My Fair Laddy
| "My Fair Laddy" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
 | |
| Episode no. | Season 17 |
| Directed by | Bob Anderson |
| Written by | Michael Price |
| Original air dates | February 26, 2006 |
| Episode features | |
| Couch gag | Claymation versions of the Simpsons and Gumby roll onto the couch |
"My Fair Laddy" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons' seventeenth season. It first aired in the US on February 26, 2006. It aired in the UK on March 26, 2006. This episode centers around Groundskeeper Willie, the first time this has happened.
Plot
When the old gym teacher announces that she will be gone until fall because of her sex change operation, a substitute takes her place. Every gym class, he has them play a game called "Bombardment," which basically just involves him throwing dodgeballs at the students. When Bart gets sick of the constant bullying, he fills a ball full of water and sticks it in the freezer overnight (Nelson calls it an Ice-ball). The next day, he throws it at the gym teacher, who ducks, and the ball crashes through the window and hits Willie's shack and destroys it. When Marge picks up Bart from school and sees Willie homeless, she offers to let him stay at their house, and he accepts (after realizing that the "pan over [his] head" was actually a colander). When there, Lisa has Willie realize that his life could be much better, and she decides to turn him into a proper gentlemen. Bart, however, doesn't believe that she can do it, but Lisa bets that she can do it in time for the school science fair.
Meanwhile, Homer comes home with his last pair of blue pants ripped and torn after his seat breaks at the go-cart track. As he searches through town for a new pair, he finds no store that sells his favorite type of pants. When he goes to the factory that sells them, the manager tells him that they don't make blue pants anymore due to poor sales, but Homer tells him that he'll get more customers. Not surprisingly for him, he does this by writing "Buy blue pants" on the back of his head. However, it works, and soon everyone is wearing blue pants.
While this is happening, Lisa is struggling to get Willie to act sophisticated. Soon, it is the day before the science fair, and he is still his same old self. When he sees how disappointed Lisa is, he suddenly surprises both Bart and Lisa by correctly (and with a 'proper' accent/dialect) saying a sentence she gave him. At the science fair the next day, he impresses everyone with his politeness. However, no one actually knows that it is the old groundskeeper until Lisa announces it to everyone. Once again, she wins the science fair, and the bet along with it.
Even though he is respected by everybody, Willie misses his old life, but his job and his shack were both taken by the music teacher. He explains to Lisa that he wishes to go back to the way things were, and she understands. Soon, he's back to cleaning and living in his shack.
Cultural references
- The title is a take-off of My Fair Lady. Also, the episode features songs similar to the style featured in the play.
- The gym teacher saying "What is your major malfunction, Simpson?" is a reference to Full Metal Jacket. In fact, the entire scene is modeled after a similar scene in the film, from camera angles to Bart's facial expression.
- The wager that Jimbo Jones makes with Kearney is a reference to Around the World in 80 Days, by Jules Verne.
- Groundskeeper Largo tells Willie that "If I had your voice I'd talk-sing everything!" This is a reference to actor Rex Harrison, who spoke his songs over music rather than singing them in My Fair Lady.
- The company that makes Homer's blue pants is known as Worldwide Pants. A marquee outside the corporate offices of Worldwide Pants claims the company had the name before David Letterman, whose production company is also known as Worldwide Pants.
- The music heard in the Super Bowl commercial for Blue Pants is "Baby Elephant Walk" by Henry Mancini, composed for the film Hatari!. This song was also used in Dancin' Homer.
- Homer advertises blue pants by writing on his head, which may be a reference to online casino GoldenPalace.com. Among other stunts, the company has paid athletes to wear temporary tattoos of its logo while they compete.
- One of the advertisements on Homer's arm was the writing "Re-elect Chávez", a reference to the then upcoming December re-elections in Venezuela.
External links
