Moe Letter Blues

Last updated

"Moe Letter Blues"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 21
Episode 21
Directed by Matthew Nastuk
Written by Stephanie Gillis
Production codeMABF13 [1]
Original air dateMay 9, 2010 (2010-05-09)
Guest appearance
Episode features
Chalkboard gag "Eating my vegetables is not a Mother's Day present"
Couch gag The family is a model constructed and subsequently destroyed by Nelson Muntz.
Episode chronology
← Previous
"To Surveil with Love"		Next →
"The Bob Next Door"
The Simpsons season 21
List of episodes

"Moe Letter Blues" is the twenty-first 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 May 9, 2010. In this episode, Homer, Reverend Lovejoy, and Apu Nahasapeemapetilon receive a letter from Moe stating that he will steal one of their wives. The three get together and try to remember intimate moments between Moe and their wives.

Contents

The episode was written by Stephanie Gillis and directed by Matthew Nastuk and guest stars Don Pardo as himself. The main plot of the episode is a parody of A Letter to Three Wives . It is the third episode after season 19's "Mona Leaves-a" and season 20's "Four Great Women and a Manicure" to air on Mother's Day and be centered on mothers and women.

"Moe Letter Blues" received positive reviews from critics and was viewed by 5.66 million households according to the Nielsen Media Research.

Plot

Moe's Tavern is the scene of merry-making for the people of Springfield, and Moe relates how his role as bartender gives him insight into his customers' lives. He notices tension in the marriages of Homer, who argues about what to do for Mother's Day, Apu, who, in the car, plays a song that Manjula dislikes, and Reverend Lovejoy, who does not want to help Helen because he is playing with a train set. Mother's Day is approaching, and Marge, needing a break from motherhood, suggests that Homer take the children to Weasel Island after Krusty the Clown promotes it on his show. At first Homer is enthusiastic, but becomes concerned when Marge mentions his leaving will allow her to "take care of something." As the ferry to the island pulls away from the dock, the three men receive a letter from Moe informing them that he is running off with one of their wives.

At Weasel Island, the children spend time at a shoddy amusement park while Homer, Apu and Lovejoy agonize over their situation. At first, each insists their marriage is fine. Homer, however, remembers his mother-in-law Jacqueline Bouvier's 80th birthday, where Moe was the bartender. Homer, who was angry at Marge for only serving non-alcoholic beer, got into an argument with Patty and Selma after they started annoying him with their antics. Disgusted, Homer then drove them out, and Marge told him that he ruins every event that she plans. Apu notices cracks in his marriage, recollecting an incident where he and Manjula forgot their son Gheet at Moe's after using the bar's bathroom to change out of rain-soaked cricket whites. Manjula drove back to retrieve their son and did not return for hours. Homer mentions that he saw Manjula playing an interactive dance video game with Moe that night. Finally, Lovejoy remembers advice given to him by the Parson that he ignored his wife Helen's needs, and Apu recounts how he witnessed Moe confiding in Helen that he was in love with a married woman and that Helen put her hand on his knee.

When the ferry returns to the mainland, each man realizes that they are equally likely to have lost their wives to Moe. Otto drops Homer and his kids off first. At first, Homer thinks Marge is packing a suitcase and tries to convince her to stay. Once he comes in, he realizes that she has painted a portrait of her mother. Jacqueline, assures Homer that he was not responsible for the 80th birthday incident. She admits that it is Patty and Selma's fault because there is "something evil" about them (they even smoked during her pregnancy). While watching Homer and Marge make up, both Lovejoy and Apu slump in their seats, thinking it is either Helen or Manjula that left with Moe. When Lovejoy arrives home with Jessica, he too thinks Helen is leaving, but instead she surprises him with tickets to Istanbul on board the Orient Express. By process of elimination, Apu concludes that his wife has left. He arrives home with their octuplets to find Moe sitting with Manjula, but she tells Apu that he convinced her to salvage their marriage.

Moe reveals that he saw how troubling the relationships were, so he organized Marge's portrait, the Lovejoys' trip and the Nahasapeemapetilons' marriage rescue. He also explained that he only wrote the horrible letter just to teach the three men a lesson about taking their wives for granted, saying that they need to value them more just like their other family members. Upon learning this, Homer thanks Moe for teaching him that lesson. In the end, Moe implores viewers to value their wives and mothers this Mother's Day as a montage of Springfield's mothers plays over the 1973 hit "I'll Always Love My Mama" by The Intruders.

Cultural references

"Moe Letter Blues" served as a parody of the feature film, A Letter to Three Wives . [2] [3] Moe, while narrating the episode, makes a reference to SNL announcer Don Pardo (who then appears in the narration). [4] The title of the episode is a reference to the film Mo' Better Blues , the second one after "Moe Baby Blues," as well as the blues song "Death Letter Blues."

The Itchy and Scratchy cartoon in the episode is a reference to the black and white French film A Trip to the Moon , and includes the song "Maple Leaf Rag" by ragtime composer Scott Joplin.

Moe's voice-over claims he moved to Springfield because the zip code spelled "BOOBS" on a calculator, which would make it "80085," a zip code that, according to the US postal service, is not assigned to any existing town. The music played during the interactive dance video session was Lady Gaga's "Just Dance." The song played during the Wagon scene is "O Mere Sona Re," a Bollywood song written by R.D. Burman and performed by Asha Bhosle, from the 1966 Hindi film soundtrack Teesri Manzil. When Rev. Lovejoy's spiritual adviser sang a song, he mentioned 'Krakatoa, East of Java'.

Otto's state of hallucination makes him see, during the drive from Weasel Island back to Springfield, characters from the Disney Pixar animated film Cars. Apu and Manjula's minivan has an upside down Volkswagen logo. It also bears strong resemblance to the Volkswagen T25. Shortly after the beginning of the episode, Moe advertises his bar by stating that "everybody comes to Moe's," which mirrors the introduction of Rick's Café in Casablanca .

Reception

Viewing figures

In its original American broadcast, "Moe Letter Blues" was viewed by an estimated 5.660 million households, received a 2.7 rating/9 share in the 18-49 demographic tying with last week, coming second in its time slot losing to the season finale of The Amazing Race and becoming the third highest rated show on "Animation Domination." [5]

Critical response

The episode received mainly positive reviews.

TV Fanatic gave the episode 3.5/5 and stated "The flashbacks definitely had some hilarious moments including a thousand devils d'ohing on Homer's shoulder. Moe was fantastic as a narrator and even better when he took advantage of his omniscient point of view." [6]

Robert Canning of IGN gave the episode 8.4/10 and remarked "One issue I did have with the episode was Moe's, 'I'm leaving town forever and taking one of your wives' statement in his letter. You know there's no way Moe would ever be leaving the series or running off with any of these women, so the claim never held any drama. It might have worked better if Moe had simply said he was going to sleep with one of the women. This would have been a little more believable in the realm of the series and certainly would have been more in line with Moe's character. That aside, however, the storytelling and humor delivered yet another great episode." [4]

Sharon Knolle of TV Squad said that "The Mother's Day-themed Simpsons episode can't compare to last week's — one of the best in years — but it was a pleasant enough outing," he also said Apu had some of the best lines in the episode. [3]

Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B, stating that "the core of the episode is solid, and Moe makes a very funny narrator." [2]

Awards and nominations

Hank Azaria was nominated for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance at the 62nd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for voicing Apu Nahasapeemapetilon and Moe Szyslak in the episode. [7]

Additionally, Stephanie Gillis was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Outstanding Writing in Animation at the 63rd Writers Guild of America Awards for her script to this episode. [8]

Related Research Articles

Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is a recurring character in the American animated television series The Simpsons. He is an Indian immigrant proprietor who runs the Kwik-E-Mart, a popular convenience store in Springfield, and is known for his catchphrase, "Thank you, come again". He was voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the episode "The Telltale Head". He was named in honor of the title character of The Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reverend Lovejoy</span> Fictional character and singer from The Simpsons franchise

Reverend Timothy "Tim" Lovejoy, Jr. is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer, and first appeared in the episode "The Telltale Head".

"The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons" is the seventh episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 16, 1997. It was written by Richard Appel and directed by Steven Dean Moore. The episode sees Apu Nahasapeemapetilon marry Manjula, and incorporates several aspects of Hindu wedding ceremonies, which the writers researched during the episode's production. Appel pitched the episode several years before season nine but the idea was not used until Mike Scully became showrunner. The episode's subplot, which sees Homer stay at the Springfield Retirement Castle, was initially conceived as a separate episode, but could not be developed in enough detail. The episode received positive reviews.

<i>Songs in the Key of Springfield</i> 1997 soundtrack album by The Simpsons

Songs in the Key of Springfield is a soundtrack/novelty album from The Simpsons compiling many of the musical numbers from the series. The album was released in the United States on March 18, 1997, and in the United Kingdom in June 1997. This was the second album released in association with the Simpsons television series; however, the previous release, The Simpsons Sing the Blues, contained original recordings as opposed to songs featured in episodes of the series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patty and Selma</span> Fictional characters from The Simpsons franchise

Patricia Maleficent "Patty" Bouvier and Selma Bouvier-Terwilliger-Hutz-McClure-Discotheque-Simpson-D'Amico are fictional characters in the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. They are identical twins and are voiced by Julie Kavner, who also voices their sister, Marge. Patty and Selma, both gravel-voiced chain-smokers, work at the Springfield Department of Motor Vehicles. They have a strong dislike for their brother-in-law, Homer Simpson, who likewise loathes them. Selma, the elder by two minutes, longs for male companionship and has had multiple brief, doomed marriages, and has herself offered help in some fashion to Marge and Homer as she envies their loving relationship; she receives occasional compassionate support from Homer who even poses as her husband to help her adopt a child. Patty is an initially closeted lesbian who embraces celibacy until she begins dating women. Kavner voices them as characters who "suck the life out of everything". Patty and Selma debuted on the first Simpsons episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", which aired on December 17, 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homer's Barbershop Quartet</span> 1st episode of the 5th season of The Simpsons

"Homer's Barbershop Quartet" is the first 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 September 30, 1993. It features the Be Sharps, a barbershop quartet founded by Homer Simpson. The band's story roughly parallels that of the Beatles. George Harrison and David Crosby guest star as themselves, and the Dapper Dans partly provide the singing voices of the Be Sharps.

"I'm with Cupid" is the fourteenth episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on Valentine's Day, 1999. The episode takes place on Valentine's Day, and the wives of Springfield are jealous of the attention Apu gives to his wife Manjula. Angered by this, Moe and the Springfield husbands spy on Apu to sabotage his romantic plans.

"Milhouse Doesn't Live Here Anymore" is the twelfth episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 15, 2004. The episode was written by David Chambers and Julie Chambers, which they would go on to work on other shows later on such as Fancy Nancy, and was directed by Matthew Nastuk.

"The Sweetest Apu" is the nineteenth episode of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 5, 2002. In the episode, Homer and Marge discover that convenience store owner Apu is having an affair with the Squishee delivery lady working in his store.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simpsons Christmas Stories</span> 9th episode of the 17th season of The Simpsons

"Simpsons Christmas Stories" is the ninth episode of the seventeenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 18, 2005.

<i>The Simpsons</i> season 9 Season of television series

The ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between September 1997 and May 1998, beginning on Sunday, September 21, 1997, with "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson". Mike Scully served as showrunner for the ninth production season. The ninth broadcast season contained three episodes with 4F-series production codes, indicating that they were hold-over episodes from production season eight, and two episodes with 3G-series production codes, which are not explicitly confirmed to be part of any production season but are speculated to be relabeled 3F-series episodes. This makes it the first broadcast season to include holdover episodes from two previous production seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror XX</span> 4th episode of the 21st season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror XX" is the fourth episode of the twenty-first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. The episode was directed by Mike B. Anderson and Matthew Schofield and was written by Daniel Chun. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 18, 2009.

"Judge Me Tender" is the twenty-third and final episode of the twenty-first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. The 464th episode of the series overall, it originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 23, 2010. In the episode, Moe discovers his talent for judging in competitions and is invited to appear on the show American Idol. Meanwhile, Homer drives Marge crazy when he starts spending too much time at home, and Lisa tries to comfort Santa's Little Helper.

"Homer Scissorhands" is the twentieth episode of the twenty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. The episode was directed by Mark Kirkland and written by Peter Gaffney and Steve Viksten. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 8, 2011.

"Pulpit Friction" is the eighteenth episode of the twenty-fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 526th episode overall. The episode was directed by Chris Clements and written by Bill Odenkirk. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 28, 2013. The name is a pun on the film Pulp Fiction.

"Covercraft" is the eighth episode in the twenty-sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 560th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Steven Dean Moore and written by Matt Selman. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 23, 2014.

"Much Apu About Something" is the twelfth episode of the twenty-seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 586th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Bob Anderson and written by Michael Price. It aired in the United States on Fox on January 17, 2016.

"The Nightmare After Krustmas" is the tenth episode of the twenty-eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 606th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Rob Oliver and written by Jeff Westbrook. It aired in the United States on Fox on December 11, 2016.

References

  1. ↑ "WebVoyage Titles : THE SIMPSONS Series - MOE LETTER BLUES Episode (TV- MOTION PICTURE)". Cocatalog.loc.gov. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  2. 1 2 VanDerWerff, Emily (May 10, 2010). ""Moe Letter Blues"/"Brown History Month"/"Quagmire's Dad"/"An Incident at Owl Creek"". The A.V. Club . Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Knolle, Sharon (May 10, 2010). "The Simpsons' - 'Moe Letter Blues' Recap". HuffPost TV. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Canning, Robert (May 10, 2010). "The Simpsons "Moe Letter Blues" Review". IGN . Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  5. ↑ Gorman, Bill (May 10, 2010). "TV Ratings: ABC Wins Another Slow Sunday; Amazing Race Lowest Finale Ever; Celebrity Apprentice Up". TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2010.
  6. ↑ Hochberger, Eric (May 10, 2010). "The Simpsons Review "Moe Letter Blues"". TV Fanatic. Retrieved May 10, 2010.
  7. ↑ "62nd Primetime Emmy Award Nominations". CBS News . July 8, 2010. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  8. ↑ Weprin, Alex (December 8, 2010). "PBS Dominates News Categories in Writers Guild Award Nominations". Adweek . Retrieved February 23, 2019.
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.