9. Itchy & Scratchy & Marge

Episode Title: "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge"
Episode Number: 22
Original Air Date: December 20, 1990

Plot Synopsis: As Homer tries (and epically fails) to build Marge a new spice rack, Maggie sneaks up on him in the basement and nails him in the head with one of those big hammers. Marge quickly finds out that Maggie was just imitating something she'd seen on "The Itchy & Scratchy Show," which sends her into quite the little tizzy. While having this revelation, impressionable young Maggie imitates a second sketch and tries to stab Homer with a pencil. Marge is none too pleased.

Marge forbids Bart and Lisa from watching "The Itchy & Scratchy Show," but they just go to their friends houses and do it anyway. Marge also writes a letter to the producers of the show to get them to tone stuff down. The reply comes from Roger Meyers, Jr., who calls her a screwball. In response, Marge forms a boycott against violet television and in particular Itchy & Scratchy cartoons. Various town members also get together to picket Krusty's show. All of this negative publicity results in Marge getting on Kent Brockman's news magazine show "Smartline," where she confronts Roger Meyers head on. The boycott effectively works, as Itchy & Scratch cartoons get real lame real fast. All the kids go outside and play again for the first time in presumably ages.

Michelangelo's David is ironically being toured around the United States at this exact same time, and for some reason is scheduled to be displayed in Springfield. Marge's "crazy moms against fun stuff" club wants to protest David on account of how he isn't wearing any clothes, but Marge insists that it's a work of art. Marge goes back on "Smartline" and admits that she was essentially wrong, that censorship is bad and that one person can definitely make a difference but probably shouldn't. Itchy & Scratchy cartoons return to their former ultraviolet glory. Marge and Homer go see David, and while Marge is bummed that the kids are back home watching cartoons and not seeing the statue, Homer reassures her by saying that the school is going to make them see it and that she shouldn't worry.

Overall Thoughts: This is another great John Swartzwelder episode. In my opinion, he got off to a bit of a rocky start in the first season, but then again the first season itself got off to a really rocky start so that's to be expected. However, but the time we've gotten to this point, he's absolutely turning out some of the best stuff that the show has to offer. Which says a lot, considering how good this season has been so far.

What Works: This episode is a really terrific exploration of parents, censorship, impressionable kids and cartoons. I've always liked shows and movies that kind of pre-emptively explore their own controversy. The other big example that I can think of, which actually has a story quite similar to this episode, is "South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut." This episode is great at setting up a particular issue and examining it from both the "parent" and "child" perspectives. Also, because the writers have zeroed in on something that happens every few years (stupid moms will always be at the ready to boycott something), they've created an episode that can be totally relevant for decades and decades to come.

In that regard, I think this episode is a great example of how "The Simpsons" isn't just ahead of the pack - it's literally started paving the way.

This episode also features a guest appearance by Alex Rocco of "The Godfather" fame. The show's guest stars are always the best when they kind of blend seamlessly into the world and the show. Here, they don't draw attention to the fact that Alex Rocco is in the episode. There are no "Godfather" parodies or anything like that, and he's not playing himself. He's got a naturally interesting voice and he's just a part of the show, and an integral part of the episode. So far, all of the guest stars have blended seamlessly into the show, which is another thing that the show forgot over time.

EVERY character has at least one good line, which is a really great trend this year. With one exception so far, characters don't really appear unless they have something to do. Moe doesn't actually get to speak in this episode and he's still got a really good joke. The show is quickly becoming the joke machine that I always remembered it as.

This show is also notable because it features a ton of really great "Itchy & Scratchy" cartoons in quick succession. Itchy and Scratchy play a big role in the story of the episode, and I feel like we're rewarded with quick cartoon after quick cartoon, all of which are a lot of fun.

I also feel that it's important to note that the music is getting really, really good. The cue that plays during Roger Meyers reading hate mail is surprisingly great for an animated series from this era.

What Doesn't Work: The animation on large crowds is noticeably really rough. The models for our  main characters are getting really good, but anytime they need to populate a background with random characters it gets a little weird.

That's it.

Closing Thoughts: There's a really, really subtle joke that I like a lot. If you blink or look away you could miss both the punchline and the setup in different parts of the episode. During the initial picketing of Krusty's studios, a random towns member is holding a sign that reads "Kancel Krusty." After the "threat" of Itchy and Scratchy has been vanquished, that same sign hastily becomes a "Kancel David" and is held by the same protestor. It just took you longer to read that paragraph than for the show to both setup and payoff that joke.

Also, "The Itchy & Scratchy Show" is obviously a satire, and a lot of the mothers of Springfield are super lame.

Final Grade (out of 10): 9