classics from Season 11:
Brother's Little Helper (#AABF22 / SI-1022) 3 Oct 1999 When Bart is hastily diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, he becomes the latest victim of "Focusin," a new drug touted to boost academic attention spans. Guest starring Mark McGwire as himself. E-I-E-I-(ANNOYED GRUNT) (#AABF19 / SI-1019) 7 Nov 1999 Homer and family move to an old farm where he and Bart conjure up "Tomacco," an incredibly addictive cross between Tobacco and Tomatoes. Guest starring The B-52's (end credits theme) and Frank Welker as the barnyard animals.
Missionary: Impossible (#BABF11 / SI-1111) 20 Feb 2000 Homer becomes a missionary on a remote, tropical island as part of his effort to evade the local PBS affiliate's pledge drive collection officials. Guest starring Betty White as herself. Bart to the Future (#BABF13 / SI-1113) 19 Mar 2000 While visiting an Indian casino with his family, Bart encounters an Indian who foretells of his future. Bart learns that in the future he is a ne'er-do-well musician with Ralph Wiggum as a room mate. He goes to see Lisa to borrow money, but Lisa has her own problems, being the newly-elected President of the United States and facing a tax crisis.
― quality does not equal quality (wetmink), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 21:47 (eighteen years ago) link
― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 21:49 (eighteen years ago) link
― quality does not equal quality (wetmink), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 21:54 (eighteen years ago) link
I suspect that SNPP is not exactly snopes.com on this subject, though Google certainly thinks it is.
― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 22:01 (eighteen years ago) link
― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 22:03 (eighteen years ago) link
― quality does not equal quality (wetmink), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 22:11 (eighteen years ago) link
― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 22:12 (eighteen years ago) link
― tremendoid (tremendoid), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 22:40 (eighteen years ago) link
― Chris L, Tuesday, 13 September 2005 23:12 (eighteen years ago) link
― quality does not equal quality (wetmink), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 23:25 (eighteen years ago) link
― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 23:34 (eighteen years ago) link
quote:
Bart: There's something different about you, Dad.Fake Homer: [german accent] I am a new tie wearing.
season two is still the best, and i'm not up on the new season, but i don't think it's time for them to quit yet.
― viborgu, Tuesday, 13 September 2005 23:42 (eighteen years ago) link
― quality does not equal quality (wetmink), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 00:04 (eighteen years ago) link
No. It is a scientific fact that when Bart and/or Lisa see their future, the episode sucks.
― Sasha (sgh), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 00:04 (eighteen years ago) link
Exact moment the series jumped the shark: the episode when Principal Skinner explicitly announces "I'm a virgin." Well, no shit. There's nothing worse than having contempt for your audience.
― Keith C (lync0), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 00:13 (eighteen years ago) link
Homer: [takes the Virtual Fudge wire out of his mouth, which shocks him] Oh, what a bleak and horrible future we live in!Bart: Don't you mean, "present?"Homer: Right, right, present.
and
Lisa: The country is broke? How can that be?Milhouse: Well, remember when the last administration decided to invest in our nation's children? Big mistake.
― quality does not equal quality (wetmink), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 00:40 (eighteen years ago) link
It is a scientific fact that when Bart and/or Lisa see their future, the episode sucks.
Indeed.
The Correct answer to this question is "Seasons 2, 3, and 4."
― The Yellow Kid, Wednesday, 14 September 2005 00:52 (eighteen years ago) link
― latebloomer (latebloomer), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 00:55 (eighteen years ago) link
― W i l l (common_person), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 03:34 (eighteen years ago) link
― latebloomer (latebloomer), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 03:55 (eighteen years ago) link
Exactly. Except, they are usually classic.
LISA'S WEDDING
BART TO THE FUTURE
It's comforting to know that after 2.5 years, ILX is still wrong.
― Leeeeeeeee (Leee), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 05:21 (eighteen years ago) link
― Leeeeeeeee (Leee), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 05:24 (eighteen years ago) link
Leeee I love you pls have my kiddies that I dont even want anyway, thankyew.
― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 10:31 (eighteen years ago) link
I'd like to know what people thought of the Simpsons if they saw it the way we see it in Aus - every weeknight at 6pm is an episode repeated, and at least once a week theres also a new ep, or a newer one (which means one night has maybe 3 eps). So I've probably seen, btwn that and my DVDs, more Simpsons than a lot of people here. And while I agree earlier stuff was on the whole better, I still dont get the point of starting these arguments. Do people argue about the Flintstones jumping the shark?
― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 10:56 (eighteen years ago) link
I watched it pretty much every day on Sky for six years! The daily episodes were random and there would be a new one or two every Sunday usually, sometimes with gaps to allow them to stock up for new ones as they emerged. I'd watch the weekly BBC showing if it was a good one. I've not really watched it since it moved to Channel 4, but I'll still watch it on Sky now and then.
― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 11:10 (eighteen years ago) link
umm, sorry trayce i asked it almost 3 years ago!
so...can we have consensus now (ducks).
― piscesboy, Wednesday, 14 September 2005 11:14 (eighteen years ago) link
― AaronK (AaronK), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 11:52 (eighteen years ago) link
Americans actually do get the chance to see Simpsons on a daily basis; thanks to the magic of syndication, any given market will air 1 to 3 episodes per night (currently, my area has 2 per night, I believe). The problem is that the pool of episodes from which stations choose seems to have narrowed a tonne: "Seymour's Sense of Snow," for instance, probably aired 3 times in 6 weeks. I suspect that the Simpsons poobahs were afraid of poaching DVD sales if they re-aired golden oldies.
And I just had my third most brilliant idea ever (which also is my second worst idea ever): Pynchon should be hired as a writer on the show!
― Leeeeeeeee (Leee), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 17:00 (eighteen years ago) link
It does seem though that, throughout these nerdliest of arguments, nobody seems to really care to defend seasons 12-present, which, I do say my good man, is close to being "consensus".
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 17:13 (eighteen years ago) link
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 17:14 (eighteen years ago) link
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 17:15 (eighteen years ago) link
― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 17:25 (eighteen years ago) link
many-x-post Leeeeee, those are great moments from those 2 episodes.
In Missionary Impossible, they are about to be crushed by burning timbers, and then a Fox pledge drive cuts in, Bart calls in a huge pledge, and the ending lines are
Rupert Murdoch: You saved my network!Bart: Wouldn't be the first time.
― quality does not equal quality (wetmink), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 18:06 (eighteen years ago) link
― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 21:51 (eighteen years ago) link
― Leeeeeeeee (Leee), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 21:56 (eighteen years ago) link
― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 22:13 (eighteen years ago) link
― Leeeeeeeee (Leee), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 23:00 (eighteen years ago) link
― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 15 September 2005 01:54 (eighteen years ago) link
The best has yet to come.
More promotional ‘Simpsons’ shorts will be coming to Disney+ throughout the year. All of them will pay homage to some of Disney’s top brands and Disney+’s most popular shows.Source: https://t.co/c3WQdQBBha pic.twitter.com/lPm8WSvj6x— Cartoon Crave (@thecartooncrave) May 3, 2021
― Joe Bombin (milo z), Monday, 3 May 2021 16:25 (three years ago) link
make purchase of the merchandise
― wasdnuos (abanana), Monday, 3 May 2021 16:30 (three years ago) link
Why did i used to write like a 13 year old texting one handed on a bicycle?
― piscesx, Monday, 3 May 2021 16:37 (three years ago) link
Just read a great long interview with John Swartzwelder in the NYer this morning. Laughed very hard at this bit:
Do you remember the first funny thing you wrote?I do, mostly because the reaction I got to it was so startling. I had just learned how to form letters into words, so I decided to write a play. The only thing I remember about the play itself, except for the last two lines, is that it was hilarious. But, when I read it aloud to my family, it got no laughs! Just supportive smiles and nods. I didn’t get it.But then I got to the second-to-last line, which was supposed to set up the big joke at the end. The setup line was: “This play has been brought to you by the Trash Can Airplane Company,” which—since this was Boeing country—got a huge, possibly undeserved, laugh. Baffled, but feeling that I finally had my audience in the palm of my hand, I leaned back and practically screamed the big finish: “P.S. It stinks!!!” More supportive smiles and nods. Plainly, there was a trick to comedy, and I didn’t know what it was.Do you know what the trick is now?No. “P.S. It stinks!!!” should have gotten a laugh. I don’t get it.
I do, mostly because the reaction I got to it was so startling. I had just learned how to form letters into words, so I decided to write a play. The only thing I remember about the play itself, except for the last two lines, is that it was hilarious. But, when I read it aloud to my family, it got no laughs! Just supportive smiles and nods. I didn’t get it.
But then I got to the second-to-last line, which was supposed to set up the big joke at the end. The setup line was: “This play has been brought to you by the Trash Can Airplane Company,” which—since this was Boeing country—got a huge, possibly undeserved, laugh. Baffled, but feeling that I finally had my audience in the palm of my hand, I leaned back and practically screamed the big finish: “P.S. It stinks!!!” More supportive smiles and nods. Plainly, there was a trick to comedy, and I didn’t know what it was.
Do you know what the trick is now?
No. “P.S. It stinks!!!” should have gotten a laugh. I don’t get it.
― nobody like my rap (One Eye Open), Monday, 3 May 2021 16:45 (three years ago) link
I'm sure something similar was said somewhere upthread, but I really feel like what the Simpsons lost after its "classic" years was more its emotional center than its humor. Without that, the constant absurdist jokes started to feel decadent and the cynicism started to feel aimless.
― longtime caller, first time listener (man alive), Monday, 3 May 2021 17:11 (three years ago) link
I've always maintained that the Simpsons just slowed down in how quickly they pummelled you with jokes. Like they just left more room to breathe and think and "get it". The only show post-Simpsons that I think even approached that energy was 30 Rock.
Like if this bit from a season 18 episode was in a season 9 episode, I don't imagine it would have had the second part explaining the joke
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q34Qxl5HINg
― bruce spr!ngisH3r3 (Whiney G. Weingarten), Monday, 3 May 2021 17:23 (three years ago) link
I remember feeling very distinctly at the time that the show finally became irrevocably unmoored when Kid Rock and Joe C guest-starred, and I think I'd stand by that assessment today.
― You Can't Have the Woogie Without a Little Boogie (Old Lunch), Monday, 3 May 2021 17:24 (three years ago) link
I like that
― Left, Monday, 3 May 2021 17:26 (three years ago) link
I'm going thru the seasons chronologically and I'm at 8 now. Some great episodes in it but last night I watched the 1st one where I really did not like Homer. Because he was TOO stupid, plus was being an asshole. It was "A Milhouse Divided". Obv overall it was a slow slide into shittiness for the series but the 2 minute or so section of Homer overcompensating by fawning over Marge was jarring, like they stuck season 30 Homer into the episode.
― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Monday, 3 May 2021 17:28 (three years ago) link
Granny Dainger out here complaining about Homer in the episode where he says "I sleep in a big bed with my wife"
― bruce spr!ngisH3r3 (Whiney G. Weingarten), Monday, 3 May 2021 17:43 (three years ago) link
Lol that's kinda my point. There's this 2 minute stretch where nuHomer is born.
― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Monday, 3 May 2021 17:48 (three years ago) link
pretty much everything terrible about nu simpsons (1998-now) can be found in the classic episodes in less concentrated and morbid forms so it probably sowed the seeds for its own decay and wasn't built to last as long as my entire fucking life
just noticed the AV club (whose writers have wasted years trying to convince themselves it's still good) has decided to stop covering new episodes altogether which is pretty damning, I mean if you've lost them
― Left, Monday, 3 May 2021 17:56 (three years ago) link