Diggs/References
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Cultural references[edit]
- The episode parodies some elements from the 1951 American coming-of-age novel The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, such as Bart having a similar emotional role to that of Holden Caulfield, feeling that adults do not understand what matters in a similar way Holden feels adults are "phony", or feeling alienated at school the way Holden feels alienated from everyone.
- The episode, however, has more direct allusions to the 1959 coming-of-age novel A Separate Peace by John Knowles. Particularly:
- Diggs' leap off of the tree branch, an analogy to Finny's fall in the novel.
- Brinker Hadley's signature on Diggs' cast, one of the main characters from the novel.
- Diggs's mental breakdown, as that of the loner and outsider Leper Lepellier.
- The episode, however, has more direct allusions to the 1959 coming-of-age novel A Separate Peace by John Knowles. Particularly:
The episode's couch gag by French animator Sylvain Chomet includes several references to France, such as the famous portrait of former president François Hollande by Raymond Depardon.
- The episode's couch gag was created by French comic writer, animator, and film director Sylvain Chomet:
- The setting and music are based on those of the 2003 animated adventure comedy-drama The Triplets of Belleville. The film, also created by Chomet, was highly praised and nominated for two Academy Awards.
- Bart uses a "DIY goose liver pate", referencing the Pâté de Foie Gras, a delicacy in French cuisine.
- Homer eats a bucket of snails, referencing escargot.
- Art pieces include:
- A picture of the ship France sinking in the style of Untergang der Titanic by Willy Stöwer.
- The portrait by Raymond Depardon of former French president François Hollande.
- Reverend Lovejoy is talking about the ancient Kingdom of Moab during his sermon.
- The Protestant minister from Indonesia, Reverend Kartawijaya, accidentally prays for Allah. This is a reference to Indonesia being the country with the largest Muslim population in the world.
- During a video call, Milhouse tells Bart that "there really was a Duncan Hines". He is referring to Duncan Hines, an American author and food critic who produced restaurant ratings for travelers. Milhouse also shows Bart a box of Duncan Hines cake mix.
- A boy in a devil disguise takes the role of Mr. Applegate in a school play on Damn Yankees, the 1955 musical comedy.
- Martin gives Bart a St. John's wort plant to eat in exchange for money.
- Diggs says that Bart is the reason that he had to dissect a Muppet in biology instead of a frog.
- The song that plays during the showing of the Montessori School is "Flower Duet" by Léo Delibes, from the opera Lakmé.
- Diggs uses the Latin phrase Habemus papam to tell whether Bart is accepted in the falconry club.
- Skinner speaks Esperanto.
- Homer mentions the American rock band Journey when he projects his own teenage years onto Bart.
- The song playing while Bart and Diggs are having fun is "Come Saturday Morning" by The Sandpipers.
- The song is heard again when Bart takes care of Freedom.
- The poem that Diggs quotes while Bart and Diggs sit in the tree is "The Windhover" by Gerard Manley Hopkins.
- He quotes the poem again later in the episode when the falcons are released.
- Abe thinks of his time in the Korean War when Freedom is massaging his head.
- Homer is watching a football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons.
The names on Diggs' cast reference well-known intellectual and pop-culture figures such as Alan Turing or even The Simpsons former writer John Swartzwelder.
- The names on Diggs's cast are:
- Phineas Fogg, most likely intended to be Phileas Fogg from Around the World in Eighty Days.
- Oedipa Maas and Dr. Hilarius from The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon.
- Allan Quatermain from King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard.
- Professor T. W. Mangrove, a reference to Raymond Luxury-Yacht from Monty Python's Flying Circus. In the sketch, Raymond Luxury-Yacht is pronounced "Throatwobbler Mangrove" according to Raymond himself.
- Alan Turing, inventor of the Turing Machine.
- The TARDIS and Dalek #7 from Doctor Who.
- Brinker Hadley from A Separate Peace.
- Clare Quilty from Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.
- William Wharton, the American author best known for his first novel Birdy.
- Kilgore Trout, a fictional character created by writer Kurt Vonnegut.
- Cthulhu, the fictional cosmic entity created by writer H. P. Lovecraft.
- Stephen Dedalus, James Joyce's literary alter ego.
- Major T. J. "King" Kong from Dr. Strangelove.
- John Swartzwelder, former writer, producer, and consultant for The Simpsons.
- Diggs compares Bart to the Greek philosopher Diogenes, and also alludes to the lamp Diogenes was known to wander with at the marketplace in Athens.
- Marge says the mental hospital Diggs is staying at is an Arkham Asylum type of place, referencing Arkham Asylum from the DC Comics.
- Diggs mentions the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5).
- Comic Book Guy is dressed in a Star Trek uniform next to a woman dressed as Marta, the female Orion.
- Diggs says that he's a messed-up kid, not Magneto from Marvel Comics.
Trivia[edit]
- The brand of the TV, "BoyleHendry", refers to animator Neil Boyle and compositor Kirk Hendry, who participated in the making of the couch gag.
- Skinner speaks Esperanto. The sentences he says are "Is the Esperanto Society far behind?" and "It's true. I'm very lonely."
Continuity[edit]
- Bart once again displays his ability to swallow various inedible objects. ("They Saved Lisa's Brain")
