Rate and Review: Saddlesore Galactica (BABF09)

Rate: Saddlesore Galactica

  • (5/5) You stink...damn good!

    Votes: 25 8.6%

  • (4/5) We'll give you gold!

    Votes: 30 10.3%

  • (3/5) I stand by my disappointed groan!

    Votes: 43 14.7%

  • (2/5) The elves! The elves!

    Votes: 79 27.1%

  • (1/5) Worst Episode Ever!

    Votes: 115 39.4%
  • Total voters
    292
Don't get the hate for this episode, its one of a few good episodes in an otherwise putrid season, the only thing I didn't like at the end was the insult against Bill Clinton (A president I liked)

I enjoy it how they how they took the piss out of the force racing industry and jockeys, and Bart and Homer turning timid Duncan into Furious D.

Its not a very intelligent or mature episode, but its great escapism for me, good for a laugh when I'm feeling down.

4/5
 
OK, this my first post on this forum, so I decided to take a look back at an episode that is infamous amongst the fans for being the stupidest episode ever. And I am going to say it: I love this episode!

But, that comes with a disclamer. I love this episode.... because it is so cheesy and stupid. It's like "The Room" of Simpsons episodes: It's so terrible, you just have to love it!

I take this episode the opposite way compared to most people, who claim that the writers, to quote Tom Servo, threw up their hands and said "I just don't know!" In my opinion, it seems like the writers actually intended for this to just be a cheesy episode. It has all of the signs: animation errors (Passing Flander's house then calling for Marge and Lisa to squirt water guns), Plot holes that you can drive a mack truck through (How the smeg did Lisa and Marge know about the murderous trolls), rapidly shifting plots (Lisa loses a competition, leading Homer and Bart to take up horse racing, causing them to be threatened by Jockey Elves), total insanity ("Deep Space Homer" was also as insane as this episode, but there was a much more stable plot), you name it. But, it is just so stupid, it goes back around to being hilarious.

I will give this episode some genuine credit, Jerkass Homer seemed to be limited in this episode compared to, say, "Kill the Alligator and Run", "Greatest Story ever D'ohed", and "Tale of Two Springfields" (It was still there; "You stink.... damn good!"). The other characters seem to be one-dimensional versions of themselves, but I think that is the least of this episode's cheesiness.

You have to go in knowing that this is not going to be like "Sweet Seymour Skinners Badass song", "Who Shot Mr. Burns", or "Krusty Gets Kancelled". You have to go in knowing that this episode is going to be cheesy and stupid. This episode is actually good riffing material, or good for a quick laugh at (not with, at!)

I know I should give it a 1/5 or a 2/5, but in reality, I have to give it a 5/5, just because of that quote for the score. It represents this episode. It stinks, and yet it is so good!
 
I don't get the hate with this episode. The elves thing was pretty weird but I don't mind the rest. 4/5
 
Pretty fun episode actually. The ending is hilarious. And "Hey, i'm watching you". The elves aren't that bad if you just think of it as non-canon. 4/5
 
This is one of the worst episodes ever. I admit it does have some funny jokes, but it featured elves as a major plot device. ELVES!!!! This is the kind of illogical plot twist that ruins many Scully episodes, only on steroids. The jockeys didn't even have to be elves; they could have threatened Homer while being humans. But, no, making them elves made things slightly more funny to the writers, or something, so they went with that. That kind of utter lack of care about the quality of the show is emblematic of The Simpsons' decline. And even if the jockeys were humans, this wouldn't have been a strong episode. They ripped off Lisa's Pony, but the only reason Lisa's Pony was a good episode was that Lisa had an actual emotional bond with her horse and that Homer was willing to make such a sacrifice to make Lisa happy. The horse itself didn't really have anything to do with it. But this episode just has the horse, and nothing about it makes me care about the horse or about whatever bond Bart or Homer has with the horse. In fact, the only way the horse was of any value to Homer was by becoming a Jerkass Horse. Which brings me to my next complaint: there is no way Duncan would have won any of those races, because I am sure there are rules against that kind of behaviour. It would have been disqualified. But, who cares about stuff like that? This show isn't supposed to be realistic! The only thing that matters is making a cheap joke! In almost every way, this episode epitomizes the disregard the staff had for the show at this point, and I am confident when I say that it has the single second worst plot in Simpsons history (after a certain Season 15 episode. And I'm sure you can guess which one I'm talking about. That's right, Milhouse Doesn't Live Here Anymore).

EDIT: Here is something I wrote while I was writing a (much less scathing) review for The Computer Wore Menace Shoes, and I decided this would be a more appropriate place to post it:

Putting aside whatever standards I expect from this show in particular, I am capable of enjoying things that aren't necessarily realistic (Futurama is a good example of that). However, this isn't a show with a hypothetical premise; it is supposed to portray things that could realistically happen. And that is where episodes like Saddlesore Galactica become problematic, particularly if they are the ones that lower the standard for subsequent episodes. It's not that that kind of thing is inherently despicable, but it reveals a lot of carelessness on the part of the writers, especially if the offending event (jockey elves, in this case) is done for absolutely no reason. They don't care about the product they are supposed to be making, and as a devoted fan of the show, that is highly offensive to me, because I do care about it.

1/10
 
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Humor: Very boring. I enjoyed parts of the first act but the rest were for the most part bore. Grade: D-

Plot: Meh. The family getting a horse had already been done in Lisas Pony so i did not make the plot more interesting than it already was. Then there are the jockey elves and once again the ending sucks. Grade: D-

Characters: The characters were for the most part in character but maybe they should have been funnier. Grade: D-

Pretty awful. Not the worst of season 11 but its close. Grade: D-
 
The most retarded non-clip show episode up to Season 12. Jockey Elves wanting to eat Homer's brain, need I say more? Despite this, there were even worse episodes later to come. That's pretty sad now.

2/10
 
This is by no means a good episode, but it's FAR from the worst ever. Every episode I've seen in the past few seasons is worse than this, which really only gets its reputation from the completely nonsensical third act. But the first and second acts are fairly enjoyable and there's even a chuckle or to in here. Yeah it's obviously a 1/5 based on classic Simpsons, but as a modern Simpsons episode it's probably a 3/5, or perhaps higher. But I guess it's in that weird period between classic and modern, which obviously isn't the worst of the show but people say it is because it was closest to when the show was good. Still though, in hindsight this will never be the worst Simpsons episode, even if it might have been among them 14 years ago.
 
I don't completely hate it. There's some genuinely funny stuff in this episode, which is more than can be said for bland Jean episodes. The very start with Mr. Largo had some good lines, and there were a few laughs at the county fair... I mean state fair. Stop with your devil music. The episode declines soon after (I did notice the elves... I mean jockeys were considerably smaller than Homer before we got to that infamous scene, which was just ridiculously stupid.)

But... WE'LL GIVE YOU GOLD!

Saddlesore Galactica, I give you a Furious D. With a dry cool wit like that, I could be a professional TV reviewer.

(Had we ended up with a third act that made an ounce of sense... maybe this could've been a C-... I do enjoy a bit of Scully nuttiness, but I can only go so far.)
 
This episode was ok until the elves came in. It had it's funny moments but still not enough and the plot was pretty crap. The beginning was good with some jokes and that is the only thing keeping me from giving it a 1/5 but.. those elves. Also, I don't see how people liked Comic Book Guy's appearances, the writers know they are reusing many things yet they do it anyway although the "Hey, I'm watching you!" part did make me laugh. 2/5.

My Favourite Moments Were:
- "You mean state un-fair."
- "I didn't say they couldn't, I said you shouldn't." (Homer says "I told you they could deep fry my shirt." before)
- Wiggum being too trusting
- "That horse better or we're taking a trip to the glue factory, and he won't get to come!"
- "That's my 3rd monocle this month, I must simply stop being so shocked."
 
the hate for this one is still kind of overblown. i just think it's a funny gag-fest episode and i go along for the ride :gatorshrug2:

'i can't stress enough how easy it was to win this prestigious race'
 
HANDSOME.S4.COMPLETE.XviD said:
the hate for this one is still kind of overblown. i just think it's a funny gag-fest episode and i go along for the ride :gatorshrug2:

'i can't stress enough how easy it was to win this prestigious race'
Click to expand...

I like the episode but it is no where near the episodes of 4/5. I guess you could give it a 3/5 if you are generous. It is fun to watch but it got incredibly stupid later on.
 
i don't care if the plot is really absurd as long as it's funny, and i think it is
 
The elf subplot is hilarious, I don't care what anyone says

It's an absolutely stupid episode, but I can't help but find it funny

I especially love listening to the commentary on that episode by the writers
 
I just so happened to see this episode on TV, and I think I finally have a solid opinion on it. So it's time for another instalment of:

HMS PINAFORE RATES THE EPISODES Episode 23, Horsing around

Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way first, the Elves. Now honestly, the fact that there are elves in the Simpsons universe doesn't bother me in its self. The show has always had silly elements to it and I don't think Jockey Elves are any more unbelievable than say... the robots attacking the family at the end of I&S Land. My big problem with the elves is that they are just boring. They pop up, sing a dull song and leave and are easily taken down. Once you start putting elves into the episode they should have gone all out nuts with the idea because at least that could have been entertaining, but... there is just nothing here. To me, nothing is more annoying in a TV show than being uninteresting.

Other then that, the episode is okay, I like the Lisa sub plot, as throw away as it is. There are a few good jokes at the start and I do think that the horse has a few funny moments as well as the race commentator. But overall its just meh, nothing about this episode offends me, but nothing in it holds my interest for very long. I was honestly shocked to find out that this episode is as hated as it is when I started posting here, because it is just... there. Watchable but completely forgettable. 5/10
 
This episodes great, you people have to lighten up and not think episodes are terrible because they have one terrible scene. That song is the worst part of the episode. CBG is excellent, its funny, its got a good plot and subplot. You people hate episodes like this and KATTAR just because they have plots that are completley random. You totatlly ignore the fact that these have funny good jokes and crush the other episodes in the season. Its these batshit insane episodes that are in the HD era, but you like those more than this for no reason.

I'll say one thing, the song of the jockeys sucked.

8.5/10
 
^I didn't understand that line for the longest time, because I hadn't heard that expression until fairly recently.
 
“Saddleshore Galactica” is simply one of the worst episodes in the show's history. The infamous story represents one of Mike Scully’s lowest points as the showrunner of the series. I don’t say this gleefully at all considering what a truly great writer he was in addition to show-running a great ninth season during the Golden Age. But seeing how the show had regressed to this point is both disappointing and disheartening all at the same time.

The episode really was a missed opportunity for Scully to clearly articulate his vision of the show. I would have loved to have seen him lay out his vision and explain through the story why he took it there. But instead of taking the high road as Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein did with “The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show” he opts to go the low way by going after the fans of the series in a very condescending and heavy handed manner. In fact the episode’s storyline can be best summed up as an in-your-face expletive break up letter to the fans. I believe Scully originally intended to offend the hardcore followers that were fairly or not continually on the show’s case during the Golden Age and on his leadership, yet he unknowing offended the open-minded fans who always appreciated the show’s creative changes throughout the years. Regardless, it didn’t help his case that both wings of the fan base had legitimate and fair criticisms about the way he was creatively managing the show which took the air out of his weak response.

The storyline consequently questions the mindset of the writer’s room during the eleventh season of the show. On the surface they are making fun of how absurd and unstable the show had become, but really they are just throwing everything but the kitchen sink in to make a larger point that these antics are just trifle issues that the fans are obsessed over. The subplot of Lisa’s reaction to the completion is indicative of that main idea. The other issues deal with the way the main characters are rendered as caricatures of themselves: Homer being an unsympathetic jackass, Lisa as an over the top activist, and Marge being a literal square on everything. Then you have the over emphasis on low brow humor and lazy satire…whether it is on the evil corporation, secret conspiracies, and Hollywood which by this point under Scully's watch are getting tiresome to sit through. Finally we have the dip to insanity with the crazy jockey elves towards the end that needs no further comment on. The curious thing about that year was that the show first started their long campaign against “Family Guy” for their embrace of low brow and crazy humor… yet the writers seem to forget that they too were just as indulgent in that brand of humor back then as well.

The only credit I will give to Scully for this episode is for creating something that was intentionally made to be bad from the onset. It’s not like some of the other bad episodes he produced which were either creatively misguided or poorly executed. Obviously this episode was made to be BAD with one awful joke and sequence after the other before climaxing to a ridiculous conclusion. As someone who is a connoisseur of bad movies I kept laughing at it not because it was good but because of the pure awfulness of the episode. And you know what, Scully succeeded in that approach…but unfortunately in his case it was a Pyrrhic victory since it amounted to nothing in the end.
 
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The horse plot was just so freaking random and pointless. I facepalmed so hard when Bart looked at the horse and somehow felt bad for it. I mean come on! If it was Lisa in Bart's place I would at least find it believable...there was almost zero laughs for me in this one. And elves? What the hell? This seems more like a plot for a THOH episode...Utter crap. 1/5
 
not terrible and doesnt deserve the worst episode ever tag line
but like the rest I also disliked the elves. i can kind of understand why they were there, as a complete mindfuck no doubt to a plot that needed some type of jump start, but turning the jockeys to elves was just a really odd choice

however, it was a gag fest of the best kind. loved the callbacks that comic book guy kept pointing out, especially the second one where he just appears next to Marge and Lisa (I'm watching you!!). also enjoyed the joke about killing the murderous elves back and forth between homer and the joke about the prestigious race being easy to win

although it's been said multiple times I'm sure, if the HD era could forget about publicity stunts and could focus on giving us a simple set up (horse racing) with plenty of gags, maybe we wouldn't give the HD era so much shit

except we probably would cause it's fun to hate on stuff that is terrible garbage



this review only came about cause I saw this ep earlier today and couldn't sleep
 
The worst of its season for me. As stupid and wacky as the jockey elves are i could ignore them just like i ignore the giant spider scene in one of my favourite episodes Duffless. Thing is i just don't find this entertaining or funny at all and i'm always surprised to see so many do, the only genuine laugh for me was the Homer thumbs up part near the start. 1/5
 
I actually quite like this episode. Infamous, sure, but I'd say this is one of the most iconic The Simpsons episodes of all time.

It's such a 180 turn and one of the most brilliant plot twists I've seen on television. I just love the idea of an episode plot as boring as horses, leading to jockeys revealing themselves to be ghoulish trolls who threaten to eat Homer Simpson's brain if he keeps getting in their way. I feel like alot of people are angered because they don't view this as a satirical self-parody, which in that sense makes it a brilliant episode.

I loved the creepy elves. I prefer them over acts one and two. Such an epic mindfuck, it's the last episode where you'd expect something like this - and honestly, I have no problem with it.

Also, in The Simpsons world vampires exist. There's one in the Republican Headquarter meetings Mr. Burns has, that's season 6. There was an alien in Homer the Great. And remember Count Fudge-ula? I never heard anyone complain about those, ever.
The Jockey elves remind me of this just cranked up to eleven. People dislike the elves because it's canon, plot or not. Yet things like vampires (even in the classic era) are there. Just because it's not part of the plot device, doesn't make it not canon.

Yes, The Simpsons takes place in a relatively realistic world, just not one hundered percent. I see the elves as a one-time thing, that's what it is and that's why it works for me. It's satire.

People have argued with me that while surreal things happen in this show, they never play a role in the plot. While true, I think that's why this episode works so well, cause they do live in a realistic world - so Homer saying "Did this really happen?" means this one time he did discover something so creepy and fucked up. Thats why it's so funny to me. I actually really like that.

I also love the song. The scenery is set up beautifully. Especially this shot.

8gat5nbj0zaz.jpg


Excellent quotes and comedy are other peaks of Saddlesore. "Possessions are fleeting." One of my favorite lines - I always loved when I heard that in Hit & Run.

I love episodes like Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk and Last Exit to Springfield, I view them as a work of art and in terms of plot-structure Saddlesore is not nearly as well written as those episodes. But it's a really clever, funny and quotable episode that deserves to exist.

The most underrated Simpsons episode, and an important chapter of the show's history. 4.5/5
 
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Just rewatching season 11 for the first time since it first aired and it's got me baffled. It's general consensus among fans that most of the episodes in this season are shit, but I hadn't realized before just how much the creators seem to be aware of this fact. There are so many self-referential gags about how bad the show has become (in this episode, Comic Book Guy serves as an outlet for this sentiment), and so many scenes focusing on characters (mostly Homer) simply suffering, despising each other and inflicting pointless pain on one another, that you get the impression that by this point, the creators seemed to really hate the show and wanted to let the world know about this. The high point of this is the series finale "Behind The Laughter" which, while being the only truly great episode of the series, basically comes off as a 22-minute long suicide letter, screaming with rage and self-hatred, and drawing all its humor from self-degradation,
 
This is a really strange episode to reflect on, a tough one to rate. On one hand, it has a silly twist that could've been better with a more down-to-earth take on it (i.e. the other jockeys are threatening Homer and there's some big scam/conspiracy, but they're not magical elves), but I have a hard time outright disliking it, and always have.

For some reason, I've always liked Homer's line about Marge's supposed "pro-mop, anti-horse agenda", as well as the host of Duncan's show at the carnival abruptly cutting his "You say you want to dive again? WE-ELL..." spiel to pull the lever; like he couldn't even be bothered to keep up the showmanship. Comic Book Guy gets a couple of good lines too, even if he does get shouted down after one of them. I actually feel for Lisa during her subplot. Even though she probably should've let it go, I could sympathise with her feeling screwed over in the band contest. The ending demonstrates how the show has been willing to take shots at pretty much anyone, regardless of politics and party affiliation.

My inner Classic Era Snob should mean I dislike this one, but to me, it's a pretty OK episode that suffers from a unnecessarily goofy twist. 3/5
 
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