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America's Favorite Non-prehistoric Cartoon Family - The Simpsons Thread
- Thread starter Johnny Unusual
- Start date
jpfriction
(He, Him)
I got a kick out of the andy griffith show thing, but I’m apparently a sucker for a Charles Bronson joke . Hell, I even chuckled at “Bronson Missouri”
“No dice”
“No dice”
You’d have to be made of stone not to chuckle at that
“Ma, can I have some cookies”
“Ma, can I have some cookies”
That's one of those jokes that gets better (worse?) when you learn that Mississippi only officially abolished slavery eight years ago.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Whoa. That's... *feels entire body deflate*
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show
When did I stop watching the Simpsons? Not that long ago, really. About... five years ago. Which, come to think of it, is actually a long time ago in TV time. I've struggled through some crappy episodes but when I finally returned to my hometown after two years in China I finally sort of left the show behind. It just stopped being worth it. There were still one or two good episodes per season but it just wasn't worth wading through cringe-worthy weak comedy. I hung in for decades after complaints of its downturn and defended it, knowing that it wasn't as good as its golden era that it had its merits. But eventually the merits weren't worth it. With the Simpsons on Disney Plus, I actually intend to watch EVERY episode that appears on there but I don't regret leaving it behind. There are better things to do with my time.
In this episode, Itchy and Scratchy finds itself in the ratings dump due to viewer disinterest and the show finds itself scrambling to stay afloat. They land on adding a new character designed to appeal to kids. The show then holds auditions and finds a new voice in Homer due to his "in your face" attitude. Soon, the new character, Poochie, is being hyped up to a ridiculous degree but once the first episode airs, the cringeworthy and transparent attempts to pander to the young audience alienates everyone. In damage control, the show plans on axing Poochie but Homer is insistent they don't and makes a soulful plea for the case of Poochie. It seems to get a response but watching the show at home, he learns they killed Poochie off without his knowledge and basically threw Homer under the bus.
The Simpsons have done a lot of jokes about itself as a show but this episode is more about the Simpsons than any previous episode about the Simpsons. The Simpsons writers were aware of increased criticism of the show, particularly on the then novel internet and the show struggling with it. The episode could easily have been bitter/sour grapes alone. There is a lot of needling the fans who complain about the show, mostly in Comic Book Guy and Kent Brockman but the fact that the episode is very funny and insightful about the nature of making a show and the business of TV makes shade throwing pretty forgivable*. The show does defend itself saying that the quality is equal (after last episode, I'm not so sure) and seems to be upset that the "audience of stupid kids" doesn't seem to know what it wants. But at the same time, Roger Meyers says that and is an asshole, meaning that his frustration and taking it out on the audience is rightly meant to be a bad look, like as if the writers have the frustration and want to take it out on the critics but know its not actually constructive. They also talk about trying to balance the human element and the wacky elements of the show, both of which helped in the shows popularity and feel a struggle between being a down to earth show and something with magic robots.
But for the Simpsons issues, one is generally not network interference. So the Simpsons decides to explore what that would look like with a new, obnoxious new character being thrown in. The character isn't a character so much as a patchwork of "cool" as decided by out-of-touch committee thinking from Krusty, Roger Meyers Jr and in her first appearance Lindsay Nagel, the show's embodiment of business in a form that isn't Mr. Burns. While Burns is overtly evil, Lindsay is business is sheep's clothing, acting like she's friendly and helpful while still perpetuating evil, though more on the side of consumption and market saturation rather than excess and intended cruelty. But the focus here is on Poochie, who exists for empty self-promotion. When he finally shows up, the completely diverts hi-jinx in order to turn the show into a commercial for himself where he talks himself up, impresses the title characters and fails to actually do anything. He's a commentary both on the time honored tradition of trying to goose TV ratings with an awful new character (re: Cousin Oliver in the Brady Bunch) and marketings take on the 90s. Like, Poochie is kind of perfect in that he's extremely a product of his time and it completely sells how awful he is in a weirdly timeless way.
The Simpsons would become a show that would comment on itself a little too much. Sometimes it was just tone deaf, such as the episode where they basically ask "I mean, can we really DO anything about Apu?" and sometimes it works (hot take: I LOVE Behind the Laughter). I feel like they spent too much time making jokes about the characters acting out of character until they were less consistent with the characters. This one is a particularly strong one and I think one that is acknowledging, incorrectly, that the show might be reaching its expiration date. The episode doesn't end with Itchy and Scratchy solving its problem, it ends with the new problem they created being fixed. The kids once again, happy with the show, decide to drop off of it, because they no longer have any desire to watch a good show. Ironically the show has the opposite problem, a walking corpse that won't seem to die despite consistently abysmal quality that makes watching my favourite fictional characters a chore at best. Maybe its better to fade away rather than... super fade away? Whatever is beyond regular fading away, I guess.
Jokes I missed before:
Not much of a joke but a note from Krusty to the cleaning crew to stay away from the booze in his office.
Other great jokes:
This whole scene is gold.
"I don't want to sound pretentious here but Itchy and Scratchy comprise a dramaturgical dyad."
"We're talking the original dog from Hell!"
"You mean Cerberus?"
"Excuse me, but pro-active and paradigm, aren't these just buzzwords that dumb people use to sound important? I'm fired, aren't I?"
"What were you guys smoking when you came up with that one?"
"We were eating rotisserie chicken."
"You mean meep meep?"
"No, they only paid me to say it once and then they doubled it up on the soundtrack. Cheap bastards."
"No, Homer, very few cartoons are broadcast live. Its a terrible strain on the animator's wrist."
"1969. Man walks on the moon. 1971. Man walks on the moon again."
When are they going to get to the fireworks factory is a classic and can be used to describe a lot of shows where they decide to pad out a show with nothingness. Looking at you Marvel Netflix shows.
"Homer, I can honestly say that was the best episode of Impy and Chimpy I've ever seen."
"Yeah, Homer, you should be really proud. You have a wonderful home here."
"Bart's right, let's none of us have a cow."
"1. Poochie needs to be louder, angrier and have access to a time machine
2. Whenever Poochie's not on screen, all the other characters should be asking 'where's Poochie?'"
Other notes:
* That said, I feel like Kent Brockman saying he's waiting to jump on and insult the show feels more like a straw man figure. I guess hate watching is a thing but people aren't waiting for the things they like to turn bad so they can attack them.
"So you want a realistic down to Earth show that's completely off the wall and swarming with magic robots."
Re: listening to your own voice.
I hear you, Homer. I hate the sound of my own voice.
June Bellamy is clearly based on June Foray. Shame she never appeared as the character. But she actually did appear as a number of small characters in "Some Enchanted Evening"!
Foley has a pretty good rusty chainsaw.
When did I stop watching the Simpsons? Not that long ago, really. About... five years ago. Which, come to think of it, is actually a long time ago in TV time. I've struggled through some crappy episodes but when I finally returned to my hometown after two years in China I finally sort of left the show behind. It just stopped being worth it. There were still one or two good episodes per season but it just wasn't worth wading through cringe-worthy weak comedy. I hung in for decades after complaints of its downturn and defended it, knowing that it wasn't as good as its golden era that it had its merits. But eventually the merits weren't worth it. With the Simpsons on Disney Plus, I actually intend to watch EVERY episode that appears on there but I don't regret leaving it behind. There are better things to do with my time.
In this episode, Itchy and Scratchy finds itself in the ratings dump due to viewer disinterest and the show finds itself scrambling to stay afloat. They land on adding a new character designed to appeal to kids. The show then holds auditions and finds a new voice in Homer due to his "in your face" attitude. Soon, the new character, Poochie, is being hyped up to a ridiculous degree but once the first episode airs, the cringeworthy and transparent attempts to pander to the young audience alienates everyone. In damage control, the show plans on axing Poochie but Homer is insistent they don't and makes a soulful plea for the case of Poochie. It seems to get a response but watching the show at home, he learns they killed Poochie off without his knowledge and basically threw Homer under the bus.
The Simpsons have done a lot of jokes about itself as a show but this episode is more about the Simpsons than any previous episode about the Simpsons. The Simpsons writers were aware of increased criticism of the show, particularly on the then novel internet and the show struggling with it. The episode could easily have been bitter/sour grapes alone. There is a lot of needling the fans who complain about the show, mostly in Comic Book Guy and Kent Brockman but the fact that the episode is very funny and insightful about the nature of making a show and the business of TV makes shade throwing pretty forgivable*. The show does defend itself saying that the quality is equal (after last episode, I'm not so sure) and seems to be upset that the "audience of stupid kids" doesn't seem to know what it wants. But at the same time, Roger Meyers says that and is an asshole, meaning that his frustration and taking it out on the audience is rightly meant to be a bad look, like as if the writers have the frustration and want to take it out on the critics but know its not actually constructive. They also talk about trying to balance the human element and the wacky elements of the show, both of which helped in the shows popularity and feel a struggle between being a down to earth show and something with magic robots.
But for the Simpsons issues, one is generally not network interference. So the Simpsons decides to explore what that would look like with a new, obnoxious new character being thrown in. The character isn't a character so much as a patchwork of "cool" as decided by out-of-touch committee thinking from Krusty, Roger Meyers Jr and in her first appearance Lindsay Nagel, the show's embodiment of business in a form that isn't Mr. Burns. While Burns is overtly evil, Lindsay is business is sheep's clothing, acting like she's friendly and helpful while still perpetuating evil, though more on the side of consumption and market saturation rather than excess and intended cruelty. But the focus here is on Poochie, who exists for empty self-promotion. When he finally shows up, the completely diverts hi-jinx in order to turn the show into a commercial for himself where he talks himself up, impresses the title characters and fails to actually do anything. He's a commentary both on the time honored tradition of trying to goose TV ratings with an awful new character (re: Cousin Oliver in the Brady Bunch) and marketings take on the 90s. Like, Poochie is kind of perfect in that he's extremely a product of his time and it completely sells how awful he is in a weirdly timeless way.
The Simpsons would become a show that would comment on itself a little too much. Sometimes it was just tone deaf, such as the episode where they basically ask "I mean, can we really DO anything about Apu?" and sometimes it works (hot take: I LOVE Behind the Laughter). I feel like they spent too much time making jokes about the characters acting out of character until they were less consistent with the characters. This one is a particularly strong one and I think one that is acknowledging, incorrectly, that the show might be reaching its expiration date. The episode doesn't end with Itchy and Scratchy solving its problem, it ends with the new problem they created being fixed. The kids once again, happy with the show, decide to drop off of it, because they no longer have any desire to watch a good show. Ironically the show has the opposite problem, a walking corpse that won't seem to die despite consistently abysmal quality that makes watching my favourite fictional characters a chore at best. Maybe its better to fade away rather than... super fade away? Whatever is beyond regular fading away, I guess.
Jokes I missed before:
Not much of a joke but a note from Krusty to the cleaning crew to stay away from the booze in his office.
Other great jokes:
This whole scene is gold.
"I don't want to sound pretentious here but Itchy and Scratchy comprise a dramaturgical dyad."
"We're talking the original dog from Hell!"
"You mean Cerberus?"
"Excuse me, but pro-active and paradigm, aren't these just buzzwords that dumb people use to sound important? I'm fired, aren't I?"
"What were you guys smoking when you came up with that one?"
"We were eating rotisserie chicken."
"You mean meep meep?"
"No, they only paid me to say it once and then they doubled it up on the soundtrack. Cheap bastards."
"No, Homer, very few cartoons are broadcast live. Its a terrible strain on the animator's wrist."
"1969. Man walks on the moon. 1971. Man walks on the moon again."
"Homer, I can honestly say that was the best episode of Impy and Chimpy I've ever seen."
"Yeah, Homer, you should be really proud. You have a wonderful home here."
"Bart's right, let's none of us have a cow."
"1. Poochie needs to be louder, angrier and have access to a time machine
2. Whenever Poochie's not on screen, all the other characters should be asking 'where's Poochie?'"
Other notes:
* That said, I feel like Kent Brockman saying he's waiting to jump on and insult the show feels more like a straw man figure. I guess hate watching is a thing but people aren't waiting for the things they like to turn bad so they can attack them.
"So you want a realistic down to Earth show that's completely off the wall and swarming with magic robots."
Re: listening to your own voice.
I hear you, Homer. I hate the sound of my own voice.
June Bellamy is clearly based on June Foray. Shame she never appeared as the character. But she actually did appear as a number of small characters in "Some Enchanted Evening"!
Foley has a pretty good rusty chainsaw.
Ludendorkk
(he/him)
Basically a perfect episode. Wall-to-wall great jokes
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Homer's Phobia
Its easy for me to regret looking back on my past self. I don't think I was hateful towards gays but I feel my journey was similar to a lot of people growing up in the late 80s/early 90s. Calling another kid gay was a BIG insult. Eventually, I realized what it all meant.... but it didn't stop me from using "gay" as a pejorative, thinking I could separate support and using a language in a harmful way. And while I was "better", it took me a long time to see other ways in which I was judgmental in ways I look back on with shame. And I feel like I was mirroring the opinions of a lot of culture at the time, where on TV, gay panic was funny, gay sexual assault could be played for laughs (seriously, last decade Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart made AN ENTIRE MOVIE about that premise) and we were getting positive gay characters but many had to be extremely broad and outsized. Even as there was more representation, that representation often happened in ways that would make us cringe today. So did the Simpsons have one of the better or worse episodes of that era.
In this episode, the Simpsons need money and the family goes to a used goods store that deals in toys and campy oddities to sell a civil war doll. The doll doesn't go for much but talking with the store owner, John, they suspect there might be a lot of campy goods that can sell for a lot in the Simpson' household. They invite John over and he and the Simpsons really hit it off and they become good friends. But when Homer learns that John is gay, he freaks out. Homer refuses to spend time with John but Homer notices Bart is imitating John and becomes worried that he's "turning him gay". Homer tries to find ways to make Bart "manly" but feels he is failing. Moe suggests they go hunting and Homer, Barney and Moe take Bart hunting, only to come up empty. Turns out, as John knows, there are no more deer in Springfield but Moe takes everyone to Santa's village to kill reindeer in captivity. Bart refuses but the reindeer begin getting territorial and attack them. They are saved by John and Homer learns to accept John as a friend and begins to rethink his feelings on homosexuality, letting Bart know if he's gay, he will still love and support him.
Boy, I feel like there is a lot to unpack in this one. So much that even leading up to this, I was asking myself "for an episode that is very gay positive but also uses stereotypes and gay panic at its core, I'm not sure I have all the experience to judge this episode as well as someone who IS gay." So to that end, I listened to an episode of the podcast "Gayest Episode Ever" about this episode, which was enlightening. It was enlightening to me. Yes, the gay steel mill is full of super broad stereotypes but at the same time, one of the hosts described it as an eye-opening moment for him, seeing men joyously dancing together. Generally, they came down positively on it and I can see why, particularly when compared to a lot of TV at the time. One of the reasons I am often hesitant to comment on certain uses of gay stereotypes is because many gay performers used them in their work. I was a big fan of the Kids in the Hall and Scott Thompson (who I'm bummed to learn has proven himself transphobic) often used broad gay characters (most famously his "Alpha ***" Buddy Cole). I feel I can't comment as well on others what is simply stereotyping and what is simply a part of gay culture made by gay culture itself.
But I feel like there's more good than bad in this episode. The gay steel mill is the show at its most broad with limp-wristed muscle men who break out into a big dance party almost instantly. Meanwhile, John himself is clearly gay and while he's not subtle about it, he also isn't an outsized character (especially compared to the residents of Springfield who are often outsized. Springfield will even get its own extremely broad gay character in Julio the hairdresser). The other thing I noted when listening to Gayest Episode Ever is that though the hosts are not interested in camp, they extremely related to John's nerdy interests and collections of toys and robots and obsession with cartoons (noting that most of the gay people they know just... have lots of robots). John is a very positive and likable character but it also feels like he's not just some perfect gay paragon, he's just a cool, nice guy whose fun to hang out with. But, at the same time, it is a bit weird HOW cool John is, namely that he can calmly sit down and let Homer heap abuse on him as he patiently tries to reason with Homer. And that's cool but frankly he shouldn't HAVE to take that abuse. Then again, maybe that's just because I'm in a place of privilege. I wonder if in the 90s, prejudice (high and low key) was so prevalent that people would be expected to take such abuse.
Homer being homophobic is somewhat in character with one-off jokes. Of course, other one off jokes implied him to be curious about having "strange bedfellows". But for all of Homer's many flaws, including CHILD ABUSE (there's another strangulation joke in this episode), homophobia seems harsher than usual, even for this era. In the end, it is positive and Homer learns his lesson and I feel like Homer letting himself get beaten up by deer in order to protect his son is to show him a person who we want to see learn to be better. I don't think that even with a redemption arc, I can't imagine having a lead character in a modern show being homophobic, even for an episode. Homer's prejudice in the episode always makes him look terrible and stupid while trying to balance a genuine love and concern for his son but that kind of balance would be harder to present now. And most of the episode, he's trying to "un-gay" his son, which I feel is harder to watch for people for whom that was a very real and very harrowing experience. I do agree with Gayest Episode Ever that for the most part it is an episode with more good than ill but, again, I feel the opinions of people within the LGBT community carry a lot more weight and I could see disagreement on the subject of this episode in terms of individual jokes and the big picture. Its sad to know, though, that in general, the show actually kind of gets WORSE in terms of gay representation. Julio is an ultra-broad gay caricature in the vein of Serge from Beverly Hills Cop and the next big episode about homosexuality is "maybe Homer lives with some gay guys and almost turns gay". There's more overt transphobia, such as the episode where Patty comes out of the closet. Even recently, there was apparently a weird "Marge as a lesbian lumberjack bride" episode that, if it wasn't the Simpsons, might have sounded amazing but the few clips I've seen... ehhhhh, not so much. Its weird to see a show I once thought of as progressive in its views comes across as regressive the longer it goes on, despite what they must feel are efforts towards the contrary.
Jokes I missed before:
"Hot stuff coming through" guy is using pot holders.
Other great jokes:
I love Skinner looking for neutral political campaign buttons.
"She thought that Mindy lived with Mark."
"GIVE HER A BREAK, HER HUSBAND WAS KILLED!"
"I know, wasn't that awful."
"He prefers the company of men!"
"Who doesn't!"
"Bart, where did you get that shirt?"
"I dunno. Came out of the closet."
"Where ya been Homer? The entire steel industry's gay. Aerospace, too. And the railroads. And you know what else? ...Broadway.
I love the thrown off detail that the entire state park converted to astro turf.
I also like that John assumes that Santa is cruel to his reindeer. And he's probably right. Never meet your heroes, kids.
Other notes:
I never really got around to talking about John Waters in the episode. He's really good in it. I've actually seen only one Waters movie, the original Hairspray, but I liked it. I imagine most audience members wouldn't realize he's a provocateur and an originator of gross-out comedy cinema.
I also feel like having the episode starting out with camp makes so much sense as even before the episode the Simpson house is super-campy thanks to the kind of 1950s kitsch that was big in the 80s inspired the show's home. I'm pretty sure Waters called the place "the gayest house on TV".
One of the working titles was "Bart Goes to Camp" which is great.
I feel I was talking so much about the baggage of 90s gay representation and messaging that I missed saying its a well-directed and edited episode. Because it is.
Its easy for me to regret looking back on my past self. I don't think I was hateful towards gays but I feel my journey was similar to a lot of people growing up in the late 80s/early 90s. Calling another kid gay was a BIG insult. Eventually, I realized what it all meant.... but it didn't stop me from using "gay" as a pejorative, thinking I could separate support and using a language in a harmful way. And while I was "better", it took me a long time to see other ways in which I was judgmental in ways I look back on with shame. And I feel like I was mirroring the opinions of a lot of culture at the time, where on TV, gay panic was funny, gay sexual assault could be played for laughs (seriously, last decade Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart made AN ENTIRE MOVIE about that premise) and we were getting positive gay characters but many had to be extremely broad and outsized. Even as there was more representation, that representation often happened in ways that would make us cringe today. So did the Simpsons have one of the better or worse episodes of that era.
In this episode, the Simpsons need money and the family goes to a used goods store that deals in toys and campy oddities to sell a civil war doll. The doll doesn't go for much but talking with the store owner, John, they suspect there might be a lot of campy goods that can sell for a lot in the Simpson' household. They invite John over and he and the Simpsons really hit it off and they become good friends. But when Homer learns that John is gay, he freaks out. Homer refuses to spend time with John but Homer notices Bart is imitating John and becomes worried that he's "turning him gay". Homer tries to find ways to make Bart "manly" but feels he is failing. Moe suggests they go hunting and Homer, Barney and Moe take Bart hunting, only to come up empty. Turns out, as John knows, there are no more deer in Springfield but Moe takes everyone to Santa's village to kill reindeer in captivity. Bart refuses but the reindeer begin getting territorial and attack them. They are saved by John and Homer learns to accept John as a friend and begins to rethink his feelings on homosexuality, letting Bart know if he's gay, he will still love and support him.
Boy, I feel like there is a lot to unpack in this one. So much that even leading up to this, I was asking myself "for an episode that is very gay positive but also uses stereotypes and gay panic at its core, I'm not sure I have all the experience to judge this episode as well as someone who IS gay." So to that end, I listened to an episode of the podcast "Gayest Episode Ever" about this episode, which was enlightening. It was enlightening to me. Yes, the gay steel mill is full of super broad stereotypes but at the same time, one of the hosts described it as an eye-opening moment for him, seeing men joyously dancing together. Generally, they came down positively on it and I can see why, particularly when compared to a lot of TV at the time. One of the reasons I am often hesitant to comment on certain uses of gay stereotypes is because many gay performers used them in their work. I was a big fan of the Kids in the Hall and Scott Thompson (who I'm bummed to learn has proven himself transphobic) often used broad gay characters (most famously his "Alpha ***" Buddy Cole). I feel I can't comment as well on others what is simply stereotyping and what is simply a part of gay culture made by gay culture itself.
But I feel like there's more good than bad in this episode. The gay steel mill is the show at its most broad with limp-wristed muscle men who break out into a big dance party almost instantly. Meanwhile, John himself is clearly gay and while he's not subtle about it, he also isn't an outsized character (especially compared to the residents of Springfield who are often outsized. Springfield will even get its own extremely broad gay character in Julio the hairdresser). The other thing I noted when listening to Gayest Episode Ever is that though the hosts are not interested in camp, they extremely related to John's nerdy interests and collections of toys and robots and obsession with cartoons (noting that most of the gay people they know just... have lots of robots). John is a very positive and likable character but it also feels like he's not just some perfect gay paragon, he's just a cool, nice guy whose fun to hang out with. But, at the same time, it is a bit weird HOW cool John is, namely that he can calmly sit down and let Homer heap abuse on him as he patiently tries to reason with Homer. And that's cool but frankly he shouldn't HAVE to take that abuse. Then again, maybe that's just because I'm in a place of privilege. I wonder if in the 90s, prejudice (high and low key) was so prevalent that people would be expected to take such abuse.
Homer being homophobic is somewhat in character with one-off jokes. Of course, other one off jokes implied him to be curious about having "strange bedfellows". But for all of Homer's many flaws, including CHILD ABUSE (there's another strangulation joke in this episode), homophobia seems harsher than usual, even for this era. In the end, it is positive and Homer learns his lesson and I feel like Homer letting himself get beaten up by deer in order to protect his son is to show him a person who we want to see learn to be better. I don't think that even with a redemption arc, I can't imagine having a lead character in a modern show being homophobic, even for an episode. Homer's prejudice in the episode always makes him look terrible and stupid while trying to balance a genuine love and concern for his son but that kind of balance would be harder to present now. And most of the episode, he's trying to "un-gay" his son, which I feel is harder to watch for people for whom that was a very real and very harrowing experience. I do agree with Gayest Episode Ever that for the most part it is an episode with more good than ill but, again, I feel the opinions of people within the LGBT community carry a lot more weight and I could see disagreement on the subject of this episode in terms of individual jokes and the big picture. Its sad to know, though, that in general, the show actually kind of gets WORSE in terms of gay representation. Julio is an ultra-broad gay caricature in the vein of Serge from Beverly Hills Cop and the next big episode about homosexuality is "maybe Homer lives with some gay guys and almost turns gay". There's more overt transphobia, such as the episode where Patty comes out of the closet. Even recently, there was apparently a weird "Marge as a lesbian lumberjack bride" episode that, if it wasn't the Simpsons, might have sounded amazing but the few clips I've seen... ehhhhh, not so much. Its weird to see a show I once thought of as progressive in its views comes across as regressive the longer it goes on, despite what they must feel are efforts towards the contrary.
Jokes I missed before:
"Hot stuff coming through" guy is using pot holders.
Other great jokes:
I love Skinner looking for neutral political campaign buttons.
"She thought that Mindy lived with Mark."
"GIVE HER A BREAK, HER HUSBAND WAS KILLED!"
"I know, wasn't that awful."
"He prefers the company of men!"
"Who doesn't!"
"Bart, where did you get that shirt?"
"I dunno. Came out of the closet."
"Where ya been Homer? The entire steel industry's gay. Aerospace, too. And the railroads. And you know what else? ...Broadway.
I love the thrown off detail that the entire state park converted to astro turf.
I also like that John assumes that Santa is cruel to his reindeer. And he's probably right. Never meet your heroes, kids.
Other notes:
I never really got around to talking about John Waters in the episode. He's really good in it. I've actually seen only one Waters movie, the original Hairspray, but I liked it. I imagine most audience members wouldn't realize he's a provocateur and an originator of gross-out comedy cinema.
I also feel like having the episode starting out with camp makes so much sense as even before the episode the Simpson house is super-campy thanks to the kind of 1950s kitsch that was big in the 80s inspired the show's home. I'm pretty sure Waters called the place "the gayest house on TV".
One of the working titles was "Bart Goes to Camp" which is great.
I feel I was talking so much about the baggage of 90s gay representation and messaging that I missed saying its a well-directed and edited episode. Because it is.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
And another actual good friend for Marge just fades away into the ether...
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
OK but surely they can just have Tress MacNeil or Pamela Hayden be some kind of friend. Homer has three besties and while they are varying degrees of imperfect, they are pretty OK at being friends. What does Marge have? Maybe Helen Lovejoy. She doesn't even get Maude, the worst Flanders.
I am so disappointed that the show killed Maude off back in Season 11. Especially by how they did it.
Marge could definitely use a friend who's not limited by the difficulties of getting a special guest star in a recurring role. Lisa, too; she's had a lot of friends who rarely showed up again (if ever) 'cuz someone famous was in the role.
Marge could definitely use a friend who's not limited by the difficulties of getting a special guest star in a recurring role. Lisa, too; she's had a lot of friends who rarely showed up again (if ever) 'cuz someone famous was in the role.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
I stand by my "Maude is the worst Flanders" statement, but that show did her dirty when they could have just had her in the background. She was never essential to the show. BUT I will say while I don't like killing Maude off in such a nasty way, I think single/widower Flanders is an interesting wrinkle, albeit one with the misfortune to happen alongside his Flanderization.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Brother from Another Series
I love my sister but I would be lying if there wasn't a sense of tension. She was always the successful one while I was the one who is getting by. She has a house, loving kids and partner and a lifetime of accomplishments. I certainly have a few but I've always been much more flighty, moving from different jobs and no strong attachments beyond a handful of friends and my family. I have no bitterness towards my sister so much as when I make the error of comparing lives, I cannot help finding myself wanting and I can see why bitterness could fester between siblings.
In this episode, Sideshow Bob is once again being released from prison due to being a modern prisoner. Bob finds himself placed in his brother's care as part of a work release program. Cecil had a falling out years before due to Bob taking Cecil's dream job by chance. Now Cecil is overseeing the construction of a dam harnessing the power of the Springfield river. While Bob uses his charm to win over the town once more, Bart is understandably paranoid and begins stalking him in order to figure out whatever evil scheme he has up his sleeve. Bart and Lisa break into Bob's office and find a suitcase full of money. While accusing Bob of embezzlement, Bob discovers that the dam is missing the essential concrete to support it. In fact, Bob is innocent and the real criminal is Cecil, planning to blow up Bob, the dam and the Simpson kids. Bob and Bart are forced to work together and manage to outwit Cecil and even earn a mutual trust. But unfortunately for Bob, Chief Wiggum mistakenly assumes Bob and Cecil were working together and has them both arrested.
I've always liked this episode but I was kind of surprised to find on rewatch how great this episode is. This season has been strong but has also shown a few more "cracks in the show's hilarious façade" and an episode with some fun in-joke stunt casting feels like it would lead to an episode that doesn't try too hard. But Sideshow Bob episodes to this point have all been delights and have allowed the show to be within the thriller genre while still being a comedy. The laughs are there but the thrills are actually genuine in his episodes and this episode, where even the title reminds us "it's the Crane bros!" is no exception. As a thriller, it is fun and works not as a parody but like one of Hitchcock's more rollicking adventures. That sounds like a lot and, yes, it isn't as good as the best Hitchcock but as an episode of a sitcom it works amazingly well, with a fun plot that builds up to a Bart/Bob team up that is fun.
Obviously, there's an appeal to making the Terwilliger brothers basically being the bizarro Crane brothers in the Simpson universe and the show is not afraid to indulge in that but it never happens at the expense of the actual plot. But the dynamic between Bart and Bob gets to be different this time, particularly when they team up and I feel like Bob and Bart (but mostly Bob) making the decision of self-sacrifice is a great little moment. As a villain, Cecil is fun too, getting some great villain lines ("There will be a slight ringing in your ears. Thankfully, you'll be nowhere near them".) Its just so much fun from beginning to end.
The writer is Ken Keeler whose next big episode and his last on the show is the much reviled Principal and the Pauper which, lets face it, seems a LOT better in retrospect. Like, seriously, is the ignored retcon really worse than the Musk episode or their pisspoor non-argument about their decades long use of brownface. Ken would go on to write a LOT of Futurama episodes (including the wonderful brainswitching episode Prisoner of Benda) and its no wonder he worked so well in a series like the Simpsons but leaning more towards adventure. He made one of the strongest episodes of the season in this one and the great script is also buoyed by strong direction from Pete Michaels and I'm also impressed with the performances with a lot of chemistry between the actors (or at least their voices with some fantastic editing). Such good line reads. Most of the time I like to analyze the show by theme and its in their: festering feelings of fear and resentment, but first and foremost, this episode is a ride, one that I heartily recommend.
Jokes I missed before:
I'd completely forgotten about the opening joke, a parody of Johnny Cash's Fulsom Prison show, a gag that flew over my head at the time. BTW, I have that album now and it is fucking killer.
Other great jokes:
"He said 'tried'."
I love David Hyde Pierce's sarcastic line read when he talks about being "on Mars". Overenunciated and staccato. Great A+ sarcasm.
"If only you knew what he was thinking."
"I hope they still make that shampoo I like."
"You can't ask God to kill someone."
"Yeah, you do your own dirty work."
"The four years at clown college."
"I'll thank you not to refer to Princeton that way."
"Shake it, madam! Capital knockers!"
"Well, that's the last time I announce my dinner plans in class."
"What were you thinking?"
"The haunted mine."
"Be careful, there's hydroelectricity in there!"
That gag fucking slays me every time. Just the idea that Bart uses Lisa as the muscle is... great.
"Isn't that a little crude for a genius like you."
"I suppose it is... if anyone asks, I'll lie!"
"This looks like the work of crazy old Sideshow Bob."
"No, Chief, its the truth."
"That sounds like the testimony of Crazy Old Lisa Simpson."
Other notes:
Bob looks really slick here.
I never thought of it before, but I feel like I'm seeing a young Joseph Cotton here.
I love my sister but I would be lying if there wasn't a sense of tension. She was always the successful one while I was the one who is getting by. She has a house, loving kids and partner and a lifetime of accomplishments. I certainly have a few but I've always been much more flighty, moving from different jobs and no strong attachments beyond a handful of friends and my family. I have no bitterness towards my sister so much as when I make the error of comparing lives, I cannot help finding myself wanting and I can see why bitterness could fester between siblings.
In this episode, Sideshow Bob is once again being released from prison due to being a modern prisoner. Bob finds himself placed in his brother's care as part of a work release program. Cecil had a falling out years before due to Bob taking Cecil's dream job by chance. Now Cecil is overseeing the construction of a dam harnessing the power of the Springfield river. While Bob uses his charm to win over the town once more, Bart is understandably paranoid and begins stalking him in order to figure out whatever evil scheme he has up his sleeve. Bart and Lisa break into Bob's office and find a suitcase full of money. While accusing Bob of embezzlement, Bob discovers that the dam is missing the essential concrete to support it. In fact, Bob is innocent and the real criminal is Cecil, planning to blow up Bob, the dam and the Simpson kids. Bob and Bart are forced to work together and manage to outwit Cecil and even earn a mutual trust. But unfortunately for Bob, Chief Wiggum mistakenly assumes Bob and Cecil were working together and has them both arrested.
I've always liked this episode but I was kind of surprised to find on rewatch how great this episode is. This season has been strong but has also shown a few more "cracks in the show's hilarious façade" and an episode with some fun in-joke stunt casting feels like it would lead to an episode that doesn't try too hard. But Sideshow Bob episodes to this point have all been delights and have allowed the show to be within the thriller genre while still being a comedy. The laughs are there but the thrills are actually genuine in his episodes and this episode, where even the title reminds us "it's the Crane bros!" is no exception. As a thriller, it is fun and works not as a parody but like one of Hitchcock's more rollicking adventures. That sounds like a lot and, yes, it isn't as good as the best Hitchcock but as an episode of a sitcom it works amazingly well, with a fun plot that builds up to a Bart/Bob team up that is fun.
Obviously, there's an appeal to making the Terwilliger brothers basically being the bizarro Crane brothers in the Simpson universe and the show is not afraid to indulge in that but it never happens at the expense of the actual plot. But the dynamic between Bart and Bob gets to be different this time, particularly when they team up and I feel like Bob and Bart (but mostly Bob) making the decision of self-sacrifice is a great little moment. As a villain, Cecil is fun too, getting some great villain lines ("There will be a slight ringing in your ears. Thankfully, you'll be nowhere near them".) Its just so much fun from beginning to end.
The writer is Ken Keeler whose next big episode and his last on the show is the much reviled Principal and the Pauper which, lets face it, seems a LOT better in retrospect. Like, seriously, is the ignored retcon really worse than the Musk episode or their pisspoor non-argument about their decades long use of brownface. Ken would go on to write a LOT of Futurama episodes (including the wonderful brainswitching episode Prisoner of Benda) and its no wonder he worked so well in a series like the Simpsons but leaning more towards adventure. He made one of the strongest episodes of the season in this one and the great script is also buoyed by strong direction from Pete Michaels and I'm also impressed with the performances with a lot of chemistry between the actors (or at least their voices with some fantastic editing). Such good line reads. Most of the time I like to analyze the show by theme and its in their: festering feelings of fear and resentment, but first and foremost, this episode is a ride, one that I heartily recommend.
Jokes I missed before:
I'd completely forgotten about the opening joke, a parody of Johnny Cash's Fulsom Prison show, a gag that flew over my head at the time. BTW, I have that album now and it is fucking killer.
Other great jokes:
"He said 'tried'."
I love David Hyde Pierce's sarcastic line read when he talks about being "on Mars". Overenunciated and staccato. Great A+ sarcasm.
"If only you knew what he was thinking."
"I hope they still make that shampoo I like."
"You can't ask God to kill someone."
"Yeah, you do your own dirty work."
"The four years at clown college."
"I'll thank you not to refer to Princeton that way."
"Shake it, madam! Capital knockers!"
"Well, that's the last time I announce my dinner plans in class."
"What were you thinking?"
"The haunted mine."
"Be careful, there's hydroelectricity in there!"
That gag fucking slays me every time. Just the idea that Bart uses Lisa as the muscle is... great.
"Isn't that a little crude for a genius like you."
"I suppose it is... if anyone asks, I'll lie!"
"This looks like the work of crazy old Sideshow Bob."
"No, Chief, its the truth."
"That sounds like the testimony of Crazy Old Lisa Simpson."
Other notes:
Bob looks really slick here.
I never thought of it before, but I feel like I'm seeing a young Joseph Cotton here.
fanboymaster
(He/Him)
Interviews with Oakley and Weinstein I've heard make it clear that nah they figured Bob'd be back. Shows do silly things when they've been on for ages.
"Now, make yourself at home. Perhaps a glass of Bordeaux? I have the '82 Château Latour, and a rather indifferent Rauzan-Ségla."
"I've been in prison, Cecil. I'll be happy just as long as it doesn't taste like orange drink fermented under a radiator."
"That would be the Latour, then."
"I've been in prison, Cecil. I'll be happy just as long as it doesn't taste like orange drink fermented under a radiator."
"That would be the Latour, then."
Up to season 17. Which is apparently one of the dire ones. I’m aware that there’s an upswing coming, but whuff, they are not making this easy To suffer through.
Girls Just Wanna Do Sums may be in the bottom-most tier of the series, up to an including Homer vs. Dignity. Can’t imagine the Elon Musk one could be much worse.
Girls Just Wanna Do Sums may be in the bottom-most tier of the series, up to an including Homer vs. Dignity. Can’t imagine the Elon Musk one could be much worse.
Jeanie
(Fem or Gender Neutral)
Oh honey, no.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Boy will you be in for a... what's the opposite of a treat? Eye stab?
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
My Sister, My Sitter
My most common recurring dream is about me being in university and finding out I missed an entire semester of class and there's no way to opt out at that point. But in 2017, I started being a nanny and new nightmares of crept in, nightmares of losing my charges. All stem from my own personal fear, my lack of responsible behaviour but one comes from a much more palpable place when it concerns the well-being of small children. I take my work seriously in the waking world but I've definitely made some mistakes and they eat at me when they happen. But my sister still trusts me with her children and in particularly commends me on helping my neice (born with PWS) on helping with her physical therapy. And I am proud of my work but I do still fear making a bad call.
In this episode, Lisa decides to become a babysitter and soon becomes a popular choice among parents. When Marge and Homer have an evening out, Lisa is put in charge and Bart does not like it one bit. Determined to give Lisa a hard time, Bart ups his misbehaviour game, causing Lisa a night of frustration. But things take a more serious turn when Bart falls down the stairs and gets seriously hurt. Bart tries to make his injury worse to try to humiliate Lisa only to knock himself unconscious. Lisa, fearing losing her reputation, decides to forgo going to the family doctor and instead tries to see Dr. Nick Riveria. When Lisa finds that his "confidentiality guaranteed" business has a huge line-up and Lisa is forced to travel several miles to the hospital. However, she ends up accidentally winding up outside of the very event Homer and Marge were going to and her mistakes become very public. The next day, Bart apologizes and Lisa finds that despite her dire mistakes, well, a good babysitter is hard to find...
This one feels like a good companion episode to "Bart Sells His Soul" from a few years back. Bart realizing he sold his soul is his dark night of the soul, but Lisa's is that, out of fear, she makes all the worst calls when push comes to shove. Lisa prides herself on her honesty, her integrity and her ability to do the right thing but in this episode, she makes a series of very bad calls out of fear of losing the very things she gives up to protect them (or the perception of them). As good a person as Lisa is, she's no less immune than anyone else to acting out of fear. Still, the show keeps us entirely on her side: she's proud of her work but smug about it (which she can be, particularly in more latterday episodes) and its understandable for her to be pushed to her limit following Bart's antics, which are even crueler than usual. But the second Bart robs himself of agency due to his own idiocy, Lisa only has herself to blame. And that's the harshest part, as usually Lisa's misfortunate comes from being misunderstood or facing the ignorance of the townspeople. Its an episode where Lisa is still loveable but gets put through the wringer due in part to her bad calls. I like episodes that challenge what characters believe and value about themselves without it feeling like a betrayal of character and this is definitely one.
Its also an episode that requires some suspension of disbelief. Note that this is a show where there was a police line up of aliens a few episodes ago. But this is a much more down-to-Earth episode and its one thing to believe there's an eight year old who reads Gore Vidal, but I feel its another that people would let an eight year old babysit kids of the same age and older. I know its supposed to be "this is how mature Lisa is" and I can go along with it for the sake of a great episode, but it really is ridiculous, even within a comedy. I feel like this tends to happen a lot with Lisa as the show goes on, and Bart to an extent, essentially calling them one age and then giving them stories that make more sense for kids at least five years older.
But at its core, its a very strong episode because of that reason, the realization that Lisa is still only a child and is her way out of her depth with Bart at his worst. At a certain age, kids really only have as much power as they will allow you to have and Lisa really have very few legs to stand on. She can't really make Bart do anything and at her wits end she makes the kind of bad choices many children would. The episode feels tonally very different than the previous one but like the previous one is has a very specific mood. This too has elements of a thriller in the last act with Lisa having a close call and some great style. But its a much more intimate tail with a sense of dread and shame baked in and I always love when the show, which is often very silly, particularly in this era, can make me feel uneasy for its characters who often appear with to be effortlessly wacky. The episode is great at making us feel that fear Lisa fears through out. There have been quite a few funny episodes this season but I feel like the most recent episodes we've hit a vein of true classic episodes. Let's see what the next one is---
OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY!
*ahem* But that will have to wait.
Jokes I missed before:
Other great jokes:
"I can't get enough of the Babysitter Twins. They arrested the counterfeiters, rescued the President and made four dollars."
I love how Flanders' story of Maude being taken hostage turns a harrowing tale into a chore. I love the oomph he puts on the word "drive" in an "ugh, am I right?"
"Gee, I'd love to Flanders but Marge... taken prisoner in... holy land and uh..."
Speaking of great line reads, Todd saying "I don't like this story" is gold.
"I didn't see any UFO!"
"That's right, miss, you didn't."
Other notes:
Rod is twelve. How bad are things going with him developmentally?
When Lisa comforts Homer that people won't see the stains because it will be dark is a surprisingly sweet read and animation for that very small, inessential joke moment. She could have said it merely friendly or with sarcasm but there's a genuine sweetness in the moment. I love that its in there.
Smithers had some sort of unknown butt catastrophe. Poor guy. We all get curious some lonely evenings...
I love that the climax is essentially Lisa's nightmare daydream, only worse.
My most common recurring dream is about me being in university and finding out I missed an entire semester of class and there's no way to opt out at that point. But in 2017, I started being a nanny and new nightmares of crept in, nightmares of losing my charges. All stem from my own personal fear, my lack of responsible behaviour but one comes from a much more palpable place when it concerns the well-being of small children. I take my work seriously in the waking world but I've definitely made some mistakes and they eat at me when they happen. But my sister still trusts me with her children and in particularly commends me on helping my neice (born with PWS) on helping with her physical therapy. And I am proud of my work but I do still fear making a bad call.
In this episode, Lisa decides to become a babysitter and soon becomes a popular choice among parents. When Marge and Homer have an evening out, Lisa is put in charge and Bart does not like it one bit. Determined to give Lisa a hard time, Bart ups his misbehaviour game, causing Lisa a night of frustration. But things take a more serious turn when Bart falls down the stairs and gets seriously hurt. Bart tries to make his injury worse to try to humiliate Lisa only to knock himself unconscious. Lisa, fearing losing her reputation, decides to forgo going to the family doctor and instead tries to see Dr. Nick Riveria. When Lisa finds that his "confidentiality guaranteed" business has a huge line-up and Lisa is forced to travel several miles to the hospital. However, she ends up accidentally winding up outside of the very event Homer and Marge were going to and her mistakes become very public. The next day, Bart apologizes and Lisa finds that despite her dire mistakes, well, a good babysitter is hard to find...
This one feels like a good companion episode to "Bart Sells His Soul" from a few years back. Bart realizing he sold his soul is his dark night of the soul, but Lisa's is that, out of fear, she makes all the worst calls when push comes to shove. Lisa prides herself on her honesty, her integrity and her ability to do the right thing but in this episode, she makes a series of very bad calls out of fear of losing the very things she gives up to protect them (or the perception of them). As good a person as Lisa is, she's no less immune than anyone else to acting out of fear. Still, the show keeps us entirely on her side: she's proud of her work but smug about it (which she can be, particularly in more latterday episodes) and its understandable for her to be pushed to her limit following Bart's antics, which are even crueler than usual. But the second Bart robs himself of agency due to his own idiocy, Lisa only has herself to blame. And that's the harshest part, as usually Lisa's misfortunate comes from being misunderstood or facing the ignorance of the townspeople. Its an episode where Lisa is still loveable but gets put through the wringer due in part to her bad calls. I like episodes that challenge what characters believe and value about themselves without it feeling like a betrayal of character and this is definitely one.
Its also an episode that requires some suspension of disbelief. Note that this is a show where there was a police line up of aliens a few episodes ago. But this is a much more down-to-Earth episode and its one thing to believe there's an eight year old who reads Gore Vidal, but I feel its another that people would let an eight year old babysit kids of the same age and older. I know its supposed to be "this is how mature Lisa is" and I can go along with it for the sake of a great episode, but it really is ridiculous, even within a comedy. I feel like this tends to happen a lot with Lisa as the show goes on, and Bart to an extent, essentially calling them one age and then giving them stories that make more sense for kids at least five years older.
But at its core, its a very strong episode because of that reason, the realization that Lisa is still only a child and is her way out of her depth with Bart at his worst. At a certain age, kids really only have as much power as they will allow you to have and Lisa really have very few legs to stand on. She can't really make Bart do anything and at her wits end she makes the kind of bad choices many children would. The episode feels tonally very different than the previous one but like the previous one is has a very specific mood. This too has elements of a thriller in the last act with Lisa having a close call and some great style. But its a much more intimate tail with a sense of dread and shame baked in and I always love when the show, which is often very silly, particularly in this era, can make me feel uneasy for its characters who often appear with to be effortlessly wacky. The episode is great at making us feel that fear Lisa fears through out. There have been quite a few funny episodes this season but I feel like the most recent episodes we've hit a vein of true classic episodes. Let's see what the next one is---
OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY!
*ahem* But that will have to wait.
Jokes I missed before:
Other great jokes:
"I can't get enough of the Babysitter Twins. They arrested the counterfeiters, rescued the President and made four dollars."
I love how Flanders' story of Maude being taken hostage turns a harrowing tale into a chore. I love the oomph he puts on the word "drive" in an "ugh, am I right?"
"Gee, I'd love to Flanders but Marge... taken prisoner in... holy land and uh..."
Speaking of great line reads, Todd saying "I don't like this story" is gold.
"I didn't see any UFO!"
"That's right, miss, you didn't."
Other notes:
Rod is twelve. How bad are things going with him developmentally?
When Lisa comforts Homer that people won't see the stains because it will be dark is a surprisingly sweet read and animation for that very small, inessential joke moment. She could have said it merely friendly or with sarcasm but there's a genuine sweetness in the moment. I love that its in there.
Smithers had some sort of unknown butt catastrophe. Poor guy. We all get curious some lonely evenings...
I love that the climax is essentially Lisa's nightmare daydream, only worse.
Homer just instantly going to pieces when he walks into the fountain is priceless
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Homer Vs. The Eighteenth Amendment
I never got into alcohol. I've had a drink from time to time but mostly in a celebratory situation or because its basically a sugar drink with some alcohol in it. I never had a moral reason or fear of addiction, I just... was never interested. Its probably for the best because I feel like it would be easy for me, who already has poor impulse control when it comes to regular type food, probably could have gotten to a bad place. But as it stands, I'm usually the guy at a party who stands around watching my friends around me get drunk. I could tell you some stories about JBear. Mostly its "he got drunk and we sat around talking." Oh, and that time he was SO drunk, he confided in me how much my presence and support meant to him in the year following his divorce. Haha! Dork! (*sniff*) But I guess I never found an appeal in drunkenness or drinking.
In this episode, a rowdy, drunken St. Patrick's Day celebration culminates in Bart accidentally drunk. The incident results in calls for prohibition, wits results in the discovery that Springfield was designated a dry town around the time of its founding, though it was never in force. With everyone deciding the law is still in effect, the law is enforced but very weakly. Public pressure mounts and Mayor Quimby fires Chief Wiggum and hires Rex Banner, an Elliot Ness-like old school police officer who proves to be extremely effective. However, Homer comes up with a solution: digging up the old casks of beer buried when the law was rediscovered. Homer is extremely effective at discreetly distributing beer to a speakeasy run by Moe with so much ingenuity that Marge feels compelled to support him. However, the beer runs out and after a failed attempt to brew his own beer, Homer decides to quit the game. After a chance meeting with Wiggum, who is in a bad place following the loss of his job, Homer decides to stick it to Rex Banner and help Wiggum by giving himself up to him. However, it turns out that the penalty for the crime is being shot from a catapault. Luckily, before Homer can get fired, it is discovered the law was actually repealed the year after it was enacted. Homer is released and beer once again floods the city.
John Swartzwelder is probably one of my favourite writers on the show. There's something about his weird sense of humour and balancing the mundane with the ridiculous that speaks me. Apparently, he's a reclusive dude and I don't know much, save that he's also a libertarian. I feel like that view doesn't enter much into his works save for a joke here and there but this one definitely feels informed by that. After all, an episode about the government infringing on personal freedoms for stupid reasons and an outlaw entrepreneur fighting back. At the same time, it does look at all parties through a very cynical lens. The episode starts off with an ugly drunken parade, Springfield's women are... pretty much reduced to a parade of clucking hens and Marge (yeah, this element feels kinda ugh), and Homer is clearly humourously reckless. Still, for his faults, free market success is Homer's game and he's basically the hero of the story.
Thankfully, while that's built in, it never actually detracts from an incredibly delightful and silly episode. Its definitely one of the most quotable episodes for me and John Swartzwelder is at his most himself for the better rather than worse. The jokes are firing on all cylinders and while it is a broad context, characters are bouncing off each other rather well. The scene where Marge is so impressed with Homer actually using his brain that she'd ignore his crimes his very funny and delightful. Its a fun pastiche of retro caper films, which I feel was kind of a thing with movies like The Sting and Paper Moon. Now, this film in no way resemble those in terms of plot but in terms of tone with fun old time music and a hero getting into shenanigans and jaunty old-timey music.
And the show also has a top tier one-off character in Rex Banner, played by an extremely on-his-game Dave Thomas. Rex is such a wonderful character, a living anachronism who is so square and straight-laced, he's extremely ridiculous. I forgot this was Thomas, making me wonder is if this was Robert Stack. Rex is the most quotable character in the episode and he's a fun mix of hyper-competent and hyper-clueless. He has a Javert-like focus but misses extremely obvious clues as he shakes people down for intel. I love his fast talking like in an old movie to deliver ridiculous jokes and that somehow he's both overqualified and unqualified to fight crime in town, completely unprepared for the town's pretty laisse faire attitude toward crime while remaining unflapped. Its definitely a character that is helped by a lack of return performance but its a shame Thomas didn't have a Albert Brooks-esque series of characters after this.
Jokes I missed before:
Damn you syndication for robbing me of this great gag.
Other great jokes:
"We kicked down the back door but then there was a metal door."
"Well, I'll be darned, long pants."
"Read the other one. The non-duck one."
"Election in November, election in November."
"What? Again?"
"If we don't come back, avenge our deaths."
"Alright."
"Now remember, don't mention this to anyone. Not your mother, not Rex Banner, not anyone."
"Dad, knocking over gravestones is bad luck."
"Really? I've heard good."
"Well, this better be the best tastin' beer in the world... you got lucky."
"Listen, rummy! I'm gonna say it plain and simple. Where'd you pinch the hooch? Is some blind tiger jerking suds on the side?"
"...yes?"
"Swaggering around in a garish new hat, he seemed to say 'look at me, Rex Banner, I have a new hat.'"
"Tubby? Oh, yes, tubby."
"I can throw this pretty hard!"
"I'll bet you really hate Rex Banner, huh?"
"Who?"
"The guy who took your job."
"Oh, yeah. More than anything in the world."
"You all know what laughter sounds like."
"You forgot one thing Wiggum."
"What's that?"
"I filled the balls with a funnel."
"Four minutes."
*Five minutes later*
Other notes:
Maggie Roswell does a pretty impressive "pervert" shriek.
I love the way Moe says ambiance.
I never got into alcohol. I've had a drink from time to time but mostly in a celebratory situation or because its basically a sugar drink with some alcohol in it. I never had a moral reason or fear of addiction, I just... was never interested. Its probably for the best because I feel like it would be easy for me, who already has poor impulse control when it comes to regular type food, probably could have gotten to a bad place. But as it stands, I'm usually the guy at a party who stands around watching my friends around me get drunk. I could tell you some stories about JBear. Mostly its "he got drunk and we sat around talking." Oh, and that time he was SO drunk, he confided in me how much my presence and support meant to him in the year following his divorce. Haha! Dork! (*sniff*) But I guess I never found an appeal in drunkenness or drinking.
In this episode, a rowdy, drunken St. Patrick's Day celebration culminates in Bart accidentally drunk. The incident results in calls for prohibition, wits results in the discovery that Springfield was designated a dry town around the time of its founding, though it was never in force. With everyone deciding the law is still in effect, the law is enforced but very weakly. Public pressure mounts and Mayor Quimby fires Chief Wiggum and hires Rex Banner, an Elliot Ness-like old school police officer who proves to be extremely effective. However, Homer comes up with a solution: digging up the old casks of beer buried when the law was rediscovered. Homer is extremely effective at discreetly distributing beer to a speakeasy run by Moe with so much ingenuity that Marge feels compelled to support him. However, the beer runs out and after a failed attempt to brew his own beer, Homer decides to quit the game. After a chance meeting with Wiggum, who is in a bad place following the loss of his job, Homer decides to stick it to Rex Banner and help Wiggum by giving himself up to him. However, it turns out that the penalty for the crime is being shot from a catapault. Luckily, before Homer can get fired, it is discovered the law was actually repealed the year after it was enacted. Homer is released and beer once again floods the city.
John Swartzwelder is probably one of my favourite writers on the show. There's something about his weird sense of humour and balancing the mundane with the ridiculous that speaks me. Apparently, he's a reclusive dude and I don't know much, save that he's also a libertarian. I feel like that view doesn't enter much into his works save for a joke here and there but this one definitely feels informed by that. After all, an episode about the government infringing on personal freedoms for stupid reasons and an outlaw entrepreneur fighting back. At the same time, it does look at all parties through a very cynical lens. The episode starts off with an ugly drunken parade, Springfield's women are... pretty much reduced to a parade of clucking hens and Marge (yeah, this element feels kinda ugh), and Homer is clearly humourously reckless. Still, for his faults, free market success is Homer's game and he's basically the hero of the story.
Thankfully, while that's built in, it never actually detracts from an incredibly delightful and silly episode. Its definitely one of the most quotable episodes for me and John Swartzwelder is at his most himself for the better rather than worse. The jokes are firing on all cylinders and while it is a broad context, characters are bouncing off each other rather well. The scene where Marge is so impressed with Homer actually using his brain that she'd ignore his crimes his very funny and delightful. Its a fun pastiche of retro caper films, which I feel was kind of a thing with movies like The Sting and Paper Moon. Now, this film in no way resemble those in terms of plot but in terms of tone with fun old time music and a hero getting into shenanigans and jaunty old-timey music.
And the show also has a top tier one-off character in Rex Banner, played by an extremely on-his-game Dave Thomas. Rex is such a wonderful character, a living anachronism who is so square and straight-laced, he's extremely ridiculous. I forgot this was Thomas, making me wonder is if this was Robert Stack. Rex is the most quotable character in the episode and he's a fun mix of hyper-competent and hyper-clueless. He has a Javert-like focus but misses extremely obvious clues as he shakes people down for intel. I love his fast talking like in an old movie to deliver ridiculous jokes and that somehow he's both overqualified and unqualified to fight crime in town, completely unprepared for the town's pretty laisse faire attitude toward crime while remaining unflapped. Its definitely a character that is helped by a lack of return performance but its a shame Thomas didn't have a Albert Brooks-esque series of characters after this.
Jokes I missed before:
Damn you syndication for robbing me of this great gag.
Other great jokes:
"We kicked down the back door but then there was a metal door."
"Well, I'll be darned, long pants."
"Read the other one. The non-duck one."
"Election in November, election in November."
"What? Again?"
"If we don't come back, avenge our deaths."
"Alright."
"Now remember, don't mention this to anyone. Not your mother, not Rex Banner, not anyone."
"Dad, knocking over gravestones is bad luck."
"Really? I've heard good."
"Well, this better be the best tastin' beer in the world... you got lucky."
"Listen, rummy! I'm gonna say it plain and simple. Where'd you pinch the hooch? Is some blind tiger jerking suds on the side?"
"...yes?"
"Swaggering around in a garish new hat, he seemed to say 'look at me, Rex Banner, I have a new hat.'"
"Tubby? Oh, yes, tubby."
"I can throw this pretty hard!"
"I'll bet you really hate Rex Banner, huh?"
"Who?"
"The guy who took your job."
"Oh, yeah. More than anything in the world."
"You all know what laughter sounds like."
"You forgot one thing Wiggum."
"What's that?"
"I filled the balls with a funnel."
"Four minutes."
*Five minutes later*
Other notes:
Maggie Roswell does a pretty impressive "pervert" shriek.
I love the way Moe says ambiance.
Ludendorkk
(he/him)
I didn't get this til right now
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Grade School Confidential
It can be hard to get out and meet new people at a certain age. I've never been one to go out to meet people even before the pandemic and while I am on online dating apps, I rarely meet people and the conversations rarely go anywhere. I live a comfortable life and have friends and family but often long for romance, feeling like I don't have the proper emotional equipment to find a good partner. I'm inexperienced in every sense of the word and often when I do have conversations, I always worry that my inability to make a connection is a problem on my end. Meeting people is hard and scary and I think that's why when you meet someone, I imagine that makes it all the more special.
In this episode, Martin throws a birthday party that ends badly when all of the kids get sick from oysters, except Bart, who stays behind while everyone else is taken away. When there, he discovers that Mrs. Krabappel and Principal Skinner have hooked up at the party. Bart is about to tell the school when the teachers intervene, bribing Bart to keep their secret. Bart accepts, unintentionally setting himself up as a go-between for the teachers, a job that soon pushes Bart's patience to the limit. When he can't take anymore, he exposes the teachers making out in the janitor's closet. Not only is their love revealed but the kid's imagination end up ballooning the story into "the teachers had sex in the closet". The teachers are asked to end their relationship or lose their jobs and Skinner chooses the latter. Before they leave, Bart suggests the two barricade themselves in the school so they can fight for their right to love freely. Eventually, the two hears them out and Skinner clears up that it wasn't sex in the closet, as Skinner is still a virgin. The town relents and the two get their jobs back. They also tell Bart that their relationship has come to a natural and mutual end... which it hasn't, they just wanted their privacy again.
I had some issues earlier this season but I'm so glad we've hit on such a strong vein of episodes. In fact, looking ahead the rest of the season is top tier stuff. And, most importantly, they are all very different KINDS of episodes, not only in terms of the kinds of stories but also different strengths. The last one was a comedy caper, before that we had a tenser episode in the final act and before that we had a popcorn thriller. Now we have a romantic comedy that's very funny and very sweet. It starts the romance of Krabappel and Skinner, which lasts a few seasons before ending (mostly). Frankly, the episode where the relationship ends is a bit weak (to my memory) but I think it is something that makes sense in the narrative, as afterwards, the relationship between the two is often focused on their romantic problems. But within this episode, its very romantic and I'm glad the writers tried to keep it going beyond the first episode.
It helps a lot that the characters are very well-realized, especially within this episode. Krabappel is one of the low key strongest characters, someone who is often cynical about her job and her students but believes in the work more than she doesn't. The show has her be a very sex positive woman and while early on there was a sense of slut shaming and "isn't it funny that Bart's teacher likes sex", I think even in the 90s, she ends up coming across as a much more positive figure, certainly compared to the other teachers of Springfield. But at the same time, there's a sadness to the character that is palpable but usually not too mean spirited that makes her endearing. Skinner's sadness is usually goofier and he's a less positive figure. Though he also believes in education, he's often a cowering hypocrite whose more interested in rules than people. But the episode really sells him as a romantic figure, albeit a very square and pathetic one. You want to see them get together and Marcia Wallace and Harry Shearer bring a lot of humanity to their roles in this one.
This is a really strongly written episode so I'm a bit disappoint to see writer Rachel Pulido... basically wrote no more Simpsons episodes, went on to Mission Hill and then as far as I can tell, NOTHING ELSE. What a bummer. Director Susie Dieter has done a lot of good work and would go on to become a Futurama director as well. In terms of crafting an episode around the romance of two ancillary characters, I feel like everyone did a sensational job making the kind of romantic episode I like, still silly but one where we want to root for the couple to stay together and revel in their happiness. From herein, the relationship is mostly joke fodder before it ends, but for a wonderful episode, it was one of the best relationships in the show.
Jokes I missed before:
Other great jokes:
"And the bake sale to earn money for the car wash has been cancelled due to confusion."
I love Homer's terrible Nixon impression.
"But seven goes into twenty eight four times."
"But this is a magic seven."
"Is this how you imagined your life, Edna?"
"Well, yes, but I was a very depressed child."
"I told you we should have served cake instead of oysters."
"Hey, why'd you eat 'em? I thought you were a vegetarian."
"I didn't. I just wanted to leave."
"I think we both know the answer to that... a lucky boy!"
In the modern era, this makes Skinner look kind of cooler.
"Good gravy!"
"Thank you. Its just brown and water."
Bart's frustrated "I don't know. I don't think its important." followed by Chalmer's "yeah" completely clueless to Bart's suffering is SO GOOD.
"I'm going to do what Bart should have told me to do a long time ago!"
"What kind of man wears Armor Hot Dogs."
"Sex Cauldron? I thought they closed that place down!"
"Does this mean Mrs. Krabappel is a virgin, too?"
"HA!"
Other notes:
Ralph crying at everything is a nice touch.
As is the specifics of Edna and Seymour's sad lives.
As a virgin, I'll say I'm not that bothered that the episode culminates with the town being weirded out by Skinner's virginity but I think it helps that Krabappel is shown being sensitive and supportive to him and Skinner, for once, kind of having dignity with this reveal, even if everyone else is freaked.
It can be hard to get out and meet new people at a certain age. I've never been one to go out to meet people even before the pandemic and while I am on online dating apps, I rarely meet people and the conversations rarely go anywhere. I live a comfortable life and have friends and family but often long for romance, feeling like I don't have the proper emotional equipment to find a good partner. I'm inexperienced in every sense of the word and often when I do have conversations, I always worry that my inability to make a connection is a problem on my end. Meeting people is hard and scary and I think that's why when you meet someone, I imagine that makes it all the more special.
In this episode, Martin throws a birthday party that ends badly when all of the kids get sick from oysters, except Bart, who stays behind while everyone else is taken away. When there, he discovers that Mrs. Krabappel and Principal Skinner have hooked up at the party. Bart is about to tell the school when the teachers intervene, bribing Bart to keep their secret. Bart accepts, unintentionally setting himself up as a go-between for the teachers, a job that soon pushes Bart's patience to the limit. When he can't take anymore, he exposes the teachers making out in the janitor's closet. Not only is their love revealed but the kid's imagination end up ballooning the story into "the teachers had sex in the closet". The teachers are asked to end their relationship or lose their jobs and Skinner chooses the latter. Before they leave, Bart suggests the two barricade themselves in the school so they can fight for their right to love freely. Eventually, the two hears them out and Skinner clears up that it wasn't sex in the closet, as Skinner is still a virgin. The town relents and the two get their jobs back. They also tell Bart that their relationship has come to a natural and mutual end... which it hasn't, they just wanted their privacy again.
I had some issues earlier this season but I'm so glad we've hit on such a strong vein of episodes. In fact, looking ahead the rest of the season is top tier stuff. And, most importantly, they are all very different KINDS of episodes, not only in terms of the kinds of stories but also different strengths. The last one was a comedy caper, before that we had a tenser episode in the final act and before that we had a popcorn thriller. Now we have a romantic comedy that's very funny and very sweet. It starts the romance of Krabappel and Skinner, which lasts a few seasons before ending (mostly). Frankly, the episode where the relationship ends is a bit weak (to my memory) but I think it is something that makes sense in the narrative, as afterwards, the relationship between the two is often focused on their romantic problems. But within this episode, its very romantic and I'm glad the writers tried to keep it going beyond the first episode.
It helps a lot that the characters are very well-realized, especially within this episode. Krabappel is one of the low key strongest characters, someone who is often cynical about her job and her students but believes in the work more than she doesn't. The show has her be a very sex positive woman and while early on there was a sense of slut shaming and "isn't it funny that Bart's teacher likes sex", I think even in the 90s, she ends up coming across as a much more positive figure, certainly compared to the other teachers of Springfield. But at the same time, there's a sadness to the character that is palpable but usually not too mean spirited that makes her endearing. Skinner's sadness is usually goofier and he's a less positive figure. Though he also believes in education, he's often a cowering hypocrite whose more interested in rules than people. But the episode really sells him as a romantic figure, albeit a very square and pathetic one. You want to see them get together and Marcia Wallace and Harry Shearer bring a lot of humanity to their roles in this one.
This is a really strongly written episode so I'm a bit disappoint to see writer Rachel Pulido... basically wrote no more Simpsons episodes, went on to Mission Hill and then as far as I can tell, NOTHING ELSE. What a bummer. Director Susie Dieter has done a lot of good work and would go on to become a Futurama director as well. In terms of crafting an episode around the romance of two ancillary characters, I feel like everyone did a sensational job making the kind of romantic episode I like, still silly but one where we want to root for the couple to stay together and revel in their happiness. From herein, the relationship is mostly joke fodder before it ends, but for a wonderful episode, it was one of the best relationships in the show.
Jokes I missed before:
Other great jokes:
"And the bake sale to earn money for the car wash has been cancelled due to confusion."
I love Homer's terrible Nixon impression.
"But seven goes into twenty eight four times."
"But this is a magic seven."
"Is this how you imagined your life, Edna?"
"Well, yes, but I was a very depressed child."
"I told you we should have served cake instead of oysters."
"Hey, why'd you eat 'em? I thought you were a vegetarian."
"I didn't. I just wanted to leave."
"I think we both know the answer to that... a lucky boy!"
In the modern era, this makes Skinner look kind of cooler.
"Good gravy!"
"Thank you. Its just brown and water."
"I'm going to do what Bart should have told me to do a long time ago!"
"What kind of man wears Armor Hot Dogs."
"Sex Cauldron? I thought they closed that place down!"
"Does this mean Mrs. Krabappel is a virgin, too?"
"HA!"
Other notes:
Ralph crying at everything is a nice touch.
As is the specifics of Edna and Seymour's sad lives.
As a virgin, I'll say I'm not that bothered that the episode culminates with the town being weirded out by Skinner's virginity but I think it helps that Krabappel is shown being sensitive and supportive to him and Skinner, for once, kind of having dignity with this reveal, even if everyone else is freaked.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
The Canine Mutiny
I never had a dog. Instead, I had a guinea pig named Fluffy. A generic name but very apt; he was hairy as all get out and I constantly had to cut his butt fur, which tended to get matted. I loved spending time with him. I had pets afterward; a few hamsters and a second hand newt who lived a surprisingly long time and suffered a pretty unfortunate fate. But Fluffy was the one who meant the most to me. I don't think I will be doing pets again in the near future, I just don't have the energy but it meant a lot having a little pet that I could care for and would care, in its way, for me.
In this episode, Bart manages to get a credit card and begins splurging. One such product he manages to buy is a dog of incredible breeding named Laddie. Laddie becomes the hit of the family thanks to his intelligence and good behavior. But when Bart realizes there are consequences to credit cards, Bart buries the card. On his way home, he finds repo men at the house taking Bart's stuff. When Bart is asked to return the dog, he gives the repo men Santa's Little Helper instead. Bart keeps the whereabouts of his dog a secret and the Simpsons lives go on as normal but Bart finds he's the only one who misses him. Bart realizes that while Laddie is an objectively good dog all around, he doesn't love it the same way he loves Santa's Little Helper. After Laddie saves a baby, Bart gives Laddie to the police to be a police dog and begins looking for his old dog. He eventually learns he's now owned by a blind man who sees him as a soul source of companionship. Bart sneaks in to take him back, only to get caught. After talking with the man, they decide to let the dog decide and Santa's Little Helper chooses Bart.
The Simpsons is not always great about remembering Santa's Little Helper (even less Snowball II, who I don't think even appears in this pet-centric episode) but when they do it can lead to some great episodes. And generally, speaking, they are mostly episodes about Bart. There's a real sweetness to their relationship; Bart can be rough around the edges and can be a bad friend at times, but Santa's Little Helper's unwavering love of his boy is really touching and Bart makes no secret how much he values him. And here is an episode where Bart betrays his best friend in the world (sorry, Milhouse) and must live with the consequences. This really is an episode about consequences. The Bart of this episode is someone who isn't malevolent, he just acts without thinking of how it could turn out. The episode really sells Bart's mortal terror when first he realizes there are consequences to the spending spree and then his fear when he realizes what he did to his ever-loving dog.
I love that Laddie is a dog with no downside. Endlessly supportive, smart and helpful, the only downside he it won't let you be irresponsible about his walks. But Bart loves Santa's Little Helper, for all his flaws. Maybe because he sees something in himself in him, because for all of Bart's savvy and charm, he often feels like a screw up. Or maybe knowing that he's the only one who really cares makes it hit home how much they need each other. Of course, by the end of the episode, Bart finds that he ISN'T the only one to love him unconditionally and despite the fact that his new owner is someone who needs him, Bart refuses to give him up, because that's love. Meanwhile, Santa's Little Helper, while happy to see Bart, is pretty gormless and doesn't even care (or know) he's been betrayed. He doesn't really get much of a journey. As I said, most of the dog episodes are ABOUT Bart.
The episodes isn't as good as the "dark night of the soul" episodes "Bart Sells His Soul" and "Marge Be Not Proud", but I feel like it taps into the same kind of vulnerability and flawed nature of Bart that makes us care for him and want the best for him through all his bad choices. The episode is written by Don Hauge who is a cartoon vet who did a lot of Nickelodeon and Nick-esque shows of the early 90s, as well as two iconic Seinfeld episodes, "The Marine Biologist" and "The Fusilli Jerry". From that, I would have guessed he would give more gag-focused scripts and there are some strong ones in here, but this is an emotionally engaging episode and really gets the appeal of Bart beyond mischief.
Other great jokes:
"A note from Publisher's Clearing House saying we're out of the running."
"Oh, a rejection letter from the New Yorker's subscription department."
Even for a silver age book (presumably) the hero looks like an asshole.
"...In a truth-telling contest, right Bart?"
"To the best of my recollection, yes."
"Our phone doesn't go up to 800. Unless..."
"Pep Boy, pills, Beverly Sills."
"I'm going to get the dog"
"The bad dog or the good dog?
"The bad dog."
"Oh, good."
"And I 'ate the mess he made on me rug. Ya 'eard me!"
Other notes:
Apparently, there was going to be an elaborate saving of baby Gerald but I feel like they made the right call: its just funnier and more efficient story-telling to cut from Bart being uninterested in the danger Laddie is heading toward to Laddie getting a huge town square celebration.
I don't know why, I just like that Homer is really into "Car Toons" for some reason. Maybe because as a kid, I found a copy in my dad's childhood bedroom (though I don't know for sure it was his. He had four other siblings.)
I never had a dog. Instead, I had a guinea pig named Fluffy. A generic name but very apt; he was hairy as all get out and I constantly had to cut his butt fur, which tended to get matted. I loved spending time with him. I had pets afterward; a few hamsters and a second hand newt who lived a surprisingly long time and suffered a pretty unfortunate fate. But Fluffy was the one who meant the most to me. I don't think I will be doing pets again in the near future, I just don't have the energy but it meant a lot having a little pet that I could care for and would care, in its way, for me.
In this episode, Bart manages to get a credit card and begins splurging. One such product he manages to buy is a dog of incredible breeding named Laddie. Laddie becomes the hit of the family thanks to his intelligence and good behavior. But when Bart realizes there are consequences to credit cards, Bart buries the card. On his way home, he finds repo men at the house taking Bart's stuff. When Bart is asked to return the dog, he gives the repo men Santa's Little Helper instead. Bart keeps the whereabouts of his dog a secret and the Simpsons lives go on as normal but Bart finds he's the only one who misses him. Bart realizes that while Laddie is an objectively good dog all around, he doesn't love it the same way he loves Santa's Little Helper. After Laddie saves a baby, Bart gives Laddie to the police to be a police dog and begins looking for his old dog. He eventually learns he's now owned by a blind man who sees him as a soul source of companionship. Bart sneaks in to take him back, only to get caught. After talking with the man, they decide to let the dog decide and Santa's Little Helper chooses Bart.
The Simpsons is not always great about remembering Santa's Little Helper (even less Snowball II, who I don't think even appears in this pet-centric episode) but when they do it can lead to some great episodes. And generally, speaking, they are mostly episodes about Bart. There's a real sweetness to their relationship; Bart can be rough around the edges and can be a bad friend at times, but Santa's Little Helper's unwavering love of his boy is really touching and Bart makes no secret how much he values him. And here is an episode where Bart betrays his best friend in the world (sorry, Milhouse) and must live with the consequences. This really is an episode about consequences. The Bart of this episode is someone who isn't malevolent, he just acts without thinking of how it could turn out. The episode really sells Bart's mortal terror when first he realizes there are consequences to the spending spree and then his fear when he realizes what he did to his ever-loving dog.
I love that Laddie is a dog with no downside. Endlessly supportive, smart and helpful, the only downside he it won't let you be irresponsible about his walks. But Bart loves Santa's Little Helper, for all his flaws. Maybe because he sees something in himself in him, because for all of Bart's savvy and charm, he often feels like a screw up. Or maybe knowing that he's the only one who really cares makes it hit home how much they need each other. Of course, by the end of the episode, Bart finds that he ISN'T the only one to love him unconditionally and despite the fact that his new owner is someone who needs him, Bart refuses to give him up, because that's love. Meanwhile, Santa's Little Helper, while happy to see Bart, is pretty gormless and doesn't even care (or know) he's been betrayed. He doesn't really get much of a journey. As I said, most of the dog episodes are ABOUT Bart.
The episodes isn't as good as the "dark night of the soul" episodes "Bart Sells His Soul" and "Marge Be Not Proud", but I feel like it taps into the same kind of vulnerability and flawed nature of Bart that makes us care for him and want the best for him through all his bad choices. The episode is written by Don Hauge who is a cartoon vet who did a lot of Nickelodeon and Nick-esque shows of the early 90s, as well as two iconic Seinfeld episodes, "The Marine Biologist" and "The Fusilli Jerry". From that, I would have guessed he would give more gag-focused scripts and there are some strong ones in here, but this is an emotionally engaging episode and really gets the appeal of Bart beyond mischief.
Other great jokes:
"A note from Publisher's Clearing House saying we're out of the running."
"Oh, a rejection letter from the New Yorker's subscription department."
Even for a silver age book (presumably) the hero looks like an asshole.
"...In a truth-telling contest, right Bart?"
"To the best of my recollection, yes."
"Our phone doesn't go up to 800. Unless..."
"Pep Boy, pills, Beverly Sills."
"I'm going to get the dog"
"The bad dog or the good dog?
"The bad dog."
"Oh, good."
"And I 'ate the mess he made on me rug. Ya 'eard me!"
Other notes:
Apparently, there was going to be an elaborate saving of baby Gerald but I feel like they made the right call: its just funnier and more efficient story-telling to cut from Bart being uninterested in the danger Laddie is heading toward to Laddie getting a huge town square celebration.
I don't know why, I just like that Homer is really into "Car Toons" for some reason. Maybe because as a kid, I found a copy in my dad's childhood bedroom (though I don't know for sure it was his. He had four other siblings.)