Difference between revisions of "The Regina Monologues/References"

Latest revision as of 04:04, March 3, 2025

Cultural references[edit]

• The episode title is a pun on Eve Ensler's play The Vagina Monologues, with "Regina" substituted as the Latin word for "Queen."
• When the one-thousand-dollar bill that Mr. Burns withdraws from the ATM floats toward the Simpson home, the music from Forrest Gump plays briefly.
• The Simpsons rent a BMW Mini Cooper from an "'Ertz" rent-a-car branch, a parody of Hertz Rent-a-Car.
• The James Bond series is parodied twice: when former Prime Minister Tony Blair greets the Simpsons and then blasts off on a jetpack à la Thunderball, with the 007 theme playing; and when Homer spots Bart and Lisa from the London Eye, pulls a lever, and the entire car detaches before skimming across the River Thames.
• The first act plot—where Bart happens upon a $1,000 bill and Marge subsequently tells him to advertise for its rightful owner—is inspired by the The Brady Bunch 1970 episode "The Treasure of Sierra Avenue."
• After Homer is arrested and sent to the Tower of London, various British newspapers are shown, including the center-left tabloid The Mirror, the center-right broadsheet The Times, and the tabloid The Sun.
  • The Times and The Sun are owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation.
  • All of the newspaper shots are complete with correct typefaces, except the Daily Mail.
• The play The Cherry Orchard, written by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, is used as a sly dig at Joe Millionaire, where star Evan Marriott admits he does not have a cherry orchard, much like in the show where he admits he was not a millionaire.
• When J. K. Rowling is met by the family, Lisa tells her that she shows deep infatuation with the titular character from Harry Potter. After asking how the series will end, Rowling sarcastically replies that Harry will grow up and marry Lisa, which is exactly what Lisa wanted to hear.
  • Also, during Bart and Lisa's sugar rush, a chocolate frog from the same franchise is seen.
• The old theater superstition of the Macbeth curse is parodied when Sir Ian McKellen is repeatedly injured after Homer repeatedly mentions the name of the Shakespeare play ("What, Macbeth?").
• The "Museum of Modern Bart" is an obvious pun on the Museum of Modern Art.
• Homer's insistence that The Queen's real name is Henrietta R. Hippo (thanks to the monogram on Her Royal Highness' night bag, although the Queen is "Her Majesty," not "Her Royal Highness") recalls the hippo character from the 1970s children's TV show New Zoo Revue.
• The scene where Homer endlessly circles the roundabout spoofs a similar scene in National Lampoon's European Vacation, where Clark Griswold keeps driving around the roundabout adjacent to Lambeth Bridge.
• Bart's "Moon Party" sequence is likely a reference to the 1970s Saturday morning cartoon Partridge Family 2200 A.D.. Also appearing is Star Wars character R2-D2 (playing the bass).
• The tunnel leading from the Tower of London to the Queen's bedroom in Buckingham Palace may be a reference to a rumor involving Sir Walter Raleigh, which claims he had an affair with the never-married Queen Elizabeth I. This could also be a reference to the Michael Fagan incident, where an unarmed man broke into the Palace and surprised Queen Elizabeth II in her bedroom.
• Bart and Lisa run through town on a sugar high as Iggy Pop's Lust for Life plays in the background, referencing the film Trainspotting. The route they take mimics the one used by Ewan McGregor at the start of the film, most notably when they run down the stairs (despite the stairs being in Edinburgh, not London). The scene ends with Maggie crawling across the ceiling of a lolly house, her head spinning around like the baby in the withdrawal scene.
• The scene between Lord Daftwager and his "lover" is a parody of the premise of the musical My Fair Lady.
• Homer references Manchester United midfielder Ryan Giggs when questioning the yellow card given to Giggs.
• In complimenting his half-sister, Homer says, "You make Dame Edna look like a dude," referencing Dame Edna Everage, the famous character of male comedian Barry Humphries.
• Homer sees Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page from the London Eye and calls him "one of the greatest thieves of American black music ever to walk the Earth," a reference to Led Zeppelin's frequent and frequently sued-over practice of "borrowing" music, themes, and lyrics from American blues music.
• The line "Feel the drunken wrath of Chuck Shadowski," heard in the Hockey Dads game, is a sly reference to "Big Chuck" Schodowski, a Cleveland TV personality most recently co-host of the Big Chuck and Lil' John show.
• The two wealthy gentlemen who suggest a wager after meeting Bart and Lisa, who are just coming down from their sugar high, reference Trading Places.
• While on a tour bus, the Simpsons use the drive-through at "Judi Dench's Fish & Chips," named for acclaimed English actress Dame Judi Dench and inspired by the American chain Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips, named for English actor Arthur Treacher.
• Homer makes a passing reference to Hugh Grant.
• At Harrods Department Store, Homer and Marge see a giant canister of Prince Albert In A Can, a reference to the famous prank call of the same name.

Trivia[edit]

• The chocolate shop clerk claims that British chocolate is sweeter than what Bart and Lisa are used to in America. However, British chocolate actually contains less sugar than the American variety, although it has a higher milk and cocoa content.
  • He also refers to it as 'candy,' whereas in Britain, it would be referred to as 'sweets' or simply 'chocolate.'

Continuity[edit]

• In Grampa's flashback, his uniform has the Flying Hellfish logo. ("Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in "The Curse of the Flying Hellfish"")
• Homer states that he'd like to return to Brazil, but the monkey problem has since gotten worse. ("Blame It on Lisa")

Goofs[edit]

• Homer is sentenced to death, even though England stopped the death penalty in 1998.
• The secret passage dug by Walter Raleigh leads to Buckingham Palace, even though the Tower of London was built in 1066, Walter Raleigh was executed in 1618, and Buckingham Palace was built in 1703.
• When the Simpsons are traveling on the double-decker bus in London, the final destination is Aldwych Station. However, this Underground train station was closed in 1994, nine years prior to the episode airing. Additionally, the bus they are on is number 15, including destinations of South Kensington, Knightsbridge, and Hyde Park [Corner]. These are tube stations along the Piccadilly line (interestingly, Aldwych also used to be on the Piccadilly line before it was closed). In real life, bus number 15 travels between Blackwall Station and Charing Cross Station, passing next to the disused Aldwych station building.
• In the courtroom, there are police in blue uniforms. However, being in London, they should be members of the Metropolitan Police, who wear black uniforms.
• The London Eye is spinning far too fast. In reality, it travels at 26 cm per second (twice as fast as a tortoise sprinting) and takes 30 minutes to ride.
• The Queen's guards carry guns in real life, not batons.

References[edit]