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Large Marge

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This article is about The Simpsons episode. For the film character with the name Large Marge, see Pee-wee's Big Adventure.

"Large Marge"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 14
Episode 4
Directed byJim Reardon
Written byIan Maxtone-Graham
Production codeDABF18
Original air dateNovember 24, 2002 (2002-11-24)
Guest appearances
Jan Hooks as Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon
Marcia Wallace as Edna Krabappel
Burt Ward as Robin
Adam West as Batman
Baha Men as themselves
Episode features
Couch gagHomer (unseen, but implied to be him) draws the family on the couch with an Etch-a-Sketch (called a "Sketch-A-Etch" in the couch gag) and yells, "Whoo-hoo!" when he is done.
CommentaryAl Jean
Ian Maxtone-Graham
Matt Selman
Tom Gammill
Matt Warburton
Nancy Cartwright
David Silverman
Mike B. Anderson
Episode chronology
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"Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade" 		Next →
"Helter Shelter"
The Simpsons season 14
List of episodes

"Large Marge" is the fourth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 24, 2002. In the episode, Marge decides to get liposuction, thinking that Homer does not find her attractive anymore. However, she accidentally receives breast implants, so she becomes adored by many men in Springfield and becomes a model. Meanwhile, Bart and Milhouse try to imitate a stunt they saw on an episode of Batman that guest starred Krusty the Clown. When the stunt ends badly, media watchdog groups blame Krusty, forcing the clown to make his show more safety-conscious and less fun.

This is the final episode to feature Jan Hooks as Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon before her death in October 2014.

Plot

[edit]

Lisa and Homer participate in a Habitat for Humanity project along with former presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and George H. W. Bush. While working, Homer takes off his wedding ring for safekeeping, causing Lindsay Naegle and Cookie Kwan to mistakenly think Homer is a divorcé. Marge, driving by with Maggie, assumes Homer to be flirting with the women, and worries that Homer has lost interest in her. She decides to get liposuction on the advice of Manjula, but a mix-up at the hospital instead causes her to get breast implants meant for Mayor Quimby's assistant. Marge is forced to wait 48 hours before the implants can be removed.

Meanwhile, Bart and Milhouse watch an episode of Batman guest starring Krusty, and attempt to recreate a stunt, damaging school property and the U.S. flag in the process. Upon discovering the two were influenced by Krusty, Principal Skinner leads a protest against the clown, who is now seen as a dangerous influence on children. Krusty's show is re-tooled to exclude anything considered dangerous and likely to be imitated by impressionable viewers.

After returning home from her surgery, Marge realizes that her new breasts are giving her difficulty in doing even the simplest tasks, but that she is given gifts and attention by the men of Springfield. When the family goes out for dinner, Kiki Highsmith, a trade show executive, approaches Marge and offers her a modeling job. Marge accepts and initially enjoys the experience, but is quickly plagued by back pain and harassment from the men of Springfield.

At the Springfield Shoe Expo, Marge is further humiliated while promoting shoe horns. At the same time, Bart decides to help Krusty to win back his popularity by having him appear to rescue Milhouse from Stampy by shouting Stampy's safe word: "magumbo". When Krusty forgets the word, Stampy stuffs both Milhouse and Bart in his mouth, as well as Homer when he tries to save them. The police prepare to shoot Stampy, endangering Homer, Bart and Milhouse, but Marge manages to distract the police by flashing her breasts. Krusty, ogling her breasts, shouts "Look at those magumbos!" Stampy releases Bart, Milhouse, and Homer, and Krusty is hailed as a hero and his popularity is restored with the town. Following the day's events, Marge finally has her implants removed.

Production

[edit]

"Large Marge" was written by Ian Maxtone-Graham and directed by Jim Reardon as part of the fourteenth season of The Simpsons (2002–03).[1] In an Associated Press news report about the episode, it was cited as satirizing "plastic surgery and images of beauty in popular culture."[2] Actors Adam West and Burt Ward, who starred in the television series Batman as Batman and Robin, respectively, guest starred in "Large Marge" as those characters. Junkanoo band Baha Men, known for their single "Who Let the Dogs Out?", recorded two parodies of that song for this episode: "Who Left the Milk Out?", which Marge and Maggie listen to on Radio Disney, and "Who Let Her Jugs Out?", which plays over the closing credits.[3]

Release

[edit]

The episode originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 24, 2002.[1][4] On February 7, 2006, "Large Marge" was released in the United States on a DVD collection titled The Simpsons Kiss and Tell: The Story of Their Love, along with the season nine episode "Natural Born Kissers", the season fourteen episode "Three Gays of the Condo", and the season fifteen episode "The Way We Weren't". All four episodes revolve around the romance between Homer and Marge.[5][6]

On December 6, 2011, "Large Marge" was released on Blu-ray and DVD as part of the box set The Simpsons – The Complete Fourteenth Season.[7] Staff members Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Matt Selman, Tom Gammill, Matt Warburton, David Silverman, and Mike B. Anderson, as well as cast member Nancy Cartwright, participated in the DVD audio commentary for the episode. Deleted scenes from the episode were also included in the box set.[8]

Reception

[edit]

Reviews from television critics about this episode have been mixed since the release of the Kiss and Tell DVD.

IGN's Jeff Otto commented that while he thought "Natural Born Kissers" was the only "great" episode in the compilation, "All four episodes are good Simpsons episodes."[5] He added: "I can't figure why, if Fox was going to put together a set of this theme, they couldn't have included some of the more classic episodes about Marge and Homer's romance. Still, even the lesser Simpsons episodes are entertaining, so you could certainly do worse."[5]

A writer for HorrorNews.net called it one of the highlights of the season,[9] and Aaron Peck of High-Def Digest described it as "memorable".[10] In his review of the Kiss and Tell DVD, Andy Dougan of the Evening Times characterized the episode as one of the "funniest episodes of recent series".[11]

DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson commented that though "the plot of 'Large' screams 'high concept', it actually works pretty well. It uses the silliness attached to Marge's chest to good comic effect, and the secondary plot with Bart and Krusty ties into things in a fun manner. It presents a lot of funny bits and turns into a strong episode. It's also hard to knock a show that reunites the voices of Adam West and Burt Ward."[8]

While reviewing the fourteenth season of The Simpsons, Victor Valdivia of DVD Verdict wrote: "To be sure, there are some real clinkers this season. Both 'Large Marge' and 'Strong Arm of the Ma' prove that writing good episodes about Marge seem to be out of the question by this point. [...] By normal TV standards these are not unwatchable, but by Simpsons standards, these are the episodes you probably won't watch over and over again."[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b Simpsons World The Ultimate Episode Guide: Seasons 1–20. HarperCollins. 2010. pp. 667–711. ISBN 9780594045052.
  2. ^ Associated Press (November 19, 2002). "Marge goes under the knife for new 'Simpsons'". Eugene Register-Guard. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  3. ^ a b Valdivia, Victor (December 22, 2011). "The Simpsons: The Fourteenth Season". DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  4. ^ Kaplan, Don (November 14, 2002). "Chest a minute, Marge!". New York Post. p. 083.
  5. ^ a b c Otto, Jeff (February 15, 2006). "The Simpsons Kiss and Tell: The Story of their Love". IGN. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  6. ^ Carlozo, Louis R. (February 10, 2006). "Can you feel the love in the DVD aisle this week?". Chicago Tribune.
  7. ^ Lambert, David (September 28, 2011). "The Simpsons - Finalized Box Art, Details and Extras for 'The Complete 14th Season' DVDs, Blu-rays". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
  8. ^ a b Jacobson, Colin (December 16, 2011). "The Simpsons: The Complete Fourteenth Season [Blu-Ray] (2002)". DVD Movie Guide. Archived from the original on August 23, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  9. ^ "Film Review: The Simpsons: The Fourteenth Season (2011)". HorrorNews.net. March 5, 2012. Archived from the original on August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  10. ^ Peck, Aaron (December 14, 2011). "The Simpsons: The Complete Fourteenth Season (Blu-ray)". High-Def Digest (Internet Brands). Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
  11. ^ Dougan, Andy (February 25, 2006). "Andy Dougan's DVDs of the week". Evening Times. p. 20.
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