I just finished watching tonight’s Simpsons (“Homer versus Dignity”) in which Homer makes extra money by being Burns’ buffoon. Yeeeshhh!! This epsiode hurt me to watch. I feel as though I must apologize, it was so bad. Even the obligatory “Smithers is gay” jokes weren’t funny. As much as I like this show, tonight’s outing (no pun intended) was horrifically bad. I think I may need to boil my VCR. One can only hope that this is as low as it gets this season. If not, pray for cancellation! (Did I actually say that?)
I missed it. Who was outed, and what were the Smithers is gay jokes?
WEll, I did see the part where Homer was raped by a giant panda. That was kinda funny!
(I just LOVE that part of the show…)
No one was outed. Smithers went on vacation to New Mexico for the opening of his play about the Malibu Stacy doll (which he collects). Burns talks to Homer about having fun and says “You’re so much more fun than Smithers. He doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘gay’” And then it cuts to Smithers performing in his play.
I missed the second half. Just wasn’t in the mood, tonight, I guess.
Any of you catch Futurama? God was I incensed when a FOX Update cancelled a point of crucial importance. How will I find out what happens to Bender now?!
I believe that tonight’s “Simpsons” was also the first time the writers recycled a joke. When Smithers tells Burns that he’s off to New Mexico, Burns replies, “There’s a NEW Mexico?”. This is an exact retread of the episode years ago when Homer & Bart’s scout troop get lost at sea. Homer is studying a US map and says, “Hmmm…there’s a NEW Mexico…” I’m not sure what to make of that.
I thought tonight’s episode was great. When I heard the New Mexico thing I thought it sounded familiar, but I guess they should be given the liberty to do that every once and a while. (Like the other joke they used twice, when watching old movies and the numbers count backwards in the beginning: “Here comes ‘2’!”). Actually, I thought this episode was better than the Who one and Krusty’s daughter one.
“Oh, you’re so much more fun than Smithers. Why, he doesn’t even know the MEANING of the word ‘gay’!”
–Mr. Burns, watching Homer get run over by a bicycle while trying to pick money off the street
I noticed something when the TV Guide devoted to the Simpsons’ recurring characters came out – none of them debuted later than 1993 (and just a couple were that late). Are there any recurring characters of more recent vintage? The show might get a shot in the arm from some development in that direction.
Snooooopy, the only one I can think of is Gil. “Can’t old Gil get a break?!” Love the guy.
Tonight’s was pretty lousy, esp. the last two acts. Homer pawed (at the very least) by a giant male panda?? Burns turning into a childish idiot, instead of just showing flashes of it? Fish guts all over the parade? And poor Carl!
It may seem weird, but I hate it when this cartoon gets too cartoony, especially at the end.
I just had to second that motion on Gil! He’s a great character.
In my oppinion a bad, bad Simpsons episode is still twice as good as most other things on TV. I haven’t seen the series you guys are referring to (I live in China) but I sure do look forward to it. I’ve seen all the other series dozens of times of course.
If the show really needs a shot in the arm, how about just bringing back Poochie, the talkin’ dog! I think that episode demonstrated the futility of adding a character just for the sake of it.
That said, I think there are lots of Characters in Springfield that can be brought back, revised, given larger roles etc. And the occasional WELL WRITTEN new character is always welcome. Let’s just hope they stay well clear of Poochie territory and enjoy more successes like Gil!
[comic book guy] I only wish the real chicks would go down this easy[/comic book guy]
Best line in the WHOLE episode. Almost as good as “Thanks to Homer Simpson, we’re all taking golden showers!”
I found the episode more than a little disappointing as well. It just seemed…hackneyed.
Still, it is the Simpsons. Hopefully that was just a momentary low point and not the beginning of a trend. (Other than that episode this season has had some serious promise so far…)
I thought it was better than the last couple episodes, at any rate. Some bits that fell completely flat, but some good lines, too. My favorite: “‘Well, there are lots of needy children out there…’ ‘I see what you’re saying… I need a gun!’”
Being a musical theatre buff, the line about “Malibu Stacy? Why not do a show about the King of Siam or ordinary house cats?” broke me up.
Being a comic book collector (and knowing a comic book store guy who could be the prototype), I love the Spiderman #1 bit. If Homer paid for it, it’s his to do what he wanted with it.
I’m also a Marshmallow chicks addict, but the “going down” bit went right by me.
I think the episode would have been more interesting if it had given more time to the Malibu Stacy musical. That “Sold Separately” song was pretty funny.
Add me to the list of folk who were thinking about starting a thread on this. No, a bad Simpsons is not much better than everything else on TV. It is just as bad, meaning, not worth wasting your time watching. I gues I was in the minority that didn’t find the tree-hugger episode very funny. And the previous couple were pretty darn unfunny.
I didn’t see the humor in the Homer in a diaper, and getting fucked by a panda bits. Guess I’m a prude, but it might have been having my 3 kids in the room with me.
And the fish guts bit made me wonder whether it was a South Parkwanna-be.
I’m just trying to find the few moments on network TV that we can watch as a family.
