A review of "Worst Episode Ever (CABF08)"
Benjamin Robinson
Many years ago, when Homer and Marge Simpson went house-hunting, they
sought the help of a firm called Stinking Fish Realty. "With a name
this bad," went their slogan, "we have to be good!" Whoever titled
this episode must have followed the same logic. No matter how good or
bad it turned out, the title "Worst Episode Ever" all but *dares*
critics to give the show a bad review. The writers are certainly
brave, I'll give them that.
For the record, the "episode" in question is not CABF08, but a
"cardiac episode" -- a heart attack. The victim is Springfield's own
Comic Book Guy, the misanthropic, maladjusted owner of the Android's
Dungeon. (By the way, CBG's name is still a mystery. The writers
didn't even try to fake us out, as they have with the location of
Springfield.) With CBG out of commission for a few weeks, Bart and
Milhouse fill in for him at the store. In the meantime, CBG tries to
rejoin the human race.
Now, this episode -- and by that I mean the show -- could have gone in
one of two directions. Handing the store to Bart and Milhouse has an
almost comic-book silliness to it. Even CBG thinks it's something out
of the mythical Bizarro World, and the action could have been inflated
to comic-book levels to fit. Just think: Two young boys, through an
astonishing quirk of fate, must fight to keep the city of Springfield
safe for comic-book lovers! Although the writers hint at this
direction, even rendering the Act 2-to-Act 3 transition as comic
panels, what takes place is rather mundane. Bart predictably
dominates Milhouse, and slacks off. The two fight, and later decide
to be friends again. That's it. There's a lack of tension here, much
as with the last new show, "Pokey Mom (BABF05)."
CBG, released from the hospital decides its time to make friends.
Here is the show's other possible direction -- a semi-serious fleshing
out of CBG's character, as he finds there's more to life than seeing
if the Incredible Hulk could take Batman in a fight. (You say CBG is
too valuable as a super-Nerd to do this? He could have decided
friends are too much trouble and gone back to his old ways.) Instead,
CBG meets Agnes Skinner at a "making friends" class, and fall in love.
If there's a better example of an answer to a question that absolutely
nobody asked, I haven't seen it. The writers were obviously going for
shock value, and succeeded, but at the expense of the story. CBG and
Agnes trade a few insults, and then suddenly decide they're made for
each other. Huh?
The jokes in "Worst Episode Ever" are a hit-or-miss proposition. Many
were good enough to be at least sort of amusing, but not good enough
to really cover the flaws in the plot. Some good ones shine through
in spite of this. Dr. Hibbert says owning a comic-book store would be
a widow-maker of a profession -- if any of the owners were actually
married. The "Biclops" comic that Milhouse is duped into buying is so
dorky that it's funny. Parodies of government and other "official"
films have long been a strength of "The Simpsons," and the third act
brings us another good one. Tom Savini has an enjoyable guest
performance, demonstrating the art of special effects for an
appreciative audience. Finally, I think the writers deserve some
credit for resisting the temptation to turn "Worst Episode Ever" into
a long series of barbs aimed at the hard-core fanbase.
Ultimately, the insubstantial storyline and humor (some good jokes
aside) are a drag on the show, so a potentially great episode is a
run-of-the-mill one. With a name like "Worst Episode Ever," you'd
expect a little better.
Grade: B-
[DYNs]
... during his "antacid trip," foam dribbles out of Homer's
nostrils?
... Milhouse still has My Little Pony underwear?
... soda bounces off RM #1000 onto an issue of Bongo Comics?
... Pamela Hayden has been promoted from "Also Starring" to
"Starring"?
[References]
the O. J. Simpson trial
- Johnny Cochran's summation, "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit"
is used as a sound bite in Homer's flashback
Nixon resignation
- a clip from his resignation speech represents the 70s in Homer's
vision
the Moon landing
- Armstrong's "one small step ..." sound bite heard in Homer's
flashback
"acid trip" (drug slang)
- Bart observes Homer is on an "antacid trip"
Madonna (pop singer)
- when the wizard hats stick to CBG's chest, they resemble the
cone-shaped bra cups she once wore
"The Lord of the Rings" (book)
- one of CBG's competitors is "Frodo's of Shelbyville"; Frodo is a
character from the book
"Plan 9 from Outer Space" (movie)
- the publisher of "Biclops" took their name from the film
"Star Trek" (TV series)
- CBG calls human contact, "the final frontier"
Goldie Hawn (actress)
- CBG calls Mrs. Skinner, "Oldie Hawn"
"Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" (movie)
- CBG sarcastically says, "now I know whatever happened to Baby
Jane"
[Previous Episode References]
[AABF02] Background from end credits seen during Homer's "trip"
[2F22] Milhouse literally runs circles around Bart (cf. Martin
circling Nelson)
[1F06] Milhouse and Bart's spending spree takes them to Kwik-E-Mart
[BABF14] Milhouse is a closet "My Little Pony" fan
[8F24] Martin attends fat camp
[FFF]
Advertisement for RM #1000:
IT'S HERE!
RADIOACTIVE MAN
#1000
Martin's treasure box:
One side - Other side -
PROPERTY
OF [big skull]
MARTIN
[skull] PRINCE [skull] DO NOT TOUCH
Sign at comedy show:
GALLAGHER
IN
SPRINGFIELD
CBG's wall of shame:
BANNED
FOR LIFE!
[Sideshow Bob] [Nelson] [George Lucas?]
[Milhouse and Bart]
Biclops cover quote:
THAT'S FOR
MAKIN' ME
CRY!
Sign at adult-education center:
HOW
TO
MAKE
FRIENDS
CBG's shirt
MY OTHER
T-SHIRT
IS CLEAN
Forbidden video #1:
POLICE INFORMANT
#2831
Booths at the Squidport:
HAVE IT What They Eat In THE The
URUGUAY ICELAND KARACHI LONDON BROIL
HIBACHI
Underground:
THE The A TASTE MUSSOLINI IRAQ
KARACHI LONDON BROIL OF AND &
HIBACHI SERBIA FRANKS [?]
These are fed from:
ALL PURPOSE
MEAT
Festival sign:
FORBIDDEN FILM FESTIVAL $5
Forbidden video #2:
SECRET
NUCLEAR DEFENSE PLAN
U.S. GOVT. FILM #1612
CBG's bachelor pad:
LD
IE
GF ARMS
IN
PR
S 61 00
5 [the 5 is upside-down]
[Personal Comments & Observations]
>> And now Homer's going to miss all his movies
Gallagher was one of the first comedians to make it big as a "prop
comic" -- someone who uses oddball props as the basis for the jokes he
tells. Homer interrupts Gallagher's trademark gag, the "Sledge-O-
Matic." Toward the end of his act, Gallagher would prop up a
watermelon on a small stand. Then, he would wallop it with a
sledgehammer, spraying the first several rows of the audience with
watermelon shards. Perhaps surprisingly, this was hugely popular
(especially with the folks in the nosebleed seats). As far as I know,
Gallagher's on-stage popularity didn't translate into Hollywood
success, so Homer didn't miss much with his lifetime ban.
>> People in the news
Homer tries to pass himself off as Shaquille O'Neal, the professional
basketball player. Currently with the Los Angeles Lakers, O'Neal is
one of the biggest men in a league already known for its abundance of
tall people. In fact, the Homer-Milhouse-Bart combo seems about as
tall as "Shaq" is just by himself.
Mr. (Fred) Rogers is the host of "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" (or maybe
was; I haven't seen it in years). Rogers was known for his
extraordinarily placid, soothing on-screen persona. Off the set, he
was ... pretty much the same, which makes the blooper reel such a
find. Rogers typically wore a cardigan sweater on the show, which is
probably what he's ranting about on the tape.
>> Take that, Barnes & Noble!
Barnes & Noble is a chain of bookstores in the United States. They
are large enough to attract authors for speaking and book-signing
engagements, although Tom Savini would be a little out of their scope.
>> And don't get Moe started on the Susan B. Anthony dollar ...
Sacagawea was the Lemhi Shoshone woman who guided Lewis and Clark on
their explanation of the Louisiana Territory. Nearly two hundred
years later, her portrait graces the new US$1 coin, which is the
Mint's latest attempt to wean the US off the paper dollar bill. The
coin is more popular than the scene at Moe's tavern suggests, but as a
souvenir rather than circulating currency.
--
Benjamin Robinson bj...@freenet.tlh.fl.us
This message may or may not contain sarcastic content; your burden to decide
NOTE: This message is not intended for use as a floatation device
Lynt
Dean Humphries
>
> My brain hurts.
So does mine.
--
>>>>> Get Snuhy!
>>>>
>>>> news:alt.tv.simpsons.snuh
>>>
>>> news:alt.binaries.snuh
>>
>> news:alt.folklore.snuh
>
> news:alt.snuh
http://www.geocities.com/buhsnuh
THE
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Dr. Richard Silverł SPAMNEENERS CLUB Member
england.chat top poster for July, 2000
Sabu424's The Good Guys List member
From: en_mog <en_...@hotmail.com>
Newsgroups: alt.tv.simpsons
Subject: Goodbye :-)
Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2000 08:05:45 -0500
If I have any integrity at all, I must leave. I welcome others
to do so as well if they refuse to be led by a group of
unthinking drones that are stuck in such a mindnumbingly
predictable pattern of
snuh/attack/snuh/attack/penises/attack/snuh/rectum/attack/.
From: TGOS <tg...@spamcop.net>
Newsgroups: alt.hentai.sailor-moon
Subject: Re: Great Newsgroup!
Date: 27 Nov 2000 02:23:19 -0600
Nobody can control the snuh.
Ready to create a new newsgroup?
Everything you need is here:
http://www.dw.net/~scottzf/hamish_mcsnetter/index.html
pleace add to yuor lits: snuh music
http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/49/tinc_project.html
this has been another unique, handcrafted and thoughtful psot from the
Snuh family of fine psoters.
Lynt
The Rack
Funny. I just watched that Monty Python episode last night...
--
The inflammable Chadderack
I am male-bonding with your father... apparently it involves repeated
vomiting.
_____________________________
>>|Wistfully hoping for a sig as|
|succinct as Dean Humphries' |
------------------------------
Sent via Deja.com
http://www.deja.com/
Benjamin Robinson
thread, Michael Nusair wrote:
>I think that was supposed to be Matt Groening.
That seems to be the predominant opinion, so that's likely the way it will
go in the capsule. Still, isn't Groening usually Simpson-ized with brown
hair, and a thinner beard than the guy in the photo?
I think it would have been funnier if Lucas *had* been banned by CBG as
though even he couldn't live up to CBG's standards. "All right, enough
about Jar Jar already. Jeez, it's just a movie."
Ozmodiar
> [Previous Episode References]
>
[2F19] children play in water spraying from an open fire hydrant
big hungry joe
Lynt <ly...@breakbeat.com> wrote in message
news:56kg6.3954$o85....@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> My brain hurts.
>
way to ruin the thread, LYJNGT