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The film 's world premiere was April 11 , 2012 , at Hollywood 's El Capitan Theatre . The Avengers closed the 11th Annual Tribeca Film Festival with a screening on April 28 , 2012 . The film received an expanded one @-@ week theatrical push for the 2012 U.S. Labor Day weekend , increasing the number of theaters from 123 to 1 @,@ 700 .
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= = = Marketing = = =
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The film was promoted at the 2010 San Diego Comic @-@ Con International , during which a teaser trailer narrated by Samuel L. Jackson was shown followed by an introduction of the cast . In June 2011 , Marvel Studios announced that it would not hold a panel at the 2011 San Diego Comic @-@ Con International after studio executives decided it was not prepared to compete with its own past and fan expectations with filming still in production . In July 2011 , a teaser trailer that was meant to be the post @-@ credits scene of Captain America : The First Avenger was briefly leaked online . Entertainment Weekly speculated it came from a preview screening and described the footage as " shaky , fuzzy , flickering and obviously filmed on a cell phone " .
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In August 2011 , Walt Disney Pictures , Pixar Animation Studios and Marvel Studios presented a look at Walt Disney Studios ' upcoming film slate , which included The Avengers , at the D23 Expo in Anaheim , California . The presentation featured footage from the film and appearances by the cast members . Later in August , Disney dismissed Marvel 's executive vice president of worldwide marketing , vice president of worldwide marketing and manager of worldwide marketing to bring their functions in @-@ house .
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In October 2011 , Marvel Studios held a presentation at the New York Comic Con that featured new footage and a panel discussion including producer Kevin Feige and several cast members . The first full @-@ length trailer was also released in October . Comic Book Resources said , " The two @-@ minute teaser handily establishes the movie 's premise " and is " heavy on the assembling , but fans are also treated to plenty of action , as well glimpses [ sic ] of Iron Man 's new armor and , best of all , the new take on the Incredible Hulk . Naturally , Robert Downey Jr . ' s Tony Stark gets the best lines " . However , The Hollywood Reporter called it , " Awesome . Or it would be if we hadn 't seen all of this before and expected every single thing that we saw in the trailer " . The trailer , which debuted exclusively on iTunes Movie Trailers , was downloaded over 10 million times in its first 24 hours , breaking the website 's record for the most @-@ viewed trailer . This record was surpassed by the trailer for The Dark Knight Rises , which was downloaded more than 12 @.@ 5 million times in its first 24 hours . The trailer received 20 @.@ 4 million views in the 24 hours after it debuted . A second full @-@ length trailer was released on iTunes in February 2012 , reaching a record 13 @.@ 7 million downloads in 24 hours . The theatrical trailers of The Avengers appeared with many films , including Mission : Impossible – Ghost Protocol , 21 Jump Street and The Hunger Games .
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In January 2012 , Marvel Studios held a global Twitter chat . The 30 @-@ minute live tweeting event featured writer / director Joss Whedon , cast members Samuel L. Jackson , Tom Hiddleston and Clark Gregg and a 10 @-@ second tease of the 30 @-@ second Super Bowl commercial that would air during Super Bowl XLVI in February . According to the Los Angeles Times , Disney paid an estimated $ 4 million for the 30 @-@ second spot . On May 1 , 2012 , executives from Marvel Studios , along with actors Tom Hiddleston and Clark Gregg , rang the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange in honor of the film 's theatrical release .
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= = = = Tie @-@ in comics = = = =
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In December 2011 , Marvel announced that an eight @-@ issue comic @-@ book prelude to the film , written by Christopher Yost and Eric Pearson with art by Luke Ross and Daniel HDR , would be released in March 2012 . In February 2012 , Marvel announced the release of a second limited series comic book tie @-@ in , Black Widow Strikes written by Fred Van Lente , who wrote Captain America : First Vengeance , the comic @-@ book prequel to Captain America : The First Avenger . The story is set between Iron Man 2 and The Avengers and follows Black Widow as she runs down some loose ends from Iron Man 2 . Additionally , the title Avengers Assemble was launched in March 2012 , written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Mark Bagley and features the same Avengers line @-@ up as the film battling a new incarnation of the supervillain team Zodiac .
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= = = = Promotional partners = = = =
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Paul Gitter , Marvel Entertainment 's president of consumer products , commented that the build @-@ up to the film helped strengthen retail partnerships : " Retailers have been less tolerant with [ intellectual property ] films , so we decided that if we started on this coordinated strategy several years ago , retailers would give us shelf space throughout the years and we would have a more sustainable position in the marketplace " .
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In September 2011 , set photos of Robert Downey Jr. driving a new model Acura were published online . An Acura spokesperson later released a statement confirming the company 's involvement with the film , " As you may know , Acura has been in the Marvel Comics Universe films as the official car of their fictional law enforcement agency called S.H.I.E.L.D. That relationship continues for The Avengers . The open @-@ top sports car that was photographed yesterday is a one @-@ off , fictional car that was made just for the movie and will not be produced . That said , as you may also know , our CEO has said publicly that we are studying the development of a new sportscar , but we can 't say any more about it at this time . " In December 2011 , Acura announced that a new NSX styled along the lines of the concept built for The Avengers would be unveiled at the 2012 North American International Auto Show . A series of 10 S.H.I.E.L.D. SUVs , based on the Acura MDX with modifications by Cinema Vehicle Services , were also made for the film .
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In February 2012 , it was announced that Marvel has partnered with fragrance company <unk> to promote The Avengers with character @-@ based fragrances . The announcement was just ahead of the Toy Industry Association 's annual February exhibition , where representatives held a sampling booth of the products . Other promotional partners include bracelet @-@ maker <unk> , Dr Pepper , Farmers Insurance , Harley @-@ Davidson , Hershey , Land O <unk> <unk> , Oracle , Red Baron pizza , Symantec , Visa and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts . In total , Marvel and its parent @-@ company Disney secured an estimated $ 100 million in worldwide marketing support for the film . Notable exclusions include Baskin @-@ Robbins , Burger King and Dunkin ' Donuts , who had partnered with Marvel in the past when their films were distributed by Paramount . Disney does not generally promote through fast food outlets .
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= = = = Video game = = = =
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A video game based on the film was planned for concurrent release . The game was to be a first @-@ person shooter / brawler for the Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 , Wii U , and Microsoft Windows and published by THQ , with THQ Studio Australia developing the console versions and Blue Tongue Entertainment the PC version . After THQ closed both studios , the game was cancelled . Intellectual property rights for an Avengers video game reverted to Marvel , which said it was exploring potential publishing and licensing opportunities .
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In May 2012 , Ubisoft and Marvel Entertainment announced that they were partnering to develop a motion @-@ controlled game titled Marvel Avengers : Battle for Earth for the Wii U and Xbox 360 Kinect . The game was inspired by the " Secret Invasion " storyline and features 20 different characters . Marvel also announced a four @-@ chapter mobile game titled Avengers Initiative , with one chapter focusing on each of Hulk , Captain America , Thor and Iron Man .
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= = = Home media = = =
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The film was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on Blu @-@ ray Disc , Blu @-@ ray 3D , DVD and digital download on September 25 , 2012 in the United States and as early as August 29 , 2012 in various international markets . Producer Kevin Feige said the Blu @-@ ray features a new Marvel One @-@ Shot titled Item 47 and " a number of deleted scenes and a few storylines that fell by the wayside during the editing process " including " a few more scenes with the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill , played by Cobie Smulders " and " some slightly different versions of Maria Hill and Nick Fury 's interaction with the World Security Council " .
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The film was also collected in a 10 @-@ disc box set titled " Marvel Cinematic Universe : Phase One – Avengers Assembled " which includes all of the Phase One films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe . It was released on April 2 , 2013 .
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Some fans have criticized the UK DVD and Blu @-@ ray release for omitting Joss Whedon 's audio commentary , and for altering the scene involving Phil Coulson 's death from the film 's theatrical version . Disney 's UK division said the " less graphic depiction of Agent Coulson 's confrontation with Loki " occurred because " [ e ] ach country has its own compliance issues relative to depictions of violence . Unfortunately , another region 's elements were inadvertently used to create the UK in @-@ home release " .
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Upon its first week of release on home media in the U.S. , the film topped the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert chart , which tracks overall disc sales , as well as the dedicated Blu @-@ ray Disc sales chart with 72 % of unit sales coming from Blu @-@ ray , a record for a new release in which both the DVD and Blu @-@ ray formats were released simultaneously .
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= = Reception = =
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= = = Box office = = =
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The Avengers grossed $ 623 @.@ 4 million in North America and $ 895 @.@ 2 million in other countries , for a worldwide total of $ 1 @.@ 518 billion . It became the third highest @-@ grossing film worldwide as well as highest @-@ grossing 2012 film . It is the highest @-@ grossing comic @-@ book adaptation , the highest grossing superhero film and the second highest @-@ grossing film ever released by Walt Disney Studios . The film 's worldwide opening of $ 392 @.@ 5 million is the fourth largest . The Avengers also became the fifth film distributed by Disney and the twelfth film overall to earn more than $ 1 billion . It reached this milestone in 19 days , matching the record for speed previously set by Avatar and Deathly Hallows – Part 2 . Its grosses exceeded its estimated $ 220 million production cost 12 days after its release . It was the first Marvel production to generate $ 1 billion in ticket sales .
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= = = = North America = = = =
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The film became the third highest @-@ grossing film , the highest @-@ grossing 2012 film , the highest grossing film distributed by Disney , the highest @-@ grossing superhero film and the highest @-@ grossing film based on comics . It opened Friday , May 4 , 2012 , on around 11 @,@ 800 screens across 4 @,@ 349 theaters , and earned $ 80 @.@ 8 million , marking the second @-@ biggest opening and second @-@ biggest single @-@ day gross . The film 's Friday gross included an $ 18 @.@ 7 million midnight run , a record for a superhero film Without midnight grosses , the film earned the largest opening @-@ day gross ( $ 62 @.@ 1 million ) . It also set a <unk> and Sunday @-@ gross record ( $ 69 @.@ 6 million and $ 57 @.@ 1 million respectively ) . In total , it earned a total of $ 207 @,@ 438 @,@ 708 for its debut weekend , setting an opening @-@ weekend record , including an IMAX opening @-@ weekend record of $ 15 @.@ 3 million and a record for opening @-@ weekend grosses originating from 3D showings ( $ 108 million ) . The opening @-@ weekend audience was evenly split among those under and over the age of 25 , with 60 % of the audience male , 55 % couples , 24 % families and 21 % teenagers . Earning $ 103 @.@ 1 million on its second weekend , the film set a record for the largest second @-@ weekend gross . Other records set by the film include the biggest weekend per @-@ theater average for a wide release ( $ 47 @,@ 698 per theater ) , the fastest film to reach $ 100 million and each additional $ 50 million through $ 550 million , and the largest cumulative gross through every day of release until , and including , its forty @-@ third day ( with the exception of its first day ) . It was in first place at the North American box office for three consecutive weekends . The film set a record for the highest monthly share , with its $ 532 @.@ 5 million total ( through May 31 , 2012 ) accounting for 52 % of the total earnings at the North American box office during May .
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= = = = = Records = = = = =
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The following are records set by the film upon its theatrical release .
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= = = = Outside North America = = = =
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The film became the third @-@ highest grossing film , the highest @-@ grossing Disney @-@ distributed film , the highest @-@ grossing 2012 film , and the highest @-@ grossing superhero film . It opened Wednesday , April 25 , 2012 , in 10 countries , earning $ 17 @.@ 1 million . It opened in 29 more countries on April 26 and 27 , earning $ 73 @.@ 1 million in three days . Through Sunday , April 29 , it earned an opening @-@ weekend total of $ 185 @.@ 1 million from 39 countries . It was in first place at the box office outside North America for four consecutive weekends . The film set opening @-@ day records in New Zealand , Malaysia and Iceland , a single @-@ day record in the Philippines , as well as both single- and opening @-@ day records in Singapore and in Thailand . It also earned the second highest @-@ grossing opening day in Australia ( $ 6 @.@ 2 million ) , behind Deathly Hallows – Part 2 , in Mexico , in the Philippines and in Vietnam . It set opening @-@ weekend records in many territories , including Mexico , Brazil , Ecuador , Bolivia , Taiwan , the Philippines , Hong Kong , the United Arab Emirates , Argentina , Peru and Central America . It also earned the second largest five @-@ day opening in Australia ( $ 20 @.@ 2 million ) .
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In the UK , Ireland and Malta , the film earned £ 2 @.@ 5 million ( $ 4 @.@ 1 million ) on its opening day and £ 15 @.@ 8 million ( $ 25 @.@ 7 million ) during the weekend , setting an opening @-@ weekend record for a superhero film . It became the market 's highest @-@ grossing superhero film . In Latin America , it became the highest @-@ grossing film ( $ 207 million ) and the first film to earn more than $ 200 million . It also became the highest @-@ grossing film in the Philippines , in Singapore and in Indonesia .
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= = = Critical response = = =
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The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 92 % approval rating with an average rating of 8 / 10 based on 315 reviews . The website 's consensus reads , " Thanks to a script that emphasizes its heroes ' humanity and a wealth of superpowered set pieces , The Avengers lives up to its hype and raises the bar for Marvel at the movies . " On Metacritic , the film achieved an average score of 69 out of 100 based on 43 reviews , signifying " generally favorable reviews " . CinemaScore reported that audiences gave the film a rare " A + " grade .
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Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter gave a positive review of the film , remarking , " It 's clamorous , the save @-@ the @-@ world story is one everyone 's seen time and again , and the characters have been around for more than half a century in 500 comic book issues . But Whedon and his cohorts have managed to stir all the personalities and ingredients together so that the resulting dish , however familiar , is irresistibly tasty again . " To Rolling Stone journalist Peter Travers , the film epitomized an exceptional blockbuster . " It 's also the blockbuster , " Travers said , " I saw in my head when I imagined a movie that brought together the idols of the Marvel world in one shiny , stupendously exciting package . It 's Transformers with a brain , a heart and a working sense of humor . " Justin Chang of Variety wrote , " Like a superior , state @-@ of @-@ the @-@ art model built from reconstituted parts , Joss Whedon 's buoyant , witty and robustly entertaining superhero smash @-@ up is escapism of a sophisticated order , boasting a tonal assurance and rich reserves of humor that offset the potentially lumbering and unavoidably formulaic aspects of this 143 @-@ minute team @-@ origin story . " Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times complimented the film 's frenetic pace , while Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun @-@ Times commented that it " provides its fans with exactly what they desire . Whether it is exactly what they deserve is arguable " . Conversely , A. O. Scott of The New York Times believed that " while The Avengers is hardly worth raging about , its failures are significant and dispiriting . The light , amusing bits cannot overcome the grinding , hectic emptiness , the bloated cynicism that is less a shortcoming of this particular film than a feature of the genre . "
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The performances of several cast members was a frequent topic in the critiques . In particular , Mark Ruffalo 's portrayal of Dr. Bruce Banner / the Hulk was well @-@ received by commentators . Joe Neumaier opined that his performance was superior to the rest of the cast ; " Ruffalo is the revelation , turning Banner into a wry reservoir of calm ready to become a volcano . " Similarly , The New Yorker 's Anthony Lane proclaimed Ruffalo 's acting to be one of the film 's highlights — alongside Downey . The Village Voice 's Karina Longworth concluded : " Ruffalo successfully refreshes the Hulk myth , playing Banner as an adorably bashful nerd @-@ genius who , in contrast to the preening hunks on the team , knows better than to draw attention to himself . " Travers asserted that the actor resonated a " scruffy warmth and humor " vibe , while Turan felt that he surpassed predecessors Edward Norton and Eric Bana in playing the character . Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote that " the smartest thing the filmmakers did was to get Mark Ruffalo to play Bruce Banner as a man so sensitive that he 's at war , every moment , with himself . ( The film finally solves the Hulk problem : He 's a lot more fun in small doses . ) "
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Referring to Downey , Joe <unk> of The Wall Street Journal — despite complimenting Downey 's performance — favored his work in Iron Man over his acting in The Avengers : " His Iron Man is certainly a team player , but Mr. Downey comes to the party with two insuperable superpowers : a character of established sophistication — the industrialist / inventor Tony Stark , a sharp @-@ tongued man of the world — and his own quicksilver presence that finds its finest expression in self @-@ irony . " Neumaier praised Evans , stating that he accurately conveyed his character 's internal conflicts .
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Commentators appreciated the character development and dialogue . Associated Press reviewer Christy Lemire wrote that the script " sparkles as brightly as the special effects ; these people may be wearing ridiculous costumes but they 're well fleshed @-@ out underneath . " Scott suggested that certain parts of the film permeated a charm that he felt was similar to the western film Rio Bravo ( 1959 ) . Longworth felt that while Whedon 's script demonstrated the backstory of the characters , the film does not explore it " in a substantive way " .
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= = = Accolades = = =
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The Avengers has garnered numerous awards and nominations , including an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects and a British Academy Film Award nomination for Best Special Visual Effects . The film has also been nominated for three Critics ' Choice Movie Awards , thirteen People 's Choice Awards ( winning three ) , eleven Teen Choice Awards ( winning two ) , six Saturn Awards ( winning four ) , and six VES Awards ( winning two ) , as well as the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation Long Form .
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= = Sequels = =
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= = = Avengers : Age of Ultron = = =
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A sequel , titled Avengers : Age of Ultron , written and directed by Whedon , was released on May 1 , 2015 . Much of the cast returns , with the addition of Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch , Aaron Taylor @-@ Johnson as Quicksilver , Paul Bettany as Vision , and James Spader as Ultron .
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= = = Avengers : Infinity War = = =
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The two @-@ part Avengers : Infinity War will be directed by Anthony and Joe Russo , from a script by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely . Part 1 is scheduled to be released on May 4 , 2018 with Part 2 scheduled for May 3 , 2019 .
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= Secrets of a Successful Marriage =
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" Secrets of a Successful Marriage " is the twenty @-@ second and final episode of The Simpsons ' fifth season . It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 19 , 1994 . In the episode , Homer fears he may be a little slow , so he goes to the adult education center . While there , he decides to teach a class of his own on the secrets of a successful marriage , since that is the only class he is qualified to teach . However , to keep his students interested , he is forced to tell personal secrets about his wife Marge , which she dislikes , leading up to Homer getting kicked out of the house .
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The episode was written by Greg Daniels and directed by Carlos Baeza . It features cultural references to the plays Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Streetcar Named Desire , and the films ... And Justice for All , A Few Good Men , Patton , and Chinatown . The episode has been analyzed in books such as Leaving Springfield and Education in Popular Culture . Since airing , the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics . It acquired a Nielsen rating of 9 @.@ 8 , and was the second highest @-@ rated show on the Fox network the week it aired .
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= = Plot = =
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After Homer realizes that he is " slow " , Marge recommends that he take an adult education course at the annex center . Down at the center , however , Homer changes his mind and decides to become a teacher . He talks to the administrator and accepts an opening to teach a class on having a successful marriage . Despite being confident that he can pull it off , he is frightened on his first day and is unable to help his pupils with their relationship problems . The class collectively gets up to leave , but when Homer mentions his conversation with Marge in bed , the class decides to stay , eager to hear gossip . Marge soon discovers that everyone in town knows her personal secrets , reacting by confronting Homer about it and he promises to stop . He instead continues telling her secrets anyway . Homer then takes the night off teaching class by having his class observe the family over dinner .
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Marge finally loses her temper and sends Homer and the class out of the house . When Homer tries to get back in , Marge stops him , saying she can no longer trust him , and refuses to let him back in . Homeless , Homer stays in Bart 's tree house . Marge tries to reassure Bart and Lisa that she and Homer love the children , despite their current situation , but Lisa and Bart are worried their parents will get divorced . Marge tries to get advice from Reverend Lovejoy , who tells her to get a divorce .
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While Homer longs for his wife , Moe comes by the Simpsons ' house to declare his interest in Marge , who turns him down . When Homer comes into the house with flowers he picked for Marge , Moe sees him and jumps out the window . Standing before her in rags , Homer professes his total and utter dependency on Marge , and she tells him that that is not a good thing , but Homer then makes his winning argument : he loves her , he needs her to love him , and can not afford to ever lose her trust again or he will end up dead . Marge is won over and allows Homer to return to the house . The family is glad that he has returned , although Moe is less than thrilled .
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= = Production = =
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The episode was written by Greg Daniels and directed by Carlos Baeza . It was the second script Daniels wrote for the show . He thought the staff had previously done many episodes where Homer " wasn 't good at anything " , so he tried to figure out something Homer was really good at , and he came up with the idea of Homer being a good husband . While Bart had been the star of the show during the early years , by Season 5 , the focus had clearly shifted to Homer . Writer / showrunner Al Jean stated that because Homer is an adult character , he has more depth to him and thus storyline possibilities . Showrunner David Mirkin commented : " Bart , to write him accurately as a child , he can only have so much depth at a certain age . With Homer , we try to explore all levels of adulthood . There are just more places to go . Writing Homer properly is the trick , he 's our main rock of the whole series . Homer 's IQ is fairly flexible , he won 't necessarily understand how to open a door at some point , but he can name the Supreme Court justices . Finding that balance is key to making the show work and making it surprising and making it believable and emotionally grounded . " Mirkin was very fond of the fact that Homer and Marge have the biggest fight they have ever had on the show in the episode , and he thought it was a " really great " exploration of their marriage . He noticed that because Homer is thrown out of the house , the audience really worry about their relationship . Mirkin had been asked many times why Marge and Homer are still together , to which he replied that all people stay together even if they argue , " there 's some sort of connection " .
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= = Cultural references = =
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Homer sings the end of the theme song to Family Ties while talking to an administrator at the annex center . Smithers 's recollection of his marriage parodies the two plays Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Streetcar Named Desire , both written by American playwright Tennessee Williams . Homer 's bedroom rant to Marge is a parody mishmash of four popular films : ... And Justice for All ( 1979 ) , A Few Good Men ( 1992 ) , Patton ( 1970 ) , and Chinatown ( 1974 ) . He says : " Look Marge , you don 't know what it 's like . I 'm the one out there every day putting his ass on the line . And I 'm not out of order ! You 're out of order . The whole freaking system is out of order . You want the truth ? You want the truth ? ! You can 't handle the truth ! ' Cause when you reach over and put your hand into a pile of goo that was your best friend 's face , you 'll know what to do ! Forget it , Marge , it 's Chinatown , " all of which are lines from those films .
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= = Analysis = =
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It was revealed in a flashback in the episode that Smithers was briefly married to a woman , but the two split up when he devoted too much time to his boss Mr. Burns . Smithers 's relationship with Mr. Burns has long been a running joke on The Simpsons . His sexual orientation has often come into question , with some fans claiming he is a " Burns @-@ sexual " and only attracted to his boss , while others maintain that he is , without a doubt , gay . Matthew Henry wrote in the book Leaving Springfield that this episode is " perhaps the best " example of an attempt to portray an actual gay lifestyle on the show . Henry added that the flashback is a " wonderfully rendered parody of scenes from two of Tennessee Williams 's most famous plays , Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Streetcar Named Desire . To fully appreciate it , one must know something of not only the two plays cited but also of Williams himself , of his own struggles with both heterosexual and homosexual desires and the way in which these struggles were incorporated into his art . The creators of The Simpsons offer what I think is a perfect parallel for the relationship between Smithers and Mr. Burns by combining Williams 's two most notable male characters and their defining characteristics : the suppressed homosexual desire of Brick and desperate dependence of Stanley . "
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In their book Education in Popular Culture , Alma Harris , Roy Fisher , Ann Harris , and Christine Jarvis analyzes the adult education aspects of this episode that portrays adult learners as " stupid and lazy " . After Homer is appointed as a teacher , he feels immensely proud and boasts to all his acquaintances about it , initially making it seem like if the show is indicating that adult education tutors have a relatively high status in society . " However , " the authors added , " Homer 's pride is undercut for the audience by the awareness of how he came to be appointed and by the subsequent representation of the adult education center . It seems that anyone can become a tutor . [ ... ] Homer 's fellow tutors are drunks , incompetents and down @-@ and @-@ outs , adult education is therefore presented as an amateur business staffed by the dregs of society . " The writers of the book thought the whole idea of storytelling and building on experience that Homer uses , and that many adult education tutors uses in real life , is represented in the episode " simply as an excuse for gossip and prurient curiosity " . They also thought that statements like " I can 't believe I paid ten thousand dollars for this course . What the heck was the lab fee for ? " imply that adult education is " exploitative and poor value for money , and that the students themselves contribute to this by demanding an essentially recreational service . " The authors concluded that the episode " certainly sustains a popular view of adult education as pointless and recreational . Similarly , no value whatsoever is attributed to the extensively researched , proven through practice and well @-@ argued perspective that adult learners do best when the curriculum builds on and values their experience . "
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= = Reception = =
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Subsets and Splits