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{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox Simpsons episode {{Infobox Simpsons episode
| image =
| episode_name = Marge in Chains
| episode_no = 80 | caption =
| prod_code = 9F20 | season = 4
| airdate = ], ] | episode = 21
| show runner = ] & ] | director = ]
| writer = ]<br>& ] | writer = ]<br>]
| production = 9F20
| director = ]
| airdate = {{Start date|1993|05|06}}
| blackboard = "I do not have ]"
| guests = * ] as himself
| couch_gag = A miniature family climbs onto a normal-sized couch.
* ] as ] and ]
| guest_star = ] as himself (scene cut in ])
| image = ] | blackboard = "I do not have ]"
| couch_gag = A miniature family climbs onto a normal-sized couch.
| season = 4
| commentary = ]<br>]<br>]<br>]<br>]<br>]
| prev = ]
| next = ]
}} }}
"'''Marge in Chains'''" is the twenty-first and penultimate episode of the ] of the American animated television series '']''. It originally aired on ] in the United States on May 6, 1993. In the episode, an exhausted ] is arrested for ] after forgetting to pay for an item at the ]. The family hires attorney ] to defend her at trial, but she is found guilty and sentenced to 30 days in prison. ] and the rest of the family have trouble coping without Marge.
"'''Marge in Chains'''" is the 21st episode of '']''<nowiki>'</nowiki> ].


The episode was written by ] and ], and directed by ]. After its initial airing on Fox, the episode was later included as part of a 1997 video release titled ''The Simpsons: Crime and Punishment''. It was released again on the 2005 edition of the same set.
==Synopsis==
{{spoiler}}


"Marge in Chains" received a positive reception from ] critics. The authors of ''I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide'' commented positively on the episode, as did reviews in '']'' and '']''.
After many of Springfield's residents purchase a 'Juice Loosener', which are shipped from Japan, the dreaded Osaka Flu hits the town. Many of the townspeople are affected by the illness. Due to tiredness from having to look after the rest of her ill family while shopping at the ], Marge accidentally forgets to pay for Grampa's bottle of ]. She is then arrested for shoplifting. As usual the family hires ] to defend Marge at her trial and as usual, he loses the case. She is sentenced to 30 days imprisonment. Marge's absence is felt at home as Homer struggles to cope without her. The annual bake sale also suffers. Without Marge's marshmallow squares, the Springfield Park Commission fails to raise enough money to pay for a statue of ]. They have to purchase one of ] instead. The townspeople are disgusted by this and riot. So, to save his career Mayor Quimby has Marge released from jail. The townspeople cheerfully welcome her back. They even unveil a statue for Marge, though it's just the ] one with Marge's hair added to it.


==Plot==
{{endspoiler}}
] and ] star in a TV advertisement for a juicer called the "Juice Loosener", which is manufactured in and shipped from ], ]. The advertisement persuades multiple ] residents to buy Juice Looseners. However, one of the packers in Osaka has the flu and every package contains some of his germs. The "Osaka Flu" spreads through Springfield.


Every member of ] catches the flu, except ], who quickly becomes exhausted by caring for four family members. On a trip to the ], Marge's exhaustion causes her to forget to pay for a bottle of ] that ] requested, and she is soon charged with ]. ] dramatically reveals Marge's shoplifting to the town in a public address. Marge's reputation is damaged and the townspeople no longer trust her. The Simpson family hires ] to defend Marge, but due to Hutz's incompetence, Marge is convicted and sentenced to 30 days in prison.
==Trivia==
*] is called "history's greatest monster". In the DVD commentary for this episode, Mike Reiss and Al Jean reveal that they did not like Carter, although they would vote for him ahead of ].


Marge's absence is felt by the family and the house falls into disarray. The annual bake sale also suffers– without Marge's marshmallow squares, the Springfield Park Commission is short the money needed for a statue of ]; they instead purchase a statue of ]. The townspeople are enraged by this (one person shouts, "He's history's greatest monster!") and riot. To save the town government's reputation, Quimby arranges for Marge to be released from jail early. When Marge arrives home, several townspeople are gathered in her front yard. Quimby unveils the Carter statue again, but it now has Marge's hairstyle, and the inscription has been changed from "Malaise Forever" to "Marge Forever". The statue is then converted into a ] post, which ] and ] play with.
==Cultural References==
*The name of the episode is a reference to the band ].
*The scene where Maude Flanders spies on Marge in the bathroom through a hole in the wall is a parody of the classic 1960 horror film '']''.
*In one scene, Lisa compares Lionel Hutz to famed lawyer ], although Hutz confuses him with ].
*The environment of the Women's Prison in which Marge serves her sentence resembles that as seen in '']''.
* The prisoner nicknamed "Tattoo Annie" has a ] ] tattoed on her back, which when "folded-in" (by pushing her ] together) shows the face of the magazine's mascot, ], and his famous catchphrase, "What me worry?"
*In the scene where the people knock the statue of Jimmy Carter down and call him a monster, it could be a reference to what people did to the ] statues in the ] countries after the ] collapsed.


==Quotes== ==Production==
] (2008), one of the writers of the episode|alt=A portrait of a man with black hair looking at the viewer]]
*'''Ned Flanders (''after watching an episode of ]''):''' Oh, the network slogan is true! Watch FOX and be damned for all eternity!
"Marge in Chains" was the first episode that ] and ] wrote as staff writers. The script was assigned to them after somebody else had come up with the idea. The first draft of the script was "slightly more realistic" than the final version of the episode because Oakley and Weinstein had done a lot of research about women in prison, much of which was later replaced. For Apu and Sanjay's brief lines of ] dialogue, the writers called the ] to get them to translate. The Embassy was not "interested or happy" but still did it.<ref name="Oakley">]. (2004). DVD Commentary for "Marge in Chains", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season'' . 20th Century Fox.</ref>
*'''Lisa:''' Mom, can you bring me more O.J.?<br>'''Bart:''' Can you give me one of those Flintstones chewable morphines?<br>'''Marge:''' There's no such thing!<br>'''Homer:''' Marge, the boy's wasting too much time. Come change the channel and pat my head!<br>'''Marge:''' In a minute!<br>'''Homer:''' But I'll miss ]
*'''Lionel Hutz:''' Uh-oh! We've drawn Judge Snyder! <br/> '''Marge:''' Is that bad? <br/> '''Lionel Hutz:''' Well he's kinda had it in for me ever since I kinda ran over his dog. <br/> '''Marge:''' You did? <br/> '''Lionel Hutz:''' Well actually replace the word 'kinda' with 'repeatedly' and the word 'dog' with 'son'.
*'''Lionel Hutz:''' Now, Mr. Nahasapeemapetilon, if that is your real name, is it true you have never forgotten anything? <br/> '''Apu:''' No. In fact, I can recite ] to 40,000 places. The last digit is 1. <br/> '''Homer:''' Mmmmm...].
*'''Bart:''' When I grow up, I wanna be a lawyer just like you, Mr. Hutz. <br/> '''Lionel Hutz:''' Good for you, son. If there's one thing this world needs, it's more lawyers. Could you imagine a world without lawyers? <br/> ''(Hutz then has a thought bubble in which people of all races and religions are holding hands and dancing under a happy sun. He then shudders at the vision)''


In the episode, ] is referred to as "history's greatest monster".<ref name="Jean">]. (2004). DVD Commentary for "Marge in Chains", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season'' . 20th Century Fox.</ref> In the 2004 Season 4 DVD commentary for this episode, show runner ] said that he did not like Carter, although he would vote for him ahead of ].<ref name="Jean" /> According to fellow show runner ], one of Carter's grandsons had recommended that Carter watch ''The Simpsons'', and this was the first episode he saw.{{sfn|Reiss & Klickstein|2018|pp=128-129}}<ref>{{cite news | last=McNabb | first=JM | title='The Simpsons' Called Jimmy Carter 'History's Greatest Monster,' But Didn't Know He Was Watching | date=December 30, 2024 | url=https://www.cracked.com/article_44939_the-simpsons-called-jimmy-carter-historys-greatest-monster-but-didnt-know-he-was-watching.html | work=cracked.com }}</ref> Kwik-E-Mart operator Apu testifies in a courtroom scene in the episode that he is able to recite ] to 40,000 decimal places, correctly noting that the 40,000th digit is the number one.<ref name="wolff">{{cite news |last=Wolff |first=Josephine |date=March 14, 2008 |title=Have your pi and eat it too |work=] |url=https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2008/03/have-your-pi-and-eat-it-too |access-date=January 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130120051840/http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2008/03/14/20425/ |archive-date=January 20, 2013 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> The episode's writers prepared for this scene by asking ] of the ] (now at ]) for the number of the 40,000th decimal place of pi. Bailey sent them back a printout of the first 40,000 digits.<ref name="wolff" />{{sfn|Reiss & Klickstein|2018|p=76}} The Troy McClure movie title ''P is for Psycho'' is Reiss' favorite joke he ever wrote for ''The Simpsons''.{{sfn|Reiss & Klickstein|2018|p=82}}
==External links==
* {{snpp capsule|9F20}}
{{wikiquote}}


"Marge in Chains" originally aired on the ] in the United States on May 6, 1993.<ref name="deming" /> The episode was selected for release in a 1997 video collection of selected episodes titled: ''The Simpsons: Crime and Punishment''.<ref name="mellor1997">{{cite news | last=Mellor | first=Jessica | title=It's a crime not to laugh!&nbsp;– Video View | work=News of the World | page=54 | date=December 28, 1997}}</ref> Other episodes included in the set were "]", "]", and "]".<ref name="mellor1997" /> It was included again in the 2005 DVD release of the ''Crime and Punishment'' set.<ref name="agnew">{{cite news | last=Agnew | first=Margaret | title=DVD of the Week | work=The Christchurch Press | page=1 | date=August 3, 2005}}</ref> "Marge in Chains" is also featured on ''The Simpsons''<nowiki>'</nowiki> season 4 DVD set, ''The Simpsons – The Complete Fourth Season'', which was released on June 15, 2004.<ref>{{Cite AV media| title=The Simpsons&nbsp;– The Complete Fourth Season (1992) | work=] | publisher=20th Century Fox | date=June 15, 2004}}</ref>
]

==Cultural references==
The episode's title is a reference to the Seattle grunge band ]. Bart requests ] Chewable Morphine. When addressing Springfield's residents, Mayor Quimby gives away the plot twist of '']'' (1992). The scene of Maude watching Marge in the bathroom is modeled after a similar scene in ]'s ] (1960).<ref name="Jean"/> ] plays himself as Lionel Hutz's ] sponsor.<ref name="deming">{{cite news|last=Deming |first=Mark |title=The Simpsons: Marge in Chains |work=] |publisher=Macrovision Corporation |url=http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:284907 |access-date=2008-09-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060426195934/http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg |archive-date=2006-04-26 }}</ref> Nathan Rabin writes that "This is a bit of an in-joke, because the great ], the voice and smarmy soul of Lionel Hutz and so many others, designed an album cover for ] back in the 1970s."<ref>{{cite news| last=Rabin| first=Nathan|date=September 30, 2012| title=The Simpsons (Classic): "Marge in Chains"| url=https://www.avclub.com/the-simpsons-classic-marge-in-chains-1798174401| access-date=December 8, 2023| archive-date=December 8, 2023| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208233423/https://www.avclub.com/the-simpsons-classic-marge-in-chains-1798174401| url-status=live}}</ref> Their song "]" is referenced when Crosby tells Hutz, "and know that I love you." During Marge's trial, prosecutors show the ] and assert that Marge was present on the ] when ] ] was ].<ref>{{cite news | title=A child for our season | work=] | date=November 21, 2000 |url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/a-child-for-our-season-1.209081|access-date=February 25, 2016|archive-date=February 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160224235922/http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12228588.A_child_for_our_season/}}</ref> In Lionel Hutz's dream of what the world would be like without lawyers, the writers had wanted to use the song "]", which was used in ] advertisements, but they could not get the rights to it. Instead, they used a similar instrumental theme.<ref name="Jean"/> ] complains that "I'll miss '']''". Maude asks why God has forsaken the Flanders, and Ned recalls that he laughed at an off-color joke on the ] sitcom '']''. He laments: “Oh, the network slogan is true! Watch Fox and be damned for all eternity!” The inscription on the Carter statue, "Malaise Forever", is a reference to Carter's "Crisis of Confidence" speech, often referred to as the "malaise" speech, although Carter never used the word.<ref>{{Citation| last=Carter| first=Jimmy|author-link=Jimmy Carter| date=July 15, 1979| title=Crisis of Confidence| url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/carter-crisis/| access-date=December 9, 2023| archive-date=December 24, 2023| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224235125/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/carter-crisis/| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Mattson |first=Kevin |date=July 12, 2009 |title=Examining Carter's 'Malaise Speech', 30 Years Later |url=https://www.npr.org/2009/07/12/106508243/examining-carters-malaise-speech-30-years-later |work=] |access-date=December 9, 2023 |archive-date=December 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231209200522/https://www.npr.org/2009/07/12/106508243/examining-carters-malaise-speech-30-years-later |url-status=live }}</ref>

===COVID-19 "predictions"===
During the ], media outlets reported that ''The Simpsons'' had "predicted" the outbreak with this episode.<ref name="independent">{{cite news |last1=Chilton |first1=Louis |first2=Jacob |last2=Stolworthy|date=14 March 2020|title=Coronavirus: The Simpsons (almost) predicted the outbreak in 1993 |work=] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/the-simpsons-coronavirus-prediction-cartoon-china-a9402156.html |access-date=2020-03-16 |archive-date=March 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200317035821/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/the-simpsons-coronavirus-prediction-cartoon-china-a9402156.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="startrib">{{cite news |last=Carras |first=Christi |date=February 28, 2020 |title=Did 'The Simpsons' predict the coronavirus? Twitter says yes |work=] |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2020-02-28/the-simpsons-coronavirus-episode-tweet-prediction |access-date=September 22, 2024 |archive-date=September 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240912194535/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2020-02-28/the-simpsons-coronavirus-episode-tweet-prediction |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-coronavirus-simpsons/partly-false-claim-a-1993-simpsons-episode-predicted-the-new-coronavirus-outbreak-idUSKBN21112V|title=Partly false claim: a 1993 Simpsons episode predicted the new coronavirus outbreak|website=]|date=14 March 2020|access-date=17 March 2020|archive-date=March 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200317193149/https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-coronavirus-simpsons/partly-false-claim-a-1993-simpsons-episode-predicted-the-new-coronavirus-outbreak-idUSKBN21112V|url-status=live}}</ref> Episode writer ] alleged that ]s were using the episode for "nefarious purposes", including creating ] replacing "Osaka flu" with "coronavirus."<ref name="oakley">{{cite news |last=Parker |first=Ryan |date=March 15, 2020|title='Simpsons' Writer Calls Perversion of Classic Episode During Coronavirus Outbreak "Gross" |work=] |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/simpsons-writer-calls-misappropriation-classic-episode-coronavirus-outbreak-gross-1284744/ |access-date=2022-01-16 |archive-date=January 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220116060004/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/simpsons-writer-calls-misappropriation-classic-episode-coronavirus-outbreak-gross-1284744/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="oakley2">{{cite news |last=Carras |first=Christi |date=March 16, 2020|title=This 'Simpsons' writer is fed up with 'nefarious' coronavirus conspiracy theories |work=] |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2020-03-16/coronavirus-simpsons-episode-writer-bill-oakley |access-date=2020-03-16 |archive-date=March 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200317163120/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2020-03-16/coronavirus-simpsons-episode-writer-bill-oakley |url-status=live }}</ref> Oakley stated his reference for the "Osaka" plot device was the ], which began in ], stating it was "just supposed to be a quick joke about how the flu got here."<ref name="oakley" /> When speaking on "predictions" from ''The Simpsons'' in general, Oakley continued "It's mainly just coincidence because the episodes are so old that history repeats itself."<ref name="oakley" />

Comparisons to the episode experienced a resurgence in May 2020, following advisories by ] regarding ]s in the region,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Holpuch|first=Amanda|date=2020-05-02|title='Murder hornets' in Washington state threaten bees and whip up media swarm|language=en-GB|work=]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/02/murder-hornets-washington-state-bees-twitter|access-date=2020-05-07|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=April 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405131104/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/02/murder-hornets-washington-state-bees-twitter|url-status=live}}</ref> citing a scene where an angry crowd tips over a truck they believed contained a "]" for Osaka flu, and accidentally unleashing a swarm of ]s from a crate in the process. In real life, killer bees were the subject of much media attention in the United States in the late 1980s and early 1990s.<ref>{{Cite web|title=How The Simpsons predicted 'murder hornets' and the coronavirus pandemic|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/how-the-simpsons-predicted-murder-hornets-and-the-coronavirus-pandemic/|last=Burton|first=Bonnie|date=May 6, 2020 |website=]|language=en|access-date=2020-05-07|archive-date=May 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200508225346/https://www.cnet.com/news/how-the-simpsons-predicted-murder-hornets-and-the-coronavirus-pandemic/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title='Simpsons' episode predicted coronavirus — and murder hornets|url=https://nypost.com/2020/05/06/the-simpsons-predicted-the-coronavirus-and-murder-hornets/|last=Frishberg|first=Hannah|date=2020-05-06|website=]|language=en|access-date=2020-05-07|archive-date=May 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200507073219/https://nypost.com/2020/05/06/the-simpsons-predicted-the-coronavirus-and-murder-hornets/|url-status=live}}</ref>{{better source needed|reason=Sources are clickbait and present this as a prediction, rather than a reference to the Africanized killer bee scare contemporary to this episode. No attempt is made in sources to rationalize the scene.|date=December 2021}}
In this episode, ] pretends to be in his office, while actually he is in the ] on vacation. This was likened to many politicians who violated their own "stay-at-home" orders during the pandemic, as well as ] allegedly abandoning his constituents during the ] to flee to ]. However, even before this incident occurred, Cruz has had a history of openly acknowledging that he is a ''Simpsons'' fan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/02/ted-cruz-draws-parallels-with-simpsons-episode-from-1993-1234696861/|title='The Simpsons' Hit A Little Too Close To Home For One Fan, AKA Ted Cruz|first=Bruce|last=Haring|website=]|date=2021-02-18|access-date=2021-03-06|archive-date=February 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227065956/https://deadline.com/2021/02/ted-cruz-draws-parallels-with-simpsons-episode-from-1993-1234696861/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/02/ted-cruz-simpsons-republicans-democrats-party-of-lisa|title=A Brief History of Ted Cruz's One-Sided Obsession with The Simpsons|first=Laura|last=Bradley|website=]|date=February 22, 2018|accessdate=April 29, 2022|archive-date=May 18, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518035626/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/02/ted-cruz-simpsons-republicans-democrats-party-of-lisa|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Reception==
In its original broadcast, "Marge in Chains" finished 31st in ratings for the week of May 3–9, 1993, with a ] of 11.1, equivalent to approximately 10.3 million viewing households. It was the second highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following '']''.<ref>{{cite news |title=This week, it's ABC on top|work=]|agency=]|page=4E|date=May 13, 1993}}</ref>

In a review of the episode in '']'', Caroline Boucher wrote: "My domestic Simpsons correspondent, Simon, reports a particularly fine episode, Marge in Chains to the extent that he watched the tape twice."<ref>{{cite news | last=Boucher | first=Caroline | title=Television: Thursday 6 August | work=] | page=56 | publisher=Guardian Newspapers Limited | date=August 2, 1998}}</ref> Karl French of '']'' characterized the plot of the episode as a "modern version" of '']''.<ref>{{cite news | last=French | first=Karl | title=Television & Radio: Television preview | work=] | page=23 | date=August 6, 1998}}</ref> Dusty Lane of '']'' cited a quote from Lionel Hutz in the episode among his list of "Eight Great 'Simpsons' Quotes"&nbsp;– "Well, he's had it in for me since I kinda ran over his dog. Well, replace the word 'kinda' with the word 'repeatedly,' and the word 'dog' with 'son'."<ref>{{cite news | last=Lane | first=Dusty | title=Diehard fans won't be disappointed | work=] | page=E1 | date=July 27, 2007}}</ref>

Jessica Mellor of '']'' highlighted the episode in a review of ''The Simpsons'' season four DVD release, along with "]", "]", and "]", commenting: "Springfield's finest prove once again why they are the cleverest thing on telly."<ref>{{cite news | last=Mellor | first=Jessica | title=The Mirror: DVD Reviews | work=] | date=August 6, 2004}}</ref> In a section on the episode in their book ''I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide'', Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood wrote: "We like Bart's plan to rescue Marge from prison by becoming the glamorous Bartina, and Lionel Hutz is supremely inept".<ref name="martyn">{{cite book | last1=Martyn | first1=Warren | first2=Adrian|last2=Wood | title=I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide | publisher=] | date=February 10, 2000 | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season4/page22.shtml | isbn=0-7535-0495-2 | access-date=December 23, 2019 | archive-date=October 4, 2003 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031004205655/https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season4/page22.shtml | url-status=live }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|The Simpsons}}
*"]"

==References==
{{reflist}}
;Bibliography
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last1=Reiss |first1=Mike |last2=Klickstein |first2=Mathew|author1-link=Mike Reiss |title=] |date=2018 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0062748034|location=New York City|ref={{harvid|Reiss & Klickstein |2018}}}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book | last=Alberti | first=John | title=] | publisher=] | year=2003 | pages= | isbn=0-8143-2849-0 }}
*{{cite journal | last=Dobson | first=Hugh | title=Mister Sparkle Meets the Yakuza: Depictions of Japan in The Simpsons | journal=] | volume=39 | issue=1 | pages=44–68 | date=January 18, 2006 | url=http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118727595/abstract | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130105082020/http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118727595/abstract | url-status=dead | archive-date=January 5, 2013 | doi=10.1111/j.1540-5931.2006.00203.x | access-date=2008-09-03}}
*{{cite book | last1=Irwin | first1=William | first2=Mark T.|last2=Conard | first3=Aeon J. |last3=Skoble | title=] | publisher=Open Court | year=2001 | isbn=0-8126-9433-3 | page= }}
*{{cite book | last=Smith | first=Owen | title=Mixing It Up with the Simpsons | publisher=] | year=2007 | isbn=978-0-7151-4104-5}}
*{{cite journal|last=Watt |first=Gary |title=The Soul of Legal Education |journal=Web Journal of Current Legal Issues |issue=3 |publisher=webjcli.ncl.ac.uk |date=June 23, 2006 |url=http://webjcli.ncl.ac.uk/2006/issue3/watt3.html |access-date=2008-09-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090313095901/http://webjcli.ncl.ac.uk/2006/issue3/watt3.html |archive-date=March 13, 2009 }}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_4#Marge_in_Chains|Marge in Chains}}
* {{Snpp capsule|9F20}}
*{{IMDb episode|id=0701171}}

{{The Simpsons episodes|4}}

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Latest revision as of 08:22, 16 January 2025

21st episode of the 4th season of The Simpsons
"Marge in Chains"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 4
Episode 21
Directed byJim Reardon
Written byBill Oakley
Josh Weinstein
Production code9F20
Original air dateMay 6, 1993 (1993-05-06)
Guest appearances
Episode features
Chalkboard gag"I do not have diplomatic immunity"
Couch gagA miniature family climbs onto a normal-sized couch.
CommentaryMatt Groening
Al Jean
Bill Oakley
Josh Weinstein
Jim Reardon
Jeffrey Lynch
Episode chronology
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The Simpsons season 4
List of episodes

"Marge in Chains" is the twenty-first and penultimate episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 6, 1993. In the episode, an exhausted Marge is arrested for shoplifting after forgetting to pay for an item at the Kwik-E-Mart. The family hires attorney Lionel Hutz to defend her at trial, but she is found guilty and sentenced to 30 days in prison. Homer and the rest of the family have trouble coping without Marge.

The episode was written by Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein, and directed by Jim Reardon. After its initial airing on Fox, the episode was later included as part of a 1997 video release titled The Simpsons: Crime and Punishment. It was released again on the 2005 edition of the same set.

"Marge in Chains" received a positive reception from television critics. The authors of I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide commented positively on the episode, as did reviews in The Daily Mirror and The Observer.

Plot

Troy McClure and Dr. Nick star in a TV advertisement for a juicer called the "Juice Loosener", which is manufactured in and shipped from Osaka, Japan. The advertisement persuades multiple Springfield residents to buy Juice Looseners. However, one of the packers in Osaka has the flu and every package contains some of his germs. The "Osaka Flu" spreads through Springfield.

Every member of the Simpson family catches the flu, except Marge, who quickly becomes exhausted by caring for four family members. On a trip to the Kwik-E-Mart, Marge's exhaustion causes her to forget to pay for a bottle of bourbon that Grampa requested, and she is soon charged with shoplifting. Mayor Quimby dramatically reveals Marge's shoplifting to the town in a public address. Marge's reputation is damaged and the townspeople no longer trust her. The Simpson family hires Lionel Hutz to defend Marge, but due to Hutz's incompetence, Marge is convicted and sentenced to 30 days in prison.

Marge's absence is felt by the family and the house falls into disarray. The annual bake sale also suffers– without Marge's marshmallow squares, the Springfield Park Commission is short the money needed for a statue of Abraham Lincoln; they instead purchase a statue of Jimmy Carter. The townspeople are enraged by this (one person shouts, "He's history's greatest monster!") and riot. To save the town government's reputation, Quimby arranges for Marge to be released from jail early. When Marge arrives home, several townspeople are gathered in her front yard. Quimby unveils the Carter statue again, but it now has Marge's hairstyle, and the inscription has been changed from "Malaise Forever" to "Marge Forever". The statue is then converted into a tetherball post, which Bart and Lisa play with.

Production

A portrait of a man with black hair looking at the viewer
Bill Oakley (2008), one of the writers of the episode

"Marge in Chains" was the first episode that Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein wrote as staff writers. The script was assigned to them after somebody else had come up with the idea. The first draft of the script was "slightly more realistic" than the final version of the episode because Oakley and Weinstein had done a lot of research about women in prison, much of which was later replaced. For Apu and Sanjay's brief lines of Hindi dialogue, the writers called the Embassy of India in Washington to get them to translate. The Embassy was not "interested or happy" but still did it.

In the episode, Jimmy Carter is referred to as "history's greatest monster". In the 2004 Season 4 DVD commentary for this episode, show runner Al Jean said that he did not like Carter, although he would vote for him ahead of George W. Bush. According to fellow show runner Mike Reiss, one of Carter's grandsons had recommended that Carter watch The Simpsons, and this was the first episode he saw. Kwik-E-Mart operator Apu testifies in a courtroom scene in the episode that he is able to recite pi to 40,000 decimal places, correctly noting that the 40,000th digit is the number one. The episode's writers prepared for this scene by asking David H. Bailey of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (now at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) for the number of the 40,000th decimal place of pi. Bailey sent them back a printout of the first 40,000 digits. The Troy McClure movie title P is for Psycho is Reiss' favorite joke he ever wrote for The Simpsons.

"Marge in Chains" originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 6, 1993. The episode was selected for release in a 1997 video collection of selected episodes titled: The Simpsons: Crime and Punishment. Other episodes included in the set were "Homer the Vigilante", "Bart the Fink", and "You Only Move Twice". It was included again in the 2005 DVD release of the Crime and Punishment set. "Marge in Chains" is also featured on The Simpsons' season 4 DVD set, The Simpsons – The Complete Fourth Season, which was released on June 15, 2004.

Cultural references

The episode's title is a reference to the Seattle grunge band Alice in Chains. Bart requests Flintstones Chewable Morphine. When addressing Springfield's residents, Mayor Quimby gives away the plot twist of The Crying Game (1992). The scene of Maude watching Marge in the bathroom is modeled after a similar scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960). David Crosby plays himself as Lionel Hutz's Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor. Nathan Rabin writes that "This is a bit of an in-joke, because the great Phil Hartman, the voice and smarmy soul of Lionel Hutz and so many others, designed an album cover for Crosby, Stills, and Nash back in the 1970s." Their song "Teach Your Children" is referenced when Crosby tells Hutz, "and know that I love you." During Marge's trial, prosecutors show the Zapruder film and assert that Marge was present on the grassy knoll when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. In Lionel Hutz's dream of what the world would be like without lawyers, the writers had wanted to use the song "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing", which was used in Coca-Cola advertisements, but they could not get the rights to it. Instead, they used a similar instrumental theme. Homer complains that "I'll miss Sheriff Lobo". Maude asks why God has forsaken the Flanders, and Ned recalls that he laughed at an off-color joke on the Fox sitcom Married... with Children. He laments: “Oh, the network slogan is true! Watch Fox and be damned for all eternity!” The inscription on the Carter statue, "Malaise Forever", is a reference to Carter's "Crisis of Confidence" speech, often referred to as the "malaise" speech, although Carter never used the word.

COVID-19 "predictions"

During the COVID-19 pandemic, media outlets reported that The Simpsons had "predicted" the outbreak with this episode. Episode writer Bill Oakley alleged that Internet trolls were using the episode for "nefarious purposes", including creating memes replacing "Osaka flu" with "coronavirus." Oakley stated his reference for the "Osaka" plot device was the 1968 flu pandemic, which began in British Hong Kong, stating it was "just supposed to be a quick joke about how the flu got here." When speaking on "predictions" from The Simpsons in general, Oakley continued "It's mainly just coincidence because the episodes are so old that history repeats itself."

Comparisons to the episode experienced a resurgence in May 2020, following advisories by Washington state regarding Asian giant hornets in the region, citing a scene where an angry crowd tips over a truck they believed contained a "placebo" for Osaka flu, and accidentally unleashing a swarm of killer bees from a crate in the process. In real life, killer bees were the subject of much media attention in the United States in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

In this episode, Mayor Quimby pretends to be in his office, while actually he is in the Caribbean on vacation. This was likened to many politicians who violated their own "stay-at-home" orders during the pandemic, as well as Ted Cruz allegedly abandoning his constituents during the 2021 Texas power crisis to flee to Cancún. However, even before this incident occurred, Cruz has had a history of openly acknowledging that he is a Simpsons fan.

Reception

In its original broadcast, "Marge in Chains" finished 31st in ratings for the week of May 3–9, 1993, with a Nielsen rating of 11.1, equivalent to approximately 10.3 million viewing households. It was the second highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following Beverly Hills, 90210.

In a review of the episode in The Observer, Caroline Boucher wrote: "My domestic Simpsons correspondent, Simon, reports a particularly fine episode, Marge in Chains to the extent that he watched the tape twice." Karl French of Financial Times characterized the plot of the episode as a "modern version" of It's a Wonderful Life. Dusty Lane of The News Tribune cited a quote from Lionel Hutz in the episode among his list of "Eight Great 'Simpsons' Quotes" – "Well, he's had it in for me since I kinda ran over his dog. Well, replace the word 'kinda' with the word 'repeatedly,' and the word 'dog' with 'son'."

Jessica Mellor of The Daily Mirror highlighted the episode in a review of The Simpsons season four DVD release, along with "Kamp Krusty", "New Kid on the Block", and "I Love Lisa", commenting: "Springfield's finest prove once again why they are the cleverest thing on telly." In a section on the episode in their book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood wrote: "We like Bart's plan to rescue Marge from prison by becoming the glamorous Bartina, and Lionel Hutz is supremely inept".

See also

References

  1. Oakley, Bill. (2004). DVD Commentary for "Marge in Chains", in The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season . 20th Century Fox.
  2. ^ Jean, Al. (2004). DVD Commentary for "Marge in Chains", in The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season . 20th Century Fox.
  3. Reiss & Klickstein 2018, pp. 128–129.
  4. McNabb, JM (December 30, 2024). "'The Simpsons' Called Jimmy Carter 'History's Greatest Monster,' But Didn't Know He Was Watching". cracked.com.
  5. ^ Wolff, Josephine (March 14, 2008). "Have your pi and eat it too". The Daily Princetonian. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  6. Reiss & Klickstein 2018, p. 76.
  7. Reiss & Klickstein 2018, p. 82.
  8. ^ Deming, Mark. "The Simpsons: Marge in Chains". Allmovie. Macrovision Corporation. Archived from the original on April 26, 2006. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
  9. ^ Mellor, Jessica (December 28, 1997). "It's a crime not to laugh! – Video View". News of the World. p. 54.
  10. Agnew, Margaret (August 3, 2005). "DVD of the Week". The Christchurch Press. p. 1.
  11. The Simpsons – The Complete Fourth Season (1992). The Simpsons. 20th Century Fox. June 15, 2004.
  12. Rabin, Nathan (September 30, 2012). "The Simpsons (Classic): "Marge in Chains"". Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  13. "A child for our season". The Sunday Herald. November 21, 2000. Archived from the original on February 24, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  14. Carter, Jimmy (July 15, 1979), Crisis of Confidence, archived from the original on December 24, 2023, retrieved December 9, 2023
  15. Mattson, Kevin (July 12, 2009). "Examining Carter's 'Malaise Speech', 30 Years Later". National Public Radio. Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  16. Chilton, Louis; Stolworthy, Jacob (March 14, 2020). "Coronavirus: The Simpsons (almost) predicted the outbreak in 1993". The Independent. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  17. Carras, Christi (February 28, 2020). "Did 'The Simpsons' predict the coronavirus? Twitter says yes". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 12, 2024. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  18. "Partly false claim: a 1993 Simpsons episode predicted the new coronavirus outbreak". Reuters. March 14, 2020. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  19. ^ Parker, Ryan (March 15, 2020). "'Simpsons' Writer Calls Perversion of Classic Episode During Coronavirus Outbreak "Gross"". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  20. Carras, Christi (March 16, 2020). "This 'Simpsons' writer is fed up with 'nefarious' coronavirus conspiracy theories". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  21. Holpuch, Amanda (May 2, 2020). "'Murder hornets' in Washington state threaten bees and whip up media swarm". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  22. Burton, Bonnie (May 6, 2020). "How The Simpsons predicted 'murder hornets' and the coronavirus pandemic". CNET. Archived from the original on May 8, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  23. Frishberg, Hannah (May 6, 2020). "'Simpsons' episode predicted coronavirus — and murder hornets". New York Post. Archived from the original on May 7, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  24. Haring, Bruce (February 18, 2021). "'The Simpsons' Hit A Little Too Close To Home For One Fan, AKA Ted Cruz". Deadline. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  25. Bradley, Laura (February 22, 2018). "A Brief History of Ted Cruz's One-Sided Obsession with The Simpsons". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  26. "This week, it's ABC on top". Sun-Sentinel. Associated Press. May 13, 1993. p. 4E.
  27. Boucher, Caroline (August 2, 1998). "Television: Thursday 6 August". The Observer. Guardian Newspapers Limited. p. 56.
  28. French, Karl (August 6, 1998). "Television & Radio: Television preview". Financial Times. p. 23.
  29. Lane, Dusty (July 27, 2007). "Diehard fans won't be disappointed". The News Tribune. p. E1.
  30. Mellor, Jessica (August 6, 2004). "The Mirror: DVD Reviews". The Daily Mirror.
  31. Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (February 10, 2000). I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide. Virgin Books. ISBN 0-7535-0495-2. Archived from the original on October 4, 2003. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
Bibliography

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