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Author Topic: It's back... in "Pog" form: The Simpsons, Season 15 (part 2)  (Read 20567 times)
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DotheBartman

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #200 on: 02-21-2004 01:09 »

Evan, that story is basically true.  Keeler hasn't "apologized" for it I don't think (he even stated in his interview with CGEF that he feels its the best thing he's written for television. Go figure).  However, its true that they realized they were making a mistake before airtime.  Harry Shearer(who of course plays Skinner among others) was angry enough that he almost refused to read the lines.  The rest of the staff basically realized their mistake as well, and since then many people like Groening and Al Jean have admitted it was a horrible episode.  I think it was even stated that the ending really was thrown in there when they realized their mistake and didn't want to have to mention that episode ever again.  Under penalty of torture!  Although there were the mentions in "I D'ohBot" and "Behind the Laughter", both of which more or less aknowledge the shittiness.

Myself?  I think its pretty awful, but to be honest I don't think I'd put it in the absolute worst of the series.  It was the worst ever at the time, but the rest of the Scully era had plenty of points where it was topped.  It actually has a few decent lines ("When I grow up, I wanna be a principal, or a catterpillar!" ), and while the ending is pretty lame at least it does make it so "nothing changes" in a sense, as opposed to Maude Flanders' death etc.  Pretty awful episode, but there's a bunch of worse ones I'd mention first.
Venus

Urban Legend
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« Reply #201 on: 02-21-2004 01:16 »

I never saw that prinical ep, what happened in it that was so damaging to skinners character?
evan

Urban Legend
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« Reply #202 on: 02-21-2004 01:27 »
« Last Edit on: 02-21-2004 01:27 »

Okay, so it wasn't Keeler. It was someone else who apologized.

Venus; here's the story of "The Principal and the Pauper," broken down in a nutshell: We learn that Principal Seymour Skinner isn't really "Principal Seymour Skinner." The guy who's helmed Springfield Elementary for 9 years (at that point) is really a lay-about named Armond Tamzarian, who served under the "real Seymour Skinner" when both were stationed in Veitnam. Skinner became a mentor to Tamzarian, but then went missing, presumed dead. So Tamzarian goes to Springfield to tell Skinner's mother what happened, but doesn't have the heart to tell her the truth. (She's getting so old, she thinks Tamzarian is really Skinner.) So Tamzarian takes Skinner's name and dream (of becoming a principal.) And, wouldn't you know it, but "the real Skinner" comes back and wants his old life back.  And, written into a wall, they have some half-assed ending in which Tamzarian is legally named "Skinner," and the real Skinner is banished from town.
Venus

Urban Legend
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« Reply #203 on: 02-21-2004 01:38 »

Well. Now what Lisa said to Skinner when she named 'Snowball 5' Snowball 2 makes sense.
Woodbot 2.0

Starship Captain
****
« Reply #204 on: 02-21-2004 01:43 »

I have been a simpsons fan sence I was 9 years old!And a futurama fan sence I was 9 3/4.
Otis P Jivefunk

DOOP Secretary
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« Reply #205 on: 02-21-2004 05:33 »

I agree with everyone's reasons for disliking "The Principal and the Pauper". It horrified me, and I never want to see that junk heap of an episode again.
sheep555

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #206 on: 02-21-2004 10:46 »

 
Quote
Originally posted by me:
If I'm to understand your rating system, are you saying that 'Tis the 15th Season was as good, if not better, as say, Radio Bart?

 
Quote
Originally posted by leelaholic:
Where'd you get THAT from? Anyway, "Tis the Fifteenth Season"  was awesome, but "Radio Bart" is better.

I got it from your rating system, which goes to show how messed up it is. You gave Tis the Fifteenth Season an A+. That's the highest grade there is (lets not get into the A+++++ argument here - you really can't go any higher than an A+. GPAs go up to A+ - not A++++).

But yet you say Radio Bart was better - but yet it gets the same grade, because (no offence) your rating system is seriously screwy.

 
Quote
Originally posted by leelaholic:
"The Principal and the Pauper" was BRILLIANT!! Now, if you were talking about "Simpson Safari" or some such crap, I could understand where you're coming from.

Out of interest, when did you first start watching the show (as in, what year). You see, it sounds to me (and I apologise if I'm wrong) that you started watching the show around the time Principal & The Pauper first aired, or it was one of the first episodes you saw. That would probably explain why you quite like it, and others didn't. In fact, there's probably loads of people who saw that episode around the time they started watching the show...so they didn't care about Skinner, because they didn't know that much about him. Just a theory.
OC_James

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #207 on: 02-21-2004 11:05 »

Principal & The Pauper was one of the first episodes of the Simpsons I truly hated with every fiber of my being.
It pretty much ruined the Skinner character for me. I mean, the episode where Bart befriends Skinner after he loses his job made him such a likeable character, even to people who hadn't known much about him before and the P&P just ruins that. What's really irritating is the ending. Do they just expect fans to forget that one of the longtime characters isn't really who he is? And also, they've used that same "let's forget about the whole thing" joke before. I know they used it more than once before that episode,  but the only episode name I can remember is "Itchy & Scratchy Land". The difference is that Itchy and Scratchy Land was a good episode and it didn't ruin any of the regular characters.

Also, when it comes to good jokes, The Principal & The Pauper was pretty dry.

Perhaps the earliest Simpson episode to get an F- from me (unless I remember another one before that).
User_names_suck
Professor
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« Reply #208 on: 02-21-2004 11:52 »

Well since all the staff want to forget it happend
I can as well, it was all just a horrible dream.
Still it would have been even worse if it had been a Scully produced episode.
'Evan' it may have been a Oakley or Weinstien who apoligised since it was they who produced it, it just got heldover into season 9, Its production code 4F23 if only they hadn't been asked to make so many episodes, or Harry had refused to read his lines.

and Holy shit were on page 6 already
leelaholic

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #209 on: 02-21-2004 13:30 »

Wow. I had no idea that so many people hated that one.
Gorky

DOOP Secretary
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« Reply #210 on: 02-21-2004 13:40 »

It's not so much that I hate it, it just wasn't a great episode and, as I said before, it kind of ruined a part of Skinner's character.
Also, Ken Keeler was asked by CGEF what he thought his greatest contribution to The Simpsons was. He said "The Principal and the Pauper", but he was just talking about impact on the show, not how great (or bad) it was.
El Zilcho

Professor
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« Reply #211 on: 02-21-2004 14:42 »
« Last Edit on: 02-21-2004 14:42 »

My take on all this:

The Simpsons is really two shows: "The Simpsons" and "The Adventures of Captain Wacky" (I know people have said that before, just deal with it). It's easier to look at these as two separate shows.

For example: "Simpsons Safari" is a bad Simpsons ep, but it's really pretty funny for a "Captain Wacky." As stupid as the plot might be, there were some pretty funny lines. (I always laugh when I hear "Look at me! I'm a scientist! Heeheehee... ah, Africa." ) Same goes for "Principal and the Pauper."

I haven't seen a new non-"Captain Wacky" ep in a long time now. Even the best new eps ("The President Wore Pearls," for instance) can be good, but they're still not original "Simpsons."
Shadowstar

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #212 on: 02-21-2004 14:55 »

Exactly, Zilcho.
Otis P Jivefunk

DOOP Secretary
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« Reply #213 on: 02-21-2004 16:48 »
« Last Edit on: 02-21-2004 16:48 »

   
Quote
Originally posted by sheep555:
I got it from your rating system, which goes to show how messed up it is. You gave Tis the Fifteenth Season an A+. That's the highest grade there is (lets not get into the A+++++ argument here - you really can't go any higher than an A+. GPAs go up to A+ - not A++++).

But yet you say Radio Bart was better - but yet it gets the same grade, because (no offence) your rating system is seriously screwy.

I’m inclined to agree here. This was the point I was trying to make earlier, until the whole conversation got turned around into a conversation about E’s. I may as well have been talking about ecstasy... Anyway, your new post has made me realize the following, again proving just how screwy this rating system actually is...

I now present excerpt one and two...

   
Quote
Originally posted by leelaholic:
 And, for the record, the only F's I've ever given are "Tennis the Menace" and "Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings"

   
Quote
Originally posted by leelaholic:
 if you were talking about "Simpson Safari" or some such crap, I could understand where you're coming from.

So you’re calling "Simpsons Safari" crap, and are even using it as a singled out example of this. Yet despite the fact you have even called it crap yourself, you still wouldn’t rate it with an F grade...

How about an E? No no no, wait a minute, because I now divert your attentions to the following...

   
Quote
Originally posted by User_names_suck:
Actually I dont think people ever give E grades
all over the net I see people using that grading scheme and dont include E...

   
Quote
Originally posted by DotheBartman:
Otis, I'm actually not sure where you get the idea of an "E" grade.  Not bashing you here, I've just actually never seen it used.

So that means, you wouldn’t rate it an F, and it can’t be an E, so the next lowest grade is a D, or a D- as you call it. So you’d still give a Simpsons episode which you think is crap, a D-. Sure D- isn’t a good grade, but it’s hardly a suggestion of "crap", as you put it so bluntly earlier. Is it any wonder that people have problems with your rating system?...

Gorky

DOOP Secretary
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« Reply #214 on: 02-21-2004 18:56 »
« Last Edit on: 02-21-2004 18:56 »

Settle down you two, violence and bickering never solved anything.

   :laff:
DotheBartman

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #215 on: 02-21-2004 19:40 »

Otis, again I think most people consider "D" to be "crap" level, just not absolute "F" level.  D is the equivilant of "E" for you.

Also, just because two episodes get the same grade doesn't mean one can't be favored over the other.  They would, logically, have to be very close in quality, but truth be told there's simply no grading system that could consistantly and absolutely show the exact ranking of an episode for you. 

As an example, "Lisa's Substitute" and "Last Exit to Springfield" are both "A+" episodes.  They're both very close in quality (both in my top five in fact).  However, Lisa's Substitute happens to be my favorite of the two.
leelaholic

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #216 on: 02-21-2004 22:26 »

 
Quote
Originally posted by DotheBartman:
Also, just because two episodes get the same grade doesn't mean one can't be favored over the other.  They would, logically, have to be very close in quality, but truth be told there's simply no grading system that could consistantly and absolutely show the exact ranking of an episode for you.
I agree entirely. Sheep, my grading system is NOT messed up. Those are A+'s on different levels.

As for A+++'s, only episodes like "Bart Sells His Soul", "Mother Simpson" (Best episode ever, BTW), and "Homer the Heretic" deserve that coveted grade IMO.  ;)
Otis P Jivefunk

DOOP Secretary
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« Reply #217 on: 02-22-2004 05:08 »

 
Quote
Originally posted by DotheBartman:
Otis, again I think most people consider "D" to be "crap" level, just not absolute "F" level.  D is the equivilant of "E" for you.

This furthers to prove my point exactly, it seems most Simpsons fans are way too soft and lenient with their grades. If it's "crap", it should get an F. No way would I even so much as give it an E.

DotheBartman

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #218 on: 02-22-2004 05:24 »

Well, there's different levels of crap too.  That's why there's a D grade.

The reason not many episodes get F's is because many shitty episodes still have some decent moments.  Beyond Blunderdome has the "new" ending to Gibson's movie.  Saddlesore Gallactica has its first act.  They Saved Lisa's Brain has Stephen Hawking and some other moments.  And so on.

An "F" usually indicates that there's NOTHING (or nothing worth more then a brief chuckle or two) about the episode that's redeemable.  For instance, there isn't even one good joke or redeeming factor to Kill the Alligator and Run, so I give it an F.

Basically, there needs to be a way of differentiating the levels of crap, just as there needs to be a way of differentiating between levels of good quality. Ther's a difference between great stuff like Last Exit to Springfield and good/average stuff like, say, Hurricane Neddy.  And there's a difference between bad/horrible stuff like, say, Homer to the Max, and atrocious stuff like Kill the Alligator and Run.
Otis P Jivefunk

DOOP Secretary
*
« Reply #219 on: 02-22-2004 05:47 »
« Last Edit on: 02-22-2004 05:47 »

 
Quote
Originally posted by DotheBartman:
Well, there's different levels of crap too.  That's why there's a D grade.

The reason not many episodes get F's is because many shitty episodes still have some decent moments.  Beyond Blunderdome has the "new" ending to Gibson's movie.  Saddlesore Gallactica has its first act.  They Saved Lisa's Brain has Stephen Hawking and some other moments.  And so on.

An "F" usually indicates that there's NOTHING (or nothing worth more then a brief chuckle or two) about the episode that's redeemable.  For instance, there isn't even one good joke or redeeming factor to Kill the Alligator and Run, so I give it an F.

Basically, there needs to be a way of differentiating the levels of crap, just as there needs to be a way of differentiating between levels of good quality. Ther's a difference between great stuff like Last Exit to Springfield and good/average stuff like, say, Hurricane Neddy.  And there's a difference between bad/horrible stuff like, say, Homer to the Max, and atrocious stuff like Kill the Alligator and Run.

The point is, that leelaholic didn't state any redeeming factors, and he even singled it out as an example of what he thought was "crap". Nothing more was said about any redeeming factors, he simply labeled it as "crap", and that was it. And to simply call something "crap" warrants an F grade. Whether you, or anyone else thinks it had redeeming factors, the fact is that none of these were mentioned in his post. He made a blunt statement, and so did I.

Want further proof of the overly high ratings of most Simpsons fans? Just look at the following...

 
Quote
Originally posted by leelaholic:
 As for A+++'s, only episodes like "Bart Sells His Soul", "Mother Simpson" (Best episode ever, BTW), and "Homer the Heretic" deserve that coveted grade IMO.

To give anything an A+++ grade is just taking it too far. It doesn’t even mean anything, because it’s off the scale. The very best episodes should get an A+, that is the highest grade. But to feel the need to rate episodes with even more +’s is just pathetic. But it once again proves my point. The only reason to do this, is because all the episodes he’s graded below this have been graded too high, and then when it comes to the very best eps, there’s no margin above left, so he’s forced to add of more +’s, which is ridiculous.
CyberKnight

Urban Legend
***
« Reply #220 on: 02-22-2004 14:03 »
« Last Edit on: 02-22-2004 14:03 »

Steering the thread back towards reviews....  ;)

Tis the Fifthteenth Season:

Actually, this one wasn't at all terrible. The Star Trek parody was probably my favourite part (but that's pretty much a guaranteed way to make me laugh, so meh   :p).

Nothing to cringe at, and a down-to-earth plot with no major "wackiness" (save the tree-catching-on-fire part, and I suppose that's hypothetically possible). The claymation stuff was weird, and didn't really seem to have much point to it (IMO). But the McGrew segment was fine.

The only problem I had with the episode (and I know this is a huuuge cliche among Simpsons fans) is that it felt like it had done before. I can name at least one (inferior) episode where Homer gets nicer - Jaws Wired Shut. This episode was fine, but I wouldn't rank it above the other Christmas (or being Futurama fans, we should really call it Xmas   ;)) episodes.

Rating: B
User_names_suck
Professor
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« Reply #221 on: 02-22-2004 14:41 »

It was quite good I missed the first five minutes.
didn't make me laugh much but maybe thats just because I felt kind of subdued having been sat in a car for 2 hours. I cant decide whether to give 3.75 or 4/5
leelaholic

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #222 on: 02-22-2004 16:28 »

I got the new Simpsons comic collection yesterday. It's good. I like the story where Homer opens his own bar...

Who can pour a Vodka?
Shake it up with ice?
Pour it down your gullet 'till the world seems really nice?
The brandyman!
Yes, the brandyman can if you're over 21
or just 16 in Amsterdam!


My favorite part...

TV announcer: And now for "Krusty's Really Uncomfortable Couch".
(Krusty sits on a very lumpy couch with a puppet)
Krusty: Oh, this couch is a real pain in the touchas.
Voice from under the couch: Try not sitting on your pupeteer, moron!

 :laff:  :laff:  :laff:

I never got the big deal with "The Big Comfy Couch" as a kid, but my friends did, and it was absolutely priceless to see it parodied in this book.

I also liked "Bart and Lisa and Homer and Marge and (to a lesser extent) Maggie vs. Thanksgiving" and "Maggie, Come Home"

Overall: Not as good as the show, but, however, I deem it rack-worthy.  :)
Shadowstar

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #223 on: 02-22-2004 16:54 »
« Last Edit on: 02-22-2004 16:54 »

You mean Simpsons Comics Belly Busters? I have all of those in actual comic form. But I have all the collections beforehand, like Madness and Unchained.
Oh yeah, and "Smart and Smarter" is on tonight. This should be *YAWN* hilarious.
leelaholic

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #224 on: 02-22-2004 17:09 »

At 8pm (7pm central)!

And, yes, I meant "Belly Buster".
theZoid88

Bending Unit
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« Reply #225 on: 02-22-2004 18:27 »

i thought i doh-bot was the best so far. the one tonight with simon cowell looks retarted. but thats just from the ads.
User_names_suck
Professor
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« Reply #226 on: 02-22-2004 18:37 »
« Last Edit on: 02-22-2004 18:37 »

To me it looks like there throwing in a gimmicky rating grabber ploy into whats  potentialy a very good episode.
so hopefully it wont ruin it too much.
newhook_1

Urban Legend
***
« Reply #227 on: 02-22-2004 19:21 »
« Last Edit on: 02-22-2004 19:21 »

I have the same problem with the new episode tonight ("Smart and Smarter" ) that I've had with most new episodes in the season 15 production run, The first act is really funny but pointless, the second act imo is fantastic, but then the third act is overly wacky or has a complete cop out ending (In this case both). 3/5 for the Jean era, 2/5 in ths series as a whole.

I'll use "I Do'h Bot" to explain what the problem, with the episodes, I'm talking about is without spoiling "Smart and Smarter".

Act 1) The whole thing with Bart and Milhouse getting the bike kit, even though it was funny, was completly usless. Seemed almost as if it was there to pad the episode. It would have been good enough to simply open with Homer trying to put together a new bike for Bart, and Snowball II's death could even be written in better if they took this route. I may not be the best writer in the world, but I think it writes itself. Here's the scene that could take place after Homer put together the bike:

EXT-IN FRONT OF THE SIMPSONS HOUSE-NOON

BART is riding the bike that HOMER put together for him across the street. The bike falls apart before he is all the way across the street. At this point HIBBERT comes driving up the street and sees BART, he swerves and misses BART but hits SNOWBALL II.

Act 2) Besides some over the top wackiness, this was fantastic. They did a good job of showing how Homer would do almost anything to win Bart's affection.

Act 3) IMO, huge cop out when Frink's robot wouldn't harm a human. The writers wrote themselves into a corner and took the quckest way out. Though one could argue that it was because of time constraints, which brings me to my next point. If they take the first 2-3 minutes of each episode that they've wasted on pointless jokes for the last 10 or so episodes, and invested that into the endings, it would most likly improve the quality of the episodes over all.
bender+fry

Professor
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« Reply #228 on: 02-22-2004 19:35 »

damn, i read this whole topic, and it seemed like half the time, people were mad at leelaholic, or leelaholic was mad at other people. lets stay on topic in the future, so we won't waste 6 DAMN PAGES!
can´t_read

Delivery Boy
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« Reply #229 on: 02-22-2004 19:53 »

 
Quote
Originally posted by bender&fry:
damn, i read this whole topic, and it seemed like half the time, people were mad at leelaholic, or leelaholic was mad at other people. lets stay on topic in the future, so we won't waste 6 DAMN PAGES!

Yes!

Gorky

DOOP Secretary
*
« Reply #230 on: 02-22-2004 21:35 »

Okay, here's my review of "Smarter and Smarter":

This was a good one. The entire episode is definitely solid. I'm a big fan of Lisa plots, as they tend to have more heart, and this one is no exception. I know that we've been discussing this one for a while, but for anyone who hasn't seen it and doesn't want me to ruin it:


Act one was great, although as I write this, the plot sort of reminds me of "Lisa's Rival" in a way. But anyway, the introduction of Cowell's character in the first 5 minutes was funny, and in my opinion, Mr. Cowell did a fine acting job.


Again a great act. Funny, and sweet.


All in all, a great show. I give it an A. It's one of the better season 15 episodes.   
El Zilcho

Professor
*
« Reply #231 on: 02-22-2004 21:54 »

Having just seen "Smart and Smarter" and "I, Do'h Bot" (I missed it first time around), I give you this.

BTW, the ep has officially been aired, so if you haven't seen it yet, you probably shouldn't be in this thread anyway. I'll spoiler it just in case.


On to "I, Do'h Bot." Loved it. Loved it. Loved it. The first act, although pointless, was done very well. It transitioned well with act two, steering clear of the schizophrenic stuff like, "We're cleaning out the attic. Let's go skiing!" It actually made sense to have the whole bike thing happen to set up for the robot. Quite well done. The commentators for the match were great, too. I'm also a fan of Asimov's stories, so I got a huge kick out of the ending this time. I agree it was a cop-out, but it's something Frink would probably do, so I don't think it detracted too much from the story. This was a good "Simpsons" ep. *all gasp* I give it a Simpsons 4/5.

If you are not fully satisfied with my ratings system, then I hate you.  :p
Venus

Urban Legend
***
« Reply #232 on: 02-22-2004 22:03 »

Smarter and Smarter: loved the first two acts, but they ruined it in the third.

The ONLY thing i like better about new simpsons than old simpsons is that Maggie is no longer just a set dressing and actually does stuff now. I tend to like the plots centered on her.
leelaholic

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #233 on: 02-22-2004 22:07 »
« Last Edit on: 02-22-2004 22:07 »

Since nobody likes reading long stuff (and I don't, either), here's my short review of...

"Smart and Smarter"

The episode was good. Not a single joke really seemed out of place, which seems to be trouble lately. When it first started, I was thinking "Huh? What is this crap?", but it picked up from there. Simon was surprisingly funny, and I thought the scenes with him were nicely paced. Lisa living in a museum was weird, but everything the cops said meanwhile was hilarious.

A-

My S15 top five:

1. "My Mother the Carjacker"
2. "I, D'oh-bot"
3. "Tis the Fifteenth Season"
4. "Smart and Smarter"
5. "The President Wore Pearls"
DotheBartman

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #234 on: 02-22-2004 22:24 »

As usual, copied off my NHC review:

Mixed bag in some ways, but overall enjoyable. As usual here's my review.

This definetely wasn't as well formed as, say, last week's episode, but was enjoyable enough. First let's look at humor.

Humorwise I would there wasn't much in this episode that was out-and-out hilarious, but at the same time it was consistant and very little fell flat. In fact there was some really great stuff, like Homer and the baby toy, the bit with Nelson on the bus, some of Lisa's "quick change" personas, etc. Very few real highlights, but enough to make everything enjoyable. I also found it pretty funny in the beginning when they finally noticed Maggie's ability to spell with blocks. 15 seasons in, and they finally notice after even the "official" premiere of the show featured a joke revolving around Maggie's ability. 

Unfortunately there were a few duds. The sweet/bitter tongue thing was sorta lame, but a minor complaint. However, there were a couple things I didn't like, ironically pertaining to my favorite episode, Lisa's Substitute. The lesser of those was the "FREE BEER: Now that we've got your attention...." flyers, which was already done obviously in LS with the "SEX! Now that we've got your attention..." flyers. Of course that would also be a minor complaint otherwise, but what's conspicuous is that shortly beforehand there is even a callback to Lisa's Substitute with the "I already have one of those" note. That to me was too cheap a joke for a couple reasons. For one, it almost wasn't as much a real joke as it was another "hey, here's another old-school episode reference!" thing that got a pretty tired (to say the least) last season with Mary Bailey, Stampy, etc. Plus, maybe I'm being too sensitive about it, but the original "You are Lisa Simpson" scene is to me one of the most poignant things the show ever did, and I just don't like seeing it being cheapened in that way. If it had been a callback to something else (even Stampy or whatever) that wouldn't bug me as much I guess. Also, as one last (somewhat minor) complaint I didn't really find Cowell talking over the credits to be that funny. It was already done (much better of course, although that's probably because Dan C. is a fantastic voice actor whereas Cowell....isn't) in Bart Star. But oh well.

Still, don't want to be too negative. Again humor was otherwise consistantly good.

Story wise, things are iffier. There wasn't so much wrong about it really, but I think it could have been done better. I'm afraid Channel Surfer's predictions/worries that it could feel too contrived ended up being correct in a way. It seemed like there wasn't enough build up (say, actually showing scenes before its "discovered" that Maggie is a genius where we see Lisa identifying herself as the smartest of the family) to Lisa's problem and it felt a little contrived in some ways. Plus, the "human body" thing was a little too crazy and silly for my tastes.

There's a plus side too though. Despite feeling contrived the story was again entertaining enough. It had some good (if a little shallow) character moments and Maggie was also used very well, which is always a plus.

I realize the above review maybe has more negatives then positives but I did enjoy this one despite that. I guess this one is like "Today, I am A Clown". Overall entertaining, just with some somewhat jarring problems that perhaps keep it from really reaching its potential.
Still, Grade: B
Dr. Morberg

Professor
*
« Reply #235 on: 02-22-2004 22:30 »

I think that "Smart and Smarter" was a pretty good episode. The first two acts were consistently funny, and Simon Cowell was hilarious. I didn't think that going through all those different personalities was funny, but it led up to her running away. The biggest problem with the third act was the giant man thing. If people weren't supposed to be in it, why was there a path leading up to the mouth? And if people were supposed to be able to go in it, it was really dangerous. The butler thing didn't make any sense, either. I didn't think the ending with Lisa giving the answers away was that bad, though. I give the episode a B+
Ranadok

Starship Captain
****
« Reply #236 on: 02-22-2004 23:07 »
« Last Edit on: 02-22-2004 23:07 »

 
Quote
Originally posted by DotheBartman:
As usual, copied off my NHC review:

Lazy, lazy, lazy...  You can't even be bothered to write two reviews?   ;)
alexvilagosh

Goose Patrol
Space Pope
****
« Reply #237 on: 02-23-2004 00:41 »

 
Quote
Originally posted by DotheBartman:For instance, there isn't even one good joke or redeeming factor to Kill the Alligator and Run, so I give it an F.
You did not find one thing funny in the whole episode? I thought a number of things in the episode were funny.

Ned:   [sniffs] Well, it was a little insensitive of you giving me a sex test, seeing as my wife just passed away.
Homer: No way!  When?
Ned: Six months ago.  You were at the funeral. You fell into the grave!
Homer: [laughs] Oh, yeah.  I saw a gopher.  What a day!


Marge: Is he a man-eater?
Guide: Only convicts and hoboes.
Bart: Do you have any hobo chunks we could throw to him?


Sheriff: And Joe C., would your mama want you stretching out that sweatshirt like that?
Joe C.: No, sir.  Please don't tell mama.


And I liked the lines from Velma too.

But then, at some Simpsons sight I was at, there were a lot of reviews that were B or higher, as there were quite a few F grades. Maybe it is a love or hate episode.

Back onto season 15, some episode is on tomorrow night...
DotheBartman

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #238 on: 02-23-2004 00:52 »

Well, its been a long time, but none of those are the least bit funny (although I don't even remember most of those jokes I guess).  What stands out more, in any case, were jokes that made me want to cry for what The Simpsons had become.  Homer's suggestion of Bart and Lisa's wedding, the whole train sequence, all of the Kid Rock stuff, etc.  Oh yeah, and the horrible plot and characterization.  Although I'm eager to hear them try to defend that episode on the commentary, I'm actually not sure if I'll be able to sit through it even then.  Maybe I'll face away from the tv.
Ranadok

Starship Captain
****
« Reply #239 on: 02-23-2004 03:29 »
« Last Edit on: 02-23-2004 03:29 »

On tonight's episode (Smart & Smarter): It was pretty good, with lots of decent gags and scenes, but Lisa's actions were puzzling, and the whole thing was lacking something... In all, a decent, but not great showing. 3.5/5, or C+ to B- range, I guess.
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