Benjamin Robinson
2005-01-17 06:59:39 UTC
[The long of it]
Tonight's episode featured a timely topic, one with the potential to
zing greedy companies, uncaring politicians, and heartless laws.
"Midnight Rx" addresses most of these, yet most of the best jokes in
it have little to do with the main subject.
The show opens with a visit to Springfield's Air and Space Museum,
courtesy of Homer's employer, the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant.
The folks at the DC Museum would probably be jealous if they got a
look at Springfield's version: The town of 50,000 has a museum that
features not only a Wright Flyer and a plane similar to the Spirit of
St. Louis, but also the huge Plywood Pelican. The latter is an
impressive sight, despite the fact it only flew for about six feet ...
and caught fire in the rain ... and apparently got Burns dismissed
from the German Air Force during World War II. The museum's video
tribute to museum videos was also funny. It's a good thing the museum
sequence was funny, because it was also the entire first act. At
least it led smoothly into the main plot, for the outing was designed
to soften SNPP employees up for some bad news: The company is
dropping prescription drug benefits from its health insurance package.
(There was also a good call-back in the third act, so Act One wasn't
just a throwaway.)
Like most of his countrymen, Homer, with the help of his father,
discovers that one can avoid high drug prices in America by buying
them on the cheap in Canada. Almost instantly, they're supplying the
entire town of Springfield with their fix for Propecia, Allegra,
Xanax, and what have you. There's one scene where Homer pulls drug-
mule balloons from his stomach, complains he has an upset stomach, and
consumes all the pills in one of the balloons. Then he realizes he
has to take the medicine with food. No problem -- another one of the
balloons happens to contain half a sandwich. The way Homer and his
gang are finally pinched is funny in a contrived way, but you figure
out where the joke is going before the show actually gets there. It's
not that these are bad jokes, but the humor here was a little bit
broad for my tastes.
Instead, I liked the side-jokes this episode explored. On one drug
run, Apu and Ned get into a hilarious debate over who worships the One
True God. Ned also has an amusing encounter with his Canadian
equivalent. After the gang is arrested, the show has a little fun
when two men arrive at their cell to explain the situation in English
and French. Canada's language schizophrenia is one of several little
digs at the Great North. For example, their relative pacifism, as
compared to the US, shows up in a Canadian veterans' organization
sign: Veterans of One War. People who thought the OFF's visit to
Canada in "The Bart Wants What It Wants (DABF06)" was half-hearted
might enjoy tonight's show more. And circling back to the main story,
there's a good scene where Wiggum gives his son "medicine" from the
police evidence room. The dilating-pupil effect that accompanies his
line, "I'm cuckoo for contraband," is at once funny and creepy.
If production codes are anything to go by, "Midnight Rx" was made at
about the same time as "Bart-Mangled Banner (FABF17)." The writers
must have been in a political frame of mind. After watching "Banner,"
I wasn't looking forward to another trip to the political well.
"Midnight Rx" avoided most of the heavy-handedness that marred the
earlier episode. It's not a masterpiece, but it did leave me feeling
happier. And hey -- no annoying side effects!
[The short of it]
The producers must have been in a political frame of mind: Like
"Bart-Mangled Banner," this episode dealt with one of the major issues
of the 2004 election. Fortunately, this show avoids the heavy-handed
satire that marred "Banner." Jokes revolving around the central theme
of Homer's medicine-running were a bit too broad for my taste, but the
side-jokes surrounding it helped make up for this. I enjoyed the
museum visit that was the first act, and Ned and Apu's religious
debate. "Midnight Rx" isn't a masterpiece, but it did leave me
feeling happier. And hey -- no annoying side effects! (B)
[DYNs]
... Lisa speaks for the first time (so far as I know) during a couch
scene?
... the Dudley Do-Right pharmacy apparently wasn't in Quebec? (See
"Personal Comments & Observations" section for more.)
[References]
"Midnight Express" (movie)
"Midnight Run" (movie)
- title is a parody of at least one (or both) of these
National Air and Space Museum
- Springfield has a similar museum, with many of the same exhibits
Spirit of St. Louis (historical airplane)
- Springfield A&S has a plane that looks just like the one
Lindbergh used to cross the Atlantic, but it has "Spirit of
Shelbyville" stenciled on the side
The Spruce Goose (historical airplane)
- the Plywood Pelican looks similar, and has a parody name
- both planes designed and financed by strong-willed millionaires
- neither plane was very practical, and both flew only briefly for
a short distance
Cocoa Puffs (cereal)
- after being given the evidence-room pill, Ralph says, "I'm
cuckoo for contraband," which echoes the cereal's, "I'm cuckoo
for Cocoa Puffs!" slogan
Farmer John (cold cut container)
- Marge and Lisa visit Pharm-er John's Pharmaceuticals
"I Want a New Drug" (song)
- drug company promotional film plays this song and video
- (and those are scenes from the original video, by the way)
Veterans of Foreign Wars
- Canada has "Veterans of One War" organization
Dudley Do-Right (cartoon character)
- Dudley Do-Drugs pharmacy sort of named in honor of this Canadian
Mountie character
"Sleeping Beauty" (fairy tale)
- Burns "kisses" Smithers back to life
"Snow White" (movie)
- Smithers's glass coffin reminiscent of the one used for Snow
White in the Disney film
[Previous Episode References]
[7G01] The family really does just run to the couch and sit down
normally
[5F17] Someone admires a velvet rope
[9F15] Mr. Burns tries to distract workers from bad news
[AABF02] "White Rabbit" plays during drug-related scene
[4F15] Homer imports illegal substances to Springfield
[DABF09] The "movie jacket gang" appears
[1F13] Homer referred to as a "former astronaut" on the Canadian news
[FFF]
Banner at the Air and Space Museum:
WELCOME
[Burns] SPRINGFIELD [Smithers]
NUCLEAR PLANT
EMPLOYEES!
Airplanes at the museum:
Spirit The
of Plywood
Shelbyville Pelican
Party invitation card:
Employee
Outing
--------------
Featuring
Nasty Surprise
Employment agency sign:
SPRINGFIELD EMPLOYMENT AGENCY
WHEN YOU NEED TO SHOW THE STATE YOU TRIED
Drug company:
PHARM-ER JOHN'S
PHARMACEUTICALS
Canadian border sign:
WELCOME TO CANADA
NOW CELINE DION - FREE
Canadian vets' organization
VETERANS
OF
ONE WAR
Pharmacy sign
[Dudley ]
[tipping]
[ hat ]
DUDLEY
DO-DRUGS
\___ ___/
\ /
PHARMACY
PHARMACIE
Words during the drug sequence:
TWO REFILLS REMAINING
take as directed
BLOOD PRESSURE: NORMAL
DO NOT OPERATE
HEAVY MACHINERY
CHOLESTEROL: HIGH NORMAL
Winnipeg pharmacy sign:
NOW ENTERING
W I N N I P E G
WE WERE BORN HERE
WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE?
Canadian news:
CANADIAN
NEWS
AND
LOST MITTEN
UPDATE
[Personal Comments & Observations]
Back."
Jefferson Starship's "White Rabbit" played while Homer and Abe stock
up on drugs. (Curse alert: Their drummer passed away a few days
ago.)
issues was the increasing cost of prescription medicines. For people
without health insurance, the cost of live-saving pills was too often
unaffordably high. Even those with insurance weren't out of the
woods. To cover drug costs, insurers jacked up their rates. People
who got their health insurance through their employers, like Homer,
were faced with higher co-payments and paycheck deductions, reduced
coverage, or both.
The court of popular opinion held the pharmaceutical companies to
blame. Some of the expense was justifiable. Medical research is
costly, and there's no guarantee when undertaking a research program
that it will eventually produce results. But many people think the
drug companies are taking unfair advantage of consumers. Drug
companies are accused of "bribing" doctors with gifts to get them to
prescribe their pills to patients; Dr. Hibbert's pro-drug video
strongly suggests he's been bought out. Most infuriatingly, the
companies sometimes charge less for the *same drug* when it is sold
outside the US. It didn't take long for people living near the US-
Canada border to realize they could get their medicine for less by
driving up north and bringing pills back to the US. As Homer and
company found out, it's against the law to just buy pills in bulk and
drive back to America with them. Nevertheless, in real life there are
Canadian pharmacies that can sell medicine to Americans (with valid
prescriptions, I presume). It's become so popular that Canadian
politicians now worry that there won't be enough drugs left for their
own citizens.
Allegra -- An anti-allergy medicine.
Celebrex -- Anti-arthritis pills. Celebrex, like Vioxx, is one Cox-2
inhibitors suspected of increasing the risk of heart attack and
stroke. Hibbert presumably got his "Celebrex" necklace before
this happened.
Prilosec -- Medication that helps to cure ulcers. Hibbert's shirt is
a little out of date. The patent on Prilosec recently expired,
meaning that anybody can now make a cheaper generic version of
it. To staunch the potential bleeding away of profit,
Prilosec's makers came up with Nexium, a nearly identical
medication that is safely under patent protection.
Pfizer, as you probably figured out, is a major pharmaceutical
company. I don't know if they make all the drugs I just mentioned,
but my guess is that they do.
It doesn't show up in Hibbert's video, but Willie mentions Propecia.
This is a hair-growth drug. It's intended for scalp hair, though, not
Willie's "chest patch."
Will Go On" (a.k.a., "The Song from 'Titanic'"). Although she has a
lot of fans, her critics frequently say she has an over-the-top
singing style.
Katherine Hepburn: Actress. Her career zenith ran from the 30s to
the 50s, but she remained highly respected long after that. I think
for one of her roles she had to wear those Jodhpur pants, which may
explain the mistaken identity with Mr. Burns.
explains both the bilingual sign, and the French translator provided
at the jail (despite the fact that none of the prisoners speaks
French). In Quebec, where most of Canada's French-speakers reside,
the signs not only have to be bilingual, but the French translation
must be first, and in a larger font than the English. (What's French
for, "So there"?) The Dudley Do-Drugs pharmacy is therefore not in
Quebec, or courting a big fine from the sign police.
full-time employees. The catch is, he makes most of his work force
(like Homer) part-timers and consultants. That's not so far removed
from real life. Some time ago, UPS (that's a package-delivery
company, for those of you outside the US) felt the backlash from its
part-time employees, who lobbied for the same benefits as their full-
time counterparts. The UPS case was unusual in that many of its
ground troops were part-timers; many more than you might expect.
What's more, many of these "part-time" employees had to work 35 hours
a week -- just five hours less than a full-time worker.
Tonight's episode featured a timely topic, one with the potential to
zing greedy companies, uncaring politicians, and heartless laws.
"Midnight Rx" addresses most of these, yet most of the best jokes in
it have little to do with the main subject.
The show opens with a visit to Springfield's Air and Space Museum,
courtesy of Homer's employer, the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant.
The folks at the DC Museum would probably be jealous if they got a
look at Springfield's version: The town of 50,000 has a museum that
features not only a Wright Flyer and a plane similar to the Spirit of
St. Louis, but also the huge Plywood Pelican. The latter is an
impressive sight, despite the fact it only flew for about six feet ...
and caught fire in the rain ... and apparently got Burns dismissed
from the German Air Force during World War II. The museum's video
tribute to museum videos was also funny. It's a good thing the museum
sequence was funny, because it was also the entire first act. At
least it led smoothly into the main plot, for the outing was designed
to soften SNPP employees up for some bad news: The company is
dropping prescription drug benefits from its health insurance package.
(There was also a good call-back in the third act, so Act One wasn't
just a throwaway.)
Like most of his countrymen, Homer, with the help of his father,
discovers that one can avoid high drug prices in America by buying
them on the cheap in Canada. Almost instantly, they're supplying the
entire town of Springfield with their fix for Propecia, Allegra,
Xanax, and what have you. There's one scene where Homer pulls drug-
mule balloons from his stomach, complains he has an upset stomach, and
consumes all the pills in one of the balloons. Then he realizes he
has to take the medicine with food. No problem -- another one of the
balloons happens to contain half a sandwich. The way Homer and his
gang are finally pinched is funny in a contrived way, but you figure
out where the joke is going before the show actually gets there. It's
not that these are bad jokes, but the humor here was a little bit
broad for my tastes.
Instead, I liked the side-jokes this episode explored. On one drug
run, Apu and Ned get into a hilarious debate over who worships the One
True God. Ned also has an amusing encounter with his Canadian
equivalent. After the gang is arrested, the show has a little fun
when two men arrive at their cell to explain the situation in English
and French. Canada's language schizophrenia is one of several little
digs at the Great North. For example, their relative pacifism, as
compared to the US, shows up in a Canadian veterans' organization
sign: Veterans of One War. People who thought the OFF's visit to
Canada in "The Bart Wants What It Wants (DABF06)" was half-hearted
might enjoy tonight's show more. And circling back to the main story,
there's a good scene where Wiggum gives his son "medicine" from the
police evidence room. The dilating-pupil effect that accompanies his
line, "I'm cuckoo for contraband," is at once funny and creepy.
If production codes are anything to go by, "Midnight Rx" was made at
about the same time as "Bart-Mangled Banner (FABF17)." The writers
must have been in a political frame of mind. After watching "Banner,"
I wasn't looking forward to another trip to the political well.
"Midnight Rx" avoided most of the heavy-handedness that marred the
earlier episode. It's not a masterpiece, but it did leave me feeling
happier. And hey -- no annoying side effects!
[The short of it]
The producers must have been in a political frame of mind: Like
"Bart-Mangled Banner," this episode dealt with one of the major issues
of the 2004 election. Fortunately, this show avoids the heavy-handed
satire that marred "Banner." Jokes revolving around the central theme
of Homer's medicine-running were a bit too broad for my taste, but the
side-jokes surrounding it helped make up for this. I enjoyed the
museum visit that was the first act, and Ned and Apu's religious
debate. "Midnight Rx" isn't a masterpiece, but it did leave me
feeling happier. And hey -- no annoying side effects! (B)
[DYNs]
... Lisa speaks for the first time (so far as I know) during a couch
scene?
... the Dudley Do-Right pharmacy apparently wasn't in Quebec? (See
"Personal Comments & Observations" section for more.)
[References]
"Midnight Express" (movie)
"Midnight Run" (movie)
- title is a parody of at least one (or both) of these
National Air and Space Museum
- Springfield has a similar museum, with many of the same exhibits
Spirit of St. Louis (historical airplane)
- Springfield A&S has a plane that looks just like the one
Lindbergh used to cross the Atlantic, but it has "Spirit of
Shelbyville" stenciled on the side
The Spruce Goose (historical airplane)
- the Plywood Pelican looks similar, and has a parody name
- both planes designed and financed by strong-willed millionaires
- neither plane was very practical, and both flew only briefly for
a short distance
Cocoa Puffs (cereal)
- after being given the evidence-room pill, Ralph says, "I'm
cuckoo for contraband," which echoes the cereal's, "I'm cuckoo
for Cocoa Puffs!" slogan
Farmer John (cold cut container)
- Marge and Lisa visit Pharm-er John's Pharmaceuticals
"I Want a New Drug" (song)
- drug company promotional film plays this song and video
- (and those are scenes from the original video, by the way)
Veterans of Foreign Wars
- Canada has "Veterans of One War" organization
Dudley Do-Right (cartoon character)
- Dudley Do-Drugs pharmacy sort of named in honor of this Canadian
Mountie character
"Sleeping Beauty" (fairy tale)
- Burns "kisses" Smithers back to life
"Snow White" (movie)
- Smithers's glass coffin reminiscent of the one used for Snow
White in the Disney film
[Previous Episode References]
[7G01] The family really does just run to the couch and sit down
normally
[5F17] Someone admires a velvet rope
[9F15] Mr. Burns tries to distract workers from bad news
[AABF02] "White Rabbit" plays during drug-related scene
[4F15] Homer imports illegal substances to Springfield
[DABF09] The "movie jacket gang" appears
[1F13] Homer referred to as a "former astronaut" on the Canadian news
[FFF]
Banner at the Air and Space Museum:
WELCOME
[Burns] SPRINGFIELD [Smithers]
NUCLEAR PLANT
EMPLOYEES!
Airplanes at the museum:
Spirit The
of Plywood
Shelbyville Pelican
Party invitation card:
Employee
Outing
--------------
Featuring
Nasty Surprise
Employment agency sign:
SPRINGFIELD EMPLOYMENT AGENCY
WHEN YOU NEED TO SHOW THE STATE YOU TRIED
Drug company:
PHARM-ER JOHN'S
PHARMACEUTICALS
Canadian border sign:
WELCOME TO CANADA
NOW CELINE DION - FREE
Canadian vets' organization
VETERANS
OF
ONE WAR
Pharmacy sign
[Dudley ]
[tipping]
[ hat ]
DUDLEY
DO-DRUGS
\___ ___/
\ /
PHARMACY
PHARMACIE
Words during the drug sequence:
TWO REFILLS REMAINING
take as directed
BLOOD PRESSURE: NORMAL
DO NOT OPERATE
HEAVY MACHINERY
CHOLESTEROL: HIGH NORMAL
Winnipeg pharmacy sign:
NOW ENTERING
W I N N I P E G
WE WERE BORN HERE
WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE?
Canadian news:
CANADIAN
NEWS
AND
LOST MITTEN
UPDATE
[Personal Comments & Observations]
Musical References
Dr. Hibbert's pharmaceutical babes dance to Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby GotBack."
Jefferson Starship's "White Rabbit" played while Homer and Abe stock
up on drugs. (Curse alert: Their drummer passed away a few days
ago.)
Big Pharmaceuticals: It's us, or the crack dealers!
In the Presidential election of 2004, one of the biggest domesticissues was the increasing cost of prescription medicines. For people
without health insurance, the cost of live-saving pills was too often
unaffordably high. Even those with insurance weren't out of the
woods. To cover drug costs, insurers jacked up their rates. People
who got their health insurance through their employers, like Homer,
were faced with higher co-payments and paycheck deductions, reduced
coverage, or both.
The court of popular opinion held the pharmaceutical companies to
blame. Some of the expense was justifiable. Medical research is
costly, and there's no guarantee when undertaking a research program
that it will eventually produce results. But many people think the
drug companies are taking unfair advantage of consumers. Drug
companies are accused of "bribing" doctors with gifts to get them to
prescribe their pills to patients; Dr. Hibbert's pro-drug video
strongly suggests he's been bought out. Most infuriatingly, the
companies sometimes charge less for the *same drug* when it is sold
outside the US. It didn't take long for people living near the US-
Canada border to realize they could get their medicine for less by
driving up north and bringing pills back to the US. As Homer and
company found out, it's against the law to just buy pills in bulk and
drive back to America with them. Nevertheless, in real life there are
Canadian pharmacies that can sell medicine to Americans (with valid
prescriptions, I presume). It's become so popular that Canadian
politicians now worry that there won't be enough drugs left for their
own citizens.
This post sponsored by ...
The drugs that "sponsored" Hibbert's video are:Allegra -- An anti-allergy medicine.
Celebrex -- Anti-arthritis pills. Celebrex, like Vioxx, is one Cox-2
inhibitors suspected of increasing the risk of heart attack and
stroke. Hibbert presumably got his "Celebrex" necklace before
this happened.
Prilosec -- Medication that helps to cure ulcers. Hibbert's shirt is
a little out of date. The patent on Prilosec recently expired,
meaning that anybody can now make a cheaper generic version of
it. To staunch the potential bleeding away of profit,
Prilosec's makers came up with Nexium, a nearly identical
medication that is safely under patent protection.
Pfizer, as you probably figured out, is a major pharmaceutical
company. I don't know if they make all the drugs I just mentioned,
but my guess is that they do.
It doesn't show up in Hibbert's video, but Willie mentions Propecia.
This is a hair-growth drug. It's intended for scalp hair, though, not
Willie's "chest patch."
Personality Parade
Celine Dion: French-Canadian singer best known for her hit, "My HeartWill Go On" (a.k.a., "The Song from 'Titanic'"). Although she has a
lot of fans, her critics frequently say she has an over-the-top
singing style.
Katherine Hepburn: Actress. Her career zenith ran from the 30s to
the 50s, but she remained highly respected long after that. I think
for one of her roles she had to wear those Jodhpur pants, which may
explain the mistaken identity with Mr. Burns.
Canada: One nation, two tongues
Canada actually has two official languages, English and French. Thisexplains both the bilingual sign, and the French translator provided
at the jail (despite the fact that none of the prisoners speaks
French). In Quebec, where most of Canada's French-speakers reside,
the signs not only have to be bilingual, but the French translation
must be first, and in a larger font than the English. (What's French
for, "So there"?) The Dudley Do-Drugs pharmacy is therefore not in
Quebec, or courting a big fine from the sign police.
And the best part is, I only have to work 39 hours a week!
In the end, Burns decides to reinstate health insurance for all hisfull-time employees. The catch is, he makes most of his work force
(like Homer) part-timers and consultants. That's not so far removed
from real life. Some time ago, UPS (that's a package-delivery
company, for those of you outside the US) felt the backlash from its
part-time employees, who lobbied for the same benefits as their full-
time counterparts. The UPS case was unusual in that many of its
ground troops were part-timers; many more than you might expect.
What's more, many of these "part-time" employees had to work 35 hours
a week -- just five hours less than a full-time worker.
--
Benjamin Robinson ***@freenet.tlh.fl.us
This message may or may not contain sarcastic content; your burden to decide
"I'm naked, clueless, and f-e-e-e-ling good!" -- Ratbert
Benjamin Robinson ***@freenet.tlh.fl.us
This message may or may not contain sarcastic content; your burden to decide
"I'm naked, clueless, and f-e-e-e-ling good!" -- Ratbert