Marge in Chains

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The Simpsons episode
"Marge in Chains"
Episode no.	80
Prod. code	9F20
Orig. Airdate	May 6, 1993
Show Runner(s)	Al Jean & Mike Reiss
Writer(s)	Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein
Director	Jim Reardon
Chalkboard	"I do not have diplomatic immunity"
Couch gag	A miniature family climbs onto a normal-sized couch.
Guest star(s)	David Crosby as himself (scene cut in syndication)
SNPP capsule
Season 4 September 24, 1992 – May 13, 1993
Kamp Krusty A Streetcar Named Marge Homer the Heretic Lisa the Beauty Queen Treehouse of Horror III Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie Marge Gets a Job New Kid on the Block Mr. Plow Lisa's First Word Homer's Triple Bypass Marge vs. the Monorail Selma's Choice Brother from the Same Planet I Love Lisa Duffless Last Exit to Springfield So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show The Front Whacking Day Marge in Chains Krusty Gets Kancelled
List of all Simpsons episodes...

"Marge in Chains" is the 21st episode of The Simpsons' fourth season.

1 Synopsis
2 Trivia
3 Cultural References
4 Quotes
5 External links

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

After many of Springfield's residents purchase a 'Juice Loosener', which are shipped from Japan, the dreaded Osaka Flu hits the town. Many of the townspeople are affected by the illness. Due to tiredness from having to look after the rest of her ill family while shopping at the Kwik-E-Mart, Marge accidentally forgets to pay for Grampa's bottle of bourbon. She is then arrested for shoplifting. As usual the family hires Lionel Hutz to defend Marge at her trial and as usual, he loses the case. She is sentenced to 30 days imprisonment. Marge's absence is felt at home as Homer struggles to cope without her. The annual bake sale also suffers. Without Marge's marshmallow squares, the Springfield Park Commission fails to raise enough money to pay for a statue of Abraham Lincoln. They have to purchase one of Jimmy Carter instead. The townspeople are disgusted by this and riot. So, to save his career Mayor Quimby has Marge released from jail. The townspeople cheerfully welcome her back. They even unveil a statue for Marge, though it's just the Jimmy Carter one with Marge's hair added to it.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Trivia

Jimmy Carter is called "history's greatest monster". In the DVD commentary for this episode, Mike Reiss and Al Jean reveal that they did not like Carter, although they would vote for him ahead of George W. Bush.

[edit] Cultural References

The name of the episode is probably a play on the band Alice in Chains.
The scene where Maude Flanders spies on Marge in the bathroom through a hole in the wall is a parody of the classic 1960 horror film Psycho.
In one scene, Lisa compares Lionel Hutz to famed lawyer Clarence Darrow, although Hutz confuses him with Clarence Williams III.
In the scene where the people knock the statue of Jimmy Carter down and call him a monster, it could be a reference to what people did to the Vladimir Lenin statues in the Eastern European countries after the Soviet Union collapsed.
The environment of the Women's Prison in which Marge serves her sentence resembles that as seen in Prisoner Cell Block H and it is not unthinkable that the writers took inspiration from there.

[edit] Quotes

Ned Flanders (after watching an episode of Married With Children): Oh, the network slogan is true! Watch FOX and be damned for all eternity!
Lisa: Mom, can you bring me more O.J.?
Bart: Can you give me one of those Flintstones chewable morphines?
Marge: There's no such thing!
Homer: Marge, the boy's wasting too much time. Come change the channel and pat my head!
Marge: In a minute!
Homer: But I'll miss Sheriff Lobo!
Lionel Hutz: Uh-oh! We've drawn Judge Snyder!
Marge: Is that bad?
Lionel Hutz: Well he's kinda had it in for me ever since I kinda ran over his dog.
Marge: You did?
Lionel Hutz: Well actually replace the word 'kinda' with 'repeatedly' and the word 'dog' with 'son'.
Lionel Hutz: Now, Mr. Nahasapeemapetilon, if that is your real name, is it true you have never forgotten anything?
Apu: No. In fact, I can recite pi to 40,000 places. The last digit is 1.
Homer: Mmmmm...pie.
Bart: When I grow up, I wanna be a lawyer just like you, Mr. Hutz.
Lionel Hutz: Good for you, son. If there's one thing this world needs, it's more lawyers. Could you imagine a world without lawyers?
(Hutz then has a thought bubble in which people of all races and religions are holding hands and dancing under a happy sun. He then shudders at the vision)