You Only Move Twice
Encyclopedia
"You Only Move Twice" is the second episode of The Simpsons
' eighth season
. It first aired on the Fox network
in the United States on November 3, 1996. The episode, based on a story idea by Greg Daniels
, has three major concepts: the family moves to a new town; Homer gets a friendly, sympathetic boss; and that boss, unbeknownst to Homer, is a supervillain
. Bart, Lisa, and Marge each have individual secondary storylines. It was directed by Mike B. Anderson
and written by John Swartzwelder
.
The episode title is a reference to the James Bond
film You Only Live Twice
, and many elements of the episode parody the Bond films
, with a character modeled after Bond making a cameo appearance. Setting the second and third acts in a new town, Cypress Creek, required the animators to create entirely new layouts and background designs. Albert Brooks
, in his fourth Simpsons appearance, guest stars as the voice of Hank Scorpio, who is one of the most popular one-time characters on The Simpsons. The episode was well-received by critics and IGN
named "You Only Move Twice" the best episode of the eighth season.
is offered a job at the Globex Corporation. When he refuses, the offer is passed down to Homer
. He informs his family that the new job pays better, but involves moving to Cypress Creek. The Simpson family originally opposes the move, but after they watch a promotional video about the planned community
, they agree that it is much nicer than Springfield
. Abandoning their house, the Simpsons pack up and leave town.
Shortly after the Simpsons arrive at their new house in Cypress Creek, they meet Homer's new boss, Hank Scorpio. Scorpio, who is very amiable and seems like the perfect boss, soon becomes friendly with Homer. After giving Homer a tour of the company, Scorpio tells him that his job is to motivate the employees in the nuclear division. Meanwhile, Bart starts school, but he finds that his new class is far above the standards of Springfield Elementary. When his teacher discovers that Bart can not read cursive writing
, he is sent to a remedial class. Lisa goes for a nature walk and discovers that she is allergic to all of the plants around Cypress Creek. Marge tries to go about her daily chores, but the house does everything automatically, which leaves Marge with nothing to do during the day but drink wine and mope.
Homer does an excellent job of motivating his team, but notices after a few days that they are starting to get overworked. He decides that the solution is to get them hammock
s and visits Scorpio to ask where he can purchase some. Scorpio begins to tell Homer of "the Hammock district", but he is interrupted by some urgent business. He turns to a screen and threatens the United Nations Security Council
by declaring that he "has the doomsday device
" and that they have 72 hours to "deliver the gold". Then Scorpio blows up the 59th Street Bridge
. Despite being in the same room, Homer appears to remain unaware of or unconcerned by Scorpio's evil plans.
At dinner, Homer proudly tells of his successes at work, but discovers that his family hates Cypress Creek and want to go back to Springfield. Dejected, Homer decides to visit Scorpio at Globex Headquarters. His visit coincides with an assault by the U.S. military, but Homer remains oblivious to what is taking place. He finds Scorpio, explains the situation, and asks what to do. Scorpio advises Homer that he should do what is best for his family, asking him only to kill someone on the way out. As Homer dejectedly walks away, Scorpio straps on a flamethrower and attacks the invading troops.
The next day, the family returns to Springfield. It is revealed that Scorpio has succeeded in his plot and seized control of the East Coast
. Homer, who previously confided to Scorpio his dream of owning the Dallas Cowboys
, expresses disappointment when he instead discovers the Denver Broncos
practicing ineptly on his front lawn as a present from his former boss.
The original concept for the episode came from a story idea by Greg Daniels
and the writing staff came up with three major concepts. The first involves the Simpson family moving out of Springfield, which the writers initially hoped would fool the audience into thinking it was a permanent move. As a result, they tried to work in as many characters as they could during the first act of the episode to make it seem that the family really was leaving. The second involved Homer getting a new job for an employee-friendly, silicon valley type, modern boss who would stand in contrast with Mr. Burns
, an authoritarian, 19th century style boss. The third was that Homer's new boss, despite being friendly and personable, would be a supervillain in the mold of Ernst Stavro Blofeld
. This element was meant to be in the background and Homer would be oblivious to it.
The writers sought to give every family member their own story. The writing staff debated the story about Marge's descent into alcoholism
because they found it depressing. There was originally another involving Grampa
, wherein he is left behind in Springfield and receives recorded greeting phone calls. The plot went on for four sequences, all of which were cut from the episode for time but later included in the DVD release. Cypress Creek was called "Emerald Caverns" during much of production, but the name was changed because the writers felt that "Cypress Creek" had more of a "Silicon Valley" feel.
The show's writers did not worry too much about perfecting Scorpio's lines because they knew Brooks would rewrite or ad lib new ones. Entire parts of Scorpio's dialogue, such as his hammock speech, are Brooks's lines and not the writers'. Dan Castellaneta
described how, after he prepared something for Homer to say in response to Brooks's new Scorpio lines, Brooks would deliver totally different lines in the next take. Josh Weinstein said Homer's reactions are exactly like someone talking to Albert Brooks. In all, his recordings amounted to over two hours in length. Brooks voiced the character Russ Cargill in The Simpsons Movie
and for "about a week", he was to reprise the role of Scorpio, but the staff felt that creating a new character was a better idea.
The animators needed to design completely new sets for the episode. Christian Roman
, John Reiss, and Mike Anderson storyboarded the episode. In the original animatic, Santa's Little Helper
and Snowball II were not present, so the animators went back and added them, even though they are not a part of the story. It is a common misconception that Scorpio's design was modeled after Richard Branson
, which it was not. The final design, which underwent an overhaul, was hailed by the writers as "the perfect madman". All of the students in Bart's remedial class were initially given hair modeled on Ralph Wiggum
's, but the staff felt that the children looked "kinda troubled", so their designs were altered.
The man who Homer tackles, James Bont, was initially supposed to just be James Bond
, but Fox's lawyers precluded them from using that name. The writers went with "Bont" because they felt it was the most similar name that they could legally use.
The final scene at Globex contains several references to action
and James Bond
films. The episode title and many references are from the Bond film You Only Live Twice
, as well as an allusion to A View to a Kill
. A character modeled after Sean Connery
's Bond is tackled by Homer and killed after a parody of the laser scene from Goldfinger
. Mrs. Goodthighs from the 1967 James Bond parody Casino Royale
makes an appearance in the episode and can be seen attacking a character modeled after U.S. Army
general Norman Schwarzkopf
.
The sign at the elementary school displays "www.studynet.edu". Weinstein said that this was one of the most dated jokes in the history of the show because it centered on the idea that it would be (at that time) very advanced for a school to have its own website.
The song at the end of the show, written by Ken Keeler
, is a parody of various Bond themes. Keeler originally wrote it to be three seconds longer and sound more like the Goldfinger theme, but the final version was shorter and the lyrics were sped up. The writers wanted the song to be sung by Shirley Bassey
, who sang several Bond themes, but they could not get her to record the part.
-voiced character. In 2006, Albert Brooks was named the best Simpsons guest star by IGN
, who cited Scorpio as his best role. The Phoenix.com compiled their own list, placing Brooks in the first position. In his book Planet Simpson
, author Chris Turner says Brooks is second only to Phil Hartman
among Simpsons guest stars and that "Brooks brings hilarious satirical seamlessness to Scorpio's paradoxical nature". He also writes that the delivery of Scorpio's final line seals Brooks's place in Simpsons history. The Simpson family's new street address, 15201 Maple Systems Road, is writer Ken Keeler
's favorite street name in the show.
IGN also named the episode the best of the eighth season, saying the episode "is a wonderful example of slowly building up the comedy it's impossible to fathom this one not being very high up on any list of the best Simpsons episodes of all time." Robert Canning gave the episode a "Masterful" score of ten out of ten, saying the episode "may well be the greatest Simpsons episode of all time. In my book, it's at least tied," with "Marge vs. the Monorail
". Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, called it "a tremendous episode" saying it had "some really good moments, most of them involving Bart, Lisa, and Marge's loathing for Cypress Creek. The remedial kids are fab (especially Warren) and Lisa's second chipmunk encounter is inspired. Scorpio is a good character, especially his Christopher Walken
-esque killing spree." They also stated that the owl grabbing the chipmunk during Lisa's trip to the forest is one of the all-time greatest sight gags in the show's history. Chris Turner would also say that the remedial boy Gordy's line may be "the broadest parody of a Canadian accent in the history of American pop culture". Ben Rayner of the Toronto Star
included "You Only Move Twice" on his list of the best episodes of The Simpsons. In his review of The Complete Eighth Season DVD set, Raul Burriel described it as one of the "most clever episodes the series has ever given us."
In its original broadcast, "You Only Move Twice" finished 50th in ratings for the week of October 28 - November 3, 1996, with a Nielsen rating
of 8.5, equivalent to approximately 8.2 million viewing households. It was the second highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following The X-Files
.
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 8)
The Simpsons eighth season originally aired between October 27, 1996 and May 18, 1997, beginning with "Treehouse of Horror VII". The show runners for the eighth production season were Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein. The aired season contained two episodes which were hold-over episodes from season...
. It first aired on the Fox network
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
in the United States on November 3, 1996. The episode, based on a story idea by Greg Daniels
Greg Daniels
Gregory Martin "Greg" Daniels is an American television comedy writer, producer, and director.-Life and career:...
, has three major concepts: the family moves to a new town; Homer gets a friendly, sympathetic boss; and that boss, unbeknownst to Homer, is a supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
. Bart, Lisa, and Marge each have individual secondary storylines. It was directed by Mike B. Anderson
Mike B. Anderson
Mike B. Anderson, sometimes credited as Mikel B. Anderson, is a television director who works on The Simpsons and has directed numerous episodes of the show, and was animated in "The Secret War of Lisa Simpson" as cadet Anderson. While a college student, he directed the live action feature films...
and written by John Swartzwelder
John Swartzwelder
John Swartzwelder is an American comedy writer and novelist, best known for his work on the animated television series The Simpsons, as well as a number of novels. He is credited with writing the largest number of Simpsons episodes by a large margin...
.
The episode title is a reference to the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film You Only Live Twice
You Only Live Twice (film)
You Only Live Twice is the fifth spy film in the James Bond series, and the fifth to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film's screenplay was written by Roald Dahl, and loosely based on Ian Fleming's 1964 novel of the same name...
, and many elements of the episode parody the Bond films
James Bond (film series)
The James Bond film series is a British series of motion pictures based on the fictional character of MI6 agent James Bond , who originally appeared in a series of books by Ian Fleming. Earlier films were based on Fleming's novels and short stories, followed later by films with original storylines...
, with a character modeled after Bond making a cameo appearance. Setting the second and third acts in a new town, Cypress Creek, required the animators to create entirely new layouts and background designs. Albert Brooks
Albert Brooks
Albert Lawrence Brooks is an American actor, voice actor, writer, comedian and director. He received an Academy Award nomination in 1987 for his role in Broadcast News...
, in his fourth Simpsons appearance, guest stars as the voice of Hank Scorpio, who is one of the most popular one-time characters on The Simpsons. The episode was well-received by critics and 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...
named "You Only Move Twice" the best episode of the eighth season.
Plot
Waylon SmithersWaylon 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...
is offered a job at the Globex Corporation. When he refuses, the offer is passed down to 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...
. He informs his family that the new job pays better, but involves moving to Cypress Creek. The Simpson family originally opposes the move, but after they watch a promotional video about the planned community
New town
A new town is a specific type of a planned community, or planned city, that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are uncommon in new...
, they agree that it is much nicer than 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...
. Abandoning their house, the Simpsons pack up and leave town.
Shortly after the Simpsons arrive at their new house in Cypress Creek, they meet Homer's new boss, Hank Scorpio. Scorpio, who is very amiable and seems like the perfect boss, soon becomes friendly with Homer. After giving Homer a tour of the company, Scorpio tells him that his job is to motivate the employees in the nuclear division. Meanwhile, Bart starts school, but he finds that his new class is far above the standards of Springfield Elementary. When his teacher discovers that Bart can not read cursive writing
Cursive
Cursive, also known as joined-up writing, joint writing, or running writing, is any style of handwriting in which the symbols of the language are written in a simplified and/or flowing manner, generally for the purpose of making writing easier or faster...
, he is sent to a remedial class. Lisa goes for a nature walk and discovers that she is allergic to all of the plants around Cypress Creek. Marge tries to go about her daily chores, but the house does everything automatically, which leaves Marge with nothing to do during the day but drink wine and mope.
Homer does an excellent job of motivating his team, but notices after a few days that they are starting to get overworked. He decides that the solution is to get them hammock
Hammock
A hammock is a sling made of fabric, rope, or netting, suspended between two points, used for swinging, sleeping, or resting. It normally consists of one or more cloth panels, or a woven network of twine or thin rope stretched with ropes between two firm anchor points such as trees or posts....
s and visits Scorpio to ask where he can purchase some. Scorpio begins to tell Homer of "the Hammock district", but he is interrupted by some urgent business. He turns to a screen and threatens the United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
by declaring that he "has the doomsday device
Doomsday device
A doomsday device is a hypothetical construction — usually a weapon, or collection of weapons — which could destroy all life on a planet, particularly the Earth, or destroy the planet itself, bringing "doomsday", a term used for the end of planet Earth...
" and that they have 72 hours to "deliver the gold". Then Scorpio blows up the 59th Street Bridge
Queensboro Bridge
The Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, also known as the 59th Street Bridge – because its Manhattan end is located between 59th and 60th Streets – or simply the Queensboro Bridge, is a cantilever bridge over the East River in New York City that was completed in 1909...
. Despite being in the same room, Homer appears to remain unaware of or unconcerned by Scorpio's evil plans.
At dinner, Homer proudly tells of his successes at work, but discovers that his family hates Cypress Creek and want to go back to Springfield. Dejected, Homer decides to visit Scorpio at Globex Headquarters. His visit coincides with an assault by the U.S. military, but Homer remains oblivious to what is taking place. He finds Scorpio, explains the situation, and asks what to do. Scorpio advises Homer that he should do what is best for his family, asking him only to kill someone on the way out. As Homer dejectedly walks away, Scorpio straps on a flamethrower and attacks the invading troops.
The next day, the family returns to Springfield. It is revealed that Scorpio has succeeded in his plot and seized control of the East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
. Homer, who previously confided to Scorpio his dream of owning the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
, expresses disappointment when he instead discovers the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
practicing ineptly on his front lawn as a present from his former boss.
Production
Greg Daniels
Gregory Martin "Greg" Daniels is an American television comedy writer, producer, and director.-Life and career:...
and the writing staff came up with three major concepts. The first involves the Simpson family moving out of Springfield, which the writers initially hoped would fool the audience into thinking it was a permanent move. As a result, they tried to work in as many characters as they could during the first act of the episode to make it seem that the family really was leaving. The second involved Homer getting a new job for an employee-friendly, silicon valley type, modern boss who would stand in contrast with 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...
, an authoritarian, 19th century style boss. The third was that Homer's new boss, despite being friendly and personable, would be a supervillain in the mold of Ernst Stavro Blofeld
Ernst Stavro Blofeld
Ernst Stavro Blofeld is a fictional character and a supervillain from the James Bond series of novels and films, who was created by Ian Fleming and Kevin McClory. An evil genius with aspirations of world domination, he is the archenemy of the British Secret Service agent James Bond and is arguably...
. This element was meant to be in the background and Homer would be oblivious to it.
The writers sought to give every family member their own story. The writing staff debated the story about Marge's descent into alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
because they found it depressing. There was originally another involving 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...
, wherein he is left behind in Springfield and receives recorded greeting phone calls. The plot went on for four sequences, all of which were cut from the episode for time but later included in the DVD release. Cypress Creek was called "Emerald Caverns" during much of production, but the name was changed because the writers felt that "Cypress Creek" had more of a "Silicon Valley" feel.
The show's writers did not worry too much about perfecting Scorpio's lines because they knew Brooks would rewrite or ad lib new ones. Entire parts of Scorpio's dialogue, such as his hammock speech, are Brooks's lines and not the writers'. Dan Castellaneta
Dan Castellaneta
Daniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, singer and screenwriter. Noted for his long-running role as Homer Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, he voices many other characters on The Simpsons, including Abraham "Grampa" Simpson, Barney Gumble,...
described how, after he prepared something for Homer to say in response to Brooks's new Scorpio lines, Brooks would deliver totally different lines in the next take. Josh Weinstein said Homer's reactions are exactly like someone talking to Albert Brooks. In all, his recordings amounted to over two hours in length. Brooks voiced the character Russ Cargill in The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons. The film was directed by David Silverman, and stars the regular television cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress...
and for "about a week", he was to reprise the role of Scorpio, but the staff felt that creating a new character was a better idea.
The animators needed to design completely new sets for the episode. Christian Roman
Christian Roman
Christian Roman is known for directing and executive producing the first season of the Disney Channel show American Dragon: Jake Long. He also designed the main characters and directed all 26 episodes of Disney's Fillmore!. Before Disney, he was a storyboard artist and storyboard supervisor on...
, John Reiss, and Mike Anderson storyboarded the episode. In the original animatic, Santa's Little Helper
Santa's Little Helper
Santa's Little Helper is a recurring character in the American animated television series The Simpsons. He is the pet greyhound of the Simpson family. The dog was introduced in the first episode of the show, the 1989 Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", in which his owner abandons...
and Snowball II were not present, so the animators went back and added them, even though they are not a part of the story. It is a common misconception that Scorpio's design was modeled after Richard Branson
Richard Branson
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English business magnate, best known for his Virgin Group of more than 400 companies....
, which it was not. The final design, which underwent an overhaul, was hailed by the writers as "the perfect madman". All of the students in Bart's remedial class were initially given hair modeled on Ralph Wiggum
Ralph Wiggum
Ralph Wiggum is a recurring fictional character on the animated series The Simpsons, voiced by Nancy Cartwright. The son of Police Chief Wiggum and a classmate of Lisa Simpson, Ralph is best known as the show's resident oddball, and is noted for his non sequiturs and erratic behavior...
's, but the staff felt that the children looked "kinda troubled", so their designs were altered.
The man who Homer tackles, James Bont, was initially supposed to just be James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
, but Fox's lawyers precluded them from using that name. The writers went with "Bont" because they felt it was the most similar name that they could legally use.
Cultural references
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
and James Bond
James Bond (film series)
The James Bond film series is a British series of motion pictures based on the fictional character of MI6 agent James Bond , who originally appeared in a series of books by Ian Fleming. Earlier films were based on Fleming's novels and short stories, followed later by films with original storylines...
films. The episode title and many references are from the Bond film You Only Live Twice
You Only Live Twice (film)
You Only Live Twice is the fifth spy film in the James Bond series, and the fifth to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film's screenplay was written by Roald Dahl, and loosely based on Ian Fleming's 1964 novel of the same name...
, as well as an allusion to A View to a Kill
A View to a Kill
A View to a Kill is the fourteenth spy film of the James Bond series, and the seventh and last to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Although the title is adapted from Ian Fleming's short story "From a View to a Kill", the film is the fourth Bond film after The Spy Who Loved...
. A character modeled after Sean Connery
Sean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
's Bond is tackled by Homer and killed after a parody of the laser scene from Goldfinger
Goldfinger (film)
Goldfinger is the third spy film in the James Bond series and the third to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Released in 1964, it is based on the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. The film also stars Honor Blackman as Bond girl Pussy Galore and Gert Fröbe as the title...
. Mrs. Goodthighs from the 1967 James Bond parody Casino Royale
Casino Royale (1967 film)
Casino Royale is a 1967 comedy spy film originally produced by Columbia Pictures starring an ensemble cast of directors and actors. It is set as a satire of the James Bond film series and the spy genre, and is loosely based on Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel.The film stars David Niven as the...
makes an appearance in the episode and can be seen attacking a character modeled after U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
general Norman Schwarzkopf
Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr.
General Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf KCB , also known as "Stormin' Norman" and "The Bear", is a retired United States Army General who, while he served as Commander of U.S. Central Command, was commander of the Coalition Forces in the Gulf War of 1991.-Early life:Schwarzkopf was born in Trenton, New...
.
The sign at the elementary school displays "www.studynet.edu". Weinstein said that this was one of the most dated jokes in the history of the show because it centered on the idea that it would be (at that time) very advanced for a school to have its own website.
The song at the end of the show, written by Ken Keeler
Ken Keeler
Kenneth "Ken" Keeler is an American television producer and writer. He has written for numerous television series, most notably The Simpsons and Futurama. According to an interview with David X. Cohen, he proved a theorem which appears in the Futurama episode "The Prisoner of Benda".-Career:After...
, is a parody of various Bond themes. Keeler originally wrote it to be three seconds longer and sound more like the Goldfinger theme, but the final version was shorter and the lyrics were sped up. The writers wanted the song to be sung by Shirley Bassey
Shirley Bassey
Dame Shirley Bassey, DBE , is a Welsh singer. She found fame in the late 1950s and was "one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century"...
, who sang several Bond themes, but they could not get her to record the part.
Reception
Hank Scorpio is arguably the most popular Albert BrooksAlbert Brooks
Albert Lawrence Brooks is an American actor, voice actor, writer, comedian and director. He received an Academy Award nomination in 1987 for his role in Broadcast News...
-voiced character. In 2006, Albert Brooks was named the best Simpsons guest star by 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...
, who cited Scorpio as his best role. The Phoenix.com compiled their own list, placing Brooks in the first position. In his book Planet Simpson
Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation
Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation is a non-fiction book about The Simpsons, written by Chris Turner and originally published on 12 October 2004 by Random House...
, author Chris Turner says Brooks is second only to Phil Hartman
Phil Hartman
Philip Edward "Phil" Hartman was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and graphic artist. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Hartman and his family moved to the United States when he was 10...
among Simpsons guest stars and that "Brooks brings hilarious satirical seamlessness to Scorpio's paradoxical nature". He also writes that the delivery of Scorpio's final line seals Brooks's place in Simpsons history. The Simpson family's new street address, 15201 Maple Systems Road, is writer Ken Keeler
Ken Keeler
Kenneth "Ken" Keeler is an American television producer and writer. He has written for numerous television series, most notably The Simpsons and Futurama. According to an interview with David X. Cohen, he proved a theorem which appears in the Futurama episode "The Prisoner of Benda".-Career:After...
's favorite street name in the show.
IGN also named the episode the best of the eighth season, saying the episode "is a wonderful example of slowly building up the comedy it's impossible to fathom this one not being very high up on any list of the best Simpsons episodes of all time." Robert Canning gave the episode a "Masterful" score of ten out of ten, saying the episode "may well be the greatest Simpsons episode of all time. In my book, it's at least tied," with "Marge vs. the Monorail
Marge vs. the Monorail
"Marge vs. the Monorail" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsonss fourth season and originally aired on January 14, 1993. The plot focuses around Springfield's purchase of a monorail from a conman, and Marge's dislike of the purchase. It was written by Conan O'Brien and directed by Rich Moore...
". Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, called it "a tremendous episode" saying it had "some really good moments, most of them involving Bart, Lisa, and Marge's loathing for Cypress Creek. The remedial kids are fab (especially Warren) and Lisa's second chipmunk encounter is inspired. Scorpio is a good character, especially his Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
-esque killing spree." They also stated that the owl grabbing the chipmunk during Lisa's trip to the forest is one of the all-time greatest sight gags in the show's history. Chris Turner would also say that the remedial boy Gordy's line may be "the broadest parody of a Canadian accent in the history of American pop culture". Ben Rayner of the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
included "You Only Move Twice" on his list of the best episodes of The Simpsons. In his review of The Complete Eighth Season DVD set, Raul Burriel described it as one of the "most clever episodes the series has ever given us."
In its original broadcast, "You Only Move Twice" finished 50th in ratings for the week of October 28 - November 3, 1996, with a Nielsen rating
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
of 8.5, equivalent to approximately 8.2 million viewing households. It was the second highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
.
External links
- "You Only Move Twice" at The Simpsons.com