The Simpsons: Life In Springfield

Before I actually say anything meaningful, I just want to say that, when I was a little kid, I thought that The Simpsons took place in Springfield, IL. Illinois is my home state, and I didn't realize there were any other Springfields out there. Now that I'm older and wiser, I am so happy that The Simpsons doesn't take place in Springfield, IL, what with it being our capital and all (then again, my Springfield is pretty corrupt, so maybe some Simpsons-esque corruption would make it funny in addition to sad).

Springfield, USA is a town devoid of logic. Anything can and will happen, and the only people in town who could do anything about it are usually shunned. This is a city that built an escalator to nowhere, enacted prohibition in the 20th century, and installed a state-of-the-art anti-truancy unit in a school bereft of funds. Springfield is also a geographical impossibility; it has moutains that have ski slopes, a giant gorge, and a coastline. That doesn't sound like any place in the US that I'm aware of. But the point of these bizarre situations and geographical anomolies is to allow pretty much any story to be told in the town. The writers have little regard for continuity so that the plot can be as outrageous as necessary.

Some of the best stories revolve around Homer getting into really bizarre situations involving family, work, or other American values. For example, in "Stark Raving Dad", conformity was examined when Homer showed up to work in a pink shirt (Bart tossed a red cap in with the white laundry), and Mr. Burns assumed he was crazy for not dressing like every other employee. In "Homer Goes To College", Homer expects the experience to be like Animal House, complete with great parties, easy co-eds, and a crusty old dean ripe for a good pranking. Instead, he gets saddled with a group of nerds, while the dean is a young and cool guy who only wants to help Homer succeed.

Of course, Homer isn't the only focus of the show, and, beyond that, the show doesn't specialize on lessons. The Simpsons probably didn't invent the pop culture metaphor, but they certainly made an art form out of it (when pitching Spaced, Simon Pegg listed this show as one of the influences). Sometimes the references are quick sight gags, while other times, they are entire scenes that are extremely faithful reproductions (I forget what episode this is from, but there is a two-minute reproduction of the temple scene at the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark that was absolutely hilarious). The best references are the ones which tie in with the plot of the episode. One example is Maggie's escape from the Ayn Rand Daycare Center with a Great Escape-esque plan. "22 Short Films About Springfield" was basically a response to Pulp Fiction. The phenominal "Marge vs. The Monorail" riffed The Music Man, keeping true to the source material, while putting a hilarious Simpsons spin (Leonard Nimoy's random appearance and Homer's hopes that Marge had employed Batman to help save the day were certainly not a part of the play).

And then, there are the totally off-the-wall stories that seem to exist more for fun than to actually tell a meaningful story. Sometimes, there may be a pseudo-message, like "Mountain of Madness" teaching us the perils of cabin fever. However, the real purpose of that episode was to make us laugh by putting Homer and Burns together in a confined space. And to show us a rocket house. The rocket house was key. There is also "The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase", which made fun of police procedurals, silly high-concept sitcoms, and cheesy variety shows all in one episode. Narrated by Troy McClure, each act was a preview of an upcoming Simpsons spin-off, each more terrible than the last. In the first, Chief Wiggum, Ralph, and Principal Skinner moved to New Orleans to set up a PI business. Best line: "Look Big Daddy, it's regular daddy!" The second was about Grandpa Simpson's soul inhabiting Moe's love-tester machine, and the wacky adventures that ensued. Finally, in a parody of the Brady Bunch's variety show (which did not feature Eve Plum, who chose not to participate for reasons that were likely obvious), the Simpsons were given a lame variety show, in which Lisa chose not to participate.

Not every story is confined to Springfield, and fortunately, it appears that the rest of the world is just as messed up as the Simpsons' home town. The family has been on every continent except for Antarctica, and bizarre events follow them everywhere. In Japan, they were on a degrading Japanese game show and were attacked by Godzilla. In England, the family met J.K. Rowling, Ian McKellan, and Queen Elizabeth II (Homer rear-ended her carriage). And in Brazil, Bart got hooked on the hit kids' show "Teleboobies".

Huh. I guess this post was more about strolling down memory lane than actually analyzing anything, but hey, there's no problem with that. With memories this good, who wouldn't want to relive them?

Up next: Back to the future...

The Simpsons: World Building

It is usually easier for an animated series to have a large cast of supporting roles, especially if the series has a vocal cast as talented as the one from The Simpsons, since the same 5 or 6 people can provide the voices for most recurring characters. Over the course of 20 years, the city of Springfield, USA has been populated by enough characters to fill a real small town. Many of these characters have even evolved more than the Simpson family.

Most of the residents of Springfield are stereotypes/archetypes for their particular role, such as the pushover best friend (Milhouse Van Houten), the bumbling cop (Chief Clancy Wiggum), the evil business magnate (Charles Montgomery Burns), and the town gossip (Helen Lovejoy). In most other shows, this would be a sign of lazy writing, but on The Simpsons, the writers use these stereotypes to point out the absurdity of society, especially when the characters break from what we expect of them.

Let's start at school. The three educators we spend the most time with are Principal Seymor Skinner, fourth grade teacher Edna Krabappel, and second grade teacher Elizabeth Hoover, and none of them are worthy of any teacher of the year awards (despite what the events of "Special Edna" would lead us to believe). Krabappel and Hoover became jaded with the education system long ago; when the students in Krabappel's class run away to find the stolen lemon tree of Springfield, Krabappel gives a half-assed "plea" for them to stay, then promptly lights a cigarette, while there is ample evidence that Hoover has done some drinking on the job. And Skinner is a total wimp who can barely keep his school under control (originally, Skinner was going to more of a Norman Bates-type character, which led to some funny visual gags, but I don't know if they could have kept that up for 20 years). It's no wonder that most students at Springfield Elementary test so poorly and are unmotivated to learn (their ugliness doesn't help either, but it can hardly be relevant to test scores... right?).

While I was planning this post, I was thinking about how most Springfield residents are some combination of the following traits: jaded, incompetent, amoral, and corrupt. There are a few exceptions (Ned Flanders and Apu Nahasapeemapetelan come to mind), and the aforementioned educators certainly fall into a few of those categories. But they are far from alone; Clancy Wiggum, the chief of police is almost too fat to move, and he sees bribes and harassment of citizens as a job perk. Or his rival, Mayor Joe Quimby, who is pretty much a dimestore Kennedy; despite having none of the charm shown by JFK, Quimby's sexual exploits are pretty comparable (as well as his voice). His other political scandals are pretty noteworthy as well (appropriating funds to build a secret Roman bath house in his home). Or what about Reverend Lovejoy, who came to Springfield as a man full of God's grace and was worn down by the constant pestering of super-Christian Ned Flanders, who once called the Reverend at night worried that he'd sinned when his "buttocks accidentally came in contact with the buttocks of another man" while on the dance floor. Entertainer Krusty the Klown seems like a good person until he is shown off camera, where we learn that he has problems with drugs, alcohol, and gambling, and can barely stand children.

No type of person is safe; for the most part, characters are defined by their jobs, and are given personalities that reflect the worst stereotypes of said professions. Lionel Hutz (one of the characters portrayed by the late, great Phil Hartman) was the world's most incompetent lawyer; he is in need of representation himself more often than he represents clients, and the Simpsons are pretty much the only people who will hire him. At the other end of the legal spectrum is the "Blue Haired Lawyer", who stands for ruthless sharks who are employed by corporations to get them out of any jam. Another Hartman character (all of whom were retired upon his death) is washed up actor Troy McClure, who used to be an action star, but is now relegated to educational films and tour videos (if Hartman were still alive, I'm guessing that he'd have become a reality TV show host). Comic Book Guy (later given the name Jeff Albertson) represents angry nerds who abuse the little power they have by belittling their nerdy customer base who have nowhere else to go to get their weekly comic fixes. He points out people's lack of knowledge on various subjects (and tends to break the fourth wall). Most business men are ruthless and heartless (I will focus on Burns in a minute or two); Roger Myers, Jr., the CEO of Itchy and Scratchy Studios, doesn't respect anyone unless they have money, while Hank Scorpio (ok, so technically, he's not a Springfield resident) is a fucking James Bond villain, bent on world domination!

And then there are two characters whose morality makes everyone else in town look like saints: C. Montgomery Burns and Sideshow Bob. When the writers doled out competence, these two got the entire pot; I would say that it's a wonder that they can stay sane in a town like Springfield, where they are the only two who can actually get things done, but it's hard to argue for either of their sanity. Burns is the oldest living man in Springfield (and possibly the world), and he owns the nuclear power plant. His family has been in Springfield for generations, and the Burnses have been the elite from the beginning (although there is evidence that he came from more humble beginnings, as seen in the episode "Rosebud"). He was at his best when he was evil (lately, he's become more of a senile coot); his office had trapdoors for employees seeking raises, and he would "release the hounds" on unwanted houseguests. In the epic two-parter (the only one of its kind on The Simpsons) "Who Shot Mr. Burns", he even succeeded in blocking out the sun. However, he is certainly the product of a bygone era; he is often unable to understand modern customs and uses outdated aphorisms.

Sideshow Bob is an intellectual who was pushed over the edge by the low-brow citizens of Springfield. He was Krusty's first sidekick on the show (before being replaced by Sideshow Mel), and he briefly took over the show when Krusty was arrested for armed robbery. Bob then turned Krusty's show into an intellectual series where he tried to nurture his viewers' minds by reading poetry and providing edutainment. That's all well and good, but it turns out that he framed Krusty for the robbery, since he was tired of the buffoonery he was subject to. After having his crimes discovered by none other than Bart Simpson (it took the loss of his favorite low-brow programming to finally motivate him), he went criminally insane in the slammer, and every time he was released (with one exception), he plotted some new ingenious scheme that was always foiled by Bart and Lisa.

As I said, not everyone in Springfield is bad; Flanders is a beacon of goodness, which is probably why Homer has an irrational hatred of him. Although he has become somewhat holier-than-thou lately, for a while, he was just a really nice guy who had everyone else's best interests at heart. And Apu seemed to break stereotype by actually enjoying his job at the Kwik-E-Mart. But these exceptions are few and far between.

Up next: Life in Springfield...

The Simpsons: Family Matters

How does one begin when talking about The Simpsons? With about twenty years of material (including the original shorts from The Tracey Ullman show), there are so many things worth talking about and many things qualify as springboards. I could start by looking at the world of Springfield, USA or examine how the wacky stories serve as allegories and pop culture allusion. However, I will begin by looking at the titular family.

At the center of all the zany-yet-highbrow humor lies the Simpson family. Patriarch Homer is a man of below average intelligence and above average weight. Things almost never go his way unless someone can be hurt or inconvenienced by his good fortune (see Frank Grimes in the episode "Homer's Enemy"). The irony of Homer's life is that he tends to fall into duties that he is vastly unqualified for, leading to hilarity. He is generally unmotivated, lazy, and boorish, and these qualities tend to bite him in the ass after being thrust into these positions. And yet, when he actually tries to buckle down and get something done, he usually fails. When he does succeed, it is not because of anything he did. But we root for him anyway, since he is a constant source of dim-witted commentary on life ("You gave both dogs away?! You know how I feel about giving!"). His wife Marge is the quintessential housewife of early 90s sitcoms; she constantly has to put up with her husband's stupidity while simultaneously trying to prevent her children from killing each other. As the series progressed, she began to develop some flaws of her own, including addictions to gambling and adrenaline, but for the most part, she plays the role of the voice of reason in a home where reason is unwelcome.

Bart, the oldest Simpson child, started the show as the troublemaker. He made prank phone calls, told teachers to "Eat [his] shorts", vandalized pubilc property, and tormented his sister Lisa. Looking back, it is pretty amazing how tame Bart's behavior is by modern standards, a fact that South Park made sure to point out (let's not go into Bart's recent changes in persona that have rendered him much more of a wimp with a poor tough guy exterior). Bart is definitely his father's son; he is a terrible student and always chooses the path of least resistance. He is addicted to violent video games and sugar. Also like his father, Bart seems to be a stand-in for everything that people see as being "wrong" with today's youth.

Middle child Lisa serves as an archetype for the unappreciated intellectuals. At 8 years old, she is one of the smartest people in Springfield, and this serves as both a gift and a curse to her. She is often ostracized from the other children at school due to her brainyness, even though she also doesn't fit in with the school's nerd elite (Martin Prince and Database put her off). Lisa is not only smart, she can apply her intelligence in ways most adults on the show can't. When con man Lyle Lanley came to Springfield claiming he was a monorail salesman, only Lisa asked the tough questions that pointed out the sheer inefficiency of a monorail in Springfield (though Lanley preyed on her pride by smoothly telling her that she was so smart that the only people in the room who would understand the answer would be Lanley and Lisa, which effectively placated her). Lisa's intelligence is well balanced with her age; she wants to be a kid and play with dolls, for instance, but her age-appropriate habits tend to bring her into some very grown-up situations (such as the time she led a campaign against Malibu Stacey dolls when she realized that the new talking Stacey spouted mysogonistic phrases that would be pushing the boundaries of decency on Mad Men).

Finally, there's baby Maggie. Despite Maggie being a silent character, she gets some great gags; the best is probably the amazing Great Escape reenactment in "A Streetcar Named Marge", including a Steve McQueen-in-the-cooler impression. There isn't too much to say about Maggie, since most of her gags conform to the plot as opposed to an established character.

I guess the next question is, "Who cares about the Simpson family?" It may be easy to write off the show, since the characters never evolve or learn anything (or if they do, it's promptly forgotten by next episode). There are precious few examples of the status quo being permanently upset (one example includes the divorce of Milhouse's parents), and there often contradictions of established continuity (one episode attributed Homer and Bart's stupidity to the "Simpson gene", while in another, Dr. Hibbert discovered a crayon lodged in Homer's brain, and upon removal, he became an intellectual). But for about 10 years, the fact that the Simpsons never learned from their mistakes kept us laughing very hard. We watched a group of people with various flaws were thrust into bizarre situations, and the results were consistently entertaining.

Up next: Introducing the supporting players...

The List: #9 The Simpsons

#9
Number of Seasons (To Date): 19
Years Active: 1989 - Present
Network: FOX

The Simpsons is probably the most quotable show ever, and to prove it, I will put a quote at the end of every sentence. "You gave both dogs away?! You know how I feel about giving!" The show has been on for 20 years, and while it has declined in the last 7 years or so, it was near perfection for the first 10 years or so. "Poke the monster with a stick! Tuppens a jab! Come on, queue up lads!" Some of the greatest comedic stories of the last quarter century have happened in Matt Groening's Springfield, USA. "Don't call me Mr. Scorpion, Homer. My name is Mr. Scorpio. But don't call me that either."

The Simpson family, led by the moronic Homer, is partially based on creator Groening's own family. "You've been rubbing it in my nose since I got here! Your family is better than my family, your beer comes from farther away than my beer, you and your son like each other, your wife's butt is higher than my wife's butt! You make me sick!" I don't know what that was like for him as a child, but his family became a gold mine in his adult years. "Excuse me, Mr. Hutz. Are you a shyster?" Homer the simple-minded, Marge the frustrated homemaker, Bart the troublemaker, Lisa the misunderstood genius and Maggie the baby seem to be wacky adventure prone; every week, something bizarre tends to happen. "Hello, Jerry? Homer Simpson. Remember last month when I paid back that loan? Well now I need YOU to do a favor for ME." They have been on every continent except for Antarctica, been targets of a homicidal maniac, saved the career of Krusty the Klown multiple times, and have been at the center of a murder investigation. "What? How dare you! If I ever find out who this is, I'll staple a flag to your butt and mail you to Iran!"

The series satirizes American life and morals. "Bart, you're the closest thing to a man in my life...and that's so depressing, I think I'm gonna cry." With maybe one or two exceptions (like Ned Flanders), the entire city of Springfield is morally bankrupt. "Oh, and you must find the jade monkey before the next full moon." Most characters are based on archetypes, such as the teacher who is jaded with the system, corrupt politicians, the town drunk and the evil businessman. "But sir, we found the jade monkey. It was in your glove compartment." But the characters are far from one-dimensional; these archetypes are used as a launching point for characterization, but characters are fleshed out far beyond their initial joke. "And the ice scrapers and the road maps?"

The Simpsons is a cornerstone of American pop culture. "They were there too, sir." Few other shows have gained as huge a following for the right reasons as this series. "Excellent. Everything is falling into place." For about 10 years, The Simpsons presented us with some of the most intelligent and biting satire on TV. "The only monster here is the gambling monster that has enslaved your mother! I call him Gamblor and its time to snatch your mother from his neon claws!"

Up next: #8...