# The Platonic Realm of the Simpsons (AKA I Think it; They Show It) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 7, 2004, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-platonic-realm-of-the-simpsons-aka-i-think-it-they-show-it/253884 "2004-07-07T00:59:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-platonic-realm-of-the-simpsons-aka-i-think-it-they-show-it/253884/1 "2004-07-07T00:59:39Z")
Last night I was walking home after dark and I saw a person two blocks in front of me disappear into a cloud of mist. “That’s just like the episode where Bart sells his soul,” I thought. What episode is on syndication tonight? The episode where Bart sells his soul. This happens at least twice a week. I’ll think about a joke from an episode and that episode will come on within a few days. Anyone else have this experience? ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-platonic-realm-of-the-simpsons-aka-i-think-it-they-show-it/253884/2 "2004-07-07T01:18:38Z")
Happens to me all the time, though it doesn’t just have to be a joke. I could just want to see an episode, and it’ll be on that night. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-platonic-realm-of-the-simpsons-aka-i-think-it-they-show-it/253884/3 "2004-07-07T01:53:39Z")
Were you ever on the Twilight Zone? ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-platonic-realm-of-the-simpsons-aka-i-think-it-they-show-it/253884/4 "2004-07-07T02:40:22Z")
It happens to me too. I’ll think of a quote, think, “hmmm, I haven’t seen that episode in a while,” then it’ll be on that night. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-platonic-realm-of-the-simpsons-aka-i-think-it-they-show-it/253884/5 "2004-07-07T02:48:25Z")
This seems to be happening to me with For Better or Worse strips. Scary. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-platonic-realm-of-the-simpsons-aka-i-think-it-they-show-it/253884/6 "2004-07-07T03:10:43Z")
This happens to me a lot, too, but I finally figured out why. In the average week, I think of at least one reference from virtually every Simpson’s episode ever made. Therefore, no matter what Simpson’s episode I happen to see, it features something I remembered some time earlier in the week. ---
**Author:** ![Rufus\_Xavier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@Rufus\_Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rufus_Xavier)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-platonic-realm-of-the-simpsons-aka-i-think-it-they-show-it/253884/7 "2004-07-07T03:32:58Z")
I haven’t seen every single episode, so sometimes, like tonight for example, a line is delivered in the episode and it’s a line someone posted in a thread (without a cite or even a [/Homer] tag) that I read a while ago. Tonight, in the Carnival episode, Homer said, ‘A game where people throw ducks at balloons, and nothing is as it seems’. This is exactly what Hal Briston said in a thread about 6 weeks ago about future Reality Shows people wanted to see made. I had never seen this spisode before, but as soon as Homer said it, I remembered exactly where I had first come across the line. In an SDMB thread. Spooky. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-platonic-realm-of-the-simpsons-aka-i-think-it-they-show-it/253884/8 "2004-07-07T03:59:00Z")
A realted thing is that let us say that during the regular season I watch ONE episode of Will and Grace. ONE and ONLY ONE episode. In the summer I tune in and randomly to see and guess which episode is on? The only one I saw that year. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Bongo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a9adbd/32.png) [@Winston\_Bongo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Bongo)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-platonic-realm-of-the-simpsons-aka-i-think-it-they-show-it/253884/9 "2004-07-07T04:08:52Z")
You saw a person “disappear into a cloud of mist” and the only thing that freaked you out was that it reminded you of a _Simpson’s_ episode?? ---
**Author:** ![Call\_me\_Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Call\_me\_Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Call_me_Frank)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-platonic-realm-of-the-simpsons-aka-i-think-it-they-show-it/253884/10 "2004-07-07T06:23:01Z")
Wow, this happens to me too. Must mean that old Rupert’s implanted us all with micro-chips and is controlling our thoughts! 😃 Most recently (yesterday), I was thinking of a line from the Wacking Day episode and sure enough, it was on today… ---
**Author:** ![Dangerous\_Nan\_McGrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecd19e/32.png) [@Dangerous\_Nan\_McGrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerous_Nan_McGrew)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-platonic-realm-of-the-simpsons-aka-i-think-it-they-show-it/253884/11 "2004-07-07T07:01:08Z")
> [@Winston Bongo](#): > > You saw a person “disappear into a cloud of mist” and the only thing that freaked you out was that it reminded you of a _Simpson’s_ episode?? This puzzled me as well. Anyway, yes, this happens to me all the time and I’ve come to the same conclusion as **Miller**. There is probably a relevant Simpsons reference for any situation in life. Naturally, anyone who has watched enough Simpsons will be reminded of numerous episodes per day, likely without even realizing it. Now, account for the human tendency to look for patterns and notice only the hits and not the misses, and there ya go! You have a whole bunch of people going “OMGWTF I made a Simpsons episode come on WITH MY MIND!!!111!” Or it’s microchips. Equally likely that it’s microchips. ---
**Author:** ![carterba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85e7bf/32.png) [@carterba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carterba)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-platonic-realm-of-the-simpsons-aka-i-think-it-they-show-it/253884/12 "2004-07-07T16:21:53Z")
My roommate and I used to try to name the episode within the first 30 seconds. Since that’s too easy for any true Simpsons fan, one day we tried to name the episode before it even started. “Future Lisa,” I said—and it was so. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-platonic-realm-of-the-simpsons-aka-i-think-it-they-show-it/253884/13 "2004-07-07T16:36:44Z")
> [@Dangerous Nan McGrew](#): > > Or it’s microchips. Equally likely that it’s microchips. Yeah, I’m going to have to go with the microchips as well. Makes the most sense. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-platonic-realm-of-the-simpsons-aka-i-think-it-they-show-it/253884/14 "2004-07-07T16:37:19Z")
It happens to me lots of times, but I often watch 4 episodes a (week)day, so the likelyhood is high. Plus, we forget about the many times we think of an episode and then nothing happens to remind us that we thought of it. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-platonic-realm-of-the-simpsons-aka-i-think-it-they-show-it/253884/15 "2004-07-07T17:45:10Z")
> [@](#): > > My roommate and I used to try to name the episode within the first 30 seconds. Thats nothing. There is a more challenging way which does not require embedded chips or telepathy. If you are old enough or poor enough you might remember TV had something called _tubes_. I would play a game with my brother when an episode of Star Trek would come on. We would turn on our TV and listen. It would take quite a while for the tv to warm up. I could name the episode within a couple of seconds of background music without any picture.god what a geek ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-platonic-realm-of-the-simpsons-aka-i-think-it-they-show-it/253884/16 "2004-07-07T20:57:07Z")
> [@Winston Bongo](#): > > You saw a person “disappear into a cloud of mist” and the only thing that freaked you out was that it reminded you of a _Simpson’s_ episode?? He was at a corner so I’m asuming he turned. Then again I have been having trouble getting automatic doors to open… **Dangerous Nan McGrew** , that’s what I was thinking, but I was curious if it happened to anyone else. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-platonic-realm-of-the-simpsons-aka-i-think-it-they-show-it/253884/17 "2004-07-07T21:35:08Z")
> [@Wolfian](#): > > **1** - He was at a corner so I’m asuming he turned. **2** - Then again I have been having trouble getting automatic doors to open… 1 - You mean to the Dark Side? 2 - You have no body heat. ---
**Author:** ![Mottpot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Mottpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mottpot)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-platonic-realm-of-the-simpsons-aka-i-think-it-they-show-it/253884/18 "2004-07-07T23:49:06Z")
Its funny to see this thread because a couple days ago I decided to pop in **Fargo** which has the town with the huge statue of Paul Bunyan and references to the blue ox. Right when I turned the movie off, The Simpsons was on and it was the episode where Homer was Paul Bunyan with his big blue ox.