Missionary: Impossible/References

General

References/Trivia

Appearances

Gags

Credits

Quotes

	Season 11 Episode References
← 240 "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily"	241 "Missionary: Impossible"	"Pygmoelian" 242 →

Cultural references

• The episode's title is a pun on Mission: Impossible, the 1996 American action spy film.
• Homer watches PBS, a real television network. The Thames "London Skyline" ident from Thames Television can also be briefly seen on the TV.
• The English sitcom Do Shut Up could be a parody of The Young Ones, a similarly chaotic Britcom that ran on English T.V. in the early 1980s. It was known for its lowbrow characters who shared a similarly dismal house, and spent much of the show bashing each other over the head with household items.
  • The song playing in the background on Do Shut Up while Homer watches the show is "No Feelings" by the Sex Pistols.
• The host of PBS says that your music room can sound like the Metropolitan Museum in New York with Museum Noises.
  • The cover of Museum Noises is a reference to The Son of Man by surrealist painter René Magritte.

The Teletubbies, Fred Rogers from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Betty White, among others, are seen chasing Homer

• Among the people and characters seen chasing Homer are:
  • Fred Rogers from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
  • Cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
  • The Teletubbies from Teletubbies.
  • Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, and Elmo from Sesame Street.
• Homer mentions Chubb group.
• Microatia is a parody of Micronesia.
• The scene where Homer is licking bullfrogs on an island refers to the first verse of the Pink Floyd song "Comfortably Numb" from the album The Wall. Marge calling "Hello, is there anybody in there?" over the radio even intones the melody.
• Bart says that Marge won't let him read Hägar the Horrible.
• Homer critizices Unitarianism, the Christian theological tradition.
• Homer says that God is powerful, but also insecure, like Barbra Streisand before James Brolin.
• Homer says that if The Flintstones have taught anything, it's that pelicans can be used to mix cement.
• Mr. Burns says that Homer took the Hamburglar's birthday off last Monday and Wednesday. The Hamburglar is one of the McDonaldland characters.
• Homer created beer by mixing Dristan, an American brand of medications, and holy water.
• After opening up The Lucky Savage casino, Homer says that he knows how Bob Stupak felt. Bob Stupak was an entrepreneur who became a Las Vegas casino developer and owner.
• When Homer asks "Is everybody happy?" on entering the casino, he is referencing bandleader Ted Lewis' famous catchphrase with similar inflection.
• The telethon scene at the end features various FOX characters as phone operators, including:
  • Fox Mulder and Dana Scully from The X-Files.
  • Hank Hill from King of the Hill.
  • Thurgood Orenthal Stubbs from The PJs.
  • Bender from Futurama.
  • Luke Perry, who played Dylan McKay in Beverly Hills, 90210.
  • Rupert Murdoch.
• The television in the telethon scene has the Family Guy logo on it.
• Rupert Murdoch is drinking Foster's Lager.

← Season 10 Season 11 References Season 12 →

Beyond Blunderdome • Brother's Little Helper • Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner? • Treehouse of Horror X • E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt) • Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder • Eight Misbehavin' • Take My Wife, Sleaze • Grift of the Magi • Little Big Mom • Faith Off • The Mansion Family • Saddlesore Galactica • Alone Again, Natura-Diddily • Missionary: Impossible • Pygmoelian • Bart to the Future • Days of Wine and D'oh'ses • Kill the Alligator and Run • Last Tap Dance in Springfield • It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge • Behind the Laughter