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The Simpsons - Season 35 |OT| Full Steam Ahead to the Next 750 Hams

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S35E10 - Do the Wrong Thing
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    The Fallen
    Oct 25, 2017
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    Yes, there's a new episode of The Simpsons airing on Christmas Eve this year... and I'm questioning whether I should even exhaust the time and effort to preview something that will only be seen by NFL fans who leave their televisions on after the Cowboys-Dolphins game.

    Ah well... let's give 'er a go and see where we wind up...


    DO THE WRONG THING - Sunday, December 24th
    Episode Production Code = 35ABF01 (#760) / Writer = Joel H. Cohen / Director = Rob Oliver / Showrunner = Rob LaZebnik

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    Homer and Bart become kings of the blue-collar sports circuit, but Marge suspects something dishonest at the core of their father-son bond.


    View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pnR_syu478

    EPISODE PREVIEW

    I haven't been this unenthused about an episode premise in quite a long while so I'll apologize for that in advance. I don't find the prospect of the show hammering down on the "laugh at how inane these lame sports are and yet they're still televised and receive corporate sponsorship and are taken seriously" button all that hilarious or interesting.

    Like, perhaps I would if they went ultra absurd and off-the-wall with it and conceived some absolutely ludicrous sports that don't even exist... but weighing down a bunch of fish, rock skipping, beanbag tossing and axe throwing aren't conceptually funny. And watching Homer and Bart game the system to find loopholes to screw over the competition in each of them isn't something I find terribly exciting, either... although there is at least the hopeful prospect of them genuinely bonding over their success but doing so in a way that feels genuine and doesn't feel tacked on or hamfisted is going to be a tall order for a writer in Cohen and a showrunner in LaZebnik, neither of whom I have much faith in.

    Cohen has exhibited some focus and restraint in efforts under Selman... but with this episode only being 1% under Selman and 99% under LaZebnik that won't amount to much. His past sports-related efforts under Jean (22 for 30) and Kelley (Top Goon) have been unrestrained with tacked on final act resolutions which are definitely of the forced and hamfisted variety with little appreciation for nuance. To say nothing of the fact that he has another script immediately soon after this in the production order for Jean that will be crammed to the gills with unfunny jokes by the room.

    The only prospect for greatness we may be able to see from this episode is in the animation department as this "should" be a Rob Oliver effort... although his skills are in all likelihood going to be wasted here in much the same way they were for Marge the Lumberjill a few years back minus the possibility of some cool atmospheric Seattle backdrops in this one.

    Best advice I can give you all is to spend time with your families tomorrow night and check back in on this episode after the fact if it somehow winds up decent. It's more likely that it will cap off a disappointing first half of Season 35 with a whimper. Hopefully the back half of the season will offer up some hidden gems. Goodness knows it needs it.

    One final note is that on the bright side I do believe this episode will draw a decent rating so long as that Cowboys-Dolphins game doesn't end in a blowout and finish early like last week's Cowboys-Bills game did. Should be the 3rd highest rating of the season... even if artificially so.

    FYI, The Simpsons will be back with new episodes the week after the Super Bowl.



    View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOQ1psjJAN4

    View: https://youtu.be/22a-nw4QIqo

    View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJkBSqMFW4E

    Latest round of Simpsons-related podcasts... (there are some real gems this week)
     
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    • mreddie

    mreddie

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    Oct 26, 2017
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    Kinda confused at this timing, also I guess they had no Christmas episode in the docket this season
     
    J-Spot

    J-Spot

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    Oct 27, 2017
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    I enjoyed this Sunday's episode. It was pretty low-key but it was nice to see Homer and Bart team up again. Jean pretty much only ever let them be antagonistic to each other.
     
    PAFenix

    PAFenix

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    Homer's off-screen yell while they were in that recruitment officer's office got me. I don't know why that in particular lol
     
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    The Fallen
    Oct 25, 2017
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    J-Spot said:
    I enjoyed this Sunday's episode. It was pretty low-key but it was nice to see Homer and Bart team up again. Jean pretty much only ever let them be antagonistic to each other.
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    Yeah, is was a surprisingly solid effort and very welcome given how recent efforts have underwhelmed. Nothing we necessarily haven't seen before but it helped a great deal to keep the story focused on the family's internal struggle with a moral quandary and keeping everything else superfluous. This is the rare recent instance of an episode's execution elevating the end result as opposed to detracting from it. And while it's not without its loose ends if you're feeling really nitpicky, I think it hit all of the right notes.
     
    Jims

    Jims

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    Oct 27, 2017
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    I now have learned way way way too much personal information about Mr. Teeny now and will curse all of you with it. 😛

    (Also I got so many YouTube comments demanding this.)
     
    Jims

    Jims

    The Fallen
    Oct 27, 2017
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    Imagine my relief when I discovered that I had already did a 60 Second Simpsons long ago and didn't have to do extra work.

    I feel like people discount that episode a lot because 1) it is in that soft Season 3 zone before things got ultra jokey and 2) people don't really care about Milhouse. At least not enough to really remember a story about him. But it's got some super iconic hats in it.
     
    S35E11 - Frinkenstein's Monster
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    The Fallen
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    Taking this thread off its mid-season hiatus sabbatical as we have a new episode airing tonight.

    Don't get too excited, however. It's a Jean-run, Frink-centric episode with a celebrity guest voice that won't enjoy the benefit of a ratings overrun from the now-postponed Daytona 500. It's also being bumped off CityTV for CHCH in Canada as the much more advertiser-friendly American Idol is back on the air for another season.

    Lastly, while we have another new episode on deck for next week, we may have an extended break afterwards... not just for the Academy Awards but the impact from last summer's strikes is clearly being felt and it's looking extremely unlikely that we'll be seeing a full slate of 22 episodes this season. Best guess has us at just SIX episodes remaining after next week with some noteworthy airing gaps through May, so consider yourselves warned.

    FRINKENSTEIN'S MONSTER - Sunday, February 18th
    Episode Production Code = 35ABF03 (#761) / Writer = Joel H. Cohen / Director = Steven Dean Moore / Showrunner = Al Jean

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    Professor Frink secretly helps Homer, through a Zoom interview, land a high-level position at a state-of-the-art nuclear plant in Shelbyville. But since Homer lacks the skills to actually perform the job, Frink must monitor Homer's work situation remotely and dictate his every word... causing Frink to fear he's created a monster.


    Way to give away the entire episode's narrative flow in the synopsis, Al.

    Honestly don't have much to say about this episode in advance of its airing. We've had a multitude of Frink-centric episodes, none have been standouts and just about all have been quickly forgotten.

    There's little reason to believe this one will be any different... it's the 2nd consecutive script in the production order from Cohen, likely farmed out to the room to plug narrative gaps with an excessive number of rehashed jokes via a checked-out showrunner. The fact that the previous Cohen script turned out surprisingly decent actually makes the likelihood of this being any good that much worse.

    I'm admittedly curious as to what Frink's motivations will be here - dude seems to put himself out there for the most inane reasons just to be abused and suffer. I feel for the guy.

    If you have some ironing to take care of or wish to get a jump start on your taxes (I knocked mine out yesterday), you're probably going to have a more enjoyable time.

    I'll do what I can to get the thread current with some more topical discussion in the next little bit. Until then, hop on over to the Gaming Discussion forum where a nostalgic thread on the Simpsons games of yesteryear is hopping.
     
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    The Fallen
    Oct 25, 2017
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    UberTag said:

    View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOQ1psjJAN4
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    FYI, this Evolution of the Simpsons series has been expanded in recent weeks to cover the evolution of specific characters and their respective deliveries over the years.

    Here are the first three video compilations...


    View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhgcNustfMQ

    View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH0YduqfH8k

    View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H2KAtsSI3A

    Fairly safe bet we'll have a Lisa retrospective this time next week.
     
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    The Fallen
    Oct 25, 2017
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    Jims said:
    I am certain this video will make me miserable for the rest of the day. 😕
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    Having watched this entire installment in full, I can easily say it's one of the best video essays you've put together thus far. It's thorough, comprehensive and properly contextualizes the issue of Apu's past and (hopeful) future from all available perspectives without feeling the need to litigate how people should feel about it themselves (i.e. like just about every other YouTuber out there).

    I will give the show all the credit and the world for not rushing into a bad solution... the way they likely rushed into a poorly thought out public statement on the matter via that notorious B-plot resolution in No Good Read Goes Unpunished... but yeah, it has been a LONG ass time since that episode aired and their resistance to properly addressing the Apu in the room also speaks to their notorious resistance to deviate from the status quo and iterate on the vast majority of their characters whether they're of South Asian descent or not. Their long-standing excuse is that "the fans will reject any change" but I'm more inclined to think that the fans will welcome change and that it's the "set in their ways" old schoolers in the writing room that steadfastly refuse to explore utilizing these characters any differently than how they always have.

    The show even has an Indian-American writer as a regular in their writer's room now in Broti Gupta. She's done an excellent job thus far through her three scripts, the easy highlight being last year's highly ambitious musical charmer and commentary on the Swiftie movement in Fan-ily Feud. As heavy a burden it might be to put on anyone's shoulders the task of paving the way for the next proper iteration of this beloved character (let alone a 30-year-old with a handful of scripts under her belt), I do believe she's the best person for the job when... and if... the show decides to take that next step.
     
    Jims

    Jims

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    Oct 27, 2017
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    UberTag said:
    Having watched this entire installment in full, I can easily say it's one of the best video essays you've put together thus far. It's thorough, comprehensive and properly contextualizes the issue of Apu's past and (hopeful) future from all available perspectives without feeling the need to litigate how people should feel about it themselves (i.e. like just about every other YouTuber out there).

    I will give the show all the credit and the world for not rushing into a bad solution... the way they likely rushed into a poorly thought out public statement on the matter via that notorious B-plot resolution in No Good Read Goes Unpunished... but yeah, it has been a LONG ass time since that episode aired and their resistance to properly addressing the Apu in the room also speaks to their notorious resistance to deviate from the status quo and iterate on the vast majority of their characters whether they're of South Asian descent or not. Their long-standing excuse is that "the fans will reject any change" but I'm more inclined to think that the fans will welcome change and that it's the "set in their ways" old schoolers in the writing room that steadfastly refuse to explore utilizing these characters any differently than how they always have.

    The show even has an Indian-American writer as a regular in their writer's room now in Broti Gupta. She's done an excellent job thus far through her three scripts, the easy highlight being last year's highly ambitious musical charmer and commentary on the Swiftie movement in Fan-ily Feud. As heavy a burden it might be to put on anyone's shoulders the task of paving the way for the next proper iteration of this beloved character (let alone a 30-year-old with a handful of scripts under her belt), I do believe she's the best person for the job when... and if... the show decides to take that next step.
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    Phew, that is a relief to hear. This is not my wheelhouse at all and I mostly didn't want to fall on my face in discussing the issue or not discussing it enough, etc.

    I was thinking about the Carl recasting and how we got such an amazing episode like Carl Carlson Rides Again, that maybe we can get a good outcome for Apu? Maybe we can all get an awesome and thought provoking episode about him still? I feel like that is what Simpsons fans want, so I don't get why they are all still fighting with each other about it.
     
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    Jims said:
    I was thinking about the Carl recasting and how we got such an amazing episode like Carl Carlson Rides Again, that maybe we can get a good outcome for Apu? Maybe we can all get an awesome and thought provoking episode about him still? I feel like that is what Simpsons fans want, so I don't get why they are all still fighting with each other about it.
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    I suspect most of the "fans" still fighting about it aren't watching the show now, haven't seen Carl Carlson Rides Again and aren't about to watch whatever eventual answer the show elects to run with whether it winds up decent or not.

    Incidentally, the script for Carl Carlson Rides Again was just nominated for a WGA award. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Alex Désert take home the lead actor prize in the NHC Simpsons Awards (which are currently running) for his performance of Carl in that episode. Which would go a long ways towards demonstrating that the truly hardcore fans out there are perfectly willing to embrace a fresh characterization/interpretation of a familiar character if it's handled with proper care and consideration. The same approach for Apu would work out just fine.
     
    shadowman16

    shadowman16

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    Great Apu write up Jims
    Honestly, my take (not having watched the documentary) is that I want the character recast, treat him better, and also keep the Quick E Mart - not saying have Apu still running it but rather have another character run it - because I have two issues with this whole thing:

    Apu is a great character - one of the originals and has too many good moments to just be brushed under the rug. He deserves a Carl style recast AND flesh him out some more (again, see Carl).

    But also, the Quick E Mart is such an iconic location that is featured so often (or it felt like it) on the series. So maybe cut ol' Gil a break and let him run it (not like he has much else to do lol) so we can keep the location.

    However what I fear is they'll Krabapel the whole thing - by which I mean they'll recast but have a character who barely ever appears in the series so he'll almost never appear and his stories/moments with the cast will be depleted. Ive long disliked the way Bart's character was affected by losing his teacher - so many school stories/moments are lost because they just never really show Bart in school anymore, its always... <shudder> Lisa focused (sorry, not a big "newer seaons" Lisa fan)
    The other annoying thing is that they have a great new teacher for Bart, but your lucky if she shows up more than once a season (bright side, she was great in her one? appearance so far in season 35)

    So if they do recast Apu etc. then I dont want him written off or barely used. Make sure he's featured a few times per season in speaking roles.
     
    S35E12 - Lisa Gets an F1
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    So we've got another new episode on deck for tomorrow night... and, assuming the early December leak holds... that'll be it until late March so here's hoping it delivers a better offering than last week (abysmally poor reviews and even worse viewership ratings).

    That said, there's reason for some cautious optimism here...

    LISA GETS AN F1 - Sunday, February 25th
    Episode Production Code = 35ABF05 (#762) / Writer = Ryan Koh / Director = Timothy Bailey / Showrunner = Michael Price

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    Lisa feels a need for speed as well a need for control of her anxiety over Homer's bad driving when she becomes a pro kid go-kart racer.


    EPISODE PREVIEW

    Okay, proper preview this week. We get our pseudo modern redo of Season 3's Saturdays of Thunder... this time with a different Simpsons kid and a different Homer-related impetus for getting involved in kid-based competitive vehicular racing. One that features actual motors this time around so we can actually refer to it as motorsports. Will three-time soapbox derby champion, Ronnie Beck, make a cameo appearance? Probably not. But hey, we get Mario Kart references instead... so that's even better!

    This is Michael Price's sophomore showrunning effort following the unfocused travel episode, Ae Bonny Romance, back in December. The main reason to look forward to non-Jean run efforts is that they're better than Jean... and, outside of the earworm of a Belle and Sebastian song in the end credits, that episode wasn't much of an improvement over Jean at all. And it was miles worse than the effort we'd get from Carolyn Omine whom Price replaced. So this represents a moment of reckoning for Price on whether he can deliver on the showrunning front when one of his own scripts isn't involved.

    Ryan Koh might be the best writer with which to highlight Price's showrunning influence for good or for worse as Koh is the veritable litmus test creative in the writing room. His scripts soar with great showrunning - as The Dad-Feelings Limited did under Selman and Death Tome did under Omine - or stink up the joint with absentee showrunnng - as Dad Behavior, Singin' in the Lane and When Nelson Met Lisa did under Jean. They can also leave one's showrunning capabilities as somewhat of an open question. The show's best active showrunner in Brian Kelley followed up a lacklustre, self-penned debut (The Longest Marge) wth a Koh-penned script in Bart the Cool Kid that just came off middle in the road. It wasn't until the truly ambitious format benders of Season 34 (Lisa the Boy Scout and Not It) that Kelley's showrunning chops truly shone through.

    So we'll have to wait and see how this one turns out. I think it's reasonable to expect a somewhat-superior-than-Bart the Cool Kid end result here... and for Price's sake, he'd better hope for that as he has a true test in store with "checked out for the past decade" J. Stewart Burns on deck for him next (The Tipping Point).

    As for the premise itself, we have a return to the tried-and-true winning Homer/Lisa dynamic that has been largely ignored of late. We haven't really had an episode featuring this duo since Season 30's Daddicus Finch so it's been quite the drought. I'm not sure that inventing a pseudo conflct out of thin air (Homer's bad driving) was the best way to go here... but what do I know? Homer hasn't endangered the family as a whole in a vehicular incident since his Bonk It-provoked rage almost got them killed back in Season 21's Rednecks and Broomsticks... and I've always had the sense that Lisa's pretty chill when it comes to his occasional driving distraction...

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    But hey, she was probably repressing some stuff. Thankfully we now have therapy to help clear the air.

    So yeah, cautiously optimistic on this one... but if it falls short it's going to take a lot for me to be enthusiastic for a Price episode again sight unseen barring something like a script from Vebber or Frink.

    As for the ratings, well there's little that's going to shore up that plummet. The show is going to fall out of the #1 spot in scripted sitcoms it has held since the fall season kicked off after Sunday... and it's likely to fall out of the Top 3 (where it has consistently finished the past several years) in another episode or two.

    It's clearly a lost season for the show on the ratings front after flubbing the baked-in advantage it should've had with uncontested new content during football season and it will be interesting to see whether it can rebound in 2024-25 with the looming threat of The Flintstones revival waiting in the wings to upset the Animation Domination apple cart. We're a year out from the next big production contract renewal for the show and I do NOT expect it to go as smoothly as it has the past few times.
     
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    View: https://twitter.com/mikepriceinla/status/1761888805479661896

    We've got ourselves some color commentary via tweet for tonight's episode.

    Also, for those of you who haven't checked out this season's episodes via Hulu / Disney+, there are some additional scenes that didn't make the broadcast airing for Treehouse of Horror XXXIV, Ae Bonny Romance and Murder, She Boat.


    View: https://twitter.com/mikepriceinla/status/1761925295911927946

    View: https://twitter.com/TheRealJimsYT/status/1761927858786587113

    View: https://twitter.com/VGArtAndTidbits/status/1761924636827140386
     
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    J-Spot

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    I enjoyed last night's episode much more than Price's debut. Nice to see the season back on track (heh) after last week's mediocre Jean effort.
     
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    We had our own community awards celebrating all things Simpsons over at the No Homers Club forums where the most diehard fans voted over the past 5 weeks on our favourite highlights from the show over the past calendar year (2023). The winners were unveiled and awarded earlier tonight (alongside the Oscars).

    Here are the final categories along with everyone who won...

    Best 2023 Simpsons Episode
    • Bartless {Brian Kelley}
    • Do the Wrong Thing {Rob LaZebnik}
    • Fan-ily Feud {Carolyn Omine}
    • Iron Marge {Carolyn Omine}
    • A Mid-Childhood Night's Dream {Carolyn Omine}

    View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AKRMoEEEhQ

    Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
    • Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson {Bartless}
    • Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson {Iron Marge}
    • Julie Kavner as Marge Simpson {Bartless}
    • Julie Kavner as Marge Simpson {A Mid-Childhood Night's Dream}
    • Yeardley Smith as Lisa Simpson {Treehouse of Horror XXXIV}
    Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
    • Hank Azaria as Kirk Van Houten {Hostile Kirk Place}
    • Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson {Bartless}
    • Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson {Fan-ily Feud}
    • Alex Désert as Carl Carlson {Carl Carlson Rides Again}
    • Harry Shearer as Ned Flanders {The Many Saints of Springfield}
    Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
    • Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson {A Mid-Childhood Night's Dream}
    • Dawnn Lewis as Naima {Carl Carlson Rides Again}
    • Tress MacNeille as Agnes Skinner {Iron Marge}
    • Yeardley Smith as Lisa Simpson {The Very Hungry Caterpillars}
    • Kerry Washington as Rayshelle Peyton {A Mid-Childhood Night's Dream}
    Best Performance by a Guest Star
    • Elizabeth Banks as Persephone Odair {Thirst Trap: A Corporate Love Story}
    • Albert Brooks as Jacques {Pin Gal}
    • Lizzo as Goobie-Woo {Homer's Adventures Through the Windshield Glass}
    • Jade Novah as Ashlee Starling {Fan-ily Feud}
    • Kerry Washington as Rayshelle Peyton {A Mid-Childhood Night's Dream}
    Best Achievement in Writing
    • John Frink {Bartless}
    • Broti Gupta {Fan-ily Feud}
    • Carolyn Omine {A Mid-Childhood Night's Dream}
    • Mike Scully {Iron Marge}
    • Loni Steele Sosthand {Carl Carlson Rides Again}
    Best Achievement in Directing
    • Timothy Bailey {Fan-ily Feud}
    • Gabriel DeFrancesco {The Very Hungry Caterpillars}
    • Matthew Faughnan {A Mid-Childhood Night's Dream}
    • Debbie Mahan {My Life as a Vlog}
    • Rob Oliver {Bartless}
    Best Song Performance
    • "Get Our Cheat On" {Do the Wrong Thing}
    • "Glitter" {Fan-ily Feud}
    • "The Meltdown" {Fan-ily Feud}
    • "That Was Marge, Bitch" {Homer's Adventures Through the Windshield Glass}
    • "The Way You Was" {Fan-ily Feud}

    View: https://youtu.be/e2mmEgEIogw

    Best Couch Gag / Animated Short
    • 750th Episode Anniversary Nostalgia Opening {Homer's Adventures Through the Windshield Glass}
    • The Great British Slaying Show {Bartless}
    • Maggie Simpson in: "Rogue Not Quite One"
    • Thanksgiving Turkey Hand {It's a Blunderful Life}
    • Yarn {The Many Saints of Springfield}

    View: https://youtu.be/Yk_tA9_fqoE
     
    S35E13 - Clan of the Cave Mom
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    The Simpsons is back this Sunday with what will likely be the biggest sure bet for a quality episode for the remainder of this season. So I'm knocking out the episode preview early...

    CLAN OF THE CAVE MOM - Sunday, March 24th
    Episode Production Code = 35ABF06 (#763) / Writer & Showrunner = Brian Kelley / Director = Rob Oliver

    MARGE AND LUANN DISAGREE ON A PARENTING ISSUE

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    A parenting disagreement between Marge and Luann Van Houten escalates into a life-or-death struggle for survival.


    EPISODE PREVIEW

    Still no confirmation on this weekend's director. Could very easily wind up being Bob Anderson or Mike Polcino given the current director rotation but I'm keeping my fingers crossed we're actually getting Debbie Mahan given the ambition at play behind this episode.

    Now you may be saying to yourself... "what ambition? this looks like a standard, run-of-the-mill premise for modern Simpsons" and, on the surface, that may seem to be the case. We've had several Simpson / Van Houten rivalry stories in recent years... most notably The War of Art... and we're not even privy to the nature of the parental discord here between Marge and Luann apart from the fact that Bart seems pretty sullen about it - probably because it's led to him no longer being able to socialize with Milhouse. This just seems like more of the same old, same old, right?

    And yet, we haven't even gotten to the "life-or-death struggle for survival" aspect of the teased premise yet. That comes from the story thread that will be running parallel to this one...


    CLAN OF THE CAVE MOM - Sunday, March 24th
    Episode Production Code = 35ABF06 (#763) / Writer & Showrunner = Brian Kelley / Director = Rob Oliver

    MARGE AND LUANN DISAGREE ON A PARENTING ISSUE

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    A parenting disagreement between Marge and Luann Van Houten escalates into a life-or-death struggle for survival.


    In what can be best described as The Simpsons crossed with Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal, this parallel storyline will go into depth on how the titular Cave Mom overcomes a conflict with her own "Luann" to safeguard the welfare of her children.

    Seeing how these two plots intersect with one another will prove to be the biggest thrill of this Sunday's episode... along with taking in the spectacle of this alternate animated take on the Simpson clan. I'm honestly hoping that this secondary story is thin on the dialogue allowing the animation, action choreography and music to do the heavy lifting.

    They can still incorporate jokes and humour but it ought to be restricted to largely visual and situatonal comedy... or they can elect to play it straight like Pixelated and Afraid did although that can be a difficult needle to thread. I don't think it makes sense to have these two stories clashing with one another in terms of thematic delivery or storytellng conceit... if anything, you should be utilizing these disparate approaches to compliment one another while using their disparate approaches to highlight the core themes that run through both.

    Either way, we're being offered something different than the norm here which is very much appreciated. Furthermore, this is our 2nd of only 2 Brian Kelley showrun efforts this season. He excelled last season with some well-executed format bending concepts (Bartless, Lisa the Boy Scout, Not It) in addition to the incredibly dark and violent Cape Feare alternate universe THOH segment, Ei8ht, this past fall. He's the most reliable active showrunner the show has at this point... although I should pass along that Carolyn Omine does have another episode in the pipeline - which is welcome news, although we're not likely to see it prior to 2025.
     
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    • shadowman16

    shadowman16

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    Oct 25, 2017
    32,464
    That cave mom episode sounds interesting. I forget where I got to this season on the Simpsons, I really need to go back and catch up.

    As for ol' Grimey, I always found it funny how some are really offended/hate it... I loved it. Just a really funny A plot, and I loved Barts B plot as well with the factory. Plus lots of great Lenny and Carl moments. Though I think the whole "eating like a Duck" bit still gets me the most, with the child competition being the second best bit (seeing L&C cheering on Homer and shushing Grimey)
     
    Sanjuro

    Sanjuro

    Member
    Oct 25, 2017
    31,446
    Massachusetts
    I enjoyed the animation for what it was, I just didn't see great cohesion between the two arcs. I always feel they struggle a bit when trying to do similar episodes.

    It also looked like they intentionally scaled back the animation quality from the regular portion. Nothing terrible, it just caught me a few times in the household.
     
    Jims

    Jims

    The Fallen
    Oct 27, 2017
    3,261
    Loved tonight's episode. I agree that the prehistoric storyline didn't always quite match the same one, but they ran in parallel just enough for them to play around with the compare/contrast aspects. One of the prehistoric deaths was surprisingly grisly for a non-Halloween Simpsons (very fitting for the source material).

    I feel like the last few seasons have become so good at writing Marge that I actively look forward to her episodes. Thought this was a Carolyn Omine script for a sec.
     
    Sanjuro

    Sanjuro

    Member
    Oct 25, 2017
    31,446
    Massachusetts
    Jims said:
    Loved tonight's episode. I agree that the prehistoric storyline didn't always quite match the same one, but they ran in parallel just enough for them to play around with the compare/contrast aspects. One of the prehistoric deaths was surprisingly grisly for a non-Halloween Simpsons (very fitting for the source material).

    I feel like the last few seasons have become so good at writing Marge that I actively look forward to her episodes. Thought this was a Carolyn Omine script for a sec.
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    I feel like they are more open to exploring the violence factor of late and even this caught me off guard. I liked the resulting gag at the finale though.
     
    DrFunk

    DrFunk

    Member
    Oct 25, 2017
    12,053
    It was a fun episode imo. I agree with both storylines not lining up well but it was fun to see a more unrestrained Marge as well as the Marge vs Luann rivalry.
     
    OP
    OP
    UberTag

    UberTag

    The Fallen
    Oct 25, 2017
    15,536
    Kitchener, ON
    UberTag said:
    It's time to talk about the dud...

    homer-smile.gif



    View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I52obP-3Ds
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    I neglected to comment on this video earlier when it was published.

    (Okay, I actually didn't get around to watching it until now.)

    But I will at least chime in that Milhouse doesn't need to find someone new to appreciate him.
    They just need to bring Samantha back and rekindle what they once ha-

    hGKtMgy.gif


    Okay, we're going to need DIFFERENT writers than the current ones to do this idea justice.
    Can we get Kogen and Wolodarsky on speed dial?

    I will say it was nice to see Milhouse get a bit of a win this past Sunday (albeit an off-screen one that was largely usurped by his mother). But hey, a win's a win.
     
    OP
    OP
    UberTag

    UberTag

    The Fallen
    Oct 25, 2017
    15,536
    Kitchener, ON
    shadowman16 said:
    Where's that gif about from? That's a... weird comment from Milhouse.
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    Samantha's Tapped Out mini-event.

    Pretty much any memorable one-time character you've ever wanted to see return to the show has one of these with fresh material from the writers. They'll immediately make you regret wanting to see these characters brought back as soon as you go through their missions. For some examples of this phenomenon in the series itself, I'll point to Season 19's Papa Don't Leech or Season 33's The Wayz We Were.
     
    shadowman16

    shadowman16

    Member
    Oct 25, 2017
    32,464
    UberTag said:
    Samantha's Tapped Out mini-event.

    Pretty much any memorable one-time character you've ever wanted to see return to the show has one of these with fresh material from the writers. They'll immediately make you regret wanting to see these characters brought back as soon as you go through their missions. For some examples of this phenomenon in the series itself, I'll point to Season 19's Papa Don't Leech or Season 33's The Wayz We Were.
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    Ah ok... Ive not looked into Tapped Out for years, not really regretting that lol. I remember the comics back in the day also liked to bring characters back, though honestly while not the best all the time, at least do a better job with characters than the above.
     
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