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DotheBartman
Liquid Emperor
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Originally posted by Chump: Why it's Lester and Eliza! Exactly. I wonder how many people caught on that Lester and Eliza were supposed to be the original Ullman characters. Even more fitting considering the theme of the episode.
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Ranadok
Starship Captain
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Yeah, I was pretty sure (as in positive) that they were only going to have that one appearance, but still... I was hoping. That might make an interesting THOH, though.
On the "where is springfield?" question, my best friend insists that he knows where it is, based on one time when they gave a distance from a known location on a road sign... now correct me if I'm wrong, but the only time that happened (I can't remember where exactly, sorry), they also listed on the same sign some other place with a distance in order to make it impossible to find the place that applies to both? Still, he insists. And he normally is so smart, too.
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DotheBartman
Liquid Emperor
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I think that sign has been used as an example before, but I don't remember the original episode and whatnot. However, what you can tell him is that they seem to be within easy driving distance of both Las Vegas and New York City (and not to mention the five corners ) so, as usual, it can't be taken seriously. Plus you could always just show him one of the commentaries where they say there isn't a state. I believe Bart the Daredevil's commentary has something about it.
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User_names_suck
Professor
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I've never understood this is where is Springfield thing, its a fictional town its not anywhere I doubt even Matt Groening actually decided what state it should be in. even when they suggest it could be in one state, another episode would contradict it, they've actually technically elimnated the possiblity of it being any state, simply because they've visited every place in America. they also said in #half decent proposal# that the West side of Springfield is three times the state of texas. Don't people realise that its not actually supposed to be anywhere.
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Gorky
DOOP Secretary
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Well, I think that those of us who are avid viewers have come to realize that Springfield is basically Anytown U.S.A. I'm sure that at one point a lot of us wondered where exactly Springfield is, but when you realize that it really isn't that important to the show (and that the crew doesn't even know where it is), you're not as concerned about it.
I mean, if you watch the show as often as a lot of us do, you can tell that there are so many details that contradict with others. The best examples are in episodes in which the Simpson family travels out-of-state. As they have mentioned numerous times in the commentaries, Springfield is near both New York and Las Vegas. It snows one day and the next Homer is out on the hammock enjoying the sun. So, the question, as posed by Mike Reiss, isn't what state Springfield is in, but what planet it's on.
People who are just average viewers (and those who know that someone is a big Simpsons fan and want to prove them wrong) worry over where the town is, probably to make themselves look smart. Or, maybe they really believe that they're right, who knows? I'll choose to believe the producers, Springfield has no definite or absolute location.
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User_names_suck
Professor
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I guess being british I don't think about states its just oh they live in america. I'm sure americans dont think about the specfic places english live in, you have your (completley wrong stereotypes of british people and accents ) it wouldn't occur to you to think about specfic reigons. anyway thisis completley off topic.
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Gorky
DOOP Secretary
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« Reply #174 on: 04-17-2004 09:35 »
« Last Edit on: 04-17-2004 09:35 »
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Well, I think that, as far as we know, Matt Groening is only going to have a brief appearance, apparently at a comic book convention. But it isn't the focus of the episode, this is: Principal Skinner and Edna Krabappel are planning their wedding, but (I think) there is some type of problem that Edna has with Skinner (and apparently, Skinner has second doubts himself) and so she calls the wedding off. She then dates the Comic Book Guy, and I guess that they end up at the convention one way or another. Anyway, that's all I know (I'm going on the guys over at the NHC, the guys here at PEEL, and the guys over at SNPP), so I could be wrong. A bit off-topic, but next week the episode is entitled "Catch 'Em if You Can", and From SNPP "The Simpsons are going to...Miami!" That is, Bart, Lisa, and Grampa (and maybe Maggie too; it's not clear) are going to Miami when they discover Homer and Marge went there on their own. Is this another vacation episode, or is it just taking place in Miami, who knows? Any thoughts, you guys? I actually think that it sounds like both a vacation episode and one with some type of plot other than "Homer gets arrested for doing something" like we have seen many times before in vacation episodes (the most recent vacation ep being "The Regina Monologues" ).
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User_names_suck
Professor
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« Reply #175 on: 04-17-2004 09:53 »
« Last Edit on: 04-17-2004 09:53 »
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no one tell Slack Jawed Moron what happens in the episode with MG. he should have to watch it himself. and I actually dont like tea I prefer Coffee
Anyway Here's a more detailed description of Catch em if you can its written by Maxtone-Graham so everyone at the NHC is expecting it to be crap as he usually delivers a bad episode every season.
When Homer and Marge get caught having a rendezvous in Miami, Bart, Lisa and Grampa Simpson take off on a cross-country journey, a la "Catch Me if You Can," to foil their romantic getaway. Once in Miami, the kids ditch Grampa, who befriends Raoul, a gay Miami swinger who enjoys Grampa's stories on THE SIMPSONS episode "Catch 'Em If You Can" Sunday, April 25 (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (SI-1514) (TV-TBA)
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sheep555
Liquid Emperor
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Originally posted by User_names_suck: Once in Miami, the kids ditch Grampa, who befriends Raoul, a gay Miami swinger who enjoys Grampa's stories
For a minute there I thought that read "a gay Miami swinger who enjoys Grampa". Now that would have been a good episode.
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Bushmeister
Professor
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Funny enough I thought that too. That would have been very interesting. And not surprising.
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leelaholic
Liquid Emperor
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As proved by "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson" (my #6 favorite of all time), Maxtone can indeed write fantastic episodes, he just needs to be under the supervision of a superior writer (as he was with Oakley and Weinstein at the time). Anyway, "Catch 'Em If You Can" actually sounds okay. It could be bad, though. Impossible to tell. Going back, Springfield is a fictional state, but what most people don't know is that this fictional state has a name.
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Nurdbot
DOOP Secretary
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*Punches Leelaholic in advance*
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Shaucker
Professor
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Originally posted by alenacat:I can understand it being banned, it's a very negative ep and just unlucky I guess. Damn funny though. Is it really that negative an episode? I alwasy felt(before and after 9/11) that it made fun of the Twin Towers in a rather light way, as with the rest of NY. Never been? Go...you'll see what I mean. My God, tonight's episodes sucked...except for crediting Futurama and the bender figure.
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DotheBartman
Liquid Emperor
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Let me open up this review by saying: What a wierd episode. Drunk Barney, Homer and Marge having a second wedding, the Bi-Mon-Sci-Fi-Con, The Larry Davis Experience, Skinny and Krabby not together....its like its the '90s all over again.
Anyways, on to my thoughts. First off I'll get my problems with the story out of the way. It seemed rather disjointed in a lot of ways, especcially in act three, and I didn't see much point or reason to some of it. The ending was also....a bit of a downer, and seemed like the writers had cold feet themselves about actually marrying the characters (characters getting married is often considered JTS in tv, and The Simpsons has certainly endured some criticism for changing things in the past). And all the Homer/Marge stuff seemed sort of forced in there at times, especcially the second wedding at the end. Already a reused concept from "A Milhouse Divided", and it wasn't as effective here, either in humor or any kind of sweetness factor (assuming it was actually supposed to be touching in this one). With all of that said, however, I should note that Krabapple and Skinner stories (as in ones focusing around them as a couple) have just never especcially interested me, even "Grade School Confidental".
Now, I think this episode was mostly meant as a farce anyway, and as such it did its job. I can't say I laughed out loud a whole lot, but I did consistantly chuckle at and enjoy the humor. Save for a few bits like the second-wedding ending there wasn't much that fell flat for me, and there were lots of great moments like Classic Professor Barney (I guess they're really planning on making him alcoholic again), the Nelson "sniper" bit, the Edna and Seymour as old people dream sequence, etc. Really the only place it faltered actually was act three, with that ending, and partially the "Star Trek" parody fight scene as well (already done better on Futurama). And even act three was otherwise enjoyable, including the long-awaited Matt Groening guest appearance.
I should also note some good direction effects in this one, like the battery scene with Homer, shot of Seymour behind the mug, etc.
Overall not especcially great, but enjoyable enough as a farce. I'd say roughly a B, bordering on B-. Good, but I hope this season picks up more soon.
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Action Jacktion
Professor
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Originally posted by DotheBartman: And all the Homer/Marge stuff seemed sort of forced in there at times, especcially the second wedding at the end. It did seem tacked on, and it's not like we needed another episode in which they have relationship problems. So now they've been married three times... or is it four?
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winna
Avatar Czar
DOOP Ubersecretary
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Originally posted by evan: You can see the "NT" abbreviation on the town's license plates. Well other than the plates.... How do you know what the fictional state is?
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sheep555
Liquid Emperor
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Originally posted by evan: You can see the "NT" abbreviation on the town's license plates. ...which is also the postal abbreviation for Northern Territory. It's Rupert Murdoch I tells yah!
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sheep555
Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #199 on: 04-19-2004 04:52 »
« Last Edit on: 04-19-2004 04:52 »
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There's a great theory by Dmitri Brengauz over at SNPP: The very real town of Tennant Creek, NT was said to have been founded when a road train (a tractor trailer-trailer-trailer another Outback phenomenon) laden with beer broke down on the road between Darwin and Alice Springs. The drivers made themselves comfortable to enjoy their cargo, found some ore deposits, and thereby foundedthe town.
Now, Homer J. Simpson of Springfield, NT (a town of 0-20 or so people) was just such a driver, and the beer combined with the dry desert heat made him see all sorts of wonderful messages and dreams, the contents of which he wrote on the backs of over 200 empty beer cases. Matt Groening, on an Australian holiday, found the truck, the corpse, and the messages. And this was the origin of the show.
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