December 26th, 1991. Marge Bouvier and Homer Jay Simpson It's been said that the Simpsons is the greatest american family of all time. Their cultural impact cannot be rescinded, their reach, insuppressible, their fame, biblical, their fans, adamant. We've all seen the show, and we've all loved the show at some point or another. They've been stepping stones for the likes of Conan O'Brien, they've had Michael Jackson and Tony Bennet as guests, comedy icon Phil Hartman was a regular. Without it there would be no Family Guy and Seth MacFarlane would probably be an underemployed comic strip writer and occasional squeegee guy and gas station attendant. Without them Judd Apatow would just be Judd, local alcoholic and estranged father of four... No list concerned with greatest television anything can escape their clutches, and so they are included here. The relationship between Marge and Homer, though rocky at times, is like a lighthouse and beacon in the tumultuous sea of time. One of few constants this modern western culture has to offer, and probably ever will. They met in high school, and despite a few early stumbles, and a few midlife crises, they've held strong ever since... The story takes place mostly in 1980, Homer works in a miniature golf course and he and Marge are dating. After seeing The Empire Strikes Back the two make love inside a mini-put course castle. Marge ends up pregnant and Homer proposes. The episode sees all of Homer's baby purchases get repossessed, along with Marge's wedding ring. It shows Homer unable to find a job, it shows the couple hit low points and high points and shows the evolution of the relationship from dating, to the improvised wedding in a small chapel across state lines, to spending their honeymoon night at Marge's family's house sleeping on a couch in the living room. It ranges from hilarious to bittersweet, but most of all, it's human. And that's where The Simpsons always had the advantage over most family sitcoms both animated and live-action. At the end of it all, beyond the use of music and cultural references, by showing their flaws, and their love, we always have the impression that these guys are ultimately human, and so we root for them, because we feel for them, because they resemble us. They resemble us at our worst (which is our funniest), and so we want to see them at their best. "I Married Marge" is the 12th episode of The Simpsons third season. It's sweet, it's funny and it helps create a fuller, rounded portrayal of the family. This episode solidified the cast as real, it gave them weight and history, and it helped make this show the cultural force it is today, because what this episode has above all else, beyond the jokes and the satire, at the opposite end of the wit, is heart. Pure, honest, and good. And that's always a welcome addition to any half hour dose of laughs. It's an ingredient that tends to be lacking in today's fare...
(Single mom - Seeking husband to join me by sunset)
You got a problem with this list? You noted the omission of Niles and Daphne or Zach and Kelly and feel they should get their dues? Did it upset you that Corey and Topanga got lost in the shuffle? Are you a fan of reality tv and think that tripe like The Bachlorette should be included in such a list? You don't like that there was no mention of a place "where everybody knows your name" and think that should be flagged? Are you so crazy about Bonanza that you're now going bananas? You got something you want to add about the Office or Cyclops on 30 Rock? Did Lilly and Marshal bring you to tears? Do you think Steve and Miranda was something other than kind of sad?
Go ahead, make a comment below, I won't read it or nothin' but I'm sure somebody cares... like your mom or something...
Unpublished author, unproduced screenwriter, un-enacted playwright & director for higher (currently waiting by the phone), Guillaume Parisien sometimes writes puff pieces for the pop-culture indulgent in order to support his vices; of which there are many.
(Single mom - Seeking husband to join me by sunset)