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Miscellaneous / Verschiedenes » alt.tv.simpsons » A review of "Regarding Margie (HABF13)"
A review of "Regarding Margie (HABF13)" [message #271432] Mo, 22 Mai 2006 07:29
bjr7  
[I was away on a business trip, so I didn't get around to seeing this
episode until today. I try not to read other reviews until I post my
own, so you may have seen some (or most) of this material before.

Don't expect a review of "The Monkey Suit (HABF14)" anytime soon,
either. I tuned in late, and it isn't fair to review an episode until
I see all of it. From what I did see, I'd say it's like an evolved
version of "Lisa the Skeptic (5F05)," with Lisa seeming a lot less
shrill than she did in that controversial episode.

And now on with the show. -- BJR]

[The long of it]

I just watched "Regarding Margie," and I'm glad I jotted down some
notes about it, because it is already starting to slip from memory.
I'm not suffering from memory problems, it's just that this is one of
those episodes that isn't memorable, for good or bad.

The show gets started when Homer receives a batch of misdirected mail
intended for the Weingarten family. He has some fun with it, eating
their mail-order steaks and attending a wedding for their family
members, until Marge learns that she won a contest for free maid
service. (Well, technically Brenda Weingarten did, but Marge doesn't
know that.) In a funny scene that rings true to real life, Marge
frets that the maids will see how dirty the house is, and spends all
night "pre-cleaning" it. Unfortunately, she makes the mistake of
combining all her cleaning products into one super-solution. The
cleaning cocktail releases noxious fumes, Marge passes out and hits
her head, and when she wakes up she doesn't know who she is, or why
this strange family is so interested in her.

The show does some good things with this setup. To help jog Marge's
memory, Homer gives her a tour of Springfield, and she's put off that
the town has so many weirdoes in it. In other words, she has the same
opinion *you* might have if you were to find a real-life town that
acted the way Springfield does. That's an interesting topic -- Marge
discovering her life is more askew than she thinks it is -- but the
writers quickly drop the idea. Later on, Marge remembers everyone in
her life except Homer. She recoils from the idea that this uncouth
man is her husband, and meets what might be the ideal guy for her. It
might have been interesting to see a rivalry between Homer and the new
guy, but Mr. Right doesn't show up until the third act, so there's
really no time to develop this idea. Instead, we get a bunch of
scenes where Homer does something loving but boorish, and Marge acts
bemused. Look, we know Marge and Homer are going to get back together
-- there's no show without the Simpson family unit -- so most of the
fun is in seeing how they get there. This time around, the journey
wasn't that interesting.

There are some good bits along the way. The kids jockey to improve
their standing in the family. (Lisa says, "I don't mean to sound
presumptuous, but I'm your favorite.") Marge goes speed dating, and
these scenes are pretty good. Patty and Selma meet two men who appear
to be their male counterparts, right down to their hair. Homer lauds
Marge's finer qualities to Mr. Right, in a speech that captures his
loving and unsophisticated nature.

A few great moments don't make a great episode, of course, and
"Regarding Margie" hovers at right around average for a "Simpsons"
episode. Okay, but probably not something you'll fondly remember as
the years pass.


[The short of it]

Marge passes out in a household accident, and wakes up with no memory
of who she -- or the Simpsons -- are. The writers get some
interesting ideas from this setup. She briefly notices her life is
pretty wacked out, for one. Later, she begins to fall for someone who
has more in common with her than her husband. Neither idea is really
well-explored, and the scenes we do get of Homer trying jog Marge's
memory, are okay but not great. There are some good bits here and
there, but you'd need a photographic memory to have this episode stick
in your head. (C+)


[DYNs]

.... Marge and Homer crash a Jewish wedding?
.... the family must have left Maggie home alone when they went to
get her from the hospital? (I didn't see her in the car, but
she toddled out to greet Marge when the Simpsons got back.)

[References]

"Regarding Henry" (movie)
- title "Regarding Margie" a spoof
- show borrows from movie's premise about a man who is shot in the
head, recovers, but does not remember much about his former life

"The Beverly Hillbillies" (TV series)
- Moe strikes "oil" the same way Jed Clampett does in the opening
credits -- by shooting at the ground and having dark liquid
bubble up

"Lil' Lulu" (comic book)
- title "Lil' Jesus similar"
- character drawn in a similar style, at least to my eyes

"Queen for a Day" (TV series)
- free maid service contest called "Clean for a Day"

Mop & Glo (cleaning product)
- Marge uses Mop'N'Brag

"Million Dollar Baby" (movie)
- Marge's fall onto the stool similar to the one Hillary Swank's
character took in the film (and compared to her, Marge got off
lightly!)

"Julius Caesar" (play)
- Marge says "et tu, Zud?" (cf. "et tu, Brute?")
(I know Shakespeare used the quote from his historical sources,
but when most people hear this quote, they think of the play)

Cassanova (famous lover)
- Patty blows off two suitors by calling one of them, "Assanova"


[Previous Episode References]

[3F09] Homer fights Bush
[7F08] The miniature golf course first appears ...
[8F10], [5F18] ... and is the site of Homer and Marge's sexual
escapades

[FFF]

Christian-themed comic books:

OLD TESTAMENT

PIOUS

Lil' Jesus

BUT MOM,
I'M TRYING
TO TAKE A
BATH!

Homer's testament to the A's:

74 OAKLAND A'S -- BEST TEAM EVER

The Weingartens' return address:

Scott & Brenda
Weingarten
74 Evergreen Terrace
Springfield, USA

Contest letter:

HOMEMAKER MAGAZINE
CLEAN FOR A DAY

Marge's cleaning arsenal:

LEMON SCENTED ABRAZIT! MOP
Z U D 'N'
BRAG

Amnesiac magazine:

AMNESIA
MONTHLY

TIPS ON
FINDING
YOUR WAY
HOME

Golf course sign:

SIR
PUTT-A-LOT
THANKS YOU

[knight with]
[ putter ]

PLEASE
COME AGAIN

Bart's garden of F's:

REPORT CARD
Student Bart Simpson

ENGLISH F
MATH F
SCIENCE F
CITIZENSHIP F

Shelbyville city limits sign:

WELCOME TO
SHELBYVILLE:
WE'LL PUT SYRUP
ON ANYTHING!

Inn:

Inn
SHELBYVILLE SINGLE MINGLE


[Personal Comments & Observations]

>> Perhaps Homer would prefer a subscription to "People"

"Entertainment Weekly" is, as the name suggests, a weekly newsmagazine
about happenings in the entertainment industry, along with celebrity
interviews, reviews of new movies, TV shows, and so on. "The
Simpsons" and "EW" have a long history together. The magazine was
launched at about the same time "The Simpsons" began as a half-hour
series. One of their first issues was about the then-new animated
show on Fox, and featured Bart Simpson on the cover. It was a huge
seller for them -- no doubt, it helped establish the magazine.

>> Live from the keys: Idiot stands out in hurricane, gets killed

Even if you don't live in a hurricane-prone area, you've probably seen
this: A reporter standing on the beach in a rain slicker as a storm
approaches. Almost invariably, the person standing outside by the
shore will warn viewers at home not to, well, stand outside by the
shore in a storm. The practice has sparked some controversy. News
agencies claim their reporters face the danger so ordinary people
won't be tempted to go see for themselves. Critics claim exactly the
opposite happens; people figure Kent Brockman (or Jim Cantore, or the
local weather guy) can do it, so why can't they? (Of course,
reporters also cover blizzards, but that sure doesn't tempt me to go
to North Dakota.) Another argument goes that the reporters needlessly
put themselves at risk, and as Kent found out, live storm coverage can
be hazardous to one's health. While covering one of Florida's 2004
storms, a falling transformer nearly took out a reporter for Orlando's
Fox affiliate.

>> On the other hand, if you pass out, you don't have to do housework

The show's writers are right: mixing household cleaners really *can*
be bad for you. Many household cleaners contain ammonia, and many
others contain some form of chlorine. Combining the two can cause a
chemical reaction that yields chlorine gas, which is so dangerous that
the Germans used it as a chemical weapon in the First World War.
(It's also known as, "mustard gas," if I have my poisonous gasses
straight.)

>> Regarding Car Watch

The A's cruise around in a mid-70's Cadillac Eldorado (most likely, a
1974 model, although they were produced through 1976).

Speaking of vintage Caddys, Marge's speed-dating driver has a 1959
Cadillac convertible. He may not get Marge, but at least he has a
sweet ride.
--
Benjamin Robinson bjr7 [at] freenet.tlh.fl.us
This message may or may not contain sarcastic content; your burden to decide
"I'm naked, clueless, and f-e-e-e-ling good!" -- Ratbert
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