| "Four Regrettings and a Funeral" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |||
| Episodeno. | Season 25 Episode 3 | ||
| Directed by | Mark Kirkland | ||
| Written by | Marc Wilmore | ||
| Production code | RABF18 | ||
| Original air date | November 3, 2013 (2013-11-03) | ||
| Guest appearances | |||
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| Episode features | |||
| Chalkboard gag | "We'll really miss youMrs. K" | ||
| Couch gag | A parody ofThe Hobbit in which The Simpsons trek to the couch. | ||
| Episode chronology | |||
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| The Simpsonsseason 25 | |||
| List of episodes | |||
"Four Regrettings and a Funeral" is the third episode of thetwenty-fifth season of the American animated television seriesThe Simpsons and the 533rd episode of the series. It first aired on theFox network in the United States on November 3, 2013. It was written byMarc Wilmore and directed byMark Kirkland.[1] The title is a spoof ofFour Weddings and a Funeral.
In this episode, four Springfield residents think about their regrets at a funeral. JournalistRachel Maddow and former football playerJoe Namath guest starred as themselves. The episode received mixed reviews. For this episode,Harry Shearer won his firstEmmy Award forOutstanding Character Voice-Over Performance.
The episode is dedicated in memory ofMarcia Wallace (the voice ofEdna Krabappel) who died on October 25, 2013.[2] In addition, thechalkboard gag in the opening sequence was changed to read a single "We'll really miss you Mrs. K" as Bart looks on solemnly.[3]
Springfield resident Chip Davis (a man who never appeared on the show yet apparently greatly impacted everyone in some way) dies, prompting some of the people he knew to reflect on their own lives and choices.Homer regrets selling hisApple stock for a bowling ball, and becomes increasingly irritated thatMr. Burns is gloating about buying Homer's stock with successful results.
Marge worries that her listening toKiss albums while pregnant withBart made him what he is today as she watches him acting out during Chip Davis' funeral withMilhouse, including removing the church's pew kneelers, hurting everyone's knees when everyone kneels to pray, stealing the collection plates and using them as swords, and stealingReverend Lovejoy's gown, mocking him.
Burns regrets breaking up with a French woman Lila who became aBuddhist nun after rejecting his engagement proposal due to his selfishness. He later finds her in a Buddhist temple, and the two reunite. He then goes to the bathroom to freshen up. But when he returns, he finds her dead in bed after taking too long to prepare. He tries resuscitating her, but his "breath of life" ends up disintegrating her body.Smithers then encourages Burns to honor the one wish she had for him: be selfless for at least five minutes. Mr. Burns then sets out to volunteer at the soup kitchen, where he ends up staying longer than five minutes.
Kent Brockman regrets not taking a position as acable newsanchorman when he had the chance when he was younger. He later goes toNew York City looking for a job. After reviewing his choices, he heads toFox News, where one anchor encourages him to blame the Democrats for what happens in the news. After realizing the pettiness of the news station, Kent decides to return home.
Later, Bart decides to fly after making a balloon ride out of a laundry basket and hundreds of balloons. However, he begins to regret his decision after ascending too high into the air. Kent then sees this and broadcasts it on the news in hopes of regaining his drive for local news. Homer then uses his bowling ball as a way of weighing down Bart's balloon ride by shooting it out of a cannon, which lands on the basket and brings Bart back to the ground. Everyone celebrates Bart's rescue while ignoringLisa's success at an academics competition. Homer then begins to appreciate his bowling ball again, but then it explodes after a police sniper accidentally shoots it.
Before the credits roll, a tribute to Chip Davis is shown, depicting pictures of Chip inserted into notable moments from the show.
Following the death of recurringThe Simpsons guest starMarcia Wallace, the episode acknowledged her passing during the chalkboard gag.[4] The producers planned to retire her character after all the remaining episodes that she had recorded had aired.[5][6][7]
Television news program hostRachel Maddow guest starred as a fictionalized version of herself who used to work with Kent Brockman.[8] Former American football playerJoe Namath appeared as himself.[8] He previously appeared in theninth season episode "Bart Star."[9] WriterAaron Sorkin was reported to guest star in the episode, but he did not appear.[10]
The episode received a 2.4/6 rating/share with adults 18–49, and was watched by a total of 5.43 million people, making it the most watched show onAnimation Domination.[11] The episode was down from the previous episode "Treehouse of Horror XXIV," which was watched by 6.42 million viewers and received a 3.0 rating.[12]
The episode received mixed reviews from critics.
Dennis Perkins ofThe A.V. Club gave the episode a C−, saying, "The callbacks and in-jokes engender nods of recognition but nothing like laughter. Krusty's the one who started the infamous Springfield Tire fire? Makes sense. Joe Namath is back for a one-line cameo? Sure—I remember when he was on the show that one time. There's just no snap to the jokes, if indeed they constitute jokes and not mere references."[9]
Tony Sokol ofDen of Geek gave the episode four out of five stars, saying, "The Simpsons mean to subvert all that is accepted as entertainment. They take on their own network, Kent Brockman has too much integrity to work at Fox News. They play with the media frenzy by teasing with the death of a beloved character and make someone up who fits the bill for the episode. When the Simpsons killed off Frank Grimes, it was one of the darkest episodes of situation comedy ever aired on television. It was also one of the funniest."[13]
For this episode,Harry Shearer won his firstEmmy Award forOutstanding Character Voice-Over Performance at the66th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.[14]
Sunday's edition ofThe Simpsons was preceded on the Fox channel in the US by a re-run of 2011 episode The Ned-liest Catch. Wallace appeared in 178 episodes in all, voicing grumpy fourth-grade teacher Edna in all but three of them. The actress's death was confirmed on 26 October by The Simpsons' executive producerAl Jean, who said she had been 'brilliant and gracious'. 'She was beloved by all at The Simpsons and we intend to retire her irreplaceable character,' he said in a message on Facebook.
