Line #43 Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E19AFishCalledSelma


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/a_fish_called_selme_promo_picture.jpg]]
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3	'''Original air date:''' 3/24/1996
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5	'''Production code:''' 3F15
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7	When Troy [=McClure=] (you may remember him from such Simpsons episodes as "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E10TheSimpsons138thEpisodeSpectacular The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular]]" and "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E5LisaTheVegetarian Lisa the Vegetarian]]"!) is sentenced to renew his driver's license after getting pulled over for erratic driving, he meets Selma (who is still looking for a man so she can have a family and not die alone) and decides to marry her to revive his moribund movie career (which fizzled out due to bad project choices and the urban legend that he is sexually attracted to fish, which got him in trouble at the Springfield Aquarium), which Selma has no problem with -- until Troy's agent wants Troy and Selma to have a baby.
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9	Incidentally, ''Vulture'' did [[https://www.vulture.com/2017/07/the-simpsons-planet-of-the-apes-musical-oral-history-zauis.html "An Oral History of The Simpsons’ Classic Planet of the Apes Musical"]] that gets much more than you'd expect out of discussing a two minute long joke.
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11	----
12	!!Tropes:
13	* AdaptationDecay: In-universe, whoever did the ''Planet of the Apes'' musical was clearly familiar with ''Film/PlanetOfTheApes1968'', but did not really care about being faithful.
14	** AdaptationalAttractiveness or HotterAndSexier: Dr. Zira is replaced by an attractive nurse ape compared to the matronly scientist she was in the movie.
15	** AdaptationalModesty: In this version, Taylor never loses his spacesuit.
16	** AdaptationalVillainy: The aforementioned Zira replacement is scared of Taylor's ability to talk and requests that Dr. Zaius protect her from him. In the film, Zira was delighted to see Taylor talk and championed his recognition as an intelligent being by the ape society, coming into conflict with the villain Dr. Zaius. Furthermore, the ending can be interpreted as ''all'' apes being aware of the Statue of Liberty's existence and apparently involved in hiding it from Taylor as some sick prank on him, rather than just Zaius being aware.
17	-->'''Taylor''': You’ve finally made a monkey...
18	-->'''Ape chorus''': Yes, we finally made a monkey...
19	-->'''All''': YES! You’ve/we finally made a monkey out of me/him!
20	** AdaptedOut: Presumably happens to Nova, who is not present at the musical's climax. Zira and Cornelius may have been also AdaptedOut or changed so much as to be unrecognizable.
21	** {{Bowdlerise}}: The musical omits the cursing that was present in the 1968 film.
22	-->'''George Taylor''': Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape! \
23	'''Troy [=McClure=]''': Take your paws off me, you dirty ape!
24	** AdaptationalAlternateEnding: Instead of leaving Taylor in despair at the feet of the Statue of Liberty, Dr. Zaius comes to comfort him, and Taylor proclaims that he loves Dr. Zaius.
25	* AllMusicalsAreAdaptations: One of Troy's first new roles is on a ''Planet of the Apes'' musical.
26	* ArtisticLicenseAnimalCare: At the end after breaking up with Troy, Selma tells her iguana Jub Jub that she's going to give him microwaved cockroaches as a treat when they get home. It is best for iguanas not to be fed any insects, since they are herbivores and all.
27	* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: When Fat Tony starts to explain what he meant when he said Troy "sleeps with the fishes", Louie tells him to stop because "I just ate a whole plate of ''dingamagoo''," which in truth does not exist; it's just Italian-sounding gibberish.
28	* BadBadActing: Impressively, the animators manage to convey this in the performance of whoever was supposed to be playing Dr. Zaius in the musical. He has a tendency to go over-the-top in his body language, like when he drops his jaw after Troy says he couldn't play the piano before. Meanwhile, Troy's performance is more of an InUniverse case of TookTheBadFilmSeriously.
29	* BaitAndSwitch:
30	** Selma asks Troy what he's currently working on, and he responds that he's been reading a lot of scripts...because it's cheaper than ''going'' to the movies.
31	** We start a scene with Troy and Selma in a restaurant:
32	--->'''Troy''': [laughing] That's too funny! I can't remember when I've heard a funnier anecdote. [laughing] All right, now you tell one.
33	** As Troy and Selma are in the middle of a makeout session, he then pulls away, takes out some breath spray, says "Just a sec" and initially aims the container at his mouth, only to then spray it into ''hers''.
34	** When Troy [[InVinoVeritas drunkenly]] tells Homer ''why'' he's marrying Selma, Homer stares ahead in what is implied to be shock. Cut to the wedding itself, where upon Reverand Lovejoy saying [[SpeakNowOrForeverHoldYourPeace the infamous line]], we cut to the crowd, where the camera focuses on Homer...
35	--->'''Homer''': (camera cuts to a close-up; thinking) ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_and_Roll_(Gary_Glitter_song) Dah, dah, dah-dah-dah, hey! Dah-dah, dah-dah! Dah, dah, dah-dah-dah, hey! Dah-dah!]]''
36	* TheBeard: Selma, for Troy, albeit Troy isn't gay, but allegedly sexually attracted to sea life. Troy mentions that if he ''was'' gay he wouldn't need to enter into a fake marriage, in a nod to how it was starting to be seen as socially acceptable to be openly gay in Hollywood in the mid-90s.
37	* BestialityIsDepraved: This episode peppers in an absurd amount of jokes about Troy’s fish fetish, even putting it into the episode's title, without straight up saying it.
38	* BitingTheHandHumor: The final line reveals 20th Century Fox is willing to produce Troy's ridiculously outdated-sounding vanity project.
39	* BlindWithoutEm: Troy [=McClure=] is pulled over for reckless driving. His license requires him to wear glasses, but they make him look like a nerd, so we usually never see him with any.
40	* BrutalHonesty: Troy doesn't flinch at all when Selma confronts him about the problem with their marriage.
41	--> '''Selma:''' Is this a sham marriage!?
42	--> '''Troy:''' Sure, baby. Is that a problemo?
43	* ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes: After Homer reveals what Troy told him at the bar, he simply turns off the lights and Marge's eyes, wide open over the surprise, can still be seen, which was lampshaded.
44	--> "Marge, could you close your eyes? I'm trying to sleep."
45	* CareerResurrection: InUniverse. Troy starts getting more requests and is about to be cast in a big Hollywood film thanks to dating, and then marrying Selma.
46	%% * CharacterDevelopment: The entire point of the episode was to provide this for Troy.
47	* CirclingBirdies: After bumping his head into Troy's car, Chief Wiggum says that he sees stars, but Troy says, "Nope. Just me."
48	* ComicallyMissingThePoint: After Troy's BaitAndSwitch with Selma about the "amusing anecdote", Selma replies she had a date with a movie star.
49	-->'''Troy''': Which one? Is it Creator/GeorgeSegal? I hear he plays the banjo.
50	* CompressedVice: Troy's career-ruining fetish for marine wildlife comes out of nowhere, and it never comes up again. This may be a JustifiedTrope, as it's the first (and only) time he's ever had a main role in an episode beyond informercials and promotional videos.
51	* ContinuityNod:
52	** A lot of the portraits at The Pimento Grove are of actual celebrities who made guest appearances in past episodes.
53	** During the wedding, Lovejoy refers to Selma as "Selma Bouvier-Terwilliger-Bouvier", referring to her previous marriage to Sideshow Bob in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E21BlackWidower Black Widower]]".
54	* CouchGag: The family are malfunctioning wind-up dolls who waddle their way to the couch (or at least near it).
55	* ADayInTheLimelight: Troy [=McClure=] and Selma are the focus of the whole episode, even giving more information about Troy's life. The Simpsons do appear, but they're pretty much the supporting cast.
56	* DiscoDan: Troy is shown to be very out of touch with contemporary styling by depicting him driving a [=DeLorean DMC12=] and living in a {{Zeerust}} [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemosphere home]] full of midcentury modern furnishings.
57	* EveryoneHasStandards:
58	** Troy [=McClure=] hasn't acted in twelve years, so he's anxious to accept the offers that his agent says are "pouring in". Except the one from Paramount for "a buddy comedy with Creator/RobLowe and Creator/HughGrant". ("Those sick freaks?" he shouts.)
59	** Selma ends up marrying Troy, but learns it's just a ploy by him to improve his career. She is convinced to continue the marriage, citing all the perks, until Troy decides to have a baby with Selma. She leaves him, not wanting to bring a child into a loveless marriage.
60	* TheFantasticTropeOfWonderousTitles: At the end of the episode, Troy is working on a personal project called: ''The Contrabulous Fabtraption of Professor Horatio Hufnagel''.
61	* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: InUniverse. His appearance in ''Stop The Planet Of The Apes, I Want To Get Off!'' shows that Troy is in fact a legitimately talented actor. The reason he's considered washed-up has more to do with his poor choices of roles, his addictions, and (obviously) the fish thing.
62	* HospitalHottie: One of the apes in the musical is a buxom female in a nurse's uniform.
63	* HypocriticalHumor: When Troy's agent told him Paramount wants him to star in a buddy comedy with Creator/RobLowe and Creator/HughGrant. Troy response was that they are some sick freaks. These two were involved in some sexual scandals at the time, (Rob Lowe caught heat for recording a sex tape with a minor and Hugh Grant was caught receiving oral sex in his car on Sunset Boulevard from a prostitute named Divine Brown). The fact that Troy calls them out for being freaks is hypocritical, as Troy has been accused of being sexually attracted to fish.
64	* ImGoingToDisneyWorld: Troy's reaction to the possibility of being [=McBain=]'s sidekick:
65	-->''Hot damn! [[NotHelpingYourCase I'm going to Sea World!]]''
66	* INeedAFreakingDrink: When Troy tries to have sex with Selma to conceive a child, he just keeps making roaring noises at the door of their bedroom. Selma wants to break the ice and offers him some wine. He quickly runs to the bed, empties both glasses, and returns to the door to continue with the roaring.
67	* InkSuitActor: [=MacArthur=] Parker looks like his voice actor, Creator/JeffGoldblum.
68	* LiteralMetaphor: No, when Fat Tony said Troy was "sleeping with the fishes", he did ''not'' mean Troy was dead.
69	* NoodleIncident: Troy [=McClure=]'s unseen fish fetish. Whatever it entails, it has him banned from the aquarium and can be described as him "sleeping with the fishes".
70	* NotEvenBotheringWithAnExcuse: When Selma confronts Troy about their sham marriage, he spins it as a good thing because unlike many other sham celebrity marriages, they know where they stand. Being desperate, Selma agrees to go along with the charade because she'll no longer be alone, and she'll get the perks of being a celebrity's wife, up until Troy's agent tells them they need a TrophyChild to keep up the illusion.
71	* ObligatoryJoke: "Stop the Planet of the Apes, I Want to Get Off", as a StylisticSuck ShowWithinAShow is made of this trope, from the title (which is an obligatory joke if one is deeply-immersed enough in theatrical naming conventions) to the [[EnforcedTrope enforced]] [[MandatoryTwistEnding ending]]. Specific jokes:
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73	--> '''Troy [=McClure=]:''' What's wrong with me?
74	--> '''Dr. Zaius:''' I think you're crazy!
75	--> '''Troy [=McClure=]:''' Want a second opinion!
76	--> '''Dr. Zaius:''' You're also lazy.
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78	--> '''Troy [=McClure=]:''' Can I play the piano anymore?
79	--> '''Dr. Zaius:''' Of course you can!
80	--> '''Troy [=McClure=]:''' Well I couldn't before.
81	--> '''Troy [=McClure=]:''' ''demonstrates his newfound proficiency''
82
83	--> '''Troy [=McClure=]:''' Oh my god! [[DullSurprise I was wrong]]; it was Earth, all along. You've finally made a monkey -
84	--> '''Chorus:''' Yes, we've finally made a monkey -
85	--> '''Troy [=McClure=]:''' Yes, you've finally made a monkey out of me!
86	* OohMeAccentsSlipping: When Troy says, "I'm sorry, this whole concept's foreign to me!", Creator/PhilHartman's Canadian accent noticeably slips through on the word "sorry."
87	* OppositesAttract: Troy is a very upbeat and shallow character while Selma is negative and emotional.
88	* OutOfFocus: The main Simpson family don't get much focus in this episode, as most of the screentime is [[ADayInTheLimelight focused on Troy and Selma]].
89	* PetTheDog: When Selma is reprimanded for smoking in a fancy restaurant, Troy lights up a cigar so she won't feel embarrassed. This was before the whole thing turned to publicity.
90	* PopCulturalOsmosisFailure: Selma doesn't seem to be aware that ''The Muppets Go Medieval'', Troy's "latest" film he takes her to a screening of, is around two decades old.
91	* PopCulturePunEpisodeTitle: The title is a reference to ''Film/AFishCalledWanda''.
92	* PublicityStuntRelationship: Marge's sister Selma gets married to Troy [=McClure=], mostly for Troy to boost his career on his agent's advice. However, she draws the line at having children: a loveless marriage is one thing, but to bring up a child in a loveless marriage is too far.
93	* PunnyName: [=MacArthur=] Parker is one on the song "[=MacArthur=] Park" (and the actual [=MacArthur=] Park in downtown Los Angeles).
94	* RippedFromTheHeadlines: The premise of a celebrity marrying solely to convince the public that they have non-deviant sexual urges may have been inspired by the failed Music/MichaelJackson-Lisa Marie Presley marriage, which ended a few months before this episode ran and was widely suspected of being a career-reviving ploy. (Columnist Jonah Goldberg actually referenced this episode in a ''National Review'' piece in 2005, as Jackson's child molestation trial was nearing its end.)
95	* RougeAnglesOfSatin: After the wedding, Troy and Selma get into a a car with "JUST MARRED" written on it, likely to indicate how Troy really feels about the whole thing.
96	* ShoutOut: The musical ''Stop the Planet of the Apes, I Want to Get Off!'', in addition to being a parody of ''Film/PlanetOfTheApes1968'' and the stage musical ''[[Creator/AnthonyNewley Stop the World - I Want to Get Off]]'', also contains the number "Dr. Zaius", set to Falco's "Rock Me Amadeus". See also PunnyName above.
97	* SongParody: "Dr. Zaius", a parody of Falco's "Rock Me Amadeus".
98	* SpeakNowOrForeverHoldYourPeace: Subverted; it looks like Homer might object, but he's too busy humming the tune to Music/GaryGlitter's "Rock and Roll, Part 2" in his head.
99	* SpecialGuest: Creator/JeffGoldblum as [=MacArthur=] Parker. Oddly, because the ''Film/PlanetOfTheApes1968'' musical is such an iconic moment for Creator/PhilHartman, people forget that Goldblum is in this episode too (he was working on one of his biggest films, ''Film/IndependenceDay'', when he recorded his lines according to Josh Weinstein). The fact that he is not a CelebrityStar but voicing a one-off secondary character might also be a factor.
100	* TrophyChild: Defied: Troy's agent wants Troy and Selma to have a baby to improve Troy's career, but Troy doesn't know the first thing about sex with a real woman and Selma doesn't want to bring a child into a sham marriage. Troy then suggests hiring a child actor to be in on it, but by then, Selma's just tired of the illusion.
101	* TheUnreveal: Troy's "abnormality" is purposefully alluded to but [[NothingIsFunnier never spelled out]]. Though Fat Tony's line about Troy [=McClure=] "sleeping with the fishes" -- which, in this case, doesn't mean that Troy was drowned by the Mafia -- is about as close to alluding to Troy's sexual fetish as primetime TV will allow. ''The Simpsons: Virtual Springfield'' featured a paparazzi photo with a drunk Troy and a fish in a compromising position.
102	* WeirdAside: How Homer lets the truth slip:
103	-->'''Marge:''' It was a beautiful wedding. I don't think I've seen Selma happier.
104	-->'''Homer:''' That reminds me — Troy said something interesting last night at the bar. Apparently he doesn't really love Selma and the marriage is just a sham to help his career. Well, enough talk. Let's snuggle.
105	-->'''Marge:''' WHAT?!
106	* YouMightRememberMeFrom: Used Repeatedly InUniverse. It's a Troy episode, so this trope is all over the place.
107	-->'''Troy''': Hi, I'm Troy [=McClure=]! You might remember me from such dates as last night's dinner!

Context Recap / TheSimpsonsS7E19AFishCalledSelma