E Pluribus Wiggum

Infobox Simpsons episode
episode_name = E Pluribus Wiggum


image_caption = The episode's promotional picture, featuring guest star Jon Stewart.
episode_no = 410
prod_code = KABF03
airdate = January 6, 2008
show runner = Al Jean
writer = Michael Price
director = Michael Polcino
guest_star = Jon Stewart
Dan Rather
blackboard = Teacher did not pay too much for her Condo.
couch_gag = A medieval tapestry shows the Flanders family stealing the Simpson family's couch. The Simpsons then take it back and kill the Flanderses.
season = 19

"E Pluribus Wiggum" is the tenth episode of "The Simpsons"' nineteenth season, first broadcast January 6, 2008 on Fox. It was written by Michael Price and directed by Michael Polcino, and it guest starred Jon Stewart and Dan Rather as themselves.cite news | title = Primetime Listings | publisher = FoxFlash | date = 2007-07-20 | url = http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z4&ID=68 | accessdate=2007-12-18] It was a politically themed episode satirizing the hype that surrounds presidential elections.

Plot

Homer leaves work, and when he's reminded that his diet is starting, he decides to have one last at Springfield's Fast-Food Boulevard. After filling up, he decides to throw away his wrappers and the contents of his car in a trash can outside of a Krusty Burger, tossing away a leaky battery and a lit match. The acid from the leaky battey eats a hole in a gas main, the light match igniting the gas. A fire starts which soon causes nearby gas pipes to explode, destroying Fast-Food Boulevard completely.

At a town hall meeting, the enraged residents of Springfield demand that Fast-Food Boulevard be rebuilt immediately. To fund the reconstruction, a bond measure is proposed. As the next election is too far in the future, Mayor Quimby moves it to the upcoming weekend, making Springfield's presidential primary the first in the nation. Candidates and reporters head to Springfield when they hear the news. Lisa soon discovers that none of the candidates in the election are compelling.

The candidates flock to the Simpsons, who are undecided. Their home is filled with people and their yard is covered with reporters; helicopters and news vans surround the lot. When voting day arrives, an angry Homer and other citizens hold a meeting in Moe's Tavern. Homer suggests the people vote for the most ridiculous candidate, whom they choose after Chief Wiggum suggests himself. The same night, Kent Brockman announces an unexpected turn of events: Springfield has rejected all the leading candidates and voted for 8-year-old Ralph Wiggum, who wins the primary, much to the shock of Lisa Simpson.

Ralph is immediately spurred as the leading candidate, and Homer and Bart embrace him by becoming his fans. Lisa, however, is miserable, as she knows how slow Ralph is. A news report (called Headbutt) shows Ralph has no idea of which party's nomination he is seeking. The Springfield Republican Party decides to fight for Ralph, knowing certain victory will come during the election. The Springfield Democratic Party also knows that greatness will come once they win Ralph over. The leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties break into Ralph's home, wanting to fight for him. Lisa confronts Ralph amongst the media frenzy, attempting to convince him to not run. Ralph tells Lisa he wishes to stop war and create peace. He is proven to be a formidable candidate, and both the Republicans and the Democrats support Ralph for president. The episode ends with a commercial for Ralph, sponsored by both parties.

Cultural references

The title is a reference to "E pluribus unum", the Latin phrase that appears on United States coins and currency. Cheesy McMayor is a parody of McDonald's Mayor McCheese.cite web|last=Keller|first=Richard|url=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/01/06/the-simpsons-e-pluribus-wiggum/|title=E Pluribus Wiggum|accessdate=2008-01-08|publisher=TVsquad.com] Bill Clinton is seen putting up campaign signs for his wife, Senator Hillary Clinton. Springfield's Democratic Party headquarters is in Trader Earth's, which is a parody of Trader Joe's. People seen at that meeting are Patty and Mayor Quimby

Reception

An estimated 8.2 million people tuned into the episode.cite web|url=http://www.simpsonschannel.com/cgi-bin/newspro/addons/iSay.cgi?Page=Comments&ID=EEAAZyVZZFpSRHiqnG
title=E Pluribus Wiggum|accessdate=2008-01-28|date=2008|publisher=Simpsons Channel] Richard Keller of TV Squad said that it was an episode with many jokes and sight gags, his favorite being the episode's guest stars and the many references.cite web | last = Keller | first = Richard | title = E. Pluribus Wiggum | url = http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/01/06/the-simpsons-e-pluribus-wiggum/ | publisher = tvsquad.com | accessdate = 2008-01-31 ] His only disagreement was the abrupt ending. Robert Canning of IGN said the episode had all the ingredients that seem to make it a classic episode.cite web|url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/843/843746p1.html|publisher=IGN |title=Robert Canning's Review of "E. Pluribus Wiggum"|last=Canning|first=Robert|accessdate=2008-04-16] He enjoyed the theme of Homer and Fast-Food Boulevard, the political mocking, and the centering of Ralph, and like Keller, he felt the show seemed to shun Ralph until the end; he gives the episode a rating of 6/10. Dan Snierson of Entertainment Weekly reveals (five days after the episode was broadcast) that it received positive reviews from the site, and Ralph Wiggum had their vote. [cite web
last = Snierson
first = Dan
url = http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20170508,00.html
title = Why We're Endorsing The Grand Old Potty
publisher = Entertainment Weekly
date = 2008-01-11
accessdate = 2008-05-04 ]

Controversy

Although the episode has not yet been broadcast there, the episode caused controversy in Argentina. The controversy is over an exchange between Lenny and Carl. Carl says "I could really go for some kind of military dictator, like Juan Perón. When he 'disappeared' you, you stayed 'disappeared!'" Juan Perón, who was elected three times, was not considered a dictator. Carl's comment is a reference to the Dirty War in Argentina, a period of military dictatorship during which as many as 30,000 political dissidents disappeared, and is largely regarded as having begun at least two years after the death of Perón. The clip has been viewed on YouTube over ten thousand times in Argentina and some politicians in the country have called for the episode to be censored or banned. [cite web|url=http://www.variety.com/VR1117984017.html
title='Simpsons' stirs uproar in Argentina|accessdate=2008-04-15|date=2008-04-14|author=Charles Newbery|publisher=Variety] Lorenzo Pepe, former Argentinian congressman and president of the Juan Domingo Perón Institute said "this type of program causes great harm, because the disappearances are still an open wound here."

Some also reacted negatively to Lenny's response to Carl's comment: "Plus, his wife was Madonna" which is a reference to the film "Evita" where Madonna played Eva Perón. Pepe added "the part about Madonna—that was too much."cite web|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/16/AR2008041603385.html?hpid=moreheadlines|title=D'oh! 'Simpsons' Again Angers South Americans|accessdate=2008-04-20|date=2008-04-17|author=Monte Reel|publisher="Washington Post"]

References

External links

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*cite web |url= http://criticadigital.com/index.php?secc=nota&nid=8276|title= Fox mató a Homero para evitar más polémica|accessdate= |accessmonthday= |accessdaymonth= |accessyear= |author= |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= 2008-07-30|year= |month= |format= |work= Espectáculos|publisher= Crítica de la Argentina|pages= |language= Spanish|doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote=