The Wife Aquatic
Encyclopedia
The Wife Aquatic is the tenth episode of The Simpsons
' eighteenth season
, which originally aired January 7, 2007. 13.9 million viewers watched this episode, making it the highest rated of seasons 17–20.
during a town-wide outdoor movie night, Marge
pines for the excitement she had in her youth. Moved by his wife's depression, Homer
organizes a surprise trip to the island. However, on the family's arrival, Marge's hopes to relive her youth are dashed as Barnacle Bay has been devastated by overfishing
of the Yum Yum Fish, the island's main attraction. Homer refuses to let Marge down and fixes the boardwalk and celebrates with a large fireworks show. The plan backfires and he accidentally starts a fire and the boardwalk burns down. In order to repay the townsfolk, Homer joins a fishing crew and sets out to rediscover the Yum Yum Fish.
Homer mistakenly beer batters
and deep fries
the fishing hooks, attracting a large haul of Yum Yum Fish. However, their celebrations are short-lived as Homer and the crew become trapped in a storm. Searching for a means of escape, they discover Bart
has stowed away and removed the lifeboat
in order to hide. The ship sinks and Marge and the rest of Barnacle Bay believe that all is lost. Much to the everyone's relief, Homer, Bart and the rest of the crew manage to survive and are rescued by a Japan
ese fishing boat called "Iruka Koroshi Maru
" (Dolphin Killer). The townsfolk recommence fishing, but Lisa
warns them about the dangers of overfishing. Agreeing with her, the townsfolk decide to go into logging
instead, and clear cut the island's tree
s, which are planned to be sent to a paper mill to be made into issues of Hustler
and Barely Legal
magazine.
This was the highest rated episode since season 16's Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass
, which aired right after Super Bowl XXXIX
. Barring that, the ratings were last this high in 2003, with "I, D'oh-Bot
" which had 16 million viewers.
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 18)
The Simpsons 18th season aired from September 10, 2006 to May 20, 2007. The season contained seven hold-over episodes from the season 17 production line. Al Jean served as the Showrunner, a position he has held since the thirteenth season....
, which originally aired January 7, 2007. 13.9 million viewers watched this episode, making it the highest rated of seasons 17–20.
Plot
After watching Patty and Selma's old home movies of a trip to Barnacle Bay in New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
during a town-wide outdoor movie night, 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...
pines for the excitement she had in her youth. Moved by his wife's depression, 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...
organizes a surprise trip to the island. However, on the family's arrival, Marge's hopes to relive her youth are dashed as Barnacle Bay has been devastated by overfishing
Overfishing
Overfishing occurs when fishing activities reduce fish stocks below an acceptable level. This can occur in any body of water from a pond to the oceans....
of the Yum Yum Fish, the island's main attraction. Homer refuses to let Marge down and fixes the boardwalk and celebrates with a large fireworks show. The plan backfires and he accidentally starts a fire and the boardwalk burns down. In order to repay the townsfolk, Homer joins a fishing crew and sets out to rediscover the Yum Yum Fish.
Batter (cooking)
Batter is a semi-liquid mixture of one or more flours combined with liquids such as water, milk or eggs used to prepare various foods. Often a leavening agent such as baking powder is included to aerate and fluff up the batter as it cooks, or the mixture may be naturally fermented for this purpose...
and deep fries
Deep frying
Deep frying is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot oil or fat. This is normally performed with a deep fryer or chip pan; industrially, a pressure fryer or vacuum fryer may be used....
the fishing hooks, attracting a large haul of Yum Yum Fish. However, their celebrations are short-lived as Homer and the crew become trapped in a storm. Searching for a means of escape, they discover 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...
has stowed away and removed the lifeboat
Lifeboat (shipboard)
A lifeboat is a small, rigid or inflatable watercraft carried for emergency evacuation in the event of a disaster aboard ship. In the military, a lifeboat may be referred to as a whaleboat, dinghy, or gig. The ship's tenders of cruise ships often double as lifeboats. Recreational sailors sometimes...
in order to hide. The ship sinks and Marge and the rest of Barnacle Bay believe that all is lost. Much to the everyone's relief, Homer, Bart and the rest of the crew manage to survive and are rescued by a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese fishing boat called "Iruka Koroshi Maru
Japanese ship naming conventions
Japanese ship naming conventions are different from those in the West. Japanese warships have never been named after people. Prior to World War II, Japanese ship naming conventions underwent several changes before being settled.- Merchant ships :...
" (Dolphin Killer). The townsfolk recommence fishing, but 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...
warns them about the dangers of overfishing. Agreeing with her, the townsfolk decide to go into logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
instead, and clear cut the island's tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s, which are planned to be sent to a paper mill to be made into issues of Hustler
Hustler
Hustler is a monthly pornographic magazine aimed at men and published in the United States. It was first published in 1974 by Larry Flynt. It was a step forward from the Hustler Newsletter which was cheap advertising for his strip club businesses at the time. The magazine grew from a shaky start to...
and Barely Legal
Barely Legal (magazine)
Barely Legal is the name of an adult magazine targeted primarily at heterosexual men.-Overview:The magazine features explicit photos of naked young women, all of whom are at least 18 years old. The models are selected and photographed to emphasize their youth...
magazine.
Reception
Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass
"Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass" is the eighth episode of Season 16 of The Simpsons. It is a Super Bowl themed episode that was broadcast after Super Bowl XXXIX.-Plot:...
, which aired right after Super Bowl XXXIX
Super Bowl XXXIX
Super Bowl XXXIX was an American football game played on February 6, 2005, at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, to decide the National Football League champion following the 2004 regular season...
. Barring that, the ratings were last this high in 2003, with "I, D'oh-Bot
I, D'oh-Bot
"I, -Bot", or "I, D'oh!-Bot", is the ninth episode of The Simpsons fifteenth season, which originally aired January 11, 2004...
" which had 16 million viewers.
Cultural references
- The title of the episode is a reference to the film The Life Aquatic with Steve ZissouThe Life Aquatic with Steve ZissouThe Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is an American comedy-drama film directed, written, and co-produced by Wes Anderson. It is Anderson's fourth feature length film, released in the U.S. on December 25, 2004...
. - The episode parodies The Perfect StormThe Perfect Storm (film)The Perfect Storm is a 2000 dramatic disaster film directed by Wolfgang Petersen. It is an adaptation of the 1997 non-fiction book of the same title by Sebastian Junger about the crew of the Andrea Gail that got caught in the Perfect Storm of 1991. The film stars George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg,...
, among other nautical movies. Elements from the 2000 movie include the fishermen's successful catch, a meteorologist saying that the elements are producing the most dangerous storm he's ever seen (based on the role Christopher McDonaldChristopher McDonaldChristopher McDonald is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore, Tappy Tibbons in Requiem for a Dream, and Mel Allen in the HBO film 61*.-Personal life:...
played in the movie), calling it a "perfect storm", the subsequent storm (including the monster wave that wrecks the boat), and the funeral service where Homer and the others are memorialized after (apparently) being lost and killed at sea. - While Homer is clubbing the Yum Yum fish, "At LastAt Last"At Last" is a 1941 song written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren for the musical film Orchestra Wives, starring George Montgomery and Ann Rutherford. It was performed in the film and on record by Glenn Miller and his orchestra, with vocals by Ray Eberle and Pat Friday...
" by Etta James is heard. - The home movie with Marge and her sisters is a spoof of the same scene in Prince of Tides, with similar music. Similar scenes already appeared in the episodes "Selma's ChoiceSelma's Choice"Selma's Choice" is the thirteenth episode of The Simpsons fourth season and originally aired on the Fox network on January 21, 1993. In the episode, Selma decides to have a baby, inspired by her late aunt's wish that she would not spend her life alone. She experiences a life with children by...
" when Marge imagined spending summer at the lake with her sisters and Great Aunt Gladys, then realizes that her memory was really a scene from Prince of Tides, and in "Fear of FlyingFear of FlyingA fear of flying is a fear of air travel. Fear of Flying may also refer to:*Fear of Flying , a 1973 novel by Erica Jong*"Fear of Flying" , a 1994 episode of the animated television series The Simpsons...
", when Marge accidentally refers to her psychiatrist, Dr. Zweig, as Dr. Löwenstein several times. - The musical piece that is played throughout the episode is the "Aquarium" movement from Camille Saint-SaënsCamille Saint-SaënsCharles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French Late-Romantic composer, organist, conductor, and pianist. He is known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, Samson and Delilah, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony...
' "The Carnival of the AnimalsThe Carnival of the AnimalsLe carnaval des animaux is a musical suite of fourteen movements by the French Romantic composer Camille Saint-Saëns. The orchestral work has a duration between 22 and 30 minutes.-History:...
". - Homer makes a quick reference to Opposite DayOpposite DayOpposite Day, also known as Opposites Day is a word game where speech is modified so that meaning is inverted. Once Opposite Day is declared, statements mean the opposite of what they usually mean. Usually, a person would say, "After this phrase is over, it will be officially opposite day," and...
. - The scene in which Homer is strung up by the fishermen is a reference to the movie JawsJaws (film)Jaws is a 1975 American horror-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. In the story, the police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant man-eating great white shark by closing the beach,...
. - According to Homer, the Roman god of the sea is AquamanAquamanAquaman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in More Fun Comics #73 . Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles, Aquaman later starred in several volumes of a solo title...
. - In the final scene, Larry FlyntLarry FlyntLarry Claxton Flynt, Jr. is an American publisher and the president of Larry Flynt Publications . In 2003, Arena magazine listed him as the number one on the "50 Powerful People in Porn" list....
is mentioned, as the cut-down trees on the island will be used to make issues of HustlerHustlerHustler is a monthly pornographic magazine aimed at men and published in the United States. It was first published in 1974 by Larry Flynt. It was a step forward from the Hustler Newsletter which was cheap advertising for his strip club businesses at the time. The magazine grew from a shaky start to...
and Barely LegalBarely Legal (magazine)Barely Legal is the name of an adult magazine targeted primarily at heterosexual men.-Overview:The magazine features explicit photos of naked young women, all of whom are at least 18 years old. The models are selected and photographed to emphasize their youth...
magazines. - Lisa mentions that Barnacle Bay is "the most disgusting" place the family has been, "after Brazil". On the Brazilian Portuguese dub of this episode, the line was not translated and the scene that had the line being spoken was cut. This was a running gag about the problems the producers of the show had with Brazilian authorities, after the episode "Blame it on LisaBlame It on Lisa"Blame It on Lisa" is the fifteenth episode of The Simpsons thirteenth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 31, 2002. In the episode, the family goes to Brazil in search of a Brazilian orphan named Ronaldo whom Lisa has been sponsoring...
". - Spongebob SquarePantsSpongeBob SquarePantsSpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
is also seen in this episode as monument in the Museum at Barnacle Bay.