A review of "Hurricane Neddy (4F07)"
Benjamin Jay Robinson
[The long of it]
Irwin Allen, the 1970's film master of disaster, would be thrilled with
today's resurgence of interest in the genre. "Hurricane Neddy" carries
this trend through to the small screen, with mixed results.
The first two acts get up a good head of steam. The family's team
effort at solving a Rubik's Cube was funny. So was the tour of Ned's
shoddily rebuilt house. Ned's meltdown was hilarious. I loved Ned
when screamed at Bart, "Here's a catchphrase you'd better learn for
your adult years: 'Hey buddy, got a quarter?'" Amazingly enough, Homer
may have been on the money when he observed that Ned was afraid to be
angry because he was afraid to be human. This outburst made Ned seem
more human than he's been in years. In a more serious vein, I liked
Ned's one-sided conversation with God. It's strangely comforting to
find out that even Ned can have his moments of doubt.
Unfortunately, the momentum of the first two acts doesn't carry through
to the final act. For someone who commits himself to a mental
hospital, Ned seems curiously restrained and rational. Furthermore,
Ned realizes something critical about his past, but this is literally
seconds before the credits roll, so nothing comes of it. The ending
also has a curiously unresolved feel, as if there was no change in
Ned's mental state before the time he went in the hospital, and the
time he left.
Lately, there has been a controversial trend in focusing on secondary
characters, and digging surprising skeletons out of their closets. In
the past, I have not had a problem with this, but after watching
"Hurricane Neddy," I can understand the others' objections. Ned
Flanders isn't like Troy McClure or Kirk Van Houten, whom we previously
knew little about. He's popped up quite a bit in Homer's life, and it
doesn't seem fair to so radically reinterpret his character. I can
accept Ned's repressing a store of anger, but to make him a walking
time bomb is carrying things too far.
Ned Flanders as Job is a great setup, but the end result has something
less than Category 5 impact. If the writers decide to fill in the
backgrounds of minor characters for future episodes, I hope they try
for something less drastic than hurricane-force revelation.
[The short of it]
A fine premise, but the execution is only two-thirds of the way there.
In particular, the lack of change in Ned's demeanor at the show's end
makes the third act seem emotionally flat. Also, the recent trend
toward finding surprising things about the secondary characters is
carried too far here. Good sequences in the third first two acts (like
the house tour, and Ned's meltdown) raise this to the B- level.
[DYNs]
... Ned's stream of "diddelys" right before he snaps includes the
words "shoddily" and "hostility"?
... Mrs. Botzcowski (a.k.a. "The Baby-sitter Bandit") is in one cell
at the mental hospital?
... that's John Swartzwelder (I think) in another cell?
[References]
Dick Tracy
- As a child, Ned borrows the names of some of this comic strip's
characters
[FFF]
Sign at church:
GOD WELCOMES
HIS VICTIMS
[Goofs]
Springfield should have had more warning before Hurricane Barbara. See
"Personal Comments & Observations," below.
I hope Homer has his "Not Insane" certificate on him, because he loses
his "SANE" badge when he talks to Ned.
[Personal Comments & Observations]
>> When Hurricanes Attack
Some relevant observations on hurricanes:
1. Nowadays, thanks to sophisticated tracking methods, hurricane-
prone areas have at least one day's warning before a storm strike,
and often closer to three. These giant storms have been known to
make last-minute shifts in direction, but the chances of getting
caught unaware are very slim.
2. Hurricanes are named in alphabetical order. That is, "Amos" would
occur before "Stella". (By the way, they've been alternating boy
and girl names since 1979 or so.) A hurricane Barbara would most
likely occur early in the season. Ironically, the United States'
real hurricane season ended about a month before this episode
aired.
3. The basement is not the best place to ride out a hurricane. Most
storm fatalities result from flooding, not high winds. Hiding in
the cellar, Our Favorite Family was actually in danger of
drowning. Flanders, on the other hand, offers some good advice --
bring loose objects indoors, before the wind turns them into
makeshift missiles.
4. A small tornado picked up Homer. This makes sense, actually,
since hurricanes spawn tornadoes. Flanders' localized damage
looks like the result of a tornado hit.
5. The "Where is Springfield" crowd might be interested to know that,
in the United States, hurricanes are most likely to make landfall
on the East Coast (especially between Florida and North Carolina).
The Gulf Coast (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and
Florida again) is also frequently hit. Also, there is a
Springfield, Florida. It's in the panhandle, near Pensacola, and
may be vulnerable to a hurricane passing through the Gulf of
Mexico.
>> But it goes with my Marilyn Manson jacket!
Butthole Surfers were an alternative band back when "alternative" was
another term for "unheard of". As their name suggests, they're light
years away from being a Flanders-friendly type of band.
-End of Line,
Benjamin Robinson
--
Finger <afn46299 @ afn.org> for "big" Simpsons code
My opinions don't represent, and are likely contrary to, those of my employer.
This message may or may not contain sarcastic content; your burden to decide.
"See? Because of me, now they have a warning." -Homer, 1F14
Benjamin J. Robinson
[The long of it]
[The short of it]
[DYNs]
[References]
[FFF]
Sign at church:
GOD WELCOMES
HIS VICTIMS
[Goofs]
[Personal Comments & Observations]
>> When Hurricanes Attack
Thought before action
Derek
Benjamin J. Robinson wrote:
> The first two acts get up a good head of steam. The family's team
> effort at solving a Rubik's Cube was funny. So was the tour of Ned's
> shoddily rebuilt house. Ned's meltdown was hilarious. I loved Ned
> when screamed at Bart, "Here's a catchphrase you'd better learn for
> your adult years: 'Hey buddy, got a quarter?'" Amazingly enough, Homer
> may have been on the money when he observed that Ned was afraid to be
> angry because he was afraid to be human. This outburst made Ned seem
> more human than he's been in years. In a more serious vein, I liked
> Ned's one-sided conversation with God. It's strangely comforting to
> find out that even Ned can have his moments of doubt.
I thought the rubiks cube gag was very boring. The house was kind of
funny (the 25 nail house) but most of Ned's reaction was not funny.
Homers responce was hilarious.
The whole way that the hurricane happened was impossible. The hurricane
happening without warning, the drastic drop in pressure (that would blow
the town into orbit), the wind dial by the window, the flanders house
was the only one destroyed (other than the bowling lanes), the tornado
(wouldnt have happened) marge pulling the family in from the tornado,
the hurricane ending so fast, Todd (or his bro?) in the tree alive? Way
to un believable.
Bill Baldwin
Derek wrote:
> The whole way that the hurricane happened was impossible. The hurricane
> happening without warning, the drastic drop in pressure (that would blow
> the town into orbit), the wind dial by the window, the flanders house
> was the only one destroyed (other than the bowling lanes), the tornado
> (wouldnt have happened) marge pulling the family in from the tornado,
> the hurricane ending so fast, Todd (or his bro?) in the tree alive? Way
> to un believable.
I guess I have a different problem. It's not that the hurricane sequence
was unrealistic. Big deal! The problem is it was boring. I don't care
whether the hurricane could or couldn't have happened that way. Face it:
The Simpsons isn't about being "believable" OR being totally consistent
with past episodes. The B-Sharps episode is a classic example of an
entry that fails on both counts. I mean, come on! Homer was this world
famous phenomenon and this is the first the kids hear of it?
Unbelievable. And Homer is not only smart enough to be part of the group
but to write songs for it? Inconsistent. The episode fails on both
counts and succeeds on the only score that *really* counts: It's funny.
Hurricane Neddy could have kept its entire premise as far as I'm
concerned. But somehow the writers never drew the humor out of that
premise. The hurricane coming suddenly WAS unbelievable. That doesn't
mean a better episode would have avoided the unrealism. A better episode
would have noticed the unbelievability and *made fun* of it. The
Simpsons is often at its best when making fun of itself. (E.g. the way
Burns can't remember who Homer is, even after all their interaction. And
unbelievable premise rescued -- and more than rescued, rendered
hilarious -- by Smithers reminding Burns in painstaking detail and Burns
*still* not remembering.) The tornado pulling Homer may or may not have
been realistic. I've seen posts maintaining both positions. But it's
real problem was that it didn't work as a sight gag and the surrounding
dialog did nothing to rescue it.
Anyway, you get the idea.
Aaron Varhola
>Some relevant observations on hurricanes:
>2. Hurricanes are named in alphabetical order. That is, "Amos" would
> occur before "Stella". (By the way, they've been alternating boy
> and girl names since 1979 or so.) A hurricane Barbara would most
> likely occur early in the season. Ironically, the United States'
> real hurricane season ended about a month before this episode
> aired.
ObLisa: "Lisa" is in the name lineup for Atlantic hurricanes for 1998.
Lisa has not been used in the Atlantic; there was a weak tropical cyclone
named Lisa this past fall that hit the Phillipines and China, I think.
Aaron Varhola | "The city of [Miami] was built on a stagnant
Portland, OR | swamp [100] years ago, and very little has
IFA Counsel | changed. It stank then, and it stinks now!"
YSFC #6 |-- Lisa Simpson, 7F02
Ondre Lombard
I totally agree. And it's hard to believe that Ned Flanders _is_
a walking time bomb because it would mean he is the most hatefilled
person in Springfield. He has had "doodilly diddily" going on for the
past 8 seasons. It would indicate he gets frustrated with everyone and
everything he sees and interacts with. It's just not believeable.
On another note, I am not all that pleased with these
controversial trends of giving pasts to secondary characters. Lately,
this series is a lot less like The Simpsons and more like "The Simpsons
help us learn something knew about a character you couldn't care less about."
This happened with Burns, Baby Burns, The Homer They Fall and A Milhouse
Divided.
Throughout most of the season, all of this has merely resulted in
either underuse of characters like Maggie and Bart, or poor
characterization on characters like Marge and Lisa. Marge for the most
part has been nothing but a nag and Lisa seems to be like some type of
boring nerd who is allergic to things we never saw her allergic _to_.
And all this just so we can deal with secondary characters. IMO, I think
the writers haven't a clue how to handle the main characters we care
about so they've decided to write stories about the other characters who,
even if they lapse out of character, we won't be flabbergasted by the
outcome.
Despite there being no _real_ past for Ned, he's gotten enough
airtime for us to know almost about as much about his family as The Simpsons.
Hurricane Neddy nearly drastically rewrote his entire character. And
what about this ending? Assuming there is no change in the storywriting,
by the next episode, Ned will be doodily-doodiling at every insult Homer
throws at him, but supposively he will be more human, which is just not Ned.
I am scared to death that the 8th season will just turn into the
"Lets Change Characters" year, because that's just the direction
Hurricane Neddy sets the show in.
> Ned Flanders as Job is a great setup, but the end result has something
> less than Category 5 impact. If the writers decide to fill in the
> backgrounds of minor characters for future episodes, I hope they try
> for something less drastic than hurricane-force revelation.
IMO, I wish they'd cut out the back-up character stuff. Next
thing you know we'll see Comic Book Guy's past as a parttime Superhero
busting Colombian drug lords.
> [The short of it]
>
> A fine premise, but the execution is only two-thirds of the way there.
> In particular, the lack of change in Ned's demeanor at the show's end
> makes the third act seem emotionally flat. Also, the recent trend
> toward finding surprising things about the secondary characters is
> carried too far here. Good sequences in the third first two acts (like
> the house tour, and Ned's meltdown) raise this to the B- level.
Generally, I agree. If not for some memorable moments in act
one, act two and heck even the lackluster act three, I'da given it either
a C + or C. I give it a B -.
Ondre
"It seems every week something odd happens to the Simpsons. My advice is
to ride it out, make the occasional smart-alec quip, and by next week
we'll be back to where we started from, ready for another wacky adventure."
-- Lisa Simpson
Elvis
> 1. Nowadays, thanks to sophisticated tracking methods, hurricane-
> prone areas have at least one day's warning before a storm strike,
> and often closer to three. These giant storms have been known to
> make last-minute shifts in direction, but the chances of getting
> caught unaware are very slim.
Been reading a few threads on this. I'm not a meteriologist, nor do I
play one on TV, but I took a different view on this joke. Because of
these sophisticated weather tracking devices, any normal town would have
been more than prepared for a hurricane. The facts are that Springfield
is FAR FROM NORMAL. The citizens are gullible (escalator to nowhere) and
easily swayed (a song changes their mind on the burlesque house). In the
least insulting way, they're stupid! Getting caught off guard was the
joke. They were poking fun at how backwards Springfield is.
__o
_`\<,_ --- Dave
Thangyuh. Thangyuh vurry mudge. . . . (*)/ (*)
Bermuda likes my sig!!! Bermuda likes my sig!!! Bermuda likes my sig!!!
Brian Westley
Elvis <dpr...@orion.webspan.net> writes:
>> 1. Nowadays, thanks to sophisticated tracking methods, hurricane-
>> prone areas have at least one day's warning before a storm strike,
>Been reading a few threads on this. I'm not a meteriologist, nor do I
>play one on TV, but I took a different view on this joke. Because of
>these sophisticated weather tracking devices, any normal town would have
>been more than prepared for a hurricane. The facts are that Springfield
>is FAR FROM NORMAL.
Also, Homer enjoys smashing weather stations.
---
Merlyn LeRoy
Brett Barabash
> Despite there being no _real_ past for Ned, he's gotten enough
> airtime for us to know almost about as much about his family as The Simpsons.
> Hurricane Neddy nearly drastically rewrote his entire character. And
> what about this ending? Assuming there is no change in the storywriting,
> by the next episode, Ned will be doodily-doodiling at every insult Homer
> throws at him, but supposively he will be more human, which is just not Ned.
Is it just my noticing, or is the continuity of the episodes sliding drastically?
It seems that every recent episode is showing a blatant disregard for the past
framework that was designed in the previous ones.
The explanation for Ned Flanders' odd speech mannerisms was uncovered a couple of
seasons ago in 3F03 (Lisa the Vegetarian), at the Flanders' Family Barbecue:
Homer: Hey Flanders!
All Flanders: Hidely-ho, neighborino!
Homer: Shut up!
All Flanders: Okily-dokily!
Homer: Ned! You're having a family reunion and you didn't invite
me!?
Ned: Oh, gosh Homer. This is strictly a Flanders affair. I've
got family here from around the globe. [Points out one
relative.] Here's Jose Flanders.
Jose: Buenos Ding dong didlyos, senor.
Ned: And this is Lord Thistlewick Flanders.
Thistlewick: Charmed. [Ned nudges him in the back.] Eh, a googily...
doogily.
Every member of the family spoke the same way. Surely the writers don't want us
to believe that they were all trouble children, and underwent intesive spanking
therapy.
It was nice to revisit Ned's beatnik parents again (their previous appearance was
in 1F18). Recalling a rerun of 9F08 (Lisa's First Word), it occurs to me:
In order to make the related episodes make sense, that decrepit old woman, Grandma
Flanders (Remember, "Hellooo Joe!"), must be a heavily aged version of Ned's
beatnik mother in 1F18. Unless, of course, she is Ned's grandmother. That would
arise another question "What happened to Ned's parents?"
The whole idea of enhancing background characters can be funny at times (Pedro the
Bee Guy, Cletus the slack-jawed yokel, etc.). However, because many of these
backgrounders have had short segments of shows dedicated to their past, recent
episodes cause viewers to ask even more questions about discrepancies.
Enjoy the ride - Brett
Finally, one question... Where is the Flanders family going to live this Sunday?
The uninsured pile of rubble next to the Simpson home?
Ryan
Ondre Lombard wrote:
> This type of thing has been going on especially at the beginning
> of this season. But if you notice real hard at some 6th and 7th season
> episodes, sometimes, continuity is disregarded. Example: Lisa eats meat
> on several occasions during season 7. I, and Paul McCartney, are to be
> very disappointed, I'll bet.
The Mcartney's said they'd do the episode on one condition: "That Lisa
stays vegetarian for the rest of the show". That didn't last to long.
And the vegetarianism hasn't been mentioned since (has it?). Let's not
start that "Lisa the vegetarian" thread up again though =)
> Yeah. I agree. I'm even shocked that the writers kept up with
> the continuity of Ned's parents being beatniks.
>
> > Recalling a rerun of 9F08 (Lisa's First Word), it occurs to me:
> >
> > In order to make the related episodes make sense, that decrepit old woman, Grandma
> > Flanders (Remember, "Hellooo Joe!"), must be a heavily aged version of Ned's
> > beatnik mother in 1F18. Unless, of course, she is Ned's grandmother. That would
> > arise another question "What happened to Ned's parents?"
>
> I always thought that _was_ Ned's grandma.. hmm. Have to look
> at that episode again. But I think I'm sure that's Ned's grandma.
"Say hello to grandma flanders". This could be the kids grandma (his
mother) or his grandma. It's never really clear.
> > The whole idea of enhancing background characters can be funny at times (Pedro the
> > Bee Guy, Cletus the slack-jawed yokel, etc.). However, because many of these
> > backgrounders have had short segments of shows dedicated to their past, recent
> > episodes cause viewers to ask even more questions about discrepancies.
>
> Background characters getting their own shows is ok, at times,
> I'll admit.. But I'd hate to see an episode centered around Cletus,
> Pedro, Disco Stu or Hans Moleman... This is The Simpsons. And if any
> supporting character must have an episode, it should at least star
> someone who gets enough airtime in most episodes, such as Apu, Moe, Otto,
> Rev. Lovejoy, Flanders, etc...
>
> IMO, one-joke characters like Cletus couldn't hold a half hour on
> their own without being stashed away in a subplot, or so...
Hmmm... Somehow I have a feeling this will be an episode in season 9.
At least there aren't spinoffs of the simpsons focusing entirely on one
character. that would suck bigtime.
> > Enjoy the ride - Brett
> >
> > Finally, one question... Where is the Flanders family going to live this Sunday? The uninsured pile of rubble next to the Simpson home?
Don't worry, it will all be back by the time the next episode airs.
> It is my assumption, that the writers have forced most of us to
> make, that the town will chip in to help him pay for his house's
> reerection
> and the leftorium's reerection as well... Of course, these are
> the loose ends left untied at the end of the episode... Someday, the
> writers will learn...
I hope they do because the sciprts just get stupider by the episode. I'm
still waiting for the three or four gems that we see in a really bad
season. -Ryan
---------------------------------------------------------------
Pixel Fusion http://www.wolfenet.com/~munch/
The Simpsons http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/2678/
The Simpsons Archive http://www.snpp.com/
mu...@wolfenet.com hs...@geocities.com mu...@snpp.com
---------------------------------------------------------------
Ondre Lombard
On Fri, 3 Jan 1997, Brett Barabash wrote:
> > Despite there being no _real_ past for Ned, he's gotten enough
> > airtime for us to know almost about as much about his family as The Simpsons.
> > Hurricane Neddy nearly drastically rewrote his entire character. And
> > what about this ending? Assuming there is no change in the storywriting,
> > by the next episode, Ned will be doodily-doodiling at every insult Homer
> > throws at him, but supposively he will be more human, which is just not Ned.
>
> Is it just my noticing, or is the continuity of the episodes sliding drastically?
> It seems that every recent episode is showing a blatant disregard for the past
> framework that was designed in the previous ones.
This type of thing has been going on especially at the beginning
of this season. But if you notice real hard at some 6th and 7th season
episodes, sometimes, continuity is disregarded. Example: Lisa eats meat
on several occasions during season 7. I, and Paul McCartney, are to be
very disappointed, I'll bet.
> The explanation for Ned Flanders' odd speech mannerisms was uncovered a couple of
> seasons ago in 3F03 (Lisa the Vegetarian), at the Flanders' Family Barbecue:
>
> Homer: Hey Flanders!
> All Flanders: Hidely-ho, neighborino!
> Homer: Shut up!
> All Flanders: Okily-dokily!
> Homer: Ned! You're having a family reunion and you didn't invite
> me!?
> Ned: Oh, gosh Homer. This is strictly a Flanders affair. I've
> got family here from around the globe. [Points out one
> relative.] Here's Jose Flanders.
> Jose: Buenos Ding dong didlyos, senor.
> Ned: And this is Lord Thistlewick Flanders.
> Thistlewick: Charmed. [Ned nudges him in the back.] Eh, a googily...
> doogily.
>
> Every member of the family spoke the same way. Surely the writers don't want us
> to believe that they were all trouble children, and underwent intesive spanking
> therapy.
Exactly. I can't believe I didn't notice that sooner.
> It was nice to revisit Ned's beatnik parents again (their previous appearance was
> in 1F18).
Yeah. I agree. I'm even shocked that the writers kept up with
the continuity of Ned's parents being beatniks.
> Recalling a rerun of 9F08 (Lisa's First Word), it occurs to me:
>
> In order to make the related episodes make sense, that decrepit old woman, Grandma
> Flanders (Remember, "Hellooo Joe!"), must be a heavily aged version of Ned's
> beatnik mother in 1F18. Unless, of course, she is Ned's grandmother. That would
> arise another question "What happened to Ned's parents?"
I always thought that _was_ Ned's grandma.. hmm. Have to look
at that episode again. But I think I'm sure that's Ned's grandma.
> The whole idea of enhancing background characters can be funny at times (Pedro the
> Bee Guy, Cletus the slack-jawed yokel, etc.). However, because many of these
> backgrounders have had short segments of shows dedicated to their past, recent
> episodes cause viewers to ask even more questions about discrepancies.
Background characters getting their own shows is ok, at times,
I'll admit.. But I'd hate to see an episode centered around Cletus,
Pedro, Disco Stu or Hans Moleman... This is The Simpsons. And if any
supporting character must have an episode, it should at least star
someone who gets enough airtime in most episodes, such as Apu, Moe, Otto,
Rev. Lovejoy, Flanders, etc...
IMO, one-joke characters like Cletus couldn't hold a half hour on
their own without being stashed away in a subplot, or so...
> Enjoy the ride - Brett
>
> Finally, one question... Where is the Flanders family going to live this Sunday?
> The uninsured pile of rubble next to the Simpson home?
>
> It is my assumption, that the writers have forced most of us to
make, that the town will chip in to help him pay for his house's
reerection and the leftorium's reerection as well... Of course, these are
the loose ends left untied at the end of the episode... Someday, the
writers will learn...
Ondre
"Herb: Every word you say just makes me want to punch you in the face!
Homer: Well, while you're a guest in my home, could you just kick me in
the butt?" -- 8F23