# simpsons was actually good tonight **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 17, 2003, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-was-actually-good-tonight/155537 "2003-02-17T01:17:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [February 17, 2003, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-was-actually-good-tonight/155537/21 "2003-02-17T06:50:27Z")
I didn’t get the ending of the second episode. The sculpture of Lisa… was there something I missed, some reference? I am usually pretty good about catching references in the show, but that one went past me. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-was-actually-good-tonight/155537/22 "2003-02-17T06:51:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tracer \* > \*\*Did the “I want to divorce my parents” line remind anyone else of the Rob Reiner movie [North](http://us.imdb.com/Details?0110687)? \*\* It just so happens that _North_ is Roger Ebert’s least favorite movie, and perhaps the only one he gave [zero stars](http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/ebert_reviews/1994/07/931635.html). Frightening. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-was-actually-good-tonight/155537/23 "2003-02-17T06:58:12Z")
North is a lousy movie. I got it on laserdisc. It just makes no sense whatsoever. The statue is, I believe, a reference to Mt. Rushmore. Lisa’s the only person in Springfield good enough. Which also makes no sense. Where’s Jebediah? ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-was-actually-good-tonight/155537/24 "2003-02-17T07:00:57Z")
300th was pretty lame overall. Bad timing, gags falling short, forced celebrity-guest jokes, etc. The 301st redeemed things pretty well, except for that odd, non-funny ending. And that celebrity guest spot was good: “Back I go to… whatever it is I do.” ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-was-actually-good-tonight/155537/25 "2003-02-17T07:04:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BizarroRonJeremy \* > \*\*Yeah, that’s what it was…Requiem for a Dream…that’s what I thought it was but after seeing it I wasnt’ sure… \*\* Don’t you mean _Requiem for a Heavyweight_ where Jack Palance is dragged out of the locker room? I didn’t see _Requiem for a Dream_, but I don’t see where Homer acted like a drugged-out Ellen Burstyn. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-was-actually-good-tonight/155537/26 "2003-02-17T07:42:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tracer \* > \*\*Did the “I want to divorce my parents” line remind anyone else of the Rob Reiner movie [North](http://us.imdb.com/Details?0110687)? \*\* Actually it reminded me of those occasional kid-divorcing-parents news stories you see every now and again. BTW, “North” rocked. Ebert is a moron. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-was-actually-good-tonight/155537/27 "2003-02-17T08:05:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Osiris \* > \*\*I know Barney wasn’t drunk so what was he drinking? I didn’t catch it. \*\* No, he was drunk. He asked Lisa to spell “relapse,” and said something like, “That’s what this beer has done to me.” I thought that was pretty funny, really. ---
**Author:** ![censored](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/35a633/32.png) [@censored](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/censored)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-was-actually-good-tonight/155537/28 "2003-02-17T08:06:35Z")
**BobT** : The Requiem for a Dream reference was when Homer ate his first (and second, and third) ribwich, as said above. The reference wasn’t specific to the Ellen Burstyn character, and involves quick cuts (to a rapidly widening pupil, back to Homer, etc) and some sound effects. The Butterfinger gag was also pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-was-actually-good-tonight/155537/29 "2003-02-17T08:45:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Smeghead \* > \*\*No, he was drunk. He asked Lisa to spell “relapse,” and said something like, “That’s what this beer has done to me.” I thought that was pretty funny, really. \*\* Good, I miss the old Barney. I don’t care for the new Barney. Blandey McBlanagan. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-was-actually-good-tonight/155537/30 "2003-02-17T14:22:36Z")
The Requiem reference was great. The sound effects were dead-on. (Raygun, I shudder at your suggestion! :eek: ) Reason why 301 was better than 300: Divergent plot lines. I think that’s been the underlying reason the last couple seasons haven’t been as engaging. Do we have a definitive reason why these were considered 300 and 301? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-was-actually-good-tonight/155537/31 "2003-02-17T16:03:01Z")
> [@](#): > > Do we have a definitive reason why these were considered 300 and 301? 1. Fox executives wanted to try for a sweeps promotion and picked a night where they thought that the Simpsons could pull in a big crowd without much competition despite the actual number of episodes. 2. Fox executives lack the ability to count. 3. Several episodes of the Simpsons are actually mass delusions including Saddlesore Galactica, Bart to the Future, and the episode where Marge gets breast implants. You didn’t think the Simpsons could really suck that bad, did you? ---
**Author:** ![Gr8Kat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gr8kat/32/18668_2.png) [@Gr8Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gr8Kat)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-was-actually-good-tonight/155537/32 "2003-02-17T17:39:07Z")
So what I want to know is if the statue is going to become a permanent fixture in the Springfield landscape or if it is going to be “forgotten” in future eps. Guess we’ll have to wait and see. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-was-actually-good-tonight/155537/33 "2003-02-17T17:39:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by friedo \* > \*\*It just so happens that _North_ is Roger Ebert’s least favorite movie, and perhaps the only one he gave [zero stars](http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/ebert_reviews/1994/07/931635.html). \*\* Although Ebert hated \*North, hated hated hated it, he has given 0 stars to over 20 other films, including _Pink Flamingos_, _Freddy Got Fingered_, and _Mad Dog Time_, which he suggested be cut up to provide ukelele picks for the blind. ---
**Author:** ![NailBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@NailBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NailBunny)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-was-actually-good-tonight/155537/34 "2003-02-17T17:49:15Z")
Which was the episode with the Vampira-esque television host who was saying in a spooky voice “And ven ve come back, I’ll show you my BOOOOOBS!” God, I haven’t laughed that hard in a really long time. I woke up still laughing about that. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-was-actually-good-tonight/155537/35 "2003-02-17T18:39:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NailBunny \* > \*\*Which was the episode with the Vampira-esque television host who was saying in a spooky voice “And ven ve come back, I’ll show you my BOOOOOBS!” > > God, I haven’t laughed that hard in a really long time. I woke up still laughing about that. \*\* That was the second one. Booberella (who reminded me more of Elvira, Mistress of the Dark-or any buxom Count Floydish horror host, for that matter) was showing _Frankenstein and the Harlem Globetrotters Meet the Mummy and the Washington Generals_ until she was sued by Ray Romano. “Not Frankenstein’s fault. Frankenstein made of corpses of Denver Nuggets.” ---
**Author:** ![Banger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@Banger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banger)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-was-actually-good-tonight/155537/36 "2003-02-19T06:46:49Z")
How many people got the **Requiem for a Dream** reference? Having seen the film, I got a laugh out of it, but I’m guessing that most people haven’t seen the film and won’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-was-actually-good-tonight/155537/37 "2003-02-20T01:20:20Z")
Lisa is not the only one in Springfeild to have her face carved into a mountain. Don’t forget about Mt. Carlmore [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-was-actually-good-tonight/155537.md?page=1)