I Don't Wanna Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Encyclopedia
"I Don't Wanna Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons
' nineteenth season
, and first aired on October 14, 2007. For the second time in the series, Marge helps a prison assailant. Marge meets Dwight (Steve Buscemi
), a man who attempts to rob the bank the two are in. Marge promises that she would visit him in prison, should he turn himself in, but too frightened to go into the prison, she breaks her promise. It was written by Dana Gould
and directed by Bob Anderson
. Steve Buscemi
makes his second guest appearance on the show, (originally appearing as himself in "Brake My Wife, Please
") though this time he voiced a character, Dwight. Ted Nugent
has a voice cameo. Julia Louis-Dreyfus
makes a surprise guest return as Snake's girlfriend Gloria, who originally appeared in "A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love
". During its first airing, the episode originally garnered 8.8 million viewers, higher than the previous episode.
is named "Student of the Millennium", so Marge
stresses that Homer
has to attend her ceremony due to past absences at most of the kids' events. Homer then wakes up early and takes Maggie to the school auditorium. Meanwhile, Marge gets impatient waiting in line at the bank, so she strikes up a conversation with an apparently charming man named Dwight (Steve Buscemi
). While talking, Dwight tells Marge to hold on. He pulls out a gun and tells everyone to get down on the floor. Gil Gunderson then arrives, prepared for his new job as a security guard, however he is repeatedly shot by Dwight's accomplice.
Homer is smugly waiting for Marge at the ceremony. Marge privately calls Homer, informing him she's a hostage at a bank robbery. Dwight notices Marge on the phone. Dwight makes a compromise; he will promise to turn himself in as long as Marge promises to visit him in prison, to which she reluctantly agrees. A nervous Marge returns home. Homer attempts to convince Marge not to visit Dwight in the prison, but Marge wishes to honor her promise and visit him. However, while going to the prison, she makes continuous stops to avoid going to the prison, and misses visiting hours. At the prison, Dwight expectantly waits for Marge. While watching Snake Jailbird chatting with his girlfriend, Gloria, Dwight becomes depressed and then angry, and Marge's guilt begins to get to her while watching a depressing movie about a prisoner who was to be electrocuted
. At the same moment, Dwight is breaking out of Springfield Penitentiary (in a parody way of The Shawshank Redemption
). He finds Marge's address in a newspaper, and sets out to find her.
At home, while watching TV, Kent Brockman
makes a news report on Dwight's escape from prison. Dwight begins stalking Marge in various places, and successfully catches up to Marge and keeps her as his hostage. Dwight takes her to the same amusement park where he was abandoned by his mother, with the intention to have Marge help him repay the time he had lost, and promises to let her go afterwards, to which Marge, out of sympathy, agrees. He and Marge then ride the Viking ship
ride together. Chief Wiggum arrives attempting to save Marge, but he is caught in the ride. Dwight jams the ride's gears by throwing in his own body to save Wiggum (referencing The Brave Little Toaster
). He survives, fortunately, and returns to prison after being hospitalized and making a full recovery. Back at the prison, Marge finally visits Dwight, who gives her a flattened dandelion encased in a bar of soap he had carved for her with a message on the back intending to recruit her in helping him attempt another prison break. Marge does not agree to the escape attempt and Dwight, although saddened, says she can keep the token.
autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
by Maya Angelou
. Dwight's buggy eyes is a reference to his guest voice actor's Steve Buscemi
's eyes. Homer reveals he works on a Superman
novel. Agnes and the guys laughing, why Agnes quotes that Dwight and his partner are "Johnny and Clyde", a take on Bonnie and Clyde
. Chief Wiggum watches The Negotiator on a portable DVD player
to learn how to deal with a hostage situation. The Itchy & Scratchy
episode "The Un-Natural" parodies the baseball steroids scandal, and the title references the book and film The Natural
. Dwight escapes from jail like Andy Dufresne did in The Shawshank Redemption
. After the escape it looks like Dwight steps on the camera, which is a reference to Robert De Niro
who steps to the camera after his release from jail in the film Cape Fear
. Dr. Hibbert
and Krusty, who meet up at the end, reference the earlier hostage scene, off-hand implying The Nine
. "Dilbert
's Flying Cubicle
" (with the theme music from the Dilbert animated series
), "Tilt N' Spew", "Mr. Frog
's Mild Ride", "FedEx
Presents: The Bathroom" and "It's a Long Line" are seen at the amusement park, references to famous and well known rides, comics, companies, and chains. Dwight's partner in the robbery is based on John Cazale
and his character in the movie Dog Day Afternoon
which also involved a hostage situation. When Marge visited Dwight in prison Homer was among three Aryan Brotherhood
members and called them the three amigos.
enjoyed Buscemi's appearance, and he particularly enjoyed the scene where the fun house mirror ballooned Buscemi's eyes to a "hilarious extreme"; he also felt Buscemi's voice was the first guest voice of the season to have been used to its fullest potential. Despite the humour of the episode, he also stated the ending of the episode did indeed falter a bit at the end, and felt it couldn't deliver as many laughs as everything that came before it. This episode was also one of two episodes he enjoyed this season, the other being "Midnight Towboy
".
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 first aired on October 14, 2007. For the second time in the series, Marge helps a prison assailant. Marge meets Dwight (Steve Buscemi
Steve Buscemi
Steven Vincent "Steve" Buscemi is an American actor, writer and film director. An associate member of the renowned experimental theater company The Wooster Group, Buscemi has starred and supported in successful Hollywood and indie films including New York Stories, Mystery Train, Reservoir Dogs,...
), a man who attempts to rob the bank the two are in. Marge promises that she would visit him in prison, should he turn himself in, but too frightened to go into the prison, she breaks her promise. It was written by Dana Gould
Dana Gould
Dana John Gould is an American comedian and comedy writer born and raised in Hopedale, Massachusetts. His upbringing and his extended family lent themselves to his stand-up routine, which has been seen on HBO, Showtime, and Comedy Central, among other places.-Career:After high school, he studied...
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....
. Steve Buscemi
Steve Buscemi
Steven Vincent "Steve" Buscemi is an American actor, writer and film director. An associate member of the renowned experimental theater company The Wooster Group, Buscemi has starred and supported in successful Hollywood and indie films including New York Stories, Mystery Train, Reservoir Dogs,...
makes his second guest appearance on the show, (originally appearing as himself in "Brake My Wife, Please
Brake My Wife, Please
"Brake My Wife, Please" is the twentieth episode of the fourteenth season of The Simpsons. It first aired on May 11, 2003.-Plot:On a school field trip to the Springfield Aquarium, Principal Skinner pronounces two giant "yellow pearls" in a clam, only to find that it is actually Bart mooning...
") though this time he voiced a character, Dwight. Ted Nugent
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...
has a voice cameo. Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress and comedienne, widely known for her sitcom roles in Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine....
makes a surprise guest return as Snake's girlfriend Gloria, who originally appeared in "A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love
A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love
"A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons’ thirteenth season. The episode first aired on the Fox network on December 2, 2001. In the episode, Mr Burns falls in love with Gloria, a woman who is much younger than he is and who turns out to be Snake Jailbird's...
". During its first airing, the episode originally garnered 8.8 million viewers, higher than the previous episode.
Plot
LisaLisa 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...
is named "Student of the Millennium", so 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...
stresses that 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...
has to attend her ceremony due to past absences at most of the kids' events. Homer then wakes up early and takes Maggie to the school auditorium. Meanwhile, Marge gets impatient waiting in line at the bank, so she strikes up a conversation with an apparently charming man named Dwight (Steve Buscemi
Steve Buscemi
Steven Vincent "Steve" Buscemi is an American actor, writer and film director. An associate member of the renowned experimental theater company The Wooster Group, Buscemi has starred and supported in successful Hollywood and indie films including New York Stories, Mystery Train, Reservoir Dogs,...
). While talking, Dwight tells Marge to hold on. He pulls out a gun and tells everyone to get down on the floor. Gil Gunderson then arrives, prepared for his new job as a security guard, however he is repeatedly shot by Dwight's accomplice.
Homer is smugly waiting for Marge at the ceremony. Marge privately calls Homer, informing him she's a hostage at a bank robbery. Dwight notices Marge on the phone. Dwight makes a compromise; he will promise to turn himself in as long as Marge promises to visit him in prison, to which she reluctantly agrees. A nervous Marge returns home. Homer attempts to convince Marge not to visit Dwight in the prison, but Marge wishes to honor her promise and visit him. However, while going to the prison, she makes continuous stops to avoid going to the prison, and misses visiting hours. At the prison, Dwight expectantly waits for Marge. While watching Snake Jailbird chatting with his girlfriend, Gloria, Dwight becomes depressed and then angry, and Marge's guilt begins to get to her while watching a depressing movie about a prisoner who was to be electrocuted
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
. At the same moment, Dwight is breaking out of Springfield Penitentiary (in a parody way of The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont and starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman....
). He finds Marge's address in a newspaper, and sets out to find her.
At home, while watching TV, 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"...
makes a news report on Dwight's escape from prison. Dwight begins stalking Marge in various places, and successfully catches up to Marge and keeps her as his hostage. Dwight takes her to the same amusement park where he was abandoned by his mother, with the intention to have Marge help him repay the time he had lost, and promises to let her go afterwards, to which Marge, out of sympathy, agrees. He and Marge then ride the Viking ship
Pirate ship (ride)
A pirate ship is a type of amusement ride, consisting of an open, seated gondola which swings back and forth, subjecting the rider to various levels of angular momentum....
ride together. Chief Wiggum arrives attempting to save Marge, but he is caught in the ride. Dwight jams the ride's gears by throwing in his own body to save Wiggum (referencing The Brave Little Toaster
The Brave Little Toaster (film)
The Brave Little Toaster is a 1987 animated adventure film adapted from the 1980 novel of the same name by Thomas Disch. The film was directed by Jerry Rees and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film is set in a world where household appliances and other electronics have the ability to speak...
). He survives, fortunately, and returns to prison after being hospitalized and making a full recovery. Back at the prison, Marge finally visits Dwight, who gives her a flattened dandelion encased in a bar of soap he had carved for her with a message on the back intending to recruit her in helping him attempt another prison break. Marge does not agree to the escape attempt and Dwight, although saddened, says she can keep the token.
Cultural references
The title of this episode is take-off of the 19691969 in literature
The year 1969 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* The first Booker Prize is awarded.* "Penelope Ashe", author of the bestselling novel Naked Came the Stranger, is found to be several people who each took a turn writing a chapter of what they described as "junk" in...
autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is the 1969 autobiography about the early years of African-American writer and poet Maya Angelou. The first in a six-volume series, it is a coming-of-age story that illustrates how strength of character and a love of literature can help overcome racism and trauma...
by Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou is an American author and poet who has been called "America's most visible black female autobiographer" by scholar Joanne M. Braxton. She is best known for her series of six autobiographical volumes, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first and most highly...
. Dwight's buggy eyes is a reference to his guest voice actor's Steve Buscemi
Steve Buscemi
Steven Vincent "Steve" Buscemi is an American actor, writer and film director. An associate member of the renowned experimental theater company The Wooster Group, Buscemi has starred and supported in successful Hollywood and indie films including New York Stories, Mystery Train, Reservoir Dogs,...
's eyes. Homer reveals he works on a Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
novel. Agnes and the guys laughing, why Agnes quotes that Dwight and his partner are "Johnny and Clyde", a take on Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow were well-known outlaws, robbers, and criminals who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. Their exploits captured the attention of the American public during the "public enemy era" between 1931 and 1934...
. Chief Wiggum watches The Negotiator on a portable DVD player
Portable DVD Player
Portable DVD Player is the name given to any portable device whose primary function is the playing of DVDs.-History:...
to learn how to deal with a hostage situation. The Itchy & Scratchy
The Itchy & Scratchy Show
The Itchy & Scratchy Show is a show within a show in the animated television series The Simpsons. It usually appears as a part of The Krusty the Clown Show, watched regularly by Bart and Lisa Simpson...
episode "The Un-Natural" parodies the baseball steroids scandal, and the title references the book and film The Natural
The Natural
The Natural is a 1952 novel about baseball written by Bernard Malamud. The book follows Roy Hobbs, a baseball prodigy whose career is sidetracked when he is shot by a woman who seeks to kill arrogant athletes to "better the world"...
. Dwight escapes from jail like Andy Dufresne did in The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont and starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman....
. After the escape it looks like Dwight steps on the camera, which is a reference to Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
who steps to the camera after his release from jail in the film Cape Fear
Cape Fear (1991 film)
Cape Fear is a 1991 thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and a remake of the 1962 film of the same name. It stars Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange and Juliette Lewis and features cameos from Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum and Martin Balsam, who all appeared in the 1962 original film...
. 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...
and Krusty, who meet up at the end, reference the earlier hostage scene, off-hand implying The Nine
The Nine (TV series)
The Nine is an American television serial drama that premiered October 4, 2006 on ABC and aired only one season. The show was produced by Warner Bros. Television.- Plot :...
. "Dilbert
Dilbert
Dilbert is an American comic strip written and drawn by Scott Adams. First published on April 16, 1989, Dilbert is known for its satirical office humor about a white-collar, micromanaged office featuring the engineer Dilbert as the title character...
's Flying Cubicle
Cubicle
Тhe cubicle, cubicle desk, office cubicle or cubicle workstation is a partially enclosed workspace, separated from neighboring workspaces by partitions that are usually tall...
" (with the theme music from the Dilbert animated series
Dilbert (TV series)
Dilbert is an animated television series spin-off of the comic strip of the same name, produced by Adelaide Productions, Idbox, and United Media and distributed by Columbia TriStar Television...
), "Tilt N' Spew", "Mr. Frog
The Wind in the Willows
The Wind in the Willows is a classic of children's literature by Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. Alternately slow moving and fast paced, it focuses on four anthropomorphised animal characters in a pastoral version of England...
's Mild Ride", "FedEx
FedEx
FedEx Corporation , originally known as FDX Corporation, is a logistics services company, based in the United States with headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee...
Presents: The Bathroom" and "It's a Long Line" are seen at the amusement park, references to famous and well known rides, comics, companies, and chains. Dwight's partner in the robbery is based on John Cazale
John Cazale
John Holland Cazale , was an American film and theater actor. During his six-year film career he appeared in five films, each of which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture: The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon and The Deer Hunter.From his...
and his character in the movie Dog Day Afternoon
Dog Day Afternoon
Dog Day Afternoon is a 1975 drama film directed by Sidney Lumet, written by Frank Pierson, and produced by Martin Bregman. The film stars Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, Chris Sarandon, Penny Allen, James Broderick, and Carol Kane. The title refers to the "dog days of summer".The film was...
which also involved a hostage situation. When Marge visited Dwight in prison Homer was among three Aryan Brotherhood
Aryan Brotherhood
The Aryan Brotherhood, also known as The Brand, the AB, or the One-Two, is a white supremacist prison gang and organized crime syndicate in the United States with about 20,000 members in and out of prison...
members and called them the three amigos.
Reception
The episode had 8.8 million viewers. Robert Canning of IGNIGN
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...
enjoyed Buscemi's appearance, and he particularly enjoyed the scene where the fun house mirror ballooned Buscemi's eyes to a "hilarious extreme"; he also felt Buscemi's voice was the first guest voice of the season to have been used to its fullest potential. Despite the humour of the episode, he also stated the ending of the episode did indeed falter a bit at the end, and felt it couldn't deliver as many laughs as everything that came before it. This episode was also one of two episodes he enjoyed this season, the other being "Midnight Towboy
Midnight Towboy
"Midnight Towboy" is the third episode of The Simpsons nineteenth season and first aired on October 7, 2007. This is the first Simpsons episode to premiere in October since season eleven's "Treehouse of Horror X", which aired on October 31, 1999. When Homer's car is towed, he meets Louie, a tow...
".
External links
- "I Don't Wanna Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" at The Simpsons.com