Futurama Review: Season 1, Episode 1: "Space Pilot 3000"

(Note: as a coda to this relatively unproductive month - I think I've hit a small burnout - I have decided to post a sample of my Futurama review blog. Here, my review of the first episode, posted back in January.)

Airdate: March 28th, 1999

And it's still slower then the C train!

Synopsis (SPOILERS): It's December 31st, 1999, Manhattan. Phillip J Fry's life is in the toilet- he delivers pizzas on holidays, his girlfriend dumps him, and he's placed on a crank call to a cryogenics centre. Ringing in the new year at the cryogenics centre, he winds up falling into one of the freezers. Thankfully, he eventually defrosts.

The date? December 31st, 2999. "My god! A million years!"

Fry is introduced to Leela, the cryogenics counsellor/fate officer. After being given a physical examination, he is assigned the career of... delivery boy. He has two options- take the career chip given to him, or be fired... ("Good!" "...out of a cannon, into the sun!") He bolts for it, and runs for his nearest relative, the elderly Professor Hubert Farnsworth. While on the run, he meets Bender, who's queuing for a suicide booth (which Fry mistakes for a phone booth). After escaping with their lives, the two befriend each other, and eventually manage to convince Leela to join them.

They all wind up at Professor Farnsworth's place, and use his spaceship to escape prosecution from the cops. Afterwards, Farnsworth offers the three jobs at his intergalactic delivery company, Planet Express. This thrills Fry, who gets the job of... delivery boy.

Review (SPOILERS FOR THIS EPISODE): Pilot episodes are always hard to nail down- the writers still have doubts on the paths the characters are going, there might be idiosyncrasies relegated to the pilot, and the acting/art might be off until the show gets a full pickup.

Still, even with those elements, "Space Pilot 3000" is a pretty damn good pilot- in fact, it might be one of my favourite pilot episodes.

In many aspects, "Space Pilot" is about escaping the depressing confines of life, whether by fate or by self-realisation. In showcasing this, the show establishes the three main characters, their conflicts, and why they aren't at each other's throats.

Fry's trapped in a dead-end job, in a dead-end life, in a dead-end world. He didn't actively try and escape, nor did he actively try and stay- resigned to his current status, he fell into a cryogenics tube, and bye, 2000! Three minutes into the year 3000, we get to see him in action- he refuses to abide by the confines of the future, and is seemingly willing to evade the law. However, we get a dose of his kindness early on- instead of confining Leela to a thousand-year freezing, he gives her a five-minute confinement.

The story of Leela is somewhat less elaborated on. It takes a while to reach her backstory, and the backstory does have traces of sci-fi cliche in it. Alone on Earth, with no knowledge of what her species is, she's also in a dead-end job- rounding up the defrostees for their careers. It's heavily assumed that all that defrosted resigned themselves to their jobs... until Fry came along. Through Fry's rejection of the confines of life, and the aftermath, she realises the callousness of the system, and decides that she has nothing left to lose by fleeing.

Bender is, by far, the most interesting example of how a character can evolve in one episode. Resigned to society's rules, he feels the only way out is suicide. Sure, he makes small traces of rebellion by petty theft of services (the quarter-string trick, anybody), but he appears to have some small sense of morality, such as cleaning up his mess at the local pub. He maintains his resignation to society and his programming, calling Fry an idiot for suggesting that Bender break said programming. One chance encounter with a wire later, Bender is not only rebelling against his programming, but is bending grates simply to maintain the high he's on, committing grander thefts ("He stole my ring!"), etc.

Some shows take episodes to fully showcase the world they live in. It takes Futurama two acts. Our first look at the future is that of a utopia beyond comprehension. Then a Star Trek-esque door closes on Fry's head, and the game is set. Look closely, and Futurama might be one of the most dystopian sci-fi shows out there- unemployment is seemingly controlled by killing those without career chips, suicide booths are apparently a commonly-used commodity, the presidents are put on the shelves of a museum for idiots and tourists to gawk at them, the police are corrupt... the list goes on and on and on.

Admittedly, I think I've praised this episode enough, so I'll toss out some critique. First off, Professor Farnsworth is more of a typical senior citizen compared to his character in the rest of the series, where he's a mad scientist who just happens to be 150-ish years old. Elements in this episode (career chips) are abandoned later on. Maybe it's the quality of the Netflix copy, but the voice acting sounds a bit anti-crisp compared to later seasons. The art is a bit off model- the colours are muted. Lastly, the amount of character comedy isn't really as high as it will be in future episode- the show instead goes more into sending up sci-fi pop culture.

Still, as far as pilot episodes go, it's a pretty damn good introduction to the world of tomorrow.

Tidbits:

• One interesting inconsistency picked up by fans is a scene where Bender and Fry are at a local pub. Bender tries to defend his drinking, saying "I can quit anytime I want." Just two episodes later, we learn that Bender is literally powered by alcohol- thus creating an inverse effect, where drinking keeps him "sober".
• Fry notes that he wanted a robot friend since he was 6. Assuming he was born in 1974, by 1980, Fry probably saw sci-fi programming with robots, such as Star Wars, with C3PO, and maybe Doctor Who, with K9. Interesting that, compared to the normally heroic and logical robots in those two shows, Bender is anything but.
• Kinda strange (and a bit sad) to see Dick Clark's head counting down New Year 3000. So full of youth...
• This is one of two episodes written by Groening and Cohen. The other one was "Rebirth", the first new episode to debut on Comedy Central.

Favourite Scene: The scene in "Old New York" is poignant. It hits home for Fry- he's never going back to the year 1999. His family is gone. Whatever friends he had are gone.

Least Favourite Scene: The scene where the Professor gives Fry, Leela, and Bender the tour felt awkward, in that it felt a bit out of character. Again, the characters hadn't been settled in yet, so I'm a bit light on this. Still.

Memorable Quote: "Here's to another lousy millennium"- Fry, just before he falls into a freezer for all but one day of the new millennium. 

Score: 8

Gravity Falls Review: Season 1, Episode 3: "Headhunters"

Three figures, only one with dignity
In fair Oregon, where we lay our scene.
From retro grudge to break a nouveaux peace
Where wax-made hands make wooden floors unclean.
From forth the fatal hands of Mabel Pines
A wax figure of Stan loses his head.
But Stanford's wax head had no connection
To Archibald Cox and eighteen minute gaps.

Airdate: June 30, 2012

Synopsis: Dipper, Mabel, and Soos stumble across a hidden room in the Mystery Shack. Said room is full of wax figurines. Stan reveals that he once had a wax museum, but it didn't bode too well for him financially. He decides to reopen it, and commissions Mabel to make a new figure. She makes one based off of Stan. The figure itself, plus the poorly-organized press conference announcing the relaunch, makes the wax museum fail once again.

The night after the press conference, the wax figure is decapitated. With the cops on other business, Dipper and Mabel set out to find the vandal. Who is the vandal? Well, let's just say they were close to wax Stan... and far from regular Stan.

Review (SPOILERS): One of the many, many, many things that drives people to watch Gravity Falls is the relationships between the characters - especially between our protagonists. After all, many TV shows showcase something of a power struggle between siblings, or partners/bosses in detective-type shows.

What makes Gravity Falls unique in this regard is the relatively egalitarian relationship between Dipper and Mabel. This episode cements this idea. Neither of them are a "leader" or a "follower" - they both participate in the investigation, contributing equally, while adding their own quirks to make the characters relatable.

We got a glimpse of that at the end of "Tourist Trapped" and during parts of "Legend of the Gobblewonker". However, in the latter, the two were buoyed by Soos, and the latter was more to introduce the characters, with the dynamics being secondary. Here, the focus is on Dipper and Mabel. The dynamic that they have is brilliantly played - whatever conflict there is between them comes not from a desire of power, but due to their contrasting personalities.

It really is refreshing to see a show without a battle in the balance of power. Granted, shows like that are not to be knocked: House of Cards (both versions) and Red Dwarf showcase an antagonistic relationship between the main character and another character or two or ten. However, not every show can be Lister v Rimmer, or Frank Underwood v the President. It's nice to see a friendly relationship such as the one between Dipper and Mabel written so well.

Their plot is actually intriguing enough as it is - not only is the twist generally, uh, "twisty", but the climax is actually pretty scary. It's the first time the show actually went into a sense of terror, rather than just use peril for comedy.

One might wonder whether the wax figures were really nuts before their interactions with Stan, or whether being locked away drove them mad. That's our moral dilemma for the episode - relatively small, but worth thinking about.

John Oliver (Last Week Tonight) does a brilliant job as Wax Sherlock Holmes - managing to convey a form of comedy and terrifying leadership in his character. Oh, and getting Coolio and Larry King to guest star? Ignore the hiatus - this really shows what Disney thinks of the show; they had so much faith in it, and were so impressed, that the third episode got high-end voice actors. Brilliant.

That's not even getting into the rest of the characters. Sherrif Blubs, Deputy Durland, and Toby Determined, as far as gag and minor characters go, are all brilliantly written, multi-dimensional, and hysterical. Kevin Michael Richardson, Keith Ferguson, and Greg Turkington are all fantastic voice actors.

While not a "must watch" episode, it's definitely a fun one, showing the show's evolution in the three episodes alone.

Trivia:

• While Stan's reaction to losing his wax self might seem exaggerated, recent events do show a... darker side to this loss. Still, a bit egocentric, eh?
• Come to think about it, Soos's keyboard is a bit tragic, given that he got it on the day that he realised his dad was a damn deadbeat!
• When I first did the review, I read on the Gravity Falls Wiki that one of the detectives on Duck-Tective was voiced by Gavin McTarvish, who voiced Warden Ackerman in Series VIII of Red Dwarf. Turns out that was just a rumour. Also, I said in that review something along the lines of "weak Dwarf is better than no Dwarf." In hindsight... not so much.
• One thing I don't like is that they gave Richard Nixon... nothing. C'mon. Nixon would've been awesome. Two words: Billy. West.

Favorite Scene: The botched exposure of Toby Determined, including... "Your little knees must be sore... from jumping to conclusions!" Yeah, it's corny, but there's also a hint of character in it. 

Least Favorite Scene: Take out the "Duck-tective" scenes - not because they're not funny, mind you, but because they're unnecessary - and you would get just a bit more wax figure lines and action. Thankfully, "Duck-tective" does help flesh out Dipper and Mabel's character, so it's not a total write off.

Score: 9

A Farewell to Phineas and Ferb

Well, the same day I found out Red Dwarf was getting renewed for two more series (the day my blog post on that was posted - I may or may not be the master of efficiency that fact would imply), came the announcement that, in many regards, represents the end of an era in TV.

Phineas and Ferb, the Disney Channel animated sitcom, is drawing to a close. The final episode will air on June 12th.

If I may be honest, I didn't really watch the show too much in the past year or two, mainly because I was so engrossed in the masterpiece that was Gravity Falls. I was too convinced that Phineas and Ferb had been outclassed in every way possible, and I just sorta lost interest.

Still, I can't help but feel mournful for the loss of what was once a giant in TV. I mean... this might be one of the most epoch-making shows in animation.

I'll admit that it constantly used a formula, which many fans of any show on Disney know, so I won't elaborate. To some, it would be a lazy-man's Mad Libs plot. Yet, for some reason, Dan Povenmire, Jeff Marsh, and others twisted the formula around and around, over and over.

But that's not the impact of Phineas and Ferb.

Really, without this show, what would the state of animation - and, to a small extent, of TV - be like?

By 2007, animation had arguably taken a path of overt slapstick and vulgarity. Even once subtle, intelligent kids shows such as Spongebob, unfortunately, had evolved into slapdash, more simplistic imitations of themselves. The Simpsons, once the smartest show on the planet, evolved into an odd combination of campy plots and well-worn cliches. (By the way, The Simpsons will be on until Season 28. Think about that next time you buy anything connected to Rupert Murdoch.)

Cue P&F.

Povenmire and Marsh had just debut a show that, while campy in some areas, also had a breath of intelligence with it. Hell, even the campy elements had some form of brilliance to it. Wanna parody the campy nature of the 007 scripts? Cue a platypus fighting a businessman who dabbled in the mad sciences. (Oh, by the way, I consider Dr Doofenshmirtz one of the greatest characters of all time.) Mock the music industry? "Flop Starz". Parody speculative fiction? "Out to Launch". Send up the development of a civilization? "Unfair Science Fair Part II."

What made this show awesome is that it rarely, if ever, treated it's audience like idiots. References to Mendelev's theory, obscure scientists, math formulae, physics, existentialism, anti-disestablishment-arianism ("I can finally stop wearing that puce ribbon!")... all while appealing to children without pandering to them.

The artwork is stunningly both simple and fantastic. With the exception of the crisp colors, it's hard to tell for the simple viewer that it was at least partially done by computer - same with Gravity Falls.

And the characters... oh, the characters. Candace is complex and tragic in a way similar to a Shakespearian hero. Doofenshmirtz, as far as "supervillains" go, is sympathetic and has a well-defined backstory and relationships. Phineas and Ferb, super-geniuses as they are, are escapist in a way that's not annoying, but makes the characters, and the show, fun. Even those characters that seemed like cliches were fleshed out enough to provide for awesome comedy, and the most fleshed out characters make you care even in the more formulaic plots.

It's hard for many shows to do all of that.

Phineas and Ferb did so.

And the end result is shows like Gravity Falls, Wander over Yonder, Adventure Time, Steven Universe - shows that don't talk down to their audiences, that know their limits when it comes to their odd vulgar/slapstick moments, that know how to balance comedy and character development.

The series finale airs on June 12th. The 104 days of summer will fade away after almost 8 years. The only regret, I think, is that it didn't end two years sooner - it's sorta faded out of the national mindset until the announcement of the end.

Thank you, Dan Povenmire and Jeff Marsh, for creating this fantastic, groundbreaking show. Thank you, Disney - even if you don't know how to schedule your cartoons, you produce and greenlight fine cartoons, and this was no exception.

I'm gonna catch up on some episodes I've forgotten about on Netflix.

Gravity Falls Review: Season 1, Episode 2: The Legend of the Gobblewonker

Airdate: June 29th, 2012

Synopsis: It's the opening of fishing season in Gravity Falls. In order to spend some time bonding with the twins in a more... legal way ("The county jail was so cold!"), Stan takes them out to Gravity Falls lake. On cue, a crazy old man, last name McGucket, screams about a monster in the lake. That, plus Soos having a boat that doesn't have holes or creepy fishing lures, causes the twins to high-tail it to the "SS Cool Dude" in search for the mysterious gobblewonker.

Review (SPOILERS): Smashing sophomore episode. Smashing.

Ah, you want more in this post. That's why I'm posting these "remastered" reviews, right? Alright, ya got it! Spoilers ahead, though - I'd recommend watching the episode before going on.

The Boys are Back in Town!!!!

They're back!!!!

It's official- Red Dwarf is coming back for TWO MORE SERIES, baby! Count 'em- TWO. 2. II.

They will be broadcast in 2016 and 2017, respectively, on the Dave Network in the UK. (This should be enough incentive for WNET to pick up Red Dwarf X here on Long Island/New York. I'm not upset, however - thank you, iTunes.)

There's little word on what could be in the plot, although based on what I've read on Ganymede.TV, this is what I know:

• Doug has already written most of the new scripts and will return as director. While his work on VII and VIII would make some fans weary, his work on BtE and X probably assuaged the worst fears.
• Richard Naylor and Kerry Waddell will produce. Naylor was a co-producer for Red Dwarf X, which, again, turned out to be not awful, so this is a good sign.
• Chris, Craig, Danny, and Robert will all return. To accommodate this change to the schedule, Craig Charles has resigned from Coronation Street, the soap opera he's been acting in (as taxi driver Lloyd) since 2002.
• Based on some tweets found in the comments section- verification to be confirmed, however - one episode will have everybody become Kryten... hey, one episode tried to do a plot involving dinosaurs, and it almost killed the franchise stone dead. I doubt this could be as low.

That's pretty much all. Obviously, I'm excited, and I can't wait for 2016. 

Oh, if you live in the UK, and if you are of legal age to do so, VOTE!

Why Did It Seem Like I Dropped Off the Face of the Earth This Month?

College + Writers Block = Low Blog Activity.

That is all.

I apologize. Gonna be more active in May and over summer.

Not Another Top (X) List: The Nine Worst Episodes of The Simpsons Season 9

(Author's note: Meant to post this for a long time. Was too lazy to include the pictures until now.)

Well, after an update schedule that makes that of The Venture Brothers look stable in comparison, I have finally completed season 9 of The Simpsons- the first in a four-part series looking at the Mike Scully Era.

Truth be told, it was sorta what I expected. Character was indeed a bit haphazard, but that was mainly limited to Homer. Amazingly, this wasn't too zany a season- there were a few wacky moments, but nothing too extreme.

On one hand, I did expect the show to still be relatively decent, even in it's weaker episodes. That proved true- the show was still largely funny, still seemed like it had something to say, etc. On the other hand, I expected a few duds.

Indeed, there were quite a few duds- no major trainwrecks, but more than a few mediocre episodes. That's what we're covering here.

Unlike other lists of this nature, for the most part, these will be listed in order of airdate. The exception is the standout bad episode of the season- it goes at the end.

Oh, and please don't refer to my reviews posted before February 2014. They're boring and relatively poorly-written.

Here we are...

The Principal and the Pauper

Even without Mike Scully touching it, this was not the best sign for the season to come. It permanently altered the backstory of one of the characters in such a dramatic fashion. As well as the plot was handled, the plot itself was bad from the word go. I give it credit, though- it was pretty funny when the initial shock of "Armin Tamzarian" wore off. "Keep looking shocked, and move slowly towards the cake."

The Two Mrs. Nahassapettapetalons

One of many episodes this season that wasn't memorable. As interesting as the plot could've been, it was a relatively boring episode in terms of execution. Having Apu married off seemed like a big change, yet I doubt it had a long-term impact on character development. I'd certainly watch this again, though- Andrea Martin and the late Jan Hooks did put on good performances.

Realty Bites

As funny as Phil Hartman is, something about Homer getting in a car chase with Snake bugged me a bit too much. I give it credit for it's snarky take on the realty industry, but I remember comparatively little from this episode.

Miracle on Evergreen Terrace

There was nothing horrendously bad in this episode- some Jerkass Homer and some schlockness, but nothing wretched. Except for the humor - with the exception of the ending, it is a dull, color by numbers episode. "Liar Revealed", other characters out of character for the sake of a cliche plot, and a dearth of humor all hurt this episode. The second of three episodes I would likely skip in a marathon.

Bart Carny

Basically, the episode can be summed up as "Carnies are jerks". No substance. Oh, and Homer gets a job for a few minutes because. Boy, that's a good sign. One of three episodes which, during a marathon, I would likely skip. What a waste of Jim Varney.

The Trouble with Trillions

What could've been a funny satire on bureaucracy in the government (especially the IRS) instead turned into a "Captain Wacky goes on a zany adventure" plot- one that also feebelized Burns into a complete idiot. Oh, and to quote Mike Nelson: "Did they even need to go to Cuba?"

Trash of the Titans

As funny as the satire of extreme populism is, this is the quintessential Jerkass Homer episode- one where he gets a job and goes bonkers. Oh, and acts vindictive and whiny throughout. Thank you, Steve Martin, for making this more watchable.

Lost Our Lisa

Homer survives horrendous drawbridge injuries, and makes a speech that seems to cement him as Mike Scully's own Mary Sue- an invincible mouthpiece for the writers and their fantasies. It came at the expense of a plot with a lot of potential.

Now, these were all pretty subpar. But, what was the most subpar? To clarify- what is the episode I am least likely to rewatch?

All Singing, All Dancing

Wow, was this pretty weak. The singing made little sense (or at least wasn't funny), the clips reminded me of better episodes, there was virtually no comedy, very little character development... it was not memorable. Definitely one of the three episodes I wouldn't rewatch- at least "Trillions" had some funny lines.

Oh, and for clarification purposes, my three favorites (read, the ones I would be most likely to watch again) are, in order, Lisa's Sax, Girly Edition, and The Joy of Sect.

So, that wasn't too bad. Not too good, but eh- you could chalk it up to first-season jitters... something which prior showrunners didn't have, however.

Here we are - Season 10. Starting whenever.

Gravity Falls Review: Season 1, Episode 1: "Tourist Trapped"

(Given that Gravity Falls won't be back until June, I figured that I may as well follow up on a promise I made last year and re-watch pretty much the entire first season. What else do I have to do, anyway?)

Airdate: June 15th, 2012

Synopsis: Twins Dipper and Mabel Pines are shipped off one summer from their home in Piedmont, California, to the center of nowhere- Gravity Falls, Oregon. There, they are to assist their great uncle, Stan, in working at his gift shop. While running an errand for Stan, Dipper locates a mysterious book, labelled "3", which contains many secrets to the town. "Remember, in Gravity Falls, there's no one you can trust." Meanwhile, Mabel has a goal: find an epic summer romance. She finds a moody dude, and the two hit it off.

Ne'er the twain shall meet? Dipper suspects something's off instantly.

Review: First episodes are always going to be off- characters have yet to be fleshed out, plots may still need to be ironed out, and in the case of animated shows, the animation may look a bit... cheap at first.

This show doesn't really have that problem.

Our main characters are introduced in such an eccentric manner- running from a massive gnome. Sad to say, their summer gets more insane from there. Establishing the characters comes after the opening theme- Dipper's stern-ness and Mabel's eccentric behavior are set up in such a way that doesn't seem expository in the slightest.

Stan's introduction is as bombastic as it is brilliant- scaring his own great-nephew. Even before the end of the first act, however, he says a quote about his fellow employees- "I'd fire you all if I could"- that seems to hint at possible demons inside of him, a secret that he might be hiding. Of course, he masks this by denying that anything in the town is strange through the entire episode- a precursor to the very last scene in the episode.

Same with Soos and Wendy- their introductions showcase the quirks in their character, yet also shows how close they seem to these two kids that they've never met before. It really is a bit of a feel-good moment when they assist the twins, yet still do so in ways that establish their characters. "Try not to hit any pedestrians", indeed.

Mabel is quickly shaped up to be a three-dimensional character- moments of brilliance shine through her eccentricities. In fact, she formulates a plan that only she could know about- one involving a good old piece of lawn maintenance machinery. And at the end, she acquires something that showcases a small level of foresight and rationality inside her id-controlled brain.

Norman- the setup, the exposure, the aftermath- really is the first showcase of the twists that Gravity Falls will take. The hints at Norman's true identity seem like such minute details, but when revealed, showcase that Gravity Falls is not a show that goes for the blindingly obvious details. (At least, except for the end of the season.)

The theme of this episode is the concept of trust- a concept re-explored in "Not What He Seems". "Tourist Trapped", in hindsight, contains many a scene that is cringeworthy in hindsight. It makes some sort of sense that Dipper trusts Mabel with the secrets of the journal, yet is reluctant to let her go out with her mysterious boyfriend without some sort of inspection. Whether it's a brotherly instinct, or a neurosis that's proven correct, is all up to viewer interpretation.

One thing that threw me was the use of narration- in a style similar to that of "How I Met Your Mother". It seems like it was just there for basic exposition. The concept, so far, has not been revisited- the closest to a copy is "Little Gift Shop of Horrors", with Stan's links. Another aspect that threw me is the use of Family Guy style cutaway gags. Granted, these actually tied into the plot and character development. Still, the style of gags seen here will not be used in later episodes, if I recall correctly

Ending on a positive note, though... the voice acting here is already fantastic. Ritter, Schaal, Hirsch, Cardellini... all of the main cast give brilliant performances.

What else can I say? It's a damn good pilot episode, with a cliffhanger that... well, let's just say it really sets up the Myth Arc.

Watch it.

Tidbits

• This episode actually got two nods at the Annie Awards- Ian Worrel for Best Production Design, and Kristen Schaal for Best Voice Acting.
• Three more days. If Disney had waited three more days, the first episode would've premiered on June 18th.
• I forgot to mention the comedy here- it's pretty excellent. The "Rock that Looks Like A Face" gag is really the world-building that Gravity Falls needs- it's brilliantly cynical.
• Nikki Yang did storyboards for the pilot. She would go on (and has gone on) to voice Candy.
• One more thing I feel like questioning is the scene where Wendy tosses the keys of the Golf Cart to Dipper. ("Try not to hit any pedestrians!") Not that it was a bad scene- hell, no. In fact, it was brilliant. However, it makes the relative lack of development for Wendy all the more awkward- the two don't necessarily have to always been in a status of romantic tension. I expected that Wendy and Dipper would settle into a role of two advisors to each other in the discovery of the town's secrets, similar to Picard and Riker from Star Trek: TNG. Ah, a geek can dream.

Favorite Scene: Mabel's gambit at the end of the episode shows a brilliance in the character that you would never expect.

Least Favorite Scene: Did we need to see a gnome puke up a rainbow? I know, the target audience would probably like that type of humor. Me... not so much. More personal tastes factor into this decision, though. 

Score: 8.75.

Not Another Top (X) List: Ranking the 1st Part of Gravity Falls Season 2

Boy, fate is really testing my fandom patience these past couple of years. The Orlando Magic are wretched. The New York Giants made me bang my head against the wall god knows how many times. (Jacksonville? Really?) And my favorite show goes on hiatuses that are so long, even Ayn Rand novels take up less time. Atlas Shrugged? That's weaksauce compared to the length of Gravity Falls hiatuses!

Since we are effectively midway through season 2 of Gravity Falls, I figured may as well see how the season's ranking up so far. So far, I must say this season is better- characters have been fleshed out, the animation has become better and better, the plots are sublime...

Is it awesome? Yes. Is it perfect? No.

For a more definitive look at how the season has played out, I bring you a ranking of the first half of Gravity Falls season 2.

Now, I know what you're thinking: didn't you rank Season 1 of Gravity Falls just a few months ago? The answer is yes. But, again, we're in another hiatus. I think another quick ranking might not be such a bad idea.

(Oh, most images are taken from the Gravity Falls Wiki or my prior blog posts. Please don't sue me.)

Scullyfied Simpsons: Season 9, Episode 25: "Natural Born Kissers"

Nothing like your 11th anniversary to realize you have old cake in the fridge.

Airdate: May 17, 1998

Synopsis: It's Marge and Homer's 11th anniversary. However, recent events (such as having their anniversary dinner at a family restaurant) have them fear that the zest in their marriage has run out. While trying to get a motor for their freezer, the two get stuck in a muddy driveway in the middle of farm country. Hiding out in a farmhouse, the risk of the farmer catching them inside reignites the fire in their relationship, and the two realize that their relationship reignites when the risk of being caught in compromising situations increases.

Meanwhile, Bart and Lisa find Abe's old metal detector. After finding tons of junk, the two eventually locate a copy of an alternate ending to Casablanca. Let's just say, the ending isn't what one would consider a classic.

Review: Shorter review than normal here, because there isn't too much to dissect. Earlier episodes did the "zest in love life" plot better, added more pathos, more character development, and were funnier. It seems like this episode was just done to appeal to fanservice, as well as see how far the writers could "push the envelope", and didn't really bother to make that many other benchmarks in terms of quality.

It's amazing that, by the standards of the show, this was one considered one of the more "risqué" episodes. Remember- around this time, "South Park" was stretching the boundaries of what a cartoon could show. It seems like this episode was constructed as a response- a more risqué, envelope pushing episode. Nowadays, it's a relatively tame episode. Strip away the more "edgy" content, and what you have is a rather pedestrian episode- Marge and Homer have a marriage crisis, a plot point which would be a cliche of the Al Jean years. If you want to be "edgy", at least have substance.

I don't know- maybe 12-year-old me might have liked it because it was "edgy", but with years gone by, I just feel like it's a typical Scully-era episode- decent situation, zany buildup, zany ending. It's far from the worst offender- it's still a bit funny, and characterization was pretty decent, if milquetoast - but it's not the most outstanding thing I've seen this show do.

The message of the A-plot? Don't break the law. It's too much trouble for everybody involved.

Strangely enough, I found the B-plot a bit more interesting than the A-plot. Bart and Lisa finding an old movie actually could've made for a decent A-plot in and of itself- sort of a remake of "Three Men and a Comic Book" meets "Lisa on Ice" meets "Day the Violence Died". We could've seen some great character interaction between the two- something we really haven't seen all season. Here, finding an alternate ending to Casablanca only allows for enough material for a B-plot, and with what little time it's given, it's executed very well.

In fact, that plot showcases the satire aspect of The Simpsons more than the original. In trying to find treasure, Bart and Lisa come across an ending to Casablanca that is far, far happier than the one in the movie. It's pretty clear that the ending is a spoof on the strict standards set for movies well into the 70s- movies like All that Heaven Allows, for example, had to slip their depressing messages under a thin cover of "happiness". Casablanca is well remembered because it's ending wasn't happy, and it's characters didn't just stick themselves within archetypes, and the movie was more than just a simple romantic drama.

This episode also reveals, rather ironically, that a bad ending can erase a lot of goodwill that a piece of media built up prior to the climax. If there actually was an ending like that, and it got slipped in, I doubt Casablanca would be as popular as it is now. Hear me, Simpsons writers? Finish strong- otherwise, you will encounter the wrath of geeks! (Ah, who am I kidding- they stopped caring years ago.)

The moral of that story? Metal detectors are time sinks, and cliches are awful. (Al Jean musn't have paid too much attention to that last point.)

Game, set, match for season 9. Next up for our trashing? Season 10.

Tidbits:

• I'll admit right now- the setup to the A-plot is pretty funny. Marriage in a rut, plus old cake, plus forgetting to close the freezer? Brilliant. (Just wondering- why was the fridge also open? Ah, never mind.)
• Gil's back! Remember- he used to sell shoes? Now he sells cars... and can't do that well at all. Methinks that's going to be Gil's character- an utter failure at everything he does. He probably wouldn't have been used as much in later seasons if Phil Hartman hadn't been shot. What a shame.
• I just love the look on Maude's face when she notes Ned's obvious golf advice. It's the face that shows, as happy as their marriage is, there's still some small differences between the two of them, rather than Maude just being a female Ned. I love those subtle moments of character... when I catch them.

Zaniness Factor: 1.5- even with the ending, the episode is still relatively grounded.

Jerkass Homer Meter: 1. In fact, I think Homer is a bit milquetoast here. Calm before the storm? I hope not. (Hint: it probably is.)

Favorite Scene: Nothing too outstanding in this episode, but I found the "Casablanca Alternate Ending" brilliant enough to get this award.

Least Favorite Scene: Let's face it- the second half of the A-plot was just an excuse to push the envelope. Oh, and Homer gets hurt a lot during that.

Score: 7. Barely. 

Now, to end the season (and other seasons of Scully's era of The Simpsons), I'm not going to do a traditional "wrap-up". Rather, I'm going to include that in a "Not Another Top (X) List" post. That post? The 9 worst episodes from Season 9.