Resident Crank on the pool episode
Mean Mister Mustard
left-over. That means there may be some hope for Season Six to rise
above last year.
In many ways, "Bart of Darkness" was a typical Season Fiver: it had the
"Simpsons get a wacky object plot" (already used twice before, with a
trampoline and an elephant), and a long movie reference that substituted
for a plot ("Rear Window," as opposed to "Cape Fear", "Thelma and Louise,"
ad nauseum). The Simpsons has never been a formula show, but last season
(and this episode) came dangerously close.
OTOH, it was a better-than-average Season Fiver. A lot of the jokes had
a certain charm, and it captured a great "summer flavor." I would have
really enjoyed this episode, if only the Rear Window ref had been done
better (or perhaps shorter, and an original plot put in its place).
Seeing Hitchcock-via-Simpsons is funny, but here's the central problem:
We all knew, the minute we saw it, that Flanders didn't kill his wife.
Just like we knew Freddy Quimby didn't beat up the waiter in "The Boy Who
Knew Too Much" (hmm, another Hitchcock Ref -- Season Five Formula element
Number Four?). Because the plots of "The Simpsons" have regressed to
the point where they could've been used on any sitcom. Hell, the protagonist
suspecting someone of being a murderer and being wrong seems like it was
lifted directly from "Three's Company" or "Love Boat." Honestly, the
Simpsons can do better.
But beyond that central problem, it was a nice, if all-too-typical, episode.
Here's to Season Six,
Marc
David Oliver
>We all knew, the minute we saw it, that Flanders didn't kill his wife.
>Just like we knew Freddy Quimby didn't beat up the waiter in "The Boy Who
>Knew Too Much" (hmm, another Hitchcock Ref -- Season Five Formula element
Well of course Flanders didn't kill his wife and I seriously doubt they
were trying to make us think so seriously. And of course we knew Freddy
Quimby didn't kill the waiter, because Bart for all intents and purposes
told us as much from the start. I do agree, however, that the episode
ranked right about at the OK level. Seriously. :)
-David Oliver
"I'm a mur-diddly-urderrler!!!"
David J Bell
>Just like we knew Freddy Quimby didn't beat up the waiter in "The Boy Who
>Knew Too Much" (hmm, another Hitchcock Ref -- Season Five Formula element
>Number Four?). Because the plots of "The Simpsons" have regressed to
>the point where they could've been used on any sitcom. Hell, the protagonist
>suspecting someone of being a murderer and being wrong seems like it was
>lifted directly from "Three's Company" or "Love Boat." Honestly, the
>Simpsons can do better.
Perhaps, but this *is* a standard sitcom element, dating back
*at least* to Lucille Ball - a great mentor of John Ritter,
by the way...
James Dreyfus
But the Simpsons is ____NOT____ a sitcom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
--Benjamin W Dreyfus
Berrett W Rice
>>Perhaps, but this *is* a standard sitcom element, dating back
>>*at least* to Lucille Ball - a great mentor of John Ritter,
>>by the way...
>>
>But the Simpsons is ____NOT____ a sitcom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>--Benjamin W Dreyfus
--