Episode 9 - Itchy and Scratchy and Marge
7 June 2010
Synopsis: Maggie hits Homer with a mallet prompting Marge to ask where she could have got that idea from. When she sees Itchy and Scratchy on TV she rallies support to have the show changed. Initially ignored her campaign soon succeeds and the children of Springfield abandon the changed cartoon. But when Michelangelo's David comes to town Marge finds herself on the other side of the censorship debate.
The Good: This is the first time The Simpsons really tackles a social issue and gives it a thorough debate. The messages the episode sends are decidedly mixed and it seems the writers (perhaps wisely) didn't pick one side of the censorship debate. Instead they present a somewhat balanced view of the situation and save most of their mocking for the media and the wealthy.
Clearly the violence of cartoons is not the sole explanation for the behaviour of the children of Springfield. Except of course that it keeps them indoors glued to the TV rather than outside playing. Yet the montage of happy children enjoying the virtuous benefits of playing outdoors is so saccharine that it almost feels a little cynical. As if the writers were showing that positive benefits can come from playing outside but that it wouldn't really be the silly paradise they presented.
Meanwhile Marge's story is presented in a fascinating way. In classic Simpsons satire her original letter is met with the cynical response (from the Itchy and Scratchy's studio boss) that "our research indicates that one person cannot make a difference no matter how big a screwball she is." Marge proves Roger Meyers wrong though and rallies enough support to get herself local press attention. She goes on "Smartline" to argue her case and comes up against amusingly outrageous prejudice from the show's host Kent Brockman. He opens with "Are cartoons too violent for our children? Most people would say 'no of course not, what kind of stupid question is that?'" He then listens to the patronising analysis of Myers who points out that violence existed before cartoons!
During Marge's campaign I liked the little touches of reality the writers threw in. Such as Homer having to explain why he was missing work (his baby beat him up) and Bart and Lisa simply finding other ways to watch their cartoons. There were plenty of smile-worthy placards throughout the episode, the most eye catching being "No Nudes is Good Nudes."
That sign referred to the impending arrival of Michelangelo's David. The Italian museum curator implausibly announces that the tour of the States will take in "New York, Springfield and if we have time Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles." The newly mobilised Springfield residents rise up against this filthy display of nudity while Marge now finds herself defending it. She is confronted with this apparent double standard and is forced to conclude "I guess one person can make a difference but most of the time they probably shouldn't." To add to this downbeat conclusion Homer points out that the school children of Springfield will be forced on to school trips to come and see David whether they want to or not. That whole finish to the plot manages to take in the inherent double standards in any kind of censorship, the difficulty in drawing clear moral lines, the speed at which mobs can run out of control and the sad crushing of an individual by a majority. But in Homer's throwaway remark lies another important fact, that certain institutions like museums and schools exist to protect culture and give people a wider perspective on the world. It's a wonderfully accurate, morally grey conclusion to the story.
The Bad: The only downside to the complexity is that the episode lacks the kind of easy target or singular focus to make it a classic. Great art often has to be simple and direct to make its point to a wide audience. This episode tried to cover so many bases that it won't stick in your memory like some of the shows other efforts.
Best Joke: Kent Brockman wraps up another "Smartline" by saying "Join us tomorrow when our topic will be 'Religion: which is the one true faith?'" A perfect exaggeration to satirise the whole talking head format of television debates.
The Bottom Line: A very intelligently written episode which handles the issue with so much care that it doesn't have a clear message. But it is fun to watch throughout and is thought provoking in a way which was not expected of a cartoon.
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