Gone Maggie Gone
"Gone Maggie Gone" | |
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The Simpsons episode | |
Episode no. | Season 20 Episode 13 |
Directed by | Chris Clements |
Written by | Billy Kimball Ian Maxtone-Graham |
Production code | LABF04 |
Original air date | March 15, 2009 |
Guest appearance | |
| |
Episode features | |
Couch gag | The couch is a piñata. A blindfolded Ralph hits it, and the family falls out. |
"Gone Maggie Gone" is the thirteenth episode of the twentieth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 15, 2009. The episode was written by both Billy Kimball and longtime Simpsons writer Ian Maxtone-Graham, and directed by Chris Clements. In the episode, Homer leaves Maggie on the doorstep of a convent, but when she disappears, Lisa goes undercover as a nun to solve the mystery and find her. Meanwhile, Homer tries to keep Maggie's disappearance a secret from Marge, who was temporarily blinded while watching a solar eclipse.
Plot
The Simpsons are excited for a
While Homer hides the truth from Marge,
When they arrive, they are met by
Cultural references
- The main plot of this episode parodies National Treasure and The Da Vinci Code.[2] For example, the bell in the tower turning out to be the wrong one was a scene in National Treasure, regarding the Liberty Bell. For The Da Vinci Code, the Holy Grail turned out to be Mary Magdalene, and Sophie was the last remaining heir to the Christ bloodline; whereas in this episode, the gem turns out to be Maggie. In another reference to The Da Vinci Code, Mr. Burns calls Smithers his loyal albino servant, a reference to Silas from The Da Vinci Code.[1] The large portion of the first part of the episode involving the rats was an homage to Ratatouille.[3] The song that is played when Lisa walks into the monastery is "O Fortuna". Bart turning everything to Hell is an homage to The Omen. The title references the movie Gone Baby Gone.[4]
- The clue "Great crimes kill holy sage" is quite possibly a reference to the fallout from the Catholic Church sexual abuse cases.
Reception
The episode was well received by television critics.
Robert Canning of IGN said: "as entertaining as the story was, it would not have made a difference if it weren't just as equally funny. I laughed throughout the retelling of the legend of St. Theresa, which included pirate nuns and a fake war for independence. Mr. Burns referring to Smithers as his albino was another hilarious bit. Overall, it was the combination of a fully engaging story and great laughs that made ‘Gone, Maggie, Gone’ another winner for The Simpsons in their post-hi-def series run."[1]
Steve Heisler of The A.V. Club gave the episode an A− stating, "It's been a long time since the show has done something fresh, and I think this is about as good as it's gonna get for a while—even if the episode took a while to get going."[5]
TV Verdict's Erich Asperschlager said: "Part Da Vinci Code, part National Treasure, and part
The episode was nominated for
It was also nominated for the
Billy Kimball and Ian Maxtone-Graham were nominated for a
References
- ^ a b c Canning, Robert (March 17, 2009). "The Simpsons: "Gone Maggie Gone" Review". IGN. Retrieved March 17, 2009.
- ^ "Yahoo! TV". Yahoo!. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
- ^ MacIntyre, April (September 25, 2008). "'The Simpsons' Al Jean interview, new season begins September 28". Monsters and Critics. Archived from the original on September 28, 2008. Retrieved September 25, 2008.
- ^ "IMDB". IMDB. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
- ^ Heisler, Steve (March 15, 2009). ""Gone Maggie Gone"/"Uncool Customer"/"The Juice Is Loose"/"Jack's Back"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- ^ "The Simpsons 20.13: "Gone Maggie Gone"". Tv Verdict. March 16, 2009. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
- ^ "The 61st Primetime Emmy Awards and 2009 Creative Arts Emmy Awards Nominees are..." Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. July 16, 2009. Archived from the original on July 18, 2009. Retrieved July 16, 2009.
- ^ "37th Annual Annie Nominations". Annie Awards. Archived from the original on December 4, 2009. Retrieved December 26, 2009.
External links
- "Gone Maggie Gone" at IMDb