Stark Raving Dad Plot What is the plot about? Lisa wakes up Bart to remind him that her birthday is nearing, and that he forgets it every year. Bart promises to get her a present this year. Are there any other interesting aspects about this article? Meanwhile, Homer discovers that all of his white shirts have turned pink because Bart put his red hat in with the laundry.
Was marge mentioned at all in this episode?
Was Marge mentioned at all in Stark Raving Dad episode?
Lisa wakes up Bart to remind him that her birthday is nearing, and that he forgets it every year. Bart promises to get her a present this year. Meanwhile, Homer discovers that all of his white shirts have turned pink because Bart put his red hat in with the laundry. Homer has no choice but to wear a pink shirt to work and as a result, his co-workers poke fun at him. Mr. Burns suspects him of being a "free-thinking anarchist". Homer is sent home with a 20-question psychiatric quiz that he has to fill in so that Dr. Marvin Monroe can assess his sanity. Homer is too lazy to finish the quiz on his own and lets Bart fill it in. When Dr. Monroe sees the results, he determines that Homer is insane. Homer is sent to a mental institution, and is put in a cell with a large white man who seems to believe he is Michael Jackson (referred to as "the big white guy who thinks he's the little black guy"), and who introduces himself as such. Being unfamiliar with the real Michael Jackson, Homer believes and quickly befriends him.  Marge, upon hearing what has happened, comes to the institution and is able to convince Homer's doctors that he is not insane. Homer bids farewell to Michael, who reveals that he is in the mental institution voluntarily. Homer decides to let him stay in the family home. He calls and tells Bart that he is bringing Michael to stay for a few days. Against Homer and Michael's wishes, Bart tells his friend Milhouse and soon all of Springfield turns up outside of the Simpson family's home to see Michael. The level of excitement is deflated when Homer introduces Michael and they realize he is an impostor. The townspeople become angry at Bart and leave. At the same time, Lisa comes out of the house and is upset with Bart because he has yet again failed to acknowledge her birthday, because of his excitement over Michael Jackson's arrival.  After overhearing Lisa write in a letter that she is disowning Bart as a brother, the faux Michael convinces Bart to let him help. Together they write and perform a song for Lisa's birthday called "Happy Birthday Lisa". Lisa is thrilled and hugs her brother, saying that he has given her the best present ever. Afterwards, Michael reveals that his real name is Leon Kompowsky, a bricklayer from Paterson, New Jersey. He explains that he had been very angry for most of his life, but found some peace in talking in Jackson's voice because it made everyone around him happy. Leon bids farewell to the Simpsons and walks off down the road, singing Lisa's birthday song to himself in his normal voice. CANNOTANSWER
Marge, upon hearing what has happened, comes to the institution and is able to convince Homer's doctors that he is not insane.
"Stark Raving Dad" is the first episode of the third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 19, 1991. In the episode, Homer is sent to a mental institution for wearing a pink shirt to work, where he shares a room with a man who claims to be pop star Michael Jackson. Meanwhile, Bart promises his sister Lisa he will get her the best birthday present ever.

The episode was written by Al Jean and Mike Reiss, and directed by Rich Moore. Michael Jackson guest-starred as Leon Kompowsky, but went uncredited for contractual reasons; his role was not confirmed until later. Jackson was a fan of the show and called creator Matt Groening offering to do a guest spot. Jackson pitched several story ideas and wrote the song "Happy Birthday Lisa" for the episode. 

The character's singing voice was performed by a soundalike, Kipp Lennon, due to contractual obligations Jackson had with his record company. The episode references Jackson's career, with Kompowsky singing portions of the songs "Billie Jean" and "Ben".

"Stark Raving Dad" received generally positive reviews, particularly for its writing and Jackson's performance. A sequel in which Kompowsky would have been voiced by Prince was canceled after Prince refused the script. 

A 1992 rerun featured an alternative opening in response to a speech by President George H. W. Bush, in which he said American households should "be a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons". In March 2019, shortly before the Disney-Fox deal was finalized, following renewed allegations of sexual abuse against Jackson, the episode was pulled from circulation. As a result, the episode is unavailable on Disney+, but can still be found on the Season 3 DVD.

Plot
Lisa reminds Bart that he forgets her birthday every year, so he promises to get her a present this year. Meanwhile, Homer panics after seeing that all his white work shirts are dyed pink after Bart tossed his lucky red hat into the laundry. He is forced to wear a pink shirt to work, where Mr. Burns suspects his attire reveals he is a "free-thinking anarchist". Homer is sent home with a psychiatric quiz to allow Dr. Marvin Monroe to assess his sanity.

Homer makes Bart complete the quiz because he is too lazy to do it himself. Bart ticks 'yes' to all the questions, which ask if Homer hears voices, is quick to anger, or wets his pants. When Mr. Burns and Dr. Monroe see the results, they send Homer to a mental institution, where he is committed after an ink blot test image that resembles Bart triggers his temper. 

Homer is put in a cell with a large white man who introduces himself as Michael Jackson. Being unfamiliar with the real Michael Jackson, Homer believes and quickly befriends him.

Marge visits Homer at the mental hospital and convinces his doctors that he is not insane when they realise 'Bart' is real and not a figment of Homer's imagination. When Michael reveals that he is in the asylum voluntarily, Homer invites him to stay with the Simpsons. 

Despite promising to keep it secret, Bart blabs about Michael Jackson coming to his house; soon all of Springfield gathers outside to see the pop star. The crowd's excitement wanes when Homer introduces Michael and they realize he is an impostor. Angry at Bart, the townspeople leave.

In his excitement over Michael's arrival, Bart fails to acknowledge Lisa's birthday. After overhearing a distraught Lisa compose a letter disowning her brother, Michael convinces Bart to let him help heal their rift. Together they write and perform a song for her called "Happy Birthday Lisa". The song thrills Lisa, who declares it the best present ever.

Michael then reveals that his real name is Leon Kompowsky, a bricklayer from Paterson, New Jersey. He explains that he had been filled with anger most of his life, but found solace when talking in Jackson's voice because it made people happy. Leon bids farewell to the Simpsons, singing Lisa's birthday song to himself in his normal voice.

A reprise of "Happy Birthday Lisa" plays as the credits roll.

Production

"Stark Raving Dad" was written specially for Michael Jackson, a fan of the show, who had called Groening one night and offered to do a guest spot. The offer was accepted and a script was written by Al Jean and Mike Reiss, based on an idea pitched by James L. Brooks. Creator Matt Groening and co-executive producer Sam Simon also contributed significantly to the writing. In an early version of the script, Homer decided to take his alcoholic friend Barney Gumble in for rehab, but while there Homer began acting crazily so the doctors assumed he was the one to be committed. It was later changed to Homer being hospitalized for wearing a pink shirt, an idea pitched by Brooks. Jackson pitched several story ideas, such as Bart telling everyone in town that Jackson was coming to his house. He also requested a scene in which he and Bart write a song together and asked that a joke about Prince be changed to one about Elvis Presley.

According to Jean, Jackson would not commit to the episode until after a read-through of the script. The read-through was held at Jackson's manager Sandy Gallin's house, and Dan Castellaneta (the voice of Homer) was 30 minutes late. Jean recalls that "no one said a word, we just sat there waiting". Following the read, Jackson stipulated his conditions: he would go uncredited, and his singing voice would be performed by a soundalike. Leon Kompowsky's singing parts were performed by Kipp Lennon, because Jackson wanted to play a joke on his brothers and fool them into thinking the impersonator was him.

Lennon recorded his lines at the same time as Jackson, who found the impersonations humorous. Jackson attended the recording session alone and did not use the special trailer set up for him. According to Jean, Jackson did record versions of the singing parts, but Simpsons music editor Chris Ledesma said they were not used. Kompowsky's normal speaking voice, heard at the end of the episode, was recorded by cast member Hank Azaria. The episode originally was supposed to end with Kompowsky singing a portion of Jackson's song "Man in the Mirror", but it was changed to "Happy Birthday Lisa".

"Stark Raving Dad" was the final episode in the season two production run, but aired as the premiere of season three on September 19, 1991, over a year after it was completed. Michael Jackson was credited with pseudonym John Jay Smith in the closing credits. At the time, the producers of the show were legally prevented from confirming that Jackson had guest-starred, although many media sources assumed it was really him. Similarly, in season two, actor Dustin Hoffman had guest-starred in the episode "Lisa's Substitute" under the name "Sam Etic". After "Stark Raving Dad", the producers decided that guest stars would have to agree to be credited.

Jackson was a fan of Bart, and wanted to give Bart a number one single. He co-wrote the song "Do the Bartman", which was released as a single around the same time the episode was produced. Jackson could not take credit for his work on the song due to contractual reasons. Jackson also wrote the song "Happy Birthday Lisa", which was later included in the album Songs in the Key of Springfield. A version of the song was reportedly to be included on a bonus disc in the 2001 special edition of Jackson's 1991 album Dangerous, but the bonus disc was dropped.

"Stark Raving Dad" is the first Simpsons episode originally produced and broadcast in Dolby Surround. To mark the change, the producers commissioned the show's in-house music composer Alf Clausen, who was originally hired after providing all the music for the first annual "Treehouse of Horror", to arrange a re-recorded version of the theme song for the opening sequence. This version of the theme has remained in the opening sequence since.

Alternate opening

The January 30, 1992, rerun of the episode featured a brief alternate opening, which was written in response to a comment made by the then President of the United States George H. W. Bush three days earlier. The show had previously had a "feud" with the President's wife Barbara Bush when, in the October1, 1990, edition of People, she called The Simpsons "the dumbest thing [she had] ever seen". The writers decided to respond by privately sending a polite letter to Bush in which they posed as Marge Simpson. Bush immediately sent a reply in which she apologized. Later, on January 27, 1992, George Bush made a speech during his re-election campaign which included the statement: "We are going to keep on trying to strengthen the American family, to make American families a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons."

The writers wanted to respond quickly as Barbara Bush had to them. As each episode of The Simpsons takes more than six months to produce, it is difficult for the show to comment on current events. The writers decided to add a brief response to the next broadcast of The Simpsons, a rerun of "Stark Raving Dad" on January 30. Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart, was called in to record a line. The broadcast included a new tongue-in-cheek opening. The scene, from the episode "Simpson and Delilah", begins in the Simpsons' living room where the family is watching Bush's speech. Bart replies: "Hey, we're just like the Waltons. We're praying for an end to the depression, too." The opening is featured on the season four DVD box set.

Unproduced sequel

A year after "Stark Raving Dad" aired, the writers planned a sequel in which Kompowsky returns, this time claiming to be the pop star Prince. The script was written by freelancers and polished by Conan O'Brien. According to Reiss, it saw Kompowsky encourage the Springfield residents to "loosen up, become more flamboyant and become more sexually open".

Prince agreed to voice Kompowsky and sent notes about what his character would wear, but the writers discovered that Prince was referring to a script that had been written by his chauffeur. Prince disliked their script and demanded the other one be used, but the writers refused. The script became one of the few unproduced Simpsons scripts.

Cultural references

Like all episodes of The Simpsons, "Stark Raving Dad" features a variety of references to popular culture. As Bart fills out the 20-question psychiatry quiz, Homer watches America's Funniest Home Videos where the three nominated clips are all violent. Many of the scenes in the mental institution are references to the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Several of the characters at the institution are based on those in the film, such as Chief. Floyd from the film Rain Man also appears at the mental home as well as Hannibal Lecter from the film The Silence of the Lambs. When Marge calls the institution, a muzak version of "Crazy", sung by Patsy Cline, can be heard over the phone. In the shot of the crowd that awaits Michael Jackson's arrival outside of the Simpson family's home, a man is holding a "John 3:16" sign in reference to Rollen Stewart, who was famous for holding a similar sign at sporting events.

Many aspects of Jackson's career are referenced in the episode. Kompowsky mentions several things that made Jackson famous, including Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, "Beat It", and "Thriller". He also sings portions of the songs "Billie Jean" and "Ben" and performs the moonwalk. When Homer starts mumbling in his sleep, Kompowsky tells his stuffed animal: "Bubbles, it's going to be a long night." Bubbles is the name of Jackson's chimpanzee. Kompowsky also says he was upset when "his" 1979 album Off the Wall received only one Grammy Award nomination; the writers had read that the real Jackson was genuinely upset.

Reception
In its original airing on the Fox network, "Stark Raving Dad" acquired a 13.9 Nielsen rating and 23 percent share of the audience. It was viewed in approximately 12.8 million homes, finishing the week ranked 33rd. The episode finished second in its time slot behind the season premiere of The Cosby Show, which ranked eighth for the week with a 19.7 rating and 31 percent share. The Simpsons was the second-highest rated show on Fox the week it aired, behind Married... with Children.

The episode has been generally well received, being praised by many critics for its writing. In a 2009 review for Slate, Josh Levin wrote that "The greatness of 'Stark Raving Dad' has a lot more to do with The Simpsons writing staff than with Jackson's voice-over talents. The show's scripters came up with a plot device far more ingenious than simply dropping the singer into Springfield." Monica Collins of the Boston Herald also enjoyed the episode. On the day it first aired, she wrote that "This episode is vintage Simpsons, crammed with divinely vulgar visual oddities. And Michael Jackson, of course, is just so weird anyway that he fits right in." Mark Lorando of The Times-Picayune commented that "throwaway lines on The Simpsons are funnier than the big punchlines on most so-called comedy series; [this episode] has layers of humor, satirical touches that enrich the story lines," singling out jokes like the America's Funniest Home Video parody. "The laughs are literally non-stop, and Jackson's unmistakable vocal presence [...] adds a thousand watts of star power." In 2011, Television Blend's Eric Eisenberg named "Stark Raving Dad" the best episode of the entire series. He praised it for being heartful and said that what "prevents the episode from seeming artificial or manipulative is that the writing in the episode earns the earnest moments", elaborating that while "strong emotions might be the hallmark of 'Stark Raving Dad', it would be a sincere mistake to ignore how funny it is." He concluded that the episode "is perfectly constructed, is filled with both deep belly laughs and tears, and is simply the greatest episode of The Simpsons". In 1998, TV Guide listed it in its list of top twelve Simpsons episodes.

In a DVD audio commentary, writer Mike Reiss said he felt that Michael Jackson is "not a terrific actor [...] but he did fine. He was really nice, he was a great sport." In 2006, Jackson was named the fifth-best Simpsons guest star by IGN. Tom Ganjamie of Best Week Ever called Jackson's guest appearance the "cleverest [...] ever on The Simpsons". Writing for IGN, Robert Canning said in a 2009 review that "Stark Raving Dad" is a "solid, funny and touching episode" and described Jackson's performance as "heartfelt yet self-parodying". In a 2011 article, Andrew Martin of Prefix Mag named Michael Jackson his second-favorite musical guest on The Simpsons.

In 2003, DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson commented that the episode was a good start to season three, but it "gets sappy on more than a few occasions, and it lacks the acerbic bite of the series' best shows. Nonetheless, it tosses out some good laughs, and the guest appearance by Jackson—under a pseudonym—works well; Michael shows an ability to mock himself that still surprises me." In a 2004 review for Digitally Obsessed, Nate Meyers wrote that "there are many funny gags in this episode, especially in the first act when Homer gets a tour of the [mental] hospital. Some clever references are made to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but the second half of the episode is not especially funny. The jokes seem forced and there is too much of an effort to sentimentalize the relationship between Bart and Lisa, causing the show to lose its narrative drive." In 2007, Ben Rayner of the Toronto Star listed "Stark Raving Dad" as one of the three worst episodes of The Simpsons.

In a 2009 article for TV Squad, Mike Moody said the episode's "sweetest moment" is at the end when Kompowsky and Bart perform the birthday song for Lisa. Likewise, writer Al Jean listed that scene as one of his five favorite moments from The Simpsons in 2003. The reaction to the song "Happy Birthday Lisa" was mixed. Ben Rayner called it a "crap tune", and Chris Selley of Maclean's magazine wrote that "Stark Raving Dad" is "an unbearably sappy episode, and that birthday song for Lisa is just... bad." Dave Walker of The Times-Picayune listed the episode as one of Jackson's "many memorable TV moments" and called the song "unforgettable".

Reruns
After Jackson's death in 2009, Fox reran "Stark Raving Dad" on July5 in tribute. The producers had intended to air the episode on June 28, three days after Jackson's death, but could not resolve problems with syndication rights, so the "Do the Bartman" music video was aired instead. The producers screened the episode first, and the only change (which was unrelated to Jackson) was the blurring of a phone number.

Pull from circulation 
In March 2019, following the release of the documentary film Leaving Neverland, which details allegations against Jackson of child sexual assault, "Stark Raving Dad" was pulled from circulation. Brooks told The Wall Street Journal: "This was a treasured episode. There are a lot of great memories we have wrapped up in that one, and this certainly doesn't allow them to remain. I'm against book-burning of any kind. But this is our book, and we're allowed to take out a chapter." Jean said he believed Jackson had used the episode to groom boys for sexual abuse. The episode was also omitted from the streaming service Disney+ followed by the 2019 reprint of the Season 3 DVD. Slate journalist Isaac Butler criticized the removal as "an offense against art and the medium of television, and part of a growing trend of corporations using their consolidated power and the death of physical media to do damage control by destroying works by troublesome artists".

References
Footnotes

Bibliography

External links

 
 

The Simpsons (season 3) episodes
Television episodes set in psychiatric hospitals
1991 American television episodes
Television episodes about birthdays
Television controversies in the United States
Animation controversies in television
Television episodes pulled from general rotation
Cultural depictions of George H. W. Bush
Cultural depictions of Michael Jackson
Television episodes with live action and animation
"I Married Marge" is the twelfth episode of the third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 26, 1991. In the episode, Marge worries that she may be pregnant again and visits Dr. Hibbert's office. While anxiously waiting at home, Homer tells Bart, Lisa, and Maggie the story of his and Marge's marriage and Bart's birth. The episode was written by Jeff Martin and directed by Jeffrey Lynch.

"I Married Marge" was the second flashback episode of The Simpsons after season two's "The Way We Was". It features cultural references to The Empire Strikes Back, Charlie's Angels, and Ms. Pac-Man. The title of the episode is a play on the American television series I Married Joan. Since airing, "I Married Marge" has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 11.9 and was the highest-rated show on Fox the week it aired.

The episode was the first of three about the births of the Simpsons children, this one covering Bart's birth, with Lisa's covered in "Lisa's First Word" in the fourth season, and Maggie's covered in the sixth-season episode "And Maggie Makes Three". The episode also expands upon the family's origins as a result of Marge falling pregnant with Bart, briefly referred to in "The Way We Was", and introduces key moments, such as Bart's conception at a mini-golf course, which would ultimately become a major part of the series' canon.

Plot
Marge worries she may be pregnant again after a home pregnancy test is inconclusive, so she drives to Dr. Hibbert's office to take another test. While she is gone, Homer tells Bart, Lisa and Maggie the story of their marriage and Bart's birth.

In 1979, Homer worked at a mini-golf course while dating Marge. Marge's mother Jacqueline and twin sisters Patty and Selma disapproved of Homer's lack of prospects and unattractive physical appearance. One night, Marge and Homer saw The Empire Strikes Back (whose twist ending Homer inadvertently ruined for the next audience) and made out inside a golf course castle. The next day, Marge felt sick and told Homer she might be pregnant. Homer was not thrilled when Dr. Hibbert confirmed this. Since he loved Marge, he proposed marriage to her and she accepted. They married in a seedy wedding chapel across the state line and spent their wedding night on the living room couches at Marge's family's house.

Homer's wages from the golf course were insufficient to support his growing family, so he applied for a job at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. He was rejected because Smithers favored two other applicants who happened to be his old college fraternity brothers. When Homer and Marge's newly purchased baby supplies and Marge's wedding ring were repossessed, Homer left to find steady work, hoping to return once able to support his family. Marge was devastated when she read his farewell note.

Patty and Selma spotted Homer working at a Gulp 'n' Blow fast food restaurant. Seeing how unhappy Marge was without him, Selma reluctantly told her where to find him. Marge tried to persuade Homer to come home with her. Homer applied for a job at the power plant again, telling Mr. Burns he would be the perfect employee due to his unwavering subservience. Burns was so impressed that he hired Homer on the spot.

Homer returned home to learn Marge was in labor at the hospital. He found Marge with Selma and an angry Patty, who berated him. Fed up with her disrespect, Homer angrily told Patty and her family to show him some respect since he now had a well-paying jobnews which delighted Marge right before she gave birth to Bart. Upon meeting him, Bart set fire to Homer's tie. Homer accused him of doing it on purpose, to which Marge said that he could not have because he was only ten minutes old.

After Homer ends his flashback, he tells Bart, Lisa and Maggie he is blessed to have such children. Marge arrives home with the news that she is not pregnant and high-fives Homer.

Production

"I Married Marge" was written by Jeff Martin and directed by Jeffrey Lynch. It was the second flashback episode of The Simpsons and a sequel to the previous one, "The Way We Was", which tells the story of how Homer and Marge met in high school. Executive producer Sam Simon was concerned that the writers were being "inefficient" with the episode; he thought the three plots of Homer and Marge's marriage, the birth of Bart, and Homer getting his job should have been extended into three episodes instead of one.

The staff were concerned over the animation of the characters' eyes in the episode, as the pupils were larger than normal, making the characters look "stoned", and the eyeballs were "too round" and large. The animation artists at the animation studio in South Korea, where much of the animation process takes place, had begun stenciling the eyes with a template, which according to Lynch resulted in "strangely round eyes which look a little too big sometimes and much too perfect. Which is very un-Simpsons like." Marge was designed with shorter hair in the flashback sequences to make her appear younger. Lynch thought it was nice to see Marge in a "younger, more attractive mode, and sort of watching her progress through pregnancy."

Cultural references

The title of the episode is a reference to the American television series I Married Joan. Marge and Homer sing along to "You Light Up My Life" by Debby Boone in the car. When Marge is suspected to be pregnant, Bart wants to name the baby after rapper Kool Moe Dee, while Lisa wants to name her after Ariel, from The Little Mermaid. At the beginning of his story, Homer mentions the band Supertramp, and their popularity in the time period. While exiting the movie theater, Homer spoils the ending of The Empire Strikes Back for dozens of moviegoers awaiting the next show. He also compares Marge's good looks to Princess Leia and her intelligence to Yoda, two characters from the film.

Homer's encounter with the doughnut delivery man is a reference to a scene in the film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Homer and his best friend Barney Gumble are watching Charlie's Angels when Marge tells the news of her pregnancy. A poster of Farrah Fawcett, a cast member of Charlie's Angels, hangs on the wall in Barney's apartment. Dolly Parton's 9to5 is heard when Homer looks for a new job. The sign outside the wedding chapel resembles Vegas Vic from the Pioneer Club in Las Vegas. When Homer returns to the power plant to apply for a job the second time, Mr. Burns is seen playing the arcade game Ms. Pac-Man. The episode marks the first appearance of Burns's assistant Smithers's first name, Waylon, which comes from the puppeteer Wayland Flowers. When Homer is working at the Gulp N' Blow, he is wearing an "I Shot J.R." T-Shirt, a reference to the Who Shot J.R.? storyline in Dallas in 1980, which would later provide inspiration for the two-part "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" episode in 1995.

Reception
In its original American broadcast on December 26, 1991, "I Married Marge" finished 27th in the ratings for the week of December 23–29, 1991, with a Nielsen rating of 11.9, equivalent to approximately 11 million viewing households. It was the highest-rated show on Fox that week. Marge's voice actor, Julie Kavner, received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance in 1992 for her performance in the episode.

Since airing, the episode has received very positive reviews from television critics. Pete Oliva of North Texas Daily praised the writers for providing back stories that are "believable" and do not feel "contrived or hastily thought through". The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, thought it was a "moving" episode with "plenty of great setpieces".

DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson described the episode as "sweet and funny" and a "nice piece of Simpsons history". Jacobson went on to say he enjoyed the flashback concept and that the episode develops the characters "nicely" and gives the viewers "a good sense for the era in which it takes place". Nate Meyers of Digitally Obsessed rated it a5 (of 5), and highlighted the scenes with Marge's sisters Patty and Selma, "barraging Homer with insults", as the "funniest moments" of the episode. Meyers added: "The episode's climax is a great moment for Homer and fans of the show." Molly Griffin of The Observer said "I Married Marge" is one of the season three episodes that turned the show into "the cultural force it is today".

In his book Drawn to Television – Prime-time Animation from the Flintstones to Family Guy, Keith Booker wrote: "The episode details in a rather sentimental fashion the early struggles of the irresponsible Homer to support his new family [...] Such background episodes add an extra dimension to the portrayal of the animated Simpson family, making them seem oddly real and adding weight to their status as a family with a long history together."

References

External links

 
 

The Simpsons (season 3) episodes
Fiction set in 1980
1991 American television episodes
Fiction with unreliable narrators
Television episodes about weddings "The Devil Wears Nada" is the fifth episode of the twenty-first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 15, 2009. In the episode, Marge and a group called the "Charity Chicks" pose for a history-oriented calendar in hopes of raising money for charity, but Marge becomes the talk of the town due to the erotic poses she made after a few drinks of red wine. Meanwhile, Carl is chosen as the newest supervisor at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, and hires Homer to be his personal assistant.

The episode was written by Tim Long and directed by Nancy Kruse. It was broadcast soon after the character Marge had appeared on the cover of Playboy, though there was no connection between the episode and the cover; the idea for the episode was conceived first, and Marge's appearance was due to an unrelated offer from Playboy.

Since airing, "The Devil Wears Nada" has received mixed reviews from television critics.

It was watched by approximately 9.04 million viewers during its original broadcast. Clips showing the satirical appearances of French president Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni in the episode became Internet hits in France, with hundreds of thousands of views on Dailymotion and YouTube.

Plot
The episode opens at a retirement party for the current Sector 7G supervisor at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. Just as Homer, Lenny, and Carl are celebrating their freedom from supervision, plant owner Mr. Burns arrives and chooses Carl as the new supervisor, after quickly deducing that he is the only semi-competent employee of the three. Meanwhile, in an effort to raise money, Marge and her "Charity Chicks" philanthropic group decide to follow the Springfield Police Department's lead and pose for a history-themed "sexy" calendar. At the photo studio, however, Marge, as Babe Didrikson Zaharias, does not want to show any skin. The photographer loosens her up with red wine, and she ends up revealing more than she planned. Marge and her erotic poses are soon the hottest talk in town.

Back at the plant, Carl makes Homer his new executive assistant. That evening, Marge's libido pumped up by the male population's positive feedback on her calendar is running high, but Homer is too overworked and exhausted to satisfy her. This becomes an unhappy trend, and Marge feels ignored. Homer tries to make up for it by taking Marge out to a hotel. During their attempt to have a romantic night together, Homer receives a phone call from Carl who tells him they are going to Paris on a business trip. When Homer leaves the Simpsons' house the next morning, a frustrated Marge throws a mallet after his retreating taxicab, and she accidentally knocks out neighbor Ned Flanders instead and invites him and his children over for a family dinner by way of apology.

In Paris, Carl is having a great time flirting with a beautiful woman, and he reveals to Homer that he plans to extend their stay indefinitely. Homer is devastated, and walks forlornly through the streets where everything reminds him of Marge. Back in Springfield, Bart and Lisa bail on Marge's dinner, and Ned shows up alone because Rod and Todd have been grounded. The innocent dinner soon turns romantic, and Marge and Ned nearly kiss, until Marge catches sight of her wedding photo in Ned's glasses and realizes that it would be wrong. Homer, meanwhile, has forced Carl to give him his old job back by revealing that the woman Carl has been flirting with is actually Carla Bruni, the wife of Nicolas Sarkozy, the President of France. Homer arrives home just as Marge is bidding Ned goodnight, and Homer and Marge make love, undisturbed at last.

Production

"The Devil Wears Nada" was written by Tim Long and directed by Nancy Kruse. It is partly based on the film The Devil Wears Prada, especially the scenes that feature an overworked and over-utilized Homer. The episode aired soon after the character Marge had appeared on the cover of the real-life adult magazine Playboy. Executive producer Al Jean told the Toronto Sun that this episode was "a little bit of a reference to Marge's recent encounter with Playboy". Jean explained, though, that the writers came up with the storyline for "The Devil Wears Nada" over a year before the episode aired and they did not know back then that Marge would become a Playboy cover girl. Jean said that was "an independent offer from Playboy. But we thought, to be smart, we should probably have the episode and Marge's cover come out around the same time." In regards to Marge's explicit plotline in the episode, Jean commented that the Simpsons staff is "always a bit nervous when we push the boundaries or do something unusual and I usually think that's where we do our best stuff, and this episode is definitely one of those cases."

Reception
During the episode's original broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on November 4, 2012, it was watched by approximately 9.04 million viewers. In the demographic for adults aged 18–49, the episode received a 4.2 rating and a 10 share. It was the second-highest rated television series in the 8:00 p.m. timeslot, following Football Night in America, which received a 5.3 rating and 15.1 million viewers.

Since airing, "The Devil Wears Nada" has received mixed reviews from television critics.

AOL TV's Jason Hughes was positive about the episode, commenting that "everything about the episode worked, from Marge's sexy calendar to Ned Flanders' role in the final moments." He added that he thought the episode featured "the heart I felt was missing all season. The love between Homer and Marge dominated this episode, coming in equal strength from both sides." Hughes concluded that "The Devil Wears Nada" featured "good moments for humor" and that it was "perfectly balanced, written and executed".

Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club was less positive, giving the episode a C+ rating. She commented that because there have already been so many episodes about Homer and Marge's marital troubles, it becomes more difficult every time to make the episodes emotional. VanDerWerff added that "while the flip side of the usual husband/wife sexual dynamics had a few promising jokes in it and while there were the usual funny sight gags and one-liners, the entirety of the episode felt stale. [...] There's no way Homer or Marge will ever cheat on each other, and that makes a story like this essentially boring."

IGN's Robert Canning gave the episode a rating of 6.2 out of 10, calling it disappointing. He commented that he enjoyed the first act of the episode because it had a lot of potential storylines, but it went downhill from there and became boring. Canning added: "This was another case of the series returning to familiar storylines. It's tough to get away from this one — trouble in the bedroom — as they are a married couple and this is, essentially, a sitcom. Unfortunately, 'The Devil Wears Nada' doesn't give the story anything new." Similarly to VanDerWerff, Canning did not find the episode enjoying because it was obvious that Marge and Ned would not have "a night of passion" since "Marge is too loving a wife and Ned is too good a Christian".

Reaction in France

"The Devil Wears Nada" features the satirical appearances of French president Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni. In the episode, Carl is approached by Bruni at a reception at Élysée Palace, the official residence of the president, where she tells him that she wants "to make love, right now." Homer later reveals to Carl that the woman he has been seeing is Bruni, and threatens to tell Sarkozy if he does not get his old job back. Carl does not believe Homer will tell, so Homer calls Sarkozy (who is seen eating cheese and drinking red wine in his office with Bruni). Sarkozy answers the phone saying "You're getting cozy with Sarkozy." At this point, Carl gives in, and Homer hangs up the phone.

Unlike other high-ranking politicians such as Tony Blair, who have guest starred on The Simpsons, the couple did not actually lend their voices to the show and the appearances were made without their permission. Agence France-Presse wrote that as a result, it was a "harsher" parody in comparison to the parodies on the show of people that have provided their own voices. The French newspaper Le Figaro said she was characterized as "a nymphomaniac with an exaggerated French accent". Bruni had previously attracted media attention in the United States because of her many reported partners and lovers. A reporter for The Times in Paris, Charles Bremner, wrote that her "sulphurous former image as the girlfriend of rock stars and celebrities was mocked by [the episode]."

Clips on YouTube and Dailymotion showing Sarkozy's and Bruni's appearances became Internet hits. According to Agence France-Presse, the cameos "passed largely unnoticed in France until Friday [November 20], when news websites started linking to pirated clips of the episode, creating a buzz which saw more than 117,000 fans linking to the DailyMotion site alone." As of Saturday November 21, the Dailymotion clip had received 440,000 hits. Reactions to the clips were mixed from the French viewers. Bruni's spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment either, but Bremner reported that Bruni "laughed when asked about the programme".

The French news website Rue 89 commented that the episode provided the writers with a good opportunity to mock all the French clichés, including the accent, the cheese, the cheek kissing between men, and the supposed nymphomania.

References

External links

"The Devil Wears Nada" at The Simpsons.com

The Simpsons (season 21) episodes
2009 American television episodes