The Simpsons/Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish

Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish
Season 2, Episode 4
Airdate	November 1, 1990
Production Number	7F01
Written by	Sam Simon, John Swartzwelder
Directed by	Wesley Archer
← 2x03 Treehouse of Horror	2x05 → Dancin' Homer
The Simpsons — Season Two

Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish is the fourth episode of the second season of The Simpsons, and the seventeenth episode overall.

The revelation that mutated fish are in the Springfield River leads to a safety inspection at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and the revelation of multiple safety and regulatory violations, Mr. Burns, as the plant's CEO, declares he's running for governor to stop the plant from being closed. It looks like his "appeal to the common man" campaign will succeed, but will an ace up someone's sleeve foil Burns' power stunt?

Guest Stars:

Plot Overview

The episodes starts with Lisa and Bart fishing in Springfield river. An investigative reporter stops by and sees that Bart caught a 3-eyed fish ("Blinky"). When Homer gets to work (late), he hears an announcement about the government inspectors coming to inspect the plant. There are 332 code violations which would cost $56 million to fix to keep the plant open (and at barely acceptable levels) ... far more than what Burns can afford.

Homer falls asleep at work again and accidentally stays until 9:30pm, when he sees Burns crying in his car. Homer suggests that Burns should run for Governor. Burns decides that this is a good idea because then he can change the environmental laws. He hires the best campaign team that money could buy.

Burns' campaign manager says that he has to have dinner with one of his workers. They choose Homer.

Homer and Lisa both read pre-written questions from cards. Marge, not a Burns supporter, gets back at Homer and Burns by serving Blinky for dinner. Burns loses the election.

Notes

Title Sequence

• Blackboard: "I will not Xerox my butt" (original Fox airing and all syndicated reruns). For the June 25, 1992 Fox rerun only: "It's potato, not potatoe."
• Couch Gag: The couch is a sofa bed, its bed coming out when the family sits on the couch.

Trivia

Allusions and References

• 1992 Presidential campagin: For a FOX reairing of the episode that aired June 25, 1992 only, the chalkboard gag is "It's potato, not potatoe," referencing a spelling blunder by the then-Vice President Dan Quayle, who corrected a student's correct spelling of "potato" to "potatoe" at an elementary school spelling bee in Trenton, New Jersey, several days earlier.
• Mr. Burns' gubernatorial campaign
  • 1928 Presidential campaign: Republican nominee Herbert Hoover's campaign slogan "A chicken in every pot ... and a car in every garage" is spoofed with the episode title.
  • 1988 Presidential campaign: Burns driving a military tank and appearing in Army fatigues for a pro-Burns campaign ad is akin to a similar to one for Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis.
  • Citizen Kane: Several scenes from the 1941 epic about a newspaper publisher are used as part of Burns' campaign, including speaking in front of a giant poster, and Burns destroying the living room in a fit of rage after Marge exposes him as a liar, both much like what happened in the movie.
  • "On the Origin Of Species": Charles Darwin, who appears in a campaign infomercial for Burns to suggest that the three-eyed fish was the result of evolution (and not Burns illegally dumping toxins into the Springfield River) is an obvious actor ... but Burns is (naturally) counting on the stupidity of his audience.
• It's a Wonderful Life: Gov. Mary Bailey shares her name with George's wife in the seminal Christmas film.

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