The Simpsons Countdown

Petrus Silon is on the line this week, to discuss "Bart the Daredevil," which originally aired in the US on December 6, 1990. 

This is Matt Groening's favorite episode, and it's probably the first really "classic" episode of the series - certainly in the first two seasons - as it's one of the few episodes from those first two years that people in general remember; and was made even more of a perennial by continuous references within the show itself...right up until the movie. 

Petrus and I talk about that...about the episode's basic canonical importance, deconstructing its expertly delivered gags and getting to the heart of why it's so classic. 

Check out Petrus' band Oz on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2ZQdHCcJNVYddE05HrM85k

Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A

Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet

Or drop us a line on Discord - https://discord.com/channels/719262099691536474/719262099691536477

Troy Anderson makes his Simpsons Countdown debut to discuss "Bart vs. Thanksgiving," which originally aired in the US on Thanksgiving itself in 1990, which was November 22.

The episode, despite some customarily "edgy" Simpsons humor, is basically a pretty traditional holiday special all things considered - with equal doses of sass and sentimentality, but making sure to end on a heartwarming note. It doesn't represent the series at its best quite yet, but it still gave enough fuel for a wide-ranging discussion that somehow found us reminiscing about the teen drama craze of the 90s.

It's a fun talk so go ahead and dig in. 

Also... keep track of Troy Anderson on his website https://andersonvision.com/ for unfiltered pop culture discussion.

If you want more info on the Simpsons house we talk about, check out this article - https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/549440/real-life-the-simpsons-house-nevada

Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A

Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet 

Or drop us a line on Discord - https://discord.com/channels/719262099691536474/719262099691536477

Fellow ex-pat Dan Lebofsky returns this week, to discuss "Dead Putting Society," which originally aired in the US on November 15, 1990.

Neither of us much care for the sport of golf. Though Dan has at least played it once upon a time, while I have not. But whatever... The most interesting aspect of the episode is Homer's extremely aggressive desire to upstage Ned Flanders and how that has repercussions when he tries to egg Bart on to "destroy" Todd Flanders in a mini golf competition.

Did our own parents ever project their own failings and insecurities onto us in this way?

And did you know Alice Cooper is a champion golfer? You probably do, but I sure didn't.

Anyway, good times.

Dig in.

Jason Pollock is on hand this week to discuss "Dancin' Homer," which originally aired in the US on November 8, 1990. 

The episode achieved massive ratings at the time, was well reviewed, and is fondly remembered by fans...but is it really that great? We discuss that briefly. And then we get sidetracked, of course, talking about why European (and Latin American) sports fans are so much more "badass" than American ones - in particular Soccer Hooligans.

We ponder what the fictional Capital City is analogous for... Is it Chicago or New York? Does it matter?

And, yes... We talk about Star Wars. Because Pollock has a beef to pick with Star Wars...and because guest star Tom Poston happens to resemble Emperor Palpatine. Or is it the other way around?

Dig in.

And so, my fellow expat Dan Lebofsky and I sit down to talk about "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish," which originally aired in the US on November 1, 1990.

And so, inevitably, the first outwardly political episode of The Simpsons takes us to a highly political place more focused on the current environment, which includes a global pandemic and the worldwide protests in solidarity with the victim of a brutal murder at the hands of a police officer in gross violation of his code and severe abuse of his authority.

So maybe this one is not that fun, let me be honest. But maybe it can be cathartic. One of the great values of The Simpsons as a series is how - in being keyed to the zeitgeist - it can be a reflection of the society that spawned it. It can inspire provocative discourse. And the themes that were relevant thirty years ago remain relevant today.

So join us, and perhaps we'll provoke a valuable discussion in your own circle.

TRIGGER WARNING: We do talk about Donald Trump. And we are certainly not kind to him.  

It's the very first Treehouse of Horror! Which originally aired in the US on October 25, 1990.

This is probably the quaintest of the now perennial Simpsons Halloween specials. But, nonetheless, the three-story format is already established up front. As is the basic hallmark of the writers putting their own spin on a classic film or piece of literature; or episode of The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits...

Appropriately, this podcast also switches things up a bit. As three guests - Jason Pollock, Natalia Castro and Mike Drew Flynn - join me to talk about the episode, one segment at a time, and of course go off in any number of tangents.

The writers love these episodes, and so do we. And in 70 fast-paced minutes, we go into detail as to why.

Dig in.

Chris (Moltisanti) Prentice is here to discuss "Simpson and Delilah," which originally aired in the US on October 18, 1990.

This is the episode where Homer discovers a miracle hair growth formula that changes his life...briefly. 

It's a very good, funny episode with a bitter edge - and a cynical worldview as far as elements of the common male self-image. So we spend a bit of time discussing the episode's merits, which include a wonderful supporting character - Homer's secretary named Karl - played by Harvey Fierstein. 

Some of us even confess about our own relationship with hair loss and what that means, and if it stings or not. 

We talk about the episode... we talk about hair loss... We talk about Sean Connery and Bruce Willis. Because there is a relationship between those two, very famous, very masculine movie stars and this episode. 

It's a good time.

Dig in.

Season 2 is off to a compelling start, as Josh Fein and I sit down to discuss "Bart Gets an F," which originally aired in the US on October 11, 1990.

This heartwarming episode came on the heels of a summer hiatus in which "Bartmania" had taken American kids by storm - and everybody wanted to either "be" Bart Simpson, or wear him on a t-shirt.

Josh and I recall this pop culture powder keg as best we can. And it also gives us an opportunity to reminisce about our own scholastic adventures in underachieving. Neither of us were ever so pretentious as to deliver a book report in as pretentious a fashion as Martin does here. But only one of us had to actually resort to crime in order to pass high school chemistry.

If you want to know more, by all means jump right in.

TRIGGER WARNING: Bill Cosby is mentioned more than once in this episode. We don't discuss the particulars of his downfall. But his name is uttered. His voice is heard; and the theme song for his popular sitcom plays, briefly. You have been warned.

Mike Drew Flynn returns to the podcast, and we close out the first season discussing "Some Enchanted Evening," which originally aired on May 13, 1990 - paving the way for Simpsons Mania to take America by storm over the summer hiatus.

I guess Flynn and I don't really like this episode very much, which is probably why this laid back conversation finds us discussing everything from 24 to Brian De Palma to the goddamn Earth Day Special from 1990. Remember that one? 

You probably don't.

But we do.

It's a lean and mean conclusion to this podcast's first season and don't worry because our hiatus will be brief. 

Season 2 starts posting - for an uninterrupted 22 weeks - on the evening of Thursday, May 21. 

In the meantime, if you're new to the podcast, catch up. Or, go ahead and revisit old favorites because there are some fun discussions spread across the past 12 weeks. 

More importantly though, spread the word and stay tuned. It's only going to get better from here on out.

Chris Prentice returns to the podcast, to discuss "Krusty Gets Busted," the penultimate episode of the first season, which aired on April 29, 1990.

This classic episode is the formal introduction of Sideshow Bob, which is a fan favorite character, brilliantly brought to life by the dulcet Mid Atlantic tones of Kelsey Grammer. Both Chris and I happen to be huge fans of this fine actor, and we spend quite a bit of time singing his praises. Tracing his career from Cheers through Frasier and beyond...as he got plum roles in terrible Robert De Niro/Ed Burns movies and also got to be the Big Villain in the Transformers movie with Mark Wahlberg...in one of those anyway.

Yes, this discussion is all over the place as you should very well expect...and it eventually has us talking about the tabloid TV craze of the 90s and everything that entailed.

We had a lot of fun...and hopefully you will too.

Dig in.