Apr 06, 2001 Simpsons Wrestling could have been an OK game at best, but the low-ball production nightmare found in this cheap old sow ruins any chance of redemption. The funny thing is, I bet Simpsons Wrestling sells quite well. After all, it says Simpsons and wrestling in the title. It's a no-brainer. 'Marge's Son Poisoning' is the fifth episode of the seventeenth season of The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 13, 2005. 'The Strong Arms of the Ma' is the ninth episode of The Simpsons' fourteenth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 2, 2003. It is the 300th episode to be broadcast; though 'Barting Over' is indicated on-screen to be the 300th episode, it is actually the 302nd.In the episode, Marge develops agoraphobia in response to a traumatic mugging and overcomes. Julie Deborah Kavner (born September 7, 1950) is an American actress, music video director and comedian. She first attracted notice for her role as Brenda Morgenstern, the younger sister of Valerie Harper's title character in the sitcom Rhoda, for which she. The Simpsons Wrestling is a fighting video game based on the animated television series The Simpsons.Developed by Big Ape Productions and published by Activision (Electronic Arts in Europe) for the PlayStation, it was first released in Europe in March 2001, followed by North America a month later.
(Redirected from Strong Arms of the Ma)
'The Strong Arms of the Ma' | |||
---|---|---|---|
The Simpsons episode | |||
Episode no. | Season 14 Episode 9 | ||
Directed by | Pete Michels | ||
Written by | Carolyn Omine | ||
Production code | EABF04 | ||
Original air date | February 2, 2003 | ||
Guest appearance(s) | |||
Episode features | |||
Chalkboard gag | 'The school does not need a 'regime change' ' | ||
Couch gag | The couch is a novelty cardboard cut-out with holes in it. The family members go behind the standup and stick their faces through the holes: Lisa becomes the face for Homer, Homer becomes Marge, Maggie becomes Lisa, Bart becomes Maggie and Marge becomes Bart. Instead of the TV, a photographer is standing in front of the Simpsons and takes their picture. | ||
Commentary | Al Jean Carolyn Omine Matt Selman Kevin Curran Michael Price Matt Warburton Pete Michels | ||
Episode chronology | |||
| |||
The Simpsons (season 14) | |||
List of The Simpsons episodes |
'The Strong Arms of the Ma' is the ninth episode of The Simpsons' fourteenth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 2, 2003. It is the 300th episode to be broadcast; though 'Barting Over' is indicated on-screen to be the 300th episode, it is actually the 302nd. In the episode, Marge develops agoraphobia in response to a traumatic mugging and overcomes the fear through exercise and bodybuilding, which leads to her taking anabolic steroids and experiencing a change in personality.
Carolyn Omine wrote the episode, and Pete Michels directed. Pamela Reed guest starred as recurring character Ruth Powers.
Plot[edit]
The Simpson family goes to Rainier Wolfcastle's bankruptcygarage sale. Homer asks Rainier if he has anything that will increase in value when he dies, and is shown an old weight-lifting set, complete with dumbbells and bench press. Homer takes it and packs everything and everybody in the car in the style of a Tetris game. The car ends up being so overpacked that Homer has no room in it for himself and ends up being carried home by Rainier Wolfcastle in a baby harness built for an adult. On the way home, Marge and the kids discover that Maggie has soiled her diaper. Marge pulls into the Kwik-E-Mart, and changes Maggie in the restroom. As she is leaving the store, a shady character in a Goofy hat accosts her and threatens her with a gun. Finding only diapers in Marge's purse, he grabs Marge's pearl necklace and takes off. Marge, stunned, walks to her car in a daze and breaks down crying at the wheel in front of her kids.
The next day, they inform the police and Chief Wiggum declares he will investigate immediately. Later, as Marge is about to leave the house, Homer gives her some pepper spray and some tips on how to handle an attacker. She pulls up to the Kwik-E-Mart, but she snaps when Ralph greets her. She pepper-sprays him on impulse and, feeling guilty, drives back home where she feels safe. When she reaches home, Bart tells her she is parked over the mailman. Marge is a nervous wreck and cannot bring herself to cross the threshold of her house to help the mailman. Dr. Hibbert diagnoses Marge with agoraphobia. Homer and the kids try their best over the next few days to encourage her to go outside, but to no avail. Eventually, she moves into the basement. There, feeling a bit safer, she prepares breakfast for the family and sets up a bed for herself. One day, when she is alone at home, she eyes Rainier Wolfcastle's weight-lifting set and decides to use it to pass the time. In two weeks, she builds herself up and even gets a well-defined washboard stomach (much to Homer's delight). She dashes out to the garden to get some lemons and, realizing that she is not afraid anymore, starts running around town. She runs into her mugger; even though the mugger does not move a finger against Marge, she beats him to a bloody pulp out of revenge in a scene that references the 1972 film The Godfather, when Sonny Corleone beats his brother-in-law Carlo Rizzi. The cops arrive and arrest the crook, and Marge starts exercising even more. One day, as she jogs by an open-air gym at the beach, she runs into Ruth Powers, her old neighbor (seen in episodes 'New Kid on the Block' and 'Marge on the Lam'). Ruth is also very muscular, and tells Marge that she owes it all to steroids. She talks Marge into using them, and also advises Marge to enter a women's bodybuilding contest. Using the steroids, Marge exercises harder than ever, becoming very muscular and estrogen-depleted, which results in a short temper and a violent streak. Homer, seeing these changes, finds himself less attracted to her. When Homer refuses Marge's sexual advances the night before the contest, she callously ignores his worries and then proceeds to pin him down and rape him, before leaving him completely sore and exhausted to take care of the kids the next morning.
That night, the family attends the Iron Maiden Fitness Pageant to see the women's bodybuilding final. Marge wins second place, which irritates her when her muscular ears overhear her family's unhappy conversation in the audience. Later that night, at Moe's, Marge boasts to all the male attendees about her performance at the competition. Homer then tells her he is proud of her ability to bulk up but not lose her femininity. Marge is angered by that, saying that was the reason she came in second place. She then tells everyone at the bar that she intends to up her glycol-load, use a denser ripping gel, and that she did not sacrifice her period to come in second place. Moe says to Marge, 'I don't got enough booze to make you look good'. She flies into an uncontrollable rage and ultimately trashes the bar. Homer confronts his wife as she prepares to hurl Lenny at him. Terrified, Homer tells Marge that he misses the sweet, feminine woman he married. Marge, horrified with what she has done, apologizes, drops Lenny, and leaves with Homer. In order to cover the costs of repairing his bar, Moe sets fire to it; however, Carl points out that he has not insured the place yet.
Later, at the Simpson house, Marge burns the weight set in the furnace as the show ends. Homer asks if Marge is ready for a 'real workout' which turns out to be a request to wax the car, after which he gets beaten by Marge into meekly saying that he was just kidding.
Production[edit]
In her original pitch for the episode, Carolyn Omine had Homer being the one to get mugged, becoming agoraphobic as a result. Al Jean had the idea of Marge becoming a bodybuilder after going through these events, so it was changed from Homer to Marge. Omine was initially concerned that while Homer being mugged is humorous, Marge being mugged is serious, and later acknowledged that it turned into a 'rare serious moment that was kinda cool'.[1] The episode had many light moments to balance this out.[2] Al Jean thought that showing Marge threatened and vulnerable was a great emotional moment that had not been done on the show before. He notes that the attacker ripping off her pearl necklace makes her seem 'naked' and that it changes her.[3]
Al Jean noted that when characters go very off model, it can cause issues. He noted that some were thrown off by the Marge-on-steroids look and said Marge probably should not have gotten as muscular as she did.[3] The idea behind the design was that Marge, wanting to never be weak again, ends up overcompensating to become super aggressive and overpowering. Omine said that these things, plus her becoming less likable and off-model, was a negative combination.[1]
Themes[edit]
'Strong Arms of the Ma' addresses the issue of steroid rage. After becoming addicted to the drug, Marge has a moment of realization, claiming 'steroids have turned me into everything I hate'.[4] While the authors of The Psychology of the Simpsons: D'oh! do not condone the 'violent destruction' of Marge in the episode, they reason that both the in-universe characters and the real-world audience attribute Marge's behaviour to the drugs and not an 'innately mean personality'. They argue that Marge was not 'herself'. Mood changes and aggression are both documented side effects of 'prolonged steroid use'.[4]
Cultural references[edit]
The episode title is a reference to the common phrase 'The Strong Arm of the Law'. The way how Marge defends herself against her mugger is the same as in a scene in the film The Godfather. In the bar scene where Marge looks upon her destruction, the music from the movie Platoon plays in the background.
Reception[edit]
Reviewing this season, DVD Verdict said, 'There are some real clinkers this season. Both 'Large Marge' and 'Strong Arm of the Ma' prove that writing good episodes about Marge seem to be out of the question by this point.'[5]
Cinema.com describes the premise as 'Marge becomes agoraphobic (yes, only for one episode) after being mugged on the street and rather strangely decides that the best thing to do is take up weight lifting. It’s just a silly as it sounds. Another dud of an episode.[6] Simpsons wrestling playstation 1.
DVD Talk said, 'What's encouraging is that the 300th episode, whether it's 'Barting Over' or 'Strong Arms of the Ma,' is simply a number to the writers and producers of The Simpsons at this point, rather than a finish line.'[7]
References[edit]
- ^ abOmine, Carolyn. (2003). Commentary for 'Strong Arms of the Ma', in The Simpsons: The Complete Fourteenth Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^The Simpsons staff. (2002). Commentary for 'Strong Arms of the Ma', in The Simpsons: The Complete Fourteenth Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ abJean, Al. (2003). Commentary for 'Strong Arms of the Ma', in The Simpsons: The Complete Fourteenth Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ abThe Psychology of the Simpsons: D'oh! - Alan S. Brown, Chris Logan - Google Books. Books.google.com.au. 2013-08-21. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ^'DVD Verdict Review - The Simpsons: The Fourteenth Season'. Dvdverdict.com. 2011-12-22. Archived from the original on 2013-10-14. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ^'The Simpsons: Season 14 DVD Review'. Cinema.com. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ^'The Simpsons: The Fourteenth Season (Blu-ray) : DVD Talk Review of the Blu-ray'. Dvdtalk.com. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
External links[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to: 'Strong Arms of the Ma' |
- 'Strong Arms of the Ma' at The Simpsons.com
- 'The Strong Arms of the Ma' on IMDb
- 'The Strong Arms of the Ma' at TV.com
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Strong_Arms_of_the_Ma&oldid=931925686'
'The Great Wife Hope' | |||
---|---|---|---|
The Simpsons episode | |||
Episode no. | Season 21 Episode 3 | ||
Directed by | Matthew Faughnan | ||
Written by | Carolyn Omine | ||
Production code | LABF16 | ||
Original air date | October 11, 2009 | ||
Guest appearance(s) | |||
Episode features | |||
Chalkboard gag | 'I am not allergic to long division'. | ||
Couch gag | The Simpsons chase after the couch as it goes around the world. | ||
Episode chronology | |||
| |||
The Simpsons (season 21) | |||
List of The Simpsons episodes |
'The Great Wife Hope' is the third episode of The Simpsons' twenty-first season. Originally broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on October 11, 2009, it sees the men of Springfield taking immense interest in a new combat sport called mixed martial arts (MMA). Marge is appalled by the violent sport and demands that the creator put a stop to it, but he agrees only if she will fight him in a match and win.
'The Great Wife Hope' was written by Carolyn Omine and directed by Matthew Faughnan. Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champion Chuck Liddell guest starred in it as himself. The episode featured multiple cultural references to fighting moves and positions, along with a single reference to professional wrestlingpromotion ownerVince McMahon.
Since airing, the episode has received generally positive reviews from television critics, particularly towards the final scene. It received a 4.3/7 Nielsen rating with adults ages 18–49, behind all other programs aimed at that demographic in its timeslot.
Plot[edit]
The men of Springfield become obsessed with a violent new string of mixed martial arts (MMA) competitions called 'Ultimate Punch Kick and Choke Championships' (UPKCC). The kids soon begin to fight in small MMA matches of their own at the playground of Springfield Elementary School. While Bart and Nelson are fighting in one match, Marge sees them and is disgusted by the violent nature of the entire sport. She and a group of concerned women begin protesting the sport in front of the MMA stadium. Marge decides to go on stage before a match begins and demands that everyone cease the sport entirely. Chett Englebrit (patterned after actual fight promoter Roy Englebrecht), creator of the sport, agrees with Marge but only if she can fight him and win.
Marge begins to train for the event, practicing rhythmic gymnastics. However, the family believes that her methods are unsuitable for the extreme task at hand and get her professional help. She learns boxing from Dredrick Tatum, wrestling from former Yale wrestler Mr. Burns, jujitsu and Judo from Akira, and bullying from Jimbo, Dolph and Kearney. Now fully trained, she enters the ring (after the announcer introduces her as one of his 'Moms I'd Like to Fight') with Englebrit and is immediately knocked to the ground. Bart runs into the ring to defend his mother, but is thoroughly thrashed by Englebrit. Marge witnesses this and effectively beats Englebrit, winning their bet. Marge pulls down the ring's microphone and begins to give a speech, having had a change of heart about the demise of the violent sport upon having discovered her own dark side. She realizes, however, that everyone has already left the building to watch a drunken brawl in the parking lot.
![Simpsons Wrestling Marge Simpsons Wrestling Marge](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/v413R4vKhs0/maxresdefault.jpg)
As Marge and Homer leave to have some MMA-inspired sex, Bart and Lisa enter the empty ring and decide to settle their lifelong sibling feud then and there. As they approach each other to throw a punch, the credits begin, but the scene quickly returns to depict Lisa easily punching Bart to the ground.
Production and cultural references[edit]
Carolyn Omine wrote the episode.
'The Great Wife Hope' was written by Carolyn Omine and directed by Matthew Faughnan.[1] The writers of The Simpsons had a vast amount of knowledge and appreciation for mixed martial arts and included multiple references and themes of the sport throughout the episode.[2] Former Ultimate Fighter champion Chuck Liddell guest starred as himself, signing photographs for fans, including Bart, at a cost of $25.[3][4] Liddell commented that being a guest star was 'very cool' and that the recording sessions were 'easy'.[5]
The episode is a satire of the combat sport of mixed martial arts.[2] Throughout the episode, characters perform multiple fighting moves and positions. For example, Bart puts Nelson in a triangle choke at the playground when the two are fighting,[3] while Marge takes out Englebrit with a flying armbar.[3] Marge explains in the beginning of the episode that she found out about a creative new sport called 'Crazy Bowling' by typing in 'girls having fun'—after ignoring several thousand pages of porn—into the search engineGoogle. Also, H.R. Pufnstuf is parodied as HufnStuf on Ice, because Englebrit's assistant claims the next day, Hufnstuf on Ice will need the space.[6][7]
Marge claims that the word Ultimate makes everything worse, though Otto Mann protests that it does not affect the popular sport Ultimate Frisbee.[6] Englebrit carries similar traits to the professional wrestling promoter Vince McMahon. Marge initially tries to train for the match by performing rhythmic gymnastics.[8] She practices boxing with a character named Dredrick Tatum,[2][6] who is a parody of renowned boxer Mike Tyson.[9]
Reception[edit]
Dana White openly criticized the episode for its portrayal of MMA.
'The Great Wife Hope' originally aired in the United States on October 11, 2009 on the Fox network. [10] In this initial broadcast, it received a Nielsen rating of 4.3/7, totaling 7.5 million viewers in the 18-19 demographic.[11]
The episode received generally positive reviews from television critics. IGN reporter Robert Canning gave the episode a 7.7/10 rating ('Good'), commenting that 'what really made me enjoy 'The Great Wife Hope' were the peripheral bits, characters and jokes outside the main storyline. There were many, and they were funny.[6]
Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club, giving the episode a 'B', wrote that it had 'some amusing detours along the way'. She compared 'The Great Wife Hope' positively to season two's 'Itchy & Scratchy & Marge', writing that Marge's attempts to bring down the MMA sport is the parallel to her trying to bring The Itchy & Scratchy Show off the air due to its severe cartoon violence in the latter episode.[7] The staff of the website MMAjunkie said the episode was a sign that MMA had 'truly made it' and fans of the sport could appreciate the writer's knowledge on the topic.[2]
Among more negative reviews include Jason Hughes of TV Squad, who commented that several jokes in the episode did not work, such as the reveal that Krusty the Clown has been sleeping with Sideshow Mel's wife for several years, though he did enjoy most of the other jokes and applauded the development of Nelson's character.[4]
Dana White, president of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), told reporters that he did not like the episode. He added, 'People like the [mixed martial arts] media always try to tell me that we're mainstream. [..] Did you see that Simpsons episode? Chuck Liddell signs an autograph for somebody, and he says, 'That will be $45, please'. The sport isn't like that at all. Then the promoter of the show fights Marge Simpson in the octagon, sucker-punches her in the face, and then says, 'You're the only woman I've ever hit that I didn't love'. That's the way mainstream looks at us and thinks of us, and I know that.'[12]
The final scene in the episode, featuring Bart and Lisa fighting in the arena, has received overwhelmingly positive remarks from reviewers. Canning wrote that it was 'a classic moment for the series [..] This almost felt like a moment that could have closed out the series.'[6] Hughes commented that it was 'the best moment of the night' as it 'would have been a typical ending' if it had not added the twist preceding the credits.[4] Melissa and Randall Baker of TV Guide magazine said that the scene was a moment of 'girl power', as Lisa knocks out Bart easily with one punch.[8]
References[edit]
Marge Simpsons Sisters
- ^'The Simpsons: The Great Wife Hope'. Yahoo! TV. Retrieved 2009-12-26.
- ^ abcdStaff (2009-10-12). ''The Simpsons' MMA-themed episode, 'The Great Wife Hope''. MMAjunkie.com. Archived from the original on 2009-10-15. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
- ^ abcDavies, Gareth (2009-10-13). 'UFC on The Simpsons as MMA enjoys cartoon iconography'. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
- ^ abcHughes, Jason. 'The Simpsons: The Great Wife Hope'. TV Squad. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
- ^'The Simpsons - Videos'. 20th Century Fox. Archived from the original on 2010-01-17. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
- ^ abcdeCanning, Robert (2009-10-12). 'Marge opens up a can of whup-tushy'. IGN. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
- ^ abVanDerWerff, Emily (2009-10-12). ''The Great Wife Hope'/'The One About Friends'/'Spies Reminiscent of Us'/'Home Adrone''. The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
- ^ abBaker, Randall; Baker, Melissa (2009-10-12). 'The Simpsons Episode Recap: 'The Great Wife Hope''. TV Guide. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
- ^Meyer, George (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode 'The Homer They Fall' (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^20th Century Fox (2009-10-11). 'Marge shows her competitive edge on 'The Simpsons' Sunday, October 11, on Fox'. Press release. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
- ^Porter, Rick (2009-10-12). 'TV ratings: NFL games score for CBS and NBC Sunday'. Zap2it. Archived from the original on 2012-04-12. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
- ^Pandaram, Jamie (2009-12-12). 'Stomach for the fight: UFC president goes head to head with opponents'. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2009-12-14.
External links[edit]
Simpsons Wiki Marge
- 'The Great Wife Hope' on IMDb
- 'The Great Wife Hope' at TV.com
Who Plays Marge Simpson
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Great_Wife_Hope&oldid=947054520'