Co-Dependents' Day

"Co-Dependents' Day" is the fifteenth episode of The Simpsons' fifteenth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 21, 2004.

"Co-Dependents' Day"
The Simpsons episode
Brave Combo on The Simpsons
Episode no.Season 15
Episode 15
Directed byBob Anderson
Written byMatt Warburton
Production codeFABF10
Original air dateMarch 21, 2004
Guest appearance(s)

Brave Combo as themselves Jim Broadbent as Wink Peter Cullen as himself

Episode features
Couch gagThe Simpsons sit on the couch as normal, but then begin to decay and turn to dust.
CommentaryMatt Groening
Al Jean
Matt Warburton
Matt Selman
Michael Price
Tom Gammill
Max Pross
Allen Glazier
Alan Sepinwall

Plot

Homer, Bart, and Lisa see the newest Cosmic Wars film, The Gathering Shadow, and the movie turns out to be less than what they expected. At home, Marge suggests that Bart and Lisa write a letter to Cosmic Wars creator Randall Curtis. Two weeks later, they get a reply from Curtis, which completely ignores their criticism, having sent them Jim-Jam merchandise. This forces the Simpsons to go on a trip to California, where Homer and Marge go to wineries, and Bart and Lisa go to the Cosmic Wars Ranch. The kids visit Curtis, and tell him that his Cosmic Wars movies have lost their way. Curtis dismisses their criticisms, until Lisa explains that improved technology does not count for story and characterization. Curtis agrees, and decides to go back to his storytelling roots by watching more samurai films and Westerns for inspiration.

Bart and Lisa rejoin Homer and Marge, who are both drunk from free samples of the wine. Back in Springfield, Homer and Marge go to Moe's Tavern and drink more wine. Moe opens a bottle of Chateau Latour 1886 vintage wine, clearly unaware of its value. Homer and Marge then continue to drink heavily for several days, until Marge suffers a particularly painful hangover. She tells Homer that they should not be drinking, and he agrees. Unfortunately, when they go to an Oktoberfest featuring Grammy-winning nuclear polka band Brave Combo, Marge, who tries to go through the night without drinking, gives in and ends up drunk along with Homer. He tries to drive them home, but in a drunken stupor overturns the car.

In order to avoid an arrest, Homer makes things look like Marge (who is drunker than he is) was the driver. She is arrested, but he bails her out. Later, Barney suggests that Marge go to a rehab clinic for a month, and when Marge is gone, Homer lets Flanders take care of the kids. When he sees her at the clinic, he confesses, but Marge is angry and drinks again. Later on, the other rehab patients help her discover that she likes being with Homer more than she likes drinking, and forgives him and returns home.

Production notes

  • The scene where Homer sings at Moe's Tavern while Marge plays the piano was cut from this episode, but later used in "Mommie Beerest" as a postscript scene during the end credits.
  • Homer references a prior DUI when explaining why he cannot be caught in the drivers seat. This could possibly be referring to the episode, "Duffless," where he fails a breathalyzer test, and is arrested for a DWI.
  • Series creator Matt Groening learned of Dallas-area band Brave Combo as a college-radio DJ in the 1980s, and had commissioned the Grammy-winning band, (Best Polka Album 1999, 2004[1]) to perform at "his best friend's wedding party", where Groening invited them to appear on the show. According to Carl Finch, founding member of the band, within two weeks, the network contacted them for video reference material for the animators for their "Springfield-yellow likenesses." The band recorded a polka arrangement of The Simpsons theme song, and made available two other songs for use in the Oktoberfest scene on the show.[2]

Cultural references

Reception

James Greene of Nerve.com put the episode sixth on his list Ten Times The Simpsons Jumped the Shark, singling out the storyline of Homer deliberately framing Marge for a crime he committed just to save his own skin. Greene remarked "This Homer wasn't a sometimes-insensitive-but-largely-sympathetic lug. He was just a douche." He did however like the "excellent" B-story, but found that it was "completely overshadowed by a very uncomfortable moment in the Simpson-Bouvier union.”

References

  1. "Brave Combo Awards". Grammy.com search. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
  2. Hepola, Sarah (March 11, 2004). "Brave New Combo D'oh! The Simpsons animate Dallas' favorite polka band". Dallas Observer.
  3. Chernoff, Scott (2007-07-24). "I Bent My Wookiee! Celebrating the Star Wars/Simpsons Connection". Star Wars.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2011-08-28.
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