"Havana Wild Weekend" is the seventh episode of the
twenty-eighth season of the American animated television series ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
'', and the 603rd episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by
Bob Anderson and written by
Deb Lacusta,
Dan Castellaneta
Daniel Louis Castellaneta (; born October 29, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for voicing Homer Simpson on the animated series ''The Simpsons'' (as well as other characters on the show such as Abraham "Grampa" ...
, and Peter Tilden. It aired in the United States on
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
on November 13, 2016.
Plot
When Grampa accidentally urinates on the carpet, the Simpsons try to get him medical help but find the nursing home has no resources or personnel at all, and the
Veterans Administration
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers a ...
tells Abe they can't see him for an appointment for 23 years. On the advice of another elderly ex-soldier, the family goes to
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. ,
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
to get
Grampa cheap medical care. As they arrive there a friendly doctor sadly says there is nothing that can be done to help Abe, but the sights of cars and music from the 1950s leads to him feeling much healthier.
While the family enjoys the sights of Havana, including Homer making a drinking game out of old speeches by Fidel Castro, Grampa meets a bar matron, Isabella, whom he fancies. He also runs into an old friend of his, a pilot who was thrown out of the Air Force for nearly detonating an atomic bomb by accident and stayed in Cuba after hijacking a plane and diverting it to there in the 1970s. He brings Grampa to a plane hidden in the jungle which he turned into a secret nightclub, where such nefarious types as drug lords and the founder of Ticketmaster (who is the only person everyone immediately punches in the face) are enjoying their exiles. Seeing how much fun life is there Grampa decides he wants to stay in Cuba. The Simpsons family tries to talk him out it. As they all board the plane it turns out that Isabella is a
C.I.A.
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
agent who tries to search for and arrest American refugees and transport them back to the U.S., and while she only used Grandpa as bait to successfully nab a wide variety of fugitives and he's not in any trouble, he's still left depressed over her leaving him and him having to leave Cuba forever. Thus, Grampa and the family are brought back home but Grampa does retain some better feelings when he's back in the U.S.
Production
The
chalkboard gag
The opening sequence of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' is among the most popular opening sequences in television. It is accompanied by " ''The Simpsons'' Theme", one of television's most recognizable theme songs. The f ...
in this episode is a response to the unexpected victory of
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
in the
2016 presidential election
This national electoral calendar for 2016 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2016 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included.
January
*7 January: Kiri ...
. The
season eleven episode "
Bart to the Future", an episode set in the future, refers to a previous Trump presidency.
That episode aired after Trump announced his
unsuccessful 2000 bid for President as a
Reform Party candidate.
This was the last episode of the series to be animated by
Film Roman.
Reception
Tony Sokol
Tony Sokol (born March 23, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York, United States) is an American playwright, writer and composer, best known for writing the theatrical horror series La Commedia Del Sangue: Vampyr Theatre in New York City.
As a musician, Sok ...
of ''
Den of Geek
''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a bi-annual magazine.
History
''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ...
'' gave a positive review of the episode, giving it a 4/5, adding, "'Havana Wild Weekend' is a fun episode in what is shaping up to be a far better than average season. The jokes come fast, there are a few great setups and the locations are great. ''The Simpsons'' have visited almost-countless countries in their time. (We recently went over a partial list a few weeks ago when they visited Boston, but still refuse to count). There, as here, well, not here but in Cuba, the Simpsons fall in love with the locations and are far more respectful than they have been in the past."
Dennis Perkins of ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' gave the episode a C+ stating, "in the long and storied history of ''Simpsons'' travelogues, 'Havana Wild Weekend' is as sure to be forgotten as is poor old Abe."
"Havana Wild Weekend" scored a 3.1 rating and was watched by 7.13 million people, making it Fox's highest rated show of the night.
References
External links
*
{{The Simpsons episodes, 28
2016 American television episodes
The Simpsons (season 28) episodes
Television episodes set in Cuba
Havana in fiction
Cultural depictions of Fidel Castro
Television episodes about vacationing