Readers, one of you must be good at figuring out where to find the latest Simpsons’ episode, legally. (We have plenty of people in my home who can do it the other way.) If/when you do, please share its embed code. But until that date, here is a synopsis of last night’s season finale. According to the A.V. Club:
In the end of “Orange Is The New Yellow,” The Simpsons‘ 27th season finale, there’s a prison riot and a tornado. Marge is in the cooler because Martin’s overzealous mother spotted Bart playing—non-destructively even—in the park without parental supervision.
Critic Dennis Perkins goes on to write that:
There’s a satirical edge to the whole “overprotected children” angle that clearly engaged the writers room a bit (the episode is the first credited to Futurama vet Eric Horsted).
Kudos, Eric! Best line of the night seems to have been this:
“A mother at the park saw something she disapproved of and, luckily for your son, she overreacted.”
But also maybe these:
Lisa, watching the judge sentence Marge to prison: “This is Kafka-esque!” Judge: “I’ve got my eye on you.” Lisa: “Now it’s Orwellian!”
I wish Lisa was my real-life friend.
Anyway, clearly the whole plot harkens back not just to the Meitivs but even moreso to the story of Debra Harrell, the South Carolina single mom who let her 9-year-old daughter play in a popular park and ended up in jail, thanks to an overreacting onlooker.
When I remember Harrell’s police interrogation, which was videotaped, I fume (just like a real cartoon!). And I grow ever more appreciative of the Simpsons for fighting the good fight the way it must be fought.
Which is with funny writers. And so I’ll leave you with one last line. Homer comes to the prison to beg Marge to break out and come home because he’s desperate. He can’t go to another PTA meeting: “Everyone just asks questions about their own kids!”
Here’s to Season 28. – L
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**Not actual dialog
17 Comments
Actually, the season finale will include a plot where Bart is arrested for streaking at a high school football game. Marge and Homer will muster all their strength in order to keep Bart out of jail and off the sex offender registry.
Absolutely NOT a fan of Simpsons, but I think I’ll have to go watch this one. It’s on Hulu, but I don’t know how to do embed codes.
In a much earlier episode, Marge feels that her role in the family is being “usurped” by a younger woman, and fears that the woman is trying to kill her, so she goes to the police:
Chief Wiggum: Sorry, Marge. In cases like this, the police are powerless.
Later, Marge takes matters into her own hands, causing the police to rush to the scene and arrest her:
Marge: Chief Wiggum! I thought you said the police were powerless?!
Chief Wiggum: Powerless to protect you, not powerless to punish you!
It seems that even cartoon police are not useful. What next can they do to mess around with our lives?
Wow
Earlier in this TV season, an episode of “Family Guy” had as a plotline/sub-plot how Chris Griffin, the son in (junior) high school, became a registered sex offender. He took a picture of his genitalia using his cellphone, which he then shared. Of course this plot had to be resolved by the end of the episode, but there were some good aspects, depicting the ostracism and public fear.
I haven’t watched this show in years, but oh, you know it’s a good sign when satire grabs hold.
All of the Simpsons episodes can be seen here: http://www.simpsonsworld.com/
The caveat is that you’ll have to sign in with your FX or “tv provider” credentials.
Art parrots reality. In this case, it’s barely satire, unfortunately.
Need a character based on Lenore with her doing the voice over.
>>Need a character based on Lenore with her doing the voice over.<<
Warren, I agree. Maybe they tried to get Lenore on board, but she wasn't available? I'd believe that, because Lenore travels a lot for speaking engagements and other things.
@Warren: I’ve said before someone should make her the heroine in a comic, like with cape and L on her chest and stuff, and her superpower would be giving people an epic tongue lashing. And she’d still be afraid of cars and heights 😀 Imagine the supervillain in a flying heli-car or something 😛
Does this work?
Check out this video on Hulu!
http://hulu.com/w/sqa2
Carol, it took me to a login page. Thanks for trying. The Simpsons website someone posted above let’s you watch, if you subscribe to one of four cable companies…mine, of course, is not supported.
yay…when The Simpsons begins to satire something you know its gone overboard.
Here’s what everyone will say will happen if you don’t protect your kids while they’re in the park.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-police-man-attempted-kidnapping-jeanne-mance-georges-laraque-1.3595683
Sure, a one off, most likely mental issues rather than a true kidnapping attempt, but still, it happened.
I still love the Simpsons, Lisa especially. This was a great episode. Some of them are phoned in these days but this one worked.