The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer

"The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer"
The Simpsons episode
File:S18e01.png
Episode no.	Season 18
Directed by	Michael Marcantel
Written by	Bill Odenkirk
Original air date	September 10, 2006
Episode features
Couch gag	The couch is replaced by four wooden chairs. An instrumental version of "Pop Goes the Weasel" plays as the family goes around the chairs. When the music stops, everyone but Homer grabs a seat.

"The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer" is the season premiere of The Simpsons’ eighteenth season and first aired September 10, 2006. Lisa meets Fat Tony's son, Michael, who doesn't want to enter the family business of the mafia, but wants to pursue his dream of being a chef. When Fat Tony is shot by his enemies, Michael refuses to be the new kingpin, prompting Homer and Bart to run the Springfield Mafia. It was written by Bill Odenkirk and directed by Michael Marcantel. The entire band of Metallica guest star as themselves, while Michael Imperioli and Joe Pantoliano guest star as Fat Tony's enemies, Dante Jr. and Dante, respectively. In its original run, it received a 5.3 Nielsen rating and had 11.5 million viewers.

Plot

File:Simp MookChef Metallica v2F.jpg

This episode guest starred Metallica as themselves.

While driving Springfield Elementary School's students to school, Otto stops to meet the members of Metallica (James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo), whose truck has broken down. Behind him, however, Bart takes over driving the school bus, saying "Look at me, I'm Otto! I'm a hundred years old and I'm driving a school bus!" (despite the fact that they are friends) and drives it to school, embarrassing Otto in front of Metallica. Kirk Hammet calls out to Otto, "Hey loser! We got a ride from a real fan!", and Robert Trujillo tells him "Never listen to our music again!". The entire band leaves, hitching a ride with Hans Moleman (who said "I used to sleep with Lars' grandmother.") instead of Otto, and playing the introduction from "Master of Puppets" while they ride away. At the school, a fuming Otto arrives and spanks Bart. Noticing this act of corporal punishment, Principal Skinner suspends Otto from driving the school bus. For this reason, Marge has to drive carpool to several of Bart and Lisa's friends. After picking up Milhouse, Terri, Sherri, and Nelson, she finally picks up an introverted kid named Michael. Michael, clearly an outcast with no friends, is bullied by Nelson in the car. He forgets his math book at home, prompting Marge to drive him back to pick it up. While there, his math book is handed to him by his father, Fat Tony. Nelson immediately takes back all his insults.

News of Michael's "family" spreads, and everyone tries to keep their distance from him. Some, like Ralph, are in fear because Fat Tony shot their parents. Lisa joins a lonely Michael at lunch, and they become friends. She comes to find Michael is a talented cook, which he claims to be his dream, rather than go into the family business of "waste management". After school, Fat Tony drives the kids home (also scaring them with threats, which ends with friendly remarks, such as "sleeping with the fishes. cuz I have this Finding Nemo blanket!"), but on the way, goons working for Fat Tony's rivals, the Calabresi family, attack them. Tony manages to slip them, and when they arrive at the Simpson house, Michael invites the family over for dinner. At Fat Tony's mansion, the Calabresis show up unexpectedly for a sit-down during dinner. Fat Tony advises the Calabresis against killing him as his son, Michael, would then take his place and exact a brutal vengeance. Michael, however, arrives, serving souffles to the mobsters, who love it, but are surprised when they find out he made them. The Calabresis laugh at Tony, calling Michael Chef Boyaregay and leave. Fat Tony admonishes Michael for making him look weak in front of his enemies. Suddenly, an attack helicopter appears at the window and guns Fat Tony down.

At the hospital, Fat Tony lies unconscious, and Johnny Tightlips explains to the other mobsters that, with the boss down, the Calabresis would be trying to finish the job. He tells Michael that he should step up, but when he expresses dismay, Homer volunteers to take his place as mob boss. He and Bart proceed to do Mafia dirty work, including rough treatment of Moe and Krusty. However, Michael notices how this amount of power is turning the two more maniacal (they are plotting various ways to injure/kill Ned Flanders) and seeks to put an end to it. One night, he invites the Calabresis to the Simpsons' for dinner, where he informs them that they have won and that he is out of the family business. They applaud his decision, but end up choking and dying over their own meals. Marge discovers the food had been poisoned, and although Michael appears remorseful, Lisa finds out it was intentional. At Fat Tony's mansion, Fat Tony congratulates Michael for taking down their enemies. Outside, Lisa asks Michael why he did not tell Fat Tony it was all an accident. Michael bluntly tells her to never to question his business and disappears into a room with Jimbo, Kearney and Dolph, leaving Lisa alone with a concerned and fearful expression on her face. Lisa opens the door to see Michael and co. playing with Hot Wheels, only to have Kearney close the door on her again.

Production

Homer says the greatest mob film of all time was Shark Tale. The 2004 hit movie took its general storyline from "The Godfather" although it transferred the material into a PG-rated animated film. Guest star Michael Imperioli appeared in Shark Tale as the violent, bloodthirsty son of a shark mob boss. Fat Tony's son Michael was first mentioned in "The Seven-Beer Snitch". On the way to school, after Lisa tells Otto that Bart won't let her on the seat, as she pulls on Otto's cassette player, you can see Lisa's necklace is orange when it should be white, as shown when Lisa leaves the bus. Also, when Bart and Fat Tony's accomplices are going to meet Krusty, Krusty's nose can briefly be seen as white when it should be red.

This episode marks the return of the character Lunchlady Doris to a speaking role after her original voice actor Doris Grau died in 1995. The character is now voiced by Tress MacNeille.

Cultural references

• The title of the episode references the 1989 film, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover.
• Children perform Antonín Dvořák's New World Symphony during Largo's music class.
• The final portion of the episode is a parody of the final scene of The Godfather. Lisa plays Diane Keaton, and Michael (whose character resembles a young version of Michael Corleone) plays Al Pacino. The Godfather theme is also heard.
• Mob goons in a helicopter attempt to assassinate Fat Tony through a window, mirroring a famous scene in The Godfather Part III. In the Godfather III the character who conducts this attack is played by Joe Mantenga, the voice of Fat Tony.
• Fat Tony uses a Garfield three-ring binder to pop the Calabresis' car, and claims to have bought a Finding Nemo bedspread.
• When Fat Tony speaks Italian, Homer thinks he talks like Mushmouth from Fat Albert.
• Dante's taunting of Michael as "Chef boy-are-gay" references Chef Boyardee.
• Otto listens to "We're an American Band", by Grand Funk Railroad and refers to both "Deal with the Devil" by Judas Priest and "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple ("music should be about deals with the devil, far off lands and where smoke is found in relation to water").
• The Sopranos theme music, "Woke Up This Morning" is heard, playing on the radio in Fat Tony's SUV; guest stars Pantoliano and Imperioli were actors on Sopranos.
• McDonald's and Burger King are referenced in a scene that meta-explains their absence from the show: Krusty has been paying the Mafia to keep them out of Springfield. Krusty offers Homer and Bart a smaller amount of money to just keep Hardee's out of KrustyBurger territory.
• Homer says that he learned how to be a mobster by watching "the greatest mafia movie ever", Shark Tale.
• The song played by Metallica while they were driving off was the first two measures of "Master of Puppets". James says that "We're gonna hang with a true fan" — Hans Moleman ("I used to sleep with Lars' grandmother."). Rob says "Never listen to our music again!" to Otto and the band drives off playing "Master of Puppets".
• Bart holds up a bootlegged copy of Batman Begins.

• Dante is a direct reference to the 13th century Italian poet Dante Alighieri.

Reception

Dan Iverson of IGN quotes the premiere was "charming", and enjoys the episodes' parody of The Godfather, praising Pantoliano and Imperioli's appearances. He also quotes that despite the episode being too random, he misses the emotional impact it should have had, giving the episode a final rating of 7/10.