Line #5 Recap/TheSimpsonsS21E3TheGreatWifeHope


1	Marge protests against UsefulNotes/MixedMartialArts after Bart gets in trouble for fighting in school.
2	----
3	!! Tropes:
4
5	* ActionGirl: Marge turns into one, as well as Lisa at the end of the episode.
6	* ArtisticLicenseMartialArts: Marge shows her fellow MoralGuardians an MMA clip in which a fighter pounds another on the ground for a ridiculously lengthy amount of time (the clip is sped forward and it still doesn't end). In reality, modern MMA referees are ordered to stop the match at the moment one of the fighters is perceived as unable to defend themselves anymore, usually allowing just a few unanswered strikes before stopping the match in order to spare them pointless damage. Prolonged beatings on already beaten opponents did happen in the old times of the sport, most notably in the Brazilian vale tudo and the first days of the UFC, but nowadays it's more probable to happen the other way around and have a referee stop the match when the "victim" might look still not defeated yet (at least to the untrained eye). However, it's not unsubtly implied by the time the audience gets a better understanding of [[JerkAss what kind of a man he is]] that this is only because Chett Englebrick allows it (or even ''encourages'' it).
7	* AsHimself: Real life MMA champion Chuck Lidell appears signing autographs.
8	* {{Bloodsport}}: MMA in general is treated as a vicious combative sport people only watch for the blood and pain, of course mostly played for laughs. The episode does use ArtisticLicenseMartialArts and a fictional MMA league, but the breaking point for Marge was seeing Bart involved with a playground version of the sport under the jungle gym.
9	* CurbStompBattle:
10	** Bart (a little kid with absolutely no training) tries to challenge Chett (a fully-grown man with some experience in mixed martial arts) to a fight to prevent Chett from hurting Marge anymore. A predictably one-sided fight ensues.
11	** Marge accepts Chett's challenge and decides to practice a non-combative sport (gymnastics) because she wants to maintain her moral righteousness. Even if she turns out to be ''good'' at it, Bart and Lisa immediately point out that not knowing how to fight is gonna get her creamed and look for someone who can teach Marge.
12	* DomesticAbuse: Implied when Chett says he feels odd for hitting a woman he ''doesn't'' love.
13	* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: At the climax of the episode, Bart charges into the ring to try to stop the fight when it looks like Chett is going to [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown continue beating up on Marge after he already knocked her out]], even challenging Chett. He gets smacked around for his trouble, which triggers Marge's MamaBear HeroicSecondWind.
14	* FanHater: In-universe with Marge, who's main motivation to have mixed martial arts banned is because she hates it and is appalled by people liking it.
15	* FeelingOppressedByTheirExistence: While Marge would have a point that MMA is dangerous and can lead to violent behavior (which is what happened with Bart on the playground), the fact that she straight-up says "Because this isn't to my liking, nobody should be allowed to enjoy it" puts her firmly in this category.
16	* FrivolousLawsuit: After Homer and Bart watch a fight, Homer tells Bart not to do it at home but at school where they can sue over eventual injuries.
17	* HiddenDepths:
18	** Turns out that Charles Montgomery Burns used to wrestle back when he was in college and tries to teach Marge a few moves for her fight with Chett (emphasis on ''tries'').
19	** Bart himself proves to actually have some talent in MMA fighting. His opponent Nelson is regularly portrayed as unusually tough on the show, but Bart legitimately had him in a choke hold with his legs.
20	* HypocriticalHumor: Carl is offended that Homer thinks he knows Drederick Tatum just because they’re both black… then admits hat the two are good friends, having met through Dr. Hibbert at Bleeding Gums Murphy’s house.
21	* ImpendingClashShot: The final scene of the episode is Bart and Lisa getting ready to fight each other and the scene pausing and cutting to credits just as they are swinging a la ''Film/RockyIII''. [[CurbStompBattle Then the credits cut back to the fight after a few seconds, showing Lisa knocked out Bart with a single punch.]]
22	* InstantlyProvenWrong: Marge chides Bart for fighting Nelson with "I'm glad your father isn't here to see this!", only for a quick pan right to reveal that Homer's not only present but cheering him on.
23	* ItsAllAboutMe: One of Marge's lines states openly that if she hates something, no one is allowed to like it.
24	* ISurrenderSuckers: Chett uses this strategy to trick Marge. It doesn't work.
25	* JerkassBall: Marge's MoralGuardians beliefs became worse as the years go by, but here, she won't allow ''anyone'' to like what she hates. Her "simple" request for Chett is for him go out of business and give all of his money to charity.
26	* MadeOfIron: Drederick Tatum decides to teach Marge some boxing moves for her fight with Chett and makes a cell phone call mid-training while fully ignoring Marge using his abs as a punching bag.
27	* MamaBear: Marge becomes an instant martial arts expert when she sees Chett about to hit Bart.
28	* MoralGuardians: Marge and the group protesting mixed martial arts. She even flat out says that "If something isn't to my taste [[ItsAllAboutMe then no one should be allowed to enjoy it"]]
29	* MurderousThighs: Marge finds Bart holding Nelson in an inverted triangle choke in the schoolyard.
30	* NegativeContinuity: A few prior episodes have showcased that Marge's age has done a number on her body (such as trying to learn Ballet ending with one of her legs stuck in an awkward position), but on this one she can do a passable rhythmic gymnastics routine with no problem. On the other hand, the episode also throws out "Strong Arms of the Ma," which shows Marge to be well capable of bulking up to the point where she can fight a man even before she descends down the path of steroid use.
31	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Chett Englebrick seems to be a [[StealthPun mix]] of real life personalities related to mixed martial arts. He is part Dana White, president of UsefulNotes/UltimateFightingChampionship, for leading an UFC expy and being outspoken and crass; part Nobuyuki Sakakibara, chairman of PRIDE Fighting Championships and currently of RIZIN Fighting Federation, for his glasses and smug attitude; and part Wrestling/VinceMcMahon, president of Wrestling/{{WWE}}, which has nonetheless employed several MMA fighters over the years, for his hair and face design.
32	* TheNoseKnows: How Bart figures out Marge bribed Homer with a Black Forest cake to be on her side.
33	* RightForTheWrongReasons: Marge's reason (or so she says) that she dislikes MMA is because she thinks it's morally unwholesome. It's made clear that it's just something she's saying to try to sound like she's on the right. And then it turns out that Chett Englebrick, the creator of the tournament, is a colossal asshole ''and'' domestic abuser that allows absurd amounts of cruelty to happen on the ring ForTheEvulz.
34	* SherlockScan: Kind of. Bart is able to quickly figure out Homer was bribed to side with Marge via a Black Forest cake just from smelling his breath.
35	* ShoutOut:
36	** Chett tries a DivingKick while Marge is turned away after she believes she has just defeated him, just like Johnny Sun does to break Creator/BruceLee's back in ''Film/DragonTheBruceLeeStory''. However, Marge senses him and turns to knock him out in mid-air, like Mike does to the treacherous Justin in the MMA film ''Film/NeverBackDown2''.
37	** The final ImpendingClashShot of the fight between Bart and Lisa and set up to it ape the final moments of ''Film/RockyIII''
38	* SoapboxSadie: Marge Simpson dislikes mixed martial arts and goes on the warpath to get the sport shut down in Springfield, even accepting a challenge that may get her hurt badly with the stake that if she wins Chett Englebrick (the chairman of the MMA company) will shut the whole thing down. It's made perfectly clear (by herself, even) that she is doing it ''just'' because she hates the sport and once she wins she immediately makes another attempt at speechifying her moral outrage even if 1) she ''already won'' and 2) everybody already left the stadium to watch a couple of drunken hobos beat the crap out of each other in the parking lot (she doesn't notice this, even, until Lisa of all people points this out).
39	* UnknownRematchConclusion: The episode ends with Bart and Lisa at an abandoned MMA ring deciding to resolve "that sibling rivalry we have going on." The episode ends as the two rush each other. It then gets subverted when, after the initial end credits, the scene cuts back to Lisa [[CurbStompBattle curb stomping]] Bart.
40	* WeaksauceWeakness: Homer’s one weakness is that he’s weak, especially if the bribe is an entire Black Forest cake.
41	* WithFriendsLikeThese: Marge's friends talk about her behind her back.
42	* WouldHitAGirl: Chett had no trouble with the notion of hitting Marge, and his words imply he is a domestic abuser. He even mentions he'll fight anyone except a man his own size.
43	* WouldHurtAChild: Chett said he'll fight anyone weaker than him when Bart challenged him to a fight in an attempt to protect his mother. [[MamaBear Seeing that was enough for Marge to get angry enough to wipe the floor with him.]]

Context Recap / TheSimpsonsS21E3TheGreatWifeHope