The Simpsons - General Discussion

[Galileo908]

Today's lesson: Do not piss off (this show's version of) The Beyhive. Of course Lisa is part of the Murmur Nation, and Bart wants in because they're ruining Homer's life. And then they turns on Lisa in favor of Marge to get back at Homer. I liked the dynamic that everyone was mad at each other, for once. 

Jeez, that diss track against Homer with people impersonating him and Marge was tough to watch. So they got lookalikes for Homer and Marge, yet young Patty & Selma looked exactly the same.

But I really liked Homer's apology song. I caught a "Do The Bartman" reference in Bart's verse. And it was weird seeing 4:3 clips with the HD ones, as sweet as those were. Hell, all the songs were catchy.

I thought it was a great touch that Ashlee Starling's singing voice and Echo were both voiced by Jade Novah. Just hammers home how interchangeable these pop stars are They both diss-dated Pete Davidson, for one.

[Spartan Girl]

I honestly wouldn’t have blamed Homer if he divorced Marge and disowned Bart and Lisa after the crap they pulled this episode. And as usual, Lisa is the only one that really apologizes in the end.

Also, this just makes Marge an even bigger hypocrite. So it’s unforgivable when Homer blabs about their marriage in “Secrets of A Successful Marriage” but she can run her mouth off about Homer to anyone she meets?!

Edited April 26, 2023 by Spartan Girl

[Galileo908]

16 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

So it’s unforgivable when Homer blabs about their marriage in “Secrets of A Successful Marge” but she can run her mouth off about Homer to anyone she meets?!

In her defense, she was fed lots of sparkling whiskey.

[DoctorAtomic]

33 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

Today's lesson: Do not piss off (this show's version of) The Beyhive.

I thought Taylor Swift, but tbh, I'm with Homer on this one. Fandom is ridiculous. Where did Lisa get all those friends from all of a sudden anyway?

Homer had 'hater' in glitter on the back of his head.

25 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

In her defense, she was fed lots of sparkling whiskey.

She didn't need that much to trash Homer though. 

You usually can't walk on those kinds of cooling towers.

[Galileo908]

3 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Where did Lisa get all those friends from all of a sudden anyway?

The Billy Eichner character we've seen before. The rest were most likely just for this episode.

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, Galileo908 said:

In her defense, she was fed lots of sparkling whiskey.

 

30 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

She didn't need that much to trash Homer though. 

And she certainly wasn’t drunk when she gleefully agreed to have dinner with the person whose psycho fans were harassing him in the first place, not to mention blaming him for the whole mess as per frickin’ usual.

Seriously, Marge just sucks and she’s never held accountable for any of her actions.

Edited April 24, 2023 by Spartan Girl

[Tachi Rocinante]

Loved the multiple mentions of the BTS Army being wonderful.

That is the one fan base you don't want to anger, much more so than the Swifties or the Beyhive.

[Harvey]

I need to make 1 statement: The final joke about being late from church was AMAZING!!!🤣

 

That's all. 😇

[blackwing]

The Ashlee Starling character is an obvious parody of Taylor Swift.  Swift/starling birds.  All her songs are about breakups and diss her ex-boyfriends.  Lenny's shirt which referenced one of her songs.  Was the other character supposed to be Beyonce?

On 4/23/2023 at 7:36 PM, Spartan Girl said:

I honestly wouldn’t have blamed Homer if he divorced Marge and dropped out of Bart and Lisa’s lives after the crap they pulled this episode. And as usual, Lisa is the only one that really apologizes in the end.

Also, this just makes Marge an even bigger hypocrite. So it’s unforgivable when Homer blabs about their marriage in “Secrets of A Successful Marriage” but she can run her mouth off about Homer to anyone she meets?!

Yeah, the three of them treated him like crap.  Marge is the worst of them.

Seems kind of out of character for Lisa.  I don't think Lisa would join some kind of cult-like group where everyone is expected to think the same thing and they all do things together in support of one person.  Independent Lisa would like what she likes without being influenced by others.

Despite the awfulness of the diss song, I was cracking up at this part: "When we moved in together / I learned things I never knew / That you sit for number one / But stand for number two."    Homer: "That last one is not true.  I hover because I'm afraid of being flushed!"

[DoctorAtomic]

I thought Lisa was ooc too. I could see her fangirling, but she was in on the pranks from the jump, before Bart was brought in. And she doubled down when *Bart* was hesitant. 

[Spartan Girl]

13 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I thought Lisa was ooc too. I could see her fangirling, but she was in on the pranks from the jump, before Bart was brought in. And she doubled down when *Bart* was hesitant. 

I could never in a million years see Lisa be deliberately cruel to Homer for such a petty and stupid reason. People thought she went too far for putting a restraining order on Bart, but that was because she put up with his abuse for years. Homer, on the other hand, just said something mean about her favorite pop star.

The more I think about, the madder I am that Homer once again had to do a grand gesture, even though it was just to express how he felt. It’s all fine and well to be the bigger person and forgive, but he didn’t even get an apology until after they saw the video. The third act should have been Lisa, Marge, and Bart having their jerkass realization and then going out of their way to make amends with him.

Edited April 25, 2023 by Spartan Girl

[Lazlo]

I kinda liked the episode but I had a feeling the show wouldn't have the nerve to portray Lisa as a villain for the whole run. Then Bart and even Marge joined in and I knew we were headed for a Homer apology at the end even though everyone was horrible to him.

[Spartan Girl]

On 4/23/2023 at 8:29 PM, Galileo908 said:

So they got lookalikes for Homer and Marge, yet young Patty & Selma looked exactly the same.

Pretty sure that was the real Patty and Selma. They’d never turn down an opportunity to be in a diss video about Homer.

It would have been much more satisfying if Homer threw all three of them out of the house instead of leaving. At least then I’d feel like there were actual consequences for their awful behavior in this episode.

[Galileo908]

Season 34, ep 19: Write Off This Episode

Quote

When Marge and Lisa start a charity together, Marge is seduced by the money and prestige of big charity fundraising.

Airs 4/30/23

[Galileo908]

The "charity" of giving away bags that instantly cleans clothes was a cute idea. And yeah, Marge has plenty of years of experience with Homer's various smells. 

I had a big feeling that the moral of this episode was gonna be "no ethical consumption under capitalism" and "big charities are giant scams." Well, most of them are. They weren't wrong about the Salvation Army, and the blue ribbons and other blue stuff were definitely a big jab at the Susan G. Komen fund. This was far from the worst thing that had Lisa's name on it. 

Hey, Hibbert's wife got to do something! I think she had more lines in the song she sang than the entire time she's been on the show.

Lotta good lines in this one. "It's an honor to be your chicken wingman" is gonna get some usage.

Man, Harry Shearer sounds old these days. Or he's checked out as Burns. Or both.

[Jediknight]

Wasn't expecting The Simpsons to give Susan G Komen Foundation a giant middle finger, but I like it.

4 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

They weren't wrong about the Salvation Army, and the blue ribbons and other blue stuff were definitely a big jab at the Susan G. Komen fund.

And awareness being the biggest thing.

[opus]

13 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

Man, Harry Shearer sounds old these days. Or he's checked out as Burns. Or both.

I honestly thought it was someone else.

[Galileo908]

9 minutes ago, Jediknight said:

And awareness being the biggest thing.

You'd think they would've learned a lesson from the sham Awareness Awards, but they fell for that, too.

[DoctorAtomic]

I figured they were sending up all the charities. It's like a ribbon every other week. 

50 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

I had a big feeling that the moral of this episode was gonna be "no ethical consumption under capitalism" and "big charities are giant scams." Well, most of them are. They weren't wrong about the Salvation Army, and the blue ribbons and other blue stuff were definitely a big jab at the Susan G. Komen fund. This was far from the worst thing that had Lisa's name on it.

I mean, you're going to end up doing nothing if you insist on 100% purity. That said, I don't think Lisa should have apologized either. Marge knows what Lisa is like. Taking money from Burns was a overly much and Marge knew what was up. I didn't like that she got to be the hero in the end and basically came out unscathed. 

I did like the homeless/unhoused running gag.

I liked the skewering of religion and avoiding taxes. 

[Spartan Girl]

29 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

That said, I don't think Lisa should have apologized either. Marge knows what Lisa is like.

Yes, but Marge always manages to get an apology even when she’s in the wrong. 🙄

[DoctorAtomic]

I was waiting for you!

[Spartan Girl]

4 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I was waiting for you!

Lol, I can’t do ALL the work on this thread!

Also want to add that Bart trying to block out Marge’s lame mom puns is such a mood for me.

Mr. Burns’ voice really was jarring this week. If the actors are that worn out, it’s another sign that the show needs to be put out to pasture,

[ottoDbusdriver]

3 Betting rules
-- Only talk about wins, not losses
-- Stay under your limit unless you're feeling it
-- Mets, Jets, and Nets = Debts

Always Bet Gambling Hotline numbers
-- 1-800-LOST-AGAIN
-- 1-800-CAN'T-WIN-IF-YOU-DON'T-PLAY
-- 1-800-STILL-SAFER-THAN-CRYPTO
-- 1-800-COLLEGE-IS-OVERR8TED
-- 1-800-WHEN-YOU-THIN-ABOUT-IT-ALL-OF-LIFE-IS-A-GAMBLE
-- 1-800-VEGAS-IS-4-FAMILIES-NOW
-- 1-800-SHE-DUN-LEFT
-- 1-800-LAKERS-R-A-LOCK
-- 1-800-REHAB-ROULETTE

Homer's bets with odds seen on his tablet from longshot-gimmick.com

Blimp Hits Stadium -- 12000/1
Ref Kisses QB -- 840/1
Eighty-Year Old Streaker -- 2500/1
Thanos Appears -- 8000/1
No Concussions -- 170/1
Coin Lands on Edge -- 235/1
Armageddon Arrives -- 666/1
Math is Inconsistent -- 1/0
You Win Any of These -- 1,000,000/1
Atoms vs. Molecules -- over 42.5

Homer and the skunks in the crawlspace was pretty funny.
RIP Doug.

Causes of Homer's various smells over the years
-- Garlic-Knot-A-Thon
-- Dumpster Demolition Derby
-- Sardine Eating Champion
-- Otto's VW microbus and a cloud of weed smoke

List of products endorsing the blue ribbon
-- Krusty Fried Chicken (even the chicken was blue)
-- Blue Pepper Spray
-- Blue Shampoo
-- Blue Bull Energy Drink
-- Blue Mirror -- The Complete First Season
-- Simply Blue -- All Purpose Cleaner
-- Orange Blue-ius
-- Blue Julius
-- Blue Conditioner
-- Blue Shampoo plus Conditioner
-- Blue Balls
-- Blue Hot Chili Peppers
-- Earl Blue Tea
-- Blue Giant Peas
-- Bluetube
-- Blue Ribbon Insulin
-- BlueBerry Cereal

So many 3-eyed fish -- quick question, how did they get on land exactly ?

Awareness Meter levels
-- Global Warming
-- Miscellaneous Refugees
-- Botched Fat-Freezing

Ad Signs seen on the way to the gala
-- Blue Check Cashing
-- Blue Bail Bonds
-- Laramie Cigarettes (Light up the Blues)
-- Raytheon Supports the Unhoused

Krusty: "Lisa Simpson's a real person"

As mentioned upthread, Mr. Burns sounded off. Like it was a Harry Shearer impersonator.

 

[Galileo908]

6 minutes ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

Homer and the skunks in the crawlspace was pretty funny.
RIP Doug.

(sees a skunk's eye) "The ring!" (sees a second eye) "Another the ring?!"

 

7 minutes ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

Homer's bets with odds seen on his tablet from longshot-gimmick.com

Blimp Hits Stadium -- 12000/1
Ref Kisses QB -- 840/1
Eighty-Year Old Streaker -- 2500/1
Thanos Appears -- 8000/1
No Concussions -- 170/1
Coin Lands on Edge -- 235/1
Armageddon Arrives -- 666/1
Math is Inconsistent -- 1/0
You Win Any of These -- 1,000,000/1
Atoms vs. Molecules -- over 42.5

Loved these.

[Tachi Rocinante]

12 hours ago, opus said:

I honestly thought it was someone else.

Same here

[Lois Sandborne]

After watching I came to the internet to see if Harry Shearer refused to give that speech and they got someone else to do it. The change in voice was so jarring.

[Taeolas]

The entire ep was okay up until Burns's lines/rant at the end, then it felt like it fell apart. It just rang out of character (and out of voice) for Mr Burns in general that it pulled me out. It felt like the writers wanted to do another rant/lesson at the end and just gave it to Burns for whatever reasons and it just fell apart there. (Though taking the table he spent 10k for was a nice touch). It would probably have been better to have had a random no name investor give the rant, especially if the investor was established earlier in the ep. (Neither Burns nor Texas guy would have been good for the rant).

This was 2 eps in a row where they jabbed at Religion/organized charities too, but really the jab they did last week was much better IMO. 

[Perfect Xero]

Shearer has said the Burns voice hurts his throat and he has to drink a lot of tea and honey to recover from voicing the character, so maybe that's finally caught up with him.

I thought that audio quality itself sounded a bit off though, like maybe he had to record it in a closet and send it in.

[Galileo908]

12 hours ago, Perfect Xero said:

I thought that audio quality itself sounded a bit off though, like maybe he had to record it in a closet and send it in.

Harry has been quite literally phoning his lines in for years.

On 5/2/2023 at 8:00 AM, Taeolas said:

The entire ep was okay up until Burns's lines/rant at the end, then it felt like it fell apart. It just rang out of character (and out of voice) for Mr Burns in general that it pulled me out. It felt like the writers wanted to do another rant/lesson at the end and just gave it to Burns for whatever reasons and it just fell apart there. (Though taking the table he spent 10k for was a nice touch). It would probably have been better to have had a random no name investor give the rant, especially if the investor was established earlier in the ep. (Neither Burns nor Texas guy would have been good for the rant).

Yeah, the "joke" was that it was Burns saying it. I don't think it would've went over as well if they went with a random no name person. 

[Spartan Girl]

On 5/3/2023 at 7:51 AM, Perfect Xero said:

Shearer has said the Burns voice hurts his throat and he has to drink a lot of tea and honey to recover from voicing the character, so maybe that's finally caught up with him.

 

16 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

Harry has been quite literally phoning his lines in for years.

Well, I guess if you all insist on this show going on long past its expiration date, I guess you better you guises to wrong-sounding voices, because it’s only going to get worse in the future.

[Snow Apple]

I also thought Bart and Millhouse sound off this season with deeper and more flat voices.

[Galileo908]

Season 34, ep 20: The Very Hungry Caterpillars

Quote

When a plague of insects shuts down Springfield, the Simpsons face their greatest challenge yet -- spending lockdown with each other.

Airs 5/7/23

Edited May 7, 2023 by Galileo908

[Galileo908]

And the show finally gets to a Lockdown episode. Caterpillars are pretty cute, but butterflies...yeah, they're not.

You just know Homer steals his streaming passwords from Flanders. (only for the Christian Netflix, as it turns out) And speaking of which, Flanders finally puts his foot down on Homer being the grasshopper to his ant. Hell, Ned attempting to drown Homer in a tub in ranch seemed incredibly out of character (even though Homer ate most of it)

I was a Lisa, doomscrolling my way to an anxious meltdown for two years. Definitely liked how her Malibu Stacys had the voices she gave them. (Most characters Yeardley Smith voiced in a single episode?).

Things I noticed in the attic scene: the Mr. Plow jacket. the Spinemelter chair, Bart's guitar from "The Otto Show" and a pair of ice skates I assume were Lisa's. 

[Spartan Girl]

5 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

I was a Lisa, doomscrolling my way to an anxious meltdown for two years.

As was I. Hell, I’ve never stopped.

 

[DoctorAtomic]

I don't know where you all live, but this reminded me of the gypsy moth caterpillars when I was growing up. Gross. We didn't have to lock down, but they were everywhere.

Isn't the dollhouse a Twilight Zone episode? And the caterpillar shot with Lisa was from Aliens. 

End-of-days Flanders is a vengeful god. It's kind of arrogant of him to think he'd be raptured. Aren't we supposed to be humble?

They did a good job keeping each plot tight and moving. 

[Galileo908]

12 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I don't know where you all live, but this reminded me of the gypsy moth caterpillars when I was growing up. Gross. We didn't have to lock down, but they were everywhere.

I live on Long Island. We don't tend to get infestations. At least not the insect kind.

[Spartan Girl]

36 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

End-of-days Flanders is a vengeful god. It's kind of arrogant of him to think he'd be raptured. Aren't we supposed to be humble?

Flanders has been a holier-than-thou fundamentalist for years. It’s not that OOC these days.

[cdnalor]

Seems odd to have a lockdown episode at this point. Was this postponed from a previous year? 

I've always been fond of the fuzzy orange caterpillars when I was a kid.  It was amusing to let them walk on my hand and feel the little hooks on their feet catching on my skin.  i can't imagine being scared or grossed out by them or any other type of caterpillar.

[DoctorAtomic]

Oh, you've never seen the gypsy moths. 

[Spartan Girl]

I thought for sure Marge would be blathering about how lockdowns could be a “special time” for the family or something insipid like that. So I actually loved that she decided to screw being the bigger person and break into Flanders’ basement to steal his ranch.

[Tachi Rocinante]

Stuul.  That is all.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Of course Kirk van Houten is the conspiracy theorist -- "Who benefits from caterpillar lies ?"

Thought it was funny that Homer and Flanders were beating each other up with signs that read "Peace" and "Goodwill".

Sports betting categories on oddsmonster.crypto

-- Football
-- Boxing
-- Track or Field
-- Alpine Swimming
-- Professional Standing
-- Wonderball !
-- Laser Tennis
-- College Drinking
-- Mental Gymnastics
-- Mixed Martial Badminton
-- Unimpressive Jumping
-- Gaelic Sleeping
-- Competitive Reading
-- The Most Dangerous Game
-- New Zealand Rules Rugby

ChatHippo Homework:
1. Read a Book
2. Ponder Math
3. Click here to Boost your Testosterone Overnight !!!

Flanders' Rapture Supplies:
-- Apocalypse Chili
-- Survival Pecans
-- Armageddon Pickles
-- Soft Pretzels
-- Hard Pretzels
-- Beans 
-- Rice
-- Tuna
-- Pancake Mix

Stores in the Malibu Stacy Mall playset -- The Shops at the Orchard (Mailbu's Invitation-Only Mall):
-- Stuul (Swedish gut biome clinic)
-- Gluten-Free Blowouts
-- Operaglass Hut
-- Meh Topic
-- Things Regretted Tattoo Parlor
-- Shaky's Brow Bar
-- Maison de Belly Shirts
-- Build-A-Sloth Workshop
-- Oops! Ear Piercing
-- Forever 8
-- Salads
-- Sushi
-- Unsustainable Boba
-- Abercrombie's Loss
-- Take Me Back, Fitch

Godflix titles:
-- Master of Nuns
-- Jesus, P.I.
-- Kevin Can Go Save Himself
-- Blaming Eve
-- Breaking Bread
-- The Mary Virgin Moore Show
-- It's Always Sunny in Beth Shemesh
-- Prayer of Easttown
-- How I met Your Savior
-- Better Call King Saul
-- The Real Manger Wives of Bethlehem
-- Curb Your Agnosticism

Edited May 11, 2023 by ottoDbusdriver

[Cotypubby]

On 5/7/2023 at 9:40 PM, Galileo908 said:

I live on Long Island. We don't tend to get infestations. At least not the insect kind.

I grew up on Long Island and there were times when the gypsy moth caterpillars used to be everywhere. I haven’t really seen them recently but in the 1980s/1990s trees would be covered with their nests.

[Galileo908]

Season 34, ep 21: Clown v Board of Education

Quote

Krusty opens a school for clowning, and it becomes the most successful thing he's ever done.

Airs 5/14/23

[Galileo908]

Title: Fat in The Hat!

"Well, the crickets get it, and they're the hardest insects to please."

I mean, it was a premise that apes one of the all time best episodes, Homie The Clown. Well, that one was for training regional Krustys. This one was actually a Clown school for kids. Bart is, of course, great at being a clown. And of course Lisa is jealous about it. And, of course, the mob takes it over.

They introduce a new kid of Ranier Wolfcastle, famously humorless, and they do NOTHING with him. He's just good at playing the saxophone.

I did like Krusty's wall of great educators: Gabe Kaplan, Clippy, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Rabbi Krustofsky.

[DoctorAtomic]

Sick burns; The View, scotus. 

So many gags. The school bus clown car and any throwing of pies always wins for me. And the elephant works for the mafia. Really biting satire of student loans being the last racket. 

47 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

He's just good at playing the saxophone.

He was very yackety. Lisa could be a little more yackety. 

 

[Phishbulb]

On 5/14/2023 at 8:30 PM, Galileo908 said:

Title: Fat in The Hat!

"Well, the crickets get it, and they're the hardest insects to please."

I mean, it was a premise that apes one of the all time best episodes, Homie The Clown. Well, that one was for training regional Krustys. This one was actually a Clown school for kids. Bart is, of course, great at being a clown. And of course Lisa is jealous about it. And, of course, the mob takes it over.

They introduce a new kid of Ranier Wolfcastle, famously humorless, and they do NOTHING with him. He's just good at playing the saxophone.

I did like Krusty's wall of great educators: Gabe Kaplan, Clippy, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Rabbi Krustofsky.

I saw Jack Black's character from "School of Rock" in there as well.

[Galileo908]

Season finale time!

Season 34, ep 22: Homer's Adventures Through The Windshield Glass

Quote

Time stands still after Homer crashes his car and flies through the windsield; as his life flashes before his eyes, a magical friend helps Homer learn the secret truth about marriage.

airs 5/21/23

[SoMuchTV]

750th episode!  Chalkboard:  “I will not try to cram 750 characters into the opening”. I’ll leave it to others to count. 

[Galileo908]

Billboard: Missing Persons (Ozzie Smith, Hugh Jass, Babysitter Bandit, Marvin Monroe, Shary Bobbins, Rex Banner?, Stacy Lovell, Belle, Poochie, Bea Simmons)

Chalkboard: I Will Not Cram 750 Characters in the opening credits

Couch Gag: Holy hell, it was like every character ever was stuffed into this opening. I'm gonna comb over this, it was a really short list to who WASN'T here. Caught Troy McClure and Ozmodiar in there. And Timmy O'Toole (the little wolf boy) was at the end!

Hell of a way to have a 750th episode. Good use of Lizzo. That was some incredible animation on the episode-length slow motion car accident.

So Marge has been getting $1,000 a month since her father died. Of course THAT'S how Homer's been able to get away with, well, everything. We finally, finally, got to see more of Marge's dad. He's just in hell. Also, noticed Grimey and Marvin Monroe ahead of Homer in Hell.