[The long of it]
Have you ever been told a joke that you just knew was funny, but didn't fully get because you weren't clued in on some background information? You know what the joke was about, in a general way, but some specific bit of knowledge eludes you, and the lack of it keeps you from fully appreciating the humor. If you just had it, you could have a joke epiphany and laugh along with everyone else. This episode was like that for me. I know that Eva Per�n was a controversial figure in Argentine politics, a woman who either stood up for the masses or was the wife of a corrupt dictator, depending on who you ask. I know there was a musical about her and, later, a movie starring Madonna. In fact, when Lisa gets her hair restyled in one scene, the result made me think "Madonna" more than "Evita." (Well, at least they didn't put her in a cone-topped bustier.) But that's the extent of my knowledge of Ms. Per�n and her musical, and my ignorance made "The President Wore Pearls" into a surreal viewing experience.
The story traces the arc of Lisa's career as student body president. She runs after a disastrous school fundraiser forces current president Martin Prince to resign. (He says the school "won't have Martin Prince to kick around anymore." Hey, I get it -- it's a Nixon reference! At least I understand American political history.) Trailing her opponent, school bully Nelson Muntz, Lisa makes a political last stand by singing the reasons she's running for president. At this point, I think, the episode becomes one running reference to "Evita." I'm glad I at least know it was a musical, or I'd be baffled by the characters' propensity to break into song. At least I could enjoy Lisa's campaign tune; Yeardley Smith imbues it at first with a note of sadness and isolation, and then transforms it into a song of individual resolve and triumph. The other musical numbers were almost as good, although here again I suspect I'm missing something. There's one song that cuts between the characters' different viewpoints -- Skinner's, Lisa's, Bart's, and Groundskeeper Willie's. The Scotsman drunkenly drives his tractor in a pool, a reference to something, but darned if I know what.
The "Evita" parallels might also explain why some of the characters acted, well, slightly out-of-character. Skinner, hoping to make President Lisa a pawn in his budget-cutting scheme, tricks Lisa into signing a lengthy contract transferring some of her authority to him. Uh, wait a minute, Lisa signed a contract without reading it first? Oh, well, probably another ref. Yet, the rest of the scene was funny, as the "normal" Lisa reasserts herself and keeps pestering Skinner about cracks in his cover story. "Evita" references might also explain other strange things, like why Skinner is so malevolent. And why he'd need the okay from the student-body president to make budget decisions on the first place. And how Lisa could later lead a student revolt against his plans. (Maybe I just hung out with a feckless crowd, but most students I knew were resigned to the fact that they had little, if any, say in what got cut from the budget.)
I spent most of the show feeling slightly lost but, even so, I enjoyed "The President Wore Pearls." Lisa and Skinner have two scenes in the teachers' lounge that are funny, and the subtitle that closes the show is hilarious. Lisa's makeover was visually interesting. Not to take anything away from Lisa's usual 'do, but most of the alternate hairstyles I've seen look pretty good on her. References can be tricky on "The Simpsons" (or any other show that uses them). Not everyone will have the background to get the reference, and it's not a good idea to hopelessly confuse part of the audience if you don't have to. There are two ways to get around this. You can make the ref a quick throw-away joke, like some of the "Citizen Kane" references in "Two Cars in Every Garage, Three Eyes on Every Fish (7G01)." That approach isn't feasible for an episode-length reference, so the writers have to go with the second option: Write jokes that can be understood on two levels, one for the uninitiated, and a deeper level for those who get it. Tonight's show comes close to achieving this. I was able to salvage enough humor to have a good time. Yet, I still sense that if I had known more, I'd have gotten more out of the show.
Well, don't cry for me, newsgroup. I'm confident the next episode will be based on something I know about.
[The short of it]
Ah, a brilliant parody of Broadway's "Evita." Or that's what I guess it was. I wouldn't know for sure because I never the play. Or the movie. Or knew anything about the person it was based on. At times, this episode was a little like watching a foreign movie in a language I never heard before, without subtitles. Yet it was enjoyable in a surreal kind of way. Lisa's opening song was terrific, and the machinations between her and Skinner played out well. I liked it, but I suspect I would have loved it if I were more familiar with the source material. (B)
[DYNs]
... the school has evidently changed its student government structure? (There's one president for all grades, instead of one president for each grade as shown in "Lisa's Substitute (7F19).") ... Martin trembles as he explains to Homer he hasn't won any real money? ... Martin was wearing a ring when he made his resignation speech? ... Lisa was allowed to hang a campaign poster near the polling place? Why, that's blatant electioneering! ... Lisa says her e-mail address is smartgirl63_\@yahoo.com?
[References]
"Saved by the Bell" (TV series) - Martin's inspiration for casino night comes from this Saturday- morning children's show about high school
Richard Nixon (U. S. President) - retired from politics after some setback, saying, "You won't have Richard Nixon to kick around anymore" (Obviously, he later changed his mind) - after leaving the White House, defiantly made the "V for Victory" sign with both hands
~"J'accuse" (political essay) - Lisa uses the "j'accuse" line on her "French" teacher
Eleanor Roosevelt (first lady of the US) - Lisa likened to her (see "Personal Comments & Observations" for more)
Oshkosh B'Gosh (clothing maker) - Lisa wants the school brass to "Oshkosh B'Gosh" her (that is, give her a fashion makeover) and then leave her alone
Olsen Twins (child actresses) - Lisa also slated for the "Olsen Twin" treatment (see "Personal Comments & Observations" for more)
Geraldine Ferraro (politician) - Marge proudly compares Lisa to her (see "Personal Comments," blah, blah, blah)
Elvis postage stamp - Homer shows Lisa one of the proposed versions
"Give Peace a Chance" (song) - one of the protest signs reads, "Give P.E. a chance"
"What Would Jesus Do?" (inspirational slogan) - another sign reads, "What would Jesus glue?"
The Chicago Seven (anti-war clergymen) - supporters brandished signs reading, "Free the Chicago 7"
Fuddrucker's (premium hamburger chain) - Marge uses their name as a pseudo-cuss word
alphabet soup - evening news calls Lisa's strike an "Alphabet Coup"
[Previous Episode References]
[1F08], [BABF13] Gambling monkey on Marge's back [7F19] A Simpson runs for school office [EABF03] Family member gives us his e-mail address
[FFF]
Casino Night banner:
CASINO NIGHT
ABSOLUTELY NO
[*] MONEY GOES [*]
TO INDIANS[*] = A Picture of a die wearing a mortarboard
Signs in the cafeteria casino:
$ $ $ $ SLOTS!
WIN BIG! LUCKY 7
SPIN TO WIN
School newspaper:
DAILY FOURTH
GRADIANSCHOOL ELETIONS TODAY
ARE YOU A BART
OR A MILLHOUSE [Bart] [Mill-]
[pic ] [house]
[ ] [ pic ]TAKE OUR QUIZ
Skinner's evil plans:
EVIL PLANS
----------
MUSIC
GYM
ART [Skinner strikes through each item on the list. And remember,
kids, it pays to have clearly-written evidence of your evil
plans!]T-shirt logo:
S. L. A. A. A. M.
Creative signs:
[As Skinner first surveys the crowd]
FLUNK GIVE DON'T CUT WHAT
ME? P.E. OFF MY WOULD I LIKE
FLUNK A PIANISSIMO JESUS PURPLE
YOU! CHANCE GLUE?[In later shots]
FREE DON'T YOU'RE
PASTE THE TAKE ROTTEN
AIN'T KICKBALL AWAY TO THE
WASTE 9 OUR CHORUS
BALLSPolice mini-batons:
L'il HeadBuster
[cop attacking]
[ little girl ]News graphic:
PHA
L B T
A ECOUP
Theme-park zombie protest signs:
ZOMBIE BRAINS STRIKE
SAD[Oops!]
Is backslash ("\") even a valid character for e-mail addressing? (The *trailing* underscore is suspicious, too, but it is legal to have one anywhere before the "@".)
[Personal Comments & Observations]
Homer thinks driving a pink [Mazda] Miata is a sign of homosexuality. Nancy "voice of Bart" Cartwright drove just such a car, and even made a point of mentioning it in her autobiography. Of course, driving a "girly" car doesn't raise eyebrows if you're a woman!
Eleanor Roosevelt -- Shortly after the election, Chalmers (or is it Skinner?) compares Lisa to a "female Eleanor Roosevelt." This refers to two aspects of Roosevelt's character. Some -- okay, most -- historians felt she was probably a closet lesbian; a non-female woman, if you will. More importantly, she was an activist almost all her life, sticking up for the poor, minorities, and the oppressed with greater zeal than even her husband, President Franklin Roosevelt.
Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen -- Twins who shared a role as the youngest daughter on "Full House." (This is a common practice for infant and toddler roles. An individual child actor can work for only a very short time, so having twins share a part effectively doubles the character's screen time.) They're known for their almost unnatural cuteness, as if they were the result of some clandestine lab experiment.
Geraldine Ferraro -- In 1984, she became the first woman to ever appear on a major-party Presidential ticket, as Vice President. Unfortunately, she was paired with Presidential candidate Walter Mondale, who lost in one of the biggest landslides ever to Ronald Reagan.
Michael Moore -- Documentarian. Moore's supporters praise the way he makes films about working-class people given the shaft by large corporations and their political handmaidens. Critics charge that he's one-sided and prone to twisting facts to his advantage, or just making them up altogether, as he might have been doing with Principal Skinner.
In the late 80s, the United States Post Office decided to honor Elvis Presley by putting his image on a commemorative stamp. Not that they needed the help, but the Post Office decided to spark interest by letting the public decide how best to represent the singer: With a picture of him from his lean, early years, or a shot of the later, Vegas-era Elvis. The second picture was quickly dubbed "Fat Elvis," a reference to the weight gain made in the latter part of his career. Although Homer shows Lisa a sheet of Fat Elvis stamps, the Young Elvis picture won by a sizeable margin and was released as a new stamp. Maybe Homer somehow got ahold of a trial printing.
- The Playstation One was long obsolete by the time this episode aired.