Simpsons Season 15 Review Thread: Crap... or not?

[Reply #360 on:]

 

Originally posted by User_names_suck:
What episodes were nominated for emmys each season

 Life On The Fast Lane, as you mentioned, and here are the others:
 
 1991: Homer Vs. Lisa & The 8th Commandment

 1995: Lisa's Wedding

 1997: Homer's Phobia (oop, their first 'gay' nomination!  )

 1998: Trash Of The Titans

 2000: Behind The Laughter

 2001: HOMR 

 2003: Three Gays Of The Condo (and another)

 

(well they probably would even have won with the shocking original version of some enchanted evening that season, well maybe just a nomination)

 That's a very bold statement. From what I heard it was shit. 

[Reply #361 on:]

 

Originally posted by Mouse On Venus:
  That's a very bold statement. From what I heard it was shit.   

I've seen it. Not that bad, but the animation was HORRIBLE!

[Reply #362 on:]

Yeah I just wanted to bring it up because it'll surley be closed If I started another thread for it.
They claim to have taken the worse stuff out because its just too scary,
I just  bought the s1 dvd the other day and listened to the commentary today, and for me it was just the most tense commentary ever because there stalling on telling an anecdote not knowing If they can say Jim brooks comment. which was
"This is shit". they then go and say shit about another 5 times yet the dvd remains a PG

[Reply #363 on:]

Yeah, I guess.

Anyway, baaad new about "I, D'oh-bot"

 

From SNPP:
This episode may start late and/or be "joined in progress" in the Eastern and Central time zones because of an NFC Divisional Playoff football game that starts at 4:45 Eastern; if the game runs until 8:30, the episode may be pre-empted, in which case the rest of the USA (and possibly Canada) would most likely get a repeat of another Season 15 episode

     

[Reply #364 on:]

 

Originally posted by User_names_suck:
I just  bought the s1 dvd the other day and listened to the commentary today, and for me it was just the most tense commentary ever because there stalling on telling an anecdote not knowing If they can say Jim brooks comment. which was
"This is shit". they then go and say shit about another 5 times yet the dvd remains a PG

Well perhaps they're banking on the fact that kids wouldn't be interested in listening to the commentary tracks. I dunno.

[Reply #365 on:]

 

Originally posted by DotheBartman:
Well, its true that some fans do that, although not anymore so then in the fanbases for anything else (in fact I think Simpsons fans are probably stricter with their standards then the fanbases for a lot of other things). There's certainly some people at the NHC that just praise every episode (I don't want to name names, although some of my fellow NHC members would probably be glad to rattle off a short list of offenders), but I think most just evaluate every individual episode as they see them. Same with PEEL or almost any other big fan board, there's a lot of people that evaluate everything as they see it, and then there's some that love everything that so much has the name of their favorite show plastered on it (in the case of PEEL, that's the only explanation I can think of for "Three Hundred Big Boys" getting good reviews...).

Those fans which do that, the die-hard Simpson’s fans, are who I was referring to. I agree that there are people for many other shows and various things, other than The Simpsons which do that. Although in my experience, I have found this in particular, high with The Simpsons, hense my post earlier.


 

Originally posted by DotheBartman:
Well, I don't think Radio Bart's opening is truly nothingness, but it could be characterized that way. It really has almost nothing to do with what happens later on in the episode, and you could basically shave it off and not affect the story. It does have some nice satirical elements (mostly the Wall E. Weasel's stuff, and the commercial for the radio toy), but then, so do a lot of modern episodes in their openings. I don't think the opening had much more of a "reason" to exsist then a lot of modern openings, even if the material was perhaps better then (which is almost always the case for me when comparing just about any show to seasons 1-8 of The Simpsons anyway).

I’m afraid I think it does have more "reason" to exist than a lot of other modern openings, because although it’s purpose wasn’t connected to the plot, it's purpose was still there. Unlike my example, ‘Latest Gun in the West’, which to me felt like filler for time, which isn’t a proper "reason" to exist in my opinion.

 

Originally posted by DotheBartman:
Also regarding modern wackiness, I don't think its fair to say that they embody wackiness and little else. Certainly there are some that do (which is the case of every season of the show anyway, barring maybe season two), but I'd say most season 13-15 episodes have tried to be a little bit more, with varying results granted. In fact, most of the non-holdover season 14 episodes tried for truly character based stuff. Again the results varied to say the least, but even early last season when I was bashing new episodes constantly I wouldn't have been able to say that the show was still in its Saturday morning "what wackiness will there be this week?" stage of the Scully era. I'd say its more in a stage where the majority of the show is character based and/or satirical, but the results perhaps vary at least a little (some episodes are really good, and of course some fail) due to some lingering issues with character, pacing, etc.

I’m not saying the modern episodes embody wackiness and little else. I’m saying that there’s a lot more wackiness in modern eps than old eps, in general. However, this isn’t the key problem, the problem is they aren’t as balanced. Many of the wackiest episodes do contain other substance, I wasn’t denying that. What I was saying is most of them seem to only contain half the ingredients. That could mean it has wackiness, and another element, but lacking on other areas, so that it’s not balanced and not well-rounded as a whole. This partially explains the unevenness of some of the more recent episodes too.

 

Originally posted by leelaholic:
 

Originally by Otis:*yawn* Just like your post then. What a wonderful ‘contribution’ to this thread. I never said I don’t even watch the show, I specifically said "Season 15". Of course I watch the show, get your facts right...

That's what I meant. You haven't watched ANY of the season, don't criticize! Granted, Homerjay's reviews are less fair, but at least she WATCHES the damn episode!

On a related note, I doubt that the ONLY episodes Homerjay catches are the lousy ones.

Say what you mean then. As I have now stated in this thread, I got tired of watching recent Seasons of The Simpsons to find the few nuggets inside. I personally didn’t think it was worth the payoff. I have watched The Simpsons all the way up to Season 14, a lot of which is less than a year old, and reasonably modern. In my opinion, the quality hasn’t gone up enough for my liking with the most recent Seasons, and I eventually gave up. My comments and posts in this thread, are based on my knowledge of The Simpsons up to Season 14. However, they are also based on the comments and evaluations of people who have seen the episodes in Season 15, thus making them a relevant contribution in this thread. Many of these comments and evaluations I’ve read, have been similar, very similar in some cases, to the responses people gave to Seasons 13 and 14 (Seasons which I have seen) I think this justifies my opinions and comments in this thread, because I have a fair understanding of what these episodes are like, from peoples evaluations of Season 15 episodes, and my experience with previous similar Seasons.

Seeing the barrage of very negative comments, from a lot of different people (not just HJS) on various episodes, including the most recent Simpsons episode ‘The Fat and the Furriest’, hardly gives me the encouragement to actually watch Season 15...

[Reply #366 on:]

Actually loads of episodes even from season 2 have a pretty irrerlevant opening its not as extremely irrerlavent as latest gun in the west but It still does, futurama does it quite a bit too, its actually quite a good structure I dont see why people have to complain about that point so much

[Reply #367 on:]

 

Originally posted by Mouse On Venus:
 Well perhaps they're banking on the fact that kids wouldn't be interested in listening to the commentary tracks. I dunno.

Yes but they were unsure at first is my point.

but seriosly its shocking, the shorts are better quality, if the rest of the episodes had been like that, it probably wouldn't have aired, or the simpsons wouldn't have caught on. and so Lots of other animated shows probably wouldn't have been made and some boundaries might not have been broken in tv yet

[Reply #368 on:]

That's because thay just started with Clasky Csupo (after "Marge vs. the Monorail", they switched to Film Roman)

Also, I just realized that, since this is a S15 thread, we won't have Simpson talk this summer! We'll have to start a new one with a clever title!

How about "Summer OFF Love"?   

[Reply #369 on:]

Wow, you must think WAY far in advance.

[Reply #370 on:]

 

Originally posted by User_names_suck:
Actually loads of episodes even from season 2 have a pretty irrerlevant opening its not as extremely irrerlavent as latest gun in the west but It still does, futurama does it quite a bit too, its actually quite a good structure I dont see why people have to complain about that point so much

I only ever complained about the "nothingness" beginnings once. It's only when I was forced to defend and justify my original comment, that it kept getting dredged over and over again. So I wasn't complaining about it "so much"...

By changing from the word "nothingness" to "irrelevant", you've changed the entire point. Sure many Season Two episodes of the Simpsons had "irrelevant" beginnings, because they weren't relevant to the main plot. As does Futurama, like you said. However, you've confused the word "nothingness", with "irrelevant", thus changing the meaning, and diluting the entire point. This is because "irrelevant" and "nothingness" aren't the same thing. A beginning can be irrelevant to the plot, but that doesn't mean to say that it’s "nothingness", which was the original point of this conversation.

A nothingness beginning can be irrelevant, but not all irrelevant beginnings are nothingness.

[Reply #371 on:]

 

Originally posted by Mouse On Venus:
  Sorry to go offtrack here slightly but are you saying that if I were to give Three Hundred Big Boys a good review (which, I might add, I think it deserves 'coz I thought it was a good episode), are you saying that it wouldn't count because, according to you, that episode is so shit that anyone who gives it a positive review is in denial?   

Not neccasarily.  I realize some people must have legitimately liked it (much like a lot of people legimately enjoyed Kill the Alligator and Run ).  But I have seen a lot of statements here that go something like "its not the best episode, but its still awesome because its Futurama and Futurama can do no wrong".  THOSE are the people that seem to be justifying something even they admit isn't that great simply because it comes from their favorite show.

 

That's a very bold statement. From what I heard it was shit.

From what I could tell it was indeed pretty bad.  The writing and voicing are mostly the exact same, but the animation and presentation are so stunningly awful that it affects everything else negatively somehow.  Its not just that the animation is BAD per se (although it is very awful), but more that it doesn't really have the right tone to it.  The characters are very rubber-bandish and move and pose in the vein of your average braindead Saturday Morning cartoon.  If you ever happen to pick up the season one dvd, check it out...its pretty scary to see, and thus oddly entertaining.

 

(from Otis)
I’m afraid I think it does have more "reason" to exist than a lot of other modern openings, because although it’s purpose wasn’t connected to the plot, it's purpose was still there. Unlike my example, ‘Latest Gun in the West’, which to me felt like filler for time, which isn’t a proper "reason" to exist in my opinion.

Eh, I think one could still call Radio Bart's opening filler.  It doesn't have anything to do with the rest of the episode as I said, and the way the whole thing is structured it seems entirely possible that they just couldn't fill up 23 minutes with the main plot.  Not defending that dog opening either, as again I agree that opening was pretty bad.  I don't think most modern openings are anything like that dog opening though; they usually have some connection to the main plot or at least more legitimate attempts at humor.

 

I’m not saying the modern episodes embody wackiness and little else. I’m saying that there’s a lot more wackiness in modern eps than old eps, in general. However, this isn’t the key problem, the problem is they aren’t as balanced. Many of the wackiest episodes do contain other substance, I wasn’t denying that. What I was saying is most of them seem to only contain half the ingredients. That could mean it has wackiness, and another element, but lacking on other areas, so that it’s not balanced and not well-rounded as a whole. This partially explains the unevenness of some of the more recent episodes too.

I'm not really sure what you're saying here, in all honesty.  But I can say that the show has always had different episodes with different focuses.  One week it could be a more serious character episode, the next a big social commentary, and then the next just a big, wacky, fun episode.  Regarding modern wackiness, its still sometimes a problem (for me its usually only a problem when it gets in the way; it usually doesn't but there were a couple episodes last season where the third acts were ruined by wackiness for instance) but overall the wackiness level isn't really much different from, say, seasons 5 or 8 (if anything this season seems maybe a little less wacky then those seasons, actually).

But yeah...again regarding the "balance" of episodes, its sometimes a problem but again keep in mind that different episodes have different focuses.  Not every episode is going to be rapid-fire jokes, and not every episode is going to provide intense character drama.  Radio Bart certainly didn't have any intense character drama.

[Reply #372 on:]

 

Originally posted by DotheBartman:
From what I could tell it was indeed pretty bad. The writing and voicing are mostly the exact same, but the animation and presentation are so stunningly awful that it affects everything else negatively somehow. Its not just that the animation is BAD per se (although it is very awful), but more that it doesn't really have the right tone to it. The characters are very rubber-bandish and move and pose in the vein of your average braindead Saturday Morning cartoon. If you ever happen to pick up the season one dvd, check it out...its pretty scary to see, and thus oddly entertaining.

 I just watched it (since I had the DVD but hadn't checked out the special features) and woo-wee.  Thank god they cleared that up! Though I have to say the crazy position of Marge's eyes when she phones up Marvin Monroe was hillarious. 

[Reply #373 on:]

I saw the promo for "I, D'oh-bot" and I have really mixed feelings. On one hand, this is a good chance for Homer to act like his Scully self. On the other hand, this is the first Homer/Bart bonding episode in ages. The promo was bad, but scenes from the promo hardly ever make it into the episode, anyway. Sounds like it could be good

[Reply #374 on:]

Mouse: For further fun listen to the commentary track on the original as well (although you should listen to the commentary on the full episode first if you haven't already, since it'll make more sense).  They basically sit there going "oh my god" and cracking jokes at its expense, and James L. Brooks actually gets up and leaves before its done! 

[Reply #375 on:]

 

Originally posted by User_names_suck:
Yeah I just wanted to bring it up because it'll surley be closed If I started another thread for it.
They claim to have taken the worse stuff out because its just too scary,
I just  bought the s1 dvd the other day and listened to the commentary today, and for me it was just the most tense commentary ever because there stalling on telling an anecdote not knowing If they can say Jim brooks comment. which was
"This is shit". they then go and say shit about another 5 times yet the dvd remains a PG

On the back of pretty much every DVD in the world, you can see small writing that says Special Features Not Rated.  That's how they can get away with it.

[Reply #376 on:]

 

Originally posted by DotheBartman:
Mouse: For further fun listen to the commentary track on the original as well (although you should listen to the commentary on the full episode first if you haven't already, since it'll make more sense).  They basically sit there going "oh my god" and cracking jokes at its expense, and James L. Brooks actually gets up and leaves before its done!   

 How do you access this commentary? I've tried everything and couldn't find it.

[Reply #377 on:]

For the original Some Enchanted Evening it should just be on the page.  For episodes, go into the "audio selection" (or whatever its called) section of an episode's menu and you can select it from there.  Also, you can always press the audio button on your remote during an episode to select the commentary (its usually track four).

[Reply #378 on:]

You're region 1, aren't you?

[Reply #379 on:]

Yeah, it should be the same on all of them though (maybe not with the audio track number, but with the audio selection menu and so forth.

Edit: Oh yeah, User Name is right.  All the episodes have the commentary but for some reason the SEE outtakes don't outside of region one.  Not sure why.  Maybe you can find or a transcription of it though (or if I have enough time maybe I can just make one myself).

[Reply #380 on:]

I think he is, it says at snpp.com somewhere that it seems to have been left out on reigon 2, presumably by accident, a bit annoying really, also my set seem to come with out the back sleeve so its harder to remember where each episode is and i also want to have the artwork.

[Reply #381 on:]

Remember when Mouse gave you all OFF's wins. Well,here are all the nominations

[Reply #382 on:]

 

Originally posted by DotheBartman:
Eh, I think one could still call Radio Bart's opening filler. It doesn't have anything to do with the rest of the episode as I said, and the way the whole thing is structured it seems entirely possible that they just couldn't fill up 23 minutes with the main plot. Eh, I think one could still call Radio Bart's opening filler.

Even if it is to fill in time, at least it wasn’t nothingness, which was the original point.

 

Originally posted by DotheBartman:
 I'm not really sure what you're saying here, in all honesty.  But I can say that the show has always had different episodes with different focuses.  One week it could be a more serious character episode, the next a big social commentary, and then the next just a big, wacky, fun episode.  Regarding modern wackiness, its still sometimes a problem (for me its usually only a problem when it gets in the way; it usually doesn't but there were a couple episodes last season where the third acts were ruined by wackiness for instance) but overall the wackiness level isn't really much different from, say, seasons 5 or 8 (if anything this season seems maybe a little less wacky then those seasons, actually).

But yeah...again regarding the "balance" of episodes, its sometimes a problem but again keep in mind that different episodes have different focuses.  Not every episode is going to be rapid-fire jokes, and not every episode is going to provide intense character drama.  Radio Bart certainly didn't have any intense character drama.   

I’m not disputing that episode focuses shouldn’t vary; it would get really boring if they didn’t. I’m just saying that within that focus, balance is important. And I agree, not every episode is going to be of any one kind, they need to vary from each other, but also be varied as individual episodes too. And in my opinion, that’s one of the key problems with many modern episodes, the balance hasn’t been right. Not for me, anyway...

[Reply #383 on:]

Okay, I made a transcript of the SEE alternate episode commentary. I'll try to get it posted when I get home today.

[Reply #384 on:]

wow thankyou very much

[Reply #385 on:]

 

Originally posted by User_names_suck:
also my set seem to come with out the back sleeve so its harder to remember where each episode is and i also want to have the artwork.

You're not missing much - anyway, why not just use the booklet that comes with it...

[Reply #386 on:]

Just a reminder that "The Regina Monologues" airs tonight on Sky One at 8:00, rather than on Sunday at 6:30.

Is this a permanent timeslot change, do you know, sheep? Or is it just for this "special" (ugh) episode? It would mark a significant change for Sky One to move it considering it's been about the only constant on their schedule since they started. 

[Reply #387 on:]

sheep555 I know they can do that, but it would be easier if it was on the back. and its nice to have the collection properly complete.

I think it is a permanent timechange, its good for me really, but it occured to me it clashes with eastenders si it might not be a good move if it is

[Reply #388 on:]

I'll get around to typing the SEE commentary sooner or later (probably later today).

BTW, here's something Simpson fans from the UK may like....

The Regina Monologues promo cards!
Homer with the UK flag bodypainted on him
All the celebs cram Homer in a mini-cooper
Homer and Blair have some tea

[Reply #389 on:]

The Regina Monologues:

Well, it wasn't actually as unbearable as I was bracing myself for.

All the cameos were of course totally unnecessary, and I really disliked this annoying habit Lisa had of saying the guest star's name out loud every time she saw one.

Some of the jokes were mildly amusing, and the "British" jokes weren't actually that bad (although any "BlackAdder" fan will have found the "MacBeth" joke a little predictable.  ).

By the way, is it just me, or are the episode descriptions on SNPP this season not bearing much resemblance to the final episodes? For starters, it was a $1000, not a trillion dollar bill, Homer didn't try to uncover any plot, etc.

The Grandpa subplot seemed utterly pointless; in fact you probably could have snipped it out (not that there was much to snip) and found another reason for Marge to want to go to England.

By the way, what's the name of the piece of music which plays as Abe ships out to the D-Day landings? I've heard it several times before but I still don't know it's name.

Anyway, it was bearable (although I wish they'd made more fun of Blair, or killed him, or something.  ).

C

[Reply #390 on:]

 

Originally posted by leelaholic:
All the celebs cram Homer in a mini-cooper

Who's the bloke between Homer and Sir Ian?  Was he in that episode?  I don't remember seeing him.

[Reply #391 on:]

Ugh, I thought it was terrible.

The only part I laughed at was the Gay Upperclass blokes. I predicted the following:

Cockney Accents.
Queen Arsekissing.
Homer Being a Idiot.
Bond References.

All hype if you ask me, the Subplot was rubbish.

[Reply #392 on:]

The Regina Monologues

This episode got me laughing all through the episode. I thought that this was a great episode. The bits that I like are, Lisa and Bart getting high on sugar in the “Trainspotting style”, MacBeth, the two gay English men, Tony Blair, and Homer meets the female version of himself.

I am going to watch it again now.

[Reply #393 on:]

I found it very enjoyable.
 and Nurdbot I dont know if you noticed but homer is stupid in most episodes, its one of his charcteristics, its a good idea to have a stupid character in comedy you get funny jokes out of it, bit like futurama does with fry.

some of the sterotypes were a bit stupid like homer's soccer comment, it would have been better to say something like "giggs was never offside the refree is a wanker"
And Homer being locked in that tower is a bit of a silly plot idea but whatever

what was really good was that they actually researched the tabloid newspaper titles.
The guest stars except tony blair had jokes instead of lines written in a hurry.
The normal opening irrelervence linked in quite well.
and the subplot paid off well at the end I thought
I give it a B+

They also reshowed THOH XIV
which was slightly better than I rememberd

[Reply #394 on:]

 

Originally posted by User_names_suck:
They also reshowed THOH XIV
which was slightly better than I rememberd

Yeah I know. They showed a bit where Moe tries to hang himself and they didn’t show that scene the first time it got aired.

[Reply #395 on:]

Oh shit, I missed The Regina Monologues!  Is it gonna be repeated anytime soon?

[Reply #396 on:]

 

Originally posted by David A:
 Who's the bloke between Homer and Sir Ian?  Was he in that episode?  I don't remember seeing him.

That's the Joe-Millionaire-a-like.

[Reply #397 on:]

Wow, I actually agree with everyone this time (except Nurdy) and I think Juliet's right that the story depended on it's great jokes rather than it's weak story line. I'm surprised people thought the gay men were funny. I though you guys would be ranting up a storm.

BTW, here's the commentary for SEE...

(commentary starts)

David: Hi, this is David Silverman.

Matt: Matt Groening.

Jim: Jim Brooks.

Al: Al Jean.

David: Now, you’re looking at the most horrifying experience of our professional lives.

Matt: Imagine sitting there for the first time and, after working for so long on a show that you really wanted to be great, and this is it.

David: Ugh!

Al: Oh, my God!

Jim: It’s so off model.

Matt: Oh! And, and….. ugh.

Jim: See, Marge just gains and loses weight.

David: Yeah, here’s where she turns into a frog.

Al: Gee wiz. Cartoons.

Matt: Maybe every great show started like this. Maybe Walt Disney watching “Steamboat Willie” for the first time…

Jim: Maybe Bill Cosby has an episode where he gains and loses weight.

(all laugh)

David: Everything’s rubbery and…

Al: Oh noooo!

Jim: I feel sorry for us.

(all laugh)

Matt: I’d cancel us now.

(all laugh)

Al: Oh nooo!

(all scream)

David: Okay, this must be a metaphor for something. We can get our spiritual renewal if we just get the message.

(all laugh)

David: This doesn’t even obey the laws of physics.

Jim: Well, Homer here looks very Fred Flintstone.

Al: Gee wiz.

(all laugh)

Al: Aye Carumba!

(all laugh)

Jim: The smuggest Homer you ever did see.

David: Well, we haven’t seen this since that day two years ago.

Al: *gasp*

Jim: Oh, my God!

Matt: Hey, let’s keep this going.

Jim: Geez, oh….

(all scream)

Jim: She walked into a painting!

Matt: No, that’s the kitchen.

Jim: Oh.

(all laugh)

Jim: This hasn’t been telesynched. Right, David?

David: Yeah, so the color seems very bleached out.

Jim: Oh, geez! This is terrible.

Matt: Self Shauden- Freauda.

Al: Hey, let’s keep it going.

Matt: You know, if we were stuck with this, there would be no show. You know, I’ve seen others come on in the last decade where there’s much more minor mistakes, and they kill the show.

David: Yeah, it’s hard to get the tone right.

Al: Gee wiz.

Jim: You know, if you’re watching this at home, you can turn it off at any time.

(all laugh)

Al: What will be syndicated is a fully different episode.

(all laugh)

Matt: Okay, this next part is just grotesque.

(all laugh)

David: Hey, Jim. Where are you going?

(all laugh)

Al: This is the first walk out in audio commentary history.

(all laugh)

(episode ends)

Al: Bye, Jim!

(all laugh)

[Reply #398 on:]

It eases the pain. Juliet, fire would amuse you.

[Reply #399 on:]

 

Originally posted by User_names_suck:
some of the sterotypes were a bit stupid like homer's soccer comment, it would have been better to say something like "giggs was never offside the refree is a wanker"

I think they already used that joke in a S11 (or maybe 12) episode - I forget the context exactly, but Homer's talking about a British sit-com about football hooligans.