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"Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish" is the fourth episode of the second 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, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
''. It is actually the first episode of that season in the production order. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 1, 1990. In the episode, Bart catches a three-eyed fish in a river downstream of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. After an inspection of the plant reveals numerous safety violations,
Mr. Burns Charles Montgomery Plantagenet Schicklgruber "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns, Monty, or C. Montgomery Burns, is a recurring character and the main antagonist of the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', voiced initially by ...
runs for
governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
to prevent the plant from being closed. The night before the election, Burns has a televised dinner with the Simpsons to show his appeal to the common voter.
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 ...
sabotages Burns' political stunt and dooms his campaign by giving him the head of
Blinky Blinky may refer to: Characters * ''Blinky'' (comics), a character in the UK comic ''The Dandy'' * Blinky (ghost), a red (sometimes orange) ghost in the ''Pac-Man'' franchise * Blinky (mascot), the mascot of FreeDOS * Blinky (The Simpsons), thre ...
, the three-eyed fish. The episode was written by Sam Simon and
John Swartzwelder John Joseph Swartzwelder Jr. (born February 8, 1949) is an American comedy writer and novelist, best known for his work on the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. Born in Seattle, Washington, Swartzwelder began his career working in adv ...
, and directed by Wes Archer. It was the first episode produced for season two and was intended to air as the season premiere, but was replaced with "
Bart Gets an 'F' 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 ''Bartholo ...
due to Bart's popularity in the early 1990s. The episode features cultural references to several American films, mostly the 1941 film ''
Citizen Kane ''Citizen Kane'' is a 1941 American drama film produced by, directed by, and starring Orson Welles. He also co-wrote the screenplay with Herman J. Mankiewicz. The picture was Welles' first feature film. ''Citizen Kane'' is frequently cited ...
'', with Burns in the role of the character Charles Foster Kane. Mary Bailey shares her name with George Bailey's wife in the 1946 film '' It's a Wonderful Life''. Journalists have described the episode as a satire on both
American politics The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that Separation of powers, share powers. These are: the United States Congress, U.S. Congre ...
and environmentalism. It won an Environmental Media Award in 1991 for being the best television episode of the year with an environmental message. Since the episode first aired, the three-eyed fish
Blinky Blinky may refer to: Characters * ''Blinky'' (comics), a character in the UK comic ''The Dandy'' * Blinky (ghost), a red (sometimes orange) ghost in the ''Pac-Man'' franchise * Blinky (mascot), the mascot of FreeDOS * Blinky (The Simpsons), thre ...
has been mentioned several times in news articles regarding nuclear waste and mutation. The episode was positively received by television critics for its satire on American politics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 15.8, and was the highest-rated show on the Fox network the week it aired.


Plot

Bart and Lisa go fishing downstream of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. '' Springfield Shopper'' reporter Dave Shutton arrives just as Bart catches a three-eyed fish. After the fish, nicknamed Blinky by the media, makes headlines, incumbent governor Mary Bailey sends a government inspection team to the plant, suspecting nuclear waste may have caused the mutation. The plant's owner,
Mr. Burns Charles Montgomery Plantagenet Schicklgruber "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns, Monty, or C. Montgomery Burns, is a recurring character and the main antagonist of the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', voiced initially by ...
, is presented with a list of 342 violations which will cost $56 million to rectify. Distraught, Burns takes up
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 ...
's suggestion that he run for governor to prevent the plant from being closed. Burns's political advisers inform him that he is greatly despised by most people while Bailey is beloved by all. To quell the controversy over Blinky, Burns appears on television with an actor portraying Charles Darwin who claims Blinky is an evolutionary leap, not a "hideous genetic mutation". After Burns vows to lower taxes and runs a
smear campaign A smear campaign, also referred to as a smear tactic or simply a smear, is an effort to damage or call into question someone's reputation, by propounding negative propaganda. It makes use of discrediting tactics. It can be applied to individual ...
against Bailey, his campaign ties hers in the polls. Burns's advisers suggest that he have dinner at the home of one of his employees the night before the election. After scanning the plant's video monitors for the most average man he can find, Burns chooses Homer. The upcoming dinner with Burns divides the Simpson household, with
Marge Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret (name), Margaret. Notable Marges include: People *Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist *Marge Anderson (1932 ...
and Lisa appalled that Homer has allowed Burns to use their home as a campaign tool. For dinner, Marge serves Blinky, placing the fish's head on Burns's plate. Unable to swallow the fish, Burns spits it out. Cameras flash as the expelled bite flies through the air and hits the floor, dooming his gubernatorial campaign. Bailey wins the election. After destroying the Simpsons' furnishings in a fit of rage, Burns warns that Homer's dreams will go unfulfilled as long as he lives. However, Marge reassures homer they have each other, as the family is back together again.


Production

The episode was written by Sam Simon and
John Swartzwelder John Joseph Swartzwelder Jr. (born February 8, 1949) is an American comedy writer and novelist, best known for his work on the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. Born in Seattle, Washington, Swartzwelder began his career working in adv ...
, and directed by Wes Archer. Blinky had previously made a brief appearance in the season one episode " Homer's Odyssey", in which he was seen swimming in the lake outside of the plant. The writers liked the design of the fish and decided to devote an episode to him. Mary Bailey and ''Springfield Shopper'' reporter Dave Shutton made their first appearance on the show in this episode. Dave Shutton, voiced by Harry Shearer, was named after a friend of Swartzwelder. Dave Shutton's roles have since become less relevant and have been reduced to cameos and appearances in crowd scenes. Mary Bailey would later appear briefly in episodes such as "
Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade "Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade" is the third 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 17, 2002. In the episode, the S ...
" and "
The Seven-Beer Snitch "The Seven-Beer Snitch" is the fourteenth episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 3, 2005. Plot The Simpsons go to Shelbyville ...
". Nancy Cartwright ad-libs Bart's blasphemous prayer at the dinner with Mr. Burns (which takes place during the episode's
climax Climax may refer to: Language arts * Climax (narrative), the point of highest tension in a narrative work * Climax (rhetoric), a figure of speech that lists items in order of importance Biology * Climax community, a biological community th ...
) and she records it in one take. It was so funny that the crew was laughing during the prayer, and immediately after she finished Cartwright and the rest of the voice cast also broke into uncontrollable laughter. Producer Matt Groening says it was fortunate she could do it in one take, as a second would have been impossible to do. During the Tracey Ullman Show and the first season of ''The Simpsons'', Bart quickly became one of the most popular characters on television in what was termed " Bartmania". Due to the success of the first season, the Fox network decided to switch ''The Simpsons''' timeslot in hopes that it would steal ratings from NBC's "powerhouse" line up. The show was moved from its 8:00 p.m. EST Sunday night slot to the same time on Thursday, where it would compete with NBC's '' The Cosby Show'', the number one show at the time. "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish" was the first episode produced for the second season, but "
Bart Gets an 'F' 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 ''Bartholo ...
aired first because of Bart's popularity and the producers wanted to premiere with an episode involving him in hopes of stealing viewers from ''The Cosby Show''.Jean, Al. (2002). Commentary for "Bart Gets an F", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season'' VD 20th Century Fox.


Cultural references

The name of the episode comes from the slogan in a political advert used in Herbert Hoover's presidential campaign in 1928, "A Chicken In Every Pot", which the advert later amplifies with "And a car in every backyard, to boot.". Several parts of the episode are inspired by the 1941 film ''
Citizen Kane ''Citizen Kane'' is a 1941 American drama film produced by, directed by, and starring Orson Welles. He also co-wrote the screenplay with Herman J. Mankiewicz. The picture was Welles' first feature film. ''Citizen Kane'' is frequently cited ...
'', all with Mr. Burns in the role of Charles Foster Kane. The campaign rally scene where Burns speaks in front of a giant poster of himself is a reference to a scene from that film. The scene where Burns trashes the Simpson family's dining room after the dinner is similar to the scene in which Kane destroys his ex-wife's room. Mary Bailey shares her name with George Bailey's wife in the 1946 film '' It's a Wonderful Life''. Burns hires an actor to portray the nineteenth-century scientist Charles Darwin to help in his claim that the three-eyed fish was the result of evolution. Darwin was a naturalist who presented compelling evidence that all species of life have evolved over time from common ancestors, through the process he called natural selection. The clip of Burns driving a military tank in his campaign montage is similar to a clip featured in Michael Dukakis's 1988 United States presidential campaign, in which he can be seen driving a tank. A re-run of the episode that aired on June 25, 1992, included a new
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 the opening credits that featured Bart writing "It's potato, not potatoe" on the chalkboard. This is a reference to a spelling blunder by the then- Vice President of the United States Dan Quayle, who corrected a student's correct spelling of " potato" to "potatoe" at an elementary school
spelling bee A spelling bee is a competition in which contestants are asked to spell a broad selection of words, usually with a varying degree of difficulty. To compete, contestants must memorize the spellings of words as written in dictionaries, and recite ...
in Trenton, New Jersey, on June 15, 1992.


Themes and impact

Journalists have described "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish" as a satire on American politics. Joanne Ostrow, a reviewer for '' The Denver Post'', said only a cartoon could get away with "such pointed satire" of American political campaigning and advertising that is featured in the episode. She compared it to the "counter-cultural posture" television shows such as ''
Second City Television ''Second City Television'', commonly shortened to ''SCTV'' and later known as ''SCTV Network'' and ''SCTV Channel'', is a Canadian television sketch comedy show that ran intermittently between 1976 and 1984. It was created as an offshoot from To ...
'' and '' Saturday Night Live'' took in the mid-1970s: "In those days, this sort of alternative viewpoint was kept out of prime time. n ''The Simpsons'' case it's still relegated to the (distant) fourth network, but at least the time is prime." Jeremy Kleinman of DVD Talk wrote: "The writers of ''The Simpsons'' have often come across as unabashedly liberal and this episode is no exception as political/social commentary takes a step closer to the foreground during this episode." Al Jean, current show runner of ''The Simpsons'', has himself admitted in an interview that the show is of a "liberal bent". In the
DVD commentaries An audio commentary is an additional audio track, usually digital, consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with a video. Commentaries can be serious or entertaining in nature, and can add informatio ...
, creator Matt Groening and the majority of people who work on the show state several times that they are very liberal, but some, such as
John Swartzwelder John Joseph Swartzwelder Jr. (born February 8, 1949) is an American comedy writer and novelist, best known for his work on the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. Born in Seattle, Washington, Swartzwelder began his career working in adv ...
(one of the writers of this and many other ''The Simpsons'' episodes), are
libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...
. The show portrays government and large corporations as callous entities that take advantage of the common worker. Thus, the writers often portray authority figures in an unflattering or negative light. In ''The Simpsons'', politicians are corrupt, ministers such as Reverend Lovejoy are indifferent to churchgoers, and the local police force is incompetent. The episode also features an environmentalism theme. This theme is present in the nuclear power plant's polluting Lake Springfield, which causes the fish in the lake to mutate. University of the Sciences in Philadelphia physics and
mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
professor Paul Halpern discussed the episode in his book ''What's Science Ever Done for Us?: What the Simpsons Can Teach Us About Physics, Robots, Life, and the Universe''. He comments: "Considering the fact that
harles Darwin's theory of Gottlieb Christoph Harless (originally Harles) (21 June 1738 – 2 November 1815) was a German classical scholar and bibliographer. Biography He was born at Culmbach in Bavaria. He studied at the universities of Halle, Erlangen and Jena. In 1 ...
natural selection takes generations and that successful varieties must sustain a
survival advantage Survival, or the act of surviving, is the propensity of something to continue existing, particularly when this is done despite conditions that might kill or destroy it. The concept can be applied to humans and other living things (or, hypotheti ...
over others, the only way Mr. Burns can prove his assertion hat the fish is the next step in evolution through natural selectionis by tracking Blinky over time to see if the third eye allows the mutant fish to find food more quickly or dodge predators." Mark Meister and Phyllis M. Japp discuss the environmental theme of the episode in their book ''Enviropop: Studies in Environmental Rhetoric and Popular Culture''. The authors think human pollution is characterized in the episode as an improvement on nature, and human progress is viewed as an "integral" part of human evolution. They add: "These references articulate specific criticism of current environmental regulations, specifically the lax enforcement of the regulations concerning the dumping, safe storage, and disposal of nuclear waste. Furthermore, this episode condemns the manipulation of political and economic power to disguise ecological accountability and to shift blame for environmental problems." The authors also say the episode comments on the lack of adherence to safety standards for the plant, and criticizes the "apathetic acceptance" of unforced environmental inspections. In addition, they comment that the episode "explicitly criticizes media
spin-doctor In public relations and politics, spin is a form of propaganda, achieved through knowingly providing a biased interpretation of an event or campaigning to influence public opinion about some organization or public figure. While traditional publi ...
s who distort the impacts of ecological degradation caused by wealthy corporations such as the nuclear power plant." On February 13, 1991, a local group in Albany, New York, fought the government's plan to create a nuclear waste dump in their neighborhood. It was staged by Citizens Against Radioactive Dumping (CARD) at the monthly meeting of the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Siting Commission in Albany. Here four children dressed up as Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa, and presented a three-eyed fabric fish, which looked like Blinky, to the commission. In addition to that they performed a rap song, which explained the plot of the episode. Nancy Cartwright improvises Bart's blasphemous prayer during the dinner with Mr. Burns in one take. It was so funny that the crew was laughing during her prayer, and immediately after she finished Cartwright and the rest of the voice cast also broke into uncontrollable laughter. Producer Matt Groening says it was fortunate she could do it in one take, as a second would have been impossible to do Since the episode's initial airing, Blinky has been mentioned several times in news articles regarding nuclear waste and mutation. A reporter for the '' Lincoln Journal Star'' compared Blinky to a
rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coasta ...
with two mouths caught in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 2005. The fish was mentioned in a '' National Review'' article discussing a legislation which would make it illegal to import, possess or release alive into California any live
transgenic A transgene is a gene that has been transferred naturally, or by any of a number of genetic engineering techniques, from one organism to another. The introduction of a transgene, in a process known as transgenesis, has the potential to change the ...
fish: "Sounds like someone watched one too many episodes of ''The Simpsons'' with Blinky, the three-eyed fish that swims by the nuclear-power plant." Matt Smith of '' SF Weekly'' compared Blinky to a type of fish found in
San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the big cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland. San Francisco Bay drains water from a ...
, which, according to a study by the University of California, Davis, had a shrunken brain and misshapen body that had been caused by the dumping of toxic chemicals into the bay. In an article about the now closed nuclear weapons production facility Rocky Flats Plant, Brian Park of ''
The Rocky Mountain Collegian The ''Rocky Mountain Collegian'' is the daily student newspaper of Colorado State University. Founded in 1891, the paper is one of the oldest daily student newspapers west of the Mississippi River and is the only student-run daily newspaper in the ...
'' joked that after its closure, "years of cleanup ensued and now the area is a wildlife refuge; no word yet if Blinky has been spotted." Barbara Taormina of the '' North Shore Sunday'' wrote in her article about the new liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline in Massachusetts Bay: "Will Blinky, the mutant three-eyed fish from ''The Simpsons'' be showing up in Massachusetts Bay? Probably not, but local environmentalists are worried that digging for the new LNG pipeline may stir up radioactive waste dumped decades ago." In his article about the nuclear power plant operator Exelon, Thomas M. Anderson of Kiplinger wrote: "The thought of more nuclear power may conjure up images of the Three Mile Island accident or Blinky .. but a growing number of policymakers and even environmentalists are coming to appreciate the advantages of atomic energy." The episode was mentioned when a three-eyed
Atlantic wolffish The Atlantic wolffish (''Anarhichas lupus''), also known as the seawolf, Atlantic catfish, ocean catfish, devil fish, wolf eel (the common name for its Pacific relative), woof or sea cat, is a marine fish of the wolffish family Anarhichadidae, n ...
was caught in 2011 in
Córdoba, Argentina Córdoba () is a city in central Argentina, in the foothills of the Punilla Valley, Sierras Chicas on the Primero River, Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province, Argentina, Córdoba Province a ...
near a local nuclear power plant.


Reception

In its original broadcast, "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish" finished nineteenth in the ratings for the week of October 29–November 4, 1990, with a Nielsen rating of 15.8, equivalent to approximately 14.7 million viewing households. ''The Simpsons'' was the highest-rated show on Fox that week, but was beaten by ''The Cosby Show'' which got a 20.2 rating. The episode won an Environmental Media Award in the "Best Television Episodic Comedy" category, which has been awarded every year since 1991 to the best television episode with an environmental message. It was ''The Simpsons'' first Environmental Media Award, but the show has won six more since then. The episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics since airing. The authors of the book ''I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide'', Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, called the episode a "superb example" of political satire, "demonstrating the lengths people will go to to win votes. Marge, of course, sees straight through Burns and uses Blinky the three-eyed fish to demonstrate his lack of conviction." Phil Rosenthal of the ''
Los Angeles Daily News The ''Los Angeles Daily News'' is the second-largest-circulating paid daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California. It is the flagship of the Southern California News Group, a branch of Colorado-based Digital First Media. The offices of the ''Dai ...
'' called the episode a "wonderful stab" at American politics and the "media machine that drives it", and added: "The message is so subtle, the makers of ''The Simpsons'' might deny it is there at all for fear of turning off a portion of its audience. Truth is, you may very well be so busy laughing and taking in the fine details, such as the references to ''Citizen Kane'', to notice." Hal Boedeker of '' The Miami Herald'' said the episode took "some well-aimed satirical jabs at American politics and the publics' short attention span. The episode has the wit of the best of '' All in the Family'', and benign mother Marge becomes a force for good, in the Edith Bunker tradition." Virginia Mann of ''
The Record The Record may refer to: Music * ''The Record'' (album), a 1982 studio album by the hardcore-punk band Fear * The Records, an English power pop band * '' Their Greatest Hits: The Record'', a 2001 greatest-hits album by the pop-music group Bee Ge ...
'' called the episode "terrific", though she believed its social and political "overtones" were more likely to appeal to adults than children. Tom Shales of the '' Washington Post'' described the episode as "a bull's-eye political satire". Ken Tucker of '' Entertainment Weekly'' described the episode as "masterful". Doug Pratt, a DVD reviewer and '' Rolling Stone'' contributor, thought the episode's story was "nicely composed, so you don't have to recognize the ''Citizen Kane'' references to appreciate the effort, but it adds to the fun." He also noted that it begins the exploration of Mr. Burns "in earnest, the first of many characters who will receive elaborate coverage as the series advances." Jeremy Kleinman of DVD Talk thought both Lisa's "tremendous intellect" and Marge's "moral compass" were "probed" in the episode, and he thought one "clear highlight" of the episode was Burns's attempts to explain away Blinky's mutation by turning to an actor portraying Charles Darwin who proceeds to give a speech suggesting that Blinky is merely advanced. DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson wrote: "The episode took an unusual approach for an early show, as it focused largely on a secondary character. One could argue that season one's '
Krusty Gets Busted "Krusty Gets Busted" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the first season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox Network in the United States on April 29, 1990.Krusty. This helped make it a fairly good episode. It fleshed out Burns's character a little better and gave us a reasonably entertaining experience. The episode fell short of greatness, but it worked nicely for the most part."


References

;Bibliography * *


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Two Cars In Every Garage And Three Eyes On Every Fish 1990 American television episodes Television episodes about elections The Simpsons (season 2) episodes Television shows written by John Swartzwelder Cultural depictions of Charles Darwin