Brake My Wife, Please

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"Brake My Wife, Please"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 14
Episode 20
Directed by Pete Michels
Written by Tim Long
Production codeEABF15
Original air dateMay 11, 2003 (2003-05-11)
Guest appearances
Steve Buscemi as himself
Jackson Browne as himself
Jane Kaczmarek as Judge Constance Harm
Episode features
Couch gag The couch is replaced with a cardboard cutout novelty backdrop. The family sticks their heads in the holes as a photographer snaps their picture.
Commentary Al Jean
Tim Long
Matt Selman
John Frink
Michael Price
Pete Michels
Episode chronology
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The Simpsons season 14
List of episodes

"Brake My Wife, Please" is the twentieth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons . It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 11, 2003. The episode was written by Tim Long and directed by Pete Michels.

Contents

In this episode, Homer loses his driver's license, and Marge must do all the family's driving. When she accidentally runs over Homer, she must also care for him. She discovers that she hates him. To show he loves her, Homer organizes a dinner in her honor. Jane Kaczmarek guest starred as Judge Constance Harm. Actor Steve Buscemi and musician Jackson Browne appeared as themselves. The episode received mixed reviews.

Plot

During a school trip to the Springfield Aquarium with Marge chaperoning, Bart is injured by sea life while committing a prank and is taken to the hospital. Because Homer has the family's health insurance card, the family waits several hours for him at the hospital because Marge cannot contact him. After he arrives, she insists that Homer purchase a cellular telephone. Later, while driving, Homer calls Barney on his phone to complain about the difficulty of driving while talking on the phone. Barney suggests buying a headset so he can talk hands-free. At the store, the seller convinces Homer to buy numerous devices to plug into his car instead. Distracted by his devices, Homer accidentally drives off a pier into the water.

After he is rescued, Judge Constance Harm revokes his driver's license, which forces Marge to drive Homer to his destinations. When Marge is too busy to drive Homer, he decides to start walking and enjoys it. However, Marge is increasingly stressed for being the only one able to drive her children to school and their appointments. Later, as Homer is walking, Marge accidentally hits him with her car.

Homer sustains a crushed pelvis and requires Marge to care for him. Marge says that she accidentally stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake when she saw Homer. As she feeds him soup, she spills it on him. When Homer advances to using a cane, Marge kicks it, causing Homer to fall to the floor. Homer realizes that Marge is trying to hurt him on purpose. Marge denies it, but then she admits that she hates him. They see a marriage counselor who advises them to write down the people important to their lives. Homer only writes his own name. Marge is saddened and leaves. The counselor advises Homer to perform one completely unselfish gesture to win Marge back. Homer invites all the people of Springfield to the Simpson house for a backyard dinner in Marge's honor. Returning in a foul mood after driving, Marge walks to the backyard and is welcomed by everyone. Luigi introduces singer Jackson Browne, who performs a Marge-themed version of one of his songs with Homer. Marge is impressed and forgives Homer. After the town makes a toast to Marge, Homer turns on the sprinklers to get rid of everyone.

Production

Jane Kaczmarek reprised her role as Judge Constance Harm. [1] Kaczmarek first voiced this role in the thirteenth season episode "The Parent Rap". [2] Actor Steve Buscemi appeared as himself. [1]

Musician Jackson Browne also appeared as himself singing a parody of his song "Rosie". [3] Dan Castellaneta went to record his lines with Browne at his recording studio. He thought, "'Wow, this is cool. I'm recording with Jackson Browne.' And then Jackson Browne said, 'Wow, this is cool. I'm recording with Homer Simpson.'" [4]

Reception

Viewing figures

The episode was watched by 10.56 million viewers, which was the 36th most-watched show that week. [5]

Critical response

Jackson Cresswell of Collider said that he enjoyed the episode because it was "nice to see these characters interact within their established world instead of being put in extreme circumstances." [6]

On Four Finger Discount, Guy Davis and Brendan Dando called the episode "just kind of there." They thought the story of Homer and Marge being separated was repetitive. [7]

Themes and analysis

Joseph Rose of The Oregonian called the episode "one big take-off on distracted driving and America's sometimes unhealthy relationship with our automobiles." Describing Homer's distracted driving, he said,

Nothing beats the over-the-top commentary on distracted driving from 4:53 to 6:29. Homer drives while using an in-car deep fryer, watching TV, playing with a Lite-Brite and operating a fog machine. He then tries to fax an "SOS" using a dashboard fax machine as he drives off a pier. Not surprising, he loses his license after that. [8]

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References

  1. 1 2 Brown, Joel (May 10, 2003). "Take your pick between 'Survivor' or 'Masterpiece Theatre'". The Dispatch . p. 4.
  2. ↑ Davis, Brian (September 19, 2021). "'The Simpsons': The 11 Best Guest Stars Who Didn't Play Themselves". Collider . Archived from the original on March 1, 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Rhino Factoids: Jackson Browne Appears On The Simpsons". Rhino Entertainment. May 11, 2018. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  4. ↑ Snierson, Dan (June 9, 2010). "'The Simpsons': Matt Groening and Dan Castellaneta on EW's Greatest Character, Homer Simpson". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  5. ↑ Braxton, Greg (May 14, 2003). "CBS survives some tough competition to win week". Los Angeles Times . TELEVISION RATINGS. Archived from the original on June 5, 2003. Retrieved August 8, 2013. Viewership is listed in millions.... The Simpsons    FOX   10.56
  6. ↑ Cresswell, Jackson (January 11, 2012). "THE SIMPSONS Season 14 Blu-ray Review". Collider . Archived from the original on May 15, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  7. ↑ Davis, Guy; Dando, Brendan (January 20, 2022). ""Brake My Wife, Please" Podcast Review (S14E20)". Four Finger Discount (Simpsons Podcast) (Podcast). Event occurs at 7:55. Archived from the original on August 12, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  8. ↑ Rose, Joseph (January 9, 2010). "Celebrating 20 years of 'The Simpsons' with five hilarious traffic scenes". The Oregonian . Archived from the original on August 18, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
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