The Simpsons: A Journey Through Shit

[JamesTC]

American Dad's take on Subway is 'Sub Hub' which a) sounds a lot more like a real business name, and b) actually reference 'sub' in it's name, the important bit that actually means long sandwich, what the fuck is a sprub here?

'Mapple', 'Blocko'... Zombie Simpsons is crap at these details.

I had to actually look it up. It is because they live in Sprooklyn. Which is shit.

There is some really shit brand name parodies in modern Simpsons. Funtendo Zii. Mapple. MyTube. MyPad.

On the subject of brand parodies: I hear you're a racist now Simpsons?

[idunnosomename]

what angers me most of all is that the L isn't backwards

[dissolute ocelot]

Season 22 - Episode 1 - Elementary School Musical

Not to be confused with the South Park episode titled Elementary School Musical which aired two years earlier. SOUTH PARK DID IT!

Lisa and another bunch of nerd kids are watching the Nobel Price announcements on TV. Krusty wins the Novel Peace Prize.  Krusty picks Homer to go to Oslo with him to accept the award because he is so easy to make laugh and Homer gets Bart to tag along. Lisa is jealous. Marge makes Lisa feel better by taking her to performance arts camp. All the kids at the camp sing and dance. The Flight of the Concords guys are there as counsellors.

I saw this the other day. The Lisa plot is quite sweet, although indifferently done, and the notion that Springfield has versions of everything called Spreverything really gets old quick. The Krusty plot is nonsensical in so many ways. The Nobel Prizes are announced over 6 days[nb]Including economics, which doesn't really count because it wasn't one of Alfred Nobel's original choices, and the Scandies passed a law afterwards to stop anyone making up any more Nobel prizes[/nb], 1 per day, not all at once! And it's widely reported in the news, and it does seem like the writers didn't know the difference between Sweden and the Netherlands when they thought of the episode, although it still doesn't explain anything.

[Master Cylinder]

Up to Season 22! I'll wait until Scorpion's Tale and read your take on old people's eyeballs popping out and no its not a THOH.

[dissolute ocelot]

Was just watching Bart Sells His Soul (series 7), which is a perfect example of how you can take a silly concept that could easily be a terrible late-Simpsons story, and make it work when everyone is at the top of their game. Bart is so dejected, thanks to the voice acting and brilliant animation; Marge is sympathetic but not getting it; Lisa is gently teasing him; Milhouse sounding extra weary and pathetic; Ralph not getting it - all the reactions are so believable and in character that it makes the central conceit work. Some just heartbreaking little moments, like Marge telling him he must have a soul because "you're not a monster" and Bart seeing his sad face reflected in the pest control guy's visor. It treats the idea that Bart has sold his soul with exactly the right amount of seriousness. (And it doesn't hurt that it has a great Moe B-plot.)

[Blumf]

And has one of the all time great joke sequences:

[Lungpuddle]

And has one of the all time great joke sequences:

I like it!

[madhair60]

Up there with this one

[Rich Uncle Skeleton]

Snrubway

[Master Cylinder]

Was just watching Bart Sells His Soul (series 7), which is a perfect example of how you can take a silly concept that could easily be a terrible late-Simpsons story, and make it work when everyone is at the top of their game. Bart is so dejected, thanks to the voice acting and brilliant animation; Marge is sympathetic but not getting it; Lisa is gently teasing him; Milhouse sounding extra weary and pathetic; Ralph not getting it - all the reactions are so believable and in character that it makes the central conceit work. Some just heartbreaking little moments, like Marge telling him he must have a soul because "you're not a monster" and Bart seeing his sad face reflected in the pest control guy's visor. It treats the idea that Bart has sold his soul with exactly the right amount of seriousness. (And it doesn't hurt that it has a great Moe B-plot.)

Even something small as the straight-forward title of "Bart Sells His Soul". Nowadays it'd be called something stupid  like "No Soul Again, Naturally".

[JamesTC]

A small diversion from the normal episodes, I heard today that the shorts on Disney+ are absolutely terrible so I thought I would watch the latest one.

Maggie Simpsons in: The Force Awakens From Its Nap

Maggie refuses the Ayn Rand daycare so is sent to some Star Wars themed daycare which has droids, Jedi and babies being put in time out by being frozen in carbonite. BB8 steals Maggie's bow, then gets bumped around by other BB8s and then baby Death Maul murders him. Maggie turns her dummy into a lightsaber and they have a fight. Maggie gets crushed under a bookcase and dies. Maggie flies off as a spirit with big Yoda ears.

Fucking shit. Waste of fucking time. 3 minutes of my life I'll never get back.

[Old Nehamkin]

Up there with this one

Love the next bit in that sequence where Homer brakes again and all the cars behind him just pile up and fucking explode in a massive fireball from which there can clearly be no survivors. I feel like seasons 5 and 6 featured more casual, gratuitous death than any other era of the show.

[Consignia]

A small diversion from the normal episodes, I heard today that the shorts on Disney+ are absolutely terrible so I thought I would watch the latest one.

Maggie Simpsons in: The Force Awakens From Its Nap

Maggie refuses the Ayn Rand daycare so is sent to some Star Wars themed daycare which has droids, Jedi and babies being put in time out by being frozen in carbonite. BB8 steals Maggie's bow, then gets bumped around by other BB8s and then baby Death Maul murders him. Maggie turns her dummy into a lightsaber and they have a fight. Maggie gets crushed under a bookcase and dies. Maggie flies off as a spirit with big Yoda ears.

Fucking shit. Waste of fucking time. 3 minutes of my life I'll never get back.

Just watched it on your recommendation. Bleh. It'd be nice if there were some jokes, rather than a stream of Star Wars references.

[thr0b]

Especially as Family Guy did it years ago.

(And in a way that doesn't isolate non-Star Wars fans, by still actually being funny whether or not you get all the references to the over-rated effects franchise that is just a dull western in space.)

[JamesTC]

I applauded because I know Star Wars.

[JaDanketies]

I thought the Family Guy Star Wars episodes were unwatchable, as I'm not a big Star Wars fan. The jokes were definitely in-jokes.

[thr0b]

I thought the Family Guy Star Wars episodes were unwatchable, as I'm not a big Star Wars fan. The jokes were definitely in-jokes.

I avoid them if they're on. I know enough of the references to get the jokes.

And "A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, but also somehow in the future" is a good joke.

[Consignia]

Despite being about 53 times longer, the Family Guy version is still not as tedious and joyless as that Simpsons short. I'm no particular fan of those Family Guy episodes, and I've barely seen any Star Wars, but they at least work on their own terms, with diminishing returns.

[Poirots BigGarlickyCorpse]

Rewatched "Marge vs. the Monorail" this evening and notice that Main Street is cracked and broken in two more scenes after Marge draws attention to its woeful condition. OMG continuity. Speaking of Main Street, there's a fantastic moment when Marge says "Those potholes are becoming a real nuisance" and this happens:

https://youtu.be/R2GqCugBVO4?t=107

Love the next bit in that sequence where Homer brakes again and all the cars behind him just pile up and fucking explode in a massive fireball from which there can clearly be no survivors. I feel like seasons 5 and 6 featured more casual, gratuitous death than any other era of the show.

I thought of this while watching the closing scene of "Marge vs. the Monorail" - you know the one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcU95OeY48I

What's gratuitous death but the most extreme form of slapstick?

[thr0b]

Always loved that bit. It's the Lemmings-style death AND sound effects, isn't it?

[idunnosomename]

I love Hank Azaria's "woah" just as the popcorn truck falls in the pot hole

[thr0b]

An episode set within Homer's subconscious. Only just caught it. It's quite fun.

I always enjoy it when it references the Ullman era.

[frajer]

Season 22 - Episode 1 - Elementary School Musical
Homer and Bart arrive at Krusty's trial with a DVD with information which can free Krusty but it is on a Region 1 DVD so they cannot play it. However one of the judges says he has a multi-region DVD player so it is all okay.

Just had to explain to Mrs frajer why I said "fuckin hell."

Fair play, whenever I think The Simpsons has reached the bottom they find more barrel to scrape.

[neveragain]

An episode set within Homer's subconscious. Only just caught it. It's quite fun.
I always enjoy it when it references the Ullman era.

Which episode is this please?

[thr0b]

Not a clue. It was the episode on Sky 1 at 7.30 tonight.

[Wezzo]

Which episode is this please?

"How I Wet Your Mother".

[samadriel]

Oh Christ, that's it's real name...

[St_Eddie]

Oh Christ, that's it's real name...

I just looked the plot up on Wiki and it's an episode long parody of Inception and features Homer wearing adult diapers because he keeps wetting the bed.

...Yeah, I'm not gonna be watching that just for a short scene where the characters are drawn in the style of the Ullman era.

[JamesTC]

Thinking of watching a few episodes tonight. Reading up on the upcoming episodes. I have lots to look forward to such as Bart selling nuclear secrets to the Chinese, Lisa dreaming of an Inglorious Basterds style Christmas, Fat Tony's cousin Fit Tony and Bart and Homer getting an Oscar nomination.

[JamesTC]

Season 22 - Episode 2 - Loan-a Lisa

The couch gag ends with the family being put to death.

The kids are watching Itchy and Scratchy on the way back from church. The family then visit Grandpa who tells them that he has decided to give the family their inheritance now which is $50 each. The family go to Costingtons to spend the money. Bart pays Gil to walk up the wrong way of the escalator. Marge buys a posh handbag but didn't realise it was $500 but is too embarrassed to not buy it.

Homer: $500? That's like 10 dead Grandpas.

Marge agrees to take it back but Homer insists on a great night out with the bag first so they go to a posh restaurant and get treated well because of the bag. Marge is worried about the bag getting stained. Lisa learns about loans to impoverished areas of the world on the internet. Lisa finds Springfield on the website and finds that Nelson wants to start a business so she donates her money to him which is the plot of the episode.

Marge returns the bag despite a stain on it. Homer points out that she got to enjoy the bag and then return it. Nelson's business is about redesigning bikes to make them cool and it is booming. Lenny and Carl visit the Simpson household and it is full of expensive goods but they are all still wrapped and have all the price tags on them. Lisa tells Nelson that she was the one who sent him the loan but he tells her that his business doing so well means he can quit school. Lisa feels bad as is standard.

Chris Hansen confronts Homer about his returning items after using them. That's the end of that plot. Nelson and Lisa go to an entrepreneur expo. Mark Zuckerberg is there and talks about how great dropping out of school is or something. Grandpa tells Lisa something about how money can't change who people are so Lisa goes to bare her heart to Nelson but all of the bikes he worked on have fallen apart and everybody demands a refund. The episode ends  with Mark Zuckerberg falling over and making a post on Facebook about it.

3/10


Reading the reviews written up on Wikipedia after watching the episode is usually the most amusing part of the Modern Simpsons experience.

Rowan Kaiser of The A.V. Club gave the episode a grade of B- said "spending time with The Simpsons tends to make me happy, and nothing about this episode was particularly terrible".