As we enter decade four of The Simpsons seemingly unending run on primetime television, we’re at the point where we talk about the show not in seasons, or even eras, but decades. The 1990s are the peak of “classic Simpsons”, the 2000s are the downfall, the 2010s were spotty, and the 2010s are shaping up to be a return to form. It’s all a bit simplistic, and I want to highlight that by discussing one of my favourite episodes of television, ‘All’s Fair in Oven War’.
Released 14 November, 2004, this was the first standard episode of the sixteenth season, following ‘Treehouse of Horror XV’ the week previous – itself a week past Halloween itself. Written by Matt Selman, who’s previous and subsequent work would include Homer and Marge engaging in public sex, the controversial 1990s flashback episode, and the wrestling episode that involves Marge becoming convinced Grandpa Simpson is in the closet.
This episode continues his tradition of pushing the cast to act out of character to fit the needs of the script.
Writers on The Simpsons can be split into two categories, and that’s funny, and sentimental. While there’s definitely crossover, Selman is firmly in the former category, with much of his run being significantly sillier and joke driven than the writing of other contributors to the show, like fellow writer Tim Long. This may sound like a dig, but it’s a compliment. As the show has gone forward, what many who hold reverence for it have lacked, is a sense of humour.
Because this episode is funny!
So much of this show in the current run is focused on parody or millennial-style non-humour for the jokes. There’s a lot of background gags, but on a script level, not much hits the way it did for so long. But in ‘All’s Fair in Oven War’, we get such gems as Bart stating excitedly that they could decorate the treehouse for orgys, before clarifying he doesn’t know what they are. It’s more risqué than the show had been and would get, but the tone works.
So much of what people complain about in regard to The Simpsons in the 2000s was this bolder attitude to jokes, but while it was compared to Family Guy and South Park a lot at the time, it’s still pretty tame. Not every joke has mature themes – Lisa’s eye being stained with keyhole shaped paint is one of the best sight gags in the show. Homer wondering if he was too hard on Milhouse for referring to his father as “No House” got a belly laugh out of me. But those that are more adult in nature are still in character.
Marge’s line about Homer getting tipsy and grabbing her while she’s cooking is funny in this vein, but oddly sweet, and so much about the episode holds the same energy. We get little interactions that present the kids as kids, rather than the weird tiny adults they became later. Marge’s new zest for cooking is highlighted in a segment at a church potluck where she’s just excited to be around others who enjoy her cooking.
On a side note, while they look about as delicious as The Simpsons’ art style can allow, can we all just agree that the desert dogs sound kind of disgusting? Maybe I’m wrong, but a crunchy cookie dog in meringue buns sounds like a mess to eat. I might just be too old for that much sugar.
But it isn’t all sugar. Within this episode we get both the quick “You’re not invited.” line to Ralph Wiggim from Bart, which is just mean spirited enough to make you wince. But even better is the callousness from Marge, which is both out of character and necessary to make these lines land. From her assuming the only other option to her winning the contest is Hitler, to her literally forgetting what the prize it. There’s something hilarious about this version of her character, who becomes so quickly jaded that she gets to drop an implied f-bomb out of nowhere.
This is the point where the show stopped taking itself seriously, before the legacy forced The Simpsons brand to start getting precious about itself. That doesn’t mean there’s no heart, but it’s a cartoon that understands there’s no real need to focus on canon. Everyone is pretty in character, but we can get things like a “2 years later” transition that doesn’t age anyone up at all. It’s just a joke about how long renovations take.
I come back to this episode more than most of the show because it’s light and funny like that. Nothing is actually at stake here, and unlike other episodes, it doesn’t pretend otherwise. The house isn’t about to be foreclosed on, nor is the family at stake. Lisa gestures towards the need for honesty, but even that’s fairly insignificant. It works because, even in context, the show doesn’t emphasise the stakes as particularly high. Marge doing the right thing is guaranteed, but if she hadn’t…nothing materially changes.
“I look up to you…because you let me down.” is a cute card and moral button, but it doesn’t carry that much weight because Marge barely cares until she has to. If this is the closest The Simpsons ever came to a McFarlane style show, it’s because everyone involved is taking this as the farce it is. The actions flows through, the jokes interact well, and everybody leaves happy. Except James Caan, who is executed in a parody of ‘The Godfather’ that works with or without the reference.
The 2000s were, in many ways, a much stronger decade for the show if you view it as a comedy first, and an institution second. Not everything is actually funny (that’s true for every show) but what makes me laugh stands above even some of the classic episodes in terms of comedy for me. It’s not taking itself too seriously, and maybe that’s how the show should have been treated too
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