The Last of the Red Hat Mamas
Encyclopedia
The Last of the Red Hat Mamas is the seventh episode of the seventeenth season
of The Simpsons
. The episode originally aired on November 27, 2005. This episode was the second highest rated of the season with 11.5 million viewers.
celebration at Mayor Quimby
's mansion. When Maggie is unable to gather any Easter egg
s, Homer decides to take the other children's eggs. Maggie is delighted, but Hugs Bunny
, who is refereeing the egg hunt
, voices his immediate displeasure. Homer and Hugs get into a huge fight. Meanwhile, Marge goes on a tour of the mansion, led by Quimby's estranged wife, Martha Quimby, but things quickly go downhill when the fight spills into Quimby's office. Marge is embarrassed by Homer's childish actions, and her friends determine she is bad news and shun her.
At home, Marge tells Homer exactly how she feels, leading Homer to try to make amends by trying to find some new friends for Marge. He goes to the supermarket to find one, but fails by behaving too much like a stalker
.
Where Homer fails, Marge succeeds. While walking through a street, she meets up with members of the Cheery Red Tomatoes
. She quickly impresses the group's leader, Tammy (voiced by Lily Tomlin
), and - after participating in a few low-key meetings - is soon invited to become a member of the women's group.
However, when it comes time for the initiation, Tammy asks Marge to assist in their efforts to break into Burns
' mansion to steal $1 million in Fabergé egg
s. They explain they are a group that raises funds for charity
, and that Burns once promised them that amount to donate to a children's hospital; however, at a press conference, the selfish millionaire announced he plans to keep the money for himself (to undergo a procedure that will extend his life by 10 minutes). Marge tells the Cheery Red Tomatoes members she cannot go ahead with the burglary, however bad of a person Burns is, but when told her membership rides on her participation, she decides to cast her morals aside and proceed with the burglary.
At home, Homer finds Marge's Tomatoes folder lying around the house and after rummaging through it, learns about the group's plans to break into Burns's safe. As he tries to get to the mansion to stop her, his reckless driving gets the attention of the police, who follow him, after leaving Officer Eddie behind to direct traffic. Meanwhile, Marge is able to sneak onto Burns's grounds through an air duct and unlock a gate; from there, the women crack open the safe and begin helping themselves to the Fabergé eggs that sit inside.
As the women are leaving, Chief Wiggum and Burns arrive at the mansion to arrest the women. Burns is disgusted by Chief Wiggum and Lou arguing over Wiggum's pants size. Homer arrives to stop Marge from doing something she might regret, but finds himself a prime suspect in the heist. However, once everything is explained, Marge realizes she does not need the group to make friends; after all, she already has one very special friend - Homer. The group returns the eggs to Burns, but Marge later reveals that she hid one in her hair and gives it to them before departing.
Meanwhile, Lisa
is seeking summer opportunities and settles on traveling to Italy
. She tries to convince Principal Skinner that she speaks fluent Italian
, but the principal is skeptical. Rather than putting her on the spot, he decides to test Lisa later. This gives Lisa time to hire a tutor, who turns out to be Milhouse
; he learned the language by force from his grandmother in Tuscany
, as she hated English
due to being left pregnant by an American G.I. after World War II
. Milhouse is actually quite good at teaching Lisa, and before long, Lisa is speaking fluently and apparently forms a friendship with Milhouse. However, just as it seems that Milhouse's unrequited feelings for Lisa would be reciprocated, he is caught with a girl named Angelica and then Lisa starts beating him up and cursing him in Italian like his grandmother did.
The Simpsons (season 17)
The Simpsons' seventeenth season originally aired between September 2005 and May 2006, beginning on Sunday, September 11, 2005. It broke Fox's tradition of pushing its shows' season premieres back to November to accommodate the Major League Baseball games airing on the network during September...
of 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 episode originally aired on November 27, 2005. This episode was the second highest rated of the season with 11.5 million viewers.
Plot
The Simpson children participate in the annual EasterEaster
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
celebration at 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...
's mansion. When Maggie is unable to gather any Easter egg
Easter egg
Easter eggs are special eggs that are often given to celebrate Easter or springtime.The oldest tradition is to use dyed or painted chicken eggs, but a modern custom is to substitute chocolate eggs, or plastic eggs filled with confectionery such as jelly beans...
s, Homer decides to take the other children's eggs. Maggie is delighted, but Hugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
, who is refereeing the egg hunt
Egg hunt
Egg hunt is a game during which decorated eggs, real hard-boiled ones or artificial, filled with or made of chocolate candies, of various sizes, are hidden in various places for children to find. The game may be both indoors and outdoors...
, voices his immediate displeasure. Homer and Hugs get into a huge fight. Meanwhile, Marge goes on a tour of the mansion, led by Quimby's estranged wife, Martha Quimby, but things quickly go downhill when the fight spills into Quimby's office. Marge is embarrassed by Homer's childish actions, and her friends determine she is bad news and shun her.
At home, Marge tells Homer exactly how she feels, leading Homer to try to make amends by trying to find some new friends for Marge. He goes to the supermarket to find one, but fails by behaving too much like a stalker
Stalking
Stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person and/or monitoring them via the internet...
.
Where Homer fails, Marge succeeds. While walking through a street, she meets up with members of the Cheery Red Tomatoes
Red Hat Society
The Red Hat Society is a social organization originally founded in 1998 for women age 50 and beyond, but now open to women of all ages. As of August 2010, there are over 40,000 chapters in the United States and 29 other countries.-History:...
. She quickly impresses the group's leader, Tammy (voiced by Lily Tomlin
Lily Tomlin
Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin is an American actress, comedienne, writer, and producer. Tomlin has been a major force in American comedy since the late 1960's when she began a career as a stand up comedian and became a featured performer on television's Laugh-in...
), and - after participating in a few low-key meetings - is soon invited to become a member of the women's group.
However, when it comes time for the initiation, Tammy asks Marge to assist in their efforts to break into Burns
Montgomery Burns
Charles Montgomery "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns, is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer and previously Christopher Collins. Burns is the evil owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and is Homer...
' mansion to steal $1 million in Fabergé egg
Fabergé egg
A Fabergé egg is any one of the thousands of jeweled eggs made by the House of Fabergé from 1885 to 1917. Most were miniature eggs that were popular gifts at Eastertide...
s. They explain they are a group that raises funds for charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
, and that Burns once promised them that amount to donate to a children's hospital; however, at a press conference, the selfish millionaire announced he plans to keep the money for himself (to undergo a procedure that will extend his life by 10 minutes). Marge tells the Cheery Red Tomatoes members she cannot go ahead with the burglary, however bad of a person Burns is, but when told her membership rides on her participation, she decides to cast her morals aside and proceed with the burglary.
At home, Homer finds Marge's Tomatoes folder lying around the house and after rummaging through it, learns about the group's plans to break into Burns's safe. As he tries to get to the mansion to stop her, his reckless driving gets the attention of the police, who follow him, after leaving Officer Eddie behind to direct traffic. Meanwhile, Marge is able to sneak onto Burns's grounds through an air duct and unlock a gate; from there, the women crack open the safe and begin helping themselves to the Fabergé eggs that sit inside.
As the women are leaving, Chief Wiggum and Burns arrive at the mansion to arrest the women. Burns is disgusted by Chief Wiggum and Lou arguing over Wiggum's pants size. Homer arrives to stop Marge from doing something she might regret, but finds himself a prime suspect in the heist. However, once everything is explained, Marge realizes she does not need the group to make friends; after all, she already has one very special friend - Homer. The group returns the eggs to Burns, but Marge later reveals that she hid one in her hair and gives it to them before departing.
Meanwhile, 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...
is seeking summer opportunities and settles on traveling to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. She tries to convince Principal Skinner that she speaks fluent Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, but the principal is skeptical. Rather than putting her on the spot, he decides to test Lisa later. This gives Lisa time to hire a tutor, who turns out to be Milhouse
Milhouse Van Houten
Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a fictional character featured in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Pamela Hayden. He is Bart Simpson's best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class at Springfield Elementary School....
; he learned the language by force from his grandmother in Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, as she hated English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
due to being left pregnant by an American G.I. after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Milhouse is actually quite good at teaching Lisa, and before long, Lisa is speaking fluently and apparently forms a friendship with Milhouse. However, just as it seems that Milhouse's unrequited feelings for Lisa would be reciprocated, he is caught with a girl named Angelica and then Lisa starts beating him up and cursing him in Italian like his grandmother did.
Cultural references
- The episode title is a reference to Sophie TuckerSophie TuckerSophie Tucker was a Russian/Ukrainian-born American singer and actress. Known for her stentorian delivery of comical and risqué songs, she was one of the most popular entertainers in America during the first half of the 20th century...
, who was known as "the Last of the Red Hot Mamas" throughout her career. - When the twins Sherri and Terri notice that Lisa is gone, they resume speaking in their "Secret twin language." This refers to an actual phenomena (Twin language) known as IdioglossiaIdioglossiaAn idioglossia is an idiosyncratic language invented and spoken by only one person or very few people. Most often, idioglossia refers to the "private languages" of young children, especially twins, the latter being more specifically known as cryptophasia, and commonly referred to as twin talk or...
. - When Marge is walking alone in the streets the song playing is Everybody HurtsEverybody Hurts"Everybody Hurts" is a song by R.E.M., originally released on the band's 1992 album Automatic for the People and was also released as a single in 1993. It peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100, #7 on the UK Singles Chart and #3 on the French Singles Chart.-History:Much of the song was written by...
by R.E.M.R.E.M.R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
. - The group of women that Marge joins is called the Cheery Red Tomatoes. They wear red dresses and pink hats, similar to the clothing worn by members of the Red Hat SocietyRed Hat SocietyThe Red Hat Society is a social organization originally founded in 1998 for women age 50 and beyond, but now open to women of all ages. As of August 2010, there are over 40,000 chapters in the United States and 29 other countries.-History:...
(purple outfits and red hats). - Inside Burns' mansion, after the ladies open the safe, Homer appears and tells Marge he accidentally led the police there. He finishes by saying "Game over, man! Game Over!!!". This is a reference to a movie line, made famous by Bill PaxtonBill PaxtonWilliam "Bill" Paxton is an American actor and film director. He gained popularity after starring roles in the films Apollo 13, Twister, Aliens, True Lies, and Titanic...
as Pvt. Hudson in James CameronJames CameronJames Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
's AliensAliens (film)Aliens is a 1986 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and starring Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, William Hope, and Bill Paxton...
. - This is the third episode to feature Fabergé eggs. The other two being "The Joy Of SectThe Joy of Sect"The Joy of Sect" is the thirteenth episode of The Simpsons ninth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 8, 1998. In the episode, a cult called the "Movementarians" takes over Springfield, and Homer and the rest of the Simpson family become members...
" and "'Round Springfield'Round Springfield"Round Springfield" is the 22nd episode of the sixth season of The Simpsons. It originally aired on April 30, 1995. In the episode, Bart is rushed to hospital after eating a jagged metal Krusty-O and decides to sue Krusty the Clown. Whilst visiting Bart, Lisa meets her old mentor, jazz musician...
". - When Lisa looks at the telegraph pole for advertisements, it shows one saying: 2001 BMWBMWBayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
, Great condition, Not for sale. - The outfit Milhouse wears in Little Italy is similar to the one Don Fanucci wore in The Godfather Part IIThe Godfather Part IIThe Godfather Part II is a 1974 American gangster film directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script co-written with Mario Puzo. The film is both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather, chronicling the story of the Corleone family following the events of the first film while also depicting the...
. - The music played in the Mayor's office when the red button is pushed is an easy listening version of the song Music to Watch Girls ByMusic to Watch Girls By"Music to Watch Girls By" was the first Top 40 hit by Bob Crewe using his own name, recorded by his group The Bob Crewe Generation. Crewe first heard the song performed in a "jingle demo" for a Diet Pepsi commercial. The "big-band, horn driven" recording went to #15 on the pop chart and #2 on the...
by Bob CreweBob CreweBob Crewe is an American songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, record producer and fine artist. He is known for producing, and co-writing with Bob Gaudio, a string of Top 10 singles for The Four Seasons...
. - When Tammy asks Marge if she will help them rob Burns Mansion, she calls Marge "NewbieNewbieNewbie or noob is a slang term for a novice or newcomer, or somebody inexperienced in any profession or activity. Contemporary use can particularly refer to a beginner or new user of computers, often concerning Internet activity, such as online gaming or Linux use...
".