The Old Man and the Key

"The Old Man and the Key"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.	282
Directed by	Lance Kramer
Written by	Jon Vitti
Showrunner(s)	Al Jean
Production code	DABF09
Original air date	March 10, 2002
Couch gag	The Simpsons run to the couch, only to find Blue Man Group performing.
Commentary	Al Jean Matt Selman Carolyn Omine Tom Gammill Max Pross Matt Warburton
Guest appearance(s)
Olympia Dukakis as Zelda Bill Saluga as Ray Jay Johnson
Season 13 episodes November 6, 2001 – May 22, 2002 "Treehouse of Horror XII" "The Parent Rap" "Homer the Moe" "A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love" "The Blunder Years" "She of Little Faith" "Brawl in the Family" "Sweets and Sour Marge" "Jaws Wired Shut" "Half-Decent Proposal" "The Bart Wants What It Wants" "The Lastest Gun in the West" "The Old Man and the Key" "Tales from the Public Domain" "Blame It on Lisa" "Weekend at Burnsie's" "Gump Roast" "I Am Furious (Yellow)" "The Sweetest Apu" "Little Girl in the Big Ten" "The Frying Game" "Poppa's Got a Brand New Badge"
Seasons
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

Olympia Dukakis as Zelda
Bill Saluga as Ray Jay Johnson

"The Old Man and the Key" is the thirteenth episode of The Simpsons' thirteenth season. It first aired in the United States on the Fox network on March 10, 2002. In the episode, Grampa Simpson falls in love with Zelda, an old woman who has just moved in to the senior home in which Grampa lives. However, Grampa is not the only one in the home who is infatuated with Zelda.

The episode was written by Jon Vitti and directed by Lance Kramer. The storyline was pitched by Vitti, who based it on an article about social status in senior homes. The episode features Olympia Dukakis as Zelda, and Bill Saluga as his television character Ray J. Johnson. The song "Ode to Branson", which was written by Vitti and composed by Alf Clausen, was submitted for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music And Lyrics in 2002, which it ultimately lost to a score from The Blue Planet.

The episode begins with Homer anticipating the new XFL season before Marge tells him that the league has folded (which she hears from the league's MVP, who now works at her hair salon). The Simpson family then gets a phone call from Grampa Simpson's retirement home saying that he is dead. When the family arrives he informs them the home got it wrong and Grampa is still alive. A beautiful new woman named Zelda moves into his retirement home. Grampa is determined to win her love over Zack, another resident who owns and drives a minivan. After renewing his driver's license (which Patty quickly gave to him in return that he would not wink at her again), Grampa convinces Homer to let him borrow the car to romance her. Although he impresses Zelda, Homer and Marge think she is a "hoochie" and only likes Grampa because he can drive. After he crashes Homer's car in a drag race with the Souvenir Jackitos, a rival seniors gang, Homer gets particularly livid with Grampa and takes his keys away, forbidding him to drive ever again. Zelda informs Grampa that she got them tickets to a show in Branson, Missouri, but when he tells her he does not have a car Zelda leaves with Zack and his minivan.

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Wikipedia