Difference between revisions of "The Man Who Came to Be Dinner/References"

Latest revision as of 07:18, August 30, 2026

Cultural references[edit]

• The episode title is a pun on the film The Man Who Came to Dinner.
  • The film has also been referenced in the title of the episode "The Ziff Who Came to Dinner", from Season 15.
• In the episode's couch gag the Simpsons are at an art exhibition. They are watching paintings of themselves with different art techniques and parodies, while Pictures at an Exhibition: The Bogatyr Gates is heard in the background:
  • Maggie is illustrated using the Ben Day process, widely used in comic books of the 1950s through the 1970s.
  • Lisa's painting has the style of Escher's tessellations. Graphic artist M. C. Escher was a known user of mathematically inspired art.
  • Bart is based in Jackson Pollock's drip painting, a form of abstract art in which paint is dripped or poured on to the canvas.
  • Marge's painting is a parody of Femme aux Bras Croisés, made by Picasso during his "Blue Period". Picasso's signature can also be seen.
  • Homer's painting is a parody of Bacchus by Peter Paul Rubens.

• 

  Maggie is illustrated using the Ben Day process

• 

  Lisa's painting has the style of M. C. Escher's tessellations

• 

  Bart is based in Jackson Pollock's drip painting

• 

  Marge's painting is a parody of Femme aux Bras Croisés

• 

  Homer's painting is a parody of Bacchus

• As the Simpsons head to Dizz-Nee Land, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" plays.

The helicopter scene is a reference to 22 Gia Long Street evacuation during the Fall of Saigon

• The helicopter taking off from a roof to get to the amusement park is a reference to a famous picture of 22 Gia Long Street, where a helicopter is evacuating U.S government employees during the Fall of Saigon, the last major battle of the Vietnam War.
• Babicide is a parody of Barbicide, a disinfectant solution used by barbers and cosmetologists for disinfecting grooming tools.
• Michael D'Amico tries to remove a sword out of a stone, like in Disney's The Sword in the Stone.
• Cosmic Wars was mentioned to have been bought out by Dizz-Nee, a reference to Star Wars being bought out by Disney.

Jabba the Tiki Hut from Cosmic Wars is a parody of Jabba the Hutt from Star Wars and the real-world attraction Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room

• The Cosmic Wars sector includes:
  • Country Storm Trooper Jamboree: A band of Stormtroopers and parody of Country Bear Jamboree.
  • Jim-Jam Bonk's Wild Ride: A reference both to Jar Jar Binks and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.
  • Jabba the Tiki Hut: A reference to Jabba the Hutt and Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room.
  • Yoda: A parody of Master Yoda says that Cosmic Wars was bought for four billion dollars.
• There is a Pirates of the Caribbean attraction called Politically Correct at Dizz-Nee Land.
  • At this attraction, a female figurehead is reading Our Bodies, Ourselves, a real-world book about women's health and sexuality.
  • The song sung by the animatronic pirates in the ride, "No Means No, We Know That", appears to be sung to the tune of the Winkie Chant from The Wizard of Oz.
• There are parodies of Mickey Mouse and Scrooge McDuck (who looks similar to The Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland) in Dizz-Nee Land.
• There is a poster of the film Song of the South Bronx at Kooky Cat's Deli-cat-essen. This is a reference to Disney's live-action animated film Song of the South. The fictitious film poster at Kooky Cat's shows an animated rabbit jumping on an abandoned and stripped car. The photo of the car is real [1] and was taken in 1964 by Phil Stanziola in what was then a troubled borough of New York City. David Silverman, who was born in Long Island, added this gag [2].
• Tom Bosley Island is a reference to Tom Sawyer.
• Hall of Dizznee C.E.O.'s is parody of The Hall of Presidents, an attraction located in Disney's Magic Kingdom.
• The film Gidget Goes to Space is a reference to Gidget Goes to Rome.
• The flying car in the video shown at Out-of-Date Futureland looks very similar to the cars in The Jetsons.
• Toonton Abbey is a reference to Downton Abbey.

The Silver Surfer from Marvel is seen in space

• When the UFO is traveling to Rigel VII:
  • A part of space looks very similar to the video game Asteroids.
  • The Silver Surfer from Marvel is seen.
  • Rocky the Flying Squirrel is seen on an asteroid with two aliens.
• Star Wars: Homer uses a device similar to a lightsaber to chop off his hand and uses another setting to restore his hand. He then uses this device on Marge's hair and gives her a hand in her hair instead.
• Homer thinks that the fact of Kang and Kodos being a superior race could be something positive for humanity. Lisa is not so sure and compares that to the European colonization of the Americas and to the Belgian Congo.
• The alien air marshall is reading the newspaper UFO Today, a parody of USA Today.
• Among the few creatures seen in the zoo were a Black hole alien, a xenomorph from the Alien franchise, and, most terrifying of all, a kitten.
• Bart, Lisa and Maggie are playing an alien version of Twister.
• The Rigellian humanologist mentions that their species is schooled in maths, physics and Fortran, and he considers Fortran to be "the greatest of the programming languages". Fortran is more than sixty years old and is considered by many people to be a dead programming language, although it is still used to this day.
• In an attempt to not be elected to die in hands of the Rigellians, Bart says that "in Sophie's Choice, she saved the boy".
• When Homer accepts that he is the one who must die, he says "'Tis a far, far, better thing I do, than I have ever done before". This is a phrase from Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities.
• The announcers of the World Series of Chomping are based on Caesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith, characters from The Hunger Games.
• The Matrix: The Rigellian resistance live in a large underground cavern and enjoy celebrating with dancing and loud music, similar to the "Zion Dance Party" scene in The Matrix Reloaded.
• The "Human's Achievements" written by Homer include: instant replay in MLB (Major League Baseball) and Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band. Homer also mentions the Golden Age of Radio.
• Shakespeare: Homer makes "The Complete Works of Shakespeare Made of Chocolate" book on the escape ship. The Complete Works of Shakespeare volume does exist in real life.
• References to Star Trek:
  • Homer makes an entry to the "Captain's Log" on the journey away from Rigel VII.
  • As the family receives a transmission from an unknown source, theme music that accompanied the Klingons in the Star Trek film series played.
• The end credits parody Star Trek and the theme music plays.
  • Marge as Vina, the Orion slave girl ("The Cage").
  • Homer as James T. Kirk fighting the Gorn captain ("Arena")
  • Akira as Hikaru Sulu, ("The Naked Time"). Sulu was played by George Takei, who is also the voice of Akira.
  • Lisa as the Borg Queen, from the movie Star Trek: First Contact.
  • Principal Skinner as Spock dealing with hundreds of the Crazy Cat Lady's cat heads ("The Trouble with Tribbles").
  • Bart wearing a Star Trek: The Original Series sciences uniform while crawling through a Jeffries Tube.
  • Lenny and Carl as Lokai, and Eddie and Lou as Bele ("Let That Be Your Last Battlefield").
  • Homer as Kirk, with the three Providers ("The Gamesters of Triskelion").
  • Milhouse as a Ferengi.
  • Barney Gumble as Harry Mudd, with Patty and Selma as androids ("I, Mudd").
  • Mr. Burns as Balok ("The Corbomite Maneuver").

Trivia[edit]

• When Kang and Kodos introduce themselves, Homer says "What the? This isn't Halloween!" Kang and Kodos usually only appear during Halloween episodes. The last time Kang and Kodos appeared in a non-Halloween episode was in the Season 13 episode "Gump Roast".
• This is the final episode to receive more than 10 million viewers on its premiere.

Continuity[edit]

• The potato chip scene previously happened in "Deep Space Homer", except this time, Bart and Maggie kept eating them.
• Diz-nee previously appeared in "The PTA Disbands".