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America's Favorite Non-prehistoric Cartoon Family - The Simpsons Thread
- Thread starter Johnny Unusual
- Start date
They actually retired that name a while back because everyone knew that "Alan Smithee" basically meant 'name withheld upon request' and that the attached film would be hot garbage.
I thought that until just now
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Lisa Gets an A
When I was in elementary school, we were given a "No TV for a week" challenge. As you can imagine, that was hard because I loved TV, but for whatever reason I decided to take it. And I mostly succeeded. Mostly. One day at Radio Shack while mom was shopping, I played a video game and she drew my attention to that being TV. Well, I kept my mouth shut and got a button for my trouble. Its a pretty cheap gift, considering (maybe there was a certificate, which is slightly better) but nonetheless, it became a source of shame and I smashed that button with a rock. Frankly, my shame was far greater than the weight of my crime but selling integrity really does help.
In this episode, Lisa gets sick and misses a few days of school. During this time, Lisa gets hooked on a video game and ends up skipping her reading assignment. When Lisa finally gets back to school, she is confronted with a test she isn't prepared for. Lisa panics and ends up cheating on the test with help from Nelson and not only passes but ends up getting a better score than she's ever received. Lisa is given constant reminders of her "success" and is consumed with guilt and eventually confesses to Skinner... but Skinner doesn't want to take it. It turns out that Lisa's success put the school over the top for a badly needed grant to fix some of the school's more serious problems. Lisa is eventually convinced to continue the lie but eventually confesses during the grant giving ceremony. It seems that all is forgiven and Lisa is rewarded for her honesty... until Lisa leaves. It turns out Skinner predicted the betrayal and created a fake ceremony to placate Lisa and a real one to get the money. Meanwhile, Homer raises a lobster.
Lisa Gets an A is a strong episode for this season, in that it taps into a feeling we may have all felt from time to time; the shame and guilt of cheating. The show keeps it quite relatable throughout but builds when the problem becomes far greater than anticipated. But its also an interesting episode in that it is both a morally simplistic one but also one that doesn't exclude the possibility of complexity. I generally am in favour of honesty but in the face of the horror of a massively underfunded school, lying about Lisa's cheat feels very much something that would personally be easy for me to do. Lisa definitely does a morally correct thing but she also does something that has real consequences. Now there's a good practical reason to tell the truth; to stop hurting herself with guilt. But in doing that she risks the school's future. Weirdly, Skinner's elaborate plan of lies and fraud is something I have NO issue with.
And even though the show doesn't directly address it, I think there is a more morally complex quandary here. From Skinner's end, asking Lisa to continue the lie is asking her to swallow her shame and guilt, and that's a lot for an 8 year old to contend with. Conversely, this school is in serious jeopardy. The underfunding of schools and the screwed systems that decide who gets funding (like "no child left behind") are the real villains and as cowardly and sniveling as Skinner is, he's a guy trying to save an institution he loves in the face of apathy towards the well-being of children. Oh, Skinner's no angel in this one, but his sneaky solution is sort of brilliant in that it takes into account Lisa's integrity, allows her to have a win and still keep the money. It also plays with the sitcom standby that everything will work out if you are contrite. But it won't, necessarily. Its a cynically playful finale that feels like it is siding more with Lisa in terms of actual values but is also letting us enjoy Skinner's sneaky win.
I feel like I'm in an era of the show when I am complaining more but the show still has a lot of life in it. Yes, a lot of good joke formulas are getting repeated but episodes like these get to tap into specific emotions that the characters haven't felt yet in new ways. It can still be outrageous and silly but we are also invested in Lisa's pain and that feeling you've compromised your integrity in a moment of weakness. Interestingly, one of the more derided episodes of the last decade, Lisa Goes Gaga (the Lady Gaga episode), actually begins with a VERY good first act about Lisa doing something similar. Unfortunately, then it becomes a fawning celebration of Lady Gaga at the expense of making sense. Though compared to the Elon Musk episode, fawning over someone who actually deserves it, while somewhat cringey, is definitely the better option than saying "yay" to the tech monster. But these episodes still have a lot of life in them and when I see an episode like this, I'm reminded why I stuck with the show for so long.
Jokes I missed before:
Not a great joke but one of the "healthy" cereals is "Count Caroba". Inexplicably, not "Carobula".
Other great jokes:
"No, Mom, wait, we can make a deal."
"You don't have anything I want."
"Is this my house?"
"No, you live in a different house."
I know this is just the set up for more Ralph wackiness but I like Smith's matter of fact delivery. The character is patient and used to dealing with Ralph.
"Weren't you at Brown, Otto?"
"Yep. Almost got tenure, too."
"Lisa, you're saying brown an awful lot."
"Can't you see the difference between earning something honestly and getting it through fraud?"
"I suppose maybe if uh... No. Sorry, thought I had it there for a sec."
"But we can't accept that money. Its tainted."
"Leave the money out of this. Its not the money's fault you cheated."
I love that Chalmers calls it "that song Charge".
"Hi Lisa, Hi Super Nintendo Chalmers."
"Oh, thank God! Now let's talk rust-proofing. These Colecos will rust up on you like that. Shut up Gil, close the deal, close the deal."
"After all, education is the search for truth."
"No, no, don't listen to here, she's out of her mind."
"Who among you can't say you've never cheated... on your wives... or your husbands."
"Where I come from, Canada, we reward courage."
This is why I've never been rewarded.
"Alright everyone, let's have a round of applause for the real comptroller."
"?"
"I know a liquor store where we can cash this right now."
Other notes:
I would play Dash Dingo.
Bart says "If it was me, I'd take the zero." On accident, Bart makes the more moral choice.
Nelson's flimsy plausible deniablity excuses are perfect. "They're study aids. They're for novelty purposes only."
Hoover's alcohol stained grades paint a dark picture.
When I was in elementary school, we were given a "No TV for a week" challenge. As you can imagine, that was hard because I loved TV, but for whatever reason I decided to take it. And I mostly succeeded. Mostly. One day at Radio Shack while mom was shopping, I played a video game and she drew my attention to that being TV. Well, I kept my mouth shut and got a button for my trouble. Its a pretty cheap gift, considering (maybe there was a certificate, which is slightly better) but nonetheless, it became a source of shame and I smashed that button with a rock. Frankly, my shame was far greater than the weight of my crime but selling integrity really does help.
In this episode, Lisa gets sick and misses a few days of school. During this time, Lisa gets hooked on a video game and ends up skipping her reading assignment. When Lisa finally gets back to school, she is confronted with a test she isn't prepared for. Lisa panics and ends up cheating on the test with help from Nelson and not only passes but ends up getting a better score than she's ever received. Lisa is given constant reminders of her "success" and is consumed with guilt and eventually confesses to Skinner... but Skinner doesn't want to take it. It turns out that Lisa's success put the school over the top for a badly needed grant to fix some of the school's more serious problems. Lisa is eventually convinced to continue the lie but eventually confesses during the grant giving ceremony. It seems that all is forgiven and Lisa is rewarded for her honesty... until Lisa leaves. It turns out Skinner predicted the betrayal and created a fake ceremony to placate Lisa and a real one to get the money. Meanwhile, Homer raises a lobster.
Lisa Gets an A is a strong episode for this season, in that it taps into a feeling we may have all felt from time to time; the shame and guilt of cheating. The show keeps it quite relatable throughout but builds when the problem becomes far greater than anticipated. But its also an interesting episode in that it is both a morally simplistic one but also one that doesn't exclude the possibility of complexity. I generally am in favour of honesty but in the face of the horror of a massively underfunded school, lying about Lisa's cheat feels very much something that would personally be easy for me to do. Lisa definitely does a morally correct thing but she also does something that has real consequences. Now there's a good practical reason to tell the truth; to stop hurting herself with guilt. But in doing that she risks the school's future. Weirdly, Skinner's elaborate plan of lies and fraud is something I have NO issue with.
And even though the show doesn't directly address it, I think there is a more morally complex quandary here. From Skinner's end, asking Lisa to continue the lie is asking her to swallow her shame and guilt, and that's a lot for an 8 year old to contend with. Conversely, this school is in serious jeopardy. The underfunding of schools and the screwed systems that decide who gets funding (like "no child left behind") are the real villains and as cowardly and sniveling as Skinner is, he's a guy trying to save an institution he loves in the face of apathy towards the well-being of children. Oh, Skinner's no angel in this one, but his sneaky solution is sort of brilliant in that it takes into account Lisa's integrity, allows her to have a win and still keep the money. It also plays with the sitcom standby that everything will work out if you are contrite. But it won't, necessarily. Its a cynically playful finale that feels like it is siding more with Lisa in terms of actual values but is also letting us enjoy Skinner's sneaky win.
I feel like I'm in an era of the show when I am complaining more but the show still has a lot of life in it. Yes, a lot of good joke formulas are getting repeated but episodes like these get to tap into specific emotions that the characters haven't felt yet in new ways. It can still be outrageous and silly but we are also invested in Lisa's pain and that feeling you've compromised your integrity in a moment of weakness. Interestingly, one of the more derided episodes of the last decade, Lisa Goes Gaga (the Lady Gaga episode), actually begins with a VERY good first act about Lisa doing something similar. Unfortunately, then it becomes a fawning celebration of Lady Gaga at the expense of making sense. Though compared to the Elon Musk episode, fawning over someone who actually deserves it, while somewhat cringey, is definitely the better option than saying "yay" to the tech monster. But these episodes still have a lot of life in them and when I see an episode like this, I'm reminded why I stuck with the show for so long.
Jokes I missed before:
Not a great joke but one of the "healthy" cereals is "Count Caroba". Inexplicably, not "Carobula".
Other great jokes:
"No, Mom, wait, we can make a deal."
"You don't have anything I want."
"Is this my house?"
"No, you live in a different house."
I know this is just the set up for more Ralph wackiness but I like Smith's matter of fact delivery. The character is patient and used to dealing with Ralph.
"Weren't you at Brown, Otto?"
"Yep. Almost got tenure, too."
"Lisa, you're saying brown an awful lot."
"Can't you see the difference between earning something honestly and getting it through fraud?"
"I suppose maybe if uh... No. Sorry, thought I had it there for a sec."
"But we can't accept that money. Its tainted."
"Leave the money out of this. Its not the money's fault you cheated."
I love that Chalmers calls it "that song Charge".
"Hi Lisa, Hi Super Nintendo Chalmers."
"Oh, thank God! Now let's talk rust-proofing. These Colecos will rust up on you like that. Shut up Gil, close the deal, close the deal."
"After all, education is the search for truth."
"No, no, don't listen to here, she's out of her mind."
"Who among you can't say you've never cheated... on your wives... or your husbands."
"Where I come from, Canada, we reward courage."
This is why I've never been rewarded.
"Alright everyone, let's have a round of applause for the real comptroller."
"?"
"I know a liquor store where we can cash this right now."
Other notes:
I would play Dash Dingo.
Bart says "If it was me, I'd take the zero." On accident, Bart makes the more moral choice.
Nelson's flimsy plausible deniablity excuses are perfect. "They're study aids. They're for novelty purposes only."
Hoover's alcohol stained grades paint a dark picture.
FelixSH
(He/Him)
I always feel like Skinner, being flawed and all, is really trying his hardest to actually make something out of the school, because he wants to give these kids the education they need. I mean, the system is so stupid, how is he even supposed to work with it? Why are schools put into a weird form of competition, where you only get money if your school is "successful"? And not help the schools that actually need it?
I don't have any problem with Skinners scheme. He only gets money he should have access to anyway. The only one losing is the stupid system, so win-win here, I guess.
Well, and I guess there is another school with no money that won't get what it needs now. Did I mention how stupid it is to let schools compete with each other? But, of course, competition ist the super-drive of mankind.
Uh, before I continue ranting, let me just say: Good commentary.
I don't have any problem with Skinners scheme. He only gets money he should have access to anyway. The only one losing is the stupid system, so win-win here, I guess.
Well, and I guess there is another school with no money that won't get what it needs now. Did I mention how stupid it is to let schools compete with each other? But, of course, competition ist the super-drive of mankind.
Uh, before I continue ranting, let me just say: Good commentary.
It’s a cruel stereotype to assume that every comptroller who is serious about their job is Canadian.
It’s a mark of pride when one of our ranks rises to that level, however
It’s a mark of pride when one of our ranks rises to that level, however
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
A STATE comptroller, no less.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Homer Simpson in "Kidney Trouble"
When does a character like Homer become irredeemable? And is it in his actions or how the show's creators portray them? Obviously, if you were to look at Homer's behaviour over the course of the series, it paints a dim picture. But the Simpsons is supposed to be viewed on an episode by episode basis, not as a serial. Homer can be a jerk but often his fallibility is relatable by the episode's end on some level. Or it should be. The problem ongoing is Homer constantly fixing problems with quasi-related big gestures of love with no long term promise of change. But some individual episodes put Homer beyond the pale. Even some of the writers felt Marge should probably have left Homer after the cartridge family. And this one is cited as a high point for Homer's lows. But watching it again, I'm not sure if the problem is the weight of Homer's misdeed or the way the episode handles it.
In this episode, Grandpa's kidney's explode after Homer makes Grandpa hold his pee during a long trip. Abe's only hope is Homer giving him a kidney. Homer is gung ho but eventually develops a fear of the operation and eventually chickens out and runs away. Filled with shame, Homer tries to run away to the sea and ends up on a boat with the world's weirdest outcasts. But even they are disgusted with Homer and oust him. Homer decides to try again but chickens out again. However, he also gets into a freak auto accident and finds when he wakes up that his kidney was taken and given to grandpa.
Controversial take: I don't hate this episode. I think there are a lot of good jokes. That counts for a lot. But this episode is troubled with a very bad Homer. I feel like I've definitely seen episodes where Homer is just worse somehow. But this one, one where we should be to some extent either in his corner or invested in his redemption, makes Homer a little too awful in the first act to make acts 2 and 3 work. Homer and Abe have a lot of reasons to have genuine animosity along with love but Homer's cruelty is beyond the pale as he makes his dad's kidneys explode through very overt meanness. After a very funny, goofy first act, it leaves a bad taste in your life. I really like the first act from a comedy standpoint but perhaps it took some room to let the story breath with emotional weight. Or maybe it was never there.
Both this and the previous episode are very much fueled by shame. But "Lisa Gets an A" puts us in Lisa's headspace early on but unless you are a monster, this is pretty unrelatable. And it doesn't have to be. Fear of doctors and operations are completely understandable on a base level and there's potential for a story where Homer overcomes it and even if he fails to overcome it. But this isn't it. The first act made Homer too awful, he had VERY little feelings or regret over his actions and his shame/fear-based story is far too broad and goofy and doesn't allow Homer's feeling to play for anything but broad comedy.
So its weird with ALL these complaints, I don't hate it. But I do hate Homer in it and I feel bad the episode excised any emotional investment (aside from spite). It didn't even have to be an emotional episode from a sentimental standpoint. It could have been a cynical exercise with some weight and trenchant observations about human weakness. But I feel like this script was either overwritten in the writer's room or underwritten and never corrected. What are we left with. Some pretty strong jokes and set pieces. I love a lot of the Old West town's bits. I love the ship of lost souls. And there are various one off jokes that I like. But I would probably sacrifice more of that for a more human story about fear and shame instead of a half-baked one with very little insight.
Jokes I missed before:
Other great jokes:
"If you look off to your left, you'll see a real old west hitchin' post, possibly used by bandits, possibly during some exciting adventure. And these planks below us were often used as a sidewalk by people who may or may not have been bandits."
"Oh, yeah, that would look so good on me."
"But if I die during the operation, will you do one thing for me?"
"Oh, anything sweetheart."
"Blow up the hospital."
"Hmm... Well, I said I'd do it, so I guess I'll have to."
"Um, can I be a mate on your ship? Preferably first mate."
"I was born into wretched poverty, so one day, I stole a loaf of bread, put it in the freezer until it was very hard, then robbed a bank with it."
"And when Mr. Dinkley saw what I had done, I was banned from the car wash forever."
"Forever? How awful."
Other notes:
Seriously, I feel like this is the era when we start to see overcrowding in the plots. If the first act as it is was shortened, the second act could have built up more of Homer's fear more and taken us with him. Or the third act could be two acts with Homer spending more time in his self-imposed exile, reflecting on his behaviour. OR even make act three act one or two and the final act about Homer NOT have coming through in the end and having to live with it, like in Force Majeure.
Grandpa as movie monster is a bit mean-spirited but I feel like its also a well-done scene.
Man, going into this, I thought I was going to write more about Grandpa and the show's portrayal of the elderly and how we treat them. I feel like there is SO much to dig into on this topic and it can be so on point it can be rough to watch. But also a lot of "laugh at them". There's a lot going on here.
When does a character like Homer become irredeemable? And is it in his actions or how the show's creators portray them? Obviously, if you were to look at Homer's behaviour over the course of the series, it paints a dim picture. But the Simpsons is supposed to be viewed on an episode by episode basis, not as a serial. Homer can be a jerk but often his fallibility is relatable by the episode's end on some level. Or it should be. The problem ongoing is Homer constantly fixing problems with quasi-related big gestures of love with no long term promise of change. But some individual episodes put Homer beyond the pale. Even some of the writers felt Marge should probably have left Homer after the cartridge family. And this one is cited as a high point for Homer's lows. But watching it again, I'm not sure if the problem is the weight of Homer's misdeed or the way the episode handles it.
In this episode, Grandpa's kidney's explode after Homer makes Grandpa hold his pee during a long trip. Abe's only hope is Homer giving him a kidney. Homer is gung ho but eventually develops a fear of the operation and eventually chickens out and runs away. Filled with shame, Homer tries to run away to the sea and ends up on a boat with the world's weirdest outcasts. But even they are disgusted with Homer and oust him. Homer decides to try again but chickens out again. However, he also gets into a freak auto accident and finds when he wakes up that his kidney was taken and given to grandpa.
Controversial take: I don't hate this episode. I think there are a lot of good jokes. That counts for a lot. But this episode is troubled with a very bad Homer. I feel like I've definitely seen episodes where Homer is just worse somehow. But this one, one where we should be to some extent either in his corner or invested in his redemption, makes Homer a little too awful in the first act to make acts 2 and 3 work. Homer and Abe have a lot of reasons to have genuine animosity along with love but Homer's cruelty is beyond the pale as he makes his dad's kidneys explode through very overt meanness. After a very funny, goofy first act, it leaves a bad taste in your life. I really like the first act from a comedy standpoint but perhaps it took some room to let the story breath with emotional weight. Or maybe it was never there.
Both this and the previous episode are very much fueled by shame. But "Lisa Gets an A" puts us in Lisa's headspace early on but unless you are a monster, this is pretty unrelatable. And it doesn't have to be. Fear of doctors and operations are completely understandable on a base level and there's potential for a story where Homer overcomes it and even if he fails to overcome it. But this isn't it. The first act made Homer too awful, he had VERY little feelings or regret over his actions and his shame/fear-based story is far too broad and goofy and doesn't allow Homer's feeling to play for anything but broad comedy.
So its weird with ALL these complaints, I don't hate it. But I do hate Homer in it and I feel bad the episode excised any emotional investment (aside from spite). It didn't even have to be an emotional episode from a sentimental standpoint. It could have been a cynical exercise with some weight and trenchant observations about human weakness. But I feel like this script was either overwritten in the writer's room or underwritten and never corrected. What are we left with. Some pretty strong jokes and set pieces. I love a lot of the Old West town's bits. I love the ship of lost souls. And there are various one off jokes that I like. But I would probably sacrifice more of that for a more human story about fear and shame instead of a half-baked one with very little insight.
Jokes I missed before:
Other great jokes:
"If you look off to your left, you'll see a real old west hitchin' post, possibly used by bandits, possibly during some exciting adventure. And these planks below us were often used as a sidewalk by people who may or may not have been bandits."
"Oh, yeah, that would look so good on me."
"But if I die during the operation, will you do one thing for me?"
"Oh, anything sweetheart."
"Blow up the hospital."
"Hmm... Well, I said I'd do it, so I guess I'll have to."
"Um, can I be a mate on your ship? Preferably first mate."
"I was born into wretched poverty, so one day, I stole a loaf of bread, put it in the freezer until it was very hard, then robbed a bank with it."
"And when Mr. Dinkley saw what I had done, I was banned from the car wash forever."
"Forever? How awful."
Other notes:
Seriously, I feel like this is the era when we start to see overcrowding in the plots. If the first act as it is was shortened, the second act could have built up more of Homer's fear more and taken us with him. Or the third act could be two acts with Homer spending more time in his self-imposed exile, reflecting on his behaviour. OR even make act three act one or two and the final act about Homer NOT have coming through in the end and having to live with it, like in Force Majeure.
Grandpa as movie monster is a bit mean-spirited but I feel like its also a well-done scene.
Man, going into this, I thought I was going to write more about Grandpa and the show's portrayal of the elderly and how we treat them. I feel like there is SO much to dig into on this topic and it can be so on point it can be rough to watch. But also a lot of "laugh at them". There's a lot going on here.
Yeah, Homer being afraid of an operation to help a loved one would be fine on its own but the story is tainted by Homer's negligence being the reason why his father needs a kidney transplant. What makes it worse is how Homer's negligence here is played for humor.
Also this episode really feels like it jumps around the place. It goes from another wacky family outing to emotional drama then to a brief bit with some eccentric shipgoers.
Also this episode really feels like it jumps around the place. It goes from another wacky family outing to emotional drama then to a brief bit with some eccentric shipgoers.
The jokes are somehow solid enough to make up for how monstrously cruel Homer is in the first act.
Also, while it’s a close race, Hibbert chuckling after telling Abe he won’t need to worry about eating any more might be the grimmest joke in the series.
Top 3 at any rate
Also, while it’s a close race, Hibbert chuckling after telling Abe he won’t need to worry about eating any more might be the grimmest joke in the series.
Top 3 at any rate
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
A lot of grimness on the Grandpa side of the episode. The aforementioned Grandpa being treated like a movie monster simply because he's happy someone is willing to spend time with him. And Krusty coming in for the "last laugh" program, him exiting after sucking at it and Grandpa meekly asking "Come back Doctor."
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Mayored to the Mob
What does it mean to put someone else's life before yours? Its a noble endeavor but does it even mean anything if the person you are protecting isn't worth it? There are countless stories about people risking their lives to help protect bad people, showing that the sacrifice can make a difference and that even the lives of bad people have value. But there are also a lot of stories where the idea that loyalty is robbed of its nobility when its on behalf of someone or something that isn't worthy. Heck, we've just seen the ousting of a president who insisted on loyalty but was constantly willing to throw anyone under the bus he could get. Its like people missed the point of what makes loyalty a virtue and where it is to be placed.
In this episode, The Simpson attend a sci-fi convention that breaks out into a riot. Homer protects Mark Hamill and Mayor Quimby and ends up gaining Quimby's favor, who ends up firing his other guards and hiring Homer. Homer follows the Mayor to his rounds of picking up various bribes and kickbacks and Homer is fine to look the other way. However, Homer can't when he discovers that the mob is selling rat milk to the school. He ends up muscling the mayor and forcing him to turn on Fat Tony. Quimby is soon on Homer's hit list but Homer vows to protect him. Though he admirably stops Fat Tony's henchman, Tony brutally beats the Mayor and ends up getting fired.
There are themes to this episode about the mistrust of authority but overall Mayored to the Mob is focused on being as silly as possible and succeeds admirably. If the episode was just a little off in tone, a lot of the stuff, like Homer knocking out his own family members, would have made it a little too nasty. But this is an episode that works on a logic closer to Looney Tunes or Airplane! and it being a "jokes come first" story works in its favour a lot better than some of the episode of this era. Do I see potential for a more complex story, like digging into the idea that Homer forced Quimby into a less safe position that he needs to protect him from. Instead its a series of funny bits and set pieces and I'm completely fine with it due to the quality of the comedy.
I will say that the episode continue one of the show's major themes of complete mistrust of authority. Yes, its about Quimby's corruption but it also implies that there's no one source and that most of Springfield's business owners are corrupt in the name of economic expediency. Its not darker or even more damning than other portrayals on the show but this one is definitely using the episode to imply extreme pervasiveness of the graft within Springfield. Considering what we know, I would not be surprised if the school was well aware of the rat milk problem and looked the other way. Its funny, I feel between this and the Springfield Connection, I actually feel there's a great unmade episode about (rather than referencing or using it as a plot point) the idea of getting into a job in law enforcement, only to find that the system makes it difficult to be the "good guy" you want to be.
Now I'm going to dedicate a paragraph to Mark Hamill. He is so great. And not only does he do a great job, I feel like the show new to take advantage of his voice acting talent. After Baldwin and Basinger's somewhat lackluster performances, its nice to see an actor who really digs into it and the show knew enough to give him TWO characters to voice in the episode, allowing him to be in all three acts for extended periods. As himself, he plays him as a bit of a weary shill and a vain showman and as the bodyguard instructor, well, he's just playing a silly instructor but he makes it work and you can tell he's having a great time, making the most of his lines. He's definitely a performer I could see the show bringing on regularly if they wanted and he could have made some great recurring characters.
Jokes I missed before:
"As you can see, you stand to save you up to 17 cents a month over the more dependable providers."
Other great jokes:
Makes me think of
"You stupid nerds! He's trying to save you money on long distance."
"And I need a volunteer to play Ob-Wan."
"Kenobi?"
Hamill must have loved doing this one.
*after whistling at a woman, who is not happy about it*
"I couldn't be happier with the way that went."
"Thank you Fat Tony. However, in the future, I would prefer a non-descript briefcase to a bag with a dollar sign on it."
"HIS CORPSE IS CLIMBING THE BUILDING!"
"I'm not so much disappointed as I am blinded with rage."
Other notes:
I feel like they definitely went to the actual Neil Armstrong to see if they could get him.
The original Robot voice actor in a voice that implies Jonathan Harris was a pedophile is... something that happened in this episode. Also the first and last time anyone would ever make a reference to the 1998 Lost in Space movie.
Hey, "Set Phasers to Fun" is also the name of Talking Time's Discord Star Trek channel. Was it a reference to this or a happy accident?
"Oh, Fat Tony."
"What? What did I do?"
What does it mean to put someone else's life before yours? Its a noble endeavor but does it even mean anything if the person you are protecting isn't worth it? There are countless stories about people risking their lives to help protect bad people, showing that the sacrifice can make a difference and that even the lives of bad people have value. But there are also a lot of stories where the idea that loyalty is robbed of its nobility when its on behalf of someone or something that isn't worthy. Heck, we've just seen the ousting of a president who insisted on loyalty but was constantly willing to throw anyone under the bus he could get. Its like people missed the point of what makes loyalty a virtue and where it is to be placed.
In this episode, The Simpson attend a sci-fi convention that breaks out into a riot. Homer protects Mark Hamill and Mayor Quimby and ends up gaining Quimby's favor, who ends up firing his other guards and hiring Homer. Homer follows the Mayor to his rounds of picking up various bribes and kickbacks and Homer is fine to look the other way. However, Homer can't when he discovers that the mob is selling rat milk to the school. He ends up muscling the mayor and forcing him to turn on Fat Tony. Quimby is soon on Homer's hit list but Homer vows to protect him. Though he admirably stops Fat Tony's henchman, Tony brutally beats the Mayor and ends up getting fired.
There are themes to this episode about the mistrust of authority but overall Mayored to the Mob is focused on being as silly as possible and succeeds admirably. If the episode was just a little off in tone, a lot of the stuff, like Homer knocking out his own family members, would have made it a little too nasty. But this is an episode that works on a logic closer to Looney Tunes or Airplane! and it being a "jokes come first" story works in its favour a lot better than some of the episode of this era. Do I see potential for a more complex story, like digging into the idea that Homer forced Quimby into a less safe position that he needs to protect him from. Instead its a series of funny bits and set pieces and I'm completely fine with it due to the quality of the comedy.
I will say that the episode continue one of the show's major themes of complete mistrust of authority. Yes, its about Quimby's corruption but it also implies that there's no one source and that most of Springfield's business owners are corrupt in the name of economic expediency. Its not darker or even more damning than other portrayals on the show but this one is definitely using the episode to imply extreme pervasiveness of the graft within Springfield. Considering what we know, I would not be surprised if the school was well aware of the rat milk problem and looked the other way. Its funny, I feel between this and the Springfield Connection, I actually feel there's a great unmade episode about (rather than referencing or using it as a plot point) the idea of getting into a job in law enforcement, only to find that the system makes it difficult to be the "good guy" you want to be.
Now I'm going to dedicate a paragraph to Mark Hamill. He is so great. And not only does he do a great job, I feel like the show new to take advantage of his voice acting talent. After Baldwin and Basinger's somewhat lackluster performances, its nice to see an actor who really digs into it and the show knew enough to give him TWO characters to voice in the episode, allowing him to be in all three acts for extended periods. As himself, he plays him as a bit of a weary shill and a vain showman and as the bodyguard instructor, well, he's just playing a silly instructor but he makes it work and you can tell he's having a great time, making the most of his lines. He's definitely a performer I could see the show bringing on regularly if they wanted and he could have made some great recurring characters.
Jokes I missed before:
"As you can see, you stand to save you up to 17 cents a month over the more dependable providers."
Other great jokes:
"You stupid nerds! He's trying to save you money on long distance."
"And I need a volunteer to play Ob-Wan."
"Kenobi?"
*after whistling at a woman, who is not happy about it*
"I couldn't be happier with the way that went."
"Thank you Fat Tony. However, in the future, I would prefer a non-descript briefcase to a bag with a dollar sign on it."
"HIS CORPSE IS CLIMBING THE BUILDING!"
"I'm not so much disappointed as I am blinded with rage."
Other notes:
I feel like they definitely went to the actual Neil Armstrong to see if they could get him.
The original Robot voice actor in a voice that implies Jonathan Harris was a pedophile is... something that happened in this episode. Also the first and last time anyone would ever make a reference to the 1998 Lost in Space movie.
Hey, "Set Phasers to Fun" is also the name of Talking Time's Discord Star Trek channel. Was it a reference to this or a happy accident?
"Oh, Fat Tony."
"What? What did I do?"
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Viva Ned Flanders
I'm a person who generally lives safe. Oh, I am accident prone but I never seek out a lot of the major "vices". I'm mostly OK with that. I feel like I have an addictive personality so I'm glad I never got into booze or drugs or cigarettes. But I also never put myself out there a lot. I never felt comfortable in a lot of situations where I could meet people and have never been in a romantic relationship. I've travelled the world but aside from seeing sights, I never felt comfortable partying with my co-workers after work for very long. So I'm someone who is not unhappy with his life but always worry that my fear and desire for comfort and routine has allowed me to rob myself of a richer, fulfilling life.
In this episode, Homer notices Flanders paying for a carwash with a senior discount card. Believing him to be defrauding the car wash, Homer tries to expose him at church, only for it to come out that Ned is actually 60 years old. Everyone is impressed how youthful Ned is but when he reveals the secret of his youth is "resisting all the major urges", everyone decides they rather not and seem to pity Ned for his lack of adventurousness. Ned starts to feel self conscious but feels unable to really live life to its fullest. Ned goes to the most impulsive person he knows, Homer, and asks him to teach him to take risks. Homer takes Ned on an impromptu trip to Vegas and Ned is hesitant but eventually gives in and has a wild night on the town with Homer. Ned is proud of himself the next morning until he and Homer discover they married cocktail waitresses while drunk. The two make a run for it and end up getting caught, roughed up, and kicked out of town and the two walk home together.
Viva Ned Flanders has a main thrust that speaks to me and I like the first two acts better than the final. I feel like the first two are a real examination of a feeling I relate two and the intent of the last act is to show that "really living" can have consequences. And I feel like it doesn't come to an interesting conclusion in that regard. I feel like "oops, married" is a pretty played out trope by this time and that it doesn't give me a satisfying end to Ned's journey. Like, it ends on the two coming up with excuses but not really whether finds if Ned finds that if the consequences were worth the life experience and it doesn't bring Homer and Ned closer or even further apart. I feel like an episode that explores Ned finding a perverse virtue in Homer and trying to use that to have a richer life needs a richer ending, but here its more like "OK, the escapade is over. See you next week."
But I really do like the first act and it balances the characters in a way that I feel like we don't see after. The Homer of this era is broader and spends the episode as a selfish jerk but its not too far beyond the pale to spoil the fun like in Kidney Trouble. Meanwhile, Flanders has not yet been Flanderized and an ugly Christian caricature rather than a character and after the episode Hurricane Neddy, he's also more than a mere doormat for Homer. This feels like it is the perfect time to have the two characters have more interplay (though a mildly more sympathetic Homer is appreciated) and I think this episode does a decent job for most of it. The game is Ned is willing to follow Homer's weird, dangerous rabbit hole because he's afraid of going the opposite way.
I get how the last act could work better. Homer has spent a lot of the last two seasons living life like it has no consequences, so it makes sense to drop a big one on him in this episode that's about the quest to escape a comfort zone and ending up too far. But as I said, I don't think it gets to say anything or even ask unanswered questions about the nature of that kind of life. I also feel like the show could have even cornered the characters a bit more, giving a sense of urgency into what previously was a mere lark for the characters up until this part. But I like that leading up to it, Ned is following what is clearly a reckless, careless and thoughtless man in every respect because he is hoping to have richness that he has while Homer is actually SO untethered from responsibility that he's a bit empty. Of course, again, I might prefer it being about a more human Homer and Flanders wanting to emulate elements of that but within the first two acts, I was pretty happy.
Jokes I missed before:
"And then there's Maude. AND THEN THERE'S MAUDE!"
Other great jokes:
"I'm just thinking of my employees. Card sharps, bottom dealers and shills. Where will they go?"
"They're managing your chain of nursing homes, sir."
"Excellent."
"Remember how excited we were when this place opened? Then a week later we just forgot about it."
"I'm surprised they moved it when they moved the town."
"Oh, I can explain that, you see--"
"I've never heard of these bands, Mom. What kind of music do they play?"
"Crap rock?"
"No...."
"Wuss rock?"
"That's it."
Trust me, there's a difference. Sometimes wuss rock is pretty decent.
"What's your secret Flanders? Goat placenta? Monkey sweat?"
"Some kind of electric hat?"
"Holy water? It's holy water, isn't it? AHH, IT BURNS!"
"It could be in the middle of the night. It could be when you least suspect it. Or, you know, whatever's good for you."
"How do you silence that little voice that says 'think'?"
"You mean Lisa?"
"Someone dishonoring their marriage vows? Not in Las Vegas!"
"What if we switched wives? Would that help?"
"For the last time, no."
Other notes:
Its weird to follow a joke about Don Rickles making a stupid Latino joke and then making the laziest, eye-rollingest one only a few minutes later.
Dunking on Joan Rivers is one of those dunking ons from the 90s that feels stupid in retrospect, like Britney Spears and misc.
I love that based on his speed, Homer might have been planning to drive right into the casino. Or, rather, I did, until I remembered "people driving into things" has a much more horrifying reality into it thanks to the last five years or so.
I'm a person who generally lives safe. Oh, I am accident prone but I never seek out a lot of the major "vices". I'm mostly OK with that. I feel like I have an addictive personality so I'm glad I never got into booze or drugs or cigarettes. But I also never put myself out there a lot. I never felt comfortable in a lot of situations where I could meet people and have never been in a romantic relationship. I've travelled the world but aside from seeing sights, I never felt comfortable partying with my co-workers after work for very long. So I'm someone who is not unhappy with his life but always worry that my fear and desire for comfort and routine has allowed me to rob myself of a richer, fulfilling life.
In this episode, Homer notices Flanders paying for a carwash with a senior discount card. Believing him to be defrauding the car wash, Homer tries to expose him at church, only for it to come out that Ned is actually 60 years old. Everyone is impressed how youthful Ned is but when he reveals the secret of his youth is "resisting all the major urges", everyone decides they rather not and seem to pity Ned for his lack of adventurousness. Ned starts to feel self conscious but feels unable to really live life to its fullest. Ned goes to the most impulsive person he knows, Homer, and asks him to teach him to take risks. Homer takes Ned on an impromptu trip to Vegas and Ned is hesitant but eventually gives in and has a wild night on the town with Homer. Ned is proud of himself the next morning until he and Homer discover they married cocktail waitresses while drunk. The two make a run for it and end up getting caught, roughed up, and kicked out of town and the two walk home together.
Viva Ned Flanders has a main thrust that speaks to me and I like the first two acts better than the final. I feel like the first two are a real examination of a feeling I relate two and the intent of the last act is to show that "really living" can have consequences. And I feel like it doesn't come to an interesting conclusion in that regard. I feel like "oops, married" is a pretty played out trope by this time and that it doesn't give me a satisfying end to Ned's journey. Like, it ends on the two coming up with excuses but not really whether finds if Ned finds that if the consequences were worth the life experience and it doesn't bring Homer and Ned closer or even further apart. I feel like an episode that explores Ned finding a perverse virtue in Homer and trying to use that to have a richer life needs a richer ending, but here its more like "OK, the escapade is over. See you next week."
But I really do like the first act and it balances the characters in a way that I feel like we don't see after. The Homer of this era is broader and spends the episode as a selfish jerk but its not too far beyond the pale to spoil the fun like in Kidney Trouble. Meanwhile, Flanders has not yet been Flanderized and an ugly Christian caricature rather than a character and after the episode Hurricane Neddy, he's also more than a mere doormat for Homer. This feels like it is the perfect time to have the two characters have more interplay (though a mildly more sympathetic Homer is appreciated) and I think this episode does a decent job for most of it. The game is Ned is willing to follow Homer's weird, dangerous rabbit hole because he's afraid of going the opposite way.
I get how the last act could work better. Homer has spent a lot of the last two seasons living life like it has no consequences, so it makes sense to drop a big one on him in this episode that's about the quest to escape a comfort zone and ending up too far. But as I said, I don't think it gets to say anything or even ask unanswered questions about the nature of that kind of life. I also feel like the show could have even cornered the characters a bit more, giving a sense of urgency into what previously was a mere lark for the characters up until this part. But I like that leading up to it, Ned is following what is clearly a reckless, careless and thoughtless man in every respect because he is hoping to have richness that he has while Homer is actually SO untethered from responsibility that he's a bit empty. Of course, again, I might prefer it being about a more human Homer and Flanders wanting to emulate elements of that but within the first two acts, I was pretty happy.
Jokes I missed before:
"And then there's Maude. AND THEN THERE'S MAUDE!"
Other great jokes:
"I'm just thinking of my employees. Card sharps, bottom dealers and shills. Where will they go?"
"They're managing your chain of nursing homes, sir."
"Excellent."
"Remember how excited we were when this place opened? Then a week later we just forgot about it."
"I'm surprised they moved it when they moved the town."
"Oh, I can explain that, you see--"
"I've never heard of these bands, Mom. What kind of music do they play?"
"Crap rock?"
"No...."
"Wuss rock?"
"That's it."
Trust me, there's a difference. Sometimes wuss rock is pretty decent.
"What's your secret Flanders? Goat placenta? Monkey sweat?"
"Some kind of electric hat?"
"Holy water? It's holy water, isn't it? AHH, IT BURNS!"
"It could be in the middle of the night. It could be when you least suspect it. Or, you know, whatever's good for you."
"How do you silence that little voice that says 'think'?"
"You mean Lisa?"
"Someone dishonoring their marriage vows? Not in Las Vegas!"
"What if we switched wives? Would that help?"
"For the last time, no."
Other notes:
Its weird to follow a joke about Don Rickles making a stupid Latino joke and then making the laziest, eye-rollingest one only a few minutes later.
Dunking on Joan Rivers is one of those dunking ons from the 90s that feels stupid in retrospect, like Britney Spears and misc.
I love that based on his speed, Homer might have been planning to drive right into the casino. Or, rather, I did, until I remembered "people driving into things" has a much more horrifying reality into it thanks to the last five years or so.
Meanwhile, In the Future
Just reached That 90s Show, which I had always insisted was the equal to Princial and the Pauper in that complaints about how it handled continuity were overblown and the episode was more than funny enough on its own.
And I was half right; complaining about continuity in the Simpsons is dumb, but also the episode was way less funny than I remembered. There were some genuinely funny gags (albeit... err... entirely at Kurt Cobains expense) but most of them were just a little too self aware, really generic 90s riffs.
There was a billboard about Sonic the Hedgehog teaching abstinence, and you better believe I’m going to find ways to work that into more correspondence
Just reached That 90s Show, which I had always insisted was the equal to Princial and the Pauper in that complaints about how it handled continuity were overblown and the episode was more than funny enough on its own.
And I was half right; complaining about continuity in the Simpsons is dumb, but also the episode was way less funny than I remembered. There were some genuinely funny gags (albeit... err... entirely at Kurt Cobains expense) but most of them were just a little too self aware, really generic 90s riffs.
There was a billboard about Sonic the Hedgehog teaching abstinence, and you better believe I’m going to find ways to work that into more correspondence
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Wild Barts Can't Be Broken
As someone who looks after kids, I can tell you first hand that I've more or less become the guardian figure I thought I would never be. I love my dad but he could be somewhat of a grump from my point of view. And looking after the kids, I'm often in a position where they simply won't listen and I got to grump at them to get them to do a thing and I don't like it. That can be the real push and pull, trying to both have a lot of empathy but also making sure that the kids actually have some discipline and do what they are needed to do.
In this episode, Homer and his friends go on a bender that ends with Springfield Elementary getting trashed. The blame ends up going to the youth of Springfield, resulting in a draconian curfew enforced by the police. Eventually fed up with the unfair rules, the kids sneak out to watch a horror movie about supernatural children with mental powers who expose the secrets of the adults. The kids are caught and punished but are inspired to use their real strength: intimate knowledge of all the adults' secrets, which they use as a form of protest, promising to continue until the curfew is lifted. Eventually the kids are caught and they and the kids have a big argument that ends up disturbing the elderly in town. Eventually, due to the elderly voting in record numbers, a curfew is enforced after a referendum for anyone under 75.
Wild Barts isn't the strongest episode but it has a lot of good jokes. As a story about the age gap, its fun enough but not terribly insightful. I so like the method in which the children rebel, though, as it does take advantage of the fact that we may accidentally expose children to our own bad habits even if we complain about theirs. The ending makes for a fun take on the adult/child power dynamic but its also preceded by one of the weaker musical numbers of the era. Alf Clausen properly gets a lot of credit for the sound of the show but the big flashy music numbers seem to get increasingly hokey. Not even bad or cringey, simply something you need to sit through. In terms of parody/homages, I much prefer The Bloodening, a fun parody of the sci-fi horror classic Village of the Damned.
I wouldn't call it laugh out loud hilarious (though I like the trailer for it) but the Bloodening feels like a loving and specific shout out that appeals to me.
I also feel that this is an episode that where it becomes easier to point out that act one has little to do with the acts that come after. Often these first acts do have thematic resonance. After all, it is very much about the childish and irresponsible behaviour of adults, but dedicating so much time to these first acts often rob episodes from digging into the episodes themes in a satisfying manner. I actually don't think it hurts this one too much but that's mostly because while it is analyzing something, it doesn't feel like there's a lot in here that more time would actually contribute to the main plot. Over all, Wild Barts is an episode that is competent and somewhat funny but isn't remarkable save for a music number and a lovingly conceived film pastiche.
Other great jokes:
"Hello Big Maggie."
"Fine, we'll play Hippo in the House."
"Mmmm the Hippo's missing."
My experience as a kid whenever I wanted to play a board game at a friend's house.
"Due to the likelihood of fear-induced heart attacks, we're offering all patrons million dollar life insurance policies."
"Life insurance. Hmm... would I be able to borrow against the equity?"
"I don't know, it comes free with the popcorn."
"Is that air-popped?"
The thing I liked about this gag was its a reference to SEVERAL 60s era promotions.
"In your face, fish-wife!"
"But I've been hearing good things about Talk to the Hand. Tom Shales says the writing snaps crackles and pops."
...
"♪Talk to the hand, the face ain't listenin'♬"
"Edna, how could you? Don't get up, I'll bus my own tray."
Other notes:
Some guest stars have rather thankless cameos but Cyndi Lauper's is perfect and short. Its just her singing the national anthem to "Girls Just Want to Have Fun". I think getting her to sing is a good way to do a short cameo. Plus, I fucking love Lauper.
Reminded by Azaria's announcer voice: has anyone actually watched Brockmire? Is it good?
Simpsons is getting needlessly darker, between Homer asking if "Moe finally blew his brains out" and Moe talking about how a sniper at an all-star game was a "blessing in disguise". Also, Homer is into spanking again. This always feels weird after "Two Bad Neighbors".
"Any kid caught on the streets will be shot... or returned to their parents as the situation may warrant."
Wow does this joke read differently today.
It's nice to see Grandpa just straight up get a win for once.
As someone who looks after kids, I can tell you first hand that I've more or less become the guardian figure I thought I would never be. I love my dad but he could be somewhat of a grump from my point of view. And looking after the kids, I'm often in a position where they simply won't listen and I got to grump at them to get them to do a thing and I don't like it. That can be the real push and pull, trying to both have a lot of empathy but also making sure that the kids actually have some discipline and do what they are needed to do.
In this episode, Homer and his friends go on a bender that ends with Springfield Elementary getting trashed. The blame ends up going to the youth of Springfield, resulting in a draconian curfew enforced by the police. Eventually fed up with the unfair rules, the kids sneak out to watch a horror movie about supernatural children with mental powers who expose the secrets of the adults. The kids are caught and punished but are inspired to use their real strength: intimate knowledge of all the adults' secrets, which they use as a form of protest, promising to continue until the curfew is lifted. Eventually the kids are caught and they and the kids have a big argument that ends up disturbing the elderly in town. Eventually, due to the elderly voting in record numbers, a curfew is enforced after a referendum for anyone under 75.
Wild Barts isn't the strongest episode but it has a lot of good jokes. As a story about the age gap, its fun enough but not terribly insightful. I so like the method in which the children rebel, though, as it does take advantage of the fact that we may accidentally expose children to our own bad habits even if we complain about theirs. The ending makes for a fun take on the adult/child power dynamic but its also preceded by one of the weaker musical numbers of the era. Alf Clausen properly gets a lot of credit for the sound of the show but the big flashy music numbers seem to get increasingly hokey. Not even bad or cringey, simply something you need to sit through. In terms of parody/homages, I much prefer The Bloodening, a fun parody of the sci-fi horror classic Village of the Damned.
I wouldn't call it laugh out loud hilarious (though I like the trailer for it) but the Bloodening feels like a loving and specific shout out that appeals to me.
I also feel that this is an episode that where it becomes easier to point out that act one has little to do with the acts that come after. Often these first acts do have thematic resonance. After all, it is very much about the childish and irresponsible behaviour of adults, but dedicating so much time to these first acts often rob episodes from digging into the episodes themes in a satisfying manner. I actually don't think it hurts this one too much but that's mostly because while it is analyzing something, it doesn't feel like there's a lot in here that more time would actually contribute to the main plot. Over all, Wild Barts is an episode that is competent and somewhat funny but isn't remarkable save for a music number and a lovingly conceived film pastiche.
Other great jokes:
"Fine, we'll play Hippo in the House."
"Mmmm the Hippo's missing."
My experience as a kid whenever I wanted to play a board game at a friend's house.
"Due to the likelihood of fear-induced heart attacks, we're offering all patrons million dollar life insurance policies."
"Life insurance. Hmm... would I be able to borrow against the equity?"
"I don't know, it comes free with the popcorn."
"Is that air-popped?"
The thing I liked about this gag was its a reference to SEVERAL 60s era promotions.
"In your face, fish-wife!"
"But I've been hearing good things about Talk to the Hand. Tom Shales says the writing snaps crackles and pops."
...
"♪Talk to the hand, the face ain't listenin'♬"
"Edna, how could you? Don't get up, I'll bus my own tray."
Other notes:
Some guest stars have rather thankless cameos but Cyndi Lauper's is perfect and short. Its just her singing the national anthem to "Girls Just Want to Have Fun". I think getting her to sing is a good way to do a short cameo. Plus, I fucking love Lauper.
Reminded by Azaria's announcer voice: has anyone actually watched Brockmire? Is it good?
Simpsons is getting needlessly darker, between Homer asking if "Moe finally blew his brains out" and Moe talking about how a sniper at an all-star game was a "blessing in disguise". Also, Homer is into spanking again. This always feels weird after "Two Bad Neighbors".
"Any kid caught on the streets will be shot... or returned to their parents as the situation may warrant."
Wow does this joke read differently today.
It's nice to see Grandpa just straight up get a win for once.
Pretty sure I saw that in a Life in Hell book.
Which, I know, was probably something Matt Groening heard when he was in school.
Which, I know, was probably something Matt Groening heard when he was in school.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
According to Wikipedia, it's something Dan was singing and they used it to fill in a literal second of screen time.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Sunday, Cruddy Sunday
I've never been able to get into sports. Over time, I've definitely gotten into sports in fictitious forms. I love sports manga and I tend to like the sports movie formula. But every Superbowl Sunday, I tend to completely miss the hoopla of the big game. But what I find from cultural osmosis is that the game itself is just a part of what makes the day special to people. There's the snacking and the commercials and anticipation and togetherness. Its a ritual and a shared cultural event and though it doesn't speak to me and the game itself is part of a bigger tapestry of celebration.
In this episode, Homer runs across Wally Kogen while both of them are scammed by a auto shop. The two go out for a drink where Wally reveals he's a travel agent with a chartered bus heading to the Superbowl and that if Homer can fill the bus, he can go for free. Homer does just that any eventually they make it to the game... only to find Wally was scammed again and doesn't have real tickets. Frustrated, Homer and his friends sneak into the Super Bowl only to get caught and jailed. After getting freed they run amok and while they miss the game, they eventually end up in the winning team's locker room and party with the winners.
After seeing a lot of episode with big themes and ideas that fall short, its nice to see an episode that is designed to be an openly superficial comedyfest. That's not to say there isn't an idea: taking the idea that they wouldn't show the actual game, its sort of about all the excitement around the game rather than the game. But its not looking for a message about it, its just a bunch of silliness. I get the impression that was intended. I'm pretty sure the Bowl was on Fox that year and I'm sure Fox was asking them "hey, do a Superbowl tie-in please" and they were like "sure, sounds fun." This is an episode with four writers and it feels like it could have easily been an exquisite corpse.
And as a comedy, its pretty funny. It has lots of strong jokes and a few great sequences. That said, the gags specifically about Superbowl stuff largely didn't speak to me. I think the bit about Superbowl ads is VERY well put together (and could easily have been a real ad of the era) but it doesn't make me laugh. Dudes getting drunk and sucking in their guts didn't work for me either. For me, the strongest stuff is when its less about the wacky antics and more just things getting weird. That's why my favourite bit is a time killer about "Vincent Price's egg magic", a perfect little non-sequitor that just speaks to me (another dumb "we don't know where Springfield" joke aside).
This is an episode loaded with guest stars as well and as you might guess, their success is a "voice by voice" basis. Fred Willard is in it and as you might guess, he's great, though I think he's only given a serviceable character. It is one that speaks to some of his strengths, since even in his outsized character, I feel Willard's strength is within the more understated elements of them. Dolly Parton does decent enough. As far as "bad people" guest stars go, I don't mind Rupert Murdoch. I mean, as a person he fucking sucks but I like that he is presented only as a shitty villain and that we have evidence that he is a completely shitty actor, though he delivers "Silence!" believably. I wonder why... Oh, and the football players do as well as you might expect. Actually, Madden and Summeral are pretty good in delivering their lines, particularly Madden's increasing frustration with the episode and the franchise.
Other great jokes:
"Who ever wondered how the post office works? Really? No one?"
"I did until we came here last year."
"Ooo, free foot pain analysis."
"Oh, Marge, that's just a trick to get you in there to fix your foot pain."
"The road to the Superbowl is long and pointless. I mean, when you think about it."
"Bi-weeks. Bronco Nagursky didn't get no bi-weeks. And now he's dead. We'll, maybe they aren't a bad thing."
"Damn, that was my last quarterback. Now what am I going to do? You!"
"Me?"
"Yeah, you. Get your hand off my wife's leg."
"Now that's Lenny's in, Carl will fall like a domino!"
I like that Aikman will only draw people in dune buggies.
This is such a weird, pointless nothing of a b-plot. I love it.
"There's no such team as the Spungos."
"I book a lot of package tours to Dollywood and Euro-Dollywood. That's in Alabama."
"Woo! I'm going to Disneyland!"
"Really? Because I'm a travel agent and I've heard nothing but bad things."
Other notes:
I'm positive this is one edited, though probably long before syndication or Disney Plus. The Superbowl Ads' joke reveal was originally "The Catholic Church", then it just becomes "the Church", which is inherently less funny by removing specificity.
I don't think this is a syndication edit but there's a very clear and clumsy edit between Milhouse getting his letter to Santa and Bart getting a coupon book.
"Well, I'm just glad I work in an elementary school."
This joke was ahead of its time in the most horrifying way possible.
I love that the half-time show is Dolly in a jet pack and a Snoopy Mask with Stomp and Rob Lowe.
This is the second time this season someone says "Where I come from, ______, we [something basic]." It works both times.
I also love Madden doing a 180 on the episode.
I've never been able to get into sports. Over time, I've definitely gotten into sports in fictitious forms. I love sports manga and I tend to like the sports movie formula. But every Superbowl Sunday, I tend to completely miss the hoopla of the big game. But what I find from cultural osmosis is that the game itself is just a part of what makes the day special to people. There's the snacking and the commercials and anticipation and togetherness. Its a ritual and a shared cultural event and though it doesn't speak to me and the game itself is part of a bigger tapestry of celebration.
In this episode, Homer runs across Wally Kogen while both of them are scammed by a auto shop. The two go out for a drink where Wally reveals he's a travel agent with a chartered bus heading to the Superbowl and that if Homer can fill the bus, he can go for free. Homer does just that any eventually they make it to the game... only to find Wally was scammed again and doesn't have real tickets. Frustrated, Homer and his friends sneak into the Super Bowl only to get caught and jailed. After getting freed they run amok and while they miss the game, they eventually end up in the winning team's locker room and party with the winners.
After seeing a lot of episode with big themes and ideas that fall short, its nice to see an episode that is designed to be an openly superficial comedyfest. That's not to say there isn't an idea: taking the idea that they wouldn't show the actual game, its sort of about all the excitement around the game rather than the game. But its not looking for a message about it, its just a bunch of silliness. I get the impression that was intended. I'm pretty sure the Bowl was on Fox that year and I'm sure Fox was asking them "hey, do a Superbowl tie-in please" and they were like "sure, sounds fun." This is an episode with four writers and it feels like it could have easily been an exquisite corpse.
And as a comedy, its pretty funny. It has lots of strong jokes and a few great sequences. That said, the gags specifically about Superbowl stuff largely didn't speak to me. I think the bit about Superbowl ads is VERY well put together (and could easily have been a real ad of the era) but it doesn't make me laugh. Dudes getting drunk and sucking in their guts didn't work for me either. For me, the strongest stuff is when its less about the wacky antics and more just things getting weird. That's why my favourite bit is a time killer about "Vincent Price's egg magic", a perfect little non-sequitor that just speaks to me (another dumb "we don't know where Springfield" joke aside).
This is an episode loaded with guest stars as well and as you might guess, their success is a "voice by voice" basis. Fred Willard is in it and as you might guess, he's great, though I think he's only given a serviceable character. It is one that speaks to some of his strengths, since even in his outsized character, I feel Willard's strength is within the more understated elements of them. Dolly Parton does decent enough. As far as "bad people" guest stars go, I don't mind Rupert Murdoch. I mean, as a person he fucking sucks but I like that he is presented only as a shitty villain and that we have evidence that he is a completely shitty actor, though he delivers "Silence!" believably. I wonder why... Oh, and the football players do as well as you might expect. Actually, Madden and Summeral are pretty good in delivering their lines, particularly Madden's increasing frustration with the episode and the franchise.
Other great jokes:
"Who ever wondered how the post office works? Really? No one?"
"I did until we came here last year."
"Ooo, free foot pain analysis."
"Oh, Marge, that's just a trick to get you in there to fix your foot pain."
"The road to the Superbowl is long and pointless. I mean, when you think about it."
"Bi-weeks. Bronco Nagursky didn't get no bi-weeks. And now he's dead. We'll, maybe they aren't a bad thing."
"Damn, that was my last quarterback. Now what am I going to do? You!"
"Me?"
"Yeah, you. Get your hand off my wife's leg."
"Now that's Lenny's in, Carl will fall like a domino!"
I like that Aikman will only draw people in dune buggies.
"There's no such team as the Spungos."
"I book a lot of package tours to Dollywood and Euro-Dollywood. That's in Alabama."
"Woo! I'm going to Disneyland!"
"Really? Because I'm a travel agent and I've heard nothing but bad things."
Other notes:
I'm positive this is one edited, though probably long before syndication or Disney Plus. The Superbowl Ads' joke reveal was originally "The Catholic Church", then it just becomes "the Church", which is inherently less funny by removing specificity.
I don't think this is a syndication edit but there's a very clear and clumsy edit between Milhouse getting his letter to Santa and Bart getting a coupon book.
"Well, I'm just glad I work in an elementary school."
This joke was ahead of its time in the most horrifying way possible.
I love that the half-time show is Dolly in a jet pack and a Snoopy Mask with Stomp and Rob Lowe.
This is the second time this season someone says "Where I come from, ______, we [something basic]." It works both times.
I also love Madden doing a 180 on the episode.
A trend I’ve noticed gaining prominence, especially in season 19, is Barts transition from “L’il Bastard” to “Anarchistic Child’s-Rights Advocate”. And, much like Neds gradual change from “Excessively Friendly Doormat” to “Hyper Conservative Christian Jackass”, it makes him a lot less fun as a character.
It also leads to a one-two punch of child-friendly parodies of The Departed and Sid Vicious & Nancy Spungen. The latter of which being... several levels worth of deeply weird
It also leads to a one-two punch of child-friendly parodies of The Departed and Sid Vicious & Nancy Spungen. The latter of which being... several levels worth of deeply weird
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Homer to the Max
As a kid, I never liked my name. I thought it was too weird and different. Note that this is definitely by privileged white kid in the 80s standards, so I imagine I didn't know shit about what it was like to have an uncommon name. But I really wanted to be named Mark. I just thought it was a cool name. It is one of my middle names but I never actually bothered to ask for a really easy change. But frankly, I'm lucky: my name is a sign of familial love, as my first name and two middle names were provided by my parents and sister (each one gave one). And also, I know there are people whose birth name does not reflect who they are.
In this episode, Homer gets excited when a popular new show's big character has the same name as Homer. Homer basks in reflected glory until the character is retooled into a bumbling fool, leaving Homer humiliated and frustrated. In response, Homer changes his name to Max Power and decides his new name also comes with a dynamic new attitude. This ends up gaining the attention of a wealthy businessman named Trent Steel and soon Homer ends up falling in with Springfield's a-list. Homer loves it at first until it turns out the crowd also has a social conscience and Homer has no patience for it. Eventually, Homer ends up ruining a protest by accident and changing his name back.
I think that the common observation is that a lot of Simpsons episodes have a first act that has nothing to do with the second. Rewatching, at least to this point, it is easier to see certain thematic connections, even if plot wise not so much. Homer to the Max, however, feels like two different episodes crammed together. Both have more potential than the final product itself, frustratingly, though one half is far funnier and most interesting from a story-telling point of view than the other. It is actually easy to see how the story of act one flows into the next two but I feel like while both are incomplete, act one also does a much better job mining meaning in the first episode than the second half. Heck, I don't even remember what the second act break is now. This feels like a two act episode (in fact, without checking, I'm wondering if what I assumed was "act one" takes up two acts").
The first part's greatest strength is being very funny. This helps that this is a Swartzwelder episodes and having watched so much Simpsons, it is easy to see some of his weaknesses as a writer (and some surprising strengths), when he is on his A-game, he hits amazing highs. The entire "Police Cops" segment is golden absurdity and talking with the producers is a wonderful set up on how a program mutates and what causes it to happen. I also think the idea of how fiction can inform reality, for both good and bad, is a very interesting one and if there's one failing, the entire episode could have been about that. I'm thinking of unfortunate people who share unfortunate names with fictional characters, like the story of the kid named Kenny McCormick who felt bullied because of it. Then there's that elderly couple who kept getting pizzas thrown on their roof because they owned the Break Bad house. Homer being driven to near madness is a good concept and I feel like it is explored well comedically. But as ridiculous as it is, I feel there could have been some more actual weight in this premise. Like, it didn't need to be an emotional episode but it could have put us in Homer's headspace about what it feels like to have something so trivial throw your life into complete disarray.
The weakest part is the back half. I feel like the idea is to take "Scenes from a Class Struggle in Springfield" but use Homer and give it a subversion where Homer is welcomed but he ruins it. But neither the jokes nor the plotting add up to anything funny or insightful. Heck, I'm not even sure what it is doing politically. I guess its supposed to be a twist on the "in-crowd" being backwards thinking conservatives but it never really lands in any direction, whether it be the Groening liberal values or Swartzwelder's anti-environmentalism. Ironically, the most trenchant commentary is a background joke is the hired help ALSO being tied to trees in protest and none of them looking happy to be there. It really eats away at the more interesting story. And it could have been a good satirical episode in a number of directions but sadly it ends a fairly funny episode on a weak note.
Jokes I missed before:
Other great jokes:
"Its hard to believe someone that young could rise to the rank of Admiral."
"Maybe I'll have to foil an assassination. Or stop a peace conference!"
"I know, maybe he's just acting stupid to infiltrate a gang of international idiots."
"You're character provides the comic relief, like Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now."
"The 13 of us began with a singular vision: Titanic meets Frasier."
"Who's Jeremy Piven?"
"We don't know."
"It was called Badge Patrol."
"But the network idiots didn't want a series about high tech badges that shoot lasers."
"The mailman won't know what to do. Did you think of the mailman at all before you did this?"
"Briefly, yes."
"I feel like Cinderella."
"Me too. Let's sing the Cinderella song."
Other notes:
The Homer name change doesn't actually feel like its what results in Homer's events in the last half. Its more Homer being Homer and someone noticing it.
I love the touch that when Homer is about to call Homer Simpson stupid, they finish his sentence but when Homer calls him stupid, they are like "oh, no." This feels kind of true in that I feel like writers probably love writing Homer stupid but if someone calls their dim-witted character stupid, they might want to reframe them with more nuance... even though they are stupid.
Now I want Thai food.
I feel like the ease with which Homer changes his name does not reflect what I hear from other people on this board.
As a kid, I never liked my name. I thought it was too weird and different. Note that this is definitely by privileged white kid in the 80s standards, so I imagine I didn't know shit about what it was like to have an uncommon name. But I really wanted to be named Mark. I just thought it was a cool name. It is one of my middle names but I never actually bothered to ask for a really easy change. But frankly, I'm lucky: my name is a sign of familial love, as my first name and two middle names were provided by my parents and sister (each one gave one). And also, I know there are people whose birth name does not reflect who they are.
In this episode, Homer gets excited when a popular new show's big character has the same name as Homer. Homer basks in reflected glory until the character is retooled into a bumbling fool, leaving Homer humiliated and frustrated. In response, Homer changes his name to Max Power and decides his new name also comes with a dynamic new attitude. This ends up gaining the attention of a wealthy businessman named Trent Steel and soon Homer ends up falling in with Springfield's a-list. Homer loves it at first until it turns out the crowd also has a social conscience and Homer has no patience for it. Eventually, Homer ends up ruining a protest by accident and changing his name back.
I think that the common observation is that a lot of Simpsons episodes have a first act that has nothing to do with the second. Rewatching, at least to this point, it is easier to see certain thematic connections, even if plot wise not so much. Homer to the Max, however, feels like two different episodes crammed together. Both have more potential than the final product itself, frustratingly, though one half is far funnier and most interesting from a story-telling point of view than the other. It is actually easy to see how the story of act one flows into the next two but I feel like while both are incomplete, act one also does a much better job mining meaning in the first episode than the second half. Heck, I don't even remember what the second act break is now. This feels like a two act episode (in fact, without checking, I'm wondering if what I assumed was "act one" takes up two acts").
The first part's greatest strength is being very funny. This helps that this is a Swartzwelder episodes and having watched so much Simpsons, it is easy to see some of his weaknesses as a writer (and some surprising strengths), when he is on his A-game, he hits amazing highs. The entire "Police Cops" segment is golden absurdity and talking with the producers is a wonderful set up on how a program mutates and what causes it to happen. I also think the idea of how fiction can inform reality, for both good and bad, is a very interesting one and if there's one failing, the entire episode could have been about that. I'm thinking of unfortunate people who share unfortunate names with fictional characters, like the story of the kid named Kenny McCormick who felt bullied because of it. Then there's that elderly couple who kept getting pizzas thrown on their roof because they owned the Break Bad house. Homer being driven to near madness is a good concept and I feel like it is explored well comedically. But as ridiculous as it is, I feel there could have been some more actual weight in this premise. Like, it didn't need to be an emotional episode but it could have put us in Homer's headspace about what it feels like to have something so trivial throw your life into complete disarray.
The weakest part is the back half. I feel like the idea is to take "Scenes from a Class Struggle in Springfield" but use Homer and give it a subversion where Homer is welcomed but he ruins it. But neither the jokes nor the plotting add up to anything funny or insightful. Heck, I'm not even sure what it is doing politically. I guess its supposed to be a twist on the "in-crowd" being backwards thinking conservatives but it never really lands in any direction, whether it be the Groening liberal values or Swartzwelder's anti-environmentalism. Ironically, the most trenchant commentary is a background joke is the hired help ALSO being tied to trees in protest and none of them looking happy to be there. It really eats away at the more interesting story. And it could have been a good satirical episode in a number of directions but sadly it ends a fairly funny episode on a weak note.
Jokes I missed before:
Other great jokes:
"Its hard to believe someone that young could rise to the rank of Admiral."
"Maybe I'll have to foil an assassination. Or stop a peace conference!"
"I know, maybe he's just acting stupid to infiltrate a gang of international idiots."
"You're character provides the comic relief, like Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now."
"The 13 of us began with a singular vision: Titanic meets Frasier."
"Who's Jeremy Piven?"
"We don't know."
"It was called Badge Patrol."
"But the network idiots didn't want a series about high tech badges that shoot lasers."
"The mailman won't know what to do. Did you think of the mailman at all before you did this?"
"Briefly, yes."
"I feel like Cinderella."
"Me too. Let's sing the Cinderella song."
Other notes:
The Homer name change doesn't actually feel like its what results in Homer's events in the last half. Its more Homer being Homer and someone noticing it.
I love the touch that when Homer is about to call Homer Simpson stupid, they finish his sentence but when Homer calls him stupid, they are like "oh, no." This feels kind of true in that I feel like writers probably love writing Homer stupid but if someone calls their dim-witted character stupid, they might want to reframe them with more nuance... even though they are stupid.
Now I want Thai food.
I feel like the ease with which Homer changes his name does not reflect what I hear from other people on this board.