“Pleased to meet you. You look like such a happy bunch . . . of people.” – Marge Simpson In film criticism there is a concept known as the “Bechdel Test”, which is a kind of quick and dirty measurement of whether or not a movie has any female characters that rise above the level of tokenism or decoration. There are a few variations, but the basic concept is that there needs to be at least one conversation between two named, female characters that isn’t about a male. I was thinking about this during one of the many scenes where Marge and the three other moms sit and exposit at each other, and it dawned on me that of the four of them, only Marge actually had a name. Oh sure, Marge mentions “Anita’s family” when talking to Homer, but we have no idea which one is Anita; the name is never used when any of them are actually on screen. Maybe they’re all named Anita. From left to right: Marge, Anita?, Anita?, Anita?. None of the husbands or the kids had names either, but they weren’t the focus of what was supposed to be the main story, and they did get at least some individual attention. The fifth grade kid introduced the episode, and the sandy haired husband rode Homer’s case far more than the other two. It wasn’t much, but you could get a slight feel for who they were supposed to be. Not so with the three women whose interactions with Marge were ostensibly the central plot. We never see the Anitas do anything other than gab with Marge. We don’t know what they do, we never see only one of them interact with Marge (or anyone else). They just show up on screen like some kind of inseparable three headed creature with one collective mind. They have no individual personality whatsoever. Compare that to the rich women at Springfield Glen Country Club. For starters, they have names! And not just any names, elaborately pronounced rich people names that require delicate tonal inflection, precise vowel control, and extra syllables. From left to right: Su-san, Gillian, Patri-cia, Eliza-beth, Robert-a, Marge, and Evelyn. More important than the fact that they passed the Bechdel Test with flying colors, they actually have character. We start by meeting Evelyn, who remembers Marge from high school even though they “ran with different crowds”. Evelyn herself isn’t all that special in her crowd, but she is the one who introduces Marge to the world of elegance and respectability. Thus, Evelyn has a motivation – a word Zombie Simpsons is very uncomfortable with – to see Marge succeed in the group, because if Marge fails by being too boorish or unsophisticated, Evelyn also fails for misjudging her. We even see the payoff for this when she lays it on thick with Marge, “And I just know you’ll have a lovely new outfit!”. That’s what’s known as an iron fist in a velvet glove, on the…
Tag: Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield
Quote of the Day
“I won’t eat anything unless it’s shipped overnight from Vermont or Washington state.” – Evelyn “We order our steaks through the New Yorker.” – Roberta
Quote of the Day
"Listen, I’m not going to lie to you, those are all superior machines. But, if you like to watch your TV, and I mean really watch it, you want the Carnivale. It features: two pronged wall plug, pre-molded hand grip well, durable outer casing to prevent fall apart." – Outlet Mall Salesman “Sold! You wrap it up, I’ll start bringing in the pennies.” – Homer Simpson
Quote of the Day
“Miss? Miss? Do you have a Chanel suit or any other high-quality clothes?” – Marge Simpson “No ma’am, but we do have a shipment of slightly burned Sears Activewear coming in this afternoon.” – Sales Clerk “Oh, I give up.” – Marge Simpson “What time and how burnt?” – Cletus Spuckler
Quote of the Day
Note: Read bottom to top. “Don’t ask me, I’m just hair. You head stopped eighteen inches ago.” – Marge Simpson’s Hair “Still, there’s nothing more popular than a gracious winner.” – Marge Simpson’s Hair “Oh, you better be careful. The purpose of this game is to make friends. You don’t make friends by winning.” – Marge Simpson’s Scalp “We’ve got a winning hand. We can take the rest of the tricks!” – Marge Simpson’s Brain
Quote of the Day
“Look at these low, low prices on famous brand-name electronics!” – Homer Simpson “Don’t be a sap, Dad. These are just crappy knock-offs.” – Bart Simpson “Pfft. I know a genuine Panaphonics when I see it. And look, there’s Magnetbox and Sorny.” – Homer Simpson