Pygmoelian
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"Pygmoelian" is the sixteenth episode of the eleventh season of The Simpsons. It aired on February 27, 2000.
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[edit] Synopsis
The family goes to a festival sponsored by Duff Beer and sees Moe Szyslak enter a "Beer-tender" competition. His face is photographed for the Duff calendar, but his picture is blocked out with stickers, because his face is ugly. Realizing how ugly he is, Lenny and Carl suggest that Moe get plastic surgery. He reluctantly agrees. After his surgery, Moe has a very handsome face. In response, he confronts Duffman and the producers of a soap opera, It Never Ends, saying he never got the part of the character Dr. Tad Winslow. Incidentally, the actor who plays Dr. Tad Winslow demands he get a raise in his salary, but it is rejected by the producers. In response, Moe tells the producer his story, and he becomes the new Dr. Tad Winslow.
The soap opera goes well, until Moe learns from top-secret future plot lines that his character will be killed off. On the air, Homer and Moe reveal the plot lines. The producers angrily tell Moe that his character was only supposed to die in a dream. They then fire him. As he walks off the set, a set piece falls on his new face, which is destroyed (actually, Moe gets back his original mug after the accident). Things go back to normal when Moe returns to his tavern.
Meanwhile, while Moe is acting, Bart and Lisa discover that Maggie's balloon is gone in the wind. They go after it until it ends up in a gay Republican coalition's office, and they see the pink elephant from the balloon as their mascot.
[edit] Trivia
- Carl's last name is revealed to be Carlson in this episode.
- There is a character who takes Moe's picture for the Duff calendar, introduced by Duffman as "Duff's Vice President in charge of calendars and fake IDs, Phil Angelides." Phil Angelides is the name of the California State Treasurer, who is the 2006 Democratic Nominee for Governor of California. When asked about the episode, the real-life Angelides acknowledged Simpsons creator Matt Groening as "a friend" and said "By the way, that made me very popular among my three daughters. It raised my hip status among all my daughters and their friends."[1] [2]
The title of the show is a reference to the George Barnard Shaw play 'Pygmalion'
[edit] Goofs
- When Homer and Moe are revealing the storylines, they are being taped, not broadcasted live, so in reality, the plan shouldn't have worked.
- When the Simpsons leave the house they're in their pajamas. But once they get to the Duff Beer festival they're in their regular clothes.
[edit] Cultural reference
- The episode title references George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion.
- The gay Republican coalition is probably a parody of the Log Cabin Republicans.
[edit] External links
- "Pygmoelian" episode capsule at The Simpsons Archive
- "Pygmoelian" at the Internet Movie Database
