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Million-Dollar Abie |
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Trivia[]
- Grandpa's age is revealed in this episode; he is 83.
- The teaser for the upcoming The Simpsons Movie, which had previously only appeared during the previews for Ice Age: The Meltdown, made its TV debut during this episode. Homer's dialogue is different: in the movie he expressed uncertainty; in the TV airing, he says "I forgot what I'm supposed to say!" Both versions end with him saying "Uh oh, we better get started" when the movie's release date of July 27, 2007 is given.
- When Abe is waiting for someone to call him, the simulated time lapse effect and music parody the movie Koyaanisqatsi, a movie parodied seven years earlier in the episode "Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder."
- The bodies of the Blue Man Group can be seen in the Las Vegas garbage barge.
- During the scene where the citizens of Springfield are running from the bulls, you can see a bearded man with a hat in the corner. He is modeled after long time writer George Meyer and has appeared in several episodes, notably as one of the writers in "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" and one of the bachelors in "Special Edna."
- An outtake shown during the closing credits shows a young Abe "naming names" to the House Un-American Activities Committee.
- The plot is similar to the episode "The Boys of Bummer", where Bart loses the baseball game, the town begins to hate Bart and Bart assisted suicide, like how Grampa assisted suicide, lost a football game like how Bart lost a baseball game and Grampa became the town pariah like how Bart became the pariah of the town.
- The sounds that can be heard in the basement when Homer was in there are:
1. Power tool whirling
2. Hammering
3. Typewriter key clanking, return carriage dings
4. Pinball machine jingling
5. Bowling pins falling
6. European siren wails
7. Children in a ghostly voice saying "Ring around the rosy." - The full name for the new Springfield Stadium is (as shown on Homer's model):
DUFF BEER
KRUSTYBURGER
BUZZ COLA
COSTINGTON'S DEPARTMENT STORE
KWIK-E-MART
STUPID FLANDERS
PARK - The names Rob Reiner covered up with his first and last name in the video are Carl Reiner, his father, and Rob Lowe.
- The euthanasia machine Abe is hooked up to is called the diePod, an obvious spoof of the ever popular iPod series of MP3 players created by Apple.
- This was the fourth episode of The Simpsons to be rated M in Australia (this time, for references to assisted suicide and animal cruelty).
- The people who Dr. Egoyan stated that Abe Simpson was going to follow in their footsteps are Greek philosopher Socrates (though Socrates killed himself not because of mental health issues, but because he was sentenced to drink a hemlock-laced drink after being found guilty of corrupting the minds of Athens' youth), British author Virginia Woolf (fell into a depression and committed suicide by walking into a lake and drowning herself, similar to what happened to Moe's bartending mentor on season thirteen's "Homer the Moe"), American author Ernest Hemingway (shot himself), American journalist and gonzo journalism founder Hunter S. Thompson (shot himself).
- When Clancy, Eddie, and Lou arrest Dr. Egoyan, they are wearing a different type of police uniform in comparison to the ones they usually wear throughout the series.
- Running gag: "when the law is reversed" being said.
- When Lisa complains to the people how bull fighting is a cruel pseudo-sport, Homer mishears the word "cruel" and admits to the people that Lisa thinks bull fighting is "cool", therefore the sport gets approved.
- The scene where Homer walks into the horns of the hat on Bart's bike is shown in No Loan Again, Naturally.
- This is the second time a Simpson costs Springfield a special event. This time Abe cost Springfield their chance getting a NFL team. The first was Bart costing Springfield the Olympics in "The Old Man and the "C" Student".
- During the credits, after young old Abe is taken away from the court and it cuts to the regular black background for the credits, the long credits theme from season 3 is heard, but also edited.
- This is also the penultimate episode so far to reuse the season 3 long credits theme. Starting with "Kiss Kiss Bang Bangalore", the current credits theme is used.
- While Abe explains why he unbeknownstly tied up the football commissioner, he says "Bert and Lucy" instead of "Bart and Lisa".
Cultural References[]
- The title of this episode is a play on the 2004 movie, Million Dollar Baby.
- The celebrities impersonated in the "Springfield Blows" video include Michael Jackson, Jack Nicholson, Steven Spielberg, Jim Jam Bonks (The Simpsons' parody of Jar Jar Binks), The Who, Bono, Sting, Barbra Streisand, Sylvester Stallone, Freddy Krueger and El Kabong.
- The euthanasia center is a spoof of the one in Soylent Green.
- One of the options on the diePod's menu is "Megadeath", an allusion to the thrash metal band Megadeth.
- The doctor who helps Abe try to kill himself, Dr. Egoyan, is an obvious reference to Dr. Jack Kevorkian.
- The name of the Glenn Miller Orchestra song that Grampa requested is Pennyslvania 6-5000.
- The program 48 Minutes is a parody of 60 Minutes.
- The song that plays when Abe 'lives it up' is 'Superman' by R.E.M. from their 1986 album, Lifes Rich Pageant.
- The song that plays while Grampa walks around Springfield being resented by the other Springfieldians is Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out) by John Lennon.
Goofs[]
- When the Springfield Mall is shown, the signage is white instead of the usual red.
- When Marge makes her comments about the bull taunter and bull stabber, she points to them conversely. When she mentions the bull taunter, the picador who lances the bull is shown.
- After the diePod is hauled away, there is junk on the floor. In the next shot of the floor, it is clean.
- When Maggie's words are translated it is revealed that she thinks Homer is her "bald mommy." However, in "Lisa's First Word", she clearly knows who Homer is, as her first word is "Daddy" (though she said this when Homer left the room after wishing that Maggie would never say her first words).
- When the Simpsons walk into the house after Grampa has tied up the football commissioner, the carpet is brown instead of green.
Brown floor
