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|productionCode = 2F08
 
|productionCode = 2F08
 
|originalAirdate = December 18, 1994
 
|originalAirdate = December 18, 1994
|blackboardText = "[[Ralph Wiggum|Ralph]] won't 'morph' if you squeeze him hard enough"
+
|blackboardText = [[Ralph]] won't 'morph' if you squeeze him hard enough.
 
|couchGag = [[Circus Line couch gag]]
 
|couchGag = [[Circus Line couch gag]]
 
|specialGuestVoices = [[Anne Bancroft]] as [[Dr. Zweig]]<br/>[[Ted Danson]] as Sam<br/>[[Woody Harrelson]] as Woody<br/>[[Rhea Perlman]] as Carla<br/>[[John Ratzenberger]] as Cliff<br/>[[George Wendt]] as Norm
 
|specialGuestVoices = [[Anne Bancroft]] as [[Dr. Zweig]]<br/>[[Ted Danson]] as Sam<br/>[[Woody Harrelson]] as Woody<br/>[[Rhea Perlman]] as Carla<br/>[[John Ratzenberger]] as Cliff<br/>[[George Wendt]] as Norm
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|Written By = [[David Sacks]]
 
|Written By = [[David Sacks]]
 
|Directed By = [[Mark Kirkland]]
 
|Directed By = [[Mark Kirkland]]
  +
|main_character(s) = [[Marge Simpson]]}}
}}
 
 
{{Quote|There's something bothering me about this place...<br/>...I know! This lesbian bar doesn't have a fire exit. Enjoy your death trap, ladies.|[[Homer Simpson]] in the [[She-She Lounge]]}}
 
{{Quote|There's something bothering me about this place...<br/>...I know! This lesbian bar doesn't have a fire exit. Enjoy your death trap, ladies.|[[Homer Simpson]] in the [[She-She Lounge]]}}
   
"'''Fear of Flying'''" is the eleventh episode of [[Season 6]]. It aired on December 18, 1994. The episode was written by [[David Sacks]] and directed by [[Mark Kirkland]]. [[Anne Bancroft]], [[Ted Danson]], [[Woody Harrelson]], [[Rhea Perlman]], [[John Ratzenberger]], [[George Wendt]] guest star.
+
"'''Fear of Flying'''" is the eleventh episode of [[Season 6]].
   
==Synopsis==
+
== Synopsis ==
The family discovers [[Marge]]'s secret fear, after they try to go on vacation with [[Homer]]'s free airline tickets (after Homer is banned from Moe's Tavern). On [[Lisa]]'s advice, Marge visits a psychiatrist to get down to the bottom of her seemingly unexplained fear.
+
The family try to go on a vacation with [[Homer]]'s free airline tickets (after Homer is banned from [[Moe's Tavern]]), but soon discover that [[Marge]] is afraid of flying. On [[Lisa]]'s advice, Marge visits a mentor to cure her seemingly unexplained fear.
   
 
==Full Story ==
 
==Full Story ==
When [[Homer]] pulls a harmless and quite lame prank on [[Moe]], he gets booed for it and is banned from the bar, ironically after laughing off life-threatening ones that [[Lenny Leonard|Lenny]], [[Carl Carlson|Carl]] and [[Barney Gumble|Barney]] pull on him. Homer visits all the other bars in [[Springfield]] (including ''Cheers''), but finds none of them to his liking.
+
When [[Homer]] pulls a harmless and quite lame prank on [[Moe]], he gets booed for it and is banned from the bar for life, coincidentally after laughing off life-threatening ones that [[Lenny Leonard|Lenny]], [[Carl Carlson|Carl]] and [[Barney Gumble|Barney]] pull on him. Homer visits all the other bars in [[Springfield]] (including ''Cheers''), but finds none of them to his liking.
   
The final bar in Springfield he comes to is "[[The Little Black Box]]", a private bar only for airline pilots. Homer eventually settles for an airline pilots' bar, but is mistaken for a pilot (despite confessing that he's not one) and is put in the cockpit of an [[airplane]], which he promptly wrecks after raising the stationary plane's landing gear. In exchange for his silence regarding the incident and the mistake they made, the carrier (Cwazy Clown Airlines) offers Homer and his family a trip to anywhere in the continental United States.
+
The final bar in Springfield he comes to is "[[The Little Black Box]]", a private bar only for airline pilots. Homer eventually settles for an airline pilots' bar, but is mistaken for a pilot (despite confessing that he's not one) and is placed in the cockpit of a plane, which he promptly wrecks after raising the stationary plane's landing gear. In exchange for his silence regarding the incident and the mistake they made, the carrier ([[Crazy Clown Airlines]]) offers Homer and his family a trip to anywhere in the continental United States (excluding [[Alaska]] and [[Hawaii]], the "Freak States").
   
Homer eagerly tells his family about their free trip, and everyone seems overjoyed, with the exception of Marge. On the plane, [[Marge]] freaks out, revealing to Homer that she has a fear of flying, and demands to be let off. After the traumatic incident, Marge begins to show bizarre behavior, which [[Lisa]] sees as suppressing her fear. Homer suggests ignoring Marge's behavior, but this soon reaches the point where he takes her advice and Marge goes to [[Dr. Zweig|a psychiatrist]] (played by [[wikipedia:Anne Bancroft|Anne Bancroft]]) to deal with her problems. Homer accepts but is opposed to this, because he thinks the shrink will tell her to break up with him, which is confirmed to the audience when the psychiatrist writes down 'husband' in large letters on her pad and underlines it.
+
Homer eagerly tells his family about their free trip, and everyone seems overjoyed, except Marge, who freaks out on the plane, revealing to Homer that she has a fear of flying, and demands to be let off. After the traumatic incident, Marge begins to show bizarre behavior, which [[Lisa]] sees as suppressing her fear. Homer suggests ignoring Marge's behavior, but this soon reaches the point where he takes her advice and Marge goes to [[Dr. Zweig|a counselor]] to deal with her problems. Homer accepts but is opposed to this, because he thinks the shrink will tell her to break up with him, which is confirmed to the audience when the counselor writes down "husband" in large letters on her pad and underlines it.
   
Through the psychiatrist, Marge begins to explore more about her past. The psychiatrist has Marge remember one of her earliest traumatic experiences, causing Marge to remember her first day of school. After Patty and Selma upset her about scary things to expect, Marge was later ridiculed on the bus for liking The Monkees.
+
Through the counselor, Marge begins to explore more about her past. The counselor has Marge remember one of her earliest traumatic experiences, causing Marge to remember her first day of school. After Patty and Selma upset her about scary fears she could expect, Marge was later ridiculed on the bus for liking The Monkees.
   
Sometime afterward, Marge relates about a dream in which she played the Mother from the TV show "Lost in Space," with Homer playing Dr Smith, and Lisa as Robby the Robot. At the end of the dream, as a spacecraft lifts off, Marge remarks how she yelled for her father not to go.
+
Sometime afterward, Marge relates about a dream in which she played the Mother from the TV show "Lost in Space", with Homer as Dr. Smith, and Lisa as Robby the Robot. At the end of the dream, as a spacecraft lifts off, Marge remarks how she yelled for her father not to go.
   
 
When the psychiatrist tries to press Marge for more information, Marge is hesitant and tries to change the conversation. After some time, Marge relents, and explains how she saw her father board a plane, while her Mother explained that he was a pilot. Marge eagerly goes into the plane, only to see that [[Clancy Bouvier|her father]] was a steward (or to her, a "stewardess") and not a pilot as she was told.
 
When the psychiatrist tries to press Marge for more information, Marge is hesitant and tries to change the conversation. After some time, Marge relents, and explains how she saw her father board a plane, while her Mother explained that he was a pilot. Marge eagerly goes into the plane, only to see that [[Clancy Bouvier|her father]] was a steward (or to her, a "stewardess") and not a pilot as she was told.
   
This upsets her, until the psychiatrist explains that Mr. Bouvier helped make male flight attendants common. Even though the psychiatrist feels this is the root of her mental issues, Marge also remembers other things (a [[Alvarine Bisque|relative]] trying to feed her as a baby and failing, playing as a child with a small airplane that catches fire, Marge and her [[Jacqueline Bouvier|mother]] being attacked by a plane in a cornfield). She is about to tell Marge about the problem of her husband but Homer pulls her out of the session before she can.
+
This upsets her, until the counselor explains that Mr. Bouvier helped make male flight attendants common. Even though the counselor feels this is the root of her mental issues, Marge also remembers other things (a [[Alvarine Bisque|relative]] trying to feed her as a baby and failing, playing as a child with a small airplane that catches fire, Marge and her [[Jacqueline Bouvier|mother]] being attacked by a plane in a cornfield). She is about to tell Marge about the true problem being her husband but Homer pulls her out of the session before she can.
   
 
Cured of her anxiety, she finally gets on a plane filled with confidence; this turns to annoyance as the plane overshoots the runway and lands in the sea.
 
Cured of her anxiety, she finally gets on a plane filled with confidence; this turns to annoyance as the plane overshoots the runway and lands in the sea.
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Since airing, the episode has received many positive reviews from fans and television critics. Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, said it was "a good Marge-centric episode with plenty of clever set pieces - the tributes to Cheers and Lost in Space are fantastic", and noted that "Marge's father looks suspiciously like Moe".
 
Since airing, the episode has received many positive reviews from fans and television critics. Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, said it was "a good Marge-centric episode with plenty of clever set pieces - the tributes to Cheers and Lost in Space are fantastic", and noted that "Marge's father looks suspiciously like Moe".
  +
  +
==Videos==
  +
<gallery>
  +
Marge Simpson -- "Let Me Off"
  +
C L A N C Y.PNG|Clancy boarding the plane as a "pilot".
  +
</gallery>
   
 
== Citations ==
 
== Citations ==
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{{Season|6|Eps}}
 
{{Season|6|Eps}}
 
[[es:Fear of Flying]]
 
[[es:Fear of Flying]]
  +
[[fr:La Peur de l'avion]]
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[[pl:Fear of Flying]]
 
[[pt:Medo de voar]]
 
[[pt:Medo de voar]]
 
[[Category:Episodes]]
 
[[Category:Episodes]]
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[[Category:Bart episodes]]
 
[[Category:Bart episodes]]
 
[[Category:Episodes on DVD]]
 
[[Category:Episodes on DVD]]
  +
[[Category:'Of' Episodes]]
  +
[[Category:Flashback episodes]]
  +
[[Category:Insanity-themed Episodes]]
  +
[[Category:Directed by Mark Kirkland]]
  +
[[Category:Written by one-time writers]]
  +
[[Category:Episodes Set in The Past]]
  +
[[Category:Episodes where Maggie cries]]
  +
[[Category:Episodes where crashes were heard]]
  +
[[Category:Episodes where crashes were heard in Moe's]]

Revision as of 16:46, 26 January 2020

Episode
References
Gags
Appearances
Gallery
Quotes
Credits
Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy
Fear of Flying
Homer the Great

There's something bothering me about this place...
...I know! This lesbian bar doesn't have a fire exit. Enjoy your death trap, ladies.
Homer Simpson in the She-She Lounge

"Fear of Flying" is the eleventh episode of Season 6.

Synopsis

The family try to go on a vacation with Homer's free airline tickets (after Homer is banned from Moe's Tavern), but soon discover that Marge is afraid of flying. On Lisa's advice, Marge visits a mentor to cure her seemingly unexplained fear.

Full Story 

When Homer pulls a harmless and quite lame prank on Moe, he gets booed for it and is banned from the bar for life, coincidentally after laughing off life-threatening ones that Lenny, Carl and Barney pull on him. Homer visits all the other bars in Springfield (including Cheers), but finds none of them to his liking.

The final bar in Springfield he comes to is "The Little Black Box", a private bar only for airline pilots. Homer eventually settles for an airline pilots' bar, but is mistaken for a pilot (despite confessing that he's not one) and is placed in the cockpit of a plane, which he promptly wrecks after raising the stationary plane's landing gear. In exchange for his silence regarding the incident and the mistake they made, the carrier (Crazy Clown Airlines) offers Homer and his family a trip to anywhere in the continental United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii, the "Freak States").

Homer eagerly tells his family about their free trip, and everyone seems overjoyed, except Marge, who freaks out on the plane, revealing to Homer that she has a fear of flying, and demands to be let off. After the traumatic incident, Marge begins to show bizarre behavior, which Lisa sees as suppressing her fear. Homer suggests ignoring Marge's behavior, but this soon reaches the point where he takes her advice and Marge goes to a counselor to deal with her problems. Homer accepts but is opposed to this, because he thinks the shrink will tell her to break up with him, which is confirmed to the audience when the counselor writes down "husband" in large letters on her pad and underlines it.

Through the counselor, Marge begins to explore more about her past. The counselor has Marge remember one of her earliest traumatic experiences, causing Marge to remember her first day of school. After Patty and Selma upset her about scary fears she could expect, Marge was later ridiculed on the bus for liking The Monkees.

Sometime afterward, Marge relates about a dream in which she played the Mother from the TV show "Lost in Space", with Homer as Dr. Smith, and Lisa as Robby the Robot. At the end of the dream, as a spacecraft lifts off, Marge remarks how she yelled for her father not to go.

When the psychiatrist tries to press Marge for more information, Marge is hesitant and tries to change the conversation. After some time, Marge relents, and explains how she saw her father board a plane, while her Mother explained that he was a pilot. Marge eagerly goes into the plane, only to see that her father was a steward (or to her, a "stewardess") and not a pilot as she was told.

This upsets her, until the counselor explains that Mr. Bouvier helped make male flight attendants common. Even though the counselor feels this is the root of her mental issues, Marge also remembers other things (a relative trying to feed her as a baby and failing, playing as a child with a small airplane that catches fire, Marge and her mother being attacked by a plane in a cornfield). She is about to tell Marge about the true problem being her husband but Homer pulls her out of the session before she can.

Cured of her anxiety, she finally gets on a plane filled with confidence; this turns to annoyance as the plane overshoots the runway and lands in the sea.

Behind the Laughter

Reception

In its original American broadcast, "Fear of Flying" finished 48th (tied with Dateline NBC) in the ratings for the week of December 12 to December 18, 1994, with a Nielsen rating of 9.6. The episode was the third highest rated show on the Fox network that week, beaten only by Beverly Hills, 90210, and Married... With Children.

Since airing, the episode has received many positive reviews from fans and television critics. Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, said it was "a good Marge-centric episode with plenty of clever set pieces - the tributes to Cheers and Lost in Space are fantastic", and noted that "Marge's father looks suspiciously like Moe".

Videos

Citations

Season 5 Season 6 Episodes Season 7
Bart of DarknessLisa's RivalAnother Simpsons Clip ShowItchy & Scratchy LandSideshow Bob RobertsTreehouse of Horror VBart's GirlfriendLisa on IceHomer BadmanGrampa vs. Sexual InadequacyFear of FlyingHomer the GreatAnd Maggie Makes ThreeBart's CometHomie the ClownBart vs. AustraliaHomer vs. Patty and SelmaA Star is BurnsLisa's WeddingTwo Dozen and One GreyhoundsThe PTA Disbands'Round SpringfieldThe Springfield ConnectionLemon of TroyWho Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One)