[The long of it]
If a TV series runs long enough, a funny thing can happen to the supporting cast. Characters that who started as one-trick ponies, never meant to be seen again, can stick around and develop more rounded personalities. "The Simpsons" is no exception. Ned Flanders began as just a too-perfect neighbor, and became a kind, pious man who bore personal tragedies with remarkable grace. Apu was a funny incarnation of the Indian-as-convenience clerk stereotype, and went on to become a family man and arguably one of Homer's friends. Nelson was the bully dispatched to torment Bart in "Bart the General (7G05)." In that episode -- and for several seasons after that -- he existed solely to make life miserable for any Springfield Elementary School unfortunate enough to be in his path. Over time, he's shown some glimpses of decency: An off-and-on friendship with Bart, an unspoken embarrassment about his home life, and even a short relationship with Lisa. In spite of all that, it wasn't until tonight's episode, "Sleeping with the Enemy," that I understood just how deep Nelson's character had become.
In many ways, Nelson is the crude bully most people think he is. He catches live tadpoles from a park water fountain and eats them. He pushes Bart out of his own bed. The solution Nelson devises for Lisa's playground-teasing problem (more on this soon) is right in character for him. But there's more to him than that. Beneath the tough-guy veneer is a sad and vulnerable little boy. His home life is an unmitigated mess, with a father who ran away years ago, and a neglectful mother more interested in bedding down men than in taking care of her son. Nelson misses his father terribly; he breaks down and cries in a bowling alley with Marge just talking about him. Later, there's a touching scene where Nelson expresses his grief through song. Nelson may have been dealt a bad hand in life, but he still manages to have some pride. There's one scene where Marge drops Nelson off in front of a run-down house. We assume it's Nelson's, but we're wrong. As soon as Marge drives out of sight, he hops over a fence and runs into an even more dilapidated home next door. It's a funny visual-misdirection gag, but it also gives a telling look into the state of Nelson's mind. By the time the show wrapped up, I was wondering how Nelson might have turned out if he had a better set of parents.
At times the show threatens to get *too* heavy, but lead writer Jon Vitti (an old-school fan's favorite) infuses enough humor to avoid this. Marge throws an amusingly lame party to celebrate a perfect grade Bart got at school. Feeling unappreciated by her own children, Marge pities Nelson and takes him in as sort of a foster child. Bart is aghast. He tells Marge, "God invented deadbolts to keep people like him out." In another scene, Marge cleans Nelson up a bit, figuring there must be a "handsome boy under all that hair and dirt." A few seconds later, she's forced to admit that there isn't.
The main plot is good, but the subplot outshines it by a small degree. Actually, "subplot" may not do the "B" story justice; it is about as important as the Marge-Nelson-Bart plot. Lisa is teased by her schoolmates about the size of her rear end (a nice callback to much older episodes), and begins to obsess about her weight. (Incidentally, this must have been a story very close the heart of Yeardley Smith, Lisa's voice actress. She has had her own real-life battles with eating disorders.) A trip to Saks Fifth Avenue is a sharp and funny indictment of the fashion industry's reckless indoctrination of the "thin is in" philosophy. Apparently, the message manages to reach even Lisa. She's aware that focusing too much on appearance is unhealthy and un-feminist, but immediately says, "But that's something a *fat* girl would say!" Despite the funny lines, the plot never trivializes what is ultimately a very serious problem. (I'll admit it's hard to see now Nelson's advice to Lisa will solve anything in the long run, though.) The writing team even gave this story an open-ended finish, recognizing that it's not something that can be solved in the confines of a half-hour show.
It is that ending that nudges Lisa's story a bit past the "main" plot. Bart does some investigative work, and uncovers the reason why Nelson's father left home. I thought it was pretty creative, but a bit light compared to rest of show. It actually was more in keeping with the spirit of last week's "All's Fair in Oven War (FABF20)."
Overall, "Sleeping with the Enemy" shines the spotlight on a character who isn't exactly neglected (in the literary sense), and still manages to make us reconsider who he truly is. That's an impressive achievement for a show that's sixteen seasons old; you'd think by now the characters would have been stripped bare of any new information. The fact that it can make old personalities seem new shows why "The Simpsons" has earned its long network run.
[The short of it]
If they stick around long enough, one-note characters can develop real personalities. I didn't quite realize it, but that's true of Nelson, and this episode really drives that point home. Both his bullying and his vulnerable sides get a good treatment here, with just enough humor to keep the story from getting too heavy. Lisa's struggles with her own body image make for a compelling subplot (which is actually about as important as the main story). The disappearance of Nelson's father has an almost too-clever explanation, but I liked the open-ended finish to Lisa's story. "The Simpsons" ability to find new depth to old characters shows it deserves its long network run. (B+)
[DYNs]
... Lisa's odd walking cadence right after Bart calls her "thunder thighs?" ... Nelson must be playing hooky when Marge meets him in the park? ... the Pong 85 game at the bowling alley? (I don't remember seeing that one before, although I doubt it's the first time it showed up.) ... Sherri is apparently the older twin? ... as the kids tease Sherri and Terri, the skunk mimics their hand motions?
[References]
"Sleeping with the Enemy" (movie) - episode takes the title of the movie and makes it a literal plot point
Smokey the Bear (anti-forest fire mascot) - Skinner's anti-test fraud slogan echoes Smokey's motto, "Only you can prevent forest fires"
Saks Fifth Avenue (department store) - Saks Fifth Grade apparently a spin-off
"Bringing in the Sheaves" (hymn) - Saks Fifth Grade clerk makes up new lyrics to the Flanders's signature hymn
"Jingle Bells" (carol) - schoolkids sing a parody to taunt Sherri and Terri
[FFF]
Bart's perfect paper:
Bart Simpson
/-----\
|1 0 0|
\-----/
STATE CAPITAL
----------- ------------
Alabama Montgomery
Alaska Juneau
Arizona Phoenix
Little Rock
California Sacramento
Colorado Denver
Connecticut Hartford
Delaware Dover
Florida Tallahassee
Georgia Atlanta
Hawaii Honolulu
Idaho Boise
Iowa Des Moines [Note that "Little Rock" doesn't go with anything. See "Oops!"
section for more]Test paper watermark
/----------\
| ONLY |
| YOU CAN |
| PREVENT > [Skinner]
|TEST FRAUD|
\----------/Clothing store sign:
SAKS
FIFTH
GRADE
CLOTHING FOR GIRLSSigns inside store:
RESTROOMS T SIZE 0
ARE FOR H I I AND
PURGING I S N BELOW
ONLY NWords on either side of the fashion video monitor:
dreamy SLENDER
whimsy trim
DARING sleek
FASHION LEAN
classic [TV screen] slim
MODERN delicate
style slight
chic LANKY
TRENDY WILLOWY
tailored spareMarge's parlor game book:
CLOUDY DAY
DIVERSIONSBart's presents (Or, why Bart doesn't get good grades more often):
(from right to left)
Birdhouse, red bow tie, savings bond[?], white socks, funnel,
thesaurus, rake (from Homer)Oh, and on Bart's final gift:
PREMIERE
CREDIT
UNIONLisa's weight-loss book:
THIN BY
THIRD GRADECake inscription:
Happy
Labor Day
LennyTwins' magazines:
First-Born Twin Second-Born Twin
M A G A Z I N E M A G A Z I N E [picture of] [picture of]
[ Patty ] [ Selma ][Previous Episode References]
[1F08], [4F01] Lisa self-conscious about the size of her backside [8F15], [4F24] Lisa inherits an undesirable physical trait [FABF12] Skinner and Edna's breakup mentioned [9F16], [4F12] Someone gets Itchy and Scratchy's names wrong [7F14] Camera angle from *inside* Lisa's mouth (Hmm ... and Jon Vitti was the lead writer of both episodes. Coincidence?) [7G08] "Jingle Bells" parodied
[Oops!]
= If you object to super-nitpicky goof reports, then skip to the next item now. When Homer draws the back of his head, he makes an unbroken line. When he draws in his ear, it hides a portion of this line. Homer never erases this hidden line, yet the "head line" disappears behind the ear.
- The list of states on Bart's test skips over Arkansas. There's a blank for it, though, and Bart uses it to write "Little Rock."
* Homer seems to find a "Kentucky-Frankfort" pairing on the test, but "Kentucky" isn't on the test's list of states. (And it's a one-page test, so you can't say, "it was on another page.")
+ Marge ought to know about Nelson's missing papa, since the boy was pining away for him in "Bart of War (EABF16)."
[Personal Comments & Observation]
Homers instructions to draw himself seem to come straight from the animators' guides. Note that Homer mentions how his hairline and ear form the initials "M G". This only happens when Matt Groening draws him.
Dwight "Ike" Eisenhower -- President of the United States, 1953 to 1961. He's the bald man on the right in Martin's drawing. Canadian leader St. Laurent is presumably the miffed-looking man standing next to him.
According to Marge, the Simpson family picked up a spiffy new Kaypro computer after Nelson dumps it off a highway overpass. Well, maybe not "new": The Kaypro dates to about 1982, if not earlier. It was a competitor to the Osborne, a very early portable PC. "Portable" in those days meant a computer that weighed about 30 pounds and was the size of a carry-on suitcase. The first Kaypro was a big success, for it offered a larger built-in monitor and a lower price tag than the Osborne. Follow-up machines weren't as successful, and the Kaypro name disappeared in the mid-80s.