One of my favorite, but least seen, characters on The Simpsons is an elderly Irishman, who appears for the first of three times here. When it is pointed out that Whacking Day was created as an excuse to beat up the Irish, there’s a cut to an old man dressed like some sort of leprechaun saying that this is true, he took many a good lump, but it was all in good fun.
That guy cracks me up.
There’s a brief moment in this episode, where Homer is asked by Marge if he drinks to escape reality, and Homer imagines himself really buff and making his pecs dance. I really like those little moments where we see the really weird world that is the inside of Homer’s mind.
Oh yeah, and in this episode, he temporarily gives up drinking.
Ralph Wiggum has, thus far, just been a kid in Lisa’s class. This episode gives him the spotlight and begins the idea Ralph may be the single dumbest person in Springfield.
Of course, the people behind the show would have you know that Homer doesn’t hold that position. Nope, there is one adult in Springfield dumber than Homer. That would be Chief Wiggum.
Most episodes of The Simpsons that showcase the relationship between Lisa and Homer show how clueless Homer is about his sensitive middle child and he needs to learn a lesson.
This episode is a nice change of pace because Homer actually is the one who gets it right this time.
According to the producers of The Simpsons, Fox wanted a spin-off for Otto Mann, the school bus driver for Springfield Elementary. The producers weren’t too keen on the idea.
Otto got a single spotlight episode, and after that he more or less faded into the background. Oh well. Maybe the Fox executives had the same sort of realization Otto himself had when he stopped to think about how his father told him he’d never amount to anything if he just goofed off playing the guitar all through high school.
In the hallowed halls of Springfield Elementary, Bart is a prankster goof-off, and Lisa is a good student who behaves herself.
When the two somewhat switch roles, it is a little surprising that they are each better at the other’s respective roles.
Every so often, The Simpsons would do an episode based in or around Itchy and Scratchy Studios and trot out Roger Meyers (voiced by late Alex Rocco), where they parodied cartoons and how they are made, and the creators snuck Simpsonized versions of themselves into scenes.
Also, we got today’s episode.
Continue reading Simpsons Did It!: “Itchy & Scratchy & Marge”
OK, let’s say it: this may be the episode that made The Simpsons what it is.
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