That 90's Show

Infobox Simpsons episode
episode_name = That 90's Show


image_caption = The episode's promotional image, featuring Kurt Loder.
episode_no = 411
prod_code = KABF04
airdate = January 27, 2008
show runner = Al Jean
writer = Matt Selman
director = Mark Kirkland
guest_star = Kurt Loder as himself.
"Weird Al" Yankovic as himself
blackboard =
couch_gag = The family is sitting on the couch. The screen zooms out to show them as a painting in a museum with the handwritten caption "Ceci n'est pas une couch gag.", a reference to "The Treachery of Images".
season = 19

"That 90's Show" is the eleventh episode of "The Simpsons"' nineteenth season. It was first broadcast on January 27, 2008. Kurt Loder and "Weird Al" Yankovic both guest star as themselves, this being the second time for Yankovic.cite news | title = Primetime Listings | publisher = FoxFlash | date = 2008-01-27 | url = http://foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z4&ID=71| accessdate=2008-01-04] The episode was written by Matt Selman, and directed by Mark Kirkland.

After Bart and Lisa discover Marge's diploma from Springfield University, Homer and Marge recount one of the darkest points of their relationship. The episode significantly retcons some of the Simpson family history, updating the timeframe of Homer and Marge's romance to the 1990s, however this episode is non-canon because it would really take place in the 80s. if it really occured in the 90s the present would be in the 2010s. it the second non-treehouse of horror non-canon episode, the first is Behind The Laughter

Plot

The Simpson family is freezing inside their house since Homer had not paid the heating bill, counting on global warming to obviate his responsibilities there. Bart and Lisa, searching through an empty box for items to feed the fire, discover a degree belonging to Marge from Springfield University. Homer and Marge look shocked to find it, and claim it was from their dating years. Lisa does some calculations and realizes that Bart must have been born later in their parents' relationship than they thought. Marge and Homer proceed to describe one of the darker points of their relationship, the 1990s (which Bart has never heard of).

In the flashback, Homer and Marge are happily dating, and are currently living in an apartment, Marge is an avid reader, and Homer is part of an R&B group alongside Lenny, Carl, and "Lou the cop". One morning, Marge wakes up to find out she had been accepted into Springfield University, but is shocked to learn of the high cost of tuition. Homer, taking pity on Marge, gives up his dream of becoming a musician and instead decides to work at his dad's popular laser tag warehouse, where he is abused by the children. At Springfield University, Marge is impressed with her surroundings and with the radically leftist and feminist professor Stefane August, despite Homer's disapproval.In the present, Professor August now a repairman, arrives and fixes the heater, while Marge continues on with the story. Marge soon begins to admire August, and while caressing Homer after his long day at work, realizes she has feelings for her professor. Marge starts talking to Professor August who has also fallen for her. August begins manipulating Marge by telling her Homer is a simple "townie" who would not appreciate her intellect. A shocked Homer arrives and catches the two together. In his anger, he reforms his R&B group with a new sound called "grunge," which Homer explains is an acronym for "Guitar Rock Utilizing Nihilist Grunge Energy." His band is renamed to "Sadgasm" (the band's appearance, music and name being a parody of the grunge band Nirvana), and they sing a song Homer calls "Politically Incorrect", listed in the episode's credits as "Kisses are Dirt". An angry Marge and Homer soon call their relationship quits, and Marge leaves to go with Professor August.

Homer goes to Moe, who at this point owns a cigar bar, where Barney was starting to be a recurrent client. Finding no help from Moe, Homer goes on to perform a new song, called "Shave Me", which causes him to become so famous that "Weird Al" Yankovic parodies his song calling it "Brain Freeze". Marge finds Homer's music unnerving. Marge and August share their first kiss. When running onto the beach, August reveals he and Marge share two very different views on marriage. After the two argue, Marge breaks up with him, breaking his heart. A miserable Marge watches television and is surprised to see Homer made a song dedicated to her, called "Margerine". A special news report with Kurt Loder interrupts, revealing Sadgasm had broken up and Homer is holed up in his mansion, miserable. Arriving there, Marge thinks Homer had been doing drugs and soon begins caring for him. It turns out the needles were insulin for his diabetes. The two soon re-unite. Marge reveals to Bart and Lisa that she learned "Homey is where my heart is."

Cultural references

The title is a reference to "That '70s Show". The scene where "Marvin Cobain" calls his cousin Kurt to tell him about the new sound he's "been looking for" is a parody of the scene in "Back to the Future" where "Marvin Berry" makes a similar call to his cousin Chuck. Popular '90s music is referenced through Homer's band, The first song they play uses the same music as Lithium by Nirvana. On the stage at the college Homer is dressed as Kurt even being depressed in a similar way. in the music video of "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Also, "Weird Al" parodies their song "Shave Me" (titled "Brain Freeze"), a parody of "Rape Me" by Nirvana, which hearkens back to his actual parody of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Homer's song "Margerine" is a parody of "Glycerine" by Nirvanacite web | title = Stereogum: That 90's Show | url = http://stereogum.com/archives/show-tunes/the-simpsons-revisit-the-90s-reveal-homer-invented_007875.html?utm_source=bb&utm_medium=rc ] . In the video, Homer is shown performing to an audience of Crash Test Dummies. Several nineties contemporary songs are used in the background of sequences including "Closing Time" by Semisonic and "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by The Verve. The button in the Springfield University quadrangle is a reference to Claes Oldenburg's "Split Button" on the University of Pennsylvania campuscite web|url=http://www.gophila.com/C/Things_to_Do/211/Museums_and_the_Arts_in_Philadelphia/210/Public_Art/22/U/Split_Button/1217.html|title=Split Button|accessdate=2008-07-07] . When Homer splits up the possessions of him and Marge, he continuously picks badly: Marge gets the Microsoft stock, the Personal Computer and the Compact Discs, while he keeps the LPs, the typewriter and the Enron stock, three things made close to obsolete by the 90's cultural and business development. Marge hints at the BALCO scandal and the controversy about Banned substances in baseball by seeing "a suspiciously high number of home runs being hit" on the horizon. Both Marge and Homer agree at this time that there will never be a worse president than Bill Clinton, an obvious poke at the Bush administration.

The episode also made references to '90s entertainment; Sonic the Hedgehog & Amy Rose (anachronistically depicted in the design she had since "Sonic Adventure"), "Seinfeld", and "Melrose Place" are all mentioned. Comic Book Guy explains why "The Lord of the Rings" could never be filmed. Marge is worried about Britney Spears. Homer mentions that Matt Groening was working hard on launching "Futurama", during the 1990s.cite web|url=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/01/27/the-simpsons-that-90s-show/|title=That 90's Show|accessdate=2008-01-28|publisher=tvsquad.com]

Reception

An estimated 7.6 million viewers tuned in to the episode, fewer than the previous episode.cite web|url=http://www.simpsonschannel.com/cgi-bin/newspro/addons/iSay.cgi?Page=Comments&ID=EkpEVlpuEZXNviWPxz|title=That 90's Show|accessdate=2008-01-28|date=2008|publisher=Simpsons Channel] Richard Keller of TV Squad enjoyed the many cultural references to the 1990s, but felt disappointed that the episode changed the continuity of "The Simpsons". Robert Canning of IGN strongly disliked the episode, also feeling that the continuity change was not a good choice. He said, "What 'That '90s Show' did was neither cool nor interesting. Instead, it insulted lifelong Simpsons fans everywhere. With this episode, the writers chose to change the history of the Simpson family." He gave the episode a 3/10, and suggested that this episode should have been set a decade earlier to fit classic Simpsons continuity.cite web|url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/847/847940p1.html|title=That 90's Show|accessdate=2008-01-28|author=Canning, Robert|date=2008|author=Robert Canning|publisher=IGN] He later added that it was his least favorite episode of the nineteenth season, and that it "was an episode that [he] will be erasing from [his] personal "Simpsons" memory bank". [cite web|url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/876/876631p1.html|title=The Simpsons: Season 19 Review|accessdate=2008-01-28|date=2008-05-27|author=Robert Canning|publisher=IGN] .

References

The song "Margerine" performed by Homer is a parody of "Glycerine", the tenth track on Bush's album "Sixteen Stone".

External links

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