Lady Bouvier's Lover
"Lady Bouvier's Lover" | |
---|---|
The Simpsons episode | |
Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 21 |
Directed by | Wes Archer |
Written by | Bill Oakley Josh Weinstein |
Production code | 1F21 |
Original air date | May 12, 1994 |
Guest appearance | |
Episode features | |
Couch gag | The family runs to the couch, but when they get there, they break and shatter like glass. Santa's Little Helper enters the room confused. |
Commentary | Matt Groening David Mirkin Bill Oakley Josh Weinstein Wes Archer |
"Lady Bouvier's Lover" is the twenty-first and penultimate episode of the
The episode was written by
Since airing, the episode has received mixed reviews from television critics. It acquired a
Plot
The Simpson family gathers to celebrate Maggie's birthday. After the party, Grampa feels depressed, so Marge sets him up for a date with her mother, Jacqueline. Eventually, the couple falls in love, which enrages Homer, who believes that old people should not date each other — especially in-laws — and fears that his children will become "freaks" if the two decide to marry.
To impress Jacqueline, Grampa takes her out dancing, but when he does,
On the day of the wedding, Grampa crashes Burns' and Jacqueline's wedding ceremony and asks that Jacqueline marry him instead. Partly due to Burns' behavior, especially when he threatens Bart after he accidentally drops the wedding rings, she decides not to marry either man. Grampa accepts Jacqueline's decision.
Production
"Lady Bouvier's Lover" was written by Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein, and directed by Wes Archer.[1] The episode was inspired by the fact that The Simpsons has many elderly characters, which the writers felt was unique for network television, so they sought to highlight those characters. Originally, the episode was supposed to be about Misery. One of the ideas was that Grampa would get injured on Mr. Burns's property and get stuck there, leading Grampa to think that Mr. Burns would kill him when he was discovered there. However, this idea was cut out in production because the script was over 85 pages long.[2]
The episode was recorded at the
Cultural references
The episode's title is a play on
Reception
Ratings
In its original American broadcast, "Lady Bouvier's Lover" finished 50th in the ratings for the week of May 9 to May 15, 1994, with a
Critical reception
Since airing, the episode has received mixed reviews from television critics.
DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson called the episode a "generally good program, though not one of the year’s best". Jacobson said he dislikes Marge's mother; "she’s one of the series’ less interesting characters, which is probably why she appears so rarely." However, he thinks Grampa is "always fun", and "it’s nice to see him in an ebullient mood, at least for a while."[8] Patrick Bromley of DVD Verdict gave the episode a B− grade and said he is "never terribly interested in episodes that revolve around [Grampa] Simpson". He believes Grampa is "great as a background character, but less so when he takes center stage". He added: "I'm also especially uninterested in episodes revolving around Marge's mother. Having said that, this episode does have a number of inspired moments—notably the subplot involving Bart's pursuit of an Itchy & Scratchy cel, as well as one of the series' many homages to The Graduate."[9] Bill Gibron of DVD Talk gave the episode a score of 4 out of 5.[10]
The authors of I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, wrote: "Homer's nightmare vision of Bart, Lisa and Maggie as ordinary kids is a highlight of this especially crazy—surreal jokes, flashbacks and dream sequences whizz by at an alarming rate—installment."[5]
References
- ^ OL 433519M..
- ^ a b Oakley, Bill (2004). The Simpsons season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Lady Bouvier's Lover" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Richmond, Ray (November 14, 1993). "'Simpsons' Actors Voice Their Appreciation". Los Angeles Daily News. pp. L4.
- ^ a b Mirkin, David (2004). The Simpsons season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Lady Bouvier's Lover" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b c Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Lady Bouvier's Lover". BBC. Archived from the original on December 18, 2003. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
- ISBN 978-0-06-123130-8.
- ^ "Nielsen Ratings / May 9–15". Long Beach Press-Telegram. May 18, 1994. p. C6.
- ^ Jacobson, Colin (December 21, 2004). "The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season (1993)". DVD Movie Guide. Archived from the original on April 20, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
- ^ Bromley, Patrick (February 23, 2005). "The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season". DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
- ^ Gibron, Bill (December 23, 2004). "The Simpsons - The Complete Fifth Season". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved January 9, 2009.