The Springfield Connection
Encyclopedia
"The Springfield Connection" is the 23rd episode of the sixth season
of The Simpsons
, and originally aired May 7, 1995. After watching Snake Jailbird cheat Homer
out of US$
20 in a Three-card Monte
con game, Marge
successfully chases Snake and knocks him out with the lid of a garbage can. The experience of foiling a crime exhilarates her, and she decides to join the Springfield
Police
. Marge completes her police training and joins a beat as a police officer
. She becomes disillusioned with her work after witnessing her friends committing crime
s and being exposed to police corruption
and resigns from the force.
The episode was written by Jonathan Collier
with input from David Mirkin
, and directed by Mark Kirkland
. The episode's story was inspired by executive producer Mike Reiss
' wife, who had debated becoming a police officer. "The Springfield Connection" drew on influences from the 1980s police drama Hill Street Blues
and the 1971 film The French Connection
, and includes references to McGruff the Crime Dog
and the theme music to Star Wars
.
Reviews in The Sydney Morning Herald
and DVD Movie Guide were favorable, and the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide cited Marge's police training
as the highlight of the episode. Contributors to compilation works analyzing The Simpsons from philosophical
and cultural
perspectives have cited and discussed the episode. Marge's experiences in the episode are compared to the character Rita from the stage comedy Educating Rita
by Willy Russell in a literary analysis of the play.
and Marge
, on the way back from an orchestra performance, pass through a seedy part of town. Homer cautions Marge, but gets enticed by Snake's Three-card Monte
game. Snake cheats Homer out of $20, and when Marge exposes the con, Snake takes off. Marge chases after him and manages to knock him out using a garbage can lid. The incident gives her a sense of exhilaration, and she begins to find that her everyday routine feels dull and boring. In the grocery store, she starts rolling around on her shopping cart until it crashes, exciting her more. Instead of regular ham
, she buys devilled ham
. She begins to lose interest in her previous magazines and checks out the Death Sports
section. She decides to spice up her life by joining the Springfield
Police
Force. Homer is less than enthused about his wife becoming a cop, but she assures him that he will remain "man of the house". Marge reports for police recruit training and performs well in the various tests. Finally she goes home to her family, and announces herself to be a police officer.
The next day, Chief Wiggum sends Marge to Junkyville and Bumtown for her beat. On her beat, after encountering Lionel Hutz
rummaging in a dumpster
, she goes to the Kwik-E-Mart
, where Apu
, who knows the drill, tries to bribe her. On her day off, she orders Bart
to wear safety gear
when skateboard
ing, which gets him beaten up by the bullies. Lisa
tries to encourage her mom to "attack the roots of social problems" but Marge changes the subject with a McGriff the Crime Dog
hand puppet
. That night, Homer and his friends (Lenny, Carl, Moe
, Barney
, and Herman) are playing cards. Marge comes in and finds them gambling
, which is illegal, and Homer's friends beat a hasty retreat.
The next day, she seems rather unenthusiastic, as everyone seems to be breaking the law - especially Homer, who has parked
illegally and is buying liquor
for the underage bullies. Marge writes Homer a ticket, and when he teases Marge and steals her hat, she arrest
s him. When Homer gets home, he finds his friend Herman involved in a jean
-counterfeit
ing operation going on in his own garage. As Herman and his cronies are about to tune him up, Marge busts in to save the day. As she is cuffing the rest of the crooks, Herman takes Homer hostage
and runs to Bart's tree house
, with Marge in hot pursuit. Herman tries to escape using a pair of knock-off
jeans to slide down a rope, but he falls to the ground. Later, Wiggum informs Marge that they can not hold him due to lack of evidence
. Homer retorts saying that there is a garage full of counterfeit jeans. However, Wiggum says that they have "mysteriously disappeared" - true, considering all the cops are wearing them now. Marge gets mad and says that there is too much corruption
on the force and she quits. After a hearty laugh, Wiggum accepts her resignation
.
. According to Collier, the inspiration for the episode was former Simpsons executive producer Mike Reiss
' wife. At one point, she had seriously decided that she wanted to become a police officer but it did not happen. The joke where the police officers laugh at Marge for a long time was pitched by David Mirkin and features a "crazy twist" at the end where Wiggum says "welcome aboard." Mirkin liked the joke so much that he repeated it again at the end of the episode. Marge uses a "McGriff the crime dog" hand puppet who says "Help me bite crime". The hand puppet is a homage to McGruff the Crime Dog
– the producers had wanted to use the real McGruff, but could not get permission to use the character. The idea to have a counterfeit jeans ring was pitched because at the time there had been an explosion in the jeans market, and David Mirkin thought it was right to satirize it.
When the Korean animators were animating the sequence with Marge in the gun training course, they did not know how to correctly animate the "shell com[ing] out of the gun" because guns were illegal in Korea. They had to consult with the American animators, who advised them to watch movies so they could properly animate the guns. The original design for Marge's police uniform had Marge's hair standing up (as it normally is) with the hat on top. Director Mark Kirkland found that it made for awkward staging in scenes, so they altered the design to have her hair pulled down. David Mirkin later stated that if the design had been used, he would have asked for it to be changed because they were trying to depict Marge as a serious cop.
, and the couch gag is a parody of the James Bond
series. Several references are made to the 1980s police drama Hill Street Blues
: the briefing scene at the police station is similar and the background and end credits music, are parodies of the show's theme. Marge appears on an episode of COPS
, and McGriff the dog is a reference to McGruff the Crime Dog
, a US police public relations figure. Additionally, Marge's training sequences features homages to Police Academy
(1984) and Speed (1994). The Springfield Pops play the theme to the Star Wars
films at an outdoor venue attended by Homer and Marge, and Homer mistakenly believes that the theme's composer John Williams
is dead, complaining: "Laser effects, mirrored balls—John Williams must be rolling around in his grave!".
edited by John Alberti. Koenigsberger comments: "The joke in this opening scene involves a confusion of high and popular artistic production: Marge treats the Springfield Pops as 'culture' and expects that the usually boorish Homer will need to be drawn into the spectacle." However, Koenigsberger notes that Homer actually regards Star Wars as a "classic", implying that a "classic" work must have a musical composer that is deceased, and be devoid of light-shows or glitter balls. Koenigsberger uses this example to discuss Homer's application of "a strategy characteristic of literary modernism".
In their book Educating Rita by Willy Russell, Rebecca Mahon and Nick Chedra cite Marge's desire to "enter the world" as an example of their topic called "Into the World". Mahon and Chedra note: "Comedy and parody are frequently used in the episode in order to convey the frustrations Marge is forced to deal with — whether these are based around the corruption of her colleagues, the music used on occasion which parodies former police shows, or even the scene where Marge is forced to arrest her husband." The authors compare Marge's experiences to those of the character Rita from the stage comedy Educating Rita
by Willy Russell, commenting that both women later regret the decision to "move into the world".
In the compilation book The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer
edited by William Irwin, Mark T. Conard and Aeon J. Skoble, contributors Gerald J. Erion and Joseph A. Zeccardi cite the episode as an example in their piece titled: "Marge's Moral Motivation". Erion and Zeccardi assert that Marge has "virtuous personality traits" which they compare to Aristotle
, commenting: "Whether breaking up a counterfeit jeans ring run out of her garage in "The Springfield Connection," escaping a cult commune in "The Joy of Sect
," or standing up to a Poe-ssessed "Treehouse of Horror
," Marge is rarely short on courage." They also note that "..Marge's crime-stopping vigilantism in "The Springfield Connection" and her dangerous escape from the Movementarian commune in "The Joy of Sect" demonstrate that she is genuinely brave, but not foolhardy."
of 7.9. It was the 4th highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following Beverly Hills, 90210
, X-Files, and Melrose Place.
Robin Oliver rates the episode "thumbs up" in a review in The Sydney Morning Herald
, where she says of The Simpsons series: "this encouragingly funny show knows how to tug at the heartstrings". Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood comment on the episode in their book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide: "..the highlight of this episode has to be Marge's training, especially her sharpshooting on the firing range." In a review of the sixth season of The Simpsons, Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide writes that the episode surpasses the quality of the previous "'Round Springfield
": "After the dull '’Round', Season Six rebounds with the pretty good 'Connection'. I can’t quite figure out how Marge stays in such good shape, but her escapades as a cop are funny, and the episode works best when she arrests Homer. I especially like his refusal to remain silent."
The Simpsons (season 6)
The Simpsons sixth season originally aired on the Fox network between September 4, 1994 and May 21, 1995 and consists of 25 episodes. The Simpsons is an animated series about a working class family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie...
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...
, and originally aired May 7, 1995. After watching Snake Jailbird cheat 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...
out of US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
20 in a Three-card Monte
Three-card Monte
Three-card Monte, also known as the Three-card marney, Three-card trick, Three-Way, Three-card shuffle, Menage-a-card, Triplets, Follow the lady, Les Trois Perdants , le Bonneteau, Find the lady, or Follow the Bee is a confidence game in which the victim, or mark, is tricked into betting a...
con game, 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...
successfully chases Snake and knocks him out with the lid of a garbage can. The experience of foiling a crime exhilarates her, and she decides to join the 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...
Police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
. Marge completes her police training and joins a beat as a police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
. She becomes disillusioned with her work after witnessing her friends committing crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
s and being exposed to police corruption
Police corruption
Police corruption is a specific form of police misconduct designed to obtain financial benefits, other personal gain, or career advancement for a police officer or officers in exchange for not pursuing, or selectively pursuing, an investigation or arrest....
and resigns from the force.
The episode was written by Jonathan Collier
Jonathan Collier
Jonathan Collier is an American television writer, best known for his work on The Simpsons, Monk, and King of the Hill. He worked as an executive producer on Mike Reiss' DVD movie, "Queer Duck: The Movie". He attended and graduated from Harvard University.-Season Seven:*"Lisa the Iconoclast"*"22...
with input from David Mirkin
David Mirkin
David Mirkin is an American feature film and television director, writer and producer. Mirkin grew up in Philadelphia and intended to become an electrical engineer, but abandoned this career path in favor of studying film at Loyola Marymount University. After graduating, he became a stand-up...
, and directed by Mark Kirkland
Mark Kirkland
Mark Kirkland is an American director. He has directed 69 episodes, from 1990-present, of The Simpsons, more than any other person.-Career:...
. The episode's story was inspired by executive producer Mike Reiss
Mike Reiss
Michael "Mike" Reiss is an American television comedy writer. He served as a show-runner, writer and producer for the animated series The Simpsons and co-created the animated series The Critic...
' wife, who had debated becoming a police officer. "The Springfield Connection" drew on influences from the 1980s police drama Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
and the 1971 film The French Connection
The French Connection (film)
This article is about the 1971 film. For the British fashion label, see French Connection .The French Connection is a 1971 American crime film directed by William Friedkin. The film was adapted and fictionalized by Ernest Tidyman from the non-fiction book by Robin Moore...
, and includes references to McGruff the Crime Dog
McGruff the Crime Dog
McGruff the Crime Dog is an anthropomorphic cartoon bloodhound created by Saatchi & Saatchi through the Ad Council for the National Crime Prevention Council for use by American police in building crime awareness among children. He debuted in July 1980. The character was created by John Young. The...
and the theme music to Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
.
Reviews in The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
and DVD Movie Guide were favorable, and the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide cited Marge's police training
Police academy
A police academy is a training school for new police recruits, also known as a law enforcement academy.-Australia:Larger police departments usually run their own academies. States often run a centralised academy for training of personnel of law enforcement agencies within the state.Police...
as the highlight of the episode. Contributors to compilation works analyzing The Simpsons from philosophical
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and cultural
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
perspectives have cited and discussed the episode. Marge's experiences in the episode are compared to the character Rita from the stage comedy Educating Rita
Educating Rita
Educating Rita is a stage comedy by British playwright Willy Russell. It is a play for two actors set entirely in the office of an Open University lecturer....
by Willy Russell in a literary analysis of the play.
Plot
HomerHomer 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...
and 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...
, on the way back from an orchestra performance, pass through a seedy part of town. Homer cautions Marge, but gets enticed by Snake's Three-card Monte
Three-card Monte
Three-card Monte, also known as the Three-card marney, Three-card trick, Three-Way, Three-card shuffle, Menage-a-card, Triplets, Follow the lady, Les Trois Perdants , le Bonneteau, Find the lady, or Follow the Bee is a confidence game in which the victim, or mark, is tricked into betting a...
game. Snake cheats Homer out of $20, and when Marge exposes the con, Snake takes off. Marge chases after him and manages to knock him out using a garbage can lid. The incident gives her a sense of exhilaration, and she begins to find that her everyday routine feels dull and boring. In the grocery store, she starts rolling around on her shopping cart until it crashes, exciting her more. Instead of regular ham
Ham
Ham is a cut of meat from the thigh of the hind leg of certain animals, especiallypigs. Nearly all hams sold today are fully cooked or cured.-Etymology:...
, she buys devilled ham
William Underwood Company
The William Underwood Company, founded in 1822, was an American food company best known for its flagship product, Underwood Deviled Ham, a canned meat spread...
. She begins to lose interest in her previous magazines and checks out the Death Sports
Extreme sport
An extreme sport is a popular term for certain activities perceived as having a high level of inherent danger...
section. She decides to spice up her life by joining the 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...
Police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
Force. Homer is less than enthused about his wife becoming a cop, but she assures him that he will remain "man of the house". Marge reports for police recruit training and performs well in the various tests. Finally she goes home to her family, and announces herself to be a police officer.
The next day, Chief Wiggum sends Marge to Junkyville and Bumtown for her beat. On her beat, after encountering Lionel Hutz
Lionel Hutz
Lionel Hutz is a recurring character from the animated television series The Simpsons. He was voiced by Phil Hartman, and his first appearance was in the season two episode "Bart Gets Hit by a Car". Due to the death of Hartman, his final speaking role was in the episode "Realty Bites"...
rummaging in a dumpster
Dumpster diving
Dumpster diving is the practice of sifting through commercial or residential trash to find items that have been discarded by their owners, but that may be useful to the dumpster diver.-Etymology and alternate names:...
, she goes to the Kwik-E-Mart
Kwik-E-Mart
The Kwik-E-Mart is a fictional chain of convenience stores in the animated television series The Simpsons. It is a parody of American convenience store chains, such as 7-Eleven and Circle K, and represents many myths and stereotypes of them. It is notorious for its high prices and the poor quality...
, where Apu
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is a character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the episode "The Telltale Head". Apu is the proprietor of the Kwik-E-Mart, a popular convenience store in Springfield, and a friend of Homer Simpson. He is also...
, who knows the drill, tries to bribe her. On her day off, she orders 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...
to wear safety gear
Personal protective equipment
Personal protective equipment refers to protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garment or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury by blunt impacts, electrical hazards, heat, chemicals, and infection, for job-related occupational safety and health purposes, and in...
when skateboard
Skateboard
A skateboard is typically a specially designed plywood board combined with a polyurethane coating used for making smoother slides and stronger durability, used primarily for the activity of skateboarding. The first skateboards to reach public notice came out of the surfing craze of the early 1960s,...
ing, which gets him beaten up by the bullies. 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...
tries to encourage her mom to "attack the roots of social problems" but Marge changes the subject with a McGriff the Crime Dog
McGruff the Crime Dog
McGruff the Crime Dog is an anthropomorphic cartoon bloodhound created by Saatchi & Saatchi through the Ad Council for the National Crime Prevention Council for use by American police in building crime awareness among children. He debuted in July 1980. The character was created by John Young. The...
hand puppet
Hand puppet
A hand puppet is a type of puppet that is controlled by the leg or face that occupies the interior of the puppet. Glove puppets are a variation of hand puppets...
. That night, Homer and his friends (Lenny, Carl, Moe
Moe Szyslak
Momar / Morris "Moe" Szyslak is a fictional character in the American animated television series, The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"...
, 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...
, and Herman) are playing cards. Marge comes in and finds them gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
, which is illegal, and Homer's friends beat a hasty retreat.
The next day, she seems rather unenthusiastic, as everyone seems to be breaking the law - especially Homer, who has parked
Parking
Parking is the act of stopping a vehicle and leaving it unoccupied for more than a brief time. Parking on one or both sides of a road is commonly permitted, though often with restrictions...
illegally and is buying liquor
Distilled beverage
A distilled beverage, liquor, or spirit is an alcoholic beverage containing ethanol that is produced by distilling ethanol produced by means of fermenting grain, fruit, or vegetables...
for the underage bullies. Marge writes Homer a ticket, and when he teases Marge and steals her hat, she arrest
Arrest
An arrest is the act of depriving a person of his or her liberty usually in relation to the purported investigation and prevention of crime and presenting into the criminal justice system or harm to oneself or others...
s him. When Homer gets home, he finds his friend Herman involved in a jean
Jeans
Jeans are trousers made from denim. Some of the earliest American blue jeans were made by Jacob Davis, Calvin Rogers, and Levi Strauss in 1873. Starting in the 1950s, jeans, originally designed for cowboys, became popular among teenagers. Historic brands include Levi's, Lee, and Wrangler...
-counterfeit
Counterfeit
To counterfeit means to illegally imitate something. Counterfeit products are often produced with the intent to take advantage of the superior value of the imitated product...
ing operation going on in his own garage. As Herman and his cronies are about to tune him up, Marge busts in to save the day. As she is cuffing the rest of the crooks, Herman takes Homer hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
and runs to Bart's tree house
Tree house
Tree houses, treehouses, or tree forts, are platforms or buildings constructed around, next to or among the trunk or branches of one or more mature trees while above ground level...
, with Marge in hot pursuit. Herman tries to escape using a pair of knock-off
Counterfeit
To counterfeit means to illegally imitate something. Counterfeit products are often produced with the intent to take advantage of the superior value of the imitated product...
jeans to slide down a rope, but he falls to the ground. Later, Wiggum informs Marge that they can not hold him due to lack of evidence
Evidence
Evidence in its broadest sense includes everything that is used to determine or demonstrate the truth of an assertion. Giving or procuring evidence is the process of using those things that are either presumed to be true, or were themselves proven via evidence, to demonstrate an assertion's truth...
. Homer retorts saying that there is a garage full of counterfeit jeans. However, Wiggum says that they have "mysteriously disappeared" - true, considering all the cops are wearing them now. Marge gets mad and says that there is too much corruption
Police corruption
Police corruption is a specific form of police misconduct designed to obtain financial benefits, other personal gain, or career advancement for a police officer or officers in exchange for not pursuing, or selectively pursuing, an investigation or arrest....
on the force and she quits. After a hearty laugh, Wiggum accepts her resignation
Resignation
A resignation is the formal act of giving up or quitting one's office or position. It can also refer to the act of admitting defeat in a game like chess, indicated by the resigning player declaring "I resign", turning his king on its side, extending his hand, or stopping the chess clock...
.
Production
"The Springfield Connection" was written by Jonathan Collier and directed by Mark KirklandMark Kirkland
Mark Kirkland is an American director. He has directed 69 episodes, from 1990-present, of The Simpsons, more than any other person.-Career:...
. According to Collier, the inspiration for the episode was former Simpsons executive producer Mike Reiss
Mike Reiss
Michael "Mike" Reiss is an American television comedy writer. He served as a show-runner, writer and producer for the animated series The Simpsons and co-created the animated series The Critic...
' wife. At one point, she had seriously decided that she wanted to become a police officer but it did not happen. The joke where the police officers laugh at Marge for a long time was pitched by David Mirkin and features a "crazy twist" at the end where Wiggum says "welcome aboard." Mirkin liked the joke so much that he repeated it again at the end of the episode. Marge uses a "McGriff the crime dog" hand puppet who says "Help me bite crime". The hand puppet is a homage to McGruff the Crime Dog
McGruff the Crime Dog
McGruff the Crime Dog is an anthropomorphic cartoon bloodhound created by Saatchi & Saatchi through the Ad Council for the National Crime Prevention Council for use by American police in building crime awareness among children. He debuted in July 1980. The character was created by John Young. The...
– the producers had wanted to use the real McGruff, but could not get permission to use the character. The idea to have a counterfeit jeans ring was pitched because at the time there had been an explosion in the jeans market, and David Mirkin thought it was right to satirize it.
When the Korean animators were animating the sequence with Marge in the gun training course, they did not know how to correctly animate the "shell com[ing] out of the gun" because guns were illegal in Korea. They had to consult with the American animators, who advised them to watch movies so they could properly animate the guns. The original design for Marge's police uniform had Marge's hair standing up (as it normally is) with the hat on top. Director Mark Kirkland found that it made for awkward staging in scenes, so they altered the design to have her hair pulled down. David Mirkin later stated that if the design had been used, he would have asked for it to be changed because they were trying to depict Marge as a serious cop.
Cultural references
The title, as well as Herman's illegal activities, are references to the 1971 film The French ConnectionThe French Connection (film)
This article is about the 1971 film. For the British fashion label, see French Connection .The French Connection is a 1971 American crime film directed by William Friedkin. The film was adapted and fictionalized by Ernest Tidyman from the non-fiction book by Robin Moore...
, and the couch gag is a parody of the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
series. Several references are made to the 1980s police drama Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
: the briefing scene at the police station is similar and the background and end credits music, are parodies of the show's theme. Marge appears on an episode of COPS
COPS (TV series)
Cops is an American documentary/reality television series that follows police officers, constables, and sheriff's deputies during patrols and other police activities...
, and McGriff the dog is a reference to McGruff the Crime Dog
McGruff the Crime Dog
McGruff the Crime Dog is an anthropomorphic cartoon bloodhound created by Saatchi & Saatchi through the Ad Council for the National Crime Prevention Council for use by American police in building crime awareness among children. He debuted in July 1980. The character was created by John Young. The...
, a US police public relations figure. Additionally, Marge's training sequences features homages to Police Academy
Police Academy (film)
Police Academy is a 1984 comedy film directed by Hugh Wilson, and starring Steve Guttenberg, Kim Cattrall and G.W. Bailey. It grossed approximately $146 million worldwide and spawned six more films in the Police Academy series.-Plot:...
(1984) and Speed (1994). The Springfield Pops play the theme to the Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
films at an outdoor venue attended by Homer and Marge, and Homer mistakenly believes that the theme's composer John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
is dead, complaining: "Laser effects, mirrored balls—John Williams must be rolling around in his grave!".
Analysis
Kurt M. Koenigsberger analyzes Homer's comments about the Springfield Pops rendition of the Star Wars theme in Koenigsberger's piece: "Commodity Culture and Its Discontents: Mr. Bennett, Bart Simpson, and the Rhetoric of Modernism" published in the compilation work Leaving Springfield: The Simpsons and the Possibility of Oppositional CultureLeaving Springfield
Leaving Springfield: The Simpsons and the Possibility of Oppositional Culture is a non-fiction compilation work analyzing the effect of the television program The Simpsons on society, edited by John Alberti. The book was published in 2004 by Wayne State University Press...
edited by John Alberti. Koenigsberger comments: "The joke in this opening scene involves a confusion of high and popular artistic production: Marge treats the Springfield Pops as 'culture' and expects that the usually boorish Homer will need to be drawn into the spectacle." However, Koenigsberger notes that Homer actually regards Star Wars as a "classic", implying that a "classic" work must have a musical composer that is deceased, and be devoid of light-shows or glitter balls. Koenigsberger uses this example to discuss Homer's application of "a strategy characteristic of literary modernism".
In their book Educating Rita by Willy Russell, Rebecca Mahon and Nick Chedra cite Marge's desire to "enter the world" as an example of their topic called "Into the World". Mahon and Chedra note: "Comedy and parody are frequently used in the episode in order to convey the frustrations Marge is forced to deal with — whether these are based around the corruption of her colleagues, the music used on occasion which parodies former police shows, or even the scene where Marge is forced to arrest her husband." The authors compare Marge's experiences to those of the character Rita from the stage comedy Educating Rita
Educating Rita
Educating Rita is a stage comedy by British playwright Willy Russell. It is a play for two actors set entirely in the office of an Open University lecturer....
by Willy Russell, commenting that both women later regret the decision to "move into the world".
In the compilation book The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer
The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer
The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer is a non-fiction book analyzing the philosophy and popular culture effects of the American animated sitcom, The Simpsons, published by Open Court. The book is edited by William Irwin, Mark T. Conard and Aeon J...
edited by William Irwin, Mark T. Conard and Aeon J. Skoble, contributors Gerald J. Erion and Joseph A. Zeccardi cite the episode as an example in their piece titled: "Marge's Moral Motivation". Erion and Zeccardi assert that Marge has "virtuous personality traits" which they compare to Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
, commenting: "Whether breaking up a counterfeit jeans ring run out of her garage in "The Springfield Connection," escaping a cult commune in "The Joy of Sect
The 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...
," or standing up to a Poe-ssessed "Treehouse of Horror
Treehouse of Horror
"Treehouse of Horror" is the third episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 25, 1990. The episode was inspired by 1950s horror comics, and begins with a disclaimer that it may be too scary for children. It is the first of a...
," Marge is rarely short on courage." They also note that "..Marge's crime-stopping vigilantism in "The Springfield Connection" and her dangerous escape from the Movementarian commune in "The Joy of Sect" demonstrate that she is genuinely brave, but not foolhardy."
Reception
In its original broadcast, "The Springfield Connection" finished 58th in ratings for the week of May 1–7, 1995, with a Nielsen ratingNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
of 7.9. It was the 4th highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
, X-Files, and Melrose Place.
Robin Oliver rates the episode "thumbs up" in a review in The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
, where she says of The Simpsons series: "this encouragingly funny show knows how to tug at the heartstrings". Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood comment on the episode in their book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide: "..the highlight of this episode has to be Marge's training, especially her sharpshooting on the firing range." In a review of the sixth season of The Simpsons, Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide writes that the episode surpasses the quality of the previous "'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...
": "After the dull '’Round', Season Six rebounds with the pretty good 'Connection'. I can’t quite figure out how Marge stays in such good shape, but her escapades as a cop are funny, and the episode works best when she arrests Homer. I especially like his refusal to remain silent."
External links
- "The Springfield Connection" at The Simpsons.com