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Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy

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"Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no. 113
Directed by Wes Archer
Written by Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein
Showrunner(s) David Mirkin
Production code 2F07
Original air date December 4, 1994
Chalkboard gag "My homework was not stolen by a one-armed man."[1]
Couch gag The family runs past a repeating background shot of the living room.
Guest actors Phil Hartman as Troy McClure
Commentary David Mirkin
Bill Oakley
Josh Weinstein
Wes Archer

"Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy" is the tenth television episode of The Simpsons' sixth season. It was first broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on December 4, 1994. In the episode, Homer and Marge's sex life is struggling, but Grampa perks things up with a homemade revitalizing tonic. He and Homer go on the road to sell their elixir, and Grampa reveals that Homer’s conception was unintentional. Homer is upset with his father and decides to spend more time with his children, but his over-parenting does not work very well on them. Homer goes back to the old farmhouse he grew up in for inspiration and meets back up with his father, but their loving reunion is soured when the house goes up in flames.

The episode was directed by Wes Archer and written by Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein. After its initial airing on Fox, the episode was later released as part of a 1999 video collection: The Simpsons – Too Hot For TV, and released again on the 2003 DVD edition of the same collection. The episode features cultural references to songs such as "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" and "Celebration", as well as a reference to the 1963 film The Nutty Professor. "Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy" received positive reception from television critics, and acquired a Nielsen rating of 9.5.

Plot

When Homer and Marge's marriage becomes boring due to their fading sex life, Abe pieces together a tonic that is guaranteed to put the sparks back into their relationship. The effectiveness of the tonic results in Homer and Abe going into business together, selling "Simpson and Son’s Revitalizing Tonic" to the public utilizing a medicine show. They travel from town to town selling the product, but after visiting the farmhouse where Homer grew up, the two get into an argument. Abe yells at Homer in the car, saying that if he had not taken the tonic years ago, Homer would not have been born, finally shouting "You were an accident!" Homer stops the car and hisses "Get out!", not accepting Grandpa's apology and saying in even colder whisper "OUT". Grandpa steps out of the car and says he hopes Homer will forgive him, but Homer drives away and leaves his dad there, later telling Marge he cannot forgive what his dad said (even as Marge points out that Homer said Bart was an accident himself that morning, among many times) and then resolves to be a better father. However, things don't go well for either Homer or Grandpa: Homer's rushed efforts to bond with Bart and Lisa lead them to note that he's just as "half-assed" at doing too much as he was at being a non-presence for them, while Grandpa's attempt to use Barney as the new "Son" fails utterly.

Bart and friends attempt to figure out why all of the adults disappear after they buy the "Simpson and Son's Tonic". They come up with a few conspiracy theories, all of which are unrelated with the tonic. Lisa, however, offers up the possibility of all the adults having to be home before dark, which frightens the rest of the children more than their other ideas.

Depressed at having failed to be a good father even when he is trying, Homer goes back to the farmhouse to think. He sees old photographs, including one of himself as a child on Christmas morning, where he thinks his father was not even there on Christmas when he finally got to meet Santa Claus. Homer then realizes that it was really his father in a Santa costume, proving that Abe did actually care for him. Homer quickly reunites with Abe, who by coincidence has also gone to the farmhouse to reflect. Both of them accidentally set fire to different parts of the building, starting with Homer accidentally setting fire to the photo and Abe throwing a bottle of his tonic into a fireplace at the end, and bump into one another on the front porch while fleeing the blaze. They both admit they are screw-ups and they reconcile.

Production

A portrait of a man with black hair looking at the viewer
Bill Oakley (2008), one of the writers of the episode

The episode was directed by Wes Archer, and was written by Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein.[2] It was originally intended to deal with Homer and Marge's problematic sex life, but later developed into a story about the relationship between Homer and Grampa.[3] Dan Castellaneta provides the voices for both Homer and Grampa. Castellaneta therefore had to talk to himself when he recorded the voices of the two characters in their interactions for this episode.[3] Castellaneta says that it is hard for him to do Grampa's voice because it is "wheezy and airy".[4]

Homer and Marge spend the night at an inn, called the Aphrodite Inn, to spice up their sex life.[4] The inn was partly based on the Madonna Inn, which as in the episode features different kinds of sex-oriented rooms with unusual names that are supposed to spice up your love life.[3] The design of the old farmhouse was inspired by the house featured in the 1993 film Flesh and Bone.[3] Bart's obsession with conspiracy theories was inspired by the writers observation that children around his age go through a stage where they become "addicted" to information about UFOs and paranormal phenomena.[4] Bill Oakley himself had gone through the same thing when he was around 10 years old.[4]

Cultural references

Al Gore, former Vice President of the United States, is shown celebrating Lisa's purchase of his book, Sane Planning, Sensible Tomorrow, by listening to "Celebration" by Kool & the Gang.[2][5] "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" is played during a chase scene, reminiscent of a recurring theme of the 1967 landmark film Bonnie and Clyde.[2] A parody of The X-Files' theme song is played in the background of a scene after Bart purchases a copy of the book Unidentified Flying Outrage.[3] When Professor Frink takes the tonic, he transforms into a suave man with a deep voice, which is a reference to Jerry Lewis transforming into Buddy Love in The Nutty Professor.[4] Grampa, within proper context, successfully pronounces the word pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.[3] Milhouse's conspiratorial revalation and his line about being through the looking glass is quoted from the movie, JFK.

Reception

In its original American broadcast, "Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy" finished 58th in the ratings for the week of November 28 to December 4, 1994, with a Nielsen rating of 9.5.[6] The episode was the third highest rated show on the Fox network that week.[6]

Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, said it was "an amazing episode, in which Homer actually has an argument with someone, rather than backing down. As he and his father drift further apart, so the family are at a loss at what to do. You can't help but feel sorry for Grampa as a piece of Simpson family history goes up in flames".[5] Nate Meyers at Digitally Obsessed praised Dan Castellaneta's role in the episode and said: "Dan Castellaneta's work as both Homer and Grampa Simpson in [the episode] is full of emotion and brilliant comic timing. Watch the closing scene carefully as Homer returns to his childhood home, because Castellaneta gracefully dances between a tender father-son relationship and flat-out comedy".[7] Colin Jacobson at DVD Movie Guide said he "didn’t remember this as a very good episode, but it actually turns out to be quite strong. The initial plot in which Homer and Marge can’t get it together offers plenty of funny moments, and the scenes in which Homer battles with his dad offer depth and much humor. It’s also hard to beat the children's fears of the reverse vampires".[8]

Merchandise

"Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy" originally aired on Fox in the United States on December 4, 1994.[1] The episode was selected for release in a 1999 video collection of selected episodes titled: The Simpsons – Too Hot For TV.[9] Other episodes included in the collection set were "The Cartridge Family", "Natural Born Kissers", and "Treehouse of Horror IX".[9] It was included in The Simpsons season 6 DVD set, which was released August 16, 2005 – The Simpsons – The Complete Sixth Season.[10] The episode was again included in the 2003 DVD release of the "Too Hot For TV" set.[11]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found..
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Retrieved on October 17, 2008.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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