Wedding for Disaster
| "Wedding for Disaster" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| File:Wedding for Disaster.png | |
| Episode no. | Season 20 |
| Directed by | Chuck Sheetz |
| Written by | Joel H. Cohen |
| Original air date | March 29, 2009 |
| Episode features | |
| Chalkboard gag | My piggy bank is not entitled to TARP funds |
| Couch gag | A four-course dinner resembling each Simpson (And a mint resembling Maggie) at a fancy restaurant that get eaten up by The Comic Book Guy. |
"Wedding for Disaster" is the fifteenth episode of the twentieth season of The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 29, 2009.[1] In the episode, Marge and Homer's second marriage turns out to be invalid, so they decide to get married again. Right before the re-marriage, Homer goes missing, and Bart and Lisa suspect that he has been kidnapped by Sideshow Bob. The episode was written by Joel H. Cohen and directed by Chuck Sheetz. It features a guest appearance by Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob. Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It was viewed by 6.58 million viewers in its original American broadcast.
The June 28, 2009 rerun of the episode featured a brief alternate opening. Following the death of Michael Jackson three days prior, on June 25, the music video for "Do the Bartman" was shown, followed by a title card in memory of Jackson, showing a still of his appearance as Leon Kompowsky from the episode "Stark Raving Dad".[2]
Plot
His Holiness the Parson, the head of the Presbylutheran denomination, tells Reverend Lovejoy that due to a lapsed ministerial certification various ceremonies he performed are invalid. This affects Homer and Marge, who turn out not to be remarried as they previously thought. Homer vows to give Marge the perfect wedding he did not give her either of the first two times they got married. Marge is thrilled to be able to plan her dream wedding, but it is not long before she turns into a Bridezilla, shooting down all of Homer’s ideas and mowing down everyone who gets in her way. The day of the wedding finally arrives, and everything is perfect except for one small detail — Homer is missing. At first it appears that Marge has driven him away, but Bart and Lisa stumble on a clue that leads them to believe their father was kidnapped: a keychain in the shape of the initials "S.B."
Meanwhile, Homer finds himself chained to a pipe in a dark room. When a mysterious voice tells him that the key to unlock his chains is inside a lollipop, he frantically eats it only to discover the lollipop is made of fiery hot sauce.
His torments continue as Bart and Lisa race to save him. They first assume Homer's captor "S.B." is Sideshow Bob, but he has an alibi with Krusty the Clown. It turns out that the keychain actually belongs to Selma Bouvier, who has kidnapped Homer with her sister Patty. They plan to keep Homer cooped up until Marge forgets about him. Feeling resigned to his fate, Homer reads the wedding vows he wrote for Marge to them, and, touched, they release him. However, with the keychain as proof, Bart and Lisa confront the sisters and threaten to tell Marge unless the twins pay for their parents' remarriage ceremony.
Cultural references
Homer's torture cell and its voice changer reference the Saw film series.[3]
Reception
"Wedding for Disaster" received a Nielsen rating of 3.7/6[4] and was viewed by 6.58 million viewers.[5] Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. Robert Canning of IGN gave the episode a 7.3/10, saying, "'Wedding for Disaster' was one of those episodes that, while not knocking you down with laughter, was quite fun to watch." He went on to say, "it was also sweet to have Homer's recitation of his vows be the turning point for his sisters-in-law. Again, this wasn't a howlingly funny episode, but there were some great parts, and overall 'Wedding for Disaster' was a pleasant enough telling of Marge and Homer's third and fourth weddings."[3]
Erich Asperschlager of TV Verdict wrote: "'Wedding for Disaster' worked because it had a cool mystery. Granted, I’m a sucker for mysteries, but some of the best Simpsons episodes are mysteries—and most of those feature Sideshow Bob. I was more than ready to let tonight’s episode turn into the next Sideshow Bob story, but I also like that they let him just be a cameo. Much as I love Kelsey Grammer’s scheming sidekick, he’s too smart to have kidnapped Homer for the reason Bart suspected: 'If Mom and Dad don’t get married, I’ll never be born!' The real solution made a lot more sense, and gave the ending a little more weight. 'Wedding for Disaster' may have been a little light on laughs compared to the last few episodes, but the story carried the day."[6] Ariel Ponywether of Firefox News wrote: "Even at its worst, the show’s always been consistent about Homer and Marge’s love for one another, and this episode is another reminder of the bond that’s always been portrayed as being the strongest, most important one on the show. In that, 'Wedding for Disaster' succeeds in its aims, and provides a sentimental, if not exactly funny, episode."[7][unreliable source?]
Joel H. Cohen has been nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award in the Animation category in 2010 for writing the episode. The Simpsons was the only show to be nominated in the category, with the other nominated episodes being "The Burns and the Bees", "Eeny Teeny Maya, Moe", "Gone Maggie Gone" and "Take My Life, Please". The winner will be announced February 20, 2010.[8]
References
- ^ "Primetime Listings (March 21 - March 28)". FoxFlash. 2009-02-20. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
- ^ Snierson, Dan (June 27, 2009). "Michael Jackson: 'The Simpsons' to re-air 'Do the Bartman' video in tribute on Sunday". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 28, 2009.
- ^ a b Canning, Robert (2009-03-30). "The Simpsons: "Wedding For Disaster" Review". IGN. Retrieved 2009-03-30.
- ^ "TV Ratings: CBS hits winning shot Sunday". Zap2It. Retrieved 2009-04-02.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ Simpsons Channel | Your Source For Simpsons News
- ^ Erich Asperschlager (March 30, 2009). "The Simpsons 20.15: "Wedding for Disaster"". Retrieved 2009-04-04.
- ^ Ariel Ponywether (March 30, 2009). "Review -- The Simpsons: "Wedding For Disaster"". Firefox News. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
- ^ "2010 Writers Guild Awards Television, Radio, News, Promotional Writing, and Graphic Animation Nominees Announced". Writers Guild of America. 2009-12-14. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
