My Mother the Carjacker
Encyclopedia
"My Mother the Carjacker" is the second episode of The Simpsons
' fifteenth season
and first aired on November 9, 2003. Homer receives a cryptic message in the newspaper informing him to come to a certain place at midnight, and soon discovers that the person who wrote the message is his mother, Mona Simpson
. It was written by Michael Price and directed by Nancy Kruse
. Glenn Close
makes her second of three guest spots as Homer's mother. It is the second in the Mona Simpson-trilogy, and has a direct link from the season seven episode, "Mother Simpson
". It was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award
in 2004. In its original run, the episode received 12.4 million viewers.
, Bart
and Lisa
are cleaning the back garden when Marge
orders the family inside to watch TV. On Kent Brockman
's Channel Six "Oops Patrol" segment, he displays a humorous headline ("Mayor Displays Erection to Cheering Crowd"), noticed and submitted by Marge, for which she received a free T-shirt
. When Doctor Hibbert
offers Marge special health treatments such as a new heart because he likes her shirt, an envious Homer asks Marge if he can have it. When she refuses, he attempts to find his own funny headline so he too can win a T-shirt, to no avail. Homer spends the following night with newspapers plastered over his bedroom wall, exhausting himself in trying to find a funny headline. While searching, he finds an attractive article entitled "World's Biggest Pizza". Oddly enough, however, it is not the headline that attracts Homer's attention: the first letter of each line spells "HOMER". Homer wakes Marge and tells her that someone or something is communicating with him, telling him to meet him at Four Street Overpass at midnight. He discovers that it is today's paper, and wakes Bart up so they can both go. When they reach the overpass, the mystery person arrives, frightening Homer and Bart. Bart tries to attack with a lunging karate kick, only to land right through and into a sweater with the words "World's Best Grandson." The stranger then reveals herself to be Mona Simpson
, Homer's mother, and Homer hugs her after first hugging a bum
trying unsuccessfully to steal his bottle of wine.
Homer reunites with his mother
again. At the Overpass Diner, she apologizes for the cloak and dagger, and explains that it was because the government is still hunting for her because of her 1960s crime of sabotaging Mr. Burns
' germ warfare lab. Her liberal links at the Springfield Shopper published the story of the giant pizza to lure Homer, knowing that pizza was the first food Homer choked on. Bart questions why Mona came back, and she reveals that it was because of nostalgia aroused by a macaroni pencil case Homer had made for her when he was five. Just then Chief Wiggum, Lou, and Eddie arrive at the diner, and Lou recognizes Mona. Hora, the lunch lady, lets Homer, Mona, and Bart to escape through the back after they increase her tip. In the car, Homer vows not to let the cops get Mona again, but due to a lapse of concentration, he ironically rams right into the police station, where Mona is arrested. Despite the fact that Mona had done many useful community service acts, Mr. Burns insists she be put on trial. When the trial goes unsuccessfully, Homer is put on the stand and, after a long clueless pause, he miserably gives a heartfelt request that they don't take his mother away from him again. The jury, deeply moved, decide to acquit Mona. Mr. Burns is infuriated by the outcome, which contradicts his belief that justice should favor the rich.
A montage follows of Mona catching up on Homer's missed childhood; giving Homer a bath, watching Homer in the school play, knitting for Homer, teaching Homer how to ride a bike, and seeing a reenactment of the birth of Bart
. Mona also catches up with Lenny, Carl, and Moe. To make Mona more welcome, Homer steals a whole room from Ned Flanders
's house so she could have her own private bedroom. Mr. Burns renames his Germ Warfare Laboratory the "Grandma Simpson Peace Museum and Kid-teractive Learnatorium", to a crowd of cheering onlookers. Mr. Burns asks Mona to be the first to sign the museum's guest book. As she signs, she unwittingly mentions she had been signing false names when visiting state parks, and prodded by Burns, says she also did so at national parks, which is a federal offense. The FBI jump out and arrest her for supplying false information on a national park register. They handcuff Mona, and take her away in a car. A distraught Homer runs after the car, whose drivers keep stopping periodically again and again to taunt him. Back at home later, a miserable Homer reminisces about the times he and Mona had caught up on, looking over photos of him and Mona, including one in which Homer strangles Bart as Mona strangles Homer. Lisa tells Homer she disagrees with what the government did with Mona, and unintentionally gives Homer the idea to break Mona out of prison.
The next day, as the bus transfers Mona and other female convicts to a federal prison, Homer and Bart trick the bus into pulling over by changing a sign
overhead to display a warning of a snowstorm ahead (despite the perfect weather). As the drivers get off to put chains on the tires, Homer steals the bus and liberates all the convicts except for Mona, who all sarcastically promise to return to prison. Suddenly, police cars appear and give chase. Mona doesn’t want Homer to be imprisoned and leave his children like she did, so she electrically shocks him and pushes him out of the bus onto an abandoned bed. As the bus nears a cliff with the police in hot pursuit, Homer watches in horror as the bus flies off the cliff into a lake, blows up, and is covered by a rockslide
. The Simpsons hold a funeral for Mona and pay their respects, but then the coffin suddenly slides away and into a forest and a grief-ridden Homer vents his frustration by kicking down Frank "Grimey" Grimes'
tombstone. Later at night, he pores over newspaper headlines, hoping his mother survived and left another message for him, since her body was not in the coffin (Homer says it was instead filled with "Last week's garbage"). He finds a random article in which the first letter of each row spells out "IMOK" over the front and back side of the page. Taking this to be another message from his mother and reassured by his family (who believe she is dead), he goes to sleep. However, he overlooks an article about a giant taco
, in which Mona encoded a long message that explains that she escaped from the bus before it crashed and hitched a ride out of town.
. The song Mona sings with the convicts is "I Fought The Law
". The song played during the '60s montage is Jimi Hendrix
's version of "All Along the Watchtower
". The montage concludes with John Wayne
as a guest on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In saying "You bet your sweet bippy", a catch phrase of the show. During the scenes with Homer re-enacting his childhood for his mother, the song being played is "The Mother and Child Reunion" by Paul Simon
. When Homer is having prints of pictures of his mother made, the song played is "Mother
" by John Lennon
. Homer's line of "Bless the loom that fruited you," is a reference to Fruit of the Loom
. Homer's line of "We'll hide you where there's no people - Disney's California Adventure
", is a reference to how a park in Disneyland had poor attendance. The scene of the Homer pinning newspapers to the wall and letters jumping out and deciphering hidden messages is a homage to similar scenes in "A Beautiful Mind
". When Homer is showing the family headlines is a parody of the Headlines segment on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
.
", and Frank Grimes is seen in a flashback in "The Great Louse Detective
").
" (12.6). The episode was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award
. IGN
ranks Glenn Close's performances as the twenty-fifth best guest appearances in the show's history.
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 15)
The Simpsons 15th season began on Sunday, November 2, 2003 with "Treehouse of Horror XIV".The season contains five hold-over episodes from the season 14 production line...
and first aired on November 9, 2003. Homer receives a cryptic message in the newspaper informing him to come to a certain place at midnight, and soon discovers that the person who wrote the message is his mother, Mona Simpson
Mona Simpson (The Simpsons)
Mona J. Simpson is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She has been voiced by several actresses, including Maggie Roswell, Tress MacNeille and most prominently, Glenn Close. Mona is the estranged wife of Abe Simpson and the mother of Homer Simpson...
. It was written by Michael Price and directed by Nancy Kruse
Nancy Kruse
Nancy Kruse is a former animation director on The Simpsons. She started working on the show during the first season as a background clean-up artist. After that she did background layout and character layout for several years on the show before becoming an assistant director...
. Glenn Close
Glenn Close
Glenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
makes her second of three guest spots as Homer's mother. It is the second in the Mona Simpson-trilogy, and has a direct link from the season seven episode, "Mother Simpson
Mother Simpson
"Mother Simpson" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons seventh season and first aired on November 19, 1995. After faking his own death to get a day off of work, Homer reunites with his mother Mona, who he thought had died 27 years ago. It was directed by David Silverman and was the first episode to...
". It was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
in 2004. In its original run, the episode received 12.4 million viewers.
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...
, 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...
are cleaning the back garden when 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...
orders the family inside to watch TV. On 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"...
's Channel Six "Oops Patrol" segment, he displays a humorous headline ("Mayor Displays Erection to Cheering Crowd"), noticed and submitted by Marge, for which she received a free T-shirt
T-shirt
A T-shirt is a style of shirt. A T-shirt is buttonless and collarless, with short sleeves and frequently a round neck line....
. When Doctor 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...
offers Marge special health treatments such as a new heart because he likes her shirt, an envious Homer asks Marge if he can have it. When she refuses, he attempts to find his own funny headline so he too can win a T-shirt, to no avail. Homer spends the following night with newspapers plastered over his bedroom wall, exhausting himself in trying to find a funny headline. While searching, he finds an attractive article entitled "World's Biggest Pizza". Oddly enough, however, it is not the headline that attracts Homer's attention: the first letter of each line spells "HOMER". Homer wakes Marge and tells her that someone or something is communicating with him, telling him to meet him at Four Street Overpass at midnight. He discovers that it is today's paper, and wakes Bart up so they can both go. When they reach the overpass, the mystery person arrives, frightening Homer and Bart. Bart tries to attack with a lunging karate kick, only to land right through and into a sweater with the words "World's Best Grandson." The stranger then reveals herself to be Mona Simpson
Mona Simpson (The Simpsons)
Mona J. Simpson is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She has been voiced by several actresses, including Maggie Roswell, Tress MacNeille and most prominently, Glenn Close. Mona is the estranged wife of Abe Simpson and the mother of Homer Simpson...
, Homer's mother, and Homer hugs her after first hugging a bum
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
trying unsuccessfully to steal his bottle of wine.
Mona Simpson (The Simpsons)
Mona J. Simpson is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She has been voiced by several actresses, including Maggie Roswell, Tress MacNeille and most prominently, Glenn Close. Mona is the estranged wife of Abe Simpson and the mother of Homer Simpson...
again. At the Overpass Diner, she apologizes for the cloak and dagger, and explains that it was because the government is still hunting for her because of her 1960s crime of sabotaging 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...
' germ warfare lab. Her liberal links at the Springfield Shopper published the story of the giant pizza to lure Homer, knowing that pizza was the first food Homer choked on. Bart questions why Mona came back, and she reveals that it was because of nostalgia aroused by a macaroni pencil case Homer had made for her when he was five. Just then Chief Wiggum, Lou, and Eddie arrive at the diner, and Lou recognizes Mona. Hora, the lunch lady, lets Homer, Mona, and Bart to escape through the back after they increase her tip. In the car, Homer vows not to let the cops get Mona again, but due to a lapse of concentration, he ironically rams right into the police station, where Mona is arrested. Despite the fact that Mona had done many useful community service acts, Mr. Burns insists she be put on trial. When the trial goes unsuccessfully, Homer is put on the stand and, after a long clueless pause, he miserably gives a heartfelt request that they don't take his mother away from him again. The jury, deeply moved, decide to acquit Mona. Mr. Burns is infuriated by the outcome, which contradicts his belief that justice should favor the rich.
A montage follows of Mona catching up on Homer's missed childhood; giving Homer a bath, watching Homer in the school play, knitting for Homer, teaching Homer how to ride a bike, and seeing a reenactment of the birth of Bart
I Married Marge
"I Married Marge" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons third season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 26, 1991. In the episode, Marge worries that she may yet again be pregnant and drives to Dr. Hibbert's office...
. Mona also catches up with Lenny, Carl, and Moe. To make Mona more welcome, Homer steals a whole room from Ned 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...
's house so she could have her own private bedroom. Mr. Burns renames his Germ Warfare Laboratory the "Grandma Simpson Peace Museum and Kid-teractive Learnatorium", to a crowd of cheering onlookers. Mr. Burns asks Mona to be the first to sign the museum's guest book. As she signs, she unwittingly mentions she had been signing false names when visiting state parks, and prodded by Burns, says she also did so at national parks, which is a federal offense. The FBI jump out and arrest her for supplying false information on a national park register. They handcuff Mona, and take her away in a car. A distraught Homer runs after the car, whose drivers keep stopping periodically again and again to taunt him. Back at home later, a miserable Homer reminisces about the times he and Mona had caught up on, looking over photos of him and Mona, including one in which Homer strangles Bart as Mona strangles Homer. Lisa tells Homer she disagrees with what the government did with Mona, and unintentionally gives Homer the idea to break Mona out of prison.
The next day, as the bus transfers Mona and other female convicts to a federal prison, Homer and Bart trick the bus into pulling over by changing a sign
Variable message sign
A variable- message sign, often abbreviated VMS, CMS, or DMS, and in the UK known as a matrix sign,...
overhead to display a warning of a snowstorm ahead (despite the perfect weather). As the drivers get off to put chains on the tires, Homer steals the bus and liberates all the convicts except for Mona, who all sarcastically promise to return to prison. Suddenly, police cars appear and give chase. Mona doesn’t want Homer to be imprisoned and leave his children like she did, so she electrically shocks him and pushes him out of the bus onto an abandoned bed. As the bus nears a cliff with the police in hot pursuit, Homer watches in horror as the bus flies off the cliff into a lake, blows up, and is covered by a rockslide
Landslide
A landslide or landslip is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rockfalls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows, which can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments...
. The Simpsons hold a funeral for Mona and pay their respects, but then the coffin suddenly slides away and into a forest and a grief-ridden Homer vents his frustration by kicking down Frank "Grimey" Grimes'
Homer's Enemy
"Homer's Enemy" is the twenty-third episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It was first broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on May 4, 1997. The episode's plot centers on the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant's hiring a new employee named...
tombstone. Later at night, he pores over newspaper headlines, hoping his mother survived and left another message for him, since her body was not in the coffin (Homer says it was instead filled with "Last week's garbage"). He finds a random article in which the first letter of each row spells out "IMOK" over the front and back side of the page. Taking this to be another message from his mother and reassured by his family (who believe she is dead), he goes to sleep. However, he overlooks an article about a giant taco
Taco
A taco is a traditional Mexican dish composed of a corn or wheat tortilla folded or rolled around a filling. A taco can be made with a variety of fillings, including beef, chicken, seafood, vegetables and cheese, allowing for great versatility and variety...
, in which Mona encoded a long message that explains that she escaped from the bus before it crashed and hitched a ride out of town.
Cultural references
The title is a reference to the TV series, My Mother the CarMy Mother the Car
My Mother the Car is an American fantasy sitcom which aired for a single season on NBC between September 14, 1965 and September 6, 1966. A total of thirty episodes were produced by United Artists Television....
. The song Mona sings with the convicts is "I Fought The Law
I Fought the Law
"I Fought the Law" is a song written by Sonny Curtis of The Crickets and became popularized by a cover by the Bobby Fuller Four, which went on to become a top-ten hit for the band in 1966 and was also recorded by The Clash in 1979...
". The song played during the '60s montage is Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
's version of "All Along the Watchtower
All Along the Watchtower
"All Along the Watchtower" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. The song, which has been included on most of Dylan's greatest hits compilations, initially appeared on his 1967 album John Wesley Harding. Over the past 35 years, he has performed it in concert more...
". The montage concludes with John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
as a guest on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In saying "You bet your sweet bippy", a catch phrase of the show. During the scenes with Homer re-enacting his childhood for his mother, the song being played is "The Mother and Child Reunion" by Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
. When Homer is having prints of pictures of his mother made, the song played is "Mother
Mother (John Lennon song)
Mother is a song by British musician John Lennon, first released on his 1970 album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. An edited version of the song was issued as a single in the United States on Apple Records, catalogue 1827, about three weeks after the album. The single runs about fifteen seconds...
" by John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
. Homer's line of "Bless the loom that fruited you," is a reference to Fruit of the Loom
Fruit of the Loom
Fruit of the Loom is an American company which manufactures clothing, particularly underwear. The company's world headquarters is in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It is currently a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway.-Company profile:...
. Homer's line of "We'll hide you where there's no people - Disney's California Adventure
Disney's California Adventure
Disney California Adventure, or simply California Adventure, is a theme park in Anaheim, California, adjacent to Disneyland Park and part of the larger Disneyland Resort. It opened on February 8, 2001 as Disney's California Adventure Park. The park is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Parks and...
", is a reference to how a park in Disneyland had poor attendance. The scene of the Homer pinning newspapers to the wall and letters jumping out and deciphering hidden messages is a homage to similar scenes in "A Beautiful Mind
A Beautiful Mind (film)
A Beautiful Mind is a 2001 American drama film based on the life of John Nash, a Nobel Laureate in Economics. The film was directed by Ron Howard and written by Akiva Goldsman. It was inspired by a bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-nominated 1998 book of the same name by Sylvia Nasar...
". When Homer is showing the family headlines is a parody of the Headlines segment on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny...
.
Callback
When Homer realizes Mona has gone, he knocks over Frank Grimes' tombstone, (from "Homer's EnemyHomer's Enemy
"Homer's Enemy" is the twenty-third episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It was first broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on May 4, 1997. The episode's plot centers on the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant's hiring a new employee named...
", and Frank Grimes is seen in a flashback in "The Great Louse Detective
The Great Louse Detective
"The Great Louse Detective" is the sixth episode of The Simpsons fourteenth season. It features Kelsey Grammer in his eighth appearance as Sideshow Bob...
").
Reception
During its original run, the episode gained 12.4 million viewers, losing to a rerun of "Three Gays of the CondoThree Gays of the Condo
"Three Gays of the Condo" is the seventeenth episode in the fourteenth season of The Simpsons and aired April 13, 2003.-Plot:Marge brings an "Oprah's Puzzle Club" jigsaw puzzle to the Simpson Family Wednesdays, for everyone to work on except for Grampa and Maggie, as the box clearly reads for ages...
" (12.6). The episode was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
. 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...
ranks Glenn Close's performances as the twenty-fifth best guest appearances in the show's history.