The Simpsons Thread (Worst. Thread. Ever!)

[Andrew]

I liked the latest episode, though not as much some other recent ones. It was certainly no "Lisa's Substitute", in quality or theme, but I did kind of like the way they portrayed the issue of teachers who are bullies. There wasn't much of a resolution, but I think that kind of worked in the episode's favour. The teacher was simply a jerk who was out of line; she wasn't going to change her ways by the end of the episode and it firmly established her as being unsympathetic, which in turn made it all the more satisfying when Bart saved the day in his own unique fashion.

Homer and Ned's plot was pretty good, I liked the idea of Ned having to make amends for a change and it led to some funny lines and moments. Smithers' fisting line really caught me off guard, I was surprised they got away with that but it was good for a laugh. Seeing Ned's parents outside of a flashback was something new as well. I still don't much care for the Ned and Edna pairing, though.

[Andrew]

A couple of silly plots in the latest episode, but kind of enjoyably so and they were woven together fairly decently at the end. Definitely a gag driven episode but the humour worked for me.

[ixcuincle]

[benji]

http://metro.co.uk/2013/03/20/company-director-bart-simpson-appears-before-judge-named-mr-burns-3550841/

[Andrew]

You can't make that stuff up. Seems like perfect fodder for a chalkboard gag. "I was not toting a gun in Birmingham".

"I hope someone got fired for that blunder!"

That's a good catch though.

[ixcuincle]

Watching episode with zombies on a planet and Springfield / zoos. Frink sounds so different.

[Andrew]

I don't quite know what to make of that one. The subplot with Milhouse and Lisa was probably better than the main plot, but at least it wasn't another completely rehashed marriage crisis plot that was run into the ground circa Season 16/17. I didn't hate it, but kind of forgettable. Grampa's shtick and the school therapist played by Wanda Sykes were a couple of highlights that spring to mind, though.

[benji]

Now what's see what Maggie is up to.

Moving on.

[Andrew]

Ah yes, another nice little gag there.

[Andrew]

"So you see? What Jesus is saying really can be explained by an episode of Californication."

Pretty good episode, Reverend Lovejoy is a character they haven't focused on too much through the years so that was kind of refreshing. Definitely not the best Lovejoy episode but the story still worked and the humour was at least adequately sharp and well-timed.

[el badman]

Haven't been able to catch an episode in ages, but yeah I thought Lovejoy was not really at his best here. The new preacher did have some pretty good lines though.

[Andrew]

Kind of a dark episode, though I guess that's to be expected when Moe is the focus. It was alright, but episodes involving Moe being depressed and/or finding success only to have it ultimately slip through his fingers have been done a fair few times before and done better. It wasn't done badly here though and there were a couple of good moments with Bart's subplot.

[benji]

Four guys, a chick and a noose, it's just like the movies I like to watch.

[Andrew]

Great Moe line.

[Andrew]

Much like the most recent Family Guy episode, there wasn't anything particularly memorable about "The Fabulous Faker Boy". The latter was the better episode of the two but again, there's not a lot that really stands out as really good or really bad. I did enjoy Patrick Stewart's brief appearance though and the way they handled Justin Bieber's cameo and potential outrage from Simpsons viewers made for a decent joke.

[Andrew]

Good couple of episodes to end the season. It was interesting to get an episode that focused on Carl (kind of) for once, as I've said before I like that they're exploring a few supporting characters that they haven't spent a lot of meaningful time with over the years. I only wish they'd done it about a decade ago, a bit closer to the classic season when they were instead focused upon doing marriage crisis plots every other episode.

Speaking of which, the second episode could have quite easily turned into one but thankfully it was handled a lot better. Seth MacFarlane was pretty good in his guest appearance, Lovejoy's snarky line about Helen was great and really caught me off guard and I liked Bart's quip about things not lasting 25 years that broke the fourth wall. Very solid, pleasingly above average.

That's probably how I'd sum up Season 24, actually. I absolutely wouldn't call it a return to classic standards - that's never going to happen - but it was probably closer to some of the immediate post-classic seasons than the show has been in years. I'm guessing that there's only a season or two left and if it can maintain the quality of Season 24, then it's at least going to end on a decent note. Definitely my favourite season in some time.

[benji]

Liked both of the last episodes. Good music usage in both.

I oddly was amused by this season, will post grade and short extended review thoughts in generic thread in a bit.

I thought there was a similarity between this and Family Guy this season. They did a lot of single plots, were willing to fall into core concepts and focus on outsiders both. I think the WRITING on both series got better this season. I don't know if it was because of attrition, that both series lost more writers to "their own" things or whatever. But it would make sense as these shows continue to age.

[Andrew]

And so the 25th season has begun. Insane. For all the series' ups and downs, it's still kind of cool to see it make it this far and reach the milestones that it has.

I thought "Homerland" was a pretty good season premiere, if most of this season's episodes are at least that good then it should at least be reasonably enjoyable. Good episodes these days tend to have enough traces of the stuff that made the show great all those years ago, along with the best of the new style of humour that the show has adopted in recent seasons. I think that style is an acceptable hybrid of the old and the new, and probably as good as it's going to get after all this time. In any case, I thought it worked quite well here.

[Andrew]

Probably the best Treehouse of Horror in a while. Enjoyed the How I Met Your Mother reference in the third segment, though the first segment (the Dr Seuss parody) would have to be my favourite; I thought that was quite well done. The second segment wasn't too bad either, though I liked it better when Futurama did it, not to mention The Simpsons themselves back in the second THOH (if I recall correctly).

Apparently a character gets killed off permanently in the next episode, airing November 3rd.

[Andrew]

I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed that they pulled a bait-and-switch as far as killing off a character, though I appreciated the joke at the same time. The rest of the episode was interesting, jumping back and forth between characters reflecting upon their various regrets. Storywise, the episode felt a bit underdeveloped; they probably should've gone with a shorter couch gag and less Rachel Maddow, as her lines weren't particularly funny or entertaining. Good stuff with Mr Burns though and Chief Wiggum had a couple of good lines. I liked it, though it felt a little incomplete and at times all over the place. Worth it for the jokes that worked.

[Andrew]

Nice to see the show taking a few shots at the YOLO catchphrase and "philosophy", while at the same time making a decent character-driven story out of it. They've done it with Homer before though and done it better. Another one of those episodes that's not terrible, but certainly not that memorable either.

[Andrew]

Last couple of episodes have been alright for the most part with "Labor Pains" being a little more inspired than "The Kid Is All Right", the latter being fairly run-of-the-mill political commentary/satire.

[Andrew]

Quite liked "Yellow Subterfuge". Skinner's dream at the beginning was great and while it's a far cry from the best Bart/Skinner episodes, I liked what they did with it. I found myself wanting to see Skinner get his comeuppance and while the plan was far from clever, it suited a Bart/Homer scheme and his humiliation was pretty funny. The B-plot was alright, it was familiar ground and I'm not the biggest fan of Incompetent Krusty (I always thought he was more interesting and entertaining when his character was that of a skilled performer who just happened to be jaded and troubled), but it had its moments. Jokes about marijuana and the Irish tend to be low hanging fruit, but I did enjoy the "Itchem & Scratchem Blow" and Irish Krusty all the same.

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Nice callback with "Yvan Eht Nioj!" as well. Was also surprised to see them get away with "Dick Fiddler".

[Andrew]

Probably one of their better Christmas episodes in a while. The intro was nicely done, the plot was good, focused and fairly well-paced, and there were some genuinely funny moments.

Recently, I've been thinking about why I still watch The Simpsons and why I do still get enjoyment out of it when it's a long way past its prime, especially when I don't feel as positive about shows like Family Guy and South Park in their decline. When it comes down to it, I think it's because the approach to humour and the general vibe of the show still bears a resemblance to the classic era. The plots may not be as good or told as well, the jokes aren't as timeless and a few characters have lost their shine over the years, but there's something about the "feel" of the show that I like. It just feels like it's coming from a positive place and point of view.

Yes, there's cynicism and suffering and characters who are jerks, but those are staples of comedy after all. However, it just feels like the show can handle all of that stuff better than some of its contemporaries, making darker jokes work when they're used and above all, telling a story and having some fun with it. In contrast, the humour in Family Guy (and recently, South Park as well) seems to be driven by negativity, to the point where there isn't really a joke; we're just supposed to laugh at the nastiness and mean-spirited nature of the jokes and the characters.

These days, The Simpsons are like the comedian that's very successful, but been around for a long time. The material's a bit too familiar to be groundbreaking, fresh and consistently hilarious, but they have their good moments and the act is still fairly entertaining to watch. Family Guy and South Park on the other hand seem to be turning into bad insult comics that rant and rave at their audience, without making a humourous point. For a few years there, I think The Simpsons was starting to stray too far from the vibe and the tone that made it such a great show in the first place, but the past couple of seasons have recaptured that spirit somewhat. Again, the quality is not on par with the classic era or anything, but it still has something that makes it entertaining and at least somewhat enjoyable to watch, more often than not.

[JaoSming]

You choose the thread, I give up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnhcbZmmB0U

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