"Sweets and Sour Marge" is the eighth episode of the thirteenth season of The Simpsons. The title parodies the famous dish "Sweet and sour chicken".
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Plot
Homer buys a book on world records published by Duff at a library sale. After boring everyone with world record trivia, Homer decides to break a record himself. He gathers the whole town to build the world's tallest human pyramid. After Jimbo and Kearney move their hands just before the record is claimed, the pyramid collapses into a giant sphere that rolls through town, taking in Agnes Skinner, Hans Moleman, and a suicidal man about to jump from a ledge onto the street. The entire town rolls to a truck weighing station and the Duff record book officials say that Springfield is the world's fattest town, ahead of Milwaukee (though it should be of note that, at the time of the original airing, the fattest city in America was Chicago, Illinois).
The townsfolk are happy to have made it in the record book. Marge is worried that the whole town is overweight. She discovers that there is sugar in nearly everything Springfielders eat. After complaining to Garth Motherloving, head of the Motherloving Sweets and Sugar Company. (voiced by Ben Stiller), Marge decides to sue the sugar industry with the help of Gil and Professor Frink. Judge Snyder sides with her and bans all sugar products in Springfield (angering Homer and most of the town).
The whole town goes cold turkey. Homer joins a secret group led by Garth Motherloving to smuggle sugar from the island of San Glucos. After arriving back in Springfield, and evading a police boat, Homer brings the sugar to the docks. Marge pleads Homer to dump the cargo. There Homer is presented with two choices to obey Marge and press the button Drop Cargo or bring the sugar to Garth Motherloving by pressing the button Obey Bad Guy. After contemplating, Homer drops the cargo and all the sugar falls to the Springfield docks' water. All Springfielders, even those who seemed happier and healthier without sugar, jump into the harbor and drink the sugar water. Judge Snyder then declares the ban over and dives in with everyone else.
Reception
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Cultural references
- This episode takes a very blatant jab against Butterfinger candy bars. When the police must burn all of Springfield's candy and other assorted sugar products, a big stack of Butterfingers are thrown and is even referred to by name. The fire is unable to burn the candy bars and they bounce right back without even a single scratch to which Chief Clancy Wiggum comments, "Even the fire doesn't want them." The Simpsons had appeared in Butterfinger commercials and print ads for more than a decade. Shortly after the episode, Butterfinger dropped The Simpsons as spokespersons, ending a partnership lasting 12 years. The segment was even dropped from syndicated airings. Two episodes later, Bart's chalkboard punishment was "I will not bite the hand that feeds me Butterfingers."
- Reference is made to the film Chocolat. Lou asks the chief if he should burn the promotional Johnny Depp chocolate figurine from the film and Chief Wiggum replies "We melted for him, now he's gonna do likewise."
- The Duff Book of Records parodies the Guinness Book of Records, also named after a beer company. Lisa also mentions that the Duff Book of Records was originally created to settle disputes in taverns, which is true of its Guinness counterpart.
- Homer uses the Duff Book of Records to settle a bet between Lenny and Carl over the largest number of clothespins attached to one's face. The man pictured in the book, Kevin Thackwell, is a real person who owns the record for such a feat.
- Right after Homers settles the bet Moe truly amazed testifies: “Wow that’s the best book I’ve ever seen!”. To which Homer replies: “No, the best book YOU’VE ever seen is Tom Clancy’s OP-Center” which is a reference to the Tom Clancy's Op-Center novel series, created by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik.
- When Homer evades the police in the boat, the entire boat chase parodies the intense, high adrenaline action of the TV series, "Miami Vice".[citation needed]
- When Homer climbs the human pyramid, he does it in a very similar way to the opening of the film "Mission: Impossible 2" and the famous scene in King Kong.
- Cletus complains that feeding the pigs Helen Fielding's books will cause "Bridget Jones's diarrhea" which is a reference to Bridget Jones's Diary.
- The spokesvampire, "Count Fudgula," is a pastiche of Count Chocula.
- The movie Erin Brockovich is mentioned several times, the acquisition of the petitions bears much resemblance to this movie.
- When the Duff executive mentions the town that made the world's largest omelette, Homer says "Denver?", to which the executive responds, "No, Spanish". Homer's banjo playing after the double entendre is a parody of the typical response on Hee Haw after a joke is made.
- In the waiting room of the "Duff Book of Records" offices, Homer tells Marlon Brando he is a shoo-in for world's fattest man before Brando replies that he is up for world's greatest living actor.
- The "prostitute with a heart of gold" comment is likely a reference to Erin Brockovich star Julia Robert's previous film, Pretty Woman.
- During the end credits, the song "Sugar, Sugar" by The Archies plays.
- Springfield claims to be the birthplace of The Beatles where it was actually Liverpool.
Channel 4 censorship
The Channel 4 airing of this episode in Britain cuts out two parts:
- Bart referring to Erin Brockovich as "the prostitute, with a heart of gold".
- The scene where Disco Stu slurps lines of sugar through a rolled up dollar bill (à la snorting cocaine) just before playing Andrea True Connection's "More, More, More". The edited version jumps from Disco Stu agreeing to sign Marge's petition to Disco Stu dancing to "More, More, More" as Marge dances her way out.
Dedication
This episode is dedicated to the late Ron Taylor who voiced Bleeding Gums Murphy (while it was confirmed that Ron Taylor died of a heart attack, the death of Taylor's character on The Simpsons was never explained in 'Round Springfield and Murphy was merely said to have "died" following Lisa's band performance at school).
External links
- "Sweets and Sour Marge" episode capsule at The Simpsons Archive
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