The Great Wife Hope
"The Great Wife Hope" | |
---|---|
The Simpsons episode | |
Episode no. | Season 21 Episode 3 |
Directed by | Matthew Faughnan |
Written by | Carolyn Omine |
Production code | LABF16 |
Original air date | October 11, 2009 |
Guest appearances | |
| |
Episode features | |
Couch gag | Repeat of the couch gag from "Take My Life, Please". |
"The Great Wife Hope" is the third episode of the twenty-first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. Originally broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on October 11, 2009, it sees the men of Springfield taking immense interest in a new combat sport called mixed martial arts (MMA). Marge is appalled by the violent sport and demands that the creator put a stop to it, but he agrees only if she will fight him in a match and win.
"The Great Wife Hope" was written by
Since airing, the episode has received generally positive reviews from television critics, particularly towards the final scene. It received a 4.3/7
Plot
The men of
sees them and is disgusted by the violent nature of the entire sport. She and a group of concerned women begin protesting the sport in front of the MMA stadium. Marge decides to go on stage before a match begins and demands that everyone cease the sport entirely. Chett Englebrit (patterned after actual fight promoter Roy Englebrecht), creator of the sport, agrees with Marge - but only if she can fight him and win.Marge begins to train for the event, practicing
As Marge and Homer leave to have some MMA-inspired sex, Bart and Lisa enter the empty ring and decide to settle their lifelong sibling feud then and there. As they approach each other to throw a punch, the credits begin, but the scene quickly returns to show Lisa knocking Bart unconscious with a single punch.
Production and cultural references
"The Great Wife Hope" was written by
The episode is a
Marge claims that the word Ultimate makes everything worse, though
Reception
"The Great Wife Hope" originally aired in the United States on October 11, 2009 on the
The episode received generally positive reviews from television critics. IGN reporter Robert Canning gave the episode a 7.7/10 rating ("Good"), commenting that "what really made me enjoy 'The Great Wife Hope' were the peripheral bits, characters and jokes outside the main storyline. There were many, and they were funny.[6]
Emily VanDerWerff of
Among more negative reviews include Jason Hughes of
Dana White, president of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), told reporters that he did not like the episode. He added, "People like the [mixed martial arts] media always try to tell me that we're mainstream. [...] Did you see that Simpsons episode? Chuck Liddell signs an autograph for somebody, and he says, 'That will be $45, please'. The sport isn't like that at all. Then the promoter of the show fights Marge Simpson in the octagon, sucker-punches her in the face, and then says, 'You're the only woman I've ever hit that I didn't love'. That's the way mainstream looks at us and thinks of us, and I know that."[12]
The final scene in the episode, featuring Bart and Lisa fighting in the arena, has received overwhelmingly positive remarks from reviewers. Canning wrote that it was "a classic moment for the series [...] This almost felt like a moment that could have closed out the series."[6] Hughes commented that it was "the best moment of the night" as it "would have been a typical ending" if it had not added the twist preceding the credits.[4] Melissa and Randall Baker of TV Guide magazine said that the scene was a moment of "girl power", as Lisa knocks out Bart easily with one punch.[8]
References
- Yahoo! TV. Retrieved December 26, 2009.
- ^ MMAjunkie.com. Archived from the originalon October 15, 2009. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
- ^ a b c Davies, Gareth (October 13, 2009). "UFC on The Simpsons as MMA enjoys cartoon iconography". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on October 16, 2009. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
- ^ a b c Hughes, Jason. "The Simpsons: The Great Wife Hope". HuffPost TV. Archived from the original on February 8, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- 20th Century Fox. Archived from the originalon January 17, 2010. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Canning, Robert (October 12, 2009). "The Simpsons: "The Great Wife Hope" Review". IGN. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- ^ a b VanDerWerff, Emily (October 12, 2009). "'The Great Wife Hope'/'The One About Friends'/'Spies Reminiscent of Us'/'Home Adrone'". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- ^ a b Baker, Randall; Baker, Melissa (October 12, 2009). "The Simpsons Episode Recap: "The Great Wife Hope"". TV Guide. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
- 20th Century Fox.
- ^ 20th Century Fox (October 11, 2009). "Marge shows her competitive edge on "The Simpsons" Sunday, October 11, on Fox". Press release. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Porter, Rick (October 12, 2009). "TV ratings: NFL games score for CBS and NBC Sunday". Zap2it. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
- ^ Pandaram, Jamie (December 12, 2009). "Stomach for the fight: UFC president goes head to head with opponents". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on September 19, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2009.
External links
- "The Great Wife Hope" at IMDb