In another example of just how unclever The Simpsons has become, tonight’s episode featured jokes about the size Gaborey Sidibe’s character in Precious. The episode “Love Is a Many Strangled Thing” deals with how wrong it is that Homer chokes Bart, which may have been discussed in a previous episode (or maybe it just seems 10 years overdue).
When Homer’s therapist finds out that he strangles Bart, he has Kareem Abdul-Jabbar strangle Homer to teach him what it feels like to be attacked by someone bigger than him. This makes Homer afraid of Bart, and he has a dream in which he imagines his son being an abusive parent.
In addition to a joke about Joe Jackson beating Michael Jackson, we see Bart/Mary throw a TV at Homer/Precious, and he randomly boards a boat after passing a sign that says, “WEIGHT LIMIT: ONE PRECIOUS.” Then Bart/Mary emerges from the water and says “I don’t see many more movie roles for a girl like you. Not unless George Lucas needs another Death Star.”
Fat jokes, mainly about Homer’s weight, are a The Simpsons staple, but this sequence was just mean and unfunny. Precious came out two years ago, and mentioning Howard Stern’s comments takes it from a famous abusive parent reference to a pointless joke about Gabourey Sidibe’s weight.
