Husbands and Knives
Encyclopedia
"Husbands and Knives" is the seventh episode of The Simpsons
' nineteenth season
, and was first broadcast on November 18, 2007. It features guest appearances from Alan Moore
, Art Spiegelman
and Dan Clowes
as themselves as well as Jack Black
as Milo. It was written by Matt Selman
and directed by Nancy Kruse
. The title is a reference to the Woody Allen film, Husbands and Wives
.
charges Milhouse $25 for accidentally shedding a tear on a Wolverine
comic book
at The Android's Dungeon. After Bart
proclaims that the events in comic books are not "real", Comic Book Guy tells him and the other children customers to get out, just as a new comic book store, "Coolsville Comics & Toys" opens across the street.
When the children arrive at Coolsville, the store owner, a hipster
named Milo, gives them Japanese candy and invites them to his grand opening. The store is filled not only with comic books, but also with video games and modern art, giving it a sophisticated arcade look. When Lisa
accidentally rips a page of a Tintin
book, Milo assures her that the books are meant to be read and enjoyed.
The store becomes even more popular, playing host to Art Spiegelman
, Daniel Clowes
and Alan Moore
, who all visit for a book signing. Comic Book Guy jealously tries to sabotage Milo's popularity by pointing out his girlfriend (whom the kids have no problem with for she, like Milo, is also hip) and bribing the children with "Japanese weapons". When these plots do not work, Comic Book Guy tries to use the weapons to destroy Coolsville, but is subdued by the three authors, who remove their shirts to reveal muscular super-hero physiques.
After comparing herself to a standee of Wonder Woman
, Marge
decides to become slimmer, but while exercising at a large gym, Marge struggles with the treadmill, is embarrassed showering in public, prompting her to open a gym for ordinary women.
Comic Book Guy, having finally given up, closes the Android's Dungeon, where Marge opens Shapes, a women-only workout center reminiscent of Curves, that is an immediate hit. Many women of Springfield
comment on Marge's efforts; she opens another location at an abandoned Krusty Burger. Soon, after an interview on Opal (similar to Oprah
), Marge becomes an international hit. Homer and Marge go on a luxury vacation at a hotel where Homer meets a group of three strapping young men who tell him he is on "wife support". They are all the second 'trophy' husbands and convince Homer that Marge will soon dump him for a healthier man, and give him a list of the stages Marge will go through before dumping him. These start to happen and Homer overhears Marge talking to a group of women about dumping something. Homer assumes it is him, although it is actually her purse. One of the three younger men tells Homer he is actually a first husband who used to be fat and ugly, but transformed himself through fashion, diet and exercise. Homer realizes what he needs to do: get cosmetic surgery.
Homer attempts to win Marge back by having his stomach stapled. He is now much slimmer and has to liquify his food. Homer lures Marge into bed and turns her on, but has to make sure only his front is exposed as all of his excess skin is tied back behind him. Next, Homer gets extreme plastic surgery done. When finished, Homer looks entirely different (a little like Arnold Schwarzenegger
); he is slim, covered in abs, eyes more narrow, has black lieutentant hair and his tear ducts have been moved to his nipples
amongst other things. While Mayor Quimby rewards Marge for her work with Shapes, Homer arrives in his new form, much to the shock and disgust of the town. Quimby orders the town to bring pitchforks and attack Homer. Homer and Marge run to the top of Springfield's Notre Dame
tower and Marge, saying she wants a trophy husband, deliberately pushes Homer off the tower. Homer wakes up in the hospital, back to his old self. Marge informs him that after he was knocked out, the surgeon called for her permission on the surgery, to which she refused, and that everything from Homer's surgery to his "death" was just a dream. She had the doctor reverse Homer's stomach stapling, since she loves him no matter how he looks. The episode ends with Moore, Spiegelman, and Clowes watching Homer and Marge from mid-air. They mention that a meteor is headed for Earth, but forget about it after the mention of a convention for underpaid writers, flying away and allowing the meteor to strike.
recorded his lines in October 2006, after the writers approached his then fiancée Melinda Gebbie
. He is a fan of the show.
version of Tom Jones
' "What's New Pussycat?
", although parts of the song are random Korean words. At a certain point, he is seen playing Dance Dance Revolution
and Guitar Hero
at the same time. In the comics store, Lisa walks to the Tintin
and Asterix
shelf. The Belgian
comic strip Tintin and the French
comic strip Asterix are the most internationally famous European comics. The album she reads, Tintin in Paris
, does not exist in the Tintin series but is essentially a mishmash of the cover of Tintin in the Land of the Soviets
, the island from The Black Island
and the rocket from Destination Moon
. Also visible are Tintin in Tibet
, The Shooting Star
, The Crab with the Golden Claws
and Cigars of the Pharaoh
.
Marge's gym, Shapes, is a parody of Curves. Although, there is an actual fitness chain in the Tampa, Florida area known as Shapes. Art Spiegelman's mask, which he wears when attacking the Comic Book Guy during his rampage on Coolsville, is based upon the mask he has drawn himself wearing as an illustrator in Maus
. In Marge’s gym, Shapes, the words "I am woman, hear me sweat" is seen on the wall. This is a reference to the Helen Reddy
song, "I Am Woman
" In a short scene where a line graph
showing Marge's profits appears the Pet Shop Boys
song "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)
" plays in the background.
Alan Moore's outburst at Milhouse's request that he sign a DVD of the film Watchmen Babies in V for Vacation (a parody of Watchmen
and V for Vendetta
, complete with infant versions of Ozymandias, Dr. Manhattan, Rorschach
and Nite-Owl II on the cover), is a reference to Moore's notorious outspoken dissatisfaction with adaptations of his works by major film studios, particularly his refusal to support the then-recent film adaptation of V for Vendetta
, in which he went so far as to demand that his name not appear in the credits.
Coolsville Comics & Toys is a parody of the Meltdown Comics & Collectibles on Sunset Boulevard
in Hollywood, California. The treadmill scene in the gym is a reference to the music video for OK Go
's "Here It Goes Again
" (complete with the song itself playing). Homer, accused of being a monster, runs for refuge into Springfield's Notre Dame
. This is an allusion to The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, Homer being the physically disfigured Quasimodo
and Marge being his paramour, Ésmeralda
.
called it an episode that can keep viewers entertained and laughing. He called the character of Milo and Jack Black a perfect fit and particularly enjoyed the appearances of comic book legends Alan Moore, Art Spiegelman and Dan Clowes. He did note that the Homer/Marge plot was "not nearly as enjoyable as the comic related bits" and gave the episode a 7/10.
On May 11, 2008, Entertainment Weekly
named Jack Black's role as Milo the second of 16 great guest stars on The Simpsons.
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
The Simpsons (season 19)
The Simpsons nineteenth season originally aired on the Fox network between September 23, 2007 and May 18, 2008.-Production:The nineteenth season of The Simpsons is the first one produced after the movie and contained seven hold-over episodes from season 18's JABF production line...
, and was first broadcast on November 18, 2007. It features guest appearances from Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
, Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman is an American comics artist, editor, and advocate for the medium of comics, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning comic book memoir, Maus. His works are published with his name in lowercase: art spiegelman.-Biography:Spiegelman was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to Polish Jews...
and Dan Clowes
Daniel Clowes
Daniel Gillespie Clowes is an American author, screenwriter and cartoonist of alternative comic books....
as themselves as well as Jack Black
Jack Black
Jack Black , is an American actor and musician, notably of Tenacious D.Jack Black may also refer to:* Jack Black , late 19th - early 20th Century author and hobo* Jack Black , drummer for 1970s UK punk band The Boys...
as Milo. It was written by Matt Selman
Matt Selman
Matthew "Matt" Selman is an American writer and producer. Selman grew up in Massachusetts, attended the University of Pennsylvania and was editor-in-chief of student magazine 34th Street Magazine. After considering a career in journalism, he decided to try and became a television writer...
and directed by Nancy Kruse
Nancy Kruse
Nancy Kruse is a former animation director on The Simpsons. She started working on the show during the first season as a background clean-up artist. After that she did background layout and character layout for several years on the show before becoming an assistant director...
. The title is a reference to the Woody Allen film, Husbands and Wives
Husbands and Wives
Husbands and Wives is a 1992 American drama film directed and written by Woody Allen. The films stars Allen, Mia Farrow, Sydney Pollack, Judy Davis, Juliette Lewis, Liam Neeson and Blythe Danner. It was nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Best Writing,...
.
Plot
The Comic Book GuyComic Book Guy
Comic Book Guy is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria, and first appeared in the second-season episode "Three Men and a Comic Book", which originally aired on May 9, 1991. He is the proprietor of a comic book store, The...
charges Milhouse $25 for accidentally shedding a tear on a Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
at The Android's Dungeon. After Bart
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
proclaims that the events in comic books are not "real", Comic Book Guy tells him and the other children customers to get out, just as a new comic book store, "Coolsville Comics & Toys" opens across the street.
When the children arrive at Coolsville, the store owner, a hipster
Hipster (contemporary subculture)
Hipsters are a subculture of young, recently settled urban middle class adults and older teenagers with musical interests mainly in alternative rock that appeared in the 1990s...
named Milo, gives them Japanese candy and invites them to his grand opening. The store is filled not only with comic books, but also with video games and modern art, giving it a sophisticated arcade look. When Lisa
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
accidentally rips a page of a Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin is a series of classic comic books created by Belgian artist , who wrote under the pen name of Hergé...
book, Milo assures her that the books are meant to be read and enjoyed.
The store becomes even more popular, playing host to Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman is an American comics artist, editor, and advocate for the medium of comics, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning comic book memoir, Maus. His works are published with his name in lowercase: art spiegelman.-Biography:Spiegelman was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to Polish Jews...
, Daniel Clowes
Daniel Clowes
Daniel Gillespie Clowes is an American author, screenwriter and cartoonist of alternative comic books....
and Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
, who all visit for a book signing. Comic Book Guy jealously tries to sabotage Milo's popularity by pointing out his girlfriend (whom the kids have no problem with for she, like Milo, is also hip) and bribing the children with "Japanese weapons". When these plots do not work, Comic Book Guy tries to use the weapons to destroy Coolsville, but is subdued by the three authors, who remove their shirts to reveal muscular super-hero physiques.
After comparing herself to a standee of Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
, Marge
Marge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
decides to become slimmer, but while exercising at a large gym, Marge struggles with the treadmill, is embarrassed showering in public, prompting her to open a gym for ordinary women.
Comic Book Guy, having finally given up, closes the Android's Dungeon, where Marge opens Shapes, a women-only workout center reminiscent of Curves, that is an immediate hit. Many women of Springfield
Springfield (The Simpsons)
Springfield is the fictional town in which the American animated sitcom The Simpsons is set. A mid-sized town in an undetermined state of the United States, Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. The geography of the town and its...
comment on Marge's efforts; she opens another location at an abandoned Krusty Burger. Soon, after an interview on Opal (similar to Oprah
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
), Marge becomes an international hit. Homer and Marge go on a luxury vacation at a hotel where Homer meets a group of three strapping young men who tell him he is on "wife support". They are all the second 'trophy' husbands and convince Homer that Marge will soon dump him for a healthier man, and give him a list of the stages Marge will go through before dumping him. These start to happen and Homer overhears Marge talking to a group of women about dumping something. Homer assumes it is him, although it is actually her purse. One of the three younger men tells Homer he is actually a first husband who used to be fat and ugly, but transformed himself through fashion, diet and exercise. Homer realizes what he needs to do: get cosmetic surgery.
Homer attempts to win Marge back by having his stomach stapled. He is now much slimmer and has to liquify his food. Homer lures Marge into bed and turns her on, but has to make sure only his front is exposed as all of his excess skin is tied back behind him. Next, Homer gets extreme plastic surgery done. When finished, Homer looks entirely different (a little like Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
); he is slim, covered in abs, eyes more narrow, has black lieutentant hair and his tear ducts have been moved to his nipples
Pectoralis major muscle
The pectoralis major is a thick, fan-shaped muscle, situated at the chest of the body. It makes up the bulk of the chest muscles in the male and lies under the breast in the female...
amongst other things. While Mayor Quimby rewards Marge for her work with Shapes, Homer arrives in his new form, much to the shock and disgust of the town. Quimby orders the town to bring pitchforks and attack Homer. Homer and Marge run to the top of Springfield's Notre Dame
Notre Dame de Paris
Notre Dame de Paris , also known as Notre Dame Cathedral, is a Gothic, Roman Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. It is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris: that is, it is the church that contains the cathedra of...
tower and Marge, saying she wants a trophy husband, deliberately pushes Homer off the tower. Homer wakes up in the hospital, back to his old self. Marge informs him that after he was knocked out, the surgeon called for her permission on the surgery, to which she refused, and that everything from Homer's surgery to his "death" was just a dream. She had the doctor reverse Homer's stomach stapling, since she loves him no matter how he looks. The episode ends with Moore, Spiegelman, and Clowes watching Homer and Marge from mid-air. They mention that a meteor is headed for Earth, but forget about it after the mention of a convention for underpaid writers, flying away and allowing the meteor to strike.
Production
Alan MooreAlan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
recorded his lines in October 2006, after the writers approached his then fiancée Melinda Gebbie
Melinda Gebbie
Melinda Gebbie is an American comics artist and writer, probably best known for Lost Girls, the three-volume graphic novel she produced in collaboration with writer Alan Moore, published by Top Shelf.-Biography:...
. He is a fan of the show.
Cultural references
Milo sings a KoreanKorean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
version of Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
' "What's New Pussycat?
What's New Pussycat? (song)
"What's New Pussycat?" is a song made famous by singers such as Tom Jones, Bobby Darin, Tony Bennett, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Anita Kerr and The Four Seasons; it was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. It is the title tune of the movie starring Peter Sellers.Barbra Streisand performed several...
", although parts of the song are random Korean words. At a certain point, he is seen playing Dance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolution, abbreviated DDR, and previously known as Dancing Stage in Europe and Australasia, is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, Dance Dance Revolution is the...
and Guitar Hero
Guitar Hero
Guitar Hero is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It is the first entry in the Guitar Hero series. Guitar Hero was released on November 8, 2005 in North America, April 7, 2006 in Europe and June 15, 2006 in...
at the same time. In the comics store, Lisa walks to the Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin is a series of classic comic books created by Belgian artist , who wrote under the pen name of Hergé...
and Asterix
Asterix
Asterix or The Adventures of Asterix is a series of French comic books written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo . The series first appeared in French in the magazine Pilote on October 29, 1959...
shelf. The Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
comic strip Tintin and the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
comic strip Asterix are the most internationally famous European comics. The album she reads, Tintin in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, does not exist in the Tintin series but is essentially a mishmash of the cover of Tintin in the Land of the Soviets
Tintin in the Land of the Soviets
Tintin in the Land of the Soviets is the first title in the comic book series The Adventures of Tintin, written and drawn by Belgian cartoonist Hergé...
, the island from The Black Island
The Black Island
The Black Island is the seventh of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as the hero. It was first published in the newspaper supplement Le Petit Vingtième in the late 1930s...
and the rocket from Destination Moon
Destination Moon (Tintin)
Destination Moon is the sixteenth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero...
. Also visible are Tintin in Tibet
Tintin in Tibet
Tintin in Tibet is the twentieth title in the comic book series The Adventures of Tintin, written and drawn by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. Originally serialised from September 1958 in the French language magazine named after his creation, Le Journal de Tintin, it was then first published in book...
, The Shooting Star
The Shooting Star
The Shooting Star is the tenth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip books that were written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero....
, The Crab with the Golden Claws
The Crab with the Golden Claws
The Crab with the Golden Claws is the ninth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero...
and Cigars of the Pharaoh
Cigars of the Pharaoh
Cigars of the Pharaoh is one of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero...
.
Marge's gym, Shapes, is a parody of Curves. Although, there is an actual fitness chain in the Tampa, Florida area known as Shapes. Art Spiegelman's mask, which he wears when attacking the Comic Book Guy during his rampage on Coolsville, is based upon the mask he has drawn himself wearing as an illustrator in Maus
Maus
Maus: A Survivor's Tale, by Art Spiegelman, is a biography of the author's father, Vladek Spiegelman, a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor. It alternates between descriptions of Vladek's life in Poland before and during the Second World War and Vladek's later life in the Rego Park neighborhood of...
. In Marge’s gym, Shapes, the words "I am woman, hear me sweat" is seen on the wall. This is a reference to the Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy , often referred to as "The Queen of 70s Pop", is an Australian-American singer and actress. In the 1970s, she enjoyed international success, especially in the United States, where she placed fifteen singles in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Six of those 15 songs made the Top 10...
song, "I Am Woman
I Am Woman
"I Am Woman" is a song cowritten by Helen Reddy and singer/songwriter/guitarist Ray Burton and performed by Reddy. Released in its most well-known version in 1970, the song became an enduring anthem for the women’s liberation movement.-Success:...
" In a short scene where a line graph
Line graph
In graph theory, the line graph L of undirected graph G is another graph L that represents the adjacencies between edges of G...
showing Marge's profits appears the Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
song "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)
Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)
"Opportunities " is a song by UK synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys, released as a single in 1985 and then in 1986, gaining greater popularity in both the UK and U.S...
" plays in the background.
Alan Moore's outburst at Milhouse's request that he sign a DVD of the film Watchmen Babies in V for Vacation (a parody of Watchmen
Watchmen
Watchmen is a twelve-issue comic book limited series created by writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colourist John Higgins. The series was published by DC Comics during 1986 and 1987, and has been subsequently reprinted in collected form...
and V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta is a ten-issue comic book series written by Alan Moore and illustrated mostly by David Lloyd, set in a dystopian future United Kingdom imagined from the 1980s to about the 1990s. A mysterious masked revolutionary who calls himself "V" works to destroy the totalitarian government,...
, complete with infant versions of Ozymandias, Dr. Manhattan, Rorschach
Rorschach (comics)
Rorschach is a fictional comic book character and antihero that was featured in the acclaimed 1986 DC Comics miniseries Watchmen...
and Nite-Owl II on the cover), is a reference to Moore's notorious outspoken dissatisfaction with adaptations of his works by major film studios, particularly his refusal to support the then-recent film adaptation of V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta (film)
V for Vendetta is a 2005 dystopian thriller film directed by James McTeigue and produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers, who also wrote the screenplay. It is an adaptation of the V for Vendetta comic book by Alan Moore and David Lloyd...
, in which he went so far as to demand that his name not appear in the credits.
Coolsville Comics & Toys is a parody of the Meltdown Comics & Collectibles on Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades...
in Hollywood, California. The treadmill scene in the gym is a reference to the music video for OK Go
OK Go
OK Go is a rock band originally from Chicago, Illinois, USA, now residing in Los Angeles, California, USA. The band is composed of Damian Kulash , Tim Nordwind , Dan Konopka and Andy Ross , who joined them in 2005, replacing Andy Duncan...
's "Here It Goes Again
Here It Goes Again
"Here It Goes Again" is an alternative rock/power pop song by OK Go, and is the third released single from the album Oh No. It also appears on the compilation album Now 23. It remains the band's only single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, where it entered the Top 40 at #38, mostly due to the...
" (complete with the song itself playing). Homer, accused of being a monster, runs for refuge into Springfield's Notre Dame
Notre Dame de Paris
Notre Dame de Paris , also known as Notre Dame Cathedral, is a Gothic, Roman Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. It is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris: that is, it is the church that contains the cathedra of...
. This is an allusion to The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, Homer being the physically disfigured Quasimodo
Quasimodo
Quasimodo is a fictional character in the novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo. Quasimodo was born with a hunchback and feared by the townspeople as a sort of monster but he finds sanctuary in an unlikely love that is fulfilled only in death. The role of Quasimodo has been played by...
and Marge being his paramour, Ésmeralda
Esmeralda (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
Esmeralda, or La Esmeralda , born Agnes, is a fictional character in Victor Hugo's 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame . She is a French Gypsy girl...
.
Reception
The episode's initial broadcast had 10.5 million viewers. Robert Canning of IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
called it an episode that can keep viewers entertained and laughing. He called the character of Milo and Jack Black a perfect fit and particularly enjoyed the appearances of comic book legends Alan Moore, Art Spiegelman and Dan Clowes. He did note that the Homer/Marge plot was "not nearly as enjoyable as the comic related bits" and gave the episode a 7/10.
On May 11, 2008, Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
named Jack Black's role as Milo the second of 16 great guest stars on The Simpsons.