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Encyclopedia > The Cartridge Family
The Simpsons episode
"The Cartridge Family"
Homer purchases his gun.
Episode no. 183
Prod. code 5F01
Orig. airdate November 2, 1997
Show runner(s) Mike Scully
Written by John Swartzwelder
Directed by Pete Michels
Chalkboard "Everyone is tired of that Richard Gere story."[1]
Couch gag Everybody has their posteriors on fire as they run to a water-filled couch. They hop on board as steam emerges from them.[2]
DVD
commentary		 Matt Groening
Mike Scully
Yeardley Smith
Pete Michels
George Meyer
Ian Maxtone-Graham
Donick Cary
Ron Hauge
John Swartzwelder
Season 9
September 21, 1997 – May 17, 1998
  1. The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson
  2. The Principal and the Pauper
  3. Lisa's Sax
  4. Treehouse of Horror VIII
  5. The Cartridge Family
  6. Bart Star
  7. The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons
  8. Lisa the Skeptic
  9. Realty Bites
  10. Miracle on Evergreen Terrace
  11. All Singing, All Dancing
  12. Bart Carny
  13. The Joy of Sect
  14. Das Bus
  15. The Last Temptation of Krust
  16. Dumbbell Indemnity
  17. Lisa the Simpson
  18. This Little Wiggy
  19. Simpson Tide
  20. The Trouble with Trillions
  21. Girly Edition
  22. Trash of the Titans
  23. King of the Hill
  24. Lost Our Lisa
  25. Natural Born Kissers
List of all The Simpsons episodes
Seasons
1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10
11 · 12 · 13 · 14 · 15 · 16 · 17 · 18 · 19

"The Cartridge Family" is the fifth episode of The Simpsons' ninth season, which originally aired on November 2, 1997. It was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Pete Michels.[1] In the episode, Homer purchases a gun to protect his family, which Marge disapproves of. The episode was intended to show guns in a neutral way, and faced some problems with the censors because of the subject matter. Critical reaction was mixed. Simpsons redirects here. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Mike Scully (born October 2, 1956 in West Springfield, Massachusetts) is an Emmy Award-winning American television writer best known for his work as show runner of the Fox series The Simpsons from 1997 - 2001 (Seasons 9-12). ... Al Jean (left) and David Mirkin (right), have both been writers for The Simpsons for more than ten years. ... John Swartzwelder (born February 08, 1949) is an American writer, best known for his work on the animated television series The Simpsons, as well as a number of novels. ... The three people are caricatures of (left to right) Rich Moore, Wes Archer and David Silverman[1] The following is a list of directors who have worked on the Fox animated television series The Simpsons. ... Pete Michels is an animation director on Family Guy. ... Bart writes The Pledge of Allegiance does not end with Hail Satan The chalkboard gag is a running visual joke that occurs during the opening credits of many episodes of The Simpsons. ... Richard Tiffany Gere[1] (born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. ... The couch gag is a running visual joke in the opening credits of the animated television series The Simpsons. ... The Simpsons DVD season boxsets have been released since 2001 in different regions all over the world. ... Matthew Abram Groening is an American cartoonist (Life in Hell) and the Emmy Award-winning creator of the animated series, The Simpsons and Futurama. ... Mike Scully (born October 2, 1956 in West Springfield, Massachusetts) is an Emmy Award-winning American television writer best known for his work as show runner of the Fox series The Simpsons from 1997 - 2001 (Seasons 9-12). ... Martha Maria Yeardley Smith (; born July 3, 1964) is an American actress and voice actor who is best known for providing the voice of Lisa Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons. ... Pete Michels is an animation director on Family Guy. ... George Meyer is a producer and writer for The Simpsons, and arguably the writer who has contributed the most to the show over its long run. ... Ian Maxtone-Graham caricatured on The Simpsons, where he has worked since 1994 Ian Maxtone-Graham, born July 3, 1959, is a television writer and producer. ... Donick Cary is a writer for The Simpsons. ... Ron Hauge is a writer on The Simpsons. ... John Swartzwelder (born February 08, 1949) is an American writer, best known for his work on the animated television series The Simpsons, as well as a number of novels. ... The Simpsons Season 9 DVD Digipak. ... is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... is the 137th day of the year (138th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... The City of New York vs. ... The Principal and the Pauper is the second episode of The Simpsons ninth season. ... Lisas Sax is the third episode of the ninth season of The Simpsons, which explains how Lisa Simpson got her saxophone. ... Treehouse of Horror VIII is the fourth episode of The Simpsons ninth season, as well as the eighth Halloween episode. ... Bart Star is the sixth episode of the ninth season of The Simpsons. ... The Two Mrs. ... Lisa the Skeptic is the eighth episode of The Simpsons ninth season, first aired on November 23, 1997. ... Realty Bites is the ninth episode of the ninth season of The Simpsons. ... Miracle on Evergreen Terrace is the 10th episode of The Simpsons ninth season. ... All Singing, All Dancing is the eleventh episode of The Simpsons ninth season. ... Bart Carny is the twelfth episode of the ninth season of the The Simpsons. ... The Joy of Sect is the thirteenth episode of The Simpsons ninth season. ... Das Bus is the 14th episode of the ninth season of The Simpsons, and a parody of the book and film Lord of the Flies. ... The Last Temptation of Krust is the fifteenth episode of The Simpsons ninth season. ... Dumbbell Indemnity is an episode of The Simpsons ninth season. ... Lisa the Simpson is the seventeenth episode of The Simpsons ninth season. ... This Little Wiggy is the eighteenth episode of the ninth season of The Simpsons. ... Simpson Tide is the nineteenth episode of The Simpsons ninth season and originally aired on the Fox network on March 29, 1998. ... The Trouble with Trillions is the 20th episode of the ninth season of The Simpsons. ... Girly Edition is the 21st episode of the ninth season of The Simpsons // Spoiler warning: After Groundskeeper Willie confiscates his skateboard, Bart decides to get back at him by filling up his shack with a tankerfull of creamed corn as he sleeps. ... Trash of the Titans is the Emmy Award-winning twenty-second episode of The Simpsons ninth season and the 200th overall. ... King of the Hill (not to be confused with the animated series of the same name), is the 23rd episode of The Simpsons ninth season. ... Lost Our Lisa is the twenty-fourth episode of the ninth season of The Simpsons. ... Natural Born Kissers is the last episode of the ninth season of The Simpsons, and is especially notable for its risque subject matter. ... The following is an episode list for the Fox animated television series The Simpsons. ... The Simpsons Season 1 DVD Digipak. ... The Simpsons second season originally aired between October 1990 and July 1991, beginning on October 11, 1990. ... The Simpsons Season 3 DVD. The Simpsons 3rd season (September 1991 – May 1992) began on September 19, 1991. ... The Simpsons fourth season originally aired between September 1992 and May 1993, beginning on September 24, 1992. ... The Simpsons Season 5 DVD Digipak. ... The standard Season 6 DVD box. ... The Simpsons Season 7 DVD Digipak. ... The Simpsons Season 8 DVD Digipak. ... The Simpsons Season 9 DVD Digipak. ... The Simpsons tenth season originally aired between August 1998 and May 1999, beginning on Sunday, August 23, 1998. ... The Simpsons 11th season (September 1999 - May 2000) began on Sunday, September 26, 1999 with Beyond Blunderdome. ... The Simpsons 12th season (November 2000 - May 2001) began on Sunday, November 1, 2000 with Treehouse of Horror XI. The season contains three hold-over episodes from the season 11 (BABF) production line. ... The Simpsons 13th season (November 2001 - May 2002) began on Tuesday, November 6, 2001 with Treehouse of Horror XII. The season contains five hold-over episodes from the season 12 (CABF) production line. ... The Simpsons 14th season (November 2002 - May 2003) began on Sunday, November 3, 2002 with Treehouse of Horror XIII. The season contains five hold-over episodes from the season 13 (DABF) production line. ... The Simpsons 15th season (November 2003 - May 2004) began on Sunday, November 2, 2003 with Treehouse of Horror XIV. The season contains five hold-over episodes from the season 14 (EABF) production line. ... The Simpsons 16th season (November 2004 - May 2005) began on Sunday, November 7, 2004 with Treehouse of Horror XV. The season contains six hold-over episodes from the season 15 (FABF) production line. ... The Simpsons celebrate Labor Day in this promotional artwork for the series 17th season. ... The Simpsons 18th season (2006 - 2007) began on Fox on September 10, 2006[1] and ended on May 20, 2007. ... The Simpsons 19th season (2007 - 2008) began airing on Fox on September 23, 2007. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... The Simpsons Season 9 DVD Digipak. ... is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... John Swartzwelder (born February 08, 1949) is an American writer, best known for his work on the animated television series The Simpsons, as well as a number of novels. ... Pete Michels is an animation director on Family Guy. ... Homer Simpson is also a character in the book and film The Day of the Locust. ... This article is about the video game. ... Marjorie Marge Simpson (née Bouvier) is a fictional character featured in the animated television series The Simpsons and is voiced by Julie Kavner. ...

Contents

Plot

The Simpsons attend a soccer match between Mexico and Portugal. When the game starts, the crowd begins to lose interest and it turns into a violent soccer riot. Eventually the riot escalates and spreads all over Springfield, forcing mob rule to be installed. Homer does not want to pay $500 for a Home Security System and decides to buy a firearm. After the five day waiting period, Homer surprises Marge with his new revolver. She is horrified and appalled, demanding that he get rid of the gun at once. Homer persuades Marge to come with him to the local National Rifle Association meeting to try and get her to change her mind. After the meeting, she still remains unconvinced. A player (wearing the red kit) has penetrated the defence (in the white kit) and is taking a shot at goal. ... Ochlocracy (Greek: οχλοκρατια; Latin: ochlocratia) is government by mob or a disorganized mass of people. ... For other uses, see Revolver (disambiguation). ... This article concerns the National Rifle Association of the USA. For the UK organisation, see National Rifle Association of the United Kingdom The National Rifle Association, or NRA, is a non-profit group for the promotion of marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection of hunting and personal protection firearm rights...


Homer treats the gun as though it were a toy, casually carrying it into the Kwik-E-Mart, firing bullets to retrieve items from the roof and shooting dinner plates as if they were clay pigeons. Finally, after a near fatal accident at the dinner table, Marge reveals just how uncomfortable with the gun she is, begging Homer to get rid of it. Homer promises to do so, but hides it in the vegetable crisper instead. Later, Bart and Milhouse discover it and play William Tell in the kitchen. Marge steps into the kitchen just in time to stop them, and rounds on Homer for breaking his promise. She then gives Homer an ultimatum: "Until you decide what's more important, your gun or your family, we can't live in the same house!" After that she promptly leaves with some suitcases and the children in tow. That night, Homer hosts an NRA meeting at his house but his reckless gun usage appalls the other members and he is kicked out of the association. Realizing what his gun has cost him, Homer goes to the motel where Marge and the kids are spending the night, meaning to reconcile. An exterior of a fictitious typical Kwik-E-Mart store. ... Clay pigeons in an automatic thrower. ... For other uses, see William Tell (disambiguation). ... An ultimatum (Latin: ) is a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance. ...


Homer and Marge make up, after Homer explains he has finally gotten rid of the gun. While leaving, Snake arrives to rob the desk clerk, demanding the cash register's contents while holding a knife to Mayor Quimby's throat. Homer pulls out his gun and foils the robbery. Marge is angry at Homer for lying again, but whilst he's apologizing to her, Snake snatches the gun. The other NRA members arrive and stop Snake from shooting, but he runs off with the money all the same. Marge is about to throw the gun away when she sees herself holding it and decides to keep it.[1] Snake Jailbird, voiced by Hank Azaria, is a fictional character from the animated TV series The Simpsons. ... Joseph Fitzpatrick Fitzgerald Fitzhenry Joe Quimby,[1] a. ...


Production

This was the first episode to be executive produced by Mike Scully.[3] Sam Simon pitched an episode for one of the first seasons which saw Homer getting a gun and nobody wanting him to have it. The episode concluded with Homer foiling a robbery and stating that although guns bring destruction, it worked for him.[4] However, this episode was pitched by Scully for either season seven or eight, before being used for season nine.[3] This provided the basic outline, and John Swartzwelder wrote the script.[3] A lot of lines in the episode put guns in a positive light, as the staff felt that they could not just make an episode about how bad they were.[3] Several of the staff are "pro gun" although others, such as Matt Groening, are very left wing and completely against them.[5] That said, the episode is non-bias and does portray each side of the argument equally.[6] The censors were nervous about some of the episode's subject matter, such as Homer pointing the gun in Marge's face, and Bart aiming the gun at Milhouse with the apple in his mouth, but ultimately let it go.[3] Mike Scully (born October 2, 1956 in West Springfield, Massachusetts) is an Emmy Award-winning American television writer best known for his work as show runner of the Fox series The Simpsons from 1997 - 2001 (Seasons 9-12). ... Sam Simon is an American television producer and writer, most notable as one of the original developers of The Simpsons, along with Matt Groening and James L. Brooks. ... John Swartzwelder (born February 08, 1949) is an American writer, best known for his work on the animated television series The Simpsons, as well as a number of novels. ... Matthew Abram Groening is an American cartoonist (Life in Hell) and the Emmy Award-winning creator of the animated series, The Simpsons and Futurama. ... In politics, left-wing, political left, leftism, or simply the left, are terms that refer (with no particular precision) to the segment of the political spectrum typically associated with any of several strains of socialism, social democracy, or liberalism (especially but not exclusively in the American sense of the word...


The opening sequence where soccer is portrayed as the most boring sport imaginable was intended to show that soccer was more boring on television than live, but both he and Groening enjoy the game.[3][5] The referee at the game is a caricature of the janitor at Film Roman, who supplied director Pete Michels with every piece of soccer information he needed to design the episode.[6] Pelé also makes an appearance at the match, although is voiced by Hank Azaria.[3] To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Pete Michels is an animation director on Family Guy. ... Pele redirects here. ... Hank Albert Azaria (born April 25, 1964 in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, United States) is an American actor, director, comedian and voice artist. ...


The episode closes with music from The Avengers. After the music had been recorded Scully felt that it did not suit the ending and so wished to change it to something else. However, it was too late in production to get the full orchestra back to do a recording, and union rules meant that previous recordings could not be reused.[3] The Avengers is a British 1960s television series featuring secret agents in a fantasy 1960s Britain. ... A trade union or labor union is an organization of workers. ...


Cultural references

The gun shop is based on the shop that the Los Angeles Police Department went to during the North Hollywood bank robbery when they ran out of ammunition.[6] The title of this episode is a play on the name of 1970s television series The Partridge Family,[2]. The end music is the theme to the 1960s show The Avengers.[2] The song playing when Homer is sitting and watching things go by while he is waiting five days for his gun is The Waiting by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Petty rarely lets his music be used on television, but being a fan of The Simpsons, he allowed them to use it.[3] LAPD and L.A.P.D. redirect here. ... The North Hollywood shootout was an armed confrontation between two heavily-armed and armored bank robbers, Larry Phillips, Jr. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... The Partridge Family was an American television sitcom about a widowed mother and her five children living in San Pueblo, a small fictional town in Northern California, originally broadcast on ABC from 1970 to 1974. ... The Avengers is a British 1960s television series featuring secret agents in a fantasy 1960s Britain. ... Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (born October 20, 1953 in Gainesville, Florida) is an American musician. ...


Reception

The episode received several positive reviews, being included in the Herald Sun's list of the top twenty The Simpsons episodes.[7] It was also named the fifth best episode in the show's history in an article by The Florida Times-Union.[8] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette also praised the episode, calling The Simpsons "the only sitcom in memory to treat gun control with any fairness."[9] The Herald Sun is a newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that is published by The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd, a subsidiary of Rupert Murdochs News Corporation. ... The Florida Times-Union, based in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, is the major daily newspaper in northeast Florida. ... The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the PG, is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. // The paper began publication on July 29, 1786, with the encouragement of Hugh Henry Brackenridge as a four-page weekly, initially called The Gazette. ...


On the other hand, the episode has been criticized by several outlets. The staff received several complaints from the NRA about the portrayal of the organization in the episode, despite the fact that they take Homer's gun away from him when they see his irresponsible behavior.[3] Ian Jones and Steve Williams criticized the episode, calling it "a messy, unfocused lampooning of gun culture."[10] Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide found that it was "one of the most politically unambiguous episodes ever," but that "[it] is very dull and the plot isn't sustainable."[2]


The episode was banned from the United Kingdom satellite channel Sky One due to scenes of flagrant gun misuse, yet was aired several times on the free channel BBC Two in an earlier evening timeslot.[11] The episode was also included on the Too Hot for TV VHS and DVD, along with "Treehouse of Horror IX", "Natural Born Kissers" and "Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy".[12] The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 2. ... Bottom view of VHS cassette with magnetic tape exposed Top view of VHS cassette with front casing removed The Video Home System, better known by its abbreviation VHS, is a recording and playing standard. ... DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) is a popular optical disc storage media format. ... Treehouse of Horror IX is the fourth episode of The Simpsons tenth season, as well as the ninth Halloween episode. ... Natural Born Kissers is the last episode of the ninth season of The Simpsons, and is especially notable for its risque subject matter. ... Grampa vs. ...


References

  1. ^ a b c Gimple, Scott (1999). The Simpsons Forever!: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family ...Continued. Harper Collins Publishers, p. 16. ISBN 0-06-098763-4. 
  2. ^ a b c d Warren Martyn; Adrian Wood (2000). "The Cartridge Family". BBC. Retrieved on 2007-06-12.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Scully, Mike. (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Ninth Season DVD commentary for the episode "The Cartridge Family" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  4. ^ Meyer, George. (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Ninth Season DVD commentary for the episode "The Cartridge Family" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  5. ^ a b Groening, Matt. (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Ninth Season DVD commentary for the episode "The Cartridge Family" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  6. ^ a b c Michels, Pete. (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Ninth Season DVD commentary for the episode "The Cartridge Family" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  7. ^ "The Simpsons Top 20". Herald Sun. 21 April 2007. pg. w09.
  8. ^ Nancy McAlister. "A sassy 'SIMPSONS' celebration; Fox hits a Homer as it broadcasts the 300th episode of the animated sitcom tonight". The Florida Times Union. 16 February 2003. pg. D1.
  9. ^ Jonah Goldberg. "The Simpsons: Bedrock American Values". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 14 May 2000. pg. E1.
  10. ^ Ian Jones, Steve Williams. "NOW LET US NEVER SPEAK OF IT AGAIN". Off The Telly. Retrieved on 2007-08-14.
  11. ^ Steve Williams, Ian Jones. "THAT IS SO 1991!". Off The Telly. Retrieved on 2007-08-14.
  12. ^ The Simpsons: Too Hot for TV. Fox. Retrieved on 2007-10-25.

Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 163rd day of the year (164th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Twentieth (20th) Century Fox Film Corporation (known from 1935 to 1985 as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation) is one of the six major American film studios. ... Twentieth (20th) Century Fox Film Corporation (known from 1935 to 1985 as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation) is one of the six major American film studios. ... Twentieth (20th) Century Fox Film Corporation (known from 1935 to 1985 as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation) is one of the six major American film studios. ... Twentieth (20th) Century Fox Film Corporation (known from 1935 to 1985 as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation) is one of the six major American film studios. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 226th day of the year (227th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 226th day of the year (227th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

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