The Simpsons - TV Fanatic

The Simpsons Review: A Farewell to Nick's Arms

tlopez@utk.edu (Teresa L.) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:06:07 EST

Star-crossed lovers, Hemingway references and guest vocals by the Mythbusters AND Michael Cera?!?

It seemed like "The Daughter Also Rises" was going to be an entertaining Valentine's episode of The Simpsons. However, despite some cute and clever gags, the installment fell flat.

Lisa's romance with Nick was adorable; attracted by his adventurous attitude and carefree coolness, Lisa gushes to Marge about his charming "Hemingway-esque" traits. Nick embodies all the charming characteristics of a literary giant like Hemingway; even his name references the book that inspired tonight's episode title, The Sun Also Rises.

Her dates with Nick were designed to make a bookworm like Lisa swoon, especially watching him write at Moe's under an "All prose must be spare and true" sign. However, Lisa learns that both Nick and the author who inspired his character are not as great as they seem to be. Visions of Hemingway's first and second wife hilariously remind Lisa that "tortured writers make horrible husbands." This was definitely true of Hemingway and could quite possibly be the case with Nick.

It was fun watching Lisa get caught up in her crush, but the extremity of her quick devotion seemed a little out of character. When she meets with a little resistance from Marge, she immediately hops onto the "star-crossed lovers" expressway. Luckily, Nick's more Michael Cera-esque characteristics keep her from a kiss under the romantic Mulberry tree.

Cera was a great mix of Hemingway cool and awkward skittishness. The only scene that actually made me laugh were his chidlish complaints about his cold hands and lips. Wrapping up his hands and pulling up his collar to cover his mouth, Nick completely ruined Lisa's perception of him. But he looked so sadly pathetic that it got another giggle out of me.

The secondary plot involving Milhouse, Bart, and the "Mythcrackers" was pretty fun... until it wasn't. The show's clever parody of Mythbusters, with Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman providing their voices for the scene, was the best part of the angle.

As kids will do, Bart and Milhouse mimic what they see on TV and begin "cracking" myths at school. Naturally, it's Milhouse who takes all the risks, like pressing the dreaded combination of E8 on the vending machine or going over the bars on the swing. Unfortunately, this mythcracking thing didn't really go anywhere and it just felt like another way to may the show seem culturally up-to-date. I do love the Mythbusters, though, and I think the show was counting on that popularity to add to their own.

We also got a not so subtle reminder that the show will be celebrating it's 500th episode next week during this evening's couch-gag. I'll be there for sure, adding to our ever-growing collection of The Simpsons quotes.

Julian Assange to Guest Star on Milestone Simpsons Episode

matt@mediavine.com (Matt Richenthal) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:01:21 EST

Talk about a piece of casting news we did NOT see coming!

Entertainment Weekly reports that Julian Assange - the mysterious man behind WikiLeakes, who is currently under house arrest in Great Britain - will lend his voice to the upcoming 500th episode of The Simpsons, which airs on February 19.

Assange apparently recorded his lines this summer, from a location unbeknownst to producers.

The episode itself will find Homer and Marge possibly getting kicked out of Springfield, due to their hijinks over the years.

As a result, “the Simpsons go off the grid to this very rugged place where they meet [Assange], who’s sort of their new Flanders,” says producer Al Jean, who admits the casting is "controversial" due to pending sex charges hanging over the activist's head.

He adds that there will also be a couple other, less scandalous cameos on the episode.

The Simpsons Review: A Rag-Tag History Lesson

tlopez@utk.edu (Teresa L.) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:35:51 EST

I had a lot hope that "Moe Goes from Rags to Riches" would be an amusing episode, especially after the particularly clever couch-gag that opened the half hour.

As the family wanders from one sitcom set to another (moving from The Honeymooners to Dick Van Dyke to The Brady Bunch and ending with Cheers), they sighed in relief when they make it to their couch. Perhaps these nods to classic shows expresses a desire to cement The Simpsons as part of television history.

But that's not really necessary because The Simpsons is already a part of television history. Alas, the sitcom is beginning to seem as archaic as the programs it referenced in this opening. Episodes like this week's depict the fatigue of too many years on the air.

Moe, Springfield's resident sad sack, was sort of the focus. When everyone began mocking his lack of a best friend, I knew we were supposed to feel bad for Moe and his depressing little rag. However, the lonely-Moe bit has been used so many times before.

Moe has always been portrayed as an ugly loser/loner, but I think, over the years, he has built some friendships. So it's rather surprising that he would believe the rag was his only pal. The little bar rag was a good security blanket for Moe (the Yeti lovechild).

The use of the anthropomorphic rag was supposed to be quirky and funny, but the gag just didn't serve any purpose. Using Jeremy Irons' voice was a clever casting move; no one does lugubrious, yet sophisticated like this classy British actor. It added a some humor to the otherwise dull story. However, that addition couldn't bring up the substandard plot.

The rag's auspicious beginnings in Medieval France seemed like great set up for the episode.I thought the demonic-wool angle would carry on into the present day, but instead we were treated to a rushed story of the former tapestry as the narration tries to hit the most important historical milestones: Viking invasions, the Sistine Chapel, the Great Depression, etc. While this offered some great opportunities for sight gags and clever quips (tapestries were the rock stars of the Middle Ages!), it just didn't really add up to anything.

Did you find the rag's story witty or tedious?

Also slightly pointless this week was the fight between Milhouse and Bart. These two have had their disagreements in the past, but they've always remained friends. Milhouse is definitely the doormat in the relationship and that dynamic works for the most part. Having Milhouse suddenly get fed up with it could have been a good storyline, but he gives up on his newfound confidence far too quickly. The whole B-plot seemed like just a way to fill time in between the rag's autobiographic scenes.

It was really a waste of a good opportunity. Milhouse-plots always seem to amuse me, but not this time.

Is Milhouse getting boring? Or is the show just suffering from creative exhaustion?

The Simpsons Review: "The D'oh-cial Network"

tlopez@utk.edu (Teresa L.) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:24:00 EST

The Simpsons always tries to remain culturally relevant, mocking all the latest social trends, fads and events. And the show's efforts seem fitting because, let's face it, many people feel it reached its peak a long time ago.

While "The D'oh-cial Network" was incredibly witty and featured some hilarious sight gags, it's social commentary might have been a little more effective a year ago. Still, it's The Simpsons: the episode delivered some extremely funny lines.

Lampooning last year's The Social Network, the installment brought in many subtle and overt references to the popular film. Pleasantly, the series didn't fall into the usual format of having both an "A" and "B" storyline. Lisa was the main focus of the episode, being put on trial for the destruction caused by her social network, "SpringFace." Her defense for the heinous crime of creating such a wickedly addictive website was simply that it was much easier to friend many people online than a few face-to-face.

Lisa, as the Mark Zuckerberg of Springfield, has been exposed to social rejection many (many) times over the course of the show and has the ingenuity to create such complex website. But unlike Zuckerberg (in the film at least), Lisa doesn't trample on her existing pals on her way to the top, nor resist taking down her controversial website. Plus, she's not trying to get back at an ex.

This episode's best gags came from the easily recognizable behavior of the SpringFace-addicted townspeople. Kids at recess were more interested in checking each others' statuses than playing on the monkey bars, and churchgoers bowed their heads in reverence of the popular social network. Naturally, it's Homer that caused widespread destruction when he tried to update his status while driving, leading to my favorite scene in the episode: Hans Moleman flying through the air yelling, "Dislike! Dislike!"

A close second in hilarity was the final scene of the Winkelvii twins losing to Patty and Selma at the London Olympics. Arnie Hammer reprised his role as both Cameron and Tyler, and their joint whining, coupled with a passionate make out scene, made this scene a fitting closer to the half hour.

Other than creating a spot-on parody of The Social Network, the episode also continued its mockery of Apple Mapple products and consumer schemes. You only need to watch Homer's exchange with a Mapple salesperson to see what's so irritating about these exployees. But their popularity can't be denied as practically every Springfieldian has a Mapple phone.

Also hilariously mocked this week:

Although I'm not sure how many of us even recall the failed search engine AskJeeves, the reference was amusingly employed as a wounded Jeeves exited the court and climbed into a handsome cab.
Failed business like Circuit City, Mervyn's, and a Blockbuster got a brief "In Memoriam" scene as their rewards/credit cards were tossed ceremoniously into the garbage.

What were your favorite sight gags and jokes?

The Simpsons Review: Free Gravy Boat Day!

eric@tvfanatic.com (Eric Hochberger) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:29:45 EST

Last night The Simpsons stepped up with a very timely (especially by the show's standards) political satire as they went up against the GOP candidates and tea party, all with some stylish gravy boats on their heads, during "Politically Inept, With Homer Simpson."

The episode opened with Homer pulling a Steven Slater and taking advantage of his 15 minutes of with an interview on a 24 hour news network show, "Head Butt with Nash Castor," but not before the show got in some good jabs at TSA and the airline industry right up to the offensive bit about ethnic people being permitted to open their food.

Naturally, Homer soon landed a job as a political pundit for the FOX News-esque network and quickly rose to be the most influential man in the Republican party and able to choose the next candidate with his tears of power.

It's super straight when you cry for loving America. Right, Boehner?

After being given an impressively accurate list of GOP candidates (minus Rick Santorum), Homer picked the most capable candidate he could: Ted Nugent. Hey, as long as he isn't a Mormon.

Homer's interview and rise led to some pretty great jokes at the 24-hour news cycle expense, including my favorite line of the episode: They know I'm doing a character. Like Stephen Colbert or Newt Gingrich.

Unfortunately, once Homer gave his endorsement, much like the political party, the episode fell apart. Nugent voiced a pretty crazy caricature of himself, but one that never quite got me to laugh. No matter how many kids he shot for target practice.

While it was certainly no return to the future or clever book heist that mark the strongest episode of the season, this week was entertaining in the first three quarters of the episode and represented the most topical, current episode I can ever remember.

Looks like the fine folks in post production were able to get to those news tickers, candidate pictures, and whatever voiceovers were needed to keep the references timely, and that definitely saved the episode.

You know where to go to find our favorite politically-charged Simpsons quotes from the episode.

Steve Carell to Sort of Return to TV!

matt@tvfanatic.com (TV Fanatic Staff) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:30:08 EST

Steve Carell is headed back to television. Sort of.

The former star of The Office will lend his voice to an episode of The Simpsons in the fall of 2012, coming on board the iconic sitcom as Dan Gillick, an accountant for Fat Tony who is actually placed in charge of the mob when his boss is stuck on jury duty.

“He’s nervous, and then Fat Tony says that he’s got to kill some people and then he’s really nervous because he actually wants to do it,” producer Al Jean tells EW of Carell’s character. “The line between Ivy League MBA and ruthless murderer is a very thin one.”

The actor won't be heard until the show's 24th season. In the meantime, of course, visit TV Fanatic each week for the latest Simpsons quotes.

The Simpsons Review: Back to the Funny Future

eric@tvfanatic.com (Eric Hochberger) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 10:09:29 EST

This week, The Simpsons returned to the future-verse it's created over the years with "Holidays of Future Passed." No, there will never be another "Lisa’s Wedding," but that didn't stop the season 23 holiday special from being a fantastic edition to the franchise.

Our trip to Springfield's future - thirty years from whatever stupid year this is - began with a hilarious misdirection by Homer and a It's a Wonderful Life and then was cleverly aged with holiday cards.

The future was all about exploring the parent-child relationship after Bart and Lisa claimed they'd never have kids. That, and continuing the tradition of not letting Maggie talk, which is more important than ever after Liz Taylor's death.

Call me sappy, but I loved the revelations of Lisa and Bart in the treehouse with a bottle of wine. As much as Homer and Marge have become caricatures over the years, their relationships and dynamics are certainly still real and identifiable.

From Homer being a better grandfather to Lisa's realization that she was becoming exactly like her mother, it was all very identifiable... despite being placed in a world with evolved pets and robot doctors.

Speaking of which, this episode was loaded with brilliant future jokes. Some of our favorites?

Michigan being under Sharia Law with the cutaway photo to U of M Dearborne. And that's from coming from yours truly, a Wolverine.
Prince Bloody Harry the Tyrant.
Star advertising in the nighttime sky.
Homer's Law.
The reincarnated Sanjay mongoose
The octuplets' octuplets.
Pretty much every scene involving air travel. Can I have the whole can please?
Marsha Princess

I'd comment on the continuity problems with some of the other future episodes, but I'm sure our TV Fanatics will shout retcons. So... what did everyone else think? Weigh in the comments, read our favorite quotes, and be sure and have a happy holidays and a morphistic quiznox to our allies on Rigel 7.

Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go dress up to eat carrots and smoke. See you next year!

The Simpsons Review: "The Ten-Per-Cent Solution"

eric@tvfanatic.com (Eric Hochberger) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:07:37 EST

After only having minor appearances this season, Krusty returned this week for his own episode, as the voice behind this iconic character (and Homer!), Dan Castellaneta returned to the pen the script for "The Ten-Per-Cent Solution."

It opened with Itchy & Scratchy movie parodies and the meta joke acknowledging the criticism (mine included) about the show's untimely nature as a result of its animation process.

Naturally, when the show moved to an animated format, "Krusty Gets Kancelled" for the umpteenth time. Rather than the Simpsons kids saving him via a star-studded comeback special this time around, they reunited Krusty with a former agent, Annie Dubinsky, guest-voiced by Joan Rivers. She explained her brilliant new Pee Wee Herman image for the clown.

Castellaneta, in addition to repeating the plot line, also took some liberties with his character's origin story. Krusty's lifelong dream to become a clown was made by Annie this time around.

How would the Rabbi Krustofski feel about that? Don't worry, Jackie Mason was there to guest voice and throw some flower pots at him, as well.

Outside some minor continiuity and rehashing issues, the episode was funny, loaded with some intelligent, humorous inside jokes; such as acknowledging the Honeymoon ripoffs, the movie parodies and pretty much everything from HBOWTIME, including the network's budget coming from softcore porn and boxing.

Be sure and check out our Simpsons quotes from the half hour and let us know what you thought in the comments.

The Simpsons Review: Mad Account Men

eric@tvfanatic.com (Eric Hochberger) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 09:53:17 EST

In full disclosure, I'm probably the only TV Fanatic that has never seen Mad Men. Even still, it was easy enough to pick up that this week's episode, which featured John Slattery and was a clear parody of that AMC drama.

Slattery's appearance, unlike that of co-star Jon Hamm, basically played a version of his character on Mad Men, a 1960s style "Account Man," responsible for greasing politicians, landing contracts and drinking way too many martinis.

Homer gets introduced to the retiring executive shortly after throwing a Krusty Vodka-sponsored party for influential Springfield clientele that included such big names as Kent Brockman and Bumblebee Man.

Naturally, in traditional Simpsons-random-intro-style, Homer's party - highlighted by Burns singing a riveting karaoke rendition of some early 20th century song - leads to Homer getting a job as Robert Marlow's replacement.

Soon, Homer, much like Marlow before him, becomes discontent in his job, similar to The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, from which "The Man in the Blue Flannel Pants" gets its hilarious namesake.

Then, like so many episodes past, Homer is forced to choose between work and family. Conveniently, even when he chooses family, all is reset in Simpsons land as Homer is given back his safety job.

While aspects of the plot were fresh, I can't help but feel like the one-off promotions of Homer and his work storylines in general feel a little overdone. At least Slattery's episode was executed better than the Jane Lynch work episode of a few weeks prior.

Oh, and there was a B arc of Lisa teaching Bart to read Little Women and him then reading to the bullies. It was entirely forgettable other than Dolph naming his sister fists Pocahontas and Sacagawea.

No, it may not have been the strongest episodes in Simpsons history, and a bit of a disappointmentafter last week's amazing young adult novel satire, but this week still had plenty of great Simpsons quotes thanks to the ridiculous caricature of Marlow.

You just have to ask, which came first, the idea for the episode, or the idea to cast John Slattery? Because I can't help but feel like the episode was built around him. Thoughts?

The Simpsons Review: Homer's Eleven

eric@tvfanatic.com (Eric Hochberger) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 09:27:39 EST

Wow. That might not have felt like a classic Simpsons episode, but it didn't matter because "The Book Job" was still one the strongest in the series' 23-year history.

Well, I wouldn't say it stretched too far from The Simpsons formula, starting off with an irrelevant opening of the kids at a realistic dinosaur show that sent Ralph crawling back into his mother's womb.

Naturally, Lisa ran in to the actress that provided the head shots for her favorite author, J.K. Rowling T.R. Francis, as one of the actors in the kids show and learned that the young adult novel book industry is not what she thought.

And in typical Simpsons fashion, A randomly led to B: Homer and Bart took over the episode, putting together an Ocean's Eleven-style team to pull off the ultimate heist on the publisher (appropriately played by Andy Garcia).

The Crew. Simply amazing. Everyone brought their his/her skill and hilarity, from Patty's Dothraki to Parseltongue knowledge of fantasy novels... to Moe's troll-like appearance and bizarre children's novel experience.... to Seymour's expertise on tweens. Heck, there was even Neil Gaiman's lunch skills and Professor Frink's computer.

The Heist. I love the fact that Andy Garcia's publishing company, TweetLit, Inc., had tighter security than the Bellagio. Nothing like armed guards at a publishing company. Hilarious.

The Front. Lisa's attempts to be the real writer and her various distractions were great. But she won me over when she pulled off the ultimate, cheesy Ocean's Eleven double cross. I got the idea from every movie ever made.

Straight through to the fourth act and even Moe and Gaiman's hilarious post-credits bit, the episode remained strong. There were no lulls. It was definitely not Kanas City all over again.

Once you're done from recovering over the discovery Harry Poter and Twilight were just products, be sure and check out our Simpsons quotes from the amazing half hour.