TV Verdict

In the tradition of the annual Halloween episodes, The Simpsons: “Four Great Women and a Manicure” tells a group of short stories in one episode, allowing the writers and animators a chance to flex the creative muscles (can muscles be creative?) and tell some stories outside of the show’s regular continuity.

The framework of Marge and Lisa on a trip to the nail salon is established quickly as an excuse to tell tales of great women in history. First up is a take on Queen Elizabeth I, in what is mostly a spoof of the movie Elizabeth: The Golden Age. The various riffs on the time period come rapid-fire, but the real winner of this segment is Hank Azaria as the Spanish king, with Agador revisiting his hilarious Spartacus the butler character from The Birdcage.

From there, Lisa tells her version of Snow White, loaded with digs at a certain world-famous entertainment leader (rhymes with “risney”). The short musical number is a definite highlight, but a running gag with Groundskeeper Willie and a knife ran a little too long for my tastes.

Segment three promises a take on, ahem, The Scottish Play, but instead, it’s more like Kiss Me Kate with bloody stabbings taking the place of singing and romance. Anybody else out there think maybe this was originally meant as a Halloween segment? Amid the numerous Shakespeare jokes, we get what is actually a genuinely sweet moment in which Homer successfully gets his Scottish Play act together. Nicely done, with some gorgeous animation and a solid performance by Dan Castellaneta.

Surprise! The episode comes back from commercial with a fourth story. Remember when The Simpsons first spoofed A Clockwork Orange, The Prisoner or Sid and Nancy and you thought, “I can’t believe their spoofing this on prime time TV?” Here’s another one of those moments, with a Simpsons version of Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead. Maggie, of all characters, plays a brilliant baby whose block creations keep getting knocked over by a daycare provider who encourages sameness and mediocrity. It’s much funnier than I’m making it sound, and it ends the episode on a great high note. Longtime fans will be stunned to see another super-celebrity providing a voice for–wait for it–Maggie!

Folks who stopped watching The Simpsons a few years ago are really missing out on some clever comedy the show is currently putting out.

CR: FOX