The Simpsons - General Discussion

[ganesh]

moar police doggehs plz. I totally lost it at that point.

I didn't remember the criminals from S1, but I could have watched the episode from their pov. Six courses?! Are we peasants?!

Lisa got to play at her favorite jazz club too, and it was nice she and Homer bonded over saving the snake. 

[Bort]

Homer: All right, to find Flanders, I just have to think like Flanders. 
Homer's Brain: I'm a big four-eyed lame-o. And I wear the same stupid sweater every day... 
Homer: [gasp!] The Springfield River!

[Galileo908]

Quote

Homer takes up stand-up comedy to gain confidence in public speaking after making a mess of a speech at work; Marge decides to rebuild Bart's treehouse; the last three minutes will feature Homer "live" (actually Dan Castellaneta being motion captured) 

[Galileo908]

Bart's treehouse has been a lot, but it's nice to see an episode centered around it. Although there WAS an episode where Bart got an awesome treehouse...which burnt down in that same episode. I think it was Old Yeller Belly?

I really liked Homer being so desperate he drank down cans of corn (and creamed spinach). I can really relate to Homer's fear of public speaking. Everyone and everything staring at you, thinking you're an idiot for a minor mistake.

Sigh, Marge just had to act like a bitch again. But this time it seemed justified, Bart flat out refused to thank her for rebuilding the treehouse. So...essentially acting like the bratty kid that he is? "Kids are ungrateful, that's their job." At least Bart managed to apologize (with a bit written by Homer to boot!)

Homer really was great in this one.

The Live segment was...weird. I loved all the characters running through the screen, especially Kodos(?) and Bender. 

[mtlchick]

I haven't watched this show all season but tuned in for the "live" element.

 

Eh...well they tried.  The first woman sounded REALLY nervous.  The second woman had the perfect Homer question though.

[ottoDbusdriver]

2 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

Bart's treehouse has been a lot, but it's nice to see an episode centered around it. Although there WAS an episode where Bart got an awesome treehouse...which burnt down in that same episode. I think it was Old Yeller Belly?

I really liked Homer being so desperate he drank down cans of corn (and creamed spinach). I can really relate to Homer's fear of public speaking. Everyone and everything staring at you, thinking you're an idiot for a minor mistake.

Sigh, Marge just had to act like a bitch again. But this time it seemed justified, Bart flat out refused to thank her for rebuilding the treehouse. So...essentially acting like the bratty kid that he is? "Kids are ungrateful, that's their job." At least Bart managed to apologize (with a bit written by Homer to boot!)

Homer really was great in this one.

The Live segment was...weird. I loved all the characters running through the screen, especially Kodos(?) and Bender. 

Aside from the Drake reference, which wasn't all that specific, there was no real indicator that this was live.  I thought it was pretty underwhelming.  I thought it was odd that they referenced the fact that the show has been on for 27 years.

The episode itself was ok.  Bart has Treehouse envy.  Hasn't Homer had an episode similar to this before -- speaking in front of crowds.  It seemed really familiar.

[Galileo908]

1 minute ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

The episode itself was ok.  Bart has Treehouse envy.  Hasn't Homer had an episode similar to this before -- speaking in front of crowds.  It seemed really familiar.

Simpson & Delilah, from season 2(!!) covered this. No one listened to him because he went bald.

If there's anyone on the west coast, can someone report how that version went when it airs? I hope it's not as awkward.

Edited May 16, 2016 by Galileo908

[opus]

3 minutes ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

Aside from the Drake reference, which wasn't all that specific, there was no real indicator that this was live.  

Also, at least from what I've seen, Drake is getting decent reviews.

[Spartan Girl]

6 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

Sigh, Marge just had to act like a bitch again. But this time it seemed justified, Bart flat out refused to thank her for rebuilding the treehouse. So...essentially acting like the bratty kid that he is? "Kids are ungrateful, that's their job." At least Bart managed to apologize (with a bit written by Homer to boot!)

Doesn't excuse how her nastiness (unintentionally) psyched Homer out. Bart has ALWAYS been an ungrateful brat, why is she only just annoying this now? And why take it out on Homer, who didn't even do anything wrong except be happy about his own success.

So even when I'm supposed to feel sorry for her, Marge still comes off as a bitter bitch.

[TVSpectator]

I thought seeing Marge rebuilding Bart's treehouse was a good call back to the episode where she became a master carpenter (although, it was never directly referenced in this episode) and I liked seeing how she dealt with that city inspector (I'll get around to it. Classic). Overall, I did feel that Marge was a bit justified on being a bitch to Bart, she literally built him an awesome treehouse and it seemed that he didn't appreciate what she did to him. 

I also liked Homer's plot line of become an improv comic. That was some interesting development and I can totally relate to the fear of speaking. Having everyone just stare at you is creepy and getting nervous is always a pain to get over.

The live part was okay but I felt that something was weird with Homer. I don't know what it was exactly; if it was just seeing his face move so little or what? Although, I did like seeing the characters moving around on the screen. 

[ottoDbusdriver]

Homer's "the Keebler elves are real" after finding the cookies Marge dumped at the base of the tree was funny.

[Galileo908]

I loved the background gags in this episode, the signs at the improv studio were a lot to take in. Krusty is banned for among several reasons, corncobbing (don't ask)

Luigi's Medicinal Marinara got a great laugh out of me.

Edited May 16, 2016 by Galileo908

[reggiejax]

That live portion must have been a terrible strain on the animators. ;) 

[futurechemist]

There didn't seem to be much of a point to the live portion.  First, nothing they said showed it was live - Drake hosted SNL!  Toronto played Texas at baseball!  Second, why all the random distracting animation?  If it was to distract us from what Homer was saying, then that defeats the whole point.  But if we were meant to focus solely on the dialogue, why animate it?

Honestly, if you're looking for a better example of in-character improv, watch the Inside the Actor Studio episode featuring all 6 main players.

ETA Though I do think Homer's answer about liking Colonel Bernie Sanders' chicken was very funny.

Edited May 16, 2016 by futurechemist

[M. Darcy]

That same afternoon, FXX showed all the previous France episodes so I had just seen Ugolin and Cesar a few hours earlier.

Aw, they had a Georges Seurat joke/reference.

[Kaboom 2.0]

I wasn't that impressed with the Homer live segment, what I enjoyed most was Apu, his octoplets and his "free to good home" sign; Kodos (I think?) and the "don't blame me, I voted for Kodos" bumper sticker (I still have mine!), and Bender of course. Some of the Dan C. improv was funny, especially Homer referring to Colonel Bernie Sanders' chicken. Hee!

 

Enjoyed Ralph's elaborate tree house and Marge building Bart his own new tree house. Also liked Homer's improv SL, for some reason what made me lol was Homer and the other male improv comics sporting the de facto comic uniform of tee shirt and blazer with pushed up sleeves. 

[AnnieBeez]

22 hours ago, futurechemist said:

There didn't seem to be much of a point to the live portion.  First, nothing they said showed it was live - Drake hosted SNL!  Toronto played Texas at baseball!  Second, why all the random distracting animation?  If it was to distract us from what Homer was saying, then that defeats the whole point.  But if we were meant to focus solely on the dialogue, why animate it?

Honestly, if you're looking for a better example of in-character improv, watch the Inside the Actor Studio episode featuring all 6 main players.

ETA Though I do think Homer's answer about liking Colonel Bernie Sanders' chicken was very funny.

Rangers won by TKO (or something to that effect) referenced the brawl.

[xander874]

I got both east and west coast on my Hulu, so I watched them both. Both still awkward although the questions were different. Same animations throughout though. Interesting thing, but they don't need to repeat it.

[radishcake]

Quote

Marge goes to prison for letting Bart play in a park unsupervised.

[ottoDbusdriver]

I'm assuming this is the Simpsons take on this case

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/13/parents-investigated-letting-children-walk-alone/25700823/

Or several similar cases where the parents were arrested for letting the kids play in a park unsupervised.

[TVSpectator]

Yeah, it sounds a lot like that case and others like it. 

[TVSpectator]

I just read this Cracked.com article about the Simpsons and it blew my mind away. The  article' premises is that....

 

 

Quote

Aah, The Simpsons. Like food, it's been around forever, some people obsess over it while others take it for granted, and you often find yourself gorging on it while drunk at 3 a.m.

And also like your food, there's a lot of weird shit in The Simpsons that you might not want to think about. For instance, the innocent residents of Springfield may just be living a horrific multidimensional existence caused by the cast of The Simpsons' sister show, Futurama. No, really; consider this ...

 

http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-simpsons-are-extradimensional-beings-created-by-futurama/

 

Edited May 21, 2016 by TVSpectator

[Spartan Girl]

So we have ANOTHER episode of Marge going to prison. And of course it's probably going to be ANOTHER episode that martyrizes her. What.Ever.

[TVSpectator]

Is this the season finale?

[Galileo908]

Intro: Season finale! I also enjoyed Lisa playing the theremin.

Billboard: Wilted Mother's Day Roses - 1% off

Chalkboard: Milhouse does not live below the puberty line

Couch Gag: Ikea style! Loved this, it was really well animated.

So once again Marge gets sent to jail and the family doesn't know what to do without her, and it wasn't as funny or clever as the last time. At least the neighbors were more willing to help this time. Did love the visual of Flanders with Marge's hair, though.

For some reason I loved Marge being completely oblivious to the horrors of prison until the prison riot.

Idealized B&W Homer was dark, yet funny. 

On 5/21/2016 at 3:06 PM, ottoDbusdriver said:

I'm assuming this is the Simpsons take on this case

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/13/parents-investigated-letting-children-walk-alone/25700823/

Or several similar cases where the parents were arrested for letting the kids play in a park unsupervised.

God, I hate society sometimes (though I did love how Marge complaining that her mother let her roam unsupervised led to her mom getting arrested).

And so ends another seasonsee you all in the fall.

[Spartan Girl]

Yup, I pretty much called it. 

You know, in real life those prisoners would have eaten Marge for breakfast.

The only part I liked was all of them hugging in the closet at the end.

[Galileo908]

I remember the inmates in Marge in Chains taking a similar shine to her, if that helps.

 "Don't try anything new. I could've married a woman who didn't look like me. That would be crazy!" I love whenever the show brings up the weird character designs, especially for Kirk and Luann.

EDIT: I remembered this cartoon from Mission Hill when Lisa started saying "Kafkaesque."

Edited May 23, 2016 by Galileo908

[TVSpectator]

I liked this episode. It was fun to watch and I thought that there were some good jokes in it and we even got a Mr. Sprakle cameo!

I enjoyed seeing the couch gag. It was nice seeing a version of Homer trying to build a couch but ended up stealing one from Flander's house. 

1 hour ago, Galileo908 said:

I remember the inmates in Marge in Chains taking a similar shine to her, if that helps.

 "Don't try anything new. I could've married a woman who didn't look like me. That would be crazy!" I love whenever the show brings up the weird character designs, especially for Kirk and Luann.

EDIT: I remembered this cartoon from Mission Hill when Lisa started saying "Kafkaesque."

 

I like when Kirk and Luanna's weird look-a-like features are brought up (and IMO, it's obvious that they are cousins and/or half-siblings. And knowing this show they are probably first cousins- just to add to the weirdness). But I am also kind of weirded out as well. 

Lisa's Kafkaesque joke I could swear that was from something (and not from your reference, but from something different). 

[ottoDbusdriver]

I thought it was rather repetitive from Marge's previous incarcerations -- and overall pretty underwhelming.

The basic premise was pretty stupid -- Bart is unsupervised at the park so Marge is a bad parent. It's not like Bart hasn't been unsupervised everywhere in town many, many, many times.

But it's not like there weren't other parents there at that park, adults whose children even knew Bart.  As long as there was one responsible adult for multiple children, because that is exactly what they did later in the episode when Homer was walking all the children.  And why was Homer never incarcerated for being a bad parent ?

I didn't get why the final black and white  clip was supposed to be from 'Season 6' or why Marge was kissing Flanders ?  Was Homer dreaming that too ?

Where are Ralph and the Bobcat ?  Last spotted flying past Arnie's copter.

Edited May 23, 2016 by ottoDbusdriver

[MadyGirl1987]

22 minutes ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

I didn't get why the final black and white  clip was supposed to be from 'Season 6' or why Marge was kissing Flanders ?  Was Homer dreaming that too ?

I assumed that it was what would happen if that situation had gone on. Like the first clip was the first season of a Leave it to Beaveresqe show and the second was the 6th season of said show with the situation growing downhill. Marge was having an affair because of the drinking.

Episode had it's laughs. I liked how the neighbors came together and supported them. Loved Homer saying he always though Flanders was great. I thought when Flanders was talking about how he knows what it is like to be left alone with kids that was going to play a  bigger part.

As someone who growing up the 90's was probably part of the last generation to just go out and play unsupervised around the neighborhood and rode my bike around the whole neighborhood alone I thought the send-up of how alarmist and critical people can be about children being any bit unsupervised was good. I am not a parent but hearing all these stories of parents in jail or having their kids taken away, Ican't imagine how scary it would be to think one call from a well intentioned bystander or even a nosy busybody could mess up your life.

[Galileo908]

I wish there was more to the kids combating the helicopter parents, and the tornado was too much of a deus ex machina. Sure, there was "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken," but that dealt with curfews. And the episode where Flanders became foster parents to the kids, it was just one coincidence after another which convinced Child Services that Homer & Marge were neglectful. But those were different. With the many times the shows tackled helicopter parenting, the kids pretty much stood by and took it until the last few minutes.

Edited May 23, 2016 by Galileo908

[Kaboom 2.0]

I live a couple counties away from the Maryland couple referenced in the article linked above and man, I got so sick and tired of the coverage of that story. I'm glad the Simpsons tackled this "free range children" issue but it feels weird to me since how many times have we seen the kids of Springfield free ranging over the last 27 years. 

Liked Mr. Burns covering up the huge hole in the wall with a poster AND using a plumb bob to do it, Flanders and members of the community helping Homer and the kids out, the Van Houtens leashing Milhouse to them and the Simpsons family hug in the pantry in the end. Everything else was just meh. 

[dougfir]

That IKEA-inspired couch gag is one of the biggest belly laughs I've gotten from this show in a long time.

[Winter Rose]

Sideshow Bob: Rakes, my old arch-enemy!

Bart: I thought I was your arch-enemy.

Sideshow Bob: I have a life outside of you, Bart.

[readster]

Pilot: Now, flying a helicopter is serious and hard work that isn't cut out for everyone.

Barney: I have a coupon.

Pilot: Right this way!

[TVSpectator]

Okay, so I found another article about the Simpsons. This one is from gizmodo and it talks about a Vimeo video showing the many Stanley Kubrick references in the Simpsons and also the side by side comparison from the actual movies they come from:

Quote

 

It’s really fun to see the genius eye of Stanley Kubrick get translated into the world of The Simpsons. Instead of the psychopaths in A Clockwork Orange, we get Homer, Moe, and crew. Instead of the stillness of 2001: A Space Odyssey, we see the goofiness of Homer eating in zero gravity. Instead of the eeriness of The Shining, we get Homer... again.

In this video edited by Candice Drouet, the scenes from The Simpsons and the original scenes from Kubrick play one after another so you can see all the visual references the cartoon took from the master filmmaker.

 

 

http://sploid.gizmodo.com/fun-video-shows-the-simpsons-stanley-kubrick-parodies-w-1779887035

and here is the actual video:

[honeywest]

Homer: "Stupid poetic justice!"

[Twilight Man]

"Strap on your skates, Gordie.  You're going in."

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/gordie-howe--hockey-legend--dies-at-88-135148352.html

[AntiBeeSpray]

RIP Mr. Howe.

[Kaboom 2.0]

Told the boyfriend (a hockey fan)after work today that I only knew who Gordie Howe was because of Bart the Lover. RIP, good sir. 

[SnideAsides]

I'm marathonning the show and just reached season 17's The Italian Bob. I think I'm going to leave this here without comment:

"Dad, don't act like Mussolini."

"Huh? I thought I was doing Donald Trump."

ACTUAL LINE.

[Captain Carrot]

For years I've bought books Everyone Must Read (like Crime and Punishment) and put them in a pile to read later. Later has finally arrived,and I'm reading the Iliad. The only problem is that I read all of Nestor's dialogue in Abe Simpson's voice. (Nestor is the wise old warrior that gives advise by telling rambling stories from when he was young).

[exodia]

Kang: Abortions for some, miniature American flags for others. 

 

Krusty: Sex Cauldron?! I thought they closed that place down!

 

Moleman: I was saying Boo-urns. 

[JTMacc99]

On 6/26/2016 at 3:04 AM, exodia said:

Krusty: Sex Cauldron?! I thought they closed that place down!

One of my very favorite Krusty moments from back when we still learning about the characters.

It's like when Apu gave Homer (dressed as Krusty) a discount and explained: 

How could I charge full price to the man whose lust for filthy magazines kept me in business during that first shaky year? [quietly] Oh, by the way, here is your new issue of "Gigantic Asses".

[honeywest]

Bart: "Well, I'm not calling you a liar, but . . . I can't think of a way to finish that sentence."

[Winter Rose]

Bart: Anyway, I was wondering if you could sing the entire score of the HMS Pinafore.

Sideshow Bob: Very well, Bart. I shall send you to heaven before I send you to hell.

 

Sideshow Bob: Who is that? Why, it's Bart Simpson. Hello, Bart!

[Bart hides behind a bush]

Sideshow Bob: He's just a little shy because I've tried to kill him so many times.

 

Sideshow Bob: Simpsons, I beg of you, please don't destroy the new life I've created here! Surely even the most heinous criminal deserves a seventh chance.

[Jediknight]

Homer in Mr Smith: "I second that motion, with a vengeance!"
Mel Gibson as Mr Smith: "All in favor, say die."

Executive #1: "You chopped off the President's head."
Mel Gibson: "Bet you didn't see that coming."
Executive #2: "You impaled a United States Senator with the American flag."
Executive #3: "Why did Mr Smith kill everybody?"
Homer: "It was symbolism.  He was mad."

Edited August 31, 2016 by Jediknight

[Twilight Man]

And now for something educational.

Homer, sit back down; after all, this is all about you.

An Economic Analysis of 100 Jobs of Homer J. Simpson

From being CEO at the power plant itself (briefly replacing Mr. Burns)

to being a drive-thru employee (why am I not surprised that's on the bottom),

our author attempts to explain how Homer many careers draw a connection to

the stagnation of American middle class........ blah, blah, blah.

I'm just impressed he was able to find how much a hitman makes in a year.

Unfortunately, he was not able to find how much a "beer baron" makes.

See you all at the season premiere!!

Edited September 16, 2016 by Twilight Man

[TVSpectator]

3 hours ago, Twilight Man said:

And now for something educational.

Homer, sit back down; after all, this is all about you.

An Economic Analysis of 100 Jobs of Homer J. Simpson

From being CEO at the power plant itself (briefly replacing Mr. Burns)

to being a drive-thru employee (why am I not surprised that's on the bottom),

our author attempts to explain how Homer many careers draw a connection to

the stagnation of American middle class........ blah, blah, blah.

I'm just impressed he was able to find how much a hitman makes in a year.

Unfortunately, he was not able to find how much a "beer baron" makes.

See you all at the season premiere!!

 

That was a great chart, love Vox and I love that they would have those one-off videos about pop cultural and actual math.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Episode Description:

Quote

 

When Springfield is burned to the ground, the Simpsons beg Mr. Burns to fund its rebuilding.

Burns agrees – with one condition: he gets to put on a variety show at the Springfield Bowl.