The Simpsons - General Discussion

[TVSpectator]

Yeah, new Simpsons!

[Galileo908]

Intro: Kodos: Make the universe great again!

Billboard: Why Are They Hitting Themselves?

Chalkboard: This Arm Needs Tommy John Surgery

Couch Gag: Adventure Time! That was a really great mashup. Burns as Ice King! Lisa as Marceline! There's tons of great easter eggs in the background, like a mountain of Mr. Sparkle Boxes, Homer's Bear Fighting Suit, and the plant Homer stuck a paper plate Marge face onto.

"What a beautiful day to be in denial!" 

I quite liked this one. Quite a few neat cameos tonight. Steamboat Itchy! The Superfriends! Ghost Maude AND Ghost Edna! Plus Amy Schumer as Burns' mom (I guess Burns was fine with her affair with Taft at the time?)

Burns can't stand too many photons and buckles down under bright lights. That was a new one.

Edited September 26, 2016 by Galileo908

[ottoDbusdriver]

I liked that the burnt Springfield spelled 'Singed'

I also liked how Mayor Quimby mispronounced Robert Chan's name.

I didn't quite get the new Lardlad statue -- obviously it was supposed to be a new and improved stylized version of the old Lardlad statue, but it didn't actually advertise "the brand".  It just looked like a big silvery melted version of Lardlad -- and that was before they put it in the tire fire.  Was that a giant coin slot in the back of the statue ? Speaking of the tire fire, is Ralph supposed to be dead since he was just covered in molten metal ?  That seemed like an odd choice by the writers.

Did this episode just run short on time -- and that explains the inclusion of the odd Bible-themed segment with Mary and her gnarly telepathic powers ?

I guess we just assume that Mr. Burns paid to rebuild Springfield exactly the same as it was BEFORE the fire, so next week there will be no changes.

Edited September 26, 2016 by ottoDbusdriver

[Spartan Girl]

Favorite exchange of the night:

Lisa: Do you ever say anything simply?

Burns: Shut up.

[Galileo908]

4 minutes ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

Did this episode just run short on time -- and that explains the inclusion of the odd Bible-themed segment with Mary and her gnarly telepathic powers ?

They stuck on the Adventure Time couch gag for a few seconds, that indicated to me that the episode was short.

And with all the namechecking of Arnold Palmer tonight, he happened to just die. The Simpsons Curse worked quick tonight.

[ottoDbusdriver]

3 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

They stuck on the Adventure Time couch gag for a few seconds, that indicated to me that the episode was short.

And with all the namechecking of Arnold Palmer tonight, he happened to just die. The Simpsons Curse worked quick tonight.

I just checked Google -- I had no idea Arnie passed away just today.  That is one wild coincidence.

[Spartan Girl]

Yeah that's freaky.

[Galileo908]

Yeah, the episode ended and then they announced he died. Sad.

[TVSpectator]

28 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

They stuck on the Adventure Time couch gag for a few seconds, that indicated to me that the episode was short.

And with all the namechecking of Arnold Palmer tonight, he happened to just die. The Simpsons Curse worked quick tonight.

 

Yeah, I just heard that he died and now I feel kind of weird that they were mentioning him on the show. Although, to be fair this episode was probably made several months ahead but still kind eerie. 

[TVSpectator]

Here is something about the upcoming FXX Second The Complete Simpsons' Rewatch- Ever coming at Thanksgiving. All in honor for the upcoming 600th episode (and I think it will be this year's Tree House of Horrors episode)!:

Quote

 

The Simpsons broke the record for longest TV marathon two years ago when FXX broadcast all 522 episodes of the animated series consecutively in a 12-day binge. This year, the network will shatter its own record by airing all 600 Simpsons episodes in order, making it a 13-day marathon. 

The epic Simpsons run kicks off noon on Thanksgiving's Day through December 6th, Entertainment Weeklyreports. The marathon concludes with series' 600th episode, "Treehouse of Horror XXVII," which first premieres on Fox on October 19th. Four episodes from the upcoming Season 28 will air during the 13-day marathon.

 

 

http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/news/all-600-simpsons-episodes-to-air-consecutively-on-fxx-w441777

[Kaboom 2.0]

I normally cannot stand Amy Schumer but I actually liked her as Burns' mother. Also liked the Springfield sign spelling out Singed post-fire. I actually lol'd when Ghost Maude and then Ghost Edna showed up on either side of ole Ned. I still can't get over Arnold Palmer's passing and being mentioned on the show, talk about eerie!

I thought it was a weak premiere but will rewatch anyway. 

[xander874]

I knew Burns mom was Amy Schumer but she didn't sound like her to me. Also, Mayor Quimby's voice sounded off - not as boistrous. Maybe me sound on my TV wasn't working great. Poor Ralph, but I'm sure he'll be fine. He's died a few times over the years.

Solid episode, but light on plot for sure.

[Ubiquitous]

On ‎9‎/‎25‎/‎2016 at 8:29 PM, Galileo908 said:

Couch Gag: Adventure Time! That was a really great mashup. Burns as Ice King! Lisa as Marceline! 

I initially liked it but it quickly became like an SNL sketch that dragged on and on and on...

 

I'm nitpicking here, but why was Mr. Burns the only way to rebuild the town? Did no one have insurance?

[Twilight Man]

1 hour ago, xander874 said:

Poor Ralph, but I'm sure he'll be fine. He's died a few times over the years.

Not nearly as many times as Hans Moleman.

[opus]

Didn't Sheri or Teri also "die" this ep (in the magic trick)?

[SmithW6079]

On 9/26/2016 at 0:59 PM, Kaboom 2.0 said:

I actually lol'd when Ghost Maude and then Ghost Edna showed up on either side of ole Ned. 

Is this the first time they explicitly showed that Edna was dead?  

[ottoDbusdriver]

7 hours ago, opus said:

Didn't Sheri or Teri also "die" this ep (in the magic trick)?

It looked like one of them died by drowning in that tank on the stage.

9 hours ago, Ubiquitous said:

I initially liked it but it quickly became like an SNL sketch that dragged on and on and on...

I'm nitpicking here, but why was Mr. Burns the only way to rebuild the town? Did no one have insurance?

Good question.  How come Chanjin Smelting and Mining and Donuts and Tarps (that's right, they bought a tarp company just to cover up the statue because they were known as Chanjin Smelting and Mining and Donuts BEFORE the fire) that owned the Lardlad donut shop wasn't responsible for rebuilding everything ?   It was entirely their fault.

[Dead Composer]

On 9/27/2016 at 8:47 PM, ottoDbusdriver said:

It looked like one of them died by drowning in that tank on the stage.

A reference to the Christopher Nolan film The Prestige.  If you haven't seen it, see it.  I won't spoil any of the plot details.

[radishcake]

Quote

Mr. Burns hires the Simpsons to play his live-in virtual reality family, but excludes Homer so that he may play dad. Now alone, Homer finds a new best friend in girl-next-door Julia, who eats, drinks and thinks like him.

[radishcake]

Quote

After Homer catches Bart rooting for Springfield’s football rival, the Boston Americans, he plans a family “hate-cation” trip to Boston in an attempt to show Bart that Boston is a terrible city.

[radishcake]

Quote

Better late than never, The Hunger Games come to Springfield!

[radishcake]

Quote

Lisa and Bart investigate Krusty’s suspicious new "Krustaceans" candy. Meanwhile, Homer wants a promotion at the nuclear plant and asks Marge to help him dress the part, and news anchor Kent Brockman struggles to find his feet in the changing media world.

[AnnieBeez]

1 hour ago, radishcake said:

Quote

Mr. Burns hires the Simpsons to play his live-in virtual reality family, but excludes Homer so that he may play dad. Now alone, Homer finds a new best friend in girl-next-door Julia, who eats, drinks and thinks like him.

Bob's Burgers did it! Is it possible that "Simpsons did it" already? I don't recall. 

[Galileo908]

2 hours ago, MischaMouse said:

Bob's Burgers did it! Is it possible that "Simpsons did it" already? I don't recall. 

I'm getting Mindy Simmons vibes from the Julia character's description.

[Galileo908]

Intro: Witches!

Billboard: Dr Nick: Tell Me What to Cut! 

Chalkboard: I will stop losing 50% of my NFL Lead-In

Couch Gag: Uhh...app thing? I'm too old for this, officially.

I do like how Lisa had to be reminded of which therapist they had that died. They've had a lot.

"No pulse. Oh wait, that's me." Jokes about Burns' age will never not make me laugh, so an entire plot about Burns trying to live a virtual old life through Oculus was fun. So Virtual Lisa was going to Vassar, while Virtual Bart went to Harvard. What rebels.

Among Burns' heads: Big Bird, an alien, a panda, a shark, and a man and an old woman.

"It's too beautiful! Like a supreme court full of Scalias!" Between that and the reference to Cecil the lion, you can probably tell when this was written. (There was also a gorilla head among Burns' heads and already people are assuming it's Harambe)

Oh hey, we got Burns' Heir retreads, too where Burns auditioned a family. And hey, I enjoyed Homer's friendship with Julia. And Marge just had to ruin it by being jealous at this. Then they fixed with through actual good advice Julia gave Homer. A person Homer knew for a few days was a better therapist than their actual therapist. Just like life.

Loved the voice over sessions. Seems to have been written from experience. Like Marge complaining about the lack of the jokes.

Really liked the end, with everyone using VR. Chalmers having a picnic with Skinner's tombstone was probably my favorite.

Edited October 3, 2016 by Galileo908

[Spartan Girl]

Marge is a huge hypocrite. She goes nuts when Homer becomes friends -- just friends-- with another woman, yet it's okay for her to throw herself all over Jaq in "Life in the Fast Lane" or even Flanders in "The Devil Wears Nada"?! Even if she didn't actually cheat on either ocasion, she still had more than friendship on her mind.

Her jealous paranoia also irks me when you consider the fact that she spends 80 percent of most episodes nagging and putting down all of Homer's shortcomings. Maybe she wouldn't have to be so worried about her marriage if she didn't get mad at him for every little thing! And even when she found out Julia was harmless, she STILL felt she wasn't wrong in getting mad at Homer despite the fact that he did nothing wrong?! God, sometimes I want to slap that that sour bitch look off her face.

Whatever. Burns virtual reality was funny, at least.

[ottoDbusdriver]

I liked it when Smithers was choosing alternate VR heads for Bart, Lisa and Maggie at one point he turned them each into Dr. Zoidberg from 'Futurama'.

Oh yeah, when Burns was visualizing Hell, I'm pretty sure we got the Wilhelm Scream.

Edited October 3, 2016 by ottoDbusdriver

[xander874]

Yeah, I didn't love this episode. It was weird and disjointed. Alison Janney was totally wasted in a nothing role. Was there anything to that plot besides Marge's random blow-up? I wanted the 2 stories tied together somehow, yet didn't get that.

2 Burns-centric episodes in a row too and the whole VR thing was just weird (although I did like the end with everyone's VR worlds).

[JTMacc99]

I just really liked Homer in this episode.  He was good guy Homer.

It reminded me of all the way back to the beginning when he once said, "Lord help me, I'm just not that bright."

[JTMacc99]

On 9/16/2016 at 4:42 PM, Twilight Man said:

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

Oh come on! Make an educated guess. That's just lazy.

[JTMacc99]

With regards to the quote in the title of this thread, my Sixth Grader uses it frequently.  Like, he used it this morning when he walked out of the bathroom in just his underwear.  

I'm so proud.

[Kaboom 2.0]

Wow, no responses yet?? 

[Galileo908]

There wasn't a thread for some reason. 

Anyway, I quite enjoyed it. Sure, it had shades of The City of NY vs Homer Simpson (Homer brings the family to a city he hates, still hates it ,but he brought it onto himself) and You Only Move Twice (Homer moves everyone out to another town, everyone hates it but him), but seeing Bart hate "the Bart Simpson of cities" and Homer being won over from his Hate-cation via candlepin bowling were quite fun. There certainly was tons of care put into this episode, I think they brought back just about everyone who ever worked on the show that was from Boston to contribute to this one. Seriously, Dana Gould and Mike Mitchell (former PA, best known for The Birthday Boys and the Doughboys podcast) both voiced characters.

I visited Boston for the first time a few months ago and I can confirm that they drew Boston completely dead-on. Their version of Quincy Market even had the statue of that guy sitting on a bench. Also, so many cobblestones. I think they only aspect they didn't cover was the obsession with "Chowdah," but I think we all know they did that quite well back in season five. Homer thankfully never got to see the downside of Massachusetts's drinking laws (early last call, no beer buying on Sunday, no outside beer in hotels, etc).

I'm from NY and a lifelong Yankees fan, so I shared all of Homer's Boston pain/hatred in this one. Boston really was a neat city full of nice people, but I wouldn't be caught dead in a Red Sox or Patriots hat. So yeah I really loved how much they crapped on the Patriots, er, the Boston Americans (great name). I wouldn't be surprised if the real Patriots actually had their mascot on their roster. 

I also loved seeing all the famous Bostonians at the parade (the Cheers cast, the Dunkin Donuts guy, etc). I also loved the Quimby, MA bit. Definitely had shades of Bronson, MO, as in I wish we saw more but thankful that it didn't go on for very long.

"Mark Harmon, pure American elegance." 

"Can we afford to live in a city that has both a philharmonic AND a pops?!"

"It's like heaven for people who don't believe in heaven." I enjoyed Lisa's bit, here. If "You Only Move Twice" was missing anything, it was a Lisa bit that qas better than her allergies. I also liked how the tough Southies and even the school's leg-up program were too nerdy for Bart.

Edited October 10, 2016 by Galileo908

[ottoDbusdriver]

The City of Er, Ah, Quimby, Mass. was pretty funny,

I loved 'The Amazing Maze' on the back of the box of Krusty-Os that was on the kitchen table.

Lots of other Boston-specific references spotted:

• the crates of 'Finest British Tea' at the bottom of Boston harbor -- would those still be there ?
• Duncan's Doughnuts -- I guess they couldn't get Dunkin as a sponsor
• Spenser: For Hire's Gifts -- I remember watching Robert Urich on that show back in the day (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spenser:_For_Hire)
• the nearby Dukakis Eyebrows cart when Homer knocked over the Beantown Bobblers cart
• Noam Chomp-sky's Grinders and Frappes
• Even a Whitey Bulger reference -- Bulger's Bowl-O-Rama
• The Carl Yastrzemski mnemonic on the wall in the Lisa's classroom -- Yes ! America Slaughtered Tories, Redcoats, Zed-sayers, Englishmen. Massachusetts Shall Know Independence.
• Today's Lunch sign in the school hallway -- Fenway Franks, TD Garden Salad, Gillette-o-fish
• Robert's Parish -- complete with Robert Parish as the pastor
• Bill "Spaceman" Lee Planetarium
• They got the Rob Gronkowski knockoff (Bonkowski) about right
• In the crowd scenes after Homer ripped the ballcap in half you saw the ghost of Paul Revere, a guy eating a Wahlburgers burger, Ted the stuffed bear (also eating a Wahlburger), Steven Tyler, Ric Ocasek of 'The Cars', Steven Wright, Conan O'Brien, Carla, Cliff and Norm from 'Cheers', The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Elizabeth Warren, Michael Dukakis (wearing a cardboard tank and Army helmet), Barney Frank, Bobby Orr, New Kids on the Block, and the Dunkin Donuts guy (correction, Duncan Doughnuts guy).  Amongst many others, and a lot of doctors.

Did they forget to take Snowball 2 to Boston ?  They only unpacked SLH covered in bubble wrap.

Deciphered the Cheers-iotic Table of the Elements -- Sam (Sm), Coach (C), Diane Chambers (Dc),  Norm ! (N!), Cliff Clavin (CC), Carla Tortelli (Ct), Woody Boyd (Wb), Frasier Crane (Fc), Rebecca Howe (Rh), and Lilith Sternin (Ls).

While Marge called dinner a clam bake, I'm pretty sure that was a clam boil.

[Kaboom 2.0]

Thank you both for listing things I both caught and missed, time for a re-watch! :)

[StaceyNotStacie]

I enjoyed this. It was one of my favorite episodes in a while. 

Even though we saw the Cheers characters in the crowd at the parade, I'm a bit disappointed that we didn't see Homer at Cheers. 

[the eskimo]

22 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

Homer thankfully never got to see the downside of Massachusetts's drinking laws (early last call, no beer buying on Sunday, no outside beer in hotels, etc).

We actually can buy beer on Sundays now (this was changed a few years back, but I do remember Sunday runs to New Hampshire all too well!). 

Even as a Bostonian and Patriots fan, I enjoyed this greatly. Bonkowski was pretty hilarious (though I won't get into the whole "cheaters" thing) and I really enjoyed how they turned the whole "tough Southie guys" thing on its head...most people can't even afford a condo in Southie these days and the Combat Zone is certainly a thing of the past.

Anyway, it was a fun episode and I was excited to hear Boston College's fight song being played during the parade.

[xander874]

Quote

Did they forget to take Snowball 2 to Boston ? 

I noticed this too, but aren't they at Snowball III or IV now?  Maybe they used the Snowball II name again. I can't remember.

I like when they showcase other towns, but this episode was meh for me. I feel like a lot of the "fitting in" stuff has been done many times before, like the Hank Scorpio episode.

[Galileo908]

On 10/11/2016 at 9:41 AM, Stacey1014 said:

I enjoyed this. It was one of my favorite episodes in a while. 

Even though we saw the Cheers characters in the crowd at the parade, I'm a bit disappointed that we didn't see Homer at Cheers. 

Homer did go to Cheers, back in "Fear of Flying." Featuring an oddly silent Frasier.

Edited October 13, 2016 by Galileo908

[ottoDbusdriver]

8 hours ago, xander874 said:

I noticed this too, but aren't they at Snowball III or IV now?  Maybe they used the Snowball II name again. I can't remember.

I think you're right -- it's probably SnowBall N, where N approaches infinity or something, but yeah there have been numerous Snowballs.
I call the cat Snowball II because I think that one was around the longest.  :)

[AnnieBeez]

I loved it. Quite a few interior laughs and a good LOL at Lisa's discovering Doris Kearns Goodwin was her teacher. 

[Galileo908]

Not only is this the 600th episode, it's also time for THOH! This was a hell of a good milestone episode.

"In hell, they make you watch all of them in a row."

Cold Open: Legion of Doom (Grimey, Kang or Kodos, Sideshow Bob, the Leprechaun)! Of course Maggie saves everyone (once again dressed as a droog, a callback from a THOH segment a few years back with Hugh Laurie). Not enough Grimey for my tastes.

Planet of The Couches: I said back when they did that "Couches Attack" gag that they wasted a good THOH bit on a couch gag, glad to see they actually pull it off here. Also, this was in VR for some reason. If anyone has it, how was it?

Dry Hard: Hunger Games spoof! Of course Lisa is the Katniss of the story, and enjoyed Homer killing off Pita/PETA so quickly. Loved how it devolved into Fury Road. Willie as Doof Warrior!

BFF RIP: God this was so dark, but I laughed every time someone died. Hey, more of Sherri & Terri's family! Sarah Silverman was a great fit as Rachel. Finally, a good use of her on this show. Yeah, I laughed at Lisa imaging up the motorcycle. Also, gotta love Bart transporting baggies to prisoners on the side. Possibly my favorite segment? 

Moefinger: The name of the segment itself was great, the rest of this was just icing. So every patron of Moe's bar is a 007/Kingsmen-level secret agent? And they have to save the world from a Free Steely Dan concert? Love it.

RIP Marvin Monroe, Uter.

"Drugs at a Steely Dan concert? Never thought I'd see the day."

Really liked that song at the end, and the crawl of all the canceled shows. If they really wanted to be ballsy, they could've put Son of Zorn in place of "Untitled Seth MacFarlane Project 2017."

Edited October 17, 2016 by Galileo908

[opus]

18 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

 

"In hell, they make you watch all of them in a row."

Also on FXX  :)

[Kaboom 2.0]

Hm, at first I thought Moefinger was more a The Kingsmen spoof than James Bond, to me it looks like both were spoofed. And of course Moe buys pickled eggs by the gross.

I actually side-eyed the tv when The Critic and Futurama were listed in the awful cancelled shows scroll. Tsk tsk. 

[ottoDbusdriver]

51 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

Really liked that song at the end, and the crawl of all the canceled shows. If they really wanted to be ballsy, they could've put Son of Zorn in place of "Untitled Seth MacFarlane Project 2017."

Couldn't agree more.

53 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

Dry Hard: Hunger Games spoof! Of course Lisa is the Katniss of the story, and enjoyed Homer killing off Pita/PETA so quickly. Loved how it devolved into Fury Road. Willie as Doof Warrior!

I like how the various sequels showed how Lisa and the revolutionaries REALLY didn't think through the long term impacts of their decisions. Though I did like in the last part when Lisa was warming herself over the burning corpse of Mr. Burns.

Overall, a really good THOH episode.

[Spartan Girl]

Pretty funny but I could have done without poor Snowball II taking a knife to save Marge of all characters.

And how dare they stick Futurama with all those terrible shows?!

Edited October 17, 2016 by Spartan Girl

[VCRTracking]

I liked the Kingsman/Bond spoof the best.

[beadgirl]

I'm from Massachusetts and I live in NYC, yet I confuse Eli Manning and Tom Brady -- which tells you how much I care about football.  But they'll have to pry my Red Sox cap off my cold, dead body, so I sympathized with Bart and his stubbornness about the hat.

Loved seeing all the sight gags and references.  Man, do I miss Boston. Hey Lisa, let's ditch our families and move back together!

Lisa did revert back to the name "Snowball II" for the latest cat, part of the "let us never speak of this again" ending to that plot.

[beadgirl]

Before the fighting kids showed up, I thought the Hunger Games parody was going to be about Urinetown (I missed the title).  Too obscure?  Although it also had the theme of idealists not thinking through their revolutionary plans.

Nice callback to Lisa's imaginary friend Rachel Cohen! The "girl power" helmet with the flower made me laugh out loud.  "And it runs on pony smiles!" "You ruin everything."

 Loved the idea of Moe running a spy agency, and the Moefinger closing credits, but the story itself was meh.  Also, I haaaaate Steely Dan's music.

[Twilight Man]

20 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

Not only is this the 600th episode, it's also time for THOH! This was a hell of a good milestone episode.

Really liked that song at the end, and the crawl of all the canceled shows.

Remember Herman's Head??

Hank and Yeardley were actually on that show (which you would know by now if you clicked on the link).

I can only imagine their train of thought.

Yeardley:  You want me to do this show with you about the people in the guy's head?

Hank:  Face it, Yeardley.  That cartoon we're doing is only going to last till the end of the year.  We need to get work on a real show.

Edited October 17, 2016 by Twilight Man