The Wife Aquatic: Difference between revisions

"**The Wife Aquatic**"
"The Wife Aquatic"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.	Season 18; Episode 10
Directed by	Lance Kramer
Written by	Kevin Curran
Production code	JABF03
Original air date	January 7, 2007
Guest appearance
	Sab Shimono as Gruff Japanese sailor
Episode features
Couch gag	The couch and the Simpsons are pinned onto a bulletin board.
Commentary	Al Jean; Kevin Curran; Tim Long; Bill Odenkirk; Tom Gammill; David Silverman; Dan Castellaneta; Lance Kramer
Episode chronology
← Previous; "Kill Gil, Volumes I & II"	Next →; "Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Three Times"
	The Simpsons season 18
	List of episodes

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"The Wife Aquatic" is the tenth episode of the eighteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 7, 2007. The episode was written by Kevin Curran and directed by Lance Kramer.

In this episode, Homer surprises Marge with a family trip to Barnacle Bay, where her family went each summer when she was a child, but discover that the town is in decline. Sab Shimono guest starred. The episode received mixed reviews.

Plot

The residents of Springfield watch a silent film at an outdoor movie night. When the film is destroyed and the people demand another film, Patty and Selma show an old home movie from Marge's youth of a Bouvier trip to the town of Barnacle Bay, located on an island in New England. Noticing Marge see how happy she was in the movie, Homer organizes a surprise trip there with the family. However, upon the family's arrival, they see that town of Barnacle Bay has deteriorated.

They learn that the town has been in decline since the Yum Yum Fish disappeared, which Lisa suggests was due to overfishing. Not wanting to see Marge sad, Homer organizes the townsfolk to renovate the carousel on the pier. Homer invites Marge to ride the carousel, and he conducts a fireworks display. However, the display's finale causes a fire that destroys the pier and carousel. The townsfolk capture Homer and force him to catch fish to repay them. Homer is placed with a fishing crew, which sets out to catch Yum Yum Fish. At night, Homer mistakenly batters and deep fries the fishing hooks and serves the crew fishing bait. The captain goes to check the fishing hooks and finds that they have attracted a large haul of Yum Yum Fish. Meanwhile, Marge and Lisa learn that a perfect storm is approaching Barnacle Bay. At sea, the crew sees the storm approaching, but the captain refuses to leave while there are more Yum Yum Fish to be caught until it is too late.

The crew discovers that Bart has stowed away on the ship to avoid activities with Marge and Lisa. Although the captain tries to steer the ship through the storm, it is destroyed. The remaining Simpson family members and the Barnacle Bay townsfolk believe all hands have been lost at sea and attend a memorial service for them. However, Homer, Bart, and the crew interrupt the service, and Homer explains that they were rescued when they were caught in the net from a Japanese fishing boat. The captain invites the townsfolk to catch more Yum Yum Fish, but Lisa warns them about the dangers of overfishing and how it brought their town to financial ruin. Agreeing with her, the townsfolk decide to join the logging industry, cutting down the island's trees to be used for pornographic magazines, despite Lisa's protests.

Production

Sab Shimono guest starred. Shimono previously appeared as different characters in the second season episode "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish" and the eighth season episode "In Marge We Trust".^[1]^[2]^[3]

The name of the Japanese fishing boat that rescues Homer and the crew is named いるかころし丸 or Iruka Koroshi Maru, which translates to Dolphin Murder.^[4]

Cultural references

The part of the episode where the ship is caught in a storm is a parody of the 2000 film The Perfect Storm.^[5] "Aquarium", the seventh movement of Camille Saint-Saëns's The Carnival of the Animals, is played repeatedly throughout the episode.

Reception

Viewing figures

The episode earned a 4.1 rating and was watched by 11.62 million viewers, which was the 23rd most-watched show that week.^[6]

Critical response

Dan Iverson of IGN gave the episode a 7.8 out of 10. Although he thought the episode was a better one from this era, he felt the Perfect Storm parody was dated and thought the environmental message was not fully formed.^[5]

On Four Finger Discount, Guy Davis and Brendan Dando felt sympathy for Homer because the destructive incident was not his fault and because he was sincere in his intention. They thought this contrasted with his behavior in other similar episodes from this era. They were also not sure what the intended environmental message was supposed to be.^[7]

Nick Steinberg of Screen Rant said that the "post-golden age run has produced few episodes as moving as and heartfelt as" this episode.^[8]

Awards and nominations

At the 17th Environmental Media Awards, this episode was nominated for Television Episodic Comedy.^[9]

References

^ Oswald, Alison (2018). "Guide to the Saburo Shimono Papers" (PDF). Smithsonian Institution. p. 15. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
^ Groening, Matt (1997). Richmond, Ray; Coffman, Antonia (eds.). The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family (1st ed.). New York: HarperPerennial. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-06-095252-5. LCCN 98141857. OCLC 37796735. OL 433519M..
^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "In Marge We Trust". BBC. Archived from the original on March 15, 2004. Retrieved April 13, 2007.
^ Lytle, J Mark (January 10, 2007). "Simpsons get in sly dig at Japanese fishing practices". Digital World Tokyo. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved October 28, 2008.
^ ^a ^b Iverson, Dan (January 8, 2007). "The Simpsons: "The Wife Aquatic" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on March 20, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Jan. 1-7)". ABC Medianet. January 9, 2007. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
^ Davis, Guy; Dando, Brendan (November 23, 2023). ""The Wife Aquatic" Podcast Review (S18E09)". Four Finger Discount (Simpsons Podcast) (Podcast). Event occurs at 13:20. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
^ Steinberg, Nick (November 3, 2019). "The Simpsons: 10 Best Episodes (That Nobody Watched)". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
^ "17th Annual Environmental Media Awards". Environmental Media Association. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved August 16, 2024.

External links

"The Wife Aquatic" at IMDb

[1] Oswald, Alison (2018). "Guide to the Saburo Shimono Papers" (PDF). Smithsonian Institution. p. 15. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.

[book-2] Groening, Matt (1997). Richmond, Ray; Coffman, Antonia (eds.). The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family (1st ed.). New York: HarperPerennial. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-06-095252-5. LCCN 98141857. OCLC 37796735. OL 433519M..

[BBC-3] Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "In Marge We Trust". BBC. Archived from the original on March 15, 2004. Retrieved April 13, 2007.

[4] Lytle, J Mark (January 10, 2007). "Simpsons get in sly dig at Japanese fishing practices". Digital World Tokyo. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved October 28, 2008.

[Iverson-5] Iverson, Dan (January 8, 2007). "The Simpsons: "The Wife Aquatic" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on March 20, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2024.

[6] "Weekly Program Rankings (Jan. 1-7)". ABC Medianet. January 9, 2007. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2023.

[7] Davis, Guy; Dando, Brendan (November 23, 2023). ""The Wife Aquatic" Podcast Review (S18E09)". Four Finger Discount (Simpsons Podcast) (Podcast). Event occurs at 13:20. Retrieved August 16, 2024.

[8] Steinberg, Nick (November 3, 2019). "The Simpsons: 10 Best Episodes (That Nobody Watched)". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.

[9] "17th Annual Environmental Media Awards". Environmental Media Association. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved August 16, 2024.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Redirect|Barnacle Bay|the city in The Sims 3 Store|The Sims 3#The Sims 3 Store}}
-{{More citations needed|date=March 2008}}
+{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
 {{Infobox Simpsons episode
-| title          = The Wife Aquatic
 | image          =
 | caption        =
@@ Line 10: / Line 9: @@
 | writer         = [[Kevin Curran (writer)|Kevin Curran]]
 | production     = JABF03
-| airdate        = January 7, 2007
+| airdate        = {{Start date|2007|01|07}}
-| guests         = [[Sab Shimono]] as The Master Sushi Chef<br>[[Maurice LaMarche]] as Billy the fisherman
+| guests         = [[Sab Shimono]] as Gruff Japanese sailor
 | blackboard     =
 | couch_gag      = The couch and the Simpsons are pinned onto a bulletin board.
-| commentary     = Al Jean<br />Kevin Curran<br />[[Tim Long]]<br />[[Bill Odenkirk]]<br />[[Tom Gammill]]<br />[[David Silverman (animator)|David Silverman]]<br />[[Dan Castellaneta]]<br />Lance Kramer
+| commentary     = [[Al Jean]]<br />Kevin Curran<br />[[Tim Long]]<br />[[Bill Odenkirk]]<br />[[Tom Gammill]]<br />[[David Silverman (animator)|David Silverman]]<br />[[Dan Castellaneta]]<br />Lance Kramer
 | prev           = [[Kill Gil, Volumes I & II]]
 | next           = [[Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Three Times]]
 }}
-"'''The Wife Aquatic'''" is the tenth episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki> [[The Simpsons (season 18)|eighteenth season]]. It originally aired on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox network]] in the United States on January 7, 2007. 13.9 million viewers watched this episode, making it the highest rated of seasons 17–20.
+"'''The Wife Aquatic'''" is the tenth episode of the [[The Simpsons season 18|eighteenth season]] of the American animated television series ''[[The Simpsons]]''. It originally aired on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox network]] in the United States on January 7, 2007. The episode was written by [[Kevin Curran (writer)|Kevin Curran]] and directed by [[Lance Kramer]].
+In this episode, Homer surprises Marge with a family trip to Barnacle Bay, where her family went each summer when she was a child, but discover that the town is in decline. [[Sab Shimono]] guest starred. The episode received mixed reviews.
 ==Plot==
+The residents of Springfield watch a silent film at an outdoor movie night. When the film is destroyed and the people demand another film, [[Patty and Selma]] show an old home movie from [[Marge Simpson|Marge]]'s youth of a Bouvier trip to the town of Barnacle Bay, located on an island in New England. Noticing Marge see how happy she was in the movie, [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] organizes a surprise trip there with the family. However, upon the family's arrival, they see that town of Barnacle Bay has deteriorated.
-After watching Patty and Selma's old home movies of a trip to Barnacle Bay in [[New England]] during a town-wide outdoor movie night, [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] pines for the excitement she had in her youth. Moved by his wife's depression, [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] organizes a surprise trip to the island. However, on the family's arrival, Marge's hopes to relive her youth are dashed as Barnacle Bay has been devastated by [[overfishing]] of the Yum Yum Fish, the island's main attraction. Homer refuses to let Marge down and fixes the boardwalk and celebrates with a large fireworks show. The plan backfires and he accidentally starts a fire and the boardwalk burns down. In order to repay the townsfolk, Homer joins a fishing crew and sets out to rediscover the Yum Yum Fish.
+They learn that the town has been in decline since the Yum Yum Fish disappeared, which [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] suggests was due to overfishing. Not wanting to see Marge sad, Homer organizes the townsfolk to renovate the carousel on the pier. Homer invites Marge to ride the carousel, and he conducts a fireworks display. However, the display's finale causes a fire that destroys the pier and carousel. The townsfolk capture Homer and force him to catch fish to repay them. Homer is placed with a fishing crew, which sets out to catch Yum Yum Fish. At night, Homer mistakenly batters and deep fries the fishing hooks and serves the crew fishing bait. The captain goes to check the fishing hooks and finds that they have attracted a large haul of Yum Yum Fish. Meanwhile, Marge and Lisa learn that a perfect storm is approaching Barnacle Bay. At sea, the crew sees the storm approaching, but the captain refuses to leave while there are more Yum Yum Fish to be caught until it is too late.
-<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Barnacle Bay.png|left|200px|thumb|The Island of Barnacle Bay]] -->
-Homer mistakenly [[Batter (cooking)|beer batters]] and [[Deep frying|deep fries]] the fishing hooks, attracting a large haul of Yum Yum Fish. However, their celebrations are short-lived as Homer and the crew become trapped in a storm. Searching for a means of escape, they discover [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] has stowed away and removed the [[Lifeboat (shipboard)|lifeboat]] in order to hide. The ship sinks and Marge and the rest of Barnacle Bay believe that all is lost. Much to everyone's relief, Homer, Bart and the rest of the crew manage to survive and are rescued by a [[Japan]]ese fishing boat called "Iruka Koroshi [[Japanese ship-naming conventions|Maru]]" (''Dolphin Killer'').<ref>{{cite web
+The crew discovers that [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] has stowed away on the ship to avoid activities with Marge and Lisa. Although the captain tries to steer the ship through the storm, it is destroyed. The remaining Simpson family members and the Barnacle Bay townsfolk believe all hands have been lost at sea and attend a memorial service for them. However, Homer, Bart, and the crew interrupt the service, and Homer explains that they were rescued when they were caught in the net from a Japanese fishing boat. The captain invites the townsfolk to catch more Yum Yum Fish, but Lisa warns them about the dangers of overfishing and how it brought their town to financial ruin. Agreeing with her, the townsfolk decide to join the logging industry, cutting down the island's trees to be used for pornographic magazines, despite Lisa's protests.
-  | last = Lytle
-  | first = J Mark
+==Production==
-  | title = Simpsons get in sly dig at Japanese fishing practices
+[[Sab Shimono]] guest starred. Shimono previously appeared as different characters in the [[The Simpsons season 2|second season]] episode "[[One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish]]" and the [[The Simpsons season 8|eighth season]] episode "[[In Marge We Trust]]".<ref>{{cite web|first=Alison|last=Oswald|date=2018|title=Guide to the Saburo Shimono Papers|url=https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/NMAH.AC.1379.pdf|publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]]|page=15|access-date=August 16, 2024|archive-date=August 20, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820041018/https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/NMAH.AC.1379.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="book">{{cite book |last=Groening |first=Matt |author-link=Matt Groening |editor1-first=Ray |editor1-last=Richmond |editor1-link=Ray Richmond |editor2-first=Antonia |editor2-last=Coffman |title=The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family |edition=1st |year=1997 |location=New York |publisher=[[HarperPerennial]] |lccn=98141857 |ol=433519M |oclc=37796735 |isbn=978-0-06-095252-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/simpsonscomplete00groe/page/45 45] |ref={{harvid|Richmond & Coffman|1997}} |title-link=The Simpsons episode guides#The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family }}.</ref><ref name="BBC">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season8/page22.shtml |title=In Marge We Trust |access-date=2007-04-13 |last1=Martyn|first1=Warren |last2=Wood|first2=Adrian |year=2000 |publisher=[[BBC]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040315044858/https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season8/page22.shtml|archive-date=March 15, 2004}}</ref>
-  | url=http://www.digitalworldtokyo.com/index.php/digital_tokyo/articles/simpsons_get_in_sly_dig_at_japanese_fishing_practices/?phpMyAdmin=9f2c47d95a10t463e8aa4&phpMyAdmin=GfpbiiC0yOKLccB%2C1ajOK9%2Cvwa0
-  | accessdate = 2008-10-28 }}</ref> The townsfolk recommence fishing, but [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] warns them about the dangers of overfishing. Agreeing with her, the townsfolk decide to go into [[logging]] instead, and [[Clearcutting|clear cut]] the island's [[tree]]s, which are planned to be sent to a paper mill to be made into issues of ''[[Hustler]]'' and ''[[Barely Legal (magazine)|Barely Legal]]'' magazine.
+The name of the Japanese fishing boat that rescues Homer and the crew is named ''いるか ころし 丸'' or ''Iruka Koroshi Maru'', which translates to ''Dolphin Murder''.<ref>{{cite web| last = Lytle | first = J Mark|date=January 10, 2007| title = Simpsons get in sly dig at Japanese fishing practices|url=http://www.digitalworldtokyo.com/index.php/digital_tokyo/articles/simpsons_get_in_sly_dig_at_japanese_fishing_practices/?phpMyAdmin=9f2c47d95a10t463e8aa4&phpMyAdmin=GfpbiiC0yOKLccB%2C1ajOK9%2Cvwa0| accessdate = 2008-10-28 |website=Digital World Tokyo|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081205054045/http://www.digitalworldtokyo.com/index.php/digital_tokyo/articles/simpsons_get_in_sly_dig_at_japanese_fishing_practices/?phpMyAdmin=9f2c47d95a10t463e8aa4&phpMyAdmin=GfpbiiC0yOKLccB%2C1ajOK9%2Cvwa0 |archive-date=December 5, 2008}}</ref>
+==Cultural references==
+The part of the episode where the ship is caught in a storm is a parody of the 2000 film ''[[The Perfect Storm (film)|The Perfect Storm]]''.<ref name="Iverson"/> "Aquarium", the seventh movement of [[Camille Saint-Saëns]]'s ''[[The Carnival of the Animals]]'', is played repeatedly throughout the episode.
 ==Reception==
+===Viewing figures===
-<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Wife Aquatic Crew.png|right|200px|thumb|The crew of the Rotting Pelican.]] -->
+The episode earned a 4.1 rating and was watched by 11.62 million viewers, which was the 23rd most-watched show that week.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] Medianet|date=January 9, 2007|url=http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=010907_03|title=Weekly Program Rankings (Jan. 1-7)|access-date=June 10, 2023|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221203520/http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=010907_03|archive-date=December 21, 2008}}</ref>
-This was the highest rated episode since season 16's ''[[Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass]]'', which aired right after [[Super Bowl XXXIX]]. Barring that, the ratings were last this high in 2004, with "[[I, (Annoyed Grunt)-bot]]" which had 16 million viewers. {{Citation needed|date=November 2007}}
+===Critical response===
+Dan Iverson of ''[[IGN]]'' gave the episode a 7.8 out of 10. Although he thought the episode was a better one from this era, he felt the ''Perfect Storm'' parody was dated and thought the environmental message was not fully formed.<ref name="Iverson">{{cite web|first=Dan|last=Iverson|date=January 8, 2007|title=The Simpsons: "The Wife Aquatic" Review|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/01/08/the-simpsons-the-wife-aquatic-review|website=[[IGN]]|access-date=August 16, 2024|archive-date=March 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320083550/http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/01/08/the-simpsons-the-wife-aquatic-review|url-status=live}}</ref>
+On ''Four Finger Discount'', Guy Davis and Brendan Dando felt sympathy for Homer because the destructive incident was not his fault and because he was sincere in his intention. They thought this contrasted with his behavior in other similar episodes from this era. They were also not sure what the intended environmental message was supposed to be.<ref>{{cite podcast|first1=Guy|last1=Davis|first2=Brendan|last2=Dando|title="The Wife Aquatic" Podcast Review (S18E09)|work=Four Finger Discount (Simpsons Podcast)|date=November 23, 2023|url=https://www.fourfingerdiscount.com.au/episodes/the-wife-aquatic-simpsons-podcast-review|time=13:20|access-date=August 16, 2024}}</ref>
+Nick Steinberg of ''[[Screen Rant]]'' said that the "post-golden age run has produced few episodes as moving as and heartfelt as" this episode.<ref>{{cite web|first=Nick|last=Steinberg|date=November 3, 2019|title=The Simpsons: 10 Best Episodes (That Nobody Watched)|url=https://screenrant.com/the-simpsons-episodes-nobody-watched/|website=[[Screen Rant]]|access-date=August 16, 2024|archive-date=August 20, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820041149/https://screenrant.com/the-simpsons-episodes-nobody-watched/|url-status=live}}</ref>
+===Awards and nominations===
+At the 17th [[Environmental Media Awards]], this episode was nominated for Television Episodic Comedy.<ref>{{cite web|title=17th Annual Environmental Media Awards|url=http://www.ema-online.org/awards_17th_annual.php|publisher=[[Environmental Media Association]]|access-date=August 16, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016041813/http://www.ema-online.org/awards_17th_annual.php|archive-date=October 16, 2007}}</ref>
-==Notes==
+==References==
+{{Reflist}}
-<references />
 == External links ==
+{{Wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_18#The_Wife_Aquatic|"The Wife Aquatic"}}
+{{Portal|The Simpsons}}
 * {{IMDb episode|0918024}}
-* {{Tv.com episode|914675}}
-{{wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_18#The_Wife_Aquatic|"The Wife Aquatic"}}
-{{portal|The Simpsons}}
 {{The Simpsons episodes|18}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Wife Aquatic, The}}
-[[Category:The Simpsons (season 18) episodes]]
+[[Category:The Simpsons season 18 episodes]]
 [[Category:2007 American television episodes]]
+[[Category:Television episodes about the environment]]
+[[Category:Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing]]
+[[Category:Television episodes written by Kevin Curran (writer)]]

v t e The Simpsons episodes
Seasons 1–20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Season 21–present 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
Season 18	"The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer" "Jazzy and the Pussycats" "Please Homer, Don't Hammer 'Em" "Treehouse of Horror XVII" "G.I. (Annoyed Grunt)" "Moe'N'a Lisa" "Ice Cream of Margie (with the Light Blue Hair)" "The Haw-Hawed Couple" "Kill Gil, Volumes I & II" "The Wife Aquatic" "Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Three Times" "Little Big Girl" "Springfield Up" "Yokel Chords" "Rome-Old and Juli-Eh" "Homerazzi" "Marge Gamer" "The Boys of Bummer" "Crook and Ladder" "Stop, or My Dog Will Shoot!" "24 Minutes" "You Kent Always Say What You Want"
Themed episodes	Treehouse of Horror list
See also	The Simpsons episode guides "The Simpsons Guy"
Category