Sunday's new "Simpsons" episode began with a pair of
tributes to Marcia Wallace, who voiced long-suffering teacher Edna
Krabappel and passed away last week at the age of 70.
Bart scrawled a
poignant "We'll really miss you Mrs. K" on his chalkboard, and the
episode also had an "in memoriam" card for Edna before the credits,
featuring her trademark laugh:
As
tributes go, the blackboard gag and the tribute card are wonderful
remembrances of one of the most enduring "Simpsons" characters and the
amazing woman who voiced her.
Plus, Fox honored Wallace (and Mrs. Krabappel) by re-airing a special
Edna-centric episode before last night's new episode: 2011's "The
Ned-Liest Catch," where Edna falls in love with Ned Flanders.
“The Ned-Liest Catch,” for those
who don't remember (there's no shame in it; plenty of “Simpsons”
die-hards have been known to miss an episode or two, or sometimes entire
seasons), was the last episode of Season 22. Bart's antics cause Edna
to be sent to a “holding facility” where, during her escape, she
literally falls into the arms of Ned Flanders.
A
romance blossoms, but Ned grows uncomfortable when he finds out how
many men she's been with. (Even Joey Kramer, the drummer for Aerosmith,
has spent time with Edna. He makes a guest appearance as himself in the
episode, calling back a joke made back in Season 3.)
In typical Ned fashion, he timidly
approaches the question of exactly how many men. “I was just wondering
how many boxes of staples I should order for the store. Does 10 sound
like a lot to you? 20? 50? What does sound like a lot to you?”
The real joy of the episode is
that, rather than being ashamed of her liaisons, Edna's proud of them
(well, maybe not Comic Book Guy), and she stands up to Ned's
disapproval. In the end, the producers left it up to an Internet vote to
determine whether or not they stayed together. The next season's opener
revealed that, in fact, they married in secret (which, again, you can
be forgiven for not knowing).
The character of Edna Krabappel
will be retired, but Wallace had already voiced the entirety of next
season's episodes, so we'll get to spend a little more time with her
before she disappears into syndication completely.
"The Simpsons" airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on Fox.
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