Simpsons Review: "The Way We Was"

I've watched The Simpsons for 35 years, and so many attributes about the show fascinate me to no end. One of the many things I do love about the series is the flashback episodes, and the series wasted no time taking a look back at the past of Marge and Homer Simpson. Of course, there is one quite hilarious attribute: because the characters never age, backstories change. And because the show's been on for nearly four decades, the backstories have undergone so many changes. As I said, the series wasted no time going back in time; it only took the second season to turn back the clock--all the way back to 1974.

Prior to the flashback, the family's watching a McBain movie when the TV goes on the fritz. Marge interjects by mentioning that she and Homer didn't always have TV, that they often spent time doing other activities, or even just talking. Lisa's intrigued, and she starts by asking how Homer proposed to Marge. A brief glimpse back says that's another story for another time (or should I say, "another season"?). Marge decides to tell the story of how she and Homer first met, and that's when the flashback to 1974 occurs.

1974. The year that gave us a pair of Mel Brooks hit films in the form of Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. The Oakland Athletics three-peated as World Champions, the Washington Capitals debuted in the NHL--and only won eight games. And in that year (in this episode's flashback), Marge Bouvier and Homer Simpson were students at Springfield High School.

Yes, that handsome devil under all that brown hair is the Homeboy himself, and unsurprisingly, he's in delinquent territory, along with buddy Barney Gumble. So they got detention for smoking at school, all the while, Marge was leading a feminist rally, but Principal Dondalinger wasn't having it. Good grief. So Marge got detention as well, and when she walks in, Homer locked eyes with her for the first time. It's one of the greatest scenes in the show's history. Marge, with her blue hair down, strutting as The Carpenters' "Close to You" plays. Every Simpsons fan knows that song, especially since we also heard it in the 2007 movie.

Homer's definitely smitten, and after getting the usual faulty advice from his dad, he turns to his guidance counselor, who suggests building some common interests with Marge. He takes debate, which includes a very hilarious exchange with a character we'd know very well: Artie Ziff. Homer chews out Artie for calling him an ignoramus, and then gives a literal rebuttal. Finally, he approaches Marge and asks her out, but Marge isn't interested. She gets three separate recommendations (one of them from Barney), but she's still not impressed. Upon learning about Marge's side gig as a tutor, Homer claims that he needs help in French class, earning him a nightly session.

The lessons take place, and it turns into Homer and Marge dancing to "Do the Hustle." Finally, Homer asks the big question: he asks Marge out for the prom. Marge says "oui," and Homer is elated! Now, here's the scenario: Homer got what he wanted. He asked Marge out, she said yes, and they were talking about their plans for the prom--plans that included Marge wanting to wear her hair up. So Homer was winning, big time. There was no need to say anymore. But as I said in a previous review, Homer has some Dan Campbell in him, and figuring that he has succeeded in his goal, he actually admitted that he lied about failing French just to ask Marge out.

What's French for "Mistake #1"?

Marge slaps Homer, of course, and then says the following:

"You knew the City Forensics Finals are tomorrow... and you kept me up until 1AM pretending to be stupid!"

He wasn't pretending, Marge; he really is that dumb.

Marge walked out voicing her hatred of Homer, but Homeboy's still celebrating that he has a date for the prom. Meanwhile, Marge's lack of sleep causes her to lose the finals to Artie, who then asks her out to the prom, with Marge accepting. On prom night, Marge is getting herself ready, with her mother's help, while Patty and Selma answer the door and let Homer in, after which the sisters insult him. He makes a bit of an impression on Marge's father (one of the very few times we see him), but when Marge appears, she's shocked to see Homer. Homer reminds Marge of her acceptance, and says that following the fallout, he had been using avoidance out of fear that she'd cancel. Afterwards, Artie arrives as Marge's actual date, and a dejected Homer leaves, but tells his paid driver to drive him to the prom.

The prom's conducted by Dondalinger, who gives a verbal cheap shot at Homer. Let's get one thing straight: I hate Dondalinger. Hated him from the first time I saw this episode and I still don't like him. Remember when Superintendent Chalmers said about Skinner, "The rod up that man's butt has a rod up its butt"? If you add a third rod to that equation, you have Dondalinger.

So Homer sits alone throughout the entire prom, which includes Artie and Marge being crowned king and queen. The breaking point comes when "Close to You" is played, and Marge and Artie dance, causing Homer to walk out and break down in tears. Marge sits next to a heartbroken Homer and asks him, in the most heartfelt manner, why it was so hard for Homer to accept that Marge is with someone else. Homer's answer:

"Because I'm sure we were meant to be together. Usually when I have a thought, there's a lot of other thoughts in there. Something says yes, something says no. But this time, there's only yes. How can the only thing I've ever been sure about in my life be wrong?"

There, right there, is one of the many, many reasons why I love that man. Say what you want to about Homer. We all have. The man has his moments and his faults, but one thing is very clear about Homer J. Simpson: he is devoted to Marge. He loves that blue-haired woman, that is his ride or die. And on the flipside, Marge loves that big, wonderful, lovable oaf. Those two are made for each other.

So Homer is driven to Inspiration Point, and that's where Artie and Marge are. Unfortunately for Marge, Artie unleashes his inner Weinstein, putting his hands all over Marge and ignoring her refusal to the point where her dress is torn. Artie gets slapped and told to take Marge home, and it's there that Artie tells Marge not to tell anyone about his "busy hands." Good grief. After hearing her family insult Homer, Marge drives off and sees Homer, who thinks that it's a random driver honking their horn. Upon seeing Marge, Homer enters, and Marge voices her regret that she didn't take Homer to the prom. After receiving her corsage from Homer, Marge asked Homer why he was so glum.

"Once you stop this car, I'm gonna hug you, and kiss you, and I'll never let you go," said Homer.

Decades have passed. Many things have changed. One thing that hasn't: Homer and Marge being everyone's relationship goals.

"The Way We Was," the 12th episode of the second season, aired on Fox on January 31, 1991, and served as the first-ever flashback episode of The Simpsons. Not only that, the episode began a continuous series, if you will, of flashback episodes that described, bit by bit, how the family was formed. Regarding this episode, it centered on how Marge and Homer first met, and the next one came in the following season--Season Three's "I Married Marge" detailing Homer and Marge's shotgun wedding due to Bart being in the proverbial oven. Season Four gave us "Lisa's First Word," which centered on Lisa's birth, and finally, Season Six's "And Maggie Makes Three," tells the story of how the youngest Simpson offspring was brought into this world. I promise that the rest of the core flashback episodes will be reviewed, one by one.

This episode was an amazing one, and an emotional one as well. The obvious attribute is "Close to You" playing in the episode, as it turned the song into an anthem for Homer and Marge's relationship--a trait that was tripled down in the 2007 movie. Speaking of songs, that episode remains the reason why I do love "The Joker" (which Homer sings early in the flashback) and "Do the Hustle," along with "Close to You." But let's talk another huge attribute:

This man needs no introduction, because we Simpsons diehards know him very well: Jon Lovitz. Another big name from SNL yesteryear who has been used a lot on the show, along with the late, great Phil Hartman--whose own Simpsons debut aired three weeks before this episode aired. Lovitz provided Artie Ziff's voice in this episode, and he would voice several other characters following this appearance. He voiced Marge's art teacher later in the season, and he voiced the temperamental director of Marge's play in Season Four. Of course, we all remember the (in)famous crossover episode, "A Star is Burns," that featured Lovitz as The Critic himself, Jay Sherman. Lovitz's main character, of course, is Artie Ziff, and he has reprised the role a number of times in recent years.

"The Way We Was" was quite a landmark episode in the show's very early years, and I love that it started a trend that we would see quite a bit. That trend actually included another episode that pretty much took this one and undid the flashbacks in this one. The diehards know what I'm talking about, but that will be a story for another time.