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TV Diary

 In Woody Allen's great film "Husbands and Wives," Judy Davis announces that she is leaving Sydney Pollack.


Two members of Davis's audience--Allen and Mia Farrow--can't wrap their heads around this news. The rupture in Davis's life has strange consequences. Allen and Farrow begin to argue, and ultimately they decide that *they* will split (while, oddly enough, Davis goes back to Pollack). The main idea is that, no matter how cool and calculated you are, you can't really control your life. To make God laugh, tell Him your plans.

It's the genius of "The Simpsons" to rework this story as a cartoon. In "A Milhouse Divided," it's Luann and Kirk who are splitting up. This is revealed at a dinner party, where Marge tries to make chit chat about the new "Woods-y Allen" movie. ("I always enjoy his work, except for that one whiny guy who seems to get all the starring roles....")

Will Luann's dissatisfaction trigger a marital epiphany for Marge? The suspense builds and builds. Homer tries to strengthen his marriage by purchasing tickets to a local NPR festival ("Mostly Madrigals," "An Evening with Philip Glass" ....)

When the tickets fail to do their job, Homer attempts to woo his crush by making loud synthetic "ocean" sounds, during naptime. This only irritates Marge.

The ending--both surprising and inevitable--manages to "rewrite" Woody Allen while staying funny and smart.

This is a brilliant script.
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