The Simpsons (TV Series) Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish (1990) User Reviews

Simpsons Satire

[LedZep712 · 8/10 · 29 November 2007]

Two Cars In Every Car and Three Eyes On Every Fish

Two Cars is probably the most political episode The Simpsons had done at this point as well as being one of the biggest parodies of a single piece of work (Orson Welles' Citizen Kane) that was done to this point as well. The basic premise being Homer helping Burns to become governor, much to the chagrin of Marge, a supporter of long-standing governor Mary Bailey.

I don't usually like the use of politics in popular culture. It often seems to be too heavy a subject to deal with in a sit-com. But I salute the show for trying, and largely succeeding in making the episode a good one. Probably not the finest episode in season 2 but it stands up.

Mary Bailey hasn't appeared much in later episodes (to my knowledge, she's only appeared one other time, literally years away at this point.) Though I suppose they had the political character in Mayor Quimby. Ultimately though it's could be addressed as political, and maybe even somewhat biased to one political viewpoint (the show has been known to have quite a liberal slant, though major writer John Swartzwelder is conservative.) but it's not too heavy and above the heads of the non-political Simpsons viewer.

A Simpsons Political Satire!

[g-bodyl · 8/10 · 28 February 2014]

Now as I have duly pointed out, I am not one for politics. This episode is very political-centered and that's why I didn't like it as much and it's an episode that doesn't stand out much. But that being said, I still liked it and found it rather amusing. It's a decent political satire with the only intention of making fun of politics.

In this episode, "two cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish," Bart catches a three-eyed fish in the river that's being polluted by the nuclear power plant. When Mr. Burns is told about all of this, he runs for mayor thanks to the advice from Homer.

Overall, this is a solid episode that's worth a watch. It has several good jokes but this is not my most favorite episode. I rate this episode 8/10.

Slack-jawed troglodytes

[snoozejonc · 9/10 · 21 June 2022]

Mr Burns runs for Governor.

This is a strong Mr Burns episode and election satire.

This is probably one of the most adult episodes of the series written by the time of its release, with a focus so much on the manipulations, divisions, and media circus of an election.

All the observations and jokes relating to the Burns campaign are excellent and it builds up to a fantastic conclusion with Marge having the standout moment.

Mr Burns, like in some other episodes, is in some scenes used humorously for a Charles Foster Kane homage.

For me it's an 8.5/10 but I round upwards.

Oh so prophetic!!!

[safenoe · 10/10 · 7 October 2016]

I loved this episode when it first screened in 1990, and on so many levels it's as though the Simpsons writers could foresee 26 years later the demagoguery of Monty Burns living on? In this classic episode he hires a crack team of campaign managers, to win the governorship from the incumbent Mary Bailey by smearing her, and coming so close to win the Governor's mansion. Wow! The satire of Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish stands alongside Bob Roberts, and it's so sadly real, that it can happen in a US presidential election.

The characters in Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish were still developing, given this was the second season of The Simpsons.

8/10

[Analog_Devotee · 8/10 · 3 June 2021]

Great little Swartzwelder episode where Mr. Burns attempts a run at Governor in the hopes of bypassing mandatory renovations to his plant. Lots of great Swartzweldian jokes.

Weighing in on Politics

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 8 April 2022]

When the power plant gets nailed during an inspection, Burns decides to run for governor to put a stop to too much oversight. When things are even, his success or failure will depend on a dinner with an every day Joe (Homer). Of course, things don't go very well.

What is it with rich capitalists being populists?

[CubsandCulture · 7/10 · 20 August 2021]

This episode's feeble attempt to try to be nonpartisan and/or not root the plot in any real world analog didn't really work in 1990. And it doesn't work in 2021. Burns eventually became canonically a Republican and it is clear that writers intended that to be the case in this episode. Likewise, Marge and Bailey are clearly meant to be Democrats. I wish the the show was just explicit on this point. Anyone who cares about this sort of thing isn't going to be fooled. That coupled with plot resolution being forced-no campaign would allow Marge to pull her shunt and no way would they be blindsided by it!-is why this episode loses a few points.

It is however striking that Burns-like the obvious parallels of Charles Foster Kane, Willie Stark, and Stark's real-life counterpart Huey Long-cynically plays the role of being concerned with the common man's plight in a failed bid to screw over said common man. This theme is more fully realized in other media and it isn't full spelled out in this episode but wow for a 23 minute cartoon sit-com the writers managed to work in a lot of commentary and cynicism about our system. This episode plays a lot darker post-2016 then it did for the years prior.

Good, but not great

[studioAT · 2/10 · 14 March 2020]

The Simpsons goes political again in this episode, and it's not my favourite route the show takes.

It's a decent political satire, in which Burns runs for Mayor, but one that never really gets going for me.