# the Simpsons season 17 finale 5/21 (spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 21, 2006, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-season-17-finale-5-21-spoilers/357678 "2006-05-21T23:45:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2006, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-season-17-finale-5-21-spoilers/357678/1 "2006-05-21T23:45:34Z")
Tonight 8:00pm. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2006, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-season-17-finale-5-21-spoilers/357678/2 "2006-05-21T23:48:13Z")
Here’s hoping for an appropriate end to the best season in several years. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-season-17-finale-5-21-spoilers/357678/3 "2006-05-22T00:01:34Z")
The season finale and they couldn’t even think of a new couch gag? At least they pickied this season’s funniest to re-use. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-season-17-finale-5-21-spoilers/357678/4 "2006-05-22T00:01:47Z")
Was that opening sequence, in which the furniture rises up and attacks the humans, a repeat? It looked really familiar to me. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-season-17-finale-5-21-spoilers/357678/5 "2006-05-22T00:36:32Z")
The couch gag was a repeat. “We’ve been through more hardships than the Jews anc Charlie Brown put together!” “And I say a monkey **can** mow our lawn!” “Llike I always say- compromise is the key.” “_I_ always say that.” “Let’s compromise and say nobody said it.” The cast of _Hunch_, seen during the show’s closing credits: Hunch: Tony Huncharella Written by: J.D. Salinger Gloria Huncharella: Gwyneth Paltrow City of New York: City of Lethbridge, Alberta Bystander #2: Sir Anthony Hopkins Furious Bowler: The Late George C. Scott Guy Who Turned Out To Be That Other Guy: Heidi Klum ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-season-17-finale-5-21-spoilers/357678/6 "2006-05-22T00:49:22Z")
> [@mobo85](#): > > The cast of _Hunch_, seen during the show’s closing credits: > Hunch: Tony Huncharella > Written by: J.D. Salinger > Gloria Huncharella: Gwyneth Paltrow > City of New York: City of Lethbridge, Alberta > Bystander #2: Sir Anthony Hopkins > Furious Bowler: The Late George C. Scott > Guy Who Turned Out To Be That Other Guy: Heidi Klum That was the best gag in the episode. ---
**Author:** ![Reloy3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c68b51/32.png) [@Reloy3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reloy3)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-season-17-finale-5-21-spoilers/357678/7 "2006-05-22T19:04:13Z")
To me it was a mixed bag - It was weaker than some of the others this season, and it suffered because it was a “guest star” episode. There were good moments, but the main story line was not that funny. Its weak parts were magnified because they showed a couple of stronger episodes before it, particularly the multiple flashback cave frame tale. Anything that keeps Mandy Moore emplyued is alright with me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Reloy3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c68b51/32.png) [@Reloy3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reloy3)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-season-17-finale-5-21-spoilers/357678/8 "2006-05-22T19:06:36Z")
Sorry, that should be “employed”. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-season-17-finale-5-21-spoilers/357678/9 "2006-05-22T19:19:28Z")
“City of New York: City of Lethbridge, Alberta” That cracked me up the most of those… but that’s just because I’ve been to Lethbridge… My favorite gag was Bart’s burgeoning sexual interest. Especially when the Mandy Moore character did the pole dance on the lamp “to polish it” ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-season-17-finale-5-21-spoilers/357678/10 "2006-05-22T19:36:24Z")
Yet another testament to the skill of Alf Clausen is the fact that the two Tabitha Vixx songs that appear in this episode actually sound like songs that Britney Spears would sing. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-season-17-finale-5-21-spoilers/357678/11 "2006-05-22T20:03:54Z")
> [@Push You Down](#): > > My favorite gag was Bart’s burgeoning sexual interest. Especially when the Mandy Moore character did the pole dance on the lamp “to polish it” I liked his line about wanting to give her $5 and I liked her doing that dance, but the “cancel my appointments” gag bothered me. That’s the kind of no-effort one-liner you could see on any old sitcom, and there’s a reason I watch The Simpsons instead of those shows. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-season-17-finale-5-21-spoilers/357678/12 "2006-05-22T20:13:35Z")
Was that supposed to be Mandy Moore? I was thinking more towards Kris and Anna Benson myself. Doesn’t help that although I’ve heard the name Mandy Moore associated with the entertainment industry, I couldn’t pick her out of a line-up of other porn…er, I mean pop…stars, nor could I identify anything she has ever done. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-season-17-finale-5-21-spoilers/357678/13 "2006-05-22T20:25:19Z")
The character was voiced by Mandy Moore, but the couple had to be based on the Bensons. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-season-17-finale-5-21-spoilers/357678/14 "2006-05-22T20:26:29Z")
Moore did the voice of the character who was like a weird Xtina Aguilera type pop star. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-season-17-finale-5-21-spoilers/357678/15 "2006-05-22T20:28:13Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > The character was voiced by Mandy Moore, but the couple had to be based on the Bensons. I had no idea who the Bensons were until you just said it. It appears to me that they are a combination of Chris and Anna Benson and Britney Spears and Kevin Federline. Tabitha Vixx is obviously supposed to be Britney Spears (same style of music, suggestive dancing), and there was even a joke about why she didn’t marry one of her backup dancers. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-season-17-finale-5-21-spoilers/357678/16 "2006-05-22T20:41:12Z")
Are you guys sure the couch gag is a repeat? I do remember another couch gag where the couch just chases the family off the screen. But the one the other night took it about three steps further. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-season-17-finale-5-21-spoilers/357678/17 "2006-05-22T20:44:10Z")
> [@SHAKES](#): > > Are you guys sure the couch gag is a repeat? > > I do remember another couch gag where the couch just chases the family off the screen. > > But the one the other night took it about three steps further. > > 😕 Yeah, this was the same couch gag. I missed the chalkboard gag. What was it? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-season-17-finale-5-21-spoilers/357678/18 "2006-05-22T20:45:27Z")
The chalkboard was “Have a great summer, everybody.” ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-season-17-finale-5-21-spoilers/357678/19 "2006-05-22T20:46:27Z")
Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-season-17-finale-5-21-spoilers/357678/20 "2006-05-22T23:03:54Z")
Best line: “Baby, I’m whacking this one for you!” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-season-17-finale-5-21-spoilers/357678.md?page=2)