Rate & Review: "Treehouse of Horror XXXIII" (UABF18)

How would you rate this episode?


  • Total voters
    82
I was very happy with all 3 segments. Pookadook was such a frightening concept, Marge trying to chop her baby into bits. Death Tome hit home for me because I watched DN when it first came out and honestly it was just fascinating. Simpsons World was such a fun episode my friends filled with classic moments (the gang of Ralph’s was so fucking funny), so so fun, self aware. The simpsons renaissance is coming my friends.
Full review coming soon.
~
5/5 A+
 
👀

WHY THE POOKADOOK IS A MODERN TREEHOUSE OF HORROR MASTERPIECE...

well_there_it_is_jurassic_park.gif
 
Thanks to the art of freeze-framing, the opening text on the book tells us all we need to know to get the context
First of all, great analysis, I'm honored that you took one of my examples and called my analysis "intelligent" I'm certainly not sure that's true after the tremendous tirade you just made hahaha. And second, very happy that you mentioned this little detail, I was certainly surprised that no one else had mentioned it until now.

The opening text of the book does not tell us anything new about the characters as such, no, what it does do is give us the context and framework of the segment that we are going to see. Knowing that information is not mandatory, but reading that little text will make you appreciate this story more than you possibly did on your first viewing, or at least that's what happened to me. The text opens before Marge's ""What a long day!" and in it we can observe some small details. At first, it establishes the constant wear and tear and the work that being a house mother means. All this establishes the arduous role of being the breadwinner for your family: having your whole day busy and not having any moments of rest, I think that at some point we have all had a mother, grandmother, or even an aunt who does not stop all day and is always there taking care of her family but that she never has time to rest and cannot engage in her own hobbies.The text does a job of establishing the constant exhaustion she is subjected to every day to the point of not finishing all her pending activities and even having to put them off to the next day.

But it's not just about Marge and her role as a housewife, it's also about her role in her family and how sometimes women who make the decision to dedicate themselves to their family can be constantly looked down upon and overlooked. Little by little, having to physically and mentally wear out her home and only her home would end up collecting the bill. One moment I'd like to mention about why I think this is also about her role in her family and her view of them comes in the same book, in the one Marge frowns as she realizes there was no dishwasher to load yet, so which she asks Homer to do for her. Unfortunately, Homer didn't even know where the dishwasher was because he was in front of the TV, which makes Marge simply say that it's better if she does it herself. This little moment also brings with it a little revelation: There are often times where we simply decide to do things for ourselves, refusing to ask others for help even when it might give us a hand. Marge loves Homer and Homer loves Marge, but it is clear that his insensitivity and clumsiness makes Marge decide to do the dishwasher herself, and thus is what feeds the demon. Constantly being overlooked by her family (not just Homer) and having a simple favor fall on deaf ears is why Marge ends up doing the dirty work herself because her family doesn't take her seriously enough and things like Homer's little selfish act cause him to grow resentful towards his family.

I just want to add that the detail at the beginning of this segment made me appreciate it even more. You can also add me to the fan club of this segment. ^^
 
Last edited:
I find it genuinely charming and amusing that this thread turned into a love-in for 'The Pookadook' (which also does some psychoanalyzing of the segment) & I wouldn't have it any other way :D

Anyhow, to add on the praise for the episode/segment, I would like to take a moment to give it kudos for pulling off a great list joke. As I've previously made clear, I tend to really dislike (or loathe) the list jokes (those "jokes" in modern Jean episodes where a character just starts to vocally list things or names and it goes on forever & makes me wanna beg them to stop; it's excruciating) and it came to this episode, it pretty much started out with a list joke, albeit this one was to my big surprise done excellently (and in a way that never Jean could):

Marge goes through Maggie's shelf of books for very small children and naturally say the names out loud, but here's the main trick: The main gag in it is that the obviously magical Pookadook pop-up book randomly teleport into numerous places on the shelf & Marge still say its name each time she sees it (I think it was at least three times it showed up) & it gets her to pick it due to how it seemingly insists (and it's a funny underreaction to something spooky as well). It's helped by Julie Kavner's excellent performance that avoids being some monotone, cold reading (and like I've said before, I like the way she says "The Pookadook") plus the various titles were amusing. There's more to it than just a simple straightforward list joke (and it knew how to avoid going on for too long, being just right before the story moves forward).

So congratulations are in order, modern 'The Simpsons'. You made me find a list joke that I liked :aww:
 
Last edited:
God yes, this thread has turned into a love thread for 'The Pookadook' so we might as well take a moment to appreciate Julie Kavner because why not? It certainly depresses me whenever I hear people criticize Kavner's voice and how she can't take it anymore, so I'd like to highlight the voice work Kavner did on this one. Not only because she takes advantage of her increasingly worn and scratchy voice to make Marge sound more and more evil. Also by the time Marge calms down the terrified Maggie, her voice delivery sounds so motherly that you can feel the care and love she has for her baby. It establishes that Marge is a safe blanket for Maggie and vice versa, the "Oh baby cheek, I love baby cheek" moment comes to mind. I also like the detail on Marge's stricken face for scaring her baby with the book.
Screenshot_20221103_081316.jpg
It's helped by Julie Kavner's excellent performance that avoids being some monotone, cold reading (and like I've said before, I like the way she says "The Pookadook") plus the various titles were amusing. There's more to it than just a simple straightforward list joke (and it knows how to avoid going on for too long, being just right before the story moves forward).
I particularly like Kavner's delivery of "How many Pookadooks do we have?" It's certainly a pretty funny reaction to something supernatural and weird and I like how the delivery ranges from lightheartedly saying "The Pookadook" to then ending with "The Pookadook.. .?" convincing her to read the book but also with an aura of strangeness and mistrust. Details like that are why I love this segment.

EDIT: OH OH OH I almost forgot, there is another little animation detail that I almost missed on my first viewing and I like it. And it is that when the "sleeping with the fishes" cut happens (pretty smart joke by the way) the shadow of the Pookadook is seen while Marge goes down the stairs. It's such a fleeting and minor detail of the segment but I like it when they're careful with details like that.
Screenshot_20221103_095000.jpg
 
Last edited:
... Yeah this is even one of those rare times when I'm agreeing with the consensus. Doubly so when I've hated just about every "serious" THOH segment from the past several years so, that oughta count for something!

Ah yes, the list joke, it's amazing what happens when there's actually a follow-up punchline to them. Helps that there's also a good few that she doesn't read off as well. This whole episode really packs in the sight gags and they're well done.

I think what might've tipped it for me is that it just averts all the things that made me dislike most of the others. The protagonist isn't despicable, they're actually clever and resourceful and aren't relying on the writer pulling a Phillip J Fry and having the villain leave for no raisin. Hell, I love it when both the monster and the protagonists are actually smart. And despite being non-canon it even reflects back onto Marge and Maggie in the series proper, with just how much Maggie means and the depths of Marge's frustrations, so it managed to be more interesting in seven minutes than a lot of non-canon things manage to be in 20-40.

Will admit, the last shot with the Pookadook in the vaccuum feels a bit weirdly abrupt, like it had more of a fade-out that got cut. But that's a really minor "huh, weird" moment rather than anything that breaks the story. Otherwise it does everything right and doesn't break its immersion for a second. Just... really well played.
 
Will admit, the last shot with the Pookadook in the vaccuum feels a bit weirdly abrupt, like it had more of a fade-out that got cut. But that's a really minor "huh, weird" moment rather than anything that breaks the story. Otherwise it does everything right and doesn't break its immersion for a second.

I had absolutely no problem with that last shot. A lot of horror stories (such as several that see a good/happy ending) like to end with a stinger like a "something has survived" one and here they ended it with just that, clearly showing the Pookadook spirit is still there, albeit trapped in the vaccuum cleaner, and it felt like it implies it might possibly come back somehow (who knows?). Knowing that, it made sense they'd linger on it for a moment before cutting to black and then going to the next segment so to me personally it didn't break my immersion at all.
 
Oh, I meant it literally felt like it cut half a second early or something, not a problem with the shot itself
 
@Venomrabbit, Oh, that cut to black inbetween the segments seem to be a thing they regularily do in the 'Treehouse' episodes so myself being used to that, I didn't pick that up (I felt it was as per usual), but maybe this one time was one of those times that felt especially quick.
 
Last edited:
Heh, and my dumb ass thought that this segment would end up overlooked, instead we're only talking about it here. Now I somewhat think that it's SimpsonsWorld that is a little overlooked, or at least underrated. :P

@Sandboy, I do mean it, you said interesting things about this segment, some of them I haven't thought of myself, in your posts. And without as many words as my review. ^^ And yes, I really like that just seconds into the episode, they already give you context for what's to come. There's not a single second wasted here, and after many years of awfully long (and mostly dull) openings under Jean, it's a freaking breath of fresh air.
 
Heh, and my dumb ass thought that this segment would end up overlooked, instead we're only talking about it here.
You and me friend. :D

I find it interesting how here the most praised segment was the Pookadook while in other places it ended up in oblivion. It certainly speaks to the differing opinions between a fanbase on sites like this versus a more casual fanbase with people who hadn't seen the show in a while and the only reason they tuned in was for death tome or some fans of the classic who stayed because of the references in the SimpsonsWorld segment or even those critics of the modern simpsons who use this as proof of the decadence of the series lol.

It certainly speaks volumes about the episode in general and the different variety that there was in each of the segments. It's good to know that this year's Treehouse was not flopped as well... Most Treehouses from the HD era and each segment had something to talk about.
 
Last edited:
Although this thread is starting to sway towards The Pookadook, I'll maintain my stance in Death Tome being the best one for several reasons:

First of all, the animation. For once beautiful animation is utilized in a full story instead of just wasted on a couch gag. Every frame is a visual treat, and manages to draw you into the story and the world right away.

It's also by far the funniest. Pooka didn't really try to be funny most of the time (though it had small bits of dark humor), and in Simpsonsworld virtually none of the jokes landed for me. But here the comedy flows so naturally and is further heightened by the animation itself, whether it's through facial expressions or depicting something absurd as animals jumping out of the toilet. Even the one joke that really doesn't land (Steve Johnson) isn't awful, and they don't waste time dwelling on it.

The use of characters. Mr. Burns' cameo is amusing (Particularly his horrible death) and Lisa is utilized in a way that's both interesting and comical. We see her using her supposedly goodhearted activism with a twisted ends-justify-the-means mentality that somehow doesn't feel like a cartoonish exaggeration of her character. What makes it especially funny is that she neither gets especially much joy out of killing people, nor does she feel incredibly tormented by it. After she while she's basically thinking "Geez, how long is this gonna take?" It's a deadpan form of comedy that becomes all the more effective by its sublety.

It's paced really well. The story goes on just long enough to reach a proper conclusion, and never feels dragged out or directionless at any point. The ending makes use of an ironic twist, something that usually fails horribly in HD TOHs, but here results in another finely delivered bit. Once again Lisa's simply exasperated by the whole situation. Terrific, now I'm a demon of vengeance of all eternity. What a day.

This is my fourth favorite Treehouse Of Horror segment from the HD era, next to the three from XX.
 
Last edited:
It's also by far the funniest. Pooka didn't really try to be funny most of the time (though it had small bits of dark humor), and in Simpsonsworld virtually none of the jokes landed for me. But here the comedy flows so naturally and is further heightened by the animation itself, whether it's through facial expressions or depicting something absurd as animals jumping out of the toilet. Even the one joke that really doesn't land (Steve Johnson) isn't awful, and they don't waste time dwelling on it.
The thing about the Steve Johnson gag that I really appreciate is that it actually has a potential underlying double meaning that works given the context of the segment's ending.

We see Lisa outsmart Steve with the 'ole evil genie fakeout gambit by having him crushed by space junk only to subsequently transform into a shinigami herself and become the death tome's newly cursed spirit. It stands to reason that the previous shinigami wasn't actually an ancient demonic deity "born eons ago"... but was just some guy named Steve Johnson that had similarly outsmarted the book only to wind up as its new host.

I actually really dig the idea of this guy named Steve reciting his own mortal name with threatening gravitas only for Lisa to act nonplussed and for him to pull some bullshit rationale out of his ass citing nursery caves and multiple Necroblivias.

That's actually funnier than the joke being taken literally... so much so that an amusing way to end this year's Treehouse entry - had they elected to not go through the expense of a stop-motion gag with Kang and Kodos - would have been to have a Gravity Falls crossover bit with Dipper opening the Death Tome and a Lisa shinigami (animated appropriately in that style) reciting "in my realm, I am called... Lisa Simpson" with a similar air of menace only to waffle about for some nonsense rationale afterwards just as Steve had done with her.
 
Now I somewhat think that it's SimpsonsWorld that is a little overlooked, or at least underrated. :P

That is definitely the case. Earlier, in @tyler's review thread, I argued it would be overlooked and misunderstood and that certainly is true since I've already seen comments stating that segment was nothing but a overdone reference-fest and nothing more (so the deconstruction of the show and the satire on its legacy & popularity certainly goes woooosh for many viewers, but hey, what can you do? I wouldn't say I blame them as it can easily be overshadowed by the nostalgia & references that permeates the segment).

At the same time, it has a lot of fans (both among the viewerbase & the critics) with some considering it the best segment of the episode, usually either that one or the above discussed 'Death Tome', which seem to be the most popular one by far: I think 'Death Tome' is a given favorite due to a lot of reasons: The stylized anime art style, faithfulness to the original manga/anime, the expressive animation & effects, the humor that sport some excellent dark comedy, they manage to pace it just right, there's were some solid fun twists and turns & the way the characters are handled is also a treat. I loved the fact it essentially plays on Lisa's pro-environment stance and how she goes to extremes sometimes, here turning into an eco terrorist schematically picking off Mr. Burns & his cronies one by one, plus the Bart reveal with L turning out to be El Barto was genius (simple but clever). I also found Steve Johnson a particularily amusing highlight; I really liked the dry humor associated with him).

I still prefer 'The Pookadook' by a smigdeon (I think the fact that it's genuinely unsettling and dark gives it a push for me, while the other two segments really aren't as serious nor sinister), but I don't criticize anyone for preferring either one as all three are genuinely strong, each being an understandable favorite depending on whom you ask.
 
Last edited:
All of the Lisas from the Simpsonworld segment (from left to right, at least for the initial shot)...

7t9OIcv.png

  • I Love Lisa (purple dress)
  • Last Tap Dance in Springfield (light purple tutu w/ pearls)
  • Lisa's Substitute (giant cowboy hat)
  • $pringfield (or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling) (Floreda)
  • Selma's Choice (obscured Lizard Queen)
  • Last Exit to Springfield (obscured school photo w/ braces)
  • Lisa's Pony (riding outfit)
  • All About Lisa (Krusty show assistant)
  • Lisa on Ice (hockey goalie)
  • Summer of 4 Ft. 2 (hipster / looks like Blossom)
  • The President Wore Pearls (school president)
  • Halloween of Horror (Frida Kahlo costume)
  • Panic on the Streets of Springfield (emo Quilloughby fan Lisa)
  • Lisa's Wedding (older Lisa from 2010 in wedding dress)
  • Lisa the Beauty Queen (w/ Amber Dempsey's charred crown)
  • Lisa's Rival (the one Homer activates)
  • Smart & Smarter (obscured Ravencrow Neversmiles)
  • 22 Short Films About Springfield (unsuccessful hair gum removal)
qLV4O9x.png


Lisa I'm most bummed about not making the cut? Nancy Spungeon from Love, Springfieldian Style...
All of the Lisas from the Simpsonworld segment (from left to right, at least for the initial shot)...

7t9OIcv.png

  • I Love Lisa (purple dress)
  • Last Tap Dance in Springfield (light purple tutu w/ pearls)
  • Lisa's Substitute (giant cowboy hat)
  • $pringfield (or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling) (Floreda)
  • Selma's Choice (obscured Lizard Queen)
  • Last Exit to Springfield (obscured school photo w/ braces)
  • Lisa's Pony (riding outfit)
  • All About Lisa (Krusty show assistant)
  • Lisa on Ice (hockey goalie)
  • Summer of 4 Ft. 2 (hipster / looks like Blossom)
  • The President Wore Pearls (school president)
  • Halloween of Horror (Frida Kahlo costume)
  • Panic on the Streets of Springfield (emo Quilloughby fan Lisa)
  • Lisa's Wedding (older Lisa from 2010 in wedding dress)
  • Lisa the Beauty Queen (w/ Amber Dempsey's charred crown)
  • Lisa's Rival (the one Homer activates)
  • Smart & Smarter (obscured Ravencrow Neversmiles)
  • 22 Short Films About Springfield (unsuccessful hair gum removal)
qLV4O9x.png


Lisa I'm most bummed about not making the cut? Nancy Spungeon from Love, Springfieldian Style...

gJsTl8A.jpg
Omg thank you for this . When looking at every Lisa around I noticed it might represent part of her subconscious / every part of her personality and in the middle is her body . Sorta like us 🤓 this was by far my favorite segment and how it reflects life on a individual and massive level 🎃
 
That is definitely the case. Earlier, in @tyler's review thread, I argued it would be overlooked and misunderstood and that certainly is true since I've already seen comments stating that segment was nothing but a overdone reference-fest and nothing more (so the deconstruction of the show and the satire on its legacy & popularity certainly goes woooosh for many viewers, but hey, what can you do? I wouldn't say I blame them as it can easily be overshadowed by the nostalgia & references that permeates the segment).
Yeah, I said to myself that at least, we got Tyler's review which brilliantly explains what I think of this segment, and I don't have anything to add to it aha. Except maybe those two details I really like :

- When Marge drives the family out of the theme park and runs over several visitors, Lisa warns her that they real, and she responds "So are we". I like the eventual double meaning behind that. Either she means that no matter the fact they're machines and their lives and memories were fake, to her they remain a genuine family, or that the visitors aren't more human than them (or both). Besides, it's a more serious line in what remains a mostly played for laughs sequence, but it still feel seamless.
- Again, I'd live to give a shout-out to the ending shot with the book, whose text adds something pretty chilling to the context, not helped by the desolate environment around the theme parks (I don't know if it's directly inspired by Westworld itself, I've seen the first season only - man, I need to catch up, but when it comes to 50-minutes series, I procrastinate even more than usual aha).

vlcsnap-2022-11-04-18h39m22s222.png

I still prefer 'The Pookadook' by a smigdeon (I think the fact that it's genuinely unsettling and dark gives it a push for me, while the other two segments really aren't as serious nor sinister), but I don't criticize anyone for preferring either one as all three are genuinely strong, each being an understandable favorite depending on whom you ask.
Absolutely. Not only massive effort went into all three segments, but thanks to their versatility, there's a segment for everyone, and the discussions around here to defend them are even more fun, I believe. Man, what an impressive Treehouse of Horror.
 
Or a mixture of both. A part of me thinks that the family (or at least Marge) had some resentment against humans for using them as a pure method of entertainment. What leads me to believe this is that in the same part when Marge is taking them out of the theme park, it shows in a look of resentment and determination from her, while the other members of the family have a face of concern or astonishment. In any case, the line of "So are we" can be applied in different ways, since despite being only machines and that all their lives and memories are false, they feel real, they think they are a genuine family (another moment that comes to mind that makes me believe this is when they take Homer to repair it and he wakes up asking the workers with a concerned tone "WHERE'S MY FAMILY").
Screenshot_20221104_132407.jpg
My personal theory is that the reason why Marge didn't care about running over visitors is because they never cared about them either. Another key moment is when the tourists force Homer to cross the hedge and that's where she saw firsthand that the tourists didn't care about treating them with dignity because they only saw them as machines that all they had to do was recreate and recite scenes from your favorite episodes for your amusement. So when it came time to escape she didn't give a shit about running them over or even killing them because why be considerate of the same people who only saw you and your family as a joke machine and not a human? real?. The "So are we" was like a way of saying that they are no less human than the visitors and she wouldn't be considerate of them anyway after all they had to go through.
 
Last edited:
I was thinking about it.. what episode is this Marge from? Homer only says he wants to find the hottest one. Lisa is clearly from "Lisa's Rival", Homer from "Marge vs the Monorail" what about Marge and Bart? Did I miss something?
 
I was thinking about it.. what episode is this Marge from? Homer only says he wants to find the hottest one. Lisa is clearly from "Lisa's Rival", Homer from "Marge vs the Monorail" what about Marge and Bart? Did I miss something?
Nah, the answer to these questions is left unstated... although given the events that would subsequently follow my best guess is that the Marge was from Marge Simpson in: "Screaming Yellow Honkers" and the Bart was from The Secret War of Lisa Simpson. Just given how their respective contributions to the escape operation might have been too elaborate to come up with on the fly had they not pursued something similar in the past.
 
Road rage Marge and megaphone Bart definitely track with those episodes.
 
@Sandboy, those are indeed the two things I meant with my theory about the meaning of that line, aha. Still, well said ! (Another crucial moment is Bart deactivating the option of not hurting the real humans when seeing three of them forcing Homer to do the hedge meme.)

My point is, while being meta and very satirical (about the show and about humanity), this segment can also be genuinely compelling in its own way. Just think, on top of that, that it's only one version of each Simpson, among many others, who managed to escape.
 
I definitely think @Sandboy is on the right track. I definitely felt that Marge felt they (her and the family) were no less people than the actual humans which was punctuated by her "So are we!" as she drove on & the reason she didn't care if she'd hit them with the Canyonero was to deliver back the same indifference toward the people as the people had shown her and the other robots that they had been treating with disrespect and as playthings (I'm definitely sensing a bit of a pent up rage and lust for vengeance in there, but then again, I don't blame her one bit & at least she was a strong-willed Marge to get them out of there).

It makes perfect sense that was Road Rage Marge from 'Screaming Yellow Honkers' (while the Bart definitely has to be from 'Secret War' as suggested by @Brad Lascelle). Lisa has to be the one from 'Lisa's Rival' (The fact she was talking about a diorama that definitely gives it away, but it might also be due to how she was rather emotionally compromised, as she immediately go on a horrified, lamenting tirade about the horrors of self-awareness when Homer activates it; She was after all in a rather vulnerable, anxious & emotional state in 'Rival'. Maybe I'm overthinking it, but the abeformentioned theory of this being the 'Lisa's Rival' Lisa stands).

Now I wonder where the Maggie is from. Not as easy to guess, I'm afraid.
 
Last edited:
Sorry for back to back posting, but I was thinking about one thing: Did we ever see a regular Grampa robot in 'Simpsons World'? I certainly remember the joke where Homer doesn't miss a chance to get rid of the Grampa robots but they were all in some form of episode-specific get up as far as I recall, but I don't remember seeing a normal-looking Grampa somewhere.
 
I've already seen comments stating that segment was nothing but a overdone reference-fest and nothing more (so the deconstruction of the show and the satire on its legacy & popularity certainly goes woooosh for many viewers, but hey, what can you do?
I wouldn't say it went over my head. I already knew about Lisa The Boy Scout going for something similar (though I haven't seen that one), and right from the re-animation of Marge vs. The Monorail, I pretty much knew what I was in for. However, just because I got the idea of the premise doesn't mean I think it was welldone. The references still didn't help actually building a suspenseful or engaging story, and felt more just like forced and annoying fan service. The monorail bit alone basically consists of two guys raving about how funny Marge vs. The Monorail is, and later on we get a group of people trying to force Homer to recreate the bush scene from Homer Loves Flanders again. It's a celebratory showcase of the show's legacy without any real satire of clever commentary to go along with it, and the few attempts that are there still feel "mechanical" if you pardon the pun. I chuckled at the army of Ralph robots going "I choo-choo-choose you" since that actually took an old joke and turned it on its head, but other than that it largely felt like the references and celebration of those references themselves was the joke.

Compare this to Behind The Laughter. It features a ton of references to events from the series and is meant to be a deconstruction of the show's legacy. What makes that episode work so well is that the references always serve a purpose every time they're included. They're not there just because they're iconic or so the show can pat itself on the back for all it's accomplished. It's always part of playfully ribbing on the characters and poking fun at how the show's style and tone has changed over the years. It still feels like a celebration of the series, but that's because it creates its own iconic moments as well by the new jokes it gets out of the satire, instead of just showing the old references in a slightly reskinned form.
 
I remember a Grampa doing the "old man yelling at clouds" gesture during the pan shot with the vehicle driving out the damaged Homer, and one sitting on a bench when security is called.

Yeah, I figured there had to be some background cameo like that, but none I immediately remembered.

I'm thinking there was a missed chance at a joke where a random Grampa happened to be in the Canyonero with them (would've been amusing if it was the one from 'Homer Simpson In: Kidney Trouble' who needed to go to the bathroom, lol) and maybe Homer just opens the door & pushes him out? That or it turns out a Grampa had escaped the dome and comes after the family, starving for attention. But that would've probably been superfluous, I dunno.
 
I wouldn't say it went over my head. I already knew about Lisa The Boy Scout going for something similar (though I haven't seen that one), and right from the re-animation of Marge vs. The Monorail, I pretty much knew what I was in for. However, just because I got the idea of the premise doesn't mean I think it was welldone. The references still didn't help actually building a suspenseful or engaging story, and felt more just like forced and annoying fan service.

Well, I didn't say that the satire and deconstruction of the show and it's legacy went over your head specifically, but there seem to be a lot of instances with fans that don't see anything below the surface and only see the fanservice and references to various past episodes & classic moments, not to mention the very overt metafictional aspects (something the show has explored much as of recently, for instance in the very much recommended 'Lisa The Boy Scout', which all the more comes off as a non-'Treehouse' version of the 'Simpsons World' segment. I definitely think it's worth seeing at least once as it is one of the more interesting episodes the've done in a while).

Like I've said before, I do think it is easy to miss the subtext and misinterpret the episode as another reference-fest, and to be perfectly honest, I do get a bit of that feeling from you. I don't blame you or anyone else who didn't like it as there is a lot of overt references and callbacks, but even though you personally didn't find the references to be done well nor helped the story in particular, there is still a satirical. deconstructive story there (and which clearly has engaged a lot of fans). I wouldn't call it "forced and annoying fan service" as to me, it feels almost like skirting close to not understanding what they were going for (I really felt it wasn't just some circlejerk).

The monorail bit alone basically consists of two guys raving about how funny Marge vs. The Monorail is, and later on we get a group of people trying to force Homer to recreate the bush scene from Homer Loves Flanders again. It's a celebratory showcase of the show's legacy without any real satire of clever commentary to go along with it, and the few attempts that are there still feel "mechanical" if you pardon the pun. I chuckled at the army of Ralph robots going "I choo-choo-choose you" since that actually took an old joke and turned it on its head, but other than that it largely felt like the references and celebration of those references themselves was the joke.

I think those are all examples of the episode really going for the metafictional and overtly (almost cloyingly) so, but they are still in service for the story's obvious satirical take on the legacy of the show and how far things have gone in the future that the show takes place in. To me, it feels like it shows a version of our world where the Simpsons is a behemoth even larger than what we have today in real-life and it makes sense that in the 45+ seasons there's been in-universe (according to Lisa's lament) there's be obsessive and annoying fans who care only for the classic episodes, lines & memes and force the robots to do these over and over (I think the hedge meme bit does that, but turns it on its head with Homer refusing and killing the obnoxious fans by shoving them inside the hedge instead).

I saw a lot of the satirical humor with those fans (such as them raving about 'Marge Vs. The Monorail' and forcing Homer to drink beer as in "LOL, wouldn't it be funny if he was the conductor and drunk of his ass?!" as actively poking fun at the more unbearable superfan parts of the fan base (and also jabs at those who like the show mainly because of the memes). I saw a lot of commentary on the state of the show and a nightmare scenario of it and its legacy and state as an intellectual property having been taken way too far. An interactive park with robots that are all about re-enacting classic episodes and situations will naturally indulge in this cavalcade of references, fan service and memes (& it felt perfect to use the Westworld parody for this alternate universe story).

It wasn't just referencing for the sake of it as there was a point there, but some might not see it as well as myself and others do. You may not like the jokes and feel it's all referential back-patting bullcrap that's there for the sake of having a reference-heavy story, but the punchline and reasons of being a self-desconstructive and bitingly satirical segment felt rather clear to me. Yeah, like I said I don't blame anyone for not seeing it (especially those tired of all the meta & self-referential stuff the show likes to do these days) but I (and I suppose others too) can still see there's more beneath the surface of the episode's reference-fest.

'Behind The Laughter' (which you cite as a comparison) does something very similar (and is a standout), but I think they are still different enough to not be an apt direct comparison: 'Behind The Laughter' shows the family as struggling flesh & blood actors in the show and is a parody of the VH1 'Behind The Music' documentary series, while 'Simpsons World' goes for a real-life-type perspective with 'The Simpsons' being a very popular TV series, a merchandising juggernaut with a vast legacy that led to the creation the amusement park based on the characters and their various exploits, leading to the Simpson robots gaining sentience so obviously there'd be a ton of blatant references and riffing, but I felt it's all well in-context and tongue in cheek, going all out with the silliness & taking advantage of the 'Westworld' parody. It manages to celebrate the series while at the same time poking fun at its ridiculous longevity & fanbase. The reference-based humor adds to the whole existential horror approach and that, to me, helps with the weird absurdist tone.

At the end of the day, I think it more or less boils down to apples & oranges with what of metatextual approach one prefers. Also, some just don't find the metafictional take with all the references & cameos from characters entertaining & that can be a hard sell, even despite the fact that there is a satirical and deconstructive subtext in there (even though it generally is simpler than both 'Boy Scout' & 'Behind The Laugher). It depends on the person and how accepting they are of a barrage of references, nostalgia and more of that ilk (such those that can get a little too real-life for comfort; for instance). Sometimes you have to look a little closer to see the overall meaning and that there is, in fact, points to the heavily referential approach, but that doesn't mean it will work for all and I get that. Doing a reference-heavy story definitely won't work for all viewers and like I've said before, the satire will be hard to spot to some.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top