# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/21 "2004-11-23T00:05:00Z")
I thought it was a fine episode. Sure, it didn’t rock my socks off – so it wasn’t on par with Homer’s Guatemalan Insanity Pepper-induced Carlos Castaneda odyssey, but _The Simpsons_ remains one of television’s finest half-hours. There was enough Ralph to keep me happy. “Bart’s my bestest boyfriend!” Heh heh. Nelson’s a great character, and he’s always had that comic/tragic thing going on. I think the writers were in a particularly melancholy frame of mind for this episode, and managed to get some good laughs out of it. The denoument wasn’t a feel-good cop-out, none of the things that the characters were anxious about were really _resolved_ – they just got a little something that made their still-crappy situation _bearable_ for them. I like that. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/22 "2004-11-23T00:28:02Z")
> [@vd](#): > > I liked “duck duck duck duck duck” even if I knew what was going to happen before the second “duck”. I was waiting for Ralphie to run around going “duck, duck, duck…” and swing by the speakerphone that Milhouse was listening in on. “duck, duck, duck, duck” \ \ “duck, duck, duck…” ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/23 "2004-11-23T00:53:42Z")
The part where milhouse was on a cell phone and was breaking up was pretty funny. And like the others have said it was still better than the treehouse of horrors. ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/24 "2004-11-23T01:21:33Z")
I thought it was better than last week’s episode (the bake-off) but not by much. It was surprisingly dramatic for a Simpsons episode. I’m still pretty pissed they cancelled Futurama but leave this on the air. It’s like they’re trying to turn it into Family Guy (hence the twisting of characters) but they don’t have the timing that makes FG so funny. They should really just let it die. ---
**Author:** ![pizzabrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/25 "2004-11-23T01:47:39Z")
The “How to Draw Homer Simpson” lesson was cute. The ending was as good an episode ending spoof as they ever done. I love it when they do those things. “And Lisa, what did you learn?” “Nothing! I, like most other women, still have an unhealthy obsession with my weight.” “Oh… But talking about it is the first step to solving the problem!” “Eh, maybe. But I’ve still got a loooong journey ahead of me.” “Come on! Say something conclusive!” ---
**Author:** ![Avumede](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/avumede/32/7235_2.png) [@Avumede](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avumede)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/26 "2004-11-23T02:08:24Z")
I guess I’m in the minority here, but the last two episodes have surprised me - they are much better than I would have expected. The stories were interesting, and the humor was good. Nelson has had some great lines recently, last season too… ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/27 "2004-11-23T02:42:17Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Get out of the Comic Book Shop once in a while. Oh, nice! This line is so apropos of so many of the posts I see in Care Society that it’s almost sig-worthy. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/28 "2004-11-23T02:49:39Z")
One of the funniet episodes of the last several seasons. One of the lines had me laughing so hard I farted – high praise indeed. ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/29 "2004-11-23T03:41:55Z")
> [@vd](#): > > I liked “duck duck duck duck duck” even if I knew what was going to happen before the second “duck”. This part made me chuckle because I spent my entire summer dealing with 5- and 6-year-olds who did the exact same thing. I haven’t watched The Simpsons in 3-4 years because I just haven’t found them funny. This episode was “meh”. The Simpsons aren’t as great as they once were. And I don’t much care for the argument that they’re that much better than anything else on TV. For one, it’s not true (I agree with **cheddersnax** ). Also, I don’t _have_ to watch TV. The Simpsons shouldn’t lure me in on the premise that it’s better than what’s on the other channels, it should attract me on the premise that it’s better than anything else I could be doing for that 30 minutes. (If that makes sense–I’m kind of out of it tonight and I apologize.) ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/30 "2004-11-23T04:02:26Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > 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. 100 times zero is still zero. Well, to be fair, I’d say that the Simpsons was at least more coherant than last night’s _Super Milk Chan_\*…but on the other hand, “Milk Chan” actually made me laugh once—which was once more than the Simpsons did. Of course, I did change the channel after about five minutes of the Simpsons. I didn’t need to eat the whole egg. \*Which obviously wasn’t hard. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/31 "2004-11-23T04:38:38Z")
“Her range is limited! _Limited!_” Not a classic episode, but an entertaining one. ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/32 "2004-11-23T05:17:01Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > 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. I guess that’s my point. Normally my reaction to negative Simpsons comments is exactly this. Sure, it’s not a great episode, but it’s still better than everything else. And I did recognize some good moments in the show (First/Second Twin Magazines especially). But this is the very first time ever my overall reaction to an episode has been negative. Seriously negative. As was mentioned upthread, I felt the impulse to change channels mid-episode. This has never happened before. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/33 "2004-11-23T07:10:26Z")
Don’t discount the Rerun Phenomenon, folks. There’ve been quite a few episodes when an initial viewing left me underwhelmed, but when I saw them again (and again and again), I thought they were hilarious. Just as some foods are better after being reheated, so are some _Simpsons_ episodes. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/34 "2004-11-23T09:14:46Z")
I thought it was pretty decent. Not great, but I definitely not worst ever. The storyline with Nelson really hit home. Me and two friends took the school bully to a Charlotte Hornets game once and he softened up and said – in all seriousness – “This is the best day of my life.” ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/35 "2004-11-23T13:37:41Z")
The first time I ever saw a Simpsons episode and actually _hated_ it was the one where Marge took the convict in. I was crushed. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/36 "2004-11-23T16:28:51Z")
Didn’t like this episode. I thought it was badly written. Trite, obvious payoffs, and the characters did not behave like themselves. For example, Marge let Nelson bully Bart in her own house. Marge would never do that. Nelson’s character was all over the map, changing with each scene. Homer was nonexistant. But worst of all, it just wasn’t very funny. I thought the Treehouse of Horror episode that opened the season was much better. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/37 "2004-11-23T16:38:14Z")
> [@Sam Stone](#): > > For example, Marge let Nelson bully Bart in her own house. Marge would never do that. Well, Marge was cheesed off at her family’s indifference. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/38 "2004-11-23T18:01:19Z")
“Hundreds of thousands of empty hours, and then… the peace of the grave.” Heh heh heh. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/39 "2004-11-23T18:33:32Z")
I thought Nelson’s mom’s panties falling down around her ankles was a good touch. Also funny was Marge’s rant “Don’t have intercourse with anybody on the way home”, although it’s much funnier if you hear it as “Don’t fuck anybody on the way home” in your head (which was prolly the way the writers envisioned the scene, changing the wording to the awkward “intercourse” because of the realities of TV.) ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154/40 "2004-11-23T20:33:57Z")
Well, yeah, but then Marge would never, ever use the F-word. I liked the episode, and also loved Nelson’s “… and she’s got limited range” line. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-11-21-04/276154.md?page=3)