I thought the episode last night was OK, though a far cry from some of my own favorites. The boob jokes seemed stale, and took up too much of the episode.
One thing, though, since someone mentioned “pushing boundaries”… I have an idea of what Homer and Marge might have been doing with the lights out, though my wife disn’t see it that way. Any thoughts on what they were doing? And why Homer fell off?
evil grin
I didn’t mind seeing Stampy again, but I didn’t need to, either.
Continuity and the Simpsons do not mix. For example, how is it that Apu went from being single, to married, to the father of octuplets - toddlers in one episode - all while Maggie is still an infant? Or while Lisa is still in the 2nd grade?
So why attempt continuity with Stampy while ignoring other examples. For instance, was Marge planning to pay for liposuction with the Christmas bonus jar? Because that’s the money they used when Bart needed cosmetic surgery, namely, tattoo removal. Has Homer finally decided to pay for cable? Must have, since Lisa was watching the History Channel, and she refused to watch when Homer stole cable before.
The episode didn’t grate on me as much as it did for some here, but the convoluted non-continuity is starting to get ridiculous.
I should note that my personal Simpsons continuity model postulates that the entire series takes place during one crazy year. After 3 or 4 different Christmases, this is rapidly becoming untenable. They’ll hit 300 episodes this season. It’s not inconceivable that they’ll rack up 365 before it’s all over. Only then will I admit my theory is a total failure.
The Simpsons would make more sense if it wasn’t for that damned quantum jumping.
I found myself laughing a lot so I guess that makes it a good episode (in my opinion anyhow).
I thought this was one of the intentional running gags of the show… that continuity is basically out the window and anything goes. It’s like what Grant Morrison said about the Joker in Arkham Asylum: He reinvents himself every day.
I’ve always thought that the Simpsons was like that too. I pretty mich forget about any attempt at continuity and just enjoy the laughs.
You are correct. It’s called Descriptive Video Service, and it’s available by setting your TV’s audio to SAP.
Two gags I liked which haven’t been mentioned yet:
Homer betting on the outcome of the 1948 presidential election. It just sounds like something only Homer would do.
The Iwo Jima veterans. A classic example of how the writers take something you expect and turn it upside down. You figure (I did) Iwo Jima+flag=pick up flag. What you don’t expect is for them to get knocked down again.
Wasn’t this like the fourth or fifth appearance of '60s Batman? Is one of the writers related to Adam West or something?
It was a dig at Radio Disney, right up until they ended the show with the actual Baha Men singing “Marge Let Her Boobs Out,” or somesuch.
Then it became sucktastic.
It’s one thing to have Britney Spears or 'N Sync on the show because they are currently popular. It’s quite another to have the fricking Baha Men.
-Myron
I just figured out why it wasn’t the best of episodes:
It was written by Ian Maxtone-Graham.
Take a look at his Simpsons credentials. Most of his episodes are the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked. (Most of them-this wasn’t that bad, and I liked some of the gags in the Mr. Burns’ son episode). It’s to be expected from a man who never watched the show before he was hired to work on it.
Springfield exists in a quantum configurational time/space having i dimensions. This should be obvious to even the simplest person with a degree in advanced hyperbolic topology. Thus, your foolishly limited concept of continuity does not apply there what with the Halloween specials, and Bart becoming Chief Justice of the Surpreme Court, and the glaven!
I liked it. Mister Tini set free, ogling lobsters, Drederick Tatum’s devastating honesty.
I’ve watched and loved the Simpsons since they first appeared on Tracey Ulman(Dad, I’ve got a question. What is the mind?). In all that time, I’ve seen a grand total of 1 episode I did not like-Apu cheating. I just didn’t see the need to screw up his and Minjula’s happiness. But even that episode had some great moments (The South. The North. And The East. Who were fighting to keep Springfield in, out of, and next to the Union respectively.)
Re-The Plastic Surgeon
How is that not a single one of you recognized him as the same man who did Moe’s face (Whoa! There’s a mug you don’t want to chug! My face! I’m not supposed to put weight on it! Now, we’ll see if you go on my wall of fame or my blooper real. )