Viva Ned Flanders
| "Viva Ned Flanders" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| File:AABF06.jpg | |
| Episode no. | Season 10 |
| Directed by | Neil Affleck |
| Written by | David M. Stern |
| Original air dates | January 10, 1999 |
| Episode features | |
| Chalkboard gag | "My mother is not dating Jerry Seinfeld" |
| Couch gag | A live-action hand spins a picture of the family, and the ink splatters. |
"Viva Ned Flanders" is the tenth episode of The Simpsons' tenth season. It first aired on January 10, 1999.
The episode is rare among Simpsons episodes because, like "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" and "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?", it has a direct sequel.
Synopsis
Springfield is without a casino when Mr. Burns' Casino (see "$pringfield") is demolished. The family gets their car washed, and when Homer is there, he sees that Ned Flanders gets a senior discount. At church, Flanders admits to Homer that he is sixty years old. He says that he follows the three "c"s of success: clean living, chewing thoroughly, and 'a daily does of vitamin Church!' Well, that...and the fact that he has never lived impulsively, and never really had any fun in life. The rest of the town stops admiring Ned for living so well, and begins to pity him for having never truly lived at all.
Ned reluctantly agrees with this and the Simpsons come to the Flanders home to cheer a depressed Ned up, and Homer tells Flanders that they are going on a gambling trip to Las Vegas. Homer is confident about going there, but Flanders is nervous. They see Captain Lance Murdoch (from "Bart the Daredevil") doing one of his stunts, and Homer chooses to volunteer, and survives. They wander into a casino "Nero's Palace" and begin to play roulette. Ned protests based on Deuteronomy 7 but Homer ignores the protest and takes the reference as a lucky number and they win. They then immediately lose it all but apparently, by the end of their gambling time, they luck out and end up waking up in a trashed hotel room littered with strange luxuries.
Later on, Homer and Ned realize that they have married two cocktail waitresses: Homer's new wife is named Amber, and Ned's new wife is Ginger. The waitresses say that they are married to them, and prove it through a video tape. Homer and Ned try to escape from the waitresses, and go on a wild rampage through the casino, until they are confronted by casino security, Ernst and Gunter (also from "$pringfield"), Drederick Tatum, and the Moody Blues. They escape the casino, but are booted out of the casino, and say that they are not welcome to Las Vegas again. Homer and Ned head back to their real wives in Springfield by hitchhiking.
The episode would later have a sequel, which is rare for the Simpsons. In the episode "Brawl in the Family" the Vegas wives would return for their spouses, causing more problems for Ned and Homer.
Trivia
- First appearance of the Vegas wives: Amber and Ginger.
- Ned cites Deuteronomy 7 as the source of the prohibition of "games of chance" but no such prohibition is found there. Verse 25 prohibits the silver and gold associated with idolatry but the primary prohibition of superstition is in Leviticus 19:26.
- Homer correctly states Adolf Hitler's birthday as April 20 and identifies it with Barney's which is the same day. Because the Columbine High School Shootings were intentionally executed on that date, the line was changed in syndication to June 15, same as Lassie's.
- Ned's age is revealed to be 60. However, in "Hurricane Neddy", he is seen in a flashback from thirty years ago, when he was still a kid.
- The episode "Jazzy and the Pussycats" would reveal that Homer's Las Vegas wife, Amber, had died after overdosing while riding a rollercoaster. Thus, a funeral was held for her at the beginning of the episode.
Cultural references
- The episode title is an obvious spoof on the Elvis Presley song "Viva Las Vegas", which even plays during the episode and during the ending credits.
- When Ned and Homer drive down the road to Las Vegas they pass two guys in a red convertible which spoofs Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
- The poem quoted by Graeme Edge and Justin Hayward is a re-worked version of "Late Lament", the poem that follows "Nights in White Satin" on their Days of Future Passed album.
Quotes
- Guy detonating the bomb: 4,3,2...
Bart: All right, here comes implosion!
Guy detonating the bomb: Implosion? But I thought you said...
The Casino EXplodes
- Ned Flanders: How do you do it Homer? How do you silence that little voice that says "Think!"?
Homer: You mean Lisa?
Ned: No, I mean common sense!
Homer: Oh, that... That can be treated with our good friend alcohol!
- Homer: Congratulations. Welcome to the Homer Simpson Program.
Ned: So, what happens next?
Homer: One day soon, I will come for you. And then the game will begin. Could be in the middle of the night ... could be when you least expect it. Or, whatever's good for you, I don't care.