Covercraft

"Covercraft"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no. 560
Directed by Steven Dean Moore
Written by Matt Selman
Showrunner(s) Matt Selman & Al Jean
Production code TABF02
Original air date November 23, 2014 (2014-11-23)
Couch gag The family play with their smartphones as they walk in. But they don't pay attention to where they're going and bump into each other and fall over. They pick up their smartphones and carry on playing.
Guest appearance(s)

Will Forte as King Toot
Sammy Hagar as himself

Season 26 episodes
Seasons

"Covercraft" is the eighth episode in the 26th season of the animated series The Simpsons, and the 560th episode of the series overall. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 23, 2014.

Plot

Moe and the owner of King Toot's have a fight and get arrested, forcing their businesses to be closed down. Homer buys a bass guitar that he plays wherever he is. Annoyed, Marge meets up with other wives in town who also have been annoyed by their husbands' constant playing. They decide to have their husbands form a band so they won't always have to listen to their music. Homer gathers Reverend Lovejoy on guitar, Kirk Van Houten on keyboard, and Dr. Hibbert on drums. Apu later joins as the lead singer when they hear him sing a classic song called "Hopin' for a Dream" by the famous (fictitious), heydey, 1980s glam metal band, Sungazer. They call their band Covercraft and start playing shows. At a gig at the Cabbage Festival, Apu admits to Homer that he has stage fright, but Homer suggests that he picture himself alone at the Kwik-E-Mart to cope. The gig is ultimately successful, the band gains recognition and Sungazer sees the video and asks Apu to replace their dead lead singer.

When Homer first sees the success Apu has gotten, he is happy to announce that his friend is becoming rich and successful, until Kirk mentions his jealousy and Apu points out that Sungazer are playing in Las Vegas. When Lisa calls out his jealousy, Homer corrects her, stating he is envious, not jealous, because he wants what someone else has, whereas being jealous is being afraid someone will take what you already have. Lisa quickly pulls out a giant dictionary out of nowhere, flips it open and exclaims, "Wow, he's right!" Without their lead vocalist, Covercraft's rehearsal sessions grind to a halt when Kirk volunteers to replace Apu and Homer criticizes his vocal abilities. When the others tell Homer to calm down, he angrily breaks up the band.

Marge reminds Homer that he did not start the band to get rich and famous, and encourages him to go to Sungazer's concert in Springfield Costington's to show his support for Apu. At the concert, Homer uses a backstage pass to sneak into Apu's dressing room and steal his special Apu shirt, but then overhears the band denying Apu vacation time to spend with his family and forcing groupies on him instead. Apu sees Homer and admits that he feels lonely and homesick. Homer decides to get revenge on Sungazer by having Sanjay poison them with Kwik-E-Mart hot dogs. Apu brings out the reunited Covercraft to perform until Homer and Apu get arrested by Chief Wiggum for food poisoning. Sungazer's concert subsequently falters while Sanjay mingles with the groupies.

During the end credits, Homer, Apu, Moe, and the owner of King Toot's listen to a story from Sammy Hagar in jail.

Production

This episode was originally titled "Band of Dads".[1][2] Musician Matthew Sweet contributed to this episode's score and wrote a new song.[3]

Reception

The episode received an audience of 3.45 million, making it the most watched show on Fox that night.[4] Myles McNutt of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B-, saying, "I don’t know if there was a particular point where The Simpsons stopped doing B-stories, or whether this is just a case where they chose to place all their energy into the A-story, but the linearity of the episode ends up a missed opportunity."[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Al Jean on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "WebVoyage Titles". Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  3. ↑ "Matthew Sweet". Facebook. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  4. ↑ Bibel, Sara (November 25, 2014). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Madam Secretary', 'The Simpsons', '60 Minutes' & 'America's Funniest Home Videos' Adjusted Down & Final Football Numbers". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Review: The Simpsons: "Covercraft"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
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