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America's Favorite Non-prehistoric Cartoon Family - The Simpsons Thread
- Thread starter Johnny Unusual
- Start date
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
I guessed it was a Tennesse Williams mash up but I only knew the latter reference.
Ludendorkk
(he/him)
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Bart of Darkness
As a kid, our family had a trabampaline and it certainly made us popular with the other kids. Sometimes kids would ask to use it whom I didn't know (also, I think they just wanted to use it with no one around). That's not to say my friendships were all "shams" but I myself made a couple friends more for the video game systems they possessed than for being actual good friends, a fact that filled me with shame not long after. But I think that sort of fickleness is part of being a kid and its understandable why one would entertain this: being alone is hard and even a fair-weather friend is better than none at all, especially yo a child.
In this episode, Bart and Lisa have a good time in a pool and demand that the Simpsons get a pool And get one they do, making the Simpson house the most popular on the block. However, Bart has an accident which lands him in a cast and away from the pool and any friends. Bart becomes lonely and in the hopes of keeping him entertained, Bart is given a telescope, which he uses to peer around the neighborhood. In doing so, he seems to see the unthinkable: Ned Flanders murdered Maude. After another pool saps Lisa's popularity, she decides to help Bart uncover the truth. In the end, it turns out it was all a big misunderstanding.
This episode definitely feels like it was intended to be a season finale, not only because it is a summertime episode but also because it feels like it would have been a great send-off. No guest stars, no gimmicks, just a fun episode with the main cast. Though there are good finales with guest stars, I like the idea of ending each one with a simple but funny showcase for the castmembers and centered tightly around the family (rather than being about Skinner or Otto or whoever). I love when the Simpsons has an eye towards youth and childhood and not relying on fantastic plot elements but still has the same giddy, outrageous energy which this does. Its really about a lonely boy and a girl becoming popular but there's a joyful feeling that summer is supposed to have (certainly for a child) and having a lot of silly jokes like the synchronized swimming sequence.
The episode is very much about the fickleness that children can be because of friends. I definitely feel like there are kids I would have been friends with regardless but I also know there are friends who I hung around with for very specific reasons. On the other side, people wanting to hang around you is a pretty good feeling. Lisa loses her good judgement and would much rather hang out with her new crowd all the time and can barely hang out with Bart for more than a few minutes. Bart also begins acting weird without human company, which is definitely a feeling I understand, especially when I was living in China.
Eventually, the episode transitions into a parody of Rear Window, one of the great Alfred Hitchcock films. I thought this doesn't have much to do with what the episode was about but on further consideration, I think its about what happens when all the fair-weatherness washes away and we see the Simpsons kids doing heroic things for each other. The kids will always have each other in the end, despite often being at odds. Interestingly, it took me a very long time to finally see Rear Window, a great film where, like Vertigo, Hitchcock seems pretty critical of his own gaze (though more specifically, he's also making the audience complicit). So many parodies have the reveal that it was all a big misunderstanding that I expected that the actual film was going to have the same ending. It does not. But like the original, this episode is cheeky good fun and it both a great way to start or end a season.
Jokes I missed before:
"And now, another long raga with Ravi Shanker."
"Shan-kar."
"Shankar. Groovy, man."
Other great jokes:
Also file this under "aged weird". Its still funny and all but with the pervasiveness of food trucks, a chili truck doesn't seem like such a wacky premise.
"Let us celebrate this arrangement with the adding of chocolate to milk."
(I did not realize this was a parody of "Witness" a film I've yet to see).
"See, your epidermis means your hair..."
"Don't worry boy. When you get a job like me, you'll miss every summer."
"What fun can you have in a pool anyway that you can't in a tub with a garbage bag taped around your cast?"
"Vicery Fizzlebottom; a hearty cherub of a man..."
"There's an optics festival and I wasn't informed?"
I love Bart's goony laugh as he reads Mad Magazine.
"He's going to kill Rod and Todd too. That's horrible... in principle."
"Duh, chyeh, I'd love to go to your house."
"Well, well, well, look whose come crawlin' back." (I love Lisa's brain's smugness.)
"Remember when you got grandpa tarred and feathered?"
"Sure it was 20 minutes ago,"
"Gonna be in the tub for a while."
"That's right, I was at bible camp. I was learning to be more judgmental."
Other notes:
When Bart and Lisa threaten to hector Homer with "Can we have a pool dad?", I like Lisa holding one hand to halt Bart's assault.
As a kid, our family had a trabampaline and it certainly made us popular with the other kids. Sometimes kids would ask to use it whom I didn't know (also, I think they just wanted to use it with no one around). That's not to say my friendships were all "shams" but I myself made a couple friends more for the video game systems they possessed than for being actual good friends, a fact that filled me with shame not long after. But I think that sort of fickleness is part of being a kid and its understandable why one would entertain this: being alone is hard and even a fair-weather friend is better than none at all, especially yo a child.
In this episode, Bart and Lisa have a good time in a pool and demand that the Simpsons get a pool And get one they do, making the Simpson house the most popular on the block. However, Bart has an accident which lands him in a cast and away from the pool and any friends. Bart becomes lonely and in the hopes of keeping him entertained, Bart is given a telescope, which he uses to peer around the neighborhood. In doing so, he seems to see the unthinkable: Ned Flanders murdered Maude. After another pool saps Lisa's popularity, she decides to help Bart uncover the truth. In the end, it turns out it was all a big misunderstanding.
This episode definitely feels like it was intended to be a season finale, not only because it is a summertime episode but also because it feels like it would have been a great send-off. No guest stars, no gimmicks, just a fun episode with the main cast. Though there are good finales with guest stars, I like the idea of ending each one with a simple but funny showcase for the castmembers and centered tightly around the family (rather than being about Skinner or Otto or whoever). I love when the Simpsons has an eye towards youth and childhood and not relying on fantastic plot elements but still has the same giddy, outrageous energy which this does. Its really about a lonely boy and a girl becoming popular but there's a joyful feeling that summer is supposed to have (certainly for a child) and having a lot of silly jokes like the synchronized swimming sequence.
The episode is very much about the fickleness that children can be because of friends. I definitely feel like there are kids I would have been friends with regardless but I also know there are friends who I hung around with for very specific reasons. On the other side, people wanting to hang around you is a pretty good feeling. Lisa loses her good judgement and would much rather hang out with her new crowd all the time and can barely hang out with Bart for more than a few minutes. Bart also begins acting weird without human company, which is definitely a feeling I understand, especially when I was living in China.
Eventually, the episode transitions into a parody of Rear Window, one of the great Alfred Hitchcock films. I thought this doesn't have much to do with what the episode was about but on further consideration, I think its about what happens when all the fair-weatherness washes away and we see the Simpsons kids doing heroic things for each other. The kids will always have each other in the end, despite often being at odds. Interestingly, it took me a very long time to finally see Rear Window, a great film where, like Vertigo, Hitchcock seems pretty critical of his own gaze (though more specifically, he's also making the audience complicit). So many parodies have the reveal that it was all a big misunderstanding that I expected that the actual film was going to have the same ending. It does not. But like the original, this episode is cheeky good fun and it both a great way to start or end a season.
Jokes I missed before:
"And now, another long raga with Ravi Shanker."
"Shan-kar."
"Shankar. Groovy, man."
Other great jokes:
"Let us celebrate this arrangement with the adding of chocolate to milk."
"See, your epidermis means your hair..."
"Don't worry boy. When you get a job like me, you'll miss every summer."
"What fun can you have in a pool anyway that you can't in a tub with a garbage bag taped around your cast?"
"Vicery Fizzlebottom; a hearty cherub of a man..."
"There's an optics festival and I wasn't informed?"
I love Bart's goony laugh as he reads Mad Magazine.
"He's going to kill Rod and Todd too. That's horrible... in principle."
"Duh, chyeh, I'd love to go to your house."
"Well, well, well, look whose come crawlin' back." (I love Lisa's brain's smugness.)
"Remember when you got grandpa tarred and feathered?"
"Sure it was 20 minutes ago,"
"Gonna be in the tub for a while."
"That's right, I was at bible camp. I was learning to be more judgmental."
Other notes:
When Bart and Lisa threaten to hector Homer with "Can we have a pool dad?", I like Lisa holding one hand to halt Bart's assault.
Even without the reveal, the low key absurdity of a killer having a bag labeled “Human Head” in his fridge is one of my favourite sign jokes in the entire series.
‘“TIS” replied AUNT HELLLLGA’
Is perhaps my favourite line read from Nancy in the show
Is perhaps my favourite line read from Nancy in the show
Funny thing, the english localization of FFXIV has a reference to this scene with the name of one of its quests, only one of several references to the show in the game.
This is a pretty amazing episode but considering the show actually did kill off Maude like five years later when her voice actress temporarily left...
Maybe Flanders would've been less Fanderized if he still had his better half, but given the change in the guard with the writers as Groening moved on to Futurama and wackier adult shows were competing for those ratings I doubt it.
Maybe Flanders would've been less Fanderized if he still had his better half, but given the change in the guard with the writers as Groening moved on to Futurama and wackier adult shows were competing for those ratings I doubt it.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Lisa's Rival
I certainly don't have anyone I'd really consider a rival but I certainly know what it is like to compare myself to someone else and find myself wanting. To see I'm not as smart or as funny or as experienced as someone else. It doesn't make me feel any animosity towards those people but it does cause me to beat myself up about it. But I definitely get acting out of jealousy and feeling threatened. I feel like I'm lacking in some areas so its a little scary when someone can do what I can do with ease and making me feel like I was never as good as I thought I was. But that line of thinking blinds us to what we while we think about what we want to be.
In this episode, Alison, a new student, arrives in Lisa's class and is quickly making waves as the smartest girl in class. Lisa feels threatened and after she takes place as first chair in the school orchestra, Lisa becomes really freaked out. She tries to befriend Alison but a trip to her house makes her feel even smaller. Lisa becomes determined to beat Alison at the school's Diorama-Rama and is willing to cheat to humiliate her. The plan goes off without a hitch but soon guilt makes Lisa come clean. However, neither child wins and the winner is gormless Ralph Wiggum who just brought out mint-in-box Star Wars figures. Both kids make peace with failure and each other. Also, Homer becomes a sugar salesman.
Lisa is an interesting kid: she's an outsider who wants to please people. She doesn't want to conform in any conventional manner but she wants to wow adults with her intelligence and creativeness. It doesn't make her broadly popular but she gets noticed within her niche. And in this episode, she sees that slipping away when Alison arrives. Intellectually, she says a bunch of true stuff: Alison is a good person and there is no shame in not being #1. But being a good person doesn't mean Alison won't steal her spotlight and she still has ambition, which can be good. Its pretty understandable, especially after her father condescends to her and makes her feel less than.
Lisa wants to be respected and whatever her intentions, she can only see Alison as an obstacle. But self-respect is a form of respect and she has a hard time with her cruel prank after its set in motion. The ending with the kids finally being real friends, both having been brought low by each other and a kid they like but probably didn't respect for dumb reasons. Its pretty sweet, though Alison only exists in background shots from here on in, so I guess that friendship never amounted to much.
The episode is great at making Alison seem like a good person while still making Lisa's fears somewhat valid. Though no ill-will, Alison is getting attention that used to be Lisa's and that must be hard on an ego, especially one from someone who is kind of ignored in her own home and is unpopular with her peers. And its also funny to see the ways in which Lisa gets to feel threatened, from a dream sequence that mirrors reality seamlessly to a bad move in an anagram game to even Ralph smelling the desperation off of her. I feel like with the last few episodes of last season and in this one, the show is remembering some of the more emotional roots. No, this isn't a particularly powerful episode but its sweet ending with the three kids heading off to play like kids instead of jockeying for attention is sweet.
However, much like Ralph pile of collectables defeated intricately crafted dioramas, Homer's ridiculous sugar plot steals the show. Mike Scully is the writer for this episode. His tenure as showrunner is criticized for going too far into cartoon logic and away from emotion. Frankly, its still better than some of the mean-spiritedness of the last decade or so. But its interesting that 1) this and some of the other episodes he wrote were actually rather sweet (looking forward to rewatching Lisa on Ice) and this very silly subplot... actually it feels very Conan O'Brien. Specifically his writing in Homer Goes to College. I think he likes to have Homer involved in something extremely wacky while at the same time have the pathetic-ness of the actual reality sneak in with character like Marge having to look at the story and be like "no, seriously, what is this even." It's a weird idea for a story and is barely tethered in reality but the build up keeps getting better, with Homer obsessed with his sinking ship of an entrepreneurial endeavor with weird characters like the tea guy (best one off character and funnier that he's never explained and that we never ever see him again) and the Batman-like beekeeper. Frankly, this is an ideal Simpsons bee-plot. *winks at camera*
Jokes I missed before:
There are several "cut for syndication jokes" I didn't remember: The Flanders getting really pumped for judgment day, Homer trying to sell sugar to Skinner, who gets grounded for talking to him, and the line "I ALWAYS THOUGHT I HAD THE TALLEST HAIR. BUT THAT TRIP TO GRACELAND REALLY OPENED MY EYES."
Other great jokes:
"I sacrificed a very expensive camera just to get some quiet time."
"My cat's name is Mittens."
"Ralph, this better not be about your cat."
"If only this sugar were as sweet as you, sir."
"Texas t...ea sweetener."
"Maybe you could have been nicer to Principal Skinner, if you know what I mean."
"Lisa... I am nice."
"Someone's been practicing over the summer."
"Believe me, honey, she's more scared of you than you are of her."
"You're thinking of bears, mom."
"I don't need a card. You live in the room next to me."
"Note: Next year, older fewer cards."
I love Lisa poking holes in her own fantasy sequences.
That guy is amazing,
"Well, the important thing is we survived."
"Well, there's bound to be some splash-back"
(The whole seen is solid)
I love the dynamic between these guys.
"Hey, it's Bart!"
"And he's doin' stuff!"
"My cat's breath smells like cat food."
I certainly don't have anyone I'd really consider a rival but I certainly know what it is like to compare myself to someone else and find myself wanting. To see I'm not as smart or as funny or as experienced as someone else. It doesn't make me feel any animosity towards those people but it does cause me to beat myself up about it. But I definitely get acting out of jealousy and feeling threatened. I feel like I'm lacking in some areas so its a little scary when someone can do what I can do with ease and making me feel like I was never as good as I thought I was. But that line of thinking blinds us to what we while we think about what we want to be.
In this episode, Alison, a new student, arrives in Lisa's class and is quickly making waves as the smartest girl in class. Lisa feels threatened and after she takes place as first chair in the school orchestra, Lisa becomes really freaked out. She tries to befriend Alison but a trip to her house makes her feel even smaller. Lisa becomes determined to beat Alison at the school's Diorama-Rama and is willing to cheat to humiliate her. The plan goes off without a hitch but soon guilt makes Lisa come clean. However, neither child wins and the winner is gormless Ralph Wiggum who just brought out mint-in-box Star Wars figures. Both kids make peace with failure and each other. Also, Homer becomes a sugar salesman.
Lisa is an interesting kid: she's an outsider who wants to please people. She doesn't want to conform in any conventional manner but she wants to wow adults with her intelligence and creativeness. It doesn't make her broadly popular but she gets noticed within her niche. And in this episode, she sees that slipping away when Alison arrives. Intellectually, she says a bunch of true stuff: Alison is a good person and there is no shame in not being #1. But being a good person doesn't mean Alison won't steal her spotlight and she still has ambition, which can be good. Its pretty understandable, especially after her father condescends to her and makes her feel less than.
Lisa wants to be respected and whatever her intentions, she can only see Alison as an obstacle. But self-respect is a form of respect and she has a hard time with her cruel prank after its set in motion. The ending with the kids finally being real friends, both having been brought low by each other and a kid they like but probably didn't respect for dumb reasons. Its pretty sweet, though Alison only exists in background shots from here on in, so I guess that friendship never amounted to much.
The episode is great at making Alison seem like a good person while still making Lisa's fears somewhat valid. Though no ill-will, Alison is getting attention that used to be Lisa's and that must be hard on an ego, especially one from someone who is kind of ignored in her own home and is unpopular with her peers. And its also funny to see the ways in which Lisa gets to feel threatened, from a dream sequence that mirrors reality seamlessly to a bad move in an anagram game to even Ralph smelling the desperation off of her. I feel like with the last few episodes of last season and in this one, the show is remembering some of the more emotional roots. No, this isn't a particularly powerful episode but its sweet ending with the three kids heading off to play like kids instead of jockeying for attention is sweet.
However, much like Ralph pile of collectables defeated intricately crafted dioramas, Homer's ridiculous sugar plot steals the show. Mike Scully is the writer for this episode. His tenure as showrunner is criticized for going too far into cartoon logic and away from emotion. Frankly, its still better than some of the mean-spiritedness of the last decade or so. But its interesting that 1) this and some of the other episodes he wrote were actually rather sweet (looking forward to rewatching Lisa on Ice) and this very silly subplot... actually it feels very Conan O'Brien. Specifically his writing in Homer Goes to College. I think he likes to have Homer involved in something extremely wacky while at the same time have the pathetic-ness of the actual reality sneak in with character like Marge having to look at the story and be like "no, seriously, what is this even." It's a weird idea for a story and is barely tethered in reality but the build up keeps getting better, with Homer obsessed with his sinking ship of an entrepreneurial endeavor with weird characters like the tea guy (best one off character and funnier that he's never explained and that we never ever see him again) and the Batman-like beekeeper. Frankly, this is an ideal Simpsons bee-plot. *winks at camera*
Jokes I missed before:
There are several "cut for syndication jokes" I didn't remember: The Flanders getting really pumped for judgment day, Homer trying to sell sugar to Skinner, who gets grounded for talking to him, and the line "I ALWAYS THOUGHT I HAD THE TALLEST HAIR. BUT THAT TRIP TO GRACELAND REALLY OPENED MY EYES."
Other great jokes:
"I sacrificed a very expensive camera just to get some quiet time."
"My cat's name is Mittens."
"Ralph, this better not be about your cat."
"If only this sugar were as sweet as you, sir."
"Texas t...ea sweetener."
"Maybe you could have been nicer to Principal Skinner, if you know what I mean."
"Lisa... I am nice."
"Someone's been practicing over the summer."
"Believe me, honey, she's more scared of you than you are of her."
"You're thinking of bears, mom."
"I don't need a card. You live in the room next to me."
"Note: Next year, older fewer cards."
"Well, the important thing is we survived."
"Well, there's bound to be some splash-back"
(The whole seen is solid)
"Hey, it's Bart!"
"And he's doin' stuff!"
"My cat's breath smells like cat food."
Everything about Lisa’s dream sequence eluded me as a tiny tot and I completely love it now
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Because 1) this seems like an interesting revelation to Ralph that he wishes to share and 2) this is his strategy (term used loosely) for changing the subject to something he can understand with no attempt at a segueway. Or this is his brain rebooting after quickly shutting down in the face of a statement he has no answer to.
I love that he's just hanging around in the Simpsons' yard long enough to get rained on.
Enjoy Miners
Men Riser Joy
Rye-Rim Jones
Joe, My Rinser
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Another Simpsons Clips Show
As I mentioned before, the clips show is a frequently antiquated concept. I have no idea what the last genuine one was. Heck, I'm not even sure what the last clips show parody was. Like, in the late 90s, South Park and the short lived Clerks animated series each did one. But now it really is a reference people aren't going to get. TV seasons for standard shows seem generally shorter too. Like, there are still shows with 22 episode seasons but it feels like TV is realizing there is no shame in a shorter season. I think these shows also presume it catching casual and first time viewers and acting as a ad for the show while at the same time allowing the show to fulfill its commitment while saving some scratch. Kind of win win except for the poor writer who is stuck with a clips show. But the nature of TV means less channel surfing and more streaming, so clips shows make even less sense now.
In this episode, the Simpsons remember the Simpsons, particularly love related stuff.
Man, I assumed this was a Valentine's episode or something, but nope, third episode of the season. Way to halt the momentum. For some reason, we are seeing some genuinely funny show moments but without the original context it doesn't work. That's what I thought. But thinking of the effectiveness of memes, I now reconsider and feel that while the lack of old context might be part of it, it is very much a problem with the NEW context, that of knowing we are in a clips show. Feeling like its a victory lap trying to sell me something saps some of the juice out of some legit funny scenes. It probably doesn't help that I watched all of these things relatively recently.
The show is not completely limp. It puts a hat on what it is doing but the only times it is really funny is having fun with editing, such as a good gag where Homer throws Marge's book in the fireplace while being in the bedroom. I feel like they could do a funny clips show if it was less about "remember this" and literally remaking a new episode by using old clips to make new gags. Similarly, there's a great line where Lisa points out that despite one story taking place on February 14th "The children walked home without jackets." That's some MST3k-esque self-deprecating and a bit more of that would also have worked wonders.
Its disheartening to remember that this isn't the worst the show gets. I watched two recent episodes this week and neither were very good. But it was still trying to produce original stories. Some with a point, even. I think there is a way to crack the nut of a decent clips show and the Simpsons in fact does it with the 138th Spectacular, which is much more my speed: providing juicy morsels for fans like deleted scenes, having clips lead to new punch lines (such as "Smither's deal") and actually having that feeling of being wall to wall laughs that in theory a clips show could be. I can't wait to talk about that one. This, however, had me looking at my watching and scanning Discord while it played in the background, which is definitely something I don't do for these write ups.
Luckily the next episode is Itchy and Scratchyland. Wee!
EDIT: Oh, Man, Homer Badman is also this season. Boy is that an episode that aged very badly AND weirdly. Still, psyched for the candy convention.
As I mentioned before, the clips show is a frequently antiquated concept. I have no idea what the last genuine one was. Heck, I'm not even sure what the last clips show parody was. Like, in the late 90s, South Park and the short lived Clerks animated series each did one. But now it really is a reference people aren't going to get. TV seasons for standard shows seem generally shorter too. Like, there are still shows with 22 episode seasons but it feels like TV is realizing there is no shame in a shorter season. I think these shows also presume it catching casual and first time viewers and acting as a ad for the show while at the same time allowing the show to fulfill its commitment while saving some scratch. Kind of win win except for the poor writer who is stuck with a clips show. But the nature of TV means less channel surfing and more streaming, so clips shows make even less sense now.
In this episode, the Simpsons remember the Simpsons, particularly love related stuff.
Man, I assumed this was a Valentine's episode or something, but nope, third episode of the season. Way to halt the momentum. For some reason, we are seeing some genuinely funny show moments but without the original context it doesn't work. That's what I thought. But thinking of the effectiveness of memes, I now reconsider and feel that while the lack of old context might be part of it, it is very much a problem with the NEW context, that of knowing we are in a clips show. Feeling like its a victory lap trying to sell me something saps some of the juice out of some legit funny scenes. It probably doesn't help that I watched all of these things relatively recently.
The show is not completely limp. It puts a hat on what it is doing but the only times it is really funny is having fun with editing, such as a good gag where Homer throws Marge's book in the fireplace while being in the bedroom. I feel like they could do a funny clips show if it was less about "remember this" and literally remaking a new episode by using old clips to make new gags. Similarly, there's a great line where Lisa points out that despite one story taking place on February 14th "The children walked home without jackets." That's some MST3k-esque self-deprecating and a bit more of that would also have worked wonders.
Its disheartening to remember that this isn't the worst the show gets. I watched two recent episodes this week and neither were very good. But it was still trying to produce original stories. Some with a point, even. I think there is a way to crack the nut of a decent clips show and the Simpsons in fact does it with the 138th Spectacular, which is much more my speed: providing juicy morsels for fans like deleted scenes, having clips lead to new punch lines (such as "Smither's deal") and actually having that feeling of being wall to wall laughs that in theory a clips show could be. I can't wait to talk about that one. This, however, had me looking at my watching and scanning Discord while it played in the background, which is definitely something I don't do for these write ups.
Luckily the next episode is Itchy and Scratchyland. Wee!
EDIT: Oh, Man, Homer Badman is also this season. Boy is that an episode that aged very badly AND weirdly. Still, psyched for the candy convention.
Marge: "How many times can you laugh at that cat getting hit by the moon?"
Bart: "It's a new episode!"
Lisa: "Not exactly. They pieced it together from old shows and it seems new to the trusting eyes of impressionable youth."
Bart: "Really?"
Lisa: "Ren and Stimpy do it all the time."
Marge: "Yes they do, and when did you last hear anyone talk about Ren and Stimpy?"
Bart: "It's a new episode!"
Lisa: "Not exactly. They pieced it together from old shows and it seems new to the trusting eyes of impressionable youth."
Bart: "Really?"
Lisa: "Ren and Stimpy do it all the time."
Marge: "Yes they do, and when did you last hear anyone talk about Ren and Stimpy?"
Ludendorkk
(he/him)
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Itchy and Scratchyland
As a kid, I was never super interested in Disneyland. I think I asked about going since I did know some other families who did but my parents weren't interested and I became less interested pretty quick. No yearning. I did go to some theme parks, particularly Legoland in Denmark (I still remember being bummed I was too young for the go-carts) so that was cool. Ironically, I'm actually now more interested now. Not because I particularly like theme parks or that I'm the biggest Disney fan (though I like things they have absorbed into the collective) but because I have a bit of a fascination with what it is. On the one hand, brand protectiveness has made Disneyland (or... Disneyworld? Those are two different things, aren't they? I don't know the difference). Seems to be an experiment in making the best amusement park experience that seems insanely dedicated to doing everything just right and making it a true experience. On the other hand, there's also elements of it that mirror the general sinister darker side of the Disney company, which can produce effective products and even works of art (that are products) that resonate in the minds of the people. And this episode explores that with the same fascination, I think.
In this episode, Bart and Lisa manage to convince Marge and Homer to go to Itchy and Scratchyland on its opening weekend. After a road trip across America, The Simpsons finally make it and financial opportunism aside, the glorious excess and fun captivates the Simpsons (despite Marge being upset by the violent theme). However, Bart and Homer get into trouble, embarrassing Marge. As they exit the park, they find themselves under attack by the park's animatronic attractions, which have gone berserk. The Simpsons manage to survive and Lisa convinces Marge that despite everything, this is, in fact, their best vacation.
This is the first episode where it feels like the show is actually taking on Disney as a company, long before Disney took control of the once subversive (and now just crass) franchise. I think at the time, other shows might have gone after the company having sappy, precious films with wacky animal sidekicks or something. The Simpsons explores Disney the brand while also tapping into what I assume what writers have gleamed from their own family vacations. Here, the park has genuinely great rides and attractions and lots of effort but at the same time is definitely trying to bilk saps while they are shocked and awed by the fun of the park. Just because the product is impeccable, doesn't mean its not trying to sell you Itchy and Scratchy money.
I feel like the show is also taking on cartoon violence again, which is interesting considering the nature of cartoon violence at the time. Specifically that the Simpsons was definitely the most violent of the shows at the time. But not only that, but cartoon violence was only just coming back into vogue. For a couple decades, cartoons like He-Man and Super Friends could only hug each other to attack or throw punchable rocks. Taken at face value, Marge's disgust is understandable but it reflects weird. However, taken as disgust at brand crassness and trying to take your kids somewhere fun only to find the content of what they are being sold distasteful, I very much relate. I'm a nanny and when I show my niece "youtube videos", they come in two forms: great like Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers (I love that my niece absolutely adores Mr. Rogers) and less than, like those weird algorithm based youtube videos. Aside from being janky and weird and dumb, they aren't objectionable but knowing a bit of the background and that it is less an "independent creators making kid content" and more "fly by night money making operation", its often unpleasant to sit through. Even worse are videos of kids playing with toys, which I don't let her watch but my dad does. So I can very much relate to Marge having weird feelings about bringing the family to a warped, violent theme park that she finds full of unpleasant values.
The episode itself is a parody of Westworld, though likely was inspired more by the success of the also-Crichton Jurassic Park (which gets a reference in the episode), with the final joke being for the Simpsons, a deadly theme park still would count among their better vacations. While a lot is owed to simply looking at what Disneyland does and parodying it (including "Parents' Island", a delightfully on the nose reference to "Pleasure Island"), I feel like the show simultaneous got to create a grotesque parody of the park while making one that looks kind of fun. Like, I don't want to go on the log ride that gouges out your eyes if you do it wrong, but everyone seems to be having fun until it turns into a nightmare. The show itself is now a Disney product, but it as a parody of the company and the park, its probably one of the most effective. I feel like while the writer's intellectually know there is something very wrong until the hood of the park and of Disney in general, they also have some genuine affection for the park and Disney films. There is a wonderfully nasty parody of the Sorcerer's Apprentice and with Disney so ingrained in the cultural DNA of pop culture, its hard not to have at least some affection towards the products of the company, while keeping a suspicious eye towards the company itself.
Jokes I missed before:
Really dedicated to their horrifying theme.
Funny joke about the nature of nostalgia but didn't this park just open...
Other great jokes:
"I'll just be sitting here reading this adult's newspaper."
"And talk about a preachy book. Everybody's a sinner... except this guy."
I love the use of this image. Plus the moment when the kids get their hopes up and prematurely cheer when they think they hooked their metaphorical fish. Also, Marge being excited by the bird sanctuary is perfectly Marge.
"Mom, that's veal."
Ha, that waiter is an asshole.
I love how true to form the "Itchy and Scratchy and Friends" auxiliary characters feel but also there's a symbol of hate amongst them?
"Roger Meyers Sr., the gentle genius behind Itchy and Scratchy, loved and cared about almost all the peoples of the world. And he in return was beloved by the world. Except in 1938, when he was criticized for his controversial cartoon, 'Nazi Supermen are Our Superiors.'"
Look, I know that it doesn't matter because it would never actually hurt their bottom line so its not like the biggest deal, but I am still amused that Disney owns and airs this.
"We also arrested your older, balder, fatter son."
"I wish there was a hole I could just crawl into and die."
"OK, throw her in the hole."
Man, the security is obliging.
Jokes that aged weird:
This episode was just released the week before Pulp Fiction gained wide release and totally revitalized his career. He seems to be starring in exceptionally bad movies as of late but somehow the hasbeen joke doesn't quite work the same now for some reason.
Other notes:
I kind of wanted to get to talking about Springfield in Universal Studios Florida but as I was writing it, I decided to see if I could wait to discuss it in another episode since I realized I wanted to say a lot about it.
The Li'l Bastard brand of products makes a return here. I feel like Bart's very own Acme (albeit more affective) fell by the wayside eventually.
Its funny that 4 years after the beat em up game, the show finally gets to feel like a beat 'em up.
As a kid, I was never super interested in Disneyland. I think I asked about going since I did know some other families who did but my parents weren't interested and I became less interested pretty quick. No yearning. I did go to some theme parks, particularly Legoland in Denmark (I still remember being bummed I was too young for the go-carts) so that was cool. Ironically, I'm actually now more interested now. Not because I particularly like theme parks or that I'm the biggest Disney fan (though I like things they have absorbed into the collective) but because I have a bit of a fascination with what it is. On the one hand, brand protectiveness has made Disneyland (or... Disneyworld? Those are two different things, aren't they? I don't know the difference). Seems to be an experiment in making the best amusement park experience that seems insanely dedicated to doing everything just right and making it a true experience. On the other hand, there's also elements of it that mirror the general sinister darker side of the Disney company, which can produce effective products and even works of art (that are products) that resonate in the minds of the people. And this episode explores that with the same fascination, I think.
In this episode, Bart and Lisa manage to convince Marge and Homer to go to Itchy and Scratchyland on its opening weekend. After a road trip across America, The Simpsons finally make it and financial opportunism aside, the glorious excess and fun captivates the Simpsons (despite Marge being upset by the violent theme). However, Bart and Homer get into trouble, embarrassing Marge. As they exit the park, they find themselves under attack by the park's animatronic attractions, which have gone berserk. The Simpsons manage to survive and Lisa convinces Marge that despite everything, this is, in fact, their best vacation.
This is the first episode where it feels like the show is actually taking on Disney as a company, long before Disney took control of the once subversive (and now just crass) franchise. I think at the time, other shows might have gone after the company having sappy, precious films with wacky animal sidekicks or something. The Simpsons explores Disney the brand while also tapping into what I assume what writers have gleamed from their own family vacations. Here, the park has genuinely great rides and attractions and lots of effort but at the same time is definitely trying to bilk saps while they are shocked and awed by the fun of the park. Just because the product is impeccable, doesn't mean its not trying to sell you Itchy and Scratchy money.
I feel like the show is also taking on cartoon violence again, which is interesting considering the nature of cartoon violence at the time. Specifically that the Simpsons was definitely the most violent of the shows at the time. But not only that, but cartoon violence was only just coming back into vogue. For a couple decades, cartoons like He-Man and Super Friends could only hug each other to attack or throw punchable rocks. Taken at face value, Marge's disgust is understandable but it reflects weird. However, taken as disgust at brand crassness and trying to take your kids somewhere fun only to find the content of what they are being sold distasteful, I very much relate. I'm a nanny and when I show my niece "youtube videos", they come in two forms: great like Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers (I love that my niece absolutely adores Mr. Rogers) and less than, like those weird algorithm based youtube videos. Aside from being janky and weird and dumb, they aren't objectionable but knowing a bit of the background and that it is less an "independent creators making kid content" and more "fly by night money making operation", its often unpleasant to sit through. Even worse are videos of kids playing with toys, which I don't let her watch but my dad does. So I can very much relate to Marge having weird feelings about bringing the family to a warped, violent theme park that she finds full of unpleasant values.
The episode itself is a parody of Westworld, though likely was inspired more by the success of the also-Crichton Jurassic Park (which gets a reference in the episode), with the final joke being for the Simpsons, a deadly theme park still would count among their better vacations. While a lot is owed to simply looking at what Disneyland does and parodying it (including "Parents' Island", a delightfully on the nose reference to "Pleasure Island"), I feel like the show simultaneous got to create a grotesque parody of the park while making one that looks kind of fun. Like, I don't want to go on the log ride that gouges out your eyes if you do it wrong, but everyone seems to be having fun until it turns into a nightmare. The show itself is now a Disney product, but it as a parody of the company and the park, its probably one of the most effective. I feel like while the writer's intellectually know there is something very wrong until the hood of the park and of Disney in general, they also have some genuine affection for the park and Disney films. There is a wonderfully nasty parody of the Sorcerer's Apprentice and with Disney so ingrained in the cultural DNA of pop culture, its hard not to have at least some affection towards the products of the company, while keeping a suspicious eye towards the company itself.
Jokes I missed before:
Really dedicated to their horrifying theme.
Funny joke about the nature of nostalgia but didn't this park just open...
Other great jokes:
"I'll just be sitting here reading this adult's newspaper."
"And talk about a preachy book. Everybody's a sinner... except this guy."
I love the use of this image. Plus the moment when the kids get their hopes up and prematurely cheer when they think they hooked their metaphorical fish. Also, Marge being excited by the bird sanctuary is perfectly Marge.
"Mom, that's veal."
Ha, that waiter is an asshole.
I love how true to form the "Itchy and Scratchy and Friends" auxiliary characters feel but also there's a symbol of hate amongst them?
"Roger Meyers Sr., the gentle genius behind Itchy and Scratchy, loved and cared about almost all the peoples of the world. And he in return was beloved by the world. Except in 1938, when he was criticized for his controversial cartoon, 'Nazi Supermen are Our Superiors.'"
Look, I know that it doesn't matter because it would never actually hurt their bottom line so its not like the biggest deal, but I am still amused that Disney owns and airs this.
"We also arrested your older, balder, fatter son."
"I wish there was a hole I could just crawl into and die."
"OK, throw her in the hole."
Man, the security is obliging.
Jokes that aged weird:
This episode was just released the week before Pulp Fiction gained wide release and totally revitalized his career. He seems to be starring in exceptionally bad movies as of late but somehow the hasbeen joke doesn't quite work the same now for some reason.
Other notes:
I kind of wanted to get to talking about Springfield in Universal Studios Florida but as I was writing it, I decided to see if I could wait to discuss it in another episode since I realized I wanted to say a lot about it.
The Li'l Bastard brand of products makes a return here. I feel like Bart's very own Acme (albeit more affective) fell by the wayside eventually.
Its funny that 4 years after the beat em up game, the show finally gets to feel like a beat 'em up.
"Beloved by almost all the people of the world" was a joke I didn't notice until... very recently
"We're under six!"
"And I'm a college student!"
"And I'm a college student!"
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Same. That's pretty darn clever.
I think it’s a play on roach motels.
My rewatch has reached Large Marge, which was the point, when it first aired, that I said “y’know what? I think I can get off this train now.”
I’ll say was honestly better than I remembered, certainly a step above the panda episode, but this means I’m off the edge of the map, sailing through dragons
I’ll say was honestly better than I remembered, certainly a step above the panda episode, but this means I’m off the edge of the map, sailing through dragons
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Sideshow Bob Roberts
We live in the most divisive era of US politics. Reaching across the aisle has basically become unthinkable, as even "meeting in the middle" is moving things in bad directions. For the last four years, satire has had difficulty since the right has been openly evil and has been employing a strategy of outright rejecting reality rather than simple spin. Weirdly, that means a lot of older political satires feel relevant in a way that is surprising or even too soft for an era of open racism and outrageous conspiracy theories pulled from one's ass in the highest levels of power. Most political villains in fiction are at least somewhat grounded, while the reality is outrageous and the fact that some people are fine with it even more so. So when something ages surprisingly well, its a treat.
In this episode, Sideshow Bob calls into a conservative talk radio show to plead his case and the host, Birch Barlow, suggests listeners protest in favour of a full pardon. Mayor Quimby, wanting to be on everyone's side before the next election, decides to concede to the demands, only for Bob to run against him. Though assistance from the Simpsons kids, fearing the consequences of a Bob mayorship, helps, multiple setbacks seem to cost Quimby the election. However, the level of landslide is so unthinkable, Lisa suspects fraud and investigates. Eventually, with the help of Smithers, the Simpson kids discover many of the "voters" are dead. The kids are eventually able to convince Bob into confessing and he once again is sent to jail.
There's definitely stuff that feels weird at THIS exact moment in time. Claims of voter fraud and specifically of dead names on the ballot are being used by the right in a pretty bald faced attempt to justify an attempted coup which, thankfully, is going LAUGHABLY bad at the time of this writing. I'm sure there are some right wing fans watching who say "Oh, just like us." because cognitive dissonance is a pretty popular state of mind for having a right wing view of clearly left wing pop culture. There's also a reference to Smithers "choice" of lifestyle. That aged weird. But despite all this, Sideshow Bob Roberts is a very strong episode that feels relevant, even if Sideshow Bob is a far more palatable villain than the real life ones.
Its hard to imagine a Republican candidate more different than Trump and the current republican party than someone who is an actual clever population who is less interested in empty proclamations and is pretty good at hiding his crimes. He's elitist but while he definitely wants to be charming, he doesn't go about it with a weird "strongman/everyman" hybrid that feels like a weird contradictory mishmash in terms of cult of personality. But he does generally approach politics the way a lot of politicians have, do and will continue to do: all flash and performance with no actual content. Bob tries to win over the kids with his clowning and the only way for the kids to fight back is with equally pandering tactics. And like many politicians to this day, he uses his power to settle personal grudges. He wants to "brutalize criminals" despite being a criminal because he is a classist rather than someone who cares about crime.
There's so much working in this episode that seems cynical but turns out wasn't cynical enough. Like "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington", the solution is cartoonishly easy, with Bob falling for a simple trick that preys upon his vanity. Meanwhile, the GOP is filing extremely poor lawsuits with break like wet tissue the second they are glanced at. Its interesting that the show has been using Bob for extremely genre tales. Before it was Columbo like murder mysteries and a straight on thriller. Now it is a political thriller where Bob's supervillain fits right in with the Republican party. I feel like the Simpsons never topped this episode in terms of incisive and hilarious takes on the political process and the Republican party in general. A lot of them feel a little more smug or on the nose. This one is big and broad and thanks to the ridiculous nature of politics feels the most true. Birch Barlow's ridiculous arguments are barely any different and aren't as overtly deranged at the kinds of pundits he represents. The situation is that neither candidate can be trusted but one criminal candidate is definitely much more evil and intractable than the other. The only difference being that attempted murderer Sideshow Bob is much more human.
Jokes I missed before:
Birch Barlow is introduced as a "well-selling" author.
Also, I didn't learn till years later that Dr. Demento was an actual person. I just assumed that Bart had a never scene supervillain enemy in the mold of Dr. Colossus.
Jokes that aged weird:
Oh, here's a weird one: Moe takes Barlow's call to action as violent revolution before being corrected by Barney. Remember when that seemed fucking ridiculous and not... the reality?
Other great jokes:
God, so many.
"Hey, I am no longer illiterate."
"They don't hand out Nobel Prize for attempted chemistry, do they?"
"Well, despite Bart's objections, the people of South Africa can now vote in free democratic elections."
Man, if that's what Krabappel thinks Bart thinks, no wonder she is popping champagne as he leaves her class.
"Help, I'm being attacked by, uh, things."
Whenever my niece and nephew hug me.
"More important than coal."
"Er, uh, yes."
"No children have meddled with the Republican party and lived to tell about it."
Kind of wish this was a mutual fact.
"Duh, stay out of Riverdale."
"A, he'd say. Then B. Next would usually come C..."
First, great gag, especially Bart's visceral reaction to the phone. Second, that looks like a better toy than a real life one, as I bet a real one would not have a "horn" shaped phone. Finally, props for getting original voice Henry Corden. That voice makes the gag much better than just an impression. I feel like I'm more familiar with his voice than original actor Alan Reed's.
"Is it true that you rigged the election?"
"No I did not."
"Kids, help."
Again, still better legal work than in reality.
Other notes:
Why is Lisa listening to "St. Elmo's Fire" the perfect choice? I dunno, but it is. Weird that Lisa neglects to mention that time Bob tried to straight up murder Bart in the recap.
For JBear
We live in the most divisive era of US politics. Reaching across the aisle has basically become unthinkable, as even "meeting in the middle" is moving things in bad directions. For the last four years, satire has had difficulty since the right has been openly evil and has been employing a strategy of outright rejecting reality rather than simple spin. Weirdly, that means a lot of older political satires feel relevant in a way that is surprising or even too soft for an era of open racism and outrageous conspiracy theories pulled from one's ass in the highest levels of power. Most political villains in fiction are at least somewhat grounded, while the reality is outrageous and the fact that some people are fine with it even more so. So when something ages surprisingly well, its a treat.
In this episode, Sideshow Bob calls into a conservative talk radio show to plead his case and the host, Birch Barlow, suggests listeners protest in favour of a full pardon. Mayor Quimby, wanting to be on everyone's side before the next election, decides to concede to the demands, only for Bob to run against him. Though assistance from the Simpsons kids, fearing the consequences of a Bob mayorship, helps, multiple setbacks seem to cost Quimby the election. However, the level of landslide is so unthinkable, Lisa suspects fraud and investigates. Eventually, with the help of Smithers, the Simpson kids discover many of the "voters" are dead. The kids are eventually able to convince Bob into confessing and he once again is sent to jail.
There's definitely stuff that feels weird at THIS exact moment in time. Claims of voter fraud and specifically of dead names on the ballot are being used by the right in a pretty bald faced attempt to justify an attempted coup which, thankfully, is going LAUGHABLY bad at the time of this writing. I'm sure there are some right wing fans watching who say "Oh, just like us." because cognitive dissonance is a pretty popular state of mind for having a right wing view of clearly left wing pop culture. There's also a reference to Smithers "choice" of lifestyle. That aged weird. But despite all this, Sideshow Bob Roberts is a very strong episode that feels relevant, even if Sideshow Bob is a far more palatable villain than the real life ones.
Its hard to imagine a Republican candidate more different than Trump and the current republican party than someone who is an actual clever population who is less interested in empty proclamations and is pretty good at hiding his crimes. He's elitist but while he definitely wants to be charming, he doesn't go about it with a weird "strongman/everyman" hybrid that feels like a weird contradictory mishmash in terms of cult of personality. But he does generally approach politics the way a lot of politicians have, do and will continue to do: all flash and performance with no actual content. Bob tries to win over the kids with his clowning and the only way for the kids to fight back is with equally pandering tactics. And like many politicians to this day, he uses his power to settle personal grudges. He wants to "brutalize criminals" despite being a criminal because he is a classist rather than someone who cares about crime.
There's so much working in this episode that seems cynical but turns out wasn't cynical enough. Like "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington", the solution is cartoonishly easy, with Bob falling for a simple trick that preys upon his vanity. Meanwhile, the GOP is filing extremely poor lawsuits with break like wet tissue the second they are glanced at. Its interesting that the show has been using Bob for extremely genre tales. Before it was Columbo like murder mysteries and a straight on thriller. Now it is a political thriller where Bob's supervillain fits right in with the Republican party. I feel like the Simpsons never topped this episode in terms of incisive and hilarious takes on the political process and the Republican party in general. A lot of them feel a little more smug or on the nose. This one is big and broad and thanks to the ridiculous nature of politics feels the most true. Birch Barlow's ridiculous arguments are barely any different and aren't as overtly deranged at the kinds of pundits he represents. The situation is that neither candidate can be trusted but one criminal candidate is definitely much more evil and intractable than the other. The only difference being that attempted murderer Sideshow Bob is much more human.
Jokes I missed before:
Birch Barlow is introduced as a "well-selling" author.
Also, I didn't learn till years later that Dr. Demento was an actual person. I just assumed that Bart had a never scene supervillain enemy in the mold of Dr. Colossus.
Jokes that aged weird:
Oh, here's a weird one: Moe takes Barlow's call to action as violent revolution before being corrected by Barney. Remember when that seemed fucking ridiculous and not... the reality?
Other great jokes:
God, so many.
"Hey, I am no longer illiterate."
"They don't hand out Nobel Prize for attempted chemistry, do they?"
"Well, despite Bart's objections, the people of South Africa can now vote in free democratic elections."
Man, if that's what Krabappel thinks Bart thinks, no wonder she is popping champagne as he leaves her class.
"Help, I'm being attacked by, uh, things."
Whenever my niece and nephew hug me.
"More important than coal."
"Er, uh, yes."
"No children have meddled with the Republican party and lived to tell about it."
Kind of wish this was a mutual fact.
"Duh, stay out of Riverdale."
"A, he'd say. Then B. Next would usually come C..."
"Is it true that you rigged the election?"
"No I did not."
"Kids, help."
Again, still better legal work than in reality.
Other notes:
Why is Lisa listening to "St. Elmo's Fire" the perfect choice? I dunno, but it is. Weird that Lisa neglects to mention that time Bob tried to straight up murder Bart in the recap.
For JBear