And Maggie Makes Three

"And Maggie Makes Three" is the thirteenth episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons . It originally aired on Fox in the United States on January 22, 1995. In the episode, Homer recounts the story of Maggie's birth when Bart and Lisa ask why there are no photos of her in the family album.

Contents

• Plot
• Production
• Cultural references
• Continuity mistakes
• Reception
• References
• External links

The episode was written by Jennifer Crittenden and directed by Swinton O. Scott III. This was both Crittenden and Scott's first episode on The Simpsons. It features cultural references to television series such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Knight Rider . Since airing, the episode has received universal acclaim from fans and television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 10.3, and was the fourth highest rated show on the Fox network the week it aired.

Plot

While browsing through the family photo album, Lisa notices it contains no baby pictures of Maggie. Homer explains why by recounting the story of Maggie's birth: in 1993, Homer hated his job at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and dreamed of working at a bowling alley, and thus quit after receiving a paycheck clearing him of all his debts, humiliating Mr. Burns and literally burning a bridge during his departure. Homer subsequently obtained a job at a bowling alley owned by Barney's uncle, Al.

After Homer and Marge had sexual intercourse to celebrate his new job, she became pregnant. Marge made Patty and Selma promise not to tell Homer, though they did not heed this advice, informing various citizens of Springfield, who were all aware of Marge's pregnancy the following day. Despite this, Homer remained oblivious to the news, even when Moe directly congratulated him. Homer returned home, where Marge's friends had thrown her a baby shower, though he remained oblivious. When Maude casually congratulated Homer on his new job, Homer suddenly realized Marge was pregnant, upsetting him, as his salary at the bowling alley would not be enough to raise more than two children.

Marge urged Homer to ask Al for a raise, though Al explained the alley's profits prevented him from offering one unless Homer could find a way to increase business threefold. Homer tried to attract more customers by firing a shotgun outside the bowling alley, which only caused a massive panic and large police response - a series of events so absurd, Bart and Lisa do not even believe it until Marge, ashamed, confirms their veracity. Unable to drum up business, Homer quit his dream job and returned to the power plant. Mr. Burns forced Homer to beg for his job back and placed a large plaque near his desk which read: "Don't forget: you're here forever". Homer returns home depressed to find Marge's contractions had begun and takes her to the hospital. His spirits are lifted when he sees Maggie for the first time and instantly falls in love with her.

Back in the present, Bart and Lisa still do not understand what this story has to do with Maggie's missing baby pictures, though Homer claims the photos are safe in a location where he "needs them most". It is subsequently revealed that Homer has taped the photos to the aforementioned plaque: covering portions so that the plaque now reads "Do it for her."

Production

The episode was written by Jennifer Crittenden, and directed by Swinton O. Scott III. ^[1] This was the first episode Scott directed for the show. ^[4] Crittenden also made her debut as a writer for The Simpsons in this episode. Crittenden was taking a beginners' writing program at 20th Century Fox when former The Simpsons showrunner David Mirkin hired her on the show. ^[5] Crittenden's only writing experience before that had been as an intern on the Late Show with David Letterman . ^[5] 20th Century Fox introduced Crittenden to Mirkin, and Mirkin read a script of hers that he liked. ^[5] When Mirkin first talked to Crittenden, he thought she was a really nice woman who was very mature. ^[5] Crittenden was only 23 years old at the time, but Mirkin liked her, and he hired her. ^[5]

After Homer quits his job at the power plant, he violently tosses his old boss Mr. Burns out of the cart he is driving. Homer then drives across a wooden bridge and tosses a match onto it; the whole bridge is instantly engulfed in flames. ^[5] Mirkin came up with the joke, and said that "the thing with animation is that you can stage almost anything and time it perfectly, something you would not be able to do in live action". ^[5] As a live-action director, Mirkin said he enjoys the amount of control they have in animation. ^[5]

In the episode, Mr. Burns places a "de-motivational plaque" in Homer's station that reads "Don't forget: you're here forever". Homer then places photos of Maggie around the plaque to alter it into saying "Do it for her". ^[5] The Simpsons writer George Meyer, who enjoys writing jokes that involve anagrams or any other forms of word play, came up with the idea for this particular joke. ^[5] The joke is also an homage to Al Jaffee's Fold-in features in the Mad magazine. ^[6]

On September 4, 2018, 23 years after the episode's original broadcast, Simpsons producer Matt Selman posted a tweet saying that he had noticed a continuity error in the episode: when Marge announces to Homer that she is pregnant with Maggie, a photo of the baby can be seen in the background. ^[7]

Cultural references

The couch gag is a reference to the James Bond gun barrel sequence. ^[3] Dr. Hibbert's flashback hairstyle is modeled after Arsenio Hall's. ^[1] The family watches Knight Boat, a parody of Knight Rider . ^[3] Homer spinning around with a bowling ball in his hand before throwing it into the air and exclaiming "I'm gonna make it after all" is reminiscent of the opening of The Mary Tyler Moore Show where Mary throws her hat into the air. ^[1]

Continuity mistakes

Although the episode shows Maggie's origin, several plot errors are made that contradict previous episodes The Way We Was ; I Married Marge and Lisa's First Word . ^{[8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]} Among those mistakes are:

• In a scene before the birth, in the living room of the house, a picture with Maggie's face is seen on the wall. Maggie had not yet been born, although it is believed that it is possibly a photo of Lisa as a baby.
• The appearance of Ruth Powers welcoming Marge with the other Springfield women when her debut took place in the episode New kid on the block .
• Marge's announcement to Homer of her pregnancies at the current Simpson residence and Homer shocked tearing out his hair explaining his baldness when actually; Homer was living with Barney at the time of Marge's pregnancy in the episode I Married Marge.
• In the episode Lisa's First Word, Homer, Marge and Bart lived in an apartment in the suburbs of Springfield and that is when Homer really finds out about Lisa's pregnancy. In both pregnancies, Homer is happy and not shocked and keep his hair. Lisa's arrival in the family is what really forced Homer and Marge to look for a larger house for everyone and that is when they find and move into the Evegreen Terrace residence.
• In Homer's Barbershop Quartet , Homer keeps yet his hair.

Reception

In its original broadcast, "And Maggie Makes Three" finished 47th in the ratings for the week of January 16 to January 22, 1995, with a Nielsen rating of 10.3. ^[15] The episode was the fourth-highest rated show on the Fox network that week, beaten only by Melrose Place , Beverly Hills, 90210 , and the Rock 'n' Roll Skating Championship. ^[15]

Since airing, the episode has received universal acclaim from fans and television critics. One-time The Simpsons writer and comedian Ricky Gervais named it his second favorite episode, and said: "Mr. Burns gives [Homer] this terrible plaque above his desk that says, 'Don't forget: You're here forever.' It's about how sometimes things don't go the way you planned, which is pretty amazing in a cartoon. Homer then puts up all the pictures of Maggie he's ever taken to strategically cover this horrible thing so it now reads, 'Do it for her.' It gives me a lump in the throat thinking about it." ^[16] Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, said: "A surprisingly traditional episode. The flashback to 1993 seems a bit odd, but this is a good example of a story that doesn't overly rely on set pieces and confounded expectations for its success." ^[3] In a review of the sixth season, Joshua Klein of the Chicago Tribune cited "And Maggie Makes Three", "Treehouse of Horror V", "Homer Badman", and "Lisa's Rival" among his favorite episodes of the season. ^[17]

TV Squad's Adam Finley said the episode "manages to be both incredibly funny and incredibly touching, both signs of a great Simpsons episode". ^[18] He added that "the episode has some great gags in it, but the emotion is very real, too. Homer is not thrilled with the idea of having a baby, and the episode does a wonderful job of showing the dark side of having another mouth to feed." ^[18] Colin Jacobson at DVD Movie Guide said in a review of the sixth season DVD: "Flashback episodes of The Simpsons usually work well, and [this episode] is no exception to that rule. Actually, at this point it’s one of my favorites, but that’s partially because of overexposure to some of the other episodes. In any case, this one has many hilarious moments – such as the scene that explains Homer's hair loss." ^[19] Kevin Wong at PopMatters said the episode is "a touching look at fatherhood". ^[20]

Related Research Articles

Homer Jay Simpson is the protagonist of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared, along with the rest of the Simpsons, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Homer was created by the cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of producer James L. Brooks's office. Groening had been called to pitch a series of shorts based on his comic strip Life in Hell but instead created a new set of characters. He named the character after his father, Homer Groening. After appearing for three seasons on The Tracey Ullman Show, the Simpsons received their own series on Fox, which debuted on December 17, 1989.

Margaret Lenny "Maggie" Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the youngest member of the Simpson family. She first appeared on television in the Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Maggie was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of James L. Brooks' office. She received her first name from Groening's youngest sister. After appearing on The Tracey Ullman Show for three years, the Simpson family was given their own series on the Fox Broadcasting Company which debuted December 17, 1989.

Josh Weinstein is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series The Simpsons. Weinstein and Bill Oakley became best friends and writing partners at St. Albans School; Weinstein then attended Stanford University and was editor-in-chief of the Stanford Chaparral. He worked on several short-term media projects, including writing for the variety show Sunday Best, but was then unemployed for a long period.

"Lisa's Wedding" is the nineteenth episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on March 19, 1995. The plot focuses on Lisa visiting a carnival fortune teller and learning about her future love. It was written by Greg Daniels and directed by Jim Reardon. Mandy Patinkin guest stars as Hugh Parkfield and Phil Hartman guest stars as Troy McClure. The episode won an Emmy Award in 1995 for Outstanding Animated Program, becoming the third episode of The Simpsons to win the award.

"Treehouse of Horror IV" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons and the fourth episode in the Treehouse of Horror series of Halloween specials. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 28, 1993, and features three short stories called "The Devil and Homer Simpson", "Terror at 5+1⁄2 Feet", and "Bart Simpson's Dracula".

"Life on the Fast Lane", also known as "Jacques to Be Wild" in the United Kingdom, is the ninth episode of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on March 18, 1990. It was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by David Silverman. Albert Brooks guest starred as Jacques, a French bowling instructor, with him being credited as "A. Brooks".

"Treehouse of Horror V" is the sixth episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the fifth entry in the Treehouse of Horror series. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 30, 1994, and features three short stories: "The Shinning", "Time and Punishment", and "Nightmare Cafeteria".

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 1990.

"Rosebud" is the fourth episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 21, 1993. In the episode, Mr. Burns misses his childhood teddy bear Bobo on the eve of his birthday. After flashbacks reveal Bobo's journey through history, the bear ends up in the hands of Maggie Simpson. Burns does everything in his power to get Bobo back.

"Lady Bouvier's Lover" is the twenty-first and penultimate 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 May 12, 1994. In the episode, Abe Simpson falls in love with Marge's mother, Jacqueline Bouvier, and they start dating. However, on a night out in town, she is charmed by Mr. Burns. Abe is brokenhearted when he learns that Jacqueline is going to marry Mr. Burns.

"All Singing, All Dancing" is the eleventh episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on January 4, 1998. In the fourth Simpsons clip show, Homer claims he hates singing, so Marge shows family videos of musical numbers from previous seasons. The episode is in the form of a sung-through musical, featuring spoken dialogue only at the start and end of the episode. The original material was directed by Mark Ervin and written by Steve O'Donnell. It was executive produced by David Mirkin. It features guest appearances from George Harrison, Patrick Stewart and Phil Hartman, although these are all clips and none of them recorded original material for the episode.

"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.

"Fear of Flying" is the eleventh episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It was first broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on December 18, 1994. In the episode, the Simpson family prepares to go on a vacation by plane, but the circumstances force Marge to confess that she has a fear of flying.

"Team Homer" is the twelfth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on January 7, 1996. In the episode, Homer starts a bowling team with Moe, Apu, and Otto. When Mr. Burns discovers the team was funded with his money, he insists on joining, but the team fears he will cost them the league championship. In the subplot, Bart's "Down with Homework" T-shirt incites a school riot, so Principal Skinner implements a uniform dress code.

Jennifer Crittenden is an American screenwriter and producer. She started her writing career on the animated television series The Simpsons, and has since written for several other television sitcoms including Everybody Loves Raymond, Seinfeld and Veep. Her work has earned her several Emmy Award nominations.

The sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between September 4, 1994, and May 21, 1995, and consists of 25 episodes. The Simpsons is an animated series about a working class family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional city of Springfield, and lampoons American culture, society, television and many aspects of the human condition.

The Simpsonsopening sequence is the title sequence of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It is accompanied by "The Simpsons Theme". The first episode to use this introduction was the series' second episode "Bart the Genius".

"Who Shot Mr. Burns?" is a two-part episode of the American animated television series The Simpsons.Part One is the twenty-fifth and final episode of the sixth season and originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 21, 1995, while Part Two is the season premiere of the seventh season and aired on Fox on September 17, 1995.

"Homer Badman" is the ninth episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on November 27, 1994. In the episode, Homer is falsely accused of sexual harassment and must clear his name. Dennis Franz guest stars as himself portraying Homer in a TV movie.

References

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to "And Maggie Makes Three" .

• "And Maggie Makes Three episode capsule". The Simpsons Archive .
• "And Maggie Makes Three" at IMDb