The Simpsons 171-175

Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment

The episode premiered on March 18th, 1997. The lead in show was TV's Funniest News Outtakes and it was followed by King Of The Hill. It ran opposite AFV, Touched By An Angel and Third Rock From The Sun.

There wasn't a chalkboard gag and the couch gag was a repeat of the cowboy family. 

Lisa is wearing a green dress to school, all of sudden Bart realizes that it's St. Patrick's Day and he's mobbed with pinches. Homer complains that he's not drunk yet, "will 9 o'clock ever get here?" (AM by the way) Moe kicks out all of the designated drivers because he doesn't want any deadbeats. Kent Brockman is hosting the parade and he says it's a day where everyone is a little Irish, except the Gays and the Italians, drunk guys invade Brockman's booth. The John Bull Fish and Chips shop blows up and the crowd celebrates. The Duff float is spraying the crowd with free beer however Bart has bought a horn, he gets a mouth full and becomes instantly drunk. Apu encourages everyone to get naked and the crowd is about to join in until Bart stumbles down the street the entire town is angry. Channel 6 calls for prohibition, all the angry women demand it. The town clerk finds that there has been a law on the books banning alcohol for 200 years, no alcohol under the penalty of being catapulted. When they read about the banning of alcohol Homer, Moe, Barney and Bernice Hibbert pass out. The CEO of Duff says his company isn't worried and Alcohol Free Duff Zero should sell better, 30 minutes later the brewery is out of business. Homer goes to Moe's Pet Shop which is really a speakeasy. Fat Tony is running booze and paying off the cops. The Prohibition League shows up at Moe's and catches Wiggum with Princess Cashmere. They demand that Quimby bring in a new police chief, he has to do what they say because it's an election year so he calls for Rex Banner. Banner fires Wiggum, cleans up the town, blocks the roads and destroys the mob's warehouse. Homer wants to come up with a plan so he goes to Bart, they then go to the dump and dig up all the buried beer barrels. Banner tries to chase them down but they take a turn through the cemetery and escape. Marge asks Homer why he's taking so many balls to bowl and he says he's not going to lie to her, then turns and heads out of the house. Homer rigged up a series of pipes under the bowling alley to smuggle booze to Moe, who then charges Barney $45 for a beer. Banner grabs a drunk Barney and asks him a series of questions with 30's slang, Barney answers Yes? Homer gets caught by Marge and once he explains what he's doing she says it's very clever. Lisa complains and talks about upholding the law (of course) but they send her to her room. When Banner shows up at the bar  Moe pulls a lever and the place turns into a pet shop, everyone hides their beers behind their back. When everything returns to a bar Barney hadn't gotten off his barstool and was run through the gears. Banner stands on the town overlook and says he'll find the Beer Barron, off in the distance Homer replies "No you won't." Homer runs out of dump beer so he buys 42 bathtubs and starts brewing his own. Banner keeps asking people on the street if they're the Beer Barron, meanwhile Homer goes by with a wagon full of Barley, Sour Mash and Tequila Worms. Homer's stills start to blow up and he claims it was the bean he had for dinner. Marge tells him to quit while he's ahead and he says he'll think about it, then an exploding still sets him on fire and he decides that she's right. Wiggum tries to rob Homer so they come up with a plan for Wiggum to catch the Beer Barron and get his job back. Being found guilty Homer is about to be catapulted but first they test it out with a cat. When Bannon is preaching about laws they catapult him, then the town clerk discovers that the Prohibition Law had been repealed 199 years ago so Homer is free and Fat Tony promises to flood the town with booze within four minutes.

Rex Banner is based on the character of Elliot Ness (played by Robert Stack) from the 1959 TV series The Untouchables, not the movie character or the TV remake in 1993.

Heading toward the bar Moe is carrying a bottle of Green Dye with a skull and crossbones and the word Poison on the bottom. 

The first parade float is 2000 Years Of Irish Cops, they are all swinging clubs and telling people to move along, there's nothing to see here. Pot "O" Gold with a leprechaun, St. Patrick driving out the snakes. Drunken Irish Novelists Of Springfield, someone throws a bottle at them and it turns into a brawl. 

Helen Lovejoy says her famous catchphrase "won't somebody please think of the children" during the prohibition protest. Protest signs: Prohibition Now, Draft Men Not Beer, Say No To Drunks (this was a play on Nancy Reagan's Just Say No To Drugs campaign)

Springfield Shopper headline: Alcohol Prohibited In Springfield. Bums threatens leave town / City Goes Dry Today. Bums Extend Deadline / Banner Bars Booze. Booze Barred by Banner / Beer Baron Beats Banner. Family Sedan Outruns Cops. 

Banner over Main Street: Springfield Has Been Clean And Sober for .75 Days

Rex Banner gets two telegrams: Mr Banner- Springfield Need You!- Mayor Quimby Springfield / Rexy-Daisy Had Puppies-Love Mom.

The scene where Barney is standing outside of the Duff Brewery is a take on the mysterious stranger who leaves a rose on Edgar Allen Poe's grave every year.

Signs on the Simpson basement door say Do Not Enter in English, Spanish, French, German and Japanese. 

When the cops take Banner out for ice cream it's a spin on Winslow Homer's painting Nighthawks.

Labels on Homer's tubs: Rye, Gin, Beer, Cognac, 12 Year Old Scotch, Pina Colada, 

Twelve Day Dry Cleaners. Houseware Warehouse "Your Super Super Store Store"

Best line in the episode: Homer "To alcohol, the cause of and solution to all of life's problems"

Grade School Confidential

This episode premiered on April 6th 1997. The lead in show was World's Funniest Outtakes and it was followed by a repeat of The Simpsons. It ran opposite Prime Time Live, Touched By An Angel and Third Rock From The Sun.

The title was taken from the 1958 movie High School Confidential

There is no chalkboard gag and the couch gag is a repeat of the bubble family.

Everyone gets bored with Skinner's announcement so Krabappal throws fire crackers at the kids. Martin announces he's having a birthday party and the whole class is invited. On the day of the party Homer is driving the lawn mower and dragging Bart and Milhouse around in a wagon marked Space Shuttle while he does NASA announcements, they decide to risk their social standing and go to the birthday party instead. Martin has a Mathemagician at his party, everybody groans, naturally Lisa corrects the guy's division. Edna is depressed because other than Seymour she's the only other non parent adult at the party. When Skinner's mother shows up they hide in Martin's dollhouse. Everybody gets sick on the oysters except for Bart. Lisa the vegetarian pretends to be sick so she can escape. Edna and Seymour make out and Bart catches them. The next school day Bart is about to tell all the kids but they call him to the office to ask him to keep their secret. Bart cuts a deal to get Milhouse's name put on his permanent record file. Edna and Skinner spend the night together and the next day they are both cheerful, however they start using Bart as their messenger boy. Edna and Skinner sneak into the theater but get caught by Chalmers so they claim they are on a field trip and force Bart to go to the movie. Skinner forces Bart to spend time with his mother while he sneaks out with Edna. When Bart is forced to say "I love you" to Krabappal and then is mocked by his class he decides to expose the truth and shows the school Edna and Skinner making out in the janitor's closet. When Lisa tells Marge that Skinner and Krabappal were naked in the closet Homer is upset because he's been calling her Crandall the whole time. The parents get upset so Chalmers gives Skinner an ultimatum, quit the relationship or the two of them will be fired. Bart feels guilty and convinces Skinner to stand his grounds so they barricades themselves in the school, they go up on the roof to say they aren't coming out but the only one who hears them is Willie and he doesn't care, Bart calls Channel 6 and tells them that an escaped octopus is on the roof. Homer sees Bart on the roof so he grabs the bullhorn and asks him where the TV remote is, it's in Homer's back pocket. The police decide to blast them out with music but they play Embraceable You, then they cut the lights and hit them with spotlights but it is broken up by a colander and turns the cafeteria into a dance hall. A phone is thrown through the window and Chalmers tells Skinner to give it up. Edna says she wants to take her case directly to the people, Chalmers asks if they want to talk to the guy in the bee suit or the one with the bone stuck in his hair, Sideshow Mel says his opinion is a valuable as anyone elses. Skinner comes out claiming to have a bomb but he just has hot dogs strapped around his body. When the town says their kids told them that Edna and Seymour were having sex in the closet he admits he's a virgin. The crowd breaks up and they get to keep their jobs. Seymour and Edna tell Bart that since they'll be in the public spotlight they are going to break up, however they sneak off to the janitor's closet. 

Permanent Record Depository / Warning: Trespassing will be noted on your permanent record.

Edna has a Charley Brown candle with the head burned off. 

Skinner's note: Dear Edna, I want to "Seymour" ("see more") of you! How about another secret rendezvous? Forever Yours: Principal Skinner. 

At the Aztec theater Chalmers asks if they filmed the movie in Atlanta, considering it stars Tom Berenger the general consensus is that the movie is The Big Chill.

When the police try to drive Skinner and Krabappal out of the building they use the same technique the US used to force Manuel Noriega out of the Vatican Embassy in Panama, blasting music. However Wiggum uses Embraceable You by Michael Dees and the two just end up dancing. 

Best line of the episode: Wiggum "Hey, those are hot dogs, Armor Hot Dogs" Chalmers "What kind of man wears Armor Hot Dogs?"

Maude spells out S-e-x in front of the c-h-i-l-d-r-e-n. Krusty says "Sex Cauldron? I thought they closed that place down" 

 In the episode My Sister, My Sitter Skinner and Krabappal can be seen together at the Squidport Promenade, was this foreshadowing for this episode?

The Canine Mutiny

This episode premiered on April 13th 1997. The lead in show was World's Funniest Outtakes and it was followed by King Of The Hill. It ran opposite 20/20, Touched By An Angel and Third Rock From The Sun.

The title comes from the 1954 movie The Caine Mutiny.

The chalkboard gag is "A Fire Drill Does Not Demand A Fire" and the couch gag is a repeat of Grandpa being folded up in the sleeper couch.

The Simpsons get their mail, a free sample of gas and a note from the Publisher's Clearinghouse telling them they are out of the running. Lisa gets a German Verb Wheel and says Ich esse, er isst, wir essen. (I eat, he eats, we eat), Homer replies When, when?  Ich bin hungrig (I'm hungry). Homer gets a CARtoons magazine. When Bart complains he doesn't get any mail Marge give him the junk pile. He finds an application for a credit card and puts Santa's Little Helper's name on the form. 6 to 8 weeks later Marge gets the mail, they get a rejection letter from the New Yorker subscription department. A letter shows up for Santos L. Halper, it's a credit card. Bart goes to the Comic Book Shop and tries to use the card but Comic Book Guy knows Bart's name and kicks him out. Bart finds a catalog from Covet House and goes on a spending spree. Bart orders a collie from Vermont but claims he won it in a church raffle. The bank calls Bart to ask about the non payment of his credit card. Bart buries the card in the woods but when he gets home the repo company is there for all his stuff. When they ask for the dog Bart gives them SLH. The family take Laddie to the park,  Brockman wants him to breed with his dog and everyone else loves him, but Bart starts to miss SLH, he imagines the dog being used to fire a steam ship. Laddie shows up with a card asking to go for a walk, he runs off and saves a bunch of people from a fire and becomes a hero. Wiggum compliments Laddie so Bart gives him to them. When no dogs show up Bart admits he gave both dogs away. Bart goes to the Repo Depot to find out about getting SLH back, Moe is there because they repossessed the bar floor. The Repo Depot guy tells Bart they sold his dog to a guy wearing a dress, he goes to see Patty. Next he goes to Willie, he says he "ate him" but he meant he "hates him" so he gave him to the church. Lovejoy gave the dog to one of the parishioners. Bart finds SLH in a backyard being sprayed by a sprinkler, Bart tries the sad eyes but the guy is blind, so he plans to steal the dog back. When he gets to the guy's house he discovers that SLH is inside so he sneaks in through the dog door. SLH starts barking and the blind guy comes after him and Bart gets stuck in the closet. Bart confesses but the guy doesn't want to give up the dog so they let SLH decide, he goes to Bart. Just then the  police show up, Laddie comes with them and finds the guy's stash of marijuana. Officer Eddie suggests that it might be medicinal and the guy says without he he could go even blinder. Bart and SLH goes home while all the cops show up for a party at the blind guy's house. Jamming by Bob Marley plays over the closing credits.

This episode has a rare full length opening sequence even though the couch gag is a repeat.

Homer gets a copy of CARtoons magazine. It ran from 1962 to 1991. In 2016 it resumed publications under a new company. 

Bart's junk mail: Gas Your Termites / Freeze Your Termites / Zap Your Termites / Save The Termites. 

Bart's credit card application: Social Security # 123-45-6789 / Date Of Birth 07/15/62 / Home Phone (???) 555-3126 / Occupation Butt Doctor / Income Whatever I find I keeps / Santa's Little Helper

Bart's credit card number 4123 0412 3456 7890

Comic books Bart wants to buy Zebra Girl / Zillionaire / Zoidzilla / The hardbound collection of Radioactive Man.

Bart buys Marge 15 pounds of Vancouver smoked salmon, Homer a golf shirt with his corporate logo on it (his image saying "HI"), for Lisa he buys 500 Trucker's Choice stay alert capsules. When Marge asks where Bart got all the stuff he gives her a frying pan with a radio built into the handle, it plays You Really Got Me by The Kinks.

Stuff in Bart's room, Jukebox, Neon Krusty light, Lava lamp, autographed baseball, Navajo blankets, skis, gumball machine, Pachinko machine, antique phone.

Springfield Dog Park Where Dogs Meet To Sniff Each Other And Bark.

This is the first episode where Maggie's arch nemesis is mentioned by name, Baby Gerald even though he's been on the series since the episode Sweet Seymour Skinner's Badasssss Song in 1994.

Bart goes to the Repo Depo to try to get SLH back, the Repo Depo first appeared in the episode Mr. Plow.

Church Thrift Shop "Nobody beats the rev"

SLH was given to Mr. Mitchell at 57 Mt. Aubum Street.

In the Whacking Day episode Bart writes "I will return the blind man's dog" on the chalkboard. (just a funny observation)

The Old Man And The Lisa

This episode premiered on April 20th 1997. The lead in show was World's Most Incredible Animal Rescues and was followed by King Of The Hill. It ran opposite PrimeTime Live, Touched By an Angel, and Third Rock From The Sun

The title is based on the Hemingway novel The Old Man And The Sea

There is no chalkboard gag and the couch gag is a repeat of the Whack-A-Mole

The family wakes up to Lias digging through the trash for her recycling club, she lectures Marge on separating plastic, Homer starts throwing away books, Lisa lectures him on not having fun while recycling. The Jr. Acheivers Club invites Burns to give a lecture. He says to avoid Family, Friendship and Religion if you want to succeed in business. Lisa asks about recycling at the plant, Burns doesn't know the meaning of the word. Burns gets mad at Lisa and says he wouldn't be worth $200 million if he listened to people like her, she tells him he's not worth that much. When Burns gets back to his office he discovers that the market crashed in 1929. He decides to do an aggressive trading strategy but buys into companies that would mostly be defunct by now. The recycling club hauls all their paper to the recycling center and get .75¢ for their efforts, they make less than the cost of gas to take it there, the trip to Albany gets cancelled and they crash into a tree on their way out making the whole thing pointless. Burns goes broke and gets mad at his financial advisers since they are all just a bunch of "yes men", he finds out that the bank has seized the power plant and his house. Hitman Hart buys Burns' house (he does his own voice). Lenny is put in charge of the power plant. Burns moves in with Smithers and starts breaking stuff, he's stuck in the apartment alone so he decides to go shopping. At the store Burns is trying to figure out which cereal to buy, he sees Krusty buying Krusty-O's so he looks for the Burns-O's, instead he gets Count Chocula since it is the closest to his face. He gets trapped in the dairy case, and confused over ketchup vs. catsup. The store owner has him committed to the retirement home. Homer gets super drunk in order to help Lisa recycle, he tells her to go to the retirement home for more stuff. Burns hears Lisa asking Grandpa for recyclables and asks her to help him get his money back, Lisa makes him promise to do nothing evil. Lisa introduces Burns to recycling. Burns gives Lisa 10% of his first dollar. The family mocks Burns and naturally Lisa gets mad at them. Burns puts the nursing home to work separating his recycling and then opens The Li'l Lisa Recycling Plant. Burns uses old liquor bottles for windows, Barney shows up to lick them. Burns uses 6-pack holders as a fishing net and soon starts pulling in all kinds of plants and animals that he converts into the Li'l Lisa Animal Slurry that is used as a high protein feed, insulation, explosives and engine coolant. Lisa freaks out and tries to stop the recycling program. Burns buys back the power plant and sells his recycling center for $120 million, and comes by to give Lisa her 10%. Lisa rejects the money and Homer has a heart attack. Homer says it's alright since she gave up $1200, when she tells him how much 10% really is he has another heart attack. 

Homer and Bart watch the all night movie, Colonel Dracula Joins The Navy. This is a multi level joke since they swapped out Count for Colonel and there are no Colonels in the Navy. 

Books Homer is recycling Dickens, Leon Uris, Faulkner. 

The Junior Achievers Club "Up...with Business" "I'm High...on capitalism". The group is planning a trip to Albany. 

Words in Burns' mental dictionary:

Rag*a*muffin A an often disreputable person, esp: A poorly clothed often dirty child

rah-rah: 

raid: 

ran*cid

ran*cor

rat*tle*snake

reap

red*skin (1699) American Indian-Usually taken to be offensive

reign

reign of terror

rel*ic

re*pug*nant

rogue

rott*wei*ler

ro*tund

running dog n: One who does some else's bidding: Lackey, ie (Smithers)

ru*ta*ba*ga turnip

Ruth*less

All the words refer to something about Burns or in his life. 

In this episode Smithers was born in 1954. That would make him 43 in 1997.

Burns' investments: Confederated Slaveholdings, Trans-Atlantic Zeppelin, Amalgamated Spats, Congreves Inflammable Powders, U.S. Hay, Baltimore Opera Hat Company. 

Uriah's Heap Recycling Center. Since the proprietor is a hippie this is more of a play on the 60's band than the David Copperfield character Uriah Heep. The Hippie also makes the comment about living too much in the past and yet he's stuck in the 60's. He also says Shine on you crazy diamond which is a Pink Floyd song.

Smithers lives in apartment 19. His collection of Malibu Stacey dolls can be seen on a shelf. 

Smithers' Grocery List: Cereal, eggs, US magazine, milk, catsup, mustard, luncheon meat, cabbage, greens, juice, ointment, soap, mop, napkins. 

The residence at the retirement home are forced to dance to Achey Breakey Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus.

The montage of Burns asking Lisa for help is a spoof on the opening of the 1966 TV series That Girl.

Kent Brockman features Burns on his "It's funny when it happens to them" segment.

Springfield Shopper headline: Burns to open recycling plant, Makes other bums look bad. 

Lisa running around trying to stop people from recycling is a spoof on the movie Invasion Of The Body Snatchers and Soylent Green. 

In Marge We Trust

This episode premiered on April 27th 1997. The lead in show was World's Scariest Police Chases and it was followed by King Of The Hill. It ran opposite Turning Point, Touched By An Angel and Third Rock From The Sun.

The title of the episode comes from the slogan on U.S. currency. 

There is no chalkboard gag and the couch gag is a repeat of the vending machine couch. 

Bart and Lisa are trying to watch cartoons silently since Marge slept in and they don't want to go to church, however their laughing wakes her up. Lovejoy is preaching on the Nine Tenets of Constancy, everyone falls asleep. The family is happy to be out of church, they are heading to the dump to get rid of the old Christmas Tree (this was April). Marge goes to the church to talk to Lovejoy about his boring sermons and ends up volunteering to help out. At the dump Bart finds a Japanese box with Homer's face on it. Skinner calls Lovejoy because his mother covered half the TV, the reverend tells him to read the Bible. Lovejoy explains how he came to Springfield as a young idealistic preacher but then he meets Ned Flanders and constantly getting calls about over the top moral stuff. Marge ends up answering the phone and becomes the Listen Lady. Homer takes the Japanese box to the Happy Sumo to get it translated. It turns out to be Mr Sparkle soap. Homer goes to the library to get the number for Mr. Sparkle in Hokkaido Japan and then tells the librarian he needs to make a local call. The factory plans to send Homer a premium. Lovejoy becomes depressed that everyone is turning to Marge, the saints in the stained glass windows chastise him for losing his way. Helen Lovejoy calls Marge because the Reverend has become depressed. Mr. Sparkle sends a VHS for investors, it shows their commercial which makes no sense, but then Lisa discovers that the logo is a combination of a fish and a lightbulb that happens to look like Homer. Ned calls Marge because some teen are hanging out in front of his store and on the verge of slacking. Marge tells him to confront them but when he does they start to chase him. Maude comes over the next day to tell Marge that Ned never came home. Marge calls Lovejoy, Ned calls to say the teens chased him to a place where the gas costs $1.49 8/10, Marge knows that Ned is at Donny's Discount Gas. The bullies chased Ned into the zoo but he gets trapped in the baboon habitat. A group of Japanese Tourists recognize Homer as Mr. Sparkle. Lovejoy shows up on the park train and saves Ned just before the baboons tear them apart. The next Sunday Lovejoy tells an exciting story about rescuing Ned and everyone pays attention. 

Sam Shimono does the voice of Mr. Sparkle, Gedde Watanabe, best known for 16 candles, does the voice of the factory worker. 

Itchy and Scratchy Show: Deaf Comedy Blam! (The title comes from Def Comedy Jam) "Ear Trauma Ward, Quiet Please" Itchy is dressed as a doctor, he puts a stethoscope in Scratchy's ears and hops in a cab and then on a plane. He lands in French Polynesia where they are testing an atomic bomb. The sound travels back to the hospital where it blows up Scratchy's head.  Aujourd'hui: Le Bombe Atomique. 

Between the floors of the Simpson house Snowball II is trapped and trying to claw his way out.

Lovejoy's sound effects buttons when the partitioners fall asleep: Ambulance, Bird, Disco Whistle.

Church board: Next Sunday: The Miracle Of Shame / Conquest Of The Country Of The Apes. (based on the 1972 film Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes)

On his way to Springfield Lovejoy listens to Jesus Is Just Alright by The Byrds.

Skinner and his mother are watching the 1993 movie Man Without A Face but since his mother covered half the TV he didn't know anything was wrong. The movie is about a man who has a horrible accident and half his face is badly scarred.

Self aware joke. When talking about the soap box Bart says "They could be watching us right now" to which Marge responds "That's ridiculous, nobody is watching us right now" Then they all look around. Millions of people were watching, heck I'm watching them right now. 

Continuity error Lenny tells Marge that he lied to Carl about having a wife but in several episodes he's seen with a lady including Marge On The Lamb when he shaves her legs. Another error is in this episode Reverent Lovejoy moves to Springfield after passing the seminary but in Bart After Dark his father is a frequent visitor to the Mason Derrière. 

Cast regulars waiting to see Marge: Kirk, Ruth Powers, Skinner and his mother, Dr. Nick, Miss Hoover, Larry from the bar. 

The guy at the soap factory is wearing a shirt that says Champion Of Winning Superb. In the 90's it was trendy in Japan to wear shirts with random English words on them. 

Saints in the stained glass windows. St. Eleutherius of Nicomedia, St. Donickus, St. Bartholomew, St. Lucian.

Mr. Sparkle is the result of the merger between Matsumura Fishworks and Tamaribuchi Heavy Manufacturing Concern.

Zoo sign: Aardvark Paark, The Emu Experience, Habitat For Huge Manatees, Baboon Country USA, Elephant Cage. 

Lovejoy decoupling the train cars is a take on the film Breakheart Pass

I've reached episode 175. I'm slowly working my way though the series, however the dreaded years are getting ever closer.