Difference between revisions of "There's No Disgrace Like Home/References"

Revision as of 16:47, August 30, 2009

Reception

The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, note: "It's very strange to see Homer pawning the TV set in an attempt to save the family; if this episode had come later Marge would surely have taken this stance." They continue, "A neat swipe at family counselling with some great set pieces; we're especially fond of the perfect version of the Simpsons and the electric-shock aversion therapy."^[1] In a DVD review of the first season, David B. Grelck gave the episode a rating of 2.0/5.0, placing it as one of the worst of the season.^[2]

This episode would have been one of the first seen by British viewers. It was the first episode to be broadcast by the BBC on 23 November 1996 on a Saturday at 5.30pm, because the episodes were shown out of order. The episode episode were screened with five million viewers that was slighly less than the show, Dad's Army, which previously held the timeslot. The episode also faced competition from ITV's screening of Sabrina the Teenage Witch.^[3]

The scene where the family turn electrically shocking each other would later appeared in Die Hard 2.^[4][5]

Trivia

• This episode was the first to be broadcast by the BBC, on BBC One on 23 November 1996, making it the first episode to be seen by UK terrestrial viewers (the satellite channel Sky One had shown the programme since 1990). Moving to BBC Two from 10 March 1997, it continued on the BBC until terrestrial rights moved to Channel 4 in 2004.
• This was the first episode seen in Australia on Channel 10 in 1991.
• Red, purple, green, blue: The colors of Jell-o molds Marge makes for the picnic.
• A sign outside Burns manor reads, "Poachers will be shot."
• The hypnotic show the Happy little Elves supervises the children in the nursury at the company picnic.
• Smithers wears his plant I.D. even at the picnic.
• The first episode that Bart says his catch phrase " Don't have a Cow"
• The first episode that the Simpsons have been shot at.
• The police dog's name is Bobo
• The phone number for Dr. Monroe's center is 1-800-555-hugs.
• This episode is the first time the audience sees the cartoon Itchy and Scratchy. In this cartoon, Scratchy sticks his head into a mousehole, and Itchy blows his head off by making him swallow a bomb.
• When Homer is saying that they have to get 250 dollars for the therapy in the background you can see a teddybear on the lower shelf near the stero that looks exactly like Mr Burns' bear Bobo.
• Bart and Lisa's college fund amounts to $88.50
• Their TV is a Motorola, and the pawn clerk knows Homer's name when he enters.
• The "perfect" family that Homer encounters at the end of Mr. Burns' picnic is seen again later, behind the Simpsons at Dr. Monroe's office.
• Dr. Monroe keeps his aggression therapy mallets in a gun cabinet.
• The family acts wildly out of character in this episode: Homer is much more caring and actually suggests to eat at the dinner table instead of watching TV. Marge is a drunkard who behaves a lot like Homer. While Bart and Maggie have the same personalities, Lisa seems to act much more bratty, which is reminiscent of her actions on the Tracy Ullman Show.

Errors

• When Marge gets drunk at the picnic, she falls on Homer while saying "Homie, did you try the punch?", her lips don't move.
• When the Simpsons are spying on the old man, the boy and the old woman, all three of them disappear and then reappear between shots. Whenever there is a wide shot from outside the house, they are not there but when there is a close shot from outside or inside they are there.
• As Homer is carrying the TV towards the pawn shop in the first shot the left window is clear. There is then a tracking shot of the family walking and when they get in front of the store the window has writing on it saying Pawn Shop. The writing is in black and the next shot when they are talking the writing is now dark brown.
• Before Homer enters the pawn shop you can see the TV is a purple color. As he enters the store the color of the TV is now blue.
• In the Marvin Monroe's Therapy Centre, one of the families sitting in the waiting room to have therapy are the family at the end of Burns' party who are like angels, and get into the car and sing a song, as Homer watches them in jealously.
• When the TV shows the eagle give food to his children, the man on the TV says "the father of the family" later he says it was the mother.

Parodies

• Freaks, the Tod Browning cult horror film about sideshow "freaks," in its repetition of the line "one of us"
• Citizen Kane in its low angle hillside shot of Burns' mansion
• Batman in its reference to the "stately Burns Manor"
• The episode title is a play on the saying "There's no place like home" (a quote from The Wizard of Oz).
• Itchy & Scratchy, who made their first appearances together in this episode, are the parodies of Tom and Jerry.

References