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The Simpsons 2/20 "There's Something About Marrying" (1 Viewer)

MatthewA

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David hit the nail on the head, as far as I'm concerned. If marriage was a joke, why would anyone fight for marriage rights? The episode could have been much better if they argued that marriage is not trivial, and depicted gay relationships as something more than "shacking up."

And considering how this is supposed to be "the most liberal show on TV" (in spite of how that word's perceived meaning is far different now from what it meant 40 years ago) the depiction of gays in this episode was pretty condescending. Patty coming out has been the first believable depiction of a gay man or woman, and making her would-be fiancée a man in drag was a slap in the face. And Smithers lately is a one-joke character. He's not even a character anymore, he's the punchline to a gay joke that's not very funny. I'm almost glad he was nowhere to be found in this debacle.

Jim Brooks ended "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" when it was still good. Too late to do that with the folks in Springfield. Just pull the plug and get it over with, I don't know how much longer I can keep watching. And Fox needs to establish a maximum lifespan for their TV shows of 10 years.
 

MarkHastings

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I paused it on my ReplayTV, and then laughed when I resumed and heard Homer say "Did you read it all" (or whatever he said exactly) :D

How about the phone call to Fox (which was on redial) about the reality show concepts? :laugh: I foget the exact line that the recording said, but it was great...hopefully someone can post it.
 

AnthonyC

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Then stop watching! I still enjoy the show, but nobody's forcing you to continue watching.
 

TravisR

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I personally share the viewpoint of Matthew but I usually TRY to find something funny in the episode to highlight eventhough I rarely think that an episode is good. Like when Homer realizes he can make money on gay marriage so he throws his sign away that says "Death Before Gay Marriage". Or the joke about their own 'hidden jokes' when they left Homer's map onscreen for a long time so you could actually read it.

By the way, don't give credit (or blame) to Sam Simon, James Brooks, or Matt Groening because they don't really do anything at all on the show anymore. They almost have as much input on the show as you or I do:)
 

TheLongshot

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Put me in the camp as someone who was also somewhat disappointed in this episode. It did have moments (I do like the part about Lenny and Carl.), but it felt like that there was more that they could do with the concept. It was too by-the-numbers, particuarly the Fox joke (c'mon guys, do you have to be that obvious?)

I kept thinking, "South Park would have done this better".

Jason
 

WillG

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Yes, South Park usually tackles polarizing/political issues much better than the Simpsons. Of course, South Park has the advantage of an dramatically faster turn around. Also, Matt and Trey are much more even handed/equal offenders when it comes to the issues. There is material for both sides to laugh at.
 

Jeff Jacobson

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I'm definitely not complaining, but does anyone know why Fox is not squeezing the credits over on The Simpsons anymore? I know Matt Groening and other people who work on the show hated this practice. Did they somehow force Fox to stop squeezing the credits?
 

ThomasC

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When did they squeeze the credits for The Simpsons? Perhaps it was in the contract that settled the strike.
 

Sam Favate

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I have to disagree. This season and last have been among the best in the show's long history, and I've been watching since the premiere in 1989. I'm glad to see the show still doing good work and making itself a timely topic of discussion.
 

MatthewA

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I had high hopes for this season because of a small number of episodes that...gasp...I actually enjoyed (particularly the episode where Marge befriends Nelson).

And Fox-bashing jokes are no longer funny. It's like shooting big fish in a small barrel. I saw this one coming a mile away.

Let me tell you that I've been watching since the Christmas special back in 1989 that started the series. I have every single show on tape, including episodes I hate. I own all the season DVDs out as of now. But my love for this show is hanging on by a thin thread known as the occasional funny episode.

And by the way, I counted a total of 33 producers and executive producers on the show this season (including the apparently non-active Groening, Brooks, and Sam Simon). A case of too many cooks spoiling the broth?
 

Todd K

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They are, yes. But just for opposite sides on an internet debate. When I fell in love with The Simpsons at its creative peak and now see it in decline, I wonder how anyone can still support it, unless they're just entertained by seeing familiar characters walk around saying things in their silly voices.

I get the feeling if it weren't Homer and co. saying these lines and having weird adventures, people wouldn't be as supportive.
 

MarkHastings

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While I agree that the show has declined, IMO, it has gone from a 10 to a 7...and a 7 us still funny in my book.

Sure I'd love them to go back to the way they were, but just because it's not as funny as it used to be, doesn't mean it's no longer funny.That's fine if you no longer like it, but it doesn't mean you can say we (i.e. the ones who still like it) are "the most easily entertained person on the planet".

It would be like me saying that the reason people no longer like the show is beause they don't have sense of humor.
 

TravisR

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Humor is entirely based on the person hearing it. I've said it in other threads but I'll say it again, I'm glad someone still enjoys the show even if I don't.

And Matthew, Fox bashing jokes will always be funny:)
 

Todd K

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Well, that is the other side of the coin. There is a chance I'm just being too critical.

But having followed the show for so long, I think it's more like the show has gone from being a 10 to being a 3.5 or 4. Thus, when I see someone enjoying a 4/10 show, I think, "boy, you must be easily amused."

Think about your favorite piece of HT equipment, like an A/V receiver. If its output suddenly went from perfect to just decent, you'd put it on the scrap heap. Sure, lots of Joe Six-Packs would probably think it still sounds good, but you personally know it needs to be junked. Of course it's all a matter of opinion, but you generally know when it's time to throw in the towel regarding things you're a fan of.
 

MarkHastings

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But that's because you can replace it. Imagine your sub woofer started to flicker every week or so...Now imagine not being able to replace it with ANY other sub. Would you throw it out then or live with the occasional flicker?
 

Todd K

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True, you can enjoy it, but when your HT friends come over and rag on you for having a faulty subwoofer, you have to engage in the "is a bad subwoofer better than no subwoofer" debate? If you ditched the subwoofer, you'd be lacking something, yes, but you'd save yourself the frustration of owning a broken piece of equipment.

But getting away from the hypothetical world, thanks to DVDs, we can enjoy the classic era of The Simpsons AND take in fresher shows with a better level of consistency. You might not be able to replace your subwoofer, but maybe you can get speakers with good bass response -- not an exact replacement, but it gets the job done nonetheless.
 

MarkHastings

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As much as I don't laugh hysterically as I used to, I don't find the new shows to be so bad that they warrant me flipping the channel or getting disgusted with them. There is still a lot of pleasure in sitting down to a new episode.

I think a lot of peoples perceptions of the dwindling effect of the show, has been the fact that Matt has tried to stick with his initial plan of not aging the family. Keeping them locked into their look and age, is good and bad. It's good because they don't have to resort to crap like sitcoms do when the cute kids "grow up" and start dealing with "adult" issues :frowning:

It's bad because they have exhausted many situations that most kids (and families) go through, so there's not much "new" material to do, unless they start doing "ridiculous" situations, but (as was noted with the Tanzarian episode) I think that's a bad idea.

I really do hate to see the show go off the air. It's not costing ME any money for new epsiodes and the new ones really aren't that bad...so as long as there's at least one really good episode per season, it's worth the 30 minutes each week.
 

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