# Simpsons: 18/11/01 - "Hi, my name's Barney, and ..." **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 19, 2001, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-18-11-01-hi-my-names-barney-and/94137 "2001-11-19T02:32:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-18-11-01-hi-my-names-barney-and/94137/21 "2001-11-19T08:13:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cisco \* > \*\*And Bleeding Gums Murphy was in one episode (the one he died in), IIRC. > \*\* No, he was in more than one – Lisa met him way back in the first season, and he had a few other cameo appearances between then and the episode in which he died. Marvin Monroe was quietly dispatched offscreen, his passing only announced by the presence of the Dr. Marvin Monroe Memorial Hospital (and the 138th Episode Spectacular). Oh, and a few more examples for **The Tim’s** theory – of continuity, that is, not TG references – Apu’s marriage and the subsequent birth of octuplets, Skinner and Krabappel hooking up. You might find [http://www.snpp.com](http://www.snpp.com) to be an excellent research tool, as it’s probably the most anal-retentive Simpsons site in existence… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-18-11-01-hi-my-names-barney-and/94137/22 "2001-11-19T10:54:12Z")
Nonononon no Moe put alcohol IN the coffee… So barn-man would hooked again. I thought they made it evident ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-18-11-01-hi-my-names-barney-and/94137/23 "2001-11-19T13:38:47Z")
> [@](#): > > **18?!?! What month is that?** > > What kind of calendar are you using? Well, you see the _reast_ of the world… > [@](#): > > I was pretty pissed off about having to watch end of the Deadskins and Broncos game and missing Kin of the Hill. I love that joke in the commercial where Bobby is holding a cheerleading uniform and Hank says, “There better be a naked cheerleader under your bed!” They didn’t show that episode. They showed a rerun of the one where Bobby becomes the team mascot and then finds out that it’s tradition for the other team to pound the mascot when they’re losing. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-18-11-01-hi-my-names-barney-and/94137/24 "2001-11-19T13:39:50Z")
“rest”. Pre-caffeine post. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-18-11-01-hi-my-names-barney-and/94137/25 "2001-11-19T16:59:17Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by Cisco \* \*\* > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Miller \* > **I believe Snowball II is the one and only Snowball they have had in their televised lifetimes. If Snowball I was ever shown, it must’ve been on the Tracy Ullman Show but I don’t think so.** Snowball II has been the family cat since the beginning of the show, but in flashback episodes we’ve sometimes seen the original Snowball. (Why did the Simpson’s name a black cat Snowball? Because the first Snowball was white; when he died Homer tried to cover it up by getting Lisa a new cat and passing it off, but she realized it was a different color.) –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-18-11-01-hi-my-names-barney-and/94137/26 "2001-11-19T17:45:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MyFootsZZZ \* > \*\*Moe put alcohol IN the coffee… So barn-man would hooked again. I thought they made it evident \*\* No, I don’t think so – wouldn’t Barney have gone back to his shaggy-haired, belching drunken behavior if he had? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Heath\_Doolin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Heath\_Doolin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heath_Doolin)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-18-11-01-hi-my-names-barney-and/94137/27 "2001-11-19T18:23:25Z")
And Barney gets into his character WITHOUT ALCOHOL Cite: Remember the Homer in Space one where Barney drinks non-alcoholic champagne (‘IT BEGINS!!!’), goes bananas and steals a rocket pack. He should be old Barney. He bridged many a plot device and was good for a laugh. “All I can remember about the last 3 months was I was giving a guest lecture at Villanova…or maybe it was a street corner.” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-18-11-01-hi-my-names-barney-and/94137/28 "2001-11-19T18:28:36Z")
Didn’t Barney also sober up (temporarily) in the Space Shuttle episode? He turned into “the very model of a modern Major General”, until the congratulatory champagne just before liftoff. He relapsed, so they had to fall back on Homer, the alternate. D’oh! Dang you, **Heath**! Although I do remember the Villanova episode… 'Twas quite the talk about campus, at the time. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bad\_Astronomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@The\_Bad\_Astronomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bad_Astronomer)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-18-11-01-hi-my-names-barney-and/94137/29 "2001-11-19T18:32:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr. Blue Sky \* > \*\*I don’t know if this counts, though, considering the lack of continuity in the show. \*\* I would argue that The Simpsons has the highest level of continuity of any show I have ever seen. They are perfectly aware of almost every gag they have ever used; they simply ignore them when convenient. They even make a point of it! In a flashback scene, they have Lisa doing a voiceover describing Valentine’s Day: “It was an unusually balmy February 14th…” because of course you see her wearing the only dress she ever wears. It’s jokes like that which kill me. Burns can almost never remember Homer’s name, despite their ties. At one point, Lisa shows Bart a picture form a book saying that “In a million years, humans will have five fingers”. ---
**Author:** ![tronvillain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@tronvillain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tronvillain)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-18-11-01-hi-my-names-barney-and/94137/30 "2001-11-19T18:44:02Z")
Chocobo: > [@](#): > > On a vein off of Barney’s sobriety, was anyone else slightly disturbed by the amount of blood in the recent Simpsons episodes? … Is there any reason for this? To appeal to people like me apparently - I found most of those scenes hilarious. The Simpsons has always understood that there is a lot of humour to be found in the suffering of others. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-18-11-01-hi-my-names-barney-and/94137/31 "2001-11-19T19:35:13Z")
I noticed that, too…all the blood. And most of the time, there’s no real reason for it. AND I noticed how they’re down to repeating episodes. Let’s see…two horse episodes, two “Moe renovates the bar and a hot band guest stars.” This is getting ridiculous- what next? Bart gets an elephant…twice? And yeah, there have been an abnormal amount of TG jokes… ---
**Author:** ![Satchmo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/satchmo/32/4223_2.png) [@Satchmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satchmo)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-18-11-01-hi-my-names-barney-and/94137/32 "2001-11-19T19:45:40Z")
I have a question, at the start of the episode, Bart was digging an ‘unexplained’ hole in the back yard. Was that ever explained? Or was that just part of “Homer’s story” that he was telling in the bar? Because they sort of introduced a replacement for Dr. Marvin Monroe, “A special kind of talking doctor, Bart”. As usual, I’m confused. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-18-11-01-hi-my-names-barney-and/94137/33 "2001-11-19T19:50:39Z")
It was just part of Homer’s story. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-18-11-01-hi-my-names-barney-and/94137/34 "2001-11-19T20:58:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tuckerfan \* > \*\*Personally, I think somebody needs to hook Barney up with an I.V. of Duffs finest, that’ll take care of his soberity, but good! \*\* He already had that once, after he won the Springfield Film Festival for his **anti-drinking** film. I guess if Duff can bring him back once, he could easily go back to drinking again. Though he probably won’t. “My name’s Barney, and I’m an alcoholic.” “Barney, this is a Girl Scout meeting.” “Is it, or can’t you admit you have a problem?” ---
**Author:** ![Mojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-18-11-01-hi-my-names-barney-and/94137/35 "2001-11-19T21:21:26Z")
> [@](#): > > Bart gets an elephant…twice? Or a third horse. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-18-11-01-hi-my-names-barney-and/94137/36 "2001-11-19T21:44:22Z")
I believe Snowball I WAS in flashbacks. ---
**Author:** ![SuaSponte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-18-11-01-hi-my-names-barney-and/94137/37 "2001-11-19T22:05:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Bad Astronomer \* > I would argue that The Simpsons has the highest level of continuity of any show I have ever seen. They are perfectly aware of almost every gag they have ever used; they simply ignore them when convenient. They even make a point of it! In a flashback scene, they have Lisa doing a voiceover describing Valentine’s Day: “It was an unusually balmy February 14th…” because of course you see her wearing the only dress she ever wears. I agree, **BA**. Just about every show I’ve ever seen has characters acting contrary to their character, or introducing character elements, via flashback, that are completely antithetical. The Simpsons not only do this, but acknowledge it and revel in it. Two episodes come to mind - “The B Sharps” episode - “What, son? You don’t remember when I won the Emmy award? No dad, television has destroyed my long-term memory. It’s a serious problem.” - The “Grimy” episode - it is pointed out that Homer, Mr. Joe Schmoe, has had beers with Gerald Ford, traveled around the world, and even been to space (“You mean you’ve never been there?”). All that aside, this week’s episode struck me as weak. On occasion (and, unfortunately, more and more often in recent seasons), the Simpsons is afflicted with “SNL skit syndrome” - “I have a great idea, but have no idea what the ending should be.” “Let’s make it anyway, and toss some crappy ending on at the end.” Sua ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-18-11-01-hi-my-names-barney-and/94137/38 "2001-11-19T23:27:55Z")
> [@](#): > > And Bleeding Gums Murphy was in one episode (the one he died in), IIRC. Bleeding Gums Murphy is in every episode of the Simpsons. In the opening credits. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-18-11-01-hi-my-names-barney-and/94137/39 "2001-11-19T23:29:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Tim \* > \*\*I think I just realized a pattern to Simpsons continuity. Things that happen on screen in the show tend to stick (Lisa becomming a vegitarian, Barney becomming sober, Maud dying). However the backstory of characters is in nearly constant flux. This includes references to off screen incidents that have occured in the time period which the show covers. I’m going to have to hunt through episode guides, reruns and the like to see if this theory is correct. Dopers I call upon you to help test my idea. \*\* What about when they get out of school with that huge celebration in one episode? They are out for summer vacation and when they come back for school, both Bart and Lisa are still in the same grade. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-18-11-01-hi-my-names-barney-and/94137/40 "2001-11-20T00:33:02Z")
In the opening scenes of “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire”, the first full length episode" Marge talks about the fact that Snowball is dead and has been replaced by Snowball II, so Snowball was never shown on the show except in flashbacks or perhaps in the Tracey Ullman shorts. Snowball, incidentally, was killed by being run over by Mayor “Diamond Jim” Quimby’s ne’er-do-well son Clarence. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-18-11-01-hi-my-names-barney-and/94137.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-18-11-01-hi-my-names-barney-and/94137.md?page=3)