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America's Favorite Non-prehistoric Cartoon Family - The Simpsons Thread
- Thread starter Johnny Unusual
- Start date
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
The City of New York Vs. Homer Simpson
I had a friend who I was close to for a long time. I knew him as the worker in my local comic shop and eventually he moved away. I was able to keep up with him because he made podcasts about his life. Eventually, he became a big fan of a podcast called Keith and the Girl and eventually moved to New York to get involved with the show. He eventually did and apparently though he did have some involvement with the show it was an... experience and the fact that he is the kind of guy to cause friction who doesn't always think things through made it an experience. But what is very clear in his confessional podcasts is that he HATED New York. So much. He grew up in Canada and fantasized about a big American city like New York but found it far too inhospitable in personality and livability. I always get the impression that New York inspires no less than the strongest of feelings. Hate, love. There is something in between but I imagine even that is a complex mesh of strong feelings.
In this episode, Barney is the designated driver and after driving everyone home during a stressful night, he goes on a two month long bender... with Homer's car. Eventually, the car is discovered in New York. Homer reveals he hates New York after a bad experience as a youth. The rest of the Simpsons want to make a day trip out of it while Homer just wants to get out of town as soon as possible. As the rest of the Simpsons have a day of sightseeing and excitement, Homer finds that he has to wait for someone to remove the boot from his car by the World Trade Center. After he leaves to go to the bathroom, he finds he's not only missed the guy who was supposed to remove the boot, he's been given a ticket. Homer drives off, angering New Yorkers and damaging his car in the process. In the end, the Simpsons drive home with Homer having had an awful time and the other Simpsons having had a great one.
This is one I remember more fondly than it is in this viewing. Its not a bad episode but I remembered that the atypical structure worked in the show's favour, making it a stand-out of the season. And it is not a bad structure but the fact is a lot of the jokes don't land for me anymore. You'd think the World Trade Center setting might cast a pall over things but that's not an issue for me. Really, the problem is that there are a couple "foreign accent" gags that don't look so cool, particularly a vaguely Middle Eastern food vendor selling a made up food that's supposed to read "weird" but just looks like shawarma on a stick (which sounds fine). But over all, its a show of completely serviceable jokes with some strong ones peppered in.
But the structure is the notable thing to me. There is an arc too it, but it is purely emotional. Homer never learns anything, its merely a comedy of Homer being pushed to the brink of madness by his situation, which new lows in his situation while Homer has a great time. I feel like its a perfect encapsulation of that love/hate look at New York. And in that respect, I like the storytelling decisions made here. Its not too different than a lot of the "Simpsons are going to ______" episodes (and is more or less as problematic as many) in that there are jokes about the city and the Simpsons causing havoc. But even more than most of those episodes, this feels like a concerted effort to be a series of vignettes, with Homer's side being a series of escapades that adds to Homer's misery/rage. Its not an episode of reveals or characters growing and that's OK and makes it something different, even if the first act is more conventional Simpsons.
But in the end, its just an OK episode with some interesting choices. Part of me wishes, despite the fact that the first act is funny, that the show took a narrative shortcut and began its trajectory of driving Homer up the wall within the city in act one somehow. It would have been tricky but I also think it would have allowed for some interesting things to happen with its escalation. But I got to review the episode I watched and on that, its OK. I think the Homer half is a lot stronger than the Other Simpsons half. The Homer half feels like a voice acting showcase for the Castellaneta and Azaria (and I assume Shearer) while the Other Simpsons half's humor is a little more basic and even cheeseball (Marge's "Only in New York" line would fit in the Brady Bunch).
Jokes I missed before:
Other great jokes:
"Hey, it's Duffman! A guy in a costume who creates awareness of Duff!" Why does this expositional dialogue work for me. Is it because of drunken Lenny's line read? I think so but the bluntness of it is in the dialogue.
"Marge, you can stand there finding fault or you can knit me some seatbelts."
"And that's when the CHUDs came after me."
"Mom, are those rabbits dead?"
"No, no, they're just sleeping... upside down... and inside out."
Other notes:
Hey, the first appearance of Duffman!
Man, the MAD Magazine segment is clearly a love letter to a magazine that's... never as funny as I wish it was. Spy Vs. Spy is still great. And, like, a good chunk of Sergio Aragones' stuff.
I think I only just get that the main character of the Betty Ford musical is an unnamed Robert Downey Jr.
I had a friend who I was close to for a long time. I knew him as the worker in my local comic shop and eventually he moved away. I was able to keep up with him because he made podcasts about his life. Eventually, he became a big fan of a podcast called Keith and the Girl and eventually moved to New York to get involved with the show. He eventually did and apparently though he did have some involvement with the show it was an... experience and the fact that he is the kind of guy to cause friction who doesn't always think things through made it an experience. But what is very clear in his confessional podcasts is that he HATED New York. So much. He grew up in Canada and fantasized about a big American city like New York but found it far too inhospitable in personality and livability. I always get the impression that New York inspires no less than the strongest of feelings. Hate, love. There is something in between but I imagine even that is a complex mesh of strong feelings.
In this episode, Barney is the designated driver and after driving everyone home during a stressful night, he goes on a two month long bender... with Homer's car. Eventually, the car is discovered in New York. Homer reveals he hates New York after a bad experience as a youth. The rest of the Simpsons want to make a day trip out of it while Homer just wants to get out of town as soon as possible. As the rest of the Simpsons have a day of sightseeing and excitement, Homer finds that he has to wait for someone to remove the boot from his car by the World Trade Center. After he leaves to go to the bathroom, he finds he's not only missed the guy who was supposed to remove the boot, he's been given a ticket. Homer drives off, angering New Yorkers and damaging his car in the process. In the end, the Simpsons drive home with Homer having had an awful time and the other Simpsons having had a great one.
This is one I remember more fondly than it is in this viewing. Its not a bad episode but I remembered that the atypical structure worked in the show's favour, making it a stand-out of the season. And it is not a bad structure but the fact is a lot of the jokes don't land for me anymore. You'd think the World Trade Center setting might cast a pall over things but that's not an issue for me. Really, the problem is that there are a couple "foreign accent" gags that don't look so cool, particularly a vaguely Middle Eastern food vendor selling a made up food that's supposed to read "weird" but just looks like shawarma on a stick (which sounds fine). But over all, its a show of completely serviceable jokes with some strong ones peppered in.
But the structure is the notable thing to me. There is an arc too it, but it is purely emotional. Homer never learns anything, its merely a comedy of Homer being pushed to the brink of madness by his situation, which new lows in his situation while Homer has a great time. I feel like its a perfect encapsulation of that love/hate look at New York. And in that respect, I like the storytelling decisions made here. Its not too different than a lot of the "Simpsons are going to ______" episodes (and is more or less as problematic as many) in that there are jokes about the city and the Simpsons causing havoc. But even more than most of those episodes, this feels like a concerted effort to be a series of vignettes, with Homer's side being a series of escapades that adds to Homer's misery/rage. Its not an episode of reveals or characters growing and that's OK and makes it something different, even if the first act is more conventional Simpsons.
But in the end, its just an OK episode with some interesting choices. Part of me wishes, despite the fact that the first act is funny, that the show took a narrative shortcut and began its trajectory of driving Homer up the wall within the city in act one somehow. It would have been tricky but I also think it would have allowed for some interesting things to happen with its escalation. But I got to review the episode I watched and on that, its OK. I think the Homer half is a lot stronger than the Other Simpsons half. The Homer half feels like a voice acting showcase for the Castellaneta and Azaria (and I assume Shearer) while the Other Simpsons half's humor is a little more basic and even cheeseball (Marge's "Only in New York" line would fit in the Brady Bunch).
Jokes I missed before:
Other great jokes:
"Hey, it's Duffman! A guy in a costume who creates awareness of Duff!" Why does this expositional dialogue work for me. Is it because of drunken Lenny's line read? I think so but the bluntness of it is in the dialogue.
"Marge, you can stand there finding fault or you can knit me some seatbelts."
"And that's when the CHUDs came after me."
"Mom, are those rabbits dead?"
"No, no, they're just sleeping... upside down... and inside out."
Other notes:
Hey, the first appearance of Duffman!
Man, the MAD Magazine segment is clearly a love letter to a magazine that's... never as funny as I wish it was. Spy Vs. Spy is still great. And, like, a good chunk of Sergio Aragones' stuff.
I think I only just get that the main character of the Betty Ford musical is an unnamed Robert Downey Jr.
“Of course you’re going to have a bad view of New York if you focus on the pimps and the CHUDS” is one of my all time favourite Marge lines
jpfriction
(He, Him)
Homer’s deception to get the jackhammer at the end is probably my favorite bit in the episode.
“Boss says you’re fired”
“I’ll get him!”
“Boss says you’re fired”
“I’ll get him!”
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
The Principal and the Pauper
How important is continuity? It can be tricky because it can be something that deepens and enriches a world but it can also risk limiting it. Of course, the Simpsons is a show where characters stay the same age and celebrate multiple Christmases. The kids graduate the second and fourth grades multiple times. As the show says, it doesn't need to be 100 percent realistic. The Simpsons is a show where some continuity does feel important while others feels like they can be ignored for the sake of a joke. A bigger swing is to do as retcon that changes a character in a significant way... and then a weirder choice is to take it all back the second the episode ends.
In this episode, Springfield Elementary celebrates the 20th anniversary of Principal Seymour Skinner in his role as the head of the school. However, during the celebration, a stranger enters, confused and claiming to be Seymour Skinner. The Principal reveals this is true: the man Springfield knew as Skinner was really once a street tough named Armin Tamzarian and the actual Skinner was his superior in the Vietnam war. The actual Skinner was thought killed and Armin took his place to protect the feelings of Skinner's mother, living his life for decades. The real Skinner survived and only now returned home. Armin becomes ostracized in the wake of the reveal and decides to leave town. The people closest to him decide to bring him home and convince him to become "Skinner" once more while the original Skinner is run out of town.
There was a point where this was once considered the worst episode of the show (somehow ignoring the clips shows). To live in such a Golden Age. I'm not here to bash the show, but lets face facts, the show has hit MUCH bigger lows. Heck, some are big lows in retrospect with the benefit of hindsight. And this episode definitely has stuff to complain about but I actually feel, for all its flaws, this is an episode that's better than its reputation. It has very funny jokes but more than that, its an episode that's more than a gimmick premise. Cribbing elements from Victor Hugo and, I think, Dickens maybe (?), it wants to tell a story about the nature of identity and who a person is beyond preconceptions. It has an emotional component that I feel that everyone on the staff is striving for, even though I get the impression that people thought it was silly as it was being done.
For one thing, most of the episode is no way mean-spirited with its out there idea. At least, not until the end when it feels the need to magic wand everything back to normal with a painfully big wink. But everything leading up to it is about a man who found a calling in an unexpected place. It also adds an actual interesting layer to the relationship to Agnes and Seymour, with both of them being awkward weirdos creating a makeshift (and terribly co-dependent) relationship to fill something in their very lonely lives. The first act of Skinner having his life celebrated is very funny but I feel like the show sells it as a meaningful moment for the character.
The show would go on to mock this episode and its easy to see why; it introduces and then immediately tells us to ignore a big reveal. It asks the question whether or not this is really still the same guy, comes to the conclusion that it is but also everyone in town has to double think themselves to "normality" than learning to accept Skinner. Obviously, when you think about it, there are also some mental gymnastics for a lot of this to make sense based on other reveals but I kind of actually don't care about that. Often, I AM the kind of annoying nerd who feels a tinge of hot weirdness when continuity is altered for a joke, let alone to allow an episode to happen, but in this case, I don't care about the problems with the show's lore, I just don't like that the show bothered making an episode and immediately telling the people who watched it how little faith they have in this one. Like, its not just "don't worry about it going forward" but tonally it mirrors very closely the Death of Poochie, where the joke was about a show so desperate to course correct, they allowed dumb narrative swerves to make it happen. But even in that episode, Poochie got one episode out. This time it feels like a weird desperate course correction because... someone MADE them make the episode? The Principal and the Pauper is a weird beast of an episode. Its much reviled but I feel like its actually sort of misunderstood. Far from perfect but still with a lot of charm and no small amount of genuine heart.
Jokes I missed before:
The redundancy of "Topless Nudes"
Other great jokes:
"Thank you, Lisa."
"No Ms. Hoover, I'm Ralph."
"My theory is... Skinner likes dog food."
"Its kind of a funny story, really. After five years in a secret P.O.W. camp, I was sold to China for save labor and since '77, I've been making sneakers at gunpoint in Wuhan."
"That's not a funny story."
"Well, I guess you had to be there."
"I mean, how would you feel if you suddenly found out Ned Flanders was an imposter."
"Who's Ned Flanders?"
"Lives next door, religious guy?"
"Oh, you mean Reverend Lovejoy."
"And if a man pretending to be me can do it, then logically the real me must be far more qualified."
"Good evening, Edna. I know we were planning to see a film tonight but instead I'm leaving town forever."
"That's the kind of talk that makes me want to marry you. But instead I'm leaving town forever."
"In a lot of ways, Springfield really beats the slave labor camp."
"Now take a seat, junior, and listen to someone who gave their youth in service to their country. Mrs. Crab-Apple, the pledge please."
"You haven't dealt with women for a long time, have you sergeant?"
"...are you asking me out?"
Skinner as a stripclub promoter is good stuff. "Nod suggestively."
"I don't care. His mom doesn't care. Do any of you care?"
*murmured acknowledgement of not caring*
Other notes:
I find Skinner's pride in being anal about the school charming in the opening sequence.
How important is continuity? It can be tricky because it can be something that deepens and enriches a world but it can also risk limiting it. Of course, the Simpsons is a show where characters stay the same age and celebrate multiple Christmases. The kids graduate the second and fourth grades multiple times. As the show says, it doesn't need to be 100 percent realistic. The Simpsons is a show where some continuity does feel important while others feels like they can be ignored for the sake of a joke. A bigger swing is to do as retcon that changes a character in a significant way... and then a weirder choice is to take it all back the second the episode ends.
In this episode, Springfield Elementary celebrates the 20th anniversary of Principal Seymour Skinner in his role as the head of the school. However, during the celebration, a stranger enters, confused and claiming to be Seymour Skinner. The Principal reveals this is true: the man Springfield knew as Skinner was really once a street tough named Armin Tamzarian and the actual Skinner was his superior in the Vietnam war. The actual Skinner was thought killed and Armin took his place to protect the feelings of Skinner's mother, living his life for decades. The real Skinner survived and only now returned home. Armin becomes ostracized in the wake of the reveal and decides to leave town. The people closest to him decide to bring him home and convince him to become "Skinner" once more while the original Skinner is run out of town.
There was a point where this was once considered the worst episode of the show (somehow ignoring the clips shows). To live in such a Golden Age. I'm not here to bash the show, but lets face facts, the show has hit MUCH bigger lows. Heck, some are big lows in retrospect with the benefit of hindsight. And this episode definitely has stuff to complain about but I actually feel, for all its flaws, this is an episode that's better than its reputation. It has very funny jokes but more than that, its an episode that's more than a gimmick premise. Cribbing elements from Victor Hugo and, I think, Dickens maybe (?), it wants to tell a story about the nature of identity and who a person is beyond preconceptions. It has an emotional component that I feel that everyone on the staff is striving for, even though I get the impression that people thought it was silly as it was being done.
For one thing, most of the episode is no way mean-spirited with its out there idea. At least, not until the end when it feels the need to magic wand everything back to normal with a painfully big wink. But everything leading up to it is about a man who found a calling in an unexpected place. It also adds an actual interesting layer to the relationship to Agnes and Seymour, with both of them being awkward weirdos creating a makeshift (and terribly co-dependent) relationship to fill something in their very lonely lives. The first act of Skinner having his life celebrated is very funny but I feel like the show sells it as a meaningful moment for the character.
The show would go on to mock this episode and its easy to see why; it introduces and then immediately tells us to ignore a big reveal. It asks the question whether or not this is really still the same guy, comes to the conclusion that it is but also everyone in town has to double think themselves to "normality" than learning to accept Skinner. Obviously, when you think about it, there are also some mental gymnastics for a lot of this to make sense based on other reveals but I kind of actually don't care about that. Often, I AM the kind of annoying nerd who feels a tinge of hot weirdness when continuity is altered for a joke, let alone to allow an episode to happen, but in this case, I don't care about the problems with the show's lore, I just don't like that the show bothered making an episode and immediately telling the people who watched it how little faith they have in this one. Like, its not just "don't worry about it going forward" but tonally it mirrors very closely the Death of Poochie, where the joke was about a show so desperate to course correct, they allowed dumb narrative swerves to make it happen. But even in that episode, Poochie got one episode out. This time it feels like a weird desperate course correction because... someone MADE them make the episode? The Principal and the Pauper is a weird beast of an episode. Its much reviled but I feel like its actually sort of misunderstood. Far from perfect but still with a lot of charm and no small amount of genuine heart.
Jokes I missed before:
The redundancy of "Topless Nudes"
Other great jokes:
"Thank you, Lisa."
"No Ms. Hoover, I'm Ralph."
"My theory is... Skinner likes dog food."
"Its kind of a funny story, really. After five years in a secret P.O.W. camp, I was sold to China for save labor and since '77, I've been making sneakers at gunpoint in Wuhan."
"That's not a funny story."
"Well, I guess you had to be there."
"I mean, how would you feel if you suddenly found out Ned Flanders was an imposter."
"Who's Ned Flanders?"
"Lives next door, religious guy?"
"Oh, you mean Reverend Lovejoy."
"And if a man pretending to be me can do it, then logically the real me must be far more qualified."
"Good evening, Edna. I know we were planning to see a film tonight but instead I'm leaving town forever."
"That's the kind of talk that makes me want to marry you. But instead I'm leaving town forever."
"In a lot of ways, Springfield really beats the slave labor camp."
"Now take a seat, junior, and listen to someone who gave their youth in service to their country. Mrs. Crab-Apple, the pledge please."
"You haven't dealt with women for a long time, have you sergeant?"
"...are you asking me out?"
Skinner as a stripclub promoter is good stuff. "Nod suggestively."
"I don't care. His mom doesn't care. Do any of you care?"
*murmured acknowledgement of not caring*
Other notes:
I find Skinner's pride in being anal about the school charming in the opening sequence.
“Remember, you have to be nice to him, he’s a war hero”
“Haw-haw!”
One of the rare funny Nelson moments.
“Haw-haw!”
One of the rare funny Nelson moments.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Lisa the Simpson
Not long after my sister had her first child, she discovered that she had Prader Willi Syndrome. I had not heard of the condition before but we were all terribly upset. We know that she was likely to have a lower intelligence than other kids her age, was physically weaker and at some point between age 5-8, would always be hungry. I cried for a while over this. Eventually, we educated ourselves about it and worked hard in supporting my niece emotionally and physically. Now, we are fortunately in that she apparently is at the more fortunate end of the PWS spectrum but all the same me and my niece worked very hard in providing her with physical therapy, education and most importantly love and lessons to make her an emotionally intelligent person. Though she still has difficulties in communicating (she's great at input but struggles with output compared to children her age), she's a very happy and healthy person across the board. Genetics can play a big role in the quality of life but it definitely doesn't end there.
In this episode, Lisa finds herself struggling with a brainteaser at lunch that everyone else seems to have little difficulty with. After a pattern of events were she disappoints herself, she begins to worry that she's getting dumber, a theory that Grandpa takes stock in. He tells her about the Simpson gene, wherein the Simpsons begin life bright enough but slowly get duller and duller as time goes on. Lisa believes this and worries for her future. She tries to see if maybe she'd be happy living a life as a dummy but finds she cannot, insulting Bart and Homer in the process. Lisa then decides that she wants to have a last hurrah of enjoying the finer things in life and indulges her love of the arts. She also decides to take to the TV to urge people to nurture their intellect. When Homer sees it and understands his daughters fears, he tries to allay them by rounding up all the Simpsons he can muster, only to find that they are, in fact, extremely slow-witted and unsuccessful... except the Simpson women, who are all intelligent and successful. Lisa feels good again and finally solves the brainteaser.
Lisa the Simpson is an episode that I feel is a real mixed bag. But I'm not just talking about quality, I'm talking about messaging. Granted, it applies to quality, too. There are few out and out terrible jokes except there are a few unfortunate stereotype jokes that I feel tie into my main problem with the episode and what the episode is about. See, the issue is the episode is a loaded one, message wise, and I feel like some of it is not good at all and some of it is actually potentially interesting. But it doesn't split easily between "____ half is good" and "____ half is bad", I feel like the problems are deeply intertwined and not only that, I feel like it goes beyond simply "this was a bad call on the half of the writers". I mean, in retrospect, yes, but I also feel its pretty much in keeping with attitudes of the time.
See, one of the big problems is this episode is heavily about genetics, which is already a big red flag. Its no secret there are a lot of very bad faith arguments about genetics meant to promote racist and classist views. Its one of my big problems with the movie Idiocracy, I film I like things in but also has that issue deeply ingrained (particularly class in that movie). And class is a big problem here, too. Lisa has a fantasy in which her lower intelligence makes her an obese Southern yokel. Looking at the Simpsons men, they aren't just stupid, they are all financially unsuccessful and the Simpsons women feel like they are implied to be in positions of financial success, all with college educations. And I get that the episode doesn't necessarily have the time or wiggle room to show that you can be intelligent and happy and bloom without university and there are great alternative routes in life but it does feel of a piece to my problem. In addition, Lisa never really has a turn on looking down on her family. Yeah, Bart and Homer are kind of dumb but also we've seen that they can have surprising amounts of emotional intelligence and sweetness. I don't think the episode is meanspirited but it feels weird to bring that up and not resolve it re-affirming at least a certain amount of love and respect for her father and sister.
But I don't hate the episode, rather I just find problems with a lot of stuff stuck to the core of it. I do think some of the other things is does ARE interesting. I think to a certain extent, we are all afraid of certain genetic factors within us turning on us, like vulnerabilities to bad conditions. Or maybe finding that you're personal beliefs and point of view based on your education may have put a weird space between you and family members. And, of course, the age of fear of becoming your parents, specifically the parts you wanted never to be. And the joy of nurturing your intelligence. And that's all in there too and some of it is pretty good. But the DNA element is what holds it together and that unfortunately has a lot of baggage to it now and the show itself falls into some unfortunate traps. Despite my complaints, I'm not going to say its a "bad episode". But its an episode where as I get older, the things it brings up are a little less cool and there are things I wish it would have tackled instead, like the measure of what counts as success, intelligence, respect for other people and so on.
Jokes I missed before:
Other great jokes:
"Wanna hint?"
"I don't need a hint, Ralph."
"BUT YOU'RE SUFFERING."
"Hehe. Hey, you know who would love this? Men."
"Thaw me out when robot wives are cheap and effective. PS, please change my pants as fashion dictates."
"If you would just apologize to Louie, you could get your hair cut the way you want."
"No apologies. Not until he admits he's a jerk!"
Grandpa's inconsistence of which is dumber: monkey or chimp.
''
"What the-- Oh, hi Billy."
"Mr. McClure, what does DNA stand for?"
"Moving him now could kill him and tire us out."
"The best part was when the buildings fell down."
"Yeah. Maybe people got hurt."
"Hey, yeah, hehehehehehe."
"You have to listen to the notes she's not playing."
"I can do that at home."
"Moochin' war widows!"
"No no no, let her speak... I'm trying to get fired."
"I run an unsuccessful shrimp company."
"Oh, but... you run it, right?"
"Oh, yeah."
"Little girl... *likes* her brain. What's your opinion."
Other Notes:
The b-plot is an interesting one because while it isn't Simpsons-free, it is largely unrelated to those characters, instead telling an Apu story. It feels like a dry run at the unmade "Tales of Springfield" might have been.
As filmstrip gags go, "Someone's in the kitchen with DNA" is actually one of the weaker ones.
Not long after my sister had her first child, she discovered that she had Prader Willi Syndrome. I had not heard of the condition before but we were all terribly upset. We know that she was likely to have a lower intelligence than other kids her age, was physically weaker and at some point between age 5-8, would always be hungry. I cried for a while over this. Eventually, we educated ourselves about it and worked hard in supporting my niece emotionally and physically. Now, we are fortunately in that she apparently is at the more fortunate end of the PWS spectrum but all the same me and my niece worked very hard in providing her with physical therapy, education and most importantly love and lessons to make her an emotionally intelligent person. Though she still has difficulties in communicating (she's great at input but struggles with output compared to children her age), she's a very happy and healthy person across the board. Genetics can play a big role in the quality of life but it definitely doesn't end there.
In this episode, Lisa finds herself struggling with a brainteaser at lunch that everyone else seems to have little difficulty with. After a pattern of events were she disappoints herself, she begins to worry that she's getting dumber, a theory that Grandpa takes stock in. He tells her about the Simpson gene, wherein the Simpsons begin life bright enough but slowly get duller and duller as time goes on. Lisa believes this and worries for her future. She tries to see if maybe she'd be happy living a life as a dummy but finds she cannot, insulting Bart and Homer in the process. Lisa then decides that she wants to have a last hurrah of enjoying the finer things in life and indulges her love of the arts. She also decides to take to the TV to urge people to nurture their intellect. When Homer sees it and understands his daughters fears, he tries to allay them by rounding up all the Simpsons he can muster, only to find that they are, in fact, extremely slow-witted and unsuccessful... except the Simpson women, who are all intelligent and successful. Lisa feels good again and finally solves the brainteaser.
Lisa the Simpson is an episode that I feel is a real mixed bag. But I'm not just talking about quality, I'm talking about messaging. Granted, it applies to quality, too. There are few out and out terrible jokes except there are a few unfortunate stereotype jokes that I feel tie into my main problem with the episode and what the episode is about. See, the issue is the episode is a loaded one, message wise, and I feel like some of it is not good at all and some of it is actually potentially interesting. But it doesn't split easily between "____ half is good" and "____ half is bad", I feel like the problems are deeply intertwined and not only that, I feel like it goes beyond simply "this was a bad call on the half of the writers". I mean, in retrospect, yes, but I also feel its pretty much in keeping with attitudes of the time.
See, one of the big problems is this episode is heavily about genetics, which is already a big red flag. Its no secret there are a lot of very bad faith arguments about genetics meant to promote racist and classist views. Its one of my big problems with the movie Idiocracy, I film I like things in but also has that issue deeply ingrained (particularly class in that movie). And class is a big problem here, too. Lisa has a fantasy in which her lower intelligence makes her an obese Southern yokel. Looking at the Simpsons men, they aren't just stupid, they are all financially unsuccessful and the Simpsons women feel like they are implied to be in positions of financial success, all with college educations. And I get that the episode doesn't necessarily have the time or wiggle room to show that you can be intelligent and happy and bloom without university and there are great alternative routes in life but it does feel of a piece to my problem. In addition, Lisa never really has a turn on looking down on her family. Yeah, Bart and Homer are kind of dumb but also we've seen that they can have surprising amounts of emotional intelligence and sweetness. I don't think the episode is meanspirited but it feels weird to bring that up and not resolve it re-affirming at least a certain amount of love and respect for her father and sister.
But I don't hate the episode, rather I just find problems with a lot of stuff stuck to the core of it. I do think some of the other things is does ARE interesting. I think to a certain extent, we are all afraid of certain genetic factors within us turning on us, like vulnerabilities to bad conditions. Or maybe finding that you're personal beliefs and point of view based on your education may have put a weird space between you and family members. And, of course, the age of fear of becoming your parents, specifically the parts you wanted never to be. And the joy of nurturing your intelligence. And that's all in there too and some of it is pretty good. But the DNA element is what holds it together and that unfortunately has a lot of baggage to it now and the show itself falls into some unfortunate traps. Despite my complaints, I'm not going to say its a "bad episode". But its an episode where as I get older, the things it brings up are a little less cool and there are things I wish it would have tackled instead, like the measure of what counts as success, intelligence, respect for other people and so on.
Jokes I missed before:
Other great jokes:
"Wanna hint?"
"I don't need a hint, Ralph."
"BUT YOU'RE SUFFERING."
"Hehe. Hey, you know who would love this? Men."
"Thaw me out when robot wives are cheap and effective. PS, please change my pants as fashion dictates."
"If you would just apologize to Louie, you could get your hair cut the way you want."
"No apologies. Not until he admits he's a jerk!"
Grandpa's inconsistence of which is dumber: monkey or chimp.
"What the-- Oh, hi Billy."
"Mr. McClure, what does DNA stand for?"
"Moving him now could kill him and tire us out."
"The best part was when the buildings fell down."
"Yeah. Maybe people got hurt."
"Hey, yeah, hehehehehehe."
"You have to listen to the notes she's not playing."
"I can do that at home."
"Moochin' war widows!"
"No no no, let her speak... I'm trying to get fired."
"I run an unsuccessful shrimp company."
"Oh, but... you run it, right?"
"Oh, yeah."
"Little girl... *likes* her brain. What's your opinion."
Other Notes:
The b-plot is an interesting one because while it isn't Simpsons-free, it is largely unrelated to those characters, instead telling an Apu story. It feels like a dry run at the unmade "Tales of Springfield" might have been.
As filmstrip gags go, "Someone's in the kitchen with DNA" is actually one of the weaker ones.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
I agree mostly but also the show punches at Lisa in weird ways later on. In Bart Star, the football episode, Lisa wants to join the football team to prove a point, only to find that the team already has girls, doesn't hurt animals and gives to charity, leaving Lisa embarrassed and adrift. And as a one off, I don't mind the joke, but I feel the show often wants to take Lisa to task for... wanting to make the world better? So, yeah, its not Flanders bad but its a weakening of a beloved character. That said, there are still good Lisa episodes to come and I think the show afterwards is better when it is reminding us Lisa is a child, like in Lost Our Lisa and even as late as Halloween of Horror (one of the rare good "season 20+" episodes. They are like flowers that grew out of a pot of dirt). But as a crusader, the show becomes far less nimble about its portrayal of Lisa and... most characters.
"That didn't answer anything! I need more information.""Mr. McClure, what does DNA stand for?"
"Would you like to see it again?"
To flip that over, what bothered me for the longest time about the episode was that it took Bart's mischievous "underachiever and proud of it" nature and made it some kind of inborn trait, rather than influence from his environment or anything. We'd seen Bart do and say intelligent things in the past, after all. Lots of smart kids act out because of poor boundaries, inadequate parenting, or any number of other factors, but this episode reframes Bart's actions as patterns in the life of someone genetically predisposed to ignorance.
Ludendorkk
(he/him)
Oh, before we get too far from it, The City of New York v.s Homer Simpson has one of my favourite instances of Marge saying some strange one-off line that paints an extremely depressing portrait of her sad little life.
I was thinking of that exact same line, it's perfect
I was thinking “If only I didn’t already have a pair of shoes”, myself
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Lisa's Sax
My niece loves school. But she's 4, so for her, it isn't "school" school, its daycare at a French language school. She loves her teacher and her fellow students. But I worry for her when she gets into grade one. She has a learning disability, particularly in output. Its not that I'm particularly afraid of her not being able to keep up, but in seeing the differences between her and other students and getting discouraged. Outside of school, she doesn't spend a lot of time with other kids, a fact worsened by the pandemic. She does lessons with me (we are currently working on numbers, which she is finding tricky, and letters, which she can someone do except she gets confused by the phonics) but I can go one on one with her and the experience and structure might feel frustrating to her. I know that with time we'll be able to make it work for her but it isn't hard even for kids without learning problems to find frustration in school.
In this episode, Lisa's saxophone ends up getting destroyed in a scuffle which provokes Homer to explain how Lisa got her saxophone. After Bart begins going to school, he falls into a depression. While Homer and Marge consult with the school psychologist, who discovers that Lisa is actually brilliant. Homer and Marge find they can't afford tuition for a school for the gifted and try to find a new outlet for Lisa to stimulate and nurture her gifts. In the end, Homer sacrifices the family having an air conditioner to allow her to have a saxophone. Meanwhile, Bart finds an outlet in humour and mischief.
I was hoping after the last episode, this one would act as a corrective to the last episode's flaws. And it does but it doesn't quite accomplish what I wanted it to do emotionally. Oh, its not without its merits. The problem is the b-plot is more well-drawn than the a-plot. Even the episode itself puts a hat on this, frontloading the episode with the b-plot and making jokes that a story ostensibly about Lisa begins as a Bart story. Overall, the episode is keenly aware that both kids are going through a situation where the adults in their lives are failing them at harboring a nurturing environment. Grandpa shows up a lot with a strong presence and a lot of references to him failing Homer and Homer not caring in kind. Lisa's failed by her father who loves her but it bad at expressing it in a nurturing or helpful way until the end of the episode. And Bart is failed by a broken system where the grown-ups are more interested in ranking everything they do rather than helping in a meaningful way.
Its this last one where it is the show at its strongest. It doesn't hurt that my opinion is formed by my own school experience. I didn't have a dehumanizing school experience, thankfully, but I went through a lot. Middle School left me in a real emotional funk due to growing pains as well as the effects of the Ritalin I was taking. High School was better but still somewhat rough due to the fact that I was in one of the most crowded schools in the country in one of the smallest provinces. But I definitely related to Bart's experience and his sadness, which I think is one of the better realized aspects of the episode. Bart finds an outlet that is a mix of joyous comedy and rebellion and frames Bart's misbehaviour as an attack on the institution that bullied him and screwed him up, making it a lot more endearing and character-based than the "genetic stupidhead" in the last episode.
The problem with Lisa's half of the story is Lisa as a very small child is barely a character. Her strife never hits home. I get that 2 year old Lisa might be missing the fact that there's a problem in her life and that's fine but compared to Bart in "Lisa's First Word", this two year old doesn't get the joy of a journey, making her crisis much more abstract than Bart's. Her situation and Homer's selfishness never hits home. Of course, Homer is going to look into his daughter's eyes and do something unselfish but the preceding 18 minutes never really turn that out into an emotional pay-off, no matter what a musical montage set to Baker Street tries to do. Lisa's Sax is an episode I like but unfortunately not for the reasons I wanted to. Its a better Bart episode than a Lisa episode and after the "genetic" missteps of the last one, I was hoping for something of a palette cleanser for that episode.
Jokes I missed before:
"Over 75% of our graduates move onto first grade."
Other great jokes:
"I went through a non-stop orgy of pills and booze with nothing to show for it but four Emmys and a Peabody award."
"Don't worry, if that bothers you, I'll destroy something Maggie loves."
I like this callback to what felt like an also-ran joke.
"Lousy traumatic childhood."
"Added extra clap. Not college material."
Homer's cognitive dissonance is still amusing to me.
This is also a Critic joke but the timelessness of Twin Peaks and the specificity of the year it is set in helps a lot.
"When a son doesn't want to play catch with his father, something's seriously wrong."
"I'll play catch with you son."
"Get the Hell out."
"I'm gone."
I love Grandpa's turn of the century uniform and also that he walks into one of the rooms instead of going downstairs. This feels like an animation oversight but it works for the character, who probably just stood in the guest room for 10 minutes.
The kickboxing bit hit my family at the best time as my sister was doing kickboxing.
I kind of want to live in this alternative history. And I only know one and a half facts about it.
"But haven't you heard of 'let he who is without sin cast the first stone.'?"
"Got 'im Dad!"
"I realized I could make money selling my medication to deadheads."
"Grandpa, what are you talking about?"
"Uh, nothing."
"hehehe... you're funny."
"I am."
"Yeah... and the world NEEDS a clown."
"He's the greatest showman since that kid who eats worms."
"My fifteen minutes of fame are over."
"Nothing beats Fruitopia, the ice tea brewed by hippies but distributed by a heartless multinational corporation."
I feel like even assuming "brewed by hippies" is hopeful. Marketed with 60's appropriation feels more apt. Of course, that's also clumsier/less pithy.
Other notes:
I feel we are getting into an era on the show where I feel like, probably due to the influence of The Critic creators Al Jean and Mike Riess, there are a lot more "dunking on contemporary pop culture" jokes that... they aren't "awful" but it feels more like a MAD Magazine poke in the ribs rather than actual timeless comedy. Most notably the Michigan J. Frog bit early in the episode.
Has anyone ever used Baker Street in a Sherlock Holmes production. Seems like a missed opportunity.
After watching that huge montage of all the Simpsons LGBTQ+ jokes, I am disappointed they've never done anything proper or interesting with Milhouse probably being gay.
I've never seen All in the Family. Does it still work in an era where having a bigoted main character, albeit one where his opinions are clearly supposed to present him as negative while keeping him human, is a very hard sell?
My niece loves school. But she's 4, so for her, it isn't "school" school, its daycare at a French language school. She loves her teacher and her fellow students. But I worry for her when she gets into grade one. She has a learning disability, particularly in output. Its not that I'm particularly afraid of her not being able to keep up, but in seeing the differences between her and other students and getting discouraged. Outside of school, she doesn't spend a lot of time with other kids, a fact worsened by the pandemic. She does lessons with me (we are currently working on numbers, which she is finding tricky, and letters, which she can someone do except she gets confused by the phonics) but I can go one on one with her and the experience and structure might feel frustrating to her. I know that with time we'll be able to make it work for her but it isn't hard even for kids without learning problems to find frustration in school.
In this episode, Lisa's saxophone ends up getting destroyed in a scuffle which provokes Homer to explain how Lisa got her saxophone. After Bart begins going to school, he falls into a depression. While Homer and Marge consult with the school psychologist, who discovers that Lisa is actually brilliant. Homer and Marge find they can't afford tuition for a school for the gifted and try to find a new outlet for Lisa to stimulate and nurture her gifts. In the end, Homer sacrifices the family having an air conditioner to allow her to have a saxophone. Meanwhile, Bart finds an outlet in humour and mischief.
I was hoping after the last episode, this one would act as a corrective to the last episode's flaws. And it does but it doesn't quite accomplish what I wanted it to do emotionally. Oh, its not without its merits. The problem is the b-plot is more well-drawn than the a-plot. Even the episode itself puts a hat on this, frontloading the episode with the b-plot and making jokes that a story ostensibly about Lisa begins as a Bart story. Overall, the episode is keenly aware that both kids are going through a situation where the adults in their lives are failing them at harboring a nurturing environment. Grandpa shows up a lot with a strong presence and a lot of references to him failing Homer and Homer not caring in kind. Lisa's failed by her father who loves her but it bad at expressing it in a nurturing or helpful way until the end of the episode. And Bart is failed by a broken system where the grown-ups are more interested in ranking everything they do rather than helping in a meaningful way.
Its this last one where it is the show at its strongest. It doesn't hurt that my opinion is formed by my own school experience. I didn't have a dehumanizing school experience, thankfully, but I went through a lot. Middle School left me in a real emotional funk due to growing pains as well as the effects of the Ritalin I was taking. High School was better but still somewhat rough due to the fact that I was in one of the most crowded schools in the country in one of the smallest provinces. But I definitely related to Bart's experience and his sadness, which I think is one of the better realized aspects of the episode. Bart finds an outlet that is a mix of joyous comedy and rebellion and frames Bart's misbehaviour as an attack on the institution that bullied him and screwed him up, making it a lot more endearing and character-based than the "genetic stupidhead" in the last episode.
The problem with Lisa's half of the story is Lisa as a very small child is barely a character. Her strife never hits home. I get that 2 year old Lisa might be missing the fact that there's a problem in her life and that's fine but compared to Bart in "Lisa's First Word", this two year old doesn't get the joy of a journey, making her crisis much more abstract than Bart's. Her situation and Homer's selfishness never hits home. Of course, Homer is going to look into his daughter's eyes and do something unselfish but the preceding 18 minutes never really turn that out into an emotional pay-off, no matter what a musical montage set to Baker Street tries to do. Lisa's Sax is an episode I like but unfortunately not for the reasons I wanted to. Its a better Bart episode than a Lisa episode and after the "genetic" missteps of the last one, I was hoping for something of a palette cleanser for that episode.
Jokes I missed before:
"Over 75% of our graduates move onto first grade."
Other great jokes:
"I went through a non-stop orgy of pills and booze with nothing to show for it but four Emmys and a Peabody award."
"Don't worry, if that bothers you, I'll destroy something Maggie loves."
I like this callback to what felt like an also-ran joke.
"Lousy traumatic childhood."
"Added extra clap. Not college material."
"When a son doesn't want to play catch with his father, something's seriously wrong."
"I'll play catch with you son."
"Get the Hell out."
"I'm gone."
I love Grandpa's turn of the century uniform and also that he walks into one of the rooms instead of going downstairs. This feels like an animation oversight but it works for the character, who probably just stood in the guest room for 10 minutes.
The kickboxing bit hit my family at the best time as my sister was doing kickboxing.
"But haven't you heard of 'let he who is without sin cast the first stone.'?"
"Got 'im Dad!"
"I realized I could make money selling my medication to deadheads."
"Grandpa, what are you talking about?"
"Uh, nothing."
"hehehe... you're funny."
"I am."
"Yeah... and the world NEEDS a clown."
"He's the greatest showman since that kid who eats worms."
"My fifteen minutes of fame are over."
"Nothing beats Fruitopia, the ice tea brewed by hippies but distributed by a heartless multinational corporation."
I feel like even assuming "brewed by hippies" is hopeful. Marketed with 60's appropriation feels more apt. Of course, that's also clumsier/less pithy.
Other notes:
I feel we are getting into an era on the show where I feel like, probably due to the influence of The Critic creators Al Jean and Mike Riess, there are a lot more "dunking on contemporary pop culture" jokes that... they aren't "awful" but it feels more like a MAD Magazine poke in the ribs rather than actual timeless comedy. Most notably the Michigan J. Frog bit early in the episode.
Has anyone ever used Baker Street in a Sherlock Holmes production. Seems like a missed opportunity.
After watching that huge montage of all the Simpsons LGBTQ+ jokes, I am disappointed they've never done anything proper or interesting with Milhouse probably being gay.
I've never seen All in the Family. Does it still work in an era where having a bigoted main character, albeit one where his opinions are clearly supposed to present him as negative while keeping him human, is a very hard sell?
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Treehouse of Horror VIII
Another year, another Halloween episode. The advantage is that the writers can go off the wall and have even more absurd scenarios than usual. But even non-canonically, are things being pushed a little too far from who these characters are?
In this episode, three tales of terror are told. First, in a parody of Richard Matheson's I Am Legend (and in particular, its adaptation The Omega Man), Homer survives a nuclear blast, only to discover himself as the last man on Earth... or so he thinks. However, it turns out some Springfieldians survived as desiccated mutants and want to remove Homer, a symbol of the "mistakes of the past." Homer also discovers his family has survived, who kill the mutants rather than make peace with them, Then, in a parody of The Fly, Homer buys teleportation pods. Bart decides to toy with them only to find his head on a tiny fly's body and a fly's head on his own... with a fly's mind. The Simpson's mistakenly assume that the Fly-headed creature is mostly Bart, unaware their real son is a tiny fly. Lisa learns the truth and Bart and Lisa set things right. In the final story, we see a Springfield set in the era of witch trials and Marge is accused of witchcraft. It turns out she IS a witch and is forced to leave her family. She and her sisters decide revenge against Springfield but end up being supplanted with candy.
This episode isn't bad but for an episode of the show's first decade, it is one of the weaker ones. I was going to say that the show was showing it was inefficient at telling its story in a brief amount of time but really, the problem it effectively gets through its plot but while there are definite A-OK jokes, a lot of these feel like also rans. The "eh, what are you going to do" jokes that feel put there to fill space. Its not like they are awful but it feels like even at this point in the series, we've seen this joke structure too many times that it barely registers. The good stuff is good but the show moves through its short, simple plot with jokes that are more competent than memorable.
I also feel like at this point, even unreal stories with magic robots, it feels a little TOO broad. I don't mind characters being out of character in a non-continuity story for the sake of a joke, such as Marge being a mean mutant-bigot at the end of the first segment. But in doing that, I actually feel that the show robbed itself of taking the wild premise and doing something interesting with it. I guess I wouldn't even mind it so much if the show really digged into the idea that the Simpsons are a "mistake of the past" that needs to be dealt with. Like, its kind of there, but it feels a pretty shallow take on a potentially fun idea. And the humour feels less like the brilliance of the Simpsons and more like one of those Mad Magazine film parodies with a Simpsons sheen (a problem that would become far worse in the decades to come, as in their spoofs of Dexter and Stranger Things.)
I guess it comes to my real problem: the episode doesn't sink its teeth into the premises. The Simpsons tends to be a show with a point of view at its best, even if we've seen it can sometimes be questionable. Distrust of authority, the failings of our systems and exposing the ridiculousness of our culture. The final tale is the one that seems to get this the most but even then, its Simpson point of view seems extra broad. It seems close to having more of a point of view questioning whether the last man on Earth, Homer is even worth saving but it feels like the themes need to take a back seat to the joke vehicle. And I guess I wouldn't mind any of this if it were back-to-back stellar jokes, rather than a series of acceptable ones.
Other great jokes:
But there are some funny ones to be sure.
"She can take a 6 megaton blast. No more, no less."
Marge whiffing is the best joke of the episode. "Hippo promoted to detective" is also good.
"Oh Spade, why did you put Farley in charge of the bees?"
"That better not be the mutants."
I like Homer hemming and hawing over having to spend two bucks over the most important invention ever created.
"I think that's Bart."
"I think she's right. The pants are a dead giveaway."
"Oh, no! And I let him use my toothbrush."
"I sentence you hags to be burned at the stake until you are deemed fit to re-enter society."
"Eat their children."
"Jeez, and we were just going to swipe their shoes."
"I just wish we didn't fill up on those before we got to the Flanders."
"And that's the story of the very first caramel cod-- I mean, Halloween."
Other notes:
Its eerie of many politicians have taken "I stand by my ethnic slur" to heart.
Inspired by Comic Book Guy's death in the episode... Do you say "Aw-kwa-man" or "Ack-wa man?" I ask JBear this before and he was deeply confused.
Another year, another Halloween episode. The advantage is that the writers can go off the wall and have even more absurd scenarios than usual. But even non-canonically, are things being pushed a little too far from who these characters are?
In this episode, three tales of terror are told. First, in a parody of Richard Matheson's I Am Legend (and in particular, its adaptation The Omega Man), Homer survives a nuclear blast, only to discover himself as the last man on Earth... or so he thinks. However, it turns out some Springfieldians survived as desiccated mutants and want to remove Homer, a symbol of the "mistakes of the past." Homer also discovers his family has survived, who kill the mutants rather than make peace with them, Then, in a parody of The Fly, Homer buys teleportation pods. Bart decides to toy with them only to find his head on a tiny fly's body and a fly's head on his own... with a fly's mind. The Simpson's mistakenly assume that the Fly-headed creature is mostly Bart, unaware their real son is a tiny fly. Lisa learns the truth and Bart and Lisa set things right. In the final story, we see a Springfield set in the era of witch trials and Marge is accused of witchcraft. It turns out she IS a witch and is forced to leave her family. She and her sisters decide revenge against Springfield but end up being supplanted with candy.
This episode isn't bad but for an episode of the show's first decade, it is one of the weaker ones. I was going to say that the show was showing it was inefficient at telling its story in a brief amount of time but really, the problem it effectively gets through its plot but while there are definite A-OK jokes, a lot of these feel like also rans. The "eh, what are you going to do" jokes that feel put there to fill space. Its not like they are awful but it feels like even at this point in the series, we've seen this joke structure too many times that it barely registers. The good stuff is good but the show moves through its short, simple plot with jokes that are more competent than memorable.
I also feel like at this point, even unreal stories with magic robots, it feels a little TOO broad. I don't mind characters being out of character in a non-continuity story for the sake of a joke, such as Marge being a mean mutant-bigot at the end of the first segment. But in doing that, I actually feel that the show robbed itself of taking the wild premise and doing something interesting with it. I guess I wouldn't even mind it so much if the show really digged into the idea that the Simpsons are a "mistake of the past" that needs to be dealt with. Like, its kind of there, but it feels a pretty shallow take on a potentially fun idea. And the humour feels less like the brilliance of the Simpsons and more like one of those Mad Magazine film parodies with a Simpsons sheen (a problem that would become far worse in the decades to come, as in their spoofs of Dexter and Stranger Things.)
I guess it comes to my real problem: the episode doesn't sink its teeth into the premises. The Simpsons tends to be a show with a point of view at its best, even if we've seen it can sometimes be questionable. Distrust of authority, the failings of our systems and exposing the ridiculousness of our culture. The final tale is the one that seems to get this the most but even then, its Simpson point of view seems extra broad. It seems close to having more of a point of view questioning whether the last man on Earth, Homer is even worth saving but it feels like the themes need to take a back seat to the joke vehicle. And I guess I wouldn't mind any of this if it were back-to-back stellar jokes, rather than a series of acceptable ones.
Other great jokes:
But there are some funny ones to be sure.
"She can take a 6 megaton blast. No more, no less."
"Oh Spade, why did you put Farley in charge of the bees?"
"That better not be the mutants."
I like Homer hemming and hawing over having to spend two bucks over the most important invention ever created.
"I think that's Bart."
"I think she's right. The pants are a dead giveaway."
"Oh, no! And I let him use my toothbrush."
"I sentence you hags to be burned at the stake until you are deemed fit to re-enter society."
"Eat their children."
"Jeez, and we were just going to swipe their shoes."
"I just wish we didn't fill up on those before we got to the Flanders."
"And that's the story of the very first caramel cod-- I mean, Halloween."
Other notes:
Its eerie of many politicians have taken "I stand by my ethnic slur" to heart.
Inspired by Comic Book Guy's death in the episode... Do you say "Aw-kwa-man" or "Ack-wa man?" I ask JBear this before and he was deeply confused.
(Homer punches Kirks skull clean off)
“Still got it!”
“Still got it!”
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
The Cartridge Family
Gun culture in America is terrifying. You can be forgiven for thinking that there isn't much of a gun culture in Canada but I assure you there is. But it pales in comparison to America. It shouldn't be too surprising: America was birthed in bloodshed by bullets. The power of the gun in American culture is downright mythic, particularly in Old West tales where gun proficiency makes characters heroes and villains as they see fit. But now seeing a heroic character with a gun tends to make me cringe. America has been plagued by shootings and there's terrifying support for guns that feels religious. Obviously, creeps like Wayne LaPierre and the gun lobby have a lot of blame in shaping gun culture to their own ends but its just an amplification of something scary that's been there the whole time. I guess I'll always have a hard time accepting the idea that they are a healthy part of life as so many believe.
In this episode, following a riot, Homer decides to buy a gun to protect his family. After finally getting one, Marge is immediately upset and wants Homer to get rid of it. Homer refuses and eventually Homer agrees to get rid of it. But instead, it turns out he hid it in the fridge and Marge leaves with the kids. Homer then hosts an NRA meeting only to find them aghast at his reckless and childish usage of his gun. Soon Homer finds himself alone and seeks out his family. He tells Marge he's gotten rid of the gun but when he uses it to try to stop a robbery, Marge is again upset. Homer confesses that he's addicted to his gun and he feeling he can't trust himself with it, he gives it to Marge. Marge is about to throw it away when she starts to enjoy it herself.
This is such a strange episode in so many ways. I was sort of dreading watching it again but it turned out to be a different sort of episode than I was expecting. See, I recently read that it was an episode that was divisive in the writing room as Swartzwelder and several other staff members were pro-gun and apparently a compromise was made to make it an episode that showed the pros and cons of guns. Does it show? Well, yeah, but very weirdly. Recently, I saw an episode of Arrow that was, in 2016, trying to take a "both sides" episodes about guns that was ridiculous and stupid, even for that show. It brought up an issue but came to no conclusions and seemed desperate not to have a point of view, though the bad guy being an "anti-gun nut who shoots up city hall" should tell you the mindset of the writers. Here, the show definitely falls into some terrible pro-gun myths: a good guy (or guys) with a gun, the need for businesses and people to protect themselves. Apparently, what everyone could agree on is that it should be specifically the oafish Homer specifically who should not own a gun.
But therein lies the strength of the episode. Afterall, Homer is an idiot whose done impossible things but despite his contradictions he is one thing in the show above all else: an everyman. As in "every man should not own a gun". It can try all it wants to propagate pro-gun myths to balance out an anti-gun stance but its an episode where the toxicity of guns (not even gun culture) is evident. By the end of the episode we are supposed to be kind of OK with someone like, oh, let's say Moe with a gun. He's usually a scumbag (albeit a loveable one) but he acts as a hero in the end and disapproves of Homer's negligence. But he also appears at the NRA gloating over a man whose mobility he's taken away and everyone in the room laughing about it. Its gross and its meant to be darkly funny gross. Homer the everyman becomes a power addict. He looks for excuses to use it. He almost robs a place on a whim save that he's too slow witted to do it. Its his toy and he won't give it up.
The Simpsons have had problematic episodes. Some are downright ugly or morally wrong. But I think the Cartridge Family is the most upsetting episode of the Simpsons. But I think there's a brilliance to it. I'm not saying the episode is brilliant. I think the episode is good, though, again, it tries to promote pro-gun talking points in a few spots. But within the skeleton is a sick, scary brilliance. Homer's oafishness and stupidity is usually more funny. But applying that same goofy recklessness to a gun makes the episode really horrifying. Maybe its partially because of the hindsight of many shooting incidents, but it basically tells a conventional Simpsons episode with conventional humour and acting but adds a fucking gun and that sort of... changes everything while the show tries to keep itself in normal mode. Whether intended or unintended... it kind of works in a fascinating new way. Its scary. Marge ONCE AGAIN tells Homer he's hit a new low like she does in a lot of episodes but... she's not fucking wrong. This is probably the worst thing Homer has done and it IS despicable and selfish.
I'm really interested in hearing other people chime in on this one because I'm curious what everyone thinks. I think its kind of genius indictment of the toxic nature of guns despite what the writer himself seems to think (its wild that Swartzwelder is so good at writing episodes specifically counter to his personal and political beliefs) and attempts to offset it. Those things don't take away from the horror of living with a gun and living with someone willing to use it. But I can see it being too upsetting for viewers and understandably so. Or maybe finding that the concessions to the "other side" muddies the waters too much or perhaps feels like it lands too much on the other side. What I see is a rare Simpsons that was ahead of the curve in a very spine-tingling way.
Jokes I missed before:
Speaking the fucking darkest...
"Its hard to believe this used to be an internment camp."
Fuck. That's... fuck.
Other great jokes:
"Fast kickin', low scorin' and ties? You bet!"
"Dad, why haven't you taken us to see soccer?"
"I don't know."
"I'll kill myself if Portugal doesn't win."
"Intruders could come down the chimney, through the mail slot, even hiding in your groceries."
"Wouldn't we all suffocate?"
"Well, I should hope not."
"Surely you can't put a price on your family's lives."
"I wouldn't have thought so either but here we are."
"If I didn't have this gun the KING OF ENGLAND could walk in here any time he wants and start shoving you around."
"Homer, I think you'd agree I put up with a lot in this marriage."
"Hiya Homer, I brought you a big bag of irregular Oreos. I don't see what's wrong with this one... Oh..."
"Hey, is that a camera in the ceiling?"
"No. Go back to sleep."
"Vote Quimby."
"MARGE, THERE'S SO MANY THINGS I WANNA YELL TO YOU."
"Come down here!"
"OOOOOKKAAAAAAY."
Other notes:
Another point against: being older and more plot savvy, I really didn't like that ending. Having Marge become the next gun addict is actually a good Twilight Zone ending of "no one is immune" but it plays it way too fun. Not that it needs an arrow to point and say "uh-oh" but I feel like while we are supposed to be aware of the irony, the tone of the moment feels like it lightens a pretty dark ending in a way that works against it. Does anyone else disagree or am I simply being too naive in my assessment?
So... the Springfield gunshop, called Bloodbath and Beyond, actually did a background check. Worth noting.
Gun culture in America is terrifying. You can be forgiven for thinking that there isn't much of a gun culture in Canada but I assure you there is. But it pales in comparison to America. It shouldn't be too surprising: America was birthed in bloodshed by bullets. The power of the gun in American culture is downright mythic, particularly in Old West tales where gun proficiency makes characters heroes and villains as they see fit. But now seeing a heroic character with a gun tends to make me cringe. America has been plagued by shootings and there's terrifying support for guns that feels religious. Obviously, creeps like Wayne LaPierre and the gun lobby have a lot of blame in shaping gun culture to their own ends but its just an amplification of something scary that's been there the whole time. I guess I'll always have a hard time accepting the idea that they are a healthy part of life as so many believe.
In this episode, following a riot, Homer decides to buy a gun to protect his family. After finally getting one, Marge is immediately upset and wants Homer to get rid of it. Homer refuses and eventually Homer agrees to get rid of it. But instead, it turns out he hid it in the fridge and Marge leaves with the kids. Homer then hosts an NRA meeting only to find them aghast at his reckless and childish usage of his gun. Soon Homer finds himself alone and seeks out his family. He tells Marge he's gotten rid of the gun but when he uses it to try to stop a robbery, Marge is again upset. Homer confesses that he's addicted to his gun and he feeling he can't trust himself with it, he gives it to Marge. Marge is about to throw it away when she starts to enjoy it herself.
This is such a strange episode in so many ways. I was sort of dreading watching it again but it turned out to be a different sort of episode than I was expecting. See, I recently read that it was an episode that was divisive in the writing room as Swartzwelder and several other staff members were pro-gun and apparently a compromise was made to make it an episode that showed the pros and cons of guns. Does it show? Well, yeah, but very weirdly. Recently, I saw an episode of Arrow that was, in 2016, trying to take a "both sides" episodes about guns that was ridiculous and stupid, even for that show. It brought up an issue but came to no conclusions and seemed desperate not to have a point of view, though the bad guy being an "anti-gun nut who shoots up city hall" should tell you the mindset of the writers. Here, the show definitely falls into some terrible pro-gun myths: a good guy (or guys) with a gun, the need for businesses and people to protect themselves. Apparently, what everyone could agree on is that it should be specifically the oafish Homer specifically who should not own a gun.
But therein lies the strength of the episode. Afterall, Homer is an idiot whose done impossible things but despite his contradictions he is one thing in the show above all else: an everyman. As in "every man should not own a gun". It can try all it wants to propagate pro-gun myths to balance out an anti-gun stance but its an episode where the toxicity of guns (not even gun culture) is evident. By the end of the episode we are supposed to be kind of OK with someone like, oh, let's say Moe with a gun. He's usually a scumbag (albeit a loveable one) but he acts as a hero in the end and disapproves of Homer's negligence. But he also appears at the NRA gloating over a man whose mobility he's taken away and everyone in the room laughing about it. Its gross and its meant to be darkly funny gross. Homer the everyman becomes a power addict. He looks for excuses to use it. He almost robs a place on a whim save that he's too slow witted to do it. Its his toy and he won't give it up.
The Simpsons have had problematic episodes. Some are downright ugly or morally wrong. But I think the Cartridge Family is the most upsetting episode of the Simpsons. But I think there's a brilliance to it. I'm not saying the episode is brilliant. I think the episode is good, though, again, it tries to promote pro-gun talking points in a few spots. But within the skeleton is a sick, scary brilliance. Homer's oafishness and stupidity is usually more funny. But applying that same goofy recklessness to a gun makes the episode really horrifying. Maybe its partially because of the hindsight of many shooting incidents, but it basically tells a conventional Simpsons episode with conventional humour and acting but adds a fucking gun and that sort of... changes everything while the show tries to keep itself in normal mode. Whether intended or unintended... it kind of works in a fascinating new way. Its scary. Marge ONCE AGAIN tells Homer he's hit a new low like she does in a lot of episodes but... she's not fucking wrong. This is probably the worst thing Homer has done and it IS despicable and selfish.
I'm really interested in hearing other people chime in on this one because I'm curious what everyone thinks. I think its kind of genius indictment of the toxic nature of guns despite what the writer himself seems to think (its wild that Swartzwelder is so good at writing episodes specifically counter to his personal and political beliefs) and attempts to offset it. Those things don't take away from the horror of living with a gun and living with someone willing to use it. But I can see it being too upsetting for viewers and understandably so. Or maybe finding that the concessions to the "other side" muddies the waters too much or perhaps feels like it lands too much on the other side. What I see is a rare Simpsons that was ahead of the curve in a very spine-tingling way.
Jokes I missed before:
Speaking the fucking darkest...
"Its hard to believe this used to be an internment camp."
Fuck. That's... fuck.
Other great jokes:
"Fast kickin', low scorin' and ties? You bet!"
"Dad, why haven't you taken us to see soccer?"
"I don't know."
"I'll kill myself if Portugal doesn't win."
"Intruders could come down the chimney, through the mail slot, even hiding in your groceries."
"Wouldn't we all suffocate?"
"Well, I should hope not."
"Surely you can't put a price on your family's lives."
"I wouldn't have thought so either but here we are."
"If I didn't have this gun the KING OF ENGLAND could walk in here any time he wants and start shoving you around."
"Homer, I think you'd agree I put up with a lot in this marriage."
"Hiya Homer, I brought you a big bag of irregular Oreos. I don't see what's wrong with this one... Oh..."
"Hey, is that a camera in the ceiling?"
"No. Go back to sleep."
"Vote Quimby."
"MARGE, THERE'S SO MANY THINGS I WANNA YELL TO YOU."
"Come down here!"
"OOOOOKKAAAAAAY."
Other notes:
Another point against: being older and more plot savvy, I really didn't like that ending. Having Marge become the next gun addict is actually a good Twilight Zone ending of "no one is immune" but it plays it way too fun. Not that it needs an arrow to point and say "uh-oh" but I feel like while we are supposed to be aware of the irony, the tone of the moment feels like it lightens a pretty dark ending in a way that works against it. Does anyone else disagree or am I simply being too naive in my assessment?
So... the Springfield gunshop, called Bloodbath and Beyond, actually did a background check. Worth noting.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Bart Star
My parents for a brief period tried to get me into gymnastics, hoping it would inspire me to a healthier lifestyle and stimulating development.
It didn't take. My parents saw that my sister was much more interested in gymnastics but I had no interest, not helped that I was too young to appreciate that the discomfort threshold was something to be worked past since I'd rather simply not do pain. My parents never pressured me but they hoped that I would be interested in athletics like my sister. Mostly, I never did, save for a couple years when I did Hap Ki Do. I've always had supportive parents and they tried to encourage me to try new things but eventually they saw that I was never going to be an athlete like my sister (though considering my attempt to join the basketball team, I get why they thought I might).
In this episode, the kids of Springfield are encouraged to join pee wee football due to an obesity problem. Bart joins the team coached by Flanders but Flanders is eventually so annoyed by Homer's antics, he quits and puts Homer in charge. Homer is quick to pressure Bart but after being reminded of his own experiences in sports, Homer vows to become supportive of Bart. However, that support soon comes at the expense of failing to acknowledge Bart's shortcomings and makes him the starting quarterback. The results are disastrous and Bart decides to lie and fake an injury to spare Homer's feelings. When that doesn't work, Bart quits in anger at Homer putting him first at the expense of the team. Eventually, Homer and Bart hash things out and Bart ends up making a play of sorts, replacing star player Nelson... behind bars, so Nelson can win the game.
Bart Star is a sort of mid-tier episode. Its functional and funny and doesn't have some of the problematic baggage some episodes do. With this and the previous episode, I feel we are veering closer to jerk-ass Homer territory. His intentions towards Bart are good but it feels like he's putting more of a concerted effort into being awful a little more than usual. Its not that he's out of character, more that the volume of finding ways for Homer to be shitty are a little higher right now. A lot of episodes can have him be a jerk and be sympathetic but despite the fact that he wants to be supportive, he remains unsympathetic throughout.
Homer's journey is to realize that its not really good support to willingly ignore someone's shortcomings or desires and that while he's been avoiding his own father's cruelty, his good intentions have yielded another unintended form of cruelty toward his son. I think my problem is that the lesson never really hits home emotionally. Obviously, heading out of the Golden Age we are leaving behind the show's more resonant emotions in favour of comedy. Unforunately, it also means broadening of characters, which also has an effect on the comedy, like Flanders, who will eventually become some neo-conversative creep instead of the nicest guy in town. This is Homer in transition. The last episode was also a drive towards jerk-ass Homer but it felt in the episode's favour. This one just feels like the sign of a less impressive trend. This isn't even Homer at his worst, its more that Homer doesn't get a lot of chances to oscillate the other ways in terms of making Homer a loveable rogue instead of just a rogue.
Other great jokes:
"Now when I say First Aid, I'm not talking about a charity rock concert."
*no response*
"I'm talking about treating serious injuries."
*uproarious laughter*
"You know Homer, it's very easy to criticize."
"Fun, too."
"From now on I'll be kinder to my son and meaner to my dad."
"You ruined our undefeated season. You ruined everything, you ruiner! My sister likes you."
"So, like I said, I've never had a tick burrow in so deep. Little guy had a mind of his own."
My parents for a brief period tried to get me into gymnastics, hoping it would inspire me to a healthier lifestyle and stimulating development.
It didn't take. My parents saw that my sister was much more interested in gymnastics but I had no interest, not helped that I was too young to appreciate that the discomfort threshold was something to be worked past since I'd rather simply not do pain. My parents never pressured me but they hoped that I would be interested in athletics like my sister. Mostly, I never did, save for a couple years when I did Hap Ki Do. I've always had supportive parents and they tried to encourage me to try new things but eventually they saw that I was never going to be an athlete like my sister (though considering my attempt to join the basketball team, I get why they thought I might).
In this episode, the kids of Springfield are encouraged to join pee wee football due to an obesity problem. Bart joins the team coached by Flanders but Flanders is eventually so annoyed by Homer's antics, he quits and puts Homer in charge. Homer is quick to pressure Bart but after being reminded of his own experiences in sports, Homer vows to become supportive of Bart. However, that support soon comes at the expense of failing to acknowledge Bart's shortcomings and makes him the starting quarterback. The results are disastrous and Bart decides to lie and fake an injury to spare Homer's feelings. When that doesn't work, Bart quits in anger at Homer putting him first at the expense of the team. Eventually, Homer and Bart hash things out and Bart ends up making a play of sorts, replacing star player Nelson... behind bars, so Nelson can win the game.
Bart Star is a sort of mid-tier episode. Its functional and funny and doesn't have some of the problematic baggage some episodes do. With this and the previous episode, I feel we are veering closer to jerk-ass Homer territory. His intentions towards Bart are good but it feels like he's putting more of a concerted effort into being awful a little more than usual. Its not that he's out of character, more that the volume of finding ways for Homer to be shitty are a little higher right now. A lot of episodes can have him be a jerk and be sympathetic but despite the fact that he wants to be supportive, he remains unsympathetic throughout.
Homer's journey is to realize that its not really good support to willingly ignore someone's shortcomings or desires and that while he's been avoiding his own father's cruelty, his good intentions have yielded another unintended form of cruelty toward his son. I think my problem is that the lesson never really hits home emotionally. Obviously, heading out of the Golden Age we are leaving behind the show's more resonant emotions in favour of comedy. Unforunately, it also means broadening of characters, which also has an effect on the comedy, like Flanders, who will eventually become some neo-conversative creep instead of the nicest guy in town. This is Homer in transition. The last episode was also a drive towards jerk-ass Homer but it felt in the episode's favour. This one just feels like the sign of a less impressive trend. This isn't even Homer at his worst, its more that Homer doesn't get a lot of chances to oscillate the other ways in terms of making Homer a loveable rogue instead of just a rogue.
Other great jokes:
"Now when I say First Aid, I'm not talking about a charity rock concert."
*no response*
"I'm talking about treating serious injuries."
*uproarious laughter*
"You know Homer, it's very easy to criticize."
"Fun, too."
"From now on I'll be kinder to my son and meaner to my dad."
"You ruined our undefeated season. You ruined everything, you ruiner! My sister likes you."
"So, like I said, I've never had a tick burrow in so deep. Little guy had a mind of his own."
There's still some emotional moments, but The Simpsons is definitely getting more mean-spirited and cartoonish now. And it's not just Homer being an asshole; Bart "subbing" for Nelson by getting arrested in his place is a very Simpsons joke, but fading out with Bart being implied to be going to prison (or at least juvie) for a very long time is the kinda ending one of the non-canon Halloween bits or a dream sequence would've done, not a standard Simpsons episode.
I mean, way back in Season 3, Bart facing serious jail time was used for dramatic effect, not as a joke.
I mean, way back in Season 3, Bart facing serious jail time was used for dramatic effect, not as a joke.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilans
Once again we have another Apu episode. I don't know what to say about the character that hasn't been said. He's a problematic character where a lot of the problems have no easy fix. Taking him away from the show reduced what little representation the Simpsons had but even with a change of voice actors, he's much more a character birthed by finding an accent funny. Its clear that the writers and Azaria have a lot of affection for the character and I admit despite being able to acknowledge everything wrong with the character, I still have fond feelings toward the character. This is not a defense of him but an acknowledgement of what this piece of pop culture has meant to me. In an instance that seems wild in retrospect, I think he was long considered a great character in terms of representation which I think comes from the fact that having him be a character with depth and substance made people assume that the brown-face aspect of the character could be overlooked. It should not be and really can no longer be. Similarly, I think the writers want to balance showing knowledge and genuine interest in other cultures and their customs while still poking fun. And now, its very much NOT a good look.
In this episode, workaholic Apu starts sewing his wild oats when he realizes that as far as bachelors go, he's VERY eligible. But soon after he starts taking advantage of his charm, he finds that his arranged marriage, decided during his childhood, is about to happen. Apu, desperate not to get married, lies to his mother and claims he is already married. When Apu's mother comes to investigate, Marge becomes caught up in the farce and must pretend to be Apu's wife while Homer hides out with Abe in the Retirement Castle. When Homer returns, the truth is accidentally discovered and the wedding is back on. Homer tries to help by stopping the wedding in... I won't say THE MOST culturally insensitive way possible, but its up there. Anyway, Apu meets his new bride, Manjula, and finds that she's actually beautiful and charming AND also agrees that the wedding is a bad idea. Both decide to go through with it anyway and figure they can just get a divorce if it doesn't work out.
Its funny that there's a moment where Rev. Lovejoy, who is presiding over the wedding proudly proclaims he consulted a Hindu website, because that's sort of what this episode feels like from a writing perspective. I have no doubt that writer Richard Appel wanted to represent the wedding itself in a way that is somewhat accurate but you also have Homer dressing up like Ganesh to "haunt" everyone and Lisa, in a moment that feels out of character, ask about "that dot". The Ganesh thing doesn't feel much different than any sort of Christian blasphemy Homer might do but having this being a scenario conceived and performed by non-Indians and being done by a Caucasian character makes the religious mocking far less palatable. Similarly, I suspect the depiction of arranged marriage is probably pretty inaccurate. We have two new Indian characters, one of whom becomes a major recurring character, once again voiced by white people; Andrea Martin as Apu's mother (who, to my surprise, never even gets a name) and Manjula. The writing and acting sells Manjula as being pretty charming beyond being beautiful pretty quickly but it never forgives the ingrained problem, one that will be EVEN more problematic in "Eight Misbehavin'" (thankfully, I have a few seasons before I have to do that one).
Weirdly, I'm a little more focused on the subplot of Homer in the Retirement Home. In general, I like Homer's characterization here than in the last episode: he's a well-intentioned but gormless and annoying lunkhead rather than someone trying to hit Flanders with beer cans. He's not actively mean, just cartoonishly stupid. He barely gets to be a character in this one but at least I don't mind him as much and its a little more forgivable since his role is more to fill the role of wacky friend to the episode's main character Apu. In the subplot, Homer enjoys being "babied" while being treated like an old person. Obviously, its a bit of comedy where the joke is Homer is acting like a spoiled brat and taking advantage of a system where people need help. My own father has serious mobility issues so it reads a bit weirder today. I suspect my dad, who is an advocate for people with mobility issues, probably would still find this funny but the nurse, who ostensibly thinks Homer is an old man, complains about Homer complaining about wanting a bedpan rather than moving a few extra feet reads differently because for some people that IS a big difference.
The show also feels like it moving into the territory of more conventional farce. Obviously, shows grow and evolve but so much of it feels like such conventional backslide. They do put a hat on it but I feel like they've been using the same hat for a long time, like Apu's mother starts loudly proclaiming she's about to go so the audience can know, with humourously and intentionally clunky that the scam ALMOST worked. I don't think the show ever thought that it was ABOVE farce and farce is by no means a bad thing but in this case, it feels like there's a knowing hamminess to the proceedings that the show can't actually bother to make feel more than something prefunctory. I seriously did not expect to be so negative this season, as I long held that this and the next season are pretty strong but outside of some memorable jokes, I'm getting kind of bummed. Frankly I needed to look ahead. In fact, I think we are about to hit a run of episodes that I remember being "pretty strong, actually". Hopefully, my brain is right.
Jokes I missed before:
Moe has an Easter Island shirt when we see him again.
Other great jokes:
"I'm finally going to Easter Island."
"Oh, yeah, with the giant heads."
"With the what now?"
"Hey, you seen Apu lately? He looks terrible."
"Yeah, rumour has it Marge threw him out."
"Aw, tough break, she's a beautiful lady."
"Ya got that right, Barn."
"TO MARGE!"
"Nothin' like a depression to chase the blues away."
"Wow, I wish I had an elephant."
"You did. His name was Stampy. You loved him."
"Oh, yeah."
Other notes:
Sanjay has a small appearance in the episode and... does he kind of disappear? I feel like he and his daughter stop appearing once Manjula enters the picture.
Wait, is one of the women dating Apu Krusty's secretary, the character who felt like she was going to be more important when she was introduced?
I love that Luann's dating outfit makes her looks like she's going to a Victorian child's tea party at one of the dolls.
Once again we have another Apu episode. I don't know what to say about the character that hasn't been said. He's a problematic character where a lot of the problems have no easy fix. Taking him away from the show reduced what little representation the Simpsons had but even with a change of voice actors, he's much more a character birthed by finding an accent funny. Its clear that the writers and Azaria have a lot of affection for the character and I admit despite being able to acknowledge everything wrong with the character, I still have fond feelings toward the character. This is not a defense of him but an acknowledgement of what this piece of pop culture has meant to me. In an instance that seems wild in retrospect, I think he was long considered a great character in terms of representation which I think comes from the fact that having him be a character with depth and substance made people assume that the brown-face aspect of the character could be overlooked. It should not be and really can no longer be. Similarly, I think the writers want to balance showing knowledge and genuine interest in other cultures and their customs while still poking fun. And now, its very much NOT a good look.
In this episode, workaholic Apu starts sewing his wild oats when he realizes that as far as bachelors go, he's VERY eligible. But soon after he starts taking advantage of his charm, he finds that his arranged marriage, decided during his childhood, is about to happen. Apu, desperate not to get married, lies to his mother and claims he is already married. When Apu's mother comes to investigate, Marge becomes caught up in the farce and must pretend to be Apu's wife while Homer hides out with Abe in the Retirement Castle. When Homer returns, the truth is accidentally discovered and the wedding is back on. Homer tries to help by stopping the wedding in... I won't say THE MOST culturally insensitive way possible, but its up there. Anyway, Apu meets his new bride, Manjula, and finds that she's actually beautiful and charming AND also agrees that the wedding is a bad idea. Both decide to go through with it anyway and figure they can just get a divorce if it doesn't work out.
Its funny that there's a moment where Rev. Lovejoy, who is presiding over the wedding proudly proclaims he consulted a Hindu website, because that's sort of what this episode feels like from a writing perspective. I have no doubt that writer Richard Appel wanted to represent the wedding itself in a way that is somewhat accurate but you also have Homer dressing up like Ganesh to "haunt" everyone and Lisa, in a moment that feels out of character, ask about "that dot". The Ganesh thing doesn't feel much different than any sort of Christian blasphemy Homer might do but having this being a scenario conceived and performed by non-Indians and being done by a Caucasian character makes the religious mocking far less palatable. Similarly, I suspect the depiction of arranged marriage is probably pretty inaccurate. We have two new Indian characters, one of whom becomes a major recurring character, once again voiced by white people; Andrea Martin as Apu's mother (who, to my surprise, never even gets a name) and Manjula. The writing and acting sells Manjula as being pretty charming beyond being beautiful pretty quickly but it never forgives the ingrained problem, one that will be EVEN more problematic in "Eight Misbehavin'" (thankfully, I have a few seasons before I have to do that one).
Weirdly, I'm a little more focused on the subplot of Homer in the Retirement Home. In general, I like Homer's characterization here than in the last episode: he's a well-intentioned but gormless and annoying lunkhead rather than someone trying to hit Flanders with beer cans. He's not actively mean, just cartoonishly stupid. He barely gets to be a character in this one but at least I don't mind him as much and its a little more forgivable since his role is more to fill the role of wacky friend to the episode's main character Apu. In the subplot, Homer enjoys being "babied" while being treated like an old person. Obviously, its a bit of comedy where the joke is Homer is acting like a spoiled brat and taking advantage of a system where people need help. My own father has serious mobility issues so it reads a bit weirder today. I suspect my dad, who is an advocate for people with mobility issues, probably would still find this funny but the nurse, who ostensibly thinks Homer is an old man, complains about Homer complaining about wanting a bedpan rather than moving a few extra feet reads differently because for some people that IS a big difference.
The show also feels like it moving into the territory of more conventional farce. Obviously, shows grow and evolve but so much of it feels like such conventional backslide. They do put a hat on it but I feel like they've been using the same hat for a long time, like Apu's mother starts loudly proclaiming she's about to go so the audience can know, with humourously and intentionally clunky that the scam ALMOST worked. I don't think the show ever thought that it was ABOVE farce and farce is by no means a bad thing but in this case, it feels like there's a knowing hamminess to the proceedings that the show can't actually bother to make feel more than something prefunctory. I seriously did not expect to be so negative this season, as I long held that this and the next season are pretty strong but outside of some memorable jokes, I'm getting kind of bummed. Frankly I needed to look ahead. In fact, I think we are about to hit a run of episodes that I remember being "pretty strong, actually". Hopefully, my brain is right.
Jokes I missed before:
Moe has an Easter Island shirt when we see him again.
Other great jokes:
"I'm finally going to Easter Island."
"Oh, yeah, with the giant heads."
"With the what now?"
"Hey, you seen Apu lately? He looks terrible."
"Yeah, rumour has it Marge threw him out."
"Aw, tough break, she's a beautiful lady."
"Ya got that right, Barn."
"TO MARGE!"
"Nothin' like a depression to chase the blues away."
"Wow, I wish I had an elephant."
"You did. His name was Stampy. You loved him."
"Oh, yeah."
Other notes:
Sanjay has a small appearance in the episode and... does he kind of disappear? I feel like he and his daughter stop appearing once Manjula enters the picture.
Wait, is one of the women dating Apu Krusty's secretary, the character who felt like she was going to be more important when she was introduced?
I love that Luann's dating outfit makes her looks like she's going to a Victorian child's tea party at one of the dolls.
They were plainly running out of reasons for flashback episodes with Lisa’s Sax (though I loved that episode).
One of the episodes in my own rematch had Homer mention growing up “in the 60s, 70s or perhaps 80s” which is about all the time sliding that needs to happen
One of the episodes in my own rematch had Homer mention growing up “in the 60s, 70s or perhaps 80s” which is about all the time sliding that needs to happen
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Lisa the Skeptic
I became an atheist around age 13 and while I toyed with agnosticism, I remained that way for most of my life. But I toyed with agnosticism because I feared death and wanted to believe maybe there was something beyond. I still would like to, for sure because death is scary. I would go on to meet other people who were atheist but often I would get darn tired of how PROUDLY atheist they were and how stupid religion is and how stupid it was to believe. Being older, I find that belief can be a beautiful thing. Often it can be an ugly thing when used to justify cruelty or when it is exploited by people but for the most part faith can be a beautiful thing and smug superiority can be damned unappealing. I can certainly understand where it comes from, though, when you are surrounded by believers who may have their own sense of presumed superiority or use their beliefs in an awful way.
In this episode, Lisa tries to get a archaeological dig in a field where a mall is about to be built. The new landowners allow for this for publicity and Lisa ends up unearthing an oddity: what appears to be a human skeleton with wings. Immediately, everyone in town assumes its an angel, except Lisa, who quickly becomes everyone's assumptions. Homer takes the angel and it doesn't take him long to figure out a way to monetize it. Lisa takes a piece of the "angel" to Stephen Jay Gould for testing but his results come back inconclusive. While Lisa is complaining about the town, Marge confesses she also believes its an angel. Marge feels sorry for Lisa for being unable to take a leap of faith while Lisa feels sorry for Lisa not to trust that the whole thing is ridiculous. The town soon gets riled into a fervor that ends up exploding into riots targeting Springfield's scientific institutions. Fed up, Lisa goes to destroy the angel, only to find it missing. Lisa is blamed for the crime and arrested, but at her trial, the angel is spotted on a hill. The Springfieldians find a message promising the end will come at sundown. Everyone goes to see the angel and expects doomsday with Lisa smugly waits for nothing to happen. But as Lisa is talking down to everyone, a booming voice proclaims its the end. Soon, it is revealed the Angel is an elaborate hoax by the owners of the mall. The people of Springfield are too blinded by the new mall to be angry about being manipulated and exploited. When alone, Marge points out while Lisa was right, there was a moment where Lisa was squeezing Marge's hand pretty hard. Lisa thanks her mother for "squeezing back" and the two walk home together.
I feel while I disliked very few episodes this season, most of them were in some ways a disappointment, like they were largely half good episodes and/or where hinting at changes to the show that I like less as they became more prevalent. Lisa the Skeptic has one aspect of this: Lisa sort of becoming a smug jerk and the writers taking her down a peg. But Lisa the Skeptic is a truly great episode because both of these aspects feel more organic to the episode. Like Lisa the Vegetarian, Lisa is right and everyone else is a certain level of wrong but at the same time we find that Lisa looking down on people for believing is bad. I was worried going in that this might have a "both sides are wrong" South Park approach but it never says that Lisa being a skeptic is wrong so much as her attitude to the townspeople and people that she loves is ugly. In fact, Lisa's turn in Lisa the Vegetarian is spelled out very clearly while in Lisa the Skeptic, it actually culminates in a very small moment. She doesn't learn to become a believer but her moment of mortal fear gives her more sympathy to the exploited.
The townspeople are largely unsympathetic in the episode, lashing out from fear and anger. The episode also demonstrates that just because someone believes in something or can be manipulated doesn't mean that they are stupid morons (though some may be). Very smart people can be manipulated or can be convinced to do very stupid things. Most of the townspeople are jerks in this one but Marge is never anything less than caring. And smart people can also let you down, which is part of the reason that Stephen Jay Gould is kind of the MVP of the episode, playing a jerk version of himself. As awful as the people can get, Lisa's smug approach also has her rejecting empathy, also when it turns out these people are just victims.
Of course, in the light of recent events, even though the townspeople remain largely unsympathetic, it is a bit unfortunate. I mean, we've just seen a large number of people being bilked by a crime president into sedition and even though some people may have been smart or maybe "usually good" people, its pretty fucking hard to empathize or sympathize with any of them because the nature of it sure wiped away any "smart" or "good" off their stats. Of course, in comparison, the people of Springfield, while getting ugly, never try to murder anyone but it is an unfortunate, if incomplete, parallel. But the episode is definitely about how people, good people (well, somewhat, they are Springfieldians) can be exploited. In fact, everyone who isn't the Mall Guys are exploited. Lisa IS smart and good but she is exploited just like everyone else: her love of science makes her vulnerable to kicking off the hoax in the first place and everyone is exploited by the Mall Dudes. Homer exploits religious fervor as well and while it isn't as specifically cruel as the Mall Guys (they never get names worth bothering with), it is crass and even predatory. The episode even begins with a piece of business unrelated to the plot but totally related to the themes: the criminals of Springfield being tricked with promises of something good and being given a bait and switch. I was worried going in that this was just going to be a "smug Lisa gets a comeuppance" and instead, this is, so far, the strongest episode of the season, completely well-realized and just the right balance of tones and kinds of humour. Its easy to forget with the broad, on-the-nose commentary of Springfield's anti-science zealotry blinding them to their need for science ("TV off."), that there is actually a very well considered tapestry about the nature of believe, exploitation and skepticism. And it is pro-skepticism... just not to the exclusion of sympathy and empathy.
Jokes I missed before:
In front of the court "Liberty and Justice for Most."
Other great jokes:
"You are the most paranoid family I've ever been affiliated with."
Lionel Hutz gets only a few lines but they are great.
"LOOK! HERE'S SOMETHING RIGHT HERE! IT APPEARS TO BE A ROCK! Oh, wait, its a clump of dirt. Still, my heart is pounding like a kettle drum. I better sit down."
"That's your trowel blade Ralph, it fell off the handle."
"And I found it!"
"You never know when we might uncover a tyrannosaurus."
"AHHH!"
"Smithers, use the amnesia ray."
"You mean your revolver?"
"Yes. And you better wipe your own memory clean as well."
"Ah, we elected the wrong Carter."
"Beat it, pegleg!"
"Jackass! Marge."
"If you'll look carefully, you'll notice I never once use the word angel."
"What about that sign?"
"That's a typo."
"Astonishing, simply astonishing. One of the most singular specimens in all of my distinguished career. But enough about my work."
"You know, I can't afford to pay you."
"I didn't become a scientist for financial gain. Whatever little money you have will be just fine."
"What were the results, professor?"
"Inconclusive."
"Inconclusive? Then why did you come running up like that?"
"Can I use your bathroom?
"Our guest tonight, making her 13th appearance on Smartline, Lisa Simpson."
"WHY? WHY WAS I PROGRAMMED TO FEEL PAIN!?"
"Bart, I'm borrowing your blue crowbar."
"Good old Bluey."
"She's going to smash the angel."
"Somebody stop her."
"As for science versus a religion, I'm issuing a restraining order; religion must stay 50 yards from science at all times."
"Are we going to Black Angus?"
"You might say we're going to the best steakhouse in the whole universe."
"So we're not going to Black Angus."
"20% off everything? Hey, does that include rat spray?"
"Oh yeah."
"I'm gonna be honest with you Lisa... I never did the tests."
Other notes:
With this and the next two episodes, we are hitting nice vein of quality episodes! Then its the musical clips show. But it has an opening that justifies its existence at least.
Its amazing that 9 seasons in, the show can't decide it Judge Snyder is black or not. If I thought to, I'd make it a segment in these reviews.
I love that the number of parking tickets Homer has is a greater number than what he owes. HOW SMALL ARE THESE INFRACTIONS? MY METER RAN OUT AND I GOT CHARGED $15!
I became an atheist around age 13 and while I toyed with agnosticism, I remained that way for most of my life. But I toyed with agnosticism because I feared death and wanted to believe maybe there was something beyond. I still would like to, for sure because death is scary. I would go on to meet other people who were atheist but often I would get darn tired of how PROUDLY atheist they were and how stupid religion is and how stupid it was to believe. Being older, I find that belief can be a beautiful thing. Often it can be an ugly thing when used to justify cruelty or when it is exploited by people but for the most part faith can be a beautiful thing and smug superiority can be damned unappealing. I can certainly understand where it comes from, though, when you are surrounded by believers who may have their own sense of presumed superiority or use their beliefs in an awful way.
In this episode, Lisa tries to get a archaeological dig in a field where a mall is about to be built. The new landowners allow for this for publicity and Lisa ends up unearthing an oddity: what appears to be a human skeleton with wings. Immediately, everyone in town assumes its an angel, except Lisa, who quickly becomes everyone's assumptions. Homer takes the angel and it doesn't take him long to figure out a way to monetize it. Lisa takes a piece of the "angel" to Stephen Jay Gould for testing but his results come back inconclusive. While Lisa is complaining about the town, Marge confesses she also believes its an angel. Marge feels sorry for Lisa for being unable to take a leap of faith while Lisa feels sorry for Lisa not to trust that the whole thing is ridiculous. The town soon gets riled into a fervor that ends up exploding into riots targeting Springfield's scientific institutions. Fed up, Lisa goes to destroy the angel, only to find it missing. Lisa is blamed for the crime and arrested, but at her trial, the angel is spotted on a hill. The Springfieldians find a message promising the end will come at sundown. Everyone goes to see the angel and expects doomsday with Lisa smugly waits for nothing to happen. But as Lisa is talking down to everyone, a booming voice proclaims its the end. Soon, it is revealed the Angel is an elaborate hoax by the owners of the mall. The people of Springfield are too blinded by the new mall to be angry about being manipulated and exploited. When alone, Marge points out while Lisa was right, there was a moment where Lisa was squeezing Marge's hand pretty hard. Lisa thanks her mother for "squeezing back" and the two walk home together.
I feel while I disliked very few episodes this season, most of them were in some ways a disappointment, like they were largely half good episodes and/or where hinting at changes to the show that I like less as they became more prevalent. Lisa the Skeptic has one aspect of this: Lisa sort of becoming a smug jerk and the writers taking her down a peg. But Lisa the Skeptic is a truly great episode because both of these aspects feel more organic to the episode. Like Lisa the Vegetarian, Lisa is right and everyone else is a certain level of wrong but at the same time we find that Lisa looking down on people for believing is bad. I was worried going in that this might have a "both sides are wrong" South Park approach but it never says that Lisa being a skeptic is wrong so much as her attitude to the townspeople and people that she loves is ugly. In fact, Lisa's turn in Lisa the Vegetarian is spelled out very clearly while in Lisa the Skeptic, it actually culminates in a very small moment. She doesn't learn to become a believer but her moment of mortal fear gives her more sympathy to the exploited.
The townspeople are largely unsympathetic in the episode, lashing out from fear and anger. The episode also demonstrates that just because someone believes in something or can be manipulated doesn't mean that they are stupid morons (though some may be). Very smart people can be manipulated or can be convinced to do very stupid things. Most of the townspeople are jerks in this one but Marge is never anything less than caring. And smart people can also let you down, which is part of the reason that Stephen Jay Gould is kind of the MVP of the episode, playing a jerk version of himself. As awful as the people can get, Lisa's smug approach also has her rejecting empathy, also when it turns out these people are just victims.
Of course, in the light of recent events, even though the townspeople remain largely unsympathetic, it is a bit unfortunate. I mean, we've just seen a large number of people being bilked by a crime president into sedition and even though some people may have been smart or maybe "usually good" people, its pretty fucking hard to empathize or sympathize with any of them because the nature of it sure wiped away any "smart" or "good" off their stats. Of course, in comparison, the people of Springfield, while getting ugly, never try to murder anyone but it is an unfortunate, if incomplete, parallel. But the episode is definitely about how people, good people (well, somewhat, they are Springfieldians) can be exploited. In fact, everyone who isn't the Mall Guys are exploited. Lisa IS smart and good but she is exploited just like everyone else: her love of science makes her vulnerable to kicking off the hoax in the first place and everyone is exploited by the Mall Dudes. Homer exploits religious fervor as well and while it isn't as specifically cruel as the Mall Guys (they never get names worth bothering with), it is crass and even predatory. The episode even begins with a piece of business unrelated to the plot but totally related to the themes: the criminals of Springfield being tricked with promises of something good and being given a bait and switch. I was worried going in that this was just going to be a "smug Lisa gets a comeuppance" and instead, this is, so far, the strongest episode of the season, completely well-realized and just the right balance of tones and kinds of humour. Its easy to forget with the broad, on-the-nose commentary of Springfield's anti-science zealotry blinding them to their need for science ("TV off."), that there is actually a very well considered tapestry about the nature of believe, exploitation and skepticism. And it is pro-skepticism... just not to the exclusion of sympathy and empathy.
Jokes I missed before:
In front of the court "Liberty and Justice for Most."
Other great jokes:
"You are the most paranoid family I've ever been affiliated with."
"LOOK! HERE'S SOMETHING RIGHT HERE! IT APPEARS TO BE A ROCK! Oh, wait, its a clump of dirt. Still, my heart is pounding like a kettle drum. I better sit down."
"That's your trowel blade Ralph, it fell off the handle."
"And I found it!"
"You never know when we might uncover a tyrannosaurus."
"AHHH!"
"Smithers, use the amnesia ray."
"You mean your revolver?"
"Yes. And you better wipe your own memory clean as well."
"Ah, we elected the wrong Carter."
"Beat it, pegleg!"
"Jackass! Marge."
"If you'll look carefully, you'll notice I never once use the word angel."
"What about that sign?"
"That's a typo."
"Astonishing, simply astonishing. One of the most singular specimens in all of my distinguished career. But enough about my work."
"You know, I can't afford to pay you."
"I didn't become a scientist for financial gain. Whatever little money you have will be just fine."
"What were the results, professor?"
"Inconclusive."
"Inconclusive? Then why did you come running up like that?"
"Can I use your bathroom?
"Our guest tonight, making her 13th appearance on Smartline, Lisa Simpson."
"WHY? WHY WAS I PROGRAMMED TO FEEL PAIN!?"
"Bart, I'm borrowing your blue crowbar."
"Good old Bluey."
"She's going to smash the angel."
"Somebody stop her."
"As for science versus a religion, I'm issuing a restraining order; religion must stay 50 yards from science at all times."
"Are we going to Black Angus?"
"You might say we're going to the best steakhouse in the whole universe."
"So we're not going to Black Angus."
"20% off everything? Hey, does that include rat spray?"
"Oh yeah."
"I'm gonna be honest with you Lisa... I never did the tests."
Other notes:
With this and the next two episodes, we are hitting nice vein of quality episodes! Then its the musical clips show. But it has an opening that justifies its existence at least.
Its amazing that 9 seasons in, the show can't decide it Judge Snyder is black or not. If I thought to, I'd make it a segment in these reviews.
I love that the number of parking tickets Homer has is a greater number than what he owes. HOW SMALL ARE THESE INFRACTIONS? MY METER RAN OUT AND I GOT CHARGED $15!
TIL that Stephen Jay should is a real person and not just a generic background character that they used instead of Frink or someone
jpfriction
(He, Him)
“Crime President”. Love it.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Not going to take credit. I don't know where the term originated but I know its been used in Cody Johnston videos.
He wrote a ton of columns for Natural History magazine that have been collected into several books. I highly recommend them! He was also really gracious when I met him in person.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Realty Bites
I've done sales work before. For a time I worked for a language school in my hometown who also helped people work overseas. I would go from University to University, selling students on travelling to South Korea to teach English. I liked doing it because I liked the performative aspect to it. The work ended badly. I was never actually trained to help said people with getting work, just being repeatedly ordered to "read the website instructions" with little direction. But when I thought I was helping people find work, it felt pretty good. Less good was finding that the sales and names collected was all for nothing. I value stuff I learned from that experience but my own failings are kind of a bummer. And it kind of upsets me to realize that the man I was working for turned out to be a creep. Business can be fun and can feel good to succeed at but it can definitely have an ugly side.
In this episode, Marge has a chance encounter with Lionel Hutz, whom she discovers has become a real estate agent. Marge feeling like she needs something more in her life decides to become a real estate agent and with a lot of hard work passes the test. She soon joins Hutz's company, Red Blazer Realty but finds actually selling a house to be tough due to her honest, no pressure approach. Hutz suggests a way to massage the truth while still being "honest" but Marge still feels it dishonest. However, Marge eventually sells a house to the Flanders... by not telling them that the house was the site of "the jealous jockey" murders. Marge finally becomes successful at her work but can't shake her shame at lying to the Flanders. Eventually, she comes clean and the Flanders not only don't mind, they are ecstatic to be living in a piece of Springfield history. The don't accept Marge's attempt to return their deposit... until Homer and his b-plot crash through the house. Marge is fired but the kids are proud that she kept her integrity.
Marge gets a job episodes usually tend to follow a similar pattern: she feels stifled by her life as homemaker, gets a new job, finds some level of success but for moral reasons must quit. In that respect, Realty Bites is somewhat of a formulaic episode. However, it is saved by the fact that it is quite funny. Homer is still sort of the jerk he's been most of the season but he's in the mode of "dog" Homer where he's more adorably oblivious and obnoxious rather than throwing beer cans at Flanders. And we get a BIG slice of Phil Hartman, which really helps. This is not Hartman's last appearance in the show but it is the last one where he plays a big role. In fact, everything from here on in is Troy McLure, meaning this is Hutz's last appearance and he does great things with it. The episode is not QUITE as top tier as I remember, but it is still very strong and very funny.
I also think it digs a little more into "Marge quitting for moral reasons" than the other episode. OK, its more that she's fired for moral reasons but the premise is still similar. In "The Springfield Connection", Marge quitting is sort of a last minute decision at the episode's end. In "The Twisted World of Marge Simpson" its.... kind of never really resolved and its more that she's dragged into it. But this is the one where Marge actually becomes morally compromised by her own decision. There is more of an ethical struggle as Marge wants to find real success and must decide whether it is worth giving up some moral ground for a feeling of accomplishment. After all, that's all Marge is really in it for. Sure, the family can use the money but the episode is very clear this is about Marge's pride, that she wants to show she can thrive in a harder, more challenging new world. But she finds that while she CAN, she doesn't want to, not if she sacrifices even a small bit of her humanity to do so.
Its pretty morally simplistic stuff but I can definitely understand the idea of using charm and knowhow on trying to sell someone on a decision. But Marge wants to do it in a way where everyone can be happy and the Simpsons knows that isn't the case. This era of the Simpsons still holds up strongly in one aspect: a deep mistrust of the predatory nature of capitalism. While Homer might find new work every week and may do good, even surprisingly honest work, the world of money is full of real moral compromise and it feels like even some of the weaker Simpsons episode of this particular era seem to remember this. The message might be old hat but it still works because we still have the same problems of living in a capitalist world and trying to find ways to make money that we can take pride in.
Jokes I missed before:
Other great jokes:
"Ah, I love these real Saturdays. They're so relaxing. Not like that fake Saturday that almost got me fired."
"Ooo, there's an azalea festival at the public garden."
"Ah, I went yesterday. Lenny really wanted to go."
"These prestigious rod iron security gates are bullet proof, bomb proof and battering ram resistant."
"Then what happened to Johnny D?"
"He forgot to lock em."
"Helping people find homes. That must be really rewarding."
"Yes, the money is good."
"I dunno Marge, trying is the first step towards failure."
"What in the heck is a 'dwelling'?"
"Now I'm a veterinarian and I need to keep lots of sick animals in my house. Is that permitted?"
"Not in my damned house."
*Humming Swannee River*
"Easement!"
"You didn't do anything."
"I like being thanked."
I feel ya. I hate having to actually have done stuff to be thanked.
"She needs premium, dude! Premium! Dude!"
"Sure Marge, 'salesmanship'."
"But it was."
"Sure, Marge, 'was'."
"Red room. Red room. Over there."
"A smashed hot rod? A wrecked police cruiser? A destroyed house? I'm tired of your renegade ways, Simpson!"
Other notes:
First appearance of Gil, probably the best of the post season 8 characters.
I've done sales work before. For a time I worked for a language school in my hometown who also helped people work overseas. I would go from University to University, selling students on travelling to South Korea to teach English. I liked doing it because I liked the performative aspect to it. The work ended badly. I was never actually trained to help said people with getting work, just being repeatedly ordered to "read the website instructions" with little direction. But when I thought I was helping people find work, it felt pretty good. Less good was finding that the sales and names collected was all for nothing. I value stuff I learned from that experience but my own failings are kind of a bummer. And it kind of upsets me to realize that the man I was working for turned out to be a creep. Business can be fun and can feel good to succeed at but it can definitely have an ugly side.
In this episode, Marge has a chance encounter with Lionel Hutz, whom she discovers has become a real estate agent. Marge feeling like she needs something more in her life decides to become a real estate agent and with a lot of hard work passes the test. She soon joins Hutz's company, Red Blazer Realty but finds actually selling a house to be tough due to her honest, no pressure approach. Hutz suggests a way to massage the truth while still being "honest" but Marge still feels it dishonest. However, Marge eventually sells a house to the Flanders... by not telling them that the house was the site of "the jealous jockey" murders. Marge finally becomes successful at her work but can't shake her shame at lying to the Flanders. Eventually, she comes clean and the Flanders not only don't mind, they are ecstatic to be living in a piece of Springfield history. The don't accept Marge's attempt to return their deposit... until Homer and his b-plot crash through the house. Marge is fired but the kids are proud that she kept her integrity.
Marge gets a job episodes usually tend to follow a similar pattern: she feels stifled by her life as homemaker, gets a new job, finds some level of success but for moral reasons must quit. In that respect, Realty Bites is somewhat of a formulaic episode. However, it is saved by the fact that it is quite funny. Homer is still sort of the jerk he's been most of the season but he's in the mode of "dog" Homer where he's more adorably oblivious and obnoxious rather than throwing beer cans at Flanders. And we get a BIG slice of Phil Hartman, which really helps. This is not Hartman's last appearance in the show but it is the last one where he plays a big role. In fact, everything from here on in is Troy McLure, meaning this is Hutz's last appearance and he does great things with it. The episode is not QUITE as top tier as I remember, but it is still very strong and very funny.
I also think it digs a little more into "Marge quitting for moral reasons" than the other episode. OK, its more that she's fired for moral reasons but the premise is still similar. In "The Springfield Connection", Marge quitting is sort of a last minute decision at the episode's end. In "The Twisted World of Marge Simpson" its.... kind of never really resolved and its more that she's dragged into it. But this is the one where Marge actually becomes morally compromised by her own decision. There is more of an ethical struggle as Marge wants to find real success and must decide whether it is worth giving up some moral ground for a feeling of accomplishment. After all, that's all Marge is really in it for. Sure, the family can use the money but the episode is very clear this is about Marge's pride, that she wants to show she can thrive in a harder, more challenging new world. But she finds that while she CAN, she doesn't want to, not if she sacrifices even a small bit of her humanity to do so.
Its pretty morally simplistic stuff but I can definitely understand the idea of using charm and knowhow on trying to sell someone on a decision. But Marge wants to do it in a way where everyone can be happy and the Simpsons knows that isn't the case. This era of the Simpsons still holds up strongly in one aspect: a deep mistrust of the predatory nature of capitalism. While Homer might find new work every week and may do good, even surprisingly honest work, the world of money is full of real moral compromise and it feels like even some of the weaker Simpsons episode of this particular era seem to remember this. The message might be old hat but it still works because we still have the same problems of living in a capitalist world and trying to find ways to make money that we can take pride in.
Jokes I missed before:
Other great jokes:
"Ah, I love these real Saturdays. They're so relaxing. Not like that fake Saturday that almost got me fired."
"Ooo, there's an azalea festival at the public garden."
"Ah, I went yesterday. Lenny really wanted to go."
"These prestigious rod iron security gates are bullet proof, bomb proof and battering ram resistant."
"Then what happened to Johnny D?"
"He forgot to lock em."
"Helping people find homes. That must be really rewarding."
"Yes, the money is good."
"I dunno Marge, trying is the first step towards failure."
"What in the heck is a 'dwelling'?"
"Now I'm a veterinarian and I need to keep lots of sick animals in my house. Is that permitted?"
"Not in my damned house."
*Humming Swannee River*
"Easement!"
"You didn't do anything."
"I like being thanked."
I feel ya. I hate having to actually have done stuff to be thanked.
"She needs premium, dude! Premium! Dude!"
"Sure Marge, 'salesmanship'."
"But it was."
"Sure, Marge, 'was'."
"Red room. Red room. Over there."
"A smashed hot rod? A wrecked police cruiser? A destroyed house? I'm tired of your renegade ways, Simpson!"
Other notes:
First appearance of Gil, probably the best of the post season 8 characters.
It was cut from syndication but even though he's a jerk goddamn was Kirk getting his arm sliced off as a joke hard to watch when I first saw it.
We're starting to move towards an era of the show where the kind of horrible maiming that was usually the domain of dream sequences, Treehouse of Horror segments, and Itchy & Scratchy starts being used as regular gags on recurring characters. I for one am not looking forward to Homer getting disemboweled by a badger a few seasons from now.
We're starting to move towards an era of the show where the kind of horrible maiming that was usually the domain of dream sequences, Treehouse of Horror segments, and Itchy & Scratchy starts being used as regular gags on recurring characters. I for one am not looking forward to Homer getting disemboweled by a badger a few seasons from now.