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.