# The Simpsons -- 11/21/04 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 22, 2004, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154 "2004-11-22T19:32:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2004, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/1 "2004-11-22T19:32:15Z")
Worst. Episode. Evar. I never thought I’d do this. I am not one of these internet Simpson bashers who say the show has sucked since Season 4. I love the Simpsons and have always greatly enjoyed it. I’ve never agreed with the widespread allegation that the quality has significantly declined. Until last night. Man that episode _stank_! It was maudlin, unfunny and wildly inconsistent with the characters’ well-established histories and personalities. Even with episodes I haven’t loved in the past (the McCartneys, for instance) I haven’t minded watching the show. Last night was just painful. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2004, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/2 "2004-11-22T19:36:48Z")
I thought it had its moments. I remember laughing out loud twice, though I can’t recall at what, precisely. ---
**Author:** ![vd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b19c9b/32.png) [@vd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vd)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2004, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/3 "2004-11-22T20:00:19Z")
It wasn’t as bad as this year’s Treehouse of Horror. I liked “duck duck duck duck duck” even if I knew what was going to happen before the second “duck”. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2004, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/4 "2004-11-22T20:00:48Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > I thought it had its moments. I remember laughing out loud twice, though I can’t recall at what, precisely. “At least she’s not singing Streisand” probably got the biggest laugh from my crowd. For my opinion on the episode to count I’d probably have to have bashed a few of the lesser ones more vocally… ---
**Author:** ![Judith\_Prietht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@Judith\_Prietht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judith_Prietht)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2004, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/5 "2004-11-22T20:01:05Z")
I did laugh when Homer tied the sweater around his waist, turned around to present the most expansive, monumental ass I’ve ever seen him sport, and Lisa recoiled in horror. ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2004, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/6 "2004-11-22T20:13:34Z")
It was the first Simpsons episode I ever turned off halfway through. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2004, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/7 "2004-11-22T20:15:29Z")
I thought it was all right. Much better than this years Treehouse. I liked it when Nelson had Marge take him home, and he got out at the slightly-less-crappy house then climbed the fence. I liked it when Marge asked him if he was eating tadpoles for lunch and he says, “well, technically, brunch.” (or whatever) I thought some of the “thin” jokes were good. Edna’s rip on Seymour. And the whole Nelson/Marge plot was good enough to keep it strung together. Overall, pretty solid, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2004, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/8 "2004-11-22T20:19:28Z")
I would have said what the OP said, but about **last** week’s episode. This one was better, but still below average. Things don’t look good for the “epic 16th season.” ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2004, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/9 "2004-11-22T20:22:08Z")
While it wansn’t one of the better episodes I’m in the sad state of desperately wanting _The Simpsons_ to be good. Dang it I just bought a DVD recorder and I don’t want to see episodes that suck… and I probably won’t admit it when they do. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2004, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/10 "2004-11-22T20:27:21Z")
I think the scene with Lisa and the cake made the episode. “If I stop now, I still have some dignity.” ---
**Author:** ![aaslatten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@aaslatten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aaslatten)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2004, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/11 "2004-11-22T21:22:25Z")
It’s gotten bizarre, in a truly unpleasant way. Still, I got a few laughs from last night’s episode. Better than the Treehouse episode. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2004, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/12 "2004-11-22T21:23:37Z")
I thought it had its moments – and “First-Born Twin Magazine” and “Second-Born Twin Magazine” were priceless. I thought last week’s was quite good. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/13 "2004-11-22T21:39:41Z")
I liked it. C’mon folks, have you _seen_ what else is on TV? Forgetting “reality” shows and such, just look (if you can stand it) at “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “Will and Grace.” Even the worse Simpsons episode is 100 times better than any of those. A fairly nice episode. The only letdown is that there really wasn’t a big a punch line on Lisa’s revenge at the end. Get out of the Comic Book Shop once in a while. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/14 "2004-11-22T21:42:56Z")
I liked it myself simply because it returned to more of a story-based theme. I prefer the Simpsons when there is some semblance of a plot that is based somewhat in reality. DVD recorder…I wish, can’t get our DVD to work. I’m back off to my cave now. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2004, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/15 "2004-11-22T21:44:41Z")
> [@aaslatten](#): > > It’s gotten bizarre, in a truly unpleasant way. This season has been too Marge and Lisa-centric and those episodes have always sucked. It’s funny when Marge is Homers straight-person and Lisa is Barts. It’s not funny to delve into Marge’s neuroticism and Lisas desperation. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2004, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/16 "2004-11-22T21:45:50Z")
> [@aaslatten](#): > > It’s gotten bizarre, in a truly unpleasant way. I completely agree with this statement. Not to hijack too much, but I can’t _believe_ that they cancelled the increasingly sophisticated and hilarious humor of Futurama, but decided to keep on the walking corpse that the Simpsons has become. ---
**Author:** ![Yumblie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/76d3ee/32.png) [@Yumblie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumblie)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2004, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/17 "2004-11-22T21:54:10Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > This season has been too Marge and Lisa-centric and those episodes have always sucked. It’s funny when Marge is Homers straight-person and Lisa is Barts. It’s not funny to delve into Marge’s neuroticism and Lisas desperation. See, I’d rather have a bad Marge/Lisa episode than a bad Homer/Bart episode, because the latter are painfully bad. At least the Marge/Lisa plots have some semblence of reality, whereas Homer’s adventures typically get ridiculously bizarre and stupid. Last night’s was ok, I would hardly call it the worst ever. It wasn’t up to the quality of the peak seasons but if you go in expecting that you’re going to be disappointed. Just look at them as two different shows now. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2004, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/18 "2004-11-22T22:12:56Z")
> [@vd](#): > > It wasn’t as bad as this year’s Treehouse of Horror. > > I liked “duck duck duck duck duck” even if I knew what was going to happen before the second “duck”. I think Bart responded, “Say goose you stupid freak.” I thought that was funny. ---
**Author:** ![cheddarsnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cheddarsnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheddarsnax)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2004, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/19 "2004-11-22T23:37:25Z")
Well sure, **ftg** , the rest of TV sucks if you don’t actually look at the rest of TV. What about Arrested Development? Scrubs? Both hilarious shows, and much more entertaining than Simpsons is these days. Even King of the Hill and Malcolm, while not as funny as they were a few years ago, still provide more laughs than The Simpsons. Even Everybody Loves Raymond and Will and Grace are, at worst, just pointless and inoffensive wastes of time. But The Simpsons has descended to a lower level than that, with the writers grasping at anything and everything to try and get a joke, and it just doesn’t work. When I watch The Simpsons, I go beyond just not laughing. I actually feel embarassed for the people who put their names on each episode. ---
**Author:** ![PigBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/97f17d/32.png) [@PigBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigBoy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2004, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/20 "2004-11-22T23:53:14Z")
Not the worst episode ever in my opinion, but still not good. Generally to me, Lisa episodes are only good when they are Lisa/Homer episodes, and Marge episodes are usually never good. So just the concept of a Marge/Lisa episode signals mediocrity at best. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154.md?page=2)