Would most Simpsons fans today even get the reference season twenty-one's The Color Yellow was making in its title (to The Color Purple)? The Color Yellow goes further back into the Simpson family history than most episodes set in the past, and focuses on the discovery by Lisa that a member of the Simpson family (Eliza Simpson) was helping smuggle slaves up to Canada as part of the underground rail road. However, when Milhouse uncovers evidence that this family member was not as successful as she thought, Lisa falls into despair. Until Grandpa recounts the full story, stating that Mabel, Eliza's mother, went all the way to Canada with a slave (that looks suspiciously like Homer) and eventually married him - making the Simpson 1/64th black. The reason this episode suffers isn't the blatantly politically correct plot, but rather the fact that by focusing on characters hitherto unseen in the Simpson world, any emotional anchor to the happenings in the episode is lost. This isn't Homer and Marge Simpson as youthful lovers, or Bart and Lisa as toddlers, but characters fans have no connection to.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
