| "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |||
| Episodeno. | Season 11 Episode 21 | ||
| Directed by | Steven Dean Moore | ||
| Written by | Larry Doyle | ||
| Featured music |
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| Production code | BABF18 | ||
| Original air date | May 14, 2000 (2000-05-14) | ||
| Guest appearances | |||
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| Episode features | |||
| Chalkboard gag | "I cannot hire a substitute student" | ||
| Couch gag | The Simpsons are blank paint-by-numbers figures; Korean animators come in and color the family, but do not detailHomer andMarge's eyes. | ||
| Commentary | Mike Scully George Meyer Ian Maxtone-Graham Matt Selman Larry Doyle Steven Dean Moore | ||
| Episode chronology | |||
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| The Simpsonsseason 11 | |||
| List of episodes | |||
"It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge" is the twenty-first and penultimate episode of theeleventh season of the American animated television seriesThe Simpsons. It first aired in the United States on theFox network on May 14, 2000. After a failed marriage attempt with Otto, Becky (played by guest actressParker Posey) stays with theSimpson family. However,Marge begins to get paranoid at her family's newfound love of Becky, and begins to think that she is seducingHomer.
The episode was directed bySteven Dean Moore and written byLarry Doyle. Doyle was assigned to write the episode based on actressDrew Barrymore's desire to appear in aSimpsons episode; Barrymore instead appeared in a later episode and the guest role of this episode was given to Posey.
While all ofBart's class is given a camera with which to create video projects,Otto proposes to his girlfriend, Becky, who accepts. As the Simpsons still have everything fromApu's wedding, the ceremony will take place at their house. On the day, Becky admits to Marge the biggest difference between her and Otto is that she hatesheavy metal music. When Becky objects to Otto having aPoison tribute band (called Cyanide) play "Nothin' but a Good Time" at the ceremony, Marge suggests to Becky that she gives Otto a choice; he can either have her as his wife or heavy metal. Otto chooses heavy metal, and breaks up with Becky.
On Bart's suggestion, Becky stays with theSimpson family. Marge consoles her, but when Becky begins to help out around the house and is praised for her contribution, Marge begins to worry that her family likes Becky more than her. She becomes increasingly paranoid that Becky is trying to kill her once she finds the brakes on her car were cut. Becky and the rest of the family meet without Marge at anice cream parlor, where Becky tells everyone that she has found a new apartment and is moving out. Homer then passes out face first in a large Noah's Ark-themed bowl of ice cream, prompting Becky to give him mouth-to-mouth, which Marge sees and thinks she is kissing him. She attacks Becky but is arrested and sent to a sanity hearing, where due to her past affection forRingo Starr and her belief inGod, the certifying board decide to commit her.
Marge escapes custody, resulting in a media frenzy derides her as crazy. She goes to the library to find out more about Becky, but after finding nothing bad about her and a newspaper tablet of how she ruined Becky's wedding, Marge realizes she has let her paranoia get the better of her and that she has been unfair to Becky. Finally, she returns home, only to find Becky appearing to torture the family and seemingly about tosacrifice Homer with a knife. Marge intervenes, but the scene is revealed to be a sequence Bart is filming for his school project. Homer admits that he accidentally drained thebrake fluid from Marge's car while changing its oil. Marge apologizes to Becky, who admits that she did intend to kill Marge and steal her family, but decided not to after she could not get a shovel. Marge is suddenly tranquilized by the mental hospital staff, but the drugs do not take effect as she has too much work to do. She alludes to Homer she has housework for him to do, so Homer tranquilizes Marge himself, sending her straight to sleep.
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The writers ofThe Simpsons were told that actressDrew Barrymore wanted to guest star in the series and pitched several possible episodes for her. These included what became the plot of this episode, with Barrymore voicing Becky, as well as another that would see her voiceKrusty the Clown's daughter. The latter idea was used for theseason twelve episode "Insane Clown Poppy", with Barrymore appearing as Krusty's daughter.Parker Posey was selected to voice Becky instead.[1]Larry Doyle wrote the episode's script and named Becky after his wife.[2]
Posey came in for at least two or three sessions worth of recording.[1] For Cyanide, thePoison tribute band, the producers unsuccessfully attempted to get Poison lead vocalistBret Michaels to play the singer.[1]Marc Wilmore, a writer on the show, voices one of the psychologists, formally known in the script as "Extra Guy".[3][4] Scully gave the guest role to him as a thanks for his practical joke he played on fellow writerMatt Selman regarding East St. Louis and the season ten episode "They Saved Lisa's Brain".[1] The producers got a censor note for the scene where Chief Wiggum teaches Ralph how to hold a gun in order to achieve a "kill shot".[1]
Steven Dean Moore directed the episode.[5] The episode's couch gag involves Korean animators coloring blank paint-by-numbers figures ofThe Simpsons; these caricatures are based on Korean animators who worked in the United States atFilm Roman, the show's animation production company.[5] Thejimmies that Marge throws at the busboys are all variations of the character design that was used for theSqueaky Voiced Teen since the series' inception.[5] At the time, theSimpsons writers thought the word "usurper" was funny, hence its numerous appearances in the episode. Selman, in the episode's audio commentary, recalled that it was hard to write so many misunderstandings; Scully commented, "It gives us a new appreciation forThree's Company."[1][3]
"It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge" features several references topopular culture. The title is a reference toIt's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. In the episode, Otto meets Becky atWoodstock 1999, where he is on fire and the fire itself is put out by the water in her water bottle.[1][3] This was a reference to a controversy about the high cost of water at the festival, and Otto being on fire references the large number of fires that occurred.[4] Otto holds up a boombox and blares Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" whilst proposing to Becky. When Otto plays air guitar, it is completely accurate fingering: John Achenbach, a storyboard artist on the show, is an accomplished guitarist and provided demonstrations for the animators.[5] The episode itself is a loose parody of the 1992 thriller filmThe Hand That Rocks the Cradle, when Marge's sisterSelma mentions that "Marge finds herself in similar situation -- attractive guest tries to steal her place in the family". Becky's name is a reference to the film's main antagonist played byRebecca De Mornay. When Krusty interviews Marge, it is a television static image of her face with an impersonator's lips in place of hers; this was an homage to a recurring skit from the showLate Night with Conan O'Brien in whichRobert Smigel's lips would be placed on those ofBill Clinton or other famous people.[6] The idea was created byBrent Forrester, a former writer forThe Simpsons who in the early days ofLate Night sent the joke toConan O'Brien, also a former writer forThe Simpsons.[1] Patty and Selma's line "the bitterness is strong in this one," is a reference toDarth Vader's line "the Force is strong in this one" from the 1977 filmStar Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.[7]
At the beginning of the episode, when Principal Skinner assigns the students with film projects, he tells them in advance that he doesn't want to see 30Blair Witch knock-offs, a reference to the 1999 found footage horror filmThe Blair Witch Project. The music that accompanies Homer’s use of a sly gadget to extract pastry segments from within Otto's wedding cake is an homage to theJames Bond Theme.
The episode originally aired on theFox network in the United States on May 14, 2000.[8][9] On October 7, 2008, it was released on DVD as part of the box setThe Simpsons – The Complete Eleventh Season. Staff members Mike Scully, George Meyer, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Matt Selman, Larry Doyle, and Steven Dean Moore participated in the DVDaudio commentary for the episode. Deleted scenes from the episode were also included on the box set.[10]
While reviewing the eleventh season ofThe Simpsons, DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson commented: "Unusually, 'Mad' provides a pretty concise focus on only one story. The lead bit with Otto directly leads to the Marge plot, and it doesn’t go off on the usual tangents. ... And it works pretty well. 'Mad' isn’t the most inspired tale, but it does fine for itself."[9]
