The Cartridge Family
Encyclopedia
"The Cartridge Family" is the fifth episode of The Simpsons
' ninth season
, which originally aired on November 2, 1997. It was written by John Swartzwelder
and directed by Pete Michels
. In the episode, Homer
purchases a gun
to protect his family, of which Marge
disapproves. The episode was intended to show guns in a neutral way, and faced some problems with the censors because of the subject matter. Critical reaction was mixed.
and Portugal
. When the game starts, the crowd begins to lose interest, and under Groundskeeper Willie
's direction, it turns into a violent soccer riot
. The riot spreads throughout the town. Afterwards, Marge fears for the family and tells Homer to pay for a Home Security System. Finding out that the system will cost $500, Homer decides to save money by buying a firearm instead. After the five-day waiting period
, Homer surprises Marge with his new revolver
from a local gun store, Bloodbath and Beyond. She is horrified and demands that he get rid of the gun at once. Homer persuades Marge to come with him to the local National Rifle Association
meeting to try to get her to change her mind, but after the meeting, she still remains unconvinced.
Homer starts to treat the gun as though it were a toy, casually carrying it into the Kwik-E-Mart
and frightening Apu
into thinking he will rob the store, firing bullets to retrieve items from the roof and shooting dinner plates as if they were clay pigeons. Finally, after a near-fatal accident at the dinner table, Marge reveals just how uncomfortable with the gun she is, and begs Homer to get rid of it. Homer promises to do so, but hides it, loaded, in the vegetable crisper instead. Later, Bart
and Milhouse
discover the loaded firearm and play with it in the kitchen. Marge steps into the kitchen just in time to stop them, and harangues Homer for breaking his promise. She then gives Homer an ultimatum
: "Until you decide what's more important, your gun or your family, we can't live in the same house!"
After this, she promptly leaves with some suitcases and the children in tow and checks into "Sleep Eazy Motel". That night, Homer hosts an NRA
meeting at his house but the other members are horrified and angry at his reckless gun usage and he is kicked out of the association. Realizing what his gun has cost him, Homer goes to the motel where Marge and the children are spending the night, meaning to reconcile.
Homer and Marge make up, after Homer explains he has finally gotten rid of the gun. While leaving, Snake arrives to rob the desk clerk, demanding the cash register's contents while holding a knife to Mayor Quimby
's throat. Homer pulls out his gun and foils the robbery. Marge is angry with Homer for lying again, but while he tries to apologize, Snake snatches the gun. The other NRA members arrive and stop Snake from shooting the Simpsons or decapitating Quimby, but he runs off with the money all the same. Homer finally says he does not trust himself and asks Marge to throw the gun away herself, because he feels sure that his attachment to it will just make him lie to her repeatedly. However, just as Marge is about to throw away the gun, she sees a reflection of herself holding it in the bin lid and likes what she sees in her reflection and decides to keep it.
”) which was executive produced by Mike Scully
. Sam Simon
pitched an episode for one of the first seasons which saw Homer getting a gun and nobody wanting him to have it. The episode concluded with Homer foiling a robbery and stating that although guns bring destruction, it worked for him. However, this episode was pitched by Scully for either season seven or eight, before being used for season nine. This provided the basic outline, and John Swartzwelder
wrote the script. A lot of lines in the episode put guns in a positive light, as the staff felt that they could not just make an episode about how bad they were. Several of the staff, including Swartzwelder, are "pro gun" although others, such as Matt Groening
, are completely against them. The episode was designed to be non-biased and to portray each side of the argument equally. Scully noted that if there is any message in the episode it is that a man like Homer should not own a gun. The censors were nervous about some of the episode's subject matter, such as Homer pointing the gun in Marge's face, and Bart aiming the gun at Milhouse with the apple in his mouth, but ultimately let it go.
The opening sequence where soccer is portrayed as the most boring sport imaginable was intended to show that soccer was more boring on television than live, but both Michels and Groening enjoy the game. The referee at the game is a caricature of the janitor at Film Roman
, who supplied director Pete Michels
with every piece of soccer information he needed to design the episode. Pelé
also makes an appearance at the match, although is voiced by Hank Azaria
.
The episode closes with music from The Avengers
. After the music had been recorded, Scully felt that it did not suit the ending and so wished to change it to something else. However, it was too late in production to get the full orchestra back to do a recording, and union
rules meant that previous recordings could not be reused.
went to during the North Hollywood bank robbery
to acquire more powerful firearms.
The title of this episode is a play on the name of 1970s television series The Partridge Family
. The end music is the theme to the 1960s show The Avengers
, and the song playing when Homer is sitting and watching things go by while he is waiting five days for his gun is "The Waiting
" by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Petty rarely lets his music be used on television, but being a fan of The Simpsons, he allowed them to use it.
of 10.5, equivalent to approximately 10.3 million viewing households. It was the third highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following The X-Files
and King of the Hill
.
The episode received several positive reviews, being included in the Herald Sun
' s list of the top twenty The Simpsons episodes. It was also named the fifth best episode in the show's history in an article by The Florida Times-Union
. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
also praised the episode, calling The Simpsons "the only sitcom in memory to treat gun control with any fairness."
On the other hand, the episode has been criticized by several outlets. The staff received several complaints from the NRA
about the portrayal of the organization in the episode, despite the fact that they take Homer's NRA membership card away from him when they see his irresponsible behavior. Ian Jones and Steve Williams criticized the episode, calling it "a messy, unfocused lampooning of gun culture." Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide found that it was "one of the most politically unambiguous episodes ever," but that "[it] is very dull and the plot isn't sustainable."
The episode was not initially aired on the United Kingdom satellite channel Sky One
due to scenes of flagrant gun misuse, yet was aired several times on BBC Two
in an earlier evening timeslot. The episode was also included on the Too Hot for TV VHS
and DVD
, along with "Treehouse of Horror IX
", "Natural Born Kissers
" and "Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy
".
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
The Simpsons (season 9)
The Simpsons ninth season originally aired between September 1997 and May 1998, beginning on Sunday, September 21, 1997 with "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson". The show runner for the ninth production season was Mike Scully...
, which originally aired on November 2, 1997. It was written by John Swartzwelder
John Swartzwelder
John Swartzwelder is an American comedy writer and novelist, best known for his work on the animated television series The Simpsons, as well as a number of novels. He is credited with writing the largest number of Simpsons episodes by a large margin...
and directed by Pete Michels
Pete Michels
Pete Michels is an animation director on Family Guy. He has also been the supervising director on Family Guy as well as on the short-lived TV show, Kid Notorious. He started working on The Simpsons in 1990 as a background layout artist. He worked his way up to character layout artist, timer,...
. In the episode, Homer
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
purchases a gun
Gun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
to protect his family, of which Marge
Marge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
disapproves. The episode was intended to show guns in a neutral way, and faced some problems with the censors because of the subject matter. Critical reaction was mixed.
Plot
The Simpsons attend a soccer match between MexicoMexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
and Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
. When the game starts, the crowd begins to lose interest, and under Groundskeeper Willie
Groundskeeper Willie
William McDougal, usually referred to as Groundskeeper Willie, is a recurring character on The Simpsons, voiced by Dan Castellaneta. He is head groundskeeper at Springfield Elementary School. Willie is a Scottish immigrant, almost feral in nature and immensely proud of his homeland...
's direction, it turns into a violent soccer riot
Football hooliganism
Football hooliganism, sometimes referred to by the British media as the English Disease, is unruly and destructive behaviour—such as brawls, vandalism and intimidation—by association football club fans...
. The riot spreads throughout the town. Afterwards, Marge fears for the family and tells Homer to pay for a Home Security System. Finding out that the system will cost $500, Homer decides to save money by buying a firearm instead. After the five-day waiting period
Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act
The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act is an Act of the United States Congress that, for the first time, instituted federal background checks on firearm purchasers in the United States....
, Homer surprises Marge with his new revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
from a local gun store, Bloodbath and Beyond. She is horrified and demands that he get rid of the gun at once. Homer persuades Marge to come with him to the local National Rifle Association
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
meeting to try to get her to change her mind, but after the meeting, she still remains unconvinced.
Homer starts to treat the gun as though it were a toy, casually carrying it into the Kwik-E-Mart
Kwik-E-Mart
The Kwik-E-Mart is a fictional chain of convenience stores in the animated television series The Simpsons. It is a parody of American convenience store chains, such as 7-Eleven and Circle K, and represents many myths and stereotypes of them. It is notorious for its high prices and the poor quality...
and frightening Apu
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is a character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the episode "The Telltale Head". Apu is the proprietor of the Kwik-E-Mart, a popular convenience store in Springfield, and a friend of Homer Simpson. He is also...
into thinking he will rob the store, firing bullets to retrieve items from the roof and shooting dinner plates as if they were clay pigeons. Finally, after a near-fatal accident at the dinner table, Marge reveals just how uncomfortable with the gun she is, and begs Homer to get rid of it. Homer promises to do so, but hides it, loaded, in the vegetable crisper instead. Later, Bart
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
and Milhouse
Milhouse Van Houten
Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a fictional character featured in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Pamela Hayden. He is Bart Simpson's best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class at Springfield Elementary School....
discover the loaded firearm and play with it in the kitchen. Marge steps into the kitchen just in time to stop them, and harangues Homer for breaking his promise. She then gives Homer an ultimatum
Ultimatum
An ultimatum is a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance. An ultimatum is generally the final demand in a series of requests...
: "Until you decide what's more important, your gun or your family, we can't live in the same house!"
After this, she promptly leaves with some suitcases and the children in tow and checks into "Sleep Eazy Motel". That night, Homer hosts an NRA
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
meeting at his house but the other members are horrified and angry at his reckless gun usage and he is kicked out of the association. Realizing what his gun has cost him, Homer goes to the motel where Marge and the children are spending the night, meaning to reconcile.
Homer and Marge make up, after Homer explains he has finally gotten rid of the gun. While leaving, Snake arrives to rob the desk clerk, demanding the cash register's contents while holding a knife to Mayor Quimby
Joe Quimby
Mayor Joseph "Joe" Quimby, nicknamed "Diamond Joe," is a recurring character from the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta, and first appeared in the episode "Bart Gets an F". A member of the Democratic Party, Quimby is the mayor of Springfield, and is a...
's throat. Homer pulls out his gun and foils the robbery. Marge is angry with Homer for lying again, but while he tries to apologize, Snake snatches the gun. The other NRA members arrive and stop Snake from shooting the Simpsons or decapitating Quimby, but he runs off with the money all the same. Homer finally says he does not trust himself and asks Marge to throw the gun away herself, because he feels sure that his attachment to it will just make him lie to her repeatedly. However, just as Marge is about to throw away the gun, she sees a reflection of herself holding it in the bin lid and likes what she sees in her reflection and decides to keep it.
Production
This was the first episode to air (barring the non-canonical “Treehouse of Horror VIIITreehouse of Horror VIII
"Treehouse of Horror VIII" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons ninth season and first aired on the Fox network on October 26, 1997. In the eighth annual "Treehouse of Horror" episode, Homer Simpson is the last man left alive when a neutron bomb destroys Springfield until a gang of mutants come...
”) which was executive produced by Mike Scully
Mike Scully
Mike Scully is an American television writer and producer. He is known for his work as executive producer and showrunner of the animated sitcom The Simpsons from 1997 to 2001. Scully grew up in West Springfield, Massachusetts and long had an interest in writing. He was an underachiever at school...
. Sam Simon
Sam Simon
Samuel "Sam" Simon is an American director, producer, writer, boxing manager and philanthropist. While at Stanford University, Simon worked as a newspaper cartoonist and after graduating became a storyboard artist at Filmation Studios. He submitted a spec script for the sitcom Taxi, which was...
pitched an episode for one of the first seasons which saw Homer getting a gun and nobody wanting him to have it. The episode concluded with Homer foiling a robbery and stating that although guns bring destruction, it worked for him. However, this episode was pitched by Scully for either season seven or eight, before being used for season nine. This provided the basic outline, and John Swartzwelder
John Swartzwelder
John Swartzwelder is an American comedy writer and novelist, best known for his work on the animated television series The Simpsons, as well as a number of novels. He is credited with writing the largest number of Simpsons episodes by a large margin...
wrote the script. A lot of lines in the episode put guns in a positive light, as the staff felt that they could not just make an episode about how bad they were. Several of the staff, including Swartzwelder, are "pro gun" although others, such as Matt Groening
Matt Groening
Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama....
, are completely against them. The episode was designed to be non-biased and to portray each side of the argument equally. Scully noted that if there is any message in the episode it is that a man like Homer should not own a gun. The censors were nervous about some of the episode's subject matter, such as Homer pointing the gun in Marge's face, and Bart aiming the gun at Milhouse with the apple in his mouth, but ultimately let it go.
The opening sequence where soccer is portrayed as the most boring sport imaginable was intended to show that soccer was more boring on television than live, but both Michels and Groening enjoy the game. The referee at the game is a caricature of the janitor at Film Roman
Film Roman
Film Roman is an animation studio founded by Phil Roman, best known for producing the animation for The Simpsons, King of the Hill for 20th Century Fox, as well as the Garfield and Peanuts animated TV specials....
, who supplied director Pete Michels
Pete Michels
Pete Michels is an animation director on Family Guy. He has also been the supervising director on Family Guy as well as on the short-lived TV show, Kid Notorious. He started working on The Simpsons in 1990 as a background layout artist. He worked his way up to character layout artist, timer,...
with every piece of soccer information he needed to design the episode. Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
also makes an appearance at the match, although is voiced by Hank Azaria
Hank Azaria
Henry Albert "Hank" Azaria is an American film, television and stage actor, director, voice actor, and comedian. He is noted for being one of the principal voice actors on the animated television series The Simpsons , on which he performs the voices of Moe Szyslak, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Chief...
.
The episode closes with music from The Avengers
The Avengers (TV series)
The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
. After the music had been recorded, Scully felt that it did not suit the ending and so wished to change it to something else. However, it was too late in production to get the full orchestra back to do a recording, and union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
rules meant that previous recordings could not be reused.
Cultural references
The gun shop is based on the shop that the Los Angeles Police DepartmentLos Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
went to during the North Hollywood bank robbery
North Hollywood shootout
The North Hollywood shootout was an armed confrontation between two heavily armed bank robbers and officers of the Los Angeles Police Department in the North Hollywood district of Los Angeles on February 28, 1997...
to acquire more powerful firearms.
The title of this episode is a play on the name of 1970s television series The Partridge Family
The Partridge Family
The Partridge Family is an American television sitcom about a widowed mother and her five children who embark on a music career. The series originally ran from September 25, 1970 until August 31, 1974, the last new episode airing on March 23, 1974, on the ABC network, as part of a Friday-night lineup...
. The end music is the theme to the 1960s show The Avengers
The Avengers (TV series)
The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
, and the song playing when Homer is sitting and watching things go by while he is waiting five days for his gun is "The Waiting
The Waiting (song)
"The Waiting" is the lead single from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' album Hard Promises released in 1981. The song peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and #1 on the magazine's new Rock Tracks chart, where it remained for six consecutive weeks.- Covers :*Linda Ronstadt covered...
" by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Petty rarely lets his music be used on television, but being a fan of The Simpsons, he allowed them to use it.
Reception
In its original broadcast, "The Cartridge Family" finished 26th in ratings for the week of October 27 - November 2, 1997, with a Nielsen ratingNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
of 10.5, equivalent to approximately 10.3 million viewing households. It was the third highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
and King of the Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
.
The episode received several positive reviews, being included in the Herald Sun
Herald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
The Florida Times-Union
The Florida Times-Union is a major daily newspaper in Jacksonville, Florida, USA. Widely known as the oldest newspaper in the state, it began publication as the Florida Union in 1864. Its current incarnation started in 1883, when the Florida Union merged with another Jacksonville paper, the...
. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG," is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.-Early history:...
also praised the episode, calling The Simpsons "the only sitcom in memory to treat gun control with any fairness."
On the other hand, the episode has been criticized by several outlets. The staff received several complaints from the NRA
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
about the portrayal of the organization in the episode, despite the fact that they take Homer's NRA membership card away from him when they see his irresponsible behavior. Ian Jones and Steve Williams criticized the episode, calling it "a messy, unfocused lampooning of gun culture." Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide found that it was "one of the most politically unambiguous episodes ever," but that "[it] is very dull and the plot isn't sustainable."
The episode was not initially aired on the United Kingdom satellite channel Sky One
Sky One
Sky1 is the flagship BSkyB entertainment channel available in the United Kingdom and Ireland.The channel first launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, and is the fourth-oldest TV channel in the United Kingdom, behind BBC One , ITV and BBC Two...
due to scenes of flagrant gun misuse, yet was aired several times on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
in an earlier evening timeslot. The episode was also included on the Too Hot for TV VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, along with "Treehouse of Horror IX
Treehouse of Horror IX
"Treehouse of Horror IX" is the fourth episode of the tenth season of The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 25, 1998...
", "Natural Born Kissers
Natural Born Kissers
"Natural Born Kissers" is the season finale of The Simpsons ninth season which originally aired on the Fox network on May 17, 1998. Homer and Marge discover that the fear of getting caught while making love is a turn on and start making love in public places. It was the first episode written by...
" and "Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy
Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy
"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, Marge and Homer's sex life is struggling, but Grampa perks things up with a homemade revitalizing tonic...
".
External links
- "The Cartridge Family" at The Simpsons.com