The Regina Monologues
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| The Simpsons episode | |
| "The Regina Monologues" | |
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| Episode no. | 317 |
| Prod. code | EABF22 |
| Orig. Airdate | November 23, 2003 |
| Writer(s) | John Swartzwelder |
| Director(s) | Mark Kirkland |
| Couch gag | The family enters through a Play-Doh Fun Factory and each member is a different colour. |
| Guest star(s) | Jane Leeves as Edwina Tony Blair Evan Marriott Sir Ian McKellen and J.K. Rowling as themselves |
| SNPP capsule | |
| Season 15 November 2, 2003 – May 23, 2004 |
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| List of all Simpsons episodes... | |
"The Regina Monologues" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons' fifteenth season, which originally aired on November 23, 2003. It was the first episode in which the entire family went to Europe. Bart went to France in "The Crepes of Wrath", Bart says that Homer went on a "mysterious trip to Holland" in "Burns' Heir", Homer also said he toured Sweden with The Be Sharps in "Homer's Barbershop Quartet", and Homer has been to Scotland in "Monty Can't Buy Me Love".
It was also the first episode in which a high ranking government official voiced themselves.
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
On Smithers' advice, Mr. Burns uses an ATM (he pushes 4 buttons on finding that his ATM PIN is his age). He decides to withdraw $1000 and the machine ejects a $1000 bill, which strikes Burns in the chest and knocks him down and flies away. It flies straight into the Simpsons' house, where Bart and Milhouse play a violent video game called "Hockey Dad". The bill gets stuck in Milhouse's hair and Bart (being the loyal friend that he is) tells Milhouse that it's a ladybug and swipes it. He wonders what to do with it, but Marge tells him and Homer to put up fliers, so that the one who lost it can reclaim it. They do so, at the top of an electric pole. However, Sideshow Mel and Otto, desperate to see what it says, knock down the pole (with Bart and Homer still on it). Soon, there is a long line of people outside the Simpsons' place, claiming the bill, but no one can describe it correctly. Since no one shows up to claim the bill, the bill now belongs to Bart. Lisa suggests that they spend the money on Marge. Marge wants a vacation, but decides against it, because Homer always manages to ruin it.
The next day, Bart displays the $1000 bill in school for his friends to see. When Milhouse offers him 25 cents to see it again, he gets an idea and sets up a museum in his treehouse called "The Museum of Modern Bart" to display it, along with other items. The museum is a resounding success and the collections are huge. However, when Mr. Burns comes in and sees it, he claims it. When asked for proof, he shows Bart the impression left by the bill, when it struck his chest. He "yoinks" it away and leaves. Without the bill, the museum loses its business. However, Lisa, after counting the money collected, says that they have managed to collect up to $3000. Bart wants a used Toyota, but Lisa persuades him to spring for a vacation for Marge. Grampa suggests going to London, England. Apparently, during World War II, he met a girl, Edwina, with whom he had a brief affair, and wants to meet her again, considering he just remembered her. Marge agrees as long as Homer promises to behave, which he does and then starts to pick out a rifle to take along.
Thus the family goes to London and are graciously greeted by none other than Tony Blair. They start seeing the sights, while Grampa stays at the hotel, trying to find Edwina. The kids, meanwhile, browse through some candy stores, and find out that British chocolate is much sweeter than that in America, and end up going hyperactive on a sugar rush, running wildly through town. They are finally found lying on a footpath. They meet J.K. Rowling and Sir Ian McKellen, who is acting in Macbeth and experiences painful bad luck every time someone says "Macbeth".
Marge is happy that Homer is behaving himself. They rent a Mini and start to go around London. Unfortunately, they get stuck on a roundabout. After driving in circles for hours, Homer decides to break out of it and ploughs straight through the gates of Buckingham Palace and slams into Queen Elizabeth II's horse drawn carriage. Unaware of who he has just knocked down, he tries to brush the incident under the carpet, but the Coldstream Guardsmen there start beating him up with cudgels. Then comes the Changing of the Guard, and the new Coldstream Guardsmen continue to beat him mercilessly.
Homer is put on trial for causing harm to the Queen as well as wrecking his own vehicle. He calls the Queen an impostor, since her luggage has the inscription, "H.R.H." (which he believes stands for "Henrietta R. Hippo"). The Queen then demands that he be "destroyed". He is taken away to the Tower of London where he awaits execution by head on pike. There, near the fireplace, he prays to the "God of England" in his cell, and displays the frequent mistaken American impression that British people prefer to use the metric system. His family call him from outside and Lisa tells him that he can use a secret tunnel that Sir Walter Raleigh once used. For that, he must push a brick in the fireplace, which he manages on his second attempt (after putting out the fire, this time). However, the tunnel leads straight into the Queen's bedroom. The Queen whistles for her guards and they grab Homer. Homer pleads with the Queen to find it in her heart to forgive him. Finally, he is allowed to leave England, as long as they take Madonna (stuffed in a duffel bag) with them. Just as they are about to leave, Edwina shows up and meets Grampa. She introduces them to Abbie, her 58-year-old daughter, who looks and sounds like Homer in drag (and with an English accent). Abe cannot bear the thought of having another Homer in his life, so he bolts. However, Homer seems to think that Abbie is quite attractive.
[edit] Trivia
- Abbie is Homer's second half-sibling, with the first being Herb Powell from "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" and "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?".
- The destination of the bus which the Simpsons travel on is Aldwych tube station. However, by the time this episode had been made, the station had been closed for nine years.
- Britain effectively abolished the death penalty in 1965 with the last execution in Britain taking place in 1964, although theoretically it was still available as punishment for piracy and treason until 1998.
- When Homer sees the Queen's lugguage cases, they are stamped "H.R.H." (which Homer thinks means Henrietta R. Hippo). "H.R.H" means "His/Her Royal Highness", but is not used when referring to the Sovereign, who is styled as "His/Her Majesty". "H.R.H." is used when referring to certain other members of the Royal Family (such as the Queen's children and cousins), and is the next highest style of address for a member of the Royal Family.
- When telling Homer about the secret tunnel, Lisa pronounces the name Raleigh in the North American style, which, being an American on an American television show, she naturally would.
- When Mr. Burns is taking money from an ATM, Smithers tells him that his Pin Code is his age. Mr. Burns clicks 4 keys meaning that he could be 1000 years old, or, if he is still 104, as in Who Shot Mr. Burns, it could be 0104.
[edit] Cultural references
- 007 movies — The series is parodied twice: in the scene where Prime Minister Tony Blair greets the Simpsons, then blasts off on a jetpack á la Thunderball (the 007 theme plays); and in the scene where Homer spots Bart and Lisa from the London Eye, pulls a lever and the whole car detaches from the Eye, before skimming across the River Thames.
- Artforum — The main publication of Bart's tree house, BartForum, is an obvious pun.
- Rowan Atkinson — Homer mistakes Tony Blair for the British comedy series character Mr. Bean, played by Atkinson. The "curse of Macbeth" joke reprises itself in Blackadder the Third, in which Atkinson plays the main role.
- The Brady Bunch — The first act plot — where Bart happens upon a $1,000 bill and Marge subsequently tells him to advertise for its rightful owner — is inspired by the 1970 episode "The Treasure of Sierra Avenue."
- British Newspapers - After Homer is arrested and sent to the Tower of London, British tabloid newspapers are seen with various headlines complete with correct typefaces (except The Daily Mail) - centre-left tabloid The Mirror, the right-wing broadsheet The Times and right-wing papers The Sun and The Daily Mail. It is also worth noting that The Times and The Sun are owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, and that The Times is no longer printed in broadsheet.
- "The Cherry Orchard" — The play, written by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, is used as a sly dig at Joe Millionaire, where star Evan Marriott admits he doesn't have a cherry orchard, much like in the show where he admits he was not a millionaire.
- Hugh Grant — The English actor's 1995 arrest, for solicitation of a prostitute, is referenced when Homer remarks to a concierge that "America shares their prostitutes" with him.
- Hertz — The car rental company (where Homer rents his Mini Cooper) is changed to 'ertz, a play on how the stereotypical Estuary English accent pronounces words of that same caliber.
- "Hockey Dad" — The video game that Bart and Milhouse play in the opening scene is inspired by:
- 8-bit video game consoles — The primitive sound effects, graphics, etc., are a staple of most Simpsons video game parodies.
- Thomas Junta — the real-life "hockey dad" who was convicted of manslaughter following the 2000 beating death of a rival father following a youth hockey game.
- Mortal Kombat — the rules of "Hockey Dad" — including the climatic finishing move — are inspired from the combat video game. Instead of the winner celebrating, he is "hauled off to jail" by Eddie and Lou.
- "Macbeth" curse — The old theater superstition is parodied when Sir Ian McKellen is repeatedly injured after Homer repeatedly mentions the name of the Shakespeare play ("What, Macbeth?").
- Museum of Modern Art — The "Museum of Modern Bart" is an obvious pun.
- New Zoo Revue — Homer's insistence that Her Royal Highness' real name is Henrietta R. Hippo (thanks to the monogram on the Queen Majesty's night bag) recalls the hippo character on the 1970s children's TV show.
- National Lampoon's European Vacation — The scene where Homer endlessly circles the roundabout spoofs a similar scene in the 1985 movie, where Clark Griswold keeps driving around the roundabout adjacent to Lambeth Bridge.
- Partridge Family 2200 A.D. — Bart's "Moon Party" sequence is likely a reference to the 1970s Saturday morning cartoon. Also appearing: Star Wars character R2-D2 (playing the bass).
- Sugar hallucination scene — The scene where Bart and Lisa eat extra-sweet chocolate, then go into a hallucination, spoofs:
- Beavis and Butt-Head — Bart and Lisa laugh in a similar vein to MTV's delinquent duo.
- Trainspotting — The two appear in a room with trains on the wallpaper. Maggie crawls on the ceiling as Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life" plays in the background. Also when Bart and Lisa are running they go by the same route used by Ewan McGregor at the start of the film most notably as they go down the stairs.
- Steve Urkel — The nerd character from Family Matters is listed as the star of "Othello," a reference to both the character and the series' 1991 episode "The Show Must Go On" (where Urkel starred in a school production of "Romeo and Juliet").
- The Vagina Monologues — The episode title is a pun on Eve Ensler's play; Regina is substituted as the Latin word for Queen.
- Homer says his half sister (who looks just like him) is so beautiful she makes Dame Edna (Barry Humphries most famous character) look like a dude.
- The scene between Lord Daftwager and his "lover" is a parody of the premise of the musical My Fair Lady.
- Ryan Giggs — longtime star left winger for Manchester United and Wales — is mentioned by Homer. "Can you believe they gave Giggs a yellow card in the box?"
- An exert from The Planets movement of Mars, Bringer of War, can be heard as Grandpa Simpson ships out in a flashback.
[edit] External links
- "The Regina Monologues" at The Simpsons.com
- "The Regina Monologues" at TV.com
- "The Regina Monologues" at the Internet Movie Database
