Marge Gamer
Encyclopedia
"Marge Gamer" is the seventeenth episode of The Simpsons
' eighteenth season
, which was originally broadcast on April 22, 2007. It was written by J. Stewart Burns
and featured a guest appearance from Brazilian football star Ronaldo
. This episode was first broadcast three days after the twenty-year anniversary of the first ever appearance of The Simpsons
on television, in The Tracey Ullman Show
short "Good Night
".
is embarrassed at a Parent-Teacher Association
meeting because she does not have an e-mail address
, and she decides to buy her own computer
. She is quite taken by the Internet, and starts playing a Fantasy MMORPG
called Earthland Realms after refreshing her e-mail and finding an ad for it. The game has her interacting with practically the whole town of Springfield
, including Apu the gem trader, Seymour Skinner
the turkey
, Moe
who looks like a troll but is not, Mrs. Krabappel
the enchantress, Snake the Cobra King, Chief Wiggum the pig man, Smithers
the Barbarian, Comic Book Guy
the fully armored crusader-like warrior, and Sideshow Mel as a creature who looks surprisingly like a Tauren. Suddenly everyone hides and closes the windows of their shops and houses as a knight atop a black horse named "The Shadow Knight
" appears. Apu grabs Marge and Skinner is flamed by the knight's flame sword. It turns out the Shadow Knight is the most powerful and deadly character in the game (as Moe remarks "He once beat me to death with my life bar
!") . While off the game, Marge does the laundry and unintentionally hears Bart
say "Another senseless killing by the Shadowknight", learning that he is the Shadowknight. After this, she states "My son is an evil knight! The most successful evil knight in the whole of Earthland Realms. Not bad!"
Meanwhile, Homer
referees Lisa
's soccer game and his subpar skills frustrate Lisa. Stung by her criticism, he learns the rules of soccer and becomes a better referee, briefly impressing Lisa. Lisa twice pretends to be fouled hoping that Homer would admit it. At first he does but when Ronaldo points out that Lisa is a "flopper", Homer gives Lisa a yellow card. When she rips up the yellow card, he gives her a red card for bad sportsmanship and throws her out of the game. As a result, Lisa gets mad at him.
Marge goes to the Shadowknight's castle and meets Milhouse, cursed to look like a female servant as a result of an evil spell. In the online game Marge constantly frets about Bart, who goes around causing carnage, and redecorates his "trophy room" with the Hello Kitty
expansion pack. Bart smashes all of these decorations with his weapon and accidentally kills Marge's character in his fit of rage, severely disappointing Marge.
Homer and Bart go to Moe's Tavern to escape their troubles. Moe gives quality advice to Homer and Bart (though it appears to be an imposter, as the real Moe is shown tied up and gagged in the basement). Acting on Moe's advice, Bart makes up for killing his mother's character by reviving her with two thirds of his life force. While "Elf Marge" tends to the Shadowknight, the other characters raid the castle to take advantage of his weakness and graphically kill him. Homer gives Lisa a BBC
documentary produced in cooperation with Canal+
about "floppers", hoping that she will forgive him, but she realizes that she was at fault. So, instead of forgiving Homer, Lisa apologizes for her injustice against him. Marge refuses to come outside as the rest of the family plays soccer outside with Ronaldo. Feeling sorry for Bart, she becomes the new Shadowknight and avenges Bart by eliminating everyone who participated in killing him, first starting with Moe's character, while juggling his head like a soccer ball
, making Moe wonder why he pays $14.95 a month to play the game.
listed Ronaldo's performance as one of the thirty-three funniest cameos in the history of the show.
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 18)
The Simpsons 18th season aired from September 10, 2006 to May 20, 2007. The season contained seven hold-over episodes from the season 17 production line. Al Jean served as the Showrunner, a position he has held since the thirteenth season....
, which was originally broadcast on April 22, 2007. It was written by J. Stewart Burns
J. Stewart Burns
J. Stewart Burns is a television writer and producer most notable for his work on Unhappily Ever After, The Simpsons and Futurama....
and featured a guest appearance from Brazilian football star Ronaldo
Ronaldo
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima , commonly known as Ronaldo, is a retired Brazilian footballer who last played for Corinthians. Ronaldo is widely considered to be the greatest 'pure' striker in the history of the modern game, and by some accounts, in the history of football. Ronaldo was one of the...
. This episode was first broadcast three days after the twenty-year anniversary of the first ever appearance of The Simpsons
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...
on television, in The Tracey Ullman Show
The Tracey Ullman Show
The Tracey Ullman Show was an American television variety show, hosted by British comedian and onetime pop singer Tracey Ullman. It debuted on April 5, 1987 as the Fox network's second primetime series after Married... with Children, and ran until May 26, 1990. The show blended sketch comedy shorts...
short "Good Night
Good Night (The Simpsons short)
"Good Night" is the first Simpsons short that appeared on The Tracey Ullman Show. It originally aired April 19, 1987, during the third episode of The Tracey Ullman Show and was the first appearance of the Simpson family on television. After three seasons on Tracey Ullman, the shorts would be...
".
Plot
MargeMarge 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...
is embarrassed at a Parent-Teacher Association
Parent-Teacher Association
In the U.S. a parent-teacher association or Parent-Teacher-Student Association is a formal organization composed of parents, teachers and staff that is intended to facilitate parental participation in a public or private school. Most public and private K-8 schools in the U.S. have a PTA, a...
meeting because she does not have an e-mail address
E-mail address
An email address identifies an email box to which email messages are delivered. An example format of an email address is lewis@example.net which is read as lewis at example dot net...
, and she decides to buy her own computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
. She is quite taken by the Internet, and starts playing a Fantasy MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
called Earthland Realms after refreshing her e-mail and finding an ad for it. The game has her interacting with practically the whole town of Springfield
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...
, including Apu the gem trader, Seymour 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...
the turkey
Turkey (bird)
A turkey is a large bird in the genus Meleagris. One species, Meleagris gallopavo, commonly known as the Wild Turkey, is native to the forests of North America. The domestic turkey is a descendant of this species...
, Moe
Moe Szyslak
Momar / Morris "Moe" Szyslak is a fictional character in the American animated television series, The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"...
who looks like a troll but is not, Mrs. Krabappel
Edna Krabappel
Edna Krabappel is a fictional character from the animated TV series The Simpsons, voiced by Marcia Wallace. She is a 4th grade teacher at Springfield Elementary School. Krabappel is the only character Wallace voices on a regular basis.- Profile :...
the enchantress, Snake the Cobra King, Chief Wiggum the pig man, 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...
the Barbarian, Comic Book Guy
Comic Book Guy
Comic Book Guy is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria, and first appeared in the second-season episode "Three Men and a Comic Book", which originally aired on May 9, 1991. He is the proprietor of a comic book store, The...
the fully armored crusader-like warrior, and Sideshow Mel as a creature who looks surprisingly like a Tauren. Suddenly everyone hides and closes the windows of their shops and houses as a knight atop a black horse named "The Shadow Knight
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...
" appears. Apu grabs Marge and Skinner is flamed by the knight's flame sword. It turns out the Shadow Knight is the most powerful and deadly character in the game (as Moe remarks "He once beat me to death with my life bar
Health (gaming)
Health is a game mechanic used in role-playing, computer and video games to give value to characters, enemies, NPCs, and related objects. This value can either be numerical, semi-numerical as in hit/health points, or arbitrary as in a life bar....
!") . While off the game, Marge does the laundry and unintentionally hears 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...
say "Another senseless killing by the Shadowknight", learning that he is the Shadowknight. After this, she states "My son is an evil knight! The most successful evil knight in the whole of Earthland Realms. Not bad!"
Meanwhile, 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...
referees 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...
's soccer game and his subpar skills frustrate Lisa. Stung by her criticism, he learns the rules of soccer and becomes a better referee, briefly impressing Lisa. Lisa twice pretends to be fouled hoping that Homer would admit it. At first he does but when Ronaldo points out that Lisa is a "flopper", Homer gives Lisa a yellow card. When she rips up the yellow card, he gives her a red card for bad sportsmanship and throws her out of the game. As a result, Lisa gets mad at him.
Marge goes to the Shadowknight's castle and meets Milhouse, cursed to look like a female servant as a result of an evil spell. In the online game Marge constantly frets about Bart, who goes around causing carnage, and redecorates his "trophy room" with the Hello Kitty
Hello Kitty
is a fictional character produced by the Japanese company Sanrio, first designed by Yuko Shimizu. She is portrayed as a female white Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow. The character's first appearance on an item, a vinyl coin purse, was introduced in Japan in 1974 and brought to the United States...
expansion pack. Bart smashes all of these decorations with his weapon and accidentally kills Marge's character in his fit of rage, severely disappointing Marge.
Homer and Bart go to Moe's Tavern to escape their troubles. Moe gives quality advice to Homer and Bart (though it appears to be an imposter, as the real Moe is shown tied up and gagged in the basement). Acting on Moe's advice, Bart makes up for killing his mother's character by reviving her with two thirds of his life force. While "Elf Marge" tends to the Shadowknight, the other characters raid the castle to take advantage of his weakness and graphically kill him. Homer gives Lisa a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
documentary produced in cooperation with Canal+
Canal+
Canal+ is a French premium pay television channel launched in 1984. It is 80% owned by the Canal+ Group, which in turn is owned by Vivendi SA. The channel broadcasts several kinds of programming, mostly encrypted...
about "floppers", hoping that she will forgive him, but she realizes that she was at fault. So, instead of forgiving Homer, Lisa apologizes for her injustice against him. Marge refuses to come outside as the rest of the family plays soccer outside with Ronaldo. Feeling sorry for Bart, she becomes the new Shadowknight and avenges Bart by eliminating everyone who participated in killing him, first starting with Moe's character, while juggling his head like a soccer ball
Freestyle Football
Freestyle football, also known as freestyle soccer in North America, is the art of expressing yourself with a football, while performing various tricks with any part of the body...
, making Moe wonder why he pays $14.95 a month to play the game.
Reception
Adam Finley of TV Squad felt "the Homer/Lisa story might have worked better as the main plot, but even that segment of the episode was hindered by a terrible guest voice in soccer player Ronaldo". He went on to say: "I hate it when non-actors do guest voices on The Simpsons" and that "bad voice acting becomes much more of a distraction". In 2007, Simon Crerar of The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
listed Ronaldo's performance as one of the thirty-three funniest cameos in the history of the show.
Cultural references
- Marge plays a game called "Earthland Realms" which is a parody of MMORPGs particularly World of WarcraftWorld of WarcraftWorld of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
due to the almost identical interface and HUD, and Moe's comment about paying a monthly fee. - The music playing as the statue of the Virgin Mary beats the "living snot" out of the Brazilian football team is Adagio for StringsAdagio for StringsAdagio for Strings is a work by Samuel Barber, arranged for string orchestra from the second movement of his String Quartet, Op. 11. Barber finished the arrangement in 1936, the same year as he wrote the quartet...
by Samuel BarberSamuel BarberSamuel Osborne Barber II was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. His Adagio for Strings is his most popular composition and widely considered a masterpiece of modern classical music...
. - Marge makes a reference to the search engine GoogleGoogleGoogle Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
when she searches for her own name online, and says, "and all this time, I thought 'googling yourself' meant that other thingMasturbationMasturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
." - Marge says that she has the same birthday as Randy QuaidRandy QuaidRandall Rudy "Randy" Quaid is an American actor perhaps best known for his role as Cousin Eddie in the National Lampoon's Vacation movies, as well as his numerous supporting roles in films, including his Oscar nominated performance in The Last Detail, Independence Day, Kingpin and Brokeback Mountain...
. She was only referring to the actual date, this means Marge was born on October 1; if they are exactly the same age then Marge was also born in 1950, which seems out of continuity for the series, also in the earlier episode "Kiss Kiss, Bang BangaloreKiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore“Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore” is the seventeenth episode of the seventeenth season of The Simpsons.-Plot:On movie night at the nuclear plant, Homer learns that the nuclear power plant is being shut down and outsourced to India. After Homer is sent to train the new employees, he becomes power-hungry...
" Marge says her birthday is in May and in Homer's Paternity CootHomer's Paternity Coot"Homer's Paternity Coot" is the tenth episode of The Simpsons seventeenth season, and first aired on January 8, 2006, being the first episode of 2006. Mail from forty years earlier is discovered, and a letter from Homer Simpson's mother's old boyfriend states that he is Homer's true father. Homer...
, Marge says her birthstone would be emerald if she were born three months later. - When the Shadow Knight is getting killed by the mob, the killing sequence was a parody of Monty Python and the Holy GrailMonty Python and the Holy GrailMonty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1974 British comedy film written and performed by the comedy group Monty Python , and directed by Gilliam and Jones...
when King Arthur is cutting all the Black Knight's limbs off. - Marge is using a MacBookMacBookThe MacBook was a brand of Macintosh notebook computers built by Apple Inc. First introduced in May 2006, it replaced the iBook and 12-inch PowerBook series of notebooks as a part of the Apple–Intel transition. Positioned as the low end of the MacBook family, the Apple MacBook was aimed at the...
, and Bart is using a computer looking like a Macintosh IIfxMacintosh IIfxThe Macintosh IIfx was a model of Apple Macintosh computer, introduced in 1990 and discontinued in 1992. At introduction it cost from US $9,000 to US $12,000, depending on configuration, and was the fastest Mac...
. - In the Brazilian dub, Homer shouts "Zidane!" when headbutting the linesman. This is a reference to Zinedine ZidaneZinedine ZidaneZinedine Yazid Zidane is a retired French footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Zidane was a leading figure of a generation of French players that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship...
's infamous headbutt on Marco MaterazziMarco MaterazziMarco Materazzi , is an Italian footballer who plays as a defender, and is currently a free agent.At the beginning of his career, Materazzi played with various Italian teams in Serie B and Serie C, and with Premier League side Everton. He spent two periods with Perugia and signed for...
at the 2006 FIFA World Cup2006 FIFA World CupThe 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
final match. - Lisa's reason for taking up soccer is inspiration from seeing Bend It Like BeckhamBend It Like BeckhamBend It Like Beckham is a 2002 comedy-drama film starring Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Myers, Anupam Kher, Shaznay Lewis, and Archie Panjabi first released in the United Kingdom. The film was directed by Gurinder Chadha...
. - When Homer rips his shirt off after scoring a goal, it is a reference to when Brandi ChastainBrandi ChastainBrandi Denise Chastain is a professional American soccer defender and midfielder who plays for the team California Storm of Women's Premier Soccer League and is a former member of the United States women's national soccer team....
scored the winning penalty kick in the 1999 World Cup final against China. - Helen Lovejoy telling her daughter Jessica to "save their troubled marriage" may be a foreshadowing to the next episode, The Boys of BummerThe Boys of Bummer"The Boys of Bummer" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons eighteenth season, which originally aired on April 29, 2007. It was written by Michael Price and was the first episode to be directed by Rob Oliver.-Plot:...
, in which the Lovejoys' marital problems were a major part of the episode. - Lisa rips up the yellow card she is given in a reference to one of Peter BuckPeter BuckPeter Lawrence Buck , is an American rock guitarist who is best known for playing in and co-founding alternative rock band R.E.M....
's alleged transgressions on a British AirwaysBritish AirwaysBritish Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
flight in 2001.