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Marge vs. the Monorail

Wikisimpsons - The Simpsons Wiki
Season 4 Episode
070 "Homer's Triple Bypass"
071
"Marge vs. the Monorail"
"Selma's Choice" 072
"Donuts. Is there anything they can't do?"
Homer Simpson
"I call the big one Bitey."
―Homer, on the opossums living in the Monorail.
"Marge vs. the Monorail"
Marge vs. the Monorail promo.jpg
Episode Information
Episode number: 71
Season number: S4 E12
Production code: 9F10
Original airdate: January 14, 1993
Chalkboard gag: "I will not eat things for money"
Couch gag: The Simpsons are joined by the whole of Springfield as they sit on the couch.
Guest star(s): Leonard Nimoy as himself
Phil Hartman as Lyle Lanley
Showrunner(s): Al Jean
Mike Reiss
Written by: Conan O'Brien
Directed by: Rich Moore
DVD features


"Marge vs. the Monorail" is the twelfth episode of season 4 of The Simpsons and the seventy-first episode overall. It originally aired on January 14, 1993. The episode was written by Conan O'Brien and directed by Rich Moore. It guest stars Phil Hartman as Lyle Lanley and Leonard Nimoy as himself.

Synopsis[edit]

"After collecting a $3 million fine from Mr. Burns (for illegal disposal of nuclear waste), Springfield holds a town meeting to decide what to do with the money. A smooth-talking stranger named Lyle Lanley talks the townspeople into spending the money on a needless monorail ....built from shoddy materials."


Plot[edit]

After being caught dumping nuclear waste in the city park, Mr. Burns is fined three million dollars. A town meeting is immediately held so the citizens can decide how to spend the money, and Marge suggests using it to fix up Main Street, which is in extremely poor condition. The town shows enthusiasm for this idea and is about to vote for it when suddenly a smooth-talking stranger named Lyle Lanley suggests the town buy a new monorail, making his pitch in a song which convinces the town to buy the monorail.

Marge is unhappy with the town's purchase, believing they should have fixed Main Street and the monorail is unsafe. While watching TV, Homer sees an advertisement suggesting he become a monorail conductor. Claiming it to be a lifelong dream, Homer signs up for the monorail conductor training course. After a decidedly unintensive three weeks of training, Homer is named the monorail conductor.

Still feeling uneasy about the monorail, Marge decides to visit Lyle Lanley and discovers a notebook revealing Lanley's true intentions: to have the monorail break down while he gets away with the town's money. Lanley catches her, and Marge quickly says she was just browsing around. Believing her story, Lanley allows her to leave, not knowing she has read the notebook and is aware of his plans.

Marge immediately drives to North Haverbrook, which Lanley mentioned was a previous purchaser of one of his monorails. She finds the town to be run-down and nearly deserted. Marge asks around about the monorail, but no one is willing to talk about it. A woman working at a drive-in diner says there's no monorail in North Haverbrook and never was, but then closes the doors, revealing the diner is called "MONORAIL CAFE". Finally, Marge meets Sebastian Cobb, who explain Lanley cut costs everywhere while building North Haverbrook's monorail, and the entire thing is a scam. Cobb shows her the remnants of the town's monorail, which is now broken and in disrepair.

At the maiden voyage of the monorail, the entire town turns out, including celebrities such as Lurleen Lumpkin and Leonard Nimoy. Lanley grabs his money and jumps in a taxi, taking him to the airport. The monorail takes off just before Marge and Cobb arrive in Springfield. At first the monorail runs smoothly, but the controls malfunction, causing the monorail to speed up and travel at dangerous speeds. Nobody can figure out how to stop the monorail (since it's solar-powered) and although a solar eclipse briefly halts it, the eclipse ends and the monorail takes off again. Meanwhile, Lanley's flight makes a brief unscheduled stop in North Haverbrook, where Lanley is immediately attacked by a group of locals who have been tipped off about his arrival, perhaps by Marge. Back in Springfield, Cobb tells Homer in order to stop the train, he needs to find an anchor. Homer grabs the giant "M" from the side of the monorail, ties it to a rope, and throws it out the window (just barely remembering at the last second he needs to also tie the rope to something inside the monorail). Eventually, the M latches onto a giant doughnut, stopping the monorail and saving its passengers. As the passengers get off of the monorail, Leonard Nimoy says his work is done. Barney tells Nimoy he didn't do anything. Nimoy asks, "Didn't I?" and vanishes in a transporter effect very similar to Star Trek.

The episode ends with Marge explaining the monorail was the last folly Springfield ever had ... except for the popsicle-stick skyscraper ... and the giant magnifying glass ... and the escalator to nowhere.

Reception[edit]

In 2003, Entertainment Weekly named this the fourth best episode in the show's history.

In other languages[edit]

Language Name Translation
Germany.png Deutsch "Homer kommt in Fahrt" Homer comes for a ride
Italy Flag.png Italiano "Marge contro la monorotaia" Marge vs. the Monorail
Flag of Japan.png 日本語 "モノレールの甘い罠" The Monorail's Sweet Trap


The Saga of Carl - title screen.png Wikisimpsons has a collection of images related to "Marge vs. the Monorail".
Season 4 Episodes
Kamp Krusty A Streetcar Named Marge Homer the Heretic Lisa the Beauty Queen Treehouse of Horror III Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie Marge Gets a Job New Kid on the Block Mr. Plow Lisa's First Word Homer's Triple Bypass Marge vs. the Monorail Selma's Choice Brother from the Same Planet I Love Lisa Duffless Last Exit to Springfield So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show The Front Whacking Day Marge in Chains Krusty Gets Kancelled