The Color Yellow: Difference between revisions
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Lisa believes Eliza to be a hero for helping Virgil escape, and tells this story at a Black History Month presentation at Springfield Elementary. Milhouse, however, challenges her story and suggests that Eliza was a coward. He reads from the journal of his ancestor, Milford Van Houten, who witnessed Colonel Burns bribe Hiram with 'a pleasant surprise', a new pair of shoes in exchange for giving up Virgil. Eliza does not stand up against the Colonel and Lisa is crushed to think her ancestor was a coward. Milford said he was so disgusted he could never look at Eliza again (Milhouse adding it did not help that he went blind the next day after drinking bad well water). Milford Van Houten's account is substantiated when Lisa views a 1950s archival film interview with an elderly Eliza, where she indicates this cowardice as being the one regret of her life. In the film, a wedding portrait behind the wheelchair bound Eliza shows she married Milford Van Houten, thus creating a family link between the Simpsons and the Van Houtens. |
Lisa believes Eliza to be a hero for helping Virgil escape, and tells this story at a Black History Month presentation at Springfield Elementary. Milhouse, however, challenges her story and suggests that Eliza was a coward. He reads from the journal of his ancestor, Milford Van Houten, who witnessed Colonel Burns bribe Hiram with 'a pleasant surprise', a new pair of shoes in exchange for giving up Virgil. Eliza does not stand up against the Colonel and Lisa is crushed to think her ancestor was a coward. Milford said he was so disgusted he could never look at Eliza again (Milhouse adding it did not help that he went blind the next day after drinking bad well water). Milford Van Houten's account is substantiated when Lisa views a 1950s archival film interview with an elderly Eliza, where she indicates this cowardice as being the one regret of her life. In the film, a wedding portrait behind the wheelchair bound Eliza shows she married Milford Van Houten, thus creating a family link between the Simpsons and the Van Houtens. |
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Homer convinces Grampa Simpson to tell the rest of story to raise Lisa's spirits. He tells of how Mabel threatened to castrate the Colonel with a shotgun and then escaped with Virgil to [[Canada]] (incorrectly flying the current [[Canadian flag]], not adopted until 1965). There, she divorced Hiram and married Virgil. Grampa reveals that Virgil and Mabel's son Abraham was his great-grandfather, and therefore Bart, Lisa, and Maggie are 1/64 [[African American]]. When questioned why he kept this secret, Grampa notes that his generation was racist. Marge notes that her father was [[French people|French]], to which Homer attributes his own drinking. |
Homer convinces Grampa Simpson to tell the rest of story to raise Lisa's spirits. He tells of how Mabel threatened to castrate the Colonel with a shotgun and then escaped with Virgil to [[Canada]] (incorrectly flying the current [[Canadian flag]], not adopted until 1965). There, she divorced Hiram and married Virgil. Grampa reveals that Virgil and Mabel's son Abraham was his great-grandfather, and therefore Bart, Lisa, and Maggie are 1/64 [[African American]]. When questioned why he kept this secret, Grampa notes that his generation was racist. Marge notes that her father was [[French people|French]], to which Homer attributes his own drinking.Hey gurl this is Josh Loar. |
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==Reception== |
==Reception== |
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Revision as of 12:37, 15 September 2010
| "The Color Yellow" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| File:Simpsons - Color Yellow.jpg | |
| Episode no. | Season 21 |
| Directed by | Raymond S. Persi |
| Written by | Ian Maxtone-Graham and Billy Kimball |
| Original air date | February 21, 2010[1] |
| Episode features | |
| Couch gag | The Simpsons swim across an Olympic-sized pool, but only Marge, Lisa, Maggie, and Bart make it across while Homer lies faced-down floating on the surface. |
"The Color Yellow" is the thirteenth episode of The Simpsons' twenty-first season. It aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 21, 2010. In this episode, Lisa discovers that her ancestors from the Southern United States helped a black slave named Virgil (who looks like an African-American version of Homer) escape to freedom, but Milhouse has a piece of family history that shows Lisa's ancestors giving Virgil up in an act of cowardice.
The episode was written by Ian Maxtone-Graham and Billy Kimball and directed by Raymond S. Persi. It guest starred Wren T. Brown as Virgil. The episode was viewed by 6.08 million viewers and received mixed to positive reviews.
Plot
While working on a genealogy assignment, Lisa discovers a diary written by her great-great-great grandaunt, Eliza Simpson. She reads it, hoping to discover a Simpson in her family tree that was not an alcoholic, criminal, or sexual fetishist. She discovers through reading the diary that Eliza and her mother Mabel were part of the Underground Railroad in 1860. Eliza sneaks into a ball hosted by Colonel Burns (later said to be the father of Monty Burns, again making fun of his age) to meet a slave named Virgil, but as the two make their escape, they are spotted by a mounted patrol. Unfortunately, the diary is too disintegrated for Lisa to read on, and she cannot bear not knowing if Virgil escaped.
Lisa and Marge discover a cookbook at the local library written by Mabel, made decades after Eliza saved Virgil. In it is an anecdote that tells how Eliza and Virgil evaded capture by donning disguises at a traveling circus with a Krusty-type clown. They make it back to the Simpson household, but Eliza's father Hiram is suspicious of Virgil's presence. Virgil makes him 'wheel cakes' and Hiram swears to keep Virgil's whereabouts a secret. As the story continues on it becomes like The Color Purple.
Lisa believes Eliza to be a hero for helping Virgil escape, and tells this story at a Black History Month presentation at Springfield Elementary. Milhouse, however, challenges her story and suggests that Eliza was a coward. He reads from the journal of his ancestor, Milford Van Houten, who witnessed Colonel Burns bribe Hiram with 'a pleasant surprise', a new pair of shoes in exchange for giving up Virgil. Eliza does not stand up against the Colonel and Lisa is crushed to think her ancestor was a coward. Milford said he was so disgusted he could never look at Eliza again (Milhouse adding it did not help that he went blind the next day after drinking bad well water). Milford Van Houten's account is substantiated when Lisa views a 1950s archival film interview with an elderly Eliza, where she indicates this cowardice as being the one regret of her life. In the film, a wedding portrait behind the wheelchair bound Eliza shows she married Milford Van Houten, thus creating a family link between the Simpsons and the Van Houtens.
Homer convinces Grampa Simpson to tell the rest of story to raise Lisa's spirits. He tells of how Mabel threatened to castrate the Colonel with a shotgun and then escaped with Virgil to Canada (incorrectly flying the current Canadian flag, not adopted until 1965). There, she divorced Hiram and married Virgil. Grampa reveals that Virgil and Mabel's son Abraham was his great-grandfather, and therefore Bart, Lisa, and Maggie are 1/64 African American. When questioned why he kept this secret, Grampa notes that his generation was racist. Marge notes that her father was French, to which Homer attributes his own drinking.Hey gurl this is Josh Loar.
Reception
In its original American broadcast, "The Color Yellow" was watched by 6.08 million households getting a 3.0/8 in the 18-49 Nielsen Rating, and was the second most-watched show on Fox that night, after a repeat of Family Guy and came second in its timeslot after The Olympics improving 15% from "Boy Meets Curl.[2] The show ranked 19 in the 18-49 weekly ratings ranking 4th on FOX for the rating after Family Guy and American Idol Wednesday and Tuesday.[3] Robert Canning gave the episode a 6.4 writing that it "as a whole fell flat" and commented: "I guess it's difficult to find the humor in slavery, even for The Simpsons".[4] Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club gave the episode a C+, the worst grade of the lineup saying that "there was some funny stuff" but "the majority of the episode was a disappointment".[5] Jason Hughes of TV Squad gave "The Color Yellow" a positive review stating that "there were some great comedic moments in tonight's episode".[6]
References
- ^ "Catch the fanfare of Fox February". The Futon Critic. 2010-01-25. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (2010-02-22). "Winter Olympics Golden; Undercover Boss Buries Housewives". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2010-02-22.
- ^ http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/02/23/tv-ratings-top-25-american-idol-still-top-show-of-week-with-adults-18-49/42827
- ^ Canning, Robert (February 22, 2010). "The Simpsons: "The Color Yellow" Review". IGN. Retrieved 2010-02-23.
- ^ VanDerWerff, Todd (February 22, 2010). ""The Color Yellow"/"The Curious Case of Jr. Working at the Stool"/"Return of the Bling"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2010-02-23.
- ^ Hughes, Jason (February 22, 2010). "'The Simpsons' - 'The Color Yellow' Recap". TV Squad. Retrieved 2010-02-23.