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To Surveil With Love
Moe Letter Blues
The Bob Next Door

Trivia[]

  • According to this episode, Moe moved to Springfield because on a calculator the zip code spelled "boobs", meaning it is 80085. There is no real-life city with this zip code, though the reverse zip code of 58008 is assigned to Barney, North Dakota. When flipped over, 58008 will spell "boobs".
  • The game "Dance Dance Evolution" that Manjula and Moe play at Moe's Tavern is very similar to the dance game called Dance Dance Revolution with the game playing the song "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga and Akon. The game is also a product of "Zii", a parody of Wii.
  • When Apu asks how old Homer is, he guesses that Homer is 65. Homer replies that he is 39 years old.
  • In the opening scene where Homer is riding Barney around like a bull, Sam and Larry are seen in the first crowd. But then, when Homer rides Barney back the way he came, you can see two other Sam and Larrys in the second crowd.
  • The flashbacks in chronological order go Lovejoy, Apu, Homer because the cricket game took place before the party. However, at the start of the flashback, Marge says she is still and over the birthday party which shouldn't happen until the evening.
  • Jessica Lovejoy makes her fourth appearances, if you don't count the framed photo in "The Boys of Bummer", in this episode since "Bart's Girlfriend", but she doesn't speak to Bart and only appears towards the end.
  • Apu alludes to cheating on Manjula, which occurred in "The Sweetest Apu".
  • The Parson makes his second appearance, after "Wedding for Disaster".
  • We learn Patty and Selma smoke from a young age, while their mother Jacqueline Bouvier was expecting Marge.
  • When the letter Moe sent to the three husbands is first seen, we see and hear the phrase "Dear friends, I have some news that is doubly sad -- first off, I am leaving town forever. And my going away present? One of your wives is running off with me.", but, after the commercial break, the phrase turns into "Dear friends, I have some news that is doubly sad -- first off, I am leaving town forever. But I am taking along with me a little going-away present, one of your wives."
  • Lady Gaga's song Just Dance was used in the episode but not credited.
  • This shows signs that at the very least Jacqueline has at least accepted Homer, unlike Patty and Selma.
  • This episode was rated TV-14, but on Disney+, it was rated TV-PG.
  • The french appearing during the cartoon translates to "The death of a cat on the moon" (title) "No films" and "Start"

Cultural References[]

  • The title is a reference to the 1990 Spike Lee film Mo' Better Blues. This is also spoofed in "Moe Baby Blues".
  • The plot of the episode is a parody of the film A Letter to Three Wives.
  • When the head of Jebediah Springfield's statue lands on Ralph during the opening sequence, Ralph says "Hello, darkness," a possible reference to the Simon & Garfunkel song "The Sound of Silence" (the first line of the song is "Hello, darkness, my old friend").
  • When Bart locks up the Nahasapeemapetilon children, he describes it as "sweet justice for how you greybacks treated our boys at Andersonville." He's wearing a blue hat, identifying himself as a Union soldier, and "graybacks" is a nickname for Confederate soldiers who mostly wore gray uniforms. "Andersonville" is a reference to Fort Sumter, Andersonville, Georgia, a notorious P.O.W. camp where over 12,000 Union prisoners died as a result of starvation, disease and mistreatment. He also calls them "you rebel scum", which could be a reference to Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.
  • Manjula says her eyes have "more bags than The Darjeeling Limited", a reference to the 2007 film in which baggage plays a prominent role.
  • Rev. Lovejoy's spiritual adviser sings the title of Krakatoa, East of Java.
  • Selma calls Homer "Chunky in the pants o' meatballs", a reference to "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." It also made a reference to a title, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.”
  • Otto (who is possibly high) sees every vehicle on the road as a character from the Pixar film Cars.
  • The Itchy and Scratchy episode is a reference to the 1902 French short film A Trip to the Moon.

Goofs[]

  • At the end of the episode, Homer goes to visit his mom despite the fact that she died back in "Mona Leaves-a". This may have been taken at a time before she died.
  • The episode starts with Reverend Lovejoy wearing a black shirt with his clerical collar on during the "Present" portion of the episode. He stays dressed this way all through the episode as he, Homer, and Apu sit telling their respective stories. After Lovejoy's story, however, when it cuts back to the present, Lovejoy is suddenly wearing his red/pink shirt blue tie combination with absolutely no explanation as to why he may have changed shirts or when he would have had the time to.
  • Homer says it is the first of the month, which means it cannot be Mother's Day as Mothers Day occurs on the second Sunday in May.
  • Reverend Lovejoy says to the parson “When a clam only has one pearl, Helen has many“, but pearls don’t come from clams, they come from oysters.
Waylon’s pants miscolored

Waylon’s pants are the same color as his jacket

  • When we see everyone in Moe’s, Waylon Smither’s pants is the same color as his jacket instead of grayish blue.
  • During Jacqueline's 80th birthday, her hair is short instead of long and bent.
  • When Homer, and the kids were outside the house, we see Homer, Bart, and Lisa. Then Maggie appeared with them by the time they reached the Island Queen.
  • Jessica’s outfit changes throughout the episode.

Censorship[]

On October 13th Channel 4 cut these 5 scenes.

  • Homer saying "penis-curling" while yelling at Patty and Selma was cut.
  • All the scenes of Moe calling Apu and Manjula pu and mrs pu were cut.
  • Timothy saying "Way to bitch up the conversation." was cut.
  • Helen asking Timothy "Do you have a train in your pants or are you happy to see me." and Timothy answering "Both." was cut.
Season 20 Season 21 References/Trivia Season 22
Homer the WhopperBart Gets a "Z"The Great Wife HopeTreehouse of Horror XXThe Devil Wears NadaPranks and GreensRednecks and BroomsticksO Brother, Where Bart Thou?Thursdays with AbieOnce Upon a Time in SpringfieldMillion Dollar MaybeBoy Meets CurlThe Color YellowPostcards From the WedgeStealing First BaseThe Greatest Story Ever D'ohedAmerican History X-cellentChief of HeartsThe Squirt and the WhaleTo Surveil With LoveMoe Letter BluesThe Bob Next DoorJudge Me Tender
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