The family that doesn't know the meaning of the word "cancelled" - The Simpsons!

[on:]

I will rank the episodes Jarvio mentioned in her post in the last thread.

1. Simpson Tide
2. King of the Hill
3. Dumbbell Indemnity
4. Das Bus
5. This Little Wiggy
6. Girly Edition
7. The Trouble With Trillions

[Reply #1 on:]

Yay, you made a thread with a good title AND contributed something in the first post! Good work, stum.

Except Jarvio is a guy.

I would rank Simpson Tide as the weakest of that list. It tries too hard to be funny but just descends into the forced wackiness that dominated the Mike Scully era (aside from a few great moments, ie. Grampa's "communist" line). The rest vary from good to average, with Girly Edition being my favourite of this particular selection.

[Reply #2 on:]

lol yeah I'm a guy - must be the amy avatar!

Simpson Tide seems underrated here. It is quite wacky, but it didn't cross the line like modern simpsons, at least for me

[Reply #3 on:]

I don't care about Simpsons Tide, probably my least favorite from season 9. Lost Our Lisa, Joy of Sect and Lisa the Sceptic and Lisa's Sax would be my favorites. Season 9 seems to be divided and already notably weaker than season 8. Also it looks like there is many Lisa-centered episodes I like.

[Reply #4 on:]

Agreed that the Lisa-centric episodes were generally the stand-outs of season 9 (and that 9 was weaker than 8, though I'd still regard it as the last "classic era" season; the good far outweighs the bad here), though I'm surprised Lisa the Simpson didn't get a mention on your list, QNF.

[Reply #5 on:]

Agreed that the Lisa-centric episodes were generally the stand-outs of season 9 (and that 9 was weaker than 8, though I'd still regard it as the last "classic era" season; the good far outweighs the bad here), though I'm surprised Lisa the Simpson didn't get a mention on your list, QNF.

I disagree. I'd say Season 10 is the last season that doesn't have any episodes that score lower than a 7/10 for me (I don't count clipshow episodes as affecting the quality of a Season by the way). Also, I think Lisa's Sax and Lisa the Simpson are by far the most overrated episodes in Season 9. If any Lisa episode is underappreciated, it's Lisa the Skeptic.

[Reply #6 on:]

Season 10 certainly has its moments, though there are too many "Homer gets a wacky new job" episodes for my liking, coupled with a lot of lame, go-nowhere sub-plots. I'd still rank it miles above seasons 11 and 12, though.

[Reply #7 on:]

It tries too hard to be funny but just descends into the forced wackiness that dominated the Mike Scully era

Simpson Tide isn't a Scully episode.

Also, thanks.

[Reply #8 on:]

Simpson Tide isn't a Scully episode.

He said it's comparable to Scully episodes...

I'm surprised Lisa the Simpson didn't get a mention on your list, QNF.

Well, I don't like it that much. Even though it has nice theme, it's too far-fetched and simply not so great.


Season 10 is, I guess, more consistent, but not as good as previous.

[Reply #9 on:]

This thread has been waaaaaaay too much for me for the last couple weeks so I've just sat out. So many strong opinions, some that match mine, some that disagree, but too many to respond to so I'm not even going to bother for the most part.

But there's been one comment that's kept coming up that bothers me to absolutely no end, and that's the concept of "Jerkass Homer" who supposedly only starts showing up in the later seasons. I'll say this right now: this idea is complete bullshit. Sorry, but Homer has frequently been an irredeemable dick of a person ever since the series began, and any notion otherwise is totally mistaken. Go back to classic era episodes or even the super early years and you'll see that almost every single episode has examples of Homer doing or saying completely unforgivable things, whether they be due to ignorance, misogyny, or just being plain mean-spirited. The only reason we're not supposed to hate him is because it's a cartoon. We accept his flaws and see the good traits in him because none of the characters (apart from maybe Lisa) are really meant to be realistically fleshed out personalities...they're caricatures who fluctuate between good and evil to fit what the writers are trying to get across, which is generally either humor or emotion.

"Jerkass Homer" is everywhere throughout the series. Watch the episode A Streetcar Named Marge from season 4 and try to tell me that Homer isn't as bad or worse than how he's acted in recent seasons. He's pretty much the worst husband ever in that episode, he ignores Marge almost intentionally, is horribly mean and insulting to her, and acts like everything's fine. Sure, we get the schmaltzy ending where he seems to show some self-awareness, but at least in my opinion it doesn't come close to making up for his behavior throughout the episode. But that's okay, the episode still works, because it's not about whether Homer is truly a good person...it's about the message that the episode is getting across about being good to your partner. Homer doesn't need to embody good or have justifications for his actions because it's a comedy cartoon and he's not real. Same goes for Secrets Of A Successful Marriage, where Homer is a total dick, and then ends up coming up with possibly the worst reason ever for why Marge should stay with him, and it works because it's a cartoon. Critics love that episode even though it probably has one of the worst messages the show has ever put across, because it's funny and raises interesting thoughts. Or what about Homer's Enemy, which is one of the most well-received episodes ever, where Homer's complete incompetence and utter buffoonery ends up causing a totally innocent man's death? Why is that not too far? Because it's FUNNY.

See, that's what's important. Homer can be as much of a horrible jackass as the writers can possibly make him, but as long as it's funny it's not too much. The only reason to dislike Homer for being a jackass is if you don't find it funny, but in that case your problem should be with the comedic writing, not with the behavior of the character being out of place. Complaining about Homer being too mean or too stupid makes no sense, because chances are he's been that mean and stupid if not meaner or stupider at some other point in the series where you didn't complain because it was funny enough that you didn't think about it.

[Reply #10 on:]

This thread has been waaaaaaay too much for me for the last couple weeks so I've just sat out. So many strong opinions, some that match mine, some that disagree, but too many to respond to so I'm not even going to bother for the most part.

But there's been one comment that's kept coming up that bothers me to absolutely no end, and that's the concept of "Jerkass Homer" who supposedly only starts showing up in the later seasons. I'll say this right now: this idea is complete bullshit. Sorry, but Homer has frequently been an irredeemable dick of a person ever since the series began, and any notion otherwise is totally mistaken. Go back to classic era episodes or even the super early years and you'll see that almost every single episode has examples of Homer doing or saying completely unforgivable things, whether they be due to ignorance, misogyny, or just being plain mean-spirited. The only reason we're not supposed to hate him is because it's a cartoon. We accept his flaws and see the good traits in him because none of the characters (apart from maybe Lisa) are really meant to be realistically fleshed out personalities...they're caricatures who fluctuate between good and evil to fit what the writers are trying to get across, which is generally either humor or emotion.

"Jerkass Homer" is everywhere throughout the series. Watch the episode A Streetcar Named Marge from season 4 and try to tell me that Homer isn't as bad or worse than how he's acted in recent seasons. He's pretty much the worst husband ever in that episode, he ignores Marge almost intentionally, is horribly mean and insulting to her, and acts like everything's fine. Sure, we get the schmaltzy ending where he seems to show some self-awareness, but at least in my opinion it doesn't come close to making up for his behavior throughout the episode. But that's okay, the episode still works, because it's not about whether Homer is truly a good person...it's about the message that the episode is getting across about being good to your partner. Homer doesn't need to embody good or have justifications for his actions because it's a comedy cartoon and he's not real. Same goes for Secrets Of A Successful Marriage, where Homer is a total dick, and then ends up coming up with possibly the worst reason ever for why Marge should stay with him, and it works because it's a cartoon. Critics love that episode even though it probably has one of the worst messages the show has ever put across, because it's funny and raises interesting thoughts. Or what about Homer's Enemy, which is one of the most well-received episodes ever, where Homer's complete incompetence and utter buffoonery ends up causing a totally innocent man's death? Why is that not too far? Because it's FUNNY.

See, that's what's important. Homer can be as much of a horrible jackass as the writers can possibly make him, but as long as it's funny it's not too much. The only reason to dislike Homer for being a jackass is if you don't find it funny, but in that case your problem should be with the comedic writing, not with the behavior of the character being out of place. Complaining about Homer being too mean or too stupid makes no sense, because chances are he's been that mean and stupid if not meaner or stupider at some other point in the series where you didn't complain because it was funny enough that you didn't think about it.

I agree, Josh. Just look at episodes like Homer Goes to College in Season 5 too. Homer is definitely Jerkass Homer in that one. It's why I can't tolerate most people on Simpsons forums, because they give out automatic F grades to episodes where Homer is a jerk in them, despite them being really funny or excellent. Sure, Season 10 is quite Homer-centric and a bit wackier than before, but joke wise it's still up there with the first 9 seasons.

[Reply #11 on:]

I'll just leave this here:

http://deadhomersociety.com/2012/09/26/compare-contrast-homer-parties-like-its-freshman-year/

[Reply #12 on:]

Extra reading digest:

http://meblogwritegood.wordpress.com/2013/10/23/464-judge-me-tender/

[Reply #13 on:]

Wow, not only did Stum give this thread a decent title, but he actually contributed to the discussion in his first post!

I will rank the episodes Jarvio mentioned in her post in the last thread.

1. Simpson Tide
2. King of the Hill
3. Dumbbell Indemnity
4. Das Bus
5. This Little Wiggy
6. Girly Edition
7. The Trouble With Trillions

Hmm. I actually would have put Simpson Tide at the bottom of that list, and changed around some of the stuff in the middle. My favorite episode on that list is Girly Edition.

Anyway, as I said in the previous thread, "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson" and "Lisa the Simpson" are my favorites from Season 9. I'm actually surprised that some people are calling LTS "overrated"; I've never heard anyone say that before.

[Reply #14 on:]

This thread has been waaaaaaay too much for me for the last couple weeks so I've just sat out. So many strong opinions, some that match mine, some that disagree, but too many to respond to so I'm not even going to bother for the most part.

But there's been one comment that's kept coming up that bothers me to absolutely no end, and that's the concept of "Jerkass Homer" who supposedly only starts showing up in the later seasons. I'll say this right now: this idea is complete bullshit. Sorry, but Homer has frequently been an irredeemable dick of a person ever since the series began, and any notion otherwise is totally mistaken. Go back to classic era episodes or even the super early years and you'll see that almost every single episode has examples of Homer doing or saying completely unforgivable things, whether they be due to ignorance, misogyny, or just being plain mean-spirited. The only reason we're not supposed to hate him is because it's a cartoon. We accept his flaws and see the good traits in him because none of the characters (apart from maybe Lisa) are really meant to be realistically fleshed out personalities...they're caricatures who fluctuate between good and evil to fit what the writers are trying to get across, which is generally either humor or emotion.

"Jerkass Homer" is everywhere throughout the series. Watch the episode A Streetcar Named Marge from season 4 and try to tell me that Homer isn't as bad or worse than how he's acted in recent seasons. He's pretty much the worst husband ever in that episode, he ignores Marge almost intentionally, is horribly mean and insulting to her, and acts like everything's fine. Sure, we get the schmaltzy ending where he seems to show some self-awareness, but at least in my opinion it doesn't come close to making up for his behavior throughout the episode. But that's okay, the episode still works, because it's not about whether Homer is truly a good person...it's about the message that the episode is getting across about being good to your partner. Homer doesn't need to embody good or have justifications for his actions because it's a comedy cartoon and he's not real. Same goes for Secrets Of A Successful Marriage, where Homer is a total dick, and then ends up coming up with possibly the worst reason ever for why Marge should stay with him, and it works because it's a cartoon. Critics love that episode even though it probably has one of the worst messages the show has ever put across, because it's funny and raises interesting thoughts. Or what about Homer's Enemy, which is one of the most well-received episodes ever, where Homer's complete incompetence and utter buffoonery ends up causing a totally innocent man's death? Why is that not too far? Because it's FUNNY.

See, that's what's important. Homer can be as much of a horrible jackass as the writers can possibly make him, but as long as it's funny it's not too much. The only reason to dislike Homer for being a jackass is if you don't find it funny, but in that case your problem should be with the comedic writing, not with the behavior of the character being out of place. Complaining about Homer being too mean or too stupid makes no sense, because chances are he's been that mean and stupid if not meaner or stupider at some other point in the series where you didn't complain because it was funny enough that you didn't think about it.

I agree, Josh. Just look at episodes like Homer Goes to College in Season 5 too. Homer is definitely Jerkass Homer in that one. It's why I can't tolerate most people on Simpsons forums, because they give out automatic F grades to episodes where Homer is a jerk in them, despite them being really funny or excellent. Sure, Season 10 is quite Homer-centric and a bit wackier than before, but joke wise it's still up there with the first 9 seasons.

NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EERDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Reply #15 on:]

This thread has been waaaaaaay too much for me for the last couple weeks so I've just sat out. So many strong opinions, some that match mine, some that disagree, but too many to respond to so I'm not even going to bother for the most part.

But there's been one comment that's kept coming up that bothers me to absolutely no end, and that's the concept of "Jerkass Homer" who supposedly only starts showing up in the later seasons. I'll say this right now: this idea is complete bullshit. Sorry, but Homer has frequently been an irredeemable dick of a person ever since the series began, and any notion otherwise is totally mistaken. Go back to classic era episodes or even the super early years and you'll see that almost every single episode has examples of Homer doing or saying completely unforgivable things, whether they be due to ignorance, misogyny, or just being plain mean-spirited. The only reason we're not supposed to hate him is because it's a cartoon. We accept his flaws and see the good traits in him because none of the characters (apart from maybe Lisa) are really meant to be realistically fleshed out personalities...they're caricatures who fluctuate between good and evil to fit what the writers are trying to get across, which is generally either humor or emotion.

"Jerkass Homer" is everywhere throughout the series. Watch the episode A Streetcar Named Marge from season 4 and try to tell me that Homer isn't as bad or worse than how he's acted in recent seasons. He's pretty much the worst husband ever in that episode, he ignores Marge almost intentionally, is horribly mean and insulting to her, and acts like everything's fine. Sure, we get the schmaltzy ending where he seems to show some self-awareness, but at least in my opinion it doesn't come close to making up for his behavior throughout the episode. But that's okay, the episode still works, because it's not about whether Homer is truly a good person...it's about the message that the episode is getting across about being good to your partner. Homer doesn't need to embody good or have justifications for his actions because it's a comedy cartoon and he's not real. Same goes for Secrets Of A Successful Marriage, where Homer is a total dick, and then ends up coming up with possibly the worst reason ever for why Marge should stay with him, and it works because it's a cartoon. Critics love that episode even though it probably has one of the worst messages the show has ever put across, because it's funny and raises interesting thoughts. Or what about Homer's Enemy, which is one of the most well-received episodes ever, where Homer's complete incompetence and utter buffoonery ends up causing a totally innocent man's death? Why is that not too far? Because it's FUNNY.

See, that's what's important. Homer can be as much of a horrible jackass as the writers can possibly make him, but as long as it's funny it's not too much. The only reason to dislike Homer for being a jackass is if you don't find it funny, but in that case your problem should be with the comedic writing, not with the behavior of the character being out of place. Complaining about Homer being too mean or too stupid makes no sense, because chances are he's been that mean and stupid if not meaner or stupider at some other point in the series where you didn't complain because it was funny enough that you didn't think about it.

I agree, Josh. Just look at episodes like Homer Goes to College in Season 5 too. Homer is definitely Jerkass Homer in that one. It's why I can't tolerate most people on Simpsons forums, because they give out automatic F grades to episodes where Homer is a jerk in them, despite them being really funny or excellent. Sure, Season 10 is quite Homer-centric and a bit wackier than before, but joke wise it's still up there with the first 9 seasons.

NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EERDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best episode evar!

Also...



"WHY IS NESSIE WORKING AT A CASINO IN THE SIMPSONS?! WTF IS THIS SHIT!?!?"

F - Worst episode ever!

[Reply #16 on:]

"How long is your weiner? I mean, seriously?"

High-brow humour, alright.

[Reply #17 on:]

Promotional image for YOLO:

[Reply #18 on:]

Hey, how do I print pictures onto here?

[Reply #19 on:]

Promotional image for YOLO:

[Reply #20 on:]

Promotional image for YOLO:

Goddamnit! I'm never going to make it to Season 25 if all the Modern seasons are this boring!

[Reply #21 on:]

Two new episode plots were revealed today:

YOLO: To help Homer embrace his You-Only-Live-Once attitude, Marge invites his old pen-pal Eduardo to stay with him and help him achieve his childhood dreams.

You Don't Have to Live Like a Referee: Through a series of nonsensical events, Homer gets hired by FIFA as the referee for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but while there he gets caught in a match-fixing scam blah blah blah.

[Reply #22 on:]

Two new episode plots were revealed today:

YOLO: To help Homer embrace his You-Only-Live-Once attitude, Marge invites his old pen-pal Eduardo to stay with him and help him achieve his childhood dreams.

You Don't Have to Live Like a Referee: Through a series of nonsensical events, Homer gets hired by FIFA as the referee for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but while there he gets caught in a match-fixing scam blah blah blah.

Wow! Sounds exciting! I can't wait to see them 11 seasons later!

[Reply #23 on:]

There will also be a star-studded episode featuring Will Arnett, Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Channing Tatum and Rob Halford.

[Reply #24 on:]

Which is, ironically, not the episode based on a script-outline by Judd Apatow.

[Reply #25 on:]

You Don't Have to Live Like a Referee: Through a series of nonsensical events, Homer gets hired by FIFA as the referee for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but while there he gets caught in a match-fixing scam blah blah blah.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if this were the official press release given how much they seem to care about the show these days.

[Reply #26 on:]

Season 14 was okay I'd say. Maybe slightly worse than Season 13 overall. The Great Louse Detective and Strong Arms of the Ma were probably my favourite episodes in Season 14, but maybe not an 8/10 for me. The Treehouse of Horror clones segment I guess was okay, although I didn't like the Peter Griffin joke and found it stupid. Also, I started noticing they're rehashing plots by this point. At least I got that Robot episode to look forward to in Season 15.

[Reply #27 on:]

The Treehouse of Horror clones segment I guess was okay, although I didn't like the Peter Griffin joke and found it stupid.

Seems a bit weird to single out a joke that takes up maybe 2 seconds of screen time, but oh well. It made me laugh.

I'd rank 13 and 14 as being pretty even (equally mediocre, that is). The Bart Wants What It Wants, Weekend at Burnsie's and Poppa's Got a Brand New Badge would be my favourites from the former, and The Dad Who Knew Too Little, I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can and Moe Baby Blues from the latter. They're definite improvements over the frustrating retardation of seasons 11 and 12, though not by that much.

[Reply #28 on:]

Yeah, the robot episode is sweet.

[Reply #29 on:]

I honestly remembered not liking "I D'ohbot" that much when it aired, but after a recent rewatch I decided it was actually one of the stronger season 15 episodes.

[Reply #30 on:]

"He's killing him softly with his saw!"

"Killing him softly?"

"With his saw."

[Reply #31 on:]

I hated the robot wars one, if I'm honest.

[Reply #32 on:]

I doubt you're the only person who hates it, however it was voted the 19th best post-classic episode on NHC.

[Reply #33 on:]

The NHC's official top 25 post-classics:

1. Trilogy of Error
2. Moe Baby Blues
3. Holidays of Future Passed
4. Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind
5. Lisa Gets an "A"
6. The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace
7. Treehouse of Horror IX
8. The Seemingly Never-Ending Story
9. Hungry, Hungry Homer
10. Behind the Laughter
11. 24 Minutes
12. Wild Barts Can't Be Broken
13. Mayored to the Mob
14. Mom and Pop Art
15. Poppa's Got a Brand New Badge
16. Skinner's Sense of Snow
17. The Dad Who Knew Too Little
18. HOMR
19. I, D'oh-bot
20. Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo
21. I Am Furious (Yellow)
22. Special Edna
23. Little Girl in the Big Ten
24. 'Tis the Fifteenth Season
25. Half-Decent Proposal

Thoughts?

[Reply #34 on:]

Other episodes that made the list included "Simple Simpson", "C.E.D'oh", "Thank God It's Doomsday", "The Debarted" and "The Way We Weren't". Can't remember the exact ranking.

[Reply #35 on:]

I luv the simpsons, its a lot like Futurama but not the same. It rips of Family Guy a bit but I dont mind because I luv Family Guy to! Simpsons is awesum!

[Reply #36 on:]

It rips of Family Guy a bit but I dont mind because I luv Family Guy to!

How does The Simpsons rip off Family Guy? The Simpsons started in 1989 (1987 if you count the shorts) and Family Guy started in 1999. I'm assuming that you're a troll, because no one can possibly be that ignorant.

[Reply #37 on:]

I am not a troll it rips of sum of the stuff in Family Guy when they do it first u shouldnt call mi ingorant.

[Reply #38 on:]

If you're not a troll, then perhaps you'd like to name one way that The Simpsons has ripped off Family Guy?

[Reply #39 on:]

They do the cutaway thing now and Family Guy started that first.