Current Season
Air date Nov. 18, 2007
Written by Matt Selman
Directed by Nancy Kruse
SYNOPSIS:
Finally fed up with the customer service challenged Comic Book Guy, the children of Springfield revolt and head to Coolsville, the new funny book place across the street. Operated by a Willy Wonka-lite character named Milo (voiced by Jack Black) the store is everything that Android's Dungeon & Baseball Card Shop isn't. This day, Milo is hosting a signing by three "illustrated novel" icons; Alan Moore, Art Speigelman and Daniel Clowes, who turn into super heroes and beat the snot out of Comic Book Guy when he attempts to disrupt the operation. This naturally leads to Marge opening her own exercise gym.
Based on the real “Curves”, “Shapes" becomes an immediate success and puts Marge in the bucks. Homer is warned that he must shape up physically or risk losing his mogul wife to a studlier man. Stomach stapling is Homer’s workout of choice, but it still leaves a lot to be desired….LITERALLY! His appetite is curbed, (“I see food on your plate instead of blurry motions”, notes Lisa), but years of flab development is proving more stubborn. Plastic surgery – and lots of it – is next on the menu, but Marge puts a halt to the madness. Then the comic book writers fly around. The End.
THE series rarely fails when it enters the world of comic books. Think back to THREE MEN AND A COMIC BOOK and WORST EPISODE EVER, for example. It just works. Comic Book Guy is a great character and the writer’s natural geekiness glides to its perfect outlet. Oh, by why even bother to bring it up?! This rich vein is mined for about five minutes before we jarringly are shuffled to yet another rumination on the Simpson’s marriage in crisis routine.
The section dedicated to the war of the comic book stores aren’t particularly inspired, but at least it’s different. It had potential. Jack Black is fun as Milo (“We get it….you’re cool” says Bart), but he’s ultimately wasted. At least we get a funny cutaway gag out of it. Milhouse comments on Milo’s porkpie hat. Quick cut to Homer (shockingly seated at his station at the nuclear power plant): “Hmmmm….porkpie hat.” Another neat cutaway comes later as we see a nurse fervently smooching a crucifix shortly after it’s mentioned that a hospitalized Mr. Simpson had recently received his sponge bath.
The remained of HUSBANDS AND KNIVES is yesterday’s mashed potatoes with the exception of one great grotesques gag, (that’s right; the 3 “G’s”!). Homer sheds his robe to reveal his new svelte physique. The camera then makes the horrid mistake of giving us another view. Homer has stretched his excess baggage around to the back of his body where it is held in place by a series of painful looking clasps!
Opal seems bent on becoming a recurring character. Once again, the show has been caught with their hand in the cookie jar. The patronizing host throwing her needy crowd into hysterics with elaborate gifts was done better on SNL a few years ago.
How much do you to bet that neither Coolsville or Shapes are still in business come next week?
Saturday, November 24, 2007
THE SIMPSONS TESTIFY
The track list for the new SIMPSONS CD, The Simpsons Testify - A Whole Lot More Original Music From The Television Series
1 "The Simpsons" Main Title Theme
2 Testify
3 The Very Reason That I Live
4 He's The Man (featuring Shawn Colvin)
5 Stretch Dude and Clobber Girl
6 "The Simpsons" End Credits Theme (performed by Los Lobos)
7 Ode to Branson
8 Sold Separately
9 Island of Sirens
10 They'll Never Stop The Simpsons
11 You're A Bunch Of Stuff
12 What Do I Think Of Pie
13 Baby Stink Breath
14 Tastes Like Liberty
15 Jellyfish The Simpsons
16 Homer & Marge (featuring "Weird Al" Yankovic)
17 Everybody Hates Ned Flanders (Medley)
18 I Love To Walk
19 Marjorie (featuring Jackson Browne)
20 The President Wore Pearls (Medley)
21 Glove Slap (featuring the B-52s)
22 O Pruny Night
23 America (I Love This Country)
24 America Rules
25 Welcome to Moe's
26 We Are The Jockeys
27 Song of Shelbyville
28 A Star Is Torn (Medley)
29 Who Wants A Haircut? (featuring Baha Men)
30 My Fair Laddy (Medley)
1 "The Simpsons" Main Title Theme
2 Testify
3 The Very Reason That I Live
4 He's The Man (featuring Shawn Colvin)
5 Stretch Dude and Clobber Girl
6 "The Simpsons" End Credits Theme (performed by Los Lobos)
7 Ode to Branson
8 Sold Separately
9 Island of Sirens
10 They'll Never Stop The Simpsons
11 You're A Bunch Of Stuff
12 What Do I Think Of Pie
13 Baby Stink Breath
14 Tastes Like Liberty
15 Jellyfish The Simpsons
16 Homer & Marge (featuring "Weird Al" Yankovic)
17 Everybody Hates Ned Flanders (Medley)
18 I Love To Walk
19 Marjorie (featuring Jackson Browne)
20 The President Wore Pearls (Medley)
21 Glove Slap (featuring the B-52s)
22 O Pruny Night
23 America (I Love This Country)
24 America Rules
25 Welcome to Moe's
26 We Are The Jockeys
27 Song of Shelbyville
28 A Star Is Torn (Medley)
29 Who Wants A Haircut? (featuring Baha Men)
30 My Fair Laddy (Medley)
Friday, November 23, 2007
THE CLASSICS: BART GETS FAMOUS
Written by John Swartzwelder
Directed by Susie Dieter
Original air date: Feb 3, 1994
The school bus passes Toy Town, the Fireworks Testing Range and The Slide Factory all in Springfield’s Mindless Fun Mile and arrives at the destination of this year’s field trip – the box factory….again. Despite the fascinating tour guide (voiced by Dan Castellaneta doing a great Bob Elliott impersonation), Bart is growing antsy especially as the Channel 6 studios – home of the revered KRUSTY THE KLOWN SHOW – looms across the way. Young Simpson makes a daring escape and soon is conducting his own personal tour through the television facility. Through the deft pilfering of a Danish, Bart is rewarded with a top-flight position in the Krusty organization…..as head go-pher. Eventually, he is inserted into a sketch to replace a lactose intolerant Sideshow Mel. Turning the balsa wood set into a shambles, he utters the immortal line, “I didn’t do it” and a beloved catchphrase is born. The citizens of the world take the innocuous line to heart in typically overwrought fashion. Even the potentially tragic is diffused with its contagious emptiness. The ensuing media hype results in an album, an absurdly premature biography, talk show appearances and the fabulous “I Didn’t Do It Dancers.”
However, as with most one hit wonders, fame is fleeting. The audience quickly becomes apathetic to Bart’s limited repertoire and he’s shown the door. Back home, Lisa exalts, “Now you can go back to just being you instead of a one dimensional character with a silly catchphrase.” On cue, various members of the cast emerge to utter their signature lines while Lisa slinks off to bed.
An amazingly dense and fertile episode, BART GETS FAMOUS feels like it could’ve easily spilled over its allotted running time. One of the first in the series to address the American Hype machine (RADIO BART would fall into that category), BART GETS FAMOUS is indicative of an entry that is labeled self-referential by those who don’t know any better. If anything, self-parody is more in evidence. In the show’s opening minutes, Bart climbs down the steps, happily whistling THE SIMPSONS' theme music only to be admonished by Marge. “I’ve told you not to whistle that annoying tune”, she snaps at him. Later, after Bart’s ascension, we witness him performing the obligatory cash-ins on his freakish popularity such as recording a hastily written Rap song (made up entirely of the words, “I Didn’t Do It”) that are straight from the Simpson’s Big Book of Mass Merchandising.
However, BART GETS FAMOUS operates on a higher level that a mere elbow to the ribs. It also very much a rumination on the severing of Bart’s tenure as the show’s main focus, a harsh indictment of a culturally challenged public who continue to respond to the mediocre and its mind-numbing repetition and a diatribe targeting the banality and ultimate disposability of commercial entertainment. It asks us to reject the slick and superficial in any given art form, and in the case of THE SIMPSONS, suggests we note the substance amidst the favorite sayings, video games and T-shirts.
As always, the sleazy underbelly of show business is represented by Krusty. The big joker is the very epitome of the world-weary trooper who has taken way too much seltzer in the face. Just as Mr. Burns can quite grasp who Homer is, Kristy has absolutely no recollection of Bart despite the litany of charitable deeds performed by the youngster on his behalf. Nowhere is his rampant cynicism more virulent (and hilarious) than in this exchange:
KRUSTY: “Bart, I need to use you in a sketch.”
BART: “You want me to be on the show?”
KRUSTY: “It’s just one line. Mel was supposed to say, but he’s dead.”
BART: “Dead?”
KRUSTY: “….or sick…I don’t know…I forget. Anyway, all you gotta do is say “I’m waiting for a bus.”, and then I hit you with pies for five minutes.
BART: (practicing) “I’m waiting for a bus.”
KRUSTY: “Makes me laugh. Let’s go.”
Before getting his big break, Bart’s main role in the Krusty organization consisted of cleaning the toilet after a particularly nasty clown soiling (“I don’t know what I was thinkin’ last night!") and autographing Krusty’s 8X10 glossies. Memorably, he is even recruited to extract the clown from a slight legal entanglement that involves Bart placing his fingerprints on an incriminating candlestick.
Along with DEEP SPACE HOMER, ROSEBUD, CAPE FEARE and BURNS’ HEIR, BART GETS FAMOUS is one of the jewels of Season Five and – to date – the only episode to feature the disembodied head of Kitty Carlisle. Auditioning for FUTURAMA , no doubt.
Directed by Susie Dieter
Original air date: Feb 3, 1994
The school bus passes Toy Town, the Fireworks Testing Range and The Slide Factory all in Springfield’s Mindless Fun Mile and arrives at the destination of this year’s field trip – the box factory….again. Despite the fascinating tour guide (voiced by Dan Castellaneta doing a great Bob Elliott impersonation), Bart is growing antsy especially as the Channel 6 studios – home of the revered KRUSTY THE KLOWN SHOW – looms across the way. Young Simpson makes a daring escape and soon is conducting his own personal tour through the television facility. Through the deft pilfering of a Danish, Bart is rewarded with a top-flight position in the Krusty organization…..as head go-pher. Eventually, he is inserted into a sketch to replace a lactose intolerant Sideshow Mel. Turning the balsa wood set into a shambles, he utters the immortal line, “I didn’t do it” and a beloved catchphrase is born. The citizens of the world take the innocuous line to heart in typically overwrought fashion. Even the potentially tragic is diffused with its contagious emptiness. The ensuing media hype results in an album, an absurdly premature biography, talk show appearances and the fabulous “I Didn’t Do It Dancers.”
However, as with most one hit wonders, fame is fleeting. The audience quickly becomes apathetic to Bart’s limited repertoire and he’s shown the door. Back home, Lisa exalts, “Now you can go back to just being you instead of a one dimensional character with a silly catchphrase.” On cue, various members of the cast emerge to utter their signature lines while Lisa slinks off to bed.
An amazingly dense and fertile episode, BART GETS FAMOUS feels like it could’ve easily spilled over its allotted running time. One of the first in the series to address the American Hype machine (RADIO BART would fall into that category), BART GETS FAMOUS is indicative of an entry that is labeled self-referential by those who don’t know any better. If anything, self-parody is more in evidence. In the show’s opening minutes, Bart climbs down the steps, happily whistling THE SIMPSONS' theme music only to be admonished by Marge. “I’ve told you not to whistle that annoying tune”, she snaps at him. Later, after Bart’s ascension, we witness him performing the obligatory cash-ins on his freakish popularity such as recording a hastily written Rap song (made up entirely of the words, “I Didn’t Do It”) that are straight from the Simpson’s Big Book of Mass Merchandising.
However, BART GETS FAMOUS operates on a higher level that a mere elbow to the ribs. It also very much a rumination on the severing of Bart’s tenure as the show’s main focus, a harsh indictment of a culturally challenged public who continue to respond to the mediocre and its mind-numbing repetition and a diatribe targeting the banality and ultimate disposability of commercial entertainment. It asks us to reject the slick and superficial in any given art form, and in the case of THE SIMPSONS, suggests we note the substance amidst the favorite sayings, video games and T-shirts.
As always, the sleazy underbelly of show business is represented by Krusty. The big joker is the very epitome of the world-weary trooper who has taken way too much seltzer in the face. Just as Mr. Burns can quite grasp who Homer is, Kristy has absolutely no recollection of Bart despite the litany of charitable deeds performed by the youngster on his behalf. Nowhere is his rampant cynicism more virulent (and hilarious) than in this exchange:
KRUSTY: “Bart, I need to use you in a sketch.”
BART: “You want me to be on the show?”
KRUSTY: “It’s just one line. Mel was supposed to say, but he’s dead.”
BART: “Dead?”
KRUSTY: “….or sick…I don’t know…I forget. Anyway, all you gotta do is say “I’m waiting for a bus.”, and then I hit you with pies for five minutes.
BART: (practicing) “I’m waiting for a bus.”
KRUSTY: “Makes me laugh. Let’s go.”
Before getting his big break, Bart’s main role in the Krusty organization consisted of cleaning the toilet after a particularly nasty clown soiling (“I don’t know what I was thinkin’ last night!") and autographing Krusty’s 8X10 glossies. Memorably, he is even recruited to extract the clown from a slight legal entanglement that involves Bart placing his fingerprints on an incriminating candlestick.
Along with DEEP SPACE HOMER, ROSEBUD, CAPE FEARE and BURNS’ HEIR, BART GETS FAMOUS is one of the jewels of Season Five and – to date – the only episode to feature the disembodied head of Kitty Carlisle. Auditioning for FUTURAMA , no doubt.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
THE CLASSICS: FLAMING MOE'S
Written by Rob Cohen
Directed by Rich Moore and Alan Smart
Original Airdate: November 21, 1991
FLAMING MOE’S….where nobody knows your name.
SYNOPSIS
Homer must escape Lisa’s slumber party, and, not surprisingly, he ends up at his favorite watering hole. There, he finds the sullen proprietor singing the blues over a general downturn in his business. As Moe’s expertise as a barkeep mainly consists of his ability to draw a lukewarm Duff’s, Homer suggests a concoction derived from his rich heritage of guerilla boozing. Dubbed the “Flaming Homer”, its key ingredient is Krusty’s Non-Narkotic Kough Syrup”. The drink, as it stands, is “not without its charm”, but it really packs a wallop after you put a match to it. Not only does it provide the required buzz, but it also loosens that pesky phlegm! In his usual appreciative fashion, Moe takes complete credit for the drink’s existence and the newly renamed ”Flaming Moe” becomes the signature beverage of his newly renamed “Flaming Moe’s.”
The news filters back to the corporate offices of that eminent Goodtime Eating and Drinking Emporium, Tipsy McStaggers’s. A representative is dispatched to Springfield to purchase the recipe. Moe refuses the offer and why not? The bar has taken on a Studio 54-like atmosphere complete with surly doormen, hoards of paparazzi and high profile celebrities like Aerosmith and Krusty the Klown. (Oh, if Krusty only knew what brand of Non-Narkotic Kough syrup was integral to a highly successful commercial enterprise. Oy!). All of this leaves Homer out in the cold, literally and figuratively. Seeking a face –to-face with Mow, he’s forced to sneak in through a window. He tries to present his case, but his words are lost amidst the din of the Flaming Moe’s phenomena. After the agent from McStaggers returns with an offer of one million dollars, Moe is convinced to sell the recipe and split the proceeds with Homer. However, before the agreement is signed, a crazed Homer makes a dramatic entrance among the rafters. “The Phantom of Moe’s” reveals the secret ingredient, the deal is off and every joint in town is now hawking their own version of the drink. As for “Flaming Moe’s, it quietly reverts back to its Fodor’s “Dive Bar” status….and that seems to suit Moe and Homer just fine.
EVEN if FLAMING MOE’S had kept its attention solely on the main subject matter, it would still rank as a major effort. The corporate posturing of Tipsy McStagger’s (….”a composite of other successful logos.”) is brilliantly realized. You can almost smell the fried zucchini on their representative’s suit. Another priceless moment is the appearance by Aerosmith, who are lured on stage by the promise of free pickled eggs. I guess it’s the little things when you reach their age. FLAMING MOE’S will also be remembered as the episode where Bart finally hits a wall in his successful string of crank phone calls.. Coincidentally, on this night, there really is a gentleman by the name of “Hugh Jass” on the premises. The two share a civilized, even convivial conversation and we come away momentarily renewed in our faith in the human condition.
Events are skipping along so merrily that we initially resent a distinct CHEERS strain introduced into the proceedings, but these elements provide the episode with some of its best moments. The material is skillfully integrated into the narrative without elaborate set-ups or labored fanfares. It’s just there and all the better for it. “Norm!” becomes “Barney!” and we get the overqualified waitress who becomes embroiled in the same innuendo-laced banter and sexual tension absence that exemplified the Sam-Diane years.
She’s gone by episode’s end, reportedly to pursue a film career. “Frankly, I think she was better off here”, comments Moe, a caustic reference to Shelley Long’s ill-conceived career choice that brought such classics as TROOP BEVERLY HILLS and FROZEN ASSETS. Best of all is a grand send-up of the CHEERS opening title sequence. Instead of extolling the virtues of tavern camaraderie, the quaint balladeer presents a decidedly darker side, singing of a joint “where you can drink your misery away.” This little ditty is perfectly complemented by nostalgic tableaus depicting the warm glow of a gathering place replete with images of broken bottle skirmishes, prone bodies sprawled on the sidewalk and certain slutty schoolteachers picking up sailors. Remember….”happiness is just a Flaming Moe away.”
FLAMING MOE’S marked the first extended appearance by tavern owner Moe Szyslak. The episode would help define his personality and his turn-on-a-dime relationship with Homer. Sadly, they’re probably each other’s best friends.
Directed by Rich Moore and Alan Smart
Original Airdate: November 21, 1991
FLAMING MOE’S….where nobody knows your name.
SYNOPSIS
Homer must escape Lisa’s slumber party, and, not surprisingly, he ends up at his favorite watering hole. There, he finds the sullen proprietor singing the blues over a general downturn in his business. As Moe’s expertise as a barkeep mainly consists of his ability to draw a lukewarm Duff’s, Homer suggests a concoction derived from his rich heritage of guerilla boozing. Dubbed the “Flaming Homer”, its key ingredient is Krusty’s Non-Narkotic Kough Syrup”. The drink, as it stands, is “not without its charm”, but it really packs a wallop after you put a match to it. Not only does it provide the required buzz, but it also loosens that pesky phlegm! In his usual appreciative fashion, Moe takes complete credit for the drink’s existence and the newly renamed ”Flaming Moe” becomes the signature beverage of his newly renamed “Flaming Moe’s.”
The news filters back to the corporate offices of that eminent Goodtime Eating and Drinking Emporium, Tipsy McStaggers’s. A representative is dispatched to Springfield to purchase the recipe. Moe refuses the offer and why not? The bar has taken on a Studio 54-like atmosphere complete with surly doormen, hoards of paparazzi and high profile celebrities like Aerosmith and Krusty the Klown. (Oh, if Krusty only knew what brand of Non-Narkotic Kough syrup was integral to a highly successful commercial enterprise. Oy!). All of this leaves Homer out in the cold, literally and figuratively. Seeking a face –to-face with Mow, he’s forced to sneak in through a window. He tries to present his case, but his words are lost amidst the din of the Flaming Moe’s phenomena. After the agent from McStaggers returns with an offer of one million dollars, Moe is convinced to sell the recipe and split the proceeds with Homer. However, before the agreement is signed, a crazed Homer makes a dramatic entrance among the rafters. “The Phantom of Moe’s” reveals the secret ingredient, the deal is off and every joint in town is now hawking their own version of the drink. As for “Flaming Moe’s, it quietly reverts back to its Fodor’s “Dive Bar” status….and that seems to suit Moe and Homer just fine.
EVEN if FLAMING MOE’S had kept its attention solely on the main subject matter, it would still rank as a major effort. The corporate posturing of Tipsy McStagger’s (….”a composite of other successful logos.”) is brilliantly realized. You can almost smell the fried zucchini on their representative’s suit. Another priceless moment is the appearance by Aerosmith, who are lured on stage by the promise of free pickled eggs. I guess it’s the little things when you reach their age. FLAMING MOE’S will also be remembered as the episode where Bart finally hits a wall in his successful string of crank phone calls.. Coincidentally, on this night, there really is a gentleman by the name of “Hugh Jass” on the premises. The two share a civilized, even convivial conversation and we come away momentarily renewed in our faith in the human condition.
Events are skipping along so merrily that we initially resent a distinct CHEERS strain introduced into the proceedings, but these elements provide the episode with some of its best moments. The material is skillfully integrated into the narrative without elaborate set-ups or labored fanfares. It’s just there and all the better for it. “Norm!” becomes “Barney!” and we get the overqualified waitress who becomes embroiled in the same innuendo-laced banter and sexual tension absence that exemplified the Sam-Diane years.
She’s gone by episode’s end, reportedly to pursue a film career. “Frankly, I think she was better off here”, comments Moe, a caustic reference to Shelley Long’s ill-conceived career choice that brought such classics as TROOP BEVERLY HILLS and FROZEN ASSETS. Best of all is a grand send-up of the CHEERS opening title sequence. Instead of extolling the virtues of tavern camaraderie, the quaint balladeer presents a decidedly darker side, singing of a joint “where you can drink your misery away.” This little ditty is perfectly complemented by nostalgic tableaus depicting the warm glow of a gathering place replete with images of broken bottle skirmishes, prone bodies sprawled on the sidewalk and certain slutty schoolteachers picking up sailors. Remember….”happiness is just a Flaming Moe away.”
FLAMING MOE’S marked the first extended appearance by tavern owner Moe Szyslak. The episode would help define his personality and his turn-on-a-dime relationship with Homer. Sadly, they’re probably each other’s best friends.
I've come back to this?!
LITTLE ORPHAN MILLIE (Current Season)
original air date: Nov. 11, 2007
SYNOPSIS
At a picnic with the Simpsons, the Van Houtens announce their intentions to remarry. While a jubilant Milhouse bunks with Bart, his parents embark on a honeymoon cruise. Unfortunately they're on one of those ships without railings and the couple find themselves floundering in the big drink. In SAVING PRIVATE RYAN fashion, representatives drive a long dusty road to break the bad news to Milhouse. The boy is taken in by the Simpsons, but he is inconsolable. Transforming himself into a brooding loner, he finds the peer approval so savagely denied to him in the past. A jealous Bart plots to pump up his friend's happiness ratio, thus squelching the intrigue of Milhouse's lone wolf persona. The solution comes in the form of Milhouse's Uncle Norbert (inexplicably, an Indiana Jones adventurer type). Norbert and Milhouse agree to a new life together. Floating away in Norbert's hot air balloon (don't ask), they crash into the Van Houtens flying a makeshift glider they concocted to escape the desert island they were...deserted ...on. They didn't die! Tragically, they did perish in the collision. No, they didn't.
GEESH, what an episode to come back on! LITTLE ORPHAN MILLIE is not an offensively bad episode, just a relentlessly mediocre one. Milhouse's plight has some potential for humor, but the writers can't seem to find the jokes. A contrived "Dane" versus "Dutch" rivalry doesn't work at all, nor does a sequence where Milhouse is offering a series of products suggesting oceanic themes. What laughs there are feel vaguely incidental. A bar brawl video game provides a "ask for the check" option, and Marge displaying a heretofore hidden talent for crumping, for instance. Homer gets one good Homer moment; mercifully we don't hear the story he been telling to the kids that ends, "and that's why to this day, you'll never see a shark with monkey arms." Otherwise, he is relegated to the "B" story which involves his obliviousness to Marge's eye color, ("Is beautiful a color?"). To keep him challenged, Marge wears sunglasses throughout the episode. Not only is this moronic, they make also make her look like Poochie.
The only notable element of the episode is that it blatantly "borrows" a joke from a television commercial. "What's the combination to our wedding album?", asks Homer. "Our anniversary", answers Marge. "Doh!" I'll have to check if Southwest Airlines got a "consulting producer" credit for that one.
Crumping. This got me to thinking. How about a list of all the other dances the Simpson's characters have done?! Well...not really.
original air date: Nov. 11, 2007
SYNOPSIS
At a picnic with the Simpsons, the Van Houtens announce their intentions to remarry. While a jubilant Milhouse bunks with Bart, his parents embark on a honeymoon cruise. Unfortunately they're on one of those ships without railings and the couple find themselves floundering in the big drink. In SAVING PRIVATE RYAN fashion, representatives drive a long dusty road to break the bad news to Milhouse. The boy is taken in by the Simpsons, but he is inconsolable. Transforming himself into a brooding loner, he finds the peer approval so savagely denied to him in the past. A jealous Bart plots to pump up his friend's happiness ratio, thus squelching the intrigue of Milhouse's lone wolf persona. The solution comes in the form of Milhouse's Uncle Norbert (inexplicably, an Indiana Jones adventurer type). Norbert and Milhouse agree to a new life together. Floating away in Norbert's hot air balloon (don't ask), they crash into the Van Houtens flying a makeshift glider they concocted to escape the desert island they were...deserted ...on. They didn't die! Tragically, they did perish in the collision. No, they didn't.
GEESH, what an episode to come back on! LITTLE ORPHAN MILLIE is not an offensively bad episode, just a relentlessly mediocre one. Milhouse's plight has some potential for humor, but the writers can't seem to find the jokes. A contrived "Dane" versus "Dutch" rivalry doesn't work at all, nor does a sequence where Milhouse is offering a series of products suggesting oceanic themes. What laughs there are feel vaguely incidental. A bar brawl video game provides a "ask for the check" option, and Marge displaying a heretofore hidden talent for crumping, for instance. Homer gets one good Homer moment; mercifully we don't hear the story he been telling to the kids that ends, "and that's why to this day, you'll never see a shark with monkey arms." Otherwise, he is relegated to the "B" story which involves his obliviousness to Marge's eye color, ("Is beautiful a color?"). To keep him challenged, Marge wears sunglasses throughout the episode. Not only is this moronic, they make also make her look like Poochie.
The only notable element of the episode is that it blatantly "borrows" a joke from a television commercial. "What's the combination to our wedding album?", asks Homer. "Our anniversary", answers Marge. "Doh!" I'll have to check if Southwest Airlines got a "consulting producer" credit for that one.
Crumping. This got me to thinking. How about a list of all the other dances the Simpson's characters have done?! Well...not really.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Remember me? No?
Hi. A few years ago, I operated and wrote a website called SIMPSONSTHING. Its main purpose was to provide serious (yet blithe, even pithy) critiques of each and every SIMPSONS episode. I started in Season 13 (arguably, one of the worst of the entire series) and was in the midst of Season 14, when I had to cease the quest.
So, it looks like there's some more work to do. Since then, the show has traipsed through six more seasons of varying quality and finally produced the long awaited movie. Although it only occasionally rises to the glory of its first eight seasons, THE SIMPSONS still remains a pertinent, vital show that deserves our attention now and for always.
Episode reviews will continue to be the mainstay of this site (HENCE THE TITLE!), but there will also be features and news and that type of thing. Reviews from the current season will be interwoven with those from the past. Willy-nilly, you might say. Yeah, that's it....willy-nilly! Now to start catching up.....
So, it looks like there's some more work to do. Since then, the show has traipsed through six more seasons of varying quality and finally produced the long awaited movie. Although it only occasionally rises to the glory of its first eight seasons, THE SIMPSONS still remains a pertinent, vital show that deserves our attention now and for always.
Episode reviews will continue to be the mainstay of this site (HENCE THE TITLE!), but there will also be features and news and that type of thing. Reviews from the current season will be interwoven with those from the past. Willy-nilly, you might say. Yeah, that's it....willy-nilly! Now to start catching up.....
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