Milhouse of Sand and Fog
Encyclopedia
"Milhouse of Sand and Fog" is the third episode of the seventeenth season
of The Simpsons
. It originally aired September 25, 2005.
is caught scratching herself with a hymn
al. Marge
takes away the book, discouraged also by the fact that Homer is flossing his teeth with the bookmark string. Marge takes Maggie to the AME Church
to see Dr. Hibbert, who diagnoses Maggie with chicken pox. Later at home, Maggie is given oven mitts to prevent her scratching; she cannot resist scratching herself and finds other objects with which to do so. Inspired by Flanders
' suggestion of purposely exposing the boys to the chicken pox, Homer
invites all the neighborhood kids over to the Simpson house for a "pox party" (at $15 a pop). He ends up catching it himself, by drinking from Maggie's milk bottle, having no childhood immunity
ending up scratching himself with Bart and Lisa. One good thing comes of it, though: After a having a few custom Margaritas, Milhouse's parents reconcile.
Milhouse
feels neglected because his parents are not fawning over him as they once did, both competing for his love. Milhouse schemes to break up his parents again, and enlists both Bart
and a plot borrowed from The O.C.
The boys leave a bra
conspicuously located in Kirk's bed—unfortunately, it has Marge
's name on its tag. Luann thinks Marge is having an affair with her husband, and soon she has Homer questioning his wife's fidelity. An argument ensues, and Bart realizes he may have split up his own parents instead of Milhouse's.
Bart schemes to reunite them by pretending to fall off a cliff into a river, using a dummy
—but, thanks to Milhouse breaking his glasses after hitting a tree, Bart ends up really taking the plunge. Homer leaps into the rapids and rescues Bart, and through a little trust, Marge saves them both from going over the falls
. The Simpsons reconcile, once safely on the river bank. Milhouse, thinking Bart fell past the waterfall, attempts to commit suicide by jumping over the edge. The episode ends with Milhouse's fate unresolved.
The Simpsons (season 17)
The Simpsons' seventeenth season originally aired between September 2005 and May 2006, beginning on Sunday, September 11, 2005. It broke Fox's tradition of pushing its shows' season premieres back to November to accommodate the Major League Baseball games airing on the network during September...
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...
. It originally aired September 25, 2005.
Plot
The show starts in church. During Reverend Lovejoy's sermon, MaggieMaggie Simpson
Margaret "Maggie" Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She first appeared on television in the Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Maggie was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of James...
is caught scratching herself with a hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
al. 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...
takes away the book, discouraged also by the fact that Homer is flossing his teeth with the bookmark string. Marge takes Maggie to the AME Church
African Methodist Episcopal Church
The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the A.M.E. Church, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination based in the United States. It was founded by the Rev. Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816 from several black Methodist congregations in the...
to see Dr. Hibbert, who diagnoses Maggie with chicken pox. Later at home, Maggie is given oven mitts to prevent her scratching; she cannot resist scratching herself and finds other objects with which to do so. Inspired by Flanders
Ned Flanders
Nedward "Ned" Flanders, Jr. is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer, and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the next door neighbor to the Simpson family and is generally...
' suggestion of purposely exposing the boys to the chicken pox, 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...
invites all the neighborhood kids over to the Simpson house for a "pox party" (at $15 a pop). He ends up catching it himself, by drinking from Maggie's milk bottle, having no childhood immunity
Immunity (medical)
Immunity is a biological term that describes a state of having sufficient biological defenses to avoid infection, disease, or other unwanted biological invasion. Immunity involves both specific and non-specific components. The non-specific components act either as barriers or as eliminators of wide...
ending up scratching himself with Bart and Lisa. One good thing comes of it, though: After a having a few custom Margaritas, Milhouse's parents reconcile.
Milhouse
Milhouse Van Houten
Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a fictional character featured in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Pamela Hayden. He is Bart Simpson's best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class at Springfield Elementary School....
feels neglected because his parents are not fawning over him as they once did, both competing for his love. Milhouse schemes to break up his parents again, and enlists both 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 a plot borrowed from The O.C.
The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
The boys leave a bra
Brassiere
A brassiere is an undergarment that covers, supports, and elevates the breasts. Since the late 19th century, it has replaced the corset as the most widely accepted method for supporting breasts....
conspicuously located in Kirk's bed—unfortunately, it has 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...
's name on its tag. Luann thinks Marge is having an affair with her husband, and soon she has Homer questioning his wife's fidelity. An argument ensues, and Bart realizes he may have split up his own parents instead of Milhouse's.
Bart schemes to reunite them by pretending to fall off a cliff into a river, using a dummy
Mannequin
A mannequin is an often articulated doll used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, and others especially to display or fit clothing...
—but, thanks to Milhouse breaking his glasses after hitting a tree, Bart ends up really taking the plunge. Homer leaps into the rapids and rescues Bart, and through a little trust, Marge saves them both from going over the falls
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
. The Simpsons reconcile, once safely on the river bank. Milhouse, thinking Bart fell past the waterfall, attempts to commit suicide by jumping over the edge. The episode ends with Milhouse's fate unresolved.
Cultural references
- The title of the episode is a reference to the book House of Sand and FogHouse of Sand and Fog (novel)House of Sand and Fog is a 1999 novel by Andre Dubus III. It was selected for Oprah's Book Club in 2000 and was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction.-Plot:...
.
- In the scene parodying The O.C.The O.C.The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
, in addition to the cheating scene, it also involves the O.C. gang going to Knott's Berry FarmKnott's Berry FarmKnott's Berry Farm is a theme park in Buena Park, California, now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, and a line of jams, jellies, preserves, and other specialty food, now part of The J. M. Smucker Company based in Placentia, California....
(along with a person dressed as SnoopySnoopySnoopy is an fictional character in the long-running comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. He is Charlie Brown's pet beagle. Snoopy began his life in the strip as a fairly conventional dog, but eventually evolved into perhaps the strip's most dynamic character—and among the most recognizable...
), with The O.C.s theme song "California" by Phantom PlanetPhantom PlanetPhantom Planet are an American alternative rock band from Southern California. Formed in 1994 in Los Angeles, the band consists of Alex Greenwald , Darren Robinson , Sam Farrar and Jeff Conrad . The band is best known for its track "California", which became the theme song for the Fox TV series,...
playing (Snoopy then forces the O.C. kids to take out money from an ATM at gunpoint). Ryan AtwoodRyan AtwoodRyan Francis Atwood is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Benjamin McKenzie. A troubled teenager from Chino, California, he is considered the protagonist of the show, beginning as an outcast and is brought to a lifestyle of luxury by the Cohen family and is...
, a main character on the show, once played Snoopy in a school musical. California is also played over the end credits. - The picture Homer receives with a traffic ticket in the mail shows him running a red light while eating a doughnut and reading Cat Fancy magazine.
- In one scene, Bart and Milhouse are acting out a song from the play Oklahoma!Oklahoma!Oklahoma! is the first musical written by composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance...
, "The Farmer and the CowmanThe Farmer and the Cowman"The Farmer and the Cowman" is a song composed by Richard Rodgers and with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II for their musical Oklahoma!. It is sung primarily by Andrew Carnes, Aunt Eller, and Ike Skidmore. In various versions of Oklahoma!, the singing parts for Ike, Andrew, and Aunt Eller have been...
". - Milhouse exclaims in surprise, "Sweet Lizzie McGuire!" when witnessing his parents reconciling.
- Marge saves Bart and Homer from going over the falls the same way as Buster KeatonBuster KeatonJoseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
did with his girl friend in Our HospitalityOur HospitalityOur Hospitality is a silent comedy directed, produced, written by and starring Buster Keaton. Released in 1923 by Metro Pictures Corporation, the movie uses slapstick and situational comedy to tell the story of Willie McKay, a city slicker who gets caught in the middle of the infamous Canfield &...
. - The Springfield parents' scheme of purposely exposing their kids to Maggie's chicken pox is a centuries-old (and medically controversial) technique known as pox partiesPox partyA pox party, or flu party or flu fling, is a social activity where children are deliberately exposed to a virus to promote immunity. Such parties are typically organized by parents on the premise of building the immune systems of their children against diseases such as chickenpox and measles or flu...
. Doctors are actually against the idea of pox parties that was used in this episode, claiming people should get the chickenpox vaccine instead as a safer alternative. - Bart describes the plan to split up Milhouse's parents as a "reverse Parent Trap".
- The scene at the A.M.E. churchAfrican Methodist Episcopal ChurchThe African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the A.M.E. Church, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination based in the United States. It was founded by the Rev. Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816 from several black Methodist congregations in the...
closely resembles the scene inside the Triple Rock Church in The Blues BrothersThe Blues Brothers (film)The Blues Brothers is a 1980 musical comedy film directed by John Landis and starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as "Joliet" Jake and Elwood Blues, characters developed from a musical sketch on the NBC variety series Saturday Night Live. It features musical numbers by R&B and soul singers James...
. In particular, the choir is wearing the same color robes, and the preacher looks, sounds, and sings like the Reverend Cleophus James. - As punishment for being responsible for her and Homer's break-up, MargeMarge SimpsonMarjorie "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...
threatened BartBart SimpsonBartholomew 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...
that she will erase all the game saves on his PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
, and threatened to erase his custom ringtones on his mobile phoneMobile phoneA mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
if he doesn't work on his spelling when he misspelled "Divorce". - Our HouseOur House (CSNY song)"Our House" is a song written by British singer-songwriter Graham Nash, most famously recorded by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young on their 1970 album Déjà Vu. It reached #30 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The song refers to Nash's brief affair with Joni Mitchell at the time Crosby, Stills Nash and...
by Crosby Stills and Nash is used as the soundtrack to Milhouse's fantasy sequence. - There are 2 Shakespeare references in this episode: 1) In the opening scene, Flanders asks Homer to let Maggie infect his own kids so "that way there'll be a pox on both our houses!" 2) After ignoring Marge's denial's that she slept with Kirk forcing Marge to scream "NO NO NO!" Homer finally says, "Methinks the lady doth protest too much."
- When Bart is sitting on top of a floating Homer and paddling to avoid the rocks in the water, Homer begins to hum. This is what Dirk in the game Dragon's LairDragon's LairDragon's Lair is a laserdisc video game published by Cinematronics in 1983. It featured animation created by ex-Disney animator Don Bluth....
does in the rapids level.