Complaints about recent episodes of The Simpsons reveal that some viewers still take an almost prudish view on what should be shown on TV. Some of those who took offence at 'bad language' cited the words 'toosh', 'poop' and 'pee'.
After a successful US freedom of information request, the website governmentattic.org has published a list of all 38 informal complaints the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) received about The Simpsons from 2010 to 2013.
While some complaints raise technical concerns about transmission problems and dubbing errors, or about the appropriateness of advertisements screened during commercial breaks, many reveal that viewers in the US still take a hard line on partial cartoon nudity and playground-level swearing.
One complaint about a naked Homer Simpson claimed: 'Mr Simpson was in his house totally nude & went outside naked while his neighbor was watering her grass. Then his wife ran out of the house trying to cover him with a towel [sic]'. Another complainant reported that 'The Simpsons displayed rear nudity and though it is a cartoon, it is very offensive'. The viewer is reported to have been 'watching the show, but stopped at that portion of the show so he doesn't know what else may have happened'.
The Treehouse of Horror Halloween special episodes â which traditionally portray the characters in more gruesome or outlandish scenarios â attracted accusations of blasphemy and causing offence to Christians.
'I found the shows portrayal of Ned Flanders as a mindless killer following the orders to kill people from Homer Simpsons transponder bible highly offensive [sic]', said one such complaint. 'The 'God' character referring to Satan as 'the big guy downstairs' is highly offensive. The next affront to my faith is the depiction of God as a servant to Satan by giving Satan a cup of coffee. This is all the further I cared to watch this program. This depiction of Christianity has become a standby for The Simpsons and I find it highly offensive.'
Several complaints were about Bart Simpson being repeatedly kicked in the groin, including depictions that left him 'lying on the floor in sexual agony'.
Meanwhile, one viewer was concerned that 'audiences from as young as four years old' may have witnessed a scene in which Marge Simpson kisses another woman:
'In the episode, Homer Simpson is imagining unpleasant things that could happen while being uninsured. Among the things Homer was also imagining was Marge Simpson having a lesbian kiss with another woman. This is a show which audiences from as young as four years old watch frequently.
'The image of Marge Simpson kissing another woman is indecent and the episode should be banned from broadcast to prevent children from seeing this.'
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But perhaps the most squeamish complaints seemed to come in response to the show's apparent use of bad language.
One complainant cited: 'Talking about taking a poop, found this offensive. Another was having to take a pee, found offensive as well. Need to use better language as in the past when language was more pure.'
Another complaint simply reads: 'One line was about whipping someone's toosh.'
The full list of complaints can be read at governmentattic.com
'Natural Born Kissers' is the twenty-fifth and final episode of The Simpsons' ninth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 17, 1998.[3]Homer and Marge discover that the fear of getting caught while making love is a turn on and start making love in public places. This episode is rated TV-14 in the United States (TV-PG-DLS on FXX), and was at one point rated M in Australia. It was the first episode written by Matt Selman and was the only episode to be directed by Klay Hall.[2] Some networks list the episode by the title, 'Margie, May I Sleep with Danger?'.[4][5][6]
Matt Groening listed the episode as being his eighth favorite episode,[7] and the aroused cow is one of his all-time favorite act break jokes.[8] Andy Dougan of the Evening Times characterized the episode along with 'Large Marge', 'Three Gays of the Condo', and 'The Way We Weren't', as 'four of the funniest episodes of recent series'.[9] The DVD release was also reviewed favorably by Louis R. Carlozo in the Chicago Tribune, where the episode was seen as 'more ridiculous' than 'Large Marge'.[10]
Plot[edit]
It is Homer and Marge's eleventh wedding anniversary and Grampa does not arrive at the Simpson house to babysit the children, spoiling Homer and Marge's evening together. Later that evening, Homer and Marge attempt to have sexual intercourse, but lack enthusiasm. The following day, it is discovered that the refrigerator's motor has burned out so Homer and Marge make their way to a hardware store to buy another one.
On the way, the car gets stuck in the muddy driveway in the middle of farm country. Homer and Marge rush into the nearest barn to avoid a sudden storm. A farmer discovers the barn door is open and suspects trespassers. He enters the barn, nearly catching Homer and Marge, who are hiding in the hay loft, but leaves after failing to locate them. When the coast is clear, Homer and Marge have inspired sexual intercourse in the hay loft.
Homer and Marge think their marriage has been recharged and go for a romantic weekend at a Bed and Breakfast, but soon fall into their old patterns. However, a maid walks in on them and they conclude they are both aroused when they risk being caught during intimate moments, so they have sex behind window curtains in a room full of people. Their love life is recharged and one day they begin to have sex on the same miniature golf course windmill where Bart was conceived.
This time they come too close to being caught having public sex, and while they manage to escape, they have to flee through Springfield naked. In the end, the two are seen in a football stadium, and a naked photograph of Homer and Marge appears in the local newspaper. The next day, Bart and Lisa see the picture and their parents begin to explain sex to them. Before they go into detail, however, they decide to go back to the miniature golf course.[1][2][3]
In a subplot, Bart and Lisa stay at the Springfield Retirement Castle with Grandpa, and they discover a metal detector in his closet. While Bart uses it to look for pirate treasure, they uncover an alternate ending to Casablanca. After playing the scene on a projector screen it turns out to be a very sanitized and typical Hollywood happy end, where Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman marry in the end. Bart, Lisa and Granpa all like it but one of the spectators, The Old Jewish Man, reveals that he was once a studio executive and actually tried to include this happy ending to the film. Ashamed and disgruntled, he pays Bart and Lisa to re-bury the film reel, giving them another film reel to bury along with it, titled It's A Wonderful Life (Killing Spree Ending).
Production[edit]
This was the first episode written by Matt Selman.
'Natural Born Kissers' was the first episode written by Matt Selman, who partly based it on his parents' marriage.[11] The episode was the only time that show runnerMike Scully ever got a call from Fox where they suggested not doing the episode. They were worried about the sexual content, the nudity, and how it was going to be handled.[12] They disliked several of the phrases used in the episode, such as the term 'ass forkin'.[11]
In an interview, Matt Groening said: 'The network censors couldn't believe it, and neither could I: the cow at the peephole while Homer and Marge make love in a hayloft; neighbors groping Homer when he and Marge are caught nude inside the windmill at the Sir Putts-A-Lot mini golf course; Homer dangling naked from a hot-air balloon, his ass dragging against the glass of a Crystal Cathedral-like church.'[7]
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The producers fought the censors and in the end, very little of the script was modified.[11] This episode is the first time that Marge's buttocks are shown on television.[12] Marge and Homer in the golf course is a reference to the season three episode 'I Married Marge', although in that episode they are in a castle, rather than a windmill.[11]
Cultural references[edit]
The airplane restaurant 'Up, Up and Buffet!' is based on a submarine shaped restaurant that was near the Fox studio named 'Dive!'.[12] A supposed alternate ending to the 1942 film Casablanca is shown in the episode, and the Old Jewish Man gives Bart and Lisa a copy of It's A Wonderful Life with a 'killing-spree ending'.[2] The song 'Spanish Flea' plays during the radio commercial for Divorce Specialists.[13] The song 'Rock the Casbah' by The Clash plays over the end credits.[2]
Reception[edit]
In its original broadcast, 'Natural Born Kissers' finished 29th in ratings for the week of May 11â18, 1998, with a Nielsen rating of 8.8, equivalent to approximately 8.6 million viewing households. It was the fourth highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following The X-Files, King of the Hill, and Ally McBeal.[14]
Matt Groening listed the episode as being his eighth favorite episode,[7] and the aroused cow is one of his all-time favorite act break jokes.[8] The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, wrote, 'a superb episode which actually makes Marge and Homer's love life seem very real; everyone needs a bit of spice now and again, and they find theirs. The balloon trip is hysterical, and the attempts to explain their behaviour to a very worldly-wise Bart and Lisa are magnificent.'[2]
The episode was part of a DVD boxed set release called The Simpsons Kiss and Tell: The Story of Their Love, and in his review of the release, Andy Dougan of the Evening Times characterized the episode along with 'Large Marge', 'Three Gays of the Condo', and 'The Way We Weren't', as 'four of the funniest episodes of recent series'.[9] The DVD release was also reviewed favorably by Louis R. Carlozo in the Chicago Tribune, where the episode was seen as 'more ridiculous' than 'Large Marge'.[10]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Natural_Born_Kissers&oldid=892729174'
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