Portrait of a Lackey on Fire
Smithers finds love with a fashion designer whose factory hides dark secrets.
"Portrait of a Lackey on Fire" is the eighth episode of the thirty-third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 714th episode overall. It aired on Fox on November 21, 2021, and was directed by Steven Dean Moore. The episode was written by Rob LaZebnik and Johnny LaZebnik, and its title references the French film Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019).
Quick Facts
- Season
- 33
- Episode
- 8
- Director
- Steven Dean Moore
- Writer
- Rob LaZebnik; Johnny LaZebnik
- Production
- UABF01
- Air date
- 21 November 2021
- Guests
- Christine Baranski as herself
- Victor Garber as Michael de Graaf
- Christian Siriano as himself
Facts from the source article.
Plot
Homer sees that Waylon Smithers is lonely and decides to set him up. A fashion mogul named Michael de Graaf comes to Mr. Burns' mansion to adopt a puppy from one of the attack hounds. Homer introduces them, and they hit it off immediately. They start dating, and Smithers feels happier than ever. At a party Marge throws for the couple, Michael announces he's opening a new factory in Springfield, bringing many jobs. During a tour, Homer, Bart, and Lisa find sweatshop conditions and toxic waste polluting the area. Homer reluctantly shows Smithers the evidence. Smithers asks Burns for advice. Burns says fast fashion is worse than nuclear power and calls Michael a supervillain, then tells Smithers to marry him for financial security. Smithers begs Michael to change, but Michael refuses. Smithers is about to accept the relationship and ignore Michael's flaws, but when he sees Michael mistreat his doberman puppy, he breaks up with him. Michael flies away on his jet. Smithers, initially heartbroken, adopts the puppy and realizes it gives him the unconditional love and companionship he truly wanted. His dating app profile picture with the puppy gets a lot of attention.
Production
The script was written by the screenwriting duo Rob LaZebnik and his son Johnny, who is gay. This is the first episode Johnny has worked on, while Rob has written more than fifteen episodes of The Simpsons before this one. Johnny described his experience writing the script as "spectacular and fulfilling." After Smithers came out and had his first relationship in the twenty-seventh season episode "The Burns Cage," executive producer Matt Selman thought it was time for another romance. The show no longer had Smithers focusing on Mr. Burns, and Selman wanted to see what Smithers wanted. The couch gag was made by Katrin von Niederhäusern and Janine Wiget, who first came to the producers' attention after creating a live-action shot-by-shot remake of the eating montage from the twenty-ninth season episode "Lisa Gets the Blues." The role of Michael was voiced by gay actor Victor Garber. Selman described Michael as someone tired of people in the fashion world who wanted a regular man from middle America. Christine Baranski and Christian Siriano guest starred as themselves.
Reception
When it first aired, this episode drew 3.97 million viewers, making it the top-rated program on Animation Domination that evening. Tony Sokol of Den of Geek awarded it 4.5 out of 5 stars, praising the clever, innuendo-filled dialogue between Smithers and Mr. Burns and noting the episode functions more as a character study than a simple string of jokes. Marcus Gibson of Bubbleblabber gave it a 7.5 out of 10, remarking that the comedy provided a few amusing moments without resorting to offensive material. KT Hawbaker of The A.V. Club commended the episode for portraying Smithers with the same dignity as heterosexual characters, crediting the writers for poking fun at him without dehumanizing him, and highlighting that the townspeople accept his sexuality as normal and offer support. The writing team of Rob LaZebnik and Johnny LaZebnik earned a nomination for a Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Animation at the 74th WGA Awards.
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