Christmas Spectacular Thing: The Simpsons: Season 23, Episode 22: "Lisa Goes Gaga"

Christmas Spectacular Thing: The Simpsons: Season 23, Episode 12: "Moe Goes From Rags to Riches"

Christmas Spectacular Thing: The Simpsons: Season 23, Episode 10: Politically Inept, With Homer Simpson

My Christmas Gift to You!

Scullyfied Simpsons: Season 9, Episode 6: Bart Star

Airdate: November 9th, 1997

Synopsis: With most of Springfield's children rendered unhealthy, participation in Pee-Wee Gridiron Football increases. Ned Flanders starts out as coach, using his kindness and Nelson's strength as an athlete to keep the team undefeated. However, Homer's heckling from the stands causes Ned Flanders to quit and give the job to Homer.

Homer quickly takes over, and initially is tough on the team, cutting people left and right. However, he begins favouring Bart, after remembering how tough Abe was on Homer. The team goes down the tubes in Bart's one game, and Bart tries to get out of playing. Homer refuses to play without Bart, causing Bart to quit the team. A rift ensues between the two.

Reaction: This episode is quite good. Not "shake the world" or anything, just quite good.

Probably the worst thing in the episode is that, while Homer's behaviour in the episode is very much a satire of the typical sport family/coach, and a wonderful one at that, they also give off awkward vibes of what was to come from the character. That, and "Lisa on Ice" did it first. In second place, there was the pointless joke between Marge and the cashier, which is just stupid. Also, Lisa's preachiness about the pigskin, while still funny, is also a sign of things to come under the Jean era.

However, this episode is still pretty good by classic Simpsons standards (which means that it is utterly brilliant by Modern Simpsons standards). I loved Joe Nameth's cameo (partially because I follow New York sports), Homer is at least given SOME rhyme or reason for his callous behaviour, the plot isn't too wacky (and when it was, it was quite funny), and the episode still contains that biting satire of the pre-teen sports world in America. Are we really cruel enough on our kids that we will make snarky comments when they lose? Are we that invested in pee-wee sports? Is it too much?

I don't have a whole lot more to say about this episode. It's full of satire and has aged relatively well. Slightly weaker than The Cartridge Family, probably due to slightly more zaniness, but still, a good episode.

Jerkass Homer Meter: 2. His heckling of Flanders and cut-happy persona make him more callous than normal, but his interactions with Bart are realistic enough to save him.

Jerkass Homer Moment: Cutting Sheri, but not Terri, got to me.

Zaniness Factor: 1.5. Joe Nameth giving Bart advice and Hank Hill showing up to watch the game are a bit out of whack, but not enough to be zany.

Favourite Moment: Hank Hill watching Springfield trounce Arlen.

"We drove 2000 miles for this?"

Least Favourite Moment: Read "Jerkass Homer Moment" above.

Score: 7.75 (Rounded to 8 for Labels).

Scullyfied Simpsons: Season 9, Episode 5: The Cartridge Family.

Airdate: 2 November, 1997

Synopsis: A football (association) game turns into a city-wide riot. (Oh, Springfield, you!) Not wanting to spend a lot of money on a security system, Homer decides to invest in a gun... freaking Marge and Lisa out. Lisa cites her opinion on the 2nd amendment, and Marge feels no more safer with a gun in the house. Not helping is the fact that Homer acts like an idiot with his gun. Marge wants him to get rid of the gun, and Homer pretends to comply. Pretends is the operative word... and when Marge finds out, she bails out of the family, with family in tow. Meanwhile, Homer tries to impress the NRA, including a meeting at his house... which ends in a substandard manner for Homer.

Review: Oh, boy. Our first regular Mike Scully episode, and there are TWO signals of the things to come in the future: Jerkass Homer and Preachy Lisa.

I'll get the Preachy Lisa out of the way: it's relatively mild. She does preach a bit about her opinion on the 2nd Amendment. Granted, this is evened out later in the episode (see below), but it casts some bad vibes. Al Jean must've seen the episode, thought "Lisa should share her opinion more", and thus came "G.I. Do'h". (And no, I might not do regular reviews of the Jean Era. I'll just sum it up right now; somewhere between season 17 and 20, the episodes went from either being "interestingly bad" or "noble failures" to just being a cluster of nothingness and sitcom cliches.

Jerkass Homer, meanwhile, is placed into the episode with a bit of vigour. He acts reckless with his gun, lies to his wife, hides a gun in the vegetable crisper, and shoots a TV and his beer. However, he will get off relatively easily in my eyes this once, because this episode was trying to make a point. The message of this episode was that "Idiots like Homer should not own a gun".  And he DOES apologise at the end. Still, this episode does bring some bad vibes.

Still, it is a pretty good episode. Really, with recent incidents involving mass shootings and gun violence, this episode has become more relevant than ever before. This episode is relatively even-handed, and it does show both sides in a flawed light: the ending shows some gun control advocates as blatant hypocrites, and the other gun owners are shown in an good-guy light. On the other hand, Homer is shown as a "take that" to the few pro-gun rights advocates who are insane, using their gun for everything and refusing to listen to the needs of the family over their own selfish desire. Also, some of the gun-owners in the show are shown to be quite brash. For those wondering, the staff of The Simpsons is split on the issue; John Swartzwelder (the writer of the episode) is pro-gun, while Matt Groening is sternly anti-gun.

(And let me make this clear: I am invoking the rule of cautious commenting judgement on this article. If comments appear full of insane rhetoric and the conversation goes well-off topic and turns into flaming each other over politics, the review goes down and the comments go bye-bye for a while. This is your warning.)

And besides, this episode tackles the gun rights issue in a funny way. Most of the humour connects, like the football riot, the "potentially dangerous" joke, the Sleep-Eazy motel, the NRA meetings... without Jerkass Homer and Preachy Lisa, this would be a 9, easy. Instead, their characterisations are taken a bit too far, and it does some damage to the score.

Jerkass Homer Meter: 2.

Jerkass Homer Moment: Four words. Gun. In. Vegetable. Crisper. No wonder why Marge bailed on the family.

Zaniness Factor: 1

Favourite Moment: Kent Brockman announcing that Mayor Quimby has declared mob rule.

For the next several years, it's every family for itself!

Least Favourite Moment: Not a huge fan of "The Waiting" montage. Given that montages would slowly take over the show, it is another sign of things to come.

Score: 7.5

Happy 50th, Doctor Who!

I just figured I'd give a brief shoutout to Doctor Who, for turning 50 years old today! What started out as a show with theatrical actors and a budget enough to buy a Big Mac has turned into a cultural phenomenon. Why?

Well, the possibilities are seemingly endless. The Doctor can go from the end of the universe to the beginning in 5 seconds flat... that is, if he had more control of the TARDIS. The relationships between the characters are wonderful, the comedy (when present) is sublime, the drama is excellent... what more can you say?

Now, I'd figure I'd give some of my own personal opinions on my favorites and least favorites of this wonderful franchise.

• Least Favorite Serial/Story (Classic Era): Time and the Rani. What a way for the much-underrated 6th Doctor to go... a minor injury. That, a story that made no sense, and no sense of pacing (even by classic standards) were just axes in the back for an already flailing show, which was placed in a coma mere years later.
• Runners Up: The Twin Dilemma, Timelash
• Favorite Serial (Classic Era): Earthshock. Adric was not a well liked companion... and his death made the fandom weep. Add in a brilliant story, wonderful execution, and brilliant direction... a pure classic for the classics!
• Runners Up: Logopolis, The Caves of Androzani.
• Least Favorite Story (Nu-Who Era): Fear Her. This story soured my opinion on the 10th Doctor for quite a long time. The story was boring, the plot was cliche, the resolution was pants, the writing was worse, the characterisation was pathetic... it might be the worst Doctor Who story ever.
• Runners Up: Love and Monsters, Let's Kill Hitler (Good plotline ruined by terrible writing for River).
• Favorite Story (Nu-Who): Army of Ghosts/Doomsday. I personally was never a huge fan of Rose, mainly due to the mediocre writing... and again, much like the Classics did with Adric, this serial did with Rose; it made me weep a bit. What more can you say... Daleks and Cybermen! The story was awesome and the writing was sublime... it's just proof the Nu-Who could (and has) held up to the classics.
• Runners Up: Blink, The Name of the Doctor, An Eleventh Hour
• Least Favorite Companion: Melanie. (No, not Melody. Don't flame me.). Melanie's actress, Bonnie Langford, was hired simply because she could scream... a throwback to the cliche of the screaming companion. She was poorly developed, the episodes that contained her tended to be the worst... nobody was sorry when she was replaced with one of my favourite companions of all time.
• Runners Up: Adric, Peri.
• Favorite Companion: It's a smegging tie.
• Ace. If Doctor Who was going out, it was going out with a bang... nitro-9, to be exact. Ace was the pyromaniac teenager, who's wacky catchphrases ("Ace"? Really?) and her costume being an 80s time machine were more than offset by being the first companion to take down a Dalek. With a baseball bat. Yet, she was also deeper than she first appeared, and the final season of the classics shows her character mature. Thus resulting in Survival, which is the best way to end the show.
• Sarah Jane. One of the most loveable companions of all time, and one of the best written of all time. It says something about her when she can not only begin her time in the 70s, come back in the 80s, return for a one-off special in the 90s, and get her own show in the 2000s, ended only by Lis Sladen's depressing death from Cancer.
• Runners Up: Martha Jones, Donna Noble, Amy Pond, The Brigadier.
• Least Favorite Villain: The Absorphomorph from Love and Monsters. I can't be too harsh on this villain, as the character was created by a grade school student. Still, the execution was pretty awful.
• Favorite Villain: Daleks. That is all. EXTERMINATE!
• Most Overrated Doctor: The 10th Doctor. Keep in mind; I love all of the Doctors. Still, the 10th Doctor is hailed as some sort of a demigod by the fanbase. Now, I'm not saying he is bad at all; he is the quintessential geek and everyman, who just happens to be an alien. Still, a general trend in series 3 was just him whining about Rose. Understandable, but he took it to extremes.
• Most Underrated Doctor: The 7th Doctor. While he gets some of the blame for the show's demise in the 80s, he is really overlooked. His later stories were some of the best in the show's history, and he was the chessmaster, manipulating anything for the good of the universe. Trekkies, think Ben Sisko... but British. And less bald. He defined the "Jerk With a Heart of Gold" archetype for British dramas and science fiction.
• Least Favorite Doctor: Sorry, but I have to give this to the 6th Doctor. Again, I like the idea of a cruel doctor who slowly reveals himself to be one of the kindest people alive. He DID get better scripts and a kinder characterization in the Audiodramas. Still, in the show, he always seemed to be an egoist, tended to use violence more than other Doctors, and do we have to mention his first story, The Twin Dilemma? Again, he got better later in his run, but it was too little, too late.

And now, for the moment all of you have been waiting for. The main event. The grand reveal. The moment to define all moments. The best moment in the history of this blog. The moment that will color me for

OK, OK!

• Favorite Doctor: The 4th Doctor. Yes, Tom Baker himself. God, I struggled to decide who was my favorite: the goofy 2nd, the childish yet mature 11th, the dark 9th, the chessmaster 7th, the sweet 5th. Ultimately, though, who else deserved this award but the quintessential Doctor himself. Tom Baker took the role in 1974, and didn't leave until 1980. He combined that childish yet also wonderful sense of, well, wonder. He never used violence, he tried to pacify his opponents with Jelly Babies, he was brilliant, he dressed fantastically.. at this point, it would be too much to list just how perfect the writing for him was. The best part about him was, for as alien as he was, he was also very human. It never got grating (as much as like 11, he can be a bit grating.) The 4th Doctor is and (barring a meteoritic change) always will be the best Doctor.

Please don't flame me about my choices.

New Scoring System for the Simpsons

...And so, with Treehouse of Horror VIII, we have entered the Scully Era.

While this era was loathed for many a reason, there are two focal points that caused the most ire. Those two will now be indicated in their own "meters", so to speak.

The first is the zaniness factor.

Yes, I know that this is not from the Scully Era. This is a parody of Twin Peaks... which managed to be less insane than Scully-Era Simpsons. Yes. I said that.

Starting in season 9, episodes would often take over the top twists, play it up for as much drama as possible, and make few aversions or twists to the ensuing clichés. Sometimes, they might joke around with how zany the episodes are, but in the end, episodes would go from, among other things:

• Homer joins the navy and launches a second cold war.
• Homer and Snake have a high-speed car chase.
• Homer and Marge have to run around town after being caught in scandal.
• Homer's idiocy causes the town to overflow with garbage, causing them to move.
• Homer moves to his old farm and grows "tomacco".
• A biker fights Homer in a sword-style fight... with bikes.
• Homer gets into a car chase with Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin.
• Homer winds up in the middle of a movie controversy including Mel Gibson.
• Homer (notice a theme here) and Bart have to run away from murderous Jockey Elves.
• I am not making this last point up.

Therefore, the episodes will be scored in wackiness in the following factor.

1. Your run of the mill Simpsons Episode, grounded in reality, maybe a hint of silliness.
2. More silly than the run-of the mill episode, but would not seem too out of place in an earlier era.
3. Quite silly and zany, with slapstick the act of the hour. A bit far from reality.
4. Over the top and beyond any normal sense of reality.
5. I'm sorry, I must've thrown on Twin Peaks, or Ren and Stimpy- oh, wait, this is the Simpsons?

The second point that fans complain about is Jerkass Homer.

This was a throwaway gag from season 4. It was funny then, because it was slightly too mean for that era of Homer.

Homer, in this new incarnation, often got into the aforementioned zany situations, most of whom involved him getting a second job. That's not too bad, right?

Well, Homer was also transformed into somebody who was overtly self-confident in his own antics. Again, not too bad, right. Well, in this era, Homer...

• Refuses to get rid of his gun, to Marge's chagrin.
• Sells out Kim Bassinger and Alec Baldwin
• Leaves his father to die from kidney failure twice
• Sells out the trucking industry
• Beats up the Japanese Emperor
• Gets Ned in trouble in Vegas
• Gives his daughter ulcers
• Callously uses techniques he learned in bodyguard school on his family
• Trashes Mr. Burns's Mansion
• Deflects criticism about his role in Maude's death
• Attempts to blow up town hall and kill many a citizen over area codes.
• Again, not kidding about that one. To many, that scene symbolises how far the character fell.
• Don't get me started on "Kill the Alligator and Run".

That's just the short list. Let's make a list of all the times Homer learned a lesson or got punished at an appropriate level for his actions.

• He got deposed as sanitation commissioner....

And that's about it. Might I also add that Homer wound up meeting every celebrity on the face of the planet, just so they could praise each other (Homer as the "common man" with "common ideas", and the celebrities for the good they did.) 

This new Homer was a borderline indestructible demigod, a Mary Sue for Mike Scully's insane fantasies. (Dude, you're living in Hollywood). And yes. I just said that Homer was a Mary Sue. Writers, if you are reading this, Homer is on the same level as a fanfiction original character. Pat yourselves on the back!

He was like Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation... except Wesley was evolved into a somewhat likeable character. Homer went the other way. 

So, we must line up our scale.

1. What you would see in the classic era. The everyman who just wanted food and TV. Just an average joe who did not care about celebrities.
2. Some jerkass qualities, but nothing to make the character grating. Maybe got involved with a celebrity, but that's it.
3. The average for the Scully era. He's quite insane, and goes on adventures with celebrities. This is the area where you start to tell him to cram it.
4. Very much Jerkass-y. He's cruel, abusive, would be placed in an asylum in the real world, and gets praised to the dickens by celebrities.
5. Congratulations, writers. You have made the Sixth Doctor sane in comparison. 

One more note. Dead Homer Society, a blog dedicated to all things The Simpsons (with a twist of criticising modern episodes, pulling few punches) cites seasons 7-12 as the general transition from The Simpsons (what it calls the classic era) to Zombie Simpsons (what it calls the modern era). While I do agree that there was a gradual transition, for me, I like to point to a threshold- a point of no return. 

To me, once both scales have reached 5 at least once, that is the moment when, going by the names set by Dead Homers, The Simpsons officially ends and Zombie Simpsons begins. Keep in mind, both have to had hit 5 at least once. For example, the zaniness scale can reach 5 about seventeen times and the show can still be part of the classic era. Once the Jerkass scale hits 5, the classic era is officially dead, and the show is a soul-less, corporate cash cow.

Get ready! Or be afraid. Whatever floats your boat.

Scullyfied Simpsons: Season 9, Episode 4: Treehouse of Horror VIII

Airdate: October 26, 1997

This might be the start to the most infamous era in Simpsons history (this is Mike Scully's first episode at the helm), but this is not a bad episode at all. THOH was actually pretty good right up until the show made the shift to HD.

Like my review of "Bottomless Pit", we will go segment by segment. Like always, SPOILERS!

First Segment:

After Mayor Quimby goes too far with his jokes about the French, the aforementioned French decide to do the logical thing... and nuke Springfield to a crisp. Homer survives because he was in a bomb shelter he was looking to buy to save himself. Homer is stunned by the fact that he is the last human being alive, but begins partying like it's the end of the world (pun intended). However, mutated Springfielders show up to try and create a utopian society without past mistakes... meaning that Homer is toast.

The first segment is probably my favourite segment of the episode. To an extent, it reminds me a bit of Red Dwarf (average joe schmoe is the last person of his kind). Homer's celebration of his freedom reminds us of the human id; we act on the first opportunity. However, the scene where he cries over his family really show his heart of gold... something that would be quite a bit less visible over the coming years. And must we mention Comic Book Guy's words as he realises that he will be the centre of the nuclear explosion?

(Almost deadpan) "Oh, i've wasted my life."

Just... awesome.

Second Segment: Fly vs. Fly

Homer purchases a matter transporter to make getting to the fridge that much easier, amongst other things. Having been refused access to the transporter, Bart sneaks downstairs in the middle of the night to test it out, and realises that if two living beings are granted access to the machine at the same time, their physical features swap. Bart tries it out with a fly, but winds up becoming a fly with Bart's head, while the fly reappears with Bart's body.

Probably my least favourite of the three, this still contains many a laugh due to it's shoutout to The Fly and the amount of physical comedy. Plus, why else would somebody use a matter transporter? To do simple tasks, of course! Still, the family holds on to the idiot ball rather firmly, as they think that Bart's head is just a fly, and that it is a phase. Also, Homer chasing Bart around the house with an axe? While it's funny, it also shows the earliest signs that Mike Scully was taking Homer to strange new places.

Third Segment: Easy Bake Coven

It is the late 1690s. Sprynge-Fylde is undergoing a nasty witch hunt, with few spared. Goody Simpson becomes the victim of the next cull. She winds up facing the ultimate test of witchcraft;

"You sit on the broom and we shove you off the cliff. If you're innocent, you will fall to an honourable Christian death. If you are, however, the bride of Satan, you will surely fly your boom to safety. At that point, you will report back here for torture and beheading."

They push her off a cliff... and are proven right. Marge goes back to her cavern, alongside Patty and Selma. They decide to go out and capture some kids. In the process, they start Halloween.

Another great one, although HΩmega beats this out by a slim margin. It's funnier if you read The Crucible. I had to read that in school; pretty good. Really, it's if they took Springfield and threw it back 300 years, with almost perfect recreation. Bonus points go to the town hall meeting, which will leave almost everybody in stitches.

Overall, a pretty awesome THOH. There seems to be very little concern about the future of the show, right? Well...

Score: I've decided that THOH episodes will not receive a score, nor will be counted in seasonal wrap-ups. They would be at the top of the list of best episodes of the seasons, so I might as well just review them without a score.

Speaking of score, I will be adding extra indicators to Scully-Era Simpsons.

Scullyfied Simpsons: Season 9, Episode 3: "Lisa's Sax"

Airdate: October 19, 1997

Synopsis: Lisa's saxophone gets destroyed in an accident. While Lisa is mourning her companion cube, Homer recounts the time Lisa got her saxophone. Two stories are then told: the first one connecting to the second one.

In the story, a 5-year old Bart loses his enthusiasm for school because his kindergarten teacher was apathetic and callous. While talking to the school psychologist, Homer and Marge note that Lisa is gifted. With no money to afford private school, Homer and Marge worry about Lisa's creativity being channeled in the cultural wasteland they live in. Meanwhile, Bart has to deal with his depression. Yes. Depression.

Review: This is going to be a slightly shorter review than normal, partially because there is not a whole lot to talk about. This is also the last episode until season 13 that did not have Mike Scully at the helm. Enjoy it.

Why? This might be the best episode between season 9 and season 13. It actually feels like a classic-era episode, with that sense of cruelty and heart that the show demonstrated during those wicked early years. The development given to Lisa and Bart is not only brilliant, it is also quite sad. Bart was depressed by a teacher, got ignored by his parents, and became America's Bad Boy because of it. We get to see how Lisa was put down by society and class, and how she got to channel her intelligence in the cultural wasteland called Springfield.

Might I also add that the humour is on par with what one would see during the Oakley-Weinstein Era. A bit sad, given the next episode had Mike Scully take over and launch his reign of terror.

It is truly a brilliant episode with few flaws. If there is only one episode to watch from season 9, make it this one.

Favourite Scene: The All in the Family parody opening. That might be even more hysterical because of the Sheriff Lobo reference.

Least Favourite Scene: Homer and Marge not paying much attention to Bart's Depression is a bit cold of them. Granted, The Simpsons is not an overtly-sweet sitcom (at least not when this episode aired) but still.

Score: 9.

Next Simpsons review... we delve into the Scully Era. Be afraid. Be Very afraid!

Depressing Tribute Time: Last Saturday, Marcia Wallace, the voice of Edna Krabappel, went to the great comedy club in the sky. This is, of course, depressing, and has shaken the show to it's core. Al Jean has announced that the character will be retired. Gotta give Jean respect for that.

The Red Dwarf Reviews Are Going on Hiatus.

Well, this news will make Mr. Flibble very cross.

Look, I have effectively plowed through half of the original Red Dwarf (1988-99). I don't want to go too fast in my reviews of this show. Also, I am currently a bit busy right now, and I'd figure I'd take a minor break from this show to renew my energy.

I will still update the blog with other reviews, maybe a few "Not Another Top X Lists", maybe do some other segments, just to keep the pace flowing. Still, I'd figure I'd take a break from Red Dwarf for a brief time.

So, what I am saying is that, until at least Christmas, my Red Dwarf reviews are going on hiatus. Again, I might do a few specials, and I might be back earlier, but don't count on it.

Now, about the rest of the shows I review, here is the deal.

• Gravity Falls airs in rather decent rotation stateside on Disney Channel. So, those episodes will be easy to review. Still, once episode 20 ("Gideon Rises") is done, that show will not be reviewed until next year (because episode 20 is the end of the season, and next season will debut... next year.)
• I own seasons 9-13 of The Simpsons on DVD, so those reviews will continue. Oh, joy. I get to watch one of the greatest shows of all time utterly disintegrate. Episode. By. Episode.

Red Dwarf Review: Series IV Wrap Up

Well, we have reached the end of Series IV of Red Dwarf. We are, in terms of series amounts, halfway through Red Dwarf's original run. (In terms of episodes, we reach the half point after "The Inquisitor".)

So, what do I think? Well, not much, other than this series was wonderful.

Sure, some episodes were weaker compared to the high standards of the golden age (Camille, anybody)? Overall, however, this season produced some wicked good episodes, including the uber-memorable "Dimension Jump". All of the other episodes, however, are very much brilliant.

As I said in my preview, this season often gets overlooked, sandwiched between the critically acclaimed series 3 and 5. This series, however, was just funny. Granted, the series began and ended with two of the weaker "classic" episodes ("Camille" and "Meltdown"), but even those episodes were very, very funny.

Like series 3, the development given to the characters is awesome. Rimmer gets the brunt of the development, however. We get to see just how deranged he is in episodes like "Meltdown", yet get to see how self pitying he is and "Justice". Making a character that is sympathetic, annoying, and funny at the same time is a hard feat. Red Dwarf simply excels at it.

The plots also got better and better, and more into the sci-fi territory. We had "Dimension Jump", which analysed the idea of alternate universes; "White Hole", which used a kooky twist on sci-fi that only Futurama could do better; and "DNA", which showed Kryten go from machine to man, with hilarious consequences.

This series is just a joy to watch. If you have iTunes cash, buy it. If you have actual cash, get the DVD. If you have a Netflix account, watch it.

Red Dwarf Review: Series IV, Episode 6: "Meltdown"

Airdate: 21 March 1992.

Synopsis: As Rimmer is boring the crew of Red Dwarf to death with his stories, Kryten discovers a matter transporter device in the research lab of Red Dwarf. It can convert an individual into digital information and then transmit them in the form of light beams to another point in space within 500,000 light years. The crew decide to explore the nearest planet with breathable air, 200,000 light years away. Rimmer and Kryten go first to see if the atmosphere is breathable and send the device back, but are then chased by two Adult Gappas, then taken prisoner by a gun-toting Elvis Presley and the Pope. Lister and the Cat follow but accidentally end up in what appears to be the Third Reich and are captured by Adolf Hitler, whose men take the device.

It soon becomes apparent that they have travelled to Wax-world — a Wax-Droid theme park that has been abandoned for millions of years, during which time the droids have broken their programming and gained sentience. Now the droid replica inhabitants of Villain World are waging war against Hero World, in "the ultimate battle of Good versus Evil". The evil Waxdroids use the heroes' wax to make more of their own kind. Thanks to this, the heroes are on the verge of defeat. Rimmer takes up the opportunity to turn the tide of the war.

Review: This episode gets a rather weak rap on Red Dwarf polls, as it is often cited for being too hokey and a bit unlike Red Dwarf.

And I can see where they are coming from.

Not only are there some shifts in character that are not explained well (the writers tried to keep Rimmer like a human, yet he is turned into a light bee that can practically stop him at any time), but the anti-war message at the end was pretty blatant. Not Cartoon All-Stars To The Rescue blatant, but still pretty blatant.

Does that mean this is a bad episode? Not really.

This is not an episode that will place tops on the Best Red Dwarf Ever poll, but it still is a pretty funny episode. I actually like the idea of a two-plot structure seen in this episode, as it shows what happens when the Posse are split up. The end results are hysterical.

Not only is Rimmer training the Good Wax droids funny, but it also exposes an aspect of his character. He does not like being a leader so much as he likes a desire for control. He also does not give a lot about what happens to his solders: as long as he gets the personal feel of victory, all is right in the world of Arnold Judas Rimmer. That's why he is obsessed with war: he does not like the historical aspects or the mechanics or the ethics. He likes to control. He thinks that he is leading, but he is controlling. His dialouge with the Wax Droids shows it all. Also, he has no idea how to lead anybody. "We attack tomorrow, under cover of daylight!" And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Plus, Lister and the Cat's antics are pretty good. The scene with them in the jail cell is hilarious. There is the Cat flipping out, Lister watching the worst people come out and build gallows, and then...

They're tyin' him to a stake... it's Winnie the Pooh! [...] It's Winnie the Pooh, I swear! He's refusing the blindfold.

(after watching Winnie get executed, he simply steps down, completely fazed). That's something that no one should ever have to see!

Also, Elvis Presley as one of the good droids that kidnap Rimmer and Kryten? Brilliant! And the bad special effects of dinosaurs? Wonderful!

Of course, the critics of the episode do have a point when they criticise the "moral of the story" ending. Unlike in "Justice", where it was mocked by having Lister fall down a pipe, there was no such mocking of the moral. That's not really like Red Dwarf. When it does include a lesson, it's pretty subtle. Granted, some anvils need to be dropped, but still; a bit jarring.

TL;DR? A wickedly underrated episode, and a good closing episode to series IV.

Favourite Scene: The jail cell scene. Just, the jail cell scene.

Least Favourite Scene: The whole "moral of the week" ending. What is this, Red Dwarf, or Captain Planet?

Score: 8.

Scullyfied Simpsons: Season 9, Episode 2: Principal and the Pauper.

Airdate: September 28th, 1997

Synopsis: Springfield Elementary School is about to celebrate the anniversary of Skinner's tenure at the school. Skinner is surprised at the glowing tribute given to him. However, a strange man (Martin Sheen) pulls up and enters the school, and announces that he is also named Seymour Skinner. Skinner conciedes that he was an imposter (really named Armin Tamzarian) and that he took the real Skinner's identity.... and, really, describing beyond that point would just be a waste of space.

Review: Oh, boy. This episode. To many people, this episode marked the very first signs of the show's descent into hacktackularity. The plot alone is considered to be the worst one ever made up by the show.

Now, what do I think of this? Four words: bad plot, decent execution.

The idea itself just screams "moronic" right from the get-go. Really, taking a character that had been developed over the past 8 seasons, and then revealing all of that to be a fraud? WHAT THE?  To add insult to injury, this creates tons of plot holes in the show's canon. (Who was serving with Abe in "Curse of the Flying Hellfish"? What else happened with Skinner in Vietnam?)

Also, with this, we get to see the show truly use a gimmicky plot that it would often mock. Granted, unlike other examples, I can see the idea of this (even though it was a stupid idea from moment 1), as a desire to experiment with the canon of the show. However, it still is stupid, and was a sign of things to come, with lack of care for characters or interesting plots. So, yeah, this episode deserves a goodly amount of it's hate.

Where is it redeemed? Well, it's actually quite funny. I would not consider this the funniest episode ever, but there are plenty of scenes that will still elicit quite a few laughs. A few include:

• The Road Trip to Capital City, with Agnes, Edna, the Simpson Family, Abe (also part of said Simpson Family), and Jasper.
• "Is this the line for those who want to badmouth Sargent Skinner?" "And have 12 Items or Less!" "12, 11, 10, the man's a weenie!"
• "The judge offered me a choice. Jail, the army, or apologising to the old man and the lady. Of course, if I knew there was a war going on, I probably would have apologised."
• Apu not caring what Skinner/Armin calls himself.
• "Keep looking shocked, and move slowly towards the cake!" 

Still, I can see why that this episode is quite controversial. The plot is stupid. Maybe, if they did not play it so seriously, it would work. That, however, is a failure that would also dominate later episodes, with cliches and/or stupid plot elements played dead straight. Even then, with the ending scene, they did tend to take the MST3K Mantra with this episode. However, with the fanbase of The Simpsons being as passionate as it is (seriously, log onto nohomers.net or deadhomersociety.com), I can see why they did not take kindly to this episode.

Favourite Scene (Spoiler): The very end of the episode, with the necessary deus ex machina (in which the town legally denies the real Skinner's existence).

Least Favourite Scene: The reveal of Armin Tamzarian. Except for the "move towards the cake" line above.

Score: 6.5.

Behind The Laughter (According to Wikipedia): If you thought only the fans hated the episode... not so. Harry Shearer, who plays Skinner (Our Skinner), hated this episode. Matt Groening also was not a fan of this episode. Ken Keeler, however, declared that this episode was his personal favourite to work on. I personally prefer his other works, like "A Star is Burns", "Two Bad Neighbors", "Brother From Another Series", damn near every episode he did on Futurama (such as all four series finales he did. Yes. He did all four episodes which, at the time of production, were supposed to be the end).

Scullyfied Simpsons: Season 9, Episode 1: "The City of New York Vs. Homer Simpson"

Airdate: September 21st, 1997.

Synopsis: Barney Gumble, after being forced to stay sober for one night, goes insane and manages to land Homer's car between the Twin Towers of the New York World Trade Center. Yes. Those towers. He has to choose between picking the car up or having it towed away (i.e. trashed). Homer is sceptical about going to the city, as he had a bad experience there in the 1970s. The family go to New York, with Homer going to the World Trade Center to get a cop to unboot his car, while the rest of the clan tour NY.

The family overall has a good experience in New York, experiencing the good side of things (the top of the Statue of Liberty, a Broadway play, a carriage ride in the park, MAD Magazine). Homer, however, magnifies every single fault he has, and after missing the cop because he had to go to the bathroom at the top of the World Trade Center, he decides to drive away with the boot on the car. He manages to get said boot loose, picks up the family and speeds away from New York, with no intent to return.

Review: This episode is known for three things, two of which that would dominate the show in future episodes, and all of which could be seen as a detriment against the episode.

• An early apperance of Jerkass Homer.
• One of the many "The Simpsons Go To..." episodes.
• The episode with Homer's car is parked at the twin towers. Yes. Those Twin Towers.

It's partially because of the latter reason why this episode was never aired in syndication in the New York Tri-State area after 9/11. Being that I live in the tri-state area, that means it was not until 2007 when I caught the episode on DVD.

This episode was produced for the 8th season, although it aired during the 9th. So, the only reason this is included is because it contains traced of the flaws that would dominate the episode later. The main plot is a bit thin and random, Homer is loud and quite obnoxious, he gets off with little comeuppance (although his car is trashed), and the subplot is quite meagre (although, seeing how the subplots would fall later on, this is actually rather good).

Still, this episode is actually quite funny. For those of you who do not know what New York City was like in the 70s.... think of what Detroit is like now. It was pretty bad. I could see where Homer was getting at with his refusal to go to New York. Therefore, you expect him to amplify every single negative point about New York City and his trip. I actually do enjoy the contrast between Homer's view of New York vs. the family's experience of NY. Also, you can not deny the fact that "I'm Checking In" is a pretty catchy song.

This episode is, overall, not the best episode of The Simpsons ever made. But it could be worse. In fact, the next episode is going to be quite worse.

Favourite Scene: "I'm Checking In!"

Score: 7.5

Scullyfied Simpsons: The Fall of a TV Giant.

There is no denying it; The Simpsons has shaped American culture. It broke rules on what can be in a cartoon, it mocked everybody, it managed to merge both cynicism and sweetness within mere moments of each other (if not simultaneously), it had likeable characters, intelligent humour, and a wonderful setting. It was the very first prime-time programme I EVER watched, and I still quote various episodes to this very day.

Now, the show gets ready to enter an historic season 25. With this, we must take some time out to reflect on a show that is still shaking up norms, slashing-and-burning, making us think, and overall, bringing us strong belly laughs and warming our hearts.

I only wish that the second sentence in the previous paragraph was true.

Indeed, there is no doubt about it; at some point, The Simpsons slipped in quality. How badly it has fallen and when it slipped is up to every viewer. It is the opinion of this blogger that the show began slipping in season 9, entered freefall in season 10, and finally burned out completely in the middle of season 20.

There are various factors in the crash: running out of plausible plots, mischaracterisation, trying too hard to say relevant, etc... There are also many people to blame for this crash in quality: the less talented writers, Matt Groening, FOX, the cast, etc. etc. However, most of the hatred from the fandom is laid on the feet of one man.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have the distinct honour to introduce you to Mike Scully.

Scully took over the show in season 9. Coincidentally, that is also when the show started to slip in quality. Now, it's hard to list every problem in minute detail, but let's go over the problems in quick succession.

• The tight control on the storylines got loosened. Suddenly, plots were seemingly made up on the spot.
• The nerd-humour was cut down significantly.
• A Decline in touching moments. We went from endings such as "You Are Lisa Simpson" and "Do It For Her" to "Jockey Elves trapped in Garbage Bags" (Not kidding about the elves) and "Pirates Rob a Yacht".
• Mischaracterisation. Often, characters would change from episode to episode. The most infamous example? Homer went from "selfish and moronic, yet lovable and somewhat down to earth", all the way to "Captain Wacky callous egomaniac". Others were changed, but Homer is the one most remembered.
• Adding on to the Homer example, he also became the centre of the universe, and met all these celebrities, had zillions of jobs, etc. You know, your average joe!
• Speaking of celebrities, the purpose of guest stars changed from having them voice characters created by the writers, to having them voice idealised versions of themselves.
• Storylines that were not shifting rapidly from second to second were repeated from earlier episodes.
• Stuff that would have been played for laughs in earlier episodes was played seriously, and vice-versa.
• Not a single care toward the audience, if not outright insulting them.

Now, I know what you are thinking: Mike Scully is not the one man responsible for the decline of a once brilliant TV show! And you are right. In Scully's defence, many factors involving the staff caused a slip in quality. Also, Mike Scully wrote some of the best scripts in the history of the show (Lisa's Rival, Lisa on Ice, Two Dozen and One Greyhounds, Lisa's Date with Destiny).

However, Scully was the man at the top of the food chain (Matt Groening had backed off the show and was developing some office comedy that was not well liked by FOX.)

Mike could have kept a tight control on the staff and their writing/animation. He did not. And that's why Mike Scully gets so much blame. He had so much responsibility, and he did not utilise it well. That's why he gets a chunk of the blame for the show's slip in quality.

Now, here's the deal with the episodes that I will be watching. We are going to span from the first episode of season 9 all the way to Mike Scully's last episode as executive producer in season 13. This will mean that we will cover a couple of episodes directed by Bill Oakley and Joel Weinstein (who are responsible for season's 7 and 8, but also had a few holdovers). One of those episodes from season 9 under Oakley/Weinstein is considered the beginning of the show's collapse.

Will we cover any more episodes? Maybe. We might go back to season 1 to analyse the beginning of the show, season 7 to try and rebut a claim by the popular "Kill the Simpsons and Do It 15 Years Ago" blog "Dead Homer Society" that the episode "Marge Be Not Proud" marked the very first signs of decline. We might even take a look at season 25, just to see how stupid and boring it is.

But the point is, we are going to analyse the collapse of what was once the de facto king of comedy.

Gravity Falls Review: Season 1, Episode 14: Bottomless Pit!

Airdate: March 1st, 2013

Special Note about this review: This episode is split into a few segments, sort of like the "Treehouse of Horror" specials from The Simpsons or the "Anthology of Interest" episodes from Futurama. It's a controversial practice that many shows do, and this episode has received mixed reviews from the fandom because of it.

Due to this structure, each segment will be graded separately, and all grades will be averaged out. So this is going to be a bit of a longer review.

As always, beware of SPOILERS!

Wrap-around: While dumping stuff in a bottomless pit, Stan, Dipper, Mabel, and Soos wind up falling in said pit. To pass the time, they each tell stories.

The wrap around segment is brilliant. It ties into the science-fiction aspect of the show, and the resolution to this shows just how brilliant this show is.

"Voice Over" (Dipper's Story)

Hey, at least it isn't introduced by Mr. Freeze... as played by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Dipper realizes that his voice is godawful and scratchy after hearing it on tape. He winds up buying a voice-changing serum from Old Man McGucket, making his voice far deeper. However, he manages to scare off many people (up to and including his own sister), and wants his voice changed back. McGucket tells him that not only did he get the wrong serum, but also, said serum expires at sundown. After he relistens to the tape, he learns that others loved his unique voice. He goes back to his old voice, although Grunkle Stan gets another version of the Serum.

"Voice Over", if analyzed correctly, shows one overlooked aspect of Dipper's character. Dipper has this desire to mature in every aspect of his personality and body. Gravity Falls is partially a coming-of-age story for Dipper. Granted, the message "you're fine just the way you are" is a tad bit cliche, but the humour in this segment helps mitigate that problem. And the ending... oh, god the ending.

Score: 8.5

"Soos' Really Great Pinball Story (Is That a Good Title? Do They Have To Be Puns, or Whatever?) (Soos's Story)

No. No, they don't.

Soos, Dipper, and Mabel are playing Pinball in the Shack's recreation room. As Soos is about to beat his high score, the three wind up entering the pinball game. The game threatens to kill the gang with various pinballs. Soos manages to go into the core of the game, and faces the reset button. Soos is now faced with a dilemma, save his friends, or his high score? He chooses his friends, albeit somewhat reluctantly.

This segment is also pretty darn great. The ending is a bit predictable, but it presents quite a bit of development for Soos. This segment represents a central part of his character: despite his childish attachment to something with little sentimental value (his high score), when faced with an ultimate decision, he will choose his friends over anything else. The fact that he takes a decent while to make his decision shows that, despite being noble at the end, he is still a child at heart, whether for good or for bad.

Score: 9.

"Grunkle Stan Wins the Football Bowl" (Stan's Story)

Only in your dreams, Stanford!

It's exactly what it says on the tin. Stan scores the winning touchdown at the Football Bowl, gets a trophy presented by a beautiful lady, football players learn that old guys are valuable, and Stan's robot thanks him.

This one is my favorite of them all. Despite being a mere 30 seconds, it reveals that, alongside his greed and callousness, Stan also has a bit of a problem with his ego, and can't write for beans. This scene managed to leave me in stitches the first time I saw it, and not a whole lot more needs to be said.

Score: 9.5 (Although those falling down the hole with him think otherwise).

"Trooth Ache" (Mabel's Story)

The title card of this segment is way too creepy. Instead, here's a screenshot.

Mabel is upset that Stan is a consumate liar. especially after he lies to Police. Mabel consults Dipper's journal to get some help for Stan's lying problem, and manages to land some truth-telling teeth. They work too well, causing Stan to tell the truth too much, such as on his taxes (he committed flaud) and reveal a ton more truths... most of them illegal. As the cops come to arrest Stan, Mabel has to lie to save her uncle.

One part of this segment manages to land it right along Soos' Great Pinball Story. It shows that Mabel, despite being quite loopy, is probably the most moral of the main cast. Think about it: Dipper will do anything to date Wendy, Soos still has childish tendencies, Wendy is a slob, and Stan's list of flaws rivals that of Bender from Futurama. The fact that she has to lie is taken as a great disservice to her morals, and she only does so in defense of her family. Also, this segment also provides some brilliant lines! "Stan is sick and needs a bear", anybody? And the ending of this one is just brilliant all around!

Score: 9.

Overall Review and Semi-pointless Tangent/Plea: Certainly, this episode is one of my favourite episodes of the show, partially because it reminds me of the Treehouse of Horror episodes from The Simpsons which to me, were always mandatory viewing. The idea of doing a trilogy of shorts is nothing new, but this time especially, it was done very, very well. Characterisation was perfect, development was wonderful, the humour was brilliant, and overall, it was just a joy to watch.

It also supports what I like about trilogy-based episodes: despite being shorter, you have more liberties taken with the characters and the setting. Therefore, creativity is not looked down upon. You can do something like a parody of the Mary Sue, satirize TV cliches, or set the characters in situations which, while not full enough to take up an entire episode, work well in 7-minute clips.

I do have to go on a bit of a tangent and make a plea/warning to the writers of Gravity Falls, however. This also concerns the connection between "Treehouse of Horror" and "Bottomless Pit". During the Mike Scully and early-to-middle Al Jean years of The Simpsons (In layman's terms, seasons 10-20), more effort was put into the Treehouse of Horror episodes of those seasons compared to the rest of the episodes. That, alongside numerous other factors (such as characterization and plot ideas), caused quite the decline in overall quality for the show. Therefore, Gravity Falls writers, remember that if you make this an annual tradition, every episode in the season deserves a large amount of effort and not just the annual trilogy episodes.

(Even the writers of The Simpsons figured this out, however, and decided to make all of their episodes have an equal amount of effort put into them. That is to say, they now decide what not-so-relevant celebrity to put in an episode, write their episodes in two shots at best, send every single one of them off to animation studios without care for quality, collect their cheques, and let the episodes air to a frustrated and ever-shrinking fanbase.)

TL;DR: This episode is brilliant, the trilogy-type structure in cartoons works when done right, and they should've canceled The Simpsons 10 years ago.

Overall Score: 9

Another pointless note: As of this episode, the cipher used at the end credits is A1Z26.

Gravity Falls Review: Season 1, Episode 13: "Boss Mabel"

Airdate: February 15th, 2013

I believe Mabel's prior experience was in the Department of Redundancy Department.

Synopsis (SPOILERS!): Grunkle Stan has been a callous and largely ineffective boss over the summer. From scamming people, to rejecting ideas for the shack, to overall being a smeghead, the crew are fed up with him. Mabel tries to add a positive aura to the establishment, but Stan refuses. Therefore, they come to a bet: whoever can make more money in 3 days wins control of the shack. If Stan loses, he has to perform an embarrassing song conceding defeat. If Mabel Loses, she has to replace her flamboyant sweaters with a t-shirt saying "Loser". Stan tries his hand by going on a show called "Cash Wheel". Mabel is in total control of the Shack, and rules on some new-age management that she picked up from a book from 1983.

Stan manages to rack up dollar after dollar on Cash Wheel, largely by being a complete and utter obnoxious jerk. Mabel, however, has to deal with Wendy's laziness, Soos's costume, Dipper's decision to bring in supernatural aspects into the shack, and the end result of mass property damage. The stress eventually breaks her spirit, and she turns into a cynical, hard boss. Ergo, she turns into Stan. They manage to make $1 (after repairs and fees). Stan comes home, and admits that during his tenure on Cash Wheel, he went overboard and lost it all. Mabel, however, concedes that Stan should run the shack over the summer.

Review: This episode aired after months of waiting. Fans were expecting something sort-of awesome as a return to the show we all loved. I was excited.... and then a tad bit disappointed at the end result.

This episode overall was a slightly dry entry back into the show. Granted, it was in the middle of the season, and it was still a good episode, but still, it wasn't my favourite by far. The plot line was somewhat cliche, with a rather predictable ending. The idea behind Dipper's capture of the monster could have made for an episode in itself, but it is regulated to an extension of a plot. Wendy's character is made into more of a callous, insensitive jerk compared to previous episodes. Granted, that fits into her characterisation of a snarky, lazy teenager, but I would not really expect that behaviour from her to her best friend. Soos does not really get any overtly funny lines, but the scene with him wearing the question mark suit is good for a visual pun.

However, this episode does have a great philosophical question, which picks up the episode's score. Is there a fine line between being a light boss and being a bad boss? Do we need stern-ness, and how much before it goes into abuse of employees? Stan toes the latter line, while Mabel goes over the former. We all know Stan is not the best boss, but maybe he knows that his employees are lazy and need more control. Therefore, he thinks he is being strict. Does he go over the line? Quite often, but still.

Speaking of Stan, he gets brilliant lines during his Cash Wheel plot, and manages to be so audacious in his behaviour, you feel bad for laughing. The ending is a bit cliche, but it is perfectly in character for Stan. The subplot, otherwise, is just a laugh riot all around!

Still, this show works better when the Paranormal aspects of the show are brought into light. This episode contains very little in the way of paranormal, and is more of a slice-of-life episode. That is this episode's biggest letdown. Granted, from the next episode out, this show goes back into science fiction/paranormal territory.

Overall, a bit of a weaker-than-expected way back into a brilliant show, but still good.

Favourite Scene: Let's just go ahead and give the award to the entire Cash Wheel subplot, as picking one scene from that subplot is quite an affront to every other scene from that subplot.

Least Favourite Scene: Wendy's manipulation of one of her best friends. Makes you wonder what Dipper sees in her. Then again, Dipper is quite manipulative himself, so that makes two.

Score: 7.25.

Red Dwarf Review: Series IV, Episode 5: "Dimension Jump"

Airdate: 14 March 1991

Synopsis: In an alternate universe, Arnold Rimmer is a handsome, loveable test pilot in the Space Corps (played by Chris Barrie). His close friends include engineer Spanners (Craig Charles, yes, THAT Craig Charles), chaplain Padre (Danny John-Jules; yes, THAT Danny John-Jules), secretary Mellie (Hattie Hayridge, notice a pattern here?) and head of Space Corps, Bongo (Robe... you know what I'm going to smeggin say). Bongo gives "Ace" the opportunity to take a dimension hopper and test it out. Despite being warned that he may never return, Ace takes up on the offer, and winds up in another universe...

... where a mining ship is floating around, three million years deep in space.

In this universe, Rimmer manages to lay a major guilt trip on the others and makes him go fishing with them. While boring them to death, however, the dimension hopper manages to crash into Starbug, sending the latter ship crashing on the fishing planet, injuring the Cat (and worse, damaging his suits). Ace turns to rescue Starbug, and meets the crew. All of the Red Dwarf crew fall head over Cuban heels over Ace... except Rimmer, who belittles Ace for being better than him. Ace manages (with the help of Lister) to fix Starbug, and tries to save the Cat.

Now why was Ace such a success? Well, it had to deal with an event in school. This one I'm not going to spoil.

Review: This episode is part of what I like to call the Red Dwarf episodic trinity, consisting of "Polymorph", "Back To Reality" (from series V), and this episode. These three episodes have the most fame from the casual viewer, are considered the most memorable, and are considered to be the funniest.

And they have a point. This episode is just a joy to watch from beginning to end!

I'll be honest: at first, I didn't "get" Ace. However, upon repeated re-watchings, this episode went from being merely funny to outright brilliant.

Ace Rimmer is a brilliant parody of the typical action hero/"marty stu" character. His exploits are over the top awesome! In fact, Ace fills the role of action hero brilliantly (I thank Chris Barrie for this episode; he actually requested this episode, as he had spent his career playing Arnold Rimmer, the goofy Ronald Reagan on Spitting Image - that show also brought Grant/Naylor to fame - and the incompetent Gordon Brittas on The Brittas Empire.)

His introduction in the alternate universe is brilliant. The fact that Craig, Danny, Robert, and Hattie reprised there roles is brilliant enough, (in fact, when you realise this, the scene becomes even better), but they fit so well in their roles! What makes this scene even more brilliant is that you would never hear of any of the Posse liking Rimmer. Ace, meanwhile, was asked by both Bongo and Mellie if they wanted to have relations.

The backstory behind Ace Rimmer and what caused him to be so successful and why Rimmer is such a git is one of the most brilliant reveals in history. Even if you know what it is, it's still brilliant. It brings up an important lesson: sometimes, negative reinforcement is needed to succeed.

This episode also goes quite far as to show who Arnold Rimmer really is: despite his smegishness, this episode cements him as a pathetic, poor individual who never got anything good to occur to him. Granted, much of this is due to the fact that, again, he is a smeghead, but a sizeable amount of his behaviour was caused by his childhood. And then he mucks it up by mocking Ace.

That's not to say that the other characters are totally left out. Cat's reaction to having his leg crushed is brilliant! ("I look like a jerk. I'm bleeding an unfashionable colour!") There's also Lister talking about his prior fishing experiences even though there was no fish, alongside Holly's reaction to the crash, both of which deliver great laughs. Kryten, while not getting the same amount of brilliant lines as Cat and Lister, gets a laugh when he fesses up to Rimmer about attempting to leave him to go fishing.

Overall, a brilliant episode, and one of the all-time TV greats.

Favourite Scene: Ace's first few minutes on TV.

Least Favourite Scene: Hard to decide. I'll get back to you later.

Score: 9.5

Red Dwarf Review: Series IV, Episode 4: "White Hole"

 Airdate: 7 March, 1991

Synopsis: Kryten manages to create a device to repair Holly's intelligence, at the cost of a decreased lifespan. The device works... too well. In fact, Holly, while brilliant, only has the lifespan of 3 minutes, so she has to shut herself down. Once Holly goes, so does the ship. Rimmer refuses to sacrifice his life to try and increase the lifespan for everybody, so the crew are stuck, waiting to die with no power nor heat.

While trying to move supplies from one part of the ship to another (which now takes hours), Rimmer and Kryten encounter a strange time phenomenon. Kryten deduces that this is the fault of a white hole, which spits out time. Holly is briefly reactivated to give a plan: shoot a bomb into the sun, knocking it into the white hole. Lister, however, decides to use his pool-playing skills to fire the bomb, and chooses another planet. The planets bounce against one another, and a sun plugs up the white hole... eliminating the events that happened in the episode.

Review: This episode marks something of a watershed moment in the character of Holly. The producers argued that the character was written out because they ran out of ideas for her. Nowhere is it clearer than in this episode. Initially, it seems that Holly will be the centre of the episode, with the IQ increase and all that. However, once it's revealed that Holly has to shutdown, the episode jerks to another "Boys from the Dwarf" episode, with Holly barely mentioned, spitting out a plan, and having Lister deviate from her plan.

However, this episode is not hurt by this. Rather, this is my second-favourite episode from the fourth series. The plot manages to combine brilliant sci-fi with killer comedy (they have to plug up a white hole by playing billiards). There was not a lot in the way of character development. However, in my Top 5 Lowest Arnold Rimmer Moments list, I cited the scene where Rimmer refuses to sacrifice his life for the good of the crew as an indicatior that, despite his desire to lead, he lacks the components to lead.

The comedy in this episode was hysterical. I had previously mentioned that Talkie Toaster is much funnier here. This is actually a good example of the concept of Flanderisation, where a single trait of a character consumes most of the character. In this case, Talkie Toaster went from a mere annoying git to a bread-obsessed annoying git. Granted, he does try and justify it ("It's my raison d'etre- 'I toast, therefore I am!').

The Cat gets quite a few brilliant lines, such as this one.

Rimmer: (to the Cat) You'd sacrifice your life for the good of the crew?

The Cat: No. I'd sacrifice YOUR life for the good of the crew!

Kryten manages to end the episode by finally telling Rimmer that he is a complete and utter smeghead. Best. Red Dwarf. Ending. Ever.

Oh, and do I have to mention "What is it" and the pool with planets scenes?

Favourite Scene: Talkie. Toaster.

Least Favourite Scene: Don't make me choose... alright! The scene where Lister and Cat have to go back to basics was the least funny. Still a decent scene, but a bit more filler.

Score: 9.

Gravity Falls Review: Season 1, Episode 12: Summerween

Airdate: October 5th, 2012

Synopsis (Spoilers): It's Summerween, which is a variant of Halloween celebrated during the Summer in Gravity Falls. Mabel intends to go out with Dipper, Candy, and Grenda for trick or treating. However, Dipper wants to go to a party with Wendy and Robbie. Soos warns the group about the Summerween Trickster, who eats the children if they do not enjoy their candy. Dipper tries to fake being sick so he can not go Trick-or-treating. The Trickster comes by the shack, and warns Dipper that, if the kids do not deliver 500 pieces of candy by the time all the jack-o-melons go out, the kids will be eaten by the Trickster.

The kids go on a mass candy spree, Dipper being dragged along. They manage to get 499 pieces of candy. However, two things prevent them from getting 500. First off, Dipper meets Wendy and Robbie, and talks to them about the party... with Mabel overhearing, creating a row between the twins. Second, Dipper managed to accidentally destroy the candy by pushing the wheelbarrow down a cliff in trying to hide it from Wendy and Robbie. The Jack-O-Melons then go out, bring the Trickster to their footsteps. Soos rescues them, and drives them to the Summerween Store. While fighting off the trickster, Mabel reveals that she was cold at Dipper earlier because she was afraid that their Holloweens together was done. Soos winds up eating the Trickster from the inside out, with the Trickster's goal of trying to get people to enjoy the candy that makes him up (most of it candy that nobody wants to eat) being realised. Back at the Shack, Dipper confesses to Wendy about the fact that he was trick-o-treating. In a stroke of luck, the party is also cancelled, so Dipper, Wendy, and Mabel, alongside Candy and Grenda, celebrate the true meaning of Summerween... pure evil.

Meanwhile, Stan goes through his own experience with Summerween Trick-O-Treaters, in which he tries to scare them... but winds up more scared of them.

Review: I'll admit this right now; I am not a Halloween person at all. I am not one for jump scares. I get freaked out easily. So, this episode did manage to give me some chills.

There is a bit of a cliche in episodes that revolve around Dipper wanting to get to first base with Wendy or try and give himself some space with Mabel: do something stupid/callous/selfish, get himself, Mabel, maybe Wendy, and any innocent bystanders in peril, and do something to make up, or in the case of Mabel, realise her side of the story. Both sides manage to get squished together in this episode. Yay?

Well, I do believe that yes, this provides a detriment to the episode. However, it is less of a detriment than it was to "Time Travellers Pig". At least Mabel does not come off AS selfish as she did in that episode. Dipper gets a bit of a ride on the self-concerned train here. This seems to try and hammer in the point that, yes, he is as immature as he claims he is mature. Kinda repetitive, but still. But this episode does provide Dipper with a conflict: does he try and stay young as long as he can, or does he take a plunge into adulthood? This conflict will continue with him for the rest of the season (and may continue into the next season).

This episode also uses another cliche that manages to drive me insane: the Liar Revealed cliche. God, this cliche drives me crazy. It's my least favourite cliche of all time.

Also, the credits with Waddles? Not really funny. Then again, I am not a fan of Waddles in the first place.

The humour and the creativity in the designs of the episode and it's central theme, Summerween, save the episode. Stan manages to bring some of this episodes best laughs ever with the ending of his subplot. The idea of the Summerween trickster makes him one of the best villains in the show, and he gets a lot of character development. The episode also managed to give me some chills (as stated above), with the dimmer-than-normal colours in the episode. The small details given to Summerween (jack-o-melons) are brilliant. Old Man McGucket is funny, as always. 

It's also worth noting that Robbie breaks the "cold war pact" made in the last episode when he insults Dipper. Then again, this could be a reference to the cold war, where the US and USSR, even when trying to avoid direct conflict, still were not on good terms with each other, and in fact, still openly criticised each other..

Overall, a good episode, but hampered down with a semi-cliche plot.

Favourite Scene: The Summerween Trickster himself.

Least Favourite Scene: The end credits.

Score: 7.5

Red Dwarf Review: Series IV, Episode 3: Justice

Airdate: 28 February, 1991

I can feel the symbolism!

Synopsis (SPOILERS AHEAD): A pod from a prison ship lands on Red Dwarf. Unsure of whether or not the pod contains a female security guard or a simulant (which is like a mechanoid, but more human and more likely to kill humans), they go to the prison ship. Aboard the prison ship, the computer scans the crew for various crimes. Cat, Kryten, and Lister are cleared (the computer ignoring the latter's adolescent misdemeanours.) However, Rimmer is charged with 1167 counts of second degree murder, for failing to repair a drive plate properly aboard Red Dwarf (consequently causing that drive plate to explode and kill everybody, sans Lister and his cat). He is sentenced to prison for over 9000 years. In the Justice Zone, where Rimmer is imprisoned, it is impossible for him to commit a crime (if one tries to commit a crime, the effects are felt by the person committing the offence).

Kryten manages to convince the computer to give them a retrial. Arguing as his defence counsel, Kryten argues that the mind probe was merely used to ascertain guilt, not to ascertain the capability to commit a crime. Kryten also argues that Rimmer's ego caused him to think that he was fully responsible for the deaths of the crew, while in reality, Rimmer was (and is) merely an egotistical, incompetent moron who should have never been held responsible for the crime in the first place. The computer ultimately rules in favour of Rimmer and Kryten.

As they try and return to Red Dwarf, the life-form in the pod escapes... and it is a simulant. While chasing the crew around the ship, the Simulant enters the Justice Zone... where offences affect the offender. The Simulant tries to kill Lister... and winds up killing himself. Back on the ship, Lister goes on a lengthy rant about how there is no such thing as absolute justice... with the rant ending when he winds up in a manhole.

Review: One of Red Dwarf's greatest strengths is the psycho-analysis of Rimmer. As such, this episode is brilliant, as it really does go deep inside Rimmer's mind. This episode asks the questions: is Rimmer responsible for his actions? Is Rimmer a good person blinded by his own ego and desire for control? Or is he really malevolent, willing to cut down anybody for his own selfish gain? This can be applied to the average Joe, much like Arnold Rimmer: do we do bad things out of malevolence, or are we good people that just made bad decisions and are clouded by our own faults? Is there such a thing as true justice?

It's worth noting that Rimmer, in previous episodes, refuses to take responsibility for anything. Could it be that he has so much guilt for killing the crew, that he felt that he needed to relieve himself of some responsibility by putting up an egocentric aura? Or is he just an egotistical smeghead?

OK, let's drop the philosophy for a second, and go into a full review.

The character development given to the two main leads is brilliant. This episodes shows that Lister is not a bad guy by any means: he's controlled by peer pressure. This episode also solidifies him as the show's moral centre, and the most well-rounded person aboard the ship (Rimmer's a smeghead, the Cat is vain, and Kryten is still trying to get hold of humanity). Yet, the episode also mocks his attempts at summarising the lesson to the crew. The development given to Rimmer is brilliant, with the smallest details in his life showing that Rimmer is a smeghead.

The simulant plot seems a bit unnecessary, just being there to move the plot forward. They could have made the entire episode about the trial. However, the simulant plot is still funny as all getout!

If I had to find one defining fault about the episode... it would have to be the Space Mumps scenes. They're just there to pad the episode out to 28 minutes. It's stupid and it's resolution is just plain gross. They could have done without it. In fact, without the space mumps, the episode would have EASILY gained a 9.5 score. Instead, the episode only gains an 8 score: still great, but the Space Mumps knocks it down that far.

Favourite Scene: Lister's fight with the Simulant. Just plain hysterical.

Least Favourite Scene: The smegging space mumps plotline.

Score: 8

Gravity Falls Review: Season 1, Episode 11: "Little Dipper"

Airdate: September 28, 2012

Hamster V. Q-Tip! The Battle of the Decade!

Synopsis (SPOILERS AHEAD): Mabel finally gets to one-up Dipper in terms of their height (Mabel is slightly taller), and gloats about it. Dipper manages to find a crystal and a torch that, when shined on objects, either increases or decreases their size. Dipper uses it to make himself taller, to the frustration of Mabel. Meanwhile, Gideon is seeking the Mystery Shack to get hold of a secret in said shack. Gideon manages to get the torch and make Dipper and Mabel tiny, capturing them in his room.

A hamster-sized Dipper and Mabel manage to escape Gideon's room and manage to arrive at the Shack... just in time to get captured alongside a now-shrunk Soos. Mabel finally confesses to Dipper the reason why she was gloating about her height: Dipper gloated about being one above Mabel in terms of everything. Their size also provides an advantage in taking Gideon down... thanks to some tickling.

Review: This episode is often selected for "least favourite" by fans, many complaining that is was a boring episode. Granted, I will give the fans the fact that this episode was light on the humour, although it had some funny moments, like Mabel wanting to go to the Shack... via Cheekums.

Yet, I can't fathom why people dislike this episode. In my opinion, this episode manages to give some of the best character development to Dipper and Mabel. Unlike "Time Travellers Pig" (Yes, I am still livid over that episode), this episode produces a wonderful analysis of the Dipper/Mabel sibling relationship. We get to see tensions that exist between Dipper and Mabel, without it going as far as it did in "Time Travellers". In the end, neither twin suffers painfully as a result of the other's actions. In fact, they gain off of each other.

The strange part is that, with this episode, Mabel (y'know, the girl who wanted to ride a hamster from a house to a shack) is more sensible than Dipper. In fact, I have to resort back to my comparison between Dipper and Arnold J. Rimmer. Despite presenting himself as more mature and sensible, Dipper is actually less mature and more self-serving than his loopy sister. Again, Dipper ultimately does the right thing in the end, and is actually smart, so the comparison I make between Dipper and Arnie J. may be a bit strained, but still.

What made this episode even better is that, with this episode, we get to see Gideon go truly insane. I mean it. His sanity goes down to levels that are frightening. Likewise, Mrs. Gleeful's insanity is also pronounced, but on a different level. While Gideon is insane in the "evil villain" sense, Mrs. Gleeful is insane in the "completely broken by the world gone mad" sense. On the contrary, Bud seems like a guy you could really be a good friend with, and is my favourite of the three. He sorta reminds me of J.R. Ewing from Dallas, but with less oil and Texan-ism. (Gideon is more like Nevel Papperman from iCarly... except with a less nerdy exterior.) And Gideon's line about the shack... pretty chilling.

If there is anything bad about this episode, it's that the ending seemed rushed. That's it. Also, it's not too memorable, and Soos did not have a brilliant role. Otherwise, this is a great episode with great characterisation and decent humour.

Favourite Scene: The cold opener. The entire cold opener.

Least Favourite Scene: Soos's role in this episode seemed to be merely "get captured and mess up". Not a bad scene, but still. Slightly limiting for a funny character.

Score: 8