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The Simpsons Season 19 Episode 4

I Don't Wanna Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

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8.3

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Episode Summary

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I Don't Wanna Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

AIRED: 10/14/07

During a bank robbery, Marge convinces Dwight, the bank robber, to turn himself in with the assurance that she will visit him once in jail. Marge never makes good on her promise and things get interesting when Dwight escapes from jail and comes looking for Marge.

FAN RECAP

Fan Episode Reviews (20)

Marge promised a bank robber named Dwight (Steve Buscemi) that she would visit him in jail if he turned himself in

10

By tigerdude22, Apr 16, 2012

During a bank robbery, Marge convinces Dwight, the bank robber, to turn himself in with the assurance that she will visit him once in jail. Marge never makes good on her promise and things get interesting when Dwight escapes from jail and comes looking for Marge. I thought that this was a perfect episode of "The Simpsons". I really thought that the storyline was very well done and there was a lot of magnificent humor here. I also thought Steve Buscemi did a terrific job voicing as the bank robber named Dwight. Marge making a promise to Dwight but failing to keep that promise when she feels threatened and scared by him was very interesting and it was a bit scary because that robber was sure a threat. It was really nice how near the end of the episode when Dwight and Marge went to the amusement park (which was the last place Dwight saw his mom before she abandoned him). In reality, we all know some people can be bad and scary because something horrible happened in their past so I felt a little bad for Dwight. It was very nice for Marge to visit Dwight in jail at the very end of the episode. Homer in this episode was hilarious as well and there were a bunch of parts that really made me laugh hard. It's just an all-around perfectly and fun-filled episode for everyone to enjoy. Overall, a perfect episode of "The Simpsons". 10/10moreless
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Not Funny

2.2

By Shinigami124, Mar 09, 2012

Yeah this episode wasn't funny. It was just a typical episode of the "new simpisons" the plot was suprisingly average but the jokes were stupid. Oh look i was in the wrong call, how is that funny? the answer is that its not. Anyways i had to deal with a episode about my least favorite simpison Marge. Hearing Marge talk is like being sick, its awful and every once in awhile you turn red. I like how Marge lied to the guy and then was shocked when he went after her. If Marge was a good mother like she claims to be then maybe she would have accepted her responsibilty. I hope next weeks episode is bettermoreless
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0 8

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Marge finds herself in a hostage situation when the bank she is in is robbed. Marge talks to the robber, named Dwight, to reason with him. He agrees to surrender only if Marge promises to visit him in prison. Marge promises, but soon regrets it.moreless

8.5

By meathead704, Oct 31, 2011

The Simpsons has seemed to finally get on track this season after starting off with two very disappointing episodes. Steve Buscemi does terrific job as Dwight the bank robber. His scenes with Marge are very well written. There is also some very clever dialouge and very good jokes through out. Ted Nugent's cameo hits the nail on the head. I hope this episode means that the producers of The Simpsons have wisely decided to stop recycling old plots and storylines (as they did in the first two episodes of the season) and keep coming up with new ideas. I hope.moreless
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A funny episode with a good storyline

10

By annoyer08, Nov 19, 2010

Aparently the simpsons are traying to be more sutible for children, and making really good storylines, this episode is the perfect example, while at the begining the episode is fine, Steve Bucemi character becomes a good guy and the end is just disastrous, wraping it up quickly and great, and it seems everybody really thought hard for a good ending and wrote a ending for children and not stupid, sorry but after Midnight Towboy which was a really good episode, they come up with this, maybe the simpsons should not end it before it becomes worst and family guy becomes the new simpsons.

Long Live KOBE BRYANT!!!moreless
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Marge gets cold feet when she is supposed to visit a bank robber in jail. The bank robber breaks out and comes looking for Marge.

9.0

By Hornets3, Aug 11, 2009

This was just a great episode with some great satire on our local police force and media like the newspaper. For example, when the newspaper headline had Marge's address and alarm code right in the head line for Dwight to see. Steve Buscmi (or however you spell it) was perfect for the role of Dwight and the parody of his big eyes was hilarious. Not to mention when chief wiggum is watching the video of the negotiator during the hostage situtaion, and he asks what scene they should skip to haha. This was an episode that was chaulk full of gags. Give this one a watch.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Dan Castellaneta	Homer Simpson, Grampa Simpson, Barney Gumble, Krusty the Clown, Groundskeeper Willie, and others
Julie Kavner	Marge Simpson, Patty Bouvier, and Selma Bouvier
Nancy Cartwright	Bart Simpson, Nelson Muntz, Ralph Wiggum, Todd Flanders, and others
Yeardley Smith	Lisa Simpson
Hank Azaria	Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, Lou, and others
Harry Shearer	Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner, Waylon Smithers, Kent Brockman, and others

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Steve Buscemi	Dwight	Guest Star
Ted Nugent	Himself	Guest Star
Julia Louis-Dreyfus	Gloria	Guest Star
Russi Taylor	Martin Prince, Sherri, Terri and others	Recurring Role
Pamela Hayden	Milhouse Van Houten, Rod Flanders, Jimbo Jones, and others	Recurring Role
Tress MacNeille	Agnes Skinner, Brandine Del Roy, Dolph and others	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (8)
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- Attractions at Plaster Mountain Theme Park include: Dilbert's Flying Cubical, Bumper Cars, Tilt 'N' Spew, Mr. Frog's Mild Ride, FedEx Presents: The Bathroom, It's A Long Line, Viking Boats, and Maniac Mirror.
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- In Dwight's mugshot, he holds up a card dislaying his prison numbers: 89910-211.
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- Homer has Marge saved as "Big Blue" on his cell phone.
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- Seen on the list of people Homer is allowed to marry should Marge perish before he does:
  Lindsay Naegle
  Booberella
  Blythe Danner
  Also: Feed Cat
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- One of the "Happy Little Elves" can be seen in the background as a prize for the duck shooting arcade game at Plaster Mountain.
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- According to this episode, Jasper has diabetes.
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- In the film Marge watches on TV, Johnny Stabbo's prison number is JABF19, the same as the production code for this episode.
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- Music From This Episode
  "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" (Used during the Itchy & Scratchy cartoon.)
  "Who Can It Be Now?" by Men At Work (Plays during the 'Dwight stalking Marge' montage.)
  "The Dilbert Zone" by Danny Elfman (Heard in the background at the Plaster Mountain amusement park when the "Dilbert's Flying Cubicle" ride can be seen.)
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QUOTES (7)
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- Marge: You have to be there! You missed way too many precious moments in the childrens' lives.
  Homer: What?! Name twelve!
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- Marge: Homer, you cannot miss Lisa's big day. And you have to come sober!
  Homer: American sober or Irish sober?
  Marge: Point zero eight sober.
  Homer: Point one five.
  Marge: Point zero nine.
  Homer: Point one oh, with a stomach full of bread. My final offer.
  Marge: (Groans) Deal.
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- Dwight: (to Hostages) Okay, this isn't the way I planned it, but you can make it out alive as long as there's no funny stuff.
  Krusty the Clown: Don't worry about me. I was voted America's least funny clown. Worse than Scuzzo, Scummo, Oopsie, Carlos Mencia, Stinko, Blumpy. Even worse than Sergeant Serious! How could I do worse than him?! I stole all his jokes!
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- (During the hostage situation, Officer Eddie rushes a package to Chief Wiggum)
  Chief Wiggum: Finally, the help we need--a DVD of The Negotiator.
  (Chief Wiggum places the DVD into a portable DVD player.)
  Chief Wiggum: Hmm, hmm. Which chapter should we skip to? "Meet Danny Roman," "Trouble Brewing," "Off the Case," "My Baby's In There," "Enter Niebaum," "Take the Shot," "Sabian's Choice," Check and Mate," "Friends at Last," "Closing Credits"?
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- Snake: (to Gloria) Hey, baby. Listen carefully. Someone's been editing my biography on Wikipedia. I want you to kill him.
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- Ted Nugent: Hello, this is Ted Nugent, the Motor City Madman, urging you to vote no on Proposition 87. If we outlaw crossbows in our public schools, who's gonna protect our children from charging elk? Thank you for your time, and as always--(Shouting) I say Wango! I say Tango!
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- (Marge watches the prison movie "A Kiss Before Frying" on Couch Potato Theater.)
  Priest: It's almost midnight. They'll be coming soon, Johnny. Coming to take you to the electric chair.
  Johnny Stabbo: I ain't afraid of old sparky, the hot seat, the kilowatt couch, the death davenport, the electric lap, the crook cooker, the scorch stool!
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NOTES (3)
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- Julia Louis-Dreyfus returns in this episode to voice her character of Gloria, who first appeared in the season 13 episode, "A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love."
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- Itchy and Scratchy: "The Un-Natural"
  Scratchy, the professional baseball player, is approached by Itchy to take steroids so that he can bulk up and hit more home runs. 6 Years later Scratchy is brought before congress on steroids charges. As Scratchy sweats it out in front of Congress, his muscles begin to rapidly swell up until he fills the entire Capitol Building causing it to burst at the seams. Scratchy tumbles down the steps of the Capitol Building and into the Reflecting Pool. Abraham Lincoln's statue rises to his feet, pulls the Washington Monument out of the ground, uses it as a baseball bat and swats Scratchy's head like a baseball. The head lands in the Hall of Shame and enthusiastic mice visit and take pictures.
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- Blackboard Joke: I am not an FDIC-insured bank.
  Couch Gag: Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa sit down on the couch. The camera zooms out to reveal they are actually sitting in a doll house. Maggie picks up Homer and sticks him in her mouth as a pacifier.
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ALLUSIONS (9)
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- A Kiss Before Dying
  The movie Marge watches on Couch Potato Theater, A Kiss Before Frying, is a reference to the 1991 movie A Kiss Before Dying starring Sean Young.
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- Krusty: I was voted America's least funny clown. Worse than Scuzzo, Scummo, Oopsie, Carlos Mencia, Stinko, and Blumpy.
  Although the other clowns named are entirely fabricated, there was an actual Scuzzo. In the Beetlejuice cartoon he was a rude, unpleasant harlequin who served as the "Ghost with the Most's" perennial bete noire.
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- Dilbert
  The Dilbert's Flying Cubicle ride at the Plaster Mountain amusement park is based on Scott Adams' Dilbert comic strip and short-lived TV cartoon series. The ride even had the series theme music.
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- Dog Day Afternoon
  Dwight and his fellow bank robber are modeled after Al Pacino and John Cazale's bank robbing characters from the 1975 film, Dog Day Afternoon.
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- Disneyland
  Plaster Mountain looks suspiciously like the Matterhorn from Disneyland; and a ride called "Mr Frog's Mild Ride," pans "Mr Toad's Wild Ride" also from Disneyland.
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- The Nine
  Krusty and Dr. Hibbert meeting back up at the amusement park is a bit of a spoof on the character interactions from the TV series, The Nine; the show followed the intertwining lives of characters formerly held hostage together during a bank robbery.
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- The Natural
  The Itchy & Scratchy episode, "The Un-Natural", is a spoof on Bernard Malamud's 1942 novel about baseball, The Natural.
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- The Shawshank Redemption
  Dwight escapes from prison via sewage pipe, just like the main character in the 1994 film, The Shawshank Redemption.
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- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
  The title of this episode is a play on the title of Maya Angelou's autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
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