Writing The Simpsons: A Case Study of Comic Theory

EDWARD J. FINK

THERE HAS BEEN MUCH DEBATE OVER the

reasons for the enduring success of Fox Tele-vision's long-running animated, prime-timecomedy series The Simpsons, now in its twenty-fourth season (1989-present). The programsatirizes contemporary American life, allowingus to see ourselves in the mirror ofthe absurd.It explores topics ofthe day, poking fun at thesitting president, going green, and the latestfads. It parodies our culture, including movies,TV shows, and pop songs, offering us laughsat inside jokes along the way. It is written

EDWARD I. FINK is professorand chairoftheDepartment of Radio-TV-Film at California StateUniversity, Fullerton.

Photo 1: The Simpsons, courtesy of TwentiethCentury Fox, used in agreement with "FOXNetwork Sites Term of Use."

tightly, with every word and action setting upor delivering a joke or gag while moving theplot speedily from scene to scene, sometimesbarely lingering long enough for viewers to geta joke (e.g., the sermon titles on the marqueein the cover shots ofthe church before cuttingto the interior scenes). The list of reasons for itssuccess goes on.

This article argues that another reason forthe lasting popularity of The Simpsons can befound in comic theory. In an era of technologi-cal change and audience fragmentation, theprolonged success ofthis series reveals thattheories of comedy still operate effectively forwriters. Specifically, this article demonstratesthat the show's writers incorporate every

JOURNAL OF FILM AND VIDEO 65.1-2 / SPRI N G / S U M M E R 2013 43D2013 BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

element of comedy in one way or another inevery episode. The result is that each episodecontains at least some humor to fit everyone'scomic style. Everyone can laugh at The Simp-sons, regardless of what that person normallyfinds to be funny.

It is doubtful that the writers of The Simpsonsactually keep a list of the many types of humorthat make up comic theory (e.g., incongruity,superiority). Certainly they do not consult alaundry list of how to write jokes (e.g., run-ning gags, rule of thirds) when they hit writers'block. Rather, theiryears of creativity and expe-rience as comedy writers in general, and for TheSimpsons in particular, have resulted in theirunderstanding comedy at a tacit level. Theyknow the world of the imaginary Springfield sowell, their characters in such depth, and theculture they are satirizing so thoroughly thatthey almost automatically include all types ofhumor in their scripts week after week.

To make the case that the writers of TheSimpsons utilize the full gamut of comic theoryin each episode, even If subconsciously, thisarticle presents a case study of a single epi-sode, though the argument can be appliedto any episode. The episode selected for thisanalysis is "There's Something about Marrying"(season 16, episode 10, originally broadcast 20February 2005).' This episode is somewhat rep-resentative in upholding the tradition of satiriz-ing contemporary culture. It also contains manyof the regularcast of characters. Additionally,it is noteworthy because it is the only episodethat ever aired with a parental advisory, warn-ing viewers, "This episode contains discussionsof same sex marriage." The advisory does notair online, in syndication, or on the DVD series.

Act 1 opens with young Bart Simpson andhis friend Milhouse attempting a prank, only torealize that the town folk are wise to their mis-chief. They need "fresh meat." A turnip truckdrives by, and a man falls off, introducing him-self as Howell Huser, a happy-go-lucky countrybumpkin who travels about. The boys prankhim multiple times, and he leaves, shamingthe town. Howell next appears on television.He does travel features, and in this segment he

gives Springfield a bad review. Immediately,the town's tourism dries up. The mayor callsa town meeting to discuss the problem. It isdecided to legalize same-sex marriage to bringtourist dollars back to town.

Act 2 begins with Springfield's TV commer-cial for gay marriage. The cars roll in. The localpastor. Reverend Lovejoy, refuses to marry gaycouples. Bart's father. Homer Simpson, real-izes an opportunity to cash in and becomesan instant minister via the Internet. He movesbeyond gay weddings, marrying anyone toanything, and is featured on the TV show Smar-tline. His wife's sister, Patty, appears at theSimpsons' home to announce that she is gay,asking Homer to marry her to the woman sheloves. Her sister Marge, Homer's wife, has con-flicting feelings about this.

Act 3 starts with tea as Marge unconvincinglyattempts to come to grips with her sister's les-bian union. Patty brings her fiancée, Veronica,to meet the family. Veronica is a professionalgolfer, and the two met when Patty was a spec-tator at a tournament. Marge is less than en-thusiastic. Patty asks Marge to accept her andto come to the wedding. Before the ceremony,Patty's identical twin sister, Selma, expressesher sorrow that she will now be alone. Pattycomforts her, contrasting her with their sisterMarge, who might not even show up for thewedding. Meanwhile, Marge happens by thebathroom with the door ajar, where she seesthe toilet seat up and Veronica shaving herface. Veronica is a man! Marge attends the wed-ding, and all goes well until she finally objects.Patty is angry, thinking Marge cannot accepther marriage to a woman, but Marge points outthe reason for her objection: Veronica's realgender. Veronica confesses all, stating that hedisguised himself as a woman to play in thegolf tournament, but that he really is in lovewith Patty and still wants to marry her. Pattydeclines, remaining true to her sexual orienta-tion, reconciling with sister Marge, and walkingoff into the sunset with twin sister Selma.

This article analyzes this episode of TheSimpsons by reviewing the theories of highand low comedy, incongruity, superiority, psy-

44 JOURNAL OF FILM AND VIDEO 65.1-2 / SPRI N G / S U M M E R 2013©2013 BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

choanalysis (relief) of humor, and the structureof comedy writing. It is demonstrated that thewriters of this episode apply each ofthese ele-ments of comic theory in some way, as theydo in all episodes of this series. The result islaughs for everyone, showing that the theoriesof comedy continue to be relevant for writers intoday's technological society.

High and Low Comedy

Comic theory has its documentable origins inthe ancient Greek theater. Aristotle analyzeddramatic poetry in his well-known Poetics,which focused on tragedy but which has rel-evance to comedy as well. His discussion ofthe six elements of drama set the stage fordramatic criticism: plot, character, theme, dia-logue, music (sound), and spectacle. A host ofanalysts through the centuries have built onAristotle's foundation and contributed much tothe literature.

In the late nineteenth and early twentiethcenturies, a modern theory of comedy beganto take shape. Theorists looked at Aristotleand the classical comedies ofthe Greeks andRomans. They studied the works that followed,including the Renaissance traditions ofthefamed commedia dell'arte and its derivativecharacters, such as Harlequin, Pantalone, andPunch and Judy (Katritzky). They read the newcomedies of their own era from writers suchas Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), George BernardShaw (1856-1950), Anton Chekhov (1860-1904), and later Noel Coward (1899-1973).They began to view humor in two types: highand low comedy (Charney).

High Comedy

High comedy is sometimes referred to as the"comedy of manners," a term first applied to agenre of late-seventeenth-century British playscalled "Restoration comedy" (Nettleton, Case,and Stone 149). This type of humor generateslaughter through its sophistication, witty dia-logue, subtle nuances, and character idiosyn-crasies. It satirizes the upper class or "high soci-ety." The characters are usually wealthy, do not

engage in much physical work, and have time tosit around and exchange educated banter. Thishigh-brow comedy exposes the everyday foiblesand quirks ofthe rich. We laugh because theyare no better than we are, and maybe worse. Wedelight in their comeuppance. Their lives of easeturn out to be futile and silly.

Although The Simpsons is best known for itslow comedy (next section), each episode con-tains some elements of high comedy as well.In this case study of "There's Something aboutMarrying," we hear some witty repartee in thisbrief exchange between Moe the Bartender andSideshow Mel at the town meeting:

MOE: What's in a martini?MEL: Gin and vermouth.MOE: And that makes a what?MEL: A martini.MOE: Never heard of it.

A short time later.. .

MOE: Okay, now let's say I put a Lean Cuisine ina blender and I pour some beer on it. Whatdo you call that?

MEL: A Lean Cuisiney?MOE: Wrong.

Additionally, high comedy requires some intel-ligence on the part ofthe viewers to appreciatethe humor. In The Simpsons, the audienceneeds to be knowledgeable of cultural refer-ences. For example, forthe opening prank,Bart and Milhouse place a sign that reads "freebeer" above a beer bottle, which is tied to astring that is secretly tied to a watermelon inthe tree above. They hide while town drunkBarney approaches, but instead of falling forthe prank, he remembers the "twelve steps."We understand this to mean the twelve stepsof Alcoholics Anonymous. But instead, Barneytakes twelve literal steps backward, runs to thebottle, and snags it while doing a flip, causingthe watermelon to land harmlessly on the side-walk. He then tells Bart and Milhouse, "Nicetry, boys. Now, as the roadrunner said to thecoyote, beep beep." This is an inside joke forthose who know the Looney Tunes' Roadrunnerand Coyote cartoons.

JOURNAL OF FILM AND VIDEO 65.1-2 / SPRI N G / S U M M E R 2013©2013 BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

45

Low Comedy

In contrast to high comedy, low comedy in-volves more physical humor than dialogue. Itoften incorporates aggression and violence (Ke-ough), but in a funny or "slapstick" context sothat the characters are not truly or permanentlyharmed (more on that later) (MacHovec). Lowcomedy showcases burlesque, horseplay, andsight gags. It satirizes the uneducated "lowerclass." The characters fall down, hit each other,and exert great physical energy to get thingsthat, of course, they fail to get. They demon-strate acts of stupidity. We laugh because weknow we are better than these low-brow rubes,and when they suffer temporary pain, we enjoytheir misery.

The idea of laughing at others' pain is codi-fied in the German theory of schadenfreude,literally "harm joy" or "damage joy." It is our"pleasure in the misfortunes of other people"(Portmann 3), sometimes defined as "maliciousglee" (28). We feel a mischievous satisfac-tion when we witness others suffer (as longas the harm is not lasting). We delight whenothers "fall from grace" (Takahashi et al.). Thecharacters of low comedy endure physical painand misfortune for the viewers' enjoyment.Their low life of physical suffering, like the highcomedy life of ease, results in their comeup-pance—to the delight ofthe audience. The oldPunch and Judy puppet shows^ and The ThreeStooges^ are examples of entertainment farethat relies heavily on tow comedy, or slapstick,to please the viewers through schadenfreude.

It is worthwhile to note that some scholarsdiscuss "mudita" as the opposite of schaden-freude. Mudita, from the Pali and Sanskritlanguages, means "joy" and Is often trans-lated as "sympathetic joy" or "appreciativejoy" [BuddhistStudies): the joy we experiencefrom others' good fortune rather than misfor-tune. This joy is one of four"immeasurables"in the Buddhist tradition, along with love,compassion, and equanimity: positive at-titudes to be cultivated toward others [A Viewon Buddhism). Applied to comic theory, mu-dita posits that we can experience joy not only

when characters suffer (schadenfreude) butalso when they succeed. Obviously, althoughmudita has applications to comedy, it is notexclusive to comic theory. Viewers can experi-ence sympathetic joy at others' success in alltypes of storytelling, including tragedy, melo-drama, and other types.

Returning to the broader concept of low com-edy, every episode of The Simpsons is filledwith physical, low-brow antics, including—butnot always—some pain that lets the viewersexperience schadenfreude, as well as somegain that elicits mudita. Examples of muditain this "Marrying" episode come when Homersuccessfully rakes in the cash asa minister whomarries gay couples and when Marge, realizingher lesbian sister's fiancée is a man, dancesa jig of joy because her sister will not marrythe wrong person after all. For schadenfreude,Howell Huser (a parody of Huell Howser, hostofa public TV series in California) literally fallsoff a turnip truck and is beaten with a stick bythe Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954),tricked by finger-snapping gum, and stoned ashe leaves town. Patty puts her cigarette out onHomer's hand and then in his eye, and thenhe stabs his own hand trying to kill a fly. Somenonviolent low comedy includes the sight gagofa salty sea captain who has an unholy alli-ance with a stuffed swordfish, a musical TV adfor Springfield's gay-friendly culture, and Hom-er's chapel sign announcing that he "will nowmarry anything to anything else—diaper fee forchimp brides." In brief. The Simpsons utilizes agreat deal of low comedy while also incorporat-ing elements of high comedy.

Incongruity Theory

Today, comic analysts generally cluster themany things that make us laugh into threebroad categories. These are sometimes referredto as the three grand theories of comedy:incongruity, superiority, and psychoanalysisor relief (Berger, Anatomy of Humor; Meyer;Raskin; Scharrer et al. 619). Each is examinedhere in turn.

46 JOURNAL OF FILM AND VIDEO 65.1-2 / SPRI N G / S U M M E R 2013©2013 BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFTHE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

Incongruity theory encompasses humorthatjuxtaposes things in new or unusual ways.Often, a characterfaces a situation for whichhe or she is totally unprepared—a "fish out ofwater"—or some other match-up of things thatdo not belong together occurs. Whatever theincongruity, the unusual juxtaposition oftencatches viewers off-guard with visual or spokenjokes or gags that they dJd not see coming. Theyare surprised by something unexpected, illogi-cal, absurd, or exaggerated (Berger, Anatomy ofthe Joke; McGhee). The Simpsons delivers.

Fish Out of Water

When a character faces elements outside his orher normal world, the person becomes a "fishout of water." The fun ensues when the characterattempts to deal with the new situation, by tryingto adapt to it, overcome it, or get away from it.The characters in The Simpsons often find them-selves in this predicament. In this episode, How-ell Huser—normally happy-go-lucky—is beatendown by the boys' pranks. Reverend Lovejoydeals with same-sex marriage by turning a deafear. Homer becomes an ordained minister.Marge deals with confiicting feelings at the newsthat her sister is gay. In each instance, a charac-ter has to deal with something new, somethingwith which he or she has no prior experience. Inthe hands of experienced comedy writers, thesesituations generate laughs.

Unexpected Surprise

An element of surprise often lies behind thelaughs of incongruity. In the "Marrying" epi-sode, we do not anticipate town drunk Barney'sathletic ability as he snags a beer out of awatermelon trap. We are surprised when newlyordained minister Homer prints out a punch-outclerical collar. We do not expect Lisa to obeyher father's instructions to take over chokingher brother Bart, and we laugh when she unen-thusiastically does so.

Self-Reflexivity

Sometimes surprises include self-refiexivejokes: observations about a program within the

program itself. For example. Homer telephonesthe Fox network, which he has on speed dial(another unexpected bit), to pitch a weak pro-gram idea, only to get a voice mail messagepoking fun at Fox TV shows. The self-reflexivegag is that The Simpsons is a Fox show. Anothercomic bit of self-reflexivity is the sight gag ofHomer's map to stars' homes in Springfield,which holds on the screen for a whoppingseven seconds of silence before Homer says di-rectly to the viewers, in an incongruous break-ing of the normal third-person dialogue, "Haveyou read them all? Okay, good."

Illogical

Included in incongruity theory is the illogical.We laugh when something happens that weknow just does not make sense. In this epi-sode. Homer becomes a minister simply bytyping his name into the e-Piscopal Church Website, and out prints a clerical collar. Later, hehas a fantasy in which he is married to himself,has babies, and makes out with himself—pure,delightful nonsense.

Absurd

Related to the illogical is the absurd: the ut-terly silly or ridiculous. Howell Huser gets hisrevenge on Springfield for the pranks playedon him by shaming the town and then giving itonly a six out often on his rating scale of cities.The mayor opens the town meeting by saying,"As usual, I will open the fioor to all crazy ideasthat jump to people's minds." Different voicesin the crowd respond with "stronger beer,""gladiator fights," "poetry slam," and "giantrats." It is a theater of the absurd in an ani-mated sitcom.

Exaggeration

Comedy of exaggeration is part and parcel ofincongruity theory. A three-eyed fish appears inthe lake next to the nuclear power plant, only tostand up as the creature from the black lagoon.After Huser's scathing review of Springfieldairs on the Soft News Network, Springfield isreduced to a ghost town within a superimposed

JOURNAL OF FILM AND VIDEO 65.1-2 / S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2OI3 47D2OI3 BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVER5ITY OF ILLINOIS

time frame of only "one month later." Patty'ssupposedly lesbian fiancée, Veronica, turns outto have not one but an exaggerated three ste-reotypical gay names: Leslie Robin Swisher.

Logical Extremes

Incongruity also means comedy of logical ex-tremes. The sea captain, in his extreme loneli-ness, seems ready to marry anything, be it astuffed swordfish or, in the closing tag, thewooden maiden from his ship's bow. In Hom-er's quest to "marry anything to anything else,"he marries the Reverend Lovejoy to his Bible.

Stereotypes

Stereotypes also fit into incongruity theory.Comic writers rely on stereotyping when theyneed a quick gag and have neither the time northe need in a story to create nuance throughdialogue or subtle characterization. The stereo-typed characters often appear quickly, with theincongruity stemming from their juxtapositionwith other story elements. In this episode, thegay television commercial that opens act 2 re-lies on a host of homosexual stereotypes (e.g.,a same-sex couple holding hands while skip-ping) that are incongruous with what we nor-mally expect to see in a TV ad. Marge's flash-back montage to Patty as a young girl showsPatty engaging in stereotypical lesbian behav-ior: she dresses up in construction clothes;she puts up a poster ofthe androgynous MissHathaway from The Beverly Hillbillies; and shemakes out with a girl at the movies. In brief. TheSimpsons is loaded with all types of incongru-ous humor.

Superiority Theory

Another ofthe three grand theories of comedyis superiority. We laugh, outwardly or inwardly,openly or suppressed, when we feel better thanor triumphant over others (Berger,/Inofomyof Humor; Feinberg; Grotjahn; Grüner, Under-standing, Game; Meyer; Morreall, Taking; Rapp;Ziv). The Simpsons' writers engage comic supe-riority theory in every episode.

Meta-Textual

Superiority theory works on the levels of bothmeta-text and context. On the meta-textuallevel, we viewers—standing outside the worldof The Simpsons—\ook into that world andfeel superior. We laugh at Homer's buffoonerybecause we know we are all smarter than heis. In fact, nearly every character in town, witha few exceptions such as Lisa, is a fool. In thisepisode, no one can be as stupid as the mayorwith his absurd running of a town meeting andhis ad-libbed warning in the gay commercialto avoid the Jefferson Avenue exit ("For God'ssake, do not take that exit!"). None of us wouldmarry our own sister, as stereotypical hillbillyCletus marries his (maybe) sister, Brandine.Who among us would be so foolish as to go ontelevision and admit we used "non-diseasedmeat from diseased animals" in our"whatcha-ma-carcass" sandwich, as Krusty the Clowndoes?

Contextual

In addition to the meta-textual viewers laughingthrough their superiority at the inferiority of TheSimpsons characters, those characters withinthe context of The Simpsons world often gener-ate laughs via superiority theory as well. At thiscontextual level. Lisa Simpson, eight years oldand moved up from the second to third grade,is arguably the smartest person in all of Spring-field. In this episode, she demonstrates hersuperiority to the viewers as the only person atthe town meeting who has a plausible idea tobring back tourists: legalize same-sex marriage.Kent Brockman, the news anchor for Smarf//ne,sometimes has moments of intelligence andsometimes not. Here, when "Reverend" Homerrequests that the newsman call him "Your Holi-ness," Brockman's relative intelligence com-pared with Homer's leads him to respond, "Ican't; I just can't."

Often Marge Simpson demonstrates intelli-gence superiorto that of others, with the laughscoming from her exasperation when no one willlisten. In this episode, she attempts to engageReverend Lovejoy in a debate over the biblical

48 JOURNAL OF FILM AND VIDEO 65.1-2 / SPRI N G / S U M M E R 2013©2013 BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

context of marriage, but Lovejoy ignores her byringing the church bell. Additionally, it is Marge'sconflict and character arc that ultimately makeher the protagonist of this episode. She hasthought through the issue of gay marriage andsupports it. However, upon learning that hersister Patty is a lesbian and wishes to marry awoman. Marge is conflicted, reasoning intel-ligently but not convincingly, "I love you. 1 lovegay marriage. So I'd be a super hypocrite if Ididn't love your gay marriage, right?" Ultimately,she accepts Patty's lesbianism, and she doesnot have to give Patty up when it is revealed thatPatty's fiancée is a man, whom Patty refuses tomarry because she likes girls.

Dialogue

The humorof superiority is revealed, as allthings are revealed in screenwriting, throughtwo elements: dialogue and action. The spokenwords and the characters' behaviors show whois superior and who is inferior. In this episode,we laugh as the stupid Patty engages the evenstupider Homer in this witty banter (high com-edy) of put-downs at the door:

PATTY: Hey, saturated fats, I came to ask you

a favor.HOMER: Let me get my belt sander. Maybe I can

grind the ugly off your face.PATTY: Very funny.HOMER: I wasn't joking.

He reaches off screen and gets a belt sander(action resulting in visual humor, a sight gag).

In another dialogue exchange. Marge, know-ing that Veronica is really a man and not want-ing Patty to get hurt, stands up to object to thewedding.

MARGE: No, I can't let this happen!PATTY: I knew it. You think everyone in the

world should have a big dumb man—like

you.HOMER: People, please, can we wrap this up?

It's gonna rain, and I gotta get the bikes inhere.

MARGE: Patty, it 'snotwhatyou think. Veronica

isa man!

Marge tears the collar off the dress, revealingVeronica's Adam's apple.

In another example. Homer's inferiority andstupidity are revealed when he becomes aninstant minister via the Internet and is imme-diately distracted by the computer screen. Heexcitedly says, "Now to answer all the pop-ups.Ooh, a talking moose wants my credit cardnumber. That's only fair." Additionally, whenson Bart comments that his mother. Marge,got married to "the first blimp that floated by,"Homer—seemingly unaware that he is referringto himself—retorts, "Correction: the first blimpwho got her pregnant."

Action

In terms of action, this episode, like all epi-sodes, reveals Homer's (and others') imbecilityin numerous ways. For example. Homer givesPatty a homemade wedding veil, which is just apaper bag with some lace, and when Patty com-ments that it smells like cheeseburgers. Homergrabs it back to take a sniff. Later, Homer uses aknife to kill a fly on his hand. In another scene.Homer chokes Bart and then has Bart's sister.Lisa, take over the choke hold while he answersthe door.

Ofl;en, Homer is portrayed as inferior throughhelplessness. Patty puts out a cigarette onhis hand in response to his joking that Margeshould be more worried about his leaving herfor a "sausage patty" than her "sister Patty."Patty then warns Homer, "Next time it'll be youreye." Sure enough, in a later scene, she putsa cigarette out in his eye in response to hisput-down that her meeting Veronica was like ascene in the movie Bride of the Monster (1955).

Aggression and Violence

These examples demonstrate that aggres-sion and violence are often part of superioritytheory. Sometimes the aggression is verbal, asin the insults and put-downs quoted previously.Othertimes, the violence is physical, including

JOURNAL OF FILM AND VIOEO 65.1-2 / S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2OI3 49D2OI3 BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

beatings and pain, as in the cigarette gag, firston the hand and then in the eye. Humorousviolence or aggression has long been a part ofthe superior-inferior relationships in comedy(Keough; MacHovec), even though pain andlaughter rarely occur simultaneously in reallife, representing "a psychologically incongru-ent combination" (Mustonen and Pulkkinen183). Whether the humor is violent or not, andwhether it is revealed through dialogue or ac-tion. The Simpsons' writers gleefully apply bothmeta-textual and contextual superiority theoryin all their scripts.

Psychoanalytic or Relief Theory

According to the psychoanalytic or relieftheory of comedy, laughter releases nervousenergy, sometimes caused by forbidden feel-ings (Freud, Theloke; Schaeffer). It is catharsistheory applied to comedy. People laugh ataction and dialogue that reduces their stressin some way (Berlyne 50-53; Morreall, ComicRelief}. Shurcliff notes, "[T]he greater the sub-jects' anxiety prior to relief, the greater... thejudged humor" (362). This theory, like superior-ity theory, also relates to violence. Scharrer etal. observe, "[PJeople laugh at things that makethem uncomfortable (e.g., aging, violence) orguilty (e.g., sex). Freud (1922) contended thatwatching painful acts being inflicted on othersallows for a release of one's own hostilities andhidden desires, thereby allowing for pleasure"(619). The same can be said for watching sex.The Simpsons is chock-full of this psychoana-lytic humor, or laughter through relief.

Guilt

What secret guilt causes us to laugh at this epi-sode? There is sex, of course—the topic is gaymarriage. Psychoanalytic theory posits that wefeel guilt and then release it through laughteras we watch men kissing men in the Springfieldpro-gay TV ad, or Homer kissing Homer in histhought-balloon fantasy, or the girl-girl kissingof young Patty or older Patty and Veronica onthe couch. Then, too, there is violence. We feelguilty and then laugh for relief as we see Howell

Huser take a beating or watch the flashback inwhich Patty is struck in the eye by Veronica'sgolf club. In addition to sex and violence, otherdepictions can bring about feelings of guilt,such as religion. We feel guilty about and con-sequently laugh at Homer's sacrilege when hemockingly marries Reverend Lovejoy and hisBible, or when he prays to God to bless "an-other gay union that angers you so."

Discomfort

Related to guilt is the broader concept of alltypes of discomfort. According to psychoana-lytic theory, any feelings of discomfort canbring about laughter as relief. We might be alittle uncomfortable at the beginning when twoboys set up a prankfortheir next unsuspectingvictim. In the middle, we might squirm a bit asHomer mocks Marge for not knowing her sisteris gay by sarcastically quipping, "Hey, Marge,here's another bomb—I like beer!" At the end,we might feel a bit of discomfort as Patty andtwin sister Selma plan to "go to the airport andleave a bag unattended" because that's "agood way to meet security personnel."

Wo Lasting Harm

A significant part of psychoanalytic theory isthe longstanding comedy rule that there canbe no lasting harm. If characters are truly hurtor killed, and the pain or death is lasting, thenwe cannot laugh; we can only feel sympathy,or pathos. To be sure, comedy draws us into astory with sympathetic portrayals of characterswho elicit pathos. In this episode, we feelfor Marge as she struggles with her sister'slesbianism. But in comedy, any harm doneto a principal character—someone we get toknow well enough to be emotionally investedin him or her—can be only temporary andnonfatal. We laugh at Howell Huser's beatingbecause he only gets some cuts and bruisesand is okay in the end to go on TV and trash-talk Springfield. We laugh at Homer getting acigarette on his hand and in his eye becausewe know his hand will be fine, and he will beable to see again in the next scene. We laughat Patty's not getting married because she is

JOURNAL OF FILM AND VIDEO 65.1-2 / S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2013©2013 BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

not left devastated but is saved from marrying

the wrong "man."

Happy Ending

These examples of "no lasting harm" reinforcethe notion that comedy must have a happyending. To be sure, characters can suffer sometemporary harm along the way, but in theend everything turns out for the best. In TheSimpsons, at the end of each episode, life re-turns to normal (or what passes for normal) inSpringfield. Homer ends his wedding business.Patty and Marge reconcile. Patty reunites withtwin sister Selma, and they walk off into thesunset. This happy ending, in which any harmduring the episode is revealed to have beenonly temporary, is a hallmark of comic theory.From the psychoanalytic perspective, peopleare able to find humor in others' pain, as wellas view sex, sacrilege, aggression, or otherdepictions that make them feel uncomfortableor guilty, because they can laugh at these de-pictions to release their hidden or forbiddenfeelings. Comedy provides a catharsis, or relief,from their stress. The writers of The Simpsonsprovide ample situations that allow viewers tolaugh through their discomfort.

Structure of Comedy

This article has explored comic theory, fromthe early notions of high and low comedy tothe current categorization of humor into threebroad theories: incongruity, superiority, andpsychoanalytic (or relief). Although theseconcepts shed light on the types of depictionsthat make us laugh, equally significant to thecomedy writer is how to structure comedy. It isimportant to analyze and apply the methods toset up and carry out comic dialogue and action.

Setup and Payoff

One significant notion in all writing is the setupfollowed by the payofi". For regular viewers ofThe Simpsons, the opening title sequence is al-ready a setup because they know each openinghas a few changes unique to that episode (e.g.,the words that Bart writes on the chalkboard.

Lisa's saxophone solo, and the billboard ad inthe later high-definition opening). Dependingon the final length ofthe episode, sometimesthe opening is the full sequence, openingwith clouds and moving to an aerial shot ofSpringfield, and sometimes it is truncated (asis the case in this episode), moving from theopening clouds directly to Homer driving intohis driveway. Whatever the case, the openingalways ends with the couch gag, in which theSimpsons family ends up on the couch in frontof the TV in some unusual and unique way. Inthis episode, the couch gag already pays offthe audience: the Simpsons are bruised hockeyplayers with missing teeth.

Three-Act Structure

Beyond the opening titles, the standard three-act structure of any teleplay or screenplay isused to set up dialogue and action in the view-ers' minds and then to pay them off. All writersknow that a story must have a beginning (act l ) ,middle (act 2), and end (act 3). The Simpsonsdelivers once again.

This "Marrying" episode, consistent withthe program's tight writing style, covers lots ofground at a rapid pace in each act. The speedofthe action from one scene to the next is ac-celerated, sometimes moving almost too fastforthe viewers to get a joke (e.g.. Homer's"marry anything to anything" sign with thegag at the bottom that there is a "diaper feefor chimp brides"). Each act sets up charactertraits and plot points that are paid off later.

Act 1 sets up Howell Huser as a gullible visi-tor, who gets his payback via a bad review ofSpringfield. That sends the town into decline,setting up the meeting at which the payoff toincrease tourism is legalizing same-sex mar-riage. Act 2 sets up Springfield as "welcominggays since 2005," as the street banner reads(the episode aired in 2005). However, ReverendLovejoy refuses to participate, setting up HomerSimpson to get paid off, literally, by becomingan instantly ordained Internet minister andperforming gay weddings, orweddings of "any-thing to anything else." Patty arrives, revealingher lesbianism, setting up a conflict in her sis-

JOURNAL OF FILM ANO VIDEO 65.1-2 / SPRI N G / S U M M E R 2013

©2013 BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

ter Marge. Patty's request that Homer performher wedding to Veronica sets up the climacticscene of act 3—the final gay wedding. The wed-ding day arrives, with the lingering question ofwhether Marge will accept her sister's lesbianunion and attend. The payoff is that she does.Then, in a climactic turn of events. Marge re-veals that Patty's fiancée, Veronica, is reallya man. Patty's beloved confesses and asksPatty to marry him as a man. She resolutelyrefuses, remaining single but true to herself,spared a marriage to the wrong "man." In thedenouement, the audience is paid off again aseverything returns to normal: Patty and Margeembrace, and Patty and Selma reunite and walkoff together.

Dialogue

Just as the three-act structure itself is carefullycrafted with setups and payofl's, individuallines of dialogue and actions are also well-constructed in the setup/payoff pattern. Anexample of dialogue setting up a later revela-tion occurs when Patty introduces Veronica tothe family and they later kiss. Marge coversbaby Maggie's eyes and tells the lesbian pair,"Whoa, save something for your weddingnight." Veronica responds, "Oh, we're sav-ing everything for our wedding night." As shespeaks, the animators shift her eyes mischie-vously three times, as if she's keeping a secret.Of course she is, and Veronica's foreshadowingline of dialogue and shifting eyes are paid offwhen Marge spots Veronica in the bathroomwith the toilet seat up, shaving and singing"Dude (Looks Like a Lady)." Having discoveredthat Veronica is a man. Marge chuckles andsays, "Looks like Patty's going to get somethingshe didn't register for."

Action

In terms of action, an example ofthe setupand payoff structure is Homer's pondering howmuch money he could make by marrying gaycouples. He quips, "These people have rights—the right to buy me a sixty-two-inch TV!" Thecamera perspective then widens to reveal thathe is carrying an anti-gay marriage picket sign.

which he throws in the trash. This visual setupand payoff uses incongruity theory. A man pro-testing gay marriage changes his mind instantlywhen he realizes he can make money, and offhe runs to become an online minister.

Rule of Threes

In addition to the classic setup and payoffstructure ofwriting, another useful elementof comic structure is the "rule of threes."Thisage-old convention remains current and in usebecause it always works and is sometimesnecessary to set up the punch line of a jokeor gag of a sightgag. According to the rule ofthrees, two items set up a pattern, and then athird item pays it ofl". In this episode. Homergets wounded three times in poking accidents.The first time, Patty puts out a cigarette on hishand. The second time, she flicks a cigaretteinto his eye. The third time, he jabs his ownhand with a knife (off-screen) to kill a fly.

Running Gags

Related to the rule of threes is the running gag(though sometimes twice is sufficient, andfour or more times can work as well). A run-ning gag is something seen and/or heard thathappens once for humor and then is repeatedlater for a second laugh, and maybe a thirdtime or more for an additional laugh or two.In this episode, the watermelon is a runninggag, first set up as a trap for an unsuspectingdrunk, at which time Milhouse clarifies thatit is a seedless watermelon. When HowellHuser arrives, he sees the splattered wa-termelon and asks the boys if they want toplant the seeds, displaying disappointmentwhen Milhouse explains again that it is seed-less. Sideshow Mel is also a running gag.He first appears at the town hall meeting toexchange witty banter with Moe the Bartender.He appears again at the wedding to deliveran important line of dialogue, in case theviewers miss the visual. Pointing to Veronicaafter Marge rips off "her" dress collar, Melexclaims, "Lookat the size ofthat Adam'sapple!" Another running gag is the sea cap-tain, who shows up at the town meeting with a

52 JOURNAL OF FILM AND VIDEO 65.1-2 / S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2013©2013 BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFTHE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

stuffed swordfish in hand and in the tag with awooden maiden from a ship's bow.

In addition to these "intra-episode" runninggags. The Simpsons offers some "inter-epi-sode," or series-long, running gags. Two are inthis episode. One is Homer choking Bart—a gagthat recurs in a number of episodes throughoutthe seasons. A second is Nelson stepping intothe frame to utter his mocking catch phrase,"Ha-ha." Here, he utters his "ha-ha" as a gagresponse to Marge's argument with ReverendLovejoy that she thinks God does not care iftwo people who love each other have the same"hoo-hoo" or "ha-ha."

Double Whammy

Another useful structure for a comic gag is thedouble whammy. This is a verbal or sight gagthat has two punches instead of one. A doublewhammy in this episode is Homer's map ofstars' homes. When the map is revealed inclose-up, the first whammy is the sillinessofthe thing: a child-like drawing of streetsand houses that shows, among other things,a "HunnyTree" (Winnie the Pooh), an Xthatmarks a "good place for a Denny's," and a"scary rock." That first visual whammy ofthemap is followed seven seconds later by a sec-ond aural whammy, which is Homer's punchline directly to the viewers: "Have you readthem all? Okay, good."

Innuendo and Double Entendre

Innuendo and double entendre have been partof comic structure since the beginning. Innu-endo is a veiled reference to something sexual.No actual sexual object or action is stated ordepicted, but the context ofthe sentence hintsat something sexual. In this episode, whenMarge comes across Veronica in the bathroompreparing for the wedding and discovers thatshe's a man. Marge quips, "Looks like Patty'sgoing to get something she didn't register for."In contrast, a double entendre is the actualstatement of an object, action, or dialogue thathas a double meaning—the translation of "dou-ble entendre"—and one ofthe two meanings issexual. Here, Marge says to Reverend Lovejoy,

"As long as two people love each other, I don'tthink God cares whether they both have thesame hoo-hoo or ha-ha." Though the words"hoo-hoo" and "ha-ha" have no meaning oftheir own, in this context they refer to male andfemale genitalia.

One-Liners and Put-Downs

Another structure for comic writers is the one-liner: a word or a brief phrase or sentence thatdraws laughter. As expected. The Simpsons'writers use these regularly. In this episode,the reference to a Krusty fast-food productas a "whatcha-ma-carcass sandwich" servesas a one-liner. Another comes when Marge issurprised to learn that her sister Patty is a les-bian, and Patty declares, "You could see it fromspace. Marge!" Yet another is Homer's saluta-tion at the start of Patty's wedding: "Oueerlybeloved." Sometimes a one-liner is also a put-down in which one character asserts superiorityover another. Here, one-liner put-downs includePatty's address to Homer as "saturated fats"and his rejoinder that he will get his belt sanderto "grind the ugly off [her] face."

Sight Gags

Sight gags are also a useful element of comicstructure. Here, one example is Homer's gift toPatty. He tells her he picked out a wedding veiljust for her: a homemade "do not feed" sackwith two eyeholes cut out and a veil glued on.Other sight gags include the title of Milhouse'strickgum—Troublemint—and Homer's envision-ing gay couples as $100 bills. The Simpsons'writers regularly employ all these elementsof comic structure, many of them perfectedthrough millennia of use, because they aretime-tested to set up and deliver laughs.

Conclusion

This article has analyzed an episode of TheSimpsons as a case study to construct the argu-ment that the writers of this ongoing and clas-sic TV series utilize all elements of comic theoryand structure in every episode. This explains,in part, why the show continues to appeal to

JOURNAL OF FILM AND VIDEO 65.1-2 / S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2013 53D2013 BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFTHE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

a large audience. This analysis further demon-strates that all the elements of comic theoryremain relevant and useful for today's comedywriters in a world marked by increasing techno-logical innovation and fragmenting audiences.

Contemporary comic theory dates back tothe nineteenth-century dichotomy of high andtow comedy, which built on earlier traditions,from Aristotle to commedia dell'arte to Resto-ration comedy. The creators of The Simpsonsemploy both high and low comedie elementsin "There's Something about Marrying," as wellas in every other episode. The viewers laugh atthe characters' occasional witty repartee andexperience schadenfreude at the characters'misfortune, as well as "mudita" at their occa-sional good fortune.

Additionally, The Simpsons' writers usethe current three grand theories of comedy inforce. This episode and others have numerousmoments of incongruity, such as when char-acters find themselves to be fish out of water.Unexpected occurrences, revelations, and self-reflexive jokes surprise us. The illogical andabsurd entertain us. Exaggerated charactersand actions, including logical extremes, driveus to laughter. Stereotypes shortcut the story,taking it directly to a punch line or gag by rely-ing on our commonly held conceptions andmisconceptions.

Superiority is used for laughs. Meta-tex-tually, we viewers recognize our superiorityover Homer and the other ignoramuses whopopulate the fictional Springfield. Contextually,Lisa's superior intelligence—and sometimesothers' intelligence relative to the village idi-ots—generates humorous situations. Throughdialogue and action, the writers reveal who issuperior and who is Inferior, frequently anddeftly employing aggression and violence, allthe while creating laughs.

Psychoanalytic theory, also known as relieftheory, helps explain our laughter as a ca-tharsis, or purging, of hidden and forbiddenfeelings and desires. We feel guilty watchingsame-sex couples kiss, so we giggle. We areuncomfortable at Homer's blasphemy, so wechuckle. We feel bad that Howell Huser gets

beaten up, so we laugh. In the end, however,no one suffers any long-lasting harm, and theworld of Springfield is happily returned to itsversion of normal.

The structure of this and other episodes ofThe Simpsons also employs the full gamut ofcomedy writing guidelines. The writers use thetraditional three-act structure, with tight writingand accelerated action to maintain a fast pace,thereby delivering a number of setups and pay-offs each week. The "rule of threes" regularlysets up punch lines and sight gags. Runninggags, both intra-episode (within each episode)and inter-episode (across multiple episodes),add to our enjoyment. An occasional doublewhammy delivers twice the laughs in one joke.Innuendo and double entendre are employedfor sexual humor. One-liners, including put-downs, add to our satisfaction. Sight gags regu-larly spice up each show. In sum, the writers ofThe Simpsons demonstrate that the elementsof comic theory and structure continue to bevital to the writer's craft in this age of multiplestorytelling technologies and venues.

NOTES

1. Before delving into this article, i recommendthat readers view The Simpsons episode "There'sSomething about Marrying" (season 16, episode 10,original airdate 20 February 2005). A search shouldprovide links to sites that stream this episode.

2. For more about Punch and Judy, visit http://www.punchandjudy.com/.

3. For more about The Three Stooges, visit http://www.threestooges.com/.

REFERENCES

Aristotle. Poetics. 335 BCE. Trans. Gerald F. Else. AnnArbor: Ü of Michigan P, 1970. Print.

Berger, Arthur Asa. An Anatomy of Humor. Piscataway:Transaction, 1999. Print.

. "Anatomy of the Joke." yourno/o/'Commun/ca-tion 26.3 (1976): 113-15. Print.

Berlyne, Daniel E. "Humor and Its Kin." The Psychol-ogy of Humor. Ed. Jeffrey H. Goldstein and Paul E.McGhee. New York: Academic Press, 1972. 43-60.Print.

Buddhist Studies, Unit Six: The Four immeasurabtes.Buddha Dharma Education Association and Bud-dhaNet, 2008. Web. 1 June 2012.

Charney, Maurice. Comedy High and Low: introduction

54 JOURNAL OF FILM AND VIDEO 65.1-2 / SPRI N G / S U M M E R 2OI3© 2 0 1 3 BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFTHE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

to the Experience of Comedy. 2nd ed. New York:Peter Lang, 2005. Print.

Feinberg, Leonard. The Secret of Humor. New York:Rodopi, 1978. Print.

Freud, Sigmund. Beyond the Pleasure Principle. 1922.Whitefish, MT: Kessinger, 2010. Print.

. The Joke and Its Relation to the Unconscious.1905. New York: Norton, 2003. Print.

Grotjahn, Martin. Beyond Laughter: Humor and theSubconscious. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966. Print.

Grüner, Charles. R. The Game of Humor: A Compre-hensive Theory of Why We Laugh. Piscataway, NJ:Transaction, 1999. Print.

. Understanding Laughter: The Workings of Witand Humor. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 1979.Print.

Katritzky, M. A. 7í)e/Arf o/Commedia;/l Sfud/('n theCommedia dell'arte, 1560-1620, with Special Refer-ence to the Visual Records. Amsterdam: Rodopi,2006. Print.

Keough, William. "The Violence of American Humor."What's So Funny? Humor in American Culture. Ed.Nancy A. Walker. Wilmington: Scholarly Resources,1998.133-43. Pfint.

MacHovec, Frank|. Humor: Theory, History, Applica-tions. Springfield: Thomas, 1988. Print.

McGhee, Paul E. Humor: Its Origin and Development.New York: Freeman, 1980. Print.

Meyer, John C. "Humor as a Double-Edged Sword:Four Functions of Humor in Communication." Com-munication Theory 10.3 (2000): 310-31. Print.

Morreall, )ohn. Comic Relief: A Comprehensive Phi-losophy of Humor. Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell,2009. Print.

. Taking Laughter Seriously. Albany: State U ofNew York P, 1983. Print.

Mustonen, Anu, and Lea Pulkkinen. "Television Vio-lence: A Development of a Coding Scheme." Journalof Broadcasting & Electronic Media 41.2 (1997):168-89. Print.

Nettleton, George H., Arthur E. Case, and GeorgeWinchester Stone |r., eds. British Dramatists fromDryden to Sheridan. 2nd ed. Carbondale: SouthernIllinois UP, 1975. Print.

Portmann, John. When Bad Things Happen to OtherPeople. New York: Routledge, 2000. Print.

Rapp, Albert. The Origins of Wit and Humor. New York:Dutton, 1951. Print.

Raskin, Victor. Semantic Mechanisms of Humor. NewYork: Springer, 1984. Print.

Schaeffer, Neill. The Art of Laughter. New York: Colum-bia UP, 1981. Print.

Scharrer, Erica, Andrea Bergstrom, Angela Paradise,and Qianqing Ren. "Laughing to Keep from Crying:Humor and Aggression in Television CommercialContent."/ouma/ of Broadcasting & ElectronicMedia 50.4 (2006): 615-34. Print.

Shurcliff, Arthur. "Judged Humor, Arousal, and theRelief Theory." Journal of Personality and SocialPsychology S.it (1968): 360-63. Print.

Takahashi, Hidehiko, Motoichiro Kato, Masato Mat-suura. Dean Mobbs, Tetsuya Suhara, and YoshiroOkubo. "When Your Gain Is My Pain and Your PainIs My Gain: Neural Correlates of Envy and Schaden-freude." Science 323.5916 (2009): 937-39. Web. 1June 2012.

A View on Buddhism. N.p., 2 Nov. 2011. Web. 1 June2012.

Ziv, Avner. Personality and Sense of Humor. New York:Springer, 1984. Print.

JOURNAL OF FILM AND VIDEO 65.1-2 / S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2013 55D2OI3 BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

Copyright of Journal of Film & Video is the property of University Film and Video Association and its content

may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express

written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.