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In Marge We Trust

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"In Marge We Trust"
The Simpsons episode
File:Inmargewetrust.png
Episode no.Season 8
Directed bySteven Dean Moore
Written byDonick Cary
Original air datesApril 27, 1997
Episode features
Couch gagThe couch is absent. In its place is a vending machine, which drops a couch from the ceiling onto Homer.[1]
CommentaryMatt Groening
Josh Weinstein
Donick Cary
Yeardley Smith
Steven Dean Moore
David X. Cohen
Alex Rocco
Episode chronology
The Simpsons season 8
List of episodes

"In Marge We Trust" is the twenty-second episode of The Simpsons' eighth season, which originally aired April 27, 1997.[2] It was written by Donick Cary and directed by Steven Dean Moore.[2] The episode guest stars Sab Shimono as Mr. Sparkle, Gedde Watanabe as the factory worker, Denise Kumagai and Karen Maruyama as dancers,[1] and Frank Welker as the baboons.[3]

Synopsis

Template:Spoiler

File:Mrsparkle.png
Homer discovers a box of Mr. Sparkle.

Reverend Lovejoy's service on "constancy" sends nearly the entire congregation to sleep. After church Homer takes Bart and Lisa to the Springfield dump, where they find a box of Japanese dishwasher detergent known as Mr. Sparkle. The face on the box of detergent greatly resembles Homer.

Meanwhile, Marge becomes concerned with Reverend Lovejoy's lack of enthusiasm about helping people. She begins working for the Church as "The Listen Lady", listening to people describe their problems, and helping to solve them. Reverend Lovejoy soon realizes his inadequacy and begins to feel depressed.

Homer, disturbed by the box of Mr. Sparkle, contacts the manufacturer in Japan for information. He is sent a promotional video for Mr. Sparkle, which consists of a bizarre TV commercial. At the end of the video, the mascot is shown to be a result of a joint venture between two large Japanese conglomerates whose mascots, a fish and light bulb, merge together to form Mr. Sparkle.

One day, Ned Flanders calls Marge for help. Jimbo, Dolph, and Kearney are hanging around outside the Leftorium, making Ned worried that they will start causing trouble. Marge suggests that he shoo them away. Unbeknownst to him, the trio are about to leave, but when he goes and asks them to, they decide to harass him instead. Ned calls Marge again, whilst he is standing on a chair with the three boys circling him on their motorbikes. She suggests that he "lay down the law"; when one of the boys snips the phone cord, Marge assumes that Ned has hung up and that everything is fine.

The next morning, Maude informs Marge that Ned is missing. Marge realizes that she may be partially responsible for his disappearance. Marge goes to Reverend Lovejoy for help, and the two of them track Ned to the zoo. Jimbo, Dolph, and Kearney have abandoned their pursuit, but now Ned is trapped in the baboon exhibit. While the Simpson family watches on, Reverend Lovejoy rescues Ned in the baboon's food train, defeating several of the animals in doing so. Now that he feels useful again, Reverend Lovejoy rediscovers his passion for his job, regaling his congregation with the tale of Ned's rescue.

Production

By season 8, the show had begun to explore episodes centering around secondary characters. Reverend Lovejoy was selected for this episode because, aside from being noted as "the priest who didn't care", he had not had much character development.[4] This was the first episode that Donick Cary has written for The Simpsons. He was disappointed that his first story was about "Marge's crisis with faith."[5] The trip to the dump was inspired by Donick Cary's youth, in which he would often go "dump picking". This led to the writer's deciding to have Homer's face on a discarded box, which became the Mr. Sparkle subplot.[5] To help create the advert, the writers watched videos of many Japanese commercials.[6] An original scene from Lovejoy's flashback showed that Jasper Beardley preceded him as minister of the First Church of Springfield.[7] The solution for how Mr. Sparkle resembles Homer was written by George Meyer after hours of time had been spent trying to come up with a realistic ending.[5] Matsumura Fishworks was named after Aturo Matsumura, a friend of David X. Cohen.[8]

Reception

The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, said: "A rare case of both storylines being worthy of full episodes in their own right, this is a cracking episode which highlights the unduly neglected Rev. Lovejoy and makes you realise Homer isn't the only one ready to kill Ned Flanders! Great stuff."[1] In a 2000 Entertainment Weekly article, Matt Groening ranked it as his fifth favorite in the history of the show.[9] The episode currently holds a rating of "Great" with a score of 8.6/10 at TV.com,[10] and a score of 7.5/10 at the Internet Movie Database.[11] Josh Weinstein described it as one the best of the season, as well as being one of the most underated episodes of all time. He also described the Mr. Sparkle commercial as his all time favorite sequence.[4]

Legacy

The fake Fruity Oaty Bar commercial from the film Serenity was partially inspired by the Mr. Sparkle advert.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "In Marge We Trust". BBC. Retrieved 2007-04-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ a b Richmond, Ray (1997). The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to our Favorite Family. Harper Collins Publishers. pp. p. 235. ISBN 0-00063-8898-1. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Smith, Yeardley (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "In Marge We Trust" (DVD). 20th Century Fox. {{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  4. ^ a b Weinstein, Josh (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "In Marge We Trust" (DVD). 20th Century Fox. {{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  5. ^ a b c Cary, Donick (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "In Marge We Trust" (DVD). 20th Century Fox. {{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  6. ^ Groening, Matt (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "In Marge We Trust" (DVD). 20th Century Fox. {{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  7. ^ Dean Moore, Steven (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "In Marge We Trust" (DVD). 20th Century Fox. {{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  8. ^ Cohen, David (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "In Marge We Trust" (DVD). 20th Century Fox. {{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  9. ^ "Springfield of Dreams". Entertainment Weekly. 2000-01-14. Retrieved 2007-04-13.
  10. ^ "In Marge We Trust". TV.com. Retrieved 2007-04-13.
  11. ^ "In Marge We Trust". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-04-13.
  12. ^ Whedon, Joss (2005). "Serenity: Making of Fruity Oaty Bar" segment on the Serenity DVD (DVD). Universal Pictures Video. {{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
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