The Simpsons 116-120

And Maggie Makes Three

This episode premiered on January 22nd 1995. The lead in show was Get Smart (1995) and was followed by House of Buggin'. It ran opposite Lois and Clark, Murder, She Wrote and seaQuest DSV. 

The title of the show comes from the 1949 movie And Baby Makes Three.

The chalkboard gag is "Bagman is not a legitimate career choice" and the couch gag is the James Bond gun barrel view with Homer shooting at the screen complete with the Bond theme.

The family is watching tv but Marge insists it's family time. She sets the timer for one hour but nobody has anything to say. When she catches Homer trying to turn the timer forward Lisa suggests that they look through the scrapbook, there are lots of photos of the tv. Lisa asks why there aren't any photos of Maggie so Homer tells a story. They flash back two years to when Homer remembers terrorists taking over the plant but he does a Die Hard and saves the day, however Marge makes him tell the true story. Homer gets his paycheck at work and is out of debt so he goes to Mr. Burns' office and doesn't use a coaster, dumps a single piece of paper out of the trash can and then plays Burns' head like a bongo and then sets the bridge at the exit on fire, quite symbolic. Homer's dream job is at the Bowl-O-Rama but to hire him the alley owner (Barney's uncle) has to get rid of one employee so he fires Barney. In order to make ends meet Homer has come up with the perfect budget for a family of four. Marge and Homer go out on a special date, Krusty Burger, dancing in their car to Barry Manilow's Copa Cabana and walking on the beach. They go home to "snuggle" and Homer tells the kids about sperm swimming towards an egg, complete with a demonstration. Despite all the signs Homer doesn't realize Marge is pregnant and is loving his job. When Dr. Hibbert tells Marge she's pregnant she doesn't sound excite so he tells her a healthy baby can bring upwards of $60,000. Patty and Selma promise to not tell Homer but instead they get on the phone and call A Aaronson and Mr. Zakowsik, considering they are flipping through the phone book you think they called everyone in Springfield but instead they just called the two biggest gossips in Springfield. Everyone congratulates Homer but he thinks they are talking about his job. Even when he walks in on the baby shower Homer still doesn't figure it out. When Maude Flanders congratulates Homer on his new job he suddenly figures it out and pulls out his hair. Lisa tells Homer to stop exaggerating so Marge tells them that's how he reacted to each kid and we see Homer getting balder and balder. Homer asks for a raise however the only way is to bring in more customers, so Homer goes outside, shoots a gun in the air and starts shouting "Bowling!" He has to quit the bowling alley so they give him a jacket with "Sorry you had to split" on the back, it's later dissolved by acid rain at the power plant. Homer has to return to the power plant and enter through the Supplicants doorway which has him literally crawling back for his job.  Burns rehires him but puts a sign above his work station that says "Don't forget: you're here forever". Homer comes home and starts to complain about everything but Marge tells him she's going into labor. He angrily hangs out in the delivery room until Maggie reaches out and grabs his finger. Bart comments about the lack of photos but they are all at work and cover just enough of the sign so it reads "Do it for her"

The family watches Knight Boat, The Crime Solving Boat. In this episode they are out to catch a gang of starfish poachers who are escaping on land, but luckily Crime Boat finds a river leading inland. It is a spoof on the series Knight Rider.

Homer's flashback includes the clear beverage craze and the birth of the internet super highway where nerds could express their opinion on Star Trek (well at least one thing hasn't changed)

Homer's list on the calendar, 15th, Dick Clark on Leno 16th, Dick Clark's Birthday, 17th, Harass Dick Clark, 18th, Out Of Debt Here. (Dick Clark's actual birthday is November 30th)

At this point Homer had worked at the power plant for 8 years. 

Sign at the bowling alley:

Game 1.75

3 Games 5.00

Per Hour 5.00

Shoes 1.25

League Members (obscured by the characters)

Springfield night clubs: Chez Nous, Amore

The Aztec theater is showing When Harry Met Sally which came out in 1989

Marge and Homer fool around on the beach in a take on the scene in From Here To Eternity.

Homer sticks his head in the Shine-O Ball-O but lies to the owner despite the reflection on his forehead.

Jacques, the bowling expert who tried to seduce Marge in the episode Life On The Fast Lane, makes an appearance.

When Homer is celebrating his job at the bowling alley he sings "I'm gonna make it after all" and tosses a ball up, which crashes into the alley. This is a take on the opening scene in the Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Dr Hibbert has a wedge haircut that was popular with rappers in the day.

A. Aaronson was mentioned in the episode Sideshow Bob Robertson when Lisa was checking the voting logs.

Continuity error, when Marge tells Homer about Bart and Lisa they are living in their current house, however they bought it after they found out that Marge was pregnant for the second time in the episode Lisa's First Words. Also in the episode I Married Marge Homer was in Dr. Hibbert's office when he told them Marge was pregnant.

Self aware joke, halfway through the story Bart and Lisa take a break to go to the bathroom and get snacks while Marge sits in the living room and thinks about products she would like to purchase as the show cuts to a commercial.

Bart's Comet

This episode premiered on February 5th, 1995. The lead in show was Get Smart (1995) and was followed by Married With Children. It ran opposite the NFL Pro Bowl, Murder, She Wrote and the movie The Prince Of Tides (a movie The Simpsons had spoofed in several episodes)

The chalkboard gag is "Cursive writing does not mean what I think it does" and the couch gag is a 1920's black and white version of The Simpsons with spaghetti arms, huge eyes and the white gloves like a Flescher cartoon. 

It's science week at Springfield Elementary and for the finale Skinner is launching a weather balloon. However when it takes off panels tear away to look like Skinner with a sign that says "Hi! I'm Big Butt Skinner". Skinner tells the kids that whoever brings down the balloon doesn't have to learn fractions and they start throwing rocks at it, which rain down on the cars in the parking lot. Willie tries to shoot the balloon but almost hits passing military jets. Their computer identifies Willie as an Iraqi jet fighter so they launch missiles and shoot themselves down. Skinner searches Bart and finds blueprints, photos and an alternate sign "Buttzilla". Skinner decides Bart's punishment should be aiding him in his astronomy, he has to go to school at 4 AM. As Skinner scans the sky he has Bart write down the telescope settings, however they don't find anything. When Skinner spots something it turns out to be his weather ballon, when he goes to catch it Bart starts playing with the telescope and finds a comet. Skinner catches the balloon but just then the observatory confirms Bart's comet, Skinner lets go of the ballon and the Springfield Shopper shows up with the headline Prez sez: "School Is For Losers".  Bart is invited to join the nerds table at lunch, when they ask about his comet he points it out, they realize it's heading right towards them. At the observatory the scientists confirm the comet is headed towards the Earth and everyone panics. When Mayor Qimby shows what the impact of the comet will look like the drawing specifically points out Moe's Bar. Professor Frink creates a plan to hit the comet with a rocket however it crashes and the flaming debris lands on the model of Moe's Bar and sets it on fire. Marge worries that the rocket will miss so Homer tells her that he has a back up plan to drive across the only bridge out of town. The rocket misses the comet and destroys the only bridge out of town, which people keep trying to jump across. Congress votes to evacuate Springfield but another member of the Senate tacks on a rider to spend $30 million supporting the perverted arts, the bill is defeated. Since it's his last broadcast Kent Brockman puts up his list of people who are Gay, Marge wants to turn it off but Homer is busy copying down the names. Homer points out that the comet will burn up in the atmosphere and all that will be left will be a piece the size of a chihuahua's head. When the family continues to worry Homer takes them to the bomb shelter, which Ned had built in his back yard. While they are waiting more people show up. There are too many people and they can't close the door so they kick Ned out. When Homer can't stand all the fighting over Moe's barnyard animal sound game, and Ned's singing  he goes to join him along with everyone else. As they prepare to die the comet comes burning through the pollution over Springfield, getting ever smaller and crashes into the bomb shelter causing it to collapse. It turn out Homer was right and it burned up to the size of a chihuahua's head. The mob goes to burn down the observatory so it will never happen again. The show ends with Que Sere Sere instead of the usual theme song. 

Skinner says the weather ballon won't come down for a month and curses Pierre Jules Cesar Janssen, the discoverer of helium. 

When Skinner is coming up with a punishment for Bart he says it won't be a simple caning this time. This is a reference to Michael Fay, and American who was sentenced to six lashes with a cane in Singapore after he was arrested for stealing signs. The situation caused international tensions. In the end he was caned 4 times instead of six and the matter was considered solved. However don't steal signs in Singapore.

Skinner says he almost discovered something but was beaten to a phone by Principal Kohoutek, there is a real person Lubos Kohoutek who discovered the Comet Kohoutek

This episode is the first time Professor Frink was referred to by name. 

Professor Frink's comet model catching on fire is a reference to Doc Brown's demonstration model of the lightning strike that sets the toy car on fire in Back To The Future. The same thing happened to the burglar proof house model in the episode Homer The Vigilante.

Springfield Shopper headline: Rocket To Kick Comet's Tail. Mayor Visits City. 

Sign on Comet Missile: Aim Away From Face.

Three years after this episode aired the movie Dante's Peak premiered and one of the scenes was the destruction of the only bridge out of town. The Simpsons had made another prediction.

The member of congress tacking on a rider to support the "perverted arts" is a reference to the Maplethorp controversy when the Republicans tried to use a showing of his work as an excuse to eliminate funding for the arts.

Ned sings Que Sera Sera, from the movie The Man Who Knew Too Much and the Doris Day's signature song.

Continuity error, in the Tracey Ullman shorts the Simpsons had a bomb shelter in their basement.

When Kent Brockman is sure everyone is going to die he puts up his list of the people who are Gay:

• Matt Groening Executive Producer and creator of The Simpsons
• Ken Tsumura Animation Co-Producer for Gracie Films
• George Meyer Co-Executive Producer
• Joel Kuwahara Assistant to the Producers
• Bill Oakley Supervising Producer
• Elizabeth Jacobs Assistant to Mr. Mirkin
• Josh Weinstein Supervising Producer
• Jane O'Brien Assistant to the Producers
• Annette Andersen Assistant to Mr. Groening
• Jennifer Crittenden Staff Writer
• Mike Scully Producer
• Dominique Braud-Stiger Post Production Assistant
• Greg Daniels Producer
• Joseph Boucher Producer
• Al Jean Consulting Producer
• Ping Warner Post Production Assistant
• Mike Reiss Consulting Producer
• Craig Feeney Assistant to the Producers
• Richard Raynis Producer
• Don Gilbert Assistant to the Producers
• David Mirken Executive Producer
• Jacqueline Atkins Assistant to the Producers
• Chris Ledesma Music Editor
• Mark McJimsey Dialogue Sound Editor
• Alf Clausen Music
• Allison Elliott Post-Production Supervisor
• David Silverman Producer
• David Cohen Story Editor
• N. Vyolet Diaz Assistant to Mr. Groening

Homie The Clown

This episode premiered on February 12th, 1995. The lead in show was Get Smart (1995) and it was followed by House of Buggin'. It ran opposite Lois and Clark, Murder, She Wrote and the NBA All Star Game.

This episode got its name from Homie D. Clown, a character played by Damon Wayans on the show In Living Color. (The show ran on the same network and sometimes followed The Simpsons.)

The chalkboard gag is "The next time it could be me on the scaffolding" and the couch gag is a repeat of the couch jumping on The Simpsons.

Krusty is doing his bike gag where every time he passes the camera he's on a smaller bike until he finally goes through a loop and swallows the last one. Fat Tony shows up to collect on a bet. In order to make some quick money Krusty's accountant creates a clown college to train regional Krusty's to work birthday parties and store openings. Homer sees a billboard for clown college and soon starts seeing clowns everywhere, at dinner he announces he's going to clown college. The baggy pants fit Homer too well. Homer tries the bike trick and crashes through the loop, a second try he loses his pants in the pedals and on the third try the loop collapses around him. When Krusty is explaining about the wealthy woman gag Homer writes down "Kill Dowager". While handing out the diplomas Krusty shocks the graduates with a hand buzzer. Homer tries to run away but Krusty chases him down and shocks him all over. At the first gig, introducing a new Krusty Burger Homer beats up the hamburger thief (a spoof on McDonald's Hamburgerler). Milhouse gets "Krusty" to appear at his birthday party, he brags to Bart who says that he could get Krusty whenever he wanted. Homer plans to quit but when he gets pulled over Wiggums thinks it's the real Krusty and lets him off, Apu gives him 5% off and Luigi's gives him a special table. Meanwhile Krusty bet against The Harlem Globetrotters, the mob takes over the clown college and is teaching the clowns how to rob children. The mob is going to take Krusty for "a ride" however he sneaks out the bathroom window and gets away. They spot Homer at a car dealership and try to shoot him, although they run out of bullets, the dealer tells Homer that the bullet holes in the car are "speed holes". When Homer is putting "speed holes" in his car Ned comes over, the mob accidentally shoots him but he's saved by his Bible and the piece of the True Cross. The mob grabs Homer, in order to live he has to do the loop trick on the small bike for the Don, but he gets halfway and falls off. Just then the real Krusty busts in. The only way they are getting out of this is to do the loop trick with both of them on the bike. Homer covers Krusty's eyes, they miss the loop and go up on the pool table, sinking all the balls, across the bar where Homer plays the theme to The Godfather when his head hits the hanging glasses, Krusty knocks down the bar gate with a seltzer bottle, they land on a bar stool where they spin out of control and shoot through the loop. Homer cuts in at the last second and swallows the bike. The Don lets Krusty live if he pays off his debt of $48. 

Krusty sends roses to Bea Arthur's grave however in 1995 she was still alive. 

Krusty is being sued by George Carlin for stealing his 7 Words You Can't Say on TV bit. He says "Excuuuuuse Me!" and is instantly sued by Steve Martin.

Krusty lights his cigarette with a $100 bill, a copy of Action Comics #1 (Recently one sold for $3.18 million dollars) and a string of pearls.

Johnny Unitas and Angelyne are doing an informercial for the Krusty hair removal system. Unitas does his own voice. (Unitas was the quarterback for the Colts and Angelyne is famous for her billboards in L.A.) 

New billboards: This Year give her...English Muffins, Best In The West Barbecue Sauce, Krusty's Clown College. 

When Homer builds a circus tent with his mashed potatoes it's a take on the scene from Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. 

Lisa says it was bad enough when Homer was pretending to be Tom Bosley, (the actor who played Howard Cunningham on Happy Days). Homer says nobody was complaining when he got them this close to Chachi, the kid Scott Baio played on the show (before he became a hated internet personality)

Krusty's Clown College. Formerly Willie Nelson's House (this is a joke about Willie Nelson's tax problems of the 90's)

The YeeHaw Texan is at the clown college. 

Krusty's funny place names, Walla Walla, Keokuk, Cucamonga, Seattle

Homer tells Lenny that he has to open a new Jiffy Lube and cohost the Ace Awards, Lenny is impressed by the Jiffy Lube. The Ace Awards were given to cable programs from 1978 to 1997. When the Emmys began to recognize cable programming the Ace Awards became pointless. Dick Cavett hosts The Ace Awards on The Simpsons and does his own voice over. 

When the mob runs out of bullets they go to Big 5, a sporting goods store.

Krusty has plastic surgery in a spin on the Joker scene from Batman 1989. Instead of changing his face the doctor made him look younger and gave him breasts.

When Homer is trying to get out of being killed by the mob he tells them he's Homer, the same Homer who crashed through their "social" club, so he says that he is Barney, the same Barney who keeps taking pictures of the thug's sister, so he says he is Joe Valachi, the infamous mob informant from The Valachi Papers. He says he's Benedict Arnold and he runs out of names. 

This episode introduces Don Vittorio DiMaggio, the head of the mob.

This episode was a continuation of an idea from the Tracey Ullman Shorts. Originally the show was going to be revealed that Homer's secret life was that he was Krusty the Clown, Bart's hero. However they dropped that idea when they created the series. 

Bart vs. Australia

This episode premiered on February 19th, 1995. The lead in show was Get Smart (1995) and was followed by House of Buggin'. It ran opposite Lois and Clark, Murder, She Wrote and seaQuest DVS. 

The chalkboard gag is "I will not hang donuts on my person" and the couch gag is a repeat of the family swimming across the living room.

Bart and Lisa are having a race to see what will go down the drain faster, toothpaste or shampoo. Bart says he would have won if the water was spinning the other way, Lisa tells him about the Coriolis Effect, which makes water in the Northern Hemisphere spin counterclockwise. Bart doesn't believe her so he tries to get the toilet to spin the other way, thus both freezing and burning Homer who is taking a shower. Bart starts calling numbers in the southern hemisphere. First he calls an Antarctic station but their toilet is frozen, next he calls a South American dictator who thinks it means the rebels have seized the capitol. The third person is an old German living in Argentina with a license plate Adolf 1. When Lisa points out the cost of international calls Bart calls Australia collect. He tells a kid that the drains are sucking people in and he needs to know which way the water goes. Since Lisa is right he asks the kid to check with the neighbor, who lives far away. Meanwhile Milhouse shows up to tell Bart that bakery is on fire and he forgets about the call. Six hours later the kid answers the phone and Bart hangs up on him. Homer gets the bill but can't remember if he made the calls so he just pays it. Meanwhile the Australian gets a phone bill for 900 dollars. When the guy calls back Bart screws around with him. Bart gets angry letters from various Australian government agencies and is even indicted. Evan Conover from the State Department shows up, The Undersecretary for International Protocol, Brat and Punk Division. With the fading of the 80's Australian fad combined with Bart's phone call diplomatic relations between the US and Australia were strained. In order to make it up the state department wants to imprison Bart for 5 years, Homer thinks it's tough but fair. Since Marge refuses to imprison Bart, Conover tells them the other option is to go to Australia and make a public apology, the family sees it as an opportunity to get a free trip. Bart sees a sign about no foreign creatures so he sets his frog free in the airport. Homer thinks the embassy guard is like the British guards and starts mocking him, the guard punches him and says "No Sir! US Marine Corps Sir!". The toilets at the embassy have a machine to make them swirl counterclockwise. Bart sees a sign at the embassy exit that says "Now entering Australia, Observe local laws", the guard tells him the embassy is considered American territory. Homer starts jumping back and forth saying "America, Australia", the guard punches him and says "In America we don't tolerate that kind of crap!" At a pub Homer orders a giant beer and a guy puts a keg size can of Fosters on the bar. Marge wants a cup of coffee but the bartender keeps hearing beer. Bart gives his apology but then they bring out the big boot to kick him in the butt. Homer steals the boot and holds the Prime Minster hostage. Homer and Bart make a break for it, they attempt to escape in kangaroos but find their pouches are full of mucus. As Marge and Lisa are visiting a gift shop Homer and Bart run by, they all run back to the embassy. The ambassador tries to close the gate on the Simpsons however the sign says Gate Control, Made With Pride In The U.S.A. and of course it doesn't work. The ambassador makes a deal to boot Bart, through the gate with a regular shoe, Bart agrees. When the Prime Minister goes to kick Bart he jumps forward and moons the crowd, he has Don't Tread On Me written on his butt cheeks. The Australians storm the the embassy and the staff have to flee, looking back they see the frogs spread out of control on the continent, however a koala is hanging on to the helicopter. 

Places Bart called: Santiago Chile, Antarctica Naval Research Station, New Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Unnamed Settlement, Disputed Zone and Squatters Crag in Australia. 

The State Department slides of the Australian trend in America: Crocodile Dundee, Koala Blue (Olivia Newton John's short lived stores),  Mark Jackson (aka The Energizer OI! guy), Subway's foot long Vegemite Sub, Yahoo Serious. 

The family flies to Australia on Transhemispherica Airlines. 

While the family is flying to Australia the camera pans down through the Earth. We see someone who was buried alive and tried to dig their way out but went down instead of up, Dinosaurs in coffins, Shiva at the Earth's core pushing various buttons, bits of Skylab (which parts crashed into Australia in 1979)

Sign at Australian airport Advisory: Foreign Florae and Faunae Prohibited!

US Embassy: Restrooms for Citizens Only.

Australian Cultural Center "Cart your arse on in"

The statue for the first Prime Minister of Australia is an image of Snake wearing broken chains. (Since the country was originally a penal colony)

At a pub Bart is playing with his pocket knife. A guy comes up and says "you call that a knife?" and pulls out a spoon. When Bart points out what it is the guy says "I see you've played Knifey-Spoony before". This a spoof on the knife scene from Crocodile Dundee. 

Parliament-Haus der Austria, with the "al" written in with an arrow pointing to where it should go to spell Australia. 

Lisa is excited to see the Woolumbaloo Dirt Monument.

Marge and Lisa go to the South O' The Equator Gift Shoppe. Pedro sez: It's High Koala-t! (considering the amount of Mexican imagery and music you would never get away with this in the modern world)

At the gift shop Lisa wants to buy a Didgeridoo, however tradition holds that it's an instrument for men only and playing it will make women infertile. 

Bart getting kicked by a big boot first happened in the episode Burns' Heir.

Homer and Bart are chased by various Australian characters including Crocodile Dundee and a biker from Mad Max.

The Simpsons fleeing the embassy is a take on the fleeing of the US Embassy during the invasion of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam war.

The Simpsons land on the USS Walter Mondale, a laundry ship. Walter Mondale was Vice President under Jimmy Carter and lost the 1980 election to Ronald Reagan. (I use to say that if he had won he would have been the first President forgotten while in office)

This is the second episode with a reference to the Michael Fay caning incident, the first was Bart's Comet just two episodes ago. In this case the booting replaced the caning and there was the diplomatic negotiations that still resulted in a booting.

Homer vs. Patty and Selma

This episode premiered on February 26th, 1995. Its lead in show was a Simpsons repeat and was followed by House Of Buggin'. It ran opposite the regular programs. 

The chalkboard gag is "I will remember to take my medication" and the couch gag is a repeat of the Star Trek "beam in".

Homer buys everyone at the bar a round of cigars after investing in pumpkin futures. However he fails to sell before Halloween and loses his investment. When her gets home he finds Patty and Selma there celebrating their promotion at the DMV, when they insult him he kicks them out. Homer calls Vegas and bets a $100 on red, and loses, he promises to send them a check. He dreams about the perfect invention but never gets a chance to see it. Homer pictures Marge as his queen, Lisa as his princess and Bart as a ratboy. Bart and Milhouse start screwing around on the way to school but they don't remember that it's the day to pick your sport for gym class. All the classes are full so Bart has to sign up for ballet. Homer goes to Moe for a loan however Moe says he has to break Homer's legs in advance. The bank tells Homer if he doesn't come up with the money by tomorrow they'll foreclose on the house so Homer goes to his last resort, Selma and Patty. Homer is happy that his problems have been solved until Patty and Selma show up for dinner, he is about to toss them out until they hint around about telling Marge, so he lets them stay. Bart discovers that he actually like ballet. Patty and Selma make Homer act like a dog and when Marge walks in she finds out that he borrowed money, however it gives him an excuse to toss them out. Homer takes a job as a part time limo driver at Classy Joe's. Bart wears a ski mask to the ballet recital since most of the crowd is students who are being punished. Homer's first passenger is Mel Brooks (he does his own voice over), they do the 2000 Year Old Man routine. Wiggums pulls over Homer for his tail light blinking when he made a turn. Homer doesn't have a chauffeur's license so Wiggums sends him to the DMV. Bart reveals himself to the crowd and gets chased by the bullies, he tries to jump over a ravine and falls in. Patty and Selma give Homer the driving test and check off random points so he'll fail, to celebrate they light up their cigarettes but their supervisor shows up to chastise them. Homer pretends it is his cigarettes, they offer to do anything for him so he asked them to call off the debt and then takes off before they can say anything. The supervisor calls Homer "worse than Hitler". 

This is the second episode in a row with vs. in the title.

A-1 Discount Broker "our Commisions Offset Your Losses" (the typo is in the door sign)

Bart does a Senior Wences routine. He was a comedian who would paint a face on his hand and do a ventriloquist act.

Marge was going to make her most International Coffee, Montreal Morn. General Foods International Coffee was a brand of flavored instant coffee, they changed their name to Maxwell House International Coffee in 2010. When Marge comes back all she had was Nescafe. 

Lenny and Carl plan to stop at Moe's for a Zima. It was a flavored malt beverage, the precursor to what are known as Coolers. Although it was on the market until 2008 it's been mostly forgotten in the modern world except in Japan. 

When Bart gets into ballet he drinks a Tab. It was Coke's first diet soda and was marketed towards women complete with a pink can, hey it was the 60's and people were on the sexist side when it came to weight, it was discontinued in 2020 when Coke Zero started to grow in popularity, it was less sexist.

The ballet teacher appears to Bart in a thought bubble, this is a take on Obi Wan telling Luke to use the Force in the first Star Wars movie. Susan Sarandon does the voice of the ballet teacher.

Hans Moleman is once again at the DMV. 

Sign at the DMV All Forms Must Be Filled Out Before Registering. 

Help Wanted ads (gag paper)

Warden at clean Moe Sac Pen

Get rich on window extensions

Wanted: Eve Toad Milkers Free Wart Removal

 Clean Tar spots off truck

Learn Trepanning (drilling holes in people's heads)

Hog Sticker

Cook Needed Pete's Eats

Broom Pusher Credentials Necessary (marked by Homer)

Team Secy 210 WPM

Earn $ bartering soup for birthrights

Wanted: Do you give good phone? We need you. Make up to $10,000 a week (marked)

Must know ? industry and like to lie a lot, Cellular phone a must

Read this! Turn base elements into GOLD!

Earn! Earn! Earn At Home! Be a Salmon Gutter (marked)

Dirigible Mechanich Wanted Instant Cash

Henway Or Beg Sal IBK

Broke no more! Make $$$ Fast & Easy Play banjo for fun profits. 

We've reached episode 120. Only 630 to go. Almost there....... But at least I'm still in the good years, I'm dreading the bad years

 The Simpsons 111-115

Lisa On Ice

This episode premiered on November 13th, 1994. Its lead in program was The X-Files and was followed by a repeat of The Simpsons. It ran opposite Lois and Clark, Murder, She Wrote, and seaQuest DSV.

The chalkboard gag is "I will not dissect things unless instructed" and the couch gag is the family bounces off the couch and crashes into the ceiling, with just their feet dangling down. 

Channel 6 has the Action News which features multiple explosions in their opening and Kent Brockman excitedly reading stories, even the boring stuff. Bart is excited because the weatherman is calling for a "Killer" snow storm the next day and it means no school, however when Lisa wakes him up by hitting him with a snowball he runs outside to a sunny day. Just as he's called on to give his book report, which he hadn't done, Skinner calls a school assembly to tell the kids he's created the academic alert system. Each student will be given a card when they are failing a subject. Everyone is shocked when Lisa gets an academic warning card, she's failing gym. The coach offers to pass Lisa if she joins a Pee Wee team. Bart is the star of his hockey team and Lisa gets jealous, so he pelts her with garbage but she blocks it all so Apu recruits her to be his new goalie. Lisa imagines being sworn in as President until someone reveals that she flunked 2nd grade gym class, instead they sentence her to Monster Island, it's really a peninsula, so she plays hockey. After her team's first victory Lisa is rewarded with being able to ride in the front seat setting off a rivalry between her and Bart. To compete Bart decides to become better at school, but still gets all the answers wrong. When the bullies are beating up Bart, for wasting the teacher's time, Lisa saves him and the whole school laughs at him. To get revenge Bart tears the head of Mr. Honeybunny, however it was his cherished childhood toy. After breaking up a fight Marge tells Lisa and Bart that they aren't in competition with each other, just then Homer shows up to tell them that their two teams will be playing each other, in direct competition. Wiggums releases the prisoners to see the game. Moe drops by to say hi and check out the kids for betting purposes, he calls Marge "Blanch". Homer asks Marge which kid she likes best. When she won't tell him he says that she can't like Maggie the best, she never did nothing for nobody, just then she catches a beer bottle heading at Homer. The game comes down to a penalty shot by Bart against goalie Lisa, they both flash back on better times and decide to end the game in a draw. The spectators riot.

When giving the Action Report! Kent Brockman says "Reagan dyes (implying 'dies')...his hair, in Garry Trudeau's new musical review." This was based on a real musical, Trudeau created a show called Rap Master Ronnie in which Ronald Reagan tries to connect with  Black voters through rap music.

The students at Springfield Elementary named the auditorium the Butt-Head Memorial Auditorium. Beavis and Butt-Head had premiered on MTV's Liquid Televisions two years earlier and became a regular series in 1993.

Dolf (is this the first time they called this character by his name?) writes a memo on his Apple Newton. "Beat Up Martin" but the device converts it to "Eat up Martha". This was a common problem with the new technology and why the Newton was discontinued in 1998, however it did eventually lead to the iPad. Kerney throws the Newton and hits Martin in the head. 

Ralph upon getting an academic warning card says "Me fail English, that's unpossible". This is a phrase I use when I do something wrong. 

The academic warning card reads "Imaegtsiad tsnhoji namreb, ninul nosilla toi easlnpoxit alne tilodivad at saeonarf trauts." 

Springfield Youth Center "Building unrealistic hopes since 1966"

Lisa tries out for two teams, first basketball but bounces the ball with her face and pops the only volleyball with her hair and since it was the only one the team is cancelled. 

The hockey teams, The Mighty Pigs coached by Wiggums (this is a reference to the movie The Mighty Ducks and the slang term for the police), the Kiwk-E-Mart Gougers, coached by Apu and Sanjay. 

Homer's beer at the hockey rink, 44oz Big Lush. (this is a reference to 7/11's Big Gulp)

Monsters on Monster Island. Mothra, Gamera and Godzilla. 

Continuity error, Lisa and Bart are on opposing teams but for some reason he's at the Gouger's victory party at Apu's apartment. 

When Moe comes to check out the kids for betting purposes he tells The Simpsons that he's $64,000 in debt to the mob and they're going to take his thumbs. This is a reference to the movie The Pope of Greenwich Village.

Krusty does a horrible rendition of the National Anthem. This is a reference to Roseanne Barr singing at the Padres game in 1990.

Sign at the hockey rink: Moe's Bar, The 70's are back so let's drink like it. Hey Kids! Menthol Moose says "Smoke Laramie's" (this is a Joe Camel reference)

Homer Badman

This episode premiered on November 27th 1994. It ran in its usual time slot and opposite the regular programming except for Before They Were Stars on ABC

The chalkboard gag is "I will not whittle hall passes out of soap" and the couch gag is as they get to the couch the wall drops back and they chase it down a long passageway. 

Homer has two tickets to the candy industry trade show. He takes Marge because she's big enough to carry the candy he plans to hide in her special pocket lined overcoat. Marge hires Ashly Grant to babysit, she's a grad student working on Women's studies. She manipulates Bart with the video game Disemboweler IV. Professor Frink invents the sourest of lemon balls, 77-X-42, it has to be kept in a magnetic field. When it disappears they cut to Homer who's face is puckered inward. There is a Wax Lip booth, the worst of the Halloween "candy". Homer needs a distraction to steal the Gummi Venus de Milo, just then one of Marge's pockets explodes. When they are fleeing the candy convention Homer mixes a can of Buzz cola and Pop Rocks and throws it at the crowd where it explodes just as he leaps in the air action movie style. When they get home Homer is upset to discover the Gummi de Milo is missing but he has to take the babysitter home. When she gets out of the car he sees it stuck to her pants so he grabs it off and she thinks he's trying to grab her. The next day Grant shows up with protesters, Homer is relieved because he thought it was the candy convention. Homer goes to outside to explain to the protesters what happened but just then his robe blows open and he's going commando. Homer prays for help from God and the phone rings, "Hello Homer this is God...frey Jones" The show Rock Bottom does an interview with Homer but they obviously edit it to make him look like a pervert. "Dramatization, may not have happened". After the show Homer imagines a new life under the sea. Homer claims nothing every blows over for him, just then a news helicopter tries to land and blows over his car. Sally Jessie Raphael appears on her talk show where a weeping woman is talking about how she never met Homer Simpson. Gentle Ben also has a talk show. Fox Night At The Movies has the film Homer S, Portrait of an ass grabber staring Dennis Franz, the actor did his own voice over. Moe, Barney, Apu, Carl and Dr. Hibbert show up as Homer's true friends, and then offer to sell their stories to the press for $10,000. Lisa suggests Homer go on Public Access TV to tell his side of the story (This was 11 years before YouTube went on the internet). On his show Homer talks about not liking old timey bikes, one of them shows up and kicks him in the face. Willy shows up with a video he recorded of Homer, his hobby is spying on people. When Rock Bottom runs their correction Lisa says "There's you dad!" although it isn't shown on the episode. Rock Bottom then does an expose on Willie and his secret video tapes. The show ends with Homer hugging the TV and vowing to never fight again.

The couch gag is based on the movie Time Bandits where they push on the bedroom wall and it turn into a dimensional portal hallway that they use to escape God. 

Bart picked the bits out of his cereal leaving only the marshmallows. You can buy a bag of just marshmallows from Amazon these days.

The candy trade show tickets were hidden in every millionth Krusty Klump Bar and Krusty Klump Bar with almonds. This is a reference to Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. 

Homer is in a hurry to get to the trade show to get pictures with the two surviving Musketeers, this is a reference to the Three Musketeers bar. 

Dated reference: Ashley Grant has a Nintendo style video cartridge. 

Community Center: Welcome Candy Convention Room 1, also Candy-Shaped Rat Poison Convention Room 11.

The announcer at the convention pages Mr. Goodbar to the front desk, "Looking for Mr. Goodbar". This is in reference to the candy and the 1977 movie. 

Jolly Gummibears, They Hibernate In Your Colon

Various gummi candies, Bears, Calves Heads, Jaw Breakers, The Gummi Venus de Milo. 

Homer making a bomb out of cola and pop rocks is a reference to the urban myth that the kid who played Mikey on the Life cereal commercials (John Gilchrist) died after his stomach exploded when he mixed the two. It was also 5 years before the first Mentos and Diet Coke experiment on The Late Show with David Letterman. 

When Homer is explaining sexual harassment to Bart he talks about a postcard Grandpa sent them from Florida with an alligator biting a woman's butt. When Bart asks about the Coppertone ad of the dog pulling off the girl's swimsuit Homer calls it a grey area. 

Protest signs: You Pinch We Lynch, Homer Bad Man, Hands off, Homer is a Pig, Touch a butt, go to jail, Thou Shalt Not Grab. 

Homer goes on the show Rock Bottom, this is a reference to the show Hard Copy with Barry Nolan. The show was often called out for its questionable use of editing. 

Homer's living under the sea fantasy is a take on the musical number from The Little Mermaid (1989) except Homer eats all the fish.

"Simpson Scandal Update, Homer sleeps nude in an oxygen tent." This is a reference to when Michal Jackson was photographed in an oxygen chamber and the tabloids claimed he slept there to maintain his youthful appearance.

The talk show Ben is a reference to the TV show Gentle Ben about a tamed bear.

TV shows Homer watches, Late Night With David Letterman who lists him as his #1 reference he's running into the ground. Bumblebee Man being pinched and claiming Homer molested him, in Spanish. He switches over to Evening At The Improv who still shows 80's reruns. 

Grandpa's flag has 49 stars because he refuses to acknowledge Missouri. The US flag had 49 stars for 7 months in 1959 between the admission of Alaska and Hawaii as states. (The flags on the top of the buildings at Disneyland have 49 stars since they are no longer considered official flags and the park doesn't have to take them down until they wear out, plus Disneyland opened between the statehoods of Alaska and Hawaii)

Homer says the Wags have named him Father Goose. Wags is a slang term for the Wives And Girlfriends of Sportsmen.

Rock Bottom's corrections:

'Peoples' Choice Award" is America's greatest honor (at that point The Simpsons had won 2 People's Choice awards, they would go on to win 8 more)

Styrofoam is not made from kittens.

The UFO was a paper plate

The nerds on the internet are not geeks

The word "cheese" is not funny in and of itself. 

The older Flanders boy is Todd, not Rod (self aware joke)

Lyndon Johnson did not provide the voice for Yosemite Sam

If you are reading this you have no life

Roy Rogers was not buried inside his horse

The other UFO was an upside down salad spinner

Our universities are not "hotbeds" of anything

Mr. Dershowits did not literally have four eyes

Our viewers are not pathetic, sexless food tubes

Audrey Hepburn never weighted 400 pounds

The "Cheers" gang is not a real gang (Cheers ran opposite The Simpsons when they were on Thursday nights)

Salt water does not "chase the thirsties away"

Licking an electric outlet will not turn you into a Mighty Morphin Power Ranger (Original US episodes of the show ran in syndication in the US from 1993 to 1995)

Cats do not eventually turn into dogs

Bullets do not bounce off fat guys

Recycling does not deplete the ozone

Everything is 10% fruit juice

The flesh eating virus does not hide in ice cream

Janet Reno is evil (running Simpsons joke)

V8 juice is not 1/8 gasoline (Bart comments on this one)

Ted Koppel is a robot (Homer comments on this one)

Women aren't from Venus, Men aren't from Mars (a reference to the 1992 book)

Fleiss does floss (This is in reference to Heidi Fleiss aka the Hollywood Madam who had rather large teeth)

Quayle is familiar with common bathroom procedures (former VP)

Bart is bad to the bone (self aware joke)

Godfrey Jones' wife is cheating on him (Rock Bottom host)

The Beatles haven't reunited to enter kick boxing tournaments (at this point two out of the three surviving members had appeared on The Simpsons)

The "Bug" on your TV screen can see into your home (a bug is the logo stations would put at the bottom of the screen)

Everyone on TV is better than you

The people writing this have no life (self aware joke)

Grandpa vs. Sexual Inadequacies 

This episode premiered on December 4th 1994. The lead in show was Encounters: The Hidden Truth (a program about UFOs) and was followed by a rerun of The Simpsons. It ran opposite Lois and Clark, Murder, She Wrote and the movie The Fisher King. 

The chalkboard gag is "My homework was not stolen by a one armed man" and the couch gag is the family running by the couch as a repeated background goes by. 

Marge and Homer are having "snuggling" problems. They go to the book store to find something on relationships but to hide from the kids they grab Tanks of the Third Reich and Mapplethorp. Marge buys a book on tape by Paul Harvey. Lisa buys a book by Peter Ueberroth for 99¢ and an Al Gore book, Sane Planning, Sensible Tomorrow. Bart buys Unidentified Flying Outrage. Lisa calls UFO government coverups a paranoid fantasy but when they scan the books the X-File music starts to play, however it's just alerting Al Gore that someone bought his book, he turns on Celebration by Kool and the Gang. Marge and Homer's attempt several suggestions from Paul Harvey's relationship book on tape but get stuck when they try to take a bath together and then whey they try a romance hotel the only room available is a couple of cots in the utility closet. Mayor Quimby is at the love hotel and staying in the Caveman Room. After a failed night they throw the sex tape out the car window and run it over. While taking him home Grandpa offers to cure Homer's sex problems and mixes him up a tonic his father invented when he was trying to create a cheap alternative to holy water. Homer drinks it, rushes home, sends the kids to the movies and he and Marge "snuggle". Homer and Grandpa go into the traveling medicine business. Homer fails to attract customers so Abe does an old fashion snake oil pitch. All the adults disappear and Bart claims it's because of UFOs. During their show Abe picks a volunteer from the audience, Homer. When he claims to have never seen Homer before someone points out that his face is on the bottle, they have to flee. The kids have a fight over why the adults are acting so weird, Bart says it's UFOs and Milhouse says it's a government conspiracy. Lisa tries to point out that they are grasping at the easiest explanation and tells them that the adults could all be reverse vampires. Abe and Homer come across the old family farm. When Homer and Abe have a fight Abe calls Homer an accident and gets kicked out of the car. The kids come to an agreement, The Rand corporation, in association with the saucer people and the reverse vampires are conspiring to make adults go to be early to eliminate the meal of dinner. After the falling out with Abe Homer deicides to devote more time to the kids, which doesn't go well. Meanwhile Abe recruits Barney to help him sell the tonic however he shows up drunk. Both Homer and Abe show up at the old farm house. Homer realizes that Able dressed up as Santa but he sets the house on fire with the photo. Meanwhile Abe throws a bottle of tonic in the fire place and sets the rest of the place on fire. They reconcile and decide to roll in the dirt to put out the fire together. 

The chalkboard gag in this show is a reference to the TV series and movie The Fugitive and the couch gag is a reference to the repeated backgrounds in cartoons, this one relates to the Roadrunner and Coyote cartoons. 

Homer and Marge are watching the Thou$and door movie, Goodtime Slim, Uncle Doobie and the Great Frisco Freak-out starring Troy McClure. This is a reference to the low budget movies of the 1970's.

Books! Books! And Additional Books! Today's special: Michener $1.99/lb. James Michener was known for his lengthy novels with a lot of historical information. Sign on the stair "Still More Books" with an arrow pointing upwards.

Books on the shelf: Weigth Loss Through L'amorous Sex, Bordello Repair Vol I, Bork On Sex, How to seduce your lousy, lazy husband, Kama Sutra, Kosher Erotic Cakes. 

Homer grabs a photography book of Maplethorp. He was best known for his homoerotic photos and pissing off Jessie Helms from beyond the grave. (Robert Mapplethorp died from AIDS in 1989)

The Simpsons buy the audiobook Mr. and Mrs. Erotic America by Paul Harvey. 

Aphrodite Inn Fantasy Rooms & Conference Center. Fantasy Rooms: Arabian Nights, Pharaoh's Room (with the vibrating sarcophagus), Caveman Room, Safari Room, Camelot Room, and the Utility Room where Homer and Marge wind up. 

Grandpa tries to guess what's wrong with Marge. He says flu, protein deficiency, pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis (this is the longest word in the English language and refers to lung problems associated with inhaling ash and dust), and finally unsatisfying sex life?

When Homer is snuggling with Marge we see a train going in a tunnel, a rocket ship taking off and hot dogs falling off a conveyer belt. It's the kids at the Film Footage Festival. Comicbook Guy and Herman are in the audience. 

Homer and Abe set up a table at the mall selling Simpson & Son Revitalizing Tonic. Homemade medicine $1.00

Professor Frink tries Abe's tonic and turns into the cool guy from The Nutty Professor (The 1963 Jerry Lewis version)

Places Grandpa plans to sell his tonic, Frigid Falls, Mount Seldom, Lake Flaccid. 

Now Entering Spittle County, Birthplace of the Loogie. (Spittle County was first seen in the episode Colonel Homer)

When Homer and Abe are fleeing the townsfolk Foggy Mountain Breakdown is playing. As soon as Homer turns it off the people give up. This is a reference the movie Bonnie And Clyde.

The Simpson family TV was the Radiation King, Homer's shadow is on the wall behind it in reference to the people who were vaporized at Hiroshima. (There was an urban myth that you could get radiation poisoning from TV's back in the 50's and 60's. It's been modernized to cell phones)

Continuity error. In the episode Lisa's First Words Homer says Abe won his house in a 50's crooked game show but in this episode they still lived on the farm up until 1963.

While watching TV Homer sees JFK give a flippant remark instead of an answer to "Helen". This is in reference to Helen Thomas who covered the White House briefings from 1960 until 2011.

Homer's mother is seen in this episode, at least her legs are. 

When Homer talks like JFK and his mother says one day Homer could be President Abe points out there is a whole system set up to keep people like him from becoming President. This was often quoted during the Trump years. 

When Milhouse spells out the kid's theory on why their parents are acting so odd he says "we're through the looking glass people". This is a reference to the 1991 film JFK, which in turn was making a reference to Alice Through The Looking Glass novel.

Fear Of Flying

This episode first aired on December 18th, 1994. Its lead in show was Encounters: The Hidden Truth and it was followed by Life With Louie (an animated sitcom based on the comedy of Louie Anderson). The program ran opposite Lois And Clark, Murder, She Wrote and seaQuest DSV.

The chalkboard gag is "Ralph won't "morph" if you squeeze him hard enough" and the couch gag is a repeat of the circus acts. (this was the first full intro that started at the nuclear plant, included Homer and the rod, the grocery store checkout, the band room scene, the people on the street and the background characters, in a long time)

Lenny asks Moe if he has change for a $5, when he opens the register a cobra pops out and bites him. Barney then asks if Moe wants to smell his flower, when Moe bends down Barney sets his apron on fire. Homer unscrews the lid on the sugar jar and everyone gets mad. The bar crowd vote to ban Homer from Moe's for life. Moe takes Homer's favorite song "It's Raining Men" out of the jukebox and throws it out the window, it hits a passing Smithers who is rather happy to get it, just another clue about his sexuality. The family tries to cheer up Homer but only convince him to go find a new bar. Homer goes to a classy bar but they politely ask him to leave, he then goes to Cheers but when Woody tries to cut off Norm he breaks a bottle and goes crazy so Homer runs away. Homer goes to a Lesbian bar but leaves when there isn't a proper fire exit. Guy Incognito shows up at Moe's but they beat him up and throw him out in the street, just as the real Homer walks by. Homer goes to The Little Black Box at the airport but it's a Pilots Only bar so he pretends to be one. A guy shows up and says they need an emergency pilot to fly to the Windy City. Homer accidentally retracts the landing gear and crashes the plane. To keep him quiet the airline gives Homer free tickets for the family, except for Alaska and Hawaii. The airline oversold the flight so Bart and Lisa get upgraded to first class. Marge has a panic attack and the family gets kicked off the plane. Marge's breakdown continues at home where she wants the dog and cat to get married and bakes everything in site. She then reshingles the house. Lisa wants Marge to go to therapy but instead Homer has her call a radio psychic who tells her she'll die a horrible horrible death. Homer goes to the video store because Dear Abby says films about air travel can calm your fears, he rents disaster films. When Marge goes to the psychiatrist she flashes back on a fellow student telling her the Monkeys don't write their own songs or play their own instruments. Marge says her father was a pilot but when she has a repressed memory she sees her father as a steward. She also remembers her grandmother doing the "here comes the airplane" with her food and poking her in the eye, and then her toy pedal airplane catching on fire. She also remembers being chased by a biplane. When the psychiatrist brings up Homer he busts into the office and drags Marge out because all he wanted was to be able to get her onto an airplane. When Marge thanks the doctor she says she'll always think of Lowenstein, the psychiatrist's name is Zweig. When Marge finally gets on the plane Homer is explaining the sounds of the plane as they try to take off and crash into the water. 

Moe has a collection of Hirschfeld characters of the bar regulars. Sam, the guy with the glasses and hat, Lenny, Larry, the guy with the big nose, Barney, Homer and Carl. The wall is called Mount Lushmore. 

The cast of Cheers, Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson, Rhea Pearlman, John Ratzenberger, and George Wendt do their voice overs for the show. Ironically Frasier Crane is seen in the bar but doesn't speak, he's played by Simpson regular Kelsey Grammer (Sideshow Bob)

The airline where Homer causes the accident is called Quasi-Clown Airlines. 

Homer is tired of hoagies and wants to try a sub, a footlong, a grinder. 

After they get kicked off the plane they get the feeling they forgot something, cut to Abe doing the Home Alone shout. 

Homer's fear is sock puppets.

VHS Village, Formerly The Beta Barn. Today it would be a Starbucks.

The air travel videos Homer rents, Hero (a Dustin Hoffman comedy about a plane crash), Fearless (A Jeff Bridges movie about a guy who thinks he's immortal after walking away from a plane crash), Alive (about the rugby team that crashes in the Andes and has to resort to cannibalism to survive)

Springfield Psychiatric Center "Because there may not be bugs on you"

Bart sees Principal Skinner at the psychiatrist office. When he tries to hide he holds up Principal's World magazine that has his photo on the cover. 

Marge dreams about being on Lost In Space, Homer is Dr. Smith, Lisa is the Robot. The family then leaves her behind while she calls for her father.

When Marge is having repressed memories she remembers being chased by a biplane that was shooting at her and her mother. This is a parody of the plane scene in North by Northwest. 

When Marge leaves the psychiatrist's office she says when the wind blows she'll alway hear the name Lowenstein. This is a line from the movie Prince Of Tides. The movie was first referenced in the episode Selma's Choice when Marge remembers summers at her aunts house but it turns out that she's remembering a scene from the movie.

Ann Bancroft does the voice of Dr. Zweig.

In Lisa's Substitute Marge says No little girl can be happy unless she has faith in her daddy. This episode was about Marge being ashamed of her father. Was that a bit of foreshadowing?

This was the last episode of 1994. Only 30 more years to go. Now on to 1995.

Homer The Great

This episode premiered on January 8th, 1995. Its lead in show was Get Smart (an attempted reboot of the classic series starring Andy Dick. Thankfully it was cancelled after 7 episodes) The show was followed by House of Buggin' (a short lived sketch comedy series starring John Leguizamo and Luis Guzman). The episode ran opposite Lois and Clark, Murder, She Wrote and Earth 2

The chalkboard gag is "Adding 'Just Kidding' doesn't make it okay to insult the principal" (paying attention pundits?) and the couch gag is M.C Escher's Relativity, the family runs in on different planes. (Escher's work was first used in the episode Brush With Greatness)

First the Simpsons have a leak that the plumber claims will take three weeks to fix and then Homer gets stuck in traffic. When he finally gets to work he's parked on the other side of the fence from his house. When he reaches the building he finds that Lenny and Carl have social spaces. He asks how they got such great parking Lenny says "it's a secret" and Carl tells him "Shut up" Homer breaks his crappy chair at work and goes to ask Carl and Lenny for help fixing it, only to discover they have vibrating chairs. When he asks how they got them it's a repeat of the previous conversation. Carl and Lenny use their secret rings to get free sodas from the vending machine, when Homer asks about them about bowling that night they say they have better things to do. Homer asks them what and Lenny says "it's a secret" however Carl has just taken a big drink so Homer says "Shut up". Homer decides to follow Lenny and Carl even though Marge says she doesn't want him doing that again. To follow them Homer hangs a can of yellow paint off the back of their car so it drips as they drive, making a dashed yellow line. At their secret meeting place Homer spies on everyone by laying on the skylight but crashes through and is caught, and has to pay the ultimate price, getting tossed out. Homer wants to get into the Stonecutters, after Lenny accidentally reveals the name, the only two ways to join are to be the son of a member or save one of their lives, so Homer knocks Lenny's sandwich on the floor to save him from cholesterol. Homer remembers back to his youth when his friends create the "No Homers Club" when he points out that they let in Homer Glumplet they say "No HomerS" Homer starts talking about how he wish he was a member and Grandpa keeps trying to tell them he's a Stonecutter. When Homer joins he has to go through the initiation, they do the falling off a building gag but Homer crashed through the floor and really falls. He goes through multiple paddling. It turns out the plumber is a Stonecutter and fixes the pipe. Homer also has access to a secret tunnel to work but still has to park next to the fence, however they gave him roller blades and a vibrating chair. It turns out the Stonecutters are just a bunch of drinkers, pretty much like all other social clubs. When the Stonecutters serve ribs for their 1500th anniversary Homer uses the sacred parchment as a bib and gets kicked out, until they see his birthmark and declare him the Chosen One. As such the members make sure Homer wins at everything including bowling, pool and poker, he soon gets bored with the special treatment, Lisa convinces him to turn the organization into a service club. The Stonecutters open a daycare center and paint over a building covered in the word "Graffiti", although the paint the building sky blue causing a helicopter to crash into it. Instead of their first plan,  killing Homer, the Stonecutters change their name to the No Homers, they still let in Homer Glumpet. Homer goes back to the Stonecutters hall where he tries to reenact civil war battles with monkeys. Marge reminds Homer that he's a member of a very exclusive club, the Family Simpson, which has just 5 members and two have special rings. At the end Homer has to go through a paddling ritual.

When the plumber is visiting the Aztec head is still in the basement. He also has a beeper, so 20th century.

Stern Lecture Plumbing "I told you not to flush that"

Artie Pie makes an appearance after his traffic helicopter crashed and blocks traffic.

The Simpsons started playing fast and loose with the location of the house. In this episode it's right next to the really really big parking lot for the power plant.

When Lenny is talking about eggs and the dangers of cholesterol Homer says the egg council has gotten to him, and just then a guy in an egg costume tries to run away. (In the 90's there were a series of commercials about the healthy benefits of eggs) The Egg Advisory Council was first mentioned in the episode Burns' Heir.

Homer's Revenge List:

Bill Of Rights

Grandpa

Fat Free Lard

Gravity

Emmys

Darwin

H2Whoa! (Another reference to the episode Brush With Greatness)

God

Soloflex

The Boy

Stern Lecture Plumbing 

Econ-Save (the manufacturers of his broken chair)

Stonecutter Members: Lenny, Carl, Skinner, Dr. Hibbert, Moe, Wiggums, Herman, Grandpa Abe, Sideshow Mel, Krusty, Mr. Burns, Number One, Kirk Van Houten, Mr. Largo (the school band teacher), Kent Brockman, Mayor Quimby, Willie, a Martian, Mr. Smithers, Steve Gutenberg, Jasper, Leopold (the guy who angrily introduces people), Barney, The Egg Council Guy.

Stonecutter World Council, Orville Redenbacher, Jack Nicholson, Mr. T and George Bush sr. 

Grandpa's clubs, Stonecutter, Elk, Mason, Communist Party, President of the Gay And Lesbian Alliance (couldn't get away with that joke today)

The Stonecutter spanking  rituals including The Unblinking Eye, as seen on the dollar bill, The Crossing of the Desert, and the Wreck of the Hesperus (A poem by Longfellow), finally the Paddling Of The Swollen Ass With Paddles. 

The Stonecutter oath, "If I reveal the secrets of the Stonecutters may my stomach become bloated, and my head be plucked of all but three hairs". Moe thinks Homer should take a different oath. 

Homer is #908 in the Stonecutters ranking. 

Homer reads Secret World History. At the signing of the Declaration of Independence they party like it was 1799 (Prince reference)

When Homer becomes the Chosen One his introduction is a take on the 1987 movie The Last Emperor. 

This episode features the song "We Do". One of the better original Simpsons songs. It mentions how they make Steve Gutenberg a star. At the time he had been in the popular Police Academy franchise and the movies Cocoon and the Three Men series. 

Moe gets stuck in a slide at a daycare center, another reference to the episode A Bush With Greatness. 

Number One was voiced by Patrick Stewart who had starred in Star Trek: The Next Generation and called his second in command Number Two.

We've reached episode 115, most shows never make it this far however in the world of Simpsons we are only 1/7th the way through, so far. 

  The Simpsons 106-110

Another Simpsons Clip Show

This episode premiered on September 25th, 1994. Its lead in show was Fortune Hunter and was followed by a Simpsons repeat. It ran opposite Lois And Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman, Murder, She Wrote and seaQuest DVS

The chalkboard gag is "I will not use Abbrev." and the couch gag is a repeat of the Monty Python foot

Marge is reading The Bridges Of Madison County (which came out in 1992 and the movie wouldn't come out for another year), she's worried that the romance has gone out of their marriage. The rest of the show is Marge talking about romance with clips from previous shows woven in. Everybody remembers their worst relationships so Homer tells the story of how he and Marge got together. 

Self aware joke, Lisa comments that programs take clips from old shows and piece them together and pretend it's a new show, which is what they are doing. She says Ren and Stimpy do it all the time. Marge makes a comment about When was the last time you heard about them, they had gone off the air the previous year. It would come back under a new production company but they changed the overall content (less controversial) and lost all their original fans. 

This episode was created so Fox could save money while have a full episode to sell to syndication. It did not go over well with the fans or the critics. In fact since I don't need to point out anything new I'm playing Candy Crush while watching. 

Itchy And Scratchy Land

This episode premiered on October 2nd, 1994. It ran in its usual time slot but was followed by Hard Ball. It ran opposite the regular programs. 

The chalkboard gag is "I am not the reincarnation of Sammy Davis Jr." (he had died four years earlier) and the couch gag is the family "beams" onto the couch ala Star Trek

Bart and Lisa see an ad for Itchy and Scratchy Land, since tickets are half priced they beg Homer to take them. The kids ask Marge to go to the park but she's already planned their vacation to the Highway 9 Bird Sanctuary, it has a new bird feeder shaped like a diner on a really tall poll. The kids finally convince their parents by telling them about Parent's Island (based on Pleasure Island at Disney World which was 21 and older after 9 PM.) Marge reminds the family about their embarrassing trip to Amish country, Homer harasses the people but gets kicked by a mule. On their trip to Sandy Beach Homer and Bart pretend to be sharks. The family agrees if they have a bad vacation to disband and join new families. Homer heads on the freeway and gets stuck in traffic. They pass a sign that says Next Flickey's 680 miles. After many other Flickey's signs they drive by without stopping. The family is stopped at a Fruits and Vegetables checkpoint, Homer has a trunk full that he's smuggling. They turn on the AM radio for entertainment and it's just a series of preachers and their "signs of evil" The family stops at 5 Corners and stands in 5 states at the same time. Along the road the family gets sleepy but Homer says he's not tired, cut to a car crashing and from the safety of their motel room Bart says "Glad that wasn't us". Homer gets mad at the map and takes a shortcut. Cut to them arriving at Itchy and Scratchy land with a missing roof, missile in their hood, homecoming banner hanging off the back, wooden wheel and chickens. They agree to never speak of the shortcut again.  Homer says "remember, we're in the Itchy Lot", there are only two lots of Itchy and Scratchy and they each have thousands of cars. The family is flown into Itchy And Scratchy Land where the pilot says "where nothing can possi-blye go wrong....that's the first thing that's ever gone wrong." Homer buys $1,100 worth of Itchy and Scratchy money but none of the park shops take it. When Marge complains about the violence theming a park worker shows up to explain that it's just pretend violence. The family goes to the 12:00 o'clock robot parade, they hurry or they'll have to wait until the 12:05 parade. When Marge complains about the violent robots the same park worker shows up to tell her they've been programmed to not attack the guests. After the log ride Marge and Homer head to Parent's Island. Cleetus the Slackjawed Yokel shows up and takes a flash photo of one of the robots causing it to short circuit. (foreshadowing) While walking down the Main Street Bart shoots a smoke bomb into one of the Itchy costume characters and gets tossed into the park jail, there he finds Homer who got busted for kicking an Itchy character in the butt. Marge gets called to the security office "Attention Marge Simpson, we've also arrested your older fatter balder son" when she says I'm so embarrassed I wish there was a hole I could crawl into and die" the guards grab her and say "OK, throw her in the hole". Professor Frink shows up to tell the park operators that Chaos Theory says the robots will turn on everyone, just as they go berserk. As the Simpsons are leaving security the robots go nuts and attack them. Marge says they should have gone to the bird sanctuary but when they cut to it there is a The Birds incident happening. The family runs for the helicopter but it's full of the people the family had harassed and they get kicked out. They find that flash photos cause the robots to crash and save the park. Bart calls it their best vacation ever, they came together as a family, got a lot of outdoor activity and many memories. They then cut to Euro Itchy And Scratchy Land but nobody is there. "My children need wine" Back at home Marge points out that the kids should have learned that violence is bad. Lisa says it would be funny if it was happening to someone else so she demonstrates by hitting Bart with her shoe. Marge laughs but then sends Lisa to her room.

The Itchy And Scratchy Show "The Last Traction Hero" (The title comes from The Last Action Hero, a movie the Simpsons had mocked in the episode The Boy Who Knew Too Much) Scratchy is at the gym and has gotten super buff. Itchy pokes him with a pin like you would a balloon. When nothing happens he continues to poke Scratchy until he almost passes out from blood loss, then uses a chain saw to cut off his pecs. They announce that Itchy And Scratchy Land is cutting ticket prices in half, Itchy stabs Scratchy in the head with a pair of scissors and pulls out his brain. 

While reading the Bible Homer says "talk about a preachy book, everybody's a sinner, except for this guy".

Homer getting kicked by a mule in Amish country is a take on the movie Witness. Homer and Bart wearing fake shark fins at Sandy Beach is a take on the scene with the two kids in Jaws. 

Highway Sign: Freeway to Some Other State. (This was during the "what state is Springfield in" era)

Billboard: Next Flickey's 680 Miles, 416 Miles, 277 Miles, 42 Miles, and then they drive by without stopping. The next sign says Next Flicky's 2500 Miles. (Flickey's is based on roadside stops like Howard Johnson's and Stucky's) 

Homer's pamphlet: Smuggling Vegetables "The E-Z road to success?"

One of the Signs Of Evil stations features a Casey Kasem voice doing his top countdown with special guest Vanessa Williams, best known for the Miss America/Penthouse scandal. 

5 Corners is based on the 4 Corners area that feature the boarding states of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado. 

Homer parks in the Itchy lot which doesn't mean anything since there are only two lots, Itchy and Scratchy. This is a spoof on Disneyland before California Adventures when the parking lot faced the park and the areas were divided up by Disney characters. The first time I visited Disneyland I stayed in the Pinocchio lot. I think it's Soarin' these days. 

The helicopter flying into Itchy And Scratchy Land is a take on the Jurassic Park scene where they fly into the island. 

Rides Not Operating Today: Head Basher. Blood Bath, Mangler, Nurse's Station. At Euro Itchy and Scratchy Land the sign at ticket booth reads: "Maneges hors D'usage: Le Pulverisatuer, la Saignee, Le Massacreur, Poste des Infirmidres. (these are the French versions of the same rides that were out of order at the American park)

Itchy and Scratchy money is based on Disney Dollars. You use to be able to buy money with various Disney characters on it that you could spend at the park or the Disney stores. They stopped printing the money in 2016 due to the cost and the rise of debit cards. You can still use your Disney Dollars at the parks but most people hold on to them (which was the original idea).

Tavern On The Scream, based on Tavern On The Green in Central Park. The Simpsons' order Brain Burger with extra puss (cheeseburger), Eyeball Stew (Spaghetti and meatballs), Marge orders the Baby Guts which turns out to be veal, the hated menu item of the day.

Itchy and Scratchy Land Child Care Center. The kids are dumped into a ball pit and when the worker says the kids look unhappy they add more balls. 

Itchy and Scratchy Lands: Torture Land, Explosion Land, Searing Gas Pain Land, Unnecessary Surgery Land, Parents Island.

Itchy's 70's Disco, Est. 1980 John Travolta is working as the bartender. 

T.G.I McScratchy's Goodtime Foodrinkery, where it's always New Years Eve. When Marge tells a waiter it must be great to live New Years over and over he replies "please, kill me". Later security gets a message that there is another jumper on the building. The name is based on TGIFridays.

Laramie Cigarettes Presents Itchy's Mine Field.

The Roger Meyers Story, Nazi Supermen Are Our Superiors, Scratchtasia (A version of The Sorcerer's Apprentice featuring Itchy and Scratchy), Pinnitchy-O 

When Bart goes to the gift shop he can't find a Bart personalized license plate but they have Bort, including an announcement later that they are out. (If you go to the Simpson's land in Universal Studios they sell Bort personalized keychains in the Kwik-E-Mart gift shop, however they are always running out. I got mine.) 

Discontinued friends characters from Itchy And Scratchy and Friends: Disgruntled Goat, Uncle Ant, Ku Klux Klam

Bart pulls a stink bomb from his "Li'l Bastard Traveling Kit" fanny pack. (Fanny packs were big in the day)

At the sanctuary when the birds start attacking everyone Moleman calls and orders the biggest seed bell they have but then says "no, that's too big". 

One of my favorite lines is when Lisa is explaining that photo flashes damage the robot's circuitry Homer says "Who are you, the narrator?"

The empty Euro Itchy And Scratchy Land was a joke based on the first few years of Euro Disneyland when they were having trouble getting people to visit the parks and were losing money. Things turned around when they changed the name to Disneyland Paris and added more classic attractions like Splash Mountain. 

This show is one of my favorite episodes. It takes a spin at Disneyland, Westworld (The 1973 film), and Jurassic Park. Plus it was a vast improvement over the previous all clip episode that had run the week before. It's also filled with some of my favorite quotes. 

Sideshow Bob Roberts

This episode premiered on October 9th 1994. It ran in its usual time slot. The lead in program was Encounters: The Hidden Truth and was followed by Hard Ball. It ran opposite the regular programs. 

The title of the episode was based on the 1992 movie Bob Roberts, the show copies the political theme of the movie. 

The opening credits skip both the chalkboard and couch gag in this episode. (on Disney + but perhaps not on the original run)

The show starts off with Homer listening to Birch Barlow (A Rush Limbaugh character), Homer says he identifies with Barlow and when they cut to the talk show host he's scarfing donuts just like Homer. Lisa is also listening to Barlow as part of her homework. Lisa complains about Homer listening to Barlow in the car, he tells her when he's driving he gets to pick the radio station and when she drives she can choose what they listen to, cut to the radio playing St. Elmo's Fire by John Parr and Lisa driving. Homer hates the song so they switch back. As they are listening Sideshow Bob calls in to congratulate Barlow on bringing Springfield back to the Republican Party. Barlow decides to make it his mission to get Sideshow Bob out of jail, Moe starts handing out grenades to the people at the bar (27 years before the Jan. 6th assault on the Capitol), when Barney points out that Barlow meant political action Moe takes back the grenades but one is missing the pin. Bowing to political pressure Quimby sets Bob free. At the Republican Committee meeting Barlow tells them the next mayor of Springfield is behind the door, when Smithers opens it there is a water cooler and they all applaud. Instead Bob comes in wrapped in the flag. (This is based on the quote attributed to Sinclair Lewis "When Fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross", and the movie the title was based on). When Bob charms the school kids Bart and Lisa jump on Quimby and claim he called them the most important natural resource. Bob drags Bart off and warns him not to meddle with the Republican Party and then dumps him off at his house, meanwhile Archie Andrews and the gang show up to toss out Homer and warn him to stay out of Riverdale. Larry King moderates the voters debate (he did his own voice work). At the debate Quimby has the flu and is on cold pills, this is a take on the Nixon/Kennedy debates when Nixon looked terrible on TV and lost the election. Barlow tosses out a preplanned question to Bob, and then an over the top question to Quimby. Quimby loses by 100% of the vote. Bob's first act as mayor is to reroute the Matlock Expressway across the Simpson's house. His second is to move Bart back to Kindergarten, however Bart loves it. While checking out the voting rolls Lisa gets a mysterious note telling her to meet them in the parking garage. (a take on the Watergate scandal and the movie All The President's Men) The mysterious stranger turns out to be Mr. Smithers, he says Bob's ultra conservative views conflict with his lifestyle (another hint about Smithers being Gay). Smithers tells Lisa to look up Edgar Neubauer. Bart finds that Sideshow Bob used dead names, including the pets to pad the election votes. At the hearing Lisa and Bart trick Sideshow Bob into confessing. Bob is arrested for voter fraud, he's sent to a minimum security prison where he joins the rowing crew in order to beat the Princeton team.

Lenny makes a comment about right wing commentator Barlow claiming Ted Kennedy "lacked integrity". Back in the day Kennedy was the Republicans favorite punching bag until he died in 2009. Today the joke would be about Hunter Biden.

At Birch Barlow's studio the clocks read Los Angeles, Springfield, New York and Boston. Since Boston and New York City are in the same time zone this does nothing to help out the argument about where Springfield is located.

The three complaints Barlow has about Springfield, bats in the library, Mrs. McFirley's compost heap and Mayor Quimby. 

Sideshow Bob says he's calling from South Springfield, which means that is the location of the prison. 

Sideshow Bob makes a joke that the conservatives aren't all Bible thumpers or George Bushes. This joke is about George Bush sr. who lost the 1992 election, not his son who would destroy the economy 14 years later.

Lisa busts into Bart's room to tell him his mortal enemy is on the radio, the station is tuned to Dr. Demento, Demento did his own voce in this episode. 

The Senior home is holding Gripe At The Mayor Night. Quimby promises to name the new expressway the Matlock Expressway. 

Barlow mentions "railroaded" conservatives, Oliver North (committed treason during the Iran/Contra scandal), Stacey Koon (head officer during the Rodney King beating),  Joe Camel (cartoon character used to promote smoking to children).

Springfield Shopper headline: 

Bob Pardon: #1 Local Issue, Edges out "No Fat Chicks" ordinance. 

Call For Probe In Bob Flap. Editorial: Why Not Let Dead Pets Vote? 

Toddlers Topple Mayor (photo of Bart and Lisa). Expressway Halt Rankles Elderly (photo of Grandpa Simpson)

Sideshow Bob's full name is Robert Underdunk Terwilliger. 

Sideshow Bob does the walking out of the prison scene but falls off a cliff since it's now on an island.

The Republican Part Headquarters is in a spooky castle. Members of the Republican committee are Rainer Wolfcastle, Birch Barlow, Dracula (the 1922 version), Mr. Burns, The rich Texan, Dr. Hibbert and Burns's lawyer. 

Sideshow Bob's commercial accuses Quimby of running a revolving door prison system and uses the release of Bob as an example of his dangerous policies. This is a take on the infamous Willie Horton ads George Bush ran during the 88 campaign. 

Springfield Community Center sign, Tonight: Mayoral Debates, Tomorrow: Mass Wedding Of Cult Members (this is a joke about the Moonies and their mass wedding ceremonies)

Self Aware Joke, Larry King says even though the debate is being aired on Fox there is no need for obnoxious hooting and hollering, which the audience then does. After getting kicked out of Riverdale Homer later reads an Archie comic. 

Kwik-E-Mart Discount Flu Remedy, Extra-Drowsy Formula.

Bob's victory speech is a take on the Citizen Kane scene with the giant image of Bob. 

Springfield Hall Of Records, "Not the good kind of records, historical ones"

There are 48,000 voters in Springfield.

The first name on the voting list is Aaron A. Aaronson.

Names in the phone book, Allison Neu, Cathy Neu, Jennifer Neu, Jeb Neu, Jack Neu, Ken Neu, Bob  Newhall, Richard Newhall. Getty C, Robert Gordon, A Gorilla (Bart writes the name and number down for a later prank)

Headstones: Edgar NeuBauer Beloved Husband and Old Grouch 1831-1909, Prudence Goodwyfe Died 1641, Buddy Holly 1936-1959, Richie Valens 1942-1959, The Big Bopper 1930-1959 "Gooooodbye, Baby!", Mr. and Mrs. Bananas (chimps), Humphrey Boa-Gart (snake), Snowball I (Lisa's first cat). Also on the voting rolls, Snookers and Stormy.

This episode made the Republican Party angry and they condemned it in general, however years later it was heavily quoted when the social media was talking about Trump.

The Simpsons Halloween Special V aka The Treehouse Of Horror V

This episode premiered on October 30th, 1994. It ran in its usual time slot but was both preceded and followed by repeats of past Simpsons Halloween episodes. It ran opposite Lois And Clark, Chicago Hope and Angels (An NBC special about people's encounters with the religious spirits)

The show starts with Marge warning people to send their kids to bed. She's handed a note that congress won't let the episode be shown and instead they are running the Glenn Ford classic 200 Miles To Oregon. But then the screen changes to The Outer Limits introduction about "We control your television".

The cemetery bit contains the headstone Amusing Headstones and RIP (The writers felt that they were running out of tombstone gags) it then cuts to the image of Moe hanging from a tree but looking into the camera, Patty and Selma in witch costumes being burned by Reverend Lovejoy, Skinner in a guillotine with Mrs. Krabappal, Willie and Wiggum's heads laying in the basket. The couch gag is a Frankenstein's Monster collection of the Simpsons however they are all mixed up so they have to swap parts. 

The Shinning

Based on The Shining, the 1980 film

The Simpsons are on their way to Homer's new job as caretaker of the Overlook Hotel. Homer forgot to lock the house doors so they have to return twice, once for the front door and once for the back door. When they find that they forgot Grandpa on the third trip they just keep going. When Burns is giving them a tour of the hotel the elevator opens and blood pours out. Burns says "That's odd, the blood usually gets off on the second floor". Bart uses a hedger to cut his way through the maze. Willie finds out Bart has the "shinning'. Burns cuts the cable TV and takes all the beer in order to get a good winter's work out of Homer. When Smithers points out that perhaps that is the reason the other caretakers went nuts Burns promises if they come back and find the family dead he owes Smithers a Coke. At the bar ghost Moe shows up and refuses to give Homer a beer unless he kills his family. Marge looks at they typewriter to see if Homer has gone mad, all it says is "Feelin' Fine" however a bolt of lightning reveals that the lobby is covered in "No TV And No Beer Makes Homer Go Crazy". They do the staircase scene but Homer scares himself in the mirror and falls down. Marge locks him in the cooler and he refused to murder the family because he's too busy eating, so Moe and the other ghouls drag him out. Homer chops his way through the door and says the famous "Here's Johnny" line but it's the wrong room. The second room he says "Daaa-vid Letterman" on the other side of the door is Grandpa who just showed up. On the third door he does the 60 Minutes introduction "I'm Mike Wallace, I'm Morley Safer, and I'm Ed Bradly, all this and Andy Rooney tonight on 60 Minutes", it's finally the right door. Marge uses the radio to call the police but when she says "over" Wiggums thinks she means the murderous rampage is over. Bart uses the "shinning" to contact Willie, when he shows up Homer uses and axe to kill him almost instantly. When the family runs out side into the snow they find Willies mini TV and Homer gets over his murderous rampage, however they all sit outside until they freeze. They are forced to watch the Tony Awards with hosts Tyne Daly and Hal Lindon. 

Maggie spells Redrum with her toy blocks. 

Break Glass In Case Of Spousal Insanity, inside is a baseball bat.

Hotel ghouls, Moe, The Mummy, The Werewolf, Dracula, Freddy, Jason and Pinhead. 

Wanted posters on Wiggum's wall, The Babysitter Bandit, Fat Tony and Sideshow Bob.

Time And Punishment 

Homer gets his hand stuck in a toaster which he destroys. When he tries to fix it he accidentally builds a time machine. He's sent back to the age of dinosaurs and slaps a mosquito. When Homer returns he finds he's living in a 1984 timeline where Ned is the supreme leader and those who don't follow instructions get a frontal lobotomy. Homer returns to the past and does his best to avoid everything but then sits on a fish that is trying to become an amphibian. The third timeline Homer is super small and almost squished. The next attempt he sneezes on a dinosaur setting of a chain reaction of extinction. In this new timeline he lives in a huge house with a fancy car and is going to Patty and Selma's funeral, however there are no donuts so he runs to the basement. Just then it starts raining donuts. After another time trip he opens the basement door to find Willie warning him it's still the wrong timeline but he can help, just as Maggie axes Willie in the back, a flashback to the Shinning episode. When Homer returns to the past he brings a club and goes on a rampage destroying everything.  Kodos and Kang mock the humans for not being prepared to handle time travel but then they turn into Sherman and Peabody. When Homer arrives for the last time everything seems normal, when he sits down to eat they all have lizard tongues and Homer says "eh, close enough"

The title of this episode is from the book Crime And Punishment although the plots are different. The show uses several different stories, first is Ray Bradbury's tale A Sound Of Thunder where a time traveller accidentally kills a butterfly and changes the future. The first future segment is a take on George Orwell's 1984 where Ned is now Big Brother. The second is from the TV show Land of the Giants.

Homer says I'm the first non Brazilian person to travel backwards through time. Many people have tried to decipher this line but it probably has to do with some time traveller who was later erased from history and that's why nobody gets it. Also after he makes the comment Peabody and Sherman show up and correct him saying "second"

Re-Neducaiton Center "Where the elite meet to have their spirits broken"

Simpson house during Homer's time rampage, an igloo, The Flintstones house, McDonalds (an original franchise building), under water, a giant shoe, a sphinx with Bart's face. 

When Maggie kills Willie she says "This is a strange universe indeed" and James Earl Jones does the Voice.

Nightmare Cafeteria

Bart tries to get the rest of the students to turn their desks around before Mrs. Krabappal arrives but he's the only one who does it so he's sent to an overcrowded detention. Jimbo trips the lunch lady so he's sent to work in the kitchen, and the next day they serve Sloppy Jimbos. Uter cuts in the lunch line so he's sent to detention and the school serves Uterbrauten. After most of the kids are eaten Bart, Lisa and Milhouse try to escape, when Willie shows up to save the kids Skinner chops him in the back with an axe (a running gag throughout this episode). When Bart gets pushed into the blender he wakes up. Marge tells him he was just having a bad dream and everything will be alright, except for the fog that turns people inside out. The show ends with the skinned family singing a version of One from A Chorus Line, Bart gets drug off by SLH.

This episode is a version of Soylent Green in which cannibalism is the solution to overcrowding and a lack of food. It concludes with a take on the 1980 film The Fog

Grade F Meat, Ingredients, Most Circus Animals, Some Filler.

Krabappal reads The Joy Of Cooking Milhouse. 

Hamilton Beech Student Chopper. Settings: chop, pulverize, puree, gooify. 

This is perhaps one of the best Treehouse of Horrors. There are two solid stories that became instant classics, and the third one. I wonder how many people learned and understood the Butterfly Effect from this episode. I should go through and create a best to worst list of Treehouse segments. I'm pretty sure I'd put Time and Punishment towards the top.

Bart's Girlfriend

This episode premiered on November 6th 1994. Its lead in show was The X Files and was followed by a repeat of The Simpsons. It ran opposite Siegfried And Roy (The Magic The Mystery), Murder, She Wrote and Earth 2 (a short lived science fiction series)

The chalkboard gag is "I will not send lard through the mail" and the couch gag is a repeat of the floating eyeballs.

The kids are playing cowboys and Indians. Milhouse says "keep your eyes peeled for injuns" but then corrects himself to say "Native Americans' Nelson shows up as a futurist robot with a rapid fire Nerf gun, The Killmatic-3000, and shoots everyone. The Sunday bells starts ringing and the parents chase down the kids to force them to go to church. Bart is bored until Reverend Lovejoy's daughter steps up to the pulpit to read a passage from the Bible, but she doesn't want to have anything to do with him. Bart decides the only way to get Jessica to like him is to become a better person so he goes back to Sunday School. During the class they learn about David's sling shot, Bart is instantly tempted to shoot the teacher in the butt. After class Bart sees Willie dressed in a kilt, he sneaks over and ties balloons to it, Willie isn't wearing anything underneath. It turns out to be a sting by Skinner, even though it's not a school day. Jessica invites Bart over for dinner. At the Lovejoy's Bart tells the story of what he saw on Martin the night before and they kick him out, Jessica likes it. Bart and Jessica loiter under a sign that says "No Loitering", eat ice cream in front of the window of the local gym and toilet paper the statue of Jedediah Springfield. At school nobody believes that Bart is dating Jessica and she ignores him, she tells him that they have to keep their relationship secret so her parents don't find out. Jessica convinces Bart to ride a skateboard down a dangerous hill, he goes through an oil spill, a ball bearing spill, just misses a glue leak, but when he hits an ant he crashes, and then gets covered by glue which had just ruptured from the overturned tanker. Jessica convinces Bart to hold her hand but then makes him pull the fire alarm. Bart vows to stop seeing Jessica, he's seen X'ing out days on the calendar but it's not days that have passed but the number of days he needs to avoid her. On the first day Bart has to go to church where he's bound to see Jessica. Bart hears singing and is drawn to it but it turns out to be Ned, Bart is creeped out. Homer puts a 30¢ off Shake and Bake coupon in the collection plate. Jessica steals the money from the collection plate and frames Bart. Bart confronts Jessica but she points out that nobody will believe him. At church Bart is forced to wear a Hannibal Lector type of restraint. Lisa does the guest reading at church and warns the real thief that they are doomed. Several people stand up and confess. After trying to get Jessica to confess Lisa finally openly accuse her. When they look under the bed they find the money so Lovejoy claims Bart snuck his bedroom into their house. Jessica finally confesses and says she was expelled from boarding school for the pipe bomb incident, the glee club fight and stealing money, Lovejoy keeps trying to ignore her. Jessica convinces Bart to do her punishment chores while she runs off with the cool kid.

Meryl Streep did the voice of Jessica Lovejoy.

Veteran's Park: In Honor Of Some Veterans.

Bart's Indian name is Dances In Underwear, a spoof on Dances With Wolves. Lisa's name is Thinks Too Much.

The scene where the parents are chasing down the kids to make them go to church is a spoof on the human hunting scene from Planet Of The Apes.

Self Awareness joke: When Bart can't figure out why Jessica doesn't like him he asks "is it because I've worn the same clothes for the past four years?"

Willie is performing at Scotchtoberfest, a fake holiday Skinner invents just to catch Bart in a sting operation.

After getting invited to Jessica's for dinner Bart struts down the street like John Travolta to the tune Stayin' Alive by the BeeGees.

Bart makes a comment that Jessica is so much better than that Sarah Plain and Tall, a tv movie that came out in 1991. It was based on the novels of the same name. 

Bart's Itchy and Scratchy calendar is all the same image of Itchy chopping up Scratchy from the episode Itchy And Scratchy: The Movie.

First Church Of Springfield sign "Evil women in history: From Jezebel to Janet Reno" Janet Reno was Bill Clinton's Attorney General.

Church confessions: Skinner smelled marijuana smoke in Vietnam, Grandpa got Star Trek (OS) cancelled, Dr. Hibbert left his Porsche keys in Mrs. Glick.

When Bart and Jessica are causing mischief Miserlou by Dick Dale plays in the background. This song was in the opening titles of Pulp Fiction that had been featured at Cannes in May and released to theaters three weeks before this episode aired.

We've now made it through 110 episodes. Getting ever closer to the end. It's waaaaaaaaaay over there.

ps. if you are one of the two or three people who actually read this stuff, Thanks!

 The Simpsons 101-105

The Boy Who Knew Too Much

The title of this episode came from the Hitchcock classic The Man Who Knew Too Much.

This episode premiered on May 5th 1994. It ran in its usual time slot and was followed by a Simpsons rerun. It ran opposite Byrds Of Paradise, Christy and Mad About You.

The chalkboard gag is "There Are Plenty Of Businesses Like Show Business" and the couch gag is a repeat of the David Letterman set.

Bart hates being imprisoned in school on a nice day, as Lisa is trying to explain they aren't actually imprisoned Otto shows up in an actual prison bus, he has a Shining thing going on with the bus and threatens to blow their heads off if they don't sit down. Bart imagines floating down a river with Huck and Lincoln (He misspells the President's name). At school they have new chairs designed to fix kids posture and they are painful, plus the clocks were running fast all year, thanks to Bart, so they have to stay for an extra two hours to make up for it. Bart gives Mrs. Krabappal a note excusing him to go to the dentist. Skinner runs it through an old punch card computer but it's inconclusive. When they try to grill Lisa she laughs at Skinner and Willie because they keep changing their rolls as Good Cop/Bad cop. Bart sees his fantasy of Huck and Lincoln coming down the river on a raft but it turns out to be a couple of creepy bums. Skinner goes to the Natural History Museum to find Bart, meanwhile Bart goes to see the Boob-A-Rama R rated triple feature at the Aztec theater. Skinner goes to the 4-H Club and finds the building deserted and vandalized. Bart goes to an art auction and when he has the highest bit he laughs and runs out. The guy with the next highest bid also laughs and runs out. Homer and Bart see each other and pretend to be someone else as they pass. Skinner almost catches Bart but he jumps in the back of Freddy Quimby's sports car. Freddy mocks the French waiter for the way he says chowder. Bart is hiding in the kitchen when he sees something happen to the waiter. The next day Marge is reading the story about Freddy being arrested for beating the waiter and Bart gets upset because he knows Quimby is innocent but telling his story will result in Skinner shipping him off to the Christian Military Reform School. Homer gets jury duty and swears to see Freddy hang. Moe testifies that Quimby was with him on the night of the attack, and then is paid off by Wiggums. Hutz has Dr. Hibbert testify that Quimby has the evil gene, like Hitler and Walt Disney. In the jury box Apu points out that Homer is wearing a pair of glasses with eyes painted on them and is really asleep. The lawyer calls Freddy to the stand but he freaks out when the lawyer says chowder. When Bart considers testifying he imagines that Skinner sentences him to a lifetime of detention in the cafeteria. Homer finds out that if the jury doesn't come to a decision they'll be sequestered in the Springfield Palace Hotel so he votes innocent. Bart finally comes forward and describes how the waiter hurt himself. When the waiter claims he isn't a clumsy Clouseau stereotype he accidentally falls out the window. The judge rules Quimby innocent. Bart ends up with four months detention and Homer has remodeled the house in stolen hotel furniture. 

Bart uses the Li'l Bastard Clock-Tampering Kit to make the school clocks run faster. 

Bart's excuse note : Dear Mrs. Krabappal, Please excuse Bart for a dentist appointment today Please excuse the handwriting. I busted whichever hand it is I write with. Mrs. Simpsons.

Springfield Auction House, Formerly Vacant Lot

The painting at the auction is Gainsborough's Blue Boy. My grandmother had a reproduction on her wall.

Bart goes to Phineas Q. Butterfat's Ice Cream Parlor, first seen in Lisa's Pony

Skinner chasing Bart is a take on Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

When Skinner is chasing Bart he walks through a river while Terminator music plays.

This is the first appearance of Freddy Quimby. He was first mentioned in the episode Marge On The Lamb

Quimby Compound, Thursday is Ladies Night. Happy 18th Birthday Freddy. 

Bart runs into McBain (continuity error since McBain is a character in a movie played by Rainer Wolfcastle) Bart tells "McBain" his last movie stank and Wiggums makes a comment about a "magic ticket my ass" This is in reference to Arnold Schwarzenegger's movie The Last Action Hero which came out in 1993 and was generally panned by the critics and a box office flop. "McBain's" wife is Maria, in real life Arnold had married Maria Schriver, a member of the Kennedy family. the Quimby family is based on the Kennedys.

Springfield Shopper headline: Quimby Nephew Charged In Beating, Chowder Said Wrong. 

When Bart is reading Homer's thoughts he hears him sing the Meow Mix jingle 

The courtroom artist is Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons. 

When Quimby's lawyer points out the waiter wasn't born in America all the reporters run to a bank of pay phones along the back wall of the court room

The waiter hired Lionel Hutz as his attorney. 

Regular cast in the jury: Homer, Apu, Ned Flanders, Patty, Jasper, Helen Lovejoy, Moleman, Skinner. 

Jasper is happy the trial is almost over because the dog from Frasier is going to ride the dolphin from SeaQuest. Both were shows that ran opposite The Simpsons at one point. 

Bart sees a commercial for McGarnigle. His first mention was in the episode Bart's Inner Child. In this one we see a clip from the show. A kid testifies to prove McGarnigle innocent, and then is killed by the mob. 

Homer watched Free Willie, but it's the Director's Cut where Willie doesn't make it and crushes the boy. 

The Waiter's accident, he slips on some of the giant Rice Crispy Treat, smacks his head on a series of hanging skillets, shoves one hand into the blender and the other into the toaster, crashes into the stove, dumps a pot of boiling water on himself and then crashes into the closet full of rat traps. He ends up falling through a stack of glasses. When Freddy is proclaimed innocent in court the waiter protests but trips over a chair, falls out the window and lands in a truck full of rat traps. 

Rat Trap Delivery, Caution: Open Roof. Since 1989.

Lady Bouvier's Lover

This episode gets it title from the novel and movie Lady Chatterly's Lover, although the tv show plot is the G rated version

This episode premiered on May 12th, 1994 in its usual time slot. It was followed by a rerun of The Simpsons. It ran opposite the miniseries The Stand, The Magic Of David Copperfield and Mad About You.

The chalkboard gag is "I Will Not Re-Transmit Without The Express Permission Of Major League Baseball" and the couch gag is a repeat of the family shattering. 

Sideshow Mel conducts the Monkeytown Philharmonic. When one is off key he pokes it and the monkeys then attack him. It's Maggies birthday but she gets scared when everyone comes at her with cameras. The kids are forced to do a song. Marge realizes that her mother and Homer's father are lonely and wants to get them together. When they go out to dinner Abe does the Charlie Chaplin potato dance but a set of lawyers show up and demand he cease, and then smash his potatoes. Grandma bouvier's friends were Zelda Fitzgerald, Frances Farmer and Sylvia Plath. Bart sees an informercial selling animation cels from Itchy And Scratchy so he steals Homer's wallet and orders one. When Homer worries about Grandpa Abe and Grandma Bouvier getting married he thinks that him and Marge will become brother and sister and their kids will be freaks with pink skin and five fingers on each hand, we see the kids as normal humans. A guy shows up and says he has a special delivery for Homer Simpson, Bart thinks it's his animation cel so he says "that's me", the guy punches him and says to stop writing letters to Sinatra. (Sinatra would die four years later) Another guy shows up with another special delivery, punches Bart and says to stop stealing driving range golf balls. When the third guy shows up Bart is afraid to open the door but when he peeks out he sees the cel tube and opens it. The guy punches him for making him wait. (Could you get away with this much child abuse in the modern world?) When Bart opens up the package he discovers it's a cel of a nondescript arm. When Bart says he paid $350 for the cel a disembodied Nelson shows up to laugh at him, meanwhile his body is passed out at the Kwik-E-Mart. Bart goes to Comic Book Guy to find out the value of his cell arm, the only thing he can get in exchange is a Mary Worth phone (a comic strip soap opera character). Abe and Jackie go to the Seniors Swing Dance. At the dance Mr. Burns cuts in and sweeps Jackie off her feet while Abe stands in the corner and angrily frowns at them. On the way home Abe does the Goodnight Mrs. Calabash routine until lawyers of the estate of Jimmy Durante show up and give him a cease and desist order, and smash his hat. Mr. Burns is in love and Smithers is jealous. Burns can't remember the Simpson's name so Mr. Smithers tells him they are Fred and Wilma Flintstone. In the living room Bart tries to hold up Burns with squirt guns full of condiments, Bart gets the money for the cel. To cheer Abe up the guys at the retirement home get him a special cake but the stripper who was suppose to pop out drops dead. When Bart gives Homer the $350 dollars he runs off to buy transcripts of Nightline. Burns proposes to Jackie and she says yes. Just before she says "I Do" Grandpa shows up and asks her to marry him instead. She deicides she doesn't want to be married and they hop on the senior bus. A version of Simon and Garfunkle's The Sound Of Silence starts plain in a spoof on the ending of The Graduate. 

The unibrow baby is seen in this episode, he and Maggie exchange angry looks although he's still not mentioned by name. 

The grandparents cures for when Maggie starts to shake during her birthday party, Grandpa: Put some Lister's Carbolic Unguent on a wad of cotton and put it in her ear. Grandma Bouvier: A Balsam Specific. Grandpa says a Balsam Specific is burning money and they might as well get a Galvanic Belt. Bart mocks them by saying they should use Smeckler's Powder. 

There's a reel to reel tape recorder between the floors of the Simpson's house. 

Bart and Lisa sing the Armour Hot Dogs song. Armour meats went through a series of owners and currently belongs to Smithfield Foods. Homer walks by with a sign that says "Please Buy Armour tm Brand Hot Dogs. They then sing I Feel Like Chicken Tonight complete with the flapping arms dance from the commercials of the day. Chicken Tonight was a brand of sauce from Ragu, it's no longer available in the United States.

Homer quotes a Ross Perot pamphlet on how valuable nutrients can be extracted from the elderly.  Perot was a third party candidate during the 92 and 96 Presidential elections and founder of the Reform Party. 

Marge's mother lives at the Hal Roach Apartments, Retirement living in the heart of the cemetery district. Hal Roach was a studio executive during the silent movie era. He was best known for the Laurel and Hardy movies and the Our Gang shorts. 

The family goes out to dinner at the P. Piggley Hogswine's Super-Smorg.

Grandma Bouvier claims she was quite the looker and it drove all her friends crazy, Zelda Fitzgerald, Frances Farmer and Sylvia Plath. Each were famous for their depression and deaths, Farmer claimed she was forced to have a lobotomy. 

Troy McClure known for The Boatjacking Of Supership 79 and Hydro: The Man With Hydraulic Arms. (The first film is a joke about the Airport series of the 70's)

Generation X appears in this episode. It's a guy with the sides of his head shaved, wearing a plaid shirt and snarking at the TV. 

Grandpa has novelty dentures that have Kiss Me Sweetheart written in glowing ink. 

Springfield Community Center, Today: Senior Citizens Swing Dance. Tomorrow: Cat Spay-A-Thon.

Jackie gets her wedding dress at the Venus Bridal Salon, Not Affiliated With The Planet Venus. 

First Church Of Springfield, Private Wedding, Please Worship Elsewhere. 

When Grandpa Abe shows up at the church and they run away to the bus is a take on the final scene of The Graduate.

Secrets Of A Successful Marriage

This episode premiered on May 19th 1994. It ran in its usual time slot and was followed by a repeat of another Simpsons episode. It ran opposite Matlock, A The Twilight Zone special and Mad About You.

The chalkboard gag is "Five Days Is Not Too Long To Wait For A Gun" and the couch gag is a repeat of the family running into each other and exploding.

Homer is winning at poker without realizing it and he finds out he's stupid. Marge convince him to take a class at the adult education annex. Homer sees other people teaching classes and decides he can teach one. He gets hired to teach how to have a successful marriage. Homer goes around telling everyone "Can't talk now, I've got a class to teach". Homer doesn't know what to say so he takes questions from the students. Mr. Smithers says he was married once. Homer claims marriage is like eating an orange. When the class gets up to leave he starts talking about Marge so everyone comes back to hear the gossip. He reveals that Marge dyes her hair because it's naturally grey. The next day at the Kwik-E-Mart Apu mentions that they have a sale on hair dye and Marge gets mad. When Homer tries to stick to just teaching the class plans on leaving again until Homer describes how Marge likes to have her elbows nibbled on. Then he invites the class over to observe dinner at the Simpson's house. Marge kicks everyone out, including Homer, he winds up living in Bart's treehouse. Lovejoy advises Marge to get a divorce. While driving down the road Marge starts to hear Homer's voice, he's hiding in the back seat saying positive memory things. Homer cuts a bush to resemble Marge's hair but drops the plant out of the treehouse. Lisa tells Homer that he has to come up with the one thing that makes him special to Marge. Meanwhile Moe shows up. (Normally he calls her Midge). Homer shows up and Moe runs off in a panic. Homer realizes the only thing he can give Marge is total dependence, without her he'll be dead within a day. 

Adult Education Annex "We take the 'Dolt' out of A-Dolt Education"

Patty and Selma teach a class in Turn A Man Into Putty In Your Hands. Moe teaches Funk Dancing for Self-Defense. Lenny teaches How To Chew Tobacco. 

Homer's students: Otto, unknown, Princess Kashmir, Sideshow Mel, Carl, Apu, Mr. Smithers, Principal Skinner, Willie, Unknown, Mrs. Krabappal, Lionel Hutz, Barney, Jacque the bowling instructor (who tried to have an affair with Marge in the episode Life On The Fast Lane)

Smithers flashback to his marriage is a spoof of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof and A Streetcar Named Desire. His marriage broke up because of his devotion to Mr. Burns.

Homer's rant to Marge: "Look Marge, you don't know what it's like - I'm the one out there every day putting his ass on the line. And I'm not out of order. You're out of order. The whole freakin' system is out of order. (And Justice For All) You want the truth? You want the truth? You can't HANDLE the truth. (A Few Good Men) 'Cause when you reach over and put your hand into a pile of goo that was your best friend's face, you'll know what to do. (Patton) Forget it, Marge, it's Chinatown." (Chinatown)

Homer reading the definition of a wedding, "The process of removing weeds from one's garden". The Office would later steal this joke when Michael Scott gives the dictionary description of a wedding as the joining of two metals. 

Springfield Stores: Broken-Home Chimney Repair, Splitsville Ice Cream Sundaes, Painful Memories Party Supplies.

They hadn't done one in a while but this was another in the "Homer and Marge's marriage is in trouble" episodes. They aren't my favorites especially as the years go by and they are repeated, a lot. 

This was the last episode of the 93-94 season. There would be a big change at the start of the next season, which I'm going to watch right now.

Bart Of Darkness

This episode premiered on September 4th, 1994. The show had moved back to its original time slot on Sunday night. It had moved to Thursdays in 1990 in order to expand the weeknight Fox lineup and to compete with the #1 show on TV at the time, The Cosby Show. The lead in show was Fortune Hunter (an action adventure drama) and it was followed by Hardball (a short lived sitcom about a baseball team). The show ran opposite America's Funniest Home Videos, 60 Minutes and the NBC Sunday Night Movie: Police Academy 6. (I didn't know they made six of those movies)

The title of this episode comes from the novel Heart Of Darkness (Apocalypse Now was based on the book)

The chalkboard gag is "Beans are neither fruit or musical" and the couch gag is the family is sitting without a couch under them. It comes in as various parts and joins together on top of the Simpsons, who then collapse to the floor.

It's a extra warm day in Springfield, Moleman sets himself on fire with his extra thick glasses, All the figures at the Springfield Wax Museum melt. A guy punches a street performing hippie for singing the John Denver song Sunshine. Homer has set up a tent in front of the fridge and he cranks it down as far as possible, however it burns out the motor. An ice cream truck comes down the road but the guy is all out, he's followed by a guy selling chili and warm ginger ale. Just then the community Springfield Pool-Mobile shows up however the pool is only there temporarily and just for one day. The kids bug Homer to buy a pool. The family puts together their new pool but when they're done they've built a barn. Amish guy "Tis a fine barn, but sure 'tis no pool, English" Homer "D'ho-ith!" (I say this every time I screw something up). Seconds after finally completing the actual pool a bunch of children show up. Bart plans to jump off the treehouse into the pool but falls off and misses breaking his leg. Bart asks Milhouse to sign his cast but he writes "MilPool" and then runs off. While watching out the window Bart sees the other kids do a synchronized swimming number. Bart plans on watching TV for the summer but Krusty is running classic episodes. The first one is a 1961 interview with George Meany, the head of the AFL-CIO from 1955 to 1979. Homer goes for a swim in the pool but it's full of slime, he thinks it is The Blob but Lisa tells him he has to add chlorine, he fills it up with bleach blinding all the children. Lisa gives Bart a telescope. Homer and Marge have a midnight skinny-dip until the police helicopter flies over and hits them with the spotlight. Bart gets bored looking at the stars so he starts spying on the people of Springfield. He sees Skinner sharpening pencils, Dr. Hibbert riding his stationary bike and Jimmy Stewart as Jefferies from Rear Window. He puts the telescope away just as he hears a scream. He sees Flanders saying "Oh my god, I killed her", He turns on Classic Krusty to see Ravi Shankar. Later he sees Flanders burying something in the back yard. Martin gets a better pool so all the kids take off. The water level drops so low that Lisa can't get out. Bart has Lisa go over to Flanders house and look around. In the fridge Lisa finds a bag labeled Human Head but when she wipes it off it says Schuman Farms Head Of Lettuce. Flanders shows up as Lisa is looking upstairs. When Bart sees Flanders heading upstairs with an axe he sets out to save Lisa but gets everything in his path stuck on his cast. It turns out Maude went to Bible Camp. Flanders admits to murder, of a ficus plant. Too many kids get in Martin's pool and it ruptures. He ends up naked and singing Summer Wind instead of the closing credits.

Pool Sharks: Where they buyer is our chum. (there is an image of a guy on an inner tube surrounded by attacking sharks. The pools: The Hick Tub (wooden) The Insta-Rust, The Lightning Magnet, The Tinkler

Lisa's swimming pool scene is a take on the Esther Williams movies of the 1940's.

Itchy And Scratchy Planet Of The Aches (a Planet of the Apes card) Itchy seals Scratchy behind a wall. (from the Edgar Allen Poe novel The Cask Of Amontillado) 3000 years later Scratchy, still alive, is removed by futuristic Itchys who treat him well until they take him to a coliseum and use their brain power to slice him up. (This is a spoof on the original Star Trek pilot The Cage).

Bart calls 911 and gets the emergency hotline where he has to punch in the number for the crime being committed, he randomly punches in numbers and get Regicide. It asks if he knows the name of the regent being murdered to press 1.

Lisa's Rival

This episode premiered on September 11th 1994. It ran in its new regular time slot. It ran opposite The Emmy Awards (The Simpsons had been nominated in two categories, both music), The Boys Are Back (A short lived sitcom) and Unsolved Mysteries

The chalkboard gag is "No one is interested in my underpants" and the couch gag is the family swims in, Bart is wearing a snorkel. 

Bart makes a prank call to Skinner but his refrigerator wasn't running so the joke backfired. Lisa is trying to practice her sax but she keeps getting kicked out of everywhere. At school a new girl, Alison, who shows up Lisa by knowing the bonus answer to a Columbus question (everybody would be angry if you did a Columbus question in the modern world.) Lisa finds out the new girl is a year younger than her and plays the sax. At the band tryouts Lisa and Alison get into a playoff. Lisa passes out and winds up second chair. Lisa goes to Alison's house and feels stupid compared to her family. Lisa discovers that Alison has finished her diorama of Poe's Tell Tale Heart. Homer comes across a crashed sugar tanker and fills up his trunk. Homer is guarding his sugar and Marge says he's being paranoid but he catches a British guy stealing sugar for his tea. He's then attacked by a swarm of bees. To rival Alison Lisa builds a diorama of Oliver Twist, however when she turns on a fan to create a snowstorm it blows out the window. Bart offers to help by sabotaging Lisa's diorama. The owners of the bees offer to pay Homer $2000 for the return of their swarm but then a rainstorm melts his sugar pile and the bees leave on their own. Bart pretends to be a bird to divert attention while Lisa switches out Alison's diorama, this is a call back to the first Halloween Special where he was the Raven in the Edgar Allen Poe story. Bart switches out Alisons diorama of the Tell Tale Heart with a cow's heart he stole from the cafeteria. Lisa starts hearing the beating metronome just like in the Poe story. She confesses and shows the real diorama but Skinner is under impressed by her's and Lisa's. Ralph wins when he brings in his Star Wars action figures in the original packaging. 

Bart makes a call from a cordless phone with an antenna and since there is no caller ID it's a prank on Skinner. Bart reads Bad Boy's Life magazine with an advertisement for Laramie Jr's Cigarettes on the back. It's a spoof of the Boy Scouts magazine Boy's Life.

Marge is reading Love In The Time Of Scurvy. This is a spoof on the Harlequin Romances which were popular in the day and the book Love In The Time Of Cholera. (I thought that book title was just made up for the movie Serendipity but was surprised to discover it's a real thing)

Bumper sticker on the back of Moleman's sugar truck "How Am I Driving? 1-800 555-3872" He's removing it from the crashed truck.

Homer has drawn Farmer Homer's Sweet Sweet Sugar on a paper bag.

At the school try outs for the band Uter plays the Alpine horn, Jimbo plays the Tamborine, Martin plays the lute. 

Lisa imagines herself in the second most popular band sponsored by Avis Rent-A-Car (second biggest car rental agency behind Hertz) The band's members are Garfunkel, Messina, Oats and Lisa. Their number two hit is Born To Runner Up. The audience boos them. This is a spoof on when Bob Dylan went electric and people would show up at his concert just to boo him. 

Bart got Milhouse on America's Most Wanted. He is trapped in a dam's runoff tunnel and jumps like in The Fugitive. 

While trying to protect his stolen sugar Homer says "In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women". It's a paraphrasing of Tony Montana's speech in Scarface. 

When it rains on Homer's sugar pile he paraphrases the Wicked Witch of the West and says "my pile is melting, melting, what a world"

The school holds Diorama-Rama. Nelson does The Grapes Of Wrath, he squishes a pile of grapes with a hammer in a Gallagher spoof. Kids even hold up plastic like the audience at a Gallagher show. Uter does Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but eats it before the judges get there. 

I've reached the 105 episode mark of The Simpsons. I'm almost 1/7th the way through. Wish me continued luck.