Review: The Simpsons “Marge the Meanie”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

A surprise from Marge’s past has her bonding with Bart and terrifying Homer.

Our Take: 

Mother’s Day is a fantastic time to celebrate the mothers that loved and cared for us for many years. So it’s no surprise that The Simpsons is taking the opportunity to release an episode during that special occasion. However, this week’s episode appears to be less than motherly.

“Marge the Meanie” is precisely what the title suggested, in which Marge shares with the family an unknown part of her past. While watching a shuffleboard battle between two retirement centers, Marge encounters a mysterious woman who happens to be her old principal, whom she pranked in middle school. As a result, Bart, who sees that Marge is a prankster like him, starts to hang out with her, pulling pranks on the people who deserve them. But unfortunately, Marge’s latest trick goes too far when her necklace causes Mr. Burns harm.

Meanwhile, Homer worries that he’s feeling left out due to his kids taking after their mother. So, he sets out to find a bond between him and Lisa. He discovers that they both love food, but he later finds out that Lisa prefers plant-based food, which he doesn’t like. Then, while trying out Lisa’s plant soup, they learned that they have the same allergic reactions as one another.

The Simpsons has continued to introduce many new elements that develop the characters further or are portrayed for comedy or even both. “Marge the Meanie” is no different, with Marge unexpectedly sharing the same love of pranking with Bart. It’s a humorous plot that sees Bart and Marge bonding over setting off pranks on Comic Book Guy and many others. But, more importantly, it’s about a relationship between a mother and her son that don’t have much in common aside from making people miserable. They later learned that the only thing more common than pranking is the love that binds them.  

Unfortunately, the development of this relationship was often overshadowed by its predictable storyline about the dangers of pranking. But I will give the episode credit for representing how far these “harmless” pranks can go until they lead to injury or worse. Even though some pranks are played for laughs, the episode handles the scenario in a way that isn’t tasteless or mean-spirited. 

Overall, “Marge the Meanie” has The Simpsons celebrating Mother’s Day with a slew of pranks and a cup of chuckles. The result is an enjoyably amusing mischievous act that causes more laughs than harm, with the highlights being the Mount Rushmore couch gag and a nod to James Cameron’s long-awaited Avatar sequel. While its narrative about pranking isn’t entirely new, it compensates with a mildly sweet depiction of Bart’s unexpected bond with Marge due to their common interest. I would even say it’s a suitable Mother’s Day gift to the moms who still enjoy the long-running series.