All 13 Stories From The Simpsons Season 36, Episode 6 Explained

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Simpsons Season 36, Episode 6, “Women in Shorts”

Although The Simpsons season 36, episode 13, is an atypically busy episode for the long-running series, it is possible to follow all of its intersecting plots. The Simpsons has been around for a long time, so perhaps it’s no surprise that the show is no stranger to narrative experimentation. From anthology episodes to stories retold from countless perspectives to The Simpsons Martin Scorsese parody of season 36, in which the rest of the eponymous family was sidelined so that Lisa could take center stage, The Simpsons It constantly plays with its format to keep procedures updated and original.

While The Simpsons may never get old, the show has been on the air so long that even its competitors have become decades-old TV institutions. It has been more than two decades since South Park famously stated “The Simpsons did it” about every storyline under the sun, so the show must work harder than ever to create original storylines. To that end, Season 36 Episode 6, “Women In Shorts,” made an admirable attempt to reinvigorate the show’s usual formula. In this loose sequel to Season 7, Episode 21, “22 Short Films About Springfield,” The Simpsons centered on its underused female characters.

13

Luann Van Houten was addicted to wine products

Milhouse’s mother faced intervention

When “Women In Shorts” started, The Simpsons immediately proved it was doing something new with a female-centric take on the iconic opening sequence. Bart was replaced at the blackboard by Lisa and she almost ran into Luann Van Houten on her way out of school. Meanwhile, the couch gag was filled with the women of Springfield rather than the titular family when the episode began. The first segment revealed that Luann Van Houten’s book club had gathered for an intervention, although Luann was surprised to discover that this confrontation had nothing to do with her drinking.

Instead, the group was concerned about how tacky “Mother Wine” souvenirs that Luann bought. Luann insisted that being a Wine Mom was her personality and that her love of kitsch decor was not a problembut his friends were insistent. Undeterred, she refused to consider rebranding as a coffee fan, before finally admitting that she could get a “Proud slut“Person. Armed with a MILF t-shirt, Luann started a new collection of new arrivals as her friends breathed a collective sigh of relief.

12

Shauna Chalmers killed Malibu Stacy

The Simpsons Parodied the 2023 Blockbuster Barbie

While Luanne’s story ended, “Women in Shorts” was just beginning. One week later The Simpsons Season 36 Treehouse of Horror Parodied Poisonthe show aimed for another comedic blockbuster. In a brief Barbie parody, Malibu Stacy entered the real world and met her owner, Shauna Chalmers. Embarrassed by her doll’s sudden arrival in her real life Shauna mocked Malibu Stacy, beat her and ended up kicking her head off. The segment ended when Malibu Stacy’s severed head landed in front of a horrified Smithers.

11

Nelson’s mother told him a bedtime story

Nelson romanticized his mother’s work at the strip club

Next, viewers got an unexpectedly delightful look into Nelson Muntz’s home life. Longtime fans know that Nelson’s mother works as a stripper, but it was a welcome surprise to see her romanticize her professional life in a bedroom story for her son. In her version of events, she was a fairytale princess, the club’s gang-affiliated bouncer was a noble knight, and her workplace nemesis was an evil harpy. Nelson’s bedtime story had a joyful codaeven though her home life still remained tragically low on resources.

10

Homer struggled to buy Marge tampons

Homer’s embarrassment spawned a musical number

While The Simpsons‘Many of Homer’s mysteries are too innumerable to mention, “Women in Shorts” still managed to add a new one to the list. While Homer and Marge were shopping, Homer dragged his feet buying tampons for Marge. The cashiers accused Homer of faking his incompetence to avoid embarrassment, but this goes against everything viewers know about Homer. Homer appears to be authentically incompetent and foolish, and this may even be the most famous thing about his personality. Disregarding this inconsistency, the sequence ended with Homer finally purchasing the sanitary products at the storekeeper’s request.

9

Patty and Selma fought over their cigarette stash

Marge’s sisters feared a cigarette shortage

The next scene showed Patty and Selma horrified by the news of a potential cigarette shortage caused by supply chain issues. The two sisters claimed they would share the remaining cigarettes, but both claimed they had none left. This resulted in a fast-paced chase where both sisters revealed each other’s secret hiding place. The Simpsons season 36’s Scorsese homage also got a lot of laughs from Marge’s sisters and their love of cigarettes, and this brief scene proved that the pair’s habit was harming their health, before moving on to another segment.

8

Dr. Hibbert and Bernice tried to reinvigorate their marriage

The Simpsons Doctor Struggled With Dramatization

On the topic of health, The Simpsons brought back two breakout stars from season 36 in the Bernice and Dr.. The troubled couple tried acting out to spice up their romantic life, but Dr. Hibbert had a hard time when a restaurant started choking and he wasn’t sure if he should stay in character. Things weren’t helped by Kirk Van Houten, who was also playing the role, getting very into character and insisting he could save the dying restaurant by claiming he was a real doctor. This scene soon moved to the restaurant’s kitchen, where Italian chef Luigi Risotto had some unlikely company.

7

Italian chef Luigi’s mother revealed as a lawyer

The Simpsons created a non-existent spinoff

While The Simpsons Regularly pokes fun at itself, one of the show’s best jokes is its imaginary offshoots. The most recent was a show centered on the elderly mother of Italian chef Luigi, who was revealed to have a secret second life as a lawyer in “Women In Shorts.” Viewers are unlikely to hear more about this plot, but it gave the episode a chance to parody courtroom dramas before the next segment took on another popular genre, the Netflix food documentary.

“Women in Shorts” followed Lunchlady Dora’s normal day

In a parody of programs like Chef’s Table and Salt fatty acid heat, The Simpsons accompanied Lunchlady Dora during a day in her life while the pretentious narration exposed his professional ambitions. It turns out that every Band-Aid found in the cafeteria food was carefully selected as The Simpsons displayed an assortment of Lunchlady Dora plates that looked like the same identical pile of monochromatic trash. This wasn’t the only scene from “Women in Shorts” that parodied a famous piece of media, as evidenced by the sequence that followed.

5

Lisa starred in a Narnia parody

Lisa discovered that being queen was not an easy task

The Simpsons counterfeit The Chronicles of Narnia as Lisa fell asleep reading the iconic fantasy novel series and soon dreamed of being the queen of Narnia. Unfortunately, Lisa soon resented her job as Queen of Narnia when the angry, impossible-to-please public demanded more amenities at lower taxes. Like the best of The Simpsons‘ Parodies of Treehouse of Horror, this segment used a bizarre fantasy setting to spoof real-life politics as Lisa woke up and realized that even her dreams were serious, pessimistic, and so grounded that they were devoid of fun.

4

Agnes Skinner tried to hate online

Director Skinner’s mother tried to find a new enemy

Although the next segment seemed to depict Agnes Skinner’s first foray into the world of online dating, it soon turned out to be something hilariously darker. Instead of online dating, Agnes wanted a new enemy she could be passive-aggressive against while experiencing online hate. Agnes asked the Internet for a new enemy she could vilifyavoid in public and spread rumors. The unexpected emerging star of The Simpsons season 36 soon received dozens of responses, ensuring that she would soon face an equally fierce foe.

3

Helen Lovejoy hooked up with Moe

Helen’s fears of Springfield’s imminent destruction sparked chaos

Mistakenly believing that the city was about to be destroyed by a tsunami, Helen Lovejoy used her impending death as an excuse to finally break free and abandon her holier-than-thou attitude. In a stunningly transgressive display, Reverend Lovejoy’s typically reserved wife drank communion winedestroyed the church, ran to Moe’s house and hooked up with the bar owner, and destroyed her husband’s elaborate model train. It was then that she discovered that the news of a tsunami had been greatly exaggerated, and Helen Lovejoy was left in great confusion as her placid husband looked on.

2

School faculty placed bets on children

The staff room at Springfield Elementary was a corrupt gambling house

While The Simpsons season 36 has a lot of plot holes, usually related to the main characters’ ages and other important storylines. Sometimes, though, inconsistent characterization can be just as impressive. “Women In Shorts” featured a late scene in which Bart’s teacher, Rayshelle Peyton, was horrified to see teachers betting on which children would suffer which misfortunes on the playground.. There were bets on bruises, nosebleeds and who would get arrested, but the real surprise was Peyton secretly working with Lisa to steal $500 from the teachers, setting up a middle finger incident that no one could have predicted.

1

Maggie was conceived thanks to an advertisement

The Simpsons Complicated Its Timeline Once Again

Although “Women In Shorts” primarily focused on secondary characters, the episode’s final segment brought viewers back to the show’s central family. Once again reopening the oldest The Simpsons Plot hole, the sequel “Maggie: Origins” was introduced as a mid-credits trailer for Maggie’s origin story. Maggie’s story turns out to be Marge feeling excited after seeing a commercial starring Jake from State Farms, a joke that proves the younger Simpson was conceived in 2011 at the earliest. Although this did not align with The Simpsons In the timeline so far, it was still a hilarious end to an eventful and inventive episode.