The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons
| "The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| File:The Simpsons 5F04.png | |
| Episode no. | Season 9 |
| Directed by | Steven Dean Moore |
| Written by | Richard Appel |
| Original air dates | November 16, 1997 |
| Episode features | |
| Couch gag | Bart spray paints a picture of the family along with "El Barto" on the wall. |
| Commentary | Mike Scully Richard Appel Steven Dean Moore |
"The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons" is an episode of The Simpsons that first aired in the United States on November 16, 1997.
Synopsis
Krusty is hosting a bachelor auction to raise money to help the fire brigade buy a fire engine. The available bachelors on display are Barney, the Sea Captain, Moe and many other available, yet undesirable Springfield bachelors. Marge nominates Apu as another available bachelor. Apu, at first nervous, speaks about his having a doctorate in computer science, running his own business, being a good cook, preferring to listen rather than talk, and building furniture. All these qualities are just what the single (and divorced) women in the auction are looking for, and soon many of them are bidding high for Apu. Finally, 5 women pool their money together and Apu is "sold" to them for $926.
He goes out on a date with Miss Hoover and then with Luann Van Houten. Soon he has many girlfriends and is enjoying every minute of it. At the Kwik-E-Mart, he reads one of his love letters to Homer. The next letter (a different kind of love, though) is from his mother in India. When he opens the envelope, a lotus flower fall out and Apu panics, because he knows that this is a symbol of his arranged marriage, made when he was only 8 years old, to Manjula, the daughter of a family friend. Apu, so far enjoying his bachelorhood and in no mood to get married, asks Homer for advice. Homer tells Apu to tell his mother that he is already married. Apu, at first reluctant to lie to his mother, decides to do the right thing. So he calls his mother in India and tells her that he is already married to someone in Springfield.
Apu, thinking that he's just dodged a bullet, starts living it up, by partying and changing his hairstyle many times (Homer approves all of them). The next day, while Homer tries to find a winning Lotto ticket by cheating, Apu is exhausted and dozes on his counter at the Kwik-E-Mart. He's had a long wild night and is understandably tired. Suddenly, he sees his mother stepping out of a taxi and walking towards the store. He panics and wonders what to do. He is bought some time, as his mother trips and falls to the ground. Homer comes up with the idea of Apu pretending that Marge is his wife. Out of options, Apu decides to go for that idea. He welcomes his mother, but she wants to see his "wife". She pulls him by his ear and drags him out.
At the Simpsons place, Homer convinces Marge (at the last moment) to pretend to be Apu's wife. Marge, as usual, disapproves but decides to do it for Apu's sake. Apu's mother is not too happy with him having married someone besides the one she picked for him. Marge introduces her to Bart, Lisa and Maggie as their kids, again much to Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilon's distaste.
Homer, unable to stay at Moe's as Moe is leaving town, decides to stay in the Springfield Retirement Castle with his dad. He poses as Cornelius Talmidge and gets free pills, many meals and uses a wheelchair to get around.
Meanwhile, at home, Apu sleeps on the floor of Marge's bedroom, while she sleeps on the bed. He tells her that his mother will only be staying for a few more days. At breakfast, Lisa and Bart have a rather uncomfortable chat with "Grandma" Nahasapeemapetilon.
At the old folks home, Homer is enjoying being Cornelius, using an electric wheelchair, drinking Lays liquid potato chips and getting turned over by the nurse. However, when the real Cornelius Talmidge returns, he takes off. He returns home and gets into bed with Marge, with Apu sleeping on the floor. Suddenly, Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilon enters to say goodbye, but is shocked to see Homer and Marge in bed and Apu on the floor. Tired of the whole charade, Apu tells her the truth. His mother now declares that the arranged marriage will proceed as planned. She calls Manjula and tells her to get to Springfield right away.
Apu feels depressed and Homer takes him to Moe's to cheer him up. He has only 7 hours of bachelorism left. Finally, the wedding is underway. Apu is still having second thoughts and feels only God can stop this wedding. Homer, on hearing this, gets an (rather blasphemous) idea. At the wedding (in the Simpsons's back yard), Lisa hands out flower garlands, while Bart makes the ceremonial fire sacred (by throwing in pages from the Bible). Reverend Lovejoy is there to officiate, keeping an open mind. Apu enters on an elephant unenthusiastically, but when he sees Manjula (for the first time in many years) looking beautiful in her bridal sari, he feels a little less reluctant. They have a small chat (about her favourite food, book and movie; the answer to all three is "Fried Green Tomatoes"), and finally, Apu loses all his apprehensions about marrying Manjula.
Homer, poorly disguised as Ganesh, tries to stop the wedding, but a burly Indian chases him up a tree. Apu and Manjula go around the sacred fire and Lovejoy marries them. Later, as Apu and Manjula dance, she tells him that he must buy a house and get a haircut, but reveals that she was only joking. Homer, tired after his little Ganesha episode, eats the peanuts reserved for the elephant, who grabs him with its trunk and dangles him upside-down.
Trivia
- In the roleplay "Vampires: The Masquerade" who recive a flower (of amaranth) is warned that he will be killed in a week.
- Homer refers to Ganesha as Ganesh. The pronunciation is not wrong in the sense "Ganesha" or "Ganesa" are common pronunciations in South India, whereas "Ganesh" is common in North India. Both originate from the Sanskrit word गणेश:, pronounced Ganesh-uhuh (for the colon like ending for all nouns in Sanskrit).
- In the original broadcast of this episode, the book Bart uses for kindling over the fire said "Bible". In all reruns, this is changed to "Hymns".
- The episode title is a play on the 1947 Peter Godfrey film The Two Mrs. Carrolls.
- The hair dresser Apu visits is called Hairy Shearers, a play on Harry Shearer one of the principal actors of the series.
- One of the hairstyles Apu tries is vastily similar to that of Coolio's.
- According to the Nahasapeemapetilon family chart, Apu has two brothers (including Sanjay), and he's the oldest out of his brothers.
- The bachelor rejects are: Otto the bus driver, Captain McAllister, Professor Frink, Disco Stu, Kirk Van Houten, Hans Moleman, Barney, Comic Book Guy, and Moe Szyslak. However, in Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?, Professor Frink is shown to have a son and, after an accident involving his son says "Oh dear. My wife is going to kill me", indicating that he is married - although this does not preclude him having become single in the interim.
- The Foreigner song "Hot Blooded" plays over Apu's bachelor binge.
- According to Apu's account of his and Manjula's betrothal, at the time of the episode, Apu is 28 years old. However, he states that he last saw Manjula twenty years ago, which could've taken place later than the scene shown (as evidenced in Much Apu About Nothing when Apu was in his late teens).
- The wedding band plays (They Long to Be) Close to You by The Carpenters as Apu and Manjula slow-dance. This song was also played the first time Homer saw Marge in detention.
- According to the DVD Commentary of the episode, the scene where Moe walks on and off the stage without breaking his stride was loosely based on a moment that occurred during a stand up show of comedian Red Foxx. During a show in Las Vegas, Redd Foxx came on stage to the Sanford and Son theme song, only to find that there were very few people in the audience (about 8 or 9). Foxx replied angrily that he refused to do a show with such a small audience and walked off the stage almost immediately. The house orchestra, puzzled by Foxx's leave simply played him off with the Sanford and Son theme song again. This incident was also referenced in the episode Trash of the Titans, although the reference is much more blatant in that episode.
- As Homer walks past the elderly, he mentions the name Asa. This name is probably the same as Asa Phelps, who died at the start of Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in "The Curse of the Flying Hellfish".
- Due to the long couch gag the part where Homer runs into the garage is cut(still in This Little Wiggy the couch gag is about two seconds longer).
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