Marge in Chains

"Ha Ha! Your mom's a jailbird!"

- Nelson Muntz

"So's yours."

- Bart

"Marge in Chains" is the twenty-first episode of season 4. It originally aired on May 6, 1993. The episode was written by Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein, while Jim Reardon directed.

Plot
After many of Springfield's residents purchase a 'Juice Loosener', which is shipped from Japan, the dreaded Osaka Flu hits the town. Many of the townspeople are affected by the illness. Due to tiredness from having to look after the rest of her sick family, Marge accidentally forgets to pay for Grampa's bottle of Bourbon when shopping at the Kwik-E-Mart. She is surrounded by an unusually high number of armed police, which would make more sense if she was committing armed robbery, then arrested for shoplifting. As usual, the family hires incompetent Lionel Hutz, the only lawyer they can afford, to defend Marge at her trial and, as usual, he loses the case. She is sentenced to 30 days imprisonment at Springfield Women's Prison. Apu, who now believes Marge is a hardened criminal, believes her being behind bars will cease all future problems for him. The scene cuts to Snake driving a truck with the entire Kwik-E-Mart loaded on it heading for Mexico.

Marge's absence is felt at home as Homer struggles to cope without her, and the family home is in a dreadful state. The annual bake sale also suffers: Without Marge's marshmallow squares, the Springfield Park Commission fails to raise enough money to pay for a statue of Abraham Lincoln. They purchase one of Jimmy Carter instead, which disgusts the townspeople and leads to a riot; at one point, the statue is used as a battering ram. To save his career, Mayor Quimby releases Marge from jail (to win over the female voters), and the people of Springfield cheerfully welcome her back. They even unveil a statue for Marge, which is actually the statue of President Carter with Marge's hair on top of it.

Production
Marge in Chains