The Simpsons Episodes 71-75

Marge vs. The Monorai

This episode premiered on January 14th 1993, it was followed by Martin. The episode ran opposite Matlock, Top Cops and Out All Night

The chalkboard gag is "I will not eat things for money" and the couch gag is numerous characters from the show rush into the living room and sit in front of the family. 

Burns and Smithers are dumping toxic waste in the city park and get busted by Agent Malone from the EPA. Burns is fined $3 million which he easily pays off. The town holds a meeting to decide on how to spend the money while Snake and the rest of the criminal element take advantage and break into everyone's home. Plans for the money, Maude wants to put out the tire fire (first mentioned in the Flamin' Moes episode). Burns shows up disguised as Mr. Snrub (Burns backwards) and suggest giving him the money, he and Smithers escape the building with a Batman grappling hook. Apu wants more police to protect his store. Marge wants to fix Main Street even though Homer is the one who did the most damage. Abe stands up to protest street repair and everyone thinks he supports the Main Street idea, they cheers for the plan. Lyle Lanley shows up and convinces the town to build a Monorail. Homer sees a commercial for monorail conductor and wants to become one. Barney helps build Monorail and drops one of the cars on a house. Lanley picks Homer to be the conductor. When Marge finds a family of possums living in the monorail she goes to see Mr. Lanley, she sees his notebook with a drawing of him with handfuls of cash while people are on fire in the monorail. When Lanley catches her Marge says she didn't see anything and he believes her. Marge drives to North Haverbrook, the town is mostly deserted except for the Monorail Cafe, She meets Sebastian Cobb who tells her all about the monorail disaster thanks to Lanley cutting corners and stealing the money. Back in Springfield, when the monorail speeds out of control Quimby and Wiggums get into a fight over who is in charge, the Town Charter says Wiggums is suppose to get a monthly pig and two lasses of virtue true. Quimby wants to know how many broads he's suppose to get. The guys in the control booth want to shut off the power but it's solar, "When will people learn". Just then a solar eclipse hits and the train stops, but then the sun comes back out and they're off again. Meanwhile Lanley's plane lands in North Haverbrook where he's attacked by an angry mob. When Krusty tries to jump off the monorail Leonard Nimoy saves him. Cobb tells Homer he has to find an anchor so he tears the M off the side of the train, but almost forgets to tie it off. The anchor hooks a donut sign and stops the train. Nimoy says My work is done here and is beamed away. Marge says it's the last disaster the town ever wasted their money on, except for...

The maiden voyage of the Monorail is a spoof on the 1977 film Airport 77. A disaster film about a luxury plane that sinks and the passengers have to be rescued before they run out of oxygen.

The show starts with The Flintstones song. Homer sings his own lyrics until he crashes into a chestnut  tree.

Barrel at the nuclear plant: Toxic waste, do not eat.

Pop Culture references: Burns is brought into court in a Hannibal Lector mask and on a dolly. Homer reads Andy Capp, the wife beating drunk. Photo of the Hindenburg in the monorail club car. When the Springfield Monorail sign peels off it reveals a 1964 World's Fair sign underneath. The town charter looks like the Declaration Of Independence with Jebediah Springfield's large signatures.

Lisa's fantasy about Burns's fine money, Virtual reality goggles to study history. She sees Genghis Khan in Mongolia in 1200 AD. Bart's fantasy, remote control giant ants that destroy the school and bite Skinner in half. Homer wants a giant billboard that says "no fat chicks"

Main Street Shops, Toupee Town, Bail Bonds, The Chinese Smorgasbord, Videos of Springfield "all videos 20% off", Cafe Food, Swampy's Liquor, Pizza On A Stick, Palais de Donut, and back to Toupee Town. Jewelry 2-Go

Lionel Lanley is a parody of Harold Hill from The Music Man. He sold monorails to Brockway, Ogdenville and North Haverbrook. 

Every time I go to a Disney Park and see the Monorail I say "Mono...d'oh!"

The Simpsons watch a commercial for Truckasaurus: The Movie with Marlin Brando as the voice of Truckasaurus. Truckasaurus was first seen in the episode Bart The Daredevil.

Homer's Life Long Dream was to run onto the field during a baseball game and he did last year. Newspaper headline "Idiot ruins game, Springfield forfeits pennant"

MCAT The Monorail Conductors Aptitude Test. 

The news file photo of Homer is him with a mouth full of cigarettes.

North Haverbrook "Where the monorail is king!" The sign is peeling off the billboard. The celebrity on the maiden voyage of the monorail was Gallagher.

Celebrities at monorail launch, recently outed Dash Calhoun, Krusty the Clown, Kyle Derin from Springfield Heights 90210 (a spoof of Luke Perry and Beverly Hills 90210), Lurline Lumpkin (first seen in the episode Colonel Homer). The Grand Marshal is Leonard Nimoy. Mayor Quimby thinks he's one of the Little Rascals. Nimoy says "Live long and prosper" to which Quimby replies "May the force be with you"

Hose in monorail Seld-M-Break similar to the dog collar Nev-R-Break in the episode Bart's Dog Gets An "F"

The monorail anchor cuts down the oldest tree, which crashes into the birthplace of Jebediah Springfield that immediately bursts into flames. (this is a continuity error since Jebediah was suppose to have come from somewhere else and founded the town). The anchor also cuts a pair of Siamese twins in half just as Dr. Hibbert is telling them about the long painful and expensive process. The sea captain runs Ye Olde Anchor Shoppe and criticizes Homer's anchor. The anchor hooks the big donut sign (shaped like Randy's Donuts in LA) and the train stops (the shop in Springfield doesn't have a name yet)

Other things Springfield wasted the town's money on, the popsicle stick skyscraper (shaped like the Empire State Building), a 50 foot magnifying glass (that sets the popsicle stick skyscraper on fire), and the escalator to nowhere (people keep riding it and falling off at the top)

Characters in the couch gag L-R Back row Eddy the cop, Patty, Selma, Apu Krusty, Grandpa Abe, Herman

Second row Lou the cop, Mr. Smithers, Mr. Burns, Mrs. Krabappal, Principal Skinner, Princess Jasmine, Jasper, Grandma Jackie, Miss Hoover

Third Row Wiggums, Ned and Maude Flanders, Barney, Moe, Dr. Hibbert

Front Row  Kent Brockman, Otto, Nelson, Milhouse, Martin.

Selma's Choice

This episode premiered on January 21st, 1993. It ran in its usual time slot and opposite the regular programs

The chalkboard gag is I will not yell "She's Dead" during roll call and the couch gag is the family is caught in a snare trap.

The title is based on the novel and movie Sophie's Choice.

The family is watching a commercial for Duff Gardens featuring Lance Murdock. On the day they plan to go to the park they find out Aunt Gladys has died and they have to go to the funeral. The preacher keeps calling Gladys a man. At the playing of the video will Homer skips over the poem. Selma realizes that she wants to have a kid. She goes to a dating service and then to Princess Opal who tries to sell her love potion but accidentally drinks truth serum and confesses that it's just corn syrup and rubbing alcohol. Selma goes out on a date with Hanz Moleman but when she pictures their potential kids she changes her mind. She then goes to a sperm bank but the only donor is Barney. On the day they want to go to Duff Gardens Homer gets food poisoning from a 10' Hoagie that he's been eating on for weeks, Selma offers to take the kids to get some parenting practice. While on a ride Lisa drinks the water and has an acid trip. Bart sneaks onto a ride and almost falls off. In the end Selma adopts Jub Jub, her dead aunt's iguana. 

Duff Gardens is a combination of Busch Gardens and Disney World. 

Duff Gardens, Home of the whiplash "To be completed in 1994" That was 29 years ago.

When Homer hugs Marge's sisters Patty says "Just close your eyes and think of MacGuyver" Based on the quote from Lady Hillingdon who said she though of England when she had to have sex with her husband.

Selma is wearing the S shaped earrings for the first time.

They eat at The Buzzing Sign Diner on the way to the funeral. Homer has trouble with the kids maze. They use the Lucky Stiff Funeral Home "We put the fun in funeral" for Aunt Gladys' funeral. Selma goes to the Low Expectations Dating Service. Springfield Sperm Bank Est. 1858 "Put your sperm in our hands" It's a parody of the Allstate Good Hands logo.

Princess Opal: Potions, Hexes and Fax Machine. Princess Opal first appeared in the episode Bart The Murderer, the police hire her to find Skinner but she mostly makes predictions about celebrities.

Lionel Hutz is the will lawyer, the will is a video and he tries to dub over it to give himself $50,000. Marge gets her aunt's potato chip collection (which Homer eats), Jub Jub her pet iguana goes to her sister. Patty And Selma get the grandfather clock. 

Marge's mother's name is Jackie Bouvier. Sound familiar?

Hans Moleman flunks his driving test again, in the episode Principal Charming the name on his driver's license was Ralph Melish and his dob 2/2/28. In this episode his name is Hanz Moleman and his DOB is 8/2/61

When Marge is trying to remember Gladys she remembers the lake scene from Prince Of Tides instead.

Patty and Selma drive a VW Thing, Volkswagen's answer to the Jeep. They were produced from 1968 to 1983.

Hooray for Everything appears at Duff Gardens. First seen in the episode Bart vs. Thanksgiving. They sing a cleaned up version of Take A Walk On The Wild Side.

Duff Garden Rides, The Whiplash roller coaster (not finished), The Washing Machine, the Beerquarium (featuring the happiest drunkest fish in the world), the Contusion (a Newton's Cradle with real people), the Duff Beeramid, a pyramid made from aluminum cans, it would take 5 men to lift it. 22 immigrant labors died during it's construction, their graveyard is at the park. Beer Hall of Presidents, rapping Lincoln. Beer Goggles "See The World Through The Eyes Of A Drunk". Two hour wait for the complaint department "Get Bent" Little Land Of Duff (Small World), The Barrel Roll, Bart almost falls out.

The Seven Duffs, characters in beer bottles. We see four of them Tipsy Queasy, Surly, Remorseful. Based on the Seven Dwarfs.

Duff Gardens Signs: Surly Says: You must be this tall to go on this ride. Surly Says: Don't get caught or else. (Image of Surly hanging)

Carney, Jimbo and Dolf are seen in handcuffs in the Duff Gardens commercial "Where roaming gangs aren't a big problem anymore"

The Sperm Bank catalog, 101 Frozen Pops "Monthly Edition. Troy McClure, Professor Frink, and Jacque the bowling instructor are on the cover. The catalog has an Nobel Prize Winner, an NBA all star and one of the Sweathogs, but it's not Horshack. 

Homer wears a Foam Dome hat with pepto bottles. 

Marge rents videos, Boxing's Greatest Weigh Ins, Yentl and The Erotic Adventures Of Hercules "Norman Fell as Zeus." (best known as Mr. Roper on Three's Company)

Instead of the end credits song they play Natural Woman.

Brother From The Same Planet

The episode premiered on February 4th 1993,  it ran in its usual time slot and opposite Matlock, Top Cops and Cheers.

The title came from the 1984 movie Brother From Another Planet

The chalkboard gag is "The principal's toupee is not a frisbee" and the couch gag is a repeat of the revolving wall. (The producers considered giving Skinner a toupee but never followed up on the gag)

Homer is suppose to pick up Bart from soccer but forgets him in the rain. He dreams about finding Bart's skeleton at the soccer field. To get revenge Bart joins the Bigger Brother's Program. Secondary story, Lisa has been making calls to the Cory Hotline, $300 worth. At the doctor's office Lisa calls the Corey Hotline. Meanwhile Bart and his Bigger Brother Tom go to a ball game and then work out in his home gym. At Show And Tell Bart brings in an experimental Neural Disruptor that Tom lent him, he uses it on Martin and Milhouse has his toy horse. Lisa visits Grandpa and when he falls asleep she uses his phone. Principal Skinner catches Lisa using a school phone to call the hotline. Homer catches Bart with his Bigger Brother and signs up for the program himself. Lisa has to make it to midnight without calling the Corey hotline, Marge finds her with the phone but she called the time number. Homer gives Bart's skateboard to Pepe. Bart tells Homer that he was faking all the fun when Homer would push him on the swings. Both Bart and Homer go to the Ocean Park on Bigger Brother's Day. Homer and Tom get into an all out fight. Bart joins Tom and Pepe together. Bart and Homer talk about the fight, Homer promises to teach him how to pull the dirty tricks. 

Nelson's father makes an appearance in this episode.

Homer is watching TV, the announces says "Tonight on Wings...eh, who cares". Wings ran on Thursday nights on NBC opposite Fox programming. 

The kids go to see Barton Fink, an R rated movie.  (There is no nudity or violence in the film, it's rated R for it's language)

The Flying Nun is in the background of the soccer field. She gets caught by the wind and crashes into a fireball in a hill. Bart tries to contact Homer using mental telepathy, Milhouse get the message and write it in reverse, traB pu kciP via The Shining. Pick up Bart

Krusty the Clown hosts SNL because he made a movie with Marvin Hagler (Boxer) and Tova Borgnine (the wife of Earnest Borgnine). Bart comments that he misses Joe Piscapoe. The Big Ear Family, oversized ears and Q-Tip. Later Krusty does the big shoe bit. 

Homer mentions being in debt to the Columbia Record Club, weren't we all. 

Non-Threatening Boys Magazine: Meet TimmyTim and his grandma. Meet Joey Joe.

Hey Girls! It's the Corey Hotline! "Why won't she call?" 900-555-Cory

Marge mentions when she was a girl she had a crush on Bobby Sherman. 

Springfield Stadium Monday Tomato Day. It's also the day the recruiter for the Springfield Communist Party shows up. You know what happens next. 

Dr. Hibbert has a MASH coloring book. Hawkeye and BJ on cover.

Bart watches Ren And Stimpy. Ren thinks he's eating meatball soup but it's Stimpy's hairballs. There was a rivalry between the Simpsons and the Ren and Stimpy creators. 

Bigger Brothers Reasons for joining the program, Spite, Malice, Revenge, Boredom, Profit. Homer says Revenge

Skinner looks out his office window and sees his mother in the Psycho house. 

When Homer goes to the bad side of town to pick up Pepe there is a billboard with Krusty and some kind of writing but I can't find a reference to what it says.

Bart squishes a grapefruit into Homer's face, Public Enemy #1 Bart and Homer have a fight via Who's Afraid Of Virginia Wolfe. 

Homer's constellations, Jerry the Cowboy and the Big Dipper looking thing, Alan the Cowboy. 

Maggie playing with a rotary dial phone. 

Lisa has a digital clock but the numbers drop down like the old flip clocks. 

The Itchy And Scratchy Show: "Kitty-Kitty Bang-Bang" (title taken from the movie Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang) Itchy sticks Scratchy's tongue in the bowling ball return and then bowls with a bomb, when it comes back it blows up Scratchy and his organs land at the snack bar. Cat Ligament 79¢ /lb Cat Intestines 59¢/lb. The dogs show up and eat it.

Bart has a copy of Playdude 1986 under his bed.

During the fight Homer throws starfish at Tom like Ninja stars. When Tom drops them in a tank a shark eats them and he say's "D'oh!" They go over the edge of the Springfield Gorge "The third most beautiful gorge in the state" (first seen in Bart The Daredevil) Kent Brockman reports on the fight, says one of the combatants is a giant lizard (graphic of Godzilla appears on screen), when asked for a source he's told it's a bunch of drunken frat boys, one named I P Freely.

Background businesses in Springfield: The Original Frenchies Coffee Shop. Hailstones

I Love Lisa

This episode premiered on February 11th 1993 in its usual time slot and opposite the regular programs.

The episode took it's name from I Love Lucy.

The chalkboard gag is "I will not call the Principal Spud Head" and the couch gag is a repeat of the big show. 

The show starts off with the radio station playing The Monster Mash on Valentine's Day. Homer forgets the day and guesses saying "Happy Valentine's Day." Ned dresses up like a heart and sings "If you want my body" but a cleaned up version. Homer sneaks out to try to find a gift for Marge, Apu wants $100 for an old heart shaped candy box. Skinner has flashback to a Valentines when he was in Vietnam on a patrol boat, one of the other sailors gets shot while reading a Valentines from his girlfriend.  Ralph doesn't get a valentine card so Lisa erases her name off one and puts it in his box. Ralph misunderstands Lisa's gesture and falls in love with her. Ralph comes over but Lisa hides, when he says he would do anything for her Homer puts him to work taring the roof. In the school play Lisa is chosen to play Martha and Ralph is picked to play George Washington, because Wiggums booted Miss Hoover's car until she did. Ralph gives Lisa tickets to the Krusty anniversary show, Bart says he'd do anything to go including pretending to be Lisa, and other stuff. Bill and Hillary show up at the Krusty Anniversary Show. Ralph drops chocolate ice cream onto Lisa's dress. When Krusty talks to Ralph and he calls Lisa his girlfriend she tells him off and says it's a pity date. The President Day follies starts with the mediocre presidents like Millard Fillmore and Tyler. Bart plays John Wilkes Booth, after shooting Milhouse (Lincoln) he goes after the rest of the Presidents. Ralph gives the performance of a lifetime. The show ends with the radio station accidentally playing The Monster Mash on President's Day.

Bart's altered candy hearts, Kiss Off, Eat My Shorts, Prize Pig, U Stink, Luv Sux

Bart pretends to have a baboon heart and ejects cow heart from his shirt. A baboon heart transplant was done in 1984 but didn't work, the subject died a month later. A movie was also made called Untamed Heart in 1993.

The Itchy And Scratchy Show "My Bloody Valentine" (this was the title of a 1981 horror movie) Scratchy gives Itchy a heart shaped Valentines card, Itchy has nothing to give in return so he rips Scratchy's heart out of his chest and hands it back. When Scratchy gets home he reads the headline "You Need A Heart To Live" and drops dead before he can reach his heart that he placed on a shelf.

Krusty's 29th anniversary show flashbacks. Sideshow Mel telling off Krusty while he's drunk. Urine monkey pees on Krusty's head. In 1963 Krusty buries Robert Frost in fake snow, in 1973 Krusty sings the Doors The Other Side. Sideshow Raheem, a big Black guy who warns Krusty about doing a hammer bit. 

The Krusty Home Pregnancy Test "Warning, may cause birth defects".

Homer steals Ned's diploma from Oral Roberts University and writes in his own name.

Springfield X theater Now Playing "Debbie Does Springfield. Open 24 hours. (based on Debbie Does Dallas)

Hooray for President's Day "You must see it to get course credit" -Principal Skinner. The former show was Fire Drill Follies but they started the show with a fire drill and everyone left. When asked to water down the orange drink Willie does an imitation of Star Trek Scotty and says "I cannot water it down anymore!"

Instead of the closing credits song they play The Monster Mash.

Duffless

This episode premiered on February 18th. It ran in it's usual time slot and opposite the regular programs. 

The chalkboard gag is "Goldfish Don't Bounce" and the couch gag is a repeat of the family running past the film stip.

The show starts off with the kids getting ready for the science fair. Lisa grows a giant tomato with steroids. Homer sneaks out of work to go on the Duff Brewery tour. Meanwhile Lisa asks Bart to hold her giant tomato, as he is Skinner bends over to tie his shoe and Bart throws it at him. Lisa decides to perform a science experiment to see who is smarter, Bart or a Hamster. Homer gets busted for drunk driving on the way home, his license is revoked, he has to attending driving school and AA meeting. Marge asks Homer to give up alcohol for a month. Bart finds Lisa's journal and sets out to get his revenge. Homer goes to the baseball game and discovers it's boring without beer. After 30 days Homer heads to the bar but instead of drinking he goes home to ride bikes with Marge.

Science Fair Projects, Static Electricity, How Soap Is Made, What's inside a golf ball?, The Human Brain, Adventures in Microwaves. Bart invents the Go Go Ray with setting, The Jerk, Monkey, Mashed Potato, The Swim, the Freddie. He zaps all the teachers and they dance uncontrollable. It turns out to be a dream. Real science fair, Milhouse demonstrates gravity with a slinky but it fails to walk down the board. A father who did the kids project won't let his son mess with the volcano, Nelson "Wasting Squirrels With A B. B. Gun, he shoots down Martin's hot air ballon, a replica of the Around The World In 80 Days balloon. Ralph has an alcohol fueled car, Homer fantasies of drinking at the pump. Bart puts Lisa's hamster in a remote control plane and wins first prize for showmanship.

Duff Brewery signs. Prohibition got you down? Drink Doctor Duff's Health Tonic "winking doctor" I knew he was a Commie 'cause he didn't drink Duff Beer. Duff Beer, proud sponsors of Amos and Andy (infamous racist show about two Black guys) Duff, Duff Light and Duff Dry all come from the same pipeline. Inspector chatting with Barney misses Hitler's head in a jar going by.

Homer's license says he was born on 5/12/56 and has his weight at 240. He would be 67 today.

Lisa goes to All Creatures Great And Cheap to buy a hamster, the shop first appeared in the episode Lisa's Pony. 

At driving class they load the wrong movie and show Wiggum eating a hot dog in a wading pool. We see Wiggum's wife in this episode. 

Troy McClure driver's ed films Alice's Adventures Through The Windshield Glass and The Decapitation of Larry Leadfoot. 

Ruth Powers is at the drivers ed class. She was first seen in the episode New Kid On The Block.

Pamphlet "Is Your Spouse a Souse?"

Homer sings a version of When I Was 17. 

Duff commercial, women protesting sexism in commercials in front of McMahon And Tate Advertising (both from Bewitched and the Mister Plow episode) The guys from Duff spray the women with beer and they change into bikini party girls. 

Patty and Selma sell Supperware. 

Instead of the credit songs they do Raindrops Falling On My Head, a reference to the bike scene in Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid.

With this episode we've reached the 1/10 mark. Only 675 more to go.

 The Simpsons Episodes 66-70

Marge Gets A Job

This episode premiered on November 5th 1992. It ran in its usual time slot and opposite Matlock, Top Cops and A Different World (Just two days after the last Simpsons episode)

The chalkboard gag is "I will not teach others to fly" and the couch gag is the family runs onto the couch but they all have the wrong head for their bodies so they swap around. Homer ends up with the pacifier and Maggie grabs it from his mouth.

Homer is laying on the couch dreaming about retiring, where he can lay on the couch. Ned goes by the windows and the whole house is now on a slant. Homer tries to follow a do it yourself foundation repair video but it goes too fast and is too technical. He tries to hire a foundation repair guy but when the quote is too high Homer says "You're not the only foundation guy in town" but when he looks in the phone book there is only the one foundation repair guy. To come up with the money Marge offers to get a job, Homer fantasizes about living in the woods and keeping a journal of his thoughts, ala Thoreau at Walden Pond, his only thoughts are about how he wishes he brought a TV. The power plant is holding Jack Marley's retirement party at the Spruce Caboose, a train disaster turned into a restaurant. At the retirement party Mr. Smithers sings a song in honor of Mr Burns. Marley begs to keep his job but is thrown out of the restaurant, Burns announces a a job opening at the power plant and then tells them to get out because the party is over. Marge types out her resume but it's thin so Lisa adds to it. Lisa compares Homer and Marge working together to Marie and Pierre Curie and talks about how they died, Bart imagines them as a coupe of monsters attacking Tokyo. At school Bart fakes an illness to get out of a test, Mrs. Krabappal asks him if he ever read The Boy Who Cries Wolf and he says he's going to get to it. At the power plant Marge is doing a report but Homer shoves it into a vacuum tube where it shoots out into the river and the beavers use it to build a dam. Mr. Burns gives Marge flowers and bath oils. She suggests Funny Hat Day and Tom Jones music to cheer the workers up. Burns moves Marge to the office next to him while Smithers is demoted to scrubbing the restrooms. Marge holds Western day but Lenny dresses up like The Fonz. Smithers kidnaps Tom Jones for a date between Burns and Marge. At the Krustylu studios a wildlife expert is a guest on the show but her wolf escapes and attacks Bart in the hall. Krabappal won't help him as he cries wolf. Burns finds out that Marge is married and imagines that Homer is a rugged handsome man so he fires her. Willie shows up and wrestles the wolf to save Bart. Grandpa comes to pick up Bart and plans to rub him with garlic to make sure he doesn't turn into a werewolf, Willie and the wolf share a post fight drink. Marge goest to Lionel Hutz to see about suing Mr. Burns for firing her. When Hutz confronts Burns he reveals his 10 high priced lawyers and Hutz runs off in a panic. Burns arranges for Marge and Homer to have the special dinner he was planning complete with Tom Jones. Its Not Unusual plays instead of the regular closing credits song. 

Homer's do it yourself VHS: The Half Assed Approach To Foundation Repair. Troy McClure hosts the tape "You might remember me from such instructional videos as Mothballing Your Battleship and Dig Your Own Grave And Save

Homer hires Surely Joe's Foundation Repair. The cost of the repairs is $8500 dollars. That would be $18,500 in modern money. After he fixes the foundation he offers to replace a leaky washer that caused the damage, for free. Homer chases him off.

On the news Kent Brockman says "...leaving the Vice President in charge" while there is a picture of the White House with fire and smoke coming out of it. At the time Dan Quayle was still the VP, but only for two more months.

The Spruce Caboose, a parody of the Spruce Goose, the Howard Huges plane turned into a tourist attraction. 

Mr Smithers' song at the retirement party is a parody of the tribute to Charles Foster Cane scene from Citizen Cane.

Marge's Resume "Homemaker: 1980 to Present"

Mr. Smithers has the photo of Elvis and Mr. Burns on his wall, he was given it in the episode Burns Verkaufen Der Kraftwerk. 

When Bart imagines the Curies attacking Tokyo there is even bad dubbing of the Japanese characters. 

When Grandpa thinks Maggie is sick he refers to Guide to Infantile Disstress (typo on book cover) By Dr. Washburn's Asbestos Pills.

When Burns is watching the security tapes Darth Vader's theme plays in the background. 

Mr Burns talks about a dream where Marge flies in through the window, Smithers remembers his own dream of Burns doing just that. (Just another hint about Smithers' sexuality)

Krustylu Studios, based on the Desilu Productions, the company run by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. 

Bart thinks Ivanhoe is the story of a Russian farmer and his tool.

Mall stores: Origami Designs, Yogurt Nook, Gum For Less and Lionel Hutz's office I Can't Believe it's a Law Firm!

Tom Jones does his own voice and sings his own songs on the episode.

New Kid On The Block

This episode premiered on November 12th 1992. It ran in its usual time slot and opposite Delta, Top Cops and A Different World.

The chalkboard gag is "I will not bring sheep to class" and the couch gag is a repeat of the family crashing through the floor.

Homer is watching Hunks, a take on the 90's dating game shows. When a Hank says he likes "making bacon on the beach" Homer imagines actually cooking bacon. Mrs. Winfield comes over to talk to Homer, they are selling their house and want him to clean up his yard so the neighborhood doesn't look so bad. Homer hauls in stuff the neighbors are throwing out. He sees a commercial for the Frying Dutchman, an all you can eat seafood restaurant. Bart and Lisa sneak into the neighbors house, Bart says they kept their mutated son in the basement to scare Lisa when someone comes out of the shadow, he passed out. He meets Laura, the new neighbor and falls in love. The welcome wagon basket includes a coupon for Moe's and a VHS copy of Das Butt XXX. Laura, the new neighbor, scares off the bullies and spits on Barts hand as a joke, he says he'll never wash the hand again and after a few days it's pretty gross. To go out to The Frying Dutchman Homer hires Laura to babysit. At the restaurant Homer takes the entire steam tray of fish, he's eventually kicked out of the restaurant. Homer says he's going to fight the restaurant "like that Spanish guy". When Marge tells him it's Don Quixote he argues with her, he eventually goes and looks it up and then tells her to never mind (reminds me of arguing with my brother who always thought he was right about everything). Homer hires Lionel Hutz to sue the all you can eat restaurant, he calls it the greatest lawsuit since his case against The Neverending Story. Bart goes to Abe for advice on women, he's no help. Bart goes to Homer who tells him women are like beer and proceeds to get drunk while demonstrating his point. Bart learns nothing about women. Laura wants to talk to Bart alone at his treehouse but she tells him she is dating Jimbo. When the captain thinks he's going to lose the lawsuit he makes a deal with Homer, he can eat all he wants in the front window of the restaurant, the captain calls him Bottomless Pete, natures cruelest joke. The neighbor goes to Moe's Tavern for her free beer, Moe claims the place is Bo's Cavern but ends up giving her a free beer. Bart calls the bar and says he's Jimbo and gives the address of the Simpson's house. Moe threatens to cup up Jimbo and he ends up crying. Back at the bar Barney is drinking beer straight out of the tap and his heart stops, but then starts up again. The episode ends with everyone having a good laugh at Moe who falls for another phone prank. 

Girls on Hunks, Ouda, Candy and Shasta

The episode took its name from the Boy Band group New Kids on the Block

Dated reference: When the neighbor asks Homer to get rid of his old Halloween pumpkins because they are attracting wildlife we see the moose and hear the song from the opening credits of Northern Exposure, a popular show about a small town in Alaska that ran from 1990 to 1995. The porn is on VHS and uses the outdated XXX rating system. The guy on the dating show says "Making bacon", 90's slang for sex.

The neighbor hires the Clumsy Movers, who drop a lamp. 

Time cover story "America's worst city" Marge says you can see her house in the cover photo. 

Self aware joke, Bart says he wants his skin to look its yellowist. 

Laura orders take out from Two Guys From Kabul. Kabul is in Afghanistan btw and at the time was under the Taliban control and al Qaeda was building its terrorist network, although everyone ignored the warnings.

At the Kwik-E-Mart Bart and Laura play Escape From Death Row. When confronted by the conservative judge they hit the Change of Venue button but wind up in Texas where the guy gets the chair.

Grandpa Simpson says he dated the oldest woman and has a photo of her delivering Eubie Blake, who was born in 1887. They broke up when she started running around with the Guinness people.

Homer learned about sex while watching the monkeys at the zoo having sex.

When Bart finds out Laura is dating Jimbo he fantasies about her ripping his heart out and tossing it in the trash. We've all been there.

At the trial the lawyer tries to show court how much shrimp Homer ate and the bailiffs bring in bags of letters to dump on the judge's stand. The lawyer tells them they want Springfield vs. Kris Kringle next door. 

Phone gag Amanda Hugginkiss. Bart tells Moe he's Jimbo Jones at 1094 Evergreen Terrace. Laura calls Moe and asks for Miss Tinkle, first name Ivana.

While running back to the bar Moe hits the Wishing Well, from the episode Radio Bart.

Mr. Plow

This episode premiered on November 19th 1992. It ran in its usual times slot and opposite Matlock, Top Cops and Out All Night (A sitcom on NBC staring Patty LaBelle. It ran for 19 episodes)

The chalkboard gag is "A burp is not an answer" and the couch gag is the couch is gone and only a tiny chair remains, but they all manage to sit on it.

The Simpsons is watching The Carnival Of The Stars from Molokai island in Hawaii, hosted by Troy McClure. When Krusty is attacked  by tigers Bart changes the channel to Bumblebee man being chased by a police officer with a giant flyswatter. On the drive home from Moe's Homer gets caught in a snowstorm and crashed his car into Marge's car in the driveway. The family goes to a car show to find an new one. Homer enters a contest to win a new car and asks the model if she comes with it, as does the next guy. Bart plays in the Bonnie And Clyde Death Car, he finds a wad of cash in the glove box. While watching a video at the German booth Lisa realizes one of the test dummies is a real persons, the salesman quickly closes the exhibit. Homer meets Adam West, Bart and Lisa have no idea who he or Robin are, they get creeped out by him. Homer considers buying a truck with a plow on the front, the salesman tells him he makes money on the side by plowing driveways. Homer volunteers to do a church reading but instead does a commercial for his plow service. Lisa suggests running a real commercial on channel 92. He sees the Sea Captain pitching his album and decides to try it out. Homer's commercial runs art 3:17 AM. Grandpa plays Old Man Winter, Marge and the kids play a family stuck in their house. Homer shows up as Mr. Plow and saves them with his reasonable prices. Homer plows the Kwik-E-Mart, that gets robbed and then the retirement home where the old folks don't want to go out. When he plows the way to school all the kids pelt Bart with snowballs. The mayor give Homer the key to the city. When Moe gives Homer a free beer Barney decides he is going to get a plow truck. Homer discovers all the drive ways have been plowed by Barney, the Plow King, who then shoots out Homer's tires. Barney makes a commercial beating up a cardboard of Homer and Linda Ronstadt shows up to sing the Plow King jingle. Homer talks about all the things he did for Barney and remembers back to when he turned Barney into an alcoholic. Homer pays for a new commercial but it makes no sense. The city forces Homer to turn over the key to Barney. Homer calls Barney and asks him to plow his drive on top of Widows Peak, he claims he can pay with a $10,000 bill. When Barney asks which President is on it Homer claims they all are and are having a party, Jimmy Carter is passed out on the couch (the joke is that Jimmy Carter isn't a drinker). Homer sets out to rescue Barney from Widow's Peak, he drives across a rickety old rope bridge only to see the modern one off to his left. When Homer almost goes over the cliff he changes the radio station to the left which balances out the truck. After Homer rescues Barney they decide to team up and Homer says even God himself can't stop us. God says "Oh no?" and starts an unexpected warm season. The Repo Depo shows up and repossess Homer's plow. In the end Homer and Marge "snuggle" while he wears his Mr. Plow jacket. 

Molokai island is best known for its leprosy colony.

Troy McClure "You know me from such films as The Erotic Adventures of Hercules and Dial M for Murderousness."

Carnival Of Stars guests: Angela Lansbury walk on hot coals, Krusty the Klown is doing a tiger taming act where he's attacked, 20 years before the Siegfried and Roy incident. Alan Thicke throws knives at Ricardo Montalban

Homer goes to Crazy Vaclav's Place of Automobiles to look for a new car. 

Springfield Auto Show "We salute the American Worker, now 61% Drug Free! 1991 Aristocrat, Runs On Tap Water. In the background is the Wienermobile (now known as the Frankmobie.)

Signs at Homer's fantasy White House protest: Pay me not to work, Forget the Alamo, I dislike Ike, Stop Everything Now, Stop This Crazy Thing (Jetsons reference) Disgruntled Office Seeker, Bring Back Seahunt (a 1950's TV show). Homer is helping Senior Bush smuggle art out of the White House. (Bush had just lost the election to Clinton)

The plow truck costs $20,000, that's $42,700 in todays money still a heck of a deal. 

Springfield store: Lullaby$. Barney works dressed up as a baby and loses his diaper in the wind.

Homer gets a Missed Payment Third Notice from Kumatsu Motors, the company that took over Powell motors after the Homer car disaster in the episode Oh Brother Where Are Thou? When they call for payment Homer says he didn't say Mr. Plow but Tony Dow, the actor from Leave It To Beaver. When he says "Yeah, they're Gay" the producers considered cutting it from the show for potential liable reasons but they left the line in. 

The Sea Captain's songs: Blow The Man Down: What Do You Do With A Drunken Sailor, Dead Man's Chest, Asleep In The Deep, Row Row Row Your Boat, The Flogging Song, Love Theme From Das Boat, In The Navy, Sink The Bismarck, Columbia Gem Of The Ocean. It comes with a bonus CD, Horn Pipe Fever

The Batmobile license plate: 2F-3567

Homer goes to McMahon and Tate Advertising Agency, the company from Bewitched. Homer's new commercial is a parody of a Russian ad.

The World Trade Center is seen in the background of Homer's commercial

Kent Brockman reading the news of Barney trapped on Widow's Peak parodies Walter Cronkite reading the news that JFK was shot. 

Widow's Peak elevation 13, 613 feet. 

Dated reference, Homer changes the dial on the radio by turning the knob which moves the needle across the face, not digital

Adam West and Linda Ronstadt do their own voices in this episode.

Self Aware Joke "It may be on a lousy channel but The Simpsons are on TV"

Lisa's First Words

This episode premiered on December 3rd, 1992. It ran in its usual time slot and opposite Delta, Top Cops and Out All Night. 

The chalkboard gag is "Teacher is not a leper" (this came one week after they did an episode that featured Molokai island) and the couch gag is The kick line that turns into a full on show with acrobats, jugglers and even elephants,

The family is trying to get Maggie to say her first word. Instead she belches. They flash back on Bart's first word(s), he walks in on Homer and Marge "snuggling" and says "Aye Caramba!" Since Marge is embarrassed by the story she tells them about Lisa's first words. Flashback to 1983. The family lives on the lower east side of Springfield in a Brooklyn style multicultural neighborhood. Homer tries to get Bart to call him daddy but he keeps calling him Homer. Marge tells Homer and Bart that she's pregnant, Bart sees it as an opportunity to blame the baby for everything. Homer and Marge goes house shopping. First house just had a shooting with an outline on the floor, "I'll be back" is written on the wall in blood. The second house is next door to a hog fat rendering plant. The sea captain is selling his houseboat. There is a house owned by cats. Homer goes to Abe for help with buying the house. Abe sells his house which he got as a result of being on a crooked game show. The Simpsons buy their house for $15,000. Homer promises Able he'll always have a place to live and three weeks later send him to the retirement home. When they are moving in Ned and Todd come by to welcome them to the neighborhood, Homer borrows Ned's new TV tray and never gives it back. Krusty the clown is doing a Krustyburger giveaway, scratch off the name of an event and if the U.S. wins people get a free hamburger, however the contest is rigged, they only have events the Russians are good at, however in 1984 the Russia boycotted the Olympics (the US won 174 medals, 83 gold). Krusty stands to lose $44 million dollars. (That would be $89 million today) Homer builds Bart a creepy clown bed, he can't fall asleep in it. Homer is getting fat off free Krustyburgers. Krusty threatens to spit in every 50th burger. As an act of jealousy Bart cuts off all of Lisa's hair, tries to mail her and drops her off at the Flanders. Bart plans to run away but then Lisa says "Bart". Lisa also says Mommy, David Hasslehoff  but instead of saying Daddy she says Homer. Homer puts Maggie to bed and after he leaves she says Daddy.

1983 stuff, Ms. Pac-man, Joe Piscopo on SNL, Street Kids play video games, Mumbly Peg, Stickball and Kick The Can. The last episode of MASH. Homer sings Girls Wanna Have Fun. Johnny Carson makes a Boy George joke. Homer watches Mama's Family. Newspaper headline from the day Lisa was born, Mondale to Hart: Where's The Beef? (This was Homer's bumper sticker in The Itchy And Scratchy Movie episode) Also, this means Lisa's birthday is March 12th, the day after the debates. Dr. Hibbert is wearing beaded dreads and mentions Mary Lou Retton, the star of the Olympic gymnastic team. David Hasslehoff and KITT are on the cover of TV guide.

Fretful Mother Magazine Inside: Why baby can't read. In the flashback the magazine cover story is Is your baby too cute?

Homer and Marge go house hunting at Stinking Fish Reality "With a name this bad we've got to be good!

The Itchy And Scratchy Show "100 Yard Gash" At the Olympics Itchy nails Scratchy's tail to the track, when the gun goes off his skeleton shoots out and wins the race, he ends up on a box of Wheaties. "Good Luck to our athletes from Itchy and Scratchy, official animated cat and mouse team of the 1984 Olympics."

Sideshow Bob is on the Krusty show, it's 8 years before he would try to frame the clown and go to jail.

Drederick Tatum wins the Olympic boxing match. 

Although this was touted as the first episode in which Maggie speaks she once said "check this out" in the Tracy Ullman short Making Faces

Elizabeth Taylor did the guest voice for Maggie in this episode. 

Homer's Triple Bypass

This episode premiered on December 17th 1992. It ran in it's usual time slot, followed by Martin and ran opposite Delta, Top Cops and Out All Night.

The chalkboard gag is "Coffee is not for kids" (it is written in real jittery handwriting and becomes more illegible as it goes down the board) and the couch gag is the Simpsons are miniature and have to crawl up on the couch.

On Cops: In Springfield they use a battering ram to smash through a door, but it's Reverent Lovejoy instead of the cattle rustler who lives next door. It turns out to be Snake who gets away. Homer has several near heart attacks, Marge makes him oatmeal so he'll eat healthy, instead he scarfs down bacon and eggs. Homer gets stuck behind a house moving truck being driven by Moleman, he starts ramming the house until he forces it off the road into a firey crash. Mr. Burns sees Homer sleeping on the job and chews him out and almost kills him, Homer has a heart attack and leaves his body until Burns says "send a ham to his widow" so he returns. The ambulance gets stuck at a deer crossing. Marge gets the call, Patty and Selma are more interested in coupons. Dr. Hibbert does several tests on Homer, he's radioactive and fat. He needs a bypass surgery. Homer tries to get insurance but has a heart attack before he can sign the policy. Homer tries to borrow $40,000 from Reverend Lovejoy, Rabbi Krustofsky, and Sadruddin Mabaradid (first seen in the Kamp Krusty episode), all he gets is a dreidel. The family see Dr. Nick on the TV, he'll do any operation for $129.95, plus a free Chinese Finger Trap. Flanders is at the hospital in the same room as Homer, he's donating a kidney and a lung. Homer preys that Marge and the kids will be taking care of if he dies. Krusty shows up as part of his community service. Lisa reads up on cardiology. Dr. Nick goes to the library to watch a film on how to do heart surgery however someone taped over it with an episode of People Who Look Like Things. Patty and Selma try to introduce Marge to Andre in the waiting room. Dr. Nick remembers med school when he was telling woman he can get any kind of drugs he wants. In the end Lisa tells Dr. Nick how to do the operation, it's a success.

Cops: In Springfield. Wiggums tries to talk to a suicidal guy, who jumps off the ledge, A cop is chasing down a suspect on a rooftop pursuit but it's just a show the Springfield officers are watching. They search Jasper and find hidden weapons in his beard. They try to shoot a mummy. They watch Itchy and Scratchy (it's the episode from Itchy And Scratchy And Marge). They use the police helicopter to watch Space Mutants at the drive in theater. 

People waiting at the hospital. Jacque the bowler with his thumb stuck in a ball. Willie with two bandaged arms, Jasper with his beard stuck in a bike (this joke will be repeated later) Karate instructor with his hand stuck in board, Apu with a bullet wound. Sideshow Mel stuck in cannon. Wiggums with lockjaw when he tried to take too big of a bite out of a large sandwich.

Homer's life flashing before his eyes: eating pizza in the newborn nursery, singing in the choir until his voice changes mid song.

House being moved "Birthplace of Edgar Allen Poe"

Gasso station, Full Service $1.59 9/10, $1.99 9/10

We see the standard ambulance rushing to the hospital clip that was first used in the One Fish, Two Fish episode.

When Homer says they gave up their health care plan at work for a pinball machine in the lounge Marge says D'oh!

Homer goes to The Merry Widow Insurance Company. 

Dr. Nick commercial "You tried the best, now try the rest" 1-600-DOCTORB "The B is for Bargain"

The backside of Homer's get well card from the power plant is the Emergency Procedure poster "Do Not Remove". The rest of the copy is greeked gibberish. 

Mr. McCraig with a leg for an arm and an arm for a leg. 

People Who Look Like Things guests: Cash Register, Palm tree, broom, Jack-O-Lantern, coffee pot. 

Homer's heart problem was first mentioned in the Lisa The Greek episode.

This was the last episode of 1993. At this point there are only 30 years of The Simpsons to go.

  The Simpsons episodes 60 through 65

Kamp Krusty

This episode premiered on September 24th 1992. It was followed by Martin and ran opposite Delta (Staring Delta Burke) Top Cops and Different World.

The chalkboard gag is "This punishment is not boring and pointless" and the couch gag is when they run in they find the Flintstones sitting on the couch, Fred gives Homer a friendly wave. (This was in response to critics who claimed The Simpsons was just a ripoff of the classic animated series.)

It's the last day of school and bart got straight F's. Bart asks Mrs. Krabappel for better grades so she changes them all to C's. Principal Skinner comes on and tells the kids "lets trash this dump" and they destroy the school while Alice Cooper's Schools Out For Summer plays in the background. It turns out to be a dream. Homer wakes up Bart to tell him it's the last day of school. Miss Hoover gives Lisa a B+ and she freaks out. Bart tries to butter up Mrs Krabappel but she gives him straight D-. Bart alters his D's to A's, nobody believes him. While mowing Homer runs over a roller skate that gets stuck, he asks Bart to reach up and get it out but then the mower kicks over and spits it out. Homer knows Bart got D's but doesn't want him hanging out all summer so he plans on sending him to camp anyhow. Martin is being sent off to fat camp. The camp is a disaster, meanwhile at home Homer has lost 5 pounds and regained hair. Barney shows up as Krusty and Bart revolts. Just as the queen is going to knight Krusty he gets a call about the camp. Homer and Marge see a news story about Bart taking over the camp, Homer immediately gains weight and loses his new hair. To make up for the crappy camp Krusty takes all the kids to Tijuana.

This was the first episode of the 92-93 season even though another episode had run a month before. 

Bart uses a wrecking ball to destroy Springfield Elementary. This will come back in a later episode.

Lottery numbers 17 32 5 8 47. So far every Simpson lottery drawing has featured the number 17.

Kamp Krusty the Krustiest Place On Earth. Mr. Black, the head counselor at Kamp Krusty originally ran Euro KrustyLand. It blew up. Reference to Euro Disneyland. The school bullies Dolf, Jimbo and Carney are the councilors. The camp serves Krusty Brand Imitation Gruel. In the fake Gucci wallet workshop Kerney keeps a rhythm by beating on a drum, this is a spin on the galley ship drummer from Ben Hur. Krusty says he approved of the camp because they drove a dump truck full of money up to his house. This kind of sentiment will be repeated in future episodes.

The fat camp is Chief Starving Bear Weight Loss Center. (not exactly a PC name)

Krusty goes to Wimbledon and is sitting near the queen. She recently passed away. Later he wears a "I got smashed at Wimbledon" T shirt. Reporter asks Krusty if he and Diana are "just friends". She would die in a car crash 5 years later. Krusty once starred in a sitcom called President Clown. When the camp kids rip open Krusty's shirt they see his pacemaker scar, as mentioned in Krusty Gets Busted episode, his cow skull birthmark and third nipple. These will all come back in a future episode.

When Bart calls out the fake Krusty is similar to the scene in the Ullman shorts. The original idea was that Krusty was really Homer's alter ego but the storyline was dropped.

Marge and Homer are watching Sadruddin Mabaradid's Yoga Party on TV, one of his books was featured in Blood Feud. (The ghost writer Mr. Burns was going to hire wrote The Unsinkable Sadruddin Mahbaradid, spelled with an extra h in the episode)

Self aware joke, Bart says "I'd never lend my name to an inferior product", the Simpsons were seen in a number of commercials and sold a wide variety of merchandise. I still have a Simpsons chess board and a Kamp Krusty t shirt.

Tijuana photos: All the kids wearing oversized sombreros, betting on cockfighting, Krusty passed out on tequila, Bart getting an Ay Caramba tattoo, the bus returning from Mexico, follow by Krusty chasing the bus.

Dated reference: Back in the day you could cross the Mexican border by just stating that you were an American citizen. In the modern world you need a passport or a passport card.

A Streetcar Named Marge

This episode premiered on October 1st 1992. It ran in its usual time slot and opposite the regular programs.

The chalkboard gag is My name is not "Dr. Death" and the couch gag is the family plops down on the couch, which then turns into a monster and swallows them. 

The Simpsons are watching The Miss American Girl Pageant from Laughlin Nevada, sponsored by Meryl Streep's Versatility, first seen in Lisa The Greek. Troy McClure is the host of the show. Marge is trying out for a play and nobody is paying attention. Marge gets rejected by the director until he sees her talking to Homer on the phone and decides that she's the perfect Blanch. Since Marge has to bring Maggie the director insists she drop the baby off at his sister's daycare center. Marge is bad at being Blanch until Homer shows up and then she goes full in. The daycare doesn't allow pacifiers but Maggie starts plotting how to get it back. At the play Homer feels bad about how he treated Marge. 

Judges at pageant, Rowena, William F. George (a play on the name William F. Buckley and George Will) Dredrick Tatum and Mr. Boswell (a take on Blackwell) "Memo to Goldie Hawn, cheerleader tryouts were 30 years ago, time to grow up." The finalists, Miss Montana "A beaut from Butte", South Carolina "Nothing could be finer" and Delaware "good for her" (Homer can't come up with anything to say about the state)

Maggie plays Sugarplum Faries on the toy xylophone, Homer yells at her to be quiet. 

Marge prepares Krusty Brand Slender Vittles for dinner. 

Sign at the Springfield Community Center Oh! Streetcar! A Musical Audition Tonite. 

Dated reference: Homer is playing with a gameboy in bed.

Self aware joke, when Maggie is seeking an alternative for her pacifier she tries a Bart doll. 

Pop Culture Reference: The daycare center is the Ayn Rand School For Tots. When Maggie tries to get her pacifier the theme from The Great Escape plays. When she gets caught she is sent to "the box", a play pen. One of the other babies tosses her a ball like Steve McQueen's character in the movie. When Homer can't open his can of putting he starts yelling at Marge in the classic Marlon Brando style. Maggie drops down from the ceiling to try to steal the daycare director's keys 4 years before Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible. When Homer shows up to pick up Maggie the place is full of pacifier sucking babies like the final scene from The Birds, complete with a Alfred Hitchcock cameo. Otto has a Rat Fink tattoo on his chest. 

Homer The Heretic

This episode premiered on October 8th 1992. It ran in its regular time slot and opposite the regular programs.

The chalkboard gag is "I will not defame New Orleans" and the couch gag is the family sits down and the entire wall spins around as they wind up in some secret chamber. 

The episode starts off with Homer in the womb but then he is born, it's a dream and Marge is pulling him out of bed to go to church. Outside it's a raging blizzard and a bear is rummaging through their trash for discarded fish. Homer rips his church pants and decides to stay home. While he's having the best morning in a long time everyone else is stuck at church where the furnace isn't working. After the perfect breakfast, winning a radio contest, watching The Three Stooges, a football game and finding a penny Homer gives up going to church and starts his own religion. In Homer's dream God shows up and they talk about religion. Marge invites Reverend Lovejoy to dinner to convince Homer to come back to church. Homer takes off work for The Feast Of Maximum Occupancy (there is some debate as to when it should be celebrated so there isn't a May The Fourth or Festivus type of celebration in the real world). The Flanders try to win Homer back by singing about Noah, it turns into a 70's detective show car chase. Marge tries to convince Homer to come to church but he's watching a show about making your own ladder. Homer falls asleep with a cigar in his mouth and sets the house on fire. Ned breaks into the house and saves Homer. Homer imagines sitting in his hammock watching Ned burn. Homer decides to go back to church, where he sleeps through the service, he dreams of God telling him that most new religions fail (in heaven Ben Franklin is playing air hockey with Jimmi Hendrix). 

Pop Culture Reference: Homer dances to Who Wears Short Shorts in his underwear like Tom Cruise in Risky Business. 

Homer listens to Johnny Calhoun singing Gonna Find Me A Genie With a Magic Bikini on the radio, he wins a  radio contest by know the name of the second album These Things I Believe (Homer has a copy and mispronounces the name, This Things I Believe). 

The penny Homer finds under the couch is a 1991 D, for the Denver mint.

Homer's best days of his life, married to Marge and crashed tanker spraying beer all over freeway.

God has five fingers, the producers worried people would be angry if he was shown with only four like most cartoon characters.

Homer walking around his yard in a robe like St. Francis with the animals coming to him. Later he has to tell them to get lost while he tries to take a shower.

The maximum occupancy of Moe's is 65.

Moe is a snake handler.

Blinky the three eyed fish is seen on the sign for Springfield Harbor.

Itchy And Scratch episode "Slay Me To The Moon" Itchy ties Scratchy's tongue to a rocket launch. It gets tied around the moon and when his tongue retracts it pulls the moon down to Earth and crushes Scratchy. 

Homer reads a Playdude magazine from 1966 that has an interview with Lorne Michaels, at the time he was working for the Canadian Broadcast Company. "Don't laugh, it's a car from Japan"

SLH rushed to Homer during the fire but only pulls a Hershey's bar out of his pocket. You couldn't do that joke in the modern world since we know chocolate is dangerous for dogs.

Apu is the fire chief for Springfield. Krusty, Barney and Wiggums are also volunteers. 

We meet Apu's nephew Little Jumpshid. He pulls a shotgun on the bullies.

Continuity error: Ned is perhaps the most religious person in Springfield but on Sunday morning he is home and able to save Homer.

A note on the chalkboard gag, this episode ran after the Streetcar Named Marge episode in which they sang about New Orleans:

New Or-le-ans,

Home of pirates, drunks, and whores,

New Or-le-ans,

Tacky overpriced souvenir stores.

Lisa The Beauty Queen

This episode premiered on October 15th 1992. It ran in its regular time slot and opposite the regular programs.

The chalkboard gag is "I will not prescribe medication" and the couch gag is the family runs past the couch and off the film strip and then back.

The episode starts at the Springfield Elementary Carnival where Bart is running a three card monty game. Willy is trying to sell Haggis. Lisa sits for a caricature artist and is embarrassed by the ugly drawing. Homer wins a ride on the Duff blimp, he imagines riding over the Super Bowl where they do his face with cards. Homer sees an ad for the Little Miss Springfield pageant, he sells his blimp ticket to Barney for the $250 entrance fee. Bart is teaching Lisa how to win a beauty contest and starts walking around high heels. Lisa's talent is singing Rollin' on the River, the Tina Turner version. (18 years before Little Miss Sunshine) Amber Dempsy, the professional beauty pageant contestant wins, Lisa comes in second. Amber gets struck my lightning and Lisa becomes Little Miss Springfield. When Lisa has to be the spokesmodel for Larame Cigarette she causes a scene at the parade. Lisa is removed as Little Miss Springfield when Homer wrote OK in a space where it says "Do not fill out this space". 

Dated Reference: In the couch gag the family runs past the sprocket holes on the film strip. Even when these episodes originally ran they were on digital tape. Kent Brockman has an interview with Pope John Paul II, he died in 2005. Caricature artist drawings, Farrah Fawcett in the famous swim suit, The Fonze and Darth Vader. 

Pop Culture Reference: Disney lawyers are insisting that Skinner get rid of the banner that says "Springfield Elementary School Carnival The Happiest Place On Earth". Krusty makes references to Vanessa Williams and the Miss America scandal. Barney crashes the Duff  Blimp like the Hindenburg disaster, Kent Brockman says "Oh the humanity!" Dr. Ruth's body used for Lisa's at wax museum. Ruth's head on spike in chamber of horrors along with Mr. T and Ronald Reagan. (In Game Of Thrones they used an old George Bush head for victims on spikes). Bob Hope does a show at Fort Springfield. Laramie tobacco has Menthol Moose, a versions of Joe Camel from Camel cigarettes. 

Homer is 239 pounds in this episode. This is his average.

Willey's haggis stand is against the law in the United States since it's banned here. 

Ride at the carnival, The Paralyzer. Otto runs it at full speed on a dare from Bart, one of the cars flies off and crashes into the school.

Milhouse attends the carnival in his Junior Campers uniform. No reason is given for it but we'll learn more about them in a later episode.

Self Aware joke, Homer says "This is how you would look as a cartoon character"

Jack Larson president of Larame Cigarettes appears in a commercial and later at the pageant, the parade and the meeting to remove Lisa. 

Beauty salon, Turn Your Head and Coif, makeup artist based on Jose Eber.

Ye Olde Off-Ramp Inn "We're now rat free! Little miss Springfield Pageant Tonight!" The motel was first seen in the episode Homer's Night Out. 

Pahusacheta Nahasapeenapetilon, Apu's niece, she plays MacArthur Park for her talent (Personally I consider it the worst song ever.) While Apu and Sanje are at the talent show the bullies are stealing the Squishy machine. 

Treehouse of Horror III (The Simpsons Halloween Special III)

This episode premiered on October 29th 1992 and ran opposite the regular programs.

The episode opens with Homer giving the warning about the show being scary and graphic.

Opening Headstones, Drexell's Class (a show that had followed The Simpsons but was cancelled in March), I'm With Stupid (pointing at) R Buckminster Fuller, American Workmanship (which is hit by lightning and crumbles), the opening also features the couch gag where the family rushes in and sits on the couch, but they are all skeletons. 

The Simpsons are holding a Halloween party. They share Halloween stories:

Lisa's Story, Clown Without Pity. It's Bart's birthday but Homer forgot to get him a gift so he rushes out to get one. Homer buys a cursed Krusty the Clown doll. The doll comes to life and tries to kill Homer.  Homer catches the curse doll and throws him down the bottomless pit but the doll returns, tied to the bottom of the car. Marge calls the number on the back of the box and the repair man shows up "Here's your problem, someone set this to evil" Switch on the back of the doll. The doll becomes Homer's slave. 

Grandpa tells a story based on King Kong, King Homer. Mr. Smithers is taking an expedition to Ape Island to capture the giant ape, he brings along Marge as bait. Homer comes for Marge and eats Lenny. Burns tries to gas him but gasses himself. Smithers gasses Homer but gets eaten by the sleeping ape. In Springfield Homer escapes from the theater and eats Shirley Temple. He kidnaps Marge but can't climb to the top of the building, the pilots waiting to shoot him have to go back for fuel. Marge marries Homer, who eats her father. 

Bart's story Dial Z For Zombie For his book report Bart reads Baby's First Pop-Up Book. Mrs. Krabappal orders him to read a real book. Bart reads Find Waldo Yet Again, on the first page Waldo is standing by himself while a kid points at him. Bart discovers the Occult Section of the library and reads a book of spells. At home Lisa is missing her cat Snowball I 1988-90 (Ironically a black cat btw). Bart's spell brings zombies to life who then go on a rampage through Springfield. The zombies pass on Homer because they are only after brains. Lisa suggests that there might be a book to reverse the zombie spell so the family heads to the library. The spell to reverse the zombies is all the names of condoms. After the crisis the family is glad they aren't mindless zombies, while watching TV.

The show does an Alfred Hitchcock Presents opening with Homer walking into the outline of Alfred Hitchcock. Homer calls people who refuse to turn off their set chicken, there is a click sound and screen goes to black except for center dot, dated reference to the days of tube tv's where the dot remained as the tube cooled off.

Halloween costumes, Marge as Cleopatra, Homer in sheet and laurel as Caesar, he looks more like Bluto from Animal House (the sheet gets hooked on a nail and he winds up in his underwear) Bart as Alex from A Clockwork Orange, Lisa as Lady Liberty, Milhouse as Radioactive Man, Nelson as a pirate. Martin as Calliope.

Clown Without Pity's name is based on the 1961 movie Town Without Pity and the plot is based on the Twilight Zone episode Living Doll. The store Homer goes to is The House Of Evil Your One Stop Evil Shop. Based on the shop from The Gremlins. Cursed Krusty doll rides back to the Simpson's house under car, a reference to Cape Fear.

Dated Reference: Homer sings the Oscar Mayer bologna commercial song but switch out "Homer" in the spelling part. The stories all end with a Love American Style fading heart and song.

Homer runs through the kitchen naked, Patty says "There goes the last lingering thread of my heterosexuality" In a later episode she'll confirm that she's a lesbian.

Doll box, Problems? Call 1-900-Don't-Sue, the hold song is Everybody Loves a Clown by Gary Lewis. 

King Homer In the want ads the one above Burn's ad is the lyrics from the song Escape (The Pina Colada song) by Rupert Holmes.

When Burns is hiring Marge for the sea voyage Smither's says "Women and seamen don't mix". This was probably the most obvious "Smithers is Gay" joke on the series to date. (I had an argument with a coworker the next day and pointed out all the other references. I would be proven right 24 years later)

Marquee "King Homer" Eighth Wonder Of The World, Plus the Chubbiest Kickline In Town. Homer is followed by Dugan and Dershowitz.

Marge says Homer isn't dead, Mr. Burns says he career is like when Al Jolson ran amok at the Winter Garden and tried to climb the Chrysler building. Al Jolson had appeared at the Winter Garden in 1922 but hadn't run amok.

News headlines: Woman Weds Ape. Dick Cavett Born (the paper is dated November 19, 1936 the actual birth date of Cavett)

Dial Z for Zombie. The title of the story is based on the Hitchcock movie Dial M For Murder.

In the book Finding Waldo Yet Again there is the image of the Sleeping Mexican. This wouldn't be allowed in the modern world since it's considered a racist stereotype.

Tine Life Book of Magick and Spelles Vol II (actual misspellings on the cover) Time Life was a popular book club in which subscribers would get a different volume every month. Their most popular series was The Old West. (I have the complete set btw). When Bart opens the book a series of spirits tell him "Evil, Beware" (this will be repeated in the Simpsons Movie) When Bart slams the book shut the spirits all say "ow". Lisa says Snowball I was killed by the mayor's brother Clovis. Bart wears the record jacket for the Michael Jackson Thriller album which featured the song Thriller, the song and the video are both about zombies.

Headstones at the Pet Cemetery: Eaten By Mistake (with image of lobster, will come back in a later episode). Fish Police (An animated series on CBS that was cancelled after three episodes), Capitol Critters  (An ABC animated series that was cancelled after 13 episodes), Family Dog (An animated series that ran on ABC, it was a spinoff from Amazing Stories, had a series of shorts and 10 thirty minute episodes before it was cancelled) 

When Krusty is attacked by zombie Sideshow Mel we see the Technical Difficulty card with drunken cameraman.

Homer pulls out a gun and shouts "To the book depository", a twisted joke about the assassination of JFK.

Homer shoots Ned, Bart says "You killed the zombie Flanders" to which Homer replies "He was a zombie?"

The radio station is now KZMB, the all zombie radio station. 

The aliens fly over the earth and celebrate waiting for the zombies to wipe out all humans so they can take over. (Originally the aliens weren't evil)

Itchy And Scratchy The Movie

This episode premiered on November 3rd, 1992. It ran on Tuesday, as opposed to its usual Thursday time slot, it was followed by a repeat of Martin, it ran opposite the results of the 1992 Presidential Election on the Big Three networks. (Spoiler alert, Bill Clinton beat sitting President George H W Bush)

The chalkboard gag is "I will not bury the new kid" and the couch gag is the family sits down and the couch pops, it is an inflatable.

The kids are watching TV while Marge and Homer are going to the Parent Teacher conference. Homer is going to see Lisa's teachers while Marge goes to see Bart's. Homer makes fart noises with his armpits, Marge has to see the collection of stuff confiscated from Bart including a chain, a bone and a Krusty doll with a hidden knife. At home Bart steals Grandpa's teeth. Homer gets an honor roll student bumper sticker while Marge has to write on the chalkboard. When Mrs. Krabappal tells Marge there is no telling how low Bart could sink she imagines him as a stripper. At the house Bart breaks Grandpa's teeth and tries to tape them back together. Marge decides it's time to start punishing Bart so he gets sent to bed without supper. As the family goes to bed Bart starts to learn his lesson, however Homer shows up with the pizza. At the nursing home Grandpa tries to steal Jasper's teeth but he has a gun. Bart and Lisa see a preview for the Itchy and Scratchy Movie. When Bart fails to take out the trash Homer is going to punish him but is convinced to watch Mexican TV instead. When Bart squishes mustard packets in the living room Homer become distracted by the ice cream truck, later Bart convinces Homer they were talking about getting out of jury duty "The trick is to say you're prejudice against all races". Bart tears up the carpet in the living room, Homer orders him to go to his room but Bart heads out the back door. Homer asked Bart to watch Maggie but instead he's watching TV and she takes off in Homer's car. She crashes into the prison and Snake escapes. Homer decides this time he really has to punish Bart and takes away his ticket to the Itchy and Scratchy movie and bans him from the movie forever. Lisa points out that the movie is the defining event of their generation and asks how he would feel if he was banned from watching the moon landing, flashback to Abe watching the live broadcast while Homer listens to Yummy Yummy Yummy by the Ohio Express. The line for the movie reaches all the way to the Simpson's house. Bart tries to entertain himself and imagines Itchy and Scratchy standing around doing nothing. Bart reads Itchy And Scratchy The Movie by Norman Mailer, a very thick and dull book. Marge and Lisa try to convince Homer to let Bart see the movie but he refused to give in. Bart tries to sneak in but the guy at the box office has Bart's photo up and won't sell him a ticket. The movie ran for 8 months and was nominated for 9 Academy Awards the new movie coming out is a film staring Lisa Minnelli and Mickey Rourke. Flash forward 40 years to 2032 Homer and Supreme Court Justice Bart finally go to see the movie.

The show starts out with a preview for Star Trek XII: So Very Tired. A joke on Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Country which featured the aging original cast in another action film. At the time this Simpsons episode aired William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy were 61, DeForest Kelly and James Doohan were 72, Nichelle Nichols was 60, George Takei was 55 and Walter Koenig was 56.

The banner at Parent/Teacher Night "Lets share the blame"

Home remembers reading the TV guide to a baby Lisa. Mr. T on the cover and he reads that on Happy Days the Fonz is worried about losing his cool.

 Homer had a Where's The Beef bumper sticker, a slogan for the Wendy's chain in 1984 and a question Walter Mondale asked during the Democratic debates.

Introduction of BumbleBee Man on channel Ocho.

Ice Cream Truck: Native American Ice Cream (formerly "Big Chief Crazy Cone") with racist image on the side. Today the whole thing would be cancel cultured.

Eye On Springfield: Man who has been hiccuping for 45 years "Kill me" 

Self aware joke, Eye On Springfield goes to a cartoon factory in Korea where animators are forced to work at the end of a gun barrel. When Lisa comes back from the movie she lists off the celebrities who did voice cameos, Dustin Hoffman, Michael Jackson, and they didn't use their real names, just like in the TV series. 

Itchy and Scratchy billboard, Itchy hits Scratchy with a camera, blood sprays down onto passing cars. Later replaced with an ad for a barber college, still spraying blood. 

Itchy and Scratchy Movie Scenes: Scratchy is tied to a log in a sawmill but it's too slow so Itchy uses an axe. Scratchy falls in love with a stack of dynamite disguised as a woman and is blown up, first Scratchy cartoon That Happy Cat, Scratchy walks down the street and whistles. First Itchy and Scratchy cartoon Steamboat Itchy (a parody of Disney's Steamboat Willie, the first Mickey cartoon) Itchy is sailing a steamboat when Scratchy comes along, Itchy shoots his legs out and then jams his head into the furnace. WWII Itchy and Scratchy, they look like Tom and Jerry and are beating up Hitler until Itchy cuts off Scratchy's head, then FDR comes out and kicks Hitler's body while Itchy holds up a sign that says "Save Scrap Iron" The Itchy And Scratchy Movie, Itchy ties Scratchy to the railroad tracks but has to pass Engineer school and get a job before he can drive the train. Just as Scratchy is untying himself the train comes along and runs him over.

Flashback to 1928 "where you might see Al Capone dancing the Charleston on top of a flag pole"

Dated Reference: On his crime spree Snake steals a Beta video player. Milhouse says he's seen the movie 13 times, Nelson says he saw it 17 times. Back in the day before streaming people boasted about the number of times they saw a popular movie, a trend started with the repeated viewing of Star Wars in 1977.

40 years later Aztec theater marquee, Classics of Animation The Itchy and Scratchy Movie (in smaller letters) with "Beauty and the Beast" (the animated Disney film had come out in 1991). First Fifty Customers Get A Free Glexnor. The tickets cost $650. A guy at the snack bar orders Soylent Green, hold the butter.

Extra chalkboard gag, Marge had to write "I will try to raise a better child"

Real world note: George Bush was the first duly elected Republican President to only serve one term since Herbert Hoover lost the vote to FDR in 1932, 60 years earlier.

On a note, early on I only posted 4 episodes in a blog and it threw my count off. To make up for it there are 6 episodes in this blog and it puts me back in the right numerical order.