The Devil Wears Nada
"The Devil Wears Nada" | ||
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Couch gag The Simpsons are cave people who sit on a log that sinks into a tar pit, with their skeletons appearing in a museum. | | |
"The Devil Wears Nada" is the fifth episode of the
The episode was written by Tim Long and directed by Nancy Kruse. It was broadcast soon after the character Marge had appeared on the cover of Playboy, though there was no connection between the episode and the cover; the idea for the episode was conceived first, and Marge's appearance was due to an unrelated offer from Playboy.
Since airing, "The Devil Wears Nada" has received mixed reviews from television critics.
It was watched by approximately 9.04 million viewers during its original broadcast. Clips showing the
Plot
The episode opens at a retirement party for the current Sector 7G supervisor at the
Back at the plant, Carl makes Homer his new executive assistant. That evening, Marge's libido pumped up by the male population's positive feedback on her calendar is running high, but Homer is too overworked and exhausted by Carl's demands to satisfy her. This becomes an unhappy trend, and Marge feels ignored. Homer tries to make up for it by taking Marge out to a romantic hotel, but during their stay, he receives a phone call from Carl who tells him they are going to
In Paris, Carl is having a great time flirting with a beautiful woman, and he reveals to Homer that he plans to extend their stay indefinitely. Homer is devastated, and walks forlornly through the streets where everything reminds him of Marge. He eventually forces Carl to give him his old job back by revealing that the woman Carl has been flirting with is actually Carla Bruni, the wife of French president Nicolas Sarkozy, and threatens to tell him of their affair.
Back in Springfield, Bart and Lisa bail on Marge's dinner, and Ned shows up alone because Rod and Todd have been grounded after watching a trailer for Grey's Anatomy and not telling him straightaway. The innocent dinner soon turns romantic, and Marge and Ned nearly kiss, until Marge catches sight of her wedding photo in the reflection of Ned's glasses and realizes that it would be wrong. Homer arrives home just as Marge is bidding Ned goodnight, and Homer and Marge make love, undisturbed at last.
Production
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Al_Jean_by_Gage_Skidmore_2.jpg/170px-Al_Jean_by_Gage_Skidmore_2.jpg)
"The Devil Wears Nada" was written by Tim Long and directed by Nancy Kruse.[2] It is partly based on the film The Devil Wears Prada, especially the scenes that feature an overworked and over-utilized Homer.[3][4] The episode aired soon after the character Marge had appeared on the cover of the real-life adult magazine Playboy.[5][6] Executive producer Al Jean told the Toronto Sun that this episode was "a little bit of a reference to Marge's recent encounter with Playboy". Jean explained, though, that the writers came up with the storyline for "The Devil Wears Nada" over a year before the episode aired and they did not know back then that Marge would become a Playboy cover girl. Jean said that was "an independent offer from Playboy. But we thought, to be smart, we should probably have the episode and Marge's cover come out around the same time."[6] In regards to Marge's explicit plotline in the episode, Jean commented that the Simpsons staff is "always a bit nervous when we push the boundaries or do something unusual and I usually think that's where we do our best stuff, and this episode is definitely one of those cases."[7]
Reception
During the episode's original broadcast on the
Since airing, "The Devil Wears Nada" has received mixed reviews from television critics.
AOL TV's Jason Hughes was positive about the episode, commenting that "everything about the episode worked, from Marge's sexy calendar to Ned Flanders' role in the final moments." He added that he thought the episode featured "the heart I felt was missing all season. The love between Homer and Marge dominated this episode, coming in equal strength from both sides." Hughes concluded that "The Devil Wears Nada" featured "good moments for humor" and that it was "perfectly balanced, written and executed".[11]
Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club was less positive, giving the episode a C+ rating. She commented that because there have already been so many episodes about Homer and Marge's marital troubles, it becomes more difficult every time to make the episodes emotional. VanDerWerff added that "while the flip side of the usual husband/wife sexual dynamics had a few promising jokes in it and while there were the usual funny sight gags and one-liners, the entirety of the episode felt stale. [...] There's no way Homer or Marge will ever cheat on each other, and that makes a story like this essentially boring."[12]
IGN's Robert Canning gave the episode a rating of 6.2 out of 10, calling it disappointing. He commented that he enjoyed the first act of the episode because it had a lot of potential storylines, but it went downhill from there and became boring. Canning added: "This was another case of the series returning to familiar storylines. It's tough to get away from this one — trouble in the bedroom — as they are a married couple and this is, essentially, a sitcom. Unfortunately, 'The Devil Wears Nada' doesn't give the story anything new."[3] Similarly to VanDerWerff, Canning did not find the episode enjoying because it was obvious that Marge and Ned would not have "a night of passion" since "Marge is too loving a wife and Ned is too good a Christian".[3]
Reaction in France
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/R%C3%A9ception_pour_les_Fran%C3%A7ais_de_Shanghai_20100430_-_25.jpg/220px-R%C3%A9ception_pour_les_Fran%C3%A7ais_de_Shanghai_20100430_-_25.jpg)
"The Devil Wears Nada" features the
Unlike other high-ranking politicians such as Tony Blair, who have guest starred on The Simpsons, the couple did not actually lend their voices to the show and the appearances were made without their permission.[15][16] Agence France-Presse wrote that as a result, it was a "harsher" parody in comparison to the parodies on the show of people that have provided their own voices.[15][17] The French newspaper Le Figaro said she was characterized as "a nymphomaniac with an exaggerated French accent".[18][19] Bruni had previously attracted media attention in the United States because of her many reported partners and lovers.[20][21] A reporter for The Times in Paris, Charles Bremner, wrote that her "sulphurous former image as the girlfriend of rock stars and celebrities was mocked".[22]
Clips on YouTube and Dailymotion showing Sarkozy's and Bruni's appearances became Internet hits.[22] According to Agence France-Presse, the cameos "passed largely unnoticed in France until Friday [November 20], when news websites started linking to pirated clips of the episode, creating a buzz which saw more than 117,000 fans linking to the DailyMotion site alone."[23] As of Saturday November 21, the Dailymotion clip had received 440,000 hits.[24] Reactions to the clips were mixed from the French viewers.[13] Bruni's spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment either,[16] but Bremner reported that Bruni "laughed when asked about the programme".[22]
The French news website
References
- ^ Stevens, Michael (October 26, 2009). ""The Simpsons": The Devil Wears Nada- November 15..." SneakPeek. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- ^ "The Devil Wears Nada". The Simpsons. Season 21. Episode 5. November 15, 2009. 04:09–04:26 minutes in. Fox.
- ^ a b c Canning, Robert (November 16, 2009). "The Simpsons: "The Devil Wears Nada" Review". IGN. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- ^ Baker, Melissa; Baker, Randall (November 17, 2009). "The Simpsons Episode Recap: 'The Devil Wears Nada'". TV Guide. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
- ^ Holmene, Guro (November 17, 2009). "Marge blir kalenderpike". Nettavisen (in Norwegian). Retrieved July 10, 2011.
- ^ a b Harris, Bill (November 14, 2009). "Marge heats up Springfield". Toronto Sun. Retrieved November 14, 2009.
- ^ "Marge 'Wears Nada' On 'The Simpsons' (audio interview)". Hollywood Outbreak. November 4, 2009. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
- ^ Fraser, Garnet (November 15, 2009). "TV tonight: Five worth watching". Toronto Star. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
- ^ Ahearn, Victoria (November 6, 2009). "Tube talk". Waterloo Region Record. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (November 16, 2009). "TV Ratings Sunday: Football Wins For NBC; Housewives, Three Rivers, Cold Case All Up". TVbytheNumbers. Archived from the original on November 18, 2009. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
- ^ Hughes, Jason (November 16, 2009). "The Simpsons: The Devil Wears Nada". AOL. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
- ^ VanDerWerff, Emily (November 16, 2009). "'The Devil Wears Nada'/'Ladies' Night'/'Quagmire's Baby'/'Shallow Vows'". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- ^ a b c Willsher, Kim (November 23, 2009). "Say cheese, Monsieur Sarkozy! You're on The Simpsons". The Guardian. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- ^ Lichfield, John (November 24, 2009). "Sex and cheese as Sarkozys meet The Simpsons". The Independent. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
- ^ a b "Simpsons' lampoon of Sarkozy sudden French web hit". The Independent. November 22, 2009. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
- ^ a b Gauthier-Villars, David (November 25, 2009). "French First Lady to Act in Allen Film". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
- ^ "Nicolas Sarkozy et Carla Bruni dans les Simpson". Slate (in French). November 22, 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- ^ "Le couple Sarkozy dans les Simpson". Le Figaro (in French). November 20, 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- ^ Lehnartz, Sascha (November 22, 2009). "Sarkozy und Carla Bruni zu Gast bei den Simpsons". Die Welt (in German). Retrieved July 10, 2011.
- ^ Rue 89. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
- ^ Orth, Maureen (September 2008). "Paris Match". Vanity Fair. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- ^ a b c Bremner, Charles (November 25, 2009). "Carla Bruni gets a big break for the silver screen". The Times. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- ^ "Simpsons' Sarkozy lampoon an internet hit". ABC News (Agence France-Presse). November 22, 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- ^ "Nicolas Sarkozy et son épouse ont fait une apparition dans la série "Les Simpson"" (in French). Branchez-Vous! (Rogers Communications). November 21, 2009. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
- "The Devil Wears Nada" at IMDb
- "The Devil Wears Nada" at The Simpsons.com