How I Wet Your Mother
"How I Wet Your Mother" | |
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The Simpsons episode | |
Episode no. | Season 23 Episode 16 |
Directed by | Lance Kramer |
Written by | Billy Kimball Ian Maxtone-Graham |
Production code | PABF08 |
Original air date | March 11, 2012 |
Guest appearances | |
| |
Episode features | |
Couch gag | The family lies down on a sushi mat, and a giant hand stuffs them into a sushi roll and chops it up. Maggie emerges intact. |
"How I Wet Your Mother" is the sixteenth episode of the twenty-third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 11, 2012. In the episode, a traumatic incident causes Homer to repeatedly wet the bed. As it worsens, his family, with the help of Professor Frink, successfully manage to infiltrate his dreams to get to its subconscious source. The episode name is a pun on How I Met Your Mother.
The episode was co-written by Billy Kimball and Ian Maxtone-Graham and has received positive reviews from critics.
Plot
Homer's newest dream depicts a city made of his greatest desires. After exploring the dream, Homer decides he wants to stay in it forever. At this point,
Production
The plot spoofs the 2010 film Inception.[1] Glenn Close reprised her role of Mona Simpson.[2] Close and musician David Byrne sing Talking Heads' song "Dream Operator" over the end credits.[1] Byrne previously appeared in the fourteenth season episode "Dude, Where's My Ranch?"[3]
Reception
Viewing figures
The episode earned a 2.3 rating with a 7 share and was watched by 4.97 million viewers in the United States. It was the second most watched program on Fox that night.[4]
Critical response
Hayden Childs, of The A.V. Club, was positive on the episode saying, "although it never reaches outright hilarity, 'How I Wet Your Mother' is one of the more interesting episodes of this season." He further noted that only having one major plot was a good idea and several good jokes in the episode. He rated the episode a B+.[1]
Alison Willmore of IndieWire thought the episode made good use of the Inception parody by making Homer's mother appear in the limbo world. She also highlighted the appearance of the Simpson family in the style from The Tracey Ullman Show.[5]
Teresa Lopez of TV Fanatic gave the episode 3.5 out of 5 stars. She thought the exploration of Homer's mind was funny but felt South Park's parody of Inception was better done.[6]
Awards and nominations
Writers Billy Kimball and Ian Maxtone-Graham were nominated for the Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production at the 40th Annie Awards for this episode.[7]
References
- ^ a b c Childs, Hayden (March 12, 2012). ""How I Wet Your Mother"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
- ^ "(SI-2306) "How I Wet Your Mother"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
- ^ Lynch, Joe (March 21, 2022). "Here's Every Musical Guest on 'The Simpsons,' in Chronological Order". Billboard. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (March 13, 2012). "Sunday Final Ratings: '60 Minutes', 'America's Funniest Home Videos', 'Once Upon a Time', 'The Amazing Race' & 'Desperate Housewives' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 16, 2012. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
- ^ Willmore, Alison (March 20, 2012). "When 'The Simpsons' Went 'Inception'". IndieWire. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
- ^ Lopez, Teresa (March 11, 2012). "The Simpsons Review: South Park Did It!". TV Fanatic. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
- ^ King, Susan (December 3, 2012). "'Brave,' 'Wreck-It Ralph' among nominees for the Annie Awards". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
External links
- "How I Wet Your Mother" at IMDb
- "How I Wet Your Mother" at theSimpsons.com