The Man Who Grew Too Much/References
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Cultural references[edit]
- The episode's title is either a reference to the 1922 detective story novel The Man Who Knew Too Much, written by G. K. Chesterton, or to the unrelated suspense films both titled The Man Who Knew Too Much, one released in 1934 and the other in 1956, both directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
- During the "Science Movie Day" at the Springfield Elementary School, the children are watching an old astronomy film in which the narrator mentions how Voyager 2 could take close-up photos of Neptune in 1989. The space probe made its closest approach to Neptune in August 1989, taking images of the planet and making notable discoveries.
- Some things mentioned in Lisa's proposed lesson plan about the Solar System include:
- Getting the students "into the mood" by playing classical music by English composer Gustav Holst.
- Talk about how each planet is named after a Roman God, part of the astronomical naming conventions of planets in the Solar System.
- Explain that astrology is not science.
- Reference the International Astronomical Union's decision of excluding Pluto from the list of planets.
- An indirect mention to Mars chocolate bar and Mercury brand of medium-priced automobiles can also be read.
- Groundskeeper Willie is mopping the hallway when he hears the crowd of students rushing the cafeteria for "Taco Tuesday". When he finds very little space in the janitor's closet, he is forced to choose between saving himself or the mop, Ethel, from being overrun. The theme song from the 1997 film Titanic, "My Heart Will Go On", plays as Willie chooses to save the mop and puts it in the closet.
- At the cafeteria, Lisa is reading Leaves of Grass, a real book by American poet Walt Whitman.
- She cites part of the poem "I Sing the Body Electric", from the Leaves of Grass collection.
- Later in the episode, both Sideshow Bob and Lisa cite parts from "Song of Myself", also a poem in Leaves of Grass.
- The Jell-O desserts Lunchlady Dora keeps in the fridge allude to the last episode of American war comedy drama TV series M*A*S*H, "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen", which took place in 1983, and to the Atlanta Olympics, which were held in Atlanta, Georgia in 1996.
- The videogame Klash of Klowns is a parody of Clash of Clans.
- Ned censors himself from mentioning the name of American Founding Father John Hancock by saying "John Han-bleep".
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The film about the dangers of GMOs is named Apocalypse Chow, a pun on the epic war film Apocalypse Now. It is played on MyTube, a parody of YouTube
- The film about the dangers of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is named Apocalypse Chow, a pun on the 1979 American psychological epic war film Apocalypse Now.
- The film is played on MyTube, a parody of YouTube.
- One spam comment in the video mentions the Ponzi scheme.
- The Simpson family are shocked to find Sideshow Bob working as the chief scientist at Monsarno, as to the best of their knowledge, he's still in prison. Bob, seeking to mollify them, says, "No need to worry. I'm still technically shawshanking it at Springfield Penitentiary", using "shawshank" as a slang term referring to the 1994 American prison drama film The Shawshank Redemption.
- Sideshow Bob's research to show the experiments were not too painful for the test monkeys was funded by Mike Nesmith and Micky Dolenz, two members of the American pop-rock band the Monkees.
- Marge's puppet show Slow Times at Promiseville High is a reference to Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the 1982 American coming-of-age comedy film.
- The song "Let's Splice Some DNA", sung by Lisa and Sideshow Bob, is a parody of "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off", by George Gershwin.
- A beaker in Sideshow Bob's laboratory is labeled "Acid-Washed Genes", a play on "acid-washed jeans".
- The magazine Tweeter's Digest is a parody of the American general-interest family magazine Reader's Digest and a reference to Twitter.
- At the Springfield Metropolitan Museum:
- The museum includes exhibitions by artists from movements such as Proto-Cubism, Pointillism, and Impressionism.
- A Calder mobile sculpture is being assembled. Lisa references its designer, Alexander Calder.
- After Lisa finds out that Bob genetically modified his DNA to make himself stronger, she cannot believe that the two of them previously "sang Gershwin together", referring to American composer George Gershwin. Sideshow Bob answers with a reference to Rhapsody in Blue.
- Some of the "Fun Facts" at George Washington's exhibition in the "Genes of Genius" section include:
- "Once had tooth termites", referencing the common lore that Washington had teeth made of wood.
- "Never met Hitler", referencing Adolf Hitler, who was born 90 years after Washington's death.
- "Babysat James Monroe".
The brain of Albert Einstein and the 1994 romantic comedy I.Q., in which Einstein is one of the characters, are exhibited in the "Genes of Genius" section
- In the case of Albert Einstein's exhibition:
- One of the fun facts is "Real name Albert Brooks".
- The brain of Albert Einstein is among the exhibited pieces.
- A picture of the 1994 romantic comedy I.Q. is on the wall. The film centers on a mechanic and a Princeton University doctoral candidate who fall in love thanks to the candidate's uncle, Albert Einstein.
- Another historical figure exhibited is Florence Nightingale, founder of modern nursing.
- Art pieces seen at the museum include:
- The painting Napoleon Crossing the Alps by Jacques-Louis David.
- Sideshow Bob throws the Aphrodite of Knidos, the Ancient Greek sculpture by Praxiteles of Athens, at Bart and Lisa.
- Syndics of the Drapers' Guild by Rembrandt.
- The Springfield Metropolitan Museum is modeled on the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Both are referred to by the name the Met.
- Before trying to kill the children, Bon sings "Non più andrai", an aria for bass from Mozart's 1786 opera The Marriage of Figaro.
Trivia[edit]
- This is the last appearance of Edna Krabappel while she's alive. The character had been retired and killed off-screen since her voice actress, Marcia Wallace, passed away in October 2013, and has since then appeared as a ghost.
- This episode is included in the The Simpsons The Complete Seventeenth Season DVD and Blu-ray as the bonus episode.
Continuity[edit]
- Sideshow Bob and Lisa Simpson singing a parody of "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off", which was sung by Homer and Marge Simpson on Season 21 episode, "Million Dollar Maybe".
- There are a number of callbacks to previous episodes. Bob's face falls off at one point, a reference to his scheme from "The Bob Next Door". He attempts to kill Bart and Lisa by dropping them off the top of a hydroelectric dam ("Brother from Another Series"). Finally, he gets clocked in the face by a rake he steps on, a gag first seen in "Cape Feare".
