TVSquad

Last night's episode had plenty of great moments. The real news, however, was the official announcement that a Simpsons movie will hit screens on July 27, 2007. Of course, most of us already knew that.

The plot, at least initially, focused on Homer trying to bring a professional football franchise to Springfield. Like every Simpsons plot, however, it soon veered off into an entirely new direction after Grandpa mistakes the football commissioner for a burglar and beats him with a golf club. Depressed, he decides to try assisted suicide. In a hysterical reference to Soylent Green, Grandpa is hooked to an iPod-shaped suicide machine called a "DiePod" and watches images of cops beating hippies while listening to Glenn Miller, which is his idea of bliss. After the cops break in and shut the operation down, Grandpa decides to take life by the "horns" and become a matador (the football stadium has been turned into a bull fighting ring). Before he does that, however, there's a hilarious montage of Grandpa acting young and taunting young kids with, "you're all going to die in a pointless war!"

Other funny moments that stuck out for me:

Maggie referring to Homer (via subtitles) as "bald mommy."

Dead members of the Blue Man Group on a Vegas garbage barge.

A celebrity benefit song led by guest voice Rob Reiner, in which some of the "celebrities" included Freddy Krueger and Quick Draw McGraw's alter ego El Ka-Bong.

I also loved when Carl and Lenny show their support for the Meltdowns, Homer's supposed new football team with this exchange:

Carl - "I've got 'Melt' mania!"

Lenny - "And I've got 'Downs' syndrome!"

My favorite moment in the whole show, however, save for the last shot involving bulls floating around tied to balloons, was when a group of firemen rescue a baby from a burning building, and then toss Grandpa into it. Also, I have to say the reference to Hunter S. Thompson's suicide felt a little too soon, even though the gag itself didn't offend me. That's just the Hunter fan in me coming out, what can I say?

A ton of great gags, and a few sad moments as well, especially when Grandpa, despite Lisa's protest, actually kills one of the bulls. It's okay, though, the bull's friends get their vengeance in the end.