Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington

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The Simpsons episode
"Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington"

Episode no.	305
Prod. code	EABF09
Orig. Airdate	March 9, 2003
Writer(s)	John Swartzwelder
Director(s)	Lance Kramer
Chalkboard	None
Couch gag	The family travels back in time to the prehistoric era and the Roman times when Homer uses the remote
Guest star(s)	None
SNPP capsule
Season 14 November 3, 2002 – May 18, 2003
Treehouse of Horror XIII How I Spent My Strummer Vacation Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade Large Marge Helter Shelter The Great Louse Detective Special Edna The Dad Who Knew Too Little Strong Arms of the Ma Pray Anything Barting Over I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can A Star is Born-Again Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington C.E. D'oh 'Scuse Me While I Miss the Sky Three Gays of the Condo Dude, Where's My Ranch? Old Yeller Belly Brake My Wife, Please Bart of War Moe Baby Blues
List of all Simpsons episodes...

Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington is the fourteenth episode from The Simpsons' 14th season.

1 Synopsis
2 Trivia
3 Cultural references
- 3.1 Fox News Ticker
4 External links

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

While watching a very late episode of The Three Stooges (where the violently bumbling trio are on the brink of senility), the Simpsons feel the ground shaking. They discover an airplane flying dangerously close to their house. They soon realize that the air traffic must have been redirected. Homer and Marge complain to an airport official, who says that the planes were redirected away from wildlife preserves to protect the animals; whereas, actually, they were redirected by the request of Mayor Quimby, so that he could entertain his lady friends in peace and quiet.

The family tries to adjust to the massive noise, but are unable to cope and decide to move. After failing to sell the house to Apu and Ralph Wiggum, Homer and Marge complain to their congressman, Horace Wilcox, who has been congressman since 1933. Horace seems genuinely moved by their predicament and ready to help them. Unfortunately, he suffers a heart attack and dies. Later, as they watch a Krusty show, Bart gets the idea to have Krusty run for Congress. The family also thinks it would be a good idea. The next day, Bart visits Krusty (who at first mistakes him for a dying fan) and asks him to run for Congress. Krusty seems reluctant at first, but he soon likes to the idea, since he could change all the problems that the government has plagued him with, such as taxes and immigration (of his monkey). At the shady Republicans Meeting, he nominates himself as a candidate for Congress. The other members are supportive (except for Bob Dole who nominates himself).

Krusty's campaign has a very bad start. He includes offensive jokes in his speeches and his opponent, John Armstrong, shows a sketch from Krusty's show making fun of the UN, in which he spoofs the French Stench, the Jamaican Hum-Drum and San Francisco's homosexuality. Desperate to have Krusty win the election (and be on the winning team, for once), Lisa helps Krusty turn his campaign around by having him connect with regular families and citizens. With this advice and some help from Fox News (including a TV debate with Krusty shown with a Halo, while the Democratic candidate is shown with devil horns and a Soviet flag on the background, and finally upside down), Krusty's popularity soars and he wins the election, possibly due to Bart and extreme voter fraud.

So begins Krusty's term in Congress. After taking the oath, he tries to bring up the topic of the air traffic over Evergreen Terrace. However, no one pays any attention to him and they tell him that as a freshman congressman, he doesn't get much of a say in anything there. He's told to clean up the graffiti on the walls of the House. The other congressmen then start discussing designing dollar coins made out of chocolate.

Later, the Simpsons find Krusty in a bar, drowning his sorrows in booze. He feels that he's failed them, but they convince him to stand up for his beliefs. Thus encouraged, he tries to get his Air Traffic Bill passed, but he is only speaking to an empty room. The Simpsons watch him and feel sorry for him and more for themselves, considering they have to go back and live with all the airplane noise. When Homer says their plane leaves in 30 minutes (just to make things suspenseful), a janitor (who "looks just like" Walter Mondale) arrives and informs them how a bill becomes a law. Lisa tries to show off her knowledge, but he interrupts her, telling them that underhanded tactics are necessary.

With his help, they blackmail a key congressman with a videotape, which has footage of him abusing the free mail policy (by sending a "Get Well Soon" card to his aunt). Homer manages to get Congressman Beauregard drunk (and himself as well, in the process). Finally, during a session in Congress, the janitor and Lisa, with Homer's drunken diversion, place the Air Traffic Bill under a bill giving orphans American flags. When the bill comes up for discussion, the blackmailed congressman immediately consents, and Congressman Beauregard, in a drunken stupor, consents to the bill. The legislation is then passed, and Krusty embellishes the successes of democracy.

At the Simpsons' place, the family is happy to see that all the air traffic has been diverted to the poor sections of town, while they get the peace and quiet that they heroically fought for.

[edit] Trivia

The depiction of the Three Stooges in a far-gone state of senility is a somewhat extrapolated version of the truth. Larry really did have a stroke in his later years, and there were really four 'third' stooges: Curly, Shemp, Joe and Curly Joe. If the two intermediate stooges are counted as Curlys as well (something The Simpsons did with Lisa's cats; after Snowball II died, Snowball III, Coltrane and Snowball V followed without a true Snowball IV) then Curly Joe really would be "Curly IV".
When Marge asks for someone to perform CPR, the song Homer sings is Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bad Moon Rising."

[edit] Cultural references

Homer telling the TV and fridge to "Stay plugged in! I will find you!" is a reference to The Last of the Mohicans, in which Daniel Day-Lewis tells Madeline Stowe: "Stay alive! I will find you!"
When Mayor Quimby tells his paramour "Now I regret building you that opera house," that is a reference to Citizen Kane when Charles Foster Kane builds an opera house for his new young wife Susan Kane, a failed opera singer.
The title is a parody of the movie "Mr Smith Goes To Washington" by Frank Capra.
When asked to perform CPR Homer sings Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival who are often referred to as CCR