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Love Is a Many-Strangled Thing

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Season 22 Episode
480 "A Midsummer's Nice Dreams"
481
"Love Is a Many-Strangled Thing"
"The Great Simpsina" 482
"Love Is a Many-Strangled Thing"
Love Is a Many-Strangled Thing promo.png
Episode Information
Episode number: 481
Season number: S22 E17
Production code: NABF10
Original airdate: March 27, 2011
Title screen: The Futurama theme briefly plays, and the Planet Express ship flies across the screen.
Billboard gag: Do Not Accept Candy From This Bunny
Chalkboard gag: I will not ridicule teacher's Final Four bracket.
Couch gag: The couch gag is done in the style of ASCII artwork, with Bart putting the words "Fatso" on Homer's chest.
Guest star(s): Paul Rudd as Dr. Zander
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as himself
Kevin Michael Richardson as the retired lineman masseur
Showrunner: Al Jean
Written by: Bill Odenkirk
Directed by: Michael Polcino


"Love Is a Many-Strangled Thing" is the seventeenth episode of season 22 of The Simpsons and the four-hundred and eighty-first episode overall. It originally aired on March 27, 2011. The episode was written by Bill Odenkirk and directed by Michael Polcino. It guest stars Paul Rudd as Dr. Zander, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as himself and Kevin Michael Richardson as the retired lineman masseur.

Synopsis[edit]

"Attending a football game, Bart does not participate in a crowd activity, prompting Homer tickle him until he takes part. Instead, Homer embarrasses Bart - making him wet his pants. Marge forces him to partake in a fathering enrichment class, and the director, Dr. Zander is horrified to learn that Homer strangles Bart. He undergoes therapy, and eventually becomes afraid of Bart, doing whatever he says. Marge then seeks the help of the doctor to make everything go back to normal."


Plot[edit]

Mr. Burns goes up in a hot air balloon and cannot get down due to his weight. Homer attempts to shoot a hole in the balloon with a shotgun. He shoots a gargoyle head which lands on Mr. Burns head and therefore weighs the balloon down. Mr. Burns praises Homer by giving him tickets to a Springfield Atoms game. While at the game, Homer is on the "Make an Ass of Yourself" cam. Bart has no interest in participating which triggers Homer to tickle him. Bart laughs so hard that he pees himself for the whole crowd to see. Marge then enrolls Homer in parenting classes.

His counselor is shocked to discover that he strangles Bart. His counselor brings in his friend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who plays Homer while Homer plays Bart. Abdul-Jabbar strangles Homer to put him in Bart's perspective. Homer develops an immense fear of Bart as he pictures Abdul-Jabbar every time he is tempted to strangle him. Bart takes advantage of this which leads to Marge enrolling both of them in counseling.

When Marge goes to find Homer's counselor, his office is vacant. She finds the counselor in a homeless park due to not making money during the poor economy. Marge pays him $23 and a can of beans to help Homer and Bart. The counselor takes them a cacti-filled area of the desert. Bart continuously leads blindfolded Homer into cacti. Then the counselor puts a noose around Homer's neck and ties him up to a tree. Homer jumps and Bart refuses to cut the rope. The counselor then strangles Bart himself for being so defiant. Bart finally cuts the rope. Homer thanks Bart and tells the counselor he is going to sue him for everything he has. The counselor says "that it's only a house in a tree trunk". The show cuts off showing Homer and Bart in the tree trunk house.

Production[edit]

Reception[edit]

The episode was watched by an estimated 6.14 million viewers on its premiere.[1]

References[edit]


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