The Simpsons - General Discussion

[Megan]

Snowball has always been a girl!

I actually enjoyed this, the candy segement was pretty dark, poor bunny.

Edited October 24, 2017 by Megan

[Galileo908]

1 hour ago, SmithW6079 said:

I had no problem with Skinner and the teachers eating the kids, but Homer eating himself was just too gross to be entertaining. 

I'm the opposite, Nightmare Cafeteria freaked the hell out of me for years, while I feel they didn't go far enough to show Homer eating himself.

[CaffeinatedAunt79]

On 10/23/2017 at 0:58 AM, Aileen said:

I haven't watched new Simpsons episodes in years, but saw this. It was really well done and a lot of fun.

Same here.  Loved the callbacks to some of my favorites from the episode...Ozzie Smith & the mystery spot Neil DeGrasse Tyson discussing it was great.  Wade Boggs and Barney fighting over Lord Palmerston and Pitt the Elder still cracks me up every time I see it,

[VCRTracking]

My thought when I realized they were doing an Exorcist parody:

"FINALLY!"

[Corvino]

Lisa coming out in black and white to warn us that the segment coming up was really horrible was an hommage to the similar prologue of the original movie "Frankenstein" in 1931. I wondered whether it was just for that reason or whether they kind of meant it, and the latter was the case.

Stephen King wrote the self-eating plot in his short story "Survivor Type". There the autocannibalistic protagonist was a doctor, shipwrecked on a desert island with a huge amount of heroin he had been trying to smuggle, so he had (a) the knowledge to procure the pieces, (b) the means to dull the pain. (And (c) a temperament that made us able to watch him destroy himself with complacency rather than empathy.) This being the world of animation, pain was not an issue and it was all joy for Homer. Interesting to see how he looked with a slim waist on his way down to nothing.

[arielpna]

At first, I thought there's going be a parody of IT. 

[arielpna]

Just get the writers from the 90's back. They know how to adapt to changes while giving us a good laugh. 

[JyDanzig]

On 10/22/2017 at 5:33 PM, Galileo908 said:

The Sweets Hereafter: This was cute and funny. Like Sausage Party, yet not as disturbing. Of course Lisa was an apple and Bart was a Butterfinger. Also, blink and you'll miss it Kang & Kodos cameo.

Thank you!  I came here thinking this was the first year with no Kang & Kodos.  Which was disappointing!  But I will take the blink-and-you-miss-it cameo.

That makes it a still unbroken run for Kang or Kodos in every TOH, right?  Though, like this year, sometimes only on a technicality -- I'd like to both see AND hear them each Halloween!  Doesn't have to be a lot!  I'd take one line!  I was also annoyed that one TOH where we only heard one of them as an announcer for a second.

I though this year was a strong outing.  My only real issues were with the last segment, which I found upsetting in this weird, visceral way.  In 28 years I'd say this is the first time I would describe any TOH segment as "upsetting."  None of the other gruesomeness has bothered me, but this one got under my skin... which is not entirely a bad thing.  I like that it pushed the boundaries, though I didn't actually like watching it!

[Galileo908]

Quote

Grampa gets hearing aids and finally hears what everyone has been saying about him; Principal Skinner discovers that his mother has kept a secret from him.

[Galileo908]

Title: Ghost Tracey Ullman Ghost Homer chocking Ghost Tracey Ullman Bart

Billboard: DISTRACTED DRIVING IS DANGEROUS DRIVING

Chalkboard: Hooligan is not a profession

Couch Gag: the family as Russian immigrants? Then through the 50s, then fleeing the planet once the water rises, then emigrating to Rigel 7? Neat.

Really loved the planetarium bit. Of course Homer uses his astronaut status to get a discount. The Pluto bit made me laugh, I'll admit it.

Surprisingly relevant election joke with Lisa. So the Bart to The Future timeline doesn't happen because a woman politician changed one letter on a paper in the second grade? That sounds about right. Kenny Hitler is not being subtle.

Abe turned 87? You gotta feel for him to find out what everyone says about him. You rarely see stories about this. I also liked the ending with the family reading from a script (and Homer getting mad at seeing the tag).

Skinner wanting to be in the Ohio State marching band is totally him, but for Agnes to tell him he was rejected when he was accepted because she hates marching bands? Yeah, that was horrible.

Willie going through a Trainspotting like ordeal because of licorice was hilariously random. I also wanted to see a Step Brothers plot with Skinner and Barney.

And because the episode was short even with a tag, we get a fun little Hans Moleman short, not unlike "Everyone Loves Ned Flanders," even the theme song was similar.

[mortonsalt]

As an alum of Ohio State University, I think this might be the best episode of The Simpsons ever. Okay maybe not, but at least it makes up for the horrible loss of the football team yesterday.

[opus]

"We didn't even notice till Northwestern pointed it out " :)

[ottoDbusdriver]

Signs inside the Planetarium
-- Are you a Kang or a Kodos ?
-- Maps to the Stars' Home
-- Bring Back Futurama 
-- Saturn Knows You Can't Have Too Many Rings -- Springfield Jewellers

I liked Pluto making implied threats about Halley's Comet.

Our universe is so enormous that every NFL stadium and their parking lots could fit inside it.

Moe: "Dammit, I was developing film."

Abe: "There's a pathetic old drunk peeing himself in the bathroom"
Bartender: "That's a mirror, and it's not the bathroom."
 

In the timeframe of Skinner's flashback, wasn't he Armin Tamzarian and an orphan at that time ? Because he only beceame Seymour Skinner after the Vietnam War.  Which means Agnes Skinner wasn't his mother at the time of the flashback.  So, are they retconing Skinner's backstory ..... again ?

Edited November 6, 2017 by ottoDbusdriver

[Galileo908]

1 hour ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

In the timeframe of Skinner's flashback, wasn't he Armin Tamzarian and an orphan at that time ? Because he only beceame Seymour Skinner after the Vietnam War.  Which means Agnes Skinner wasn't his mother at the time of the flashback.  So, are they retconing Skinner's backstory ..... again ?

With a few offhand references over the years aside, they've been pretending that episode didn't happen, and I'm just fine with that.

Also, apparently there was a reference to Rick & Morty's szechuan sauce in the opening somewhere but I didn't catch it.

Edited November 6, 2017 by Galileo908

[ottoDbusdriver]

1 minute ago, Galileo908 said:

Also, apparently there was a reference to Rick & Morty's szechuan sauce in the opening somewhere but I didn't catch it.

In the Intro, when Marge put Maggie in the shopping cart Maggie held up a bottle of szechuan sauce.

[Galileo908]

Here it is.

[ae2]

As someone who doesn't regularly watch the Simpsons (but catches a ton of reruns), this episode seemed to have much more plot than most. Everything sort of intertwined and worked together really well, while carrying independent story lines. Loved it!

 

I'm a sucker for space jokes!

[M. Darcy]

Quote

In the timeframe of Skinner's flashback, wasn't he Armin Tamzarian and an orphan at that time

I believe the Judge said that episode never happened.  

Heh, that line about Michigan really made me laugh (I didn't go to either school but know a lot people that went to them).

[Kaboom 2.0]

And now I know what a tiddle is. Thank you, show!

Willie's Trainspotting homage had me LOL'ing, I almost lost it when the hamster ball appeared. 

So I assume the Hans Moleman song was tacked on at the end because the ep itself wasn't long enough? Don't get me wrong, I heart the Moleman (Shauna attempting to scan his arm at the supermarket cracked me up), it just seemed weird to me. 

[Galileo908]

1 hour ago, Kaboom 2.0 said:

So I assume the Hans Moleman song was tacked on at the end because the ep itself wasn't long enough? Don't get me wrong, I heart the Moleman (Shauna attempting to scan his arm at the supermarket cracked me up), it just seemed weird to me. 

This was pretty much my exact reaction to seeing the "Everyone Loves Ned Flanders" short at the end of The Front for the first time.

[AnnieBeez]

22 hours ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

[...]

In the timeframe of Skinner's flashback, wasn't he Armin Tamzarian and an orphan at that time ? Because he only beceame Seymour Skinner after the Vietnam War.  Which means Agnes Skinner wasn't his mother at the time of the flashback.  So, are they retconing Skinner's backstory ..... again ?

Thank you. This really bothered me. I'll have to look later, but the way I remember it was that Skinner was going to continue to be Skinner and we'd never mention it again. NOT that he was suddenly the actual Skinner, just that everyone would pretend to forget and he wouldn't suffer any repercussions from impersonating actual Skinner. 

[JTMacc99]

On 11/5/2017 at 9:51 PM, ottoDbusdriver said:

In the timeframe of Skinner's flashback, wasn't he Armin Tamzarian and an orphan at that time ? Because he only beceame Seymour Skinner after the Vietnam War.  Which means Agnes Skinner wasn't his mother at the time of the flashback.  So, are they retconing Skinner's backstory ..... again ?

I've definitely said it here before, but it helps to think of the Simpsons timeline (given that no actual time passes) to be occurring in an infinite number of parallel universes. In some universes, Agnes denied Skinner his acceptance letter to Ohio State, in other universes Worf gets knocked out and comes in ninth place in the Bat'leth tournament.

I rather enjoyed this episode!

It was character driven: Lisa worried about grades, Bart being Bart but also throwing in the part about possibly the only time he'd hold a college acceptance letter. Granpa was great and Homer was good in the supporting role.  And of course Agnes was, and always has been, awful to Seymour. I did get a laugh out of the last part with Barney. 

[Corvino]

Thank you all for the clarifications on poor Skinner's new past-history revelation being totally inconsistent with his being an impostor who took on the real Skinner's life as an adult! I never really believed that one, because who would take on such a life with such a mother? The tiny moment of reconciliation they had at the end here didn't soften my heart toward her at ALL.

[Galileo908]

Quote

Marge is frustrated with the local government and decides to run for mayor; she makes Homer the butt of her jokes to win public support.

[Galileo908]

Intro: This year a turkey will pardon a president!

Billboard: Moe's Tavern: Designated drivers drink free!

Chalkboard: I will not ask my guidance counselor why he couldn't get a better job.

Couch Gag: Silent Film. Pretty fun.

We finally do something with the old monorail track: Turn it into a skyline park a la NYC. And I liked that it was just a big of disaster as the first time. RIP Leonard Nimoy Statue. Also, Sebastian Cobb. I also appreciate it whenever the writers remember Jub-Jub. And Freddie Quimby.

Really loved Homer's fantasy of knocking down Flanders' house. His apron read "Stupid Flanders."

"I like Kellyanne Conway, she looks like she just woke up."
"I think it's inspiring how a woman could be Joseph Goebbels." 

The show was once again not too subtle when it came to politics. I don't think they established what party Marge ran on, but it's safe to assume it was Democrat. Quimby was already a Dem, but I'm sure his affiliation is "whatever the plot calls for." So this plot seems like it was written thinking Hillary was gonna win. The "I'm With Hair" signs pretty much pointed to that. Everyone getting a laugh out of the foibles of the First Gentleman, even getting impeached in disgrace and having her opponent take over. 

Loved that Quimby wears a "Citizen" sash in retirement.

[Spartan Girl]

Aw, we don't get to see the details of how and why she got impeached?

I really might actually like Marge episodes more if they weren't literally custom-made as an excuse to spend more time griping about Homer.

[ottoDbusdriver]

The various slices of the micro-group target pie were:
-- Socialist Plumbers for Jesus
-- Time-Traveling Libertarians
-- Gluten-Free Bankers
-- Old Men Paralyzed on the Left Side
-- People Who Lie About Having Cats
-- Neo-Conservative Cellists
-- Know-Nothing Brain Surgeons
-- Non-Voters
-- Yokel Objectivists
-- Exotic Pet Owners

Lenny: "No tire fire. Just like Zurich."

Cletus: "Well youse the new John Galt aren't you. Hey, can you take a picture with our Ayn Rand scarecrow"

Quimby: "Uh oh, I know that look.  That's a mayor on the ropes or a wife who wants a divorce. I'm familiar with both. Er ah, indeed."

I liked the various hairstyles and outfits of Marge over her mayoral term in the Marge Simpson Memorial Library.

Loved the monorail callbacks.

Wilhelm scream when that guy fell into the cactus patch.

1 hour ago, Galileo908 said:

"I like Kellyanne Conway, she looks like she just woke up."
"I think it's inspiring how a woman could be Joseph Goebbels." 

That was funny.

[Kaboom 2.0]

Even after all these years the show can still make me LOL when Homer passing gas is mentioned or actualky shown. Homer's parade balloon farting confetti made my night! 

Well, that and the female Joseph Goebbels line. ?

[Corvino]

Yes, but if this was a real-world episode are we now to assume that at the end, we are eight years on, Maggie is almost nine, Lisa is sixteen and Bart is eighteen? If it's a flash-forward and hasn't happened yet, will Marge still be Mayor next week and for the rest of the series? These are important issues! What JTMacc99 said last week,  "it helps to think of the Simpsons timeline (given that no actual time passes) to be occurring in an infinite number of parallel universes", helps a lot and may have to serve for this. In that case, I hope there's a parallel universe in which Marge brushed aside that outrageously selfish pseudo-lovable Jimmy Stewart character and put out that tire fire.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Episode Description:

Homer and the guys reunite their old bowling team to cheer up Moe, only to end up in fierce competition with a team of arrogant millionaires. Meanwhile, Lisa and Marge try to teach Bart that money isn't everything.

Here's the preview:
 

[Galileo908]

Hey, someone besides me managed to make the thread! Thank you.

Intro: Underwater! This was cool.

Chalkboard: We Do Not Live in Our Own Pee 

Couch Gag: Flanders catching them in a lobster trap. Funny.

Homer arguing with his brain (and Marge knowing it) will never not be funny.

Heh, an episode about reforming the Pin Pals, and they even justify why the lineup's different this time. I loved all the new teams, but none of them will ever beat The Stereotypes (although the team made up of mascots came close). I was shocked that they beat the Holy Rollers (Maude must've been the lynchpin of the team). I need to see that tournament bracket, I caught a few good names.

Bart was great in this one. Becoming a Mini Patrick Bateman is something this show hadn't done to him in a while. Lisa's whole scheme was pretty underwhelming.

The tenth frame is totally the frame where you look for your shoes. It's really creepy to know that Moe catfished Barney (and of course Barney never noticed).

We haven't seen the Frank Nelson "Yeeessss Guy" in a while. He was funny.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Hey @Galileo908 -- just pinch-hitting since I knew you had limited access this weekend,  from over in the SNL forums.  :)

[ottoDbusdriver]

The title card called the intro 'The Shrimpsons', but no character appears to be an actual shrimp.

Fish-Bart rides a stingray out of the classroom, past Fish-Willie playing a squid as a bagpipe as a decesed Fish-Barney is consumed by smaller fish.  Fish-Lenny is changing the sign from 3 to 2 days until Global Warming, Mr. Burns is a crab, Fish-Patty and Fish-Selma are carrying cartons of Chesterfish cigarettes, Fish-Otto is an Anglerfish (who eats his own lure), Fish-Sideshow Bob is a swordfish, Apu is an octopus as are all 8 of his children, Fish-comic Book Guy is a pufferfish, and Fish-Crazy Catlady is surrounded by catfish.  Of course Krusty is a clownfish, the Sea Captain is a MerMan with Fish-Milhouse dead on the end of his trident, and Hans Moleman is a clam.  As Fish-Marge and Fish-Maggie ride a sea turtle, we see Fish-Grampa as a skeleton stuck on a hook attached to the sea turtle.

When Burns calls Homer about basketball tickets and says Homer is at the top of his list, the list actually consisted of several thousand illegible names before picking up at Brandine Spuckler, Luigi Risotto, Duffman, Doris Freedman, Cookie Kwan, Benjamin Doug, Gary, Akira, Artie Ziff, Arthur Grandall, Gerald Sampson, Bill and Monty, Birch Barlow, Booberella then continuing for a few thousand more names before ending with Rich Texan, Robert Durst, Donald Sterling, Candy Spelling, Donny Deutsch, Frank Stallone, Stephen Baldwin, Keith David, David Keith, Smithers, and, finally, Homer Simpson.

Homer: "Barney, I've got courtside seats."
Barney: "I'm in. Who's on trial ?"

Love that the name of one of the bowling teams was "Selma's Exes"
Team Sidekicks consisted of Milhouse, Sideshow Mel, Lou, and Smithers -- and they were all removed from the bowling lane by who they were sidekick to (Wiggum: "Ok sidekicks, back in our shadows").

A Dodgeball reference -- Moe says that if they win the State Finals in Capital City, the next tournament is on ESPN 8 (ESPN 8 is referred to as the Ocho in the movie 'Dodgeball').

Bart: "I finally found my path in life -- socio."

Lisa: "Bart, You don't want to be with these guys.  They're monsters."
Bart: "Hey, their 401Ks are monsters."
Lisa: "Do you even know what a 401K is ?"
Bart: "I assume it's a gun."

Spiderpig spotted on the outside of the Bowling at the Lanes building, doing things that a spider can -- like slinging webs.

The Throughbred's Choice Kentucky Bourbon bottle had a picture of a horse guzzling a bottle of booze.
Barney commanding the $1000 a shot bourbon to return to him after spitting it out was Jedi-like awesome, followed by what sounded like a Wookiee call.

Seen on the sign atop the Bowling at the Lanes building: The Hateful 8-Year-Old -- directed by Quentin Tarantino.
Lisa and her team of Quants slow-walked to confront the hedge fund guys a la Reservoir Dogs.

We get the Wilhelm scream from Changstein after Lisa reveals that he didn't get the sport package for his BMW.

I liked that at the last minute Moe thought he would have a better life if he lost because everyone gets a second chance.  And the even the name of the boat he took to France in his vision was called 'La Deuxieme Chance'.

Lenny was right -- there was a lot of music in this episode, but you had to like Thin Lizzy playing during the bowling tournament in Springfield.

Overall, a pretty solid episode.

Edited November 20, 2017 by ottoDbusdriver

[Galileo908]

13 minutes ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

A Dodgeball reference -- Moe says that if they win the State Finals in Capital City, the next tournament is on ESPN 8 (ESPN 8 is referred to as the Ocho in the movie 'Dodgeball').

Yep, caught that, too.

 

13 minutes ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

Love that the name of one of the bowling teams was "Selma's Exes"

Yeah, I wanted to see that one.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Full Bowling Tournament brackets were:

Left side                         Right Side

Pin Pals                          Strike Captains
vs.                                  vs.
Rollin' Oldies                 The Kingpins

Balls of Death                Selma's Exes
vs.                                  vs.
The Sidekicks                 The Legitimate Businessmen

The Bracket Fillers          One and Dones
vs.                                   vs.
Up Your Alley!                The Pin Strike Suits

Holy Rollers                   All Fall Down
vs.                                  vs.
Are They Reals ?            Oh Spare Me!

Rollin' Oldies team consisted of: Jasper Beardly, Abe Simpson, Old Jewish Man (his bowling shirt said OJM), and Hans Moleman
Are They Reals team consisted of: The Grumple, the Leprechaun, Cheesy McMayor, and what looks like a red minotaur.
Selma's Exes were partially shown: Sideshow Bob, Disco Stu and Fit Tony.
One and Dones were tough to identify -- one guy wearing a bell-shaped hat, one guy wearing a WW1 German helmet, one guy wearing a Top Hat and maybe a white bow tie, and a guy sitting down with brown hair -- I got nothing.

Ruff -- the beer for dogs

Banner outside Moe's Tavern: Moe's -- Don't Look Us Up on Yelp

The last names of the Fund Bunch were: Reynolds, Chang-stein, Beef-nut, and Bagel-man.

Lenny: "Is that a Viza double diamond card"
Hedge Fund guy: "Yep, doesn't have to be inserted or swiped.  It just knows."
Lenny: "Wow !"
<electrical zapping sound as Carl tries to touch the Viza card>
Hedge Fund guy: "It can sense that you're poor."

At dinner, the Hedge Fund guys were initially served bald eagle's head, rhino head, giraffe head and unicorn head.
Reynolds: "Once again, they substitute rhino for narwhal. It's like they think we won't notice."

The paintings on the wall above the pins in Capital City were bowling versions of famous paintings by Warhol and Seurat (A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte).

Edited November 20, 2017 by ottoDbusdriver

[Galileo908]

5 minutes ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

One and Dones were tough to idnetify -- one guy wearing a bell-shaped hat, one guy wearing a WW1 German helmet, one guy wearing a Top Hat and maybe a white bow tie, and a guy sitting down with brown hair -- I got nothing.

From what I recall, Bell-hat guy was Senor Ding-Dong, WWI German Helmet Guy was probably the one guy who attended Burns's side at Burns & Mrs. Bouvier's wedding. I'd need to see a still to see them.

[ottoDbusdriver]

11 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

From what I recall, Bell-hat guy was Senor Ding-Dong, WWI German Helmet Guy was probably the one guy who attended Burns's side at Burns & Mrs. Bouvier's wedding. I'd need to see a still to see them.

Yep, I think you're right that that's Senor Ding Dong -- though I've only ever remembered seeing him as seen from the front.

[JTMacc99]

The word for Friday 11/17 on my word of the day calendar was "gourmand". 

Thank you Homer for teaching me that one about 25 years ago. 

Edited November 20, 2017 by JTMacc99

[ganesh]

That play was bonkers. At one point, the Marge was squaring off against the big robot Homer wielding a chair and a pencil. 

[Thrifty]

It's good to come here and see a forum where people still enjoy The Simpsons.  Everywhere else, it seems, people talk about "the fall of The Simpsons" or about how The Simpsons isn't funny any more.  Then when you look deeper, you find out these people haven't actually watched the show in over 15 years.  Seasons 10 - 13 were pretty weak in my opinion, but over the past decade I don't think I've seen an episode that didn't produce at least one huge laugh. 

 

The longevity of this show amazes me.  I remember it premiering around Christmas when I was in the 3rd grade.  Now I work with people (college graduates) who were not even alive when the show premiered.  Not even conceived.  They were purely theoretical human beings.

On 4/9/2015 at 4:03 PM, AimingforYoko said:

And 17 will be the last season as physical DVD's continue their slow death spiral.

That was the case for a while, but I saw on Amazon that season 18 will come out next month.  I hope they keep it up and some day all 30+ seasons are on DVD.  I love physical media, and especially the great care and effort they put into making these ones.

[Peace 47]

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Grampa:  I’d just used [my washtub] to wash my turkey, which in those days was called a walking bird.  We’d always have walking bird on Thanksgiving, with ALL the trimmings.  

And this all-time top-10 quote (at least it is for me):

Homer:  It was the best Thanksgiving ever!  I mean, emotionally, it was terrible.  But the turkey was so moist.

[BlindMan94]

On 10/27/2017 at 0:35 PM, arielpna said:

Just get the writers from the 90's back. They know how to adapt to changes while giving us a good laugh. 

That would help, but I think it'd be very hard to genuinely improve the show or bring it back anywhere near what it used to be 20-25 years ago. The voice actors are significantly older, the network cares less, its been an incredibly long time since they changed showrunner (in the classic period they changed every second year while Al Jean has been at the helm for more than 15 years now), and there's been so many episodes that they'd have to be running very low on ideas.

[BlindMan94]

On 11/23/2017 at 3:29 PM, Peace 47 said:

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Grampa:  I’d just used [my washtub] to wash my turkey, which in those days was called a walking bird.  We’d always have walking bird on Thanksgiving, with ALL the trimmings.  

And this all-time top-10 quote (at least it is for me):

Homer:  It was the best Thanksgiving ever!  I mean, emotionally, it was terrible.  But the turkey was so moist.

Cranberries, ''injun eyes,'' and yams stuffed with gunpowder. Then we'd all watch football, which in those days was called ''baseball. :D

[BlindMan94]

On 11/11/2015 at 3:34 AM, Princess Sparkle said:

I've always liked the end of Bart Gets an F when Miss Krabappel changes Bart's grade from an F to a D -.  

"I, I....kissed the teacher?"

Also, that scene in Lisa's Substitute is just perfect:

Lisa: You're the best teacher I'll ever have--
Bergstrom: Oh, that's not true, others will come.
Lisa: Oh please!
Bergstrom: You're right, I am the best. But they need me over in Capital City.
Lisa: But I need you too.
Bergstrom: When you're middle-class, anybody who cares will leave to help someone needier.
Lisa: ...I understand.

Edited November 29, 2017 by BlindMan94

[Fex]

Homer: People here just do not respect boundaries.

Ned: Homer did you just buckle your belt through my loop?

[Galileo908]

Quote

As future Lisa writes her college application essay for Harvard, she recalls disappointing birthdays that helped shape her.

[Galileo908]

Title: Princess Penelope!

Couch Gag: The couch gag becomes the Lincoln Memorial...and then into a penny. Which is Homer's raise. 

Man, I was really feeling for Lisa. Her seventh birthday, if anything, was worse than her eighth, and I'm glad they (kind of) remembered that one. Weird to know that Luigi of all people treats her better than her actual family. I was more disturbed that they basically rewrote the origins of both Homer's receding hair and Maggie's pacifier than Lisa's awful teacher (who definitely had similar shades of Bart's kindergarten teacher) and fourteen year old Ralph with hair. Or hell, associating young Lisa with references to the late 90s probably tops all of that.

Holy shit It's Leon Kompowski AND they got his voice back. And Artie Ziff is back, too. And still a creep.

Loved the knock at the Flaming Moe, it was even served in the cup from Universal Studios.

I was figuring that this was too similar to Lisa's Wedding and wouldn't measure up to it at all...but this got pretty damn close. Really loved Lisa at Harvard, it was honestly sweet to see the rest of the family be so supportive. I guess they had to put the rest of their research for last year's Boston episode SOMEWHERE. Hell, I'm pretty sure I heard Dana Gould's voice coming out of the father of the girl Bart was making out with. Also caught a flyer for the Harvard Lampoon in Lisa's dorm room.

Gotta love little references to stuff Like Bill & Ted when Napoleon, guitar in hand, walked out of King Toot's.

"Stop drinking?! But that's like asking a golfer to stop drinking!"

"Now have a spiritual awakening."
"...Oh my God...things that are $9.99 are actually ten dollars!"

EDIT: Also caught "Lisa Simpson is Last Jazz Musician" and a headline about California sinking into the ocean.

Edited December 4, 2017 by Galileo908

[Spartan Girl]

I loved the end with Lisa bonding with her new roommate...and also implying that they were "more than friends"? Hey, it's college, I say go for it.

[ottoDbusdriver]

The coin in the intro had "Vescere Bracis Meis" on it -- which is Latin for 'eat my shorts'.

Must. Stop. President Kid Rock.

B.F. Skinner was a weiner -- Hah !! 

34 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

I was more disturbed that they basically rewrote the origins of both Homer's receding hair and Maggie's pacifier than Lisa's awful teacher (who definitely had similar shades of Bart's kindergarten teacher) and fourteen year old Ralph with hair. Or hell, associating young Lisa with references to the late 90s probably tops all of that.

..........................

EDIT: Also caught "Lisa Simpson is Last Jazz Musician" and a headline about California sinking into the ocean.

Jar Jar Binks and Qui-Gon Jinn ?  Dial up Modem to the Internet ?? Nirvana ? What the hell ?  Because Lisa looked to be about 2 in the piano scene, which would put them around 1984 -- predating Star Wars Episode 1, the Internet AND Nirvana. Lisa even took that 1989 Bleeding Gums Murphy poster with her to Harvard, so we know the piano scene occurred years before 1989.

Homer lost a lot of hair from when Lisa was in the 1st Grade to the when Lisa was in the 2nd Grade.  As did Abe.

Santa's Little Helper was looking a little rough while he was getting a bath in the sink.

Did anyone else notice that Bart's comic book was floating in mid-air while he was sitting in the kitchen ?

I like the end credits tribute to the ending of "All in the Family" -- in addition to the piano scene.

Sign in the Harvard Admissions Office: "No More Kennedys"

"Search for California Continues" -- I don't know if was because of an earthquake caused California to fall into the sea, because the accompanying map showed the entire state missing along the borders with other states.  I'm going to blame Hank Scorpio.

The search engine on the tablet was Oogle -- I guess they couldn't get Google as a paid sponsor.

Lisa also got into to Tufts, MIT, Oberlin, McGill, and Boston College, but the Harvard drone eliminated them all.

There was a box of Legal Weed that was unpacked by the robots in Lisa's room -- and there was also a bottle of illegal soda.

I am kind of curious why Lisa was carrying a "Free China from Tibet" sign by Jebediah Springfield's statue.  Or why she was on stage with Martin in what looked like 'Funny Girl' ?

[Galileo908]

1 hour ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

I am kind of curious why Lisa was carrying a "Free China from Tibet" sign by Jebediah Springfield's statue.  Or why she was on stage with Martin in what looked like 'Funny Girl' ?

Those seem to be clips from times between age eight and eighteen.

EDIT: I liked how it was Snowball I tripping Baby Lisa. Such a great detail.

Edited December 4, 2017 by Galileo908