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Difference between revisions of "Take My Life, Please"

Wikisimpsons - The Simpsons Wiki
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{{Tab}}
 
{{Tab}}
 
{{EpisodePrevNext|Lisa the Drama Queen|How the Test Was Won}}
 
{{EpisodePrevNext|Lisa the Drama Queen|How the Test Was Won}}
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{{EpisodeHD
+
{{Quote|I'm going to find out what Dondelinger did last summer! Twenty-two years ago! In the winter!|[[Homer Simpson]]}}
−
|image = HD_opening.jpg
+
{{Episode
−
|Episode Number = 430
+
|image= Take My Life, Please.png
−
|productionCode = LABF01
+
|number= 430
−
|originalAirdate = 15 February 2009
+
|season=20
−
|blackboardText = HDTV is worth every cent
+
|snumber=10
−
|couchGag = The Simpsons notice the couch isn't there and chase it through the world and into space and come back to Earth, burning up on reentry, smashing through the roof of the house onto the couch. Homer turns the TV on.
+
|prodcode= LABF01
−
|billboard = [[Krusty]] now doing funerals
+
|airdate= February 15, [[2009]]
−
|titlescreen = A three-eyed crow flies by
+
|blackboard= HDTV is worth every cent
−
|tv =
+
|couchgag= [[Take My Life, Please/Gags|Simpsons Chasing Couch]]
−
|specialGuestVoices = [[Marcia Wallace]]
+
|billboard= [[Krusty]] now doing funerals
−
|Show Runner =
+
|titlescreen= A three-eyed crow flies by
−
|Written By = [[Don Payne]]
+
|showrunner1= Al Jean
−
|Directed By = [[Steven Dean Moore]]
+
|writer= [[Don Payne]]
 +
|director= [[Steven Dean Moore]]
 +
|DVD features=yes
 +
|FE = yes
 
}}
 
}}
  
−
"'''Take My Life, Please'''" is the tenth episode of [[Season 20]]. This episode was the first episode broadcast in HD and the new show opening sequence.
+
"'''Take My Life, Please'''" is the tenth episode of [[season 20]] of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' and the four-hundred and thirtieth episode overall. It originally aired on February 15, [[2009]]. The episode was written by [[Don Payne]] and directed by [[Steven Dean Moore]].
  
 
== Synopsis ==
 
== Synopsis ==
−
[[Vance Connor]] is inducted into the Springfield wall of fame, and Homer recalls how he ran against Vance for school president. After discovering that the real ballot box was hidden, Homer searches for it and finds it - only to discover that he should have won. The family go to Luigi's restaurant, and meet a man who can tell people's fates by stirring tomato sauce, and Homer sees what his life would've been like had he been class president.
+
{{Desc|[[Homer]] recalls the time he lost the race to be class president at [[Springfield High School]], only to find that he actually won the election. He then gets shown how different his life would have been if he was class president.}}
  
 
== Plot ==
 
== Plot ==
−
A man named [[Vance Connor]] is inducted into the [[Springfield Wall of Fame]], and [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] recounts how he ran against Vance for class president in high school and lost. Later, at [[Moe's Tavern]], [[Carl Carlson|Carl]] and [[Lenny Leonard|Lenny]] confess to Homer that his [[Principal Dondelinger|old high school principal]] had ordered them to bury the ballot box containing the votes to the election. After Homer and Lenny dig up the ballot box, [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] counts the votes, and Homer is shocked to see that the votes put him as the winner. Outraged, he meets his old principal in a retirement center, who explains why he had to hide the ballot box: Two student athletes had talked their classmates into voting for Homer so that, after he had won, they could laugh at him all the way through high school and at every reunion. Al Gore, himself, appears in Moe's Tavern and told Homer how he had felt when he had the 2000 presidential election stolen from him.
+
At the [[Springfield Wall of Fame]], [[Mayor Quimby]] unveils [[Vance Connor]]'s plaque on the wall. As the people of [[Springfield]] congratulate Vance, Homer reveals that he ran for class president against Vance back in high school. Homer recalls the debate that he and Vance had, with Vance's speech going over a lot better than Homer's speech. Homer then demands to know whether Vance is happy with his life, and he reveals that he is. Later at [[Moe's Tavern]], Homer laments about Vance beating him in the election. [[Lenny]] and [[Carl]] then reveal that [[Principal Dondelinger]] had the two of them bury the ballot box in the woods so nobody would see who won. Homer thinks that there's a chance he may have won, but [[Al Gore]], who was also in Moe's, tells Homer to let it go because he had an election stolen from him, and things turned out fine.
−
The Simpsons later have dinner at [[Luigi's]], where Homer remains miserable. [[Luigi Risotto]] introduces him to his saucier, who he claims can tell what someone's life could have been like by stirring tomato sauce in a certain way. By using his magical tomato sauce, he helps Homer see what his life would have been like if he had won the election: Homer would have been rich, he would have had a better position at the [[Springfield Nuclear Power Plant|nuclear plant]], would have lived in a mansion on the site where the [[Ned Flanders|Flanders]] now live and wouldn't be bald. Marge would have been better-looking, and the kids would not have been born because Homer would have remembered to use protection before sex. Homer is depressed after seeing that his life would have been a lot better if he had won, even leaping into the pot to try to "live in the sauce".
+
 
−
Homer later agrees to take a walk with Marge to the Springfield Wall of Fame where his name has been put up (replacing [[Seymour Skinner]]). A boy then has his picture taken with him. Homer, now much happier, goes to a Korean restaurant that Bart says 'sells beef that spells the date of your death'.
+
That night, Homer can't sleep because he's thinking about the stolen election. He gets up and gets Lenny to show him where the ballot box was buried. After digging it up, Homer has [[Lisa]] count the votes and they found that Homer actually won the election. Homer gets angry at Principal Dondelinger because he thinks his life would have been better had he won. Homer and [[Bart]] then go to [[Golf 'N' Die Retirement Village]] to confront Dondelinger about the stolen election. Principal Dondelinger reveals that he heard students talking about how they would vote for Homer as a joke then all laugh at him when he won, so he hid the results to spare his feelings.
 +
 
 +
Later at [[Luigi's]], Homer isn't enjoying his meal as he's depressed over what could have been. As he talks about how he'll never know what his life would have been like, [[Luigi]] tells Homer that he can because there's an [[old Italian man]] who stirs the sauce who can see what might have been. Lisa is skeptical about this, but the family goes into the kitchen together to see if it's true. The old Italian man then shows the Simpsons what would have happened after the election was announced. Homer won the election, and the other students start laughing only for them to accept Homer as he's a loser like the rest of them. After becoming class president, Homer is asked to prom by a teenage [[Maude Flanders]]. However, Homer told her that he only had eyes for [[Debbie Pinson]], who agrees to go to prom with him. At the prom, Homer sees Marge with [[Artie Ziff]] and asks her to dance instead, blowing off Debbie Pinson. After prom, Homer was offered a job working at Sector 6-F in the [[Nuclear Power Plant]].
 +
 
 +
Lisa says that Homer's life would have been just the same, but the old Italian man tells her to be quiet and keeps showing how Homer's life would have unfolded. Homer and Marge lived in a huge mansion, located next to [[742 Evergreen Terrace]] which is where [[Grampa]] lived. However, Homer and Marge didn't have kids as Homer used protection. Upon seeing this, Homer tried to jump into the sauce, only for the Italian man to pull him out. Upon returning home, Homer just lounged in the kiddie pool depressed. Eventually, the family took Homer out for a walk and took him back to the Wall of Fame. Homer gets annoyed at coming back here until he sees that they put a plaque up on the wall for him. A father and son then come along and ask for Homer to take a picture with them. Homer is happier now but realizes that there was another plaque on the wall before his plaque was put up, which is revealed to be for [[Principal Skinner]]. The family then walks off talking about where to go out to eat.
  
 
== Production ==
 
== Production ==
−
The episode was written by [[Don Payne]] and directed by [[Steven Dean Moore]]. It was the first episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' to air in 720p high-definition television, though not the first time the show has appeared in high-definition, as ''[[The Simpsons Movie]]'' was rendered in HD.
+
"Take My Life, Please" is the first episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' to air in 720p high-definition television, though not the first time the show has appeared in high-definition, as ''[[The Simpsons Movie]]'' was rendered in HD.
 +
 
 +
In June [[2022]], audio of two animatics of the episode were uploaded to the {{W|Internet Archive}} from audio cassette tapes. The animatics had many jokes that were cut or changed before the final episode was aired. One of the changed lines had [[Barney]] yell out that he loved Vance, and that he would quit drinking if Vance said the word. While this joke was changed to a different man yelling "You're better than us!", the subtitles on [[Disney+]] still accredit the line to Barney. Other notable changes include [[Chazz Busby]] getting a scene cut at the Wall of Fame ceremony, teenage Homer making jokes about teachers after his failed speech, the ballot box not actually being buried but being in Lenny's car, Butthead being kidnapped by a rival school, and teenage [[Cookie Kwan]] as well as Maude asking Homer to prom.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/labf-01-final-1-animatic-6-18/LABF01+Final+1+animatic+6-18.mp3 Internet Archive - "The Simpsons: Take My Life, Please Animatic (S20E10, Audio Only)"]</ref>
 +
 
 +
== Reception ==
 +
Steve Heisler of ''{{W|The A.V. Club}}'' called the story "so bland". Heisler in particular claims that the episode "crushes under the weight of its bloated plot" and suffers from an "overexplanation of jokes".<ref>[https://www.avclub.com/take-my-life-please-what-happens-at-the-national-pr-1798205658 The A.V. Club - ""Take My Life, Please"/"What Happens At The National Propane Gas Convention In Memphis Stays At The National Propane Gas Convention In Memphis"/"Oceans Three And A Half"/"Family Affair""]</ref>
  
−
=== New Opening Sequence ===
+
Robert Canning of {{W|IGN}} gave the episode an 8.0 rating. Canning called the episode a "pleasant enough experience" and liked the fact the vision of the past took place in a fantasy flashback that didn't affect the show's canon. He Canning also said that he enjoyed the new opening sequence that came with the episode.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160306182202/http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/02/17/the-simpsons-take-my-life-please-review IGN - "The Simpsons: "Take My Life, Please" Review"] (archived on {{W|Wayback Machine}})</ref>
−
:''See the full article on the Opening Sequences, [[Opening Sequence|here]].''
 
  
−
This episode marks the first time the opening sequence was used in HD. The differences include:
+
"Take My Life, Please" was nominated for a [[2010]] Writers Guild of America award in Animation, but it lost to "[[Wedding for Disaster]]".<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000710/2010/1/ IMDb - "Writers Guild of America, USA 2010 Awards"]</ref>
−
*A three-eyed crow flies past the Simpsons logo in the sky.
+
 
−
*[[Kearney Zzyzwicz|Kearney]] and [[Jimbo Jones|Jimbo]] are seen sawing off the head of the [[Jebediah Springfield]] statue during the swoop across town. The head lands on [[Ralph Wiggum]], about to eat an ice cream cone.
+
As of April [[2024]], the episode has a 6.9 rating on {{W|IMDb}}.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1291155/ IMDb - "Take My Life, Please"]</ref>
−
*During Bart's chalkboard gag, the portrait on the classroom wall is now Homer as an astronaut
+
 
−
*As Bart skates out of school, he flies past a pile of [[Groundskeeper Willie]]'s leaves, revealing [[Barney]] lying on the ground.
+
== Gallery ==
−
*Behind Homer is [[Carl Carlson|Carl]] and [[Lenny Leonard|Lenny]] putting up the number three on a sign that says "Days Without an Accident." When the whistle blows, they fall off the ladder.
 
−
*Behind Marge is [[Patty and Selma|Patty &amp; Selma]] checking out a bunch of cigarettes.
 
−
*When a box of [[Krusty-O's]] is scanned, the total amount on the register changes from $236.60 to $243.26, which means the price of the cereal is $6.66. Maggie is inadvertently scanned too, which doubles the register total to $486.52, as she is mistakenly packaged with the groceries.
 
−
*Marge does not sigh with relief when [[Maggie]] is appears in the shopping bag, instead she just turns around like this is an average everyday thing.
 
−
*When Maggie pops out of the shopping bag, she shakes her fist with [[Baby Gerald]] in a nearby cart.
 
−
*In the orchestra room, there is an added picture of [[Bleeding Gums Murphy]] on the wall.
 
−
*Sherri & Terri are playing video games, rather than playing the flutes.
 
−
*At the end of Lisa's sax solo, she ducks inside briefly and smiles.
 
−
*When Homer throws the bar out of the window, it lands near [[Otto Mann]], who eats it.
 
−
*Bart now skates past [[Sideshow Bob]], [[Helen Lovejoy]], [[Apu Nahasapeemapetilon|Apu]] with his children, the [[Comic Book Guy]], [[Disco Stu]], [[Crazy Cat Lady]], [[The Rich Texan]], and [[Clancy Wiggum|Chief Wiggum]]. Marge's car drives over [[Hans Moleman]]'s manhole.
 
−
*Now [[Abraham Simpson|Grandpa]] is shown in the car next to Maggie who sits in the middle. When she and Marge honk the horn, Grandpa wakes up and spits out his false teeth.
 
−
*The pan across Springfield features more characters like [[God]] and the [[Devil]].
 
−
*After Lisa drives past Homer on her bike, he is too late to avoid Marge's car and gets shoved through the wall of the house.
 
−
*The old television set is now replaced with an HDTV. At the end of the theme, it falls, as if hanged on the wall.
 
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
−
File:TheSimpsonsTitleHDCrow.jpg
+
File:Take My Life, Please promo.png|Promo image for the HD opening
−
File:TownSwoopSpringfieldHD.jpg
 
−
File:Jebediah-head.jpg
 
−
File:Ralph-head.jpg
 
−
File:Lardladcrow.jpg
 
−
File:BillboardSchoolHD.jpg
 
−
File:Simpsons_chalkboard_gag.jpg
 
−
File:BartFlyingHDS20.png
 
−
File:BartBarneyWillieHD.jpg
 
−
File:HomerWorkplaceNewHD.jpg
 
−
File:bouvier-supermarketmagazine.jpg
 
−
File:MaggieHandsHD.jpg
 
−
File:MaggiePriceHD.jpg
 
−
File:MargeGroceryS20HD.png
 
−
File:MaggieGeraldFistsHD.jpg
 
−
File:LisaSaxNewHD.jpg
 
−
File:Lisaextrasolo.jpg
 
−
File:HomerDrivingHD.png
 
−
File:Otto-plutonium.jpg
 
−
File:BartSkateSwoopSeason20HD.png
 
−
File:MargeCarWiggumHD.png
 
−
File:MaggieDriveHD.png
 
−
File:MargeMaggieGrampaDriveHD.jpg
 
−
File:HomerGarageMargeS20HD.png
 
−
File:HomerRunOverHD.jpg
 
−
File:HomerOutlineDoor.jpg
 
−
File:SimpsonsCouchS20HD.png
 
−
File:HDTV.jpg
 
−
File:HDTVcrash.jpg
 
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
−
== Reception ==
+
== References ==
−
UGO wrote: "When the self-referential jokes about the episode’s switch to HD were the things that made me laugh the most, and they last only a few seconds, I realized something was not good. This may be 'The Sharpest. Episode. Ever.' but is definitely not the funniest. Still, there are some genuinely endearing bitter-sweet moments in the episode, but still it’s not enough to drive the show into the un-chartable funny waters that it used to live in."
+
{{Reflist}}
  
 +
{{Images|ep=yes}}
 
{{season 20}}
 
{{season 20}}
  
−
[[Category:Season 20]]
 
−
[[Category:Real World Articles]]
 
 
[[Category:2009]]
 
[[Category:2009]]
 
[[Category:Homer episodes]]
 
[[Category:Homer episodes]]
 
[[Category:WGA Award nominated episodes]]
 
[[Category:WGA Award nominated episodes]]
 +
[[Category:Episodes written by Don Payne]]
 +
[[Category:Episodes directed by Steven Dean Moore]]
 +
 +
[[sv:Take My Life, Please]]

Latest revision as of 18:49, September 12, 2024

Season 20 Episode
← 429 "Lisa the Drama Queen"
430
"Take My Life, Please"
"How the Test Was Won" 431 →
"I'm going to find out what Dondelinger did last summer! Twenty-two years ago! In the winter!"
―Homer Simpson
"Take My Life, Please"
Take My Life, Please.png
Episode Information
Episode number: 430
Season number: S20 E10
Production code: LABF01
Original airdate: February 15, 2009
Title screen: A three-eyed crow flies by
Billboard gag: Krusty now doing funerals
Chalkboard gag: HDTV is worth every cent
Couch gag: Simpsons Chasing Couch
Showrunner: Al Jean
Written by: Don Payne
Directed by: Steven Dean Moore
DVD features


"Take My Life, Please" is the tenth episode of season 20 of The Simpsons and the four-hundred and thirtieth episode overall. It originally aired on February 15, 2009. The episode was written by Don Payne and directed by Steven Dean Moore.

Synopsis[edit]

"Homer recalls the time he lost the race to be class president at Springfield High School, only to find that he actually won the election. He then gets shown how different his life would have been if he was class president."


Plot[edit]

At the Springfield Wall of Fame, Mayor Quimby unveils Vance Connor's plaque on the wall. As the people of Springfield congratulate Vance, Homer reveals that he ran for class president against Vance back in high school. Homer recalls the debate that he and Vance had, with Vance's speech going over a lot better than Homer's speech. Homer then demands to know whether Vance is happy with his life, and he reveals that he is. Later at Moe's Tavern, Homer laments about Vance beating him in the election. Lenny and Carl then reveal that Principal Dondelinger had the two of them bury the ballot box in the woods so nobody would see who won. Homer thinks that there's a chance he may have won, but Al Gore, who was also in Moe's, tells Homer to let it go because he had an election stolen from him, and things turned out fine.

That night, Homer can't sleep because he's thinking about the stolen election. He gets up and gets Lenny to show him where the ballot box was buried. After digging it up, Homer has Lisa count the votes and they found that Homer actually won the election. Homer gets angry at Principal Dondelinger because he thinks his life would have been better had he won. Homer and Bart then go to Golf 'N' Die Retirement Village to confront Dondelinger about the stolen election. Principal Dondelinger reveals that he heard students talking about how they would vote for Homer as a joke then all laugh at him when he won, so he hid the results to spare his feelings.

Later at Luigi's, Homer isn't enjoying his meal as he's depressed over what could have been. As he talks about how he'll never know what his life would have been like, Luigi tells Homer that he can because there's an old Italian man who stirs the sauce who can see what might have been. Lisa is skeptical about this, but the family goes into the kitchen together to see if it's true. The old Italian man then shows the Simpsons what would have happened after the election was announced. Homer won the election, and the other students start laughing only for them to accept Homer as he's a loser like the rest of them. After becoming class president, Homer is asked to prom by a teenage Maude Flanders. However, Homer told her that he only had eyes for Debbie Pinson, who agrees to go to prom with him. At the prom, Homer sees Marge with Artie Ziff and asks her to dance instead, blowing off Debbie Pinson. After prom, Homer was offered a job working at Sector 6-F in the Nuclear Power Plant.

Lisa says that Homer's life would have been just the same, but the old Italian man tells her to be quiet and keeps showing how Homer's life would have unfolded. Homer and Marge lived in a huge mansion, located next to 742 Evergreen Terrace which is where Grampa lived. However, Homer and Marge didn't have kids as Homer used protection. Upon seeing this, Homer tried to jump into the sauce, only for the Italian man to pull him out. Upon returning home, Homer just lounged in the kiddie pool depressed. Eventually, the family took Homer out for a walk and took him back to the Wall of Fame. Homer gets annoyed at coming back here until he sees that they put a plaque up on the wall for him. A father and son then come along and ask for Homer to take a picture with them. Homer is happier now but realizes that there was another plaque on the wall before his plaque was put up, which is revealed to be for Principal Skinner. The family then walks off talking about where to go out to eat.

Production[edit]

"Take My Life, Please" is the first episode of The Simpsons to air in 720p high-definition television, though not the first time the show has appeared in high-definition, as The Simpsons Movie was rendered in HD.

In June 2022, audio of two animatics of the episode were uploaded to the Internet Archive from audio cassette tapes. The animatics had many jokes that were cut or changed before the final episode was aired. One of the changed lines had Barney yell out that he loved Vance, and that he would quit drinking if Vance said the word. While this joke was changed to a different man yelling "You're better than us!", the subtitles on Disney+ still accredit the line to Barney. Other notable changes include Chazz Busby getting a scene cut at the Wall of Fame ceremony, teenage Homer making jokes about teachers after his failed speech, the ballot box not actually being buried but being in Lenny's car, Butthead being kidnapped by a rival school, and teenage Cookie Kwan as well as Maude asking Homer to prom.[1]

Reception[edit]

Steve Heisler of The A.V. Club called the story "so bland". Heisler in particular claims that the episode "crushes under the weight of its bloated plot" and suffers from an "overexplanation of jokes".[2]

Robert Canning of IGN gave the episode an 8.0 rating. Canning called the episode a "pleasant enough experience" and liked the fact the vision of the past took place in a fantasy flashback that didn't affect the show's canon. He Canning also said that he enjoyed the new opening sequence that came with the episode.[3]

"Take My Life, Please" was nominated for a 2010 Writers Guild of America award in Animation, but it lost to "Wedding for Disaster".[4]

As of April 2024, the episode has a 6.9 rating on IMDb.[5]

Gallery[edit]

  • Promo image for the HD opening

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Internet Archive - "The Simpsons: Take My Life, Please Animatic (S20E10, Audio Only)"
  2. ↑ The A.V. Club - ""Take My Life, Please"/"What Happens At The National Propane Gas Convention In Memphis Stays At The National Propane Gas Convention In Memphis"/"Oceans Three And A Half"/"Family Affair""
  3. ↑ IGN - "The Simpsons: "Take My Life, Please" Review" (archived on Wayback Machine)
  4. ↑ IMDb - "Writers Guild of America, USA 2010 Awards"
  5. ↑ IMDb - "Take My Life, Please"


The Saga of Carl - title screen.png Wikisimpsons has a collection of images related to "Take My Life, Please".
Season 20 Episodes
Sex, Pies and Idiot Scrapes • Lost Verizon • Double, Double, Boy in Trouble • Treehouse of Horror XIX • Dangerous Curves • Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words • MyPods and Boomsticks • The Burns and the Bees • Lisa the Drama Queen • Take My Life, Please • How the Test Was Won • No Loan Again, Naturally • Gone Maggie Gone • In the Name of the Grandfather • Wedding for Disaster • Eeny Teeny Maya, Moe • The Good, the Sad, and the Drugly • Father Knows Worst • Waverly Hills 9-0-2-1-D'oh • Four Great Women and a Manicure • Coming to Homerica
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