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“The Simpsons” is the longest-running animated show in America. In its 33rd season, it continues to break new ground and reinvent itself. This past Sunday, the show aired an episode that featured ASL and the talent of a deaf actor, both a first for the series.
© 20th TELEVISIONThe episode, titled “The Sounds of Bleeding Gums,” follows Lisa, as she meets Monk Murphy, the son of her musical idol and mentor. The episode trails her as she learns that Monk is interested in getting a cochlear implant. In typical Lisa fashion, she goes overboard trying to help him, only to realize that maybe Monk is fine as he is.
When speaking to Variety, the writer of the episode, Loni Steele Sosthand, said her team stumbled into some roadblocks when animating the episode and incorporating ASL; The Simpsons characters only have four fingers.
“That was a little tricky, especially because the one thing we’re translating is Shakespeare,” she said. “But I think we pulled it off.” She also explained that the episode was based on her family and personal history. Sosthand’s father was a jazz musician and he used his love of music to bring a sense of culture to their family home in the suburbs. “But when I think about music, I also think about my brother, who was born deaf. When we were talking about this Bleeding Gums character in our initial brainstorms, we thought, wouldn’t it be cool if Lisa discovers this whole other side of his life,” she said.
The character of Monk is portrayed by John Autry II. “It’s so incredible,” he said of the job. “It’s life-changing equality and participation. This can impact change for all of us. It’s about hard of hearing and hearing characters coming together. It’s a part of history.”
© 20TH TELEVISIONRepresentation for deaf people has been slowly but steadily improving. This year, “Coda” won the Academy Award for Best Picture and its story centered on a girl who is the only hearing member of her family. While Sosthand is aware of the film, she explains that The Simpsons episode was in development long before the release of it, showing that the awareness of these topics in media goes beyond one particular film or episode of television. Last year, “The Sound of Metal” was also nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. The film followed a musician who suddenly loses his hearing, and how that impacts his life and relationships.
