Specs and the City/References
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Cultural references
- The episode's title is a reference to Sex and the City.
- During the episode's couch gag Homer is watching the Super Bowl XLVIII, facing Seattle Seahawks against Denver Broncos. The NFL on FOX theme can be heard here and later during the credits.
- Homer sings the song "Glowing Rods" to the tune of the Christmas song "Silver Bells".
- The Hound-A-Day Calendar cover parodies the Grande Odalisque painting by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres.
Smithers wears a reindeer horn on his head such as Max, the Grinch's dog
- Smithers wears a reindeer horn on his head such as Max, the Grinch's dog, on How the Grinch Stole Christmas!.
- Oogle Goggles are a parody of Google Glass.
- The cloud scene from The Simpsons opening sequence is seen at Sector 7-G.
- Homer is discarding banners the day after the celebrations have taken place. Some of them include:
- January the 21st, one day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Homer discards a banner with the phrase "I Have a Dream", the famous name for the public speech given by Martin Luther King Jr., and the LGBT colours.
- February the 3rd, Homer discards a banner with the legend "He Saw His Shadow!". This refers to Groundhog Day. The day derives from the superstition that if a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day and sees its shadow, it will retreat to its den and winter will go on for six more weeks; if it does not see its shadow, spring will arrive early.
- The TV show Firstline is a parody of Dateline NBC.
- The "history's monsters" mentioned on the show include Attila the Hun, Mao Zedong and Will Lyman, the narrator of the show himself.
- Bart was going to give Nelson a Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole valentine card, saying that it was a bad movie.
- The valentine's card was pasted on a happy bar mitzvah card. This last card includes the L'Chaim toast ("L'Chaim" meaning "to life" in Hebrew) and a the image of a character similar to Sheriff Woody Pride from Toy Story holding a shotgun with two Torahs as barrels.
- The book Heaven is Real is a reference to the real-world book Heaven Is for Real.
- On the "Oogle Goggles FAIL compilation" on man steps on the famous Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park.
- The musical composition heard on the compilation video is the "Maple Leaf Rag" by Scott Joplin.
- According to the glasses, the Springfield City Hall was built for Spencer Tracy fictional movie Meet Me At City Hall.
- Wendell gives Nelson a Transformer for Valentine's Day. The Brown-haired boy gives nelson a Hershey's Kiss, a chocolate candy.
- Two employees at the Nucler Power Plant are playing "Muppet Chess", a reference to The Muppets. The move the employee named Charlie makes is "Gonzo to Fozzie Seven", which led to a "Kermit-mate". Charlie says ""Wocka wocka!", the catchphrase that Fozzie Bear usually uses.
- When Marge wears the goggles for the first time she says "Marge Simpson, entering the matrix", a reference to the film The Matrix.
E. Byrd is playing Klondike (solitaire)
- At the Nuclear Power Plant:
- E. Byrd is playing Klondike (solitaire).
- C. Chang is browsing eBay.
- D. Stewart is reading a Fanfic about the videogame Angry Birds.
- Marge mentions the website "genealogy.org", now ancestry.com.
- Jen & Barry's Ice Cream is a parody of Ben & Jerry's. The lema "Occupy Walnut Street" is a reference to Occupy Wall Street, a left-wing populist movement against economic inequality, corporate greed, big finance, and the influence of money in politics in 2011.
- Homer says that the only thing in the newspaper that does not drive him mad are Marmaduke comic strips.
- Moe calls Santa's Little Helper Fido, like the Italian dog that is a symbol of loyalty. Abraham Lincoln also had a dog called Fido.
- The second movement, Romanticze: Andante, from Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik (Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major), K. 525 is heard when Homer is at the marriage counselor office.
- The song "Basha Hino Chodheyee Mu" by Gitanjali Bhatra is heard after Ralph mentions St. Patrick's Day and during part of the credits.
Trivia
- The couch gag is based on The Simpsons Channel 4 ident that has been used in the UK since 2006.
- If one looks closely at the bird's eye pan of Springfield, the Channel 4 logo can still be seen, however it is no longer illuminated in a way that causes it to stand out.
- In an early version of the script were "Oogle Goggles" called "MyEyes".
Continuity
- Mr. Burns mentions office supply theft and that happened in "How I Wet Your Mother".
- Smithers says "The Doctor says to take you in if you display kindness or warmth", referencing the episode "The Fool Monty" which shows that kindness could kill Mr. Burns, whilst evil makes him live longer.
- Carl knows CPR in this episode, something neither Carl or Lenny knew when Homer was choking on donuts in "Homer at the Bat".
