Season 14
Part 3
18. 24 Minutes
Original Season: Season 18
Director: Raymond S. Persi
Writer: Billy Kimball & Ian Maxtone-Graham
IMDB Score: 8.1/10
Personal Score: 5/5
Comments: I might run out of superlatives for this one.
24 Minutes is a tour de force and, arguably, the pre-eminent parody of Jean-era
Simpsons. It sticks out from dozens of other mediocre and forgettable parodies for one very simple reason; those involved in putting it together clearly had extensive familiarity with and appreciation for the source material, deftly demonstrating a keen understanding of
24 from its tone and aesthetics to its conceits and motifs. In doing so, they not only succeed at delivering an accurate and affectionate tribute, but also a relentless and remorseless mockery.
I cannot overstate the sheer brilliance of translating
24 to
The Simpsons using the setting and denizens of Springfield Elementary. It would have been easy to play the parody straight by writing a story about terrorists targeting the Power Plant and casting Homer as the hero who foils the plot. Instead, the focus is on the kids and the threat is nothing more than an elaborate prank to sabotage a school bake sale. That...is
fucking perfect. That's a stroke of genius because it trivialises the gravity and urgency of
24's bleak storylines. The school has its own full-fledged C.T.U. to track down truants for chrissake, deploying massive resources just to stop a few kids from setting off a glorified stink bomb! It's so
ridiculously silly, but it's also
absolutely hilarious and exactly the right direction to take. Crucially, the characters still take it seriously; everything still
matters and
means something to them. They have real stakes in what happens, anchoring the farcicality of the story with an emotional core.
On that note, the transpositions are impeccable. Bart as the rogue agent, Lisa as the analyst, Skinner as the bureaucratic director, the bullies as the terrorists, and Martin as the mole is
totally on point. The execution of other structural and stylistic elements is also exemplary. From the titles and the music to the split-screen boxes and the ticking clock, every distinctive detail is meticulously incorporated and lampooned. Even the pointless Homer C-plot pokes fun at the filler
24 was notorious for. In addition, the episode mocks many of
24’s biggest narrative clichés including the excessive use of phone calls, the over-reliance on physical intimidation as a means of obtaining information, the obtuse proclivity of characters failing to detect obvious dodgy behaviour in traitorous coworkers, and the tendency to talk or wait too long before revealing crucial information which gives villains time to intercept.
Head of nail squarely hit,
Simpsons staff.
If I have one criticism, it would be the appearance of Jack Bauer and Chloe O'Brien. The cameos were unnecessary, drawing too explicit a link between the two shows and their respective universes. This was produced at the height of
24's creative and critical success so it's not exactly a shock that it's two most recognisable faces made an appearance, but I could have done without them. Fortunately, they're fleeting so no harm done. Aside from that, it’s completely bang on. As a big fan of
24, this is an absolute joy for me to watch. The grip on and mastery of the source material is exceptional and no other
24 spoof before or since has eclipsed it. Even if you're unfamiliar with
24, this is still an accessible and accomplished episode in its own right. I could wax lyrical about it all day.
Of all the parodies
The Simpsons has done,
24 Minutes can stand alongside the best of them.
19. Smart & Smarter
Original Season: Season 15
Director: Steven Dean Moore
Writer: Carolyn Omine
IMDB Score: 7.1/10
Personal Score: 3/5
Comments: I struggle to reconcile my fondness for
Smart & Smarter with its unassailable shortcomings. As with many other episodes of the mid-noughties, it aired around the same time I delved into the show for the first time. I was just 12 years old and that childhood nostalgia is impossible to extricate from my perception of it, doubtlessly accounting for my subsisting leniency. Honestly, there’s a lot to criticise and dislike particularly with regards to Lisa whose jealousy of and petulance at her infant sister is nothing short of bewildering. Her refusal to accept that someone else is more talented than her and her inability to deal with not being the centre of attention is reminiscent of
Lisa’s Rival, but her reactions here are several orders of magnitude more extreme and less likeable. Alison was almost the same age and more or less her equal yet Lisa never had a crisis of identity. When had she ever demonstrated such an unstable sense of self before this? How could Maggie,
a freaking baby for crying out glavin, cause such a profound disturbance? Lisa reduces everything she is to an IQ number, dismissing all the other things that make her unique including her moral values, philosophical beliefs, social conscience, and musical talents. It’s outrageously reactive and reductive on her behalf not to mention insulting how both Homer and Marge pretty much validate it by encouraging her to seek out a new identity. What shitty parenting.
The denouement is pure drivel. It strains my suspension of disbelief well past the breaking point that Lisa didn’t realise she was giving Maggie the answers and that everyone else was oblivious as well. I mean, presumably Henry was looking straight ahead at Maggie so Lisa was smack bang in the middle of his field of view. So is Maggie a genius or not? Didn’t she correctly answer Lisa’s cue cards or were those just lucky guesses? Also, she can play the saxophone fluently? I’m very confused about what Maggie can and can’t do of her own accord because the episode is constantly shifting the boundaries. There’s no consistency let alone internal logic so why should the audience care about what happens when the unreality of this world becomes so transparent and their immersion disintegrates as a result? This is what people mean when they say that Jean-era
Simpsons is often just ‘stuff that happens’. Nothing matters or has meaning when anything can occur and one scene after another can disregard what precedes it. Don’t get me started on the unintelligible ‘butler Moe and maid Barney’ horseshit.
I should hate this episode, but even focusing on and articulating its problems doesn’t make me feel anything harsher than ambivalence. I have a soft spot for it mainly because there are few others that give Maggie so much screen-time and even fewer that focus on her relationship with Lisa or Bart. It still has novelty for precisely this reason and, I gotta say, she’s pretty frigging adorable from start to finish. The episode is also buoyed by some funny moments which act like duct tape to stop it from falling apart at the seams. Homer’s failed prank on Bart, Homer realising he can use the Phonic Frog to get out of work, and a few moments with the cops get a laugh out of me. I also like the final set-piece with the family getting stuck in the giant human body exhibit (
“Well Marge, you can’t say I never take you anywhere”). That’s about it really. I won’t pretend I can rationalise my affection for this episode because Lord knows it requires more than a few concessions which it doesn’t earn or deserve, but I do and I’d take this over what remains on the cutting room floor.
20. I, (Annoyed-Grunt)-bot
Original Season: Season 15
Director: Lauren MacMullan
Writer: Dan Greaney & Allen Glazier
IMDB Score: 7.3/10
Personal Score: 5/5
Comments: Has there been a better Bart and Homer episode in all the years since
I, (Annoyed Grunt)-bot? I truly can’t think of
any that measure up to this one which is another jewel in director Lauren MacMullan’s crown. This is arguably the safest and least inspired episode she worked on in terms of story (which is a mishmash of
Saturdays of Thunder and
King of the Hill), but the animation is
breathtaking from the atmospheric shadows and colour palette to the expressive motion of the characters. I personally think this episode represents her best work visually speaking and that’s saying something.
Make no mistake though, the main plot is excellent. Greaney and Glazier come to the party with a polished script that delivers energy, hilarity and affection in spades. It also features an impressive number of fun and exciting set-pieces from Milhouse racing across the neighbourhood to the Simpson house and Bart trying to stay on his disintegrating bike to all the
Robot Rumble fights (which have some great robot designs). Homer and Bart’s characterisations are phenomenal (they seriously rank among their very best in the post-classic era) and their interactions are totally on point comedically and emotionally. Their story maintains the perfect balance of cynicism and sincerity just as the show did so consistently and effortlessly in its heyday. It ends on such a sweet note with no joke, gag or tag to undercut it. Honestly, was this really so hard? It’s a season 15 episode that retreads
multiple classic episodes and they
still knock it out of the park because everyone clearly put in genuine effort.
What else can I say? Oh, yeah, the subplot. It’s
very grim and mean-spirited, but I think I kinda like and admire the audacity? It’s really just filler that’s more pointless than usual, but I like the Marge and Lisa interplay and get a kick out of the Tamzarian jab. I don’t love it, but nor do I hate it and it has absolutely no impact on how much I enjoy the rest of the episode. Full marks, no hesitation.
21. Future-Drama
Original Season: Season 16
Director: Mike B. Anderson
Writer: Matt Selman
IMDB Score: 7.3/10
Personal Score: 2/5
Comments: As the only flash-forward episode of the SD Jean era,
Future-Drama gets picked by De Fault (the two sweetest words in the English language). I can scarcely fathom that nearly 85% of the ratings for this episode on NoHomers are a 3 or higher. Was it due to the relative novelty of a flash-forward? Was it the Matt Selman writing credit? Was it because it’s not as bad as
Bart to the Future? God knows, but I’m definitely not as magnanimous. In fact, I think this is one of Selman’s weakest pre-HD scripts. The plot is erratic and too easily sidetracked by an excess of wacky future-themed gags, cancelling out its interesting ideas and undercutting its emotional core. It’s unfortunate because there’s a valid sibling story buried somewhere beneath the schlock and it’s disappointing because it squanders one of the rare opportunities to see a snapshot of characters in the future who otherwise never age.
On that note, the story jumps forward eight years to when Bart and Lisa are graduating high school. Or so we get told. It looks and feels more like 18 or 28 years given just
how much has changed around them. Garbage collection spaceships, underwater houses, quantum tunnels, laser guns, human cloning – it’s all a bit much for less than a decade, isn’t it? Some of this is fine in isolation and I realise it’s supposed to be a ‘What If’ scenario rather than an accurate forecast, but it’s a ceaseless barrage of outlandish future-isms that pummels you over the head until you’re dazed and confused. None of it
feels real which means there’s no weight so I can’t bring myself to care about this possible future or any of its characters. It’s nothing more than a cartoon wherein the gags take precedence, smothering what could have been a nice story about Bart and Lisa transitioning into adulthood.
There are several jarring anachronisms as well. Why do some characters look
decades older while others like Mr. Burns have barely aged a day? Why does an eight year old Maggie look like a giant version of her baby self and why is she in Alaska alone? Why are second graders like Ralph at the Prom? Why is the staff of Springfield High School exactly the same as Springfield Elementary? It’s hard not to notice the carelessness and lack of consistency on display which, in conjunction with a lot of dead air in terms of humour (like Nelson knocking up the twins and running off like his father which isn’t funny), cripple the episode and whatever potential it may have had.
There are a
few things I like. One, it wastes no time getting things going and jumping into the future. Two, the means by which Bart and Lisa see the future is a nice variation on the show’s previous use of a fortune-teller and Native American, making good use of Frink. Three, a jacked-up adolescent Milhouse rings true to me and it’s quite a funny direction to take the character. Four, both Bart and Lisa generally sound and behave appropriately according to their age which is a crucial element. Bart’s attempt to find direction in life and his ultimate decision to save Lisa from a dead-end fate is solid stuff, but there needed to be more interactions between them and sincerity throughout.
Homer and Marge being separated is also an interesting revelation, illustrating how marriages can end when kids leave the nest. I really like the idea, but it’s also ultimately pointless because they get back together in the last scene which is so tacked on I assume someone in the writer’s room felt uncomfortable keeping them separated and
had to intervene. There’s no good reason why Marge takes Homer back and the separation no longer rings true as a result, undermining the whole thing.
For this final SD season,
Future-Drama has its place (and Jenda is a character that will return so it’s got some value continuity-wise), but it’s a hard sell and you have to make
a lot of concessions to enjoy it even for what it is.
22. Ice Cream of Margie (with the Light Blue Hair)
Original Season: Season 18
Director: Matthew Nastuk
Writer: Carolyn Omine
IMDB Score: 6.9/10
Personal Score: 4.5/5
Comments: Contrary to popular opinion,
Ice Cream of Margie (with the Light Blue Hair) is
not a marriage crisis episode. It contains minor
elements of a marital conflict, but they’re secondary to and in service of the
real story being told which is about Marge wanting to do something for which she’ll always be remembered. Sure, she has three kids and is guaranteed to leave behind a legacy through them, but she realises that history won’t recognise let alone immortalise her for it and that she’ll eventually be forgotten. It’s a very relatable fear and an emotionally engaging existential crisis, underpinning what I consider to be one of the best post-classic Marge-centric episodes.
On a whim, Marge starts creating 1:1 sculptures of Springfield residents using the Popsicle sticks Homer brings home from his new job as an ice cream truck driver. This is a
terrific development for more reasons than one. Firstly, it’s a
very good way of giving Marge a renewed sense of purpose that recalls her passion for art. It just makes
sense and I can absolutely see how her work (which looks totally believable despite being impractical and unrealistic) would attract attention to the point of getting her own exhibit. Secondly, it elegantly branches off from and crosscuts with what would otherwise be a disparate and perfunctory ‘Homer gets a job’ plot. I
adore how he’s genuinely impressed by what Marge creates and offers support not only by encouraging her verbally, but also by continuing to supply her with Popsicle sticks.
The two plots converge in dramatic fashion when Homer races home for Marge’s exhibit, destroying all her work in the process. I get the sense that his recklessness and the ensuing conflict sours many viewers, but I’m going to mount a defence for it because I think it’s the linchpin of the episode. Yes, Homer behaves like a moron and, yes, Marge is extremely angry and upset which usually does not a good
Simpsons episode make, but the
context and
execution makes all the difference. What Homer does is boneheaded, but it’s
generally true to the character. He does what he does with the best of intentions but, in doing so, causes the very disappointment he tried so hard to avoid and prevent. I won’t deny it represents more post-classic injurious antics on his behalf, but it’s tolerable.
What
really makes it work for me though is the follow-up scene. After the initial altercation, Marge withdraws to her bedroom and locks Homer out, refusing to engage with or respond to his multiple attempts at apologising. There’s no additional bickering or yelling back and forth let alone dramatic threats to storm out of the house or kick anyone out. It’s a quiet, subdued and grounded scene that accentuates the profound disappointment Marge feels. Homer is
fantastic here – his apologies are clumsy and tactless, but earnest and amusing. He feels legitimate remorse and makes an honest-to-goodness effort to put things right. Marge just ignores him and that silence is the key to the scene’s success because it makes
both characters sympathetic and neither of them a villain.
It’s also very realistic. I’ve been in situations like this wherein someone I care about is upset and has shut down because of something I carelessly or inadvertently did. I’ve locked myself away in my bedroom and let my anger or resentment run its course. There have been times when I’ve let it go on for hours longer than necessary due to a bizarre sense of pride. You know that as soon as you see their face and look into their eyes, what remains of the negative emotions you felt so acutely earlier on will recede and you’ll cave. It can be strangely difficult crossing that barrier, but that’s why Marge caves after she looks at the Polaroids of Homer’s guilt-ridden expression.
Homer’s final apology, delivered in a dishevelled and sleep-deprived state, is the clincher. He tells her that what he enjoyed most about being an ice cream man was seeing her smile as she turned those Popsicle sticks into art and, yeah, y’know what, I
actually believe that. Dan’s emotive vocal delivery is exceptional and helps it stick the landing, but what really sells it is knowing Homer
demonstrated that on multiple occasions. From expressing joyous surprise at and approval of her very first sculpture to maintaining a supply of Popsicle sticks and giving her affirmations the morning of her exhibit, Homer showed her (and us) that he truly cared. It rings true and that sincerity is never undermined by an inappropriate line or gag.
The loss of her sculptures and the time spent in her bedroom gave Marge an opportunity to reflect and think about what truly matters to her. She slips out of the house after Homer has collapsed on the floor from exhaustion and creates a gigantic Popsicle stick sculpture of her
“perfectly imperfect” husband, telling him that
“my most enduring creation is the life I’ve sculpted with you”. That might sound banal but, in the context of the episode, I think it’s the perfect resolution to her arc.
At the start, Marge defined herself purely as a mother and a housewife, but it dawns on her that the zeitgeist considers such women archaic. They’re characterised as conservative and unsuccessful not to mention judged for perpetuating harmful patriarchal values that impair the progress of women’s rights. Shows like
Opal argue that the ideal woman is one who raises a family
in addition to pursuing a livelihood, participating in culture, and contributing to one or more institutions. Marge is told that society expects
more from women and succumbs to that pressure. She's led to believe that the ubiquity of mothers makes them mundane, compelling her to do something remarkable so that she receives more than token recognition and appreciation from society.
By the end, Marge has decided that she doesn’t actually want or need to do anything else except be a mother. She
chooses to dismiss the pressures, demands and expectations that society has placed on her (and, by extension, other women). In doing so, she takes a stand for feminism in its most pure form. A woman can
choose to be ambitious and career-driven with no desire to follow the biological imperative. That doesn’t make her unmaternal or loveless. A woman can
choose to be a mother and nothing else. That doesn’t make her inefficacious or problematic. A woman can
choose to be varying degrees of both. That doesn’t make her a superior or more ideal example in an arbitrary social hierarchy. Women can be and do
anything that gives them true happiness, fulfilment and meaning.
That’s my takeaway, but maybe I’ve grossly overestimated or misinterpreted it (as a straight white male, that’s certainly possible). I’m fairly confident that this is what is what the episode is going for though (especially given it was written by one of the few female writers on the staff at the time). It raises a few interesting (even subversive) points about perceptions and expectations of motherhood in our society and in a way that comes across as
extremely pro-feminism without being overtly feminist or preachy. If anything, it’s quite anti-media in its examination of how popular personalities can spread messaging that make women (indeed, all peoples) doubt themselves and feel worthless. I just walk away from this episode feeling
really positive about the characters and what it has to say.
Just a couple of things prevent it from getting full marks and they both involve Homer. He effectively causes the death of Max, the original ice cream truck driver, which reminds me too much of Red from
Maximum Homerdrive and other times he’s been indirectly responsible for someone’s demise. I also hate the bit with him forcing the lactose-intolerant kid to eat the ice cream cone. Just ugh.
Christ, the comments for this one sure ballooned. Maybe I should leave it there…
23. Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind
Original Season: Season 19
Director: Chuck Sheetz
Writer: J. Stewart Burns
IMDB Score: 8.2/10
Personal Score: 5/5
Comments: There is a myth that
Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind was written to serve as a series finale in the event that
The Simpsons became a casualty of the 2007-08 WGA strike. That’s improbable if only because it aired just one month after the strike began and would have been produced much earlier. However, the episode
is decidedly unusual - not only in its ambition and experimentation, but also in its sense of finality. No other episode of the series (with the exception of maybe
One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish) strikes me as sombre and contemplative as this one. Could this have worked as the last episode of the series? Possibly. Perhaps? I'm honestly not sure.
Something feels different about it right at the start when Homer, trudging home the morning after his latest bender, tells himself
"no more drinking". Isn’t that immediately strange? Sure, Homer has tried to give up alcohol before, but always at the request and for the sake of other people first and foremost. When has he
ever expressed a desire to give up alcohol of his own volition? There's also something about the
way Homer expresses this. He sounds genuinely resolute and there's not a hint of flippancy I can detect. He also sounds thoroughly exhausted with himself. That's
before he discovers that his family is missing and that he may have done something unforgivable in a drunken rage.
Homer explores his memories to discover what transpired, piecing together fragments of the previous night and interpreting them in the very worst possible light. Why does he so quickly and readily accept that he attacked his wife without considering alternative explanations? Well, because he saw the sum of his life in all those snapshots including the dozens if not hundreds of times he’s crossed a line. Homer has done increasingly awful things over the years, edging him closer and closer to this last and most terrible transgression of all.
Of course he fears he might be capable of hitting Marge and the overwhelming despair of that realisation is a paradigm-shifting moment.
Naturally, Homer remembers what
really happened and, by sheer dumb luck, survives the fall. Yet even though nothing sinister actually occurred
doesn’t whitewash his sudden profound cognisance of all the selfish and destructive actions that laid the groundwork for such a monstrous possibility to
not be unthinkable. Ostensibly, that's the point of the ending when he refuses to drink – after confronting the aggregate of his sins and vices, the allure of alcohol loses its power. He can’t go on being who he was and doing what he did. He can't bear to face those demons again. At the start of the episode, Homer resolves to give up drinking and he reaffirms that vow in its closing moments. It’s
supposed to be sincere and it
feels final in light of what Homer (and the viewer, by extension) has experienced. Not just in this particular episode, but across the
entire series up to this pivotal point.
So, yeah, this certainly gives
Eternal Moonshine a series finale-like quality though I’m not sure it would work as one for me. For me, it’s too Homer-centric and I think a last episode should focus on the
entire core family as an ensemble. In any case, as my personal score should indicate, I have a high opinion of this one. It’s widely considered to be one of the best post-classic episodes and that reputation is well deserved for the most part. The story is engrossing, the visual and musical cues that denote the memories are lovely, and there are some excellent original flourishes such as the
Forget-Me-Shot. I really like how the story plays out exclusively from Homer’s POV, allowing the viewer to really get inside his head and vicariously experience his confusion and fear. Homer himself is very likeable and full of humanity as he unravels the mystery of his missing family (whose absence up until the ending is quite unsettling).
There was a time when I thought
Eternal Moonshine was a bona-fide classic and the best thing since sliced bread. However, with age and perspective, I can appraise it more fairly and honestly. It’s not
quite as good as it seemed at the time and there are a couple of things that rub me the wrong way. Firstly, Patty and Selma shoving Homer off the bridge is a stretch too far. Secondly, I’m not entirely convinced by the editing and explanations after Homer lands on the boat. How did Patty and Selma get from the bridge to the boat? Why did Flanders not tell Homer something more reassuring about what happened the previous night if he knew about the surprise party? How could Homer anticipate his catastrophized interpretation of and suicidal reaction to his fragmented memories? That last one is completely absurd, but the leaps of logic in his thought process makes me laugh so, fine,
whatevs.
Ultimately, this is a genuinely effortful, ambitious, considered, and successful episode. It would rank among the best post-classic episodes for me and serves as the perfect finale for my SD-era.
Addendum (11/11/21): Nothing much to say here except that this concludes my abridged SD-era. As you can see, @Szyslak100 was bang on with his guesses. The HD-era and 150 more episodes awaits, but I have no ETA on that beyond a very vague 'soon'. I'm glad to have finally reached this milestone and, as always, I hope you've had some fun following along thus far. Are there any SD Jean-era episodes you think I missed and should have included? Share your thoughts! Want to call me a Zombie Simpsons apologist and say I know jack shit? Get in line.