You Don't Have to Live Like a Referee

Last updated

"You Don't Have to Live Like a Referee"
The Simpsons episode
You Don't Have to Live Like a Referee.jpg
Homer must decide whether to take a bribe and award a penalty kick to Brazil in the World Cup Final, after a dive by Brazil's "El Divo"
Episode no.Season 25
Episode 16
Directed by Mark Kirkland
Written by Michael Price
Production codeSABF11
Original air dateMarch 30, 2014 (2014-03-30)
Guest appearances
Episode features
Couch gag The Simpsons are running through the streets of Pamplona, Spain as several couch bulls chase after them. Once the Simpsons reach the couch, a bull slams Homer and takes his spot on the couch. Georges Bizet's Carmen is played throughout the couch gag.
Episode chronology
 Previous
"The War of Art"
Next 
"Luca$"
The Simpsons season 25
List of episodes

"You Don't Have to Live Like a Referee" is the sixteenth episode of the twenty-fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons and the 546th episode of the series. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 30, 2014. It was written by Michael Price and directed by Mark Kirkland. [1] The title is from the refrain "don't have to live like a refugee" from the 1980 song "Refugee" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. [2]

Contents

In this episode, Homer is selected to be a referee at the World Cup after Lisa makes a speech saying Homer is her hero. Argentine soccer broadcaster Andrés Cantor guest-stars as himself. The episode received mixed reviews.

Plot

At the School assembly, Principal Skinner presents a skit about living history, which goes horribly wrong as the kids immediately begin heckling them and the assembly quickly devolves into a disaster. Chalmers suggests holding a speech contest on the students' heroes.

After Martin beats her to the punch using her first idea, Marie Curie, Lisa changes her speech to one on Homer, in which, among other things, she remembers when she was sent off by him during a school soccer game. Lisa wins over the crowd and both kids' speeches are posted online. Lisa's goes viral, so much so that Homer is called to referee games in the World Cup in Brazil.

At the World Cup, Homer referees honestly, but soon militiamen attempt to bribe him. Wanting to retain Lisa's respect (and the fact that he is utterly uninterested in the game), Homer refuses. He continues to be an honest referee despite the players trying to bribe him when he gives them red cards.

Homer admits to Bart that it is hard to turn down the bribes, but knowing that Lisa chose him as her hero, he has no other choice. Bart decides to tell him the truth about Lisa's speech; that he never really was her first choice as a hero. Homer is so devastated he decides to accept the bribes.

During the World Cup Final (Germany vs. Brazil) Homer has been bribed to fix the game so that Brazil wins. Lisa tells him that his integrity as a referee has impressed her so much he is her real hero now. A Brazilian player known as "El Divo" (a parody of Neymar) goes down in the game and appears to be hurt. Homer, listening to Lisa, thinks he is guilty of diving. Homer calls "no penalty", denying Brazil the penalty kick and the Germans win the World Cup.

The betrayed militiamen are just about to kill Homer when Marge begs them in fluent Portuguese (which she has been attempting to learn throughout the episode) to forgive him. The militiaman's mother happens to be a lady on the plane that Lisa traded seats with so the gangster's mother could watch premium HBO. She intercedes to allow the Simpsons to go free.

The Simpsons are later seen in the middle of the marsh lands and rivers of the Amazon enjoying all the beauty of the nature as Homer admires a clearing of a section of rainforest in order to make way for a Krusty Burger.

Reception

Dennis Perkins of The A.V. Club gave the episode a C, saying "Going into tonight's episode 'You Don't Have to Live Like a Referee', there was a lot of potential comic ammo to go around. For one, it's the Simpsons' first trip back to Brazil since the infamous season 13 episode 'Blame It on Lisa' which angered the Brazilian tourist board so badly that there was a lawsuit in the works. Throw in some of the old reliable Homer/Lisa relationship dynamic (ever the most dramatically evocative on the show), and all the pieces were there to assemble a memorable episode. That what eventually emerged was one of the most perfunctory of the season is genuinely a bummer." [3]

Teresa Lopez of TV Fanatic gave the episode three out of five stars, saying "Aside from a touching story, the episode featured some hilarious scenes and sight gags. For one, Kearney placing an 'admire me' note on Homer's back (instead of the usual 'kick me' sign) during Lisa's speech was nice touch. But that one paled in comparison to the montage of creative bribe offers in Brazil. It was an amusing way to make fun of the rampant corruption found in World Cup competitions." [4]

The episode received a 1.9 rating and was watched by a total of 3.91 million people, making it the second most watched show on Animation Domination that night. [5]

As one of a number of episodes that were referenced when Donald Trump won the 2016 United States presidential election, this episode is notable for predicting that Brazil would lose to Germany during the 2014 FIFA World Cup, although it happened during the semifinals of said tournament and by a result of 7 goals to 1, not in the final 2–0.

In May 2015, after a corruption scandal at FIFA, the real-life world governing body of soccer, the episode received attention over social media, a phenomenon reported on by media such as the BBC. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bart Simpson</span> Fictional character from The Simpsons

Bartholomew Jojo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional character in the American animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening created and designed Bart while waiting in the lobby of James L. Brooks' office. Groening had been called to pitch a series of shorts based on his comic strip, Life in Hell, but instead decided to create a new set of characters. While the rest of the characters were named after Groening's family members, Bart's name is an anagram of the word brat. After appearing on The Tracey Ullman Show for two years, the Simpson family received its own series on Fox, which debuted December 17, 1989. Bart has appeared in every Simpsons episode except "Four Great Women and a Manicure".

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

Nelson Mandela Muntz is a fictional character and the lead school bully from the animated television series The Simpsons, where he is best known for his signature mocking laugh "Haw-haw!". He is voiced by Nancy Cartwright. Nelson was first introduced in Season 1's "Bart the General" as an antagonist, but later became more of an anti-hero, continuing to bully those weaker than him while occasionally showing a friendly and sensitive nature underneath. Nelson lives in poverty with his mother in a run-down home, and often shoplifts from convenience stores to get by.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abby Wambach</span> American soccer player (born 1980)

Mary Abigail Wambach, OLY is an American retired soccer player, coach, and member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. A six-time winner of the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year award, Wambach was a regular on the U.S. women's national soccer team from 2003 to 2015, earning her first cap in 2001. As a forward, she currently stands as the highest all-time goal scorer for the national team and is second in international goals for both female and male soccer players with 184 goals, behind Canadian Christine Sinclair. Wambach was awarded the 2012 FIFA World Player of the Year, becoming the first American woman to win the award in ten years. She was included on the 2015 Time 100 list as one of the most influential people in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garrincha</span> Brazilian footballer (1933-1983)

Manuel Francisco dos Santos, nicknamed Mané Garrincha, best known as simply Garrincha, was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a right winger. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, and by many, one of the greatest dribblers ever.

"Blame It on Lisa" is the fifteenth episode of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simpson family</span> Family of five fictional characters in animation series The Simpsons

The Simpson family are the main fictional characters featured in the animated television series The Simpsons. The Simpsons are a nuclear family consisting of married couple Homer and Marge who were high school sweethearts and their three children, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. They live at 742 Evergreen Terrace in the fictional town of Springfield, United States, and they were created by cartoonist Matt Groening, who conceived the characters after his own family members, substituting "Bart" for his own name. The family debuted on Fox on April 19, 1987, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" and were later spun off into their own series, which debuted on Fox in the U.S. on December 17, 1989, and started airing in Winter 1989.

Politics is a common theme in the animated sitcom The Simpsons, and this phenomenon has had some crossover with real American politics. The local politics of the fictional town Springfield feature prominently in many episodes, and character archetypes represent different political concepts within a community. The show satirizes ideas across the political spectrum, though overall it is described as having left-wing and anti-establishment bias. Politicians have been caricatured in many episodes of The Simpsons, including an episode following President George H. W. Bush in response to his public criticism of the show. References to the show also feature in real-world politics. The Simpsons addresses contemporary issues including substance abuse, the economy, education, environmentalism, gun politics, health politics, LGBT rights, immigration, and criminal justice. Episodes of the show have also caused international political dispute for its portrayal of foreign countries.

Joseph Stewart Burns, better known as J. Stewart Burns or simply just Stewart Burns is a television writer and producer most notable for his work on The Simpsons, Futurama, and Unhappily Ever After.

"Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington" is the second episode of the third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on September 26, 1991. In the episode, Lisa wins a patriotic essay contest about the United States. She and her family attend the contest finals in Washington, D.C., where she is dismayed after watching a congressman accept a bribe. Lisa loses the contest when she pens a scathing screed condemning the government system, but the corrupt congressman is jailed and removed from office, restoring her faith in government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uruguay v Brazil (1950 FIFA World Cup)</span> World Cup final, held in Brazil

The match between Uruguay and Brazil was the decisive match of the final stage at the 1950 FIFA World Cup. It was played at the Maracanã Stadium in the then-capital of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, on 16 July 1950.

"Brother from the Same Planet" is the fourteenth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on Fox in the United States on February 4, 1993. In the episode, Bart, furious with Homer for taking too long to pick him up from soccer practice on a rainy day, turns to the Bigger Brothers Agency, which pairs up fatherless boys with adult male role models. Meanwhile, Lisa becomes addicted to the Corey hotline, a phone service where television fans can listen to the voice of a teen idol.

"The Last Temptation of Homer" is the ninth episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 9, 1993. In the episode, an attractive female employee named Mindy is hired at the nuclear power plant. Homer and Mindy find themselves attracted to each other after bonding over their shared interests of beer, donuts and television. Although Homer is tempted to sleep with Mindy, he remains faithful to his wife Marge. Meanwhile, Bart becomes an outcast after medical treatments make him look like a nerd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 FIFA World Cup final</span> World Cup final match, held in Germany

The 2006 FIFA World Cup final was the final match of the 2006 World Cup, the 18th edition of FIFA's competition for national football teams. The match was played at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany, on 9 July 2006, and was contested between Italy and France. The event comprised hosts Germany and 31 other teams who emerged from the qualification phase, organised by the six FIFA confederations. The 32 teams competed in a group stage, from which 16 teams qualified for the knockout stage. En route to the final, Italy finished first in Group E, with two wins and a draw, after which they defeated Australia in the round of 16, Ukraine in the quarter-final and Germany 2–0, in the semi-final. France finished runner-up of Group G with one win and two draws, before defeating Spain in the round of 16, Brazil in the quarter-final and Portugal 1–0 in the semi-final. The final was witnessed by 69,000 spectators in the stadium, with the referee for the match being Horacio Elizondo from Argentina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marge Gamer</span> 17th episode of the 18th season of The Simpsons

"Marge Gamer" is the seventeenth episode of the eighteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 22, 2007. It was written by J. Stewart Burns and featured a guest appearance from Brazilian soccer star Ronaldo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arena Pernambuco</span> Stadium in São Lourenço da Mata, Brazil

Arena Pernambuco, officially named Estádio Governador Carlos Wilson Campos, is a multi-use stadium with a capacity of 45,440 spectators located in the western suburbs of the Recife metropolitan area, in São Lourenço da Mata, Brazil. It is mostly used for football matches and was notably used to host some matches during the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Andrés Cantor is an Argentine-American sportscaster and pundit who works in the United States providing Spanish-language commentary and analysis in sports. Cantor is well known among both Spanish- and English speakers for his narration of association football matches, and shouting "¡Gooooooooooool!" when one is scored. Outside of football commentary, he covers other sports as well. Cantor has dual citizenship with Argentina and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brick Like Me</span> 20th episode of the 25th season of The Simpsons

"Brick Like Me" is the twentieth episode of the twenty-fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons and the 550th episode of the series. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 4, 2014. It was written by Brian Kelley and directed by Matthew Nastuk.

"Paths of Glory" is the eighth episode of the twenty-seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 582nd episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Steven Dean Moore and written by Michael Ferris. It aired in the United States on Fox on December 6, 2015.

References

  1. "The Simpsons Episode Guide 2014 Season 25 - You Don't Have to Live Like a Referee, Episode 16". TVGuide . Archived from the original on March 31, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  2. Bell, Jack (October 23, 2013). "'The Simpsons': Springfield to Brazil" . New York Times . Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  3. Perkins, Dennis (March 31, 2014). "The Simpsons: "You Don't Have To Live Like A Referee"". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on March 31, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  4. Lopez, Teresa (March 30, 2014). "The Simpsons Review: Lisa's Hero". TV Fanatic. Archived from the original on March 31, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  5. Bibel, Sara (April 1, 2014). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Good Wife', 'Resurrection', 'Crisis', '60 Minutes' & 'America's Funniest Home Videos' Adjusted Up; 'The Mentalist' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on April 4, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  6. "Fifa elections: Blatter wins as dark days light up social media". BBC Sport . May 29, 2015. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2015.