Dangers on a Train/References

Episode	References	Gags	Appearances	Gallery	Quotes	Credits

◄ The Saga of Carl

Dangers on a Train

Homerland ►

Trivia

• One of the names on Marge's list of men to reject is "Convict #RABF17". RABF17 is the production code of this episode.
• This episode was originally scheduled to be the premiere for Season 25, but was moved on May 2, 2013 to be the finale of Season 24, broadcasting on May 19, 2013.
• The "A" on Ben's shirt is a reference to what Hester Prynne from "The Scarlet Letter" wore ("A" stood for adultery).
• As the episode was originally written, the train came from Itchy & Scratchy Land, which was closing.
• Marge's credit card is set to expire on December 30, 2016 and has been active for use since December 30, 1986.

  

  Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) relieved as Bart's namesake

• This episode reveals Bart and Lisa were both named after trains.
• Upton Rectory is a parody of Downton Abbey.
• PBC is a parody of both PBS and BBC.
• This is the second episode where a Simpson writes a letter in ketchup on someone's chest. The first was "E-I-E-I-D'oh".
• This technically is the 100th episode since it was first broadcasted in HD in "Take My Life, Please" (430th episode).
• When Ben imitates a character from "Upton Rectory," his voice is identical to that of Stewie Griffin on Family Guy, who was also voiced by Seth MacFarlane.

Cultural References

• The episode title is a parody of Alfred Hitchcock's suspense movie Strangers on a Train.
• Ramona calls Marge a "man-eater Hall and Oates warned us all about".
• Sassy Madison's advert is a parody of old Hanna-Barbera cartoons from the 1950s and 1960s.
• Season 25 is referenced indirectly by Homer asking Marge if she thinks their marriage will last 25 years to which Bart slyly replies to the camera "Nothing should".
• Ben does an impression of Stewie Griffin. This is ironic because he is voiced by Seth MacFarlane, who voices Stewie and Peter Griffin.
• The scene in which Bart and Lisa play pillow fight and accidentally break a lampshade contains some references to communism:
  • After the lampshade is broken, Bart says that "Lisa has made him break the lampshade": this refers to Vladimir Lenin's ideologic strategy of "accusing your enemies of doing the things that you do, calling your enemies the things that you are", which is a regular in communism;
  • Lisa retorts by saying that Bart "distorts the facts in an orwellian way", which alludes to George Orwell;
  • Marge complains that both kids never cease fighting and using obscure references, to which Lisa mentions Orwell's 1945 novel Animal Farm;
  • Bart whispers to Lisa that "grandpa says that Orwell was a communist".
• The book Rev. Lovejoy reads before helping to work on the train is "The Jesus and Mary Train", a pun off the Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain.

Goofs

• There are multiple continuity errors:
  • Homer and Marge claim to be celebrating their tenth anniversary, even though they had their eleventh anniversary in "Natural Born Kissers". Also, it was revealed that they had been divorced and when it was they were remarried so in this episode the couldn't have been married for a decade.
  • Bart calls Homer "Daddy" as a baby despite that in "Lisa's First Word", he always called him "Homer" at age 2.
    • He could have been changing his habbit of calling Homer by name or "daddy".
  • The flashback at the episode start shows Bart as being older than Nelson, which is inconsistent with the entire series timeline.
    • Nelson (if he is older than Bart) could've said his first word much later after his birth than babies do.
  •  The flashback at the episode start shows Jeremy Freedman was a teenager almost nine years earlier, however he should have appeared as an elementary school boy.
    • "Lard of the Dance" implies that he is not the only Squeaky Voiced Teen in Springfield; it's possible there were many before him and thus that it was most likely not the same one.
  • A stand at Towne Centre at Springfielde Glenne called Kannabis Korner is shown to sell medical marijuana, even though Springfield outlawed medical marijuana in "Weekend at Burnsie's".
    • The ban may have been lifted.
  •  The flashback depicts Homer and Marge at Towne Centre at Springfielde Glenne nine years ago, but "The D'oh-cial Network" implied that it just opened in that episode. Also in the present it looks run-down.
    • The flashback could be taking place in a different shop and Homer while telling it to the children could've made it up where the story takes place.