1x09 Life on the Fast Lane

[7.1/10] “Life on the Fast Lane” is a peculiar episode of The Simpsons. It’s more of a melodrama than it is a comedy. The humor, such as it is, has less to do with setups and punchlines and more from the inherent absurdity of mixing the high allure of deep forbidden passions with the grungy, blue collar world of bowling. (It’s an absurdity the Coen Bros. would also mine in The Big Lebowski.)

But while there’s funny bits in this episode -- mostly the half-formed but amusing B-plot of Bart and Lisa reacting to their parents’ marital troubles -- it’s mostly a sincere, even sad tale of a marriage nearly gone awry. The prospect of Marge leaving Homer, or at least cheating on him with Jacques, her seductive bowling instructor, isn’t some dose of wacky hijinks, but mainly played straight.

The only other thing that pushes it in a more comic direction is that Jacques is a bit of an over-the-top character, albeit one who fits the tone of the episode. Albert Brooks does superb work as always, making Jacques a little silly in the way he speaks in such sultry and dramatic tones about the trappings of the bowling alley. But he’s also totally believable as somebody who’s fawning and attentive to Marge, in a way that Homer just isn’t.

That’s also kind of my beef with this episode. The trajectory of the plot is pretty clear. Homer is self-centered and oblivious on Marge’s birthday, gifting her a bowling ball plainly meant for himself. Partly out of spite, Marge goes to use it at the bowlarama, where she runs into some funhouse mirror version of Homer: someone who’s just as enthusiastic a bowler as he is, but who is also sauve, cultured, and almost preternaturally attuned to Marge’s wants and needs. Given the contrast between the two of them, Marge has to decide whether to give into temptation or give up on her marriage, or whether to hold firm in her love for the father of her children.

My objections there are two-fold. The first is that the episode is pretty heavy for The Simpsons without enough counterbalancing levity. This is season 1, when the series was still finding its voice, so I don’t blame the writing staff for this one feeling a little tonally off as an early outing. And the show would tackle serious subjects down the line with a nimble hand. These scenes are just too much of a down-to-earth bummer to feel right for what the show would later establish itself as.

The second is that the show doesn’t really satisfyingly resolve the issue. And weirdly, it’s a recurring problem for The Simpsons. Marge’s frustrations with Homer are serious and justified. He’s a real jerkass here. And the most we get in terms of him changing or doing better or showing himself worthy of her is (a.) him feeling despondent when she becomes emotionally distant and (b.) him noticing that she’s careful about making him PB&Js.

That’s not exactly the foundation for a better relationship! Maybe the implication is that, having come so close to losing Marge here, Homer’s learned the error of his ways and will do better. Maybe the implication is that with Homer’s simple sandwich comment here, Marge has enough to believe that despite his occasional jerkery, Homer really does notice and care about her. Maybe it’s simply that Marge sees the symbols of a happy family life on her drive to the “Fiesta Terrace” and doesn’t want to give that up.

In other circumstances, I might praise the restraint here and leaving these things for subtext. But I just don’t think “Life on the Fast Lane” does enough to connect the dots here between a legitimate problem and a sweet but unearned resolution.

Despite all that, I like this episode. While the tone doesn’t feel right for The Simpsons, there’s something interesting about taking a Scenes from a Marriage-esque approach to Our Favorite Family. Marge’s fantasy sequence shows off the animators’ talents for melding bowling imagery with high romance. And however unearned it may be, it’s hard not to smile at Homer and Marge walking off into the sunset together, An Officer and a Gentleman-style.

“Life on the Fast Lane” is simply one of those odd ducks you often get early in a show’s run. The characters aren’t fully settled yet. The tone of the series isn’t quite set. So you end up with stories which could work perfectly well for a program still marking its transition from one-minute shorts to full-length episodes, but which strike you as wrong for what The Simpsons would eventually become.