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The Simpsons - Season 30 |OT|
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Here were my impressions of the ep (already posted elsewhere)...
Was really hoping for a quality episode here instead of another candidate for the "everything bad about modern Simpsons" category. Tim Long has shown he's capable of doing better (even when showrun by Jean). This, sadly, wasn't it.
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Another new episode on tap for tonight. Here are the details...
WOO-HOO DUNNIT? - Sunday, May 5th
Episode Production Code = YABF15 (#661)
Writer = Brian Kelley
Director = Steven Dean Moore
Showrunner = Al Jean
LISA'S COLLEGE FUND GOES MISSING
Will Forte and Ken Burns Make Guest-Voice Appearances
When the secret stack of cash - aka Lisa's college fund - Marge keeps under the sink goes missing, the documentary crime series "Deadline Springfield" goes in-depth to solve the case, leaving no stone unturned.
Pre-Airing Verdict
Woo-hoo Dunnit? is a Brian Kelley episode and I've largely enjoyed his standalone HD era efforts as they tend to be ambitious and cohesive even when they fail in some part of their execution. His worst solo effort is Moms I'd Like to Forget and he did disappoint with the rather flat collaborative script alongside David Silverman in Lisa Gets the Blues - travel episodes in the HD era have uniformly sucked when not showrun by Selman (who delivered with A Totally Fun Thing That Bart Will Never Do Again and The Town).
Brian Kelley's last 5 solo script efforts were...
- Specs and the City
- Brick Like Me
- The Princess Guide
- The Marge-ian Chronicles
- The Serfsons
Two of my consensus Top 50 post-classic era episodes make up this group (Brick Like Me and The Marge-ian Chronicles, both Selman efforts). This week's format-bender, documentary send-up is showrun by Jean. So was the last episode where this storytelling approach was used, Season 28's 22 for 30 which turned out quite good (and was written by Joel H. Cohen no less). I also consider Homer Goes to Prep School somewhat of a guilty pleasure.
In short, Kelley's got a consistent track record and Jean-run faux-doc episodes have one as well. Certainly a better track record than Jean-run travel episodes which dribble on the references and pandering for pandering's sake at the expense of everything else.
Steven Dean Moore is next up in the director rotation.
FXX Marathon Theme - Riddle Me This (weekly themed 3-hour mini-marathons run each and every Sunday afternoon on FXX before new episodes premiere)
4:00pm Lisa the Skeptic (S9E8 / 5F05 / 1997)
4:30pm Dial "N" for Nerder (S19E14 / KABF07 / 2008)
5:00pm Wedding for Disaster (S20E15 / LABF05 / 2009)
5:30pm 500 Keys (S22E21 / NABF14 / 2011)
6:00pm A Tree Grows in Springfield (S24E6 / PABF22 / 2012)
6:30pm Paths of Glory (S27E8 / VABF01 / 2015)
WOO-HOO DUNNIT? - Sunday, May 5th
Episode Production Code = YABF15 (#661)
Writer = Brian Kelley
Director = Steven Dean Moore
Showrunner = Al Jean
LISA'S COLLEGE FUND GOES MISSING
Will Forte and Ken Burns Make Guest-Voice Appearances
When the secret stack of cash - aka Lisa's college fund - Marge keeps under the sink goes missing, the documentary crime series "Deadline Springfield" goes in-depth to solve the case, leaving no stone unturned.
Pre-Airing Verdict
Woo-hoo Dunnit? is a Brian Kelley episode and I've largely enjoyed his standalone HD era efforts as they tend to be ambitious and cohesive even when they fail in some part of their execution. His worst solo effort is Moms I'd Like to Forget and he did disappoint with the rather flat collaborative script alongside David Silverman in Lisa Gets the Blues - travel episodes in the HD era have uniformly sucked when not showrun by Selman (who delivered with A Totally Fun Thing That Bart Will Never Do Again and The Town).
Brian Kelley's last 5 solo script efforts were...
- Specs and the City
- Brick Like Me
- The Princess Guide
- The Marge-ian Chronicles
- The Serfsons
Two of my consensus Top 50 post-classic era episodes make up this group (Brick Like Me and The Marge-ian Chronicles, both Selman efforts). This week's format-bender, documentary send-up is showrun by Jean. So was the last episode where this storytelling approach was used, Season 28's 22 for 30 which turned out quite good (and was written by Joel H. Cohen no less). I also consider Homer Goes to Prep School somewhat of a guilty pleasure.
In short, Kelley's got a consistent track record and Jean-run faux-doc episodes have one as well. Certainly a better track record than Jean-run travel episodes which dribble on the references and pandering for pandering's sake at the expense of everything else.
Steven Dean Moore is next up in the director rotation.
FXX Marathon Theme - Riddle Me This (weekly themed 3-hour mini-marathons run each and every Sunday afternoon on FXX before new episodes premiere)
4:00pm Lisa the Skeptic (S9E8 / 5F05 / 1997)
4:30pm Dial "N" for Nerder (S19E14 / KABF07 / 2008)
5:00pm Wedding for Disaster (S20E15 / LABF05 / 2009)
5:30pm 500 Keys (S22E21 / NABF14 / 2011)
6:00pm A Tree Grows in Springfield (S24E6 / PABF22 / 2012)
6:30pm Paths of Glory (S27E8 / VABF01 / 2015)
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OP
OP
Last week's episode delivered and now we have a follow-up of this season's most polarizing episode from Megan Amram to close out Season 30. Appropriately enough for Mother's Day, it's a Marge-centric episode. Here's what you can expect...
CRYSTAL BLUE-HAIRED PERSUASION - Sunday, May 12th * SEASON FINALE *
Episode Production Code = YABF16 (#662)
Writer = Megan Amram
Director = Matthew Faughnan
Showrunner = Al Jean
MARGE OPENS A NEW-AGE STORE
Werner Herzog, Jenny Slate and Illeana Douglas Make Guest-Voice Appearances
After Homer's work cuts children's healthcare benefits, Marge turns to buying healing crystals as a cheaper solution for Bart's ADD. Bart begins to succeed in school, prompting Marge to open her very own crystals empire and sell to the naive mothers at school.
Pre-Airing Verdict
This episode's kind of a tough call to make on the recommendation front. I loved Megan's first episode from a couple months ago (Bart vs. Itchy & Scratchy) but it was showrun by Selman so there's always the possibility that quality won't carry over to an ep showrun by Al Jean and this ep could merely wind up mediocre just as with so many other modern Simpsons writers. We also can't put much stock into this episode being earmarked for season finale duties as it's more likely it was bumped up for Mother's Day with this season ending a week earlier than normal due to Game of Thrones.
That said, I'm willing to lay all of those potential pitfalls aside given Megan's pedigree as a writer. The premise has some potential for freshness - we've seen Marge presented as a competitive business owner with a rival to best but it's been quite a while since The Twisted World of Marge Simpson and I'm all for a modern take on the concept.
FXX Marathon Theme - Mommy & Me (weekly themed 3-hour mini-marathons run each and every Sunday afternoon on FXX before new episodes premiere)
4:00pm Mother Simpson (S7E8 / 3F06 / 1995)
4:30pm Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens, and Gays (S15E8 / FABF03 / 2004)
5:00pm My Mother the Carjacker (S15E2 / EABF18 / 2003)
5:30pm Sleeping with the Enemy (S16E3 / FABF19 / 2004)
6:00pm How I Wet Your Mother (S23E16 / PABF08 / 2012)
6:30pm Adventures in Baby-Getting (S24E3 / PABF18 / 2012)
CRYSTAL BLUE-HAIRED PERSUASION - Sunday, May 12th * SEASON FINALE *
Episode Production Code = YABF16 (#662)
Writer = Megan Amram
Director = Matthew Faughnan
Showrunner = Al Jean
MARGE OPENS A NEW-AGE STORE
Werner Herzog, Jenny Slate and Illeana Douglas Make Guest-Voice Appearances
After Homer's work cuts children's healthcare benefits, Marge turns to buying healing crystals as a cheaper solution for Bart's ADD. Bart begins to succeed in school, prompting Marge to open her very own crystals empire and sell to the naive mothers at school.
Pre-Airing Verdict
This episode's kind of a tough call to make on the recommendation front. I loved Megan's first episode from a couple months ago (Bart vs. Itchy & Scratchy) but it was showrun by Selman so there's always the possibility that quality won't carry over to an ep showrun by Al Jean and this ep could merely wind up mediocre just as with so many other modern Simpsons writers. We also can't put much stock into this episode being earmarked for season finale duties as it's more likely it was bumped up for Mother's Day with this season ending a week earlier than normal due to Game of Thrones.
That said, I'm willing to lay all of those potential pitfalls aside given Megan's pedigree as a writer. The premise has some potential for freshness - we've seen Marge presented as a competitive business owner with a rival to best but it's been quite a while since The Twisted World of Marge Simpson and I'm all for a modern take on the concept.
FXX Marathon Theme - Mommy & Me (weekly themed 3-hour mini-marathons run each and every Sunday afternoon on FXX before new episodes premiere)
4:00pm Mother Simpson (S7E8 / 3F06 / 1995)
4:30pm Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens, and Gays (S15E8 / FABF03 / 2004)
5:00pm My Mother the Carjacker (S15E2 / EABF18 / 2003)
5:30pm Sleeping with the Enemy (S16E3 / FABF19 / 2004)
6:00pm How I Wet Your Mother (S23E16 / PABF08 / 2012)
6:30pm Adventures in Baby-Getting (S24E3 / PABF18 / 2012)
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There's no Season 28 OT, so I'll have to post here, but I saw the episode A Father's Watch at the weekend and was genuinely appalled at how they wrote Homer in this episode. He's had moments of being a dumb-headed braggart and even of mocking Bart, but this episode hit an absolute low in having him go on an extended rant demeaning his own son in an extremely cruel and callous fashion.
In the past, Homer's recognised Bart's flaws, but he's done so as a loving father, because he wants Bart to succeed despite himself. Look at Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie where Homer wants Bart to be a Supreme Court Judge, the times where he's proud of him in episodes like Bart The Genius or for simply being able to use a yo-yo really well in Bart The Lover. It's the actions of a loving, if simple-minded, father.
This episode has absolutely none of that, and tries to have a redemption-moment for Homer at the every end that it simply doesn't earn. This is not the same Homer of the earlier seasons, and to put it frankly, this is not the same show if this is how the character is written nowadays. It's lost the heart that made the family great despite their troubles and foibles.
In the past, Homer's recognised Bart's flaws, but he's done so as a loving father, because he wants Bart to succeed despite himself. Look at Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie where Homer wants Bart to be a Supreme Court Judge, the times where he's proud of him in episodes like Bart The Genius or for simply being able to use a yo-yo really well in Bart The Lover. It's the actions of a loving, if simple-minded, father.
This episode has absolutely none of that, and tries to have a redemption-moment for Homer at the every end that it simply doesn't earn. This is not the same Homer of the earlier seasons, and to put it frankly, this is not the same show if this is how the character is written nowadays. It's lost the heart that made the family great despite their troubles and foibles.
i watched the simpsons on a weekly basis up until about 7 years ago. that's when i moved and i stopped watching broadcast tv. last year i got hulu and i saw season 30 was airing but ... eh, new simpson episodes y'know?
so i just kinda ran out of things to have on in the background while i worked and i was surprised at how much changed. i think there's a very noticeable increase in quality for season 21 versus 14 for example, but the characters were still being written as weird caricatures of themselves.
jumping from season 23 when i last really watched the show on a weekly basis, to last night's 10-12 episode binge of season 30 was a different experience though. there are cold opens, stingers, maybe not always a couch gag, and much fewer b and c plots that seemed to dominate a lot of the post-90s episodes and would often drag them down in order to shove in a lot more attempts at humor. marge is now constantly irritated with homer, homer is much more well-meaning, generally smarter, and a lot less of a jackass. lisa's not just a goodie two-shoes all the time and is back to being a foil for bart, and bart is back to being a misbehaving kid instead of just being some boy. even maggie had some good moments (i loved the cutaway in one episode where homer is talking about taking care of the kids and then a shot of maggie alone at the dinner table and feeding herself food by making the spoon into an airplane - and later fighting an owl in the background).
not all of the episodes are winners. i wasn't a major fan of the amazing place episode, but the who's afraid of virginia woolf portion came out of nowhere and was hilarious. and generally the episodes in season 30 are taking more risks like that - not so afraid to change up the style or break out into song. guest stars aren't shoe-horned into interacting with characters, and episodes are mostly centered around the desires of a character in the story instead of using that as a way to shove in more jokes. even when there's subplots, they're usually out of the way and have some connection to the main plot. i really liked the subplot in the episode where krusty joins a circus and homer is a recapper - especially with the joke about the usa network.
i kind of love it? it's not classic simpsons of course, but it feels like what would have happened if the show had been cancelled after the movie and then revived by and for a new generation.
so i just kinda ran out of things to have on in the background while i worked and i was surprised at how much changed. i think there's a very noticeable increase in quality for season 21 versus 14 for example, but the characters were still being written as weird caricatures of themselves.
jumping from season 23 when i last really watched the show on a weekly basis, to last night's 10-12 episode binge of season 30 was a different experience though. there are cold opens, stingers, maybe not always a couch gag, and much fewer b and c plots that seemed to dominate a lot of the post-90s episodes and would often drag them down in order to shove in a lot more attempts at humor. marge is now constantly irritated with homer, homer is much more well-meaning, generally smarter, and a lot less of a jackass. lisa's not just a goodie two-shoes all the time and is back to being a foil for bart, and bart is back to being a misbehaving kid instead of just being some boy. even maggie had some good moments (i loved the cutaway in one episode where homer is talking about taking care of the kids and then a shot of maggie alone at the dinner table and feeding herself food by making the spoon into an airplane - and later fighting an owl in the background).
not all of the episodes are winners. i wasn't a major fan of the amazing place episode, but the who's afraid of virginia woolf portion came out of nowhere and was hilarious. and generally the episodes in season 30 are taking more risks like that - not so afraid to change up the style or break out into song. guest stars aren't shoe-horned into interacting with characters, and episodes are mostly centered around the desires of a character in the story instead of using that as a way to shove in more jokes. even when there's subplots, they're usually out of the way and have some connection to the main plot. i really liked the subplot in the episode where krusty joins a circus and homer is a recapper - especially with the joke about the usa network.
i kind of love it? it's not classic simpsons of course, but it feels like what would have happened if the show had been cancelled after the movie and then revived by and for a new generation.
FYI - The Simpsons won the Emmy earlier week for Outstanding Animated Program.
https://deadline.com/2019/09/a-30th-anniversary-present-for-simpsons-creative-arts-emmys-1202734878/
OP
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I didn't know we had a Simpsons OT. This is one of the 5 shows I still watch on TV. I'm looking forward to the start of the new season on the 29th.
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Yeah, I'll be prepping the Season 31 OT shortly. It will be updated throughout the season and will also feature a newly revised Post-Classic Era Top 50 episode list (although it remains to be seen whether there are any changes from last year).
I'll include a link to the new thread here once it goes live so you can bookmark it.
That was the first Emmy for the series proper since Season 19's Eternal Moonshine of the Spotless Mind, incidentally. I'm happy for Rob Oliver mostly as an Emmy win for him has been long overdue.
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