Unloved by Al its The Simpsons season 15 "And Review Threads Make Three"

[Reply #400 on:]

 

Another interesting note: Snake's first gunshots during the end credits were heard while *who's* name was flashed on screen? Guess. Go on. Forgive my lack of respect for the dead, but this is one of the most beautiful ironies I've ever seen. And in his last episode, no less!

  Wow... didn't know that.

Spooky.

Edit: By the way, here's a flash animation about the season finale of The Simpsons and, to a lesser extent, King of the Hill and Malcom in the Middle.

[Reply #401 on:]

My eyes have cancer!

[Reply #402 on:]

I usually don't think of 'sexy' when I think of King of the hill. And the addition of three animated prepubescent guest star chicks really doesn't make me think sexy.

You bogus flash ad you!

[Reply #403 on:]

Wow, Season 15 is ending this Sunday, it went so fast!...

Oh yeah, probabaly because I didn't watch any of it...

[Reply #404 on:]

Thanks for the info, JBERGES. I had always assumed that the hyped episode, "Bart the Mother", was his last but I guess I'm mistaken.

Also, DotheBartman, the dedication to Hartman in "Bart Carny" probably was (as you said) added in a rerun. But, that doesn't necessarily mean that his last appearance was in that episode. If you'll recall, "A Hunka, Hunka Burns in Love" ended with a dedication to George Harrison, even though he didn't appear in the episode. Rather, the dedication was added out of respect for a great man, a Beatle, and a Simpsons guest star (he appeared in "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" ).

Anyway, Goodbye Season 15, I hardly knew ye.

[Reply #405 on:]

My local station recently showed "Tennis the Menace". When I watch this, I can't help but be a little extremely disgusted and repulsed.

Well, this episode starts out with a retirement home talent show. Lots of chances for laughs. But, no. The scene is painfully unfunny. The sad part is, it's the best part of the episode!

Now Grandpa has won the show and gets a free autopsy (???). A perfect chance to bring out uncaring Homer who couldn't be less concerned with what happens to his father. What does this have to do with tennis, you ask? Nothing! We get a completly random cut to Homer deciding to buy a tennis court.

Once the court is installed, OFF invites friends over to play. Ha ha! Homer is getting hurt and acting like an idiot! That's HILARIOUS! Then, for absolutely no reason, Homer decides that Bart is going to kill him and marry Marge. What the...? Then, Homer enters the family in a tennis tournament, also for no reason.

On the day of the tournament, uncaring Homer from act one comes back and hurts Lisa's feelings by replacing her with a tennis pro in the game. Then, Marge does the same thing with Bart! After that, Homer and Marge are also replaced. That's FOUR guest stars, each more pointless than the last.

Finally, this atrocity comes to an end with the family learning a crappy "moral" and Homer robbing somebody.

Worst episode ever.

[Reply #406 on:]

I'll admit, it was a pointless episode and completely stupid, especially Homer building the court for no reason whatsoever. But I give it a point for trying, and also a few good lines ("It's better to watch stuff than to do stuff" and "He thought that trip to the guillotine factory was just for fun, but it was the perfect place to shoot him" ) It's borderline 1.5/5 and 2/5 for me.
Now, the worst episode EVER is from the same season "Simpson Safari." Dear God, it aired on April 1st for a reason, the episode was one big joke: a hippo hatching from an egg, Marge and Lisa shooting bees out of a pipe, Bart getting his lip disked and it being enlengthened, etc. etc... The bag boy plot at the beginning was dumb, and everything that followed just took its lead and was dumb too. Everyone in the episode acted like fools, and Bart's "I haven't said anything in a while" line was the most unsubtle self-depricating line I've ever heard. I only laughed at Homer's "It's just a flower" line, and "Look at me! I'm a scientist!" but probably because it was so stupid that it was funny. Nothing in this episode was logical, or well-thought out, and nothing of interest happened.
And that's why I no longer trust John Swartzwelder.

[Reply #407 on:]

Come now. Swartzwelder's written some good episodes since then.

But yeah, "Simpson Safari" was awful. Definitely in my bottom three.

[Reply #408 on:]

Oh? Let's see...
[CABF18] A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love: OK
[DABF07] The Lastest Gun in the West: Horrible
[DABF13] I Am Furious (Yellow): Good (1)
[DABF14] The Sweetest Apu: OK
[DABF16] The Frying Game: OK
[EABF09] Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington: OK
[EABF21] Treehouse of Horror XIV: OK
[EABF22] The Regina Monologues: OK

Alright, "Hunka Hunka" and "Mr. Spritz" are borderlining good, but still, my point remains valid. He's lost his luster, man!

[Reply #409 on:]

Yeah, he has.

Still, I liked "Mr. Spritz" at least.

[Reply #410 on:]

 

Originally posted by leelaholic:
Actually, DTB, I think you're mistaken.

*all gasp*

I'm pretty sure that Hartman's final appearance was in "Bart the Mother".

I was actually referring to the dedication at the end of the episode (which they've done a few other times; again with Grau, Ron Taylor, Linda McCartney, a couple others).  But yes, his last voicing was Bart the Mother.  Although I heard somewhere (maybe I told this story before) that he had actually recorded a part for "Treehouse of Horror IX" as well, with Troy McClure hosting "World's Deadliest Executions".  But they didn't want the last appearance to be about death so they substituted that part for Ed McMahon, ironically a person Hartman used to imitate on SNL.

EDIT: Actually didn't see all the posts since the one I quoted, and didn't see that the story was already told here.  My mistake.

[Reply #411 on:]

 

Originally posted by User_names_suck:
For fucks sake sal you better be joking. I gave you a link so you wouldn't even have to scroll up or down.

23rd May:  Margical History Tour
20th June: Millhouse doesn't live here anymore.

The Site is like that becuase it contains acres of infomation that is Frequently updated.
(although strangley they still haven't mentioned the fact that the Voice actors contract negotiations are over)

yes, i was joking sorry if i pissed you off. I looked on Sky T.V guide for Sunday 23rd May and there isn't a new simpsons episode. why is this, were am i going wrong?

Sorry to post 2 pages apart but i only read that page yesterday. DAMN, this thread moves fast!

[Reply #412 on:]

 

Originally posted by leelaholic:
My local station recently showed "Tennis the Menace". When I watch this, I can't help but be a little extremely disgusted and repulsed.

Well, this episode starts out with a retirement home talent show. Lots of chances for laughs. But, no. The scene is painfully unfunny. The sad part is, it's the best part of the episode!

Now Grandpa has won the show and gets a free autopsy (???). A perfect chance to bring out uncaring Homer who couldn't be less concerned with what happens to his father. What does this have to do with tennis, you ask? Nothing! We get a completly random cut to Homer deciding to buy a tennis court.

Once the court is installed, OFF invites friends over to play. Ha ha! Homer is getting hurt and acting like an idiot! That's HILARIOUS! Then, for absolutely no reason, Homer decides that Bart is going to kill him and marry Marge. What the...? Then, Homer enters the family in a tennis tournament, also for no reason.

On the day of the tournament, uncaring Homer from act one comes back and hurts Lisa's feelings by replacing her with a tennis pro in the game. Then, Marge does the same thing with Bart! After that, Homer and Marge are also replaced. That's FOUR guest stars, each more pointless than the last.

Finally, this atrocity comes to an end with the family learning a crappy "moral" and Homer robbing somebody.

Worst episode ever.

Oh come on, that episode was great. Sure it wasn't all that realistic but you can't expect them to come up with stories as good as the first few seasons after 300 plus episodes.
Also, the cut to them buying a tennis court was in no way random. The guy at the graveyard said something about something being the size of a tennis court (I forget what exactly) which gives Homer the idea.Then Grampa said something like "We went through all that just to wind up buying a tennis court?" which is a great joke about how Simpsons episodes tend to start off about one thing and then go off in a wierd direction that you never see coming. 
   

[Reply #413 on:]

That episode is bad an you should feel bad. Perhaps it isn't the worst, but it was still terrible.

And lack of realism isn't an issue. *Homer walks by window* Lack of humour is. I don't expect the Simpsons to maintain the same level of humour for years. I do expect it to keep itself above a certain standard, so as I can still actually laugh at it. And the constant self-referencial jokes really aren't funny. Does anyone wonder why I named my starship Death of Subtley?

 

[Reply #414 on:]

I really didn't like "Tennis the Menace", but it's not the lack of reality that bugs me, it's the lack of humor and terrible charicterizing, especially for Homer. The Simpsons have done plenty of good "crazy" episodes and, quite frankly, I expected better.
 

Originally posted by Mr Fuzzywuvems:
Also, the cut to them buying a tennis court was in no way random. The guy at the graveyard said something about something being the size of a tennis court (I forget what exactly) which gives Homer the idea.Then Grampa said something like "We went through all that just to wind up buying a tennis court?" which is a great joke about how Simpsons episodes tend to start off about one thing and then go off in a wierd direction that you never see coming.

So... it's a joke about being unclever?

Also, The Simpsons didn't have over 300 episodes back in Scully's reign of terror. That didn't happen until Al Jean's day.

[Reply #415 on:]

Tennis sucks as much as FOX, Stalin and McDonalds combined.

[Reply #416 on:]

   

Originally posted by Sal:
  yes, i was joking sorry if i pissed you off. I looked on Sky T.V guide for Sunday 23rd May and there isn't a new simpsons episode. why is this, were am i going wrong?

Sorry to post 2 pages apart but i only read that page yesterday. DAMN, this thread moves fast!

   

Originally posted by me on page 10:


For whom it may concern.
snpp made a mistake on the U.K airing of Margical History tour. ( Well actually they have the correct listing elsewhere on the page but in the main bold part they made a mistake.)
its actually going to air 30th May
and I think Millhouse doesn't live here anymore
on the 20th June.

Tennis the menace has a few funny and quite clever lines, therefore making it better than Simpsons safari. although that had the flower thing. therfore making it better than
Pray Anything however which had no funny lines.
and what was worse it had lots of long slow dialouge to set up the crap jokes. and had the worst excuse for an emotinal plot ever to add to the lameness.

and We've been through the whole Swartzwleder buisness, he doesn't visit for any re-writes or even the table reads he just sends in his outline for the rest of the staff to fuck up to their hearts content.

[Reply #417 on:]

Review has some spoilers.

Show spoiler

Did you like "Monty Can't Buy Me Love"? No? Good! They got it right this time. It started out kind of iffy, but picked up after they got an akward joke about Burns being nursed to health by a mole out of the way.

There were several moments where I laughed out loud: 
Burns: I guess the lesson here is one man can't control all the media. Except for Rupert Murdoch! What a hansome man.
*Smiles at screen*

The Homer feels bad for Lisa has been a bit overdone this season, but I found the end result of it being used in this episode, Homer publishing a news paper about how much he admires Lisa, very touching and well done. 

Overall the first act was pretty bad, but act 2 and act 3 more than made up for it. 3.5/5

For those of you who don't wish to read any spoilers, I gave it 3.5/5.

[Reply #418 on:]

So, a nerd laments Futurama and is rewarded with makeouts. ....Thumbs up!!

[Reply #419 on:]

The beginning was a little weak, but the rest more than makes up for it.  It was a great Lisa and Mr. Burns story, and a great Burns story period.  Good use of Bart and Homer as side characters, as well as a number of school children. 4.5/5. It would have been a 5/5 if not for a number of weak gags (Most in the first act).

[Reply #420 on:]

The very last picture made up for any plot flaws. Aaawwwwwwww.

[Reply #421 on:]

Season 15 Top 5:

1. "My Mother the Carjacker"
2. "The Way We Weren't"
3. "Fraudcast News"
4. "I, D'oh-Bot"
5. "Simple Simpson"

[Reply #422 on:]

A solid outing that could have been far more, and was going in all the right, and some wrong, directions.

To get it out of the way, the biggest problem with this episode was basically material that had nothing to do with what was going on. The story itself had enough focus (although act one was way too short), but ironically the humor often didn't. The mole sucking (amusing the first time, gag inducing the second time), the ending montage, the ant crushing bit....there was just a little too much of things like this. The quality of it varied a lot too, making it more of a problem. Very few gags actually just out and out failed for me (the mole thing is one of the few exceptions there) but too much of it wasn't funny enough to warrant its existance (for the record though, I otherwise loved the ant bit).

Now, where this episode hit, it could really hit. Anything actually related to main story basically worked. It presented overall a good satire of the issue of media ownership, at least when it wanted too. The effects of Burns' ownership of the media was all well done and funny. Hell, the Itchy and Scratchy cartoon may have been the best satiric moment the show has had in quite a while, and was brilliantly hilarious. There were other small strokes of genius too, like the Ruper Murdoch line. The story seemed like it could have been a little stronger, but nonetheless it was good and showcased the show's ability to take an issue like this and bring it down to the family pretty well. And again, even a lot of the unrelated gags were hilarious. I loved the ant bit, "why did they cancel Futurama?", etc.

Overall a solid, if slightly more forgettable and unfocused then it should have been, outing. Not much else to say about it at the moment.

Grade: B/B+

[Reply #423 on:]

Thank god, nice to see they recovered over that atrocity Bart Mangled Banner.

[Reply #424 on:]

 

Originally posted by leelaholic:
I really didn't like "Tennis the Menace", but it's not the lack of reality that bugs me, it's the lack of humor and terrible charicterizing, especially for Homer. The Simpsons have done plenty of good "crazy" episodes and, quite frankly, I expected better.
 

Originally posted by Mr Fuzzywuvems:
Also, the cut to them buying a tennis court was in no way random. The guy at the graveyard said something about something being the size of a tennis court (I forget what exactly) which gives Homer the idea.Then Grampa said something like "We went through all that just to wind up buying a tennis court?" which is a great joke about how Simpsons episodes tend to start off about one thing and then go off in a wierd direction that you never see coming.

 

So... it's a joke about being unclever?

No, it's a joke about great writing. Most TV shows are way too predictable and one of the best things about the Simpsons is you can never see what's coming.
 

Also, The Simpsons didn't have over 300 episodes back in Scully's reign of terror. That didn't happen until Al Jean's day.

I'm not denying that alot of the Scully episodes are terrible (not all though, I really enjoyed 'Behind the Laughter' and 'Homer to the Max') I'm just saying that 'Tennis the Mennace' was a great episode.

[Reply #425 on:]

Top 5 for Season 15
1.Simple Simpsons
2.Fraudcat News
3.My Mother the Carjacker
4.The Way We Weren't
5.I Do'h-Bot


------------------
A Series of Unfourtunate Events

[Reply #426 on:]

 

Originally posted by Mr Fuzzywuvems:
   

So... it's a joke about being unclever?

No, it's a joke about great writing. Most TV shows are way too predictable and one of the best things about the Simpsons is you can never see what's coming.

Random does not mean funny. They could have an episode where Homer got shot by a laser fired from Tennessee, and got turned into a piece of cheese, and Mr. Burns ate that cheese and got eternal life, but in the end, he craps out Homer and he's completely intact, you wouldn't see that coming but it doesn't mean it's good.

I know I haven't been using this thread, but I've seen over half of the episodes of the season, and this is my top five:

1. My Mother the Carjacker
2. The Way We Weren't
3. The Wandering Juvie
4. Fraudcast News
5. I D'oh-Bot

Again, I haven't seen episodes that people seem to like such as "Tis the 15th Season" or "Simple Simpson".

[Reply #427 on:]

Homer turning into cheese isn't really the same thing as Homer buying a tennis court.

[Reply #428 on:]

It's random you moron, we hate new Simpsons!

[Reply #429 on:]

Yes but Homer buying a tennis court wasn't random, just unexpected.
I love new simpsons, not as much as the old ones but alot more than most things on TV at the moment. Your problem is you are comparing the new simpsons to the old simpsons when you should be comparing the new simpsons to all the other prime time comedy shows.   

[Reply #430 on:]

Has anyone noticed that every Burns joke now adays is either aimed at his age or his complete lack of strength? Remember those old days when he was a solid character, not just a source for jokes like that? Well, that's how I felt with this season finale, "Fraudcast News", which was the most average episode I've seen in a long time. There were a few funny jokes, such as the Itchy and Scratchy cartoon, Burns and the ant (yes, I know, but that was especially funny, as the other jokes weren't), and of course, "Why did they cancel Futurama?!" This was ANOTHER one of those endings where the plot keeps going and at the last minute of the episode, it's resolved and done with. All and all, I have to say that I think the season should have ended with "Bart-Mangled Banner," as it had more of a bang to it than this episode. And even though that episode was average too, that talk show scene and the song just hit a soft spot for me. Anyway, the season finale gets a 2/5.
 

Originally posted by DoTheBartman:
But yes, his last voicing was Bart the Mother. Although I heard somewhere (maybe I told this story before) that he had actually recorded a part for "Treehouse of Horror IX" as well, with Troy McClure hosting "World's Deadliest Executions". But they didn't want the last appearance to be about death so they substituted that part for Ed McMahon, ironically a person Hartman used to imitate on SNL.

Wow, really? [Rich Little]Interesting if true.[/RL]

[Reply #431 on:]

Incidentally, what happened in the itchy and scratchy cartoon? The jackass meteorologist had to cut in at that time to say that there were no new updates on the storm in my area.

[Reply #432 on:]

I liked Fraudcast News.  I thought it was one of the best episodes since S9.  It was solid and funny, political without being as preachy as the last ep (which was also pretty good), it was really genuinely clever, most people stayed on character, and though the pacing was choppy and there were still too many grossout jokes, the Futurama reference capped it.  I gotta watch it again, then I'll see if I still like it as much.

[Reply #433 on:]

@Fuzzy: of course I don't hate new Simpsons. That's just Nurdbot's personal opinion (Don't mind him, though. He hates everything). I just don't like most of seasons 10-12. I'm not denying that the era had some good episodes ("Trilogy of Error", "Hungry Hungry Homer", "Mayored To The Mob", "Brother's Little Helper", etc.), but most of the episodes from that time were just disappointments (and "Tennis the Menace" in particular, because that's my all-time least favorite).

Still, seasons 13-15 were great. Looking forward to 16!   

[Reply #434 on:]

"Fraudcast News" was mediocre, but at least it wasn't a crime against humanity like "Bart-Mangled Banner".

[Reply #435 on:]

Guys, 3+ year old episodes are hardly "new".  Tennis the Menace is officially an old (and horrible) episode.

Shadowstar: I agree they overdid the old-gags with Burns here but they still kept his evil, old-school side as well.  Burns just hasn't been the same since Who Shot Mr. Burns though unfortunately, and I don't think we're getting him back the way he was before then.

[Reply #436 on:]

Leelaholic: I don't hate everything, just you.

Bam!

[Reply #437 on:]

for old time's sake, I wish Burns would forget Homer's name just one more time...lol

"Fraudcast" was a HUGE recovery from the previous week's episode...at least they went out on a good note.

[Reply #438 on:]

Treehouse of Horror XIV: C+
My Mother the Carjacker: A+
The President Wore Pearls: A-
The Regina Monologues: C-
The Fat and the Furriest: C
Today, I Am a Clown: B-
'Tis the Fifeenth Season: A
Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens and Gays: D-
I, D'oh-bot: A
Diatribe of a Mad Housewife: B+
Margical History Tour: D
Milhouse Doesn't Live here Anymore: B-
Smart and Smarter: A-
The Ziff That Came To Dinner: B-
Co-Dependents Day: C
The Wandering Juvie: B+
My Big Fat Geek Wedding: B-
Catch 'Em If You Can: B
Simple Simpson: A
The Way We Weren't: A+
Bart-Mangled Banner: D-
Fraudcast News: A

Top Five:
1. "My Mother the Carjacker"
2. "The Way We Weren't"
3. "Simple Simpson"
4. "Fraudcast News"
5. "I, D'oh-Bot"


Bottom Five:
1. "Bart-Mangled Banner"
2. "Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens and Gays"
3. "Margical History Tour"
4. "The Regina Monologues"
5. "Co-Dependants Day"


Despite a few clunkers, it's the best season since the golden age.

Overall: B+/A-

[Reply #439 on:]

My sentimonies exactly