No, I don't think so. Maybe it's The Dud's Dad.
I see that Herman is also attending the Stock Footage Festival.
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America's Favorite Non-prehistoric Cartoon Family - The Simpsons Thread
- Thread starter Johnny Unusual
- Start date
I see that Herman is also attending the Stock Footage Festival.
One of my favorite gags from The Simpsons:
Also, Milhouse's quote "If it's in a book it's gotta be true" really gets me.
When I was growing up I was always being told over and over that I *have* to read, that all books are good and they will make you a better person. But there are a lot of bad books out there too! Impossible to read school textbooks, boring and obtuse as hell books in English class printed in the smallest font size, self-help books that do nothing, conspiracy theory books, books ghostwritten by criminals. Anybody working in an office has probably had to deal with yearly books on management fads that don't actually work.
But Milhouse doesn't know that, the people in charge keep telling him that all books are great.
But maybe that's enough of my book rant.
Also, Milhouse's quote "If it's in a book it's gotta be true" really gets me.
When I was growing up I was always being told over and over that I *have* to read, that all books are good and they will make you a better person. But there are a lot of bad books out there too! Impossible to read school textbooks, boring and obtuse as hell books in English class printed in the smallest font size, self-help books that do nothing, conspiracy theory books, books ghostwritten by criminals. Anybody working in an office has probably had to deal with yearly books on management fads that don't actually work.
But Milhouse doesn't know that, the people in charge keep telling him that all books are great.
But maybe that's enough of my book rant.
”You gave me the ol’ sugar-me-do”
jpfriction
(He, Him)
We actually watched the fear of flying episode in my psych 101 class so the professor could explain everything that was wrong with it.
I liked that guy, he did a proper “psychology of the simpsons” seminar one year that was a lot of fun.
I liked that guy, he did a proper “psychology of the simpsons” seminar one year that was a lot of fun.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Homer the Great
When you are a kid, you look at adults and think of them not just as bigger and smarter, but also more mature, more composed and organized and having a stronger understanding of the world around them. Even at age 38, I sometimes wonder if I'm actually going to grow up or if I'm just going to be a dumb boy until I die of old age. But more worrying is looking around and seeing that somehow there are people with a lot of power who don't seem to have the basics to navigate a civilized society. People with profoundly childish motives and warped priorities that just leave me aghast. I perhaps can be more mature but seeing this doesn't make me relieved I'm not alone, it makes me terrified that the world is run by children who don't know what the Hell they are doing.
In this episode, Homer starts to notice Lenny and Carl having certain benefits he doesn't and begins to investigate. This leads him to the door of the Stonecutters, a privileged secret society. Homer wants in and eventually discovers he is eligible. After joining, he loves the perks, ritual and camaraderie of the organization. During a dinner, a major faux pas gets Homer kicked out but during the excommunication ritual it is discovered that Homer is the "Chosen One", the member above all others. Homer enjoys his power until it leaves him bored and isolated. Lisa convinces him to use his power to get the Stonecutters to make the world a better place. Homer becomes fulfilled but the Stonecutters would rather not be do-gooders and decide to leave the organization, taking all of Homer's power with them.\
Man, I've always loved this episode but this rewatch makes me see there is a LOT going on in this episode. Its wacky and silly but it is also a wonderfully cynical satire on the nature of power, community and privilege. I don't know where to begin unpacking. Lets start with the structure. Through the episode Homer traverses a number of roles. He realizes he's an outsider where he is full of want and is searching for a way in. Then he has community and comfortable power and he is content, filling his days with fun activities with this new group. Then for a brief moment he is an outcast, sad at his loss. Then he wields all the powers as king but loses his sense of community with him being a level apart from everyone else in the organization. Homer liked the perks but all the perks isn't nearly as fulfilling as being a part of his group and now there is a barrier. Homer manages these feelings but becoming an altruist but eventually his community abandons him, leaving him with his family. I feel like its a real journey in different kinds of positions we can hold in society, sometimes simultaneously. Obviously no one is going to be an all powerful societal god-ruler but we might find ourselves in leadership positions which require interpersonal dynamics to be altered and perhaps some space.
The other nature I find fascinating is the nature of the Stonecutters. They are modelled after the freemasons, which I really know little about except what I remember in From Hell (the book, not the movie). However, between them and Skull and Bones, I do see a pattern: they certainly have powers and resources but I get the impression that they aren't world controlling cabals but grown children enjoying the thrill of secrets. And I get it, secrets are fun. But I feel like there is a veneer of self-importance despite the inessential nature of the group, aside from the sense of community. Within the show, The Stonecutters' Number One talks about "splitting the rocks of ignorance" and their sacred charters and such (while being voiced by "Mr. Gravitas" Patrick Stewart) but all the members do seem to be eating, playing games, having perks and puffing up their importance. The second they are all forced to take their ridiculous resources and do something of true value, EVERYBODY wants out. Its all about the "value" of secrets and self-benefit. It actually reminds me of how after a reporter did an undercover report on the KKK, he gave the rituals and such to the creators of the Superman radio show where Superman beats up a Klan type groups and all the rituals are made to seem ridiculous. Apparently recruitment actually went down after that arc. See, secrets only have value as secrets. In the harsh light of day, it all seems pretty stupid the more seriously it is taken.
Community is important. I'm really glad to be a part of this online community. It helps me feel like I am a part of something. Talking Time essentially has its own traditions and injokes and such and we are somewhat exclusive. These in and of them selves are far from bad things and can be quite healthy and even helpful. But there are always going to be groups like the Stonecutters who are more interested in favouritism, wielding their privilege and proclaiming their secret worth rather than actually contributing something. The Stonecutters don't really have a purpose except to be Stonecutters. And again, nothing wrong with that except their excessive indulgence seems to be what they value above being as important as they want to be perceived. Homer gave the Stonecutters real value to Springfield and that's when people wanted out. I feel like this is a very silly episode that's actually surprisingly insightful about the human condition and our relationships to our communities, both for good and for ill.
Jokes I missed before:
Homer's revenge list includes a callback to the time he got trapped in the waterslide from "Brush with Greatness"
Other great jokes:
"Its a secret."
"Sshhhut up."
"Do you think they were involved in the Kennedy Assassination in some way?"
"I do.... now."
"I'm just going... outside to stalk... Lenny and Carl."
"You'd better run, egg!"
Seems like Lenny isn't the only one who has problems keeping things on the DL.
"It's five years later and I still think I'm a chicken. I'm a chicken Marge!"
"We just created the greatest democracy on Earth you low life commoner."
This feels super real.
"Beware the Ides of March."
"No."
"It wouldn't hurt. Unless the monkeys started hurting people. Which they almost certainly would."
"You can't just keep hanging out with these colobus monkeys. Someone's going to get parasites."
When you are a kid, you look at adults and think of them not just as bigger and smarter, but also more mature, more composed and organized and having a stronger understanding of the world around them. Even at age 38, I sometimes wonder if I'm actually going to grow up or if I'm just going to be a dumb boy until I die of old age. But more worrying is looking around and seeing that somehow there are people with a lot of power who don't seem to have the basics to navigate a civilized society. People with profoundly childish motives and warped priorities that just leave me aghast. I perhaps can be more mature but seeing this doesn't make me relieved I'm not alone, it makes me terrified that the world is run by children who don't know what the Hell they are doing.
In this episode, Homer starts to notice Lenny and Carl having certain benefits he doesn't and begins to investigate. This leads him to the door of the Stonecutters, a privileged secret society. Homer wants in and eventually discovers he is eligible. After joining, he loves the perks, ritual and camaraderie of the organization. During a dinner, a major faux pas gets Homer kicked out but during the excommunication ritual it is discovered that Homer is the "Chosen One", the member above all others. Homer enjoys his power until it leaves him bored and isolated. Lisa convinces him to use his power to get the Stonecutters to make the world a better place. Homer becomes fulfilled but the Stonecutters would rather not be do-gooders and decide to leave the organization, taking all of Homer's power with them.\
Man, I've always loved this episode but this rewatch makes me see there is a LOT going on in this episode. Its wacky and silly but it is also a wonderfully cynical satire on the nature of power, community and privilege. I don't know where to begin unpacking. Lets start with the structure. Through the episode Homer traverses a number of roles. He realizes he's an outsider where he is full of want and is searching for a way in. Then he has community and comfortable power and he is content, filling his days with fun activities with this new group. Then for a brief moment he is an outcast, sad at his loss. Then he wields all the powers as king but loses his sense of community with him being a level apart from everyone else in the organization. Homer liked the perks but all the perks isn't nearly as fulfilling as being a part of his group and now there is a barrier. Homer manages these feelings but becoming an altruist but eventually his community abandons him, leaving him with his family. I feel like its a real journey in different kinds of positions we can hold in society, sometimes simultaneously. Obviously no one is going to be an all powerful societal god-ruler but we might find ourselves in leadership positions which require interpersonal dynamics to be altered and perhaps some space.
The other nature I find fascinating is the nature of the Stonecutters. They are modelled after the freemasons, which I really know little about except what I remember in From Hell (the book, not the movie). However, between them and Skull and Bones, I do see a pattern: they certainly have powers and resources but I get the impression that they aren't world controlling cabals but grown children enjoying the thrill of secrets. And I get it, secrets are fun. But I feel like there is a veneer of self-importance despite the inessential nature of the group, aside from the sense of community. Within the show, The Stonecutters' Number One talks about "splitting the rocks of ignorance" and their sacred charters and such (while being voiced by "Mr. Gravitas" Patrick Stewart) but all the members do seem to be eating, playing games, having perks and puffing up their importance. The second they are all forced to take their ridiculous resources and do something of true value, EVERYBODY wants out. Its all about the "value" of secrets and self-benefit. It actually reminds me of how after a reporter did an undercover report on the KKK, he gave the rituals and such to the creators of the Superman radio show where Superman beats up a Klan type groups and all the rituals are made to seem ridiculous. Apparently recruitment actually went down after that arc. See, secrets only have value as secrets. In the harsh light of day, it all seems pretty stupid the more seriously it is taken.
Community is important. I'm really glad to be a part of this online community. It helps me feel like I am a part of something. Talking Time essentially has its own traditions and injokes and such and we are somewhat exclusive. These in and of them selves are far from bad things and can be quite healthy and even helpful. But there are always going to be groups like the Stonecutters who are more interested in favouritism, wielding their privilege and proclaiming their secret worth rather than actually contributing something. The Stonecutters don't really have a purpose except to be Stonecutters. And again, nothing wrong with that except their excessive indulgence seems to be what they value above being as important as they want to be perceived. Homer gave the Stonecutters real value to Springfield and that's when people wanted out. I feel like this is a very silly episode that's actually surprisingly insightful about the human condition and our relationships to our communities, both for good and for ill.
Jokes I missed before:
Homer's revenge list includes a callback to the time he got trapped in the waterslide from "Brush with Greatness"
Other great jokes:
"Its a secret."
"Sshhhut up."
"Do you think they were involved in the Kennedy Assassination in some way?"
"I do.... now."
"I'm just going... outside to stalk... Lenny and Carl."
"You'd better run, egg!"
Seems like Lenny isn't the only one who has problems keeping things on the DL.
"It's five years later and I still think I'm a chicken. I'm a chicken Marge!"
"We just created the greatest democracy on Earth you low life commoner."
This feels super real.
"Beware the Ides of March."
"No."
"It wouldn't hurt. Unless the monkeys started hurting people. Which they almost certainly would."
"You can't just keep hanging out with these colobus monkeys. Someone's going to get parasites."
"Now let's all get drunk and play ping pong!"
My family's business (where I work myself) is an egg supplier so I've always gotten a good kick out of this part.
Red Silvers
Pokemon Red w/ 1 Nidoran
"Remove the stone of shame. Attach the stone of triumph!"
Not counting college fraternities or the horrible stuff like racists, harems, and suicide cults...Are these kinds of lodge gatherings an actual thing, or just an invention of cartoons and television?
Seriously, I'm curious about this. I've seen these kinds of lodges in The Flintstones and individual episodes of various shows like Spongebob Squarepants and Mama's Family, but not really out in the real world.
Seriously, I'm curious about this. I've seen these kinds of lodges in The Flintstones and individual episodes of various shows like Spongebob Squarepants and Mama's Family, but not really out in the real world.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
And Maggie Makes Three
I often fantasized about being a writer but in terms of "low level" dream jobs, I would have been extremely happy to work in a comic book shop or video store. The more mind numbing aspects don't really bother me and I like the idea of recommending things to people and just talking to them. Its not ambitious and its not a lot of money but it feels like it would be pleasant and I would just be happy to do that kind of work. This coming fall, I'll have to be looking for a new job and while I got a pretty good CV, finding the right job to go with it where I can actually remain in town is going to be difficult. If I could afford it, a small job in a small shop full of my interests would be something I'd be happy to stick with at this point in my life. My teaching and childcare work is more fulfilling but at the same time, there's something very inviting about a job where I can turn off my brain and just be surrounded by my interests. Homer gets the same experience in this episode until reality comes calling.
In this episode, Homer tells the kids about the birth of Maggie. It begins when Homer has enough money to quit his job and following his dream: working at a bowling alley. Though the Simpsons have to live a little lean, Homer is perfectly content in his new job and everything seems right. However, soon they are pregnant and Homer's new life is put into jeopardy. After a failed marketing campaign for the Bowl-A-Rama, Homer is forced to return to the Power Plant. Homer feels defeated but falls in love with Maggie the second he sees her and uses pictures of her to cheer himself up at work.
The Simpsons will do more flashback episodes in the future but this feels like a natural endpoint for these kinds of stories, telling of the birth of the third child. Weirdly, this is actually the fifth flashback episode, with Homer's Barbershop Quartet answering questions no one asked. I mean, its a great episode but it feels a little closer to what the flashback episodes would be. Its great but it lacks the emotional impact of these core four flashback episodes. These aren't stories that needed to be told for the show but they add so much more interesting details in the tapestry. Generally, the flashbacks are Homer stories, with the exception of Lisa's First Word. They other ones are about Homer having to mature in some ways.
Its actually an interesting one that the other episodes could have told but didn't: Homer giving up on his dreams for the sake of his family. Of course, its pretty weird for that to be a stake since Homer is constantly achieving dreams. There's something genuinely sweet that his dream job is so humble and that though he'll never be rich and famous for it and only has a small chance of moving upward (assuming he keeps going on to see Al retire). Homer has little ambition but he knows what makes him happy. He puts himself in a job and would be happy to stay there in that one place for the rest of his life.
Many other stories have told a similar tale with someone giving up on sports or acting or writing and it can be sad that there was something that they gave up on in favour of a family. In fact, I'm pretty sure there are a few episodes where we found that Marge did just that. The answer is the same most of the time: the family was worth it. Homer certainly loves his family but the new dynamic is relatively abstract to him before Maggie is born. When he finally sees her, its clear he knows he made the right call to quit his dream job. Its worth it. I think the show did a better story of Homer maturing in the episode where Bart is born but this episode does have a better, sweeter ending. Using the pictures to transform a demotivational plaque into a message of hope is one of the show's "awwww"est moments.
Its also a pretty funny episode, too. There's a great extended sequence with Homer being completely oblivious to all the hints that Marge is pregnant. The show has fun with the rule of threes by following up two fantasies with a ridiculous thing that "really happened." Its also an episode that is pretty weirdly not caring about continuity. There are small things, like Ruth Powers showing up for Marge's baby shower for some reason. But then there are things strictly for a gag: Marge flashes back to various times Homer learned he was having a kid and tearing out his hair, despite the fact that we've explicitly seen Homer learning and having different reactions. Plus, it implies the Simpsons have always had their house, which they didn't. Its obvious the show needs to play with time a bit but it does seem like the show is less concerned about continuity. That doesn't often bother me but I feel like those episodes are so strong and inform so much about Homer and Marge afterwards, it seems silly to drop it for a gag.
Other great jokes:
"There's always a canal."
"Or an inlet."
"Or a fjord."
Nightboat in the family album is a funny reveal.
Also, I love Marge mostly has pictures of Bart sleeping.
"And the domestication of the dog continued unabated."
I like Marge going from sexy to "yeah, sex on the beach is actually pretty uncomfortable." The face sells it.
"Aaronson and Zikowsky are the two biggest gossips in town."
Marge thinking about products she wants.
"I'm going to march right up to Al and say Steve! I mean, Al!"
"We'll make it to California some day."
"Sure we will Mistah Homah. Sure we will." *COUGH COUGH*
Other notes:
Second mention of A. Aaronson. The first was in the Sideshow Bob Roberts where he voted for Bob... WAIT, IS HE DEAD NOW?
Hibbert is quick to bring up black markets sales but TV apparently wasn't ready for her to consider an abortion... even though Maude (Bea Arthur, not Flanders) had one 20 years prior.
I often fantasized about being a writer but in terms of "low level" dream jobs, I would have been extremely happy to work in a comic book shop or video store. The more mind numbing aspects don't really bother me and I like the idea of recommending things to people and just talking to them. Its not ambitious and its not a lot of money but it feels like it would be pleasant and I would just be happy to do that kind of work. This coming fall, I'll have to be looking for a new job and while I got a pretty good CV, finding the right job to go with it where I can actually remain in town is going to be difficult. If I could afford it, a small job in a small shop full of my interests would be something I'd be happy to stick with at this point in my life. My teaching and childcare work is more fulfilling but at the same time, there's something very inviting about a job where I can turn off my brain and just be surrounded by my interests. Homer gets the same experience in this episode until reality comes calling.
In this episode, Homer tells the kids about the birth of Maggie. It begins when Homer has enough money to quit his job and following his dream: working at a bowling alley. Though the Simpsons have to live a little lean, Homer is perfectly content in his new job and everything seems right. However, soon they are pregnant and Homer's new life is put into jeopardy. After a failed marketing campaign for the Bowl-A-Rama, Homer is forced to return to the Power Plant. Homer feels defeated but falls in love with Maggie the second he sees her and uses pictures of her to cheer himself up at work.
The Simpsons will do more flashback episodes in the future but this feels like a natural endpoint for these kinds of stories, telling of the birth of the third child. Weirdly, this is actually the fifth flashback episode, with Homer's Barbershop Quartet answering questions no one asked. I mean, its a great episode but it feels a little closer to what the flashback episodes would be. Its great but it lacks the emotional impact of these core four flashback episodes. These aren't stories that needed to be told for the show but they add so much more interesting details in the tapestry. Generally, the flashbacks are Homer stories, with the exception of Lisa's First Word. They other ones are about Homer having to mature in some ways.
Its actually an interesting one that the other episodes could have told but didn't: Homer giving up on his dreams for the sake of his family. Of course, its pretty weird for that to be a stake since Homer is constantly achieving dreams. There's something genuinely sweet that his dream job is so humble and that though he'll never be rich and famous for it and only has a small chance of moving upward (assuming he keeps going on to see Al retire). Homer has little ambition but he knows what makes him happy. He puts himself in a job and would be happy to stay there in that one place for the rest of his life.
Many other stories have told a similar tale with someone giving up on sports or acting or writing and it can be sad that there was something that they gave up on in favour of a family. In fact, I'm pretty sure there are a few episodes where we found that Marge did just that. The answer is the same most of the time: the family was worth it. Homer certainly loves his family but the new dynamic is relatively abstract to him before Maggie is born. When he finally sees her, its clear he knows he made the right call to quit his dream job. Its worth it. I think the show did a better story of Homer maturing in the episode where Bart is born but this episode does have a better, sweeter ending. Using the pictures to transform a demotivational plaque into a message of hope is one of the show's "awwww"est moments.
Its also a pretty funny episode, too. There's a great extended sequence with Homer being completely oblivious to all the hints that Marge is pregnant. The show has fun with the rule of threes by following up two fantasies with a ridiculous thing that "really happened." Its also an episode that is pretty weirdly not caring about continuity. There are small things, like Ruth Powers showing up for Marge's baby shower for some reason. But then there are things strictly for a gag: Marge flashes back to various times Homer learned he was having a kid and tearing out his hair, despite the fact that we've explicitly seen Homer learning and having different reactions. Plus, it implies the Simpsons have always had their house, which they didn't. Its obvious the show needs to play with time a bit but it does seem like the show is less concerned about continuity. That doesn't often bother me but I feel like those episodes are so strong and inform so much about Homer and Marge afterwards, it seems silly to drop it for a gag.
Other great jokes:
"There's always a canal."
"Or an inlet."
"Or a fjord."
Nightboat in the family album is a funny reveal.
Also, I love Marge mostly has pictures of Bart sleeping.
"And the domestication of the dog continued unabated."
I like Marge going from sexy to "yeah, sex on the beach is actually pretty uncomfortable." The face sells it.
"Aaronson and Zikowsky are the two biggest gossips in town."
Marge thinking about products she wants.
"I'm going to march right up to Al and say Steve! I mean, Al!"
"We'll make it to California some day."
"Sure we will Mistah Homah. Sure we will." *COUGH COUGH*
Other notes:
Second mention of A. Aaronson. The first was in the Sideshow Bob Roberts where he voted for Bob... WAIT, IS HE DEAD NOW?
Hibbert is quick to bring up black markets sales but TV apparently wasn't ready for her to consider an abortion... even though Maude (Bea Arthur, not Flanders) had one 20 years prior.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Bart's Comet
Its weird to recognize when you are living through history. Right as the pandemic was hitting, me, JBear and two friends took a week long trip to the cottage. It was right before lockdown but my mother was calling me saying it was a different world. I really thought that while I certainly should be taking this pandemic seriously that it was still an exaggeration. It really wasn't. But as soon as I got home, I quarantined and said goodbye to my friends for the next few months. We were very fortunate, as our province managed to do well during the pandemic, probably in part due to our small and not densely packed population. Obviously, some places are doing far less well and some people handle it badly. Some are in denial and some just think it won't happen to them. Strangely, its become politicized, because everything is regardless of how apolitical it should be. We are living in a dark, scary time and though we might be looking at the other side next year, we still must be vigilant, as much as we want thing to return to normal.
In this episode, Bart discovers a comet by accident, one that turns out to be heading straight for Springfield, threatening to wipe it out. The town tries a rocket but that only ends up destroying the only bridge out of town. With survival unlikely, the town tries to hide in the one possible safe place: a shelter Flanders' built in the backyard. However, there's not enough room and eventually one person is forced to leave. Homer decides it be Flanders but eventually during a tense game of "guess the animal noise", Homer decides he'd rather die out with Flanders than live with sacrificing him. The town agrees and goes to die with him. Miraculously, the town is saved when it turns out the pollution in Springfield actually makes a good comet shield.
This is a wonderful episode and simultaneously very prescient in a good way and also teaching some lessons that are quite wrong for this moment in time. The episode is dealing with a looming disaster and Springfieldians, though scared at first, laugh it off when they think they have a solution. They are literally pointing and smugly laughing at the comet. When it takes out the bridge, the panic-stricken citizens try to jump it because Springfield is a profoundly dumb town. Flanders is the only one prepared, presumably slowly making his bunker while everyone else was not getting ready. And the people of Springfield sure as hell ain't ready to reap what they sowed from their unpreparedness. And hey, wouldn't you. Whether or not you acknowledge your fault, you will still want to survive. But these Springfieldians prove pretty ugly in the face of death and foolish as well (though they are quick to let Flanders have his bunker). Its certainly not a one to one comparison but I definitely see reflections of what the world is going through on the show.
Of course, this was never meant to be an analogy so some works less when applied to this episode. The idea that it actually wasn't a big threat. An idea of physical togetherness which certainly works for a comet but not so much for disease. But there's also stuff that works VERY well. The idea that the government, even in the face of an emergency, is still playing stupid games instead of helping people. Unpreparedness based on arrogance. I'll also say that there are a lot of assholes whose approach to the pandemic is "herd immunity", which is a pretty sick justification of letting people get sick and die. Again, this isn't one to one, but they let Flanders go out to die. They are willing to sacrifice a man for the safety of everyone else. And as shitty as Homer and the town are, they eventually make a pretty tough decision: they can't live with building their survival on the bones on Flanders and are willing to face death with him. Again, that last part is sweet and romantic but it sure doesn't work when applied to disease. But it is sweet and poignant.
The episode's climax is reminiscent of the classic Twilight Zone episode "The Shelter", about two couples going mad over a bomb shelter when it looks like the big one is coming. At the end of the episode, it turns out to be a false alarm but as much as they want things to go back to normal, they may have said and done things they can never take back. Here we get a happier ending, where the people of Springfield can recognize their faults before it is two late. Its interesting how many of the major characters can have both highly negative and positive properties that feel natural. For Springfield as a whole, their ability to come together is heartwarming and also terrifying. Even at the end of the episode, they decide to attack the observatory "so this never happens again". Considering the US has a president that said one of the problems was "too much testing", this one certainly felt too real this time out. The town can often act as a single organism and like characters like Homer, we get to see both the beauty and the ugliness of it.
Jokes I missed before:
I think this was cut for syndication: Bart asking for an early breakfast and Marge recommending a stuffed pepper from the garbage.
Other great jokes.
"There's a 4:30 in the morning now?"
"Top of the hour, time for the morning news. But there is no more news yet, everyone's still asleep in their comfy comfy beds... good night everybody."
Who was that for.
With no research, I am 100% confident this has happened. THIS EPISODE IS TOO REAL NOW!
"And then I sped away without anyone seeing my license plate."
"Sounds like you had a good day Dad."
"Yeah. Though I forgot to go to work."
I love the reveal of Lisa being in Super Friends.
"Yes, there is a comet in the sky and yes, its going to hit Springfield. You don't need to apply that."
'
TOO REAL!
This whole segment is perfect in gags and storytelling.
Other notes:
Que Sera Sera was actually written and performed for the Hitchcock remake of his own film, The Man Who Knew Too Much (and is actually important to the plot). Its a good movie, a good song and probably the best way this send us off...
Its weird to recognize when you are living through history. Right as the pandemic was hitting, me, JBear and two friends took a week long trip to the cottage. It was right before lockdown but my mother was calling me saying it was a different world. I really thought that while I certainly should be taking this pandemic seriously that it was still an exaggeration. It really wasn't. But as soon as I got home, I quarantined and said goodbye to my friends for the next few months. We were very fortunate, as our province managed to do well during the pandemic, probably in part due to our small and not densely packed population. Obviously, some places are doing far less well and some people handle it badly. Some are in denial and some just think it won't happen to them. Strangely, its become politicized, because everything is regardless of how apolitical it should be. We are living in a dark, scary time and though we might be looking at the other side next year, we still must be vigilant, as much as we want thing to return to normal.
In this episode, Bart discovers a comet by accident, one that turns out to be heading straight for Springfield, threatening to wipe it out. The town tries a rocket but that only ends up destroying the only bridge out of town. With survival unlikely, the town tries to hide in the one possible safe place: a shelter Flanders' built in the backyard. However, there's not enough room and eventually one person is forced to leave. Homer decides it be Flanders but eventually during a tense game of "guess the animal noise", Homer decides he'd rather die out with Flanders than live with sacrificing him. The town agrees and goes to die with him. Miraculously, the town is saved when it turns out the pollution in Springfield actually makes a good comet shield.
This is a wonderful episode and simultaneously very prescient in a good way and also teaching some lessons that are quite wrong for this moment in time. The episode is dealing with a looming disaster and Springfieldians, though scared at first, laugh it off when they think they have a solution. They are literally pointing and smugly laughing at the comet. When it takes out the bridge, the panic-stricken citizens try to jump it because Springfield is a profoundly dumb town. Flanders is the only one prepared, presumably slowly making his bunker while everyone else was not getting ready. And the people of Springfield sure as hell ain't ready to reap what they sowed from their unpreparedness. And hey, wouldn't you. Whether or not you acknowledge your fault, you will still want to survive. But these Springfieldians prove pretty ugly in the face of death and foolish as well (though they are quick to let Flanders have his bunker). Its certainly not a one to one comparison but I definitely see reflections of what the world is going through on the show.
Of course, this was never meant to be an analogy so some works less when applied to this episode. The idea that it actually wasn't a big threat. An idea of physical togetherness which certainly works for a comet but not so much for disease. But there's also stuff that works VERY well. The idea that the government, even in the face of an emergency, is still playing stupid games instead of helping people. Unpreparedness based on arrogance. I'll also say that there are a lot of assholes whose approach to the pandemic is "herd immunity", which is a pretty sick justification of letting people get sick and die. Again, this isn't one to one, but they let Flanders go out to die. They are willing to sacrifice a man for the safety of everyone else. And as shitty as Homer and the town are, they eventually make a pretty tough decision: they can't live with building their survival on the bones on Flanders and are willing to face death with him. Again, that last part is sweet and romantic but it sure doesn't work when applied to disease. But it is sweet and poignant.
The episode's climax is reminiscent of the classic Twilight Zone episode "The Shelter", about two couples going mad over a bomb shelter when it looks like the big one is coming. At the end of the episode, it turns out to be a false alarm but as much as they want things to go back to normal, they may have said and done things they can never take back. Here we get a happier ending, where the people of Springfield can recognize their faults before it is two late. Its interesting how many of the major characters can have both highly negative and positive properties that feel natural. For Springfield as a whole, their ability to come together is heartwarming and also terrifying. Even at the end of the episode, they decide to attack the observatory "so this never happens again". Considering the US has a president that said one of the problems was "too much testing", this one certainly felt too real this time out. The town can often act as a single organism and like characters like Homer, we get to see both the beauty and the ugliness of it.
Jokes I missed before:
I think this was cut for syndication: Bart asking for an early breakfast and Marge recommending a stuffed pepper from the garbage.
Other great jokes.
"There's a 4:30 in the morning now?"
"Top of the hour, time for the morning news. But there is no more news yet, everyone's still asleep in their comfy comfy beds... good night everybody."
Who was that for.
With no research, I am 100% confident this has happened. THIS EPISODE IS TOO REAL NOW!
"And then I sped away without anyone seeing my license plate."
"Sounds like you had a good day Dad."
"Yeah. Though I forgot to go to work."
I love the reveal of Lisa being in Super Friends.
"Yes, there is a comet in the sky and yes, its going to hit Springfield. You don't need to apply that."
'
This whole segment is perfect in gags and storytelling.
Other notes:
Que Sera Sera was actually written and performed for the Hitchcock remake of his own film, The Man Who Knew Too Much (and is actually important to the plot). Its a good movie, a good song and probably the best way this send us off...
Red Silvers
Pokemon Red w/ 1 Nidoran
"He's right you know." "...about the ox?"
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Homie the Clown
I first got into teaching ESL the summer after I left University. I did five years as an English major, I learned a lot but in all honesty I didn't really apply myself so that the stuff I learned would have any practical value. I kept telling myself I'd be a writer but I saved all my writing for the student paper and my schoolwork. When I started teaching English, I had found something that felt really like me. But it certainly took me a while to get and apply the real skills I needed and I made a lot of mistakes and went through some tough times. Eventually, I got to a place where I was pretty respected as a teacher and was pretty popular with the kids. And the parents. At points, it got weird with parents trying to invite me for dinner and when I was going to leave one town, the parents held a dinner for me trying to convince me to stay, which felt a bit weird. A couple bought me a pair of sneakers. It made me uncomfortable, as I feel like things were expected that I couldn't deliver and it was trying to leverage me into doing some work for them. But I won't lie: the perks were good. I still use those sneakers at the gym.
In this episode, Krusty's wasteful spending and poor gambling is causing him to bleed money and he decides to open a clown college to train regional Krusties. Homer, extremely susceptible to billboard advertising, joins and despite his inability to perform Krusty's patented "bicycle fantastique" trick, graduates. Homer as Krusty begins doing a lot of work and finds it exhausting and demoralizing. However, Homer also finds that he is such a dead ringer for the real deal, he finds himself getting all sorts of perks and advantages, which he quickly capitalizes on. Unbeknowest to Homer, the real Krusty is in trouble with the mob over gambling debts. When Krusty flees the country, the mob accidentally targets Homer. Krusty returns to Springfield to face and both Homer and Krusty are forced to perform the mafia don's favourite trick to curry his favour and spare their lives: the "bicycle fantastique" trick. The manage to do it and the two get to live and Krusty pays up all the money he made franchising his name: $48.
Look, I feel there is a lot going on thematically in this episode. I feel like it is about the journey of the writers and a lot of people in show business. After graduating, you have to do a lot of hard, thankless work, often for other people as part of a bigger system. Like, I can't tell if the actual Krusty is supposed to be the Simpsons producers or Fox or all the jobs the writers had before but its the idea is that you are the thankless workhorse running the engine of a overlord that is pretty indifferent to the writers. And there are perks and also weirdly entitled fans (the mafia people). Its not some big obvious thematic throughline but I do think its there.
There are some Simpsons that work emotionally and intellectually and there are MANY that dovetail that with great comedy. But some work almost primarily as a joke factory. Homie the Clown is in the latter. Yes, there's themes and metaphor but its almost completely ancillary to the delightful ride that is this episode, with top dollar jokes from start to finish. It helps that it is from my favourite Simpsons writer, John Swartzwelder, who I feel is the show's master of the absurd joke and adding a bit of anti-comedy into the comedy (less in the Tim and Eric sense of mocking comedy conventions and more in the sense of using jokes we know the end to and toying with our expectations). I always remember liking the episode but watching it this time actually elicited a lot of real laughter rather than simply appreciating, which is good for an episode I've definitely seen more than 10 times.
I feel like this episode must have been born from Groening's original plan that Homer and Krusty were to be the same person, which was to highlight the irony that Bart is constantly tormenting the one person he actually respects. Obviously the show did too many things that made the premise untenable to actually apply in the series but it could have yielded some interested character dynamics but it also feels like the show is much better off for not having that be in Homer's character. And besides, the show had did lots of great episodes that show that Homer is willing to do hard thankless work for his kids that they don't really appreciate. Instead, he have an episode that's a sort of Prince and the Pauper comedy filled with brilliant little skits and unlike some of the later episodes that feel stapled together, all of the crazy elements feel very much part of the same rich tapestry. I feel confident in saying I would put Homie the Clown is among the series funniest episodes, a fact that I would have probably neglected if I hadn't just rewatched it.
Jokes I missed before:
Other great jokes:
I'll do my best here but there are SO many to name, its impossible.
"Did you send those thousand roses to Bea Arthur's grave."
"Yeah, but she's still--"
"I don't want to hear the end of any sentences."
"But is my upper lip supposed to bleed like this?"
"Probably."
"Whatever you say Mr. Billboard."
One of my favourite quote to use in life, except I just say "Will do, Mr. Billboard." To my shame.
"I think I'll have some wine."
"What's a Chachi."
A question I ask every day.
"Kill... wealthy... dowager."
"Get a cheap one and what happens? Goes off! Takes out the eyes of every kid in the room. What's that going to cost ya? Hey, Bill, what did that cost us?"
"Our fantastic new burger: The one with ketchup..."
"Stop, stop, he's already dead?"
"Here's your giraffe little girl."
"I'm a boy."
"That's the spirit. Never give up."
Dick Cavett as an attention starved name dropper is great. Would it be funnier if I knew the slightest thing about Dick Cavett?
"Look at this swell bucket of house paint! LOOK AT IT!"
"I only consider you scum compared to Krusty. Yeah, you see how you scum."
Uncut Gems is this, except the tensest thing ever.
"After he's done, I gotta go."
"You want my advise? I think you should buy this car."
"We need more ammo. Let's go to Big 5."
"Is anyone hearing me complain about the breasts?"
"I told you we should have bought more than three bullets?"
"I'm seein' double here! Four Krusties!"
I first got into teaching ESL the summer after I left University. I did five years as an English major, I learned a lot but in all honesty I didn't really apply myself so that the stuff I learned would have any practical value. I kept telling myself I'd be a writer but I saved all my writing for the student paper and my schoolwork. When I started teaching English, I had found something that felt really like me. But it certainly took me a while to get and apply the real skills I needed and I made a lot of mistakes and went through some tough times. Eventually, I got to a place where I was pretty respected as a teacher and was pretty popular with the kids. And the parents. At points, it got weird with parents trying to invite me for dinner and when I was going to leave one town, the parents held a dinner for me trying to convince me to stay, which felt a bit weird. A couple bought me a pair of sneakers. It made me uncomfortable, as I feel like things were expected that I couldn't deliver and it was trying to leverage me into doing some work for them. But I won't lie: the perks were good. I still use those sneakers at the gym.
In this episode, Krusty's wasteful spending and poor gambling is causing him to bleed money and he decides to open a clown college to train regional Krusties. Homer, extremely susceptible to billboard advertising, joins and despite his inability to perform Krusty's patented "bicycle fantastique" trick, graduates. Homer as Krusty begins doing a lot of work and finds it exhausting and demoralizing. However, Homer also finds that he is such a dead ringer for the real deal, he finds himself getting all sorts of perks and advantages, which he quickly capitalizes on. Unbeknowest to Homer, the real Krusty is in trouble with the mob over gambling debts. When Krusty flees the country, the mob accidentally targets Homer. Krusty returns to Springfield to face and both Homer and Krusty are forced to perform the mafia don's favourite trick to curry his favour and spare their lives: the "bicycle fantastique" trick. The manage to do it and the two get to live and Krusty pays up all the money he made franchising his name: $48.
Look, I feel there is a lot going on thematically in this episode. I feel like it is about the journey of the writers and a lot of people in show business. After graduating, you have to do a lot of hard, thankless work, often for other people as part of a bigger system. Like, I can't tell if the actual Krusty is supposed to be the Simpsons producers or Fox or all the jobs the writers had before but its the idea is that you are the thankless workhorse running the engine of a overlord that is pretty indifferent to the writers. And there are perks and also weirdly entitled fans (the mafia people). Its not some big obvious thematic throughline but I do think its there.
There are some Simpsons that work emotionally and intellectually and there are MANY that dovetail that with great comedy. But some work almost primarily as a joke factory. Homie the Clown is in the latter. Yes, there's themes and metaphor but its almost completely ancillary to the delightful ride that is this episode, with top dollar jokes from start to finish. It helps that it is from my favourite Simpsons writer, John Swartzwelder, who I feel is the show's master of the absurd joke and adding a bit of anti-comedy into the comedy (less in the Tim and Eric sense of mocking comedy conventions and more in the sense of using jokes we know the end to and toying with our expectations). I always remember liking the episode but watching it this time actually elicited a lot of real laughter rather than simply appreciating, which is good for an episode I've definitely seen more than 10 times.
I feel like this episode must have been born from Groening's original plan that Homer and Krusty were to be the same person, which was to highlight the irony that Bart is constantly tormenting the one person he actually respects. Obviously the show did too many things that made the premise untenable to actually apply in the series but it could have yielded some interested character dynamics but it also feels like the show is much better off for not having that be in Homer's character. And besides, the show had did lots of great episodes that show that Homer is willing to do hard thankless work for his kids that they don't really appreciate. Instead, he have an episode that's a sort of Prince and the Pauper comedy filled with brilliant little skits and unlike some of the later episodes that feel stapled together, all of the crazy elements feel very much part of the same rich tapestry. I feel confident in saying I would put Homie the Clown is among the series funniest episodes, a fact that I would have probably neglected if I hadn't just rewatched it.
Jokes I missed before:
Other great jokes:
I'll do my best here but there are SO many to name, its impossible.
"Did you send those thousand roses to Bea Arthur's grave."
"Yeah, but she's still--"
"I don't want to hear the end of any sentences."
"But is my upper lip supposed to bleed like this?"
"Probably."
"Whatever you say Mr. Billboard."
One of my favourite quote to use in life, except I just say "Will do, Mr. Billboard." To my shame.
"I think I'll have some wine."
"What's a Chachi."
A question I ask every day.
"Kill... wealthy... dowager."
"Get a cheap one and what happens? Goes off! Takes out the eyes of every kid in the room. What's that going to cost ya? Hey, Bill, what did that cost us?"
"Our fantastic new burger: The one with ketchup..."
"Stop, stop, he's already dead?"
"Here's your giraffe little girl."
"I'm a boy."
"That's the spirit. Never give up."
Dick Cavett as an attention starved name dropper is great. Would it be funnier if I knew the slightest thing about Dick Cavett?
"Look at this swell bucket of house paint! LOOK AT IT!"
"I only consider you scum compared to Krusty. Yeah, you see how you scum."
"After he's done, I gotta go."
"You want my advise? I think you should buy this car."
"We need more ammo. Let's go to Big 5."
"Is anyone hearing me complain about the breasts?"
"I told you we should have bought more than three bullets?"
"I'm seein' double here! Four Krusties!"
"You have brought great joy to this old Italian stereotype"
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Bart Vs. Australia
I actually lived in Australia for two months. I know its weird to say "live" and not "visit" but when you are a kid, (age 7), two months is a long time. My dad was doing work there and we had our own house for two months while my mother home schooled us. It was a pretty amazing time. We spent Christmas on the beach and every evening a ton of colorful birds would stop by our house and we'd get real close to feed them birdseed. I fed kangaroos up close (many of them are so used to people they just don't care) and spotted koalas in trees on road trips. For me it was a magical time. I've visited since and had a great time but it is never going to feel as amazing as the Christmas of '89. So obviously I was pretty hyped when an Australia episode of The Simpsons came out.
In this episode, Bart tries to settle a bet with Lisa about the Coriolis effect which results in Bart calling multiple countries. In the end of his investigation, Bart ends up on a six hour call with another kid. When the father finds out and tries to settle things with Bart, Bart mocks him. Unfortunately the man Bart mocked knows how to get in contact with the PM and soon Bart is public enemy #1. In order to smooth out international relations, the US state department decides to send Bart to Australia to apologize with the family getting an all expense paid vacation to the Land Down Under. Bart apologizes publicly but the US state department and Australia reveal they also want to give Bart a little corporal punishment by way of a boot to the bum. The Simpsons refuse and escape to the US Embassy. Bart seems to want to give into the booting for the sake of his country but ends up simply pranking the PM. The Simpsons escape Australia while the country battles a booming bullfrog population accidentally caused by Bart earlier in the episode.
This is not the first international episode of the show but this is the first one of the very specific "The Simpsons Are Going To..." formula. A lot of them have aged badly or worsely so thankfully, this one is doing well on that margin. Its not without issues: a couple jokes about Australian words and names sounding weird are basically ignoring the fact that a lot of these names from the indigenous aborigines of the country. They are pretty short, quick jokes and by the rubric of problematic jokes this show can make about other countries, it is relatively harmless but it comes from a similar place as some more problematic jokes. I'm not cringing or anything but I recognize the issue. This is not to be confused with mocking non-indigenous terms of phrase. I love the made up term "Bond wizard."
The other thing that also helps is that the aspect that is being made fun of isn't really a punching down. Its a sideways punch and a loving tap at that, despite it being essentially the Simpsons at war with Australia. The "how weird" aspect feels much less appropriate when aimed at countries like Japan or Brazil where the residents are primarily non-Caucasian. I feel it is hard to find this episode genuinely offensive, its just a silly funhouse mirror version of the country, which, again, feels a lot more acceptable when the Simpsons visit Canada or the UK.
The other thing worth noting is while this episode is "about" Australia, it is clearly a reaction to current events of years previous, namely the case of Michael P. Fay, an American living in Singapore who was charged with theft and vandalism and was caned as punishment. I only remember what I heard on show's like Saturday Night Live but looking at the case it is clear that 1) the punishment far outweighed the crime which may not have been committed and 2) its just a stupid cruel punishment. In this episode, its a much sillier punishment ("a boot to the bum") but I do think that it is actually exploring something beyond "Australia is weird, huh?" I think it wants to unpack the case and how the governments react: Australia (Singapore) just wants a show of force to justify their anti-vandalism laws and the US (the US) wants to let things happen while *tsk tsk* in the name of international relations, being very two-faced about it. Again, I remember very little of the actual case but that's my takeaway here. Also, I feel like the assumption is Fay is guilty (again, I don't know enough. I would definitely buy that Singapore police railroaded Fay into a guilty plea because a foreign culprit fits in better with their narrative) and paints Bart as an ugly American who certainly deserves some punishment for being a little entitled jerk but certainly not what the Americans are offering. I don't think it tracks entirely with the reality of what happened but on its own terms it is an interesting exploration of petty international relations squabbling and the people who it ends up screwing over.
Jokes I Missed Before:
Also, the "South of the Border Gift Shoppe" store front which has some "ironic racism" with a stereotypical Mexican figure that's unfortunate. But at least it also has the pun "high koala-t."
Other great jokes:
I like the little moment where Lisa pauses and gets to be smug about condescending to Bart.
Long dialing scene works for me.
"Buenos noches, mein fuhrer."
"Wanna go smell?"
"Yes. Yes I do."
Classic line read.
"I know those words but that sign makes no sense."
"I see you've played knifey-spoony before."
"C-O..."
"B-E..."
"That throwing stick stunt of your has boomeranged on us!"
"So its agree, she won't be allowed near the phone again."
"I'm impressed you were able to write so legibly on your own butt."
Other notes:
Wait, was Conover trying to negotiate for two candy apples over one candy and one caramel? That's a bad deal, Conover. Australia did you a favour.
I actually lived in Australia for two months. I know its weird to say "live" and not "visit" but when you are a kid, (age 7), two months is a long time. My dad was doing work there and we had our own house for two months while my mother home schooled us. It was a pretty amazing time. We spent Christmas on the beach and every evening a ton of colorful birds would stop by our house and we'd get real close to feed them birdseed. I fed kangaroos up close (many of them are so used to people they just don't care) and spotted koalas in trees on road trips. For me it was a magical time. I've visited since and had a great time but it is never going to feel as amazing as the Christmas of '89. So obviously I was pretty hyped when an Australia episode of The Simpsons came out.
In this episode, Bart tries to settle a bet with Lisa about the Coriolis effect which results in Bart calling multiple countries. In the end of his investigation, Bart ends up on a six hour call with another kid. When the father finds out and tries to settle things with Bart, Bart mocks him. Unfortunately the man Bart mocked knows how to get in contact with the PM and soon Bart is public enemy #1. In order to smooth out international relations, the US state department decides to send Bart to Australia to apologize with the family getting an all expense paid vacation to the Land Down Under. Bart apologizes publicly but the US state department and Australia reveal they also want to give Bart a little corporal punishment by way of a boot to the bum. The Simpsons refuse and escape to the US Embassy. Bart seems to want to give into the booting for the sake of his country but ends up simply pranking the PM. The Simpsons escape Australia while the country battles a booming bullfrog population accidentally caused by Bart earlier in the episode.
This is not the first international episode of the show but this is the first one of the very specific "The Simpsons Are Going To..." formula. A lot of them have aged badly or worsely so thankfully, this one is doing well on that margin. Its not without issues: a couple jokes about Australian words and names sounding weird are basically ignoring the fact that a lot of these names from the indigenous aborigines of the country. They are pretty short, quick jokes and by the rubric of problematic jokes this show can make about other countries, it is relatively harmless but it comes from a similar place as some more problematic jokes. I'm not cringing or anything but I recognize the issue. This is not to be confused with mocking non-indigenous terms of phrase. I love the made up term "Bond wizard."
The other thing that also helps is that the aspect that is being made fun of isn't really a punching down. Its a sideways punch and a loving tap at that, despite it being essentially the Simpsons at war with Australia. The "how weird" aspect feels much less appropriate when aimed at countries like Japan or Brazil where the residents are primarily non-Caucasian. I feel it is hard to find this episode genuinely offensive, its just a silly funhouse mirror version of the country, which, again, feels a lot more acceptable when the Simpsons visit Canada or the UK.
The other thing worth noting is while this episode is "about" Australia, it is clearly a reaction to current events of years previous, namely the case of Michael P. Fay, an American living in Singapore who was charged with theft and vandalism and was caned as punishment. I only remember what I heard on show's like Saturday Night Live but looking at the case it is clear that 1) the punishment far outweighed the crime which may not have been committed and 2) its just a stupid cruel punishment. In this episode, its a much sillier punishment ("a boot to the bum") but I do think that it is actually exploring something beyond "Australia is weird, huh?" I think it wants to unpack the case and how the governments react: Australia (Singapore) just wants a show of force to justify their anti-vandalism laws and the US (the US) wants to let things happen while *tsk tsk* in the name of international relations, being very two-faced about it. Again, I remember very little of the actual case but that's my takeaway here. Also, I feel like the assumption is Fay is guilty (again, I don't know enough. I would definitely buy that Singapore police railroaded Fay into a guilty plea because a foreign culprit fits in better with their narrative) and paints Bart as an ugly American who certainly deserves some punishment for being a little entitled jerk but certainly not what the Americans are offering. I don't think it tracks entirely with the reality of what happened but on its own terms it is an interesting exploration of petty international relations squabbling and the people who it ends up screwing over.
Jokes I Missed Before:
Also, the "South of the Border Gift Shoppe" store front which has some "ironic racism" with a stereotypical Mexican figure that's unfortunate. But at least it also has the pun "high koala-t."
Other great jokes:
Long dialing scene works for me.
"Buenos noches, mein fuhrer."
"Wanna go smell?"
"Yes. Yes I do."
Classic line read.
"I know those words but that sign makes no sense."
"I see you've played knifey-spoony before."
"C-O..."
"B-E..."
"That throwing stick stunt of your has boomeranged on us!"
"So its agree, she won't be allowed near the phone again."
"I'm impressed you were able to write so legibly on your own butt."
Other notes:
Wait, was Conover trying to negotiate for two candy apples over one candy and one caramel? That's a bad deal, Conover. Australia did you a favour.
Das wagenfone est eine nuisancefone!
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Homer Vs. Patty and Selma
I am not good with money. Just today my sister was telling me she would help me plan for my retirement because outside of a TSFA that should probably have more money in it, I haven't done much. Thankfully, I haven't made any disastrous purchases and though I have worries about my financial future come the fall, I do have at least a small cushion set up (its actually quite a bit of money but that money can go quick if you aren't bringing it in.) But while I often don't consider my finances as much as I should, for now I'm in a safe place. But even earlier in the pandemic that wasn't secure: I work for my sister and if she and her partner lost their jobs, I could have too. Her partner even had reduced days for a couple months. Even people who aren't living paycheck to paycheck can find themselves in a tough financial spot if just a few wrong things happen. And it can also make you vulnerable.
In this episode, Homer makes a foolish investment in pumpkins and ends up losing the Simpsons' life savings. After various attempts to secure a loan from various, Homer gets help from a particularly predatory benefactors: Patty and Selma. Using the fact that Homer doesn't want Marge to know he wasted the family money, the sisters hold it over Homer's head and after humiliating him, reveal the truth anyway. Desperate to pay back the loan, Homer gets a job as a chauffer but can't keep his swell new job unless he passes a driver's test from the Bouvier sisters. Homer just barely fails but as the sisters gloat with cigarettes, their supervisor comes in and is upset that they are smoking in a public building. As Homer is enjoying the schadenfreude, he notices Marge sad that her sisters are in trouble and takes the blame for them. Patty and Selma are gobsmacked that Homer was able to be so selfless and are grateful, after which Homer unilaterally calls off the debt.
Patty and Selma where originally conceived as people who "suck the joy out of everything". They've certainly gotten more nuanced after that and prior to this episode but here they are back in full force in terms of being the worst. Homer himself is no stranger to being a bully but watching Patty and Selma take his dignity from him is an extra level of ugliness, particularly in the glee they take in tormenting him. This isn't certainly Homer at his lowest but it is particularly painful to see them twist the knife every chance they can get for kicks. At this point in the episode, we too are routing for them to lose their promotions but Mr. Grand Gesture himself once again rises to the occasion. And its not because he would do it for anyone. Fact is, this is the kind of thing he only does for Marge. He would happily let them suffer. But here's the difference: Homer wouldn't let Marge suffer and Patty and Selma seem content in hurting Homer even though it hurts Marge, too. Homer being better might be a slim margin but while he might not be as smart and successful, he has more empathy, even if it is in a limited scope.
Despite the fact that Homer and Patty and Selma have sparred before, this really is the first time they really get extended interplay. Its more of what we saw before, but I suspect Kavner got to have fun playing villain to Dan Castellaneta this outing and as human as she is as Marge, she's fantastic as her acid spewing sisters and playing them for maximum cruelty. There's definitely an episode about Homer losing his dignity that... sure has a panda in it but this one in which Homer sacrifices it, ironically for his pride, is heartbreaking. Maybe its because I specifically now equate "behave like a dog" to an absolutely heartbreaking Jeff Goldblum movie called "Adam Resurrected", an imperfect but still moving film about a Jewish man who survives the Holocaust literally by becoming a dog to a high ranking soldier.
As that painfully Oscar-baity, cheeseball trailer implies, it is Oscar baity and at times cheesy but man is Goldblum good in that movie. But my point is, Patty and Selma de-humanizing Homer for kicks is definitely the worst thing they've done in my opinion and that includes the time they kidnapped Homer from his own wedding and put him in a Saw-like trap. Later... later season are weird.
As for the b-plot, its kind of low level problematic ("You can be a fairy or a queen...") but it does have a well-intended message about being secure in your own skin no matter what you do and so forth. Still, I think we are thankfully entering a period where TV shows don't have to have characters worry about being insecure about conventional masculinity, at least in terms of not seeming "girly". There are some good jokes in it. And hey, Susan Surandon. What's she been up to, lately. *looks up on internet* OK, The Feud. The Meddler. Dishonored? The video game? Didn't see that one coming.
Jokes I missed before:
I appreciate their honest slogan.
Other great jokes:
"Time to take out the trash! But first I'm going to have to ask you girls to leave."
I love when Homer goes full stupid Max Cady.
"Sorry, all we have is Nescafe. I'm very, very sorry."
"You can't spell 'obsequious' without 'i-o-u.'"
"I'll have to trust you on that."
"This reminds me of the movie Fame and to a lesser extent the television series, which was also called Fame."
This joke feels extremely Comedy Bang Bang.
"Why'd she just leave me hear when I clearly need medical attention."
Other notes:
You know how in beat em ups there are bad guy gangs with identical looking members? What they they got decent jobs in signage for schools? I think it would go something like this.
I can HEAR Castellaneta living his dream doing the 2000 Year Old Man bit. I've never even seen the original but I can hear him completely imitated a specific cadence and timing.
I am not good with money. Just today my sister was telling me she would help me plan for my retirement because outside of a TSFA that should probably have more money in it, I haven't done much. Thankfully, I haven't made any disastrous purchases and though I have worries about my financial future come the fall, I do have at least a small cushion set up (its actually quite a bit of money but that money can go quick if you aren't bringing it in.) But while I often don't consider my finances as much as I should, for now I'm in a safe place. But even earlier in the pandemic that wasn't secure: I work for my sister and if she and her partner lost their jobs, I could have too. Her partner even had reduced days for a couple months. Even people who aren't living paycheck to paycheck can find themselves in a tough financial spot if just a few wrong things happen. And it can also make you vulnerable.
In this episode, Homer makes a foolish investment in pumpkins and ends up losing the Simpsons' life savings. After various attempts to secure a loan from various, Homer gets help from a particularly predatory benefactors: Patty and Selma. Using the fact that Homer doesn't want Marge to know he wasted the family money, the sisters hold it over Homer's head and after humiliating him, reveal the truth anyway. Desperate to pay back the loan, Homer gets a job as a chauffer but can't keep his swell new job unless he passes a driver's test from the Bouvier sisters. Homer just barely fails but as the sisters gloat with cigarettes, their supervisor comes in and is upset that they are smoking in a public building. As Homer is enjoying the schadenfreude, he notices Marge sad that her sisters are in trouble and takes the blame for them. Patty and Selma are gobsmacked that Homer was able to be so selfless and are grateful, after which Homer unilaterally calls off the debt.
Patty and Selma where originally conceived as people who "suck the joy out of everything". They've certainly gotten more nuanced after that and prior to this episode but here they are back in full force in terms of being the worst. Homer himself is no stranger to being a bully but watching Patty and Selma take his dignity from him is an extra level of ugliness, particularly in the glee they take in tormenting him. This isn't certainly Homer at his lowest but it is particularly painful to see them twist the knife every chance they can get for kicks. At this point in the episode, we too are routing for them to lose their promotions but Mr. Grand Gesture himself once again rises to the occasion. And its not because he would do it for anyone. Fact is, this is the kind of thing he only does for Marge. He would happily let them suffer. But here's the difference: Homer wouldn't let Marge suffer and Patty and Selma seem content in hurting Homer even though it hurts Marge, too. Homer being better might be a slim margin but while he might not be as smart and successful, he has more empathy, even if it is in a limited scope.
Despite the fact that Homer and Patty and Selma have sparred before, this really is the first time they really get extended interplay. Its more of what we saw before, but I suspect Kavner got to have fun playing villain to Dan Castellaneta this outing and as human as she is as Marge, she's fantastic as her acid spewing sisters and playing them for maximum cruelty. There's definitely an episode about Homer losing his dignity that... sure has a panda in it but this one in which Homer sacrifices it, ironically for his pride, is heartbreaking. Maybe its because I specifically now equate "behave like a dog" to an absolutely heartbreaking Jeff Goldblum movie called "Adam Resurrected", an imperfect but still moving film about a Jewish man who survives the Holocaust literally by becoming a dog to a high ranking soldier.
As that painfully Oscar-baity, cheeseball trailer implies, it is Oscar baity and at times cheesy but man is Goldblum good in that movie. But my point is, Patty and Selma de-humanizing Homer for kicks is definitely the worst thing they've done in my opinion and that includes the time they kidnapped Homer from his own wedding and put him in a Saw-like trap. Later... later season are weird.
As for the b-plot, its kind of low level problematic ("You can be a fairy or a queen...") but it does have a well-intended message about being secure in your own skin no matter what you do and so forth. Still, I think we are thankfully entering a period where TV shows don't have to have characters worry about being insecure about conventional masculinity, at least in terms of not seeming "girly". There are some good jokes in it. And hey, Susan Surandon. What's she been up to, lately. *looks up on internet* OK, The Feud. The Meddler. Dishonored? The video game? Didn't see that one coming.
Jokes I missed before:
I appreciate their honest slogan.
Other great jokes:
"Time to take out the trash! But first I'm going to have to ask you girls to leave."
"Sorry, all we have is Nescafe. I'm very, very sorry."
"You can't spell 'obsequious' without 'i-o-u.'"
"I'll have to trust you on that."
"This reminds me of the movie Fame and to a lesser extent the television series, which was also called Fame."
This joke feels extremely Comedy Bang Bang.
"Why'd she just leave me hear when I clearly need medical attention."
Other notes:
You know how in beat em ups there are bad guy gangs with identical looking members? What they they got decent jobs in signage for schools? I think it would go something like this.
I can HEAR Castellaneta living his dream doing the 2000 Year Old Man bit. I've never even seen the original but I can hear him completely imitated a specific cadence and timing.