There’s no indication in the production notes that Truly Barr Clark, Scott J. Neal, or Ron Moore based the episode in any way onThe Crying of Lot 49, or that they are even aware of Pynchon, but nevertheless the episode does have a number of Pynchonian elements.
The Willie Mays baseball card that Jake and Nog work to obtain throughout the episode is a MacGuffin, it doesn’t have any particular powers or represent a link to a deep conspiracy. But it does spawn a brief, virtual conspiracy when Jake and Nog provide Weyoun with a whopper of a cover up story, that: “Until yesterday, that man, one Willie Mays, did not exist in any historical documents. Then, in a blink of an eye, that card appeared on the station. And at same moment a bust of Willie Mays appeared at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. There’s only one explanation: we suspect that this man is from the future. [...] And so far, that card is the only link we have to him. We must find out what he has done in the past, or what he may have done already. We need that card. The entire future of the galaxy may depend on tracking down Willie Mays and stopping him.”
I believe the secret underground network of communications Joe refers to is the series of machinations Nog goes through to provide Dr. Geiger with the supplies he needs in trade for the Willie Mays baseball card. Again, it seems like a surface similarity, as these are not particularly pre-existing networks, nor do they have a mysterious “other” quality. Dr. Geiger, however, seems to be a very Pynchonian character – he’s quite paranoid, delusional, and fleeing from the “Soulless minions of Orthodoxy.” Oh, and his invention? “The Cellular Regeneration and Entertainment Chamber” which he designed to alleviate “cellular ennui.” You see, you die not because your body decays, or evolved to reach a certain lifespan, but because your cells get bored. But if you relieve their boredom, if you keep them constantly entertained, you can live forever. Geiger’s name stems from a bad, Pynchonesque pun/joke - “Lions, and Geiger’s, and bears . . . Oh my!” (reference:ST:DS9 Companion), and has few fantastic lines: “I haven’t broken any laws, except perhaps the laws of nature.” “What does it do? [Bunch of technobable]...and send uplifting and entertaining messages to the nuclei of every cell in your body. Spend eight hours a day in this machine, and your cells will never get bored, you will never get old, and most important, you will never die!” “I’m not crazy – I’m just a little obsessed”
I don’t think it is meant to be a Pynchon parody. Rather, the series hit upon a particularly deranged and absurd character, who provides us with moments of Pynchonesque dialogue.
Happily, there are the DVD sets, which contain commentary for each and every episode in the first two seasons. Epitomizing the best that DVD commentary can offer, the viewer is treated to Matt Groening and half the show’s creative staff, apparently sitting around a TV and pointing out all the allusions, injokes, and animation difficulties as they bust of each other and make fun of Fox. Many things are revealed by the commentary, including numerous Sci-Fi references hidden in the show, from a Dungeons & Dragons “Rust Monster” to a Lovecraftian creature used as a space bride. Thomas Pynchon makes an “appearance” in two episodes: Season 1
In the commentary track for an episode of season one, the show’s creators briefly discuss what books they’ve never finished, and Matt Groening admits to something that we’ve all heard from our friends: “I never readGravity’s Rainbow.” Season 2, Episode 7: “A Head in the Polls”
Aired December 12, 1999.
“A Head in the Polls” begins with aTwilight Zone parody of the classic episode in which a voracious reader, the sole survivor of Armageddon, finds himself alone in a library – only tobreak his eyeglasses! In theFuturama version, the poor reader’s luck is even worse. After breaking his glasses, he proclaims that he can still read large print: and his eyeballs pop out. But he still has Braille! – until his hands fall off. He screams, and his tongue falls out, finally followed by his head dropping off.
Among the books seen on the shelves of the future library are2084 andAnti-Gravity’s Rainbow; which I bet Groening’s never read, either.
Season 13
Season 15
Airing January 25, 2004, episode More than just revealing Pynchon’s voice,After praising her manuscript, her publisher seeks blurbs from Thomas Pynchon and Tom Clancy. In the short Pynchon scene, we see the author by the side of the road, his head concealed behind a paper bag bearing a question mark. His house is marked by a sign: “Thomas Pynchon’s House: Come On In!” Speaking on his cell phone, Pynchon desperately seeks to be noticed by the passing cars: Pynchon: “Here’s your quote: ‘Thomas Pynchon loved this book, almost as much as he loves cameras.’”
After hanging up, he puts on a placard emblazoned with his name, and shouts to the oblivious traffic: “Hey, over here! Have your picture taken with a reclusive author. Today only, we’ll throw in a free autograph! But wait – there’s more!”
After securing this blurb, the publisher traps Tom Clancy, and the book is published to popular success, despite being critically trounced. On August 29, 2003 IGN DVD Editor Andy Patrizio:Where would you like to start, the DVDs or the show? The Simpsonsexecutive producer Al Jean:Well, let’s talk about the show. We just completed season 14. Next season will put us ahead ofOzzie and Harriet as the longest running sitcom ever. Coming up in the fall we start as usual with our Halloween show in November. Guest stars include Jerry Lewis who plays the father of Professor Frink, who is loosely modeled on Jerry Lewis’s characters, we also have a show where Homer’s mother returns and is put on trial. We also have a show where The Simpsons go to London and it includes guest voices from Ian McKellen, J.K. Rowling, Jane Leeves and Prime Minister Tony Blair, playing himself. We have a show coming up where Marge writes a novel and gets endorsements from writers playing themselves, including Tom Clancy, Thomas Pynchon- IGN DVD: How did you get him? [IGN Editor’s note: For the unfamiliar, Pynchon is the most reclusive and elusive author in the U.S. He never does interviews, has never been photographed, and people don’t even know where he lives. He makesCalvin & Hobbes cartoonist Bill Watterson look like a publicity hound.] Al Jean: We got him. (laughs) He was really nice. IGN DVD:Oh well of course, he’s not seen, right? Al Jean: He’s wearing a paper bag over his head, but it is his voice. IGN DVD:Oh that’s priceless. I hope somebody gets the joke. Actually, I think getting J.K. Rowling is a bigger coup because she is better-known. Al Jean: Well, she likes the show, we got her by satellite, I think from Scotland, and she’d just had her baby.
Literary titan Thomas Pynchon breaks 40-Year silence… onThe Simpsons!
Season 16
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