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Difference between revisions of "That '90s Show"

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m (replaced: That '90s Show.jpg → That '90s Show promo 1.png, YancovikPromo.jpg → That '90s Show promo 2.png)
 
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{{episode
+
{{Tab}}
|image=220px-Sadgasm.jpg
+
{{EpisodePrevNext|E Pluribus Wiggum|Love, Springfieldian Style|season=19|number=411}}
|productionCode=KABF04
+
{{quote|I had finally achieved every rock star's dream: hating being famous.|[[Homer Simpson]]}}
|originalAirdate=[[January 27]], [[2008]]
+
{{Episode
|blackboardText=None
+
|image=That '90s Show promo 1.png
|couchGag=The family is sitting on the couch. The screen zooms out to show them as a painting in a museum with the handwritten caption "Ceci n'est pas une couch gag.", a reference to ''[[The Treachery of Images]]''.
+
|number=411
|specialGuestVoices=[["Weird Al" Yankovic]] and [[Kurt Loder]] as Themselves.
+
|season=19
|Written By=[[Matt Selman]]
+
|snumber=11
|Directed By=[[Mark Kirkland]]
+
|prodcode=KABF04
 +
|airdate=January 27, [[2008]]
 +
|couchgag=The family is sitting on the couch. The screen zooms out to show them as a painting in a museum with the handwritten caption "Ceci n'est pas une couch gag.", a reference to ''The Treachery of Images''. [[Mrs. Vanderbilt]] is seen looking at the picture.
 +
|guests=[["Weird Al" Yankovic]] as {{Ch|"Weird Al" Yankovic|himself}}<br>[[Kurt Loder]] as {{Ch|Kurt Loder|himself}}
 +
|showrunner1= Al Jean
 +
|writer=[[Matt Selman]]
 +
|director=[[Mark Kirkland]]
 
}}
 
}}
  
"'''That 90's Show'''" is the eleventh episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki> [[The Simpsons (season 19)|nineteenth season]]. It was first broadcast on [[January 27]], [[2008]]. [[Kurt Loder]] guest stars as himself, while [["Weird Al" Yankovic]] appears for the second time on the show, also as himself.<ref name="FF">{{cite news | title = Primetime Listings | publisher = FoxFlash | date = [[2008-01-27]] | url = http://foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z4&ID=71| accessdate=2008-01-04}}</ref> The episode was written by [[Matt Selman]], and directed by [[Mark Kirkland]]. After Bart and Lisa discover Marge's diploma from Springfield University, Homer and Marge recount one of the darkest points in their relationship.
+
"'''That '90s Show'''" is the eleventh episode of [[season 19]] of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' and the four-hundred and eleventh episode overall. It originally aired on January 27, [[2008]]. The episode was written by [[Matt Selman]] and directed by [[Mark Kirkland]]. It guest stars [["Weird Al" Yankovic]] as {{Ch|"Weird Al" Yankovic|himself}} and [[Kurt Loder]] as {{Ch|Kurt Loder|himself}}.
  
==Plot==
+
== Synopsis ==
The [[Simpson family]] is freezing inside their house since [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] has not paid the heating bill. [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] and [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] search through an empty box for items to make the fire hotter, and discover a diploma belonging to [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] from Springfield University. Homer and Marge look shocked to find it, and claim it was from their dating years. Lisa does some calculations and realizes that Bart must have been born later in their parent's relationship than they thought. Marge and Homer proceed to describe one of the darker points of their relationship, the [[1990s]].
+
{{Desc|After Bart and Lisa discover Marge's diploma from Springfield University, Homer and Marge recount one of the darkest points in their relationship, when Marge fell in love with a university professor, [[Steffan August]].}}
  
In the flashback, Homer and Marge are happily dating, and are currently living in an apartment, Marge is an avid reader, and Homer is a part of an [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]] group alongside [[Lenny Leonard|Lenny]], [[Carl Carlson|Carl]], and "[[Eddie and Lou|Lou the cop]]". One morning, Marge wakes up to find out she had been accepted into Springfield University, but is shocked to learn of the high cost of tuition. Homer, taking pity on Marge, settles on quitting his dream of becoming a musician and instead decides to work at [[Abraham Simpson|his dad's]] popular [[laser tag]] warehouse, where he is abused by the children. At Springfield University, Marge is impressed with her surroundings and with the rebellious professor Stefane August, despite Homer's disapproval.
+
== Plot ==
[[Image:160px-YancovikPromo.jpg|left|thumb|nail| The episode's second promotional image featuring [["Weird Al" Yankovic]].]]
+
[[File:That '90s Show promo 2.png|thumb|left|Promo image of {{Ch|"Weird Al" Yankovic}}]]
In the present, the repair man arrives and fixes the heater, while Marge continues on with the story. Marge soon begins to admire August, and while caressing Homer after his long day at work, realizes she has feelings for her professor. Marge starts talking to Professor August who has also fallen for her. August begins manipulating Marge by telling her Homer is a simple "townie" who would not appreciate her intellect. A shocked Homer arrives and catches the two together. In his anger, he reforms his R&B group with a new sound called [[grunge music|grunge]]. His band is renamed to "[[Sadgasm]]", and they sing a song called "Politically Incorrect". An angry Marge and Homer soon call their relationship quits, and Marge leaves to go with Professor August.  
+
At home, the [[Simpson family]] are freezing as [[Homer]] forgot to pay the heating bill. After the family starts throwing random junk onto the fireplace to keep it warm, [[Lisa]] finds Marge's university diploma. The kids didn't know that Marge went to [[Springfield University]] so Marge begins to tell the story of that time in their lives. Back in the '90s, Homer and Marge moved into their first apartment together, at [[Springfield Place]]. At the time, Homer was part of a light hip-hop smooth groove group with [[Lenny]], [[Carl]] and [[Lou]]. Homer and Marge may have been broke, but they were happy.
  
Homer goes to [[Moe Szyslak|Moe]], who at this point, owns a [[cigar bar]], finding no help from Moe, Homer goes on to perform a new song, called ''Shave Me'', which causes him to become so famous that [["Weird Al" Yankovic]] parodies his song calling it ''Brainfreeze''. Marge finds Homer's music unnerving. Marge and August kiss, It is August's first kiss, and Marge's second kiss. When running onto the beach, August reveals he and Marge share two very different views on marriage. After the two argue, Marge breaks up with him, breaking his heart. A miserable Marge watches television and is surprised to see Homer made a song dedicated to her, called "Margerine". A special news report with [[Kurt Loder]] interrupts, revealing Sadgasm had broken up and Homer is holed up in his mansion, miserable. Arriving there, Marge thinks Homer had been doing drugs and soon begins caring for him. It turns out the needles were [[insulin]] for his [[diabetes]]. The two soon re-unite. Marge reveals to Bart and Lisa that she learned "[[Home Is Where the Heart Is|Homey is where the heart is]]".<ref name="FF"/>
+
However, what Marge hadn't told Homer was that she had applied to Springfield University. One day, she got the letter of acceptance for university, and found it would cost her $3,000 a year. Homer took up a job at [[Simpson Laser Tag]], working for his father, in order to help get Marge through university. At university, Marge went to take her first class, with Professor [[Steffan August]] teaching it. Professor August took an immediate liking to Marge and her attitude towards the class, and Marge also took a liking to him, arranging to speak to him outside of class.
  
==Cultural references==
+
Back in the present, the gas man arrives at the Simpson house to fix the boiler. He offers to tell a story to the family, but they tell him they're already in the middle of a story. They then carry on telling it. In Professor August's class, Marge seems to become more interested in him, kissing up to him. Meanwhile, outside of class, she was becoming more and more annoyed with her relationship with Homer. She also started to imagine Homer as Professor August, much to her shock. At university the next day, Marge shows her Protest Studies art piece of August. She then drops a note from Homer, saying "I miss you". Professor August twists the meaning of the note, claiming that Homer thinks he owns Marge, and tells Marge to rethink her relationship before it's too late.
The title is a reference to ''[[That '70s Show]]'', and that short lived That '80s Show. "Weird Al" parodies Homer's song "Save Me" (Titled "Brain Freeze"), a parody of "[[Rape Me]]" by [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]], which harkens back to his actual parody of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit".<ref name="Stereo"/> The episode also made references to [[Sonic the Hedgehog (character)|Sonic the Hegehog]], [[Zima]], ''[[Seinfeld]]'', [[Melrose Place]],<ref name="tvsquad"/> and Comic Book Guy mentions that ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' could never be filmed (although an [[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|animated film]] adaptation was produced in 1978). Homer mentions that [[Matt Groening]] was working hard on launching ''[[Futurama]]''.<ref name="tvsquad">{{cite web|url=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/01/27/the-simpsons-that-90s-show/|title=That 90's Show|accessdate=2008-01-28|publisher=tvsquad.com}}</ref> Homer's song "Margerine" is a parody of "[[Glycerine (song)|Glycerine]]" by [[Bush (band)|Bush]].<ref name="Stereo">{{cite web | title = Stereogum: That 90's Show | url = http://stereogum.com/archives/show-tunes/the-simpsons-revisit-the-90s-reveal-homer-invented_007875.html?utm_source=bb&utm_medium=rc  }}</ref> The scene where "Marvin Cobain" calls his cousin [[Kurt Cobain|Kurt]] to tell him about the new sound he's "been looking for" is a parody of the scene in ''[[Back to the Future]]'' where "Marvin Berry" makes a similar call to his cousin [[Chuck Berry|Chuck]].<ref name="ign"/>
 
  
==Reception==
+
Another day, Homer goes to the university to find Marge. He finds her in Professor August's office and gets annoyed at the relationship between Marge and August, angrily leaving. After this, Homer changes the genre of music of his group, becoming a grunge band instead, calling themselves [[Sadgasm]]. They played their first song, "[[Politically Incorrect]]", on the college green. Marge came out after the song and had an argument with Homer about the way he treats her, resulting in them breaking up. They split their stuff and go their separate ways. Homer then started to spend all his time at [[Moe's Tavern]], which was a cigar bar at this time. Meanwhile, Marge and Steffan August had started dating each other.
An estimated 7.58 million viewers tuned in to the episode.<ref name=SimpsonsChannel>{{cite web|url=http://www.simpsonschannel.com/cgi-bin/newspro/addons/iSay.cgi?Page=Comments&ID=EkpEVlpuEZXNviWPxz|title=That 90's Show|accessdate=2008-01-28|date=2008|publisher=Simpsons Channel}}</ref> Richard Keller of TV squad enjoyed the many cultural references to the 1990s, but felt disappointed that the episode changed [[The Simpsons]] continuity.<ref name="tvsquad"/> Robert Canning of IGN strongly disliked the episode, also feeling that the continuity change was not a good choice. He said, "What 'That '90s Show' did was neither cool nor interesting. Instead, it insulted lifelong Simpsons fans everywhere. With this episode, the writers chose to change the history of the Simpson family." He gave the episode a 3/10, and suggested that this episode should have been set a decade earlier to fit classic Simpsons continuity.<ref name=ign>{{cite web|url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/847/847940p1.html|title=That 90's Show|accessdate=2008-01-28|author=Canning, Robert|date=2008|publisher=IGN}}</ref>
 
  
==References==
+
At Professor August's house, he starts to have a mental breakdown over a football match, needing whale songs to calm him down. He then asks Marge in a roundabout way whether she wants to kiss him. Marge tells him to just do it, and they kiss. Meanwhile, Homer was hitting rock bottom. {{Ch|"Weird Al" Yankovic}} had covered one of Sadgasm's songs, "[[Shave Me]]", which he called "[[Brain Freeze]]". However, Homer wasn't excited about this as he was sick of life. At the same time, Marge and Professor August were on a date on the beach. After they see a wedding, August tells Marge that wedding oppress women and he doesn't like them. Marge says that she wants to get married one day and August talks down to her about this, saying that's why people think women are stupid. Marge gets annoyed at his attitude and calls him "Associate Professor Jerk", storming away from him. August yells after her, saying he only got denied tenure as his department head is an idiot. [[Professor Moose]] then comes along and hammers August into the sand.
<references />
 
  
{{Season 19}}
+
Marge was sad in a bar, watching Homer play a song, "[[Margerine]]", on TV. She then realizes the song is about her and realizes Homer still loves her. The song is then interrupted for a news report by {{Ch|Kurt Loder}}, who announces that Sadgasm have broken up and Homer has holed himself up in his home and is addicted to narcotics. Marge rushes to go help him, flushing away all the drugs and helping him get better. However, Homer had actually needed the drugs as they were insulin as he had become diabetic. Homer and Marge then get back together again, looking forward to the future. Back in the preset, Homer and Marge reflect on what happened in the past. After this, an elderly university dean walked past the house, muttering "townies".
[[Category:Episodes]]
+
 
[[Category:Season 19]]
+
== Production ==
 +
The writers acknowledge the fact the episode is controversial among fans. [[Matt Selman]] said that the flashbacks that had all the '80s references inspired him to do one with '90s references, hence this episode being made. Selman went to college in the early '90s so he said it was like writing about his own experiences. [[Hank Azaria]] was inspired by {{W|Philip Seymour Hoffman}}'s voice for the voice of Steffan August.<ref name="Selman">{{com2|Selman, Matt|That '90s Show}}</ref> [[Marge]]'s hair in the episode was inspired by [[Jennifer Aniston]]'s hair in ''[[Friends]]''.<ref name="Jean">{{com2|Jean, Al|That '90s Show}}</ref> [[Richard Sakai]] did all the work in post for the episode as the {{W|2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike|writer's guild strike}} was going on at the time.<ref name="Selman"/> The episode was sped up by removing frames.<ref name="Jean"/> [[Kurt Loder]] voiced his character over the phone.<ref name="Selman"/>
 +
 
 +
== Reception ==
 +
An estimated 7.58 million viewers tuned in to the episode.<ref name=SimpsonsChannel>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080415045057/http://www.simpsonschannel.com/cgi-bin/newspro/addons/iSay.cgi?Page=Comments&ID=EkpEVlpuEZXNviWPxz Simpsons Channel - "Ratings: That 90's Show" (archived on Wayback Machine)]</ref> Richard Keller of TV squad enjoyed the many cultural references to the 1990s, but felt disappointed that the episode changed [[The Simpsons]] continuity. Robert Canning of IGN strongly disliked the episode, also feeling that the continuity change was not a good choice. He said, "What 'That '90s Show' did was neither cool nor interesting. Instead, it insulted lifelong Simpsons fans everywhere. With this episode, the writers chose to change the history of the Simpson family." He gave the episode a 3/10, and suggested that this episode should have been set a decade earlier to fit classic Simpsons continuity.<ref name=ign>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080131120606/http://tv.ign.com/articles/847/847940p1.html IGN - "The Simpsons: ''That '90s Show'' Review" (archived on Wayback Machine)]</ref>
 +
 
 +
As of November [[2018]], the episode has a 6.2 rating on {{W|IMDb}}<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1166961/ IMDb - "That '90s Show"]</ref> and a 7.5 rating on {{W|TV.com}}.<ref>[http://www.tv.com/shows/the-simpsons/that-90s-show-1147244/ TV.com - "That '90s Show"]</ref>
 +
 
 +
== References ==
 +
{{Reflist}}
 +
 
 +
{{Images|ep=yes}}
 +
{{season 19}}
 +
 
 +
[[Category:2008]]
 +
[[Category:Marge episodes]]
 +
[[Category:Homer episodes]]
 +
[[Category:Musical episodes]]
 +
[[Category:Flashback episodes]]
 +
[[Category:Episodes written by Matt Selman]]
 +
[[Category:Episodes directed by Mark Kirkland]]
 +
 
 +
[[sv:That '90s Show]]

Latest revision as of 08:16, August 31, 2024

Season 19 Episode
410 "E Pluribus Wiggum"
411
"That '90s Show"
"Love, Springfieldian Style" 412
"I had finally achieved every rock star's dream: hating being famous."
Homer Simpson
"That '90s Show"
That '90s Show promo 1.png
Episode Information
Episode number: 411
Season number: S19 E11
Production code: KABF04
Original airdate: January 27, 2008
Couch gag: The family is sitting on the couch. The screen zooms out to show them as a painting in a museum with the handwritten caption "Ceci n'est pas une couch gag.", a reference to The Treachery of Images. Mrs. Vanderbilt is seen looking at the picture.
Guest star(s): "Weird Al" Yankovic as himself
Kurt Loder as himself
Showrunner: Al Jean
Written by: Matt Selman
Directed by: Mark Kirkland


"That '90s Show" is the eleventh episode of season 19 of The Simpsons and the four-hundred and eleventh episode overall. It originally aired on January 27, 2008. The episode was written by Matt Selman and directed by Mark Kirkland. It guest stars "Weird Al" Yankovic as himself and Kurt Loder as himself.

Synopsis[edit]

"After Bart and Lisa discover Marge's diploma from Springfield University, Homer and Marge recount one of the darkest points in their relationship, when Marge fell in love with a university professor, Steffan August."


Plot[edit]

Promo image of "Weird Al" Yankovic

At home, the Simpson family are freezing as Homer forgot to pay the heating bill. After the family starts throwing random junk onto the fireplace to keep it warm, Lisa finds Marge's university diploma. The kids didn't know that Marge went to Springfield University so Marge begins to tell the story of that time in their lives. Back in the '90s, Homer and Marge moved into their first apartment together, at Springfield Place. At the time, Homer was part of a light hip-hop smooth groove group with Lenny, Carl and Lou. Homer and Marge may have been broke, but they were happy.

However, what Marge hadn't told Homer was that she had applied to Springfield University. One day, she got the letter of acceptance for university, and found it would cost her $3,000 a year. Homer took up a job at Simpson Laser Tag, working for his father, in order to help get Marge through university. At university, Marge went to take her first class, with Professor Steffan August teaching it. Professor August took an immediate liking to Marge and her attitude towards the class, and Marge also took a liking to him, arranging to speak to him outside of class.

Back in the present, the gas man arrives at the Simpson house to fix the boiler. He offers to tell a story to the family, but they tell him they're already in the middle of a story. They then carry on telling it. In Professor August's class, Marge seems to become more interested in him, kissing up to him. Meanwhile, outside of class, she was becoming more and more annoyed with her relationship with Homer. She also started to imagine Homer as Professor August, much to her shock. At university the next day, Marge shows her Protest Studies art piece of August. She then drops a note from Homer, saying "I miss you". Professor August twists the meaning of the note, claiming that Homer thinks he owns Marge, and tells Marge to rethink her relationship before it's too late.

Another day, Homer goes to the university to find Marge. He finds her in Professor August's office and gets annoyed at the relationship between Marge and August, angrily leaving. After this, Homer changes the genre of music of his group, becoming a grunge band instead, calling themselves Sadgasm. They played their first song, "Politically Incorrect", on the college green. Marge came out after the song and had an argument with Homer about the way he treats her, resulting in them breaking up. They split their stuff and go their separate ways. Homer then started to spend all his time at Moe's Tavern, which was a cigar bar at this time. Meanwhile, Marge and Steffan August had started dating each other.

At Professor August's house, he starts to have a mental breakdown over a football match, needing whale songs to calm him down. He then asks Marge in a roundabout way whether she wants to kiss him. Marge tells him to just do it, and they kiss. Meanwhile, Homer was hitting rock bottom. "Weird Al" Yankovic had covered one of Sadgasm's songs, "Shave Me", which he called "Brain Freeze". However, Homer wasn't excited about this as he was sick of life. At the same time, Marge and Professor August were on a date on the beach. After they see a wedding, August tells Marge that wedding oppress women and he doesn't like them. Marge says that she wants to get married one day and August talks down to her about this, saying that's why people think women are stupid. Marge gets annoyed at his attitude and calls him "Associate Professor Jerk", storming away from him. August yells after her, saying he only got denied tenure as his department head is an idiot. Professor Moose then comes along and hammers August into the sand.

Marge was sad in a bar, watching Homer play a song, "Margerine", on TV. She then realizes the song is about her and realizes Homer still loves her. The song is then interrupted for a news report by Kurt Loder, who announces that Sadgasm have broken up and Homer has holed himself up in his home and is addicted to narcotics. Marge rushes to go help him, flushing away all the drugs and helping him get better. However, Homer had actually needed the drugs as they were insulin as he had become diabetic. Homer and Marge then get back together again, looking forward to the future. Back in the preset, Homer and Marge reflect on what happened in the past. After this, an elderly university dean walked past the house, muttering "townies".

Production[edit]

The writers acknowledge the fact the episode is controversial among fans. Matt Selman said that the flashbacks that had all the '80s references inspired him to do one with '90s references, hence this episode being made. Selman went to college in the early '90s so he said it was like writing about his own experiences. Hank Azaria was inspired by Philip Seymour Hoffman's voice for the voice of Steffan August.[1] Marge's hair in the episode was inspired by Jennifer Aniston's hair in Friends.[2] Richard Sakai did all the work in post for the episode as the writer's guild strike was going on at the time.[1] The episode was sped up by removing frames.[2] Kurt Loder voiced his character over the phone.[1]

Reception[edit]

An estimated 7.58 million viewers tuned in to the episode.[3] Richard Keller of TV squad enjoyed the many cultural references to the 1990s, but felt disappointed that the episode changed The Simpsons continuity. Robert Canning of IGN strongly disliked the episode, also feeling that the continuity change was not a good choice. He said, "What 'That '90s Show' did was neither cool nor interesting. Instead, it insulted lifelong Simpsons fans everywhere. With this episode, the writers chose to change the history of the Simpson family." He gave the episode a 3/10, and suggested that this episode should have been set a decade earlier to fit classic Simpsons continuity.[4]

As of November 2018, the episode has a 6.2 rating on IMDb[5] and a 7.5 rating on TV.com.[6]

References[edit]


The Saga of Carl - title screen.png Wikisimpsons has a collection of images related to "That '90s Show".
Season 19 Episodes
He Loves to Fly and He D'ohs The Homer of Seville Midnight Towboy I Don't Wanna Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Treehouse of Horror XVIII Little Orphan Millie Husbands and Knives Funeral for a Fiend Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind E Pluribus Wiggum That '90s Show Love, Springfieldian Style The Debarted Dial "N" for Nerder Smoke on the Daughter Papa Don't Leech Apocalypse Cow Any Given Sundance Mona Leaves-a All About Lisa