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Context Recap / TheSimpsonsS5E6MargeOnTheLam

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1[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/margeonthelam7.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:300:"Marge, you're the level-headed friend I never had."]]
3
4'''Original air date:''' 11/4/1993
5
6'''Production code:''' 1F03
7
8Marge makes friends with Ruth Powers (the divorced mother from "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E8NewKidOnTheBlock New Kid on the Block]]"), but one night with her leads to a ''Film/ThelmaAndLouise''-style run from the cops (minus the rape, gun violence, Creator/BradPitt as a handsome cowboy conman, and cliff suicide[[note]]though that last one was parodied[[/note]]). Meanwhile, Homer hangs out with Chief Wiggum and the Simpson kids have Lionel Hutz as their latest babysitter.
9----
10!!This episode contains examples of:
11* AccidentalHero: Homer informs Marge and Ruth about the canyon, which they didn't notice. When they do, they stop before certain death. Homer and Wiggum are the ones who end up driving off the canyon, only to be saved by a landfill.
12* AffectionateParody: Of [[Radio/APrairieHomeCompanion Garrison Keillor]] during the telethon. Matt Groening is admittedly a fan of his work.
13* AMFMCharacterization: Wiggum shows, once again, that he's an idiot cop when he puts a tape of the Music/LesleyGore song "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" to accompany a high speed chase and starts singing along.
14* AnArmAndALeg: One of the firemen prepares to saw off Homer's arms to save him from the vending machine. According to the guy, he's done this before.
15* AskAStupidQuestion: Homer's response to Marge asking that he likes ballet.
16-->'''Homer:''' Marjorie, ''please''! I enjoy ''all'' the meats of our cultural stew.
17* BadToTheBone: Parodied. Ruth places a cassette of Music/GunsNRoses' "Welcome to the Jungle" in her car stereo to show she's a rebel, but plays Music/LesleyGore's "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" instead for a few seconds before switching to the proper tape. Wiggum puts a tape with the same song into his squad car's stereo as he prepares to give chase to Marge and Ruth in a later scene but he just starts happily singing alongside Homer.
18* BaitAndSwitch:
19** Marge, Ruth and all of the other female fugitives all run off upon hearing police sirens...which turns out to be Kearney wearing a toy siren on his head while riding his bike:
20-->'''Diner owner''': You stupid kid! You know that drives away all of my business!
21-->'''Kearney''': See ya tomorrow, loser! ''[toy siren blaring]''
22** Near the end of Marge's night out with Ruth, the latter takes the former to a remote location to "show her something". She then draws a revolver from her purse in an almost threatening manner. Marge initially thought Ruth was going to "hunt [her] down for sport" until Ruth laughs and just wanted to target some tin cans.
23** A tough-looking guy approaches Marge at a shady bar:
24--->'''Man:''' Hey, baby. Feel like getting lucky?
25--->'''Marge:''' I ''am'' lucky. I have a husband and three wonderful children. Thank you very much.
26--->'''Man:''' Listen, baby. I ''always'' get what I want.
27--->'''Marge:''' I said no!
28--->'''Man:''' Oh, did ya? [[ChivalrousPervert Oh, I completely misunderstood. Please accept our apologies]]. ''(leaves)''
29** In a spoof of the ''Film/ThelmaAndLouise'' ending, Marge and Ruth manage to stop before they go over the cliff. Unfortunately, Homer and Chief Wiggum don't stop in time, go flying into the canyon...and fall the equivalent of about ten feet before they land in a massive garbage pile that breaks their fall.
30* BrakeAngrily: In these cases, it's more Brake Panically.
31** Wiggum slams on the brakes after being convinced the car the women are in is a "ghost car".
32** Ruth does this too upon reaching the canyon, as mentioned above.
33* BrickJoke:
34** Homer's ImagineSpot of what the ballet is also shared by Lenny.
35** When Ruth shows up to pick up Marge, she pops in a cassette tape, [[WrongSongGag only for it to start playing]] Music/LesleyGore's "[[SoundtrackDissonance Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows]]" (she then swapped it out for one that had Music/GunsNRoses' "Welcome to the Jungle"). Later, when Chief Wiggum starts chasing Ruth and Marge, he pops in a tape cassette for "chase sequence" music... only to play "Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows."
36** A flashback reveals that Homer's baldness (among other things) was a result of a military test he took part in. The ''Franchise/{{Dragnet}}'' spoof at the end reveals he was being forced to undergo ''more'' military testing, much to Homer's joy.
37** While out on the town, Ruth has Marge shoot a bunch of cans, much to the distress of their owner ("Mah precious antique cans!"), and at the end of the episode, Marge is taken to court for damages and causing said owner's mental anguish.
38* BuyOrGetLost: Homer gets kicked out of the Kwik-E-Mart for reading a magazine out loud without paying for it (with Apu telling him "This is ''not'' a library!"). He then gets kicked out of the library for eating snacks (with the librarian telling him "This is ''not'' a Kwik-E-Mart!").
39* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Ruth's daughter Laura doesn't appear in this episode (Ruth does mention her, however, saying she has to get home to her before "that naked talk show comes on").
40* ClutchingHandTrap: Homer gets his hand caught in the vending machine trying to retrieve a Crystal Buzz Cola. He then gets his other hand caught in another vending machine trying to retrieve a candy bar.
41* CoolCar: Keeping up with the ''Film/ThelmaAndLouise'' references, Ruth drives a 1966 Ford Thunderbird convertible similar to Louise's car in the film. It's later revealed the car actually belonged to her ex-husband which she stole as revenge for him skipping on child-support payments. It turns out all the female outlaw couples in the diner also drove these cars.
42* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: As Homer comes to find out, the reason why he got stuck in the vending machines? He was still holding on the stuff inside. Ruth gets one too, after hearing out Marge's solution of just calling the cops on her deadbeat ex-husband.
43* CouchGag: The family runs to the couch and crash through what turns out to be a painted backdrop.
44* CreatorCameo: When Marge gets hit on in the bar, the guy who does not talk is a caricature of showrunner David Mirkin.
45* CryingWolf: Marge didn't believe Homer got his hands caught in two vending machines, thinking he's backing out on his promise. Homer had the fireman write a letter to prove it.
46-->'''Marge:''' ''(reading fireman's note)'' "Dear Mrs. Simpson, while we were rescuing your husband, a lumber yard burned down."\
47'''Homer:''' D'oh! Lumber has a million uses.
48* {{Determinator}}: Intent on keeping his promise to Marge, Homer makes it quite a distance dragging a full vending machine. [[KnowWhenToFoldEm He gives up upon getting his other hand stuck in another vending machine]].
49* DiabolusExMachina: Marge and Ruth are about to make it across the state border when an army of cop cars show up and block their escape.
50* DisappointedInYou: Even if she believed Homer was stuck, Marge was still disappointed in him for not being able to keep his promise (though she had a great time with Ruth anyway). Later, Homer believes this is why Marge became a fugitive.
51* DisproportionateRetribution: Kent Brockman chimes in that Marge and Ruth must be executed for escaping from the police, "...lest their actions incite other women, leading to anarchy of Biblical proportions".
52--->'''Kent:''' *beat* IT'S IN ''REVELATIONS'', PEOPLE!\
53'''*cue "Technical Difficulties" card featuring caricature of Kent in a straitjacket*'''
54* DivorceAssetsConflict: Ruth Powers' ex-husband refused to pay her child support and alimony, so Ruth steals his convertible. In the epilogue, a voice-over tells the viewers that a judge dismissed the car theft charges against Ruth and ordered her husband to pay back the child support; no doubt, the cause for this was because his lawyer was Lionel Hutz.
55* EatingTheEyeCandy: Ruth and Marge are both very appreciative of the male ballet dancer's... attributes.
56-->'''Ruth:''' ''[appreciatively]'' Vyachepov's loins oughta be outlawed.\
57'''Marge:''' ''[giggles like a schoolgirl]''
58* EntitledToHaveYou: Subverted. When a roughneck starts coming on to Marge, she tells him she's married. His immediate reaction implies that he's going to take her by force until Marge firmly states that she just told him she's not interested. The guy immediately becomes a gentleman and apologizes for not understanding her the first time.
59* EpicFail:
60** Getting your hand stuck in a vending machine is stupid enough, but then doing it ''again'' is something else... especially since Homer ties up several [=EMTs=] just to get his hands out when he could've just ''let go'' of the can jammed inside.
61** The WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue showcases the utter failure of Lionel Hutz as a lawyer by saying that Ruth's ex-husband ([[LaserGuidedKarma who employed him as a defense]]) was forced to pay everything he owed Ruth.
62* FailedASpotCheck: Marge and Ruth fail to notice they're coming upon a chasm until Homer tells them.
63* FelonyMisdemeanor: Marge gets charged for destroying an old farmer's "precious antique cans." While being ordered to pay to replace the cans is reasonable, Marge being charged two thousand dollars in "punitive damages and mental anguish" is rather overkill (especially considering the cans cost only ''50 cents'').
64* GreenAesop: Inverted for laughs with the massive landfill at the bottom of the canyon (or rather, that had almost filled the canyon) that saves the lives of Wiggum and Homer. Wiggum even lampshades it.
65* HilarityEnsues: Referenced. The WrongGenreSavvy Homer assures the kids that if a burglar comes, "[[Film/HomeAlone it will be a very amusing and hilarious situation]]".
66* HomeAloneAntics: Discussed by Homer at one point.
67-->'''Lisa:''' Hey Dad, I think state and federal laws require us to have a babysitter.\
68'''Homer:''' Oh, Lisa. Haven't you seen ''Film/HomeAlone''? If some burglars come, it'll be a very humorous and entertaining situation.
69* HonorBeforeReason: Ruth explains her decision to steal her husband's car and become a fugitive of justice, after the guy has refused to pay alimony and Ruth hasn't contacted the police for reasons unknown, as follows:
70-->'''Ruth''': "ItsThePrincipleOfTheThing! I just can't let that deadbeat win again!"
71* HostilityOnTheSet: [[InUniverse In-Universe]]. One of many signs that KBBL has no love for Kent Brockman's prima donna attitude is the fact that the "Technical Difficulties; Please Stand By" card is a caricature of Kent in a straitjacket with a cuckoo bird coming out of his head and SymbolSwearing coming out of his mouth.
72* IGaveMyWord: Homer does ''try'' to keep his promise to Marge about going to the ballet with her, even dragging the vending machine his hand is stuck in behind him... until he gets his other hand stuck in another one.
73* ImagineSpot:
74** Homer has one about the ballet, envisioning it to be a bear riding around in a small car with no roof.
75** Homer providing vending machine treats to the people at Maggie's wedding.
76** He has another one, when Wiggum was describing Marge, he imagined some kind of "weirdo". But when the police car hit a bump, it caused the "weirdo" to be rearranged as Marge.
77* IronicEcho: "Your point being?"
78* {{Jerkass}}: Kearney, who rides by the diner wearing a police siren on his helmet, sending all the outlaws running and ruining the diner's business. And according to the owner, he's done this several times before and will continue to do so.
79* KarmaHoudini: Ruth stole her ex-husband's car, shoots at a farmer's antique cans and flees from the police, but escapes any punishment. Justified in the ex-husband's case because he refused to pay child support and hired an incompetent lawyer. Subverted in Marge's case, in that she avoided all of the more serious charges she got as Ruth's accomplice but still had to pay for the damaged cans.
80* LaserGuidedKarma: Ruth's husband refuses to pay back alimony. When he takes Ruth to court for stealing his car, the judge dismisses his claims and makes him pay the alimony.
81* TheLopsidedArmOfTheLaw: Similar to ''Thelma and Louise'', Marge and Ruth's car chase (for a bad brake light) attracts the attention of a huge army of police officers (from two states, even!). Marge is also sentenced for shooting the antique cans to pay the farmer: fifty cents for the cans… and ''two thousand dollars'' for "mental anguish".
82* MistakenForSuicidal: Ruth is unknowingly driving her and Marge towards the chasm. But Wiggum and Homer does and believe they're intentionally driving to their deaths.
83* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Homer blames himself when he thinks Marge is willingly going to drive off the chasm.
84* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: The old man that comes out when Marge is shooting his cans is a parody of Walter Brennan.
85* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: After Homer alerts Ruth and Marge to the chasm they are about to drive off of, he and Chief Wiggum wind up taking the plunge themselves... [[SubvertedTrope only to be saved by a giant landfill pile.]]
86* NoodleIncident:
87** How and what got Ruth Powers to divorce her husband. We do get why, but backstory on what their relationship was like and the full history of it leaves a lot to the imagination.
88** When Chief Wiggum told Homer to buy an inflatable woman, he told Homer to check if it was really a woman because one time, well, he didn't get into details of what happened. It could have been a male inflatable doll or a transgender inflatable doll (both of which actually exist. [[SchmuckBait Go down to any sex toy store or any store like Spencers' that sells adult novelties and see for yourself]]).
89** What happened to Lionel Hutz at the YMCA that made him freak out over people touching his stuff? For that matter, why has he changed his name twice?
90** When trying to stop Marge and Ruth from driving into the chasm, Homer apologizes to the former for a few past incidents involving attempting to make gravy in the bathtub and using her wedding dress to wax the car.
91* NotSoAboveItAll: When Homer wants reassurance from Lisa that it's okay for his wife to have a girls night out without him, Lisa agrees, then makes a whipcrack noise.
92* OhCrap:
93** Marge, when Ruth revealed that she's driving a stolen car.
94** Homer when he realizes the description of the suspect Wiggum just radioed in fits Marge perfectly.
95** Marge and Ruth, when Homer tells them they're driving towards the chasm.
96* PoliceAreUseless: Ruth manages to lose Chief Wiggum by turning off her taillights in the dark. He assumes that her car was a "ghost car", and says that there are ghost cars all over that highway, meaning he's fallen for that trick many times before.[[note]]In any reasonable world, Wiggum should be the ''first'' person to know what a “ghost car” actually refers to in law enforcement: a police car similar to an unmarked car, but with reflective graphics only visible under light or at certain angles.[[/note]]
97* PoliceCodeForEverything: 1-[=8A=]; Wanton Destruction of Precious Antique Cans.
98* RandomSmokingScene: Near the end of the episode, Marge is seen smoking a cigarette in a SmokingIsCool pose. This is really awkward because she normally doesn't smoke and, for most of the episode, her friend Ruth Powers was acting out the Smoking Is Cool part.
99* RecycledSoundtrack: The easy-listening music that plays under the WeAreExperiencingTechnicalDifficulties card seen after Kent Brockman's news report is the same music as heard under the Technical Difficulties card in "[[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E5TreehouseOfHorrorIII Treehouse of Horror III]]" from the previous year.
100* ReversePsychology: Used by Bart to almost convince Homer to leave them alone. Homer's just slightly smart enough not to fall for it.
101-->'''Homer:''' Wait a minute... ''(checks a card saying "always do the opposite of what Bart says")'' You kids do need a babysitter!\
102'''Bart:''' Blast that infernal card! ''(gets an idea)'' ''Don't'' give that card to me...\
103'''Homer:''' Here you g- NO!
104* RiddleForTheAges:
105** Homer somehow managed to make a phone call in spite of having his hands stuck on vending machines.
106** Where did the "Always do opposite of what Bart says" card come from? Judging by Bart's reaction, it seems to have been there for some time.
107** However Homer and Lenny got it in their heads that ballet is a bear driving around in a tiny car.
108* RuleOfThree: Homer tries to call three people to hang out with: Lenny, Mr. Burns and Ned Flanders.
109* RunForTheBorder: Ruth tries to run for the state border to escape the Springfield police, but other surprise an army of police cars from the other state come rushing towards them as they approach the border, making her take a turn towards (unknown to her) a canyon.
110* ScrewThisImOutOfHere: Lenny and Carl's reaction to Homer's arms getting trapped.
111-->'''Carl:''' Oh no, he's done for!
112-->'''Lenny:''' Let's get out of here!
113* ShoutOut:
114** The ending spoofs ''{{Franchise/Dragnet}}.''
115** There are several references to ''Film/ThelmaAndLouise'', including the bar scene, and the part where Homer and Wiggum plunge into a chasm.
116** Saturday night is Homer and Marge's special night because they watch ''Series/DrQuinnMedicineWoman''.
117* SkewedPriorities: A member of the emergency unit dealing with Homer decides it would be better to cut off his arms than tear up the vending machines. He is mere seconds from hacking off Homer's limbs with a buzz saw (with no anaesthetic) before a more competent member realises they're only stuck because [[StubbornMule he's still trying to take out the lodged food]].
118* StateTheSimpleSolution:
119** Ruth stole her ex-husband's car since he wouldn't pay alimony. Marge's response:
120--->'''Marge''': Didn't you realize all you had to do was report him to the police?\
121'''Ruth''': [[DidntThinkThisThrough Marge, you're the levelheaded friend I never had.]]
122** When Homer's arms about to be sawn off:
123--->'''Rescue Worker #2''': Homer, are you just holding onto the can?\
124'''Homer''': Your point being?
125* StockFootage: When Bart says "We don't need a babysitter.", it's a looped line over season 2 footage.
126* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: Lenny also thought the ballet was seeing a bear drive around in a little car at the circus.
127* SureLetsGoWithThat:
128-->'''Fireman:''' Homer, this isn't easy for me to say, but I'm gonna have to saw your arms off.\
129'''Homer:''' They'll grow back, won't they?\
130'''Fireman:''' Oh... oh yeah.\
131'''Homer:''' ''(relieved)'' Whew!
132* SuspectIsHatless: When Chief Wiggum radioed for help about Marge and Ruth, he gave what are probably the most generic location descriptions ever.
133-->'''Police radio''': State your location.
134-->'''Wiggum''': Oh geez, I'm on a road, appears to be asphalt. Trees, shrubs, I'm directly under the earth's sun...''now''.
135* SustainedMisunderstanding: Chief Wiggum was only trying to pullover Ruth because one of her tail-lights was smaller than the other. Granted though, [[ProperlyParanoid Ruth was afraid he might find out she's driving a stolen car]].
136* TakeThat: In-universe, apparently Channel Six has already made a "Technical Difficulties" card of Kent Brockman in a straitjacket to use at the right time.
137** The episode opens with a rather brutal TakeThat towards [[Radio/APrairieHomeCompanion Garrison Keillor]]. His "jokes" are ridiculously bland and dull, and the Simpsons sit blankly while wondering what the studio audience is laughing at. More generally, the telethon is nearly empty and raised about twenty-three bucks, in a jab at public television and PBS. Marge's donation more than doubles what the telethon's raised so far.
138-->'''Homer:''' What the hell's so funny?!\
139'''Bart:''' Maybe it's the TV.\
140'''Homer:''' ''(hitting the TV)'' Stupid TV! Be more funny!
141* ThatManIsDead: While babysitting the Simpson kids, Lionel Hutz burns his belongings in the Simpsons' fireplace and says his name is now Miguel Sanchez. Later on in the episode, it's implied he's done this before, and one of his alternate names is Nguyen van Phuoc.
142* TheresNoKillLikeOverkill: The Springfield police send every car they've got after Ruth and Marge after they evaded Chief Wiggum.
143* TooDumbToLive:
144** Homer, for kissing the solid waste that saves him and Wiggum from crashing into the chasm.
145** And for the revelation of him being "trapped" in the vending machines is just him holding onto the food inside.
146* {{Troll}}: Kearney. See BaitAndSwitch above.
147* UnsettlingGenderReveal: [[NoodleIncident Apparently]], this once happened to Chief Wiggum with ''a sex doll''.
148* VengefulVendingMachine: Homer puts his arm inside a vending machine to get a free "invisible cola" (actually a Crystal Buzz Cola). When he reaches into it, Carl warns him, telling him that someone lost an arm doing that once. (We see the inside of the machine where there's a skeleton arm from the last guy who tried to get a free soda, still holding onto a can of Fresca.) Homer eventually grabs the soda, but his arm gets stuck and Lenny and Carl run off, screaming. Then, Homer gets his other arm stuck inside a candy vending machine. Just as the rescue workers are about to cut off Homer's arms, it turns out this could've been avoided if he ''[[EpicFail let go]]'' of the can in the first place. The firemen write a note up for Marge to prove that the incident wasn't some wild excuse to avoid going to the ballet (with said note mentioning that while they were wasting their time with Homer, a lumber mill burned down).
149* WakeUpFighting: Lionel Hutz pulls a knife on the Simpson kids when they try to wake him from a nap because he thought he was at the Y.M.C.A..
150-->Hey! Don't touch my stuff!
151* WeAreExperiencingTechnicalDifficulties: Kent Brockman getting cut off during his broadcast of Marge and Ruth's run from the law after his controversial statements about women causing anarchy of Biblical proportions. The screen is [[https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3562/3454581387_a677f0b64f.jpg Kent Brockman in a straitjacket with a cuckoo clock bird coming out of his head.]]
152-->'''Kent Brockman''': It's in Revelations, people!
153* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: The ''{{Franchise/Dragnet}}'' ending which also contains several [[BrickJoke Brick Jokes]];
154** "'''Ruth Powers''' was tried in Springfield Superior Court. The judge dismissed her ex-husband's auto theft charges and forced him to pay back all child support. Mr. Powers blamed the outcome on his lawyer, one Lionel Hutz."
155** "'''Lionel Hutz''', a.k.a. Miguel Sanchez, a.k.a. Dr. Nguyen Van Thoc was paid eight dollars for his 32 hours of babysitting. He was glad to get it."
156** "'''Marge Simpson''' was charged with a violation of penal code Section 6I8A: wanton destruction of precious antique cans. She was ordered to pay 50 cents to replace the cans and $2,000 in punitive damages and mental anguish."
157** "'''Homer Simpson''' was remanded to the custody of the United States Army Neurochemical Research Center at Fort Meade, Maryland for extensive testing."
158* WholePlotReference: Marge and Ruth's plot parodies ''Film/ThelmaAndLouise.'' Marge is even convinced to stick with Ruth after spotting several pairs of women similar to Thelma and Louise (one of the pairs even being the actual characters) while at a roadside diner.
159* WorthIt: Homer once let himself be subject to military testing just to get out of diner with Patty and Selma, not remotely caring about the list of side-effects (giddiness, hair loss and the loss of equilibrium), even as they're effecting him in the here and now.
160* WrongSongGag: Ruth places a cassette of Music/GunsNRoses' "Welcome to the Jungle" in her car stereo in an attempt to show that she's a rebel. It ends up playing Music/LesleyGore's "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" instead for a few seconds before it switches to the proper tape. Wiggum later seems to make the same mistake while he's trying to play "chase sequence" music on his patrol car, but the fact that he just starts happily singing along without missing a beat suggests the song wasn't actually a mistake this time.

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