Dial 'N' for Nerder
Encyclopedia
"Dial 'N' for Nerder", also known as "N is for Nerder", is the fourteenth episode of The Simpsons
' nineteenth season
, and was originally broadcast on March 9, 2008. After a prank gone wrong, Bart
and Lisa
believe they have accidentally killed Martin Prince
. Meanwhile, Marge hires a TV show called Sneakers to spy on Homer and see if he is cheating on his diet. The episode was written by Carolyn Omine
and William Wright and directed by Bob Anderson
. During its first broadcast, the episode had an estimated 7.3 million viewers and received a 10 percent audience share.
and Marge
are in bed about to snuggle
but Homer is too overweight to do so. When he arrives home for dinner the next evening, Homer is surprised to see that Marge has hired a formerly obese nutritionist
named Betsy Bidwell. She puts Homer on a diet for which he should solely eat bell peppers. Although he appears to eat nothing but bell peppers for quite a while, he gains seven pounds. Marge suspects Homer of cheating on his diet. Later, while the kids watch TV, Marge sees an advertisement for a television show named Sneakers, a parody of Cheaters
designed for couples who are cheating on each other
. Someone on the advertisement says to call the Sneakers hotline if they suspect cheating, which Marge realizes she can use to find out about Homer.
Bart and Lisa, sent out of the house by Marge so she can make an "adult phone call" to Sneakers, tour Springfield
National Park. At the top of a mountain, the two discover Martin
excavating for arrowhead
s. While Lisa joins him in excavating, a frustrated Bart plays a prank on Martin. Stealing Sideshow Mel's bone (revealing that he actually has long flowing hair), Bart buries it. Martin arrives thinking it is a real artifact. Bart tugs on a string connected to the bone, which flies up to knock Martin in the head. He stumbles over the edge of the cliff, and falls onto a smaller ledge. Lisa takes a long stick and tells him to grab onto it, but inadvertently knocks him off the ledge, and he falls into the trees at the bottom of the cliff. The two return home believing that they have killed Martin, and feel guilty and unsure what to do. On the news, Kent Brockman
reports Martin has disappeared and is presumed dead. Chief Wiggum says when Martin landed he was eaten by a cougar. Bart, feeling guilty, wants to admit his crime to pay the price, but Lisa, frightened of going to jail for being an accomplice
, convinces him to keep quiet. Homer is about to leave the house, claiming he is going to work on a Saturday. Marge calls Sneakers which prompts a nearby van full of Sneakers agents to stalk Homer.
A memorial is held as a tribute to Martin in the school gym. Nelson
realizes that Martin had a fear of heights
so it would be unusual for him to be at the top of a cliff. Nelson travels to Springfield National Park and discovers Sideshow Mel's bone on a string. Meanwhile, the Sneakers agents catch a video of Homer going to a restaurant. Marge confirms her suspicions of Homer but realizes that the reality show people do not care about their marriage (and if anything, are trying to destroy it). She quits the show and embraces Homer, while the host goes off and edits the episode to make Marge look crazy.
Nelson suspects Bart and Lisa's involvement in Martin's disappearance. Having read Martin's diary, Bart heads to Martin's greenhouse to complete his butterfly
project. Lisa follows him and they finish the project. The guilt becomes too unbearable and Lisa confesses to the murder out loud. Nelson appears and catches Lisa's confession on tape, just as Martin emerges. He recounts how he survived the fall thanks to his underwear with an extra-durable wedgie-proof waistband. His waistband caught on a tree branch and then the cougar pulled at his clothes, tossing him to a safe place. Lisa concludes that underneath her innocent appearance is a dark, twisted person. The ending imitates opening to the NBC Mystery Movie
, with Nelson Muntz as Columbo, Dr. Hibbert
as Quincy, M.E.
, Rich Texan as McCloud and Mr. Burns
and Smithers
as McMillan & Wife.
The title for this episode is a take-off of Alfred Hitchcock
's 1954 film Dial M for Murder
. The TV show Marge hires is called Sneakers, a parody of the TV show Cheaters
. There are two songs playing at Martin's memorial. The first one is the theme from Rocky
, played as a funeral march, the second one (during the slideshows with clips of Martin from previous episodes) is "I Will Remember You
" by Sarah McLachlan
. The scene where Bart and Lisa meet at the Kwik-E-Mart
bears resemblance to a famous scene from Double Indemnity. Some scenes bear a similarity to Macbeth
. The part where Lisa urges Bart to keep quiet about their involvement to Martin's death resembles Lady Macbeth convincing Macbeth to calm down and lie about Duncan's murder. Lisa also states that she has a dark side, like Lady Macbeth. The restaurant which Homer goes to, "Pudding on the Ritz", is a parody of the song "Puttin' on the Ritz
" by Fred Astaire
. The scenery of Springfield National Park resembles the famous Half Dome
of Yosemite National Park
in California
.
The song played on the Sanyo
cassette player and by Nelson inside Martin's butterfly chamber is "Prelude in C Minor for Lute (BWV 999)
" by Johann Sebastian Bach
(performed on guitar and transposed to D minor). When Martin explains how he survived in a flash back it shows him falling through trees in a way similar to the 2007 movie Hoodwinked!. The closing sequence duplicates the opening to the NBC Mystery Movie
. Nelson's investigation of Martin's disappearance is a parody of the Columbo series.
"]". Robert Canning of IGN
thoroughly enjoyed the episode, and gave it his second highest rating this season (8.5/10). He said the episode "was quite simply the best of the season. There wasn't one moment in the episode that didn't work." He went on to say that "while the diet cheating storyline was great silly fun, it was the turmoil that Bart and Lisa went through that really made this an outstanding episode." He concluded by saying that it was simply a fantastic episode. Homer's quote, "Oh boy, dinner time! The perfect break between work and drunk" was included on Entertainment Weekly
' s list of the best quotes of the week.
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
The Simpsons (season 19)
The Simpsons nineteenth season originally aired on the Fox network between September 23, 2007 and May 18, 2008.-Production:The nineteenth season of The Simpsons is the first one produced after the movie and contained seven hold-over episodes from season 18's JABF production line...
, and was originally broadcast on March 9, 2008. After a prank gone wrong, Bart
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
and Lisa
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
believe they have accidentally killed Martin Prince
Martin Prince
Martin Prince, Jr. is a recurring character in the Fox animated series, The Simpsons, and is voiced by Russi Taylor. Martin is Bart Simpson's classmate, and is Lisa Simpson's rival in intelligence, as well as Nelson Muntz's favorite target for bullying...
. Meanwhile, Marge hires a TV show called Sneakers to spy on Homer and see if he is cheating on his diet. The episode was written by Carolyn Omine
Carolyn Omine
Carolyn Omine is an American television writer. She has written for Full House, The Parent 'Hood and The Simpsons. She was credited as an executive producer by the Simpsons' 17th season, although this changed to a producer in the 18th....
and William Wright and directed by Bob Anderson
Bob Anderson (director)
Bob Anderson is an animation director on The Simpsons. He also contributed additional sequence direction on The Simpsons Movie....
. During its first broadcast, the episode had an estimated 7.3 million viewers and received a 10 percent audience share.
Plot
HomerHomer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
and Marge
Marge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
are in bed about to snuggle
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
but Homer is too overweight to do so. When he arrives home for dinner the next evening, Homer is surprised to see that Marge has hired a formerly obese nutritionist
Nutritionist
A nutritionist is a person who advises on matters of food and nutrition impacts on health. Different professional terms are used in different countries, employment settings and contexts — some examples include: nutrition scientist, public health nutritionist, dietitian-nutritionist, clinical...
named Betsy Bidwell. She puts Homer on a diet for which he should solely eat bell peppers. Although he appears to eat nothing but bell peppers for quite a while, he gains seven pounds. Marge suspects Homer of cheating on his diet. Later, while the kids watch TV, Marge sees an advertisement for a television show named Sneakers, a parody of Cheaters
Cheaters
Cheaters is a weekly syndicated hidden camera reality television series that documents people who are suspected of committing adultery, or cheating, on their partners. Investigations are headed by the "Cheaters Detective Agency". The show is hosted by Joey Greco, the show airs on Saturday nights...
designed for couples who are cheating on each other
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
. Someone on the advertisement says to call the Sneakers hotline if they suspect cheating, which Marge realizes she can use to find out about Homer.
Springfield (The Simpsons)
Springfield is the fictional town in which the American animated sitcom The Simpsons is set. A mid-sized town in an undetermined state of the United States, Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. The geography of the town and its...
National Park. At the top of a mountain, the two discover Martin
Martin Prince
Martin Prince, Jr. is a recurring character in the Fox animated series, The Simpsons, and is voiced by Russi Taylor. Martin is Bart Simpson's classmate, and is Lisa Simpson's rival in intelligence, as well as Nelson Muntz's favorite target for bullying...
excavating for arrowhead
Arrowhead
An arrowhead is a tip, usually sharpened, added to an arrow to make it more deadly or to fulfill some special purpose. Historically arrowheads were made of stone and of organic materials; as human civilization progressed other materials were used...
s. While Lisa joins him in excavating, a frustrated Bart plays a prank on Martin. Stealing Sideshow Mel's bone (revealing that he actually has long flowing hair), Bart buries it. Martin arrives thinking it is a real artifact. Bart tugs on a string connected to the bone, which flies up to knock Martin in the head. He stumbles over the edge of the cliff, and falls onto a smaller ledge. Lisa takes a long stick and tells him to grab onto it, but inadvertently knocks him off the ledge, and he falls into the trees at the bottom of the cliff. The two return home believing that they have killed Martin, and feel guilty and unsure what to do. On the news, Kent Brockman
Kent Brockman
Kent Brockman is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer and first appeared in the episode "Krusty Gets Busted"...
reports Martin has disappeared and is presumed dead. Chief Wiggum says when Martin landed he was eaten by a cougar. Bart, feeling guilty, wants to admit his crime to pay the price, but Lisa, frightened of going to jail for being an accomplice
Accomplice
At law, an accomplice is a person who actively participates in the commission of a crime, even though they take no part in the actual criminal offense. For example, in a bank robbery, the person who points the gun at the teller and asks for the money is guilty of armed robbery...
, convinces him to keep quiet. Homer is about to leave the house, claiming he is going to work on a Saturday. Marge calls Sneakers which prompts a nearby van full of Sneakers agents to stalk Homer.
A memorial is held as a tribute to Martin in the school gym. Nelson
Nelson Muntz
Nelson Mandela Muntz is a fictional character and bully from the animated TV series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Nancy Cartwright. Nelson was introduced in Season 1's "Bart the General" as a bully but later turned into a friend of Bart Simpson, who is best identified by his signature laugh .-Role...
realizes that Martin had a fear of heights
Acrophobia
Acrophobia is an extreme or irrational fear of heights. It belongs to a category of specific phobias, called space and motion discomfort that share both similar etiology and options for treatment.Most people experience a degree of natural fear when exposed to heights, especially if there is little...
so it would be unusual for him to be at the top of a cliff. Nelson travels to Springfield National Park and discovers Sideshow Mel's bone on a string. Meanwhile, the Sneakers agents catch a video of Homer going to a restaurant. Marge confirms her suspicions of Homer but realizes that the reality show people do not care about their marriage (and if anything, are trying to destroy it). She quits the show and embraces Homer, while the host goes off and edits the episode to make Marge look crazy.
Nelson suspects Bart and Lisa's involvement in Martin's disappearance. Having read Martin's diary, Bart heads to Martin's greenhouse to complete his butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
project. Lisa follows him and they finish the project. The guilt becomes too unbearable and Lisa confesses to the murder out loud. Nelson appears and catches Lisa's confession on tape, just as Martin emerges. He recounts how he survived the fall thanks to his underwear with an extra-durable wedgie-proof waistband. His waistband caught on a tree branch and then the cougar pulled at his clothes, tossing him to a safe place. Lisa concludes that underneath her innocent appearance is a dark, twisted person. The ending imitates opening to the NBC Mystery Movie
NBC Mystery Movie
The NBC Mystery Movie is the general name of an American television series, produced by Universal Studios, that was broadcast by NBC from 1971-77...
, with Nelson Muntz as Columbo, Dr. Hibbert
Julius Hibbert
Dr. Julius M. Hibbert, usually referred to as Dr. Hibbert, is a recurring character on the animated series The Simpsons. His speaking voice is provided by Harry Shearer and his singing voice was by Thurl Ravenscroft, and he first appeared in the episode "Bart the Daredevil". Dr...
as Quincy, M.E.
Quincy, M.E.
Quincy, M.E., also called Quincy, is a United States television series from Universal Studios that aired from October 3, 1976, to September 5, 1983, on NBC...
, Rich Texan as McCloud and Mr. Burns
Montgomery Burns
Charles Montgomery "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns, is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer and previously Christopher Collins. Burns is the evil owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and is Homer...
and Smithers
Waylon Smithers
Waylon Smithers, Jr., usually referred to as Smithers, is a recurring fictional character in the animated series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer. Smithers first appeared in the episode "Homer's Odyssey", although he could be heard in the series premiere "Simpsons Roasting on an Open...
as McMillan & Wife.
Cultural references
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's 1954 film Dial M for Murder
Dial M for Murder
Dial M for Murder is a 1954 American thriller film adapted from a successful stage play by Frederick Knott, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, and Robert Cummings. The movie was released by the Warner Bros...
. The TV show Marge hires is called Sneakers, a parody of the TV show Cheaters
Cheaters
Cheaters is a weekly syndicated hidden camera reality television series that documents people who are suspected of committing adultery, or cheating, on their partners. Investigations are headed by the "Cheaters Detective Agency". The show is hosted by Joey Greco, the show airs on Saturday nights...
. There are two songs playing at Martin's memorial. The first one is the theme from Rocky
Rocky
Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and both written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It tells the rags to riches American Dream story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated but kind-hearted debt collector for a loan shark in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
, played as a funeral march, the second one (during the slideshows with clips of Martin from previous episodes) is "I Will Remember You
I Will Remember You (Sarah McLachlan song)
"I Will Remember You" is a song written by Sarah McLachlan, Séamus Egan and Dave Merenda. The song first appeared on the soundtrack to the movie The Brothers McMullen in 1995, and was featured on her remix album Rarities, B-Sides and Other Stuff...
" by Sarah McLachlan
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2006, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four...
. The scene where Bart and Lisa meet at the Kwik-E-Mart
Kwik-E-Mart
The Kwik-E-Mart is a fictional chain of convenience stores in the animated television series The Simpsons. It is a parody of American convenience store chains, such as 7-Eleven and Circle K, and represents many myths and stereotypes of them. It is notorious for its high prices and the poor quality...
bears resemblance to a famous scene from Double Indemnity. Some scenes bear a similarity to Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
. The part where Lisa urges Bart to keep quiet about their involvement to Martin's death resembles Lady Macbeth convincing Macbeth to calm down and lie about Duncan's murder. Lisa also states that she has a dark side, like Lady Macbeth. The restaurant which Homer goes to, "Pudding on the Ritz", is a parody of the song "Puttin' on the Ritz
Puttin' on the Ritz
"Puttin' on the Ritz" is a popular song written and published in 1929 by Irving Berlin and introduced by Harry Richman in the musical film Puttin' on the Ritz . The title derives from the slang expression "putting on the Ritz," meaning to dress very fashionably. The expression was inspired by the...
" by Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
. The scenery of Springfield National Park resembles the famous Half Dome
Half Dome
Half Dome is a granite dome in Yosemite National Park, located in northeastern Mariposa County, California, at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley — possibly Yosemite's most familiar rock formation. The granite crest rises more than above the valley floor....
of Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
The song played on the Sanyo
Sanyo
is a major electronics company and member of the Fortune 500 whose headquarters is located in Moriguchi, Osaka prefecture, Japan. Sanyo targets the middle of the market and has over 230 Subsidiaries and Affiliates....
cassette player and by Nelson inside Martin's butterfly chamber is "Prelude in C Minor for Lute (BWV 999)
Prelude in C minor, BWV 999
The Prelude in C Minor is a musical work for solo lute written by the composer Johann Sebastian Bach.-Recordings:Recordings of this piece are rare unless it is performed as an introduction to BWV 1000, which is Bach's Fugue in G minor...
" by Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
(performed on guitar and transposed to D minor). When Martin explains how he survived in a flash back it shows him falling through trees in a way similar to the 2007 movie Hoodwinked!. The closing sequence duplicates the opening to the NBC Mystery Movie
NBC Mystery Movie
The NBC Mystery Movie is the general name of an American television series, produced by Universal Studios, that was broadcast by NBC from 1971-77...
. Nelson's investigation of Martin's disappearance is a parody of the Columbo series.
Reception
The episode was very positively received. The episode had an estimated 7.3 million viewers and received a 10 percent audience share. Richard Keller of TV Squad said that it was "a pretty good episode". He felt that the "addition of Nelson as an investigator to the conspiracy was an interesting move on the producers' part", and that the Homer subplot was "entertaining and better than the rental car plot he had [in "The DebartedThe Debarted
"The Debarted" is the thirteenth episode of The Simpsons nineteenth season. It was first broadcast on March 2, 2008, and guest stars Topher Grace and radio host Terry Gross have a cameo. A new troublesome student named Donny arrives at Springfield Elementary School, prompting a gleeful Bart to...
"]". Robert Canning of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
thoroughly enjoyed the episode, and gave it his second highest rating this season (8.5/10). He said the episode "was quite simply the best of the season. There wasn't one moment in the episode that didn't work." He went on to say that "while the diet cheating storyline was great silly fun, it was the turmoil that Bart and Lisa went through that really made this an outstanding episode." He concluded by saying that it was simply a fantastic episode. Homer's quote, "Oh boy, dinner time! The perfect break between work and drunk" was included on Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...