Kill Gil: Vols. 1 & 2

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The Simpsons episode
"Kill Gil: Vols. 1 & 2"

Episode no.	387
Prod. code	JABF01
Orig. Airdate	December 17, 2006
Show Runner(s)	Al Jean
Writer(s)	Jeff Westbrook
Director(s)	Bob Anderson
Chalkboard	"Frankincense is not a monster"
Couch gag	The family (in Christmas attire) sits on the couch, and the camera pulls out to reveal they are in a Christmas decoration which is on a Christmas tree, and Santa's Little Helper and Snowball II rest nearby.
Guest star(s)	Elvis Stojko as himself
SNPP capsule
Season 18 September 10, 2006 – May 20, 2007
The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer Jazzy and the Pussycats Please Homer, Don't Hammer 'Em... Treehouse of Horror XVII G.I. (Annoyed Grunt) Moe'N'a Lisa Ice Cream of Margie (With the Light Blue Hair) The Haw-Hawed Couple Kill Gil: Vols. 1 & 2 The Wife Aquatic Revenge is a Dish Best Served Three Times Little Big Girl Springfield Up Yokel Chords Rome-old and Juli-eh Homerazzi Marge Gamer * Husbands and Knives * Stop, Or My Dog Will Shoot! * The Boys of Bummer * 24 Minutes * *Not yet aired episode scheduled to air in the future. Episode order may change.
List of all Simpsons episodes...

"Kill Gil: Vols. 1 & 2" is the ninth episode of The Simpsons' eighteenth season which originally aired on December 17, 2006, and is the ninth Christmas-themed episode. It was written by Jeff Westbrook and directed by Bob Anderson. It saw Elvis Stojko guest star as himself.

1 Synopsis
2 Trivia
3 Cultural references
4 External links

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

During a holiday ice skating show run by Krusty and starring guest voice Elvis Stojko, Homer jumps into a chaotic brawl involving the other ice skaters and the Utah Jazz (who have begun to set up a basketball court on the rink). He demands that "The Grumple", an obvious parody of the Grinch, "Give us back our holiday cheer you bastard." The Grumple returns thruought the episode to attack Homer, at one point seeming to be a real creature and not a costume character. In order to escape the chaos, Marge decides to take the family holiday shopping at Costington's department store. Gil, dressed as a department-store Santa Claus, unknowingly gives Lisa a sold-out Malibu Stacy doll that has been set aside for Mr. Costington's daughter. When Gil gets fired, the Simpsons invite him over for Christmas dinner, which becomes a huge mistake as Gil moves in and mooches off the Simpsons. Out of guilt, Marge continually allows Gil to prolong his stay, but when her patience wears thin, she's forced to overcome her fear and - after 11 months - finally say no. By this time however, Gil's plans have come to fruition and he is now a very successful realtor in Scottsdale, Arizona. The family heads west so that Marge can give Gil a dressing down for being such a mooch. Her tirade gets Gil fired again. Feeling sorry for Gil, the Simpsons decide to buy a house in Scottsdale, perhaps in order to let Gil keep his job. To tie up a final loose end, a whole family of Grumples comes to the Simpsons' new house to share Christmas with Gil and the Simpsons. The episode ends without the Simpsons returning to Springfield.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Trivia

The opening sequence is redesigned in a Christmas style for this episode. Not counting the various "Treehouse of Horror" episodes, this is the second time that the title sequence has majorly differed from the norm, the first such time being "Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife".
In the couch gag, Homer runs to the right when running into the house
Among the skating mascots in the ice show is the "Ribwich Rib-It" from "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can".
This episode aired exactly 17 years after the very first episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". It was the fifth episode to air on this date.
This episode is the first and only one to make mention of Gil's last name, Gunderson.
When Gil mooches the kids' lunches a note to Lisa states, "Thanks for the bolongna." This must be a mistake since Lisa is a vegetarian.
This episode also makes a reference to TV flashbacks when Marge has a flashback and Homer states that he obviously can't see her thoughts.
When this episode aired on Sky One in the UK, the entire scene where Homer starts the fight with the Grumple has been removed. This makes the Grumple side story make even less sense.

[edit] Cultural references

In the episode when they go to Scottsdale, the sign says "Welcome to Scottsdale! Water - ^$10 a Sip!" (instead of "Most Livable City!").
This episode's title is a reference to Quentin Tarantino's two-part movie Kill Bill.
The "Grumple" is an obvious parody of "the Grinch".
Gil finally returns to his roots, as he was working as a realtor back when Marge first met him.
Moe asks Homer if he still misses UPN. This in reference to the merger of UPN and the WB creating the CW
Gil makes eggs Harold Stassen-style for Bart and Lisa "because they're always running".
When Mr. Burns taps Smithers in the opening scene, Smithers is a ghost; the scene is a reference to Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.