The Devil Wears Nada - Reception

Reception

During the episode's original broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on November 15, 2009, it was watched by approximately 9.04 million viewers. In the demographic for adults aged 18–49, the episode received a 4.2 rating (up 2% from the previous episode) and a 10% share. It was the second-highest rated television series in the 8:00 p.m. timeslot, following Football Night in America, which received a 5.3 rating and 15.1 million viewers.

Since airing, "The Devil Wears Nada" has received mixed reviews from television critics. AOL TV's Jason Hughes was positive about it, commenting that "everything about the episode worked, from Marge's sexy calendar to Ned Flanders' role in the final moments." He added that he thought the episode featured "the heart I felt was missing all season. The love between Homer and Marge dominated this episode, coming in equal strength from both sides." Hughes concluded that "The Devil Wears Nada" featured "good moments for humor" and that it was "perfectly balanced, written and executed."

Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club was less positive, giving the episode a C+ rating. He commented that because there have already been so many episodes about Homer and Marge's marital troubles, it becomes more difficult every time to make the episodes emotional. VanDerWerff added that "while the flip side of the usual husband/wife sexual dynamics had a few promising jokes in it and while there were the usual funny sight gags and one-liners, the entirety of the episode felt stale. There's no way Homer or Marge will ever cheat on each other, and that makes a story like this essentially boring." IGN's Robert Canning gave the episode a rating of 6.2 out of 10, calling it disappointing. He commented that he enjoyed the first act of the episode because it had a lot of potential storylines, but it went downhill from there and became boring. Canning added: "This was another case of the series returning to familiar storylines. It's tough to get away from this one — trouble in the bedroom — as they are a married couple and this is, essentially, a sitcom. Unfortunately, 'The Devil Wears Nada' doesn't give the story anything new." Similarly to VanDerWerff, Canning did not find the episode enjoying because it was obvious that Marge and Ned would not have a "a night of passion" since "Marge is too loving a wife and Ned is too good a Christian".

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