Papa Don't Leech
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"Papa Don't Leech" is the sixteenth episode of the nineteenth season of the American animated television series ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
''. It originally aired in the United States on April 13, 2008 on the
Fox network Fox Broadcasting Company, LLC (commonly known as Fox; stylized in all caps) is an American commercial broadcast television network serving as the flagship property of Fox Corporation and operated through Fox Entertainment. Fox is based at Fo ...
. The episode was written by
Reid Harrison Reid Harrison (1958–January 15, 2024) was an American screenwriter and television producer. Biography Harrison graduated from the College of William & Mary in 1982. He wrote a spec script for ''The Simpsons'', which got him hired on showrunners ...
and directed by Chris Clements. In this episode, Lurleen Lumpkin turns to Homer when she cannot afford to pay her taxes. Although Marge feels conflicted about her, she thinks that reuniting her with her father will help her.
Beverly D'Angelo Beverly Heather D'Angelo (born November 15, 1951) is an American actress who starred as Ellen Griswold in the '' National Lampoon's Vacation'' films (1983–2015). She has appeared in over 60 films and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for ...
reprises her role of Lurleen Lumpkin. The
Dixie Chicks The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. The band consists of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar, bass guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and Emily Stra ...
also appear as themselves. The episode was watched by 6.93 million viewers and received mixed reviews.


Plot

Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA" * Lisa, stagename of Japanese singer Lisa Komine (born 1978) * Lisa (South Korean singer) (born 1980) * Lisa (Japanese musician, b ...
is delivering scout cookies to
Mayor Quimby Mayor Joseph Fitzgerald O'Malley Fitzpatrick O'Donnell "the Edge"/"Joe" Quimby, nicknamed "Diamond Joe", is a recurring character from the animated sitcom television series ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta, and first appeared ...
, but they find the town treasury empty, and he cannot pay for it. The town holds a meeting to raise money.
Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient 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. Despite doubts about his autho ...
proposes faking a natural disaster to get relief money from the federal government. However, the government officials who come are impostors, and the town goes further into debt. Lisa finds that the town has millions in uncollected taxes, so the town collects them from its residents. Later,
Kent Brockman Brock Kentman, more commonly called Kent Brockman, is a fictional character in the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Harry Shearer and first appeared in the episode " Krusty Gets Busted". He is the grumpy, self-cente ...
reports that all the residents have paid their back taxes except Lurleen Lumpkin, a country music star whom Homer once managed and who had previously fallen in love with him. The town searches for her. Homer finds Lurleen hiding in his car and takes her to the Simpson house. However,
Marge Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret. Notable Marges include: People * Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist * Marge Anderson (1932–2013), Ojibwe ...
, angry from their previous encounter, drives her to her home. When she discovers that Lurleen is homeless, Marge brings her back to the house. Lurleen cooks a barbecue for the family, but the police arrest her, and she is taken to court. Judge Snyder requires her to pay her debt in increments. Lurleen explains to the Simpsons that all her money went to her former husbands, which all resemble Homer. She goes to work for Moe at his bar where she turns down dates with Lenny and
Carl Carl may refer to: *Carl, Georgia, city in USA *Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community *Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name *Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of tel ...
. When Marge wonders why Lurleen did that, she hears Lurleen sing about how her father abandoned her. Marge finds Lurleen's father, Royce, and he asks Lurleen for forgiveness. They reconcile, and she writes a new song to celebrate their reunion: "Daddy's Back". However, Royce decides to leave Lurleen again. Lurleen becomes depressed without her father. She hears a new song from the
Dixie Chicks The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. The band consists of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar, bass guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and Emily Stra ...
on television that sounds like her song with different lyrics and realizes that her father gave it to them. Later, Homer appears in his Colonel Homer attire with "Major Marge", and they tell her to take control of her destiny. Lurleen tells the Dixie Chicks that her father stole her song, and they hit him with their instruments as punishment. Lurleen becomes the new opening act for the Dixie Chicks and finds a new boyfriend who resembles Homer. As she leaves, Marge and Lurleen embrace, and Marge warns Lurleen never to come near Homer again.


Production

This is the final episode of the series written by
Reid Harrison Reid Harrison (1958–January 15, 2024) was an American screenwriter and television producer. Biography Harrison graduated from the College of William & Mary in 1982. He wrote a spec script for ''The Simpsons'', which got him hired on showrunners ...
before his death in 2024.
Beverly D'Angelo Beverly Heather D'Angelo (born November 15, 1951) is an American actress who starred as Ellen Griswold in the '' National Lampoon's Vacation'' films (1983–2015). She has appeared in over 60 films and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for ...
reprised her role as Lurleen Lumpkin. D'Angelo previously voiced this character in the third season episode " Colonel Homer". Country band
The Chicks The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. The band consists of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar, bass guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and Emily Strayer ...
, then known as the Dixie Chicks, appeared as themselves.


Cultural references

Several years prior to the airing of the episode, the Dixie Chicks made remarks about
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
that were perceived to be unpatriotic. In a self-deprecating reverse, the lyrics they sing in the episode were nationalistic in nature. When Lurleen sings about her father leaving her, Maggie holds the telephone receiver towards the music, which is similar to what happens in the 1985 film ''
Back to the Future ''Back to the Future'' is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985 ...
''. As the Simpsons sing "Daddy's Back" with Lurleen, they mention the book series ''
Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
'' and the cosmetic brand Estée Lauder. Homer's dream about being in a car crash with Grampa is an almost shot-for-shot remake of a scene in the 2007 episode of ''The Sopranos'', Kennedy and Heidi.


Reception


Viewing figures

The episode earned a 2.4 rating and was watched by 6.93 million viewers, which was ranked the 43rd most-watched show that week.


Critical response

The episode received mixed reviews by critics. Richard Keller of ''
TV Squad Weblogs, Inc. was a blog network that published content on a variety of subjects, including tech news, video games, automobiles, and pop culture. At one point, the network had as many as 90 blogs, although the vast majority of its traffic could b ...
'' expressed dislike for the episode, stating that he hopes the show will reconsider the next time they decide to give a solo opportunity to a supporting character many people don't remember. Robert Canning of ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' said, "there were too few laugh-out-loud moments in this lackluster episode. Overall, it was nice to see Lurleen again, but she'd probably get more laughs in future cameos than in carrying an entire episode." He gave the episode a 6/10. The opening sequence where Homer murders Grampa in a dream was criticized, being called "the least funny thing I've ever seen on the show" by ''IGN'', and "very un-Homer-like" by ''TV Squad''. Genevieve Koski of ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an 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 created in ...
'' gave the episode a B+. She thought the episode was “pretty damn good”. She liked that the story focused on the Simpsons and Lurleen without having a subplot, and she said that the Dixie Chicks' appearance served a purpose rather than appearing just because of their fame. In 2014, Priya Elan of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' named the song "Daddy's Back" as one of the most underrated songs of the series. In 2015, the Dixie Chicks were named the 17th best musical guest of the series.


Notes


References


External links

* {{The Simpsons episodes, 19 The Simpsons season 19 episodes 2008 American television episodes Television episodes directed by Chris Clements (animation director)