A Midsummer's Nice Dream

"A Midsummer's Nice Dream"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.	480
Prod. code	NABF09
Orig. airdate	March 13, 2011 (USA) June 17, 2011 (UK)
Show runner(s)	Al Jean
Written by	Dan Castellaneta & Deb Lacusta[1]
Chalkboard gag	"Daylight Savings" is not a failed bank.
Couch gag	The Simpsons run to the couch and a spring throws them off.
Guest star(s)	Cheech Marin Tommy Chong
Season 22 September 26, 2010 – May 22, 2011 "Elementary School Musical" "Loan-a Lisa" "MoneyBART" "Treehouse of Horror XXI" "Lisa Simpson, This Isn't Your Life" "The Fool Monty" "How Munched is That Birdie in the Window?" "The Fight Before Christmas" "Donnie Fatso" "Moms I'd Like to Forget" "Flaming Moe" "Homer the Father" "The Blue and the Gray" "Angry Dad: The Movie" "The Scorpion's Tale" "A Midsummer's Nice Dream" "Love Is a Many Strangled Thing" "The Great Simpsina" "The Real Housewives of Fat Tony" "Homer Scissorhands" "500 Keys" "The Ned-Liest Catch" List of all The Simpsons episodes
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"A Midsummer's Nice Dream" is the sixteenth episode of The Simpsons' twenty-second season. It aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 13, 2011. The episode name is a play on the Shakespeare play A Midsummer Night's Dream and the Cheech & Chong movie Nice Dreams.

Plot

The Simpsons are at a live Cheech and Chong show when Chong, upset by the act's repetitiveness, begins to improvise and ultimately leaves the stage. Homer is encouraged to take Chong's place on stage, and recites the act from memory. Cheech is impressed, and asks Homer to join him for the rest of the tour under the name "Cheech and Chunk." Homer is disillusioned to learn that Cheech and Chong's lives are different from their stoner personae. Meanwhile, Chong has replaced Cheech with Seymour Skinner, forming a duo called "Teech and Chong," but the team proves unsuccessful. Homer eventually convinces Cheech and Chong to reunite.

Meanwhile, Marge discovers that the The Crazy Cat Lady is a hoarder. In an effort to help, Marge has the clutter removed from her home. But after loading the waste disposal truck, Marge begins removing items, eventually causing her own home to become cluttered. To cure Marge's new obsession, Homer brings back the Crazy Cat Lady, who ends up becoming a hoarder again after seeing all her old items.

In an epilogue, Bart tells the audience to watch the show the next day on Hulu.com.

Reception

In its original American broadcast, "A Midsummer's Nice Dream" was viewed by an estimated 5.448 million households and received a 2.5 rating/8% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49.^[2] This means that it was seen by 2.5% of all 18–49 year olds, and 8% of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This episode fell 11% in the ratings from the previous episode, making it the lowest rated episode of the season.^[2][3]

The Parents Television Council named "A Midsummer's Nice Dream" its Worst TV Show of the Week for the week ending March 18, 2011, for its subject matter; it was the first Simpsons episode to be so named. The PTC stated "The Simpsons may have been on the air for 22 years now (and counting), and while there are plenty of adults who watch the show, no one can deny that there is also a sizable audience of children. Since Cheech is portrayed as a straight-laced stick-in-the-mud, the subtle anti-drug messages in the show are completely lost. In the end, sober still equals boring."^[4]

Cultural references

In the opening, Lisa plays the trumpet instead of the saxophone in the opening scene, but still has the saxophone in her bike basket on her way home.

Lots-O'-Huggin' Bear from Toy Story 3 makes an appearance when showing in the Crazy Cat Lady's hoarded items.

References

1. ^ Homer Simpson to Join Cheech Marin in Comedy Team
2. ^ ^{a b} Gorman, Bill (2011-03-14). "TV Ratings Sunday: ‘CSI:Miami’ Surge Leads CBS Win; ‘Secret Millionaire’ Falls; ‘Simpsons,’ ‘Bob’s Burgers’ Hit Lows". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/03/14/tv-ratings-sunday-csimiami-surge-leads-cbs-win-while-secret-millionaire-tumbles/85588. Retrieved 2011-03-19. 
3. ^ Robert Seidman. "TV Ratings Sunday: 'Secret Millionaire' Money for ABC; Restaurant Not So Great, 'Celebrity Apprentice' Down; 'Housewives Up'". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/03/07/tv-ratings-sunday-secret-millionaire-money-for-abc-restaurant-not-so-great-celebrity-apprentice-down-housewives-up/84791. 
4. ^ "The Simpsons on Fox". Worst TV Show of the Week. 2011-03-18. http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/bw/2011/0318worst.asp. Retrieved 2011-03-18.