First there was Omar Shamsoon – now, The Simpsons have an episode that introduces a muslim family from Jordan – you can watch it for free online:
I confess to being a bit disappointed, though. The satire felt forced; it would have been much more effective in the earlier seasons when they were able to skewer things with a deft touch and not getting all preachy. The portrayal of Islamophobia was literally cartoonish and probably didn’t contribute meaningfully to the debate on prejudice and faith, but it was good for a few laughs. Even the Aladdin-carpet dream sequence was woefully short – and also a hugely wasted opportunity, given that Dan Castellaneta (the voice of Homer, among others) actually voiced the Genie in Robin Williams’ absence for the (mediocre) Aladdin sequel The Return of Jafar.
The subplot with Lisa’s “myPod” was funny in some ways (especially the unboxing of the myBill) but still largely a distraction. Maybe they were running a bit dry, creatively speaking, and decided to combine these two concepts into one, but they both would have benefited much more from having dedicated episodes to each.
A pleasant half hour of the Simpsons, but nothing memorable.
posted December 8, 2008 at 12:39 pm
I believe having a Moslem character on Simpsons is long overdue. It would be interesting to see how each of the characters would relate. I will watch the episdoe soon, to see what they have done. I suppose that after 18 years the writers are getting kind of tired. Maybe something like this will give them a boost.
posted December 8, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Great commentary, Aziz. Usually Simpsons can pull off funny with some depth but this was leaning much more on the superficial side than usual.
posted December 8, 2008 at 6:25 pm
PS. I’m anticipating a South Park with a Muslim character. Please Trey and Matt? Hopefully soon!