclear arsenal at the moon, a screaming Scratchy swallows them all, the last missile comes up with a small boot, kicks Scratchy and sets off all the bombs. Homer stands up in the theater and shouts "Boring", he says everyone in the theater is a giant sucker for paying to see what they could see at home, he then looks at the camera, points and says "Especially you!" The movie cuts to The Simpsons logo, Frink flies by on a Steampunk flying bicycle pulling a banner that says Movie, he sing "Movie, on the big screen" as the aspect ratio opens out to wide screen. 

The Simpsons opening starts, it cuts to Burns Manor where Smithers is putting toothpaste on Burns brush, he falls over from the weight, Apu is changing the expiration date on the milk from 2006 to 2008, the bullies are raising Martin on the school flagpole by his underwear. Bart does a chalkboard gag by writing "I Will Not Illegally Download This Movie". 

Green Day is playing on a floating barge in Lake Springfield for the Duff Summer Concert Series, they do a version of the Simpson theme song.  Mrs. Krabappal flash opens her jacket but she's wearing a t shirt that says Not My Boyfriend and an arrow is pointing downward towards Skinner. CBG is trying to crowd surf but the people can't hold him up. The College Nerds are in the crowd. Billie Joe Armstrong sings Da Da Da Da Da for The Simpsons song and a teleprompter has the words on a screen for him. When Armstrong talks to the crowd about the environment they pelt him with garbage. Their barge starts to dissolve and sink from the pollution, they break out their violins and play Nearer My God To Thee. Reverend Lovejoy holds a service for the latest rock band to die in Springfield. The Simpsons show up late, Homer is complaining about the boring service and all the morons, everyone can hear them. Bart brings a Gameboy but Maggie takes the game cartridge. Lovejoy asks the crowd to talk, Ned volunteers but then Grandpa has a vision, he warns them about a twisted tail, a thousand eyes, trapped forever and then shouts "EPA!" over and over. Homer rolls him up in the church rug and then the family goes to get waffles, but they leave Grandpa in the car. 

Bart and Homer are putting new shingles on the roof, Homer is about to hit himself on the thumb with the hammer but gets the claw in his eye instead. Bart challenges Homer to a dare contest, first Homer dares Bart to climb the TV antenna, Homer starts shaking it and Bart almost goes over the edge of the roof, while hanging on to the drain pipe Homer tries to hit his fingers with the hammer, but crashes through a weak spot on the roof instead. After the Green Day disaster Lisa tries to get people to sign her petition to clean up the lake, however everyone slams the door in her face. Milhouse offers to sign her petition because he's passionate about the planet but Nelson shows up and threatens to punch him unless he calls Global Warming a myth. When Milhouse does it Nelson punches him for giving up on his beliefs. Milhouse is happy that Lisa is showing him some sympathy but that is when Colin shows up, asking people to sign a petition supporting conservation. Colin is from Ireland but has to explain to Lisa that his father isn't Bono. CBG comes over to show Marge the video of Grandpa at church, in exchange he gets her old pregnancy pants. After Homer lets Bart shoot him with a BB Gun while hauling around a load of bricks on his back he dares Bart to ride his skateboard to Krustyburger and back, naked. When Bart says girls will see his doodle Homer starts calling him a chicken but Bart has already taken off.  While riding past Ralph he says "I like men now".  A series of things censor Bart until he rides past a fence with a horizontal gap and you see "The full Monty".  The cops start chasing Bart and Wiggum shoots off one of wheels, he crashes into the window of Krusty Burger. Ned and the boys are inside praying and Ned says "don't forget to thank the lord for this bountiful....Penis!", the boys reply "bountiful penis".  The cops handcuff Bart, naked, to a pole and then go to lunch. They have Nelson point at Bart's dangle and laugh, he continues to do so for hours until his mother comes to get him, then she starts laughing at Bart. Homer finally shows up but when he finds out he could get in trouble for daring Bart he claims the boy is out of control. Homer forgets to bring Bart some pants but Ned has a spare pair. Bart says it's the worst day of his life, Homer tells him "The worst day, so far", this has become a popular meme on the social networks. Homer asks Bart what is wrong but before he gets an answer he sees them shooting a Krusty Burger commercial with a pig wearing a chef's hat and is distracted. After they get the shot they plan on killing the pig but Homer rescues it. 

When Homer brings the pig home Marge notices it has a twisted tail, which is the first part of Grandpa's prediction. Bart is upset that Homer is giving the pig more attention than him. He is just about to shoot Homer with his slingshot when Ned starts talking to him. Ned talks about going fishing with the boys, Bart remembers back when Homer dropped a bug zapper in the lake to kill the fish and just scooped them up. Ned offers to take him fishing and then fixes him a cup of cocoa with whipped cream, chocolate shavings, a graham cracker and caramelized marshmallow, Bart acts like a squirrel, sneaks up to take it and then runs off to the yard to drink it. Marge is trying to scrub all the pig tracks in the house, especially on the ceiling where Homer has been playing Spider-Pig, he sings a version of the Spider-Man song, meanwhile Lisa is going on about Colin. While fishing Bart gets a bite but accidentally drops the pole but is shocked when Ned doesn't strangle him. Meanwhile Krusty is dumping a truck load of Flop Sweat into the lake, the crazy cat lady is washing her cats, and Moe dumps a truckload of bottles, complete with Barney. Lisa warns the town that the lake is on the verge of becoming a toxic waste site. She put water from the lake in everyone's drinking glass. Quimby declares the situation a Code Black and bans dumping in the lake. Lenny and Carl cork the drain pipe from the nuclear plant while their pants dissolve. The town puts up concrete barriers around the edge of the lake and Fat Tony is told he can't dump anything so he plans to take his "Yard Trimmings" to a car compactor. To test the barrier to make sure it's idiot proof they tell Cletus to dump something in the lake but he can't get past. 

Homer watches Bumble Bee man on TV, he accidentally kisses a burro. Homer and the pig laugh but then Homer considers kissing the pig, but Marge walks in. Homer shows Marge his Pig Crap Silo, when she asks about the pig filling up the silo in two days Homer says "Well, he had some help".  Homer changed the pig's name from Spider-Pig to Harry Plopper, who is now wearing glasses with a painted on lightning bolt scar. Homer takes the pig silo to the toxic waste dump but Lenny calls to tell him that the health department is shutting down Lard Lad due to rats and they are giving away free donuts so Homer decides to dump the crap silo in Lake Springfield. The lake turns black and a green skull and crossbones forms on the surface, it says "Evil!" Homer jumps in the back seat of the car and shouts "Drive Drive Drive!" but then realizes the pig is behind the wheel, he gets in the front and drives off.  A squirrel gets chased into the lake but when he comes out he has multiple eyes and fangs. Homer and Ned hike to the top of a hill. They find the muti-eyed squirrel, Bart starts poking it in the eyes but the EPA shows up and hauls it off. 

Russ Cargill goes to visit President Schwarzenegger to tell him about the environmental crisis in Springfield. Cargill has five unthinkable options for Springfield, Arnold picks #3 without looking at them "I was elected to lead, not to read" (another Trump prediction?). A giant dome is dropped over Springfield sealing it off from the rest of the world. One guy can't figure out if he should stay inside or run outside and is crushed by the dome. Marge realizes that EPA from Grandpa's vision is the Environmental Protection Agency. The Springfield Police Hometown Security department show up to shoot the dome but the bullets ricochet back and hit them, Wiggum asks them to raise their hands if they are injured, they all groan so he tells them to  try it with a little less attitude. Frink has a drill that could easily cut through the dome, however it's outside. Cargill appears on a projection on the side of the dome to tell them why they are sealed in. To make sure nobody comes looking they've taken Springfield off the GPS system. 

Marge is sitting in the yard and sees Maggie out of the dome but when she gets Homer Maggie is in the sandbox. Homer sees his reflection in the dome and thinks he's outside so he tries to run off but winds up in the house, Marge follows him in. Maggie is then sucked into the sink hole and pops up on the other side of the dome. 

Brockman reports that the town can't find the cause of the pollution, until they find Homer's pig crap silo. Homer says that could be anyone's silo until they roll it over and it says "Return To Homer Simpson (No Reward). Marge tells Homer off and an angry mob forms. A group of torch bearing citizens are out to kill Homer except they are going the wrong way until Homer leans out the window and calls them idiots. Homer doesn't want to go out so they break down the door. Lisa sees Colin holding flowers but Carl thinks they are an unlit torch and sets them on fire. Homer nails the door shut and pretends to have a chainsaw but the people can see in. Ned stretches a board across for them to escape on but the pig pushes it over and the fall to the ground. The archery club tries to shoot them, Nelson uses a red arrow so he can tell who he killed. The family flees to the car, Marge rushes back in the burning house to grab her wedding video, and wash a dirty dish. The family tries to flee in the car but the mob carries them to the back yard where they've set up the nooses. The family crawls out and into the treehouse. The mob tries to knock it down but Maggie shows the family the sink hole, they all jump in but Homer gets stuck about halfway down, he digs his way down while they claw at him, and Nelson hits him with the red arrow. The sink hole widens up, swallowing the car and eventually the whole house. Colin shows up to play Lisa a song but she can't hear him so he writes it on the dome. Bart mocks her for having a boyfriend so she punches him. The EPA shows up so the Simpsons run away. Cargill demands 10,000 tough guys and 10,000 soft guys to surround the dome. His assistant says he's gone mad with power, he agrees and says going mad without power is boring.

The family checks into a sleazy motel, Bart finds some whisky and gets drunk. Homer can't remember the secret knock. Homer says he doesn't know why he does the stuff he does but he has a backup plan, Alaska. Marge doesn't want to go so Homer tells her that there comes a point in every marriage where a partner gets to say "I need you to do this with me" so she agrees. Bart says Marge just bought a load of crap from the world's fattest fertilizer salesman. (sounds like MAGA). Homer says they don't have to believe in him but they should believe in America, he opens the curtains to a series of billboards in foreign languages. (one is for a real beer company). The family goes to the carnival where a guy is offering his truck to anyone who can ride a motorcycle around the wheel of death. Homer fails three times but the guy gives him a free try, Lisa tells Homer to speed up at the top and he actually makes it, they take the guy's truck, his Siamese Twin wives are going to kill him. The family drives off, the next stop, Alaska. 

Back in Springfield there are rolling blackouts, the lights go off at Moe's and they steal all his booze. He threatens them and says he's going to turn off the lights, when he turns them back on he wants it all returned. When the lights come back on they've stolen everything including the bar and his clothes. Moe is wearing Duff underwear.

The Simpsons stop at a gas station but their poster is up on the wall. Marge distracts the clerk while Bart draws over the face, the clerk says he's spotted them and a family that looks just like the drawing gets arrested. 

In Springfield the power is failing so they go begging to Burns "at last, the powerful White man is in control". Dr. Hibbert begs for power so he can perform surgery, Wiggum says they want to execute a guy and Burns considers it but then Apu says "Look into your heart", Burns releases the hounds. 

The family gets to Alaska but it's nothing but oil rigs and pumps, Homer is disappointed so he puts his poster across the windshield, they loses control, go down a cliff but manage to land on a road. Homer is happy his poster didn't get torn but then realizes that they are looking at the actual Alaska. When they cross the border from Canada to Alaska the guy gives them a $1000, money from the oil companies to ravage the natural beauty of the state. The family sets up in a cabin, while Homer is hiking back with a load of wood Bart starts clapping causing small snow slides, Lisa tells him to stop but Homer sees them and demands that Lisa applaud Alaska too, this causes an avalanche and pushes Homer into the house. Since he and Marge are alone they decide to "snuggle".

Under the dome people are on edge, when the book club gets into a fight over Tuesdays With Maury and the AA meeting runs out of coffee, a full scale riot breaks out. They all attack the dome, Ralph tries to blow bubbles on it and when one hits him in the eye he says "oh no, blowback!" Cargill sees the town attacking the dome and comes up with a new plan. He offers a new 5 plans but Schwarzenegger insists on knowing so Cargill has him pick a series of numbers and when they get to 4 Cargill goes with that plan, Blow Up Springfield. The Simpsons sees a commercial with Tom Hanks telling people about the new Grand Canyon, east of Shelbyville and south of Capitol City, there is the image of a giant smoldering hole, Marge recognizes it as Springfield. She decides they need to go and save the city but Homer says "screw Springfield". The family gets mad at him and Bart says he wishes Ned were his father, he even drew Ned over Homer's photo and force him to look at it while he shouts "Howdely Doodly". Marge tells Homer that in every marriage a partner says "I need you to do this with me", Homer says it's the stupidest thing he ever he heard, even though he said it to convince them to move to Alaska. They all tell him off but he insists they are staying, as he storms away Bart holds up the picture of Ned to the window. Homer goes to Eski Moe's bar and plays Grand Theft Walrus. When Homer gets home he discovers the family left and Marge recorded a video for him saying they were going to save Springfield, and to prove to herself that things were really over between them she recorded over her wedding video. Homer runs out to the lake and falls on a heart shaped chunk of ice but it splits in two.

Fade out "To Be Continued"

Fade in "Immediately"

Homer is on the banks of the river, a polar bear is about to attack him when a stranger shows up and scares it off. As the bear wanders off he punts a fox, why? I don't know. She hauls Homer back to her place, just as Marge goes by in the train. Bart is digging through people's luggage. When Marge says they have to keep a low profile until they get to Seattle Lisa says they should keep quiet. Marge says it's not like the government is listening to everyone's conversations, just then a robot conductor pops up. An agent in a Kafkaesque office celebrates overhearing the Simpsons. 

Homer wakes up in the Shaman's tent, she give him a liquid and then has him do throat singing, Homer starts to have a vision while Spider-Pig plays in the background. Homer tries to have an euphony, Bananas are an excellent source of potassium, Americans will never embrace soccer, more than two shakes and it's playing with yourself. The trees in Homer's vision tear him apart and he realizes that without the family he's nothing so he has to go help save Springfield. 

The family arrives in Seattle but are caught by the EPA. Homer takes a dog team across Alaska, he whips them the whole way and that night when he unleashes them they attack him and run off. He trudges on through the snow and is about to give up when the Shaman shows up in the Northern Lights and encourages him to go on. Homer makes it back and hears Lisa playing her sax in an EPA van. He steals a wrecking ball and goes after them. Despite a huge swing the ball barely taps the van and swings back hitting him, swinging him into a giant fork, Paul Bunyon statue and finally between a rock and a bar called A Hard Place, get it? Bart stars banging on the truck with his shackles so they gas the family and when they come to they are in Springfield. The whole place is trashed out, except for the school. Moe shows up. wearing a traffic cone and declares himself The Emperor Of Springfield, Barney shouts "No you aren't" so Moe throws a flaming bottle at him, Barney says "OK, all hair the Emperor of Springfield". Russ Cargill appears on the dome screen to announce Operation Soaring Eagle, a plan to blow up the town. A bomb is lowered into Springfield.

Homer shows up in a doorman uniform he stole, he calls himself General Marriott Suites and has an order written on a leaf. When the guard doesn't fall for it Homer punches him and tries to climb up the dome but can't do it. He runs into a nearby shed and goes past the jet pack, grabbing the super glue instead. With glue on his hands he climbs the dome. Meanwhile Carl figures out if they distract Cargill they can climb up the rope that used to lowered the bomb into the city. Cletus shows Cargill the sliding thumb trick while the townspeople use the radio tower to get on the rope, Just as they are about to escape Homer comes sliding down and knocks them back in, the rope is dropped and they are all doomed. Homer kicks the bomb and it loses four minutes. CBG says he spent his whole life collecting comic books and "Life Well Spent!" Bart goes to the church where he finds Flanders and the boys. He asks if he can pretend Ned is his real father. The bomb disposal robot has too much pressure on him, grabs Wiggum's gun and kills himself. 

Homer spots Marge but runs into a tree, a leaf points at the hole and a light shines down on a motorcycle. He hops on and goes to get Bart, he asks for forgiveness but Bart says he wants consistency.  Homer offers to let him hold the bomb so he hops on the motorcycle and they go riding up the side of the dome like when Homer rode inside the Wheel Of Death. Martin shows up and beats the bullies with a stick. Homer has another ephoney about how he was raised but Marge yells up at him "Just throw the G-D Bomb!" (unedited of course). Bart loses his grip but holds on to Homer's hair, Homer grabs his arm and Bart tosses the bomb. (cut to Otto who is using a bong and really stoned). The bomb sails up out of the hole but then bounces around until it lands on the outside. The dome collapses and Homer keeps jumping off broken pieces until he goes over Springfield Gorge. They miss the edge but Bart snags an outcropping with his slingshot and bounces them back up, giving Homer the wedgee of a lifetime. The dome collapses into dust except for one giant piece that lands on Dr Nick "Goodbye everybody". When Cargill plans on killing Homer and Bart, Bart says "Wait, you'll never know where the treasure is buried, the treasure of I'mAWeiner", when Cargill says "I'm a Wiener?" they both laugh at him and Homer says "Classic". Just as Cargill is about to shoot them Maggie hits him over the head with a rock. Homer says "What a great little accident you turned out to be". Lisa goes in search of Colin, Milhouse tells her he's dead but then he shows up. The town hails Homer as a hero. Marge forgives Homer and they ride off together. She says best kiss of her life, Homer says So far. The town chips in to rebuild the Simpson house, Bart has Homer put on goggle while shingling the roof. Homer manages to drive the nail, right into his own leg. When he runs in pain he pulls off all the other shingles. 

Green Day's version of the Simpson's song plays over the credits. All the character voiced by the actors are seen. 

Mid credit scenes, Smithers tells Burns that the mob has taken everything, Burns suggests that Smithers kill himself. 

Tom Hanks says "If you see me in person leave me be."

A choirs version of Spider-Pig then plays over the scrolling credits. 

The family comes up in the scroll, sitting in the movie theater seats.  Bart wants to leave because he has to go,  he's been holding in since they put the dome over the town, Homer insists that they stay to memorize the names of everyone who worked on the film. Lisa wants to make sure no animals were harmed during the making of the film, when the message scrolls by they get up to leave, Homer finds floor popcorn. Maggie says her first word, "Sequel", they walk off. 

When they get to the starring names the Springfield Anthem plays, set to the tune of La Marseillaise. You can find the lyrics on the internet. 

The credits include "Filmed On Location In Springfield"

The zit faced teen then comes out with a broom. First he gets gum stuck to it. He then says "Assistant manager isn't all it's cracked up to be. Four years of film school for this?"

The movie ends with the Shush lady.

The guest voices in the movie are Green Day (Billie Joe Armstrong,  Mike Dimt and Tre Cool), Albert Books ( listed as A Brooks) as the voice of Russ Cargill, Tom Hanks as himself and Joe Mantegna as Fat Tony. 

The opening sequence of the movie including the Itchy and Scratchy short is in 16:9 ratio, the current tv size, later it widens out to the wide screen 2.40:1 ratio.

Lake Springfield is first mentioned in the episode Homer Loves Ned and the sign says Formerly Cess Hole 17 A. The first mutant creature from the lake was Blinky, the Three Eyed Fish in the episode Two Cars In Every Garage And Three Eyes On Every Fish.

Itchy And Scratchy. The moon landing sequence is based on the original Apollo 11 landing. Also Sprach Zarathustra plays, the song is best known from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.  When Scratchy touches down on the moon surface the song changes to The Simpsons theme. During the parade someone hold up an Itchy/Hillary 'O8 sign. (Barack Obama would win the election that year).  The various scenes of Itchy trying to figure out what to do are a spoof on John F. Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

The Washingtoon Post headline: Mouse Hero Returns, Did Everything To Save Cat / A Widow Mourns 

Nuclear Missile Strike options: First Strike / Retaliation / "Accidental" Launch

Self Aware Jokes: Homer says he can't believe he's paying for something he gets for free on TV. 

The Duff blimp flies by the Green Day concert with a scroll that reads Binge Responsibly. 

Green Day plays Nearer My God To Thee. This is a spoof on the movie Titanic and reports that people in the lifeboats could hear the actual musicians on the ship playing just before it went down.

First Church Of Springfield "Thou Shalt Turn Off Thy Cell Phones. Mrs. Glick is playing American Idiot: Funeral Version in Adagio

Bart has a Gameboy in church. The system was manufactured from 1989 through 2003.

The light shining on Grandpa Simpson in church just before he has his vision is a spoof on Jake Elwood having his vision in The Blues Brother. Abe runs on the floor like Curly from The Three Stooges.

Homer's Chores: Go To Church / Take Out Hornet's Nest ( he knocks it down, puts it in Ned's mailbox, shakes it up and then puts up the flag) / Fix Sink Hole (he puts Maggie's sand box over it which will come back later) / Reshingle roof

Grandpa reads Oatmeal Enthusiast. 

Screen crawl: Watch "Are You Smarter Than A Celebrity?"-Wednesdays on Fox. That's Right, We Even Advertise Shows During Movies Now.

When Bart complains that Homer didn't bring him pants Homer says "Who am I? Tommy Bahama". This is a clothing store that specializes in beach wear.

Krusty is selling a new pork sandwich, The Clogger. "If you can find a greaser sandwich, you're in Mexico!"

When Homer envisions dancing around with the pig You Baby (Nobody But You) by The Turtles plays. 

Springfield Town Hall banner: Lisa Simpson Presents: An Irritating Truth. This is a spoof on the movie An Inconvenient Truth.

Springfield Shopper headline: Springfield Cleans Up Act, Pushy Kid Nags Town (with a photo of Lisa)

The four states that border Springfield, Ohio / Nevada / Maine / Kentucky. This is part of a long running joke about where is Springfield?

One of the best gags is when the dome is dropped on Springfield the bar crowd rushes to church and the church crowd rushes to the bar. 

When they're sealed in Homer shouts "D'oh....OME!"

Channel 6 news calls the crisis Trappuccino. 

The house getting sucked into the sink hole is a spoof on the house getting sucked into the ghost vortex in Poltergeist.

In the episode 24 Minutes Bart is listed as two months sober. Well he gets drunk in this movie. 

When Homer gets a $1000 from the Alaska border guard this is a spoof on the Permanent Fund, money paid to Alaskans every year from the oil funds, basically a bribe to look the other way at the environmental damage.

When Homer and Marge "snuggle" in Alaska the animals show up to undress them, a spoof on Disney films. However when Marge and Homer "get nasty" the animals watch on in shock. 

Diaper Genie staring Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is a spoof on the name of the diaper pail and the Mandela Effect story about Sinbad making a movie called Shazam. 

When Homer plays Grand Theft Walrus there is a dancing penguin, this is a spoof on the movie Happy Feet.

On the Simpson wedding video when Marge and Homer are dancing Close To You by the Carpenters plays.

The Inuit Shaman saving Homer from the bear is a spoof on Obi Wan saving Luke from the Sand People in the original Star Wars.

On the train Bart pops up wearing a bra on his head and says he's the mascot of an evil corporation. 12 years later The Simpsons were acquired by Disney as part of their purchase of 21st Century Fox. 

Marge says it's not like the government is listening to everyone's conversations. 5 years later Edward Snowden would expose a vast spying program by the NSA, another Simpson prediction. 

Conversations overheard by the NSA: About your meat lovers pizza, I like meat but I don't know if I'm ready to love again. You hang up first....She hung up on me.

Signs Homer uses to stall the EPA: Sop, Yeald, One Vey. 

The EPA countdown bomb sounds like the clock in the show 24.

Homer's to do list: Knock out guard / Climb through hole / Save town / Return doorman's uniform by 5

First Church Of Springfield sign, We Told You So.

When Bart and Homer go over Springfield Gorge the crashed ambulance from the episode Bart The Daredevil is still there. 

The Simpsons are happy that Maggie is saying her first word, however she actually said her first word in the Tracy Ullman shorts and then again in the episode Lisa's First Word.

Well, I've done the movie. Now it's back to the series. I only have 17 more years, so far, to go. I'm pretty much at the halfway point so there's that.