- Duffless
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"Duffless" is the sixteenth episode of The Simpsons' fourth season and originally aired on the Fox network on February 18, 1993.[3] After getting arrested for drunk driving, Homer tries to remain sober, at Marge's request. Meanwhile, Lisa attempts to prove that Bart is dumber than a hamster after he ruins her first science fair project. It was written by David M. Stern, and directed by Jim Reardon.[2]
Contents
Plot
Bart is at the school science fair presenting a Go-Go Ray. He zaps all the teachers, resulting in their dancing uncontrollably. Principal Skinner declares "First Prize" to Bart over and over. Bart's dream fades out to Lisa saying into Bart's ear "First prize" again and again to mess around with his head.
At breakfast, Lisa shows the family her science fair project, a genetically engineered tomato that she hopes will cure world hunger. Bart's project is to study the effects of cigarette smoking on dogs; his "volunteer" is Santa's Little Helper. At the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, Homer ducks out of work early and accompanies Barney on a tour of the Duff brewery. After the tour, Homer refuses to let the exceptionally drunk Barney drive home and unsuccessfully tries to knock him out by repeatedly slamming his head in the car door, until Barney gives him the keys. On their way out of the parking lot, their car is pulled over by Police Chief Wiggum, along with Eddie and Lou. They administer a field sobriety test to Homer, which he passes, but Barney tells the police officers to give Homer the breathalyzer test, which he fails. Homer is arrested, his license is revoked, and he must attend traffic school and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
At school, three days before the science fair, Lisa makes the mistake of leaving her super tomato under Bart's care for a moment. Bart takes the opportunity to hurl it at Skinner, while he is bent over tying his shoe. When Lisa sees what Bart has done with her project, she is furious. Lisa appeals to Marge for help, who suggests she run a hamster through a maze. She takes the idea to heart, but instead of just testing the intelligence of a rodent, she pits a hamster against an unknowing Bart to find out who is smarter. After two simple tests, the hamster leads two to zero.
In bed, Marge gives Homer a magazine quiz about his drinking. Hearing his answers, she asks him to give up beer for a month, to which he agrees. Homer reminisces about the time he first drank beer: using a fake ID to acquire a six pack and eventually passing out listening to Queen.
Bart finds Lisa's project notes and hides them. He plans to lead her on a treasure hunt to get them back but she finds them after just a second. Homer tries not to think about beer while he rides Lisa's bike to work. After a series of severe temptations, Homer crashes the bike as hundreds of bottles of Duff parachuted down on him from the blimp. At the science fair, Lisa's project and chance for revenge are both ruined by Bart's project: "Can hamsters fly planes?". Lisa tries to reason with the ignorant viewers that his project has no scientific merit, but everyone ignores her. A cute hamster sitting in the cockpit of a miniature plane wins over Skinner. He tells Lisa that every good scientist is half B.F. Skinner and half P.T. Barnum before handing Bart the winning ribbon, much to Lisa's dismay.
At Homer's AA meeting, he is kicked out by Reverend Lovejoy after confessing that his desperation for the taste of beer led him to "sneak into the football stadium and eat the dirt underneath the bleachers". But he exhibits more positive changes such as losing weight, saving over $100 and no longer sweating while he eats. After thirty days of sobriety, Homer rushes back to Moe's, despite Marge asking him to stay home. However, after seeing how alcohol has ruined the lives of Barney and the other barflies, he turns around and goes home. Homer and Marge ride a bike into the sunset.
Production
Bart's go-go ray idea was "stolen" from the opening credits of Johnny Quest.[4] Mike Reiss said they did not want to show the hamster getting shocked but had to for plot purposes.[5] The first line Richard Nixon says, during the Duff commercial, was taken verbatim from the Kennedy-Nixon Debate during the 1960 Presidential Campaign.[6] Adolf Hitler's head, among other things, can be seen going by in bottles of Duff when the quality control man is not paying attention.[6] The episode contains the first appearance of Sarah Wiggum.[7]
Cultural references
Bart reaches for cupcakes in a scene that parodies A Clockwork Orange
When Bart reaches for the cupcakes, it is a parody Alex reaching for the woman's breasts in A Clockwork Orange.[5] The Duff clock is a parody of the "It's a Small World" clock.[6] In the Duff TV advertisement, a group of women were leading an anti-sexism protest in front of the McMahon and Tate building, a reference to the advertising agency from Bewitched.[5] During the tour of the Duff Brewery, bottles can be seen which contain Adolf Hitler's head as well as a miniature three-eyed "Blinky" fish (from "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish"). The scene toward the end where Moe points toward individual customers declaring they will "be back" before pointing toward and addressing the viewer (later revealed to be Barney via a cutaway) is a parody of the end of the film Reefer Madness.[5] The final scene, where Homer and Marge cycle into the distance while "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" plays is a reference to the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.[1] Homer also listens to the music of Queen.[2] Homer's driver's license gives Springfield's zip code as 49007, the zip code for Kalamazoo, Michigan. Bart sitting in the chair, stroking the hamster is a reference to James Bond character Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who strokes a cat in his chair.[5]
Reception
"Duffless" aired during February sweeps and finished 19th in the weekly ratings for the week of February 15–21, 1993 with a Nielsen rating of 15.2 and was viewed in 14.2 million homes.[8] It was the highest rated show from the Fox Network that week.[9]
The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood said, "A superb episode with a sincere message. Homer is excellent throughout, but it is the cameos by Principal Skinner and Edna Krabappel that steal the show, especially the latter's reaction to Milhouse's Slinky."[2] Entertainment Weekly ranked the episode as number eleven on their list of the top twenty-five The Simpson's episodes.[10]
References
- ^ a b Richmond, Ray; Antonia Coffman (1997). The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to our Favorite Family. Harper Collins Publishers. p. 109. ISBN 0-00-638898-1.
- ^ a b c d Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (1993). "Duffless". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season4/page17.shtml. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
- ^ "Duffless". The Simpsons.com. http://www.thesimpsons.com/#/recaps/season-4_episode-16. Retrieved 2011-09-17.
- ^ Reardon, Jim (2004). The Simpsons The Complete Fourth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Duffless" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b c d e Reiss, Mike (2004). The Simpsons The Complete Fourth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Duffless" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b c Stern, David M. (2004). The Simpsons The Complete Fourth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Duffless" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Groening, Matt (2004). The Simpsons The Complete Fourth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Duffless" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Associated Press (1993-02-25). "CBS wins its third ratings race in 'sweeps'". Press-Telegram. p. 4E.
- ^ Associated Press (1993-02-24). "Nielsen Ratings/Jan. 15-21". Press-Telegram. p. C6.
- ^ "The Family Dynamic". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,417748_3,00.html. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
External links
- "Duffless" at The Simpsons.com
- "Duffless" episode capsule at The Simpsons Archive
- Duffless at the Internet Movie Database
- "Duffless" at TV.com
Categories:- 1993 television episodes
- The Simpsons (season 4) episodes
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