The Simpsons - General Discussion

[M. Darcy]

Quote

Lisa: “Oh, Dad, you’re my hero!” Homer: “The guy who kills the mockingbird?” Lisa: “No one kills a mockingbird.” Homer: “Whoa, whoa, whoa—spoiler alert!”

I looked it up because it was driving me crazy because I knew Homer had already read the book.  " I'll have to read Marge's book. And I swore never to read again after 'To Kill a Mockingbird' gave me no useful advice on killing mockingbirds. It did teach me not to judge a man based on the color of his skin, but what good does that do me? "  Heh, why do I remember these things. 

[Taeolas]

10 hours ago, giovannif7 said:

Former school psychologist here - those speed therapy sessions were uncomfortably close to reality, thanks to budget cuts.

"Toys Were Us" made me sad, given this is about the time I'd make my yearly visit.

Loved the movie clips integrated into the animation.

For what it's worth, ToysRUs is surviving up in Canada and doing quite well. They even brought back the "I want to be a ToysRUs kid" advertising campaign for this season. :) So if you want a yearly visit, head North. 

 

As for the ep itself, one of the stronger ones recently IMO, but still felt a bit off. The gags were fun, and I did like it, so it's about on par for recent Simpsons in general. :) 

[Galileo908]

Quote

After a failed Black Friday shopping spree, Marge is determined to fix Christmas; Homer and the kids surprise Marge with a vacation to a Florida resort.

[Galileo908]

Title: Santa in a Self-Driving Sleigh!

Blackboard: The Fat Man Who Works One Night A Year Is My Dad

Couch Gag: Wampa attack!

Love that Christmas opening.

Heh, Big City Greens also had a Black Friday episode to get a new TV. Also, shocked that Sprawl-Mart wasn't open on Thanksgiving proper. 

Once again Homer ruins everything, and by proxy, the kids. The family has been to some crappy places before, but the Florida "resort" has to be the worst/hilarious of them all. Loved seeing the Flamingo Hospice, and the Hall of Vice Presidents. Anyone spot a Mike Pence figure in there? Most of our Vice Presidents were truly terrible people. Yeah, Dick Cheney shot his friend in the face, but Aaron Burr actually finished the job when he did it. I'm surprised they didn't get Al Gore for the one line at the end.

I love that Yankees Fans Fantasy Camp and Yankees Suck Fantasy Camp both feature Wade Boggs (the Yankees Sucks has him in his Red Sox uniform)

"I was the It Boy of 2006!" Take THAT, Family Guy. Also the first real joke about Disney owning Fox.

That ending at Moe's was pretty sweet, even if it was a little deus ex machina.

[Spartan Girl]

5 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

Once again Homer ruins everything, and by proxy, the kids.

Shouldn't Marge get any responsibility for as usual being a dumb little pushover and letting Gil the mooch take her gloves, clothes, and even her time to get a stuffed animal that he easily gave up so it was all for nothing? At least Homer and the kids tried to  make it right by taking her on a nice vacation. It wasn't their fault it turned out to be a dump.

But no, silly me. I forgot that Saint Marge is always a victim.

[MadyGirl1987]

1 hour ago, Spartan Girl said:

Shouldn't Marge get any responsibility for as usual being a dumb little pushover and letting Gil the mooch take her gloves, clothes, and even her time to get a stuffed animal that he easily gave up so it was all for nothing? At least Homer and the kids tried to  make it right by taking her on a nice vacation. It wasn't their fault it turned out to be a dump.

But no, silly me. I forgot that Saint Marge is always a victim.

Wow... That’s harsh. Yeah, she could have said no, and she was taken advantage of, but Homer not being there did play a part, whether it was intentional or not. I actually liked that it was an accident, and she didn’t blame him. She blamed herself. I was worried Homer was going to oversleep and Marge would be mad at him, so I was glad they avoided such a predictable route.

[ottoDbusdriver]

1 hour ago, Galileo908 said:

Title: Santa in a Self-Driving Sleigh!

Blackboard: The Fat Man Who Works One Night A Year Is My Dad

Couch Gag: Wampa attack!

Love that Christmas opening.

Heh, Big City Greens also had a Black Friday episode to get a new TV. Also, shocked that Sprawl-Mart wasn't open on Thanksgiving proper. 

Once again Homer ruins everything, and by proxy, the kids. The family has been to some crappy places before, but the Florida "resort" has to be the worst/hilarious of them all. Loved seeing the Flamingo Hospice, and the Hall of Vice Presidents. Anyone spot a Mike Pence figure in there? Most of our Vice Presidents were truly terrible people. Yeah, Dick Cheney shot his friend in the face, but Aaron Burr actually finished the job when he did it. I'm surprised they didn't get Al Gore for the one line at the end.

I love that Yankees Fans Fantasy Camp and Yankees Suck Fantasy Camp both feature Wade Boggs (the Yankees Sucks has him in his Red Sox uniform)

"I was the It Boy of 2006!" Take THAT, Family Guy. Also the first real joke about Disney owning Fox.

Overall, I just didn't find it all that funny.  The odd smirk or two as @Galileo908 mentioned, especially the Yankees fantasy camps.

Or that Family Guy Land had a 'Dump on Meg' section.  a 'Soarin' Over Quahog' section, a 'Quagmires of the Caribbean' section and a 'Seth Sings Sinatra - Mandatory' section.

Didn't see anyone with white hair in the Hall of Vice Presidents or in the resort manager's bed, so no Pence.  Though Joe Biden was there.

[Spartan Girl]

8 hours ago, MadyGirl1987 said:

Wow... That’s harsh. Yeah, she could have said no, and she was taken advantage of, but Homer not being there did play a part, whether it was intentional or not. I actually liked that it was an accident, and she didn’t blame him. She blamed herself. I was worried Homer was going to oversleep and Marge would be mad at him, so I was glad they avoided such a predictable route.

I liked that too. And yeah I guess I was being harsh, but the thing is the writers have gone that predictable route *so many times* before with her getting pissed off at him even when it was an accident or not really his fault that my gut-reaction is just "Stop being such a victim, Marge". And yeah, I'm probably biased because I really can't stand her.

Edited December 10, 2018 by Spartan Girl

[ganesh]

Yeah, Marge really could have grabbed a tv and then helped Gil and avoided everything. She had to have known Homer would screw up and not be there at 3. 

[M. Darcy]

I did laugh at the Aaron Burr/Hamilton joke. 

[Taeolas]

I really enjoyed this ep, and found it flowed quite well all things considered. 

Looks like Seth and Matt (or the show producers at least) coordinated the gags, as Family Guy also had a Simpsons cutaway joke this week (To Burns and Smithers watching Peter at the brewery). 

I was fully expecting Homer to miss the swap by sleeping in, so I was quite pleasantly surprised at how much effort he went in to make sure he didn't oversleep. Sadly fate made sure he missed the swap anyway, but I liked that method.

I think one of the best things I liked about the episode is that no one was particularly mean. The kids were kids of course, but everyone was doing their best to be nice to everyone else. Even Bart's prank that ultimately got them the money to go home and get the TV wasn't particularly mean spirited; but a classic Bartism. 

So Springfield is 2000 miles away from Florida, and goes through Georgia and Tennesee to get there. That puts it east of Salt Lake City and in the snow belt. But we already knew all that. :)

[Kaboom 2.0]

Two things that I immediately noticed in the Hall of Vice Presidents: future POTUS 41 just 'cause his funeral was everywhere last week (whenever I see him I always think " here's a little something we learned in CIA...") and of course the shock of seeing Spiro Agnew's head attached to his body (thanks to Futurama). LOL

[Tachi Rocinante]

This episode was a hot mess.

Homer wrecks both cars but they are magically fixed, then destroys a laptop for no reason.

Marge was a fragile dumbass.

Family Guy Land was funny, as were the TV ads ("may smell like dead people").

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, Tachi Rocinante said:

Marge was a fragile dumbass

I'd "like" your post a million times just for that sentence.

[M. Darcy]

Article with the schedule for Sunday's 30th Anniversary celebration on FXX.  They will be showing one episode per season.  

[wilsie]

@M. Darcy Thank you for the heads-up.  I would have missed them and I am enjoying them so much.

[M. Darcy]

Article about Penny Marshall.  She was the very first guest star on the Simpsons! 

[Wilbur Whateley]

On 12/4/2018 at 1:35 AM, giovannif7 said:

Loved the movie clips integrated into the animation.

I remember they've done this at least once before, when Skinner was showing the schoolkids the Rex Harrison Doctor Doolittle.  Are there other examples?

[Galileo908]

Quote

When Marge and Homer leave Grampa to babysit the kids, some little green army men trigger a PSTD episode, sending the family on a journey to Grampa's past and the time period when he was a post-war toy model.

[Galileo908]

Title: Maggie as Baby 2019

Billboard: Krusty Kristmas Slime (Now on sale!)

Chalkboard: My new year's resolution was to quit school

Couch Gag: Go Packers.

"Nothing turns me on more than basic competence."

Loved seeing the kids screwing with Google Home & Alexa.

I thought it was pretty interesting that Grampa had PTSD not from the war, but from being a model for the green army men. Oh look, it was because of gay panic (at least Grampa ended up regretting that, and made up for it, but still). So, was this a riff on Welcome to Marwen?

It was nice to see NYC again, however briefly. I liked Homer carrying a mascot out of the Not-N&Ms Store. And that brief cameo by Bill deBlasio was...something, if pointless. I liked Lawrence O'Donnell's cameo better.

"VA Hospital: Our Draft-Dodging President Salutes You!"

"Welcome to Texas: Reluctant Home of Ted Cruz"

[Kaboom 2.0]

That VA hospital sign and Texas reluctantly admitting it is the home of Ted Cruz made me LOL, as did Abe vs Lawrence O'Donnell's "last word!" one upmanship. 

And Homer's tiny Duff beer can cufflinks were adorable! 

[ganesh]

The entire episode was worth it for the 'reluctant home of Ted Cruz'. I have to say Abe being the model for army men was creative. 

[ottoDbusdriver]

Marge: "Homer, we can't leave our children with a greedy tube."

Bender's head spotted under the stairs in the basement.

Bart: "The Game of Life ?"
Abe: "I already lost."
Lisa: "Hatchimals ?"
Abe: "Too new-fangled."
Lisa: "Pick-up sticks ?"
Abe: "Too old-fangled."
Bart: "How 'bout Monopoly ?"
Abe: "Now you're talking -- the only place you can still say Oriental."

Abe: "I'm telling ya, what I saw in the war don't bother me none. I had a job to do and I did it. What secretly helped me is I enjoyed killing strangers."

Homer: "Think back Dad. Think back."
Abe: "Hmmm, I'll do my best. You know how I hate to reminisce. I've hated reminiscing ever since that day in 1937 when, as I recall, "
Marge: "Please Grandpa, back to reality. Focus on the little green men."

Of course, coonskin caps and Play Dough are both made out of raccoons.

The bit with Lawrence O'Donnell was pretty awesome.

Duff Beer, Laramie cigarettes and Buzz Cola sighting in Times Square

Whiz-Bang Toy Company -- A Division of Bing-Bang-Boom Sex Toys

Some of those shots of Abe as the green army men model were odd -- surrendering with a white flag, putting a jeep out of its misery, trapped under the tire of a jeep.

The movie Abe goes to see after the photographer kissed him, to see what a real man is, was Rock Hudson in 'Rio Macho'.

The Simpsons flew to New York City on Dreams Come True Airlines (with a dollar sign logo on the tail), but returned home on Shattered Dreams Airlines (with a broken heart logo on the tail).

Apparently the Marfa lights are a real phenomena -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marfa_lights

[Galileo908]

38 minutes ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

 

The movie Abe goes to see after the photographer kissed him, to see what a real man is, was Rock Hudson in 'Rio Macho'.

One of my other favorite gags in the episode.

[iHateAmpersands]

Harvard is doing something that Mr. Burns did almost 25 years ago:

Harvard Scientists Begin Experiment To Block Out The Sun

[JTMacc99]

20 hours ago, iHateAmpersands said:

Harvard is doing something that Mr. Burns did almost 25 years ago:

Harvard Scientists Begin Experiment To Block Out The Sun

Ha! Since the beginning of time, man has yearned to destroy the sun...  That's a line I still drop from time to time.

[xander874]

I thought this was a sweet episode and loved that is focused on the family. I enjoy when they take a trip somewhere.

[Galileo908]

Quote

When Lisa spots a new best friend from the window of the bs, she gets a taste of what life could be like with a different, more cultured family.

[opus]

As soon as they get over the thrill that the Saints beat the Eagles....

[Galileo908]

Couch Gag: Thanos! Only Maggie is spared from the Snap.

"JFK STILL ALIVE!" I liked that weird newsreel, if only to prove that Springfield's school buses haven't been updated since the 60s. I did like all the scenes on the bus, too.

Lisa is singing about loneliness and wishing for a friend who's cultured and smart where Alison Taylor is RIGHT BEHIND HER. It makes me hard to give a crap about any plot about her wanting friends. So the whole bit with Lisa making up a fake family to impress her friend's family kind of reminds me of Lisa's Wedding, of course she's embarrassed by her family. But thankfully, revealing the lies didn't drive them away for once. I did like Flanders playing along, though, and actually BECOMING Homer made me laugh. Speaking of visuals, Homer eating a lot of salt turns him into Grampa.

I liked all the stores in Sam's neighborhood, like there were separate stores for $50 and $100 marmalade. How many rich parts of town does Springfield have now? 

Heh, the gif of Homer hiding in Flanders' hedges is a meme in-universe now. Well, it had a good run.

"The truth is like stars: It always comes out!"

"Wow, Ralph, that's really profound."

"I have five face holes!"

I always enjoy the rare times Ralph says something deep.

That was a weird ending, though. Bart made himself a man cave and that made everything okay? And this leads to the house becoming a nightclub? Where was THIS plot?

EDIT: That WAS Patti LuPone as Sam's mom! I knew I recognized the voice! But where was Terry Gross in this?

Edited January 14, 2019 by Galileo908

[ganesh]

The title cards were funny. I liked Smithers walking the hounds in the morning too. 

Wow Marge, way to snap at Lisa at dinner. 

[Jediknight]

Ralph is deep.

I want an entire episode of Ned as Homer.  That whole thing was hilarious

[MadyGirl1987]

3 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

EDIT: That WAS Patti LuPone as Sam's mom! I knew I recognized the voice! But where was Terry Gross in this?

Lisa, Sam and Sam’s Dad were listening to her in the car when they were driving Lisa home.

[ottoDbusdriver]

I liked the various belts for the lunchbox boxing titles -- WLBA, WLBA, and Federacion Internationale de Lunch-Boxeo.

Kearney with the boxing bell app, Wendell taping up his fists with fruit rollups.

Stores in the upscale part of Springfield -- The Golfin' Dolphin, Gifts for Sisters, Cruelty-Free Stationery and the Didgeri-Dude.

Books spotted in Sam's house:
-- The Collected Kurt Vonnegut
-- Doorknobs of Denmark
-- Goya's Stabbiest Paintings
-- European Train Menus
-- Klimt und Koons - Eine Retrospective
-- The Big Book of Glass by Maurice (coincidentally, one of the upscale stores was called Glass by Maurice)

Why was Reverend LoveJoy sneaking out of the synagogue ?

[AAEBoiler]

8 hours ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

Why was Reverend LoveJoy sneaking out of the synagogue ?

I'm assuming it was because he was worshipping there despite being a Methodist(?) priest.

[Chaos Theory]

I have got to stop watching this but it is on all the time.  All the poor is Lisa episode I actually do feel bad for Lisa even though she is a snob and hope things workmpi for her.  Sometimes I think that she’d actually be happier away from her family at some hoity toity pive in private school fat far away from Springfield but then even with the fact forwards she is exactly the kind of person to give in and marry Millhouse the first time she fails horribly because  no one has ever even her real encouragement and I find that sad.  

[M. Darcy]

Quote

That WAS Patti LuPone as Sam's mom! I knew I recognized the voice! 

I feel shame that I didn't realize it was her. I knew I knew the voice but didn't place it. 

[JTMacc99]

[Groan] Now we're into the dregs...

http://www.simpsonsworld.com/video/311649859757?redir=ralph_wiggum

 

By the way, this is an excellent quote to have handy should you ever venture into online dating as a person 40 or older.

[Galileo908]

11 hours ago, M. Darcy said:

I feel shame that I didn't realize it was her. I knew I knew the voice but didn't place it. 

To be fair, the show pretty much wasted her. Now Steven Universe, THAT show takes full advantage of her voice.

[Lazlo]

That was kind of fun, especially with Ned's Homer impersonation and Homer's four lines. Lisa herself was pretty unsympathetic though and it was surreal to have her complain about not having a friend with similar interests when Alison was prominently visible in the background. 

Is Sam the first non-binary/lgbt kid character we've seen on the show (Sam's father definitely said "I love you son")?

[KWalkerInc]

Renewed for seasons 31 and 32.

[KWalkerInc]

There is a Progressive commercial that runs a lot where the box is a lounge singer.  His first few songs are about insurance, but the last, where he tries to woo a lady, is so embarrassing that it makes me think of Kirk Van Houten singing "Can I Borrow a Feeling?"

[Galileo908]

Quote

Homer angers Marge by watching their favorite show without her, Bart prepares to compete in Krusty's Holiday Trample.

 

Edited February 11, 2019 by Galileo908

[Galileo908]

Intro: Maggie & Gerald as Cupids

Couch Gag: Burns eating Candy Heart Homer, and Burns spits him out.

Marge as Bojack Horseman is an image I can't unsee. "Too Depressing"

The show finally tackles Stranger Things, and it's to avoid watching it without Marge. Which, of course, he can't resist. And now Marge is mad at Homer AGAIN. She's gotten less mad for more than this. I'm pretty sure this wasn't the first time Homer learned to dance to impress Marge, but I can't think of it right now. This show's really gone to the "Homer does something dumb, then learned something he already knew to win back Marge" plot a hell of a lot.

I liked the Super Toy Run plot more than the Homer & Marge one, but even that plot didn't get much attention. "Dead Grandma, is that you?" Wow, that was DARK.

"Diddly? You can't say that word on TV!"

"Children, there are 400 shows you can watch right now, many with Ted Danson." BTW, watch The Good Place.

Because you watched shows in the 80s featuring a monster:

ALF
Roseanne
Moonlighting
The Cosby Show

[ganesh]

Who is the monster on Moonlighting?

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, Galileo908 said:

This show's really gone to the "Homer does something dumb, then learned something he already knew to win back Marge" plot a hell of a lot.

And yet this show keeps getting renewed.

Is it lonely up on your pedestal, Marge? Must you always play the victim?

[ganesh]

Yeah, I have to say this was kind of a derivative plot. 

[ottoDbusdriver]

I've never watched Stranger Things, but do get the premise about being the only one not to have binge-watched a recent Netflix release.

Per @ganesh, it was an ok episode but there were a bunch of good lines, so I'm going to have to re-watch.

[Galileo908]

1 hour ago, ganesh said:

Who is the monster on Moonlighting?

I think it's supposed to be Bruce Willis.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Yertle the Turtle -- certified non-racist, Warning: turtle learns a lesson

Lenny: "Homer, would you read my Odder Stuff fan fiction ?  I threw it over Stephen King's fence but it hit him on the head."
Homer: "Why Stephen King ?"
Lenny: "Uh, he's got a low fence."

Krusty: "Uhhhh, this is the last time I buy a trick from a magician's widow."

The few kids that were in the audience of Krusty's show were all watching Odder Stuff on phones and tablets.  
Like how Sideshow Mel flopped like a fish after getting out of the water tank.

Krusty: "Nobody's watching my show, what with the downloading and the streaming and the fact that everything else is better."

Krusty: "Now I want ideas."
Writer # 1: "Why don't we do another live special."
Krusty: "What ?  I can't remember lines. At my last wedding I wrote 'I do' on the rabbi's forehead."
Writer # 2: "You could hide a golden ticket in some candy like Willy Wonka."
Krusty: "The only children allowed in my factory are the ones that work there."
Writer # 3: "How about we have a contest. Some lucky kid gets to run around a Krusty store for 5 whole minutes and take all the toys they want."
Krusty: "Inspires buying. It's easy to promote. And it's the 3rd thing someone pitched.  I'm sold !!"

I liked when Homer was yakking with the Netflix guy while deciding to watch Odder Stuff, some odder stuff was going on in the background with Maggie wrestling an owl for some reason.

The list of Scandinavian crime dramas that Marge watches (with fill nudity)
-- BØØBEN
-- The Girl with the Dragon Ta-tas
-- The Beautiful Blue Damn Nudes
-- Bleaken Sexen
-- Who Ordered the Danish ?
-- Pippi Long-Stalking
-- The Adventures of FJØRD Fairlane
-- Stockholm Sin-Dome
-- Finnish Already  (with an accompanying photo of a nude woman looking at her watch)

NetFlix guy: "Come on, come on, watch it now.  Because our subscription prices will triple tomorrow."

Krusty: "To enter our contest, write down in 15 words or less why you love me more than God in America. The top three essayists will earn a chance to run roughshod through a Krusty Store and not get tased by security."
Sideshow Mel: "Whoever fills their cart with the most toys gets to keep them free."
Krusty: "And the other two get the worst kind of squat.  Diddily !"
Flanders (watching at home with Rod and Todd): "Diddily ?  You can't say that word on TV."
Sideshow Mel: "Employees and monkeys of this network are not eligible."
Mr. Teeny (holding up a 1099 form) in subtitles: "I'm not an employee. I'm a vendor."

Homer: "Forgive me Father for I have sinned."
Rev. Lovejoy: "My son, what are your sins.  Beside from thinking that our church has confession." 
Homer: "I watched a binge-worthy TV show without my wife."
Rev. Lovejoy: "Was it 'The Crown' ? Don't tell me how it ends."
Homer: "Doesn't she become Queen ?"
Rev. Lovejoy: "Oh go to hell."

List of dance shows that Marge watches (according to the Netflix guy):
-- Former Senator Dance-Off
-- Dancing on your Grave
-- Dance Octopulets
-- Steve Harvey's Dance Thing
-- Why the Hell Do You Think You Can Dance ?
-- Lap-Dancing with the Stars

I liked Moe's fast recovery when Marge called the bar.
Moe: "Moe's Tavern, Moe speaking.  Homer ? Nah, sorry Midge. I ain't seen him in weeks."
Marge: "What do you mean ?  He told me he's been there every night."
Moe: "Oh, oh, Homer Simpson.  Ah, no, I thought you were talking about Homer the blind poet that wrote The Iliad and The Odyssey, there. 'Cause he ain't been around since like 720 BC."
Marge: "Mmmmmmm"

I love that the name of the Krusty store is 'Hello Krusty'.

Sideshow Mel's starter's pistol shot out a flag that said 'www.buykrustyinbulk.com'

In the stand of toys from 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' there was a model kit of the 'Millenial Eagle', in addition to a lot of Chewbaccas.
Also spotted in the 'Hello Krusty' store: some Happy Little Elves, Blocko Anjelica Button, Krusty Brand Geiger Counter, Phonic Frog, Orbit King rocket kit and Radiaoctive man action figures.

Krusty Slime: Fun for Kids! Toxic for Pets !

Krusty: "Why am I wasting time with this kid ?  Is he dying ?"
Sideshow Mel: "Not that I know of."
Krusty: "Well then get them out of here."

Abe: "Marge. Go to him. If you don't he'll head off to war and you'll never see him again."
Marge: "He's not going to war."
Abe: "That coward! He doesn't deserve my daughter."

Holy crap !  That really was the voice of Ted Serandos, chief content office of Netflix.  He was in the credits.

20 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

I think it's supposed to be Bruce Willis.

I thought it was Cybil Sheppard -- apparently she's tough to work with, and was primarily blamed for the show ending.

Edited February 12, 2019 by ottoDbusdriver