Simpsons – Milhouse of Sand and Fog (s17e03)

Milhouse of Sand and Fog” is the third episode of the seventeenth season of The Simpsons. It originally aired September 25, 2005.

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Synopsis

Inspired by Flanders’ suggestion of purposely exposing the boys to the chicken pox, Homer Simpson invites all the neighborhood kids over to the Simpson house for a “pox party” (at fifteen bucks a head). However, he ends up catching it himself, having no childhood immunity. One good thing comes of it, though: Milhouse’s parents reconcile.

Or so it seems. However, Milhouse feels neglected because his parents aren’t fawning over him as they once did, competing for his love. Milhouse schemes to break up his parents again, and enlists both Bart and a plot borrowed from The O.C. The boys leave a bra conspicuously located in Kirk’s bed–unfortunately, it’s one of Marge’s. Luanne thinks Marge is having an affair with her husband, and soon she has Homer questioning his wife’s fidelity. An argument ensues, and Bart realizes he may have split up his own parents instead of Milhouse’s.

Bart schemes to reunite them by pretending to fall off Springfield Gorge into a river, using a dummy—but Milhouse’s poor eyesight sours the deal, and Bart ends up really taking the plunge. Homer leaps into the rapids and rescues Bart, and through a little trust, Marge saves them both from going over the falls. The Simpsons reconcile, once safely on the river bank. Milhouse, not wishing to live in a world without his best friend, leaps over the cliff. Marge worriedly asks if he can swim. “What do you think?” asks Bart.

Trivia

• In the African-American church, Sideshow Raheem, Drederick Tatum, Lucius Sweet and three of Dr. Hibbert’s children are seen. Carl can also be seen, even though he is a Buddhist.
• This is the second time Milhouse’s therapist, Dr. Sally Wexler, is mentioned. She hasn’t been mentioned by name since the episode “Sideshow Bob’s Last Gleaming“. However, Wexler seems to dislike Milhouse, even calling him a weird kid while he hears it, as he keeps calling her on unpleasant moments. Like in this episode, Milhouse calls the doctor on her honeymoon.

Cultural references

• The title of the episode is a reference to the book House of Sand and Fog.
• In the scene parodying The O.C., in addition to the cheating scene, it also involves the O.C. gang going to Knott’s Berry Farm (along with a person dressed as Snoopy), with The O.C.’s theme song California playing (Snoopy then forces the O.C. kids to take out money from an ATM at gunpoint). Ryan Atwood, a main character on the show, once played Snoopy in a school musical. California is also played over the end credits.
• In one scene, Bart and Milhouse are acting out a song from the play Oklahoma!, “The Farmer and the Cowman“.
• Marge saves Bart and Homer from going over the falls the same way as Buster Keaton did with his girl friend in Our Hospitality.
• The Springfield parents’ scheme of purposely exposing their kids to Maggie’s chicken pox is a centuries-old (and medically controversial) technique known as pox parties. Doctors are actually against the idea of pox parties that was used in this episode, claiming people should get the chickenpox vaccine instead as a safer alternative.^[1]
• Bart describes the plan to split up Milhouse’s parents as a “reverse Parent Trap“.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milhouse_of_Sand_and_Fog