The Simpsons 361-365

Marge's Son Poisoning.

This episode premiered on November 13th 2005. The lead in show was the NFL Postgame show and it was followed by The War At Home. It ran opposite Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Cold Case and Penn & Teller: Off The Deep End.

The title comes from the ailment Sun Poisoning. 

The couch gag is the couch turns into a monster and chases them out into the street. There we see Mrs Glick beating her couch with an umbrella while it eats Moleman. Grandpa Simpson is in the background about to be attacked by a rocker while SLH runs into the street. Terri and Sherry are watching TV when their couch eats them. Lou and Eddy are in their patrol car while two chairs and a couch try to attack them. Professor Frink is attacked by a flying saucer couch. Moe is shooting the bar furniture. Homer runs into Couch World where he's swarmed. This is the longest couch gag to date at 1 minute. The opening sequence is a spoof on the 1986 movie Maximum Overdrive.

The family goes to Paradise Pier, an oceanside amusement park, Marge has always wanted to ride the Ferris wheel. However when the family arrives the demolition starts, the pier is being replaced by condos. Homer jumps into one of the bumper cars and shoots out into the street where he connects with the trolly power line and crashes into a police car. Homer buys strongman Robusto's last dumbbell. Marge buys a bicycle built for two, later Homer is surprised that she wants to go on a ride. Bart doesn't want to go on a bike ride because he's playing a video game "Go On A Tandem Bike Ride With Your Mother". Maggie fakes being asleep until she falls asleep. Marge tries to ride alone and keeps crashing. Bart feels sorry for Marge and goes with her, they wind up in Springshire and go to a tea house. When Homer goes to Moe's he discovers Moe, Lenny and Carl trapped under the pinball machine, he lifts it off with one arm because he did 50,000 curls with the dumbbell. Moe sets up a scam where he has Homer dress up as a nerd and then challenges the YeeHaw Texan to an arm wrestling match, however when the guy loses he pulls a gun on them, so they go for a walk on the beach to make him happy. Marge is disappointed to find that the tea house has been shut down by the health department but Bart invites her to have tea in the treehouse however the place is a mess so she fixes it up. Bart buys a Krusty the Clown tea set but the bullies make fun of him. He says he's not a mama's boy but just then Marge comes out with matching jackets, The Tea Birds with their names and an image of them riding the tandem bike on the back. Bart gets mad and tells Marge that he only hung out with her because he felt sorry for her. He then trashes the tree house. Marge sells the bike to Wiggum, who makes Lou and Eddy pull him in a sled. Before a match Homer worries that Marge didn't call him but Moe said she did call and hopes he breaks someone's arm. Bart feels sorry for Marge so he invites her to perform in the school Karaoke talent contest. Skinner and his mother perform Ebony And Ivory and Marge imagines an older Bart and worries that he will turn out like Seymour. She hands Bart a fire extinguisher and lets him spray the audience. Homer comes home to find Marge singing Sweet Home Alabama and joins her, he says he'd rather be with her than win all the pie-eating contests. She points out that he was in an arm wrestling contest and he says he stopped on the way home. They go off to "snuggle". The bullies sing My Sharona outside the bedroom window.

Paradise Pier is based on Pacific Pier in Los Angeles.

Paradise Pier Closing. Coming Soon: Condos for Rich Idiots

Paradise Pier booths: Knock Down The Bottles, Win Stuff (even when the booth collapses the bottles won't fall down) / Captain Dodge-Em's Bumper Cars / King Neptune's Salt Water Bath, Cures Imbecility! /  Dr. Lungstrong's Tobacco Lotion / Sulfur Pops. That Loud Pronouncement Means It's Working! / Magnesium-Vapor Soak Tub / Robusto World's Strongest Man

Marge's Goals: Own a tandem bike / Visit Holyland Return Safely / Download something / Never change hairdo / Try Wheat Bread

When Marge is trying to ride alone Bicycle Built For Two plays. 

While riding Bart and Marge sing Sweet Home Alabama.

The Leaf Garret Tea House. A play on the name Leif Garret. (Century kids will have to google this joke)

Bart's comic book, Radioactive Man Side By Side With Pele. They are chasing an alien across the soccer pitch. 

Springfield Mall banner "Restrooms no longer at end of weird hallway!" (I wonder if Century kids get that joke?) Marge buys a new tea set at The China Syndrome, a spoof on the 1979 nuclear disaster movie.

When Marge is wandering around alone the Theme from Midnight Cowboy plays, she even ends up on a bus to Miami with the tandem bike like the movie's closing scene.

Arm-Wrestling Championship. Entry fee $50. Grand Prize $50

The Drunk Paralegal Karaoke Supplier.

Springfield Elementary banner: Karaoke Night, Butcher Your Favorites!

Apu sings Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?

I can honestly say I've never seen this episode before. I probably don't want to see it again. 

See Homer Run

This episode premiered on November 20th, 2005. The lead in show was King Of The Hill and it was followed by The War At Home. It ran opposite Extreme Makeover, 60 Minutes and The ABC Movie Of The Week (The Poseidon Adventure 2005 version)

The title comes from the Dick and Jane learning to read books.

The couch gag is the family runs in and sits down however they are the Earth Family display on Rigel 7. 

Homer is hanging up his sock, not for Christmas but for Father's Day. He even has a cutout of him frowning. The family is going to the mall to buy Homer presents. Lisa decides to make Homer "something from the heart". Bart gets him a Leather Buddy, a multitool, Homer pictures himself as Dash Superstud rescuing Marge from a pirate ship. Lisa made a book about her and Homer as unicorns. Lisa is upset when Homer doesn't react to it, and then it gets ruined by the fridge water dispenser. Bart sees a sign that says "Bart Blvd', the bullies tell him he should steal it but he can't get it off the post, although he eventually succeeds. To make up for the book Homer takes Lisa to see Princess Rock Star "With Eugene Levy as The King" however when Homer tries to buy her a baby's ticket, for 50 cents less, she storms off. She gets mad and throws her backpack at Martin but misses and it goes through Skinner's window, she then goes on a rampage around the school. Skinner puts a frown face on her file. The school psychologist blames Homer for Lisa's mood so he volunteers to play the school's Safety Salamander. Homer gives a safety demonstration and then sets the school on fire with his fireworks display. Cletus is driving his wife to the hospital but they can't find Bart Blvd. She gives birth and while he's trying to find his knife to cut the umbilical cord he causes a multiple car crash. When all the cars burst into fire Homer rushes in to pull people from the wreckage, Quimby awards him the keycard to the city. Quimby is charged with running a corrupt government and becomes the subject of a recall election. 200 candidates run for mayor but Lisa wants Homer to run so she can control him. To give a speech he wears the Safety Salamander costume. Homer gives the standard speech with vague promises and stunts and everyone cheers him on. Marge makes Homer wash the suit however during the candidate debate the costume falls apart and nobody wants to vote for him anymore. Since no candidate got higher than 5% of the vote Quimby keeps his job and Lisa declares Homer her hero for trying. 

Homer's Father's Day Celebration, Father's Day eve, Daddy Clause and the Super Bowl Bunny. 

Springfield Mall: Your Father's Day Headquarters. Ask about our Step-Dad Discounts. 

Lisa gets Homer a "Have a Shrek-Tastic Father's Day" t shirt with a picture of Shrek in a suit. 

Mall craft store: Do It Yourself You Lazy Ass. 

Cletus's truck sign: Sour Mash Enterprises

When Homer rescues Smithers and Largo from their burning car Largo says they were carpooling and that is it, another joke about Smithers being in the closet.

The recall election is a spoof on California's governor recall election of 2003.

Channel 6 photo caption: The Old Gray Mayor Ain't What He Use To Be. 

Quimby's record: 12 recall elections / infidelity / bribery / extortion / an attempt to hijack a 747 to go where the girls are going wild (Sounds like trump)

Quimby's mistress sings (off key) God Bless The USA. Seriously, this show is another trump prediction.

Rainer Wolfcastle runs for Mayor, this is a spoof on when Arnold Schwarzenegger was governor of California from 2003 to 2011

Homer Simpson for Mayor, The Lessor of 25 Evils. 

When Bart shoves Milhouse out on stage to play him during the candidate debate he says "wasssupp!" He used the same line in the episode The Bart Wants What It Wants.

The school psychologist was last seen in the episode Lisa's Sax in 1997.

Lisa complaining about everything just reminded me of why she's my least favorite character. 

The Last Of The Red Hat Mamas

This episode premiered on November 27, 2005. The lead in show was Sunday Night Football and it was followed by The War At Home. It ran opposite Extreme Makeover, Cold Case and Shrek. 

The title is based on the 1969 Neil Simon plays The Last Of The Red Hot Lovers.

The couch gag is the couch has been replaced by a nest. After the family sits down a bird flies in and feeds Homer a worm.

At the mayor's Easter egg contest Maggie isn't getting any eggs so Homer goes around and steals all the other kid's eggs. He and the rabbit get into a fight. The mayor has a button that turns his office into a 60's swingers bar. Marge makes an impression on the women at the party until Homer crashes in and embarrasses her, the Mayor's wife cancels the tea party she had planned. Marge is mad at Homer, she goes to sleep on the couch while Homer vows to find her a friend but imagines a dolphin, and then Marge catches them playing and shoots them with a harpoon. Lisa sees an opportunity to spend the summer in Rome, one of the requirements is to speak Italian, however Skinner is busy and doesn't test her. Homer starts stalking women in the store to try to get them to be Marge's friend, he ends up inviting the crazy cat lady over. While walking Marge saves a hat and meets Tammy from the Cheery Red Tomatoes, they ask her to join them. Lisa hires an Italian tutor but it turns out to be Milhouse, he spends every summer with his grandmother in Italy. Marge is initiated as a full member of the Cheery Red Tomatoes and finds out they plan to steal $1 million from Mr. Burns because he promised to donate to the children's hospital. The plan is to steal a collection of Faberge eggs from his secret vault. Milhouse finds out that women love to hear him speak Italian and starts fooling around with other girls so Lisa tells him off in Italian. Homer finds the plans to rob Mr. Burns. Marge is the only one thin enough to squeeze through the grate to open the front gates. Homer tries to save Marge but the police chase him to Burns' mansion. Burns catches the women but lets them go when they return the eggs, however Marge stuffed one in her hair. The group breaks up but Marge and Homer make up and eat on a hot air balloon. 

Lily Tomlin did the voice of Tammy

The heist story is a spoof on the 2001 version of the movie Ocean's 11.

The Red Hat Society was founded in 1998. It is a club for women over 50 however it hasn't been very public since the rise of the MAGA movement.

Today- Mayor's East Egg Hunt. Beware of Rat Poison.

Mrs. Quimby shows up, but then so does the Mayor's mistress.

The rabbit at the egg hunt is named Hugs Bunny but he's legally prevented from hugging children.

Dated Reference, Homer makes his own food stamps, in the modern world people use an EBT card.

Lisa tries to learn Italian For Italian Americans. It includes phrases like "I plan to dump this body in the ocean" and "This is what you get for asking questions". 

Signs at the park: For Sale Martin Prince's Bike, Call Nelson / 2001 BMW. Not For Sale / Speak Italian Send Your Tongue On A Gondola Ride. 

When Marge is wandering around depressed Everybody Hurts by REM plays. The band appeared in the episode Homer The Moe.

The Cheery Red Tomatoes society go for drinks at Johnny Fiestas. They visit the Museum Of Suffering.

The family watches Has Been Celebrity Poker at the Vic Tayback Hotel And Casino in Downtown Las Vegas. Vic Tayback was best known for playing Mel on the 1976 TV show Alice.

Milhouse's middle name is Mussolini. 

Springfield's Little Italy. Birthplace of Beef-O-Ghetti

Lisa and Milhouse riding a Vespa through Little Italy is a spoof on the 1953 movie Roman Holiday. He also dresses like Don Roberto from the 1974 movie Godfather II

Burns' safe combination is R-0, L-0 R-0.

This was another episode that set up several stories but then just so of said "well, they're over" without a real conclusion. Marge is upset that she has no women friends and then gets kicked out of the society, she never complains about it. Lisa learns Italian so she can go to Rome for the summer, and...the story is dropped. And of course it was another Homer and Marge's marriage is in trouble episode. Eh. Personally I would have preferred more of the heist story.

The Italian Bob

This episode premiered on December 11th 2005. The lead in show was King Of The Hill and it was followed by The War At Home. It ran opposite Extreme Makeover, 60 Minutes and The West Wing.

The title comes from the 1969 and 2003 remake of The Italian Job.

The couch gag is a hand deals out cards onto the couch. Bart is the Jack, Marge is the Queen, Homer the King, Lisa the Ace and Maggie the Joker. All the cards are diamonds so it's a Royal Flush, the highest hand in straight poker.

The kids are watching a boring video about diversity, Mrs. Krabappal says if they don't like it they can stare out the window. Burns and Smithers are broke down on the side of the road, the kids mock him so he decides to buy a new car and sends Homer to pick it up in Italy. Homer sees a guy in first class using the armrest TV and tries to find one in his seat. He yanks all the cables out and the engine falls off, onto Cletus's property. Marge wants to see more of Italy and talks Homer into taking a side trip on the way to Rome. In Pisa Homer is excited to find that you can get wine at McDonalds. In Pompei (misspelling is on the show) they find the ash bubble remains that looks like the family. The car is crushed by a giant wheel of Mortadella and they have to push it into the town of Salsiccia (a type of Italian sausage). Homer complains that the country should have stayed a series of confederated states instead of being unified by Victor Emmanuel II. The family goes to the mayor of the village because he speaks English, it turns out to be Sideshow Bob. He tells the story of how he failed to murder Bart. He spins the globe to pick a spot but first it lands on Orlando, then North Korea, then Shelbyville and finally Bartova. He finally lands on Tuscany, the people love him because of his big feet and the crushing of the grapes for wine. He is elected mayor and gets married to Francesca. Bob begs the Simpsons to not expose his secrets, Homer says they'll keep quiet if he fixes their car. Wiggum busts into a house and shoots up a kid's birthday party, Lou points out that Sideshow Bob hadn't lived there for months. Lisa gets drunk and exposes Bob's secret, when she falls back on him she pulls off his shirt and he's still wearing the prison jumper. Homer shouts "Sideshow Bob!" and the police pull up his name. The family flees in the recently fixed car. To escape Bob Homer drives down the aqueduct but crashes into Trajan's column in the Forum. Sideshow Bob decides to give up on trying to kill the Simpsons but Francesca says that they dishonored the family and they need to get their revenge. Lisa sees a sign for Krusty doing opera at the Colosseum so the family goes to him to warn him about Bob. Krusty gives them costumes to blend into the cast on stage. Bob is upset that Krusty is doing a horrible job in the opera and his kid charges on to stage with a knife.  Krusty falls through a trap door and Bob shows up to sing the opera, just then his family comes on stage to kill the Simpsons. Krusty shows up with a limo and saves them, he wants them to return the favor by helping smuggle antiques into America. The show ends with a Gondolier singing an insulting song about Homer. 

Maria Grazia Cucinotta does the voice of Francesca.

Wikipedia has a chalkboard gag listed as "That's one more Jazzy" but there is no mention of this on any fan site or on the Disney+ episode. I'm pretty sure someone added that in there and none of the moderators removed it.

PBS in association with The National Film Board Of Canada presents Diversity Tales.

Burns buys a Lamborgotti Fasterossa XT 550. This is a spoof on Lamborghini and the Ferrari Testarossa.

At the Da Vinci airport people are landing in crafts based on the artist's drawings. 

Lisa has a Canadian flag on her backpack. This was a popular thing for international travelers during the Bush jr. era. 

Lamborgotti "For people who really have nothing inside"

While trying to find their way to Rome Homer pops in a Fellini movie.

Homer gives a woman a cup that says Kentucky, she claims it means whore in Italian.

When trying to pick a spot to move to Sideshow Bob steps on a rake, then his son does it when they meet the Simpsons. This is a joke that first appeared in the episode Cape Feare. 

When introduced to the town Homer starts gesturing like Mussolini, Lisa tells him to stop and he says he through he was acting like Donald Trump. Another Simpson prediction?

The town drunk is two years old and singing Mambo Italiano.

The police book of I Criminali Americani: Snake Invasione di Casa / Mayor Quimby Drinko Drive-O / Peter Griffin Plagiraismo / Stan Smith Plagirismo di Plagiarismo / Sideshow Bob Omicido Attentato Multiplo 

Sideshow Bob's prison number is HABFO2, which the production code for this episode.

Marge says being stalked by a killer in a foreign city makes her feel like she's in the Bourne Identity (2002)

Krusty E Pagliacci Al Colosseo. 

I saw this episode before and to be honest I got annoyed at Bob's kid who keeps hollering "Vendetta" and trying to kill everything. 

Simpsons Christmas Stories

This episode premiered on December 18th 2005. The lead in show was NFL Football and it was followed by The War At Home. It ran opposite Once Upon A Mattress (2005 version), Cold Case and The Browkaw Report.

The couch gag is the Springfield Shopper spins onto the screen with the headline "Couch Gag Thrills Nation" with a photo of the family.

First Church Of Springfield Christmas Service. Jesus: 2005 Years Young. 

Reverent Lovejoy is late for the Christmas service. It turns out his model train has crashes so he asks Ned to take over the service. Net gets a paper cut and passes out so Homer steps in. He does a Seinfeld routine about tipping the paper boy "What's up with that?" He then tells the story of the first Christmas.

The First D'oh-El

Mary (Marge) tells Joseph (Homer) that she's pregnant. Lisa shows up as an angel to tell them that she's going to have God's child, Mary is disappointed that he won't be a doctor. The three Wise Men (Hibbert, Skinner and Frink) brings presents to Herod (Mr. Burns) and tells him that they are for a newborn child. Herod decides kill Jesus. At the inn Moe welcomes Mary and Joseph until he finds out Mary is giving birth so he sends them to the barn. Dr Nick shows up and wants to do a cesarean. Joseph is upset so he drinks some wine but Jesus (Bart) turns it into water. Joseph goes to strangle Jesus but Lisa shows up to stop him. Jesus keeps crying until Joseph has a series of accidents, he and one of the Wise Men do a Three Stooges routine until Jesus falls asleep. They are warned that Herod's troops are coming. Off to the side is Matthew just starting to write his Gospel. The troops follow Jesus' halo but it turns out they put it on a duck. Homer cuts down a tree and rolls it down the hill onto Herod's troops and makes the first Christmas tree. 

Bethlehem Inn Welcome Class of 20 B. C. 

When Bart changes the wine into water he does the I Dream Of Jeanie arms cross and head bob with the sound effect. 

I Saw Grandpa Cussing Santa Claus

The kids hear something in the chimney and Grandpa falls out with a trap. He's trying to kill Santa and tells the story about WWII. He and his older brother Cyrus are both Navy pilots and come under a Kamikaze attack. Burns is Abe's tail gunner and radio man. Grandpa and Cyrus both get shot down, Abe and Burns wash up on a beach. They are trapped on the island and on Christmas Burns shoots down Santa. They use the scrap parts from their plane to fix the sleigh. Burns knocks Santa out and steals it to escape the island. Grandpa jumps on one of the reindeer to chase Burns. He catches Burns and returns to send Santa off, who promises to return, then the nuclear bomb goes off. Grandpa says he invents a jet ski made of coconuts to get home. He hears Santa's sleigh, Santa delivers Cyrus's watch and says he survived the crash and is living in Tahiti. Cyrus has been living with 15 wives. 

The kids are watching the Energizer Bunny Christmas Special. 

Cyrus has a watch that plays American Patrol by Glenn Miller, until the Japanese shoot it. Thankfully he has a backup watch.

Abe imagines Burns as a woman, he looks like the Betty Grable pinup.

Sing Sing Sing by Benny Goodman plays during the sleigh repair scene. 

The Nutcracker...Sweet

The school is putting on the Nutcracker Ballet. The parents are all bored and escape during intermission. The family sings songs based on the music since its royalty free. Bart wants to get Homer a joke tie, Ned is running the charity kettle, Sideshow Mel says he likes to procrastinate, Carl is carrying a wrapped grandfather clock, Lenny has a kayak, Quimby is too fat for the Santa suit, Burns is being Scrooge and sucks up the Ghost of Christmas Past with a Dustbuster, Apu sings about is inflated holiday prices, the town Christmas tree catches on fire but when they spray it down it turns to ice. Willie dreams about a perfect Christmas while past out in his shack, but this is a dream too and he's really passed out in a field. CBG sings about Christmas cookies. The cat lady is trying to wrap up cats for presents. Krusty, his father and the old Jewish guy sing about being Jewish on Christmas and going to a Chinese restaurant. The family hides from Grandpa so he spends Christmas with the raccoons in the dumpster. Krusty plays a clip from 1964 where he gets pelted with snowballs in the crotch. John Glenn and MLK jr. are his holiday guests. Moe tries to hang himself with stringed popcorn, sleds through traffic (everyone misses him), his gun is a gag gun that says "Merry Christmas", he then invites Barney over for ham and asks to be killed. Barney says he already got Moe a present, a wool hat. Marge goes to give Homer his present but he forgot to give her one so he goes out to try to find one, he comes home empty handed and has to tell her the truth. Her present is a present he can give her, it's a photo of the two of them. Moe sleds by with a sign that says "And to all a good night" and then is missed by a semi. 

Mall store: Inbred, Bath & Beyond.

Springfield Elementary sign: The Nutcracker "Perhaps the worst version Ever" Superintendent Chalmers. No Leaving After Your Kid's Part Is Done.

I never saw this one before.

So, we've come to the end of another 5 episodes and the end of 2005. Just 19 more years to go, unless they keep making new episodes. Why did I do this again?