The Simpsons: A Journey Through Shit

[thenoise]

Going to hedge my bets and neither watch the Simpsons or buy any more Morrissey records.

[thecuriousorange]

He's not happy about about brown folk coming over and taking jobs, like voicing Apu.

[notjosh]

I'm a bit confused about the point they are making by depicting Morrissey as a racist (apparently true) and a meat-eater (false). Are they saying that in becoming increasingly bigoted he's betrayed his original audience? In that case, why not just stick with that instead of inventing another, fictional, betrayal to take the piss out of alongside the real betrayal?

Or is the joke that he was always secretly racist, but also secretly a meat-eater even though he pretended to be vegan? Obviously I'm not going to watch the episode to find out.

[JamesTC]

They should hire Morrissey to voice Apu.

[idunnosomename]

Funny how he denies he's a racist and fat but not a lapsed vegan.

[thecuriousorange]

Mike Tyson and Arnold Shwarzengger didn't publicly complain about the Drederick Tatum or Rainier Wolfcastle characters. I think the real Arnie was in the Simpsons Movie, so he can't have taken it to heart.

[C_Larence]

Mike Tyson and Arnold Shwarzengger didn't publicly complain about the Drederick Tatum or Rainier Wolfcastle characters. I think the real Arnie was in the Simpsons Movie, so he can't have taken it to heart.

Harry Shearer plays President Schwarzenegger in the movie

[neveragain]

Who should have just been called President Wolfcastle really.

[Poirots BigGarlickyCorpse]

THAT PIECE OF SHIT SPINELESS WRITER SHOULD GO FIGHT MORRISSEY LIKE A MAN WOULD DO

[McChesney Duntz]

To be fair, the writer wasn't so much backpedaling as pre-emptively trying to avoid a strike, as his statements about the character being an amalgam of various 80s miserindie icons were made before the episode aired.

[Small Man Big Horse]

I'm something of a Simpsons apologist in that I find myself liking about four or five episodes a season these days (the recent one with Bart finding Mrs Krabappel's diary was a rather sweet affair) but the Morrissey one was fucking awful.

i really find it difficult to side with the Simpsons here because even from those clips Lisa's character just seems totally wrong.

That's my biggest issue with it too, the Morrissey stuff is largely unfunny but they made Lisa unbearably smug in this episode for the majority of the story, and at one point she's horribly cruel to Mr Largo, all of which made the whole thing painful to watch. The subplot with Homer buying a SUV was really tedious too, Tim Long's written a couple of okay episodes (Behind The Laughter being his best work, though three others were credited as writers too) but it's been a long, long time since he produced anything which was even vaguely any good.

[chveik]

pissing off Morrissey is still a net win

[Poirots BigGarlickyCorpse]

Saw "Day of the Jackanapes" last night.

"I think it's good for a show to go off the air before it becomes stale and repetitive."

Season. 12.

[easytarget]

With no expectations I decided to watch Panic On The Streets Of Springfield (I assume that's the title, it should be).

It was good.

It was not seasons 3->10  solid gold, peak-art, every line diamond tight, this is what television should be level great - but it was fucking good.

Opens with Homer getting a medical exam - which turns into some pretty good USA truck advert parody[nb]Yes, Canyonaro - but more so[/nb] and the ad features a stuck up dean[nb]Yes, Homer Goes to College, shut up poindexter killjoy[/nb] - it's very funny.

Lisa hallucinates/imaginary-friend-s a Morrissey - who is all poisonous and Kenneth Williams about everything. There are a couple of fake Smiths songs which are funny - BUT so well done that they're not a shitty parody - I think they're done by a team that genuinely like(d?) The Smiths. Cumberbatch[nb]Should have been David Morrissey - WHY ARE YOU MISSING THESE OPEN GOALS?[/nb] does a good job singing, his Manchester accent needs work though.

Builds to Lisa attending her first[nb]no[/nb] music festival at which big fat moz is headlining - in which he's revealed to be horribly racist and not even a vegetarian (fires sausages into the crowd, plays a song called 'refuges? again?') - not subtle, very satisfying. 

Story is tum-te-tum too neat meh who cares.

Also - there's loads of shitty, eggy jokes that DON'T work and wouldn't have made the cut in the 90s and it's too dumb and obvious and on the nose but, fucking hell, I was expecting to despise it and it was actually good. I'm almost tempted to check out some other Simpsons from the last 10 years but ... probably not worth it.

[ajsmith2]

The fake Smiths songs were written by one of the Flight Of The Concords guys.

Not seen the episode beyond a few clips, but I will admit this: I find the contrast between the young Moz stand in and the old fat racist one genuinely pretty poignant, the way it reflects how young Morrissey is an eternal Peter Pan like friend to generations of depressed young adolescents, (of which Lisa is, pretty awkwardly, the Simpsons cast closest analogue) and the tragedy of how the reality of the older man he turned out to be could never compare.

I guess you have to have gone through that really invested huge Smiths phase as a young un for that contrast to really hit home (I was certainly that cliche: in summer 1999, aged 18, I was constantly depressed and no lie, listening to my library borrowed tape of their 'Singles' comp was my sole pleasure in the day, the only thing that made life seem bareable.) otherwise it just looks like they're having a pop at Morrissey randomly or for (sigh) 'Woke Points'. And I dunno, maybe they were, who knows and who cares really. I certainly don't think the Simpsons of today is generally created with much integrity or consistency.  But the harsh truth of that contrast, of Morrissey defined for a mainstream worldwide audience in one of the most popular and recognisable shows ever by that rise and fall, well it hits home because it conveys a cruel but also entirely accurate truth for a significant part of his fanbase. I think deep down Morrissey knows this too, which is why he's taking this particularly badly.

[An tSaoi]

Saw one the other day where Krusty's ratings are tanking, so they force him to get a co-host. She's a fantasy princess character, who ends up being more popular than Krusty, so it becomes a girls' show. Lisa loves it, and she's in the audience with all the little girls in fairytale dresses. It didn't make sense that Lisa would be into fluffy princess unicorn stuff. I know she likes collecting dolls, so maybe there's some precedent, but it's another sign of how inconsistent the characters can be. Sometimes they write her as an actual eight year old, sometimes she's the most grown up character.

Anyway, the princess actress is in love with Krusty for some reason, and

Spoiler alert

they're about to get married, but he jilts her. Then he goes to Paris to get her back, and they both jump into the Seine, and float off romantically.

[close]

An unironically sappy ending. Not a laugh to be had the whole episode, and a really jarring, rushed ending. Baffling.

[madhair60]

With no expectations I decided to watch Panic On The Streets Of Springfield (I assume that's the title, it should be).

It was good.

It was not seasons 3->10  solid gold, peak-art, every line diamond tight, this is what television should be level great - but it was fucking good.

Opens with Homer getting a medical exam - which turns into some pretty good USA truck advert parody[nb]Yes, Canyonaro - but more so[/nb] and the ad features a stuck up dean[nb]Yes, Homer Goes to College, shut up poindexter killjoy[/nb] - it's very funny.

Lisa hallucinates/imaginary-friend-s a Morrissey - who is all poisonous and Kenneth Williams about everything. There are a couple of fake Smiths songs which are funny - BUT so well done that they're not a shitty parody - I think they're done by a team that genuinely like(d?) The Smiths. Cumberbatch[nb]Should have been David Morrissey - WHY ARE YOU MISSING THESE OPEN GOALS?[/nb] does a good job singing, his Manchester accent needs work though.

Builds to Lisa attending her first[nb]no[/nb] music festival at which big fat moz is headlining - in which he's revealed to be horribly racist and not even a vegetarian (fires sausages into the crowd, plays a song called 'refuges? again?') - not subtle, very satisfying. 

Story is tum-te-tum too neat meh who cares.

Also - there's loads of shitty, eggy jokes that DON'T work and wouldn't have made the cut in the 90s and it's too dumb and obvious and on the nose but, fucking hell, I was expecting to despise it and it was actually good. I'm almost tempted to check out some other Simpsons from the last 10 years but ... probably not worth it.

I haven't watched it but you are wrong and it is shit.

[Mr. Ssmsslth]

Who should have just been called President Wolfcastle really.

Absolutely, but the movie was tailored to audiences who had not seen the show. Not exclusively, obviously, but the writers deliberately avoided references to the series which not everyone would understand. Which (partially) explains why the film was so poor.

[mippy]

That's a bizarre way to go. Did they think there would be people who had never seen The Simpsons, but would make the effort to go out and see a film based on popular television show The Simpsons?

I mean, I guess Mark Kermode has seen it.

[Icehaven]

Absolutely, but the movie was tailored to audiences who had not seen the show. Not exclusively, obviously, but the writers deliberately avoided references to the series which not everyone would understand. Which (partially) explains why the film was so poor.

That's a bizarre way to go. Did they think there would be people who had never seen The Simpsons, but would make the effort to go out and see a film based on popular television show The Simpsons?

I mean, I guess Mark Kermode has seen it.

I never knew that, and yes that's extremely odd approach. Were they aiming at a global audience or something? How popular is The Simpsons in foreign markets like China? I'd have thought very but I might be wrong.

[Mr. Ssmsslth]

Were they aiming at a global audience or something?

Well, yes, it's a film after all. Also, in case this hasn't been mentioned yet, the villain, Russ Cargill, was originally supposed to be Hank Scorpio but this was changed due to test audiences not recognizing him.

[Pink Gregory]

Saw "Day of the Jackanapes" last night.

"I think it's good for a show to go off the air before it becomes stale and repetitive."

Season. 12.

Watching season 12 at the minute and there's quite a good run of episodes after the *dreadful* boy band and tennis episodes.

[Video Game Fan 2000]

One of the things that gets me about modern (shit) Simpsons is how oblivious it is to the change in the media landscape it exists in.

In old (good) Simpsons, one of the major factors was always how ephemeral pop culture was and so many jokes and set ups were based on stuff from the very near past suddenly being alien or unintelligible to younger characters or just the general weirdness of a world being full of shit from the recent past that doesn't mean anything to anyone anymore. Both "where's the beef" and "Yahoo Serious Festival" were references to stuff that was less than a decade old. Obviously without digital media Lisa wouldn't know what they were. Homer's flashbacks to his younger self presented like they were memories from generations ago, instead of a thirty something remembering his twenties - because his life had changed so much the recent past seems that remote. Changes in pop culture, fads and forgotten celebrities, were poignant and funny things to point out. This seems like an essential part of the Simpsons.

Now everything exists and persists forever in a continuum of digital raw sewage and Shimtsons goes on with its reference humour without any sense of the change. Even though any cultural context for that kind of humour, and the part that pop culture and media fads play in peoples lives has changed forever. Fucking Morrissey parody, really? I remember thinking this when they did a World of Warcraft parody, and that has to be over a decade ago by now.

the way it reflects how young Morrissey is an eternal Peter Pan like friend to generations of depressed young adolescents, (of which Lisa is, pretty awkwardly, the Simpsons cast closest analogue) and the tragedy of how the reality of the older man he turned out to be could never compare.

Even sadder is that the young (still racist but potentially redeemable) Morrissey anticipated this about himself and wrote a bleeding blues song about it!

Is "Rubber Ring" referenced in the episode, I wonder.

[Poirots BigGarlickyCorpse]

The Simpsons aged out twenty years ago and should have gone off the air at least fifteen years ago. If they wanted to keep going they could have tried an All Grown Up style spin-off with Bart in high school, Lisa in middle school and Maggie as a young child. It would have opened up possibilities for teen-centred storylines if nothing else, and it would be easier to buy into the floating timeline ( ten seasons of show = five years real time for example). But hey it's all just a stupid cartoon so who cares about canon, say the writers.

[Video Game Fan 2000]

"The City Of New York Versus Homer Simpson" should've been the last episode.

If they wanted to keep going they could have tried an All Grown Up style spin-off with Bart in high school, Lisa in middle school and Maggie as a young child. It would have opened up possibilities for teen-centred storylines if nothing else, and it would be easier to buy into the floating timeline ( ten seasons of show = five years real time for example). But hey it's all just a stupid cartoon so who cares about canon, say the writers.

I like the idea that they were either going to do a more sketch based show like the "21 Stories" episode, which Fox would have probably put a stop to or even better, the live action Krusty/Troy Maclure ideas with Hartman, which could have conceivably happened and could have been as excellent as Larry Sanders and Alan Partridge. The ingredients were all there.

New Simpsons I hate the most is the mid-teen episodes to the middle of season twenty, when the scripts are at their absolute tasteless and illogical worst but the cast are still giving it a good go. Depressing stuff.

[JamesTC]

I'm hoping Season 19 was the absolute nadir. It was when it was regularly outright offensive.

It is more bland where I'm up to now but at least it isn't regularly offensive. Plus they stopped the TV from falling off the wall.

[purlieu]

I find this all very fascinating, because on my last Simpsons marathon I bailed about six episodes into season 10, which I found unwatchable. I've seen "later" (season 12-14) episodes and found them unwatchable². In my mind, none of these episodes discussed here even exist. Part of my brain can't actually comprehend the fact that these have been written and made and broadcast.

Anyway, keep up the good work, James. I suppose someone has to.

[JamesTC]

I find this all very fascinating, because on my last Simpsons marathon I bailed about six episodes into season 10, which I found unwatchable. I've seen "later" (season 12-14) episodes and found them unwatchable². In my mind, none of these episodes discussed here even exist. Part of my brain can't actually comprehend the fact that these have been written and made and broadcast.

The seventh episode of Season 10 includes my favourite B plot in all of The Simpsons. I love Pinchy.

[king_tubby]

Well, yes, it's a film after all. Also, in case this hasn't been mentioned yet, the villain, Russ Cargill, was originally supposed to be Hank Scorpio but this was changed due to test audiences not recognizing him.

Wait, what? Who the fuck is Russ Cargill? If that character was made up for the film why would it matter if Hank Scorpio wasn't recognised by test audiences for the film?

[Jumblegraws]

Wait, what? Who the fuck is Russ Cargill? If that character was made up for the film why would it matter if Hank Scorpio wasn't recognised by test audiences for the film?

Presumably the script had stuff that wouldn't have made much sense if you hadn't seen the Hank Scorpio episode