The Frying Game/References

Episode	References	Gags	Appearances	Gallery	Quotes	Credits

◄ Little Girl in the Big Ten

The Frying Game

Poppa's Got a Brand New Badge ►

Cultural References

• The episode title is a pun on the 1992 movie The Crying Game.
• The "Reversal of Freedom Act of 1994" cited by the EPA Scientist may be a pun on the Freedom of Information Act.
• The "Reversal of Freedom Act of 1994" is actually a reference to the 'Endangered Species Act' which forces landowners to take care of any endangered animals that that take up residence in their land.
• Homer and Marge's insistence that the Man with the Braces murdered Myrna Bellamy is a reference to Richard Kimble's saying that the one-armed man is the real killer in the 1993 movie The Fugitive, which was based on the 1960s TV series.
• References from the 1999 movie The Green Mile:
  • When Homer is on his way to the electric chair, the music in the background is from the movie's soundtrack.
  • The prisoner who asks Homer to "Give me your hands, boss" and then threatens to kill him is a parody of John Coffey (played by the late Michael Clarke Duncan).
  • Chief Wiggum sheds a tear after Homer is strapped into the electric chair, as does prison guard Dean Stanton at John Coffey's execution.
  • The music is played again (briefly) just before the closing credits roll.
• The TV show Frame Up may be a reference to, and parody of, hidden camera prank reality shows, like Candid Camera and Punk'd.

Trivia/Goofs

• Homer is convicted of buggery. While meant to sound like a crime against insects, it is actually a British term for male homosexual intercourse, which, in Britain, was considered a crime. Because of this, the UK version on Sky Showcase cut the judge's line about Homer being convicted of buggery.
• The plot doesn't make much sense with the start of it; did the show PLANT the screamapillar to get Homer on the community service so they could get a patsy?
• Homer reads to the screampillar and ends with "Once upon a time there were three little bears. The End."
• At the end of the episode, Bart claims he ate so much shrimp, but later in "Please Homer, Don't Hammer 'Em," Skinner finds out that Bart has a shrimp allergy and uses it against him when Skinner bans peanuts from school because of his peanut allergy. Allergies do appear and disappear from time to time.
• The Simpson family would find themselves at odds with the EPA once again in The Simpsons Movie, but on a much bigger scale.
• Myrna Bellamy is seen wearing her necklace a few scenes after she is shown without the necklace.
• In this episode, Homer thinks about becoming a prison snitch. He actually becomes one in The Seven-Beer Snitch.
• This episode was originally going to be Season 13's finale, but FOX wanted "Poppa's Got a Brand New Badge" to be a 'bonus episode' of Season 13.
• When Homer first lifts up Mrs. Bellamy, the scissors aren't seen in her back.
• When the family is seen at church, Apu and Sanjay are both present. They are both Hindu and shouldn't be there.
• The people seen at Homer's execution are:
  • Ned Flanders
  • Mrs. Skinner
  • Principal Skinner
  • Moe
  • Lenny
  • Patty and Selma
  • the Man With Braces
  • Grandpa
  • Apu
  • Manjula
  • the Screaming Caterpillar
  • Former President George H. W. Bush

Production Notes

• The final draft for this episode was published on September 13, 2001.