Duffless
Encyclopedia
"Duffless" is the sixteenth episode of The Simpsons
' fourth season
and originally aired on the Fox
network on February 18, 1993. After getting arrested for drunk driving, Homer tries to remain sober, at Marge's request. Meanwhile, Lisa attempts to prove that Bart is dumber than a hamster after he ruins her first science fair project. It was written by David M. Stern
, and directed by Jim Reardon
.
is at the school science fair presenting a Go-Go Ray. He zaps all the teachers, resulting in their dancing uncontrollably. Principal Skinner
declares "First Prize" to Bart over and over. Bart's dream
fades out to Lisa
saying into Bart's ear "First prize" again and again to mess around with his head.
At breakfast, Lisa shows the family her science fair project, a genetically engineered tomato
that she hopes will cure world hunger. Bart's project is to study the effects of cigarette
smoking on dogs; his "volunteer" is Santa's Little Helper
. At the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, Homer
ducks out of work early and accompanies Barney
on a tour of the Duff
brewery. After the tour, Homer refuses to let the exceptionally drunk Barney
drive home and unsuccessfully tries to knock him out by repeatedly slamming his head in the car door, until Barney gives him the keys. On their way out of the parking lot, their car is pulled over by Police Chief Wiggum, along with Eddie and Lou. They administer a field sobriety test to Homer, which he passes, but Barney tells the police officers to give Homer the breathalyzer
test, which he fails. Homer is arrested, his license is revoked, and he must attend traffic school
and Alcoholics Anonymous
meetings.
At school, three days before the science fair, Lisa makes the mistake of leaving her super tomato under Bart's care for a moment. Bart takes the opportunity to hurl it at Skinner, while he is bent over tying his shoe. When Lisa sees what Bart has done with her project, she is furious. Lisa appeals to Marge
for help, who suggests she run a hamster
through a maze. She takes the idea to heart, but instead of just testing the intelligence of a rodent, she pits a hamster against an unknowing Bart to find out who is smarter. After two simple tests, the hamster leads two to zero.
In bed, Marge gives Homer a magazine quiz about his drinking. Hearing his answers, she asks him to give up beer
for a month, to which he agrees. Homer reminisces about the time he first drank beer: using a fake ID to acquire a six pack and eventually passing out listening to Queen
.
Bart finds Lisa's project notes and hides them. He plans to lead her on a treasure hunt to get them back but she finds them after just a second. Homer tries not to think about beer while he rides Lisa's bike to work. After a series of severe temptations, Homer crashes the bike as hundreds of bottles of Duff parachuted down on him from the blimp. At the science fair, Lisa's project and chance for revenge are both ruined by Bart's project: "Can hamsters fly planes?". Lisa tries to reason with the ignorant viewers that his project has no scientific merit, but everyone ignores her. A cute hamster sitting in the cockpit of a miniature plane wins over Skinner. He tells Lisa that every good scientist is half B.F. Skinner and half P.T. Barnum before handing Bart the winning ribbon, much to Lisa's dismay.
At Homer's AA
meeting, he is kicked out by Reverend Lovejoy after confessing that his desperation for the taste of beer led him to "sneak into the football stadium and eat the dirt underneath the bleachers". But he exhibits more positive changes such as losing weight, saving over $100 and no longer sweating while he eats. After thirty days of sobriety, Homer rushes back to Moe's, despite Marge asking him to stay home. However, after seeing how alcohol has ruined the lives of Barney and the other barflies, he turns around and goes home. Homer and Marge ride a bike into the sunset.
. Mike Reiss
said they did not want to show the hamster getting shocked but had to for plot purposes. The first line Richard Nixon
says, during the Duff commercial, was taken verbatim from the Kennedy
-Nixon Debate during the 1960 Presidential Campaign
. Adolf Hitler
's head, among other things, can be seen going by in bottles of Duff when the quality control man is not paying attention. The episode contains the first appearance of Sarah Wiggum.
When Bart reaches for the cupcakes, it is a parody Alex reaching for the woman's breasts in A Clockwork Orange
. The Duff clock is a parody of the "It's a Small World" clock. In the Duff TV advertisement, a group of women were leading an anti-sexism protest in front of the McMahon and Tate building, a reference to the advertising agency from Bewitched
. During the tour of the Duff Brewery, bottles can be seen which contain Adolf Hitler
's head as well as a miniature three-eyed "Blinky" fish (from "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish
"). The scene toward the end where Moe points toward individual customers declaring they will "be back" before pointing toward and addressing the viewer (later revealed to be Barney via a cutaway) is a parody of the end of the film Reefer Madness
. The final scene, where Homer and Marge cycle into the distance while "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" plays is a reference to the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
. Homer also listens to the music of Queen
. Homer's driver's license gives Springfield's zip code as 49007, the zip code for Kalamazoo, Michigan
. Bart sitting in the chair, stroking the hamster is a reference to James Bond
character Ernst Stavro Blofeld
, who strokes a cat in his chair.
The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood said, "A superb episode with a sincere message. Homer is excellent throughout, but it is the cameos by Principal Skinner and Edna Krabappel that steal the show, especially the latter's reaction to Milhouse's Slinky." Entertainment Weekly
ranked the episode as number eleven on their list of the top twenty-five The Simpsons episodes.
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 4)
The Simpsons fourth season originally aired on the Fox network between September 24, 1992 and May 13, 1993, beginning with "Kamp Krusty." The show runners for the fourth production season were Al Jean and Mike Reiss. The aired season contained two episodes which were hold-over episodes from season...
and originally aired on the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
network on February 18, 1993. After getting arrested for drunk driving, Homer tries to remain sober, at Marge's request. Meanwhile, Lisa attempts to prove that Bart is dumber than a hamster after he ruins her first science fair project. It was written by David M. Stern
David M. Stern
David M. Stern is an American television screenwriter. Among his first work in television was writing episodes of The Wonder Years in the late 1980s. He then proceeded to write several episodes of The Simpsons in the 1990s. In 2010, he developed the animated television series Ugly Americans...
, and directed by Jim Reardon
Jim Reardon
Jim Reardon is an animation director and storyboard consultant, best known for his work on the animated TV series The Simpsons. He has directed over 30 episodes of the series, and was credited as a supervising director for seasons 9 through 15...
.
Plot
BartBart 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...
is at the school science fair presenting a Go-Go Ray. He zaps all the teachers, resulting in their dancing uncontrollably. Principal Skinner
Seymour Skinner
Principal W. Seymour Skinner is a fictional character in the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer. Born in Capitol City, he is the principal of Springfield Elementary School...
declares "First Prize" to Bart over and over. Bart's dream
Dream
Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. The content and purpose of dreams are not definitively understood, though they have been a topic of scientific speculation, philosophical intrigue and religious...
fades out to 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...
saying into Bart's ear "First prize" again and again to mess around with his head.
At breakfast, Lisa shows the family her science fair project, a genetically engineered tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
that she hopes will cure world hunger. Bart's project is to study the effects of cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
smoking on dogs; his "volunteer" is Santa's Little Helper
Santa's Little Helper
Santa's Little Helper is a recurring character in the American animated television series The Simpsons. He is the pet greyhound of the Simpson family. The dog was introduced in the first episode of the show, the 1989 Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", in which his owner abandons...
. At the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, Homer
Homer 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...
ducks out of work early and accompanies Barney
Barney Gumble
Barnard "Barney" Gumble is a fictional character on the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. The character is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the town drunk and Homer Simpson's best friend. His capacity for...
on a tour of the Duff
Duff Beer (The Simpsons)
Duff Beer is a fictional brand of beer in the animated series The Simpsons. It is Homer Simpson's beer of choice. It is a parody of stereotypical commercial beer: very cheaply priced, poor-quality, and advertised everywhere...
brewery. After the tour, Homer refuses to let the exceptionally drunk Barney
Barney Gumble
Barnard "Barney" Gumble is a fictional character on the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. The character is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the town drunk and Homer Simpson's best friend. His capacity for...
drive home and unsuccessfully tries to knock him out by repeatedly slamming his head in the car door, until Barney gives him the keys. On their way out of the parking lot, their car is pulled over by Police Chief Wiggum, along with Eddie and Lou. They administer a field sobriety test to Homer, which he passes, but Barney tells the police officers to give Homer the breathalyzer
Breathalyzer
A breathalyzer or breathalyser is a device for estimating blood alcohol content from a breath sample...
test, which he fails. Homer is arrested, his license is revoked, and he must attend traffic school
Traffic school
Traffic school is the generic common term for remedial courses in traffic safety and safe driving practices. In the United States, these are offered as part of pretrial diversion programs to traffic violators by traffic courts, in the interest of improving general safety.-Incentive:Opting to take...
and Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
meetings.
At school, three days before the science fair, Lisa makes the mistake of leaving her super tomato under Bart's care for a moment. Bart takes the opportunity to hurl it at Skinner, while he is bent over tying his shoe. When Lisa sees what Bart has done with her project, she is furious. Lisa appeals to 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...
for help, who suggests she run a hamster
Hamster
Hamsters are rodents belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae. The subfamily contains about 25 species, classified in six or seven genera....
through a maze. She takes the idea to heart, but instead of just testing the intelligence of a rodent, she pits a hamster against an unknowing Bart to find out who is smarter. After two simple tests, the hamster leads two to zero.
In bed, Marge gives Homer a magazine quiz about his drinking. Hearing his answers, she asks him to give up beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
for a month, to which he agrees. Homer reminisces about the time he first drank beer: using a fake ID to acquire a six pack and eventually passing out listening to Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
.
Bart finds Lisa's project notes and hides them. He plans to lead her on a treasure hunt to get them back but she finds them after just a second. Homer tries not to think about beer while he rides Lisa's bike to work. After a series of severe temptations, Homer crashes the bike as hundreds of bottles of Duff parachuted down on him from the blimp. At the science fair, Lisa's project and chance for revenge are both ruined by Bart's project: "Can hamsters fly planes?". Lisa tries to reason with the ignorant viewers that his project has no scientific merit, but everyone ignores her. A cute hamster sitting in the cockpit of a miniature plane wins over Skinner. He tells Lisa that every good scientist is half B.F. Skinner and half P.T. Barnum before handing Bart the winning ribbon, much to Lisa's dismay.
At Homer's AA
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
meeting, he is kicked out by Reverend Lovejoy after confessing that his desperation for the taste of beer led him to "sneak into the football stadium and eat the dirt underneath the bleachers". But he exhibits more positive changes such as losing weight, saving over $100 and no longer sweating while he eats. After thirty days of sobriety, Homer rushes back to Moe's, despite Marge asking him to stay home. However, after seeing how alcohol has ruined the lives of Barney and the other barflies, he turns around and goes home. Homer and Marge ride a bike into the sunset.
Production
Bart's go-go ray idea was "stolen" from the opening credits of Johnny QuestJonny Quest (TV series)
Jonny Quest – often casually referred to as The Adventures of Jonny Quest – is an American science fiction/adventure animated television series about a boy who accompanies his father on extraordinary adventures...
. Mike Reiss
Mike Reiss
Michael "Mike" Reiss is an American television comedy writer. He served as a show-runner, writer and producer for the animated series The Simpsons and co-created the animated series The Critic...
said they did not want to show the hamster getting shocked but had to for plot purposes. The first line Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
says, during the Duff commercial, was taken verbatim from the Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
-Nixon Debate during the 1960 Presidential Campaign
United States presidential election, 1960
The United States presidential election of 1960 was the 44th American presidential election, held on November 8, 1960, for the term beginning January 20, 1961, and ending January 20, 1965. The incumbent president, Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower, was not eligible to run again. The Republican Party...
. Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's head, among other things, can be seen going by in bottles of Duff when the quality control man is not paying attention. The episode contains the first appearance of Sarah Wiggum.
Cultural references
A Clockwork Orange (film)
A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 film adaptation of Anthony Burgess's 1962 novel of the same name. It was written, directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick...
. The Duff clock is a parody of the "It's a Small World" clock. In the Duff TV advertisement, a group of women were leading an anti-sexism protest in front of the McMahon and Tate building, a reference to the advertising agency from Bewitched
Bewitched
Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
. During the tour of the Duff Brewery, bottles can be seen which contain Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's head as well as a miniature three-eyed "Blinky" fish (from "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish
Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish
"Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 1, 1990. In the episode, Bart catches a three-eyed fish in a river downstream of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant...
"). The scene toward the end where Moe points toward individual customers declaring they will "be back" before pointing toward and addressing the viewer (later revealed to be Barney via a cutaway) is a parody of the end of the film Reefer Madness
Reefer Madness
Reefer Madness is a well-known 1936 American propaganda exploitation film revolving around the melodramatic events that ensue when high school students are lured by pushers to try "marijuana" — from a hit and run accident, to manslaughter, suicide, attempted rape, and descent into madness...
. The final scene, where Homer and Marge cycle into the distance while "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" plays is a reference to the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a 1969 American Western film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman...
. Homer also listens to the music of Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
. Homer's driver's license gives Springfield's zip code as 49007, the zip code for Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
. Bart sitting in the chair, stroking the hamster is a reference to James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
character Ernst Stavro Blofeld
Ernst Stavro Blofeld
Ernst Stavro Blofeld is a fictional character and a supervillain from the James Bond series of novels and films, who was created by Ian Fleming and Kevin McClory. An evil genius with aspirations of world domination, he is the archenemy of the British Secret Service agent James Bond and is arguably...
, who strokes a cat in his chair.
Reception
"Duffless" aired during February sweeps and finished 19th in the weekly ratings for the week of February 15–21, 1993 with a Nielsen rating of 15.2 and was viewed in 14.2 million homes. It was the highest rated show from the Fox Network that week.The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood said, "A superb episode with a sincere message. Homer is excellent throughout, but it is the cameos by Principal Skinner and Edna Krabappel that steal the show, especially the latter's reaction to Milhouse's Slinky." 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...
ranked the episode as number eleven on their list of the top twenty-five The Simpsons episodes.
External links
- "Duffless" at The Simpsons.com