Difference between revisions of "Much Apu About Nothing/References"

Revision as of 14:43, February 5, 2021

Cultural references

• The episode title is a pun on the William Shakespeare comedy Much Ado About Nothing.
• After Homer says the city is infested with bears, Moe says "And these ones are smarter than the average bear. They swiped my pic-a-nic basket", Mayor Quimby pulls out a picnic basket and starts munching on a sandwich is a reference to Yogi Bear.

Trivia

• Apu mentions having enrolled in the Springfield Heights Institute of Technology, the initials of which are S.H.I.T.
• This episode features the first appearance of Manjula.

California references

• At the time the episode was produced, California was having problems with bears roaming neighborhoods in search of food, as shown in Springfield at the beginning of the episode.
• California at the time was also having problems associated with the large numbers of illegal immigrants in the state. In 1994, voters had passed Proposition 187 (later declared unconstitutional) which would have denied services such as education and health care to illegal immigrants, similar to Springfield voters' passing Proposition 24. California's continuing issues with illegal immigrants were one of the reasons for making the episode, according to Bill Oakley on the DVD commentary.

Continuity

• Selma mentions her marriages to Sideshow Bob, Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure and claims she will only marry for love and once more for money.
  • Sideshow Bob had tried to murder Selma for her money in "Black Widower".
  • Troy McClure and Selma's marriage was a sham to help Troy's film career and Selma only went along with it for the fame and fortune.
  • Though the marriage to Lionel Hutz is never seen, in "Secrets of a Successful Marriage", Hutz mentions that he only dates women for money.

Goofs

• When the family is at the dinner table and Lisa is telling Homer she doesn't agree with the proposed new immigration law, the food on their plates changes from purple pie to mashed potatoes and meat and then back to purple pie.
• Apu claims to have been in the United States for seven years, but Homer's Barbershop Quartet depicts him being in America eight years before the then-present day.
• When Mayor Quimby promises action against the bears to the townspeople, he wears his normal clothing but the next shot, when they are leaving, he suddenly wears a napkin around his neck.
• Homer's "Yes on 24" button has entirely black text in the close-up. However, when the scene cuts to a farther-away shot, the words "Yes" and "24" are written in white while the word "on" is written in blue.
• Homer tells Apu that he is not a registered voter, yet he is shown voting for Bob in season 6's "Sideshow Bob Roberts".