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

[Reply #280 on:]

 

Originally posted by Otis P Jivefunk:
 This is a rarity, a new ep which I'll look foward too...

Shame you'll have to wait until season 16. There's a J.Stewart Burns episode coming as well.

[Reply #281 on:]

That Cuban fellow who befriended Abe is a new favorite. But we never find out what happened to that storyline! He couldn't have... Oh, but I won't think of that right now..

[Reply #282 on:]

I've got a fuller review at the NHC, but I'll tell you here and now that I liked it.

B+

"Futurama: The Movie". *sigh* I wish...

Edit: Also, "Simple Simpson" smells like awesomeness.

[Reply #283 on:]

I only caught the last two acts, but I liked what I saw.  It was wacky, but in a good sense of wackiness.  However, here's a huge problem for me...how many episodes this season end with a member of OFF almost killed/put in grave danger?

Not counting this year's THoH and Margical History Tour, the Simpsons have been put in danger 7 times to end an episode.

"My Mother the Carjacker" - Mother Simpson is presumed dead.
"Regina Monologues" - Homer is to be executed.
"Fat and Furriest" - Homer is mauled by a bear.
"I, D'ohbot" - Homer is mauled in the robot arena.
"Diatribe..." - Homer is going to kill Flanders
"Smart and Smarter" - the family is almost chewed up by a giant statue
"Catch 'em if You Can" - Marge and Homer fall off Niagra Falls.

And that's just from this season...

[Reply #284 on:]

Upon second viewing I'm giving it 3.5 out of 5 or a B-. I still think that the plot could have been better, and they should have went somewhere with grampa's little story (maybe by shaving some time off the montage thingy), but I liked most of the jokes so it sort of evened out.

*Edit* I think the reason that my score is slightly lower than most people's, is because I haven't seen "Catch Me If You Can", So the entire montage thing was lost on me (what with me not knowing the joke behind it and all).

[Reply #285 on:]

Well, I'll tell you that it was a pretty spot-on parody.

[Reply #286 on:]

(Again ripped from NHC review)

Wow, what a suprise. I didn't have high expectations for this one at all, but it was a pleasant suprise. As Tomacco said, this episode's focus was on fun. And I have to say it met that requirement well.

The storyline, wierd as it was, was legitimately clever and inventive, and felt very fresh. Characterizations were great even; Bart and Lisa as purely kids (instead of bizarre mini-adults) and Homer and Marge as exhausted parents. The Catch Me if You Can parodies were particularly nice, and the parody of the intro (Homer's dream in the airplane as it turns out) was great and well animated.

And humor wise things were pretty much great through and through. Homer and Bart's stolen credit cards, the choking scene, nearly all the Grandpa/old people scenes, the "Futurama" poster, and the ending with Ned and Rod....all just examples of good gags that stand out. I should also note I particularly liked Bart and Lisa playing "the floor is made of lava", since my sister and I played similar games as kids.

All in all I don't know what else to say about this one. It didn't have the absolute greatness of, say, "Tis the Fifteenth Season", but it was nonetheless very good. This "Beatle Browed" internet reviewer liked this one a lot.

B+

DYN: I'm fairly sure Dayton is actually Nancy Cartwright's hometown (and is also close to Cleveland where I myself have a bunch of old relatives).
If it wasn't already obvious, some of the relatives seen in the Dayton flashback first appeared in "Lisa the Simpson".

[Reply #287 on:]

I was expecting so little from this episode that I was judging very harshly for the first act or so... until the chase stuff happened, when I started laughing and lightened up a bit. I liked most stuff from then on, with the exception of the ending (having sex going over the falls was a bit much for my tastes). I loved the full-out CMIYK parody, one of the most enjoyable scenes this season. The Canada/USA exchange was hilarious, as well.  I didn't mind the Grampa sub-plot, although it kind of disappeared with little to no resolution.  I did notice that Maggie was almost completely absent, and it would not have bothered me except for Homer's line about Lisa in college and losing touch with Bart. I know that he often completely forgets Maggie, but coupled with the plot completely forgetting her, it annoyed me (random side-thought: I think a funny ending would have been to just cut to Maggie sitting on the couch back at home... perhaps not the best ending, and they probably would not want to show that she had been left alone this whole time, but I would have liked it, it would have worked with the tone of the episode, I think).

I'm going to have to watch this again to get a better feel for it, (especially of the iffy first act) but I think it will get a 4/5. A simple, fun time.  Bonus points for two Futurama references in a row.

[Reply #288 on:]

I missed the Futurama reference.

was very funny, but there was no conclusion. how the hell does that solve everyone's problems? Marge and Homer will become miserable again, Maggie is no longer part of the family, and Abe was left behind in Miami.

EDIT: and what's up with them always having to watch a movie during the ep.? this isn't Mystery Science Theater!

[Reply #289 on:]

Welcome Orange!

Thisd episode was preety good,spacially the CMIyC refrence.My sister and I laghed so hard when the nun took off his mask and reveled it was Moe.Anyway,the rest was good.
Grampa being in TWOO as the wicked witch of the East was distubing.I wish that this would have been the ending:

Lisa:Well,looks like everybody got what they wanted.
Bart:Ya,but where's Grampa?
Cut to Grampa running out of Miami
Grampa:AHHHH!Get the hell away from me!

Grade:B

[Reply #290 on:]

Ehh... two reviews of sorts...
"My Big Fat Geek Wedding"
This episode surprised me. It was actually pretty good. Had a lot of good gags, good scenes with Duffman, the cops, CBG, and of course, Matt Groening. Characters spot on, and no cop-out happy ending where the wedding continues. The whole Homer-Marge thing inbetween the main plot aggrevated me though, and everything was resolved in the last 30 seconds in the episode aggrevated me even more.
Grade: 3.5/5

"Catch 'Em If You Can"
There were only a few good things in this ep: the chase montage, the floor's made of a lava game, Homer and Bart with Ned and Rod's cards, and the beginning on the bus. The rest was just useless sex jokes and such. Homer strangling Bart through the wall wasn't really funny, seeing as how Bart's room is on the other side of the house. You can mess with the geography a bit, but come on. (like in "Brake My Wife, Please," where we see Moe's is only 7 houses down from the house, that infuriated me too). And the Grampa and Miami gay guy sub"plot" went absoletely nowhere and wasn't resolved or mentioned at the end.
Grade: 2/5

[Reply #291 on:]

My review was bad, but I have to say that the Canada/US was funny.

[Reply #292 on:]

 

Originally posted by Orange:

EDIT: and what's up with them always having to watch a movie during the ep.? this isn't Mystery Science Theater!

That's actually partially a standard Jean/Reiss thing (and not to mention watching tv is a standard Simpsons device in general).  Watch seasons three and four and you'll see what I mean.  There's a movie/tv parody in just about every episode.

And Shadowstar: tssk tssk.  Who's to say Moe DOESN'T live seven houses away (especcially considering people move, and Springfield shifts around much more then that anyway.  When was the last time we saw the Gerald Ford mansion, and how many times have things like the Kwik-E-Mart and Moe's Tavern switched around randomly?  Not since, and too many to count, respectively)).  And the house has never exactly had concrete geography, considering the ever moving basement door and the rumpus room that magically appears in "Three Men and a Comic Book", never to be seen again.

As I've said before, you can do better then that.

 

[Reply #293 on:]

Well, as I've just said, I'm alright with the geography switching, but not in instances like that. And I believe I said Moe's, as in the bar, not where Moe lives.

[Reply #294 on:]

I don't have the ability to watch them by season, but I'll look into that.

[Reply #295 on:]

 

Originally posted by DotheBartman:
 And the house has never exactly had concrete geography, considering the ever moving basement door and the rumpus room that magically appears in "Three Men and a Comic Book", never to be seen again.

I know we saw that room at least one other time (they just re-used the animation, though. The rain was there and everything). Still, I agree with your general point. I was listening to the commentary on some season 2 episode just last night(it may have been Three Men and a Comic Book, now that I think of it), and MG mentioned that they originally planned to have the geography and things like that set, but leter decided to throw it away for the sake of a joke when needed. I'm fine with that, though. It certainly allows for more freedom.

Oh, I re-watched the latest episode, and my rating stands. The first act isn't that good, but the rest is pretty good. 

[Reply #296 on:]

 

Originally posted by Shadowstar:
Well, as I've just said, I'm alright with the geography switching, but not in instances like that. And I believe I said Moe's, as in the bar, not where Moe lives.

Ah, okay. But still, again things are constantly switching around in the crazy town of Springfield.  And even in the commentaries they say that if they have a great joke they want to do that just completely violates geography (either in the house or Springfield itself), they'll do it anyway.  Always have.

That's not to say I'm not sometimes bugged by continuity issues.  I was bugged in "Dude, Where's My Ranch?" when Lisa called that one kid (don't remember his name now, the Jonathan Taylor Thomas kid) her "first crush".  Whole episodes and continuing references have made out of her crushes, so it bugged me that they'd just completely shrug them off.  But whole episodes don't revolve around the location of Bart's room (which isn't to say he couldn't be in a different room anyway, although admittingly I think Homer reached out of the house going by normal continuity), so those sorts of things never really bug me.  In fact I think Bart's room has switched around before come to think of it.  Sometimes his window is at the front of the house, sometimes the back. 

Ranadok: Yeah, that shot was reused, in "Brother From the Same Planet".  I didn't mention it though, since I always just assumed he was still supposed to be in the family room, but they couldn't find a better old shot of him on the couch then that.  Though come to think of it he does go to the tub and other places in the house, so maybe that can be considered a second (and final) official appearance of the mysterious rumpus room.

[Reply #297 on:]

Worst goegraphical error ever: The Simpson's house is right next door to the plant's parking lot. Is it in the 'stonecutters' one?

[Reply #298 on:]

Yes, it is in "Homer the Great." aka the Stonecutters episode 

But here's my continuity explination for the geographical mistakes in The Simpsons.  Remember the end of "Trash of the Titans," when the town was moved five miles up the road?  It could be that Springfield constantly pollutes the surrounding landscape, and has to constantly move.  Each time they move the town, sometimes they change the geography of the streets.

[Reply #299 on:]

A bit off-topic (well, not really, but maybe just a bit late), but here's my review of "Catch 'Em if You Can" (just a note: after rewatching this episode, I regraded it. This is a combination of my two NHC reviews, the first and the revised one):

I didn't have high expectations for this episode from the beginning, but (after my second viewing of it) I was surprised to see that it was an overall good episode.

But, it isn't without its flaws. For one thing, Marge was pretty out-of-character. She was oblivious to her kids' feelings, and to the fact that they were traveling the country alone looking for her and Homer. But, at least Homer and Marge's actions were justified. But through and through, it always seemed as if Marge and Homer just blew off their responsibilities, and went on a second honeymoon without even caring about their children. Of course, going on a second honeymoon is very romantic, and at least the writers treated it in that respect. You could see that Homer and Marge were really in love.

Another thing that got me mad was Grandpa and Raoul. For one thing, the whole idea has been used a bit too much. There were already two great episodes that dealt with the same idea that Abe and Raoul's sub-plot was trying to express (those two episode are "Homer's Phobia" and "Three Gays of the Condo" ). Even though I didn't like the idea to begin with, the fact that the writers just kind of abandoned Grandpa in Miami without a second thought made that part of the episode seem incomplete.

Here's what I liked. The brilliant and masterful montage (the parody of "Catch Me if You Can" ) was the biggest highlight of the episode. The montage itself was amazing, and I loved the music as well. And, of course, the Futurama poster in the background made me smile.

I also liked the fact that Bart and Lisa were actually kids in this episode. They were innocent, as you can see through their actions. They didn't understand the point or meaning of Marge and Homer's second honeymoon. They also played games such as the floor is made of lava, that reminded me of games that I and many other people used to play.

At first, I think that I was a bit hard on this episode (I gave it a C). But, after reading a lot of the NHC reviews, I realized that the episode was reallyjust supposed to be a fun ride. And it sure is:B+

[Reply #300 on:]

It was a game..?
You mean the floor isn't made of lava?
:hops to couch:
I'll forgive irresolute plots if it means I get a geriatric gay Cuban. I'm easy to please.

[Reply #301 on:]

W000! Another Review of an episode many of you reviewed earlier!

The Ziff who came To Dinner
And now to parrot everyone else by saying that the couch gag was indeed groovy. 'Wow.'
Anyway... very much a 'meh' episode for me. I like these classic character's appearances, and while the jokes were never really absolutely awful, they never seemed to raise more than a smile from me. The Matrix posters were kinda neat (bloody saturation advertising), and I found Lenny screaming "The prophecy was true!" amusing, as well as Homer's "Oh wait, looks like it's unkillable," but it never really made me laugh. I liked the idea of Ziff appearing... but he just wasn't enormously funny...
It was good to hear his voice though.
Me wonder's if a certain producer is trying to recapture the hearts of the old school fans? If so, he's on the right track, but I believe he still has a ways to go.

[Reply #302 on:]

Did you see Ziffs other recent apperance in the season 13 episode 'Half decent proposal'

[Reply #303 on:]

Yes I did... it involve oilrigs, as I recall.

[Reply #304 on:]

I've got good news and bad news involving reruns.

The Good News - After "Simple Simpson" airs, they're showing "I, D'oh-Bot". Yahooey!

The Bad News - After "The Way We Weren't" airs, they're showing "Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples, and Teens and Gays"

[Reply #305 on:]

Ugh, "Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples, and Teens and Gays" is my least favorite episode by far this season. The plot is just like, cobbled together with a bunch of horrible plot based jokes.   

At least the "Roofy" bit at the beginning wasn't too bad.

[Reply #306 on:]

"Y Y Y Y Y Y"

Other than that and maybe a few other things, yeah. It's bad.

[Reply #307 on:]

 

Originally posted by leelaholic:
"Y Y Y Y Y Y"

Is that supposed to be the Z Z Z Z Z Z Z thing from Smart + Smarter, or some reference to something in Marge vs. Mutant Space Ears that I missed?

I remember Marge vs. Kittens, Puppies, Cute Rabbits, and Fuzzy Things as being quite bland and more or less useless, but for some reason, all the parts that I can specifically remember are pretty funny... perhaps it is time for a re-watch.

[Reply #308 on:]

No, it's not "Z Z Z Z Z Z". When a phonics machine gets thrown it to a fire in the episode, it beeps "Y Y Y Y Y Y" ("Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?" )

[Reply #309 on:]

(Necessary double post)

The Strike's Over!!

 

[Reply #310 on:]

 

Originally posted by leelaholic:
No, it's not "Z Z Z Z Z Z". When a phonics machine gets thrown it to a fire in the episode, it beeps "Y Y Y Y Y Y" ("Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?" )

Ah, my bad. It has been a while since I've seen the episode, and I guess I only remembered the phonics joke in Smarter (they are kinda similar)... carry on.

And much relief on the strike being over... as soon as it is confirmed by the actors (and/or their representative). I like to be sure. I'm glad that it won't be affecting next year's production as was feared.

[Reply #311 on:]

Oh boo hoo, FOX lost money.

[Reply #312 on:]

Wow. Odenkirk's writing Treehouse? He's a perfect fit. I mean The Farnsworth Parabox alone was a very Treehouse like episode.

[Reply #313 on:]

I can't believe that Fox is showing "Marge Vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples, and Teens and Gays" again (it was already reran a couple of months ago, I think it was either February or March). C'mon, show an episode that we want to see. I personally would like to see "My Mother the Carjacker", seeing as how it is both a great episode and hasn't been repeated 2 times. But, Fox most likely doesn't hear (or care to hear) all the negative comments on "Marge Vs. Singles...", so of course they'd show it again.

Oh well, at least I'll get a chance to tape "I D'oh!-Bot" on Sunday...

[Reply #314 on:]

I hope those commercials for the next ep aren't representing it properly. After so much great stuff in season 15 I don't want an entire episode devoted to Homer throwing pies at people to ruin it.

[Reply #315 on:]

How could such a fun and hilarious sounding episode possibly "ruin it?"

[Reply #316 on:]

By being shit, duh.

[Reply #317 on:]

Fun?! Hilarious?! Open your eyes, man! This is an embarassingly-stupid plot! If Homer is so lazy that he can't even bother getting up to get a remote, then how in the hell can he be a superhero? It's going to take an awful lot to save this one.
Who knows, it might be good. But probably not.

[Reply #318 on:]

Homer has done lots of things when he has been passionate about it, lazyness is not an obstacle. On the episode as a whole... I'm not as worried about it as much as I was when I first heard of it, I'm anticipating a simple, fun episode. Nothing deep, nothing important, just a bunch of good laughs.  Of course, I'm not by any means counting out any possibility of extreme suckitude, it's just that the last episode (Catch 'em) re-kindled my faith in the ability of the writers to turn out a fun episode without ruining it. I'm actually looking forward to this ep.

[Reply #319 on:]

 

Originally posted by Shadowstar:
Fun?! Hilarious?! Open your eyes, man! This is an embarassingly-stupid plot! If Homer is so lazy that he can't even bother getting up to get a remote, then how in the hell can he be a superhero? It's going to take an awful lot to save this one.
Who knows, it might be good. But probably not.

Homer had done a lot of pretty physically outlandish things, including his fight with Tom in "Brother From The Same Planet".  I don't see why its such a stretch here as long as he doesn't gain radioactive powers or something, which he won't.