 The episode was written by Jonathan Collier , and directed by Susie Dietter . Former The Simpsons ' show runner David Mirkin originally came up with the idea of Bart having a girlfriend that was more evil than he was . Meryl Streep guest stars in the episode as Jessica Lovejoy . It features cultural references to films such as Planet of the Apes and The Silence of the Lambs . Since airing , the episode has received acclaim from both critics and fans , and Entertainment Weekly named Meryl Streep 's role as one of the best guest appearances on The Simpsons . 
