What’s better than some Benedict Cumberbatch for Valentine’s Day? We already knew that he finagled a guest spot on The Simpsons, but we didn’t realize his episode was coming up so soon! This homage to love airs Sunday, so Fox has released a short video featuring Cumberbatch and his brilliant Severus Snape/Alan Rickman impression.
“Love Is A Many-Splintered Thing” sees the men of Springfield turning to British rom-coms for advice with their women. Homer needs to win his way back into the house after Marge kicks him out, while Bart is trying to impress Mary Spuckler (Zooey Deschanel). Clearly, the best solution for both their romantic dilemmas is Love, Indubitably. (No word on whether this is an homage to the Arrested Development joke or just lazy writing.)
Listen closely, because Cumberbatch appears twice in this short video poking fun at the Brits’ take on love. The first is pretty standard: He does a great impression of Hugh Grant’s halting Prime Minister character from Love, Actually. But then, something we never expected—Severus Snape getting all choked up about true love, and Lily Potter isn’t even around! Cumberbatch nails Alan Rickman’s drawl, as well he might.
There’s a little bit of an echo on this YouTube video, so if you want your Cumberbatch crystal-clear, check out the original video on Entertainment Weekly’s website.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_H3NGtdBeSE
Check out the full episode Sunday, February 10th at 8 p.m. EST.
Natalie Zutter is a playwright, foodie, and the co-creator of Leftovers, a webcomic about food trucks in the zombie apocalypse. Her writing has appeared on Ology and Crushable, where she discusses celebrity culture alongside internet memes (or vice versa). Weekly you can find her commenting on pop culture on KoPoint’s podcast AFK On Air, calling in to the Hunger Games Fireside Chat podcast, reviewing new releases at Movie Mezzanine, and on Twitter.
