Natural Born Kissers
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"Natural Born Kissers" is the twenty-fifth and final episode of the ninth 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 ...
''. It originally aired on the
Fox network The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations ...
in the United States on May 17, 1998.
Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
and Marge discover that the fear of getting caught while making love is a turn on and start making love in public places. It was the first episode written by
Matt Selman Matt Selman (born }) is an American writer and producer. Early life Selman is a native of Watertown, Massachusetts. He graduated from Beaver Country Day School in 1989 and the University of Pennsylvania in 1993. Career After considering a car ...
and was the only episode to be directed by
Klay Hall Klay Hall (born September 11, 1958) is an American animator, storyboard artist, television director, and film director. Klay launched his animation career on ''Amazing Stories'', ''Cool World'', and '' Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures'', before ...
. Some networks list the episode by the title, "Margie, May I Sleep with Danger?". Matt Groening listed the episode as being his eighth favorite, and the aroused cow is one of his all-time favorite act break jokes. Andy Dougan of the '' Evening Times'' characterized the episode along with "
Large Marge "Large Marge" is the fourth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 24, 2002. In the episode, Marge decides to get lipo ...
", "
Three Gays of the Condo "Three Gays of the Condo" is the seventeenth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 13, 2003. The episode was written by ...
", and " The Way We Weren't", as "four of the funniest episodes of recent series". The DVD release was also reviewed favorably by Louis R. Carlozo in the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...
'', where the episode was seen as "more ridiculous" than "
Large Marge "Large Marge" is the fourth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 24, 2002. In the episode, Marge decides to get lipo ...
".


Plot

It is
Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
and Marge's eleventh
wedding anniversary A wedding anniversary is the anniversary of the date a wedding took place. Couples may take the occasion to celebrate their relationship, either privately or with a larger party. Special celebrations and gifts are often given for particular an ...
and Grampa does not arrive at the Simpson house to babysit the children, spoiling Homer and Marge's evening together. Later that evening, Homer and Marge attempt to have sexual intercourse, but lack
enthusiasm In modern usage, enthusiasm refers to intense enjoyment, interest, or approval expressed by a person. The term is related to playfulness, inventiveness, optimism and high energy. The word was originally used to refer to a person possessed by G ...
. The following day, the refrigerator's motor burns out so Homer and Marge make their way to a hardware store to buy another one. On the way, the car gets stuck in the muddy driveway in the middle of farm country. Homer and Marge rush into the nearest barn to avoid a sudden storm. A farmer discovers the barn door is open and suspects trespassers. He enters the barn, nearly catching Homer and Marge, who are hiding in the hay loft, but leaves after failing to locate them. When the coast is clear, Homer and Marge have inspired sexual intercourse in the hay loft. Homer and Marge think their marriage has been recharged and go for a romantic weekend at a
bed and breakfast Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...
, but soon fall into their old patterns. However, a maid walks in on them and they conclude they are both
aroused Sexual arousal (also known as sexual excitement) describes the physiological and psychological responses in preparation for sexual intercourse or when exposed to sexual stimuli. A number of physiological responses occur in the body and mind ...
when they risk being caught during intimate moments, so they have sex behind window curtains in a room full of people. Their love life is recharged and one day they begin to have sex on the same miniature golf course windmill where
Bart Bart is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive of Bartholomew, sometimes of Barton, Bartolomeo, etc. Bart is a Dutch and Ashkenazi Jewish surname, and derives from the name ''Bartholomäus'', a German form of the biblical name ''Bartho ...
was conceived. This time they come ''too'' close to being caught having
public sex __NOTOC__ Public sex is sexual activity that takes place in a public context. It refers to one or more persons performing a sex act in a public place, or in a private place that can be viewed from a public place. Such a private place may be ...
, and while they manage to escape, they have to flee through Springfield naked. After trying to seek help from Gil at his car lot, they steal his hot air balloon and fly throughout the city in it. As Marge tries to pilot the balloon after Homer falls and is left hanging on the rope, the balloon lands in a football stadium, and a naked photograph of Homer and Marge appears in the local newspaper. The next day, Bart and
Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer * Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...
see the picture and their parents begin to explain sex to them. Before they go into detail, however, they decide to go back to the miniature golf course. In a subplot, Bart and Lisa stay at the Springfield Retirement Castle with Grampa, and they discover a
metal detector A metal detector is an instrument that detects the nearby presence of metal. Metal detectors are useful for finding metal objects on the surface, underground, and under water. The unit itself, consist of a control box, and an adjustable shaft, ...
in his closet. While Bart uses it to look for pirate treasure, they uncover a
film reel A reel is an object around which a length of another material (usually long and flexible) is wound for storage (usually hose are wound around a reel). Generally a reel has a cylindrical core (known as a '' spool'') with flanges around the ends ...
of an
alternate ending An alternate ending (or alternative ending) is an ending of a story that was considered, or even written or produced, but ultimately discarded in favour of another resolution. Generally, alternative endings are considered to have no bearing on t ...
to '' Casablanca''. They watch the scene, which turns out to be a very sanitized and typical Hollywood happy ending, where Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman's characters marry in the end. Bart, Lisa and Grampa all like it but the Old Jewish Man reveals that he was once a studio executive and tried to include this happy ending on the film. Disgruntled, he pays Bart and Lisa to dispose of the reel, along with another reel of a killing spree ending to ''
It's A Wonderful Life ''It's a Wonderful Life'' is a 1946 American Christmas fantasy drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story and booklet ''The Greatest Gift'', which Philip Van Doren Stern self-published in 1943 and is in turn loos ...
''.


Production

"Natural Born Kissers" was the first episode written by
Matt Selman Matt Selman (born }) is an American writer and producer. Early life Selman is a native of Watertown, Massachusetts. He graduated from Beaver Country Day School in 1989 and the University of Pennsylvania in 1993. Career After considering a car ...
, who partly based it on his parents' marriage. The episode was the only time that
show runner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also the ...
Mike Scully Michael C. Scully (born October 2, 1956) is an American television writer and producer. He is known for his work as executive producer and showrunner of the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' from 1997 to 2001. Scully grew up in West Springfield, ...
ever got a call from Fox where they suggested not doing the episode. They were worried about the sexual content, the nudity, and how it was going to be handled. They disliked several of the phrases used in the episode, such as the term "ass forkin'". In an interview,
Matt Groening Matthew Abram Groening ( ; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is the creator of the comic strip ''Life in Hell'' (1977–2012) and the television series ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), ''Fut ...
said: "The network censors couldn't believe it, and neither could I: the cow at the peephole while Homer and Marge make love in a hayloft; neighbors groping Homer when he and Marge are caught nude inside the windmill at the Sir Putts-A-Lot mini golf course; Homer dangling naked from a hot-air balloon, his ass dragging against the glass of a
Crystal Cathedral Christ Cathedral (Latin: ''Cathedralis Christi''; Spanish: ''Catedral de Cristo''; Vietnamese: ''Nhà Thờ Chính Tòa Chúa Kitô''), formerly and informally known as the Crystal Cathedral, is an American church building of the Diocese of Or ...
-like church." The producers fought the censors and in the end, very little of the script was modified. This episode is the first time that Marge's
buttocks The buttocks (singular: buttock) are two rounded portions of the exterior anatomy of most mammals, located on the posterior of the pelvic region. In humans, the buttocks are located between the lower back and the perineum. They are composed ...
are shown on television. Marge and Homer in the golf course is a reference to the
season three A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
episode "
I Married Marge "I Married Marge" is the twelfth episode of the third season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 26, 1991. In the episode, Marge worries that she may ...
", although in that episode they are in a castle, rather than a windmill.


Cultural references

The title of the episode is a play on film
Natural Born Killers ''Natural Born Killers'' is a 1994 American crime film directed by Oliver Stone and starring Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Robert Downey Jr., Tommy Lee Jones, and Tom Sizemore. The film tells the story of two victims of traumatic childho ...
. The airplane restaurant "Up, Up and Buffet!" (a play on the song Up, Up and Away) is based on a submarine-shaped restaurant that was near the Fox studio named " Dive!". A supposed alternate ending to the 1942 film '' Casablanca'' is shown in the episode, and the Old Jewish Man gives Bart and Lisa a copy of ''
It's A Wonderful Life ''It's a Wonderful Life'' is a 1946 American Christmas fantasy drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story and booklet ''The Greatest Gift'', which Philip Van Doren Stern self-published in 1943 and is in turn loos ...
'' with a "killing-spree ending". The song " Spanish Flea" plays during the radio commercial for Divorce Specialists. During the episode, Bart asks his parents if they " rocked the casbah", and consequently the song "
Rock the Casbah "Rock the Casbah" is a song by the English punk rock band The Clash, released in 1982. The song was released as the second single from their fifth album, ''Combat Rock''. It reached number eight on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the US (t ...
" by
The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the w ...
plays over the end credits.


Reception

In its original broadcast, "Natural Born Kissers" finished 29th in ratings for the week of May 11–18, 1998, with a
Nielsen rating Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rati ...
of 8.8, equivalent to approximately 8.6 million viewing households. It was the fourth highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following ''
The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction drama television series created by Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), who ...
'', ''
King of the Hill ''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It aired its original non-syndicated run from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, and centers on the Hills, an Am ...
'', and '' Ally McBeal''. Matt Groening listed the episode as being his eighth favorite episode, and the aroused cow is one of his all-time favorite act break jokes. The authors of the book ''I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide'', Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, wrote, "a superb episode which actually makes Marge and Homer's love life seem very real; everyone needs a bit of spice now and again, and they find theirs. The balloon trip is hysterical, and the attempts to explain their behaviour to a very worldly-wise Bart and Lisa are magnificent." The episode was part of a DVD boxed set release called ''The Simpsons Kiss and Tell: The Story of Their Love'', and in his review of the release, Andy Dougan of the '' Evening Times'' characterized the episode along with "
Large Marge "Large Marge" is the fourth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 24, 2002. In the episode, Marge decides to get lipo ...
", "
Three Gays of the Condo "Three Gays of the Condo" is the seventeenth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 13, 2003. The episode was written by ...
", and " The Way We Weren't", as "four of the funniest episodes of recent series". The DVD release was also reviewed favorably by Louis R. Carlozo in the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...
'', where the episode was seen as "more ridiculous" than "
Large Marge "Large Marge" is the fourth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 24, 2002. In the episode, Marge decides to get lipo ...
".


References


External links

* * {{good article The Simpsons (season 9) episodes 1998 American television episodes Cultural depictions of Humphrey Bogart