Scullyfied Simpsons: "The Old Man And The "C" Student" (Season 10, Episode 20)

If you are reading this, you would really love the new and improved Review Nebula - especially since I won't be posting on this URL much longer. Please. Go to the new blog. Please.

Oh, dear! Now you've done it!

          "I want some taquitos!" - Jasper. No, not that one...

Airdate: April 25th, 1999

Written By: Julie Thacker

Plot: The IOC's plan to give Springfield the 2000 Summer Olympics falls apart when Bart's comedy routine offends the entire committee. As punishment, Skinner forces him to volunteer at the Retirement Castle. He finds the environment there overly restrictive to the elderly. Lisa, a frequent volunteer there, disagrees and argues that the environment there caters to their desires. Cue a One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest parody.

Meanwhile, Homer's attempts at making a mascot - Springy - collapse with the Olympics bid. With an entire crate of springs to sell, he decides to embark on - guess what - a new career selling springs. It does not go well - particularly for Lenny's eye.

Review:

Let's be real here - the elderly aren't treated well in The Simpsons. I mean, when this show was on all four cylinders, nobody was ("nuts and gum" was not a compliment), but man, oh, man, did the elderly get the shaft. Rather than wise and learned elders, they tended to be crotchety, senile ("I SAID FRENCH FRIES!"), dumped into decrepit retirement homes where they decline in more depressing ways than ever before... even the most successful senior in the show is not only a ruthless and heartless businessman (for now, at least), but hysterically behind the times in some areas. ("I'd like to send this letter to the Prussian consulate in Siam by aeromail. Am I too late for the 4:30 autogyro?") It's all about waiting out the clock until they die, which knowing The Simpsons, is a long, long, long time.

Since I compared the last Simpsons episode I reviewed to a Season 2 episode, may as well do the same here - this time with one of my favorites, "Old Money". There, the Retirement Castle is dilapidated, everybody wants to take the elderly's money, their families them on token trips while ignoring their interests, etc. Should somebody ever accuse The Simpsons of being weaksauce, I will throw on episodes like "Old Money" - which manages to fuse brutal social satire with a rather sweet ending - to inform them that this show once had guts.

Speaking of which, "The Old Man and the "C" Student".

Scullyfied Simpsons: "Mom and Pop Art" (Season 10, Episode 19)

It's Blogpocalypse NOW! By which, I mean, we're coming up on the final few Blogspot posts. Get most of my future reviews on cartoons, sci-fi, and cartoon sci-fi here. To make it easy, bookmark that site... or adjust your bookmark for this site. Whatever floats your boat. (Also, these last few posts will go up slightly later here.)

"Greats are always trying new things, like Michelangelo, or Shaquille O'Neil!" - Marge Simpson. Maybe I should frame this quote and send it to Al Jean.

Airdate: April 11th, 1999

Written By: Al Jean

Plot: Homer's attempts to build a backyard barbecue pit go rather awry when the parts and the instructions fall into the cement. ("Le Grill? What the hell is that?") After his attempts to return the... barbecue, I guess... fail, it winds up crashing into the car of Astrid, a member of the local "Original Art" scene. Taking an interest in the disaster, she invites Homer to a local gallery, where Mr. Burns buys his art (to collect the royalties, presumably). Thus begins his new career as an artist.

Review:

Season 2 of The Simpsons is one of the show's more underrated seasons. I mean, yeah, seasons 2-8 were (with one or two examples later on) sublime all around, but Season 2 is often skipped over, as far as I can see. It doesn't seem to have the rubbery charm of 1, nor is it acclaimed like 3. It's a shame because, in my view, Season 2 is when The Simpsons really began to kick into top gear.

Among the episodes in season 2 is "Brush With Greatness", an episode that explores Marge's artistic talent. The episode focuses on Marge rekindling her high-school interest in art - one that was crushed by a callous teacher. Her big challenge in rekindling her love is trying to reconcile her technique - focusing on one's inner beauty and goodness - with a mandate to paint Mr. Burns for his new wing at the museum. It's a fantastic episode, although I could say the same for most of Season 2.

Now, we get something of a sequel. Eight years on, and the overall tone of the show has changed dramatically. Rather than an ensemble focusing on the Simpson family as a whole, we instead get a sequel focusing on Homer's accidental foray into absurdist modern art. So, is this episode a genuine Mr. Burns, or a quick painting of a sad clown?

Scullyfied Simpsons: "Simpsons Bible Stories" (Season 10, Episode 18)

Do you like my silly little reviews of various TV episodes? Well, pretty soon, you'll have to get more reviews like this over here. Adjust whatever bookmarks you have regarding this silly little blog accordingly.

From word one... word... one.

Airdate: April 4th, 1999

Holy Macaroni, another anthology episode! Twice in a season, this is the start of a decade-long trend that would have the show producing at least one extra "three-part anthology" episode every year or so... at least, it felt like it. This certainly isn't the first one - that went to "The Simpsons Spinoff Showcase" in Season 8 - but is the first one to keep the fourth wall intact.

Between Season 10 and 19, and discounting the Treehouse of Horror there were nine "three-story" episodes - averaging out to nine per year. The trend was broken with the bizarre decision to split the third act in half - there was a "four-story" anthology in "Four Great Women and a Manicure", but that was the last one. (Side note - I swear to god that the four-act structure was sabotage on somebody's part to try and kill the show faster.)

With that in mind... "Simpsons Bible Stories".

Scullyfied Simpsons: "Maximum Homerdrive" (Season 10, Episode 17)

"If you wanna be my lover
You gotta get with my friends
Make it last forever
Cos friendship never ends..."

"Don't you have school?" "Don't you have work?" "Ah, touche." - Homer and Bart, recognizing just how silly these plots are getting.

Airdate: March 28th, 1999
Written By: John Swartzwelder.
Plot: The Simpson family (bar Lisa) go to the Slaughterhouse, a steakhouse where the waiters kill the cow in front of the patrons. One menu item is a 16lb steak that only two people finished - Tony Randall and trucker Red Barclay. Homer decides to take on Red... but while Homer loses, the contest doesn't end too well for the trucker. Feeling remorseful, Homer decides to take on Red's last route to Atlanta, and Bart hops on for the ride.

Meanwhile, Marge and Lisa decide to install a new doorbell - one that plays "Close to You". Their patience to have somebody ring the doorbell wears thin, however, and eventually Lisa takes the plunge... one that will ultimately prove detrimental to the neighborhood's sleep schedules.

Review:

Oh, yeah! Set your amps to max, turn your hairdryers to Max Power, switch your radio over to Max FM, and take your son Max over to Lake Destiny, because we're in for our second Maximum episode in a row! Time to shift it into "Maximum Homerdrive!"

Through my life, the "road trip" has been a favorite pastime of mine. Thus, episodes of TV shows revolving around road trips seem to lure me in. And I have to admit it - "Maximum Homerdrive" is actually an episode I rather like. Yeah, it's silly, contains a rather thin plot, and probably the pinnacle of "Homer Gets A Job" plots that dominate Season 10. But, for some reason, I get a nostalgic feeling with this episode.

Under a critical lens, though... how does it hold up?

Scullyfied Simpsons: "Make Room For Lisa" (Season 10, Episode 16)

"Cellular service is all about communication and unity. Community!" - Omnitouch Executive, trying to convince Lisa that having a cellular tower in her room is a good idea. She's not the most infuriating character in that scene.

Airdate: February 28th, 1999.
Written By: Brian Scully.
Plot: Lisa undergoes a day from hell when her trip to a traveling history exhibit goes sour. All thanks to Homer, who manages to damage the Constitution, because comedy. To pay for it, he has to put a cellular tower on top of the roof - taking out Lisa's bedroom for the machinery. (Turns out the government privatized our nation's treasures.) And it all goes down for her from there...

Review:

Wow, it's been a while since I took a look at the start collapse of The Simpsons. Now that we're in the depth of the show's decline, may as well come back to see if it's still falling over...

...yup. Still falling over. Alright, everybody - tuck your pants into your socks, cos this is gonna be a whopper of an episode. And by whopper, I mean my god, is this one a trainwreck.

Scullyfied Simpsons: "Marge Simpson in: Screaming Yellow Honkers" (Season 10, Episode 15)

"Anger is what makes America great. But you must find a proper weapon for your rage." - Sgt. Crewe. Personally, I watch Simpsons episodes produced during the show's decline and complain about them on a blog. 

Airdate: February 21st, 1999

Plot: While trying to flee a variety show, Homer sees the four-wheel strength of the Canyonero. He goes to buy it, only to get the "F-Series" - a version of the car targeting women. His fear of being labeled gay has him toss the keys to Marge (read, has him hotwire her old car). Marge gets behind the Canyonero, and immediately gains some impulse. Unfortunately, this translates into road rage - one that gets her sent to Traffic Court. This proves ineffective, though, and eventually, her license is suspended... just in time for an incident at the zoo that, for some reason, requires her help. (Go on, guess why?)

Review:

As I mentioned in my review of "Coach Steven", America seems to be the nation that runs on pure, unbridled Id. Power seems to permieate from every single thing we do - the biggest homes, the most powerful cars, the most passionate politics, etc. Granted, this is a broad generalization, but there is truth in the stereotype of the powerful American. Here, this episode takes a look at the SUV - arguably the most powerful type of car in existence - and how even the meekest of us can become power hungry. Unfortunately, it's in execution where the episode falls apart.

Scullyfied Simpsons: "I'm With Cupid" (Season 10, Episode 14)

"Both of my ears are filled with nougat!"

"You told me that it was an American tradition to work all the time and not see your wife!" - Manjula, to Apu. Give it 17 years, Manjula.

Airdate: February 14th, 1999

Plot: In 2005, in response to developments regarding Anglo-American relations, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe penned "I'm With Stupid", a satire on a theoretical romance between British Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President George W Bush.

Whoops - this is a television episode... Patrick is afraid that his parents will mock him for being rather stupid. Therefore, SpongeBob decides to take up the role of "The Fool".

...I'm sorry, this is "I'm With Cupid", not "I'm With Stupid."

Apu's relationship with Manjula is on the rocks. Apparently, the life of a convenience store manager isn't exactly conducive to free time. To make it up to her, Apu goes all out in his Valentines Day celebrations. This, though, alienates the wives of Springfield's men. They all proceed to sabotage the actual Valentines Day celebration.

Review: 

Two years ago (because I am a lazy bum), during my coverage of Season 9, I reviewed "The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons". There, my complaint lied in the fact that the episode revolved around Homer's antics, and was overall rather pedestrian. In hindsight, though, I can recognize some of the character development in that episode, even if I would've preferred more. That, and it was a pretty funny episode.

"I'm With Cupid" serves as a follow up to that episode... but it ultimately feels a bit underwhelming.

Scullyfied Simpsons: "Homer to the Max" (Season 10, Episode 13)

Airdate: February 7th, 1999

Plot: One of the midseason shows, Police Cops, features an Ace-type detective named Homer Simpson. This gives Homer a burst of popularity because of the similar names. However, a retool turns the detective into a lout, turning Homer into the joke of the town. After a plea to the executives falls less than flat, he finally decides to sue them. After that court case is thrown out, he asks for a name change to Max Power. With that name, he gains the attention of the A-List in Springfield.

Review (SPOILERS): Can television characters become deeply ingrained in our national psyche? Of course. Can it get to the point where it affects the lives of people with similar names? Likely. This is the topic that the episode was trying to take on, I think. Unfortunately, it's execution is quite a bit wonky, leading to a rather silly third act conclusion.

Scullyfied Simpsons: "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken" (Season 10, Episode 11)

Those kids may need an optometrist.

Airdate: January 17th, 1999

Synopsis: The Springfield Isotopes win the league pennant, causing a gang including Homer and his friends to vandalize the Springfield Elementary School. The next morning, the blame is pinned... on the children of Springfield, who are promptly placed under a curfew. Infuriated at this, the children proceed to set up a pirate radio show, which serves as a tabloid-esque program leaking the secrets of the townspeople.

Review (SPOILERS): "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken", when I was younger, wasn't necessarily my favorite episode of the show. I don't know why it didn't like it - it really just never endeared itself to me. Strangely, though, it's cited as one of the better ones from Season 10. Now that I'm older, and have watched some really bad Simpsons episodes, has it gotten any better?

Scullyfied Simpsons: "Viva Ned Flanders" (Season 10, Episode 10)

"Couldn't we have gone to Branson instead? C'mon - you can't hate Andy Williams."

Airdate: January 10th, 1999

Synopsis: Dust from the demolition of Burns' casino sends the Simpsons to the car wash. There, Homer finds out that Ned uses the seniors card to get a discount. At church, Homer gets a confession out of Ned - he's actually 60 years old. His youth comes from a rather clean lifestyle. However, Ned comes to think about his point in life - that he just might be a bit too predictable.

Upon seeing Homer act like an idiot, he tries to get advice from the man. Homer's advice involves going to Burns' Casino... which was blown up. Therefore, the two take a road trip to Las Vegas. Homer's lifestyle eventually makes an impression on Ned, and the two wake up the next morning hungover, in a suite, and married to two cocktail waitresses.

Review: In the season 5 episode "$pringfield", the town decided to legalize gambling, with Mr. Burns as the main investor in the initiative. With Burns's Casino, "$pringfield" lampooned the entire casino establishment - the encouragement of gambling even towards addicts, the incompetence at trying to quell problem gamblers from their worst urges, and even the hidden vices that are found in the most unlikely of characters - in that case, it was Marge that turned out to be a gambling addict. It was a quirky episode, and a fun one at that.

In this episode, "Burns's Casino" is blown up. And while it's unintentional, I can't help but feel the irony, as this episode does a damn good job spitting on the classic era.

Scullyfied Simpsons: "Mayored To The Mob" (Season 10, Episode 9)

Airdate: December 20th, 1998

Those aren't Idaho Potatoes!

Synopsis: A trip to the Bi-Mon-Sci-Fi-Con goes horribly wrong when Mark Hamill doesn't talk about Star Wars at his panel. With a riot breaking out, and Mark and the Mayor's lives threatened, Homer barges through the nerds and rescues the duo. Quimby promptly fires his old bodyguards and replaces them with Homer. This, however, leads to trouble when Homer winds up discovering that a deal with the Mafia to send low-quality milk to schoolchildren went too well (read, the Mafia was using rat's milk.) With the ring busted, Fat Tony threatens Quimby's life.

Review: OK... Homer gets another job. Over the previous eight episodes, he's been a grease jockey, an inventor, a personal assistant, a hippie, and a coward on the Ship of Lost Souls (although that last one only lasted mere minutes before he got thrown out.) So, why did the writers give him another job? I think, in reality, Mark Hamill just walked by Ron Hauge at some restaurant in LA, Hauge thought of an episode where Homer and Mark met up, and before you know it, Homer's a bodyguard.

Anyway, this episode was better than "Kidney Trouble". Then again, a test pattern would've been better than "Kidney Trouble".

Scullyfied Simpsons: "Homer Simpson in: "Kidney Trouble"" (Season 10, Episode 8)

Airdate: December 6th, 1998

Truly a heartwarming moment... that will be spoiled in two seconds.

Synopsis: The whole family (plus Abe, for reasons needed to generate the plot) take a trip up to Bloodbath Gulch, a ghost town turned tourist trap. There, Abe drinks way too many sasparillas, and Homer refuses to stop for a rest stop on the way home. End result? Abe's kidneys blow out, and Homer is the only available donor. While initially willing to go through with the procedure, fears brought on by his friends cause Homer to bolt from the operating table.

Review (SPOILER): To paraphrase Futurama, Mike Scully, you raised my hopes and dashed them quite expertly, sir! Bravo! Yup, two steps forward with "D'oh-in" and "Lisa Gets an "A"", and one moonwalk back with "Kidney Trouble", among the most despised episodes in The Simpsons history. So, my expectations heading into this episode were lowered quite a bit.

And I still left, not only disappointed, but disgusted.

Scullyfied Simpsons: "Lisa Gets an A" (Season 10, Episode 7)

This grade is wrong, but not for the reason you might think...

Airdate: November 22nd, 1998

Synopsis: Lisa falls ill after being stuffed in a freezer to try and get some ice cream (no prizes for guessing who did it). Rather than study, she gets sucked into a video game, "Dash Dingo". She gets so hooked into the game, she forgets to read The Wind in the Willows... and comes back to a quiz on the book. ("Game over, mate!") Bart gets Nelson to hook her up with test answers, and she passes the test at such a level that the state no longer considers the school absolutely pathetic, and is willing to give them money.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned fridge-stuffer gets a pet lobster at the same supermarket. By "gets a pet", I mean Homer prevents Marge from cooking Pinchy, a lobster that the family brought for dinner.

Review (SPOILERS): Lisa Simpson is one of the more divisive characters in the Simpsons canon. This stems from the trend during the "double digit" seasons to have Lisa as the mouthpiece for the generally leftish writers, with little reasonable dissent or critique of said positions. While I see where they come from, my opinion of Lisa stems from the early seasons of the show - as it should. And while she did have moments where she seemed overtly opinionated, they were just part of her role as a wiser, more mature eight-year old, who still fell victim to the same weaknesses that eight-year olds have.

"Lisa Gets An A", surprisingly, has her fall victim to a trap that students tend to face - that of cheating. Not a bad idea, although does this episode execute it well?

Almost.

Scullyfied Simpsons: "D'oh-in' in the Wind" (Season 10, Episode 6)

Airdate: November 15th, 1998

Synopsis: While tracking down his middle name, Homer comes across a farm run by two former hippies, Seth and Munchie. Upon learning his middle name, and learning more about his rebellious mother and her interactions with said hippies (she painted a mural with Homer's full name), Homer takes an interest in the carefree lifestyle of hippies, and becomes one... not understanding that Seth (Martin Mull) and Munchie (George Carlin) have moderated their practices, even embracing the capitalist aspects of the 90s.

Review (SOME SPOILERS, POSSIBLY FOR OTHER EPISODES): In hindsight, maybe the 60s counterculture was too good to be true. Intended as an anti-establishment movement meant to get humanity more in touch with Earth and the fellow man, as well as generate social reforms, ironically, not only has it become the defining image of the 60s (to the point of cliche), but arguably became absorbed and moderated by the mainstream itself. Not that this was a bad thing, though. However, there is an irony here.

In many regards, The Simpsons was a counterculture in and of itself, or at least represented a counterculture. After the seemingly conservative, politically and socially stolid 80s, where American morals and archetypes were reinforced, came this show that managed to lampoon (if not subvert) every single aspect of Americana. Unfortunately, episodes like "When You Dish Upon A Star" seemed to represent the show becoming mainstream. Here's where the absorption of the counterculture in the mainstream proved to be detrimental - modern Simpsons episodes seem to run on cliche plots and hackneyed dialogue, attempting to be trendy and cool, and just coming off as a pathetic show that needs to be axed. Soon.

Now that that's out of the way, "D'oh-in in the Wind" is, in all honesty, quite an improvement over the aforementioned last episode. (That's not a hard feat, but still.)

Scullyfied Simpsons: "When You Dish Upon a Star" (Season 10, Episode 5)

This is as close to a mockery as Alec Baldwin gets. It's all downhill from here.

Airdate: November 8th, 1998

Synopsis: While parasailing at Lake Springfield, Homer literally crashes into Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin's house. Rather than call the cops or the paramedics, they befriend the idiot. Apparently, the two hang out at the Summer house to try and escape the press. Homer quickly becomes their personal assistant, yet has to check his impulses that could expose them to the media.

Review: While we have seen Homer's character begin to slip over the past season, in my opinion, Season 10 had three key episodes that cemented the change in character from "lovable everyman" to "obnoxious Creators Pet/Jerkass Homer". These include "Homer Simpson in Kidney Trouble" (cementing his callous actions as practically normal), "Viva Ned Flanders" (cementing his omnipotence and role as centerpiece in the town of Springfield), and today's example in how to tarnish the legacy of the most treasured sitcom in American history, "When You Dish Upon a Star". Here, we focus on Homer not only meeting up with celebrities, but also becoming their assistant... despite damaging their house.

And that's just the start of the episode's problems.

Scullyfied Simpsons: "Treehouse of Horror IX" (Season 10, Episode 4)

Airdate: October 25th, 1998

Last October, I reviewed "Little Gift Shop of Horrors". The November before (which is close to October), I reviewed "Treehouse of Horror VIII". Three Octobers ago, this blog didn't exist. Since we are coming up on Halloween, I figure it's time we review the ninth Treehouse Of Horror trilogy. (SPOILERS BELOW.)

Scullyfied Simpsons: "Bart the Mother" (Season 10, Episode 3)

Now to figure out which one is Chirpy Boy and Bart Jr. The madness! THE MADNESS!

Airdate: September 27th, 1998

Synopsis: Bart kills a bird, raises it's babies, and it turns out it wasn't the bird's babies that he was raising.

More specifically, Bart defies his mother by hanging out with Nelson, who just acquired a BB gun at an arcade. One false move, and not only is a bird dead, but Marge finds out and decides to give up on trying to interact with him. Feeling utter guilt, Bart decides to raise the eggs as his own... and lizards wind up hatching.

Review: Ah, ZZZZZZ... oh, sorry, where was I? Oh, yeah, this episode. A pretty blasé, boring half hour... well, the first two acts, anyway. The third act, I don't know what happened.

The first part of the episode is so boring, that I don't think I'm gonna go in depth here. This might be my shortest review since I don't even know when.

Scullyfied Simpsons: "The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace" (Season 10, Episode 2)

Airdate: September 20th, 1998

Synopsis: Reaching a midlife crisis, Homer becomes despondent on life. After a projector breaks down, Homer rhetorically asks "who invented this thing?" Lisa responds, and Homer has a new goal - be the new Thomas Edison. He becomes obsessed with the man... and, when it turns out that Edison invented something that Homer seemed to invent - a chair with an extra set of legs on hinges - Captain Wacky becomes hellbent on destroying Edison's chair.

Review: Sounds like a Scullyfied Simpsons. Ain't been reviewed onto nigh for two months.

Tsk, tsk, tsk - trouble a brewin!

Homer's sorta pitiful life is the centerpiece of the greatest Simpsons episodes. Even when he is involved in something landmark (such as going into space), there's this tinge in the writing that he got there by the thinnest of margins (aka, Barney going insane and falling off the top of a mattress factory). Despite this, he almost always maintained a love for the simple things you'd expect a 40-year old to love - TV, Duff, all that jazz.

Indeed, deconstructing his simple life by putting him in a midlife crisis seems like tough ground to tread. It doesn't seem like Homer would be the one to encounter that, but I'd be willing to excuse that somewhat as a deconstruction of what his life has been.

Then Lisa brings up Thomas Edison, and the episode becomes... a tad bit more haphazard.

Scullyfied Simpsons: "Lard of the Dance" (Season 10, Episode 1)

Airdate: August 23, 1999

Synopsis: At the dawn of a new school year, Lisa has to meet up with a transfer student. Unlike the previous transfer student, this new transfer student, Alex Whitney (Lisa Kurdow, Friends), is a fashion-oriented, modern "adult"-like child in the same grade as Lisa, who still enjoys the pursuits of childhood.

Meanwhile, Homer gets the first of many, many, many jobs this season when he realizes the market value of grease. He and Bart try and usurp grease from various sources... including the school.

Review: The tenth season premiere is, in some ways, a bit of a "Deja Vu" moment. By which, I mean, it's all but a remake of "Lisa's Rival" - Lisa meets a new girl and has a rocky relationship with her, and Homer enters a money-making scheme.

It's how these two episodes execute their plots, though, that differs vastly, and in the case of the "Homer" plot, makes this episode weaker in comparison.

Scullyfied Simpsons: Season 10 Preview

(DVD cover taken from the behemoth called Wikipedia)

Oh, boy. Season 10. The second of four (and change) we're going to be covering... at a snails pace. I guess.

Because of the wide swath of episodes this season, I will not be listing them like I did with my reviews of Red Dwarf. I will, however, mention a few of the casting changes and guest stars that will be seen this season. Some of this info I got from Wikipedia, others I got from the Dead Homer Society. I'm not really a professional.