That "Simpsons" episode where Marge "disapproves" of Itchy & Scratchy

[Amerigo Vespucci]

I can think of a few people who could benefit from watching this episode. If I had to pick one category of human beings that suck the most, it would undoubtedly be "people who try to tell other people how to live their lives." A close second would be "people who seek approval by criticizing what they don't like in others." But hey...the Simpsons is just a cartoon. Nothing to see here.

:evilgrin:

Itchy & Scratchy & Marge

Episode Number: 22 Season Num: 2 First Aired: Thursday December 20, 1990

http://www.tv.com/the-simpsons/itchy-and-scratchy-and-marge/episode/1307/recap.html

Act One: The episode begins with Marge in the kitchen, preparing Homer's favorite meal: pork chops. An appreciative Homer announces to Marge that he is going to build her a spice rack. Cut to the living room, where the kids are watching Itchy & Scratchy (titled: Hold That Feline). The camera zooms in on Maggie as she absorbs all the cartoon violence. Meanwhile, Homer is out in the garage looking through his "How to" books for directions on a spice rack. A little later as he admires his spice rack that looks like mangled pieces of wood. Maggie is on some stairs behind him and hits Homer over the head with a mallet and runs off. Later, as Homer with a bandaged head lies on the couch, Marge wonders where Maggie would get such and idea. She sets Maggie down in front of the TV, just as another Itchy & Scratchy episode airs (titled: Kitchen Kut-ups). In the episode, Itchy and Scratchy try to smash each other with mallets, and later as Itchy stabs at Scratchy with a knife, Maggie mimics what she sees and picks up a nearby pencil and advances towards Homer, who screams in horror. Marge quickly snatches up Maggie and realizes what has influenced her violent behavior. She turns off the TV and announces that there will be no more cartoon watching in the Simpson home.
The next day at school, Milhouse has heard that Bart is banned from watching cartoons, so he invites Bart over to his house to watch them. Back at the house in the living room, Homer calls in sick to work and Marge walks in and wonders why the kids aren't home from school yet. A quick cut reveals Bart and Lisa at separate friends' houses watching Itchy & Scratchy (titled: Messenger of Death). At home an upset Marge is also watching Itchy & Scratchy, but she has a pad of paper in hand and is cataloging the acts of violence that she sees. Homer wonders aloud what she could do to prevent the violence. In answer to his question Marge announces that she is going to write a letter to the people in charge of the Itchy & Scratchy cartoons. She sends her letter to various people: Krusty the Clown, one of the Itchy & Scratchy writers, and to Roger Meyers Jr., the chairman of Itchy & Scratchy Intl. Roger Meyers Jr. sends Marge a letter back, telling her that she is a screwball and that one person cannot make a difference in changing cartoon violence. After reading the letter, an enraged Marge vows to show Roger Meyers Jr. "what one screwball can do."

Act Two: Marge makes the entire Simpson family protest outside of Itchy & Scratchy Intl. as part of her campaign called S.N.U.H. (Springfieldians for Nonviolence, Understanding, and Helping). Lisa and Bart make up fake excuses so they can go to their friends' houses and watch cartoons, when Maude Flanders approaches Marge and asks her what S.N.U.H. is all about. Marge explains to Maude what she is trying to achieve and S.N.U.H. slowly grows, as more and more people join the protest. Later at dinner, Marge apologizes for having to eat TV dinners, because she didn't have enough time to make a real dinner. Homer asks her to make pork chops the following night, and is slightly upset when Marge says that she can't because she has more protest rallies to lead the next day. Cut to a Krusty the Clown show where most of the audience members are adults from S.N.U.H. including Marge, when Krusty introduces an Itchy & Scratchy cartoon everyone boos in disgust. Marge and the audience interrupt the show and start a protest on the air. Cut to a scene of Roger Meyers Jr. and his staff of writers watching the same show and becoming more upset about Marge's antics. Roger Meyers Jr. tells his staff that he wants something to be done about Marge Simpson.
The next day while Marge leads a protest in front of the Itchy & Scratchy Intl. building, a writer looks out his window, sees Marge and gets and idea for an Itchy & Scratchy cartoon. Cut to Marge watching an untitled Itchy & Scratchy, still cataloging the acts of violence. In the cartoon Itchy and Scratchy pummel each other with baseball bats, when a squirrel baring a striking resemblance to Marge interrupts them and tells them not to do that. Itchy then decapitates the squirrel with a swing of the bat. Homer laughs in the background, oblivious to the fact that the squirrel represented Marge, and she becomes extremely steamed. Just then Marge receives a phone call, requesting that she join Kent Brockman on his Smartline panel talk show to discuss cartoon violence. Marge quickly agrees. Cut to that night, as the Homer and the kids watch Marge on Smartline, she is joined by Roger Meyers Jr., Krusty the Clown, and Dr. Marvin Monroe. Roger Meyers Jr. and Dr. Monroe defend the cartoon violence, Krusty just performs for the camera, and Marge tells the viewers to write letters to Roger Meyers Jr. and tell him how they really feel. Fast forward to a scene of mountains of letters being heaped on Roger Meyers Jr.'s, desk all informing him of their disgust of the show.

Act Three: As Marge prepares some pork chops she receives a call from Roger Meyers Jr. It turns out that because of the negative response he received from S.N.U.H., he is afraid to use violence in the next Itchy & Scratchy episode. He asks Marge for some ideas on how to resolve a situation in which Itchy and Scratchy fight over a pie, without using violence. Marge suggests that they should share the pie and Roger reluctantly agrees with her. Later, Marge enters the living room, where the rest of the family is bored with what is on the TV. She tells Bart and Lisa that they can watch Itchy & Scratchy again. Bart and Lisa quickly scoot up to the TV and turn the channel. An Itchy & Scratchy episode (titled: Porch Pals) airs and in the episode Itchy and Scratchy do nothing but sit on a porch and drink lemonade together. Bart and Lisa are quickly bored with what has happened to Itchy & Scratchy, so they go outside to play. The same thing happens with Milhouse and Lisa's friend Janey. Cut to a montage of kids exiting their houses and opening their eyes to the possibilities of playing outdoors instead of watching TV inside. It is really apparent that the kids no longer care about cartoons anymore when Krusty enters the stage for one of his shows and is shocked that no one is in the audience.
Later, at the dinner table, Bart and Lisa tell their parents all about their day outside, without the TV. Marge is proud when she realizes what her initiative has done to change the habits of the town's children. Cut to a scene in Italy, an art director announces that the Statue of David will be touring the United States, including Springfield. The next morning, after the townspeople hear of the statue's tour, they quickly arrive at Marge and Homer's doorstep. They all want Marge to lead a protest of the statue's tour stop in Springfield, citing the Statue's graphic portrayal of David's unmentionables. However, they are shocked when Marge says that she likes the statue and thinks that everyone should get a chance to see it. The townspeople, without Marge and led by Maude Flanders and Helen Lovejoy, protest at the airport when the statue arrives. That night, another episode of Smartline airs, this time the topic is the controversy of the Statue. Marge is on the panel, and she voices the same opinion that she gave Maude and Helen. Dr. Monroe, who is also on the panel, criticizes Marge stating that she can't be against one form of freedom of expression and support another. Marge the powerful leader of S.N.U.H. is reduced to just regular Marge, and now that her influence is gone, the violent Itchy & Scratchy cartoons come back on the air. All the children abandon their outdoor activities, and are back again in front of the TV. Later, Homer and Marge visit the Statue of David exhibit at the empty Springfield Museum. Marge is upset that all the kids would rather watch cartoons than visit the Statue of David and Homer laughs as he tells Marge that the schools are going to force the kids to see the statue anyway.