Among my favorite "Simpsons" characters is Mrs. Krabappel, perhaps because I myself am a teacher. I understand Edna's frustration. (In one of her worst moments, she watches a "yo-yo gymnastics assembly." When a colleague questions the educational value of yo-yo tricks, Edna says, "This will give our children something pleasant to remember when they're grown up, and they're pumping gasoline for cash.")
Edna dreams of adventure, mainly in the form of romance. But, in a non-canonical episode, her desired adventure has a "noir" flavor; she enlists Lisa Simpson in the cover-up of a murder. I feel I've known some Ednas--and I feel that I myself have been an Edna. The actress--Marcia Wallace--won at least one Emmy Award, and she is gone now.
In "Bart the Lover," Edna seizes the reins of her own life and places a personals ad. ("1+1 equals....2?") She falls into a fast-paced epistolary romance; she takes chances; she takes a self-portrait photo involving some racy lingerie. ("This is an incentive to get your pen moving....")
When Edna's love affair fizzles (it has all been a cruel plot, engineered by Bart), Edna chooses not to harden her heart. She finds compassion for another suffering soul; she lets her devious student spend his detention period outdoors.
This is just a wondrous episode of TV. I'm not alone in my enthusiasm. Three cheers for "Bart the Lover."
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