The Simpsons was still cranking out quality work in season eight, and there appeared to be no stopping the show. After starting the season off with the latest "Treehouse of Horror," audiences were treated to one of the most beloved episodes in the show's entirety. In "You Only Move Twice," the Simpsons family moves to Cypress Creek after Homer gets a new job. Homer is happy with all the changes and his new boss, but his family is struggling. "You Only Move Twice" is frequently quoted and referenced, but this episode has some hidden details people are not aware of.
The show's least obvious joke
Bart and Lisa aren't acclimating to Cypress Creek, but for very different reasons. As the local flora aggravate Lisa's seasonal allergies, Bart is placed into a remedial class at Cypress Creek Elementary School. What really stands out about the school's exterior is the fact that they advertise their website's URL so prominently on the sign out front. Writer Josh Weinstein said on the DVD commentary this is "one of the show's most obviously dated jokes." What he means is, it was rare for schools to have their own websites. So, Cypress Creek Elementary School having one seemed revolutionary in 1996.
Marge's drinking
Marge's sudden gambling addiction in season 5's "$pringfield" was promptly dropped by the episode's end, and it was only referenced in a throwaway joke down the line. Here, Marge finds herself drinking a glass of wine a day when needing to cope with her growing malaise. With a completely automated house, homemaker Marge has little to do while everyone else is out. This seems innocuous enough, but the writers argued about including this subplot. Perhaps they found it a tad dark when compared to the rest of the episode. Later, Marge develops another drinking problem in season 15's "Co-Dependents Day".
Creamy censorship
Unlike Mr. Burns, Hank Scorpio — who is not a parody of British magnate Richard Branson — was a sincerely nice guy. Personality wise, that is. It's his interactions with Homer that enthrall fans to this very day. One of their many risible exchanges might have gone unnoticed, though, only because it was censored in syndication. The moment in question was when Homer asked Hank for sugar. Mr. Scorpio handed Homer a handful of sugar straight from his pockets, then followed with, "Want some cream?" To which Homer hesitantly declines. It's unknown if the line was cut for content or simply time.
Lisa the Omnivore?
A fundamental episode in Lisa's history is season 5's "Lisa the Vegetarian" where she denounces eating animals. Her decision was astounding considering how much meat her family consumes on a daily basis. Plus, her father is Homer. Yet in "You Only Move Twice," some observant fans noticed there appears to be a piece of meat on Lisa's plate during dinner. Lisa does mention Marge's boiled celery so maybe it was vegetarian night; that suspicious food item could be veggie loaf. Seems more likely that it's a simple oversight in continuity as opposed to Lisa falling down that slippery meat slope.
The Denver Broncos
At the very end of the episode, the Denver Broncos are delivered to the Simpsons' home in Springfield as a token of Hank Scorpio's appreciation. It's a kind gesture from someone bent on taking over the world. Earlier, Homer expressed interest in owning the Dallas Cowboys. So, it's no wonder he wasn't all that enthused by Hank's gift. Marge asked what was wrong, and Homer replied, "You just don't understand football, Marge." The scene underlined the Broncos' reputation of being a mediocre team at the time. Funnily enough, the Broncos won two consecutive Super Bowls after this episode first aired.
James Bond
This episodes pays unmistakable homage to James Bond. Homer remaining ignorant to his new boss being an Ernst Stavro Blofeld-esque supervillain is on brand for him. Additionally, the man Homer tackled was called Mr. Bont because Fox feared using the name "Bond" would incur legal problems. Amid the siege on Globex, a soldier is killed by the woman who recruited Homer; her moniker of Goodthighs is a reference to Giovanna Goodthighs from the 1967 Bond parody Casino Royale. Lastly and to no avail, the show tried to get Shirley Bassey to record Hank Scorpio's theme song written by Ken Keeler.
Continuity
At best, The Simpsons has loose continuity. Fans have long given up on trying to learn what state Springfield is even located in. There's some simple continuity issues in this episode that viewers will miss. When Homer is packing up the moving van, Flanders tries to get his power sander and TV tray back. Homer "borrowed" these items in episodes "Marge on the Lam" and "Lisa's First Word," respectively. In addition, the Tom Landry hat Homer buys is seen earlier in season 7's "Marge Be Not Proud" and subsequently in future episodes like "Bart Star", "Lisa the Skeptic", and "Saddlesore Galactica".
No place like home
During production, the fictional town of Cypress Creek was referred to as "Emerald Caverns" by the staff. The writers eventually switched to "Cypress Creek" because it sounded more "Silicon Valley". And since the episode takes place in a new location, the artists had to create new sets and environments. Although in the original animatics, the Simpsons' family pets Santa's Little Helper and Snowball II were absent. So, the animators added them in even though neither animal was integral to the plot. Something actually left behind in Springfield was Grampa Simpson. The four removed sequences can be found on the DVD.
Ralph Wiggum-isms
There's something odd about Cypress Creek Elementary School, and it's not the fact Lisa is never shown in class. No, it's Bart's remedial course, the Leg-Up Program. First off, Bart was sentenced to this class because he had yet to learn cursive writing. Many schools have abandoned teaching cursive today, but it was regularly taught in the '90s. Now what's odd about the Leg-Up class is Bart's classmates faintly sound like and resemble Ralph Wiggum. This is because during production, the children's hair was modeled after Ralph's hair. They changed it when they realized it made them look "kinda troubled."
Why Hank Scorpio never returned
The episode's biggest draw is hands down Albert Brooks as Hank Scorpio. Fans hoping for his return almost got their wish granted in the 2007 movie. Brooks was indeed cast in the film, but only as a different villain named Russ Cargill. So why no Scorpio? The truth is, Albert Brooks ad-libbed so many of his lines in the episode. This includes the famous hammock conversation. Brooks' performance was a lightning-in-a-bottle situation. Homer's actor Dan Castellaneta was kept on his toes as his scene partner continued making up new lines. His reactions alone amounted to two hours in length.