G.I. (Annoyed Grunt)
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| The Simpsons episode | |
| "G.I. (Annoyed Grunt)" | |
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|---|---|
| Episode no. | 383 |
| Prod. code | HABF21 |
| Orig. Airdate | November 12, 2006 |
| Written by | Daniel Chun |
| Directed by | Nancy Kruse |
| Chalkboard | "We are not all naked under our clothes." |
| Couch gag | The family goes through a car wash while sitting on the couch. |
| Guest star | Kiefer Sutherland as the Army Colonel |
| SNPP capsule | |
| Season 18 September 10, 2006 – May 20, 2007 |
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*Not yet aired episode scheduled to air in the future. Episode order may change. |
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| List of all Simpsons episodes... | |
"G.I. (Annoyed Grunt)" is the fifth episode of the eighteenth season of The Simpsons.
[edit] Synopsis
Bart and Milhouse visit the Springfield Mall and find Jimbo Jones, Dolph and Kearney working in a shoe store. They visit the store and give the bullies a bad time since they, being employees, can't beat them up. However, things turn sour for Bart and Milhouse, when the store owner (the Squeaky-voiced Teen) quits.
Two Army recruiters try and talk the bullies into enlisting, but are blown off. So they decide to do something drastic. They visit Springfield Elementary to enlist kids into the Delayed Entry Program so that upon reaching the age of majority, they will automatically be enlisted. Comparing war to video games and showing epic movies, they soon have the impressionable kids eating out of their hands. Bart signs up immediately. However, when he tells Marge, she forces Homer to get Bart out of the army immediately. Although Homer doesn't want to do it, he does it (much to his dismay), but falls prey to the recruiters' sweet-talk and soon joins up (in the process, getting a Parade ... Magazine).
Despite Marge's protests, Homer has to report to Camp Clinton (Not that Clinton (the sign says)) for training. There he's given the nickname "Snowflake". When he questions it, the sergeant "punishes" him by making him eat donuts, while the rest of the recruits do push-ups. Further questioning of the punishment leads to Homer getting Alaskan King Salmon and a foot-rub by the sergeant, while the other recruits do push-ups one-handed.
Finally, they are introduced to their Colonel, who has "an awesome voice". Based on the recruits' aptitude test scores, most of them are assigned to front-line infantry. However, Homer and a few other morons (including Cletus Spuckler) are assigned to OPFOR during the army's war games.
The war games start, with Homer's unit climbing up a hill. Unbeknownst to them, the front-line infantry (led by the Colonel) is watching them through night-vision goggles, ready to attack. However, Homer suddenly realises it's Chinese New Year and starts firing flares into the air, temporarily blinding the Colonel's unit, not to mention, exposing their location. Homer and his unit hightail it into Springfield. The Colonel orders the army to pursue the OPFOR into the populated town, citing a little known clause in the Broccoli Day proclamation.
Soon, the streets of Springfield are overrun by grunts and tanks, in this "simulation". Homer's unit hides at Moe's, in the cellar. Moe then betrays them to the Colonel for "a whole lot of money". Soon the army arrives at Moe's and the Colonel fires live ammo into the cellar to draw out the loser squad. However, Homer manages to escape through a hole in the floor of the basement, after seeing that the bubble fluid in his gun is not of much help.
Although Homer's unit has been captured, Homer is still absconding. At home, Marge wishes he was there. Lo and behold, he's in the bathroom, learning that "H means Hot". They snuggle, laughing at the "huge helicopter" looking for him in "the distance". But it turns out to be a small UAV, which enters their bedroom and recognises Homer as the enemy. In a scene reminiscent of the Looney Tunes gags, Homer runs through his house with the UAV in hot pursuit. He finally manages to lure it into a dark room and when it lights a match, it finds itself in a room full of explosives.
After the explosion, a "That's all, folks!" (A reference to Looney Toons) message comes across the screen (with the music of early shorts from The Three Stooges), through which the Colonel watched the chase. The infuriated Colonel declares war, and is reminded, much to his annoyance, that they already are at war. Soon, all people who are fat, bald and have been amused by Homer's antics are to be rounded up by the army and imprisoned in a pen. Marge, tiring of this occupation, decides to take matters into her own hands. Using a phone tree, she calls the Springfielders to the reservoir, with all their liquor. They proceed to spike the water in the reservoir with their booze.
The result is almost instantaneous. The soldiers, replenishing their water from a tap, are soon intoxicated and fall into drunken stupors. The next morning, the Colonel awakens to find himself surrounded by angry Springfielders, who want him to surrender. When he refuses, Homer blasts an air horn in his ear, thereby aggravating his hangover. He surrenders. When Lisa lectures him about the futility of this exercise, he pleads for the horn again.
The terms of surrender thus signed, the Colonel reminds Homer that he must finish his enlistment. When Marge protests, the Colonel assures her by saying that they have a special assignment for Homer - Recruitment.
[edit] Cultural references
- The title is a reference to G.I. Joe. In addition, "grunt" is slang for an infantry soldier. (Annoyed Grunt) is the scripted term for Homer's "D'oh!", and has been referenced in several previous episode titles (see "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious").
- The Army recruitment film shown at Springfield Elementary uses Arise, Ye Russian People from Prokofiev's soundtrack for Alexander Nevsky before switching to Ozzy Osborne's "Bark at the Moon."
- Milhouse asks if the assembly is a surprise Doodlebops concert.
- The music playing during the assault course is Toy Soldiers by Martika
- The scene where Homer eats donuts while the other soldiers do push-ups is a reference to a similar scene in the movie Full Metal Jacket.
[edit] Trivia
- Kiefer Sutherland will make two appearances during the 18th season, this episode and "24 Minutes." the 400th episode of the show, which will air on May 20, 2007. His father Donald Sutherland appeared in the episode "Lisa the Iconoclast."
- This is the second week in a row that an allusion was made to Springfield being under a similar occupation as Iraq. See segment 3 of "Treehouse of Horror XVII," "The Day the Earth Looked Stupid."
