I’m living in a cuckoo clock

A Streetcar Named Marge

My name is not “Dr Death”

couch gag: The couch turns into a monster and swallows the family.

Director: Rich Moore

Guest voices:
Jon Lovitz as Llewellyn Sinclair and Ms Sinclair
Phil Hartman as Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz

Synopsis: Marge gets the part of Blanche in a musical version of A Streetcar Named Desire. Maggie is put into daycare where her pacifier is confiscated so she tries to get it back.

Discussion: Let me just say, I love the musical episodes. They’re witty and clever and catchy. This is helped by my sister being a massive Simpsons fan – she received a CD of songs from the show which she listened to repeatedly during these early years. The songs of this episode were on it (along with about 20 others from various episodes). Listening to the opening song of the musical about New Orleans, I can absolutely see why it would be offensive to citizens. However, this is The Simpsons and their take on cities and countries is usually unflattering. Just a warning now, I won’t be holding back when we get to the Australian episode. Just sayin’.

But I digress. Maggie’s daycare subplot is a precursor to 2012’s The Longest Daycare, which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. If I recall correctly, the short film was shown in theatres before Ice Age 4. Although other episodes of the series focus on each of the Simpson family, Maggie doesn’t really do much so it’s difficult to have an episode focused on her. When she is focused, it’s almost as a peripheral character, such as Moe taking a shine to her. Here we’re treated to a subplot where Maggie, obviously with the same intelligence as her sister Lisa, retrieves her pacifier from a locked cupboard in the daycare. Personally, I feel this takes away from the major plot of Marge’s acting debut. When Homer picks up Maggie from the daycare and is surrounded by babies sucking on pacifiers (an homage to Hitchcock’s The Birds), it’s just weird. I get what they’re trying to do – in The Birds, there’s no music score. It’s unnerving and unsettling and perfectly recreated here. But it doesn’t really belong. It’s trying to juxtapose itself against the next few minutes where Marge et al are performing in the musical. The pacifier scene doesn’t fit.

Overall, I love the episode. The songs are clever and essentially Simpsons-esque. Each character is allowed to perform using their natural voice (although it could be just as funny satirising use of other professional voices in productions). And who knew Ned Flanders was so buff?