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Difference between revisions of "The War of the Simpsons"

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{{episode
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{{Tab}}
|image=blank.png
+
{{EpisodePrevNext|Lisa's Substitute|Three Men and a Comic Book}}
|productionCode=7F20
+
{{Icons||FE}}
|originalAirdate=May 2, 1991
+
{{Quote|Marge, as a trained marriage counselor, this is the first instance where I've ever told one partner that they were 100% right. It's all his fault. I'm willing to put that on a certificate you can frame.|[[Reverend Lovejoy]]}}
|blackboardText="I will not do anything bad ever again."
+
{{Episode
|couchGag=When the family hops on, Homer width knocks the family off, one by one, taking the couch for himself.
+
|name= The War of the Simpsons
|billboard=
+
|image= Homer Leers - The War of the Simpsons.png
|specialGuestVoices=none
+
|number= 33
|Written By=John Swartzwleder
+
|season=2
|Directed By=Mark Kirkland
+
|snumber=20
 +
|prodcode= 7F20
 +
|airdate= May 2, [[1991]]
 +
|blackboard= "I will not do anything bad ever again."
 +
|showrunner1= James L. Brooks
 +
|showrunner2= Matt Groening
 +
|showrunner3= Sam Simon
 +
|writer= [[John Swartzwelder]]
 +
|director= [[Mark Kirkland]]
 +
|DVD features=yes
 
}}
 
}}
  
"'''The War of the Simpsons'''" is the 20th episode of the second season of The Simpsons.
+
"'''The War of the Simpsons'''" is the twentieth episode of [[season 2]] of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' and the thirty-third episode overall. It originally aired on May 2, [[1991]]. The episode was written by [[John Swartzwelder]] and was directed by [[Mark Kirkland]].  
  
==Synopsis==
+
== Synopsis ==
Marge and Homer throw a party. Homer gets drunk and humiliates himself by telling off total strangers, stumbling over furniture, pulling a practical joke on Dr. Hibbert, dancing while wearing a lampshade for a hat, and leering at [[Maude Flanders]]' bustline. Homer then collapses on the living room floor and falls asleep into the next morning, while Marge and the kids go to church. At church, Marge enrolls in a weekend retreat of marriage counseling hosted by [[Reverend Lovejoy]] and [[Helen Lovejoy]]. Marge recruits Grampa for the weekend to babysit since the babysitter she previously hired was emotionally scarred by Bart when he was a baby.
+
{{Desc|[[Marge]] and [[Homer]] host a dinner party, and Homer gets drunk and makes an oaf of himself. Angry and embarrassed, Marge signs the two of them up for a marriage retreat. When Homer learns the retreat is being held at a popular fishing spot, he tries to bail out of the retreat to go fishing. Meanwhile, [[Grampa]] babysits [[Bart]] and [[Lisa]], who trick the old man into letting them do whatever they want—including throwing their own party.}}
  
Homer finds out that the retreat will be held at Catfish Lake and packs his fishing equipment, despite Marge telling him that the retreat will be resolving their differences. On the way there, he learns of the legendary catfish, General Sherman.
+
== Plot ==
 +
[[Marge]] and [[Homer]] throw a dinner party. Homer gets drunk and humiliates himself by telling off total strangers, pulling a very juvenile (and probably medically dangerous) practical joke on [[Dr. Hibbert]] involving a fly in an ice-cube, dancing while wearing a lampshade as a hat, ogling [[Maude Flanders]]' cleavage and generally making an oaf of himself. Homer then passes out on the living room floor and sleeps until morning. (Hibbert suggests to Marge that, '''if''' she wants Homer to live through the night, she should roll him onto his stomach). The next day, in church, Marge enrolls the two of them in a weekend retreat of marriage counseling hosted by [[Reverend Lovejoy]] and [[Helen Lovejoy]]. When Marge hires a babysitter for the weekend, the sitter takes one look at [[Bart]] and runs away screaming, as she had been emotionally scarred by watching Bart when he was a baby. Marge ends up recruiting [[Grampa]] as a last-minute replacement to babysit for the weekend.
  
Meanwhile, at home, left with Grampa, Bart and Lisa decide to hold a party. At the lake the next morning Homer tries to sneak away to go fishing early in the morning, but Marge wakes up early. Marge is upset that Homer would choose fishing over their marriage, but the message at first is lost on Homer, who visualizes Marge turning into a catfish. Homer takes a walk instead. On the dock, Homer finds an abandoned fishing pole. The pole yanks him off the pier into a small rowboat, and onto the lake. From their cabin window, Marge watches Homer fish.
+
Homer finds out that the retreat will be held at [[Catfish Lake]] and plans to spend some time fishing, even though Marge tells him that the weekend will be spent resolving their differences and there won't be any time for fishing. Even so, Homer sneaks his fishing gear in with the luggage. Before they leave, Marge gives Grampa a list of numbers in case accidents happen, and secretly gives [[Lisa]] a number to call if Grampa falls in the tub. On the way to the retreat, Homer learns of the legendary catfish, [[General Sherman]], and vows to catch the elusive fish.
  
Bart and Lisa's party has ended and the house is a total mess. Watching Grampa cry and fearing that he will get in trouble, they frantically clean up the house, not knowing he was pretending.
+
Meanwhile, at home, Bart and Lisa decide to take advantage of being left with Grampa, with Bart creating a phony list of what foods they can and cannot have. This leads to a shopping trip where Bart smokes a cigar; Grampa gets candy, ice cream and other items for the kids; and Bart makes Grampa chauffer them to [[Krusty Burger]] and then to [[Noiseland Video Arcade]].
  
Marge attends the workshops alone while Homer catches his fish. When he returns, Marge tells him their marriage is in trouble if he values fish more than her. To prove that he loves Marge more he lets the fish go (despite battling it for several hours) and they return together to a clean house.
+
During the first meeting at the marriage retreat, each couple is asked to explain the faults of the other person. When it is Marge's turn, her list is so long that she talks for several hours, and Reverend Lovejoy has to cancel plans for a luau. The next morning. Homer gets up at 5:00 am to sneak away and go fishing, but Marge wakes up and catches him. Marge is angry that Homer would choose fishing over their marriage, but the message is at first lost on Homer, who visualizes Marge turning into a catfish. Homer asks if he can take a walk instead, and Marge agrees. On the dock, Homer finds an abandoned fishing pole, picks it up, and gets yanked off the pier into a small rowboat and onto the lake. It appears that the rod has hooked the legendary catfish, General Sherman. From the cabin window, Marge sees Homer on the lake, and assumes that he has ignored her again.
  
Back at the bait shop, General Sherman still swims free, but tales get told of Homer as an impressive fisherman.
+
Back at home, Bart and Lisa throw a party that ends with the house in a total mess. Watching Grampa cry, and fearing that he will get in trouble, Bart and Lisa start to feel remorse for taking advantage of Grampa, and they frantically work to clean the house up before Homer and Marge return. However, unbeknownst to them, Grampa secretly chuckles while they clean.
  
==Appearances==
+
Marge attends the marriage workshops alone while Homer is still attempting to catch the fish. Finally he wrestles it into the boat, and after it stops moving, he returns to the dock, triumphantly singing, "I am the Champion." He finds Marge waiting for him, and she tells him their marriage is in trouble if he values a fish more than her. To prove that he loves Marge more, he lets the fish go (despite having battled it for several hours), Marge forgives him, and they return home to a clean house. Grampa admits he fooled Bart and Lisa into obedience by pretending to cry ("I can turn it on like a faucet!"), and the entire Simpson family realizes how clever he is.
===Characters===
 
* [[Homer Simpson]]
 
* [[Marge Simpson]]
 
* [[Bart Simpson]]
 
* [[Lisa Simpson]]
 
* [[Maggie Simpson]]
 
* [[Ned Flanders]]
 
* [[Maude Flanders]]
 
* [[Moe Szyslak]]
 
* [[Dr. Hibbert]]
 
* [[Bernice Hibbert]]
 
* [[Carl Carlson]]
 
* [[Sam and Larry|Sam]]
 
* [[Barney Gumble]]
 
* [[Patty and Selma Bouvier]]
 
* [[Sam and Larry|Larry]]
 
* [[Reverend Timothy Lovejoy]]
 
* [[Gloria S.]] and [[John S.]]
 
* [[Snowball II]]
 
* [[Helen Lovejoy]]
 
* [[Abraham Simpson]]
 
* [[Rainier Wolfcastle]]/[[McBain]]
 
* [[Milhouse Van Houten]]
 
* [[Otto Mann]]
 
* [[Snake Jailbird]] (debut appearance)
 
* [[Wendell Borton]]
 
* [[Sherri and Terri]]
 
* [[Nelson Muntz]]
 
* [[Santa's Little Helper]]
 
* [[Lewis]]
 
* [[Richard]]
 
* [[Dolph Starbeam]]
 
* [[Jimbo Jones]]
 
* [[Kearney Zzyzwicz]]
 
* [[General Sherman]]
 
  
===Vehicles===
+
Back at Catfish Lake, General Sherman still swims free, but the story of how Homer nearly caught him is added to the tale of the legendary fish, as told by the [[Worm man|bait shop clerk]].
* [[Orange Station Wagon]]
 
* [[Pink Sedan]]
 
* [[School Bus]]
 
  
===Locations===
+
== Production ==
* [[742 Evergreen Terrace]]
+
<gallery>
* [[First Church of Springfield]]
+
File:7F20 Script.jpg
* [[Bait Shop]]
+
</gallery>
* [[Catfish Lake]]
 
* [[Grocery Store]]
 
* [[Van Houten House]]
 
* [[Springfield State Prison]]
 
  
==Quotes==
+
== Reception ==
====Near the beginning of the episode====
+
This episode did very well with the critics but [[Matt Groening]] was very disappointed with the scene where [[General Sherman]] surfaces and winks at the camera while [[Homer]] and [[Marge]] are embracing in the background. Groening felt that it made the episode unrealistic.
''The Simpsons' party for friends and neighbors is in full swing, sort of...''
 
 
 
:''Barney talks to Patty (or is it Selma?)''
 
:Barney: Hey!  You're Homer's sister-in-law, right?
 
:Barney: I remember you.  But I don't remember you being so beau''&#91;burp&#93;''tiful.
 
:Barney: ''&#91;she maces him&#93;''  Oh, ow, hey, ''&#91;burp&#93;'' ''&#91;cough&#93;''
 
:Barney: Is that a new kind of mace?  It's really painful.
 
  
====Near the end of the episode====
+
== In other languages ==
''At the [[bait shop]]...''
+
{{LanguageBox
:Clerk: Yep, 'General Sherman'.  They say he's five hundred pounds of bottom-dwelling fury, don't you know.  No one knows how old he is, but if you ask me (and most people do), he's hundred years if he's a day.
+
|hu=yes
:Customer: And uh no one's ever caught him?
+
|huName=Egy hétvége a házasságért
:Clerk: Well, one fella came close.  Went by the name of Homer.  Seven feet tall he was, with arms like tree trunks.  His eyes were like steel, cold, hard. Had a shock of hair, red like the fires of Hell.
+
|huTrans=A weekend for the wedlock
 +
|br=yes
 +
|brName=Guerra Conjugal
 +
|brTrans=Conjugal War
 +
|de=yes
 +
|deName=Kampf dem Ehekrieg
 +
|deTrans=Fight of the marriage dispute
 +
|it=yes
 +
|itName=La guerra dei Simpson
 +
|itTrans=The war of the Simpsons
 +
|jp=yes
 +
|jpName=シンプソン家の戦争
 +
|jpTrans=War of the Simpsons
 +
}}
  
==Trivia==
+
{{Images|ep=yes}}
* The family from Mr. Burns' picnic in [[There's No Disgrace Like Home]] is seen again in church in front of Marge.
+
{{season 2}}
* Marge urges Homer to go easy on the "al-key-hol". The last time she used that term she was halfway in the bag herself, and performed similar embarrassing drunken revelry at Mr. Burns' picnic in [[There's No Disgrace Like Home]].
+
{{DEFAULTSORT:War of the Simpsons, The}}
 
 
==Cultural References==
 
* The title is based on the 1989 film The War of the Roses.
 
 
 
* When Ned Flanders is making drinks at the Simpsons' party, much of the flashy ways he is seen preparing the cocktails is similar to Tom Cruise's bartending stunts in the 1988 film Cocktail.
 
  
* The music in the scene where an infant Bart chases his teenage babysitter with the car is similar to the score from The Omen.
+
[[Category:1991]]
 +
[[Category:Homer episodes]]
 +
[[Category:Marge episodes]]
 +
[[Category:Grampa episodes]]
 +
[[Category:Episodes written by John Swartzwelder]]
 +
[[Category:Episodes directed by Mark Kirkland]]
  
* Homer's false memory of the party is a reference to the Algonquin Round Table, a group of New York City writers, critics, actors and wits. The guests and the party and the way they are drawn resemble Al Hirschfeld's caricature of the group. As Hirschfeld's drawings were always in black and white, the colour scheme is borrowed from the covers for The New Yorker.
+
[[de:Kampf dem Ehekrieg]]
 
+
[[sv:The War of the Simpsons]]
* John and Gloria bear a strong resemblance to George and Martha from Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
 
 
 
* The character of Gloria is one of the few times in the series that Julie Kavner has voiced a character other than Marge or one of her relatives.{{fact}}
 
 
 
* Homer's marathon attempt at catching General Sherman, his bludgeoning of the fish and the line "I love you but I have to kill you" are all based on Santiago's fight with the marlin in Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea.
 
 
 
* Homer sings "We Are the Champions" by Queen after he actually catches General Sherman, although he butchers the lyrics by singing "I Am the Champions", in which he fails to singularize the lyrics in order to describe only himself.
 
 
 
* The Picture of General Sherman, in the Service Station, is a reference to the famous hoax picture of the Loch Ness Monster
 
 
 
{{Season 2}}
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:War of the Simpsons, The}}
 
[[Category:Episodes]]
 
[[Category:Season 2]]
 
[[pt:Guerra conjugal]]
 

Latest revision as of 12:23, April 14, 2024

Season 2 Episode
032 "Lisa's Substitute"
033
"The War of the Simpsons"
"Three Men and a Comic Book" 034
"Marge, as a trained marriage counselor, this is the first instance where I've ever told one partner that they were 100% right. It's all his fault. I'm willing to put that on a certificate you can frame."
Reverend Lovejoy
"The War of the Simpsons"
Homer Leers - The War of the Simpsons.png
Episode Information
Episode number: 33
Season number: S2 E20
Production code: 7F20
Original airdate: May 2, 1991
Chalkboard gag: "I will not do anything bad ever again."
Showrunners: James L. Brooks
Matt Groening
Sam Simon
Written by: John Swartzwelder
Directed by: Mark Kirkland
DVD features


"The War of the Simpsons" is the twentieth episode of season 2 of The Simpsons and the thirty-third episode overall. It originally aired on May 2, 1991. The episode was written by John Swartzwelder and was directed by Mark Kirkland.

Synopsis[edit]

"Marge and Homer host a dinner party, and Homer gets drunk and makes an oaf of himself. Angry and embarrassed, Marge signs the two of them up for a marriage retreat. When Homer learns the retreat is being held at a popular fishing spot, he tries to bail out of the retreat to go fishing. Meanwhile, Grampa babysits Bart and Lisa, who trick the old man into letting them do whatever they want—including throwing their own party."


Plot[edit]

Marge and Homer throw a dinner party. Homer gets drunk and humiliates himself by telling off total strangers, pulling a very juvenile (and probably medically dangerous) practical joke on Dr. Hibbert involving a fly in an ice-cube, dancing while wearing a lampshade as a hat, ogling Maude Flanders' cleavage and generally making an oaf of himself. Homer then passes out on the living room floor and sleeps until morning. (Hibbert suggests to Marge that, if she wants Homer to live through the night, she should roll him onto his stomach). The next day, in church, Marge enrolls the two of them in a weekend retreat of marriage counseling hosted by Reverend Lovejoy and Helen Lovejoy. When Marge hires a babysitter for the weekend, the sitter takes one look at Bart and runs away screaming, as she had been emotionally scarred by watching Bart when he was a baby. Marge ends up recruiting Grampa as a last-minute replacement to babysit for the weekend.

Homer finds out that the retreat will be held at Catfish Lake and plans to spend some time fishing, even though Marge tells him that the weekend will be spent resolving their differences and there won't be any time for fishing. Even so, Homer sneaks his fishing gear in with the luggage. Before they leave, Marge gives Grampa a list of numbers in case accidents happen, and secretly gives Lisa a number to call if Grampa falls in the tub. On the way to the retreat, Homer learns of the legendary catfish, General Sherman, and vows to catch the elusive fish.

Meanwhile, at home, Bart and Lisa decide to take advantage of being left with Grampa, with Bart creating a phony list of what foods they can and cannot have. This leads to a shopping trip where Bart smokes a cigar; Grampa gets candy, ice cream and other items for the kids; and Bart makes Grampa chauffer them to Krusty Burger and then to Noiseland Video Arcade.

During the first meeting at the marriage retreat, each couple is asked to explain the faults of the other person. When it is Marge's turn, her list is so long that she talks for several hours, and Reverend Lovejoy has to cancel plans for a luau. The next morning. Homer gets up at 5:00 am to sneak away and go fishing, but Marge wakes up and catches him. Marge is angry that Homer would choose fishing over their marriage, but the message is at first lost on Homer, who visualizes Marge turning into a catfish. Homer asks if he can take a walk instead, and Marge agrees. On the dock, Homer finds an abandoned fishing pole, picks it up, and gets yanked off the pier into a small rowboat and onto the lake. It appears that the rod has hooked the legendary catfish, General Sherman. From the cabin window, Marge sees Homer on the lake, and assumes that he has ignored her again.

Back at home, Bart and Lisa throw a party that ends with the house in a total mess. Watching Grampa cry, and fearing that he will get in trouble, Bart and Lisa start to feel remorse for taking advantage of Grampa, and they frantically work to clean the house up before Homer and Marge return. However, unbeknownst to them, Grampa secretly chuckles while they clean.

Marge attends the marriage workshops alone while Homer is still attempting to catch the fish. Finally he wrestles it into the boat, and after it stops moving, he returns to the dock, triumphantly singing, "I am the Champion." He finds Marge waiting for him, and she tells him their marriage is in trouble if he values a fish more than her. To prove that he loves Marge more, he lets the fish go (despite having battled it for several hours), Marge forgives him, and they return home to a clean house. Grampa admits he fooled Bart and Lisa into obedience by pretending to cry ("I can turn it on like a faucet!"), and the entire Simpson family realizes how clever he is.

Back at Catfish Lake, General Sherman still swims free, but the story of how Homer nearly caught him is added to the tale of the legendary fish, as told by the bait shop clerk.

Production[edit]

Reception[edit]

This episode did very well with the critics but Matt Groening was very disappointed with the scene where General Sherman surfaces and winks at the camera while Homer and Marge are embracing in the background. Groening felt that it made the episode unrealistic.

In other languages[edit]

Language Name Translation
Germany.png Deutsch "Kampf dem Ehekrieg" Fight of the marriage dispute
Italy Flag.png Italiano "La guerra dei Simpson" The war of the Simpsons
Brasil Flag.png Português "Guerra Conjugal" Conjugal War
Hungary flag.png Magyar "Egy hétvége a házasságért" A weekend for the wedlock
Flag of Japan.png 日本語 "シンプソン家の戦争" War of the Simpsons


The Saga of Carl - title screen.png Wikisimpsons has a collection of images related to "The War of the Simpsons".
Season 2 Episodes
Bart Gets an "F" Simpson and Delilah Treehouse of Horror Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish Dancin' Homer Dead Putting Society Bart vs. Thanksgiving Bart the Daredevil Itchy & Scratchy & Marge Bart Gets Hit by a Car One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish The Way We Was Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment Principal Charming Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? Bart's Dog Gets an "F" Old Money Brush with Greatness Lisa's Substitute The War of the Simpsons Three Men and a Comic Book Blood Feud