Capsule Submission for FABF03: Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens and Gays

... Maggie is seen without her pacifier a lot in this episode? ... Either Janey has a little sibling, or she likes Roofi too? ... The concert is held at Cletus' farm? ... The Maggie/Gerald rivalry is still alive and kicking? ... Smithers is pretty much open about his sexual preference now? ... Burns was on the good side, while Smithers was acting as an antagonist? ... Marge has a new suit? ... Lindsay Naegle is an egg donor, yet disapproves of children? ... Homer didn't even sign the petition at first? ... Lisa refers to children as "God's lowliest creatures"?

Crocodile Hunter - Gator Baiter parodies this

HGTV - Bart and Lisa watch it

Who Wants To Marry a Millionaire - Who Wants to Marry a Million Bears

Teletubbies - They're at the Ruffi concert

King of the Hill (animated show) - Bart and Lisa flip to this show - Hank Hill's narrow urethra and love of propane are mentioned

Raffi - Roofi is a spoof on him - "Raffi denounces Roofi" appears during Kent Brockman's report Baby Got Back (song) - Kent Brockman says "Baby got backlash"

[7F04] Maggie gets an evil look in her eyes [7F09], [AABF01], [CABF11] Maggie is violent towards Homer [7F09], [BABF18] Marge is imitated on TV [9F07] Homer makes a commercial [9F10] �Marge vs.' title [8F18] Maggie goes to daycare [8F24], [AABF07], [EABF20] A Simpson child is involved in a revolt against adults [2F02] Springfield has an ultra-conservative talk radio show host [4F18] Marge dispenses advice [5F03] King of the Hill characters appear [AABF13] Se�or Ding Dong appears [DABF18] Marge enjoys kiddie music

People in the adult section of Luigi's (left to right): - Man - Sideshow Mel - Lindsay Naegle - Mr. Largo - Largo's date - Captain McAllister - Se�or Ding Dong - Willie

People in the family section (left to right):

Foreground - Brandine - Cletus - some of Cletus' kids (two boys, two girls) - Hibbert's teenage son - Hibbert's wife - Dr. Hibbert

Background - Ned - Todd - Rod - Bart - Marge - Lisa - Homer - Another Man - His son - His wife

2nd view - Hibbert's younger son - Dr. Hibbert - Hibbert's daughter - Mr. Prince

Following the pattern of Lisa's Substitute, The Last Tap Dance in Springfield and Bye Bye Nerdie, FOX incorrectly advertised the subplot of this episode as the main plot.

In 5F03, King of the Hill characters existed in the same "reality" as OFF, yet here they are television characters. (This does, however, explain the Bart doll on Bobby Hill's bedroom shelf.)

Ruth Powers is in the crowd who boos Marge as she admits to being a mother, but she is a mother as well.

Didn't Moe learn about the innocence of children in "Moe Baby Blues"?

I must say, I was slightly disappointed by this episode. Beating babies with nightsticks and showing them falling off of a helicopter is definitely a new low for the show. Homer's bashing himself on the head with a hammer was very unnecessary, and not funny. And the tobacco industry man just left me scratching my head. There was some good about this episode though, mainly in the great Marge characterization that hasn't been seen for a while. And for once, annoying characters like Lindsay Naegle and the "Yes" Guy were put to good use. All in all, I think this episode deserves a 7.8/10. (C+)

Ms. Krabappel comments on how Bart's chalkboard detentions got old a long time ago.

Marge comments on how everything was back to normal in the end, and that's the best thing that could happen. After 300+ times, I guess she's pretty used to it.

Announcer: When good babies go bad, Springfield is thrown into chaos! (Maggie is shown slowly forming a smile. The screen flashes and she appears evil and growls. Wiggum and other cops are then seen drowning in a sea of babies at the concert. Homer is then seen crawling after Maggie.) Homer: Give daddy the remote, Maggie. Give daddy the � d'oh! (She escapes into a vent.) Announcer: Can Homer keep Maggie from joining the tiny terrors? (She hits him with the remote through the bars of the vent and he makes "Three Stooges"-esque noises. He tries to get her out with a pair of fireplace tongs, but she takes them from him and grabs his nose with them, and twists it around. Marge comes in and gives Homer a disapproving look.) Announcer: The Simpsons, all new at 8/7c, FOX Sunday!

I thought of it as an extension of the episode with Maggie at a daycare, with "The Great Escape" take off. In some ways, there is little one can do with babies Maggie's age, since that young they don't do all that much except eat and sleep. So the only way to really give her an episode is a nearly-fantasy episode like this (and the daycare one). In that light, none of the episode seemed out of sort. If they can hang on to the helicopter in the first place (that's a reference to some movie, maybe Appocolypse Now?), then them falling off is hardly out of place. If it had been a more natural helicopter ride, with the babies inside, then one or more of them falling out would be shock-worthy.

The cigarette guy seemed out of place. Not him, but his turning into the devil. We've seen lots of examples of people on the show imagining things, but this came across as if the guy actually did turn into the devil briefly. That seems a bit out of place.

Michael

Michael Black wrote:

I don't know; the writers seem to be pretty comfortable with the supernatural (well, they're also comfortable with the stupidly unrealistic too, but still).

On Mon, 05 Jan 2004 03:50:51 -0500, Matt Garvey wrote:

My problem with the tobacco guy is that the joke made no sense.

I mean, I know that the *Simpsons* writers are utterly conventional, so I would have expected a joke about the tobacco industry (or some other special interest despised by the Great and the Good) "owning" politicians, and one can at least see the idea behind such a joke (although in fact, money seems to follow a politician's positions, rather than vice versa).

But:

A) How would donating to a non-tobacco-related initiative benefit a tobacco company?

B) How would such a one-time donation mean that the industry "owns" Marge, given that once the election is over, she will (unlike a career politician) no longer need their money?

C) How would owning Marge Simpson benefit a tobacco company?

While I still think the morphing was out of place, I think the point was good.

The whole story of selling your soul to the devil, as we've seen in the Simpsons and elsewhere, is that you get something right away, but then lose out in the long run.

You're right, it's not completely clear how this could play out in the long run. But it seemed to be commentary that the cigarette industry wants its claws into everything. They aren't sure how it will help them in the future, but they want the potential there. Sort of like when Fat Tony did a favor for Homer, and then came back expecting a favor in return.

I don't know about the US, but cigarette money is pretty prominent here in Canada for funding arts events (though government regulation is changing that blatant funding). It is a pact with the devil. They get money, but they when they add the cigarette name to the banner, they help to promote the cigarette. And a lot of art stuff is "wholesome" so it in effect may legitimize cigarettes.

So despite no obvious use for giving money to Marge, eventually they may find a use for that "favor". And if it gets out that they funded Marge, it makes the cigarette company look like it stands for "family values" or whatever Marge was promoting.

Michael

On 5 Jan 2004 20:28:51 GMT, [email] (Michael Black) wrote:

In other words, it's a childish and senseless slap at a PC "villain." Exactly my point.

Steve Brown wrote:

He could just be a single...

Isn't that backward? If I were watching a show and someone had "The Garveys" merchandise on his shelf, I'd start looking for the hidden cameras.

When the adults all keeled over from the babies kissing them, the comment about how "with all their power, they brought down by their weakness, blah blah," reminded me of the end of "The War Of The Worlds".

Space Mvsevm

[email] (Steve Brown) wrote in message news:...

Another reference: "The War of the Worlds" by H.G.Wells

The ending, with the speech about the voters falling victim to "God's lowliest creatures - children" is a paraphrase of lines at the end of War of the Worlds, about how the Martians, despite their advanced technology, fell victim to germs.

Steve Brown:

I think pretty much everyone but Burns knows by now, just like everyone but Moe seems to know that Bart is the one who keeps prank-calling him.

How come they were in there together? Isn't Mel married?

Well, technically, although Laura might have been sent to a foster home or something when Ruth went to jail. Besides, there's no reason Ruth can't be a hypocrite.

[email] (Nathan Mulac DeHoff) wrote in message news:...

You're probably right, but Homer was pretty clueless in "Three Gays of the Condo".

I was a little thrown off by that too.

True, but you could make up an excuse for just about any continuity error on the show.

[email] (Steve Brown) wrote in message news:...

These are all irrelevant due the the plot change.

Upon further inspection, I've realized that Largo's date was Lisa's Pony Instructor.