She Used to Be My Girl
Encyclopedia
- For the O'Jays song, see Use ta Be My GirlUse ta Be My Girl"Use ta Be My Girl" was a hit song by R&B vocal group The O'Jays. Released from their hit 1978 album, So Full of Love, it became a huge crossover hit. The song spent five weeks at number one on the R&B singles chart. It also peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart...
.
"She Used to Be My Girl" is the fourth episode from the sixteenth season
The Simpsons (season 16)
The Simpsons 16th season began on Sunday, November 7, 2004 and contained 21 episodes, beginning with Treehouse of Horror XV. The season contains six hold-over episodes from the season 15 production line....
of the animated TV series 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...
. It features actress Kim Cattrall
Kim Cattrall
Kim Victoria Cattrall is an English actress. She is known for her role as Samantha Jones in the HBO comedy/romance series Sex and the City, and for her leading roles in the 1980s films Police Academy, Big Trouble in Little China, Mannequin, and Porky's...
from Sex and the City
Sex and the City
Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
. It was the last episode to-date animated by Toonzone Entertainment
Toonzone Entertainment
Toonzone Entertainment is an animation studio that worked on The Simpsons and King of the Hill...
.
Plot
The episode opens with the family attempting to give Santa's Little HelperSanta's Little Helper
Santa's Little Helper is a recurring character in the American animated television series The Simpsons. He is the pet greyhound of the Simpson family. The dog was introduced in the first episode of the show, the 1989 Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", in which his owner abandons...
a pill, but he refuses to take it. They then move into the living room, but they quickly become distracted by a throng of news vans rolling down the street, including a Fox News
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
van, blaring Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
's "We Are the Champions
We Are the Champions
"We Are the Champions" is a power ballad written by Freddie Mercury, recorded and performed by British rock band Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. One of their most famous and popular songs, it remains among rock's most recognisable anthems...
" with a large "Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
-Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
2004" banner. On television Kent Brockman
Kent Brockman
Kent Brockman is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer and first appeared in the episode "Krusty Gets Busted"...
explains that Mayor Quimby
Joe Quimby
Mayor Joseph "Joe" Quimby, nicknamed "Diamond Joe," is a recurring character from the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta, and first appeared in the episode "Bart Gets an F". A member of the Democratic Party, Quimby is the mayor of Springfield, and is a...
has had 27 different paternity suits filed against him, with the mayor eventually placating most of the reporters with a cute puppy.
But one reporter is not distracted: 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...
's old high school friend Chloe Talbot, herself from Springfield, who continues to ask Quimby tough questions and lambasting her male coworkers.
Marge sees her friend on TV and is jealous of her success, and later they meet on the street. An embarrassed Marge confesses she never left Springfield, but the two are genuinely glad to see each other again. Chloe comes to the Simpsons' house for dinner; however, her exciting stories — taking place all over the world and involving famous people — annoy Marge and inspire 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...
, who goes out to dinner with Chloe.
In a flashback, we learn the story of Marge and Chloe's friendship: both were reporters for their high school newspaper
Student newspaper
A student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....
, but after high school Marge stayed with her sweetheart Homer
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
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...
was born, with Chloe leaving her sweetheart Barney
Barney Gumble
Barnard "Barney" Gumble is a fictional character on the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. The character is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the town drunk and Homer Simpson's best friend. His capacity for...
when he proposed. With all of Chloe's success, Marge seems to begin to resent both her decision and her family, but receives supporting words from Homer.
On their way back from dinner, Chloe invites Lisa to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
women's conference, with Lisa saying she would need parental permission. Upon arriving at the Simpsons house, they are met at the door by a drunk Marge, who is angry at their late return. Marge provokes Chloe, who threatens to use "some moves I learned from G. Gordon Liddy
G. Gordon Liddy
George Gordon Liddy was the chief operative for the White House Plumbers unit that existed from July–September 1971, during Richard Nixon's presidency. Separately, along with E. Howard Hunt, Liddy organized and directed the Watergate burglaries of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in...
!" with Marge screaming back "I'm so sick of names!" before the two engage in a fight on the lawn.
Lisa decides to sneak out to attend the conference with Chloe, receiving a little help from 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...
. She hides in the car's trunk, but as Chloe drives off she receives a call from her boss, telling her to instead cover the story of the eruption of Springfield Volcano. Lisa pops out of the trunk, but instead of attending a women's conference, she replaces Chloe's cameraman, who ran away at the first sight of lava.
Marge and Homer go to the actual women's conference in search of Lisa, but there see Chloe's live broadcast from the volcano, crediting Lisa behind the camera. Things at the volcano are looking grim, with Chloe and Lisa awaiting a fiery death. "So much sulfur dioxide
Sulfur dioxide
Sulfur dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula . It is released by volcanoes and in various industrial processes. Since coal and petroleum often contain sulfur compounds, their combustion generates sulfur dioxide unless the sulfur compounds are removed before burning the fuel...
!" Lisa shouts across a stream of lava. Marge races to the scene and leaps from rock to rock across a sea of lava to rescue Lisa; moments later, Barney descends in a helicopter to rescue Chloe, who grants him a half hour of pity sex.
The episode closes with Marge imagining what she could have done with her life...she is in front an ice rink, reporting that "the Miracle on Ice
Miracle on Ice
The "Miracle on Ice" is the name in American popular culture for a medal-round men's ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, on Friday, February 22...
" never happened. "Nooo!" she screams in real life, to a shrugging family.
As the credits roll, we flash back to Lisa hiding from the volcano in Chloe's trunk. "What are you doing in there?" Chloe asks. Lisa responds "Praying to Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
... Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
... SpongeBob
SpongeBob SquarePants (character)
SpongeBob SquarePants is a main fictional character in the animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. He is voiced by Tom Kenny and first appeared on television in the series' pilot episode "Help Wanted" on May 1, 1999. SpongeBob was created and designed by cartoonist Stephen Hillenburg...
... there's no time to be picky!" In Heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
, the three figures debate whether or not to help, with SpongeBob concluding "Screw her!" and laughing maniacally.
Production
The episode was written by Tim LongTim Long
Tim Long is a comedy writer born in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. Tim calls Exeter, Ontario, Canada his home town and has written for The Simpsons, Politically Incorrect, Spy Magazine and The Late Show with David Letterman. Currently credited as a consulting producer on The Simpsons, Long was - until...
and guest starred Kim Cattrall
Kim Cattrall
Kim Victoria Cattrall is an English actress. She is known for her role as Samantha Jones in the HBO comedy/romance series Sex and the City, and for her leading roles in the 1980s films Police Academy, Big Trouble in Little China, Mannequin, and Porky's...
as Chloe Talbot. It is also the last episode to be animated by Toonzone Entertainment
Toonzone Entertainment
Toonzone Entertainment is an animation studio that worked on The Simpsons and King of the Hill...
.
Cultural references
Lisa pointing out to Marge that "the Juice is still on the loose" is a reference to OJ Simpson being acquitted of the alleged murder of his wife. Bob DylanBob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
and SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants (character)
SpongeBob SquarePants is a main fictional character in the animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. He is voiced by Tom Kenny and first appeared on television in the series' pilot episode "Help Wanted" on May 1, 1999. SpongeBob was created and designed by cartoonist Stephen Hillenburg...
also appear in this episode.