Ice Cream of Margie (with the Light Blue Hair)
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"Ice Cream of Margie (With the Light Blue Hair)"[1] is the seventh episode of The Simpsons' eighteenth season and first aired November 26, 2006.[1] After Homer gets fired at the nuclear power plant, he takes over the ice cream truck business, while a depressed Marge creates popsicle stick sculptures to keep busy. The sculptures quickly become popular and Marge is excited to have a purpose in life, until a turn of events divides the Simpsons household. It wa written by Carolyn Omine, and directed by Matthew Nastuk.[1] In its original run, the episode received 10.90 million viewers.[2]
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[edit] Plot
Homer gets fired at the nuclear power plant after he ignores Mr. Burns' warning (and a nascent game of Cincinnati Time Waste/Chair Hockey) and runs out after a nearby ice cream truck. When he buys a 25 cent ice cream from the vendor he pays with a $100 bill, causing the geriatric vendor Max to collapse and die while changing the bill into coins. Following Max's funeral, Homer offers to buy Max's truck from his non-grieving widow and take over the business. Thrilled about his new job, Homer has Otto pimp out the truck and gets dressed for work in an homage to the opening of Da Ali G Show. Meanwhile, while watching Opal, Marge realizes that she hasn't done anything special in her life, and she falls into a deep, depressive funk. When she's going through the discarded popsicle sticks from Homer's new business, she gets an inspiration and begins using them to create sculptures. The sculptures quickly become popular and Marge is excited to have a purpose in life.
While reporting a car chase, Kent Brockman sees these sculptures and decides to do a report on it. Thanks to the TV publicity, Rich Texan creates an art show to showcase Marge's talent. On the day of the art show, Homer runs his ice cream route but promises to return by 3 o'clock, when Marge's show will officially open. While exploiting a gathering of divorced fathers and their kids, Homer realizes that he is going to be late and speeds on an off-the-beaten-track road to make it back in time. He ends up with a covered windshield and crashes into his own lawn, destroying all of Marge's art. Marge declares that Homer only cares about himself and locks herself in the bedroom.
Homer tries to prove his real feelings by expressing how happy he was seeing her fulfillment as a popsicle-stick artist and slipping pictures of himself under the door, but falls asleep soon after. When he wakes up Marge is gone and Grandpa Abe is looking after the kids. While looking for Marge, he sees her on top of city hall, where she declares she will show the world how she feels about Homer. Then she reveals the largest popsicle sculpture she has ever made, and the subject is Homer (in his underwear). Marge realizes that Homer tried to keep his promise to her and make it on time, not that he did not care. Marge apologizes to Homer for the way that she acted and Homer apologizes for ruining her sculptures. After mending their relationship the scene shifts 200 years into the future where that very sculpture is the only remaining element of Western art in a world where iPods have conquered humanity. The iPods say they don't want anything from their human slaves--they simply like whipping.
[edit] Cultural references
- The title of this episode is a play on Stephen Foster's song "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair".
- The revelation of the customized iced-cream truck is a parody of Pimp My Ride. Bart also says "Wow Otto, you totally pimped Dad's ride."
- The giant popsicle-stick statue of Homer is in the same pose as Michaelangelo's David.
- Martin Prince compares the heat to the heat experienced by Icarus when he came too close to the sun.
- The scene where Homer gets dressed as an ice cream man is a reference to the opening of Da Ali G Show.
- The show that Marge was watching, titled "Opal" is a parody of The Oprah Winfrey Show. Opal would later appear in Husbands and Knives and again in Funeral for a Fiend.
- The dystopic future that is portrayed at the end of the episode sees all of humanity enslaved by sentient iPods.
[edit] Soundtrack
- "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits
- "Feels so Good" by Chuck Mangione
- "Get Ur Freak On" by Missy Elliott
[edit] External links
