Episode: Strong Arms of the Ma After having her necklace snatched from her by a mugger, Marge becomes agoraphobic and so, to while away the days, she makes use of a weight-lifting set recently purchased at Rainier Wolfcastle's bankruptcy garage sale. Having bulked up and regained her confidence, she later bumps into her mugger and, in an almost shot-for-shot homage to The Godfather, proceeds to beat the hell out of him in broad daylight. Such aggression ultimately winds up in the bedroom, leading to this uncomfortable exchange : Marge: Let's do it! Homer: Listen, my bulky flower, I have an early day tomorrow... Marge (forcefully): I wasn't asking. The next morning we see Homer sitting alone at the kitchen table, his pained expression our apparent punchline. After telling Lisa and Bart that he has made their lunches, he then limps away. The 'joke' being that a night of rough (and, it's implied, non-consensual) sex has somehow emasculated Homer - after all, nothing robs a man of his masculinity quite like making lunch for his children, right? It's a tasteless, unfunny and horribly misjudged scene - and without a doubt one of The Simpsons' most controversial moments. Suddenly a secret society of jockey elves doesn't seem so bad... Like this article? Disagree with the choices? Are there any other Simpsons moments that you wish you hadn't seen? Let us know in the comments box below.
Yorkshireman (hence the surname). Often spotted sacrificing sleep and sanity for the annual Leeds International Film Festival. For a sample of (fairly) recent film reviews, please visit whatsnottoblog.wordpress.com.
