See also
- MacHomer , a play by Rick Miller blending MacBeth and The Simpsons
| "Four Great Women and a Manicure" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 20 Episode 20 |
| Directed by | Raymond S. Persi |
| Written by | Valentina L. Garza |
| Production code | LABF09 |
| Original air date | May 10, 2009 |
| Guest appearance | |
| Jodie Foster as Maggie Simpson | |
| Episode features | |
| Couch gag | A French artist chisels the Simpsons out of a stone block, then turns the sculpture into a general statue. |
"Four Great Women and a Manicure" is the twentieth and penultimate episode of the twentieth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons . First broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on May 10, 2009, [1] it is the second Simpsons episode (after "Simpsons Bible Stories") to have four acts instead of the usual three. The episode tells four tales of famous women featuring Simpsons characters in various roles: Selma as Queen Elizabeth I, Lisa as Snow White, Marge as Lady Macbeth and Maggie as Howard Roark from Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead . [1]
Jodie Foster performs the voice of Maggie Simpson. The title is a reference to the 1994 film Four Weddings and a Funeral . It is the only episode in the history of the show in which Bart Simpson is not seen nor mentioned (not counting the opening credits). It is also the second episode (after "Mona Leaves-a") to first air on Mother's Day and deal with women or mothers.
Marge takes Lisa to a salon for her first manicure, prompting a debate as to whether a woman can simultaneously be smart, powerful and beautiful.
In the first tale, Marge tells the story of Queen Elizabeth I, with Selma Bouvier playing the Queen.
Various royal suitors wish to win the hand of Queen Elizabeth, including a flamboyant King Julio of Spain. The Queen rejects his advances and Julio vows revenge on England, summoning the Spanish Armada. Meanwhile, Walter Raleigh, played by Homer, falls for Elizabeth's Lady in Waiting, played by Marge. When Elizabeth catches the two making out, she sentences them to execution. They are saved at the last minute when Moe reports the arrival of the Spanish Armada. Homer leads an English naval offense against the Armada, defeating them by accidentally setting the lone English warship on fire, which then spreads to the entire Spanish fleet. Elizabeth knights him and then proclaims that she does not need a man, as she has England.
In the second tale, Lisa tells the story of Snow White, with herself in the title role. As the Blue-Haired Lawyer reminds Lisa that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has been copyrighted by Disney, she changes the characters to avoid being sued.
Lisa's version features the dwarves Crabby (Moe), Drunky (Barney), Hungry (Homer), Greedy (Mr. Burns), Lenny (Lenny), Kearney (Kearney) and Doc (Julius Hibbert). When the wicked queen learns from her magic high-definition television that Snow White is fairer than she is, she dispatches her huntsman (Groundskeeper Willie) to murder the young maiden. However, Willie the huntsman cannot bring himself to cut out her heart, so Snow White flees into the forest, seeking shelter in the dwarves' cottage. She keeps house for them while they work in the mines but the wicked queen, disguised as an old woman, physically forces Snow White to eat a poisoned apple. She escapes the dwarves, only to be brutally lynched by an angry group of woodland animals. In Lisa's version, Snow White does not need a man to wake her but is brought back to life by a female doctor.
In the third tale, Marge relates a story of ruthless ambition, embodied by Lady Macbeth.
Marge (parodying Lady Macbeth) is frustrated at having to clean the costumes worn by the other actors of a Springfield production of Macbeth , and is criticized for the poor job by the director. She hates that Homer does not have the title role of Macbeth and instead plays a tree, which pleases him as he is uninterested in auditioning for lead roles. She convinces him to murder the lead actor, Sideshow Mel. Homer follows her command and then assumes the lead role. However, his performance receives unfavorable reviews compared with the more seasoned actors and even those with no lines. Patty and Selma both warn Marge that her ruthless and devious ambitions will come back to haunt her one day. Even Homer agrees with the review's assessment that he's a terrible actor. He is seen showing remorse over killing Mel and Hibbert to the point of being more reluctant to kill at Marge's command. Homer tries in vain to convince her to have someone else be the lead and let him return in his original role as a tree. Still furious over the lack of good reviews on his part, Marge selfishly refuses and orders him to continue his killing spree until he is the only actor left.
While scrubbing the blood from the costumes, Marge is visited by the angry spirits of the murdered actors. She tries to blame her husband, but they don't believe her. Mel point out that he and the other spirits knew Homer was a victim himself in her ambitions and devious plans and that she should have listened when she had the chance. In revenge for Marge actions, the angry spirits kill her by causing a fright-induced heart attack. In her memory (or rather, by her spirit force, since she apparently has learned nothing from the experience), Homer performs a stirring soliloquy in the empty theater. An overjoyed Marge's ghost appears in the audience and enthusiastically urges him to appear in more Shakespearean plays by tossing scripts in front of him. However much to Marge's chagrin, Homer decides to take the easy way out by killing himself so he does not have to audition any more. A frustrated Marge learns her lesson the hard way when she realizes that she has to spend the rest of eternity with a lazy and happy ghost Homer.
In the final tale, Maggie is depicted as "Maggie Roark", representing Howard Roark from Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead . [2]
Maggie's architectural brilliance is squashed by an oppressive pre-school teacher (Ellsworth Toohey) who encourages only conformity. She builds several famous landmarks (such as The Taj Mahal in India and The Bird's Nest in Beijing, China) out of blocks and other toys, all of which are destroyed by Toohey (to the strains of Beethoven's 9th symphony, 2nd movement), who disapproves of the superiority of her creations over those of the other children. During a Parents' Day at Mediocri-Tots Day Care Center, Maggie dazzles everyone with her rendition of the Empire State Building and ends up on trial for expressing herself. During the trial, Maggie (voiced by Jodie Foster) defends herself by stating that the creative people of her time have never compromised their talent for the sake of others and neither will she. Years later, Maggie is shown as a successful architect who opens a daycare center dedicated to letting babies express themselves freely.
The rest of the story is interrupted when Marge stops Maggie from painting Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night on the nail salon wall, scolding her for "soiling" the wall and not realizing the irony.
This episode was watched by 5.16 million viewers. It was the second most watched show of the night on Animation Domination, on the Fox network, after Family Guy . [3]
Steve Heisler of The A.V. Club graded the episode a "C−", stating "[...] tonight's classically themed outing didn't fare very well, starting with the story of one of the Bouvier sisters as Queen Elizabeth—an episode segment that clocked in at just over four minutes, far too short a time to do anything lasting... or funny. The longest stretch came near the end, in the form of an extended riff on MacBeth [sic] involving Homer killing a ton of people. But aside from the occasional random line or two, it was pretty much a boring retelling of the tale, with Simpsons characters subbing in for Shakespearean ones. So I guess the question is: How much pleasure is there to milk from seeing familiar yellow people reenact parts of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead? Given the show's shaky streak lately, not nearly enough." [4]
Screen Rant listed the episode as the seventeenth worst, remarking that "...it isn't really special or memorable as it doesn't do much other than rehash stories in real-life history like Selma as Queen Elizabeth I and Lisa as Snow White." [5]
Robert Canning of IGN gave the episode a 6.2/10, ultimately saying "Four stories instead of three, but there was really one worth watching", "Snow White". [6]
Marjorie Jacqueline "Marge" Simpson (née Bouvier) is a character in the American animated sitcom The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. Voiced by Julie Kavner, she first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Marge was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of James L. Brooks' office. Groening had been called to pitch a series of shorts based on Life in Hell but instead decided to create a new set of characters. He based the character on his mother Margaret Groening. After appearing on The Tracey Ullman Show for three seasons, the Simpson family received their own series on Fox, which debuted December 17, 1989.
Margaret Lenny "Maggie" Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the youngest member of the Simpson family. She first appeared on television in the Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Maggie was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of James L. Brooks' office. She received her first name from Groening's youngest sister. After appearing on The Tracey Ullman Show for three years, the Simpson family was given their own series on the Fox Broadcasting Company which debuted December 17, 1989.
The Fountainhead is a 1943 novel by Russian-American author Ayn Rand, her first major literary success. The novel's protagonist, Howard Roark, is an intransigent young architect who battles against conventional standards and refuses to compromise with an architectural establishment unwilling to accept innovation. Roark embodies what Rand believed to be the ideal man, and his struggle reflects Rand's belief that individualism is superior to collectivism.
"Sleeping with the Enemy" is the third episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 21, 2004. In the episode, Marge finds Nelson and acts as a mother figure towards him due to her belief that her children lost interest in her. Meanwhile, Lisa gets teased about her big butt, and becomes obsessed with her weight.
"Lisa's First Word" is the tenth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It was first broadcast on Fox in the United States on December 3, 1992. In the episode, as the Simpson family gathers around Maggie and tries to encourage her to say her first word, Marge reminisces and tells the story of Lisa's first word. Maggie's first word is voiced by Elizabeth Taylor.
"Bart vs. Thanksgiving" is the seventh episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on Thanksgiving, November 22, 1990. In the episode, Bart runs away from home after destroying a centerpiece that Lisa makes for the Thanksgiving dinner table.
Patricia Maleficent "Patty" Bouvier and Selma Bouvier-Terwilliger-Hutz-McClure-Discotheque-Simpson are fictional characters in the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. They are identical twins and are voiced by Julie Kavner, who also voices their sister, Marge. Patty and Selma, both gravel-voiced chain-smokers, work at the Springfield Department of Motor Vehicles. They have a strong dislike for their brother-in-law, Homer Simpson, who likewise loathes them. Selma, the elder by two minutes, longs for male companionship and has had multiple brief, doomed marriages, and has herself offered help in some fashion to Marge and Homer as she envies their loving relationship; she receives occasional compassionate support from Homer who even poses as her husband to help her adopt a child. Patty is an initially closeted lesbian who embraces celibacy until she begins dating women. Kavner voices them as characters who "suck the life out of everything". Patty and Selma debuted on the first Simpsons episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", which aired on December 17, 1989.
The Simpson family are the main fictional characters featured in the animated television series The Simpsons. The Simpsons are a nuclear family consisting of married couple Homer and Marge who were high school sweethearts and their three children, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. They live at 742 Evergreen Terrace in the fictional town of Springfield, United States, and they were created by cartoonist Matt Groening, who conceived the characters after his own family members, substituting "Bart" for his own name. The family debuted on Fox on April 19, 1987, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" and were later spun off into their own series, which debuted on Fox in the U.S. on December 17, 1989, and started airing in Winter 1989.
"Tales from the Public Domain" is the fourteenth episode of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 17, 2002. It is the third trilogy episode of the series, which had become annual since the twelfth season's "Simpsons Tall Tales", consisting of three self-contained segments that are based on historical stories. The first segment puts Homer Simpson in the role of Odysseus in the ancient Greek epic poem the Odyssey. The second segment tells the story of Joan of Arc, and the third and final segment lampoons William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet.
Joseph Stewart Burns, better known as J. Stewart Burns or simply just Stewart Burns is a television writer and producer most notable for his work on The Simpsons, Futurama, and Unhappily Ever After.
"The Way We Was" is the twelfth episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on January 31, 1991. In the episode, Marge tells the story of how she and Homer first met and fell in love. Flashing back to 1974, it is shown how Homer falls in love with Marge in high school and tries to get close to her by enlisting her as his French tutor. After several hours of verb conjugation, Marge falls for Homer too, only to become enraged when he admits he is not a French student. Marge rejects Homer's invitation to the prom and goes with Artie Ziff. Artie turns out to be a terrible date and Marge realizes that it is Homer she really wants.
"A Streetcar Named Marge" is the second episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on Fox in the United States on October 1, 1992. In the episode, Marge wins the role of Blanche DuBois in a community theatre musical version of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire. Homer offers little support for his wife's acting pursuits, and Marge begins to see parallels between him and Stanley Kowalski, the play's boorish lead male character. The episode contains a subplot in which Maggie Simpson attempts to retrieve her pacifier from a strict daycare owner.
"I Married Marge" is the twelfth episode of the third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox 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.
"Homer Alone" is the fifteenth episode of the third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the fiftieth episode overall. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on February 6, 1992. In the episode, stress from household chores and her family's demands causes Marge to suffer from a nervous breakdown, so she vacations alone at a spa. She leaves Bart and Lisa with Patty and Selma; Maggie stays at home with Homer but leaves home looking for her mother, causing Homer to frantically search for her.
The Simpsonsopening sequence is the title sequence of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It is accompanied by "The Simpsons Theme". The first episode to use this introduction was the series' second episode "Bart the Genius".
"Kill Gil, Volumes I & II" is the ninth episode of the eighteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 17, 2006. This episode won a Writers Guild of America Award for best animated program. The title of this episode is a reference to Kill Bill Volume 1 & 2. Elvis Stojko guest stars as himself. In the episode, when Gil Gunderson is fired from his job, Marge takes pity on him and invites him to stay at the Simpson home. However, he soon outstays his welcome and they are unable to get rid of him.
"Wedding for Disaster" is the fifteenth episode of the twentieth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 29, 2009. In the episode, Marge and Homer's second marriage turns out to be invalid, so they decide to get married again. Right before the remarriage, Homer goes missing, and Bart and Lisa suspect that he has been kidnapped by Sideshow Bob. The episode was written by Joel H. Cohen and directed by Chuck Sheetz. It features Kelsey Grammer in his 12th vocal appearance as Sideshow Bob.
"Puffless" is the third episode of the twenty-seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 577th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Rob Oliver and written by J. Stewart Burns. It aired in the United States on Fox on October 11, 2015.
"I'm Dancing as Fat as I Can" is the thirteenth episode of the thirtieth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 652nd episode overall. The episode was directed by Matthew Nastuk and written by Jane Becker. It aired in the United States on Fox on February 10, 2019.
