Season Ten Revisited (Part One)

1. Lard of the Dance

• I like the detail that Krusty is chomping a fat cigar on his own speak-and-say toy.
• Why exactly didn’t Homer eat all the bacon himself rather than give it to the dog? Also, he tells Bart it’s time to give the mutt “another squeezin’,” which I don’t know how else to interpret but the two of them wringing the dog’s vomit and/or shit out of him so he can eat more.
• So, this episode strongly feels like a spiritual sequel to “Lisa’s Rival” with incredibly similar A and B stories. I remember back in “Rival,” Homer’s ridiculous sugar business felt like an early dry run for his wackier Scully-era schemes, saved only by some great quotes and moments. Homer’s grease plan is equally inane here, with an even greater spotlight shone on how fruitless it is as a business, and what feels like much more screen time devoted to it than Homer’s B-story in “Rival.” Also, Homer pulls Bart out of school right away and Marge apparently has no problem with it? The running gag of Bart actually missing school I guess is supposed to be ridiculous, but it ended up ringing kind of sad by the end (“So, this is your school?” “It used to be.”) I’m also not a fan of any time Bart acts more like Homer’s sidekick than his son, which will happen quite a bit going forward.
• I really like how Alex is always portrayed as kind to Lisa, but that kindness almost makes Lisa feel worse about herself being left behind. Alex saying she can use the earrings she bought her for her dolls is meant as a light joke, but it just unintentionally digs the knife of insecurity into Lisa more. I really like the majority of the A-story, and Alex, while maybe being a little too caricatured, is a pretty solid character.
• Hilarious read from Homer of “My God, you’re greasy…”
• Tremendous sign gag that took me dozens of watches to get: Donner’s Party Supplies (Winter Sale Madness!)
• As if Homer’s wacky B-plot and Marge’s absence as the voice-of-reason weren’t enough, we get a scene where she directly encourages Homer’s bullshit (“My poor Homey. Couldn’t you try some other far-out money-making scheme?”) It’s kind of strange, as up to this point, there haven’t been a whole lot of these kinds of stories, so this feels less like lampshade hanging and more like a terrifying new affirmation of who Homer is now. Pair this with his dumbass risk-taking speech at the end of “Lost Our Lisa” and you get Jerkass Homer.
• I love Nelson’s TED talk about huckleberries, and his stumbling cover when Skinner walks by (“Uh, so anyway, I kicked the guy’s ass!”)
• Late into season 10, we get Milhouse’s immortal line, “Everything’s coming up Milhouse,” but I think “There’s plenty of Milhouse to go around!” is much funnier.
• I like Marge’s feeble attempt to try and cheer Lisa up, knowing in her heart that her advice is flimsy at best (“Mom, you can’t possibly believe that.” “I have to, honey.”)
• I really love the animation of the lights cascading over Lisa’s face as she sits there annoyed. The sound design is so great too, with the hot music starting and stopping abruptly with the extra loud slam of the door.
  
• The Homer pain parade starts in full force by the end, with him getting his face stuck in the suction tube and being pummeled in the face and strangled by Willie, on top of that weird bulging eye thing. I guess these extended scenes of violence made the writers crack up, but I don’t get it. Homer getting hurt either has to be really quick, or if it’s extended, it needs some other added layer to it. It can’t just be, hey, let’s watch this guy in pain for thirty seconds.
• Despite Homer’s extended torture at the end, I appreciate how naturally the two plots converged at the end. The stupid grease business proved to be the perfect conduit for the kids to start acting like kids again, and for Nelson to unwittingly call Luigi an ethnic slur (“Here comes a greaseball!” “Hey! Luigi bring-a you kids-a free pizza! Why do you hafta make-a the fun, huh?”)
• Simpsons Archive retro review: “A surprisingly good remake of ‘Lisa’s Rival,’ in many ways more realistic than the original, and with a far superior subplot. Executive Producer Mike Scully and his staff really seem to have hit their stride in the latter half of the 5F episodes: hopefully this winning streak will continue as season 10 officially begins in a month.”
  

2. The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace

• The episode barely begins and Homer stops his car in the middle of the highway (causing a collision of a helpless driver at the end of the scene), wanders across traffic and picks up the roadside telephone thinking he’s talking to Marge. Not a great start.
• Homer having a midlife crisis isn’t a bad idea for a premise. I like how despondent and morose he gets, like when he lists off his only three memories (“Standing in line for a movie, having a key made, and sitting here talking to you. Thirty-eight years and that’s all I have to show for it!”) The idea can even work in recalling all of Homer’s past achievements like going into space or being in a famous band, shining a light on all of these crazy things that have happened to him, but since the series is episodic, none of them actually really meant anything to Homer, since the series doesn’t really have continuity. Maybe it might get too meta, but it sure beats the nonsense that follows.
• The family somehow was able to get William Daniels to do a special greeting for Homer as KITT the Knight Rider car, but considering the show had been off the air over a decade, I can believe that they could have somehow convinced Daniels to do it, especially since it’s just a voice recording. It’s not like later where they would just present “Weird Al” Yankovic in person at the drop of a hat.
• Homer’s Edison obsession is boring from the start. I get it’s supposed to be funny that he’s hyper-focused on it and annoying everybody, but that shouldn’t also include the audience. Homer the Edison expert isn’t humorous or interesting in any way, which should have been the first sign to not make an entire episode about it.
• At least in this episode, as opposed to “Lard of the Dance,” there’s a conversation about why Homer isn’t at work that’s actually funny (“I suppose if this doesn’t work out, you can always go back to the plant.” “Not the way I quit.”)
• Homer’s inventions are mostly believable that he could actually have made them, but none of them are particularly funny for all the screen time devoted to them. Act two is just him attempting to think of ideas in scene after scene, and then showing off the four inventions, the only highlight for me being the Everything’s Okay alarm.
• This shot of the family embracing Homer for his extra legged chair has always stuck out to me. The rest of the family are starting to be held hostage by Homer’s insane whims, devoting his entire life (and the family’s financial security) into whatever bizarre flight of fancy captures him that week, regardless of how much money (if any) it’ll bring in. Marge delicately trying to tell Homer his inventions are fucking garbage is such a strange scene, and then later, her and the kids heaping on praise for his chair invention feels even weirder, like they’re overcompensating for the shit situation they’re in. Like I said before, the show has now become the Wacky Homer Adventures, guest starring the rest of the family.
  
• “But I thought you loved Edison!” “Oh, the hell with him!” That’s one way to shift story gears, I guess…
• The Edison tour guide has the best lines in the entire show, teasing the tour about the room with Edison’s preserved brain (“Ordinarily, folks, tour groups are not allowed to see it. And of course, today will be no exception,”) and ending the tour through Edison’s boyhood gift shop.
• Despite the episode starting off with Homer worrying about having a fulfilling life, the resolution involves him squashing his beef with Edison, which had literally just been introduced a few minutes earlier. Solid writing.
• How exactly did the Edison museum never notice the extra legs on the chair? And if they found the electric hammer on the table, why would they assume it was another Edison invention that just magically appeared? And why would those two mild-to-impractical inventions make Edison’s estate millions? Oh who cares…
• Simpsons Archive retro review: “If you people want plot, go watch a drama or something. This episode was simply PACKED with laughs, and Homer’s inspiration and contempt for Edison, at different parts of the episode respectively, pretty much had me rolling on the floor laughing! I didn’t really get bored once during the episode, and considering the fact that Simpsons can still be funny with some intelligent humor while shows like South Park continue to spew out juvenile garbage, this is a good indication of things to come for this season.”

3. Bart the Mother

• Is the “Who’s Who Among American Elementary School Students” a parody of something? I get that it’s an empty scam that Marge is tricked by, but there’s not really anything else to it. Just felt like a lot of back-and-forth between the family over it for it to be just a misfired joke.
• The Family Fun Center is a set piece that the show would have had a field day with in its heyday, but here, we’re left with long, laugh-less scenes at the go-kart track and Homer getting incessantly hit with balls at the batting cage. Even the arcade machine titles feel uninspired (Shark Bait, Pack Rat Returns). The only joke I laughed at was Milhouse inexplicably catching on fire after Nelson shoves his kart out of the way.
• The entire ending of act one with Nelson taunting Bart feels exactly like an after-school special about peer pressure. It sucks, as we end on an interminable slow push-in on Bart’s sad face after he shoots the bird. The gag where he purposely tries to miss but hits the bird anyway because of the crooked sight feels like it would be a great joke on an Adult Swim show, like someone trying to miss on purpose but ends up shooting and killing a guy, but it doesn’t quite work here.
• This really is the bad version of “Marge Be Not Proud.” I won’t deny “Proud” has shades of after-school special in it, but it still feels grounded in a relatable scenario and is littered with an abundance of jokes. Also, Bart’s guilt over lying to Marge is relegated to the last act. Here, both acts two and three feature an over-emotional Bart tending to the eggs (in one of the most boring montages in series history) and whimpering about his beloved lizard babies. Marge, meanwhile, feels incredibly vindictive and heartless compared to her portrayal in “Proud.” There, discovering Bart’s theft causes her to shut down emotionally, adopting a more hands-off approach to Bart, pulling back from her over-mothering. It’s a bit of a chilly distance, but it never feels antagonistic. Here, Marge is at her wit’s end, straight-up raging at Bart (“Do what you want. You wanna play with little hoodlums? Fine. Have fun killing things.”) For her to reach this extreme point, it feels like you’d need a full two acts to get her this fed up with Bart, but this happens at the very beginning of act two. It just doesn’t work at all.
• Troy McClure makes his final appearance, and he’s easily the highlight in this sorry affair, from referencing one of his greatest film titles (Man vs. Nature: The Road to Victory), to his careless treatment of the mother bird (“One thing mother blue jay can’t defend against is a set of steel tongs!”) The film ends with an enormous shit-eating grin to the camera, and what better final image could you possibly have for this character? Farewell, sweet prince.
  
• Did I mention Bart caring for the eggs is boring? Jeez Louise…
• Skinner’s sadistic treatment of the lizards (going to chop their heads off with the paper cutter, butchering them with a power drill) is incredibly bizarre. And I guess Marge and Bart entrust that this random bird watcher’s club is the utmost authority of what to do with the lizards by law? It’s dumb.
• Bart cries over the lizards because he loves the dumb animals, as he spells out the easily picked up connection between he and Marge. This episode is trying so hard to elicit a reaction, and man is it failing.
• Lisa ends the episode pointing out the irony that the plot started with Bart feeling guilty about killing a bird, and now he feels nothing about the plague of lizards killing hundreds of them. Bart replies by fighting with her over who gets to sit in the front seat. If that isn’t an admission that this episode was pointless, I don’t know what is. Did David Cohen rush this script out in a half hour before bolting out the door after hearing Futurama got the green light?
• Simpsons Archive retro review: “This episode really entertained me. Ah, to see Homer try to challenge an inanimate pitching machine and be pelted repeatedly was pretty good, even though it was repeatedly shown in the promos. Other highlights included Troy McClure’s last appearance, the basement running gag, Bart’s bird tribunal fantasy, and Apu’s Bolivian donut flashback. In all, there was really nothing bad about this episode. I give this episode an A-, and I’m betting on continuing improvement for the tenth season.”

4. Treehouse of Horror IX

• I’m kind of surprised they never did the alternate opening title sooner where everyone horribly dies on their way home. The Freddy and Jason cameos are also very nice; since Treehouse of Horror had become a Halloween institution at this point, it felt like the old school tipping their hats to the new.
• Troy McClure was originally going to be the host of “World’s Deadliest Executions,” but he was replaced by Ed McMahon after Phil Hartman’s untimely death. Wikipedia claims that the sequence with McClure was fully animated, but Hartman never recorded his lines, but that doesn’t really make any sense since they always record all the dialogue before animation production begins (the claim also has no source, so it’s most likely bullshit.) McMahon is great in the role though, with his joyful “Hey-yooo!” following Snake’s death to the audience’s applause being a real highlight. 
• The scene at Dr. Nick’s is great. I love the brief pause before Dr. Nick punches Homer in the face and injects himself with the sedative. Hank Azaria’s drowsy performance as Nick gets to work with a pizza cutter is so funny.
• Everything about Moe’s death scene is great, with his reaction to Homer/Snake walking in (“You’re looking unusually focused this morning,”) the reveal that his earlier requested Penicill-Os cereal is actually real, and Kent Brockman’s report of his demise (“Filthy old bartender Moe Syzslak has watered down his last highball.”)
• During this rewatch, I found myself a little less enchanted by the running gag of Homer strangling Bart, but goddamn did I laugh at Homer punching Bart in the face in attempting to hurt Snake’s hair. The strangling bit worked best if it were in response to a particularly scathing line from Bart, or if there was some other layer to the joke, and here, Homer attempting to save Bart by directly hurting him is pretty wonderfully twisted, especially with how loud the punch sounds are.
• Hysterical timing on Bart slamming the door on Hobo Homer’s harmonica song. I don’t even care that there’s rarely ever a kitchen door there, it was worth the cheat.
• The second segment is easily the weakest. It just seems like they didn’t have any real ideas outside of putting Bart and Lisa in an Itchy & Scratchy episode. It’s like a premise I’d expect to see in a Nickelodeon cartoon or something, especially the bit with Bart drawing the eject button.
• “My eyes! My beautiful eyes!” RIP Regis.
• I love that act three is just peppered with great moments in male insecurity, first when Homer first reacts that Marge “mated” with Kang, he starts to bawl, then immediately inquires, “Was he better than me?” Then, when Kang “breeds” Marge with the ray gun and Marge comments that it was awfully quick, Kang instinctively defends, ”What are you implying?”
• The Jerry Springer scene certainly feels like a time capsule. He’s got a daytime courtroom show now, Judge Jerry. But it definitely works within the story and is still very funny. I’m also a fan of any time the show kills a celebrity, especially in the completely off-hand way the characters mention it (“I can’t believe it. Jerry Springer didn’t solve our conflict.” “And now he’s dead.”)
• Big thumbs up for the Simpson family goading Kang and Kodos into destroying every American politician. It’s even more wonderful a fantasy now than it was then!
• Simpsons Archive retro review: “This was a good episode. I found myself thinking at some points about how uncreative the writing was, but on the whole, it wasn’t too bad. I think that I may have even laughed once (I don’t usually laugh at *anything*, even The Simpsons).”

5. When You Dish Upon a Star

• I really like the look of Homer’s Yogi dream, but the ending with him viciously mauling Ned feels wrong. I think back on “Homer the Heretic” where Homer envisions lying back on a hammock chortling as Ned’s house burns down and how that felt like a bit of a sour joke. It just feels like there’s a difference between wishing someone would die, and wishing someone would die by your own hand. Thankfully, Homer parking his car over Ned in the sand is a much better gag (“Is that my muffler?”)
• Homer’s parasailing speech about wanting to soar higher than any other man, or whatever the hell he’s talking about, set to grand, soaring music is so bizarre. It’s setting up the punchline of the rope detaching, I get it, but it feels like another weird new mantra of Homer’s of wanting to achieve greatness as a new hyper-active character, a far cry from the lazy, fat oaf he used to be.
• When Homer puts his arms around Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger, another small part of the show died instantly (he even does it again with Basinger and Ron Howard.) Homer immediately acts like these mega stars are like old friends from high school, but also reveres them to an extent and eagerly offers to be their assistant for absolutely no reason. It’s just so awful. Meanwhile, Baldwin and Basinger are quick to consider Homer their friend, even going so far as to feel bad when they fire him. Why? It almost feels like Homer’s popularity outside the show seeping into this episode.
• The casting of Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger has always felt weird in my head, since their power couple status stems from an era of Hollywood I don’t have a strong familiarity with. Never mind the two divorced a few years after this aired, but I have no real knowledge of those two being humongous stars. This seemed like it was on the cusp of Basinger’s career kind of fading, with 8 Mile being her only big notable role post 2000 (at least from what jumps out to me after a brief Wikipedia reading.) She had recently just won an Oscar for L.A. Confidential, as displayed in the episode, in a pretty nauseating scene (I refer once again to Krusty’s “caviar soaked soak garters” line.) Meanwhile, Alec Baldwin the leading man is completely lost on me, as I’m predominately familiar with his post-30 Rock career playing supporting character roles that are more or less different permutations of Jack Donaghy (or as a Boss Baby) and his awful Trump impression on SNL. It doesn’t really matter though, since neither of them have any real character in this episode. They could have been played by anybody, since the whole point is that they’re celebrities and are there to be worshipped. It feels so antithetical to what the series once was.
• How often is Homer over the celebrity home? It’s unclear how much time goes by, but it feels like it has to be at least a couple weeks. There’s never any explanation given to the family where he’s been when he’s playing badminton and going to old West towns with his new celebrity buddies. 
• I don’t know why Krusty and Sideshow Mel are amongst the gawkers flocking to the celebrity house. Did they just forget that they’re celebrities themselves?
• Man, the ending of act two is just terrible. ”Homer, how could you?” Kim Basinger says, hurt. “You betrayed our confidence. I just don’t think we can be friends anymore.” Oh, boo hoo. Am I supposed to feel sad that Homer is being cast out by Hollywood millionaires?
• Act three opens with Homer obnoxiously play-acting like a Hollywood bigshot, turning his nose up at sloppy Joes and just generally being an asshole to his family. Then, after Lisa reminds him the celebrities were the ones that fired him, over one line of dialogue, he turns on a dime, and now he’s angry at celebrities and fucking hates them. It’s just so bad.
• Judge Snyder’s ruling about Homer not being within 500 miles of any celebrity is stupid, given how many hundreds more he’d rub elbows with in the future. But who cares, this episode sucks ass.
• Simpsons Archive retro review: “I, like most people have become disillusioned by The Simpsons in recent seasons; it just isn’t very funny anymore. Tonight’s episode however, totally blew me away. It was HI-larious! The writing was top-notch, the guest stars actually had a part in the story, and everyone was in character. An incredible comeback for my once-again favorite show!”

6. D’oh-in’ in the Wind

• The episode opens with no one at the plant being able to open Burns’ jar of pickles. Then Burns films a recruitment film. Then Homer inexplicably wants to be an actor and starts filling out a Screen Actor’s Guild application. Then the family wants to know Homer’s middle name. Boy, the storytelling is just as strong as ever!
• Abe in a suit in a chair protesting at Woodstock is pretty perfect (I always laugh at his read “Bring on Sha-na-na!”) 
• Mona being into free love definitely seems to make sense for her character, and is another bit I was completely clueless about watching as a kid (I love Abe’s complete ignorance at Seth and Munchie’s admission to screwing his wife.)
• The reveal of Homer “Jay” Simpson is pretty clever, and the mural Mona painted is pretty sweet, but the Mona connection sadly disappears after the first act. I wish the episode had been more connected to her, like Homer wanting to live up to the ideals his mother believed in or something. Instead, his embracing of the hippie lifestyle feels more broad and tenuous than anything he’s really passionate about.
• Homer watching the Bob Hope hippie special is a syndication cut, and really, it should have just been completely cut, period. You basically get the joke right away when Homer calls Hope the “master” of hippiedom, and then the skit just goes on and on and on.
• Of the six episodes of the season so far, three have involved Homer getting a new job or interest, where we get scenes of him proceeding to just annoy the shit out of people with his new specific passion. At least in this episode, it’s more bearable and believable that Homer would be into being a dirty, lazy hippie rather than him pretending he’s a great inventor or akin to a Hollywood celebrity.
• Homer’s urge to “freak out squares” involves putting on silly outfits and yelling stuff out at people while driving by. Seth and Munchie don’t say a word during these scenes, because it would distract from Homer’s insane ramblings about nothing.
• I at least appreciate that Homer tries to make things right by Seth and Munchie after completely fucking them over, and the twist of accidentally using their “special” crops to complete the order is a pretty good one.
• George Carlin doesn’t have the meatiest role for being one of the great comedy legends (having to share billing with Martin Mull, a comedian I barely know anything about), but his stone-cold serious read of “This man does not represent us” at the end still makes me laugh.
• Homer getting shot with the flower is another in a series of instances where him getting hurt is personally satisfying. His Jerkass levels were relatively low this episode, but his complete dedication to being a hippie never felt like it rang true, so him lecturing the police about peace, love and happiness felt more annoying than earnest, and by that point, I was ready for the episode to end. Wiggum couldn’t have pulled that trigger fast enough.
• Simpsons Archive retro review: “Another Season Ten classic! Homer as a hippie did not disappoint, and the hallucination scene was just CLASSIC! And who’d have thought that ‘Homer J. Simpson’ could be his full name, after all? This is a great season so far!”