[7.5/10] What’s interesting about this episode is that it barely has a plot. Sure, if you squint, you can see a story about Marge getting unfairly railroaded and then appreciated when she’s absent, but that’s really more of a skeleton to hang jokes on than something the writers (Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein) seem to care about. There’s the hint of commentary there on how this seemingly unremarkable woman is the thing that holds her family, and even the town, together. But the proceedings are mostly excuse to do a bunch of wacky, almost always-disconnected humor.
That humor is great though! This may be the best Lionel Hutz episode of them all. His confession of having run over the judge’s son, his sidebar about being a “law-talkin’ guy”, his imagining what the world would look like without lawyers, his forgetting to wear pants, his stunt with his tie, are all just absolutely classic Hutz, and a great chance for Phil Hartman to show his stuff.
There’s also some great material with the world reacting to Marge’s absence. The lunacy of how quickly the Simpsons’ house turns to utter disarray with the family matriarch gone is hilarious, particularly Homer’s predilection for wearing whatever he finds in the attic. And the “for want of a nail” story of the lack of Marge’s marshmallow squares causing Springfield to burst into riots (replete with the classic declaration that Jimmy Carter is “history’s greatest monster”), is an uproarious bit of comic escalation. I wish we got a little more humor and observations at the prison (beyond the amusing Mad fold-in bit), but just seeing the world fall apart without Marge is some delicious absurdity.
Even the opening act, which pads itself out with an extended informercial parody and a series of disconnected gags about the Osaka flu doesn't have much to do with anything, but thrives on the hilariousness of the jokes. Homer’s excitement that there’s a better way to juice oranges is stupidly adorable. Wiggum trying to fire his gun at the flu cloud is too. And an unruly crowd desperately agitating for a placebo is a nice dose of the show’s commentary on the irrationally and unstable exuberance of the mob.
Overall, this one is more a collection of loony gags strung together around a loose idea than a full-fledged episode, but it’s also a stellar gagfest, filled with so many of the show’s all-time best bits.
lmfao, this is a great rollercoaster of escalating nonsense.
Shout by Mista LukaBlockedParent2022-01-23T15:03:49Z
"Marge In Chains" is a pretty good episode that sees Marge go to prison after accidentally shoplifting at the Kwik-E-Mart. Honestly, it's astounding this ended up being a good episode at all. The Osaka Flu gets entirely forgotten about after the first act, the story's extremely rushed at points, and certain characters like Apu and the Flanders are inconsistent regarding characterization. However, this is easily one of the funniest episodes so far. Lionel Hutz's gags are genuinely superb, and the bit about Jimmy Carter being "history's greatest monster" is one of the funniest jokes so far, in my opinion. Like "Marge vs. the Monorail", the plot for this episode feels secondary to the overload of jokes. However, I can't deny the sheer hilarity throughout this one, even if the story isn't well structured.
Overall, pretty solid, despite its numerous issues.