The Simpsons 321-325

Marge Versus Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples And Teens And Gays

This episode premiered on January 4th 2004. The lead in show was King Of The Hill and it was followed by The Bernie Mac Show. It ran opposite the Sugar Bowl pregame, 60 Minutes and American Dreams.

The title of this episode comes from the anti family group featured in the episode.

The couch gag is the family runs in and sits down, someone throws knives just above their heads, when Homer reaches for a snack another knife just misses his hand.

The kids are fighting over the remote and accidentally turn on Roofi, a kids performer. Maggie loves it and Marge insists they leave it on. Bart suggests they continue to watch what they want and Marge buy a Roofi CD instead, which she does and the whole family gets sick of the music. Bart wants to stay in school instead of listening to Roofi on the way home and even tries to get detention. Roofi is coming to Springfield. At the concert it starts raining and all the kids start crying, someone hits Roofi with a bottle and he tells them off. He cancels the show and takes off in a helicopter. After the riot Lindsay Naegle shows up as the head of SSCCATAGAPP, Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples, and Teens and Gays Against Parasitic Parents. She convinces the town to turn against parents and children. Marge tries to change Lindsay's mind by having her talk to Lisa however Bart shows up to tell Marge that Maggie barfed in her purse. Marge starts a petition for a voters initiative, The Families Come First Initiative. Naegle says Marge won't get the ballot until November however there is a primary in March. Marge starts PPASSCCATAG Proud Parents Against Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples And Teens And Gays. Hibbert says ppassccatag is a brain stem disease. At the meeting when Marge asks people to donate they all take off. Nobody will sign her petition. The tobacco lobby offers to give Marge $50,000 to help with her cause but when the rep turns into the devil she rejects it. Burns shows up to sign the petition because kids keep him in a supply of young organs, when people see him doing it they join in and Marge gets her initiative on the ballot. Naegle runs an ad, Mothers against "Families Come First", it has a fake Marge endorsing the message. Homer runs a counter commercial however he puts the wrong number on the commercial and puts No on the bumper stickers. Lisa comes up with an idea to get the ballot passed, the kids swarm on the single people at the ballot and hug them while saying "I love you", they all turn out to be sick and infect the adults before they can vote, and everything ends. Roofi sings a very repetitive song over the closing credits.

The family watches The Gator Baiter, the host gets eaten by a crocodile. The character is based on Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter who passed away in 2006. This is almost a Simpsons prediction however Irwin was killed by a Stingray.

Lisa watches Dollhouse Do-Overs on HcTV. This is a spoof on Extreme Home Makeover. The show ran opposite The Simpsons. 

When the kids are fighting over the remote they keep changing the channel and we hear clips from King Of The Hill and Who Will Marry A Million Bears? 

Roofi is based on Raffi. The name comes from the date rape drug Roofies. 

Self aware joke, when Bart asks for detention he wants to write on the chalkboard, Mrs Krabbal says everyone got tired of that years ago. The last chalkboard gag had been on May 18th, 2003 (The Bart Of War)

The Roofi concert is based on Woodstock 25, which ended in a riot. The Rolling Stones song Gimme Shelter plays as the parents are passing out in the heat while standing in line for the port a diaper changing stations. The opening act is the Teletubbies.

Channel 6 News banners: Police threaten time out / Babies to Mayor: "Wah Wah" / Raffi Denounces Roofi. The photo on the news story is Maggie fighting with Gerald.

Roofi fleeing in a helicopter is based on the concert scene in the 1979 film Apocalypse Now.

The Roofi concert was held on Cletus's farm, his last name is Spuckler. The original Woodstock concert was held on Max Yasgur's farm. 

After the Baby Riot Kabul quits as Springfield's sister city. The war in Afghanistan had been going on for three years at this point.

Members of SSCCATAGAPP, Lindsay Nagal / Otto / Jasper / Sea Captain / Mrs. Krabbappal / Zit Faced Teen / Smithers (gee, I wonder who he is representing)

My Generation by The Who plays during the montage of the mob making Springfield more adult friendly and destroying all kid based things.

During the anti kids scene Moe turns the R around in Toy "R" Us. In 2017 the company went bankrupt and closed most of their stores by 2018. They have since been bought out and a new company is reopening physical stores while also running an on line retail site.

When the adults are destroying all kid friendly sites in Springfield there is a shot of Milhouse crying. This is a spoof on the photo The Weeping Frenchman taken in 1940 as the Germans took occupation of the nation.

Springfield erects a statue to the Deadbeat Dad, a man holding out his empty pockets with the words "I just don't have it" carved in the base. 

Instead of taking the kids to school Otto is driving seniors to Atlantic City.

Children's toys are converted into office furniture.

The Springfield Library turns the Young Adult section into the Adult Section complete with a red flashing light and beaded curtains. 

CBG says he'll only sign a petition to bring back Herman's Head, a sitcom that ran from 1991 to 1994.

Springfield Shopper headline: "Families Come First" on ballot / Second headline less important, studies show / Families Come First wrong for Springfield / Costs too much, does too little 

Homer's website for the pro family movement is al-jazeera dot com. 

Joke that didn't age well: Homer uses a photo of Rudy Giuliani to support the family initiative.

This was one of those episodes that started off in one place and ended in a completely different one, and everything just kind of went back to the way it was before. IOW, pointless.

This is the first episode of 2004. 21 years to go.

I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot

This episode premiered on January 11th, 2004. The lead in show was the NFL playoffs (Eagles 20 - Green Bay 17) and was followed by The Bernie Mac Show. It ran opposite 10-8, Cold Case and American Dreams

The title comes from the 1950 book I Robot. The movie would be released 6 months later.

The couch gag is the family are decorations made of frosting on a cake, we see the baker's hand at work. 

Milhouse comes over but gets knocked out by Homer, four hours later Bart finds him and his package, a Psycho Cycle (bicycle btw) Conversion Kit. While out riding the bullies show up on their mountain bikes and steal Bart's tassels, Bart can't keep up with them so he goes and asks Homer for a 10 speed bike. Homer says no new bike as long as his old one works so Bart pushes it in front of a Hibbert's car, the doctor offers to buy a new one, and then runs over Snowball II. Homer takes Bart to the store for a new bike but it requires assembly, Homer plans to put it together. The next day he's finished and it looks perfect however when Bart is teasing the bullies it falls apart. Bart is watching a battle-bot competition, Homer tries to bond with him offering to build a robot. Marge takes Lisa to the pound to find a Snowball III. Homer sets out to build a killer robot but it falls apart so he decides to disguise himself as a robot. Snowball III falls into the fish tank and drowns. Homer's (aka Chief Knockahomer) first fight is with Buzzkill. Homer manages to force the blade back into the other robot. Lisa picks out another cat named Coltraine, when Lisa plays some sax music the cat jumps out the window and dies. Bart wants Homer to come to the title bout on Saturday, he'll be fighting a robot built by Frink. In a preview Frink's robot fights the metal skeleton from Terminator, eats him and poops him out as a trophy. Homer is just about to confess that he's the real robot but the bullies show up and are proud of Bart. The animal shelter won't give anymore cats to Lisa but then the Cat Lady shows up and throws a new black cat at her. It almost gets run over but Gil steers away from it and crashes into a tree, she names it Snowball II. When Knockahomer gets beat up in the first round Bart goes to check it and discovers that Homer has been inside the whole time. Frink's robot drags the fake robot back out into the arena but when Homer is exposed it stops because of Asimov's rules of robotics, instead it gives Homer a comfy seat and a martini. The officials disqualify Homer and the audience boos on their way out. Homer and Bart hug, the end.

When Bart is riding his decorated bike down the street Magic Carpet Ride by Steppenwolf plays.

Wiggum thinks Bart is a bike gang so he puts a pizza sign over the car lights, Lou asks "what if they like pizza?" so he puts a Domino's sticker on the door. 

The bike store is Vicious Cycles Racing Bikes. The logo is a bike shaped like a shark. 

Dated reference, there is a pay phone next to the bike store.

Robot Rumble on the Testosterone Network, "Are you Machine Enough?". This is based on BattleBots that has been on the air since 2000. The winner gets a coupon for a free appetizer at Fuzzy Zoeller's Green Jacket Steakhouse. Fuzzy Zoeller is a professional golfer. This episode came out 7 years before the movie Real Steel, that used a similar plot line. 

Springfield Animal Shelter: A Loving Sanctuary For Animals....For up to seven days.

Marge reads When Bad Things Happen To Good Children. This is based on the book When Bad Things Happen To Good People.

Bart's Krusty clock says it's Tuesday the First. In 2004 that would make this June.

The robot fight announcer says "killing him softly with his saw". This is a spoof on the song Killing Me Softly (With His Song) by Roberta Flack.

The song Watching Scotty Grow by Mac Davis plays during the robot fighting montage.

Frink's robot is based on the ED-209 from Robocop. The robot's name is Killhammad AIeee. He's fought Jersey Joe Wall Switch / The Grim Beeper / Circuit Ray Leonard / Bender (from Futurama)

Self aware joke. When Lisa names her new cat Snowball II she says they'll just pretend the whole thing with the other dead cats never happened. Skinner comes by and says that is kind of a cheat, she replies "I guess you're right Principal Tamzarian", a reference to the episode The Principal and The Pauper. When Homer asks if Bart ever suspected him he says that he's gone whole summers without seeing Homer, this is a joke about the tv schedule when there are no new episodes. 

Robot Rumble: Today: Killhammad Aieee vs. Knockahomer. Tomorrow Killhammad Aieee Victory Party. 

Diatribe Of A Mad Housewife

This episode aired on January 25th, 2004. The lead in show was King Of The Hill and it was followed by The Bernie Mac Show. It ran opposite 10-8, Cold Case and the 61st Annual Golden Globe Awards.

The title comes from the 1970 movie Diary Of A Mad Housewife.

The couch gag is the family pops out of a slice of apple pie, Homer takes a bite out of it.

Homer tries to eat on his way to work but gets burrito sauce on his windshield and crashes into the security booth which sets off the alarm. He crashes into Burns's office just as the safety inspector is about to give the plant a passing rating, Burns fires Homer. Lisa convinces Marge to take her to a book store, Esme Delacroix is doing a signing, Marge decides to write a romance novel. Homer sees a Salesman Wanted sign at a used car lot, he plans to steal it and then charge them to paint a new one, instead they give him a job. He loses his first sale when he cuts one during the test drive. He finds an old ambulance for sale and buys it. Marge wants quiet in order to write her book so Homer takes the kids with him. Marge's book is about Temperance Barrow who is waiting for her sailor husband to return, he's a perfect version of Homer, but when the real Homer comes home he orders dinner and complains about the kids, she changes her main character into a drunken brute. She makes a Ned character as the romantic lead. Marge lets Lisa read her book, her various internal emotions react when she recognizes the Homer character. Marge asks Homer to read her book before she tries to send it to a printer however he falls asleep and gets distracted. He lies to her and tells her that he read the book and loved it. Everyone in town realizes the book is about Marge and Homer. Homer listens to Marge's book on tape, as read by the Olsen twins, meanwhile Marge is writing a second book. When he confronts her she gets mad that he didn't read it. Angry Homer goes next door but Ned escapes in his car, Homer tries to chase him down in the ambulance. In the book Homer's character kills Ned's character after finding out the Marge character is pregnant, however Homer's character is drug out to sea by a whale. When Homer catches up to Ned he doesn't kill him but begs for advice on how to be a better husband. Marge and Homer go home to "collaborate" on their own project, a book entitled Who Really Killed JFK? Homer thinks Lee Harvey Oswald wanted to steal the Jack Ruby. 

Thomas Pynchon, Tom Clancy and the Olsen twins to their own voices. Pynchon's character is wearing a paper bag over his face to protect his identity but has a flashing neon sign "Thomas Pynchon's House, Come On In"

Krusty Burger drive thru menu Mutton Buttons $3.79 / Snout Snips $2.99 / Gravy Scrape 'Ems $2.99 / Buffalo Things $2.95 / Fiesta Globs $3.99 / Triple Double Burger $5.99 / Hot Lettuce Injection (a healthy-heart selection) $3.79 / Twisty Lard $2.49 / Chicken Lungs (Spicy or Mild) $4.49 / All Of The Above $39.95. (btw, if you ordered one of everything, including both varieties of the Chicken Lungs it would only be $37.96). Homer also orders two Super-Choker Breakfast Burritos with Macho Sauce and a deep fried Diet Coke, in a deep fried bag. 

Bookaccino's book store: "We do not accept Bookaccino's Gift Certificates"

Esme Delacroix books: The Secret Of Scoundrel Cove / I, Scoundrel / To Kiss A Scoundrel / Whither My Scoundrel? / A Scoundrel Goes West / "A" is for Scoundrel / Scoundrel In Scarlet / A Scoundrel In Araby / To Hug A Scoundrel / Scoundrel Comes Calling / Senator Scoundrel / Return To Scoundrel Island. These are a spoof on the Harlequin Romance novels that were popular in the day.

Boris' Car Loft (a spoof on Borris Carloff)

Continuity error, Marge is inspired by the sail boat painting over the couch, it's labeled Scene From Moby Dick however in the episode The Trouble With Trillions Marge says she painted it for Homer.

In Marge's book the husband goes to Moab's bar.

Dated reference: Marge has a dot matrix printer. 

Lisa experiences several emotions as individual characters in her mind. This was 11 years before the movie Inside Out but 13 years after Herman's Head

While cleaning out his ambulance Homer sings a version of Cars by Gary Numan.

Marge's book is The Harpooned Heart. "Loyal to her Vows or Loyal to her Heart? Or Loyal to a Third Thing?

When Lisa is worried about Homer finding out about the character in the book she asks what if Homer reads it or they make a movie about it, Bart says's he won't see either of those, she then asks what if they parody it on Mad TV and Bart gets worried. Mad TV ran from 1995 to 2016. (I didn't realize it was on that long, I thought it got canceled after a couple of years)

Continuity Error Dr, Marvin Monroe shows up for an autograph of Marge's book, he claims he's been very sick. However on multiple episodes they eluded to his death including in the episode So It's Come To This: A Simpsons Clip Show and the Marvin Monroe Memorial Gym at Springfield Elementary. 

Homer swore off reading after not learning how to kill mockingbirds from the book How To Kill A Mockingbird. 

When Marge catches up with Ned and Homer she shouts "Please Homie, don't hurt him". This is a spoof on the title of MC Hammer's album Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em.

Margical History Tour

This episode premiered on February 8th, 2004. The lead in show was Oliver Beene and it was followed by The Bernie Mac Show. It ran opposite the ABC Sunday Night Movie (Pearl Harbor), the 46th Annual Grammy Awards and Dateline NBC.

The title comes from the Beatles album and song Magical Mystery Tour.

The couch gag is a tray is put in the microwave with five blobs on it, they rise to be the family.

Marge takes Bart, Lisa and Milhouse to the library but all the books are gone, the librarian says they are a multimedia learning center and a hangout for bums, pan across to Homer sleeping at a desk. Marge tells them stories about historical figures.

Henry VIII

Homer is Henry VIII, Marge is Margarine of Aragon. Dr. Nick is the royal physician and says Marge's womb is full of sea serpents. Homer dreams of a son, Bart. Anne Boleyn shows up. Marge catches them and forces Homer to go to marriage counseling, they go to Dr. Hibbert. At the threat of death he supports Homer's plan to behead Marge. Ned is Sir Thomas More, Lord Chancellor, he tells Homer that divorce isn't allowed in the Catholic Church so Homer starts his own religion and fires Ned out of a cannon. Lisa is Elizabeth I, Homer tells her to grow a penis or get out. Marge gets half the kingdom in the divorce. Anne has a daughter so Homer has her beheaded, Wiggum is the executioner. There is an Itchy and Scratchy puppet theater. Homer then marries Jane Seymour but her annoying voice results in Homer beheading her. Otto is next and beheaded when Homer finds out he's a guy. Homer marries Agnes since she has 10 sons. Moe tells Homer they are out of pikes for the heads, so Homer has him beheaded. Marge comes back and smothers Homer and Elizabeth I becomes queen. 

Homer plays Henry VIII and sings Henry The Eighth by Herman's Hermits. 

Homer wipes his mouth on the Magna Carta. This is a reference to when he wiped his mouth on the Sacred Scroll in the episode Homer The Great.

Anne Boleyn's business card: Anne Boleyn "A Son'll come out....tomorrow" This is a spoof on the song Tomorrow in the musical Annie. Modern Wench Magazine dubbed her "Anne of the Child-Bearing Hips"

Homer reads Yorker Magazine.

Sacagawea

Lenny is Lewis and Carl is Clark. The St. Louis Arch is made of wood. They get their tongues stuck to a flag pole. Homer is the chief of a tribe (a joke that wouldn't play in the modern world), and offers to send Sacagawea (Lisa) with them (in English her name means Little Know It All Who Won't Shut Her Maize Hole). Lisa is married to Charbonneau (Milhouse). Lisa warns Otto about poisonous berries but he eats them anyhow and dies. They plan to bury Otto after going to Moe's for a drink, but his bar is destroyed by a tornado. Wiggum is Jefferson. They run into another tribe but it's run by Bart, Lisa gives him Milhouse to scalp. Lisa abandons them but Lewis and Clark save her from a mountain lion, just as they reach the Pacific. They call her Pocahontas. Marge shows the kids a Sacagawea dollar. 

Mozart

Bart plays Mozart and Homer plays his dad. Lisa plays Salieri, Mozart's little sister, she wants to be a star but gets passed over. The other kids in the family are Tito, Randy and Germain (The Jackson Five brothers). Bart writes Symphony In Gee My Sister Sucks. Mozart wins the 10 And Under award, Lisa is jealous. At the opera Lisa hatches a plan, she slips sleeping potion into the Emperor's wine (Burns), when he falls asleep the entire audience plays along, Mozart is called a flop and winds up drinking in the street while Requiem plays. He catches pneumonia. Dr, Nick shows up with leeches and kills Mozart. As he's dying Bart says "Eat My Pantaloons". Homer goes to the street to announce the death of Mozart, and to sell death masks. Lisa goes to the emperor to announce that she's now the greatest musical prodigy however Beethoven (Nelson) is already playing Ode To Joy. He laughs to the tune of The Fifth Symphony. Lisa heads to the asylum, the Cat Lady is in the wagon. Lisa complains that the story is similar to the historically inaccurate movie.

Homer is selling Bat Out Of Salzburg shirts. 

Austrian Musik Awards "A Snuff-Free Event"

Vienna Opera House: Opening Tonight: Mozart's "The Musical Fruit" There are two entrances, one for Fops and one for Dandies.

The opera is The Magic Flute but with songs about beans and farts.

Snuffbox Magazine headline: Fops Drop To Mozart Flop

 

Springfield Public Library "Now With Working Xerox Machine (a workman comes and removes the Xerox message. 

Videos at the library: Everybody Poops, The Video / You-Gi-Oh! Price Guides / Itchy and Scratchy Thursdays Channel 6

The library has an autobiography on Ron Santo "A Life At Third Base"

At the end Homer comes up and says his favorite movie is Animal House, as he's singing the theme song a Where Are They Now? runs: Henry VIII still holds the world turkey-leg-eating record / Sacagawea went on to great riches posing for butter boxes (Land O Lakes) / Mozart's burial site is now the most popular gas station in Vienna / That night, Homer watches Animal House again. He went to work the next day in a toga. 

Eine Klein Nachtmusic plays over the closing credits.

This was one of the anthology episodes that had become popular with the producers. Personally I don't like shows where the main characters play someone else so, not my favorite.

Milhouse Doesn't Live Here Anymore

This episode premiered on February 15th 2004. It ran in its usual time slot and opposite Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Cold Case and the NBC Movie Of The Week (Shrek)

The title comes from the 1974 movie Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

The couch gag is there is a flower box in the living room, a guy comes by and plants some seeds, waters them and the family grows out of the ground.

On a field trip the lunch in the Buffy FooFoo lunchbox exploded, it turns out to be Nelson's, he also doesn't have the $7 for the field trip so they kick him off the bus. Milhouse starts to talk back and calls Mrs. Krabappal "Crab Apple" and everyone laughs. An inspector is coming to the plant so Burns sends Homer, Lenny and Carl to Moe's. Apu shows up to buy everyone free drinks on his anniversary. Milhouse sneaks away from the tour and tries to tell Bart something but he doesn't want to hear it, so Milhouse steals the Ironside wax figure and goes on a joyride on the wheelchair. Homer is sitting in front of Moe's and some woman feels sorry for him and gives him $5, so he starts dancing for tips. When they get to Milhouse's house he finally tells Bart that they are moving to Capitol City. Marge is mad at Homer but he gives her a bouquet and passes out in the doorway. Bart is depressed that Milhouse is gone and makes friends with Ralph, however he takes off because Bart is mean to him. Homer needs money to buy Marge an anniversary present so he dresses up as a bum and begs for change. A profession beggar tells Homer that he'd do best as Crazy Guy so he starts shouting "Coke And Pepsi Are The Same Thing". When Bart goes to visit Milhouse in Central City he discovers that he's changed himself with bleached hair, a track suit and a gold chain with the letter M. Bart lets Milhouse give him a wedgie to impress his new friends, and then they mock Bart by calling him "Springfield Baby".  Bart watches old videos of Milhouse and starts crying. Bart and Lisa are washing the car but end up having a hose fight, including spraying Ned. When Marge is suspicious of what Homer has been doing after work he gives her a set of diamond earrings. Marge and Homer are "snuggling" so they send the kids off on a bike ride. Bart jumps a ditch and tells Lisa to forget all she knows about gravity, she manages to do it too. They find a cave and go exploring, inside they find an ancient Indian burial ground. The professional bum shows up and is mad at Homer for taking their money. Janie calls to tell Lisa that Branford Marsalis' car broke down outside her house but decides to stay with Bart instead. When Nelson shows up with a pellet gun Bart deices to stay home too. Bart and Lisa are shocked to discover that they've become friends. The bum takes Marge to see Homer begging for money, he tells her that he did it all for her, she tells him he has to quit but decides to keep the earrings to teach him a lesson. Lisa figures out the code of the burial mound and rushes to tell Bart but discovers that Milhouse is back, his dad got custody in court because he's so pathetic. Bart asks Lisa to play Capitol City Monopoly and has her pick up a chance card, it says he'll make her bed for a week, the next says he'll defend her when the kids call her a nerd and the third says he'll return the Malibu Stacey head Lisa thought was lost. Lisa uses the hug card. Isabel Sanford calls it a Schmaltzy Ending, then it cuts to an episode of The Beverly Hillbillies, Jethro, in a uniform, says he's going to shoot some Vietcong and Granny says she' ain't cooking 'em. Sanford adds that wherever George Jefferson is she loves him and wants him to come home. The Jeffersons theme song plays. 

Isabel Sanford does her own voice, William Daniels does the voice of KITT. Dick Tufeld does the voice of the Lost In Space robot. 

Burns calls Homer, Lenny and Carl "Snap, Crackle and Pop" a reference to the Rice Krispies mascots. 

Museum Of Television And TV "Free Emmy To First Thousand Visitors"

Hall of Nosy Neighbors: Mrs. Kravitz / Mr. Roper / Flanders (self aware joke) 

The museum plays a video of the Paul Lynde, Hellen Reddy, Hudson Brothers Easter Special. Their guest stars are Willie Tyler and Lester and Nadia Comaneci. 

Hall of Things That Shouldn't Talk But Do: Lancelot Link / Lost In Space robot / KITT / Salem (the cat from Sabrina the Teenage Witch) / Mr Ed 

Starving Teachers Moving Company. Mr. Largo and Mrs. Pummelhorse are the movers. 

The Itchy and Scratchy Show: Moo Goo Gai Pain, Scratchy sees a sign, All You Can Eat Cat Special and goes into a Chinese Restaurant (Mickey Mao's), however it turns out Scratchy is serving chopped cat. (this didn't age well from the joke about Chinese restaurants serving cats to the after an hour you're hungry again bit)

Billboard: Diamonds...because money equals love. 

Homer's begging sign "Need $ Will Settle For ¢" / Cops took my brain, please help

Bart flies on No Frills Airline, their plane is a rubber band powered balsa glider. 

Best line of the episode "Marge, I'm not going to lie to you...."

Marge has a wall safe behind the boat painting, Homer has Twinkies inside because he heard if you age them for 10 years they turn to liquor. He uses a straw to drink the fillings.

Homer sings Mr. Bojangles for tips. 

This was a good episode, both stories came to a logical conclusion and a happy ending. I wish they were all this good. 

We've reached episode 325. Only 451 to go, almost halfway there. Considering I started this a year ago it means I only have one more year to go, unless they continue to make new episodes and then there's no telling.