The Simpsons Just Made a Sequel to a Classic Episode From 28 Years Ago (But with a Twist)

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

While The Simpsons season 36, episode 6 was technically a sequel to a classic Golden Age outing, its original premise ensuring that the episode felt like more than a mere retread. It’s difficult for The Simpsons to continue presenting new ideas. The show has been on the air since 1989 and has aired more than 750 episodes, so although The SimpsonsThe renewal for season 37 has not yet been confirmed, so it’s no surprise that the series is working hard on creating new stories. After all, it has been two decades since South Park famously complained “The Simpsons did it.”

The Simpsons Season 36 began with a bizarre, self-referential story “Series finale” that poked fun at the show’s longevity while directly addressing its heroes’ unchanging ages. This was followed by numerous other experimental efforts, including The Simpsons Scorsese’s parody of season 36, which left the rest of the family aside to focus solely on Lisa. Even the season 36 Treehouse of Horror special included stop-motion animation by Stoopid Buddy Stoolios, once again underlining the show’s commitment to trying new things in its 36th year. Meanwhile, Season 36 Episode 6, “Women In Shorts,” was both original and a throwback.

The Simpsons Season 36, Episode 6 Revisits “22 Short Films About Springfield”

“Women In Shorts” features segments about the women of Springfield

Although ‘Women In Shorts’ is a sequel of sorts to Season 7 Episode 21, “22 Short Films About Springfield,” the episode’s unique approach makes its many interesting plots feel fresh. “Women In Shorts” focuses only on underprivileged female characters in Springfieldwhile “22 Short Films About Springfield” attempted to illustrate the invisible lives of all of the city’s inhabitants. Thanks to this new shift in perspective, “Women In Shorts” is a fun sequel to “22 Short Films About Springfield,” but it never feels like a direct sequel or a mere retread.

While “22 Short Films About Springfield” focused on supporting characters like Chief Wiggum, Herman, Apu, Superintendent Chalmers, Cletus and Moe, “Women In Shorts” is more concerned with Nelson’s mother, Bart’s teacher Rayshelle Peyton, Shauna Chalmers and Season 36’s unlikely breakout character, Agnes Skinner. The previous episode, season 36, episode 5, “Treehouse of Horror XXXV” saw Agnes play Mr. Burns’ love interest in an Edgar Allan Poe parody, while the previous episode, episode 4, “Shoddy Heat”, featured another unlikely case. between the duo in a story set in the 80s that parodied famous film noir tropes.

The Simpsons Season 36 Golden Age Sequel Recaptures the Magic of the Original

The episode highlighted numerous secondary supporting stars

It would be difficult for any sequel to do justice to “22 Short Films About Springfield” 28 years later, as the episode spawned several legendary moments of The Simpsons. Principal Skinner’s infamous attempts to serve Superintendent Chalmers”Steamed hams” has become an iconic meme, while many other moments from the original release are often cited by fans. However, “Women In Shorts” is a surprisingly fair and funny sequel. As The Simpsons A parody of season 36’s Edgar Allan Poe, the episode builds on existing lore from previous episodes to make the world of the series feel more fully realized.

Longtime viewers know that Nelson’s mother works at a strip club, but few would expect her to regale him with romanticized stories of her day job at bedtime. Rayshelle Peyton proved to be a good influence on Bart in several outings, but her teaming up with Lisa to steal the rest of the teachers’ betting money was a genuinely surprising twist. Even Helen Lovejoy’s freakout upon hearing about Springfield’s impending destruction, which led her to destroy her husband’s model train and impulsively kiss Moe, fits her character perfectly.

The Simpsons Season 36’s Female-Centric Episode Proves Tricks Aren’t Bad

Simpsons season 36 benefited from prioritizing new features

Since The Simpsons has been around for so long, it’s no surprise the show feels the need to find new ways to keep viewers invested. Some of them, like the release of a Treehouse of Horror Halloween special in late November, seem reckless at first glance. However, season 36 has thus far proven to be a surprising critical renaissance for The Simpsons and this is largely due to the program’s reliance on experimentation. “Women In Shorts” is an ambitious anthology episode, while episode 3, “Desperately Seeking Lisa,” only featured Lisa for almost its entire runtime.

The season 36 premiere, “Bart’s Birthday,” was a self-aware in-universe series finale, while “Shoddy Heat” was a bizarre mix of murder mystery, noir and Vice Miami parodies. All of this could have been tiring, but instead it fell at the perfect intersection of freshness and fun. The Simpsons season 36 is proving, despite the odds, that the show still has something new to offer viewers after decades on the air.

Source: Variety