2012
22FEB
The Magic Xylophone, Part 4
Last time: Breaking, badly.
This week's episode:
Five.
Five hundred.
Five hundred episodes.
In a lot of ways, I'm glad the 500th episode is what it was, because it ties in to discussion on the movie well - both are notable milestones with similar themes and stories. Despite this, closing splash card be damned - this episode was awful. Awful. There were no jokes. There was no windup. There was no plot. There was no pacing. There was no ending. The only watchable segment was the fast-forward montage of couch gags in the beginning - which was extremely telling of the series on a whole, because as they gravitated toward gags of later and later seasons, you saw less and less of both the titular family and the couch itself. The guest star was the very definition of one-take-phoned-in. The pitch was both nonsensical and recycled. What a fucking waste. There is zero hope for this show any more.
Okay, so, that movie. It came seven years too late, and was pretty much overrated on a whole, but, to be honest, it wasn't all that bad. There were several really, really clever jokes, such as that one part where Bart is skateboarding naked - you know the scene in question. The plot sort of missteps in general, though: "The Simpsons are Going to X" is the name of the game, yet again. It also requires a suspension of all rational thought in order to swallow the whole cover-the-city-in-a-dome-and-blow-up-the-entire-population thing. I mean, seriously? Couldn't you have worked within the scope of the show proper? Even the Simpsons Arcade game from Konami had a more believable and engaging plot.
However, it does hit a few notes just right. The climactic sequence with Homer and Bart jumping the gorge is perfect, and Marge's emotional breakdown absolutely wrecked me the first time. Still, much like said dome, the whole experience felt hollow and unnecessary. I wanted actual game-changers to come from the movie (and not just Dr. Nick Riviera dying). I wanted the family to grow as a unit, rather than hitting one of their weekly rough patches. But, alas, everything must be wrapped up in a neat little package, because changing the dynamics of a two decade old show would be going too far!
Relatively short rant this week, fellow chowderheads. The 500th abomination just depressed me too much to carry on. You know what's a good cartoon? Napoleon Dynamite. The show that promised to make Allen Gregory seem Emmy-worthy. This show is the most pleasant surprise since Bob's Burgers, and it demonstrates how to handle grounded characters and plots with just a tinge of weirdness. It reminds me a lot of The Critic for the same reasons - a core ensemble of characters (some more bizarre than others) that are treated well thanks to coherent, believable plots and a sprinkling of jokes that don't overstay their welcome. Seriously; if you've been skipping ND because you're sick of its pedigree, I implore you to give it a chance.
This week's episode:
Five.
Five hundred.
Five hundred episodes.
In a lot of ways, I'm glad the 500th episode is what it was, because it ties in to discussion on the movie well - both are notable milestones with similar themes and stories. Despite this, closing splash card be damned - this episode was awful. Awful. There were no jokes. There was no windup. There was no plot. There was no pacing. There was no ending. The only watchable segment was the fast-forward montage of couch gags in the beginning - which was extremely telling of the series on a whole, because as they gravitated toward gags of later and later seasons, you saw less and less of both the titular family and the couch itself. The guest star was the very definition of one-take-phoned-in. The pitch was both nonsensical and recycled. What a fucking waste. There is zero hope for this show any more.
Okay, so, that movie. It came seven years too late, and was pretty much overrated on a whole, but, to be honest, it wasn't all that bad. There were several really, really clever jokes, such as that one part where Bart is skateboarding naked - you know the scene in question. The plot sort of missteps in general, though: "The Simpsons are Going to X" is the name of the game, yet again. It also requires a suspension of all rational thought in order to swallow the whole cover-the-city-in-a-dome-and-blow-up-the-entire-population thing. I mean, seriously? Couldn't you have worked within the scope of the show proper? Even the Simpsons Arcade game from Konami had a more believable and engaging plot.
However, it does hit a few notes just right. The climactic sequence with Homer and Bart jumping the gorge is perfect, and Marge's emotional breakdown absolutely wrecked me the first time. Still, much like said dome, the whole experience felt hollow and unnecessary. I wanted actual game-changers to come from the movie (and not just Dr. Nick Riviera dying). I wanted the family to grow as a unit, rather than hitting one of their weekly rough patches. But, alas, everything must be wrapped up in a neat little package, because changing the dynamics of a two decade old show would be going too far!
Relatively short rant this week, fellow chowderheads. The 500th abomination just depressed me too much to carry on. You know what's a good cartoon? Napoleon Dynamite. The show that promised to make Allen Gregory seem Emmy-worthy. This show is the most pleasant surprise since Bob's Burgers, and it demonstrates how to handle grounded characters and plots with just a tinge of weirdness. It reminds me a lot of The Critic for the same reasons - a core ensemble of characters (some more bizarre than others) that are treated well thanks to coherent, believable plots and a sprinkling of jokes that don't overstay their welcome. Seriously; if you've been skipping ND because you're sick of its pedigree, I implore you to give it a chance.