[8.4/10 on a classic Simpsons scale] “Much Apu About Nothing” balances two things that The Simpsons does well – potent social commentary about a wide-ranging issue in American political discourse, and bringing that issue down to a personal level.
It’s unfortunate, if not surprising, that nearly twenty years after this episode aired, we’re continually relitigating (at the moment, literally) the issues of xenophobia and politicians blaming problems (or non-problems) on easily scapegoated outsiders. But that just renders the thrust of “Much Apu” all the more relevant and incisive as to the problem. The notion of a non-problem spiraling into a public-demanded governmental overreaction and turning into a politician-stoked witch hunt when the bill comes home is all too familiar. The sense of the absurdity and hypocrisy of this – from Moe’s complaints about the language used my “immigents” to The Simpsons themselves being immigrants despite Homer’s rabid support of Prop. 24 – rings true two decades later.
But “Much Apu” also shows the human side of this, telling a story that is as much about one man’s struggle to stay in the country he loves as it is a wide-ranging takedown of anti-immigrant sentiment. As Marge puts it, Apu’s story is so understandable, and that makes it easy to root for one of the show’s most familiar characters as he endeavors to stay in Springfield. The core idea at the center of this story clicks with the episode’s larger theme – that even as an illegal immigrant, Apu embodies the best of the American spirit. He works hard every day running a small business; he has taken the time to educate himself on the culture and history of his adopted homeland that Homer is entirely ignorant of, and that having moved rather than been born here, he does not take the freedoms and benefits of the USA for granted. It’s heartening and even inspiring in that way.
And beyond that, it’s just a damn funny episode. Lisa’s exchange with Homer about the “rock that keeps tigers away” is a timeless classic. Chief Wiggum telling his men to deport people in the order of the adage on the Statue of Liberty, only for Eddie to respond “Breathers – got it, Chief” is a hilarious bit of irony. And even just the bear that starts all the trouble is animated and scored in a very amusing fashion. Throw in Homer’s well-intentioned but misguided attempts to educate Apu, Bart declaring that Lisa is “as dumb as me,” and Skinner cheerfully noting that he phoned ahead for their angry mob, and you have an episode that’s as strong on laughs as it is about social issues.
Overall, it’s another great entry in this near-faultless seventh season when the show was at the height of its powers, able to make you laugh, empathize, and think without skipping a beat.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2017-02-13T23:16:54Z
[8.4/10 on a classic Simpsons scale] “Much Apu About Nothing” balances two things that The Simpsons does well – potent social commentary about a wide-ranging issue in American political discourse, and bringing that issue down to a personal level.
It’s unfortunate, if not surprising, that nearly twenty years after this episode aired, we’re continually relitigating (at the moment, literally) the issues of xenophobia and politicians blaming problems (or non-problems) on easily scapegoated outsiders. But that just renders the thrust of “Much Apu” all the more relevant and incisive as to the problem. The notion of a non-problem spiraling into a public-demanded governmental overreaction and turning into a politician-stoked witch hunt when the bill comes home is all too familiar. The sense of the absurdity and hypocrisy of this – from Moe’s complaints about the language used my “immigents” to The Simpsons themselves being immigrants despite Homer’s rabid support of Prop. 24 – rings true two decades later.
But “Much Apu” also shows the human side of this, telling a story that is as much about one man’s struggle to stay in the country he loves as it is a wide-ranging takedown of anti-immigrant sentiment. As Marge puts it, Apu’s story is so understandable, and that makes it easy to root for one of the show’s most familiar characters as he endeavors to stay in Springfield. The core idea at the center of this story clicks with the episode’s larger theme – that even as an illegal immigrant, Apu embodies the best of the American spirit. He works hard every day running a small business; he has taken the time to educate himself on the culture and history of his adopted homeland that Homer is entirely ignorant of, and that having moved rather than been born here, he does not take the freedoms and benefits of the USA for granted. It’s heartening and even inspiring in that way.
And beyond that, it’s just a damn funny episode. Lisa’s exchange with Homer about the “rock that keeps tigers away” is a timeless classic. Chief Wiggum telling his men to deport people in the order of the adage on the Statue of Liberty, only for Eddie to respond “Breathers – got it, Chief” is a hilarious bit of irony. And even just the bear that starts all the trouble is animated and scored in a very amusing fashion. Throw in Homer’s well-intentioned but misguided attempts to educate Apu, Bart declaring that Lisa is “as dumb as me,” and Skinner cheerfully noting that he phoned ahead for their angry mob, and you have an episode that’s as strong on laughs as it is about social issues.
Overall, it’s another great entry in this near-faultless seventh season when the show was at the height of its powers, able to make you laugh, empathize, and think without skipping a beat.