The Princess Guide (The Simpsons)

Last updated

"The Princess Guide"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 26
Episode 15
Directed byTimothy Bailey
Written by Brian Kelley
Production codeTABF08
Original air dateMarch 1, 2015 (2015-03-01)
Guest appearances
Episode features
Couch gag The printer gets jammed while printing out the couch gag. A "Paper Jam" error appears, prompting the printed Homer to mutter "Mmmm. Paper Jam."
Episode chronology
← Previous
"My Fare Lady"		Next →
"Sky Police"
The Simpsons season 26
List of episodes

"The Princess Guide" is the fifteenth episode of the twenty-sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons , and the 567th overall episode of the series. The episode was directed by Timothy Bailey and written by Brian Kelley. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 1, 2015.

Contents

In this episode, Moe falls in love with a Nigerian princess while Mr. Burns negotiates a uranium deal with her father. Yaya DaCosta, Jon Lovitz, and Kevin Michael Richardson guest starred. Businessman Richard Branson appeared as himself. The episode received positive reviews. Hank Azaria won an Emmy Award for his performance in this episode.

The episode was dedicated to the memory of Leonard Nimoy, who died two days before the episode aired. Nimoy guest-starred in two Simpsons episodes, "Marge vs. the Monorail" and "The Springfield Files".

Plot

Homer takes Lisa to a "Take Your Daughter to Work Day" at the power plant. When Homer manages to trade a corn chip for a full salad for Lisa, they hug. Meanwhile, Mr. Burns needs uranium immediately to keep the plant running after Elon Musk's actions caused severe financial trouble, and meets a King of Nigeria to negotiate. When the king mentions that his daughter Princess Kemi is staying in the country and needs someone to care for her, Burns sees Lisa and Homer hugging on his surveillance monitors and tasks Homer to supervise Kemi. However, Homer does poorly at his job, as the princess becomes bored in her apartment. When he takes Kemi to Moe's, Moe expresses displeasure since he suspects the princess' brother stole money from him.

Homer returns to the apartment with the princess, who disappears. As he tries to explain the situation to Chief Wiggum, he gets arrested moments before she gets back to the bar, where Moe finds himself bonding with Kemi. They spend the next day together seeing Springfield and having fun until Homer, having been bailed out by Lenny and Carl, finds them, angry that Moe has taken his job to care for the princess. Moe and Kemi evade Homer and when she gives him a kiss, a paparazzo takes the picture which is quickly viewed by her father on the Internet, leading him to declaring he will never sign the uranium deal with Burns. Kemi explains to her father that kiss was just friendly, which hurts Moe until she declares that Moe is a wonderful friend who made her happy. Homer dissuades the king from punishing her and urges him to let his daughter live her life as she wants, and the king relents and signs the deal.

Production

Richard Branson voiced himself in this episode as Mr. Burns' neighbor. He was previously drawn in a non-speaking appearance in the twenty-second season episode "Loan-a Lisa." [1]

Cultural references

Moe recites a parody of Goodnight Moon when going to sleep. [2] [3] Kemi leaves Moe with the Nigerian books, Things Fall Apart and Home And Exile by Chinua Achebe, The Famished Road by Ben Okri and The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. [2]

Reception

Viewing figures

The episode received a 1.8 rating and was watched by a total of 3.93 million people, making it the second most watched show on Fox that night, behind the series premiere of The Last Man on Earth . [4]

Critical response

Dennis Perkins of The A.V. Club gave the episode an A−, saying "Resting the show on Moe’s shoulders has been done before, sure—but never in so gracefully funny a manner as this. While never sacrificing Moe’s inherent and necessary misanthropy and general creepiness, the episode nonetheless builds a refreshingly warm and funny story around him. Honestly, it’s the best episode of season 26 so far." [2]

Tony Sokol of Den of Geek gave this episode 4 out of 5 stars. He called it a solid episode and highlighted the sight gags and jokes. [3]

Furthermore, Bakwa did a two-part series on The Simpsons, wherein, bloggers, writers, cultural thinkers and academics were asked to comment on the episode. Most of the reactions highlighted poor research, one-dimensional characters, the challenge of portraying believable Nigerians, and the episode’s relatable character, Princess Kemi. [5]

Awards and nominations

Hank Azaria won the Award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance at the 67th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for his roles in the episode as Moe and the Pedicab driver. [6] He was one of three The Simpsons actors to be nominated. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moe Szyslak</span> Fictional character from The Simpsons franchise

Moammar "Moe" Szyslak is a recurring character from the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". Moe is the proprietor and bartender of Moe's Tavern, a Springfield bar frequented by Homer Simpson, Barney Gumble, Lenny Leonard, Carl Carlson, Sam, Larry, and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chief Wiggum</span> Fictional character from The Simpsons franchise

Chief Clancy Wiggum is a fictional character from the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Hank Azaria. He is the chief of police in the show's setting of Springfield, and is the father of Ralph Wiggum and the husband of Sarah Wiggum.

"Worst Episode Ever" is the eleventh episode of the twelfth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 4, 2001. In the episode, Bart and Milhouse are banned from The Android's Dungeon after stopping Comic Book Guy from buying a box of priceless Star Wars memorabilia for $5. However, when Comic Book Guy suffers a massive heart attack, he hires Bart and Milhouse as his replacements while he leaves his job to pursue a relationship with Agnes Skinner.

"Treehouse of Horror II" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on Fox in the United States on October 31, 1991. It is the second annual Treehouse of Horror episode, consisting of three self-contained segments, told as dreams of Lisa, Bart and Homer and is the only Treehouse of Horror episode to date where each segment name is not stated inside the episode. In the first segment, which was inspired by W. W. Jacobs's short story The Monkey's Paw and The Twilight Zone episode "A Small Talent for War", Homer buys a Monkey's Paw that has the power to grant wishes, although all the wishes backfire. In the second part, which parodies the Twilight Zone episode "It's a Good Life", Bart is omnipotent, and turns Homer into a jack-in-the-box, resulting in the two spending more time together. In the final segment, Mr. Burns attempts to use Homer's brain to power a giant robotic laborer.

"Bart Gets Hit by a Car" is the tenth episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on January 10, 1991. In the episode, Bart is hit by Mr. Burns' car. Prompted by ambulance-chasing lawyer Lionel Hutz and quack doctor Nick Riviera, the Simpsons sue Burns, seeking extensive damages for Bart's injuries. Hutz and Dr. Nick exaggerate Bart's injuries to earn the jury's sympathy at the trial. Marge wants Homer to accept Burns' proposed settlement instead of asking Bart to lie on the witness stand.

"Monty Can't Buy Me Love" is the twenty-first episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on Fox in the United States on May 2, 1999. In the episode, Mr. Burns is jealous of megastore owner Arthur Fortune, who is beloved by the people of Springfield. In order to win the people's love, Burns gathers the help of Homer Simpson, Professor Frink and Groundskeeper Willie to capture the Loch Ness monster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moe Baby Blues</span> 22nd episode of the 14th season of The Simpsons

"Moe Baby Blues" is the twenty-second and final episode of the fourteenth season of the American television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 18, 2003. Moe, unhappy and suicidal, inadvertently saves Maggie's life. The two of them grow to love each other.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Married Marge</span> 11th episode of the 3rd season of The Simpsons

"I Married Marge" is the twelfth episode of the third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on December 26, 1991. In the episode, Marge worries that she may be pregnant again and visits Dr. Hibbert's office. While anxiously waiting at home, Homer tells Bart, Lisa, and Maggie the story of his and Marge's marriage and Bart's birth. The episode was written by Jeff Martin and directed by Jeffrey Lynch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Once Upon a Time in Springfield</span> 10th episode of the 21st season of The Simpsons

"Once Upon a Time in Springfield" is the tenth episode of the twenty-first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 10, 2010. It was promoted as the 450th episode of the series, but is actually the 451st, and aired alongside The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!. The episode is dedicated to posthumous guest star Eartha Kitt, who died December 25, 2008, over one year before the episode first aired.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror XXIV</span> 2nd episode of the 25th season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror XXIV" is the second episode of the twenty-fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons and the 532nd episode of the series. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 6, 2013. The episode was written by Jeff Westbrook and directed by Rob Oliver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clown in the Dumps</span> 1st episode of the 26th season of The Simpsons

"Clown in the Dumps" is the twenty-sixth season premiere of the American animated television series The Simpsons and the 553rd episode of the series overall. It first aired in the United States on the Fox network on September 28, 2014, with the Family Guy crossover episode "The Simpsons Guy" airing afterwards. This episode was dedicated to the memory of Louis Castellaneta, the father of The Simpsons lead voice actor Dan Castellaneta. It was written by Joel H. Cohen and directed by Steven Dean Moore, with Don Hertzfeldt guest directing the opening title sequence. Jeff Ross, Sarah Silverman, and David Hyde Pierce guest starred as themselves, with Jackie Mason and Kelsey Grammer reprising their respective roles as Rabbi Krustofski and Sideshow Bob, while Maurice LaMarche voiced several minor characters.

"My Fare Lady" is the fourteenth episode of the twenty-sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 566th overall episode of the series. The episode was directed by Mike Frank Polcino and written by Marc Wilmore. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 15, 2015.

<i>Bakwa</i> (magazine) Cameroonian literary magazine

Bakwa is an online and print literary magazine based in Yaoundé, Cameroon. First published in 2011, it has been described as "an eclectic, intelligent take on the dynamic cultural scenes often missed by mainstream, western media". Notable contributors include: Imbolo Mbue, Kangsen Feka Wakai, Jeremy Klemin, Serubiri Moses, Minna Salami, Jack Little, Emmanuel Iduma, Bwesigye bwa Mwesigire and Johnnie MacViban.

"The Burns Cage" is the seventeenth episode in the twenty-seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 591st episode of the series overall. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 3, 2016.

"Singin' in the Lane" is the seventh episode of the twenty-ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 625th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Mike Frank Polcino and written by Ryan Koh. It aired in the United States on Fox on November 19, 2017.

"From Russia Without Love" is the sixth episode of thirtieth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 645th episode overall. The episode was directed by Matthew Nastuk and written by Michael Ferris. It aired in the United States on Fox on November 11, 2018.

"Frinkcoin" is the 13th episode of the thirty-first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 675th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on February 23, 2020. The episode was written by Rob LaZebnik and was directed by Steven Dean Moore.

"Now Museum, Now You Don't" is the third episode of the thirty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 687th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on October 11, 2020. The episode was directed by Timothy Bailey, and written by Dan Greaney.

References

  1. ↑ Snierson, Dan (August 19, 2014). "Richard Branson to cameo on 'The Simpsons'". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Perkins, Dennis (March 1, 2015). "Review: The Simpsons: "The Princess Guide"". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on March 5, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Sokol, Tony (March 2, 2015). "The Simpsons: The Princess Guide Review". Den of Geek . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  4. ↑ Bibel, Sara (March 3, 2015). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Last Man on Earth' & 'Dateline' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on March 5, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  5. ↑ "The Simpsons and the Challenge of Portraying Believable Nigerian Characters". Bakwa . April 8, 2015. Archived from the original on May 22, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  6. ↑ Brown, Tracy; Lewis, Dave (September 21, 2015). "Emmy Awards: Complete list of 2015 winners". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on July 16, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  7. ↑ Montgomery, Daniel (August 25, 2015). "Voice-Over Emmy: Tress MacNeille ('The Simpsons') vs. four past champs". Gold Derby. Archived from the original on November 6, 2015. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.