The Simpsons Countdown

O Mein Poppa!

Chris Prentice and I sit down to talk about Krusty again. Namely, Krusty's tumultuous relationship with his dad - played by Jackie Mason. 

And so, we discuss this episode that, while possessing a fair share of laughs, falls more on the sentimental side. It's a good story, and it's well-written and acted. But, more than anything else, it shows The Simpsons really starting to tap into the universe they've established - experimenting with a story that doesn't really focus on the family at all, but takes advantage of its rich supporting cast.

We also talk, briefly, about Caddyshack II. So... Trigger warning.

Dig in.

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It's another very funny episode of The Simpsons! Maybe this is not quite as memorable or "iconic" as some of the more classic segments, but the laughs are definitely there.

Josh Fein and I go over our favorite bits and pieces and, as it is the nature of the podcast, we go off on a bit of a tangent far as the hidden banality behind great events throughout history, which somehow leads to us briefly discussing Quantum Leap, among other things.

Of course we're nowhere near the "breaking point" of the series. But we're not quite at the "golden age" just yet. 

It's a fun talk, in any case.

Dig in.

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Jason Pollock and I sit down to talk about arguably the first really funny episode of the series! Well, ok... Maybe that's an exaggeration. But it's the first genuinely good, funny episode that Pollock and I have talked about. And it's most definitely the first great episode of Season 3. 

Pollock and I talk about that and we also go off on a couple of tangents about how stupid it is in this day and age to rail against "PC culture" and "Cancel Culture," when you consider that an episode like this - which is about a 10-year-old-boy who is working for the mafia and is put on trial for murder - is allowed to stream in its entirety and free of any disclaimers on Disney Plus.

That's definitely something to ponder. But also worth pondering is how good this episode really is, how much fun Joe Mantegna has playing Fat Tony and, well, how The Simpsons was once upon a time truly a landmark comedy series, which this episode is clear evidence of.

It's a fun discussion.

Dig in.

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And so, the third season just rolls along... And we are still seeing the remnants of season 2's production cycle as the series struggles to find its specific identity amidst the landscape of TV comedy. Some people consider "When Flanders Failed" a classic episode, others hate it... I suppose we fall somewhere in between.

Troy Anderson of AndersonVision.com joins me this week to discuss this often funny, sometimes maudlin...ultimately rather bland episode. And we find ourselves trailing off and discussing the sociopolitical global landscape in the fall of 1991, a time that saw The Soviet Union come to an end... And we eventually devolve into discussing the MPAA -- or is it MPA now? Just MPA? Why? Does it matter?

Does anything matter?

Dig in.

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And don't forget to check out Troy Anderson's website - https://andersonvision.com/

The Simpsons get political this week and, yes, so do we.

Josh Fein sits down with me to talk about this episode, which finds Lisa coming of age as she wakes up to the reality of corruption in the halls of DC. But the episode also gave us a chance to talk about political commentary in general...how media approached it then vs. how it approaches it now; and the intricacies of navigating discussions of global politics on social media, where not everyone is quite as informed as they claim (or wish) to be.

It's an engaging discussion.

Dig in.

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And so... 

Here we are with Season 3 of The Simpsons, which begins with the legendary episode that THEY don't want you to see! Whoever THEY are, and for whatever reason THEY care. But, in any case, we here at The Simpsons Countdown made a pledge to go back to the beginning and watch ALL of The Simpsons...and "All" cannot properly be considered "All," unless we include this episode... An episode that came to us at a more innocent time - the 90s, when life was simpler. And when it took more than just a series of tweets or a provocative documentary to erase a celebrity's existence.

In any case, for this particular episode I sat down with Mike Drew Flynn - who was kind enough to provide an MP4 file of its original 1991 airing (and from the NY Fox affiliate no less!) and my very good friend Ram Rojas, who I've known since I first moved down to Bolivia - almost thirty years ago. 

We sat down to watch the episode and discovered...that it's really only okay. A sweet-natured storyline, a couple of decent gags, and the novelty of Michael Jackson guest starring on his favorite show for the sake of a big TV event. 

We discuss that, basically... The pop culture landscape in the fall of 1991, a time in which MJ was still The King of Pop. And we DO NOT discuss the "issues." We don't go into any detail about the controversies over the years, the recent documentary... None of that. We don't even really give our opinions on the matter or on whether or not we believe the allegations. This is not that kind of show. We're just here to have some fun and reflect on better times.

If you want controversy and polemic, look elsewhere.

If you want a fun talk, dig in.

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Well... Here we are at the season's end. And, as it was with season one, so too it is that Mike Drew Flynn is on hand... to discuss "Blood Feud," which although technically the "last" episode of Season 2, actually aired in the middle of the summer hiatus. And so, in essence almost serves as a kind of bridge into the next season...where The Simpsons really took off and began its tenure as the cultural benchmark and premiere source of social satire of the 1990s.

Flynn and I discuss this very funny episode, but more than anything we reflect on this particular time and place; and The Simpsons' place in the cultural zeitgeist. We reflect on the first two seasons of the show in general, and look forward to seeing where things take us in the seasons to come.

At this point, the podcast will go on a brief hiatus... But it will return (in its regular time slot of Thursday evenings) in mid December.

In the meantime, why not catch up with the first two seasons? 

A good way to do that is by subscribing to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A 

Or, assuming you haven't already, go ahead and subscribe to this podcast on whatever platform you're listening to right now.

If you are fully caught up, maybe you can check out my new podcast Discovering The X-Files. It's available on all the same platforms as this and will continue uninterrupted through the hiatus, twice a week - on Mondays and Fridays.

If you don't care for The X-Files but want to keep tabs on me anyway...

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See you in December!

Stay safe.

It is my sincere pleasure to welcome The Pensky File's Clay McCormack to the podcast. We sat down for a balmy afternoon to discuss the episode "Three Men and a Comic Book," which was appropriate for us to discuss as longtime comic book aficionados ourselves (me as a reader/collector, him as someone who actually makes them).

The episode is very funny, of course, but it also presents an authentic portrayal of comic book fandom and accurately captures a young boy's obsession with procuring an elusive book - not as a collector, per se, but for the sheer thrill of the classic story contained inside. 

Clay and I discuss that; and we also discuss our own personal relationships with comic books.

Something else that comes up, notably, is the marked differences between "classic" and "modern" Simpsons. The tone, the style of the jokes, etc. We almost get at the "why" for the dip in quality, if not necessarily the "when."

We talked for an hour, folks! 

And it's a good talk.

Dig in.

For more Clay, check out The Pensky File - https://thepenskyfile.com/ - I cannot recommend this enough. A cornucopia of fantastic podcasts awaits you.

Also follow him on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DeadMeatComic?s=20

And Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cmccormack414/

And, while you're at it...

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Jason Pollock sits down with me to discuss "The War of the Simpsons," in which Homer makes an ass of himself and almost destroys his marriage, until Marge decides to forgive him even though he has done nothing to atone for his selfishness and all around failure as a husband.

The episode explores some serious themes, and so Pollock and I have a bit of a serious discussion. And we discover that for all the episode's highlights, good writing and several funny moments, it just isn't that satisfying. Maybe it hits a bit close to home? For me as a part time drunk and for him as a full time teetotaler... Or maybe the writers' ambition exceeded their grasp - with an episode that has to run the gamut from slapstick comedy to a cynical observation of a broken marriage to seriously exploring the reality of living with an alcoholic and compulsive patriarch.

In any case, I guess my point is we talk about a lot of stuff...and there's a whole bunch to dig into. 

So, dig in.

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Josh Fein is back to discuss "Lisa's Substitute," a heartwarming episode guest starring Dustin Hoffman in the title role.  

The chief feature of the episode is that its a touching coming-of-age love story for Lisa, which gives Yeardly Smith the opportunity for emoting on a deeper level than she ever had up to that point in the series.   

We discuss the episode's dramedy aspects, which were clearly and heavily influenced by James L. Brooks. But, also, we delve into the episode's chief source of comedy - the B story- in which Bart and Martin compete in an election for class president, leading to unfortunate results that might feel uncomfortably real in today's environment.  

Do we get a bit heavy here? No not really. It's still a spirited discussion. So, by all means, dig in.

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