TVSquad

(S19E19)"Mom, I can't believe you're here! You keep disappearing and reappearing and it's not funny! You're just like that show Scrubs" -- Homer to his mother after her unexpected return.

Over the past few Sundays this space has been reserved for deeper looks into The Simpsons. Despite the fact that it is an animated series there is usually an underlying base of themes, emotions, and psychoanalytical analysis that takes place amongst the Simpson family and those around them. In fact, one 22-minute episode can contain many layers of subtext that define each character further.

This week, though, not so much of that. What we may have thought to be a sweet story about the return of Homer's mother turned out to be a huge joke fest. Well, actually more a joke fest during the second half of the show than the first half. The first half was actually kind of sad as Homer couldn't take one more of Mona Simpson's promises that she had stopped running from the government and was now ready to devote her time to Homer and his family. The second half was a totally different Simpsons episode.

(S06E12)

Marge: Kids can be so cruel.

Bart: We can? Thanks, mom! (runs into Lisa's room and attacks her)

This episode does a great job of satirizing Freemasons, a fraternal order whose secretive membership makes it ripe for conspiracy theories and assorted rumors about its role in shaping historical events. The truth, most likely, is probably not nearly that exciting.

In this episode Homer joins a masonic-like society called the Stonecutters after stalking Lenny and Carl to find out why they're getting so many perks, such as vibrating chairs at work and great parking spaces. Since his father was a Stonecutter, Homer is automatically allowed to join, but he does have to go through a hazing ritual, which includes being paddled on the ass repeatedly and being blindfolded and pushed off a platform that's allegedly five stories off the ground, but is really just a few inches from the floor. Ironically, Homer actually falls through the floor, and the next five floors, as well.

(S05E07/S05E08) Well, we're about half-way through this cycle of The Apprentice, and there is one thing I can say with 100% truthfulness: team Gold Rush sucks! I mean, these are the worst group of corporate potentials that I have ever seen on this show. The three remaining male members of the team (Tyrek, Lee and Lenny) couldn't decide if they wanted cheese or not on their Whopper without an argument breaking out. Tyrek is just vapid, Lenny uses his Russian heritage as a crutch, and Lee kind of just sits there.

Actually, Lee reminds me of two people. If you put a pair of glasses and a bow tie on him he looks a bit like Mr. Smithers from The Simpsons. I can actually hear him saying, "Why, that's Tyrek, Mr. Trump. One of your cancerous tumors from Sector 7G." The other person he reminds me of is Michael from The Office; he seems like one of those guys who would do anything to get others to like him. Needless to say, if Gold Rush continues in their current format they are going to continue to lose.

I smell a team change on the horizon. With that foreshadowing let's move on to the chicken casserole we call The Apprentice.