Sal

[on:]

Well in the first couple of episodes Zoidberg had teeth and Sal did not mis-pluralize all the words. He certainly was correct in The Series Has Landed.
Was this just an attempt to make his character more controversial?

[Reply #1 on:]

I'm sorry...I just have to ask...what the hell are you on about?
Those statements don't even connect or follow on from each other at all...

[Reply #2 on:]

Well in the first couple of episodes Zoidberg had teeth and Sal did not mis-pluralize all the words. He certainly was correct in The Series Has Landed.
Was this just an attempt to make his character more controversial?

It's called character evolution.

[Reply #3 on:]

Well in the first couple of episodes Zoidberg had teeth and Sal did not mis-pluralize all the words. He certainly was correct in The Series Has Landed.
Was this just an attempt to make his character more controversial?

It's called character evolution.

Is it character evolution or a couple of producers trouble shooting?
I consider Amy's tattoos being character evolution,

[Reply #4 on:]

Well you're wrong.

[Reply #5 on:]

Thanks for that.

[Reply #6 on:]

You're welcome, if there's anything else you need correcting on just say it.

[Reply #7 on:]

Well in the first couple of episodes Zoidberg had teeth and Sal did not mis-pluralize all the words. He certainly was correct in The Series Has Landed.
Was this just an attempt to make his character more controversial?

Probably for the same reason that in early Simpsons episodes Ralph had Nelson's voice and Barney had blonde hair. They'd yet to iron out the kinks and settle on defined parameters.

[Reply #8 on:]

Was this just an attempt to make his character more controversial?

I'm not quite sure what you mean here by controversial, but if you want an explanation within the confines of the show besides the more practical writing and production reasons for the change as coldy mentioned, and if you suscribe to the clone theory of Sal, then perhaps the Luna Park Sal just happens to speak a bit more correctly (or he's too lazy to make his words plural).

[Reply #9 on:]

An easily-recognizable and amusing gimmick is required for minor supporting characters in these cartoon things. Of course, The Simpsons is full of them. Futurama staff must have thought of the pluralizing gimmick a little late and slapped it onto the Sal character.

I hadn't heard the clone theory. Makes sense. More sense than Old Gil and the Squeaky-voiced teen being employed everywhere in The Simpsons.

[Reply #10 on:]

I think the clone theory of Sal is mentioned in one of the commentaries.

If you have any poo, fling it now.

[Reply #11 on:]

I hadn't heard the clone theory. Makes sense. More sense than Old Gil and the Squeaky-voiced teen being employed everywhere in The Simpsons.

It would also explain, besides the writers just making Sal behave the way they wanted him to in a particular episode, why his personality seems to change a bit from time to time. For example, the "Parasites Lost" Sal is more crude and aggressive to Leela, while the "Put Your Head on My Shoulders" Sal is more subdued and, in his own way, even somewhat polite.

[Reply #12 on:]

It seems like Sal is character they use to create conflict/friction to further the episode plot (some characters are throw aways & don't advance the plot theme; he doesn't seem to be).

[Reply #13 on:]

Heh. Why would anybody clone a disgusting fat slob? Unless he was actually the perfect man to begin with, but thousands of generations of cloning clones later, replication defects have kicked in, producing his grotesque appearance and speech impediment.
Man, they should make an "Attack of the Sals" episode.

[Reply #14 on:]

Would you prefare that it is a different species of Sals? All looking similar to the untrained eye but having different personalities and some with a speach impediment?

[Reply #15 on:]

Sal is an issue intentionally left unexplained.  I assume the writers would run into too many issues explaining him.  He is a stock character anyway, as he doesn't have any background, really.

But Sal's s'es is just another of many evolutions on the show.  Season 1 is filled with these early concepts.

I could easily mention a few:

- The professor's pj-joke (only tried twice).
- Hermes' accent (for that matter, all of the characters' voices have changed over the years).
- Zoidberg's teeth (appears in episodes 2, 3 and 4).
- Sal's s'es (though, even during his reappearance in "Put Your Head on My Shoulders", he still retains regular English).

Season 1 is always a 'test season'.  Somethings didn't pan out, some did.

[Reply #16 on:]

I was going to add Leela's

"This wangs chung!"
and
"This toads the wet sprocket."

but they're both from season 3.

If you have any poo, fling it now.