The Simpsons Thread (Worst. Thread. Ever!)

[Andrew]

Yep, that's the one.

[Andrew]

Decent premise, but it needed characterisation closer to the classic era to really work properly. With Homer in obnoxious jerkass mode, it just doesn't work as well. Apu's subplot pretty much went nowhere as well, though I liked the role reversal with him holding up Snake.

[Andrew]

I liked bits and pieces of the premise, but I wasn't too crazy about the episode overall. It's hard to top what they did in "Mother Simpson", especially with the current tone of the show, but since they have gone ahead and killed off Mona it's not a bad idea to continue to have her come back in dreams or fantasy sequences while exploring Homer's troubled relationship with her. I think you could get a really good, touching episode out of that, but this wasn't it.

It was funny in parts but it turned into something a bit too wacky for my taste. An Inception parody would be a good idea for a Halloween episode but it felt a bit too silly here, delving too far into science fiction for a regular Simpsons episode. I think I'd like it fine in Futurama, but I feel The Simpsons works better when it's closer to reality, especially when it's an emotional episode.

Not bad though, enjoyable enough to watch, but it didn't quite go in the direction I'd have liked.

[el badman]

I kinda liked the episode, but I thought the "big" revelation at the end wasn't exactly one at all, it didn't seem to introduce anything that fresh to the "Homer and his mother" part. Pretty funny overall, and probably better than the last few episodes, but nothing fantastic either.

[el badman]

Well that was a horrible episode. Not sure what's going on lately with the scifi stuff but as Andrew mentioned it's certainly something that may work better in a Treehouse of horror episode or in Futurama. But this was really stale and it somewhat combined ”trying too hard” and ”not even trying anymore”. Not good at all.

[Andrew]

Yeah, that was another forgettable one. I liked a few of the jokes including Moe's argument with himself and the flashback where he resolved to become beautiful on the inside (followed immediately by Marge's "But he didn't"), and some of the stuff with the robots was OK. Apart from that though, I wasn't a big fan.

[benji]

Good one. Brent Spiner is always a worthwhile addition.

[shadowgrin]

phpBB [video]

[Andrew]

Nice.

[shadowgrin]

Matt Groening Reveals the Location of the Real Springfield

I soon realized that whatever I pitched would not be owned by me, but would be owned by Fox, so I decided to keep my rabbits in “Life in Hell” and come up with something new.

While I was waiting—I believe they kept me waiting for over an hour—I very quickly drew the Simpsons family. I basically drew my own family. My father’s name is Homer. My mother’s name is Margaret. I have a sister Lisa and another sister Maggie, so I drew all of them. I was going to name the main character Matt, but I didn’t think it would go over well in a pitch meeting, so I changed the name to Bart.

Springfield was named after Springfield, Oregon.

My family lived on a long, windy road on a little dead-end street called Evergreen Terrace—also the name of the street the Simpsons live on

[benji]

Uhhh, duh.

[ixcuincle]

People keep saying that's where the actual city is, but he says the city is "based on Springfield, OR"

Doesn't necessarily mean it's located there

[shadowgrin]

Bullies.

[Andrew]

People keep saying that's where the actual city is, but he says the city is "based on Springfield, OR"

Doesn't necessarily mean it's located there

Yeah, other articles (like this one) have titles that twist it around a bit to try and tie the behind the scenes stuff to in-universe revelations. All Groening has done is confirm that yes, the name was based on Springfield, Oregon, not a surprise given he grew up in Portland and has already confirmed that several other landmarks, locations and the like are based on the area. I guess it's more eye-catching that way but it has misled a few people.

That's the running joke, of course. At this point we're beyond being able to say where The Simpsons' Springfield is, which works out just fine for the show's flexible reality.

[Andrew]

They've seen fit to address the issue:

Sorry Oregon, you won't be able to claim Homer, Bart and the rest of The Simpsons clan as your own. The Simpsons creator Matt Groening confirms exclusively to TV Guide Magazine that his recent statements were misinterpreted — he did not reveal that his long-running animated Fox comedy was set in Oregon.

"I never said Springfield was in Oregon," Groening says. "I said Springfield was the name of my sled."

Groening is responding to rampant reports that claimed he had suddenly revealed one of the biggest secrets of The Simpsons' 23-season history. In an interview with Smithsonian magazine, Groening confirmed something that he had actually mentioned several times in the past: That he named the show's setting after Springfield, Oregon.

[Lamrock]

The show clearly contradicts itself many a time as to what state it would be located in, but it's obviously based on Springfield, Oregon more than any other. I was born in Eugene (which is like, right next to Springfield), so I like to pretend that it's Shelbyville.

[ixcuincle]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield_(The_Simpsons)

For example, in The Simpsons Movie, Ned Flanders tells Bart that Ohio, Nevada, Maine, and Kentucky all border Springfield's state.

Also interesting...http://simpsonswiki.net/wiki/Springfield's_state

[Andrew]

"What state does Danger Dog live in?"
"Michigan."

[Kenny]

On the plane ride to Melbourne, I saw several episodes from season 22. Even though the later episodes are now starting to grow on me, I noticed that there was one really bad joke that was recycled in two of the episodes I watched (probably already mentioned in this thread).

"Fit" Tony and Comic Book "Gay"

Aside from my distaste for that particular joke, both episodes were really entertaining.

[Andrew]

I know what you mean. You can't go in expecting classic material, but some of the recent seasons have been at least watchable with some funny moments and some good episodes here and there. Unfortunately there are a lot of missed opportunities though, some good plots and ideas that should've been explored about ten years ago, when the show was a little past its prime but still in pretty good shape.

Speaking of good post-classic episodes though, I did like last week's ep ("Beware My Cheating Bart"). The commentary on Lost was pretty funny, far better than a two minute cutaway that basically amounts to the writers saying something sucks in a not-too-subtle or amusing manner, like another animated show is prone to doing. There was a bit more cleverness to it and they didn't have to bring the show to a halt to make their point or a joke; the same goes for the parody of Jennifer Aniston movies. The silliness of the clues and Homer's discussion group were definitely a highlight for me, the latter resulting in one of the funniest Carl moments in some time.

Bart's plot is one they tend to do fairly well even to this day, something fairly grounded and ordinary but still entertaining. Ralph driving Chief Wiggum's car, Bart's reaction to being flashed and the subsequent breast innuendo, Milhouse getting hit by the cab and Skinner staying out of his own office because of the tie on the door were all good jokes. The bullies were well used too ("Why did I watch that the day before I have to clean out my crawlspace?"), though the resolution was a little rushed. A shorter couch gag probably could've helped out there, though it was pretty cool. An appearance of Smug Lisa was also a bit of a downer; of the family she's probably the most poorly written at the moment, at least when she's not the focus of the episode (and even then, they've lost their grip on keeping her as likeable as she once was).

I also liked the nod to the "Where is Springfield?" debate with "Now entering Oregon" and "Springfield is in any state but yours" on the chalkboard. Homer's fantasy about old age with Marge was funny in a sweetly twisted way. Overall, good episode in my book.

[benji]

Liked this one as well, though the ending wasn't that great.

[Andrew]

Agreed. It was pretty much a non-resolution aside from Bart learning a lesson, but it was a decent vacation episode. The welcome video was funny (I really liked the gag where the director kept leaning on a rail, I thought it was handled just right), decent story the lack of a resolution aside and pretty good characterisation. I'll take it.

[Andrew]

A little late in posting my thoughts on last week's episode but at any rate, I thought it was another decent one, a little weird at times but alright. The story and pacing weren't outstanding for the main plot or subplot, but I thought the humour made up for it. They did re-use the "Do you want lies with that?" joke from Declan Desmond's first appearance back in Season 14 though.

[Andrew]

I'm still not the biggest fan of the decision to pair up Ned and Edna. On one hand, I like that they're trying something new, changing things up with the continuity rather than returning to the status quo at the end of every episode, but at the same time it just doesn't seem right, very out of place. Perhaps it's because Ned has become such a caricature of himself, such an extreme parody of the Christian right ("No atheist blood!") it's become difficult for them to use him as anything but the butt of a joke.

Still, it made for a better than average episode here (by today's standards, at least). I don't care for the ballet/drama teacher character at all, he'd have to be one of my least favourite recurring characters, but Homer actually doing a competent job in the production was a nice twist. Ignoring the fact that Rod and Todd have been shown at Springfield Elementary before, the conflict between Ned and Edna was set up and handled fairly well throughout, with a reasonably satisfying resolution. Good enough.

Chalmers' cutting response to Skinner's claim that Ned was his rival ("Some rivalry. It's like Secretariat versus a can of dog food") was the line of the episode. It's kind of a shame how they've stripped Skinner of all dignity but it was hilarious. Chalmers/Skinner stuff still always seems to work, even this late in the game.

[benji]

It was mostly just meh. Nothing to complain about too much but didn't do anything to make you say "hey, this is good Simpsons" like a couple. Though a "meh" is an improvement over the average episode just a few years ago.