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Difference between revisions of "The Regina Monologues"

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{{episode
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{{Tab}}
|image=220px-The_Regina_Monologues.png
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{{EpisodePrevNext|The President Wore Pearls|The Fat and the Furriest}}
|productionCode=EABF22
+
{{Episode
|originalAirdate=November 23, 2003
+
|image=The Regina Monologues promo 1.png
|blackboardText=
+
|number=317
|couchGag=The back wall is a Play-Doh Fun Factory press that creates clay figures of the Simpsons.
+
|season=15
|specialGuestVoices=[[Tony Blair]], [[J.K. Rowling]], [[Evan Mariott]], and [[Ian McKellen]] as themselves, [[Jane Leeves]] as [[Edwina]]
+
|snumber=4
|Written By=[[John Swartzelder]]
+
|prodcode=EABF22
|Directed By=[[Mark Kirkland]]
+
|airdate=November 23, [[2003]]
 +
|couchgag=The back wall is a Play-Doh Fun Factory press that creates clay figures of the Simpsons.
 +
|guests=[[Tony Blair]] as {{Ch|Tony Blair|himself}}<br>[[J. K. Rowling]] as {{Ch|J. K. Rowling|herself}}<br>[[Evan Marriott]] as {{Ch|Evan Marriott|himself}}<br>[[Ian McKellen]] as {{Ch|Ian McKellen|himself}}<br>[[Jane Leeves]] as [[Edwina]]
 +
|showrunner1= Al Jean
 +
|writer=[[John Swartzwelder]]
 +
|director=[[Mark Kirkland]]
 
}}
 
}}
[[Image:200px-Vlcsnap-1361413.png|thumb|250px]]
 
  
'''The Regina Monologues'''" is the fourth episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' fifteenth season, which originally aired November 23, 2003.<ref name=bbcnews>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3222674.stm|title=Blair lined up for Simpsons debut|accessdate=2007-05-02|date=2003-11-23|publisher=BBC News}}</ref> It was written by [[John Swartzwelder]], and directed by [[Mark Kirkland]].<ref name=IGN>{{cite web|url=http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/731/731095p3.html|title=The Simpsons: 17 Seasons, 17 Episodes|author=Goldman, Eric; Dan Iverson, Brian Zoromski|publisher=IGN|date=2006-09-08|accessdate=2007-05-02}}</ref> Guest starring [[Jane Leeves]] as Edwina and [[Tony Blair]], [[Evan Marriott]], [[Ian McKellen|Sir Ian McKellen]] and [[J. K. Rowling]] as themselves.<ref name=bbcnews/><ref name=imdb>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701258/|title=The Regina Monologues|accessdate=2007-09-03|publisher=Internet Movie Database}}</ref> It was the first episode in which the entire family went to Europe, and the first time a sitting head of government provided his own voice as a guest star.
+
"'''The Regina Monologues'''" is the fourth episode of [[season 15]]. of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' and the three-hundred and seventeenth episode overall. It originally aired on November 23, [[2003]]. The episode was written by [[John Swartzwelder]] and directed by [[Mark Kirkland]]. It guest stars [[Tony Blair]] as {{Ch|Tony Blair|himself}}, [[J. K. Rowling]] as {{Ch|J. K. Rowling|herself}}, [[Evan Marriott]] as {{Ch|Evan Marriott|himself}}, [[Ian McKellen]] as {{Ch|Ian McKellen|himself}} and [[Jane Leeves]] as [[Edwina]].
  
==Plot==
+
== Synopsis ==
Mr Burns withdraws a $1000 bill from an ATM, but he drops it and an updraft carries it away to the Simpsons' house, where [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] and [[Milhouse Van Houten|Milhouse]] are playing a vicious video game (Hockey Dad). It flies straight into Milhouse's hair and Bart removes it and keeps it, claiming that it was a ladybug. Bart wonders what to do with the bill, but [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] tells him and [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] to put up fliers so that the person who lost it can reclaim it. Soon, there is a long line of people outside the Simpsons' house, all claiming the bill. No one can describe it correctly and [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] suggests that they spend the money on Marge, who wants a vacation, but decides against it because Homer always manages to ruin it. The next day, Bart displays the $1000 bill in school for his friends to see. When Milhouse offers him 25 cents to see it again, he gets an idea and sets up a museum in his tree house, naming it "The Museum of Modern Bart". The museum is a resounding success, however, when Mr. Burns comes in and sees the bill, he claims it as his. When asked for proof of ownership, he shows Bart the bills indentation on his chest (when the bill was ejected from the ATM, it hit Burns in the chest, knocking him backwards before it was swept off). Bart is forced to give it back and close his museum, as now that there is no $1000 bill, no-one is interested in the museum. Lisa says that they have managed to collect $3000 from the museum so it does not matter anymore. Bart wants to spend it on a used Toyota. Lisa then reminds him that Marge has never had an enjoyable vacation. Bart feels upset, looks at Marge and decides to go on a vacation. [[Abraham Simpson|Grandpa]] suggests using the money to go to London, where he hopes to meet [[Edwina]] once more, a girl he met there during the war.  
+
{{Desc|The Simpsons journey to London, where Grampa attempts to reconnect with a long-lost flame while Bart and Lisa go nuts after sampling British chocolate. After Homer has a fender-bender with a golden coach belonging to the Queen, the family must again plead their way out of a foreign land.}}
  
The family travels to London and are greeted by the then British Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]], whom Homer confuses with Mr. Bean. They start seeing the sights, while Grandpa stays at the hotel, trying to contact Edwina. Bart and Lisa go on a "sugar rush" after discovering the joys of British chocolate. The family go on to meet [[J.K. Rowling]] who tells Lisa what she wants to hear about the last Harry Potter book and [[Sir Ian McKellen]] who they repeatedly injure by saying "McBeth".
+
== Plot ==
 +
[[Mr. Burns]] withdraws a $1000 bill from an ATM, but he drops it and an updraft carries it away to the Simpsons' house, where [[Bart]] and [[Milhouse]] are playing a vicious video game, ''Hockey Dad''. It flies straight into Milhouse's rather greasy blue hair and Bart removes it and keeps it, claiming it was a ladybug, which Milhouse foolishly believes. Bart wonders what to do with the bill, but [[Marge]] tells him and [[Homer]] to put up fliers so the person who lost it can reclaim it. Soon, there is a long line of people outside the Simpson house, all claiming the bill. No one can describe it correctly and [[Lisa]] suggests they spend the money on Marge, who wants a vacation, but decides against it because Homer always manages to ruin it. The next day, Bart displays the $1000 bill in school for his friends to see.  
  
Marge is astonished that Homer is behaving himself. They rent a Mini Cooper and start to drive around London. Unfortunately, they get stuck on a roundabout. After driving in circles for hours, Homer decides to break out of it, plows straight through the gates of Buckingham Palace and slams into [[Queen Elizabeth II]]'s horse drawn carriage. Unaware of whom he has just knocked down, he tries to brush the incident under the carpet, but the Scots Guardsmen start beating him with cudgels. Then comes the Changing of the Guard, and the new Scots Guardsmen continue to beat him mercilessly. This supposedly continues until the Queen's mention or when they run out of Guards.  
+
When Milhouse offers him 25 cents to see it again, he gets an idea and sets up a museum in his tree house, naming it "The Museum of Modern Bart". The museum is a resounding success, however, when Mr. Burns comes in and sees the bill, he claims it as his. When asked for proof of ownership, he shows Bart the bills indentation on his chest. (When the bill was ejected from the ATM, it hit Burns in the chest, knocking him backwards before it was swept off.) Bart is forced to give it back and close his museum, as now there is no $1000 bill, no one is interested in the museum.  
  
Homer is put on trial for causing harm to the Queen as well as wrecking her carriage. He calls the Queen an impostor, since her luggage is inscribed "H.R.H." which he believes is short for "Henrietta R. Hippo". The Queen, highly offended, demands that he be executed. He is taken away to the Tower of London to await his execution, where it is planned for his head to be stuck on a pike. Near the fireplace in his cell, he prays to "the God of England" and displays the frequent mistaken American impression that British people prefer to use the metric system. His family call him from outside and Lisa tells him that he can use a secret tunnel that Sir Walter Raleigh built. For that, he must push a brick in the fireplace, which he manages on his second attempt (his first attempt failing as he forgot to put out the fire first). However, the tunnel leads straight into the Queen's bedroom. The Queen whistles for her guards and they rush in. Homer pleads with the Queen to find it in her "jewel encrusted heart" to forgive him. Finally, he is allowed to leave England as long as they take Madonna with them to America. Just as they are about to leave, Edwina shows up and meets Grandpa. She introduces them to Abbie, her 58-year-old daughter, who looks and sounds like Homer in drag. Abe cannot bear the thought of having ''another'' Homer in his life, so he bolts. However, Homer seems to think that Abbie is quite attractive, perhaps showing signs of Genetic Sexual Attraction.
+
Lisa says they managed to collect $3000 from the museum so it doesn't matter anymore. Bart wants to spend it on a used Toyota. Lisa reminds him Marge never had an enjoyable vacation. Bart feels upset, looks at Marge, and decides to go on a vacation. [[Homer]] says he would like to go back to [[Brazil]], but he has been told the "monkey problem" is worse. Then [[Grampa]] suggests using the money to go to [[London]], where he hopes to meet [[Edwina]] once more, a girl he met there during [[World War II]].
  
==Production==
+
The family travels to London and are greeted by then-Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]], whom Homer confuses with Mr. Bean. They start seeing the sights, while Grandpa stays at the hotel, trying to contact Edwina. Bart and Lisa go on a "sugar trip" after discovering the joys of British chocolate. The family go on to meet {{Ch|J. K. Rowling}} (of whom Lisa asks what happens at the end of the ''[[Harry Potter]]'' series) and Sir {{Ch|Ian McKellen}}, to whom the family continually repeats the name "Macbeth" and wishing him good luck before a performance (causing a devastating series of mishaps to the actor), despite Lisa's warnings.
Tony Blair recorded his part for the episode in April 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/TV/11/22/blair.simpsons/index.html|title=Tony Blair a 'Simpsons' guest star|date=2003-11-24|accessdate=2007-05-02|publisher=CNN.com}}</ref>
+
[[File:Sir ian.png|thumb|left|250px|Sir Ian McKellen]]
David Beckham was originally sought to guest star in the episode, but it was deemed that he was not famous enough in America and so was not approached.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/tv_film/newsid_2937000/2937711.stm|title=D'oh! The Simpsons say no to Becks!|date=2003-04-10|accessdate=2007-04-06|publisher=Newsround}}</ref> The plot of Homer hitting the Queen's carriage was recycled from a spec script Jean and Reiss wrote for ''The Golden Girls'' in which Dorothy Zbornak hit Mother Theresa with her car.<ref name="Jean">{{cite video | people=Jean, Al|year=2006|title=The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "[[Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious]]"| medium=DVD||publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> This is the final episode written by longtime Simpsons writer [[John Swartzwelder]].<ref name="Jean">{{cite video | people=Jean, Al|year=2006|title=The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "[[Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious]]"| medium=DVD||publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>
+
Marge is astonished Homer is behaving himself. They rent a Mini Cooper and start to drive around London. Unfortunately, they get stuck on a roundabout. After driving in circles for hours, Homer decides to break out of it, plows straight through the gates of Buckingham Palace, and slams into [[Queen Elizabeth II]]'s horse-drawn carriage. Unaware of whom he just struck, he tries to brush the incident under the carpet, but the Scottish Guards start beating him with cudgels. Then comes the Changing of the Guard, and the new Scottish guardsmen continue to beat him mercilessly. This supposedly continues until the Queen's mention or when they run out of guards.
  
 +
Homer is put on trial for causing harm to the Queen as well as wrecking her carriage. He calls the Queen an impostor, since her luggage is inscribed "H.R.H." which he believes is short for "Henrietta R. Hippo". Marge is embarrassed with the whole trial and Lisa exasperatedly asks Marge why she allowed Homer to act as his own barrister, to which Marge explains she didn't think it would matter as he hit the Queen of England, and wishes she could go to a vacation where neither the entire family goes to jail nor do they go condo crazy.
  
*''The Regina Monologues'' — The episode title is a pun on Eve Ensler's play; Regina is substituted as the Latin word for Queen.
+
Homer mentions that humiliating his wife and her being disappointed is punishment enough, and pleads to the Judge to sympathize with this. Unfortunately, he also refers to the Judge as a "grandmother" when stating he has to know this sort of situation, causing the Judge to furiously remove his powdered wig and state he is a man. The Queen, highly offended, demands he be executed. He is taken away to the Tower of London to await execution, where it is planned for his head to be stuck on a pike.  
*''Hertz Rent-a-Car'' - The Simpsons rent a Mini Cooper from an " 'Ertz" rent-a-car branch. This is a parody of the Hertz corporation.
 
*''007'' movies — The series is parodied twice: in the scene where former Prime Minister Tony Blair greets the Simpsons, then blasts off on a jetpack à la ''Thunderball'' (the ''007'' theme plays); and in the scene where Homer spots Bart and Lisa from the London Eye, pulls a lever and the whole car detaches from the Eye, before skimming across the River Thames.
 
*''The Brady Bunch'' — The first act plot — where Bart happens upon a $1,000 bill and Marge subsequently tells him to advertise for its rightful owner — is inspired by the 1970 episode "The Treasure of Sierra Avenue."
 
*''British Newspapers'' - After Homer is arrested and sent to the Tower of London, British tabloid newspapers are seen with various headlines complete with correct typefaces (except The Daily Mail) - center-left tabloid ''The Mirror'', the centre-right broadsheet ''The Times'', the right-wing paper ''The Daily Mail'' and the tabloid ''The Sun'' . The Times and The Sun are owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation.
 
*"The Cherry Orchard" — The play, written by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, is used as a sly dig at ''Joe Millionaire'', where star [[Evan Marriott]] admits he does not have a cherry orchard, much like in the show where he admits he was not a millionaire.
 
*"[[Harry Potter]]" - When J. K. Rowling is met by the family, Lisa tells her that she shows deep infatuation with the titular character. After asking what would be the ending of the series, Rowling sarcastically replies that the character will grow up and marry Lisa.
 
*"Macbeth" curse — The old theater superstition is parodied when [[Sir Ian McKellen]] is repeatedly injured after Homer repeatedly mentions the name of the Shakespeare play ("What, Macbeth?").
 
*Museum of Modern Art — The "Museum of Modern Bart" is an obvious pun.
 
*''New Zoo Revue'' — Homer's insistence that The Queen's real name is Henrietta R. Hippo (thanks to the monogram on the Her Royal Highness' night bag although the Queen is "Her Majesty", not "Her Royal Highness") recalls the hippo character on the 1970s children's TV show.
 
*''National Lampoon's European Vacation'' — The scene where Homer endlessly circles the roundabout spoofs a similar scene in the 1985 movie, where Clark Griswold keeps driving around the roundabout adjacent to Lambeth Bridge.
 
*''Partridge Family 2200 A.D.'' — Bart's "Moon Party" sequence is likely a reference to the 1970s Saturday morning cartoon. Also appearing: ''Star Wars'' character R2-D2 (playing the bass).
 
*Sir Walter Raleigh - The tunnel leading from the Tower of London to the Queen's bedroom in Buckingham Palace may be a reference to a rumour that Raleigh carried out an affair with the never-married Queen Elizabeth I. This could also be a reference to the Michael Fagan incident, where an unarmed man broke into the Palace and surprised Queen Elizabeth II in her bedroom.
 
*''Trainspotting'' — Bart and Lisa run through town on a sugar high as Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life" plays in the background. When Bart and Lisa are running they go by the same route used by Ewan McGregor at the start of the film most notably as they go down the stairs (despite the stairs being in Edinburgh, not London). The scene ends with Maggie crawling across the ceiling of a lolly house and her head spins around like the baby in the withdrawal scene.
 
*The scene between Lord Daftwager and his "lover" is a parody of the premise of the musical ''My Fair Lady''.
 
*Manchester United midfielder Ryan Giggs is mentioned by Homer when he questions the yellow card  given to Giggs.
 
*In complimenting his half-sister, Homer says "You make Dame Edna look like a dude". Dame Edna Everage is a famous character of comedian Barry Humphries.
 
*Homer sees Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page from the London Eye and calls him "one of the greatest thieves of American black music ever to walk the Earth," a reference to Led Zeppelin's frequent and frequently sued-over practice of "borrowing" of music, themes and lyrics from American blues music.
 
* The line "Feel the drunken wrath of Chuck Shadowski" heard in the Hockey Dads game is a sly reference to Big Chuck Schodowski, a Cleveland TV personality most recently co-host of the Big Chuck and Lil' John show.
 
* Trading Places, the two wealthy gentlemen who suggest a wager after meeting Bart.
 
*Judi Dench When the Simpsons are on the tourbus, they go to a restraunt called 'Judi Dench's Fish and Chips.'
 
  
==Reception==
+
Near the fireplace in his cell, he prays to "the God of England" and displays the frequent mistaken American impression British people prefer to use the metric system. His family calls him from outside and Lisa tells him he can use a secret tunnel Sir Walter Raleigh built. For that, he must push a brick in the fireplace, which he manages on his second attempt (his first attempt failing as he forgot to put out the fire first). However, the tunnel leads straight into the Queen's bedroom. The Queen whistles for her guards and they rush in.
IGN.com named the episode the best of the fifteenth season, saying that "It may not be the best episode ever, but hell if it isn't a lot of fun", as well as calling it "extremely funny" and a "high point for the past few seasons."<ref name=IGN/>
 
  
==References==
+
Homer pleads with the Queen to find it in her "jewel encrusted heart" to forgive him. Finally, he is allowed to leave England as long as they take Madonna (in a suitcase, claiming she's English and not Madonna) with them back to the U.S. Just as they are about to leave, Edwina shows up and meets Grandpa. She introduces them to [[Abbey]], her 58-year-old daughter, who looks and sounds like Homer in drag. Abe cannot bear the thought of having ''another'' Homer in his life, so he bolts. However, Homer seems to find Abbey quite attractive.
<references/>
 
  
{{Season 15}}
+
== Production ==
 +
Tony Blair recorded his part for the episode in April 2003; it took eight months of negotiations to convince him to be in the cast, and to use himself as a voice.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/TV/11/22/blair.simpsons/index.html|title=Tony Blair a 'Simpsons' guest star|date=2003-11-24|accessdate=2007-05-02|publisher=CNN.com}}</ref> David Beckham was originally sought to guest star in the episode, but it was deemed that he was not famous enough in America and so was not approached.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/tv_film/newsid_2937000/2937711.stm|title=D'oh! The Simpsons say no to Becks!|date=2003-04-10|accessdate=2007-04-06|publisher=Newsround}}</ref> The plot of Homer hitting the Queen's carriage was recycled from a spec script Jean and Reiss wrote for ''The Golden Girls'' in which Dorothy Zbornak hit Mother Theresa with her car.<ref name="Jean">{{cite video | people=Jean, Al|year=2006|title=The Simpsons The Complete Eighth season DVD commentary for the episode "[[Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious]]"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> This is the final episode written by longtime Simpsons writer [[John Swartzwelder]].<ref name="Jean"/>
 +
 
 +
== Reception ==
 +
IGN.com named the episode the best of the fifteenth season, saying that "It may not be the best episode ever, but hell if it isn't a lot of fun", as well as calling it "extremely funny" and a "high point for the past few seasons."
 +
 
 +
On January 9, [[2004]], this episode premiered on [[Sky 1]], and gathered 1.1 million viewers.<ref>[http://www.simpsonschannel.com/2004/01/uk-ratings-regina-monologues/ Simpsons Channel]</ref>
 +
 
 +
== Promotional images ==
 +
<gallery>
 +
File:The Regina Monologues promo 2.png
 +
File:The Regina Monologues promo 3.png
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
== References ==
 +
{{Reflist}}
 +
 
 +
{{Images|ep=yes}}
 +
{{season 15}}
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Regina Monologuesm, The}}
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Regina Monologuesm, The}}
[[Category:Episodes]]
+
 
[[Category:Season 15]]
+
[[Category:2003]]
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[[Category:Travel episodes]]
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[[Category:Episodes written by John Swartzwelder]]
 +
[[Category:Episodes directed by Mark Kirkland]]
 +
 
 +
[[sv:The Regina Monologues]]

Latest revision as of 16:25, August 30, 2024

Season 15 Episode
316 "The President Wore Pearls"
317
"The Regina Monologues"
"The Fat and the Furriest" 318
"The Regina Monologues"
The Regina Monologues promo 1.png
Episode Information
Episode number: 317
Season number: S15 E4
Production code: EABF22
Original airdate: November 23, 2003
Couch gag: The back wall is a Play-Doh Fun Factory press that creates clay figures of the Simpsons.
Guest star(s): Tony Blair as himself
J. K. Rowling as herself
Evan Marriott as himself
Ian McKellen as himself
Jane Leeves as Edwina
Showrunner: Al Jean
Written by: John Swartzwelder
Directed by: Mark Kirkland


"The Regina Monologues" is the fourth episode of season 15. of The Simpsons and the three-hundred and seventeenth episode overall. It originally aired on November 23, 2003. The episode was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Mark Kirkland. It guest stars Tony Blair as himself, J. K. Rowling as herself, Evan Marriott as himself, Ian McKellen as himself and Jane Leeves as Edwina.

Synopsis[edit]

"The Simpsons journey to London, where Grampa attempts to reconnect with a long-lost flame while Bart and Lisa go nuts after sampling British chocolate. After Homer has a fender-bender with a golden coach belonging to the Queen, the family must again plead their way out of a foreign land."


Plot[edit]

Mr. Burns withdraws a $1000 bill from an ATM, but he drops it and an updraft carries it away to the Simpsons' house, where Bart and Milhouse are playing a vicious video game, Hockey Dad. It flies straight into Milhouse's rather greasy blue hair and Bart removes it and keeps it, claiming it was a ladybug, which Milhouse foolishly believes. Bart wonders what to do with the bill, but Marge tells him and Homer to put up fliers so the person who lost it can reclaim it. Soon, there is a long line of people outside the Simpson house, all claiming the bill. No one can describe it correctly and Lisa suggests they spend the money on Marge, who wants a vacation, but decides against it because Homer always manages to ruin it. The next day, Bart displays the $1000 bill in school for his friends to see.

When Milhouse offers him 25 cents to see it again, he gets an idea and sets up a museum in his tree house, naming it "The Museum of Modern Bart". The museum is a resounding success, however, when Mr. Burns comes in and sees the bill, he claims it as his. When asked for proof of ownership, he shows Bart the bills indentation on his chest. (When the bill was ejected from the ATM, it hit Burns in the chest, knocking him backwards before it was swept off.) Bart is forced to give it back and close his museum, as now there is no $1000 bill, no one is interested in the museum.

Lisa says they managed to collect $3000 from the museum so it doesn't matter anymore. Bart wants to spend it on a used Toyota. Lisa reminds him Marge never had an enjoyable vacation. Bart feels upset, looks at Marge, and decides to go on a vacation. Homer says he would like to go back to Brazil, but he has been told the "monkey problem" is worse. Then Grampa suggests using the money to go to London, where he hopes to meet Edwina once more, a girl he met there during World War II.

The family travels to London and are greeted by then-Prime Minister Tony Blair, whom Homer confuses with Mr. Bean. They start seeing the sights, while Grandpa stays at the hotel, trying to contact Edwina. Bart and Lisa go on a "sugar trip" after discovering the joys of British chocolate. The family go on to meet J. K. Rowling (of whom Lisa asks what happens at the end of the Harry Potter series) and Sir Ian McKellen, to whom the family continually repeats the name "Macbeth" and wishing him good luck before a performance (causing a devastating series of mishaps to the actor), despite Lisa's warnings.

Sir Ian McKellen

Marge is astonished Homer is behaving himself. They rent a Mini Cooper and start to drive around London. Unfortunately, they get stuck on a roundabout. After driving in circles for hours, Homer decides to break out of it, plows straight through the gates of Buckingham Palace, and slams into Queen Elizabeth II's horse-drawn carriage. Unaware of whom he just struck, he tries to brush the incident under the carpet, but the Scottish Guards start beating him with cudgels. Then comes the Changing of the Guard, and the new Scottish guardsmen continue to beat him mercilessly. This supposedly continues until the Queen's mention or when they run out of guards.

Homer is put on trial for causing harm to the Queen as well as wrecking her carriage. He calls the Queen an impostor, since her luggage is inscribed "H.R.H." which he believes is short for "Henrietta R. Hippo". Marge is embarrassed with the whole trial and Lisa exasperatedly asks Marge why she allowed Homer to act as his own barrister, to which Marge explains she didn't think it would matter as he hit the Queen of England, and wishes she could go to a vacation where neither the entire family goes to jail nor do they go condo crazy.

Homer mentions that humiliating his wife and her being disappointed is punishment enough, and pleads to the Judge to sympathize with this. Unfortunately, he also refers to the Judge as a "grandmother" when stating he has to know this sort of situation, causing the Judge to furiously remove his powdered wig and state he is a man. The Queen, highly offended, demands he be executed. He is taken away to the Tower of London to await execution, where it is planned for his head to be stuck on a pike.

Near the fireplace in his cell, he prays to "the God of England" and displays the frequent mistaken American impression British people prefer to use the metric system. His family calls him from outside and Lisa tells him he can use a secret tunnel Sir Walter Raleigh built. For that, he must push a brick in the fireplace, which he manages on his second attempt (his first attempt failing as he forgot to put out the fire first). However, the tunnel leads straight into the Queen's bedroom. The Queen whistles for her guards and they rush in.

Homer pleads with the Queen to find it in her "jewel encrusted heart" to forgive him. Finally, he is allowed to leave England as long as they take Madonna (in a suitcase, claiming she's English and not Madonna) with them back to the U.S. Just as they are about to leave, Edwina shows up and meets Grandpa. She introduces them to Abbey, her 58-year-old daughter, who looks and sounds like Homer in drag. Abe cannot bear the thought of having another Homer in his life, so he bolts. However, Homer seems to find Abbey quite attractive.

Production[edit]

Tony Blair recorded his part for the episode in April 2003; it took eight months of negotiations to convince him to be in the cast, and to use himself as a voice.[1] David Beckham was originally sought to guest star in the episode, but it was deemed that he was not famous enough in America and so was not approached.[2] The plot of Homer hitting the Queen's carriage was recycled from a spec script Jean and Reiss wrote for The Golden Girls in which Dorothy Zbornak hit Mother Theresa with her car.[3] This is the final episode written by longtime Simpsons writer John Swartzwelder.[3]

Reception[edit]

IGN.com named the episode the best of the fifteenth season, saying that "It may not be the best episode ever, but hell if it isn't a lot of fun", as well as calling it "extremely funny" and a "high point for the past few seasons."

On January 9, 2004, this episode premiered on Sky 1, and gathered 1.1 million viewers.[4]

Promotional images[edit]

References[edit]

  1. Tony Blair a 'Simpsons' guest star. CNN.com (2003-11-24). Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
  2. D'oh! The Simpsons say no to Becks!. Newsround (2003-04-10). Retrieved on 2007-04-06.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Jean, Al. (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Eighth season DVD commentary for the episode "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  4. Simpsons Channel


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Season 15 Episodes
Treehouse of Horror XIV My Mother the Carjacker The President Wore Pearls The Regina Monologues The Fat and the Furriest Today I Am a Clown 'Tis the Fifteenth Season Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens and Gays I, (Annoyed Grunt)-bot Diatribe of a Mad Housewife Margical History Tour Milhouse Doesn't Live Here Anymore Smart and Smarter The Ziff Who Came to Dinner Co-Dependent's Day The Wandering Juvie My Big Fat Geek Wedding Catch 'Em If You Can Simple Simpson The Way We Weren't Bart-Mangled Banner Fraudcast News