Same M.O. As Always

The latest Simpsons, "Stealing First Base," was different. Oh, the basic A- and B-plot--Bart with a psycho girlfriend and Lisa being too nerdy--we've seen before. The show stopped having original plots some time around the 200th episode.

What made this different were two things.

First, they had a couple of lengthy bits only tangentially related to the plot, both inspired by arty films of the 1980s. The Simpsons practically originated this reaching out style of comedy (and Family Guy ran with it), but both these bits were far more complex than usual. The first was an Itchy And Scratchy cartoon--common enough--that turned into a parody of Koyaanisqatsi (which would have been quite a callback even if they'd done it on their first episode). The other parodied the cut kisses scene from Cinema Paradiso.

The other difference came from a guest appearance. The show doesn't do that much topical humor (with such a huge lead time to deal with) but occasionally takes on specific politicians, including Bush, Clinton and many lesser figures along the way. This episode featured an appearance by Michelle Obama (voiced by Angela Bassett) where the jokes were premised on how wonderful she is. I guess First Ladies are generally off limits, so I can see how this happened. But I am waiting for the day when they catch up with America and make fun of Michelle's husband.