(S18E11)
Marge: Revenge never solves anything!
Homer: Then what's America doing in Iraq?
I'm always somewhat underwhelmed by these "vignette" episodes, and I think I've figured out why: a full episode allows more room for the comedy to breathe and stretch out. There's more time to let gags simmer, to have better set-ups and thus bigger payoffs. Cramming three mini-episodes into a half-hour doesn't afford this luxury, and I think the episode suffers for it.
For example, the story about Milhouse going insane with revenge when he dons the super-powerful glove would have made a good full episode, I think. I don't mean an episode about Milhouse and a magic glove, but an episode centered on Milhouse wanting revenge and then wanting more and more for all the abuse he's endured over the years. My complaint isn't that the episode was terrible, because it had plenty of good laughs, but that it feels like a mere sampling, and I kept wanting more.
So I can approach this episode two different ways: A) I can dislike it for being constructed in a format I feel is detrimental to the Simpsons humor I still love after all these years, or B) I can take it for what it was and admit that, while not utterly fulfilling, it had its moments. I'm going to confer with my pastor and get back to you.
Great moments:
- Homer telling the future Bartman: "Avenge me, in flamboyant, impractical fashion!"
- Movie marquee: Abbot and Costello Meet Polio
- Bart's summation of the episode: "So you see, revenge is great, and there's three ways to talk about it. Although, two of the ways were kinda the same, and even the third one might have worked better as a Halloween story...."
Also, the scroll at the end dedicated to all who died in Star Wars cracked me up, if only because it basically came out of nowhere. And yes, I understand the connection to the episode's theme of "revenge," but it still came from out of left field.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-28-2007 @ 10:20PM
Wild Bill said...
The answer is B, my son. It had its moments. You liked it.
-Father Bill
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1-28-2007 @ 11:17PM
adhonus said...
I think the show is more suitable to these vignette episodes. The show has been around so long that is difficult for them to make significant episodes in which characters change. An episode with Milhouse seeking revenge would do nothing, unless they wanted the character to transform somehow. And, that's not going to happen. So, better to just use the DNA of the characters to tell jokes in an imaginary way. Case in point, the joke where Marge had triplets with Moe. In the "imaginary" universe they can do what they want, such as kill off Groundskeeper Willie.
Don't get me wrong. I would love to see the Simpsons aspire to greater narratives, which is why I am looking forward to the movie. But, if you look at the best episodes, many of them are those told in vignette form. Think of all the red-herring first acts. Think of the brilliant "Trilogy of Error" episode. Why are Treehouse episodes generally more anticipated than the rest?
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1-28-2007 @ 11:23PM
Kurifurisan said...
Did anyone else notice during the promo for this episode Homer's line about his reflection in a pool of urine was changed to a pool of yellow water during the episode?
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1-28-2007 @ 11:31PM
David said...
I think the series suffers from being on the air since I was like 2.
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1-29-2007 @ 12:39AM
Jose said...
Is that first quote what passes for humor on The Simpsons these days? Glad I stopped watching this show.
That wouldn't have even made the Daily Show.
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1-29-2007 @ 12:57AM
Mike said...
Is that last remark what passes for comments on The Simpsons these days? Glad I stopped paying attention to snobs.
That wouldn't have even made the Daily Show - which hasn't been funny for since 2005.
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1-29-2007 @ 8:45AM
Bill said...
Maybe it's just my love of Batman, but I thought that one was excellent. The first two, not so much. But Homer's line about impractical revenge, and the one before it that went something like...
Marge: "You sure are lucky to have parents who can take you to the opera every night."
Homer: "Parents who are alive, I might add."
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1-29-2007 @ 10:04AM
Adrienne said...
Did anyone catch the little bit where that guy Homer was chasing said that they're both from Connecticut?
Have we finally learned where Springfield is?
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1-29-2007 @ 10:38AM
Tim UF said...
That quote on "why are we in iraq?" made me laugh hard enough for my brothers girlfriend to say we (my brother and i) sound fake when we laugh...
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1-29-2007 @ 11:29AM
Lampbane said...
Have we finally learned where Springfield is?
No, because remember, Homer was supposedly born and raised on a farm.
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1-29-2007 @ 11:29PM
Richard Julie said...
My favorite was Poison Lenny:
"I'm not a villain! I'm a transvestite!"
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1-29-2007 @ 7:09PM
Jeff said...
My only problem with these episodes is that they have to cram a story into 6 minutes. I would not be upset if they did one of these fantasy stories for an entire episode. A full half-hour of Bartman woudl be great, and not even half an hour could do the Count of Monte Cristo's 1500 pages justice.
Still, I dug this episode. Quite possibly my favorite non-halloween trilogy.
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1-29-2007 @ 7:09PM
Jeff said...
My only problem with these episodes is that they have to cram a story into 6 minutes. I would not be upset if they did one of these fantasy stories for an entire episode. A full half-hour of Bartman woudl be great, and not even half an hour could do the Count of Monte Cristo's 1500 pages justice.
Still, I dug this episode. Quite possibly my favorite non-halloween trilogy.
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1-30-2007 @ 8:06PM
MustImpeachGWB said...
Yep, Lenny is always there for a good line. One of my all time favorites:
'Ow! My eye!! The doctor said I shouldn't get pudding in it!'
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1-31-2007 @ 11:32AM
braden said...
the simpsons are from Northern Kentucky. This was mentioned at the end of the show "Behind the Laughter." During season 11.
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1-31-2007 @ 6:02PM
Adam from TV Squad said...
Repeats of that same episode are re-edit so it says they're from Missouri. Also, take into account it was the "Behind the Laughter," episode which, like the Halloween episodes, takes the family out of their "reality." It's just another way to mess with the viewers heads about where Springfield is exactly.
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2-05-2007 @ 11:38AM
braden said...
There are other clues amongst various episodes which also suggest that The Simpsons are in fact from Kentucky. Clue #1. In one of the episodes (I unfortunately can't remember which one it was, in the classroom somebody remarked that the state where Springfield is was the only state during the civil war to join the Union army, and then the Confederate army, and then rejoin the Union army. If you read about the civil war, or better yet just read Kentucky's involvement in the Civil War, you will see that Kentucky was in fact the state that kept changing sides during the civil war.
Clue #2. in the episode "Lisa The Iconoclast," during Lisa's dream, George Washington says to her, "We had quitters in the revolution too. We called them "Kentuckians." Now you may be saying so what? about that quote. However, that joke would not make any sense if in fact The Simpsons were not from Kentucky.
Clue #3. in the episode. "Marge Sweets and Sour." During this episode Mr. Burns tells Homer that "In order to get more sugar, we will have to go south of the border." To which Homer replies. "YOu mean Tennessee." The reason why this joke makes any sense is because if you look at a map of the United States, you will see that Tennessee is in fact directly south of Kentucky. So Tennessee is south of the border.
These are at least three more clues. If I missed any, or if I got the episodes or quotes wrong, please comment.
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