The Simpsons Countdown

My good buddy Chris Prentice is back, to discuss "Brush with Greatness," which is a very funny episode about Marge painting Mr. Burns in the nude. 

There's more to it than that, of course. Primarily a poignant subplot about Homer wanting to shed a few pounds after getting stuck in a water slide.

Ringo Starr was the first Beatle to make an appearance on The Simpsons, as the object of teen Marge's affections, who comes in as a Deus Ex Machina to inspire her at the last minute to paint her heart out and make Mr. Burns "beautiful," even though he is a terrible man.

Chris and I talk about all of that...and the realities of being self-consciously overweight, and also about annoying DVD menus. And stuff.

Good times!

Dig in.

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Arianny chimes in once again from Jersey, and we talk about the episode "Old Money." 

We also discuss the differences in how we treat our elderly in the US vs. Latin America... Because, frankly, this episode brings up those thoughts!   

In any case, it is a spirited discussion. About The Simpsons. And, well, old people.  

Dig in.

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Jason Pollock is back this week, to discuss "Bart's Dog Gets an F," which originally aired in the US on March 7, 1991.

It is yet another slight, inconsequential episode for Pollock and I to discuss...and so we go off on tangents about a bunch of stuff, including the ever present fact that - as Gen Xers, we are able to spot (and scoff) at even the most "obscure" film and pop culture references in the series. We are also in the rather enviable position of living from the dawn of video games through the evolution of that medium to the megabuck industry it has become today...and so we can enjoy playing the latest Uncharted just as easily as we can enjoy sitting back and playing Yar's Revenge on the 2600.

And, in any case, even if you don't know what any of that stuff is, I can attest that it is a good talk.

So, dig in.

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Troy Anderson is back to discuss one of his favorite episodes - "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou," which originally aired in the US on February 21, 1991.

This episode introduced Homer's half brother Herb Powell, unforgettably brought to life by Danny De Vito. It is rightfully a classic, which Troy and I acknowledge, while also talking a little bit about the episode's exploration of character and its deepening of the Simpsons mythology.

Meanwhile, we throw out some behind the scenes tidbits about the tumultuous relationship between Matt Groening and Sam Simon, and how often some of the most important creative forces behind a pop culture phenomenon such as this do not get the credit they're due.

It's a good, informative 40-minute talk.

Dig in.

While you're at it, you might want to check out www.andersonvision.com for some terrific entertainment content.

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Mike Drew Flynn joins me this week, to discuss "Principal Charming," which originally aired in the US on February 14, 1991.

Valentine's Day is an appropriate day, in any case, to air the sweet story of how Principal Skinner dates Marge's sister Patty... Flynn and I acknowledge this. We acknowledge that this is a charming, effectively romantic episode. 

But we also acknowledge that the Police Academy franchise is a good series of comedies. We acknowledge that the fifth entries in a horror series tend to be the worst. We acknowledge that Simpsons video games tend to suck...very much.

We acknowledge.

Dig in.

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Chris (Moltisanti) Prentice is back on the podcast to talk about the classic episode "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment," which originally aired in the US on February 7, 1991.

It's another winner of an episode full of classic moments, witty gags, and basically all the good stuff you expect out of the series' golden age...proving the adage from a couple of episodes ago, that this show really began its uptick once they "jumped the gorge." 

And the episode gave Chris and I a lot to discuss for just about an hour. We reminisce about growing up in homes without cable and how that made us sympathize with Homer's plight. We talk about Phil Hartman and his genius. And, for whatever reason, we talk about James Woods. An actor we both admire very much, even as we can't quite abide his tweets.

In any. case... Good times.

Dig in.

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Josh Fein is back to discuss "The Way We Was," which originally aired in the US on January 31, 1991.

It's the first of The Simpsons' many flashback episodes...this time focusing on how Homer and Marge first met and fell in love. 

More than anything else, it got us thinking about the 17-year difference between 1974 and 1991 - how clear that difference was in aesthetics, culture, trends, etc... And it got us pondering on how unclear that difference is between 2020 and 2003. Of course things are different. Of course society has changed, and it will continue to change. But, if you look at a picture of a group of people from 2003 and put it side to side with a picture from 2020, can you really tell the difference?

Something to ponder.

Dig in.

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Natalia Castro once again calls in from Colombia, and we discuss "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish," which originally aired in the US on January 24, 1991.

Despite the dark subject matter, it's a very funny episode that balances its sentimental aspects with humor very well. And, besides, we know Homer's not actually going to die because this is not the series finale. It's not even the season finale. It's just another Simpsons episode - half way through a season on the uptick.

Natalia and I discuss the humanizing of Homer, and we also go off on tangents about Karaoke, our love (or lack thereof) for raw fish... We talk about that movie The Bucket List, and other movies about people who are going to die. Stuff like that.

Much like the episode itself, it's a spirited 45 minutes that never descends into mawkishness.

Dig in.

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Arianny calls in from New Jersey and we talk about "Bart Gets Hit By a Car," which originally aired in the US on January 10, 1991.

This episode has some historic firsts. Principally: Lionel Hutz makes his first appearance, which means Phil Hartman makes his first appearance and the wonderful funnyman would go on to be an almost mythical presence on the show from this point on. 

The episode itself is pretty funny until a maudlin, out-of-nowhere ending that all but ruins it. Arianny and I discuss the ins and outs of this, and we go off on gossipy tangents about the love lives of Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow...because these are the things that really matter.

Good times!

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Natalia Castro joins me this week, to discuss Itchy & Scratchy & Marge, which originally aired in the US on December 20, 1990.

The episode is funny and everything, with Marge taking on The Itchy & Scratchy Show after its violence influences Maggie to attack Homer with a mallet. But, above all, it is a strangely topical piece of television history...touching upon issues of well-intentioned censorship, which were relevant then and are relevant now - as we see people and corporations desperate to show their awareness of changing mores by engaging in some well-intentioned censorship of their own.

Natalia and I spend the better part of an hour reflecting on that reality, how we feel about it and what it all means.

And yeah, we do talk about The Simpsons. 

Dig in.

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