Husbands and Knives/References

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◄ Little Orphan Millie

Husbands and Knives

Funeral for a Fiend ►

Cultural References

Watchmen Babies in V for Vacation

• This episode name is a play on the film title Husbands and Wives.
• Inside The Android's Dungeon & Baseball Card Shop, in one scene behind Bart and Comic Book Guy, a "World Champ Boston Red Sox" pennant is hung on a bookshelf. The Red Sox were just coming off of a World Series victory over the Colorado Rockies when this episode aired
• Comic Book Guy exclaims "Phillip K Dick" he was an American writer known for his work in science fiction. Many of his Books and Short stories have been made into Movies and Television Series
  • Blade Runner (1982), based on Dick's 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
  • Total Recall (1990), based on the short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale"
  • Screamers (1995), based on the short story "Second Variety"
  • Minority Report (2002), based on the short story "The Minority Report"
  • Minority Report (2015), Fox aired Minority Report, a television series sequel adaptation to the 2002 film of the same name based on Dick's 1956 short story "The Minority Report".
  • Impostor (2002), based on the 1953 story "Impostor," The story was also adapted in 1962 for the British television anthology series Out of This World.
  • Paycheck (2003), directed by John Woo and starring Ben Affleck, based on Dick's short story of the same name.
  • A Scanner Darkly (2006), starring Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, and Robert Downey Jr., based on Dick's novel of the same name. 
  • Next (2007), directed by Lee Tamahori and starring Nicolas Cage, loosely based on the short story "The Golden Man".
  • Radio Free Albemuth (2010), directed by John Alan Simon loosely based on the novel Radio Free Albemuth.
  • The Adjustment Bureau (2011), directed by George Nolfi and starring Matt Damon, loosely based on the short story "Adjustment Team".
  • Total Recall (2012), directed by Len Wiseman and starring Colin Farrell, second film adaptation of the short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale".
  • Blade Runner 2049 (2017), directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, a sequel to the 1982 film Blade Runner, based on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?.
• The comic Watchmen Babies in V for Vacation (pictured), which Milhouse asks Alan Moore to sign, is a parody of Watchmen and V for Vendetta, both of which Moore wrote.
• The song Milo plays in his store is a Korean version of Tom Jones' "What's New Pussycat."
• Tintin's missile targets the Pompidou Center.
• When Spiegelman, Clowes and Moore beat up CBG, the sound effects from their punches appear on the screen ("POW!"), a reference to the Batman TV series from the 1960s.
• Marge's gym, Shapes, is a parody of Curves.
  • The slogan of Shapes, as seen on the wall of the workout station room, is "I am woman, hear me sweat." The slogan is a pun on the lyric "I am woman, hear me roar" from the song "I Am Woman" by Helen Reddy.
  • There is a real fitness chain called Shapes in Florida.
• During the montage of magazine covers highlighting Marge's success, she is seen on the front page of Rupert Murdoch's The Wall Street Journal, a reference to News Corporation's purchase of the paper earlier in the year. It was also referenced in the chalkboard gag for "The Homer of Seville".
• The L.A. Body Works (which Marge visits before opening Shapes) is a parody of LA Fitness.
• Homer (in his new hideous look) carrying Marge up the Springfield Notre Dame is reminiscent of a scene in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
• The treadmill scene in the gym is a reference to the music video for OK Go's "Here It Goes Again".
• The Pet Shop Boys song "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" can be heard.
• The Opal Show is a parody of The Oprah Winfrey Show.
• Comic Book Guy calls Milhouse "Doctor Boo-Hoo" that refers to Doctor Who.
• "The Stars and Stripes Forever" playing as the League of Extraordinary Freelancers attack CBG is what happened in the Fleischer Studios Popeye the Sailor cartoons when Popeye ate his spinach then pounded Bluto.
• Krusty Burger being shut down for locking workers in overnight refers to Walmart's similar practice that was revealed and modified in 2004.

Comic references

• The comics Bart looks at are Death Of... Superman, Death Of... Aquaman, Death Of... Casper and comics about Caveman Robin, Black Robin, and Born-Again Robin.
• The Wolverine comic that Milhouse's tears blotch appears to be a copy of Wolverine #1 (1982) (though the actual issue does not feature "controversial pop-up claws").
• The comics The Formidable Mulk and The Thung are parodies of The Incredible Hulk and The Thing from The Fantastic Four.
• Marge compares herself to a cardboard cutout of Wonder Woman.
• The comics displayed behind the writers at the signing are Lost Girls, Maus, and Ghost World, respectively written by guest stars Alan Moore, Art Spiegelman, and Dan Clowes. Art Spiegelman's mask is based upon the mask he has drawn himself wearing as an illustrator in Maus.
• Archie Comics: Coolsville has a display of used Jughead hats.
• Alan Moore's outburst at Milhouse's request that he sign the comic Watchmen Babies in V for Vacation (a parody of Watchmen and V for Vendetta), is a reference to Moore's opposition to adaptations of his works by major film studios, particularly his refusal to support the recent film adaptation of V for Vendetta.
• Two popular European comic books, Asterix and Tintin, are referenced. The book Tintin in Paris is a parody of the books The Black Island and Destination Moon. Also shown are several actual Tintin books, such as The Shooting Star and Tintin in Tibet.
• Coolsville Comics & Toys is a parody of the real store Meltdown Comics & Collectibles on Melrose in Hollywood, California. The writers of the show go there for their comics. Coolsville looks almost like Meltdown except for slight differences.
• When Comic Book Guy tries to lure his customers back with ninja weapons, the writers are making an indirect joke at the real world Toy Mandala, a comic store competitor of Meltdown Comics & Collectibles. Toy Mandala does actually sell ninja weapons in real life and is a comic store. They do not, however, sell weapons to children.
• Kearney says to Marge that she skinnier than Girthquake and Flabberella.
• League of Extraordinary Freelancers is a reference to Alan Moore's series The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
• Alan Moore's From Hell and Lost Girls,Art Spiegelman's Maus and In the Shadow of No Towers and Daniel Clowes's Ghost World and the screenplay for Art School Confidential can be seen in the background.
  • Alan Moore's description of the Radioactive Man he wrote is described as a 'heroin addicted jazz critic who's not radioactive' which is most likely a reference to his deconstruction of heroes throughout his career.
    • Additionally, the Radioactive Man Bart wants him to sign looks similiar to the Swamp Hag issue from Bart's Friend Falls in Love.

Trivia

• Ruth Powers appears at Shapes, which is supposed to be for "regular ladies", despite being a former bodybuilder.
• The joke about Black Robin in 2007 predicted that there is already officially a Black Robin from DC Comics named Duke Thomas who appeared in Batman (vol. 2) #21 in 2014.

Goofs

• When Milhouse sheds a tear, he is not allergic to it. This is because his allergy to his own tears was meant as a joke and because real allergies can appear and disappear.
• The Meteor appears behind Moore, Spiegelman, Clowes. Despite being mentioned by Moore to be right in front of them before they fly away.

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