There's Something About Marrying

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

"There's Something About Marrying"
Max Pross
Jeff Westbrook
David Silverman
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Pranksta Rap" 		Next →
"On a Clear Day I Can't See My Sister"
The Simpsons season 16
List of episodes

"There's Something About Marrying" is the tenth episode of the

Patty comes out as a lesbian and reveals that she is going to marry a woman named Veronica. Marge originally disapproves of this, making Patty frustrated. When Marge accidentally discovers that Veronica is a man cross-dressed as a woman, she decides to keep quiet about it knowing that Patty will be marrying a man. However, at the ceremony, she is so moved by Patty's vow
that she is forced to reveal Veronica's secret. After the ceremony is abruptly cancelled, Marge tells Patty that she now accepts her sexuality.

This was the third time that an episode of The Simpsons focused on homosexuality. The episode—written by

AfterEllen.com
.

During the first airing, 10.5 million people watched "There's Something About Marrying" and it became the highest-rated episode of the season. The episode had received a lot of publicity in the media before its broadcast—not only because of the same-sex marriage controversy but also because of Patty's outing. It was revealed in July 2004 that a character would come out as gay in the episode, leading to much speculation from fans and the press. Bookmaker websites were even posting odds on which character it would be, with Patty receiving the best odds.

Plot

Mayor Quimby holds an emergency meeting at the town hall to solve the problem, and after many senseless suggestions, Lisa suggests that Springfield legalize same-sex marriage to entice visitors to their town. All of Springfield happily agrees with Lisa's idea, and the town makes a commercial that is broadcast throughout America, convincing hundreds of homosexual couples to come to Springfield. However, Reverend Lovejoy insists that the Bible forbids same-sex marriage and refuses to marry any gay couples. Homer, upon learning that ministers
are paid $200 per couple, abandons his own opposition to the process and becomes a minister himself with help from the online "e-Piscopal" Church, whereupon he marries every gay couple in town.

Meanwhile, at the

Patty comes out as a lesbian, saying that she is in love with a pro golfer named Veronica and asking Homer to marry them. While Homer accepts Patty's sexuality (briefly improving their relationship), an uncomfortable Marge
reprimands her for having not told their family and insists that Patty marry a man. Patty is angered and calls Marge out for being a hypocrite in acting liberal about the issues, pointing out that she cannot accept their family's sexuality for what it is. Before the wedding, Marge accidentally discovers Veronica is actually male. She decides to keep quiet about it since Patty will be marrying a man.

During the wedding ceremony, Marge becomes especially touched by Patty's heartfelt declaration of love for Veronica. This prompts Marge to disclose Veronica's actual gender in front of the whole wedding assembly, much to Patty’s horror. "Veronica" is revealed to be a

heterosexual cisgender male, named “Leslie Robin Swisher”. Leslie explains that he posed as a woman, so he could get onto the LPGA
golf tour. Leslie then asks Patty whether she still wants to marry him, but Patty replies "Hell no - I like girls!", to applause from the congregation.

Afterwards, Marge reconciles with Patty after telling her that she has learned a lesson and has accepted the fact that Patty is a lesbian. In a meta-reference to the show's tendency to episodically return to status quo ante, Lisa notes that this is the end of Homer's wedding business. When Bart asks, "Why?", Lisa shrugs her shoulders and makes a non-committal noise.

Patty and her other sister,

Selma
, then go to leave a bag at the airport unattended, as a way to meet security personnel they can date.

Production

Al Jean said the staff wanted to explore the characters' different positions on same-sex marriage.

"There's Something About Marrying" was written by co-executive producer

Fort Lauderdale, which became a popular tourist destination for gays and lesbians in the mid-2000s.[3] Executive producer Al Jean said they were interested in doing the episode because they could explore the various characters' different positions on gay marriage while remaining neutral. "Lisa thinks it's good for civil rights. The reverend of the local Protestant church is opposed to it. Other people think tourists will come to town. Mayor Quimby wants the money. We don't take a position as much as explore everybody's positions," he commented.[2]

Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons, stated that the staff wanted to out Patty as gay because portraying her as a "love-starved spinster [...] seemed old" on the show.[4] There had previously been hints about Patty's orientation. For example, in the season thirteen episode "Jaws Wired Shut" she is part of the Springfield Gay Pride Parade's "stayin' in the closet" float, though only her voice was heard and she was not seen.[5]

Themes and analysis

The episode's plotline revolves around homosexuality—the third time for The Simpsons. The first was

Outstanding Animated Program.[7] This time it centered on the right for homosexuals to get married and the coming-out of a character. In the episode, Homer is shown as being tolerant with homosexuality, whereas in "Homer's Phobia" he is portrayed as being strongly homophobic.[6] In that episode, the Simpson family gets a new friend that Homer dissociates himself from after finding out that he is gay. He also fears that the friend will have a negative influence on Bart and decides to ensure Bart's heterosexuality by taking him to do manly things such as hunting.[6][8] As James Delingpole of The Daily Telegraph writes, it was first after "Homer's Phobia" that Homer began to be portrayed as enlightened about homosexuality.[6] Marge, on the other hand, who had previously been portrayed as supportive of gay people on the show, is seen as disapproving of her sister's sexual orientation.[9]

The coming-out of Ellen DeGeneres' character in Ellen led to the appearance of more gay characters on television.

According to the publication Zeek: A Jewish Journal of Thought and Culture and Value War: Public Opinion and the Politics of Gay Rights, it was the controversial lesbian outing of the main character (played by

heteronormative audience by having Patty exclaim "Hell no! I like girls!" to Leslie's marriage proposal.[12] The author also noted that it is possible the Simpsons staff chose Patty to come out as gay instead of a male character because lesbians were "traditionally considered more acceptable" on television. She did, however, not "adhere to the eroticized male lesbian fantasy or fit into the loveable, asexual guise of the comedy lesbian" that had previously been seen on shows such as Ellen. Instead, Patty is "rude, crude, and not ashamed of declaring her sexual preferences", and this could make her unpalatable to some viewers, according to Elledge.[12]

Around the episode's original broadcast in early 2005, the same-sex marriage question was one of the hottest political issues in America.

homosexual agenda," anything from "lighten up" to "get out of town".[14] This was not the first time that an episode of the show had brought up a current issue. Writing in an article about "There's Something About Marrying" for The New York Times, Sharon Waxman said that "as television's longest-running situation comedy, The Simpsons is no stranger to hot-button social, religious and political issues, mocking wardrobe malfunctions, Hollywood liberals and born-again Christians, among other targets."[14]

Speculation, publicity and broadcast

"There's Something About Marrying" was originally broadcast on February 20, 2005, in the United States.

Maude Flanders.[13]

There was a widespread debate among fans of the series as to who the character coming out of the closet would be, also similar to how they years earlier debated

The Advocate that he thought it was "an insane thing for someone to take bets on a result that can be determined by other people", referring to the Simpsons staff, "and could be changed by them at the last minute."[21]

The episode was heavily promoted and hyped,

World News Tonight, CNN, BBC Radio, and more, as the author of a book on religion in The Simpsons.[28]

The Fox network, which airs The Simpsons, chose to begin the episode with a

sweeps.[27] The episode was watched by 10.5 million people in the United States, making it the highest-rated episode of the sixteenth season of The Simpsons.[30] It was up by two million from the season's average rating.[31]

Reception

"There's Something About Marrying" featured the first appearance of an animated same-sex marriage on network television.[32]

Television columnist Ray Richmond wrote that the episode was a cultural milestone for The Simpsons and that the "issue [of gay marriage] was mainstream to some degree, but now that [the staff has] deigned it worthy of the show it is interwoven into the popular culture. The Simpsons bestowed upon something a pop culture status it never had before, simply by being ripe for a joke."[32] John Kenneth White, author of the book Barack Obama's America, similarly called "There's Something About Marrying" a cultural barrier breaker.[32]

L. Brent Bozell III was critical of the episode.

The episode, dealing with "one of the most divisive issues in American society" according to The New York Times,

Parents Television Council president L. Brent Bozell III criticized "There's Something About Marrying" for bringing up the issue.[36] Even though he had not seen the episode himself, he commented that "at a time when the public mood is overwhelmingly against gay marriage, any show that promotes gay marriage is deliberately bucking the public mood."[14] A researcher for the American Family Association, named Ed Vitagliano, claimed the presentation of same-sex marriage in the episode was "very one-sided".[33][37] He said that this episode proved "Hollywood's blatant pro-homosexual bias" because despite The Simpsons being "generally kind of a wacky animated program" it was not neutral on the issue.[37] Bozell also worried about the influence the episode would have on children, despite the parental discretion advisory at the beginning, commenting: "You've got a show watched by millions of children. Do children need to have gay marriage thrust in their faces as an issue? Why can't we just entertain them?"[14][33] Similarly, Vitagliano said that many children watch The Simpsons and Hollywood "will pull out all the stops to promote same-sex marriage — and children will be influenced by it."[37]

Mark Washburn of Knight Ridder wrote that at the time of the episode's broadcast, most Americans were accustomed to seeing homosexual characters on television. He said this is why Patty's coming-out did not become as controversial as the episode's examination of the same-sex marriage issue, which was more sensitive in the country then.[27] The controversy became so big that local news programs in certain cities aired segments about it.[27] In response to the claims that this episode was supporting gay marriage, Al Jean replied that "we don't really take any positions for or against anything, we just like to examine all sides of an issue and I think that anyone who would get their political wisdom from a cartoon might be sadly mistaken."[34] Likewise, Mark Pinsky writes in The Gospel According to The Simpsons that once the episode ended, it was hard to tell what stance on same-sex marriage the writers had and that "both sides of the controversy had their say, voiced by various Simpsons characters".[28] Jean has also cited the episode in defense to critics who say The Simpsons has lost its relevance and edginess in later years. In his book The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History, John Ortved responded to this, commenting that despite the controversies the episode was "in fact a long-winded and lame exploration of the topic."[38]

"There's Something About Marrying" was met with positive reception as well, particularly from gay rights groups.

AfterEllen.com's David Kennerley approved of the willingness of a "hit network TV show in prime time, watched by children and adults" to "serve up such a politically charged issue".[15] Rick Garcia, an activist of the gay rights group Equality Illinois, said to the Chicago Tribune that the episode would likely affect society in a positive way because of the iconic status of the show which "shape[s] our attitudes".[28] Unlike many of the conservative groups, Kennerley noted that "in the show's tradition of equal-opportunity lampooning, the message is not all pro-gay. Irksome lesbian stereotypes abound, and Nelson the bully suggests they 'legalize gay funerals.' And naturally, Reverend Lovejoy shutters his church to the same-sex sinners."[15] According to Simpsons writer Mike Reiss, the episode also had supporters among conservative groups. He told Encore magazine that "gay people came out very much in favor of it and were happy with the episode, but arch conservatives and right-wing Christians loved the episode, too, because they seemed to think we were making fun of gay people. We really had it both ways."[28]

Kennerley further wrote that "based on this episode, [...] The Simpsons is in top form. It still reigns as the funniest, brashest, fastest-paced half-hour you'll see on television."

Writers Guild of America Award nomination in the animation category for his work on "There's Something About Marrying", although he lost the award to another Simpsons writer.[42]

References

  1. ^ "There's Something About Marrying". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2011.
  2. ^ a b Foust, Michael (January 27, 2005). "Groundbreaking: Homosexuality finding its way into cartoons". Baptist Press. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  3. ISBN 978-0-664-23160-6
    .
  4. ^ The Advocate: Issues 985–991. Liberation Publications. 2007. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  5. ISBN 0-06-081754-2
    .
  6. ^ a b c d Delingpole, James (January 5, 2010). "What 'The Simpsons' can teach us about life". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved June 19, 2011.
  7. ^ "Primetime Emmy Awards Advanced Search". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on February 15, 2009. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  8. ^ a b c d e Kiehl, Stephen (The Baltimore Sun) (February 2, 2005). "'The Simpsons' to 'out' a character". The Gainesville Sun. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h "Inventory: 15 Simpsons Moments That Perfectly Captured Their Eras". The A.V. Club. July 23, 2007. Archived from the original on June 25, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2011.
  10. ^ Zeek: A Jewish Journal of Thought and Culture. Metatronics, Inc. 2005. p. 78. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  11. ISBN 978-0-7425-6211-0
    .
  12. ^
    ISBN 978-0-313-35457-1
    . Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  13. ^ a b c d e "Simpsons to reveal gay character". BBC News. July 28, 2004. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g Waxman, Sharon (February 21, 2005). "'Simpsons' Animates Gay Nuptials, and a Debate". The New York Times. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  15. ^
    AfterEllen.com. Archived from the original
    on October 21, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2011.
  16. ^ a b "Simpsons' gay character is Patty". BBC News. February 21, 2005. Retrieved July 7, 2007.
  17. ^ Maurstad, Tom (The Dallas Morning News) (February 19, 2005). "Gay character revealed on 'Simpsons'". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  18. ^ Wilkes, Neil (September 30, 2004). "Gay 'Simpsons' character revealed". Digital Spy. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  19. ^ Hiatt, Brian (November 5, 2004). "Springfield Fever". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 9, 2007. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  20. ^
    U-T San Diego
    . January 21, 2005. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  21. The Advocate
    . Retrieved June 26, 2011.
  22. ^ a b "Simpsons' gay show". The Age. February 22, 2005. Retrieved June 19, 2011.
  23. ^ "People and places". The Baltimore Sun. February 21, 2005. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  24. ^ Irby, Lacey (February 22, 2005). "Patty is Out and About in Springfield". TheCelebrityCafe.com. Archived from the original on June 22, 2011. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  25. ^ a b Parant, Paul (February 24, 2005). "Coming-out chez les Simpson". Têtu (in French). Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  26. ^ "Studio Briefing: October 1st, 2004". MovieWeb. October 1, 2004. Archived from the original on September 30, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  27. ^
    The Vindicator
    . Retrieved June 19, 2011.
  28. ^
    ISBN 978-0-664-23160-6
    .
  29. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8400-3221-8
    . Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  30. ^ a b Brioux, Bill (May 1, 2005). "'The Simpsons' has jumped the shark". Toronto Sun. Jam!. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  31. ^ Mihovilović, Maroje (April 3, 2005). "Novi rekord Simpsona" [New Simpsons' record]. Nacional (in Croatian). Archived from the original on June 9, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  32. ^
    ISBN 978-0-472-03391-1
    .
  33. ^ a b c d Kwon, Lillian (February 23, 2005). "'Simpsons' Hits on Gay Marriage Issue". The Christian Post. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  34. ^ a b Tomlinson, Kathy (February 20, 2005). "'Simpsons' Springfield to legalize gay marriage". CTV Television Network. Archived from the original on April 7, 2005. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  35. ISBN 978-0-275-99019-0
    . Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  36. ^ "People: Brad Pitt, Christian Slater, Paris Hilton". The New York Times. February 23, 2005. Retrieved June 19, 2011.
  37. ^ a b c Rettig, Mary (February 22, 2005). "Researcher: 'Outing' of Simpsons Character Consistent with Hollywood Bias". American Family Association. Archived from the original on February 1, 2009. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  38. ISBN 978-1-55365-503-9
    .
  39. Daily News
    . New York. Retrieved June 19, 2011.
  40. Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. February 21, 2005. Archived from the original
    on September 25, 2011. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
  41. ^ Gibron, Bill (May 26, 2005). "The Simpsons – Still the One". PopMatters. Retrieved June 19, 2011.
  42. ^ "2006 Writers Guild Awards Television and Radio Nominees Announced". Writers Guild of America. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2011.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to "There's Something About Marrying".
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=There%27s_Something_About_Marrying&oldid=1216738886"