Three Gays of the Condo
Encyclopedia
"Three Gays of the Condo" is the seventeenth episode in the fourteenth season
The Simpsons (season 14)
The fourteenth season of the animated television series The Simpsons was originally broadcast on the Fox network in the United States between November 3, 2002 and May 18, 2003. The show runner for the fourteenth production season was Al Jean, who executive produced 21 of 22 episodes. The other...
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...
and aired April 13, 2003.
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...
brings an "Oprah
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
's Puzzle Club" jigsaw puzzle
Jigsaw puzzle
A jigsaw puzzle is a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of numerous small, often oddly shaped, interlocking and tessellating pieces.Each piece usually has a small part of a picture on it; when complete, a jigsaw puzzle produces a complete picture...
to the Simpson Family
Simpson family
The Simpson family is a family of fictional characters featured in the animated television series The Simpsons. The Simpsons are a nuclear family consisting of the married couple Homer and Marge and their three children Bart, Lisa and Maggie. They live at 742 Evergreen Terrace in the fictional town...
Wednesdays, for everyone to work on except for Grampa
Abraham Simpson
Abraham J. "Abe" Simpson, often known simply as Grampa, is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and he is also the patriarch of the Simpson family, the father of Homer Simpson, and the grandfather of Bart, Lisa, and Maggie Simpson...
and Maggie
Maggie 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...
, as the box clearly reads for ages 8 to 80. The rest of the family is becoming increasingly engrossed in their slow but steady progress with the puzzle.
Finally, they finish the puzzle. As they admire it, 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...
points out that there is one piece missing. The family starts searching for the piece. 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...
searches his closet and finds a box labeled "Marge's Memory Chest," which contains a business card he made for Marge, an old T-shirt she wore to a Rolling Stones concert, and an invitation to the opening of Moe's Tavern. Homer reads the writing on the back of the invitation and discovers that Marge was unhappy about sitting alone at Moe's while Homer played video games and got drunk. In the present, Homer wonders why Marge stayed with him all this time and finds out that two days after his alcohol poisoning, she was pregnant with 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...
. Marge enters the room after finding the missing piece and asks Homer why he looks unhappy, and he confronts her with the note. Marge says that she was mad, and she loves him even if he does annoy her.
The next morning, Homer becomes even angrier with Marge, packs up, and moves into Bachelor Arms' Apartments with Milhouse's dad, Kirk. Homer is ready to move back home – until he picks up a newspaper advertising an affordable room on the river. Homer unwittingly travels into Springfield's gay district
Gay village
A gay village is an urban geographic location with generally recognized boundaries where a large number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people live or frequent...
. Homer meets his new gay roommates, Grady and Julio. The three become good friends while shopping. Later, when Homer visits Marge, their meeting is rather icy and the family notices Homer's newly-acquired mannerisms. That night, at the local gay bar
Gay bar
A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT and queer communities...
, Homer tells Grady and Julio that the chance for reconciliation is low.
The next day, Homer sees Marge and the kids, who have brought "Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
and his band, who play a song called "Homer and Marge", to tell Homer that Marge loves him very much. Marge then asks Homer out on a date, to which he agrees. That night, Homer is nervous while preparing for his date, so his roommates bring out a margarita
Margarita
The margarita is a cocktail consisting of tequila mixed with orange-flavoured liqueur and lime or lemon juice, often served with salt on the glass rim. It is the most common tequila-based cocktail in the United States...
pitcher. Meanwhile, at Medieval Times, Marge anxiously awaits Homer's arrival. Julio reminds Homer of his date and Homer runs to meet Marge. When he arrives, she is upset that he is late and drunk, and leaves him at the festival. Back at the apartment, Grady tries to comfort Homer by telling him that he will find someone else, and kisses
Kisses
Kisses is a 2008 Irish drama film directed by Lance Daly. The film is a coming of age drama about two ragamuffin preadolescents, next door neighbors each from dysfunctional families living in a poor area in the outskirts of Dublin, Ireland, who run away together one Christmas holiday.-Plot:Early in...
him romantically. Homer realises that Grady is in love with him and jumps out of the window, heading to Moe's Tavern to get some advice from 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"...
. After Homer questions whether alcohol is the cause of his problems, Moe forces drink down Homer's throat, and then rushes him to the hospital when he falls unconscious.
After Homer awakens, Dr. Hibbert tells Homer that the incident was not as bad as the night he first treated him for alcohol poisoning. Homer retorts that that was the night that destroyed his marriage, however Hibbert shows him a videotape that documents Homer's first alcohol poisoning (he had installed a camera because he suspected the nurse was stealing sponges). It shows Marge's compassion for him, as she holds his hand as he lays unconscious, since she did not want to break up with him because she did not want to raise baby Bart alone. Marge tells Homer that he is a good person, and that she loves him. Marge walks into the room as the tape ends, and says that she still loves him. The two resolve their differences and kiss.
The scene then jumps to many years in the future, where an elderly Hibbert laments that all he has now are his old video tapes, and while watching a tape of Homer and Marge kissing each other, a nurse appears in the tape stealing sponges, proving that Hibbert was right.
Production
The character Grady is voiced by the openly gay comedian/actor Scott ThompsonScott Thompson
Scott Thompson is a Canadian television actor and comedian, best known for his time as a member of the comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall.-Personal life:...
, most famous for being a member of the Canadian sketch comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall
The Kids in the Hall
The Kids in the Hall is a Canadian sketch comedy group formed in 1984, consisting of comedians Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson. Their eponymous television show ran from 1988 to 1994 on CBC in Canada, and 1989 to 1995 on CBS and HBO in the United States...
. "Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
has said that he was called in a week before the episode aired to re-record a line sung in the ending credits. The original line was "Oh yeah, we've got time to fill; why don't you go pee before King Of The Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
?" However, prior to the airing, it was found that King Of The Hill was moved earlier and that the time slot after The Simpsons was taken by the new show Oliver Beene
Oliver Beene
Oliver Beene is an American sitcom that premiered on Fox on March 9, 2003. The show was created by Howard Gewirtz. Set in 1962 and 1963, the show chronicled the trials and tribulations of the 11-to-12-year-old Oliver Beene , in first person perspective...
. The new line was sung as "Oh yeah, 'Weird Al' had fun on this show; even if it was just a brief cameo
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
".
Harvey Fierstein
Harvey Fierstein
Harvey Forbes Fierstein is a U.S. actor and playwright, noted for the early distinction of winning Tony Awards for both writing and originating the lead role in his long-running play Torch Song Trilogy, about a gay drag-performer and his quest for true love and family, as well as writing the...
was asked to reprise his role as Karl from the season two episode "Simpson and Delilah
Simpson and Delilah
"Simpson and Delilah" is the second episode of The Simpsons second season and first aired on October 18, 1990. Homer uses the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant medical insurance plan to buy Dimoxinil, a miracle hair growth formula. Homer grows hair, and is given a promotion at work which allows him...
" in a cameo appearance. In the script, Homer was thrown out of the house by Marge, and encountered Karl. The purpose of the appearance was to introduce a gay couple that Homer would live with. Fierstein however felt that "the script was a lot of very clever gay jokes, and there just wasn't that Simpsons twist" and turned the role down.
Reception
- Won the Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
in 2003 for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour).
Cultural references
- The title spoofs the 1975 movie Three Days of the CondorThree Days of the CondorThree Days of the Condor is a 1975 American action thriller film produced by Stanley Schneider and directed by Sydney Pollack. The screenplay, by Lorenzo Semple Jr...
. - The closet Homer finds "Marge's memory chest" among the shirts are Homer's "Mr. Plow" jacket from the episode "Mr. PlowMr. Plow"Mr. Plow" is the ninth episode of The Simpsons fourth season, which originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 19, 1992. In the episode, Homer buys a snow plow and starts a business plowing driveways. It is a huge success, and inspired by this, Barney Gumble starts a...
" and the Pin Pals shirt from "Team HomerTeam Homer"Team Homer" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 7, 1996. In the episode, Homer starts a bowling team with Moe, Apu, and Otto. When Mr. Burns discovers the team was funded with his money, he insists on joining...
" which, as indicated in "Homer's PhobiaHomer's Phobia"Homer's Phobia" is the fifteenth episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 16, 1997. In the episode, Homer dissociates himself from new family friend John after discovering that John is gay...
", Marge had given it to Goodwill (and which John [the kitschy antique store dealer] now wears). - Homer's call to the puzzle piece is similar to the one from The Warriors.
- Homer refers to Maggie as "Silent BobJay and Silent BobJay and Silent Bob are fictional characters portrayed by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, respectively, in Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse, a fictional universe created and used in most films, comics and television by Smith, which began in Clerks....
" when she resents him when he said that the puzzle was the only worthwhile thing he ever made, with the exception of Lisa. - The jigsaw plot is similar to that of Laurel and Hardy film Me and My Pal.
- Smithers roller-skates out of the "Sconewall Bakery" while in Springfield's Gay Village, making reference to the Stonewall riotsStonewall riotsThe Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City...
in New York City in 1969 and the start of the modern Gay Liberation movement. - In the gay neighbourhood, the storefront of "Armistead Mopeds" is shown, which is a reference to noted gay writer, Armistead MaupinArmistead MaupinArmistead Jones Maupin, Jr. is an American writer, best known for his Tales of the City series of novels, based in San Francisco.-Early life:...
. - Homer shops at "Victor/Victoria's", an "upscale men's clothing store" named after the 1982 film.
- Homer mentions that without Marge, he is "like David SpadeDavid SpadeDavid Wayne Spade is an American actor, comedian and television personality who first became famous in the 1990s as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and from 1997 until 2003 when he starred as Dennis Finch on Just Shoot Me!. He also starred as C.J...
without Chris FarleyChris FarleyChristopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. Farley was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995....
, alone and useless". - At the nightclub, Homer mentions campCamp (style)Camp is an aesthetic sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its taste and ironic value. The concept is closely related to kitsch, and things with camp appeal may also be described as being "cheesy"...
comedian Rip TaylorRip TaylorCharles Elmer "Rip" Taylor, Jr. is an American actor and comedian.-Early life:Taylor was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Elizabeth, a waitress, and Charles Elmer Taylor, Sr., a musician. As a young man, Taylor served in the Korean War while in the U.S...
. - Dr. Hibbert's hair in the videotape of Homer's first alcohol poisoning is similar to that of Ranking RogerRanking RogerRanking Roger is an English musician. He was a vocalist in the 1980s two-tone band, The Beat and General Public...
, singer for the British pop band The English Beat. - Homer says he came up with parody ideas for "Weird Al", including Living La Pizza LocaLivin' la Vida Loca"Livin' la Vida Loca" is a song by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin. It was released on March 23, 1999 from Martin's self-titled debut English album. The song was composed by Desmond Child and Draco Rosa and topped the charts during 1999...
and Another One Bites The CrustAnother One Bites the Dust"Another One Bites the Dust" is a song by the English rock band Queen. Written by bass guitarist John Deacon, the song featured on the group's eighth studio album The Game . The song was a worldwide hit, charting number one on the United States Billboard Hot 100, number two on the R&B charts and...
. - When Weird Al calls the above songs "basically the same", Homer remarks "Yeah, like you and Allan ShermanAllan ShermanAllan Sherman was an American comedy writer and television producer who became famous as a song parodist in the early 1960s. His first album, My Son, the Folk Singer , became the fastest-selling record album up to that time...
". - In one scene the song West End GirlsWest End Girls"West End Girls" is a song by British pop duo Pet Shop Boys. Written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, the song was released twice as a single. It is a synthpop song, influenced by hip hop music. The lyrics focus on class, and inner-city pressure, and were inspired by T.S. Eliot's poem The Waste Land...
by The Pet Shop Boys plays.
External links
- "Three Gays of the Condo" at The Simpsons.com