Simpsons 3/17/2002 (1 Viewer)

[Craig S]

I thought "Tales From the Public Domain" was another great episode. Lots of great lines... my favorite:

From now on, throughout history, when people get wood, they'll think of Trojans!

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I thought it was as average as the last few seasons have been. The series is really running out of steam/creative ideas. Still, I agree that there were a few good one-liners.

 

[Josh Dial]

The Hamlet piece was darn good I thought.

cheers!

Josh

 

[Mike St.Louis]

A few funny lines but not a very good episode.

The Simpsons used to make me roar with laughter. Nowadays an episode will get a few chuckles at most.

 

[Craig_T]

I thought it was lame. Although I wasn't expecting much. The first act was ok I guess, but the last two acts were pretty bad. Even my favorite character Ralph didn't deliver.

 

[MickeS]

I liked it a lot. This season has been very good overall IMO. The scene with Homer taking a bite out of pig-Lenny was so funny, and there were a lot of other really funny scenes.
By the way does anyone else still miss Phil Hartman? Not a Simpsons episode goes by that I don't miss him. :frowning:
/Mike

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

I too found the episode to be excellent. I'm not sure what the expectations are, or what the people who disliked the episode are hoping for-- but for a room full of old college students (A bunch of College students all older than 24), the laugh level was pretty high.

The Simpsons seems to have created thier own curse, IMHO. They so frequently offer humor on multiple levels:

High-Brow (obscure ref to literature, philosphy, theological thought, cultural satire and ref)

Mid-Brow (running themes, cultural stereotypes, irony, parody)

Low-Brow (Site gags, slapstick, bodily functions, situational and other sit-com elements, etc)

By offering so many levels of comedy, they have gathered a very diverse audience, all attracted by different elements served-up by the show.

The other edge to that sword is that if they shift focus towards any type of humor, the other audiences seems to criticize the show as "not funny"- when I believe it would be more accurate to say "not funny to me". I think it's interesting to see others criticize the show as "running out of ideas", when I feel the more recent episodes have been the most witty and interesting in a long time.

Again, I think it's just an issue of what type(s) of comedy personally appeal to you.

I myself fall more for the High-end of the Mid-brow stuff to the lower end of the High-Brow stuff-- so when they do cultural satire and tounge-in-cheek send ups of modern society or humor based upon literally classics/historical events, I usually find the shows the most funny.

Others however are probably expecting different humor from the simpsons.

-Vince

 

[Richard Kim]

You gotta love Homer shakin' his ass while dancing to Ghostbusters.
Another Ghostbusters reference: Homer's ghost going thru the wall, leaving ectoplasm behind in the beginning of Hamlet.

 

[Craig S]

Good analysis Vince. Before you & Mike chimed in I was beginning to think I was the only person on the planet who thought last night's ep was funny. It wasn't as good as the Rainer & Greta Wolfcastle episode (perhaps the best of the last two years), but it certainly continued in the improved vein you noted.

I personally find myself falling more for the High-end of the Mid-brow stuff to the lower end of the High-Brow stuff

I dare you to say that three times fast!!

 

[Benny G]

Daddy, your stomach is crying!

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I thought it was one of the funnier episodes from this season. The trojan line still cracks me up, along with most of the Hamlet thing.

 

[GARY C]

There have been some reals gems lately. It's making me watch again every week.

[Homer]"If I'm laughing at what I think I'm laughing at... ha... ha!"

Stuff like that make the show. Last nights had alot of great moments. The writing is coming close to the level it used to be.

I hope they keep it up.

BTW did anyone notice the "Toys 'L' Us" in the China Town a few weeks ago (I think it was in the Toronto episode). I was on the floor for minutes pissing myself. It's the small hidden things like that which make the show great.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Aren't the writers for the show like Harvard grads or something? Some of the jokes are really witty and smart, even if the episodes end up not being that great.

 

[Rob Speicher]

I think that's the producers, Morgan. Can't remember where I heard that, though.

 

[Brad_V]

Family Guy seems to be the closest to what The Simpsons used to be capable of. Even perhaps surpassing The Simpsons.

 

[Shayne Lebrun]

Har, ha har. I guess that's what I get for sitting in the front row.

*lights table beside him on fire, grabs two screaming women, and runs off.*

That's classic stuff.

 

[Nate Anderson]

When I watched the Trojan horse segment, I remembered the Lemon Tree Episode, and at the end, Homer, Flanders, and the others hid in Flander's illegally parked camper so that the camper would be towed into the gated lot where the kidnapped lemon tree was and waited until night. When Homer and the others snuck out, he commented, "No one has ever been this sneaky."

Oh well...

I still love the episode where Homer had to get his jaw wired shut and he tried to eat a steak but couldn't, so he snorted the chunk up his nose.

 

[Rob Willey]

I liked the trip down the river Styx with "Lady" playing in the background.
Rob