TVSquad

(S18E04) I always try to give the Simpsons Halloween specials the benefit of the doubt, because obviously when they first decided to do one for each season, starting with "Treehouse of Horror I" in season two, they probably weren't thinking they might have to keep coming up with three new vignettes every year for almost two decades, with no clear sign of stopping anytime soon.

So I cut the series a little bit of slack when it comes to these Halloween episodes, because sometimes you just run out of scary things to spoof and you end up creating something like "You Gotta Know When to Golem," about a mystical Jewish creature who becomes Bart's unwitting slave. But even though this was the least of the three stories this year, it did have some funny moments. I loved how the family created a bride for the Golem out of Play-Doh, and how the Golem turned from a silent killing machine to a neurotic freak that won't shut up the moment he's allowed to speak.

A note to the people who put together these press kits: if you want to woo me, fill the kit with lots and lots of candy. I don't care if it has anything to do with the television program you're promoting or not. I want lots of damn chocolate, and I want it now. As you can see in the picture above, this press kit for the upcoming "Treehouse of Horror" episode of The Simpsons was stuffed with mini candy bars, Blow Pops and peanuts, all of which I scarfed down fairly quickly, growling under my breath like a starving dog protecting his food bowl.

No spoilers in this preview, Simpsons fans.

I'll have a few review when the episode airs on November 5, but here's a taste of what you can look forward to:

The first vignette, titled "Married to the Blob," spoofs the classic camp classic The Blob, this time with Homer becoming an ever-enlarging mass of man-blob who just can't stop himself from eating every person he comes across. As always, it takes Marge to finally talk some sense into Homer, with a little help from guest star Dr. Phil.

You knew they'd have to get around to it sooner or later. The final segment of the upcoming Simpsons "Treehouse of Horror" episode on November 5 will take a few not-so-subtle shots at the current conflict in Iraq as aliens Kang and Kodos (who are featured in every "Treehouse of Horror") attack Springfield before the humans can get their hands on "weapons of mass disintegration". The connection to the Iraq war is made obvious, and there's even a line at the end in which a character evokes the actual Iraq debacle. Executive producer Al Jean says the line may be too obvious and not make it into the episode. It'll be interesting to see how the show handles the segment, though I wonder why they didn't try to tackle this subject as a full "regular" episode, which I think they could have done fairly easily. Then again, they may still have plenty of time to do just that.

Doesn't it annoy the heck out of you that, because of baseball, FOX doesn't air the annual Simpsons "Treehouse of Horror" episode until after Halloween? It annoys me. There's no reason why FOX couldn't pre-empt one of those insipid baseball pre-game shows to show the episode. I mean, really; does anyone actually think that a FOX game starts at 8 PM anymore? By the time Jeannie Zelasko pulls out every tired sports cliche in the book and Kevin Kennedy gives his "a ten year old could do this" analysis, 8:20 has rolled around and we haven't even seen the first pitch...

Aaaaannyway, if you're hankering for some "Treehouse", the Chowdaheads blog has what you need; they have posted video of all sixteen "Treehouse" episodes. The video embeds are pretty small, but at least you can see them all in one place. That is, if you don't have the "Treehouse" DVDs. And I do agree with the Chowdaheads: "Treehouses" two through nine are the best ones.

[via Pop Candy]

See, this is why it's so hard to get any work done. The official Simpsons Web site has an awesome video editor where you can piece together clips from the upcoming "Treehouse of Horror XVII" (November 5) to create your very own wacky/scary mish mash of Simpson-y goodness. I'm having enough fun just playing around with it, but if you're feeling competitive you can actually enter your creation in a contest for a chance to have it aired on FOX, or to win a trip to the 400th episode party. Other prizes include an autographed drawing from the episode courtesy Matt Groening, and a bunch of limited edition posters. I would enter my own creation, but I'm afraid it would blow everyone's mind. Or I'm just lazy.

(S06E06) When I first started covering the sixth season of The Simpsons for Retro Squad, some of you asked why I didn't cover one of the earlier "better" seasons. Well, there is a reason I chose this season instead of say, the fifth season (which includes one of my top five episodes, "Rosebud") but that reason no longer applies. What the heck am I talking about? Let's just say we had something cool planned, but it didn't pan out.

Nevertheless, this season had some great episodes, so I'm not at all sorry I chose to revisit them. Besides, if I hadn't picked this season I wouldn't be able to talk about possibly one of the best Halloween episodes ever. So if you'll take my bloody, severed hand, we'll get started: