Rate & Review: "Helter Shelter" (DABF21)

[Cole]

Season 14's fifth episode, "Helter Shelter" airs tonight:
When nobody takes the Simpsons in while their house is being fumigated, they go on a reality TV show that requires them to live as people did in 1895, but when they start getting into it and the show gets boring, they get a new boarder: David Lander (Squiggy from Laverne & Shirley); boxer Larry Holmes guest voices as well
We ask that you use this thread for all reviews of this episode. As usual, the thread and poll will be opened once the episode airs.

[rossjman1]

The Worst episode I've seen. Bad ending. Stupid, unfunny, unrealistic, and boring; I've wasted 30 minutes watching it...
Worst Episode Ever...
1/5 D-
I would give it a 0/5 if I could. Well whatever...

[kevin]

that was horrible-- D+

[Stackhouse]

Great Episode! Defienetly the best of Season 14 so far- it had me laughing throughout the whole thing.

8.2/10 :)

[Andy]

First act:

--KOTH PARODY: BEST THING IN A LOOOOOOONG TIME.
--Plot doesn't seem so bad so far. Good flow.

Second (Best):

--heh, drunk maggie.
--Did CBG just call the Simpsons 'Our Favorite Family?' Peh.
--BILL COSBY! YES!
--'We need a family that hasn't been on TV forever.' QUOTE OF THE WEEK
--Homer hemorraging after shaving = BAD
--PRANK TELEGRAM! Brilliance.

Third:

--That's IT for David Lander? Wow. Only a few lines, but they were okay.
--Making fun of Law & Order = EXCELLENT.

Overall, a bit late, but still a great poke at reality. Not bad at all. Actually pretty good!

[Citizen Kang]

Random good jokes. 4/5 but now that I think about it I should have given 3/5.

[America: Fuck Yea!]

1sr act rocked but the other 2 were horrible!!! especially the end

[Richard Cranium]

I gave it a 3 not too bad, but not too great.

[lisa_the_greek]

Wow. I didn't laugh at all. Less than 1/5. And I thought last week's was bad...

*sigh*

Everything is now either weird, a parody, or an inside joke. And not funny inside jokes, incredibly obscure ones. I had such high hopes after Season 13, but the show is back in the crapper.

[allies107]

5/5

I really liked it

[kevin]

it was funny but Homer was a jerkass and the plot was horrible

[Lard Lad Donuts]

I enjoyed it very much! I liked Large Marge better but this one was still preety good!

"Wow! Lenny had one crazy apartment!"

[FlawlessFlanders]

5/5. This season's been very good so far, with the exception of THOH 14 and Large Marge.


"That Lenny sure had a CRAZY apartment. Hehehe..."

[pie]

It was ok. I gave it a 3.

[Rob G]

Up until Act 3 it was pretty good.

WHY CAN'T THEY END AN EPISODE ANYMORE???

Like the LAW AND ORDER bit. Squiggy showed no purpose. Oh well.

[Stackhouse]

Originally posted by McStinkalot
it was funny but Homer was a jerkass and the plot was horrible

How was Homer a jerk? I didn't notice that at all. And given the plot, I thought they handled it pretty well.

[Necromancer]

First Act: 4/5
Second Act: 4/5
Third Act: 2/5

3/5 overall

[doyle]

I registered just to review this it was the best thing i had seen in a few years. very unexpected. it had use of minor characters (dolph, jimbo, kearney, lenny, moe, etc.) brought back old stuff (ye old off ramp inn) parodies (koth) and bill cosby. this could be a turnaround for the season. hopefully

[BlindPsychic]

It was ok from what I watched. The KOTH thing was nice.

[D'oh'ses]

yeah this wasent too bad of an episode. one of the better of the season so far. the first act was the best in awhile, joke after joke. i liked the part where squiggy died. the ending could of been better, but this episode was good.

[HellBender]

Started out good, but they ran out of plot and jokes when they reached act 3... then everything went downhill from there.
Did we really need another excessive bleeding scene? Geez
2.5/5... rounded up to a 3

[NoOneFamous]

Well, all I can say, is WTF? This episode had a few good, "classic" moments, and a fair ammount of decent jokes, but for the most part, it was just really bizarre and weird. I literally kept thinking "WTF is going on?" during the show. It was like taking the wackiest Mike Scully episode plotline possible, and stretching it out so it really goes nowhere. and it didn't - they just abruptly end it with them in their own home again as if the whole termite thing ever happened.

Bottom line:
Terrible Ending
Terrible, weird plot
Way too many confusing, or totally absurd & non logical things happening.
"WTF" moments and some of the downright lamest gags the show has done so far.
3/5, and thats being generous, because there were some great jokes in it. If it didnt have those, I'd have given it a 1.5/5.

[conor.]

5/5. Th KOTH parody, CBG, and the Prank call I knew this episode was going to be great just by the blackboard writing "Milhouse did not test positive for Coodies.

[EvergreenTerrace]

Great episode. I dont understand why people over examine it. Definitely better than Large Marge. Best of the season so far, especially the law and order skit.
"The number 5 dont light up"
"I think Im gonna be sick"
hahaha

[kevin]

Originally posted by Maya Buttreeks


How was Homer a jerk? I didn't notice that at all. And given the plot, I thought they handled it pretty well.

wheres that kid with my latte, hes not coming is he (starts Crying) been done before, but this time worse

lenny had one crazy apartment, dumb quote

the shaving thing where homer was bleeding all over the place.

there were more....

[Firewalker]

3/5. Not one of the season's better efforts.
But...loved the KOTH parody, and "we need a family that hasn't been on TV forever-let's try the Simpsons." :LOL:
However, most of it was not too funny, the plot was ridiculous and simply bad, and I lost interest by the end.

Nevertheless, Season 14 continues to surprise me.

[Simpson Purist]

4/10

Boy did this episode live up to the hype, IT SUCKED!!!!

Pros

-Law & Order: Elevator Inspection Unit
-Bill Cosby mocking reality
-Bart's telegram prank call
-King of the Hill parody
-The subtle wink at Lisa on Ice
-Great meta-references

Cons

-I thought OFF enjoyed hockey, at first I thought it was going to be a WNBA game.
-Squiggy was poorly used
-1st act is somewhat disjointed and used as filler for some lame jokes
-An all too surreal 3rd act, how many times has OFF been abandoned on an island in the past 3 seasons?
-Homer gushing blood after shaving
-Homer getting crushed by the rock
-Homer spraying himself with a hose

That is all I have to say for now.

[Toxic Monkey]

Originally posted by PsycheEnFuego
First act:

--KOTH PARODY: BEST THING IN A LOOOOOOONG TIME.
--Plot doesn't seem so bad so far. Good flow.

Second (Best):

--heh, drunk maggie.
--Did CBG just call the Simpsons 'Our Favorite Family?' Peh.
--BILL COSBY! YES!
--'We need a family that hasn't been on TV forever.' QUOTE OF THE WEEK
--Homer hemorraging after shaving = BAD
--PRANK TELEGRAM! Brilliance.

Third:

--That's IT for David Lander? Wow. Only a few lines, but they were okay.
--Making fun of Law & Order = EXCELLENT.

Overall, a bit late, but still a great poke at reality. Not bad at all. Actually pretty good!


Yep, thats pretty much how i felt as well. Though, i hope they dont let the whole "making fun of other tv shows" take over the show . 3/5, not great not horrible.

[FlawlessFlanders]

Oh yeah, the King Of The Hill parody was great... but what suprised me was the return of the prank call.

[Wavy Gravy]

Wow. I'm disappointed. Well, not too much, as I didn't have high hopes for this episode in the first place, but still. In spite of the lame hockey scene, the first two acts offered some good laughs (especially the KOTH ripoff and CBG's apartment), and for a while, the "1895 Challenge" was pretty funny. But when David Lander was added, things started to dip. The house in the river was cheesy, and the "vote-offs" rebelling was pretty dumb, plus the scene ended abruptly with a dumb joke. The ending was lousy too. My least favorite so far of Season 14. 2/5

[HomertheGreat]

WORST EPISODE OF THE SEASON!!!!

First act was by far the best of the episode. The KOTH parody was the best one I've seen in a long time. Good jokes. 5/5

Second Act- started great but by the end came it sucked. Lenny was great and so was CBG. He said OFF too! Drunk Maggie was also great. Question: Why was Barney at Moe's? Bill Cosby was absolutely hilarious! I couldn't stop laughing. Unfortunately the badness started to set in and I stopped laughing. The house was pretty stupid and the end of the second act was completely unrealistic I'll give it a 3.5/5

Third Act- Worst act of the season! The only thing that I laughed at was the Law and Order joke that was it. I don't even want to talk about it 1.5/5

Final Grade- This episode had its ups and downs First act was brillant. Second was going to be great but the house ruined it. And I think I don't even want to talk about the Third Act OVERALL- 2.5/5

[Hans Barber]

first act was good. very good, i actually was very optimistic about the rest of the episode after seeing the first act. however, the second act was ok and the third was stupid. the thrid act ruined the episode. its a shame. the writers must be trying too hard, or not hard enough. hopefully, once again, the next episode will be better. id give it a 2.5-3, only because the first act was good.

["Yes i Cannibus"]

it really wasn't that great 2/5, not many jokes besides the KOTH and drunk maggie gags

and why the hell does the show keep having those stupid ass TV spoofs, like the bloody "old animals" crap, and the elevator unit thing was so gay, and it wasn't just tonight, two weeks ago episode's downfall was those stupid shows like "robo trumble", totally so gay,


oh god, bring back mike scully at least he knew how to make a great episode

al jean will be the death of the show

Scully please come back we miss you

[nowhere]

WOULD HOMER PLEASE STOP CRYING FOR NO REASON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT'S NOT FUNNY, IT WAS NEVER FUNNY, AND IT WILL NEVER, EVER BE FUNNY!!!!!!!!!!!

Now onto my thoughts on the episode as a whole. Laughless and listless. (okay, I laughed at the KOTH parody and Bart's prank call, but that was it.) The episode was everywhere. The premise was stupid, but the execution was even worse. Too much stupid slapstick and Homer's shooting out fountains of blood was one of the worst gags in the history of the Simpsons.

1/5, only because that's the lowest, it's down near the bottom of all time episodes

[kevin]

Originally posted by Simpson Purist
4/10

Boy did this episode live up to the hype, IT SUCKED!!!!

Pros

-Law & Order: Elevator Inspection Unit
-Bill Cosby mocking reality
-Bart's telegram prank call
-King of the Hill parody
-The subtle wink at Lisa on Ice
-Great meta-references

Cons

-I thought OFF enjoyed hockey, at first I thought it was going to be a WNBA game.
-Squiggy was poorly used
-1st act is somewhat disjointed and used as filler for some lame jokes
-An all too surreal 3rd act, how many times has OFF been abandoned on an island in the past 3 seasons?
-Homer gushing blood after shaving
-Homer getting crushed by the rock
-Homer spraying himself with a hose

That is all I have to say for now.

exactly how I felt about this episode overall

[conor.]

Yes, althought there was a prank call last season in "Homer the Moe"

[Stretch Dude]

PsycheEnFuego sums my feelings perfectly. I HATE reality shows, so I enjoyed the all-too-realistic satire.

[TVMan]

make an animated .gif file of the KOTH parody in tonight's ep?

send it to TVMan@comcast.net

[Moleman...Hans]

It was okay.... not great. 3/5 It could have been really good though.

[Urts]

I expected it to be a 3/5 for being a "meh" episode. That's the rating I gave it, but for being uneven, not for being "meh" quality. It seems like I was either laughing or groaning throughout the entire episode. The KOTH parody, Bill Cosby, and the "Law and Order" thing were are all excellent, but Homer's two crying fits and his bleeding cuts brought the episode down.

Even though this episode felt a bit 12-esque at times, I honestly did enjoy it.

[TheRabidmoose]

Not great, but not bad. It finally had the returns of some great gags!

Opening:
Chalkboard gag was a meh at best, so was the coach scene

Good Points
KotH parody was by far one of the better parodies the Simpson has done in a while.
Homer returned to work and got hurt! Wohoo! Though the after effects were a meh!
Hockey game was hilarious...
Lenny and his apartment was great.
The return of the repair guy and his extermination was funny. Another good parody.
PRANK CALL! That made it a 3 out of 5 instead a 2 out of a 5. Haywouldhugme...HAHA! That was great!

Bad Points:
It completely dropped off when they introduced Squiggy
Bleeding and jerkass Homer...
Bill Cosby...he annoyed me this time. It sounded strange with his ramblings.
The bullies at the end...UGH! That was so out of place.
Bits and pieces here and there can't explain this but a lot of things sort of felt out of place.

Overall a decent episode that had another priceless prank 'call' and threatening msg.

[EvergreenTerrace]

You guys fucking over analyze it too much, theyre trying to keep the show going and have some fresh ideas, not reinvent television.

[Stackhouse]

Originally posted by McStinkalot


wheres that kid with my latte, hes not coming is he (starts Crying) been done before, but this time worse

lenny had one crazy apartment, dumb quote

the shaving thing where homer was bleeding all over the place.

there were more....

Wierd... seems that most of you hated these jokes.. I found them hilarious :).

[Gagnonsux]

Well, I will admit that this episode had some of the funniest jokes so far this season. I haven't alughed this much since "Poppa's GOt A Brand New Badge". Other than the great jokes the plot was horrible (especially act 3), the ending was really terrible, and Homer was an ass again. It seemed to me that this was an Al Jean version of a Scully episode. It was probably the most random ep. since "Kill The Alligator and Run".

[Kalbelgarion]

First act: 4/5
Homer getting hit in the head with a giant pipe is *NOT* a good way to start off an episode. Homer's groaning and mumbling in the car shortly after was just sad. I liked Lisa using her knowledge as a former Hocky Goalie to help the Springfield Ice-A-Topes. The name of the stadium was good for a hardy chuckle. And, of course, the King of the Hill parody/allusion was very, very well done.

Second act: 2.5/5
The search for a home was well done. Cosby (and the slight reference to The Simpsons/Cosby battle) was funny, as always. Jimbo was good for a laugh, but little else in this act was humorous. Homer's bleeding certainly must take the score down a peg or two.

Third act: 2/5
Worst of the triad. The "House on the water" stunt was very unexpected and downright dumb. Homer's line about eating bugs made me cringe, and the appearence of the Reality Show contestants made little sense. I felt ill when Homer was crushed by that giant rock. Fortunetly, the Law and Order parody and Homer playing with his family at the conclusion ended this episode on a high note.

Overall: 2.5/5 (not an average)

(Note: No teaser/ad for next week's episode?)

[NoOneFamous]

Originally posted by "Yes i Cannibus"
and why the hell does the show keep having those stupid ass TV spoofs, like the bloody "old animals" crap, and the elevator unit thing was so gay, and it wasn't just tonight, two weeks ago episode's downfall was those stupid shows like "robo trumble", totally so gay,

I agree, they're getting a little old.

oh god, bring back mike scully at least he knew how to make a great episode

al jean will be the death of the show

Scully please come back we miss you

Uh.... no. Mike Scully is responsible for most of the stupid crap on the show today.

[kevin]

Originally posted by Maya Buttreeks


Wierd... seems that most of you hated these jokes.. I found them hilarious :).

thats your opinion then ;)

[mintjellyonthelam]

I will get criticized for this.....but 5/5

I'm sorry, but it was really funny! The third act was a little weak, but I was pleased with everything else. I thought Squiggy would ruin it but it was more of a joke than a guest apperance...and he died!!!!:)

Best Parts: KOTH parody
Bart's outfit
Lenny's apartment
The Skybox
Cletus' daughter "I look like Britney Spears"!

It was just funny

THOH:C-
Strummer:B+
Third Grade:C
Large Marge:B
Helter SHelter:A- The exact opposite of most people.

[Payne To The Max]

2/5

I can't really say much more than what PsycheEnFuego said. Actully, that's how I feel. But like others said, the part where Homer was bleeding fountains of blood was just retarded. And even though it had some very funny parts, it doesn't compensate for the downhill-tumble of the plotline from Act 2-Act 3.

[kevin]

Originally posted by Kalbelgarion


(Note: No teaser/ad for next week's episode?)

Next week is a repeat

[Big]

8/10

it wuz funny

Things that made me laugh

--KOTH PARODY
-- Really funny wuz Drunk Maggie....
--Cosby!
--PRANK TELEGRAM! Brilliance.
--Lenny's Crazy Apartment
-- Some other things
--Making fun of Law & Order = EXCELLENT.
-- Where's that boy with my latee (however u spell it)? He's not coming is he (starts crying on floor)

It wuz a great episode..the ending wuz THAT bad showed Homer being stupid....U guys analyze every detail of the show o no I dont like homer and the hose... I admit their were a couple of flaws but damn to say it sucked? it wuz better then some of the episodes in Season 14.

Well my opinion peace

[Kefka]

The KOTH was fucking hilarious! Best part of that episode. Homer was a too much of a jerkass for my liking :(

[Stackhouse]

Originally posted by McStinkalot


thats your opinion then ;)


Sure is :p

[Andy]

Ralph, methinks you stole a few of my notes, word for word. Please don't do that.

[Sam]

I think it was the best thing to come out of season fourteen. I really liked it.

Good: (no stars is bad, * is okay, ** is good, *** is great)

Koth parody ***
law and order parody **(*)
lenny's apartment **
squiggy **
jimbo, dolph, kearny cameos **
lack of tons of plot twists ***
Moe prank calls are back (old moe) ***
Cosby *

Bad: (no X's is bad, X is terrible, XX is really bad, XXX is really terrible)

Being graphic XX
not much plot progression

Indifferent:

The homer thing at the end.

all in all, the good outweighs the bad. a good episode, i liked it alot. not so much in the plot/premise department, but it had some good parts, and some revivals of classic simpsons.

im going to go out on a limb: 4/5.

glad they left out the "they're not coming, are they? are they?!" part.

(Beep)

[Handsome Pete]

No sir, I don't like it. Really. It was mostly the thrid act that really made me not like this episode. The act was simply a mess, without any real interesting or well-made plot progression, and the jokes were just plain awful (the whole hose thing made me want to vomit).
As for the first and second acts, they were a little more appealing, especially since I've seen some of the 1900 house thing they had on PBS a while back (I don't really consider it a reality show as much as the other terrible ones). However, they were merely okay, which made the third act really bog down the episode.
There were a few good jokes, such as Bart's telegraph to Moe and the throwback to King of the Hill's introduction sequence. Also, Comic Book Guy's line concerning "our favorite family" was a good example of what meta-humor should be on the show. However, the disjointed plot and the majority of the gags really set this one back. 2/5.

Homer bleeding like that was just so atrocious...

[TheRabidmoose]

Hmmm...I just realized another little funny bit about the episode on a whole. Maggie in a cage was a bit funny but the fact that Marge was wearing armour was just funny. (hard to explain)

[Simpson Purist]

I'm probably the only one but, I laughed my ass off at the "A Bug's Death" gag. It was great to see OFF poke fun at Pixar.

[thecapecoddah]

3/5

The majority of the jokes were at least worthy of a chuckle, but the story was all over the place. A real messy episode plot-wise.

[Bartman3010]

It was a likeable episode, up until the 3rd act. I wish they would just quit throwing the episode away the plot at the end.

[Mr. Plow]

Too much of Homer crying. Scenes such as Homer bleeding were disturbing. I got a few laughs in here and there, though the episode was out of order. Terrible ending. 3/5.

[Blue Phoenix]

1/5

Plot was totaly random and pointless. There was no build up or stroy telling to speak of. Episode was a 20 min excuse to tell jokes.

Bluntly there was no point to this whole episode.

I sick to death of random adventure episodes.

[|RABiD|]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Kalbelgarion
[B]First act: 4/5
Homer getting hit in the head with a giant pipe is *NOT* a good way to start off an episode. Homer's groaning and mumbling in the car shortly after was just sad. I liked Lisa using her knowledge as a former Hocky Goalie to help the Springfield Ice-A-Topes. The name of the stadium was good for a hardy chuckle. And, of course, the King of the Hill parody/allusion was very, very well done.

Are you kidding? Homer getting hit on the head was completely unexpected and spewed all my coke all over my couch. First act was frickin brilliant. Second act was alright and third act was quite dull. The homer losing blood joke was quite dumb and bart's telegram was gold. The episode gets a 7.6/10 or a 3/5.

[Simpson Purist]

Another plus to this episode, Homer didn't say "The Simpsons are going back to 1895!!"

[Kalbelgarion]

Originally posted by |RABiD|
Are you kidding? Homer getting hit on the head was completely unexpected and spewed all my coke all over my couch. First act was frickin brilliant.

To me, unexpected events are not always funny. I believe I've had enough scenes that rotate around the idea that it's funny when Homer's in an inhuman ammount of pain.

Perhaps I didn't find it funny because FOX's inane commercials for their stupid programs in between the couch gag and act one sour my mood.

[•ºMikè~Stẕ]

damn...another 2hrs till it starts.....

[Stackhouse]

Myself, I would rather sacrifice a steady plot for funny jokes in a jumbled plot. Episodes with just plots are just plain boring. But, thats just me.

[Sam]

Originally posted by HomertheGreat
WORST EPISODE OF THE SEASON!!!!


homerthegreat, i dont mean to nitpick, but i beleive if you average off your 3 scroes you get 3.5, not 2.5, lol.

im just glad they kept the plot somewhat in check.

i hate the episodes *cough* kill the *cough cough* alligator and run *cough* with the long sprawling plots that have like 4 or 5 parts to them. at least the first act had something to do with the rest (them visiting all the places actually had a reason, and them moving in actually had some cause).

also, couldnt they pick a better way to introduce the termites?

(Beep)

["Yes i Cannibus"]

Scully would have never allowed this crap

[Tibor]

Like everyone else has said, act's one and two were the highpoints. It had some good laughs, and it's the first time in a while that The Simpsons have actually made fun of something. It was as if they were trying to reach back to OFF's glory days, with the first prank phone call I've heard in a while, and reference to a classic episode, Lisa On Ice. Drunk Maggie, Bill Cosby, KoTH, and Law and Order got a laugh out of me. I HATE the new rambling scripts they keep crapping out. Instead of seeing how funny they can make it, they try and see how many completely random series of events can sweep the plot away into nonsense.
3/5

Oh, and BTW, it seems with their new computer painting that they could have not screwed up and given that zebra bright red hooves. Thought that was noteworthy.

[bhlaab]

I liked Bart's allusion to Akbar and Jeff.

"Okay, they're gay! We get it already, sheesh!"

I thought it was a pretty funny episode, but the plot was too random. 3/5

[|RABiD|]

Originally posted by "Yes i Cannibus"
Scully would have never allowed this crap

Your saying "Simpson Safari" and "Kill The Alligator and Run" and "Saddlesore Galactica", usually the 3 episodes people hate the most is better than "Helter Shelter"?

[Moose of Doom!]

All I'm going to say is A) Homer is spouting WAY too much blood. That razor scene reminded me of the thumb scene from Trilogy of Error, blood squirting like a fountain.

B) The writers seem to be having problems keeping a constant story and pace in the new episodes. Helter Shelter reminded me of BvLvTG because they both seemed to have a different "story" for every act.

Other than that it was ok.

[Simpson Purist]

Sheesh, Helter Shelter flies rings around "Kill the Alligator and Run" and "New Kids on the Blecch", although it isn't really much to praise for. But I'll agree that the Mike Scully aura was definitely in the air when I saw this episode.

[mathias1979]

Well sounds like I'm in the minority here. Really enjoyed the episode. 4/5. First and second acts were great I felt. The third act was definitely the worst and kinda ended the episode on a downer. I enjoyed the gag with Homer spraying himself with the hose. Also agree that it was poor use of Squiggy. But overall...this left me with a better taste in my mouth than Bart vs. Lisa vs. The Third Grade. May be my favorite episode of the season so far.

-Matt

[|RABiD|]

Originally posted by Moose of Doom!
All I'm going to say is A) Homer is spouting WAY too much blood. That razor scene reminded me of the thumb scene from Trilogy of Error, blood squirting like a fountain.

Homer hasnt spout out blood since CABF20 "Homer The Moe" which was a Scully episode. This is the first time since. Trilogy of Error's blood scene wasn't bad at all.

[skittlebrau]

Eh, an average episode for me. Had some great gags and moments. Most notably, The King Of The Hill parody, Maggie drunk off the alcohol fumes, Marge's swollen feet after tying her corset, the prank telegram, and Law and Order: Elevator Inspectors Unit. David Lander had an okay shot as a guest star, although his lines were few. Too bad he died in the house's collapse.The house in the river was just bad, as was the sudden trip back to their normal house for the ending like nothing ever happened. So in short:

First act: Good
Second act: Okay
Third act: Eh, pretty bad

This is my least favorable season 14 episode by far. 3/5

[~B+]

The beginning kinda confused me... I think there were more surreal moments up to the termite scene than in any Scully episode. I kept expecting it to all be a dream or something, because they kept doing one out-of-place gag after another. Weird.

Anyway, this episode was really surreal, and at the same time hilarious. They'd better not do that again anytime soon.

I loved the King of the Hill parody. And the line "We need a family that hasn't been on TV forever. Let's try the Simpsons." was great. Comic Book Guy calling the Simpsons "OFF" was a little weird.

Anyway, it was all pretty funny, and that's why we watch this show. I hope the rest of the season gets a little less surreal, though.

~B+:

["Yes i Cannibus"]

you people are disrespectful, scully's episodes were great, much better than the 5 episodes we've seen so far this year

[ShadowBun]

I hate to do this, cause I really wanted to like this episode. Nearly all of last season's got a 4/5 from me, with a few mediocre ones scoring a 3/5, and a few great ones getting 5 (see signature).

First, the good. The King of the Hill parody had me on the floor...that was brilliant!! Best scene of the season, so far. Cletus at the hockey game was pretty good, as was Homer driving nails through Bart's picture, but I just didn't see the connection between the game and the termites. Many gags in the episode were too predictable (the bullies going under the tent), and many others went over my head completely.

The second act had it's moments; CBG was alright, Lenny was okay, Homer's spewing blood was too disgusting. It reminded me of the dreaded jukebox scene, and it had the same outcome (him fainting). ENOUGH GUSHING BLOOD, ALREADY! The prank call was a hoot, though. I'm kind of tired of sex scenes, although Marge in armor did get a chuckle from me. I didn't find Squiggy too funny though, but he really wasn't in it much. The plot kinda fell to pieces near the end of this act.

The third act was sloppy and not very funny at all. I had no idea what was going on most of the time, and Homer getting crushed by the boulder was very painful to watch. The Law and Order gag was decent, but the last scene was odd, indeed. This episode felt very season-11 ish.

2/5

[|RABiD|]

Originally posted by "Yes i Cannibus"
you people are disrespectful, scully's episodes were great, much better than the 5 episodes we've seen so far this year

I quite agree with you. Scully had made some true classics. But the majority of his episodes were just too surreal. Sure, tonites episode was quite wacky, but its 1 out of 10 when Jeans at the helm. Plus Mike Scully was executive producer for the second episode this season "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation" which was slightly better than tonites showing.

[nowhere]

Originally posted by "Yes i Cannibus"
you people are disrespectful, scully's episodes were great, much better than the 5 episodes we've seen so far this year
Yes, Mrs. Scully, we know your son is the greatest.

[I Am Lion-O]

It was funny but terrible plot and some homer stunts were unnessecary.

KOTH thing was funny tho.

["Yes i Cannibus"]

yeah, scully was Executive producer of How i spent...

and it was the best ep of the season

scully knows simpsons, and sure the plots are out there with him, but they are good,

i'd rather watch a zanny plot with good jokes than a boring plot with lame jokes

[Maddog53]

I thought this was actually the best episode so far this season. As has previously been stated, the first two acts were the best and the third really dropped off. All the things that I liked are pretty much the same with everybody else, so I will just list the things that I disliked:

Homer crying too much
The blood scene
Squiggy dying
Rushed ending

I gave it a 4/5.

Maddog.

[Moose of Doom!]

Homer hasnt spout out blood since CABF20 "Homer The Moe" which was a Scully episode. This is the first time since. Trilogy of Error's blood scene wasn't bad at all.

What I meant is the amount of blood coming out of Homer is way too much. ShadowBun said the same thing in his post too.

[doyle]

there have been a lot of people saying there were references to lisa on ice, which there were. most people also call that a classic. who was it written by? mike scully. he does have some classics that were brought up tonight

[mr. broom]

Crap. Lots and lots of crap. Other than the KOTH parody and a couple little visual gags, this episode just made me cringe. More ridiculous, over-the-top stupidity this week. Reality TV as a subject of parody is already way overdone; the Simpsons could have done themselves a favor and not copied everyone else (especially as poorly as they did).
The real problem was it wasn't subtle. None of the humor was really clever at all. Almost all the jokes were trying really hard to be obvious, like the writers were there next to each audience member nudging them with their elbows and going, "Eh? Eh?" 2/5

[Rob G]

They're trying too hard to parody other things.

Older episodes had solid storylines and would drop in parody every now and then.

These days, we're being clobbered over the head with it and it seems like it's every week.

As far as guest stars... the best are the ones that don't play themselves... period.

[Jake]

Originally posted by "Yes i Cannibus"


i'd rather watch a zanny plot with good jokes than a boring plot with lame jokes

I'd rather watch a believable plot with good jokes, but that's my opinion...

Anyway, the three best things were: Maggie taking a swing at Bart, the telegraphed prank call, and the King of the Hill parody. Unfortunetly, the rest was god-awful. More Homer screaming in pain, more blood, and more mainstream cartoon silliness. (A house being dropped in a river? WTF?)

I strongly agree with the people who say this was like a bad season 11 episode.

Grade: D- (1.5/5)


Jake

-----

BTW, King of the Hill was a bit better with the dancing doggie routine. Bill's ploy of trying to dance with the Rotwieller (sp) was the funniest running gag of the night. (B)

[lisa_the_greek]

Originally posted by EvergreenTerrace
You guys fucking over analyze it too much, theyre trying to keep the show going and have some fresh ideas, not reinvent television.

When I analyze an episode, I use...

Was it funny? Did I laugh?!

Besides the great Law and Order Parody, which was, what 30 seconds long, I answered with a resounding NO!

[Eddie]

Ugh, didn't like it. This was definitely a hold-over from Season Thirteen. You could obviously tell by the crappy animation, voice-over work, and the first act was really paced too fast, and the beginning was too abrupt. I did like a few things though. The pop-culture references were generally hilarious, as were the comments about reality TV, but I think the writer's thoughts were pounded a little too much into the viewer's head. There were also a lot of other top-notch jokes sprinkled throughout, but there was still a lot of annoying dialogue and creepy characters. 2/5. :(

[Jake]

Originally posted by |RABiD|


Your saying "Simpson Safari" and "Kill The Alligator and Run" and "Saddlesore Galactica", usually the 3 episodes people hate the most is better than "Helter Shelter"?

Helter Shelter fits right in with those three. Sure, there were more ATTEMPTS to parody things, but in the end, the result was just as bad (and unenjoyable) as the given examples above.

"Hey, they're TRYING to parody something! Let's give them an "A" for effort!"

[Cole]

2/5

It had some decent bits: a few clever jabs at reality television, The King Of The Hill parody, drunk Maggie trying to fight Bart, and then the telegram has to be one of the funniest Bart pranks to date. But there were so many jokes that fell flat. And so many bizarre scenes which led to nothing (Moe, Barney, and Otto trying to reach Homer in the skybox but instead ending up being covered in...hot fudge? Cletus' daughter putting in a tooth from a hockey player and saying she looked like Britney Spears...followed by an extremely awkward pause which I guess the writers put in so we could recover from laughing...yeah.). I'm not even going to comment on the third act because I hated every moment of it excluding the "Law and Order: Elevator Inspectors Unit" bit which did, unfortunately, seem very out of place.

Sad thing is...The Simpsons spent so much time making jabs at other reality shows, when I've actually found many reality shows more enjoyable than tonight's episode. They need to work on their own material a little more next time before attacking other shows in lame fashions. Hopefully tonight's episode will be the lowpoint of Season 14.

[Simpson Purist]

Off-topic: All right, who the hell edited my sig? :LOL:

[Tirefire]

I think this ep fits the pro-quo of this season so far. A stellar start (first and second acts) followed by a dismal finish. The plot did have a very dislikable taste to it when I compare it to some of the hated eps of the past, but many of the jokes were exceptionally strong (i.e. telegram prank call). I give it right on a 3. There has got to be something strong coming (I hope). It was interetsing that my dad (baby boomer) laughed harder at this ep in general than I can remember him laughing at many in the past. Well, we had some really strong eps that came along about this time in Season 13 and I'm hoping we can get to some strong ones for Season 14 soon.

[YesMan]

I actually liked this episode. The story was a bit iffy (ok, more than a bit), but the jokes saved it. I laughed a lot.

Best gags:

-King of the Hill parody
-Prank Telegram
-And the whole first act after the Hockey game had me laughing for the most part.

Worst gags:

-That damn "Scully Blood" after Homer shaved.
---------------
Also, they brought back another classic character. The hairdresser who was attending bart in the sky box (forget which episode he was from).

I think they should have ended it with the Law and Order bit. Unless I was missing something, the hose bit seemed pretty tacky.

Also the part where the old reality show guys showed up reminded me too much of Bart Vs Lisa Vs the Third Grade when the old field trip.. guys showed up.

Overall a decent episode, IMHO. 4/5

[Simpson Purist]

Originally posted by YesMan

I think they should have ended it with the Law and Order bit. Unless I was missing something, the hose bit seemed pretty tacky.


I agree, had it ended with a Homer quip about L&O and TV in general, it would've been an nice old-fashioned way to end an episode. Instead, we're treated to 45 seconds of additional Homer stupidity.

[Maddog53]

Originally posted by YesMan
I think they should have ended it with the Law and Order bit. Unless I was missing something, the hose bit seemed pretty tacky.


I actually liked this ending. I didn't see it as Homer being stupid, but him playing along with the family (he had to have heard them laughing behind him). Although I could be totally wrong.

Maddog.

[Tibor]

I want to love the new Simpsons, I really do. I want to have hope for the future. The whole concept of Homer's intelligence (in the beginning) wasn't that he was brain-dead, it was that he was misinformed, overzealous, lacked common sense, or tried with good intentions only to have them backfire. Now I don't think he can spell his name.

[Tomacco]

I watched this episode on a TV screen no bigger than 2 inches on a portable TV on a tour bus on the way home from the Bills game, so let that be a testament to my dedication, first of all. Although the reception sometimes sucked, so I missed a couple of things here and there, but nothing serious.

First act: 5/5
Hockey gags, and the best gag of the season and, well, in a LONG time (KOTH).

Second act: 2/5
Started good, but once they went on the show, the shit hit the fan. When I watched Homer's face gush blood, I thought "OH boy, the forum will have a field day", and Marge's feet circulation getting cut off was brutal. Lots of gags in act 2 in the house were weird and out of character and style.

Third act: 1/5
The Law and Order bit was the sole laugh I can remember, and this was the wackiest thing I've seen since Jean hit the helm. Reminded me of terrible safari memories that I wanted to forget. The Survivor jokes were stale, and the crazy attacking scene was chaotic. The hose ending was bizarre and lame.

Overall: 2.5 or 3/5
Worst ep of the season yet, but had the best gag all season. Odd.

PS: Because of the tiny screen, I couldn't read the writer's credit, but the episode felt like Swartzwelder. Am I right? If not, then maybe some new writer..

[mintjellyonthelam]

Originally posted by Tomacco
I

PS: Because of the tiny screen, I couldn't read the writer's credit, but the episode felt like Swartzwelder. Am I right? If not, then maybe some new writer..

shoot I forgot to look!

[nowhere]

'Twas two newbies - Brian Pollack and Mert Rich

[DotheBartman]

Supringly decent. It had some things I hated (the pudding joke? oh dear god. And the blood coming from Homer's beard was grotesque), but the satire on reality shows was decent, and overall the gags themselves were mostly actually funny this week. probably a 3/5, or B-/C+. First episode I've actually liked to any extent.


And the KOTH joke ruled. Also, anyone notice we saw the Ye Olde Off Ramp Inn from Some Enchanted Evening again?

[davidshirt]

this episode was gold! "is it just me, or are you guys getting sick of zany adventures" - bart (at least i think he said that)

i really liked the ending. i don't care what you all say.

[melZets]

1/5
Very few laughs. Forgettable.

[jagrmeister]

This episiode was horrendous, idiotic. Meta-references aren't funny; repeat gags (doing two things at once- ie: Homer whistling while in pain; similiar to Marge worrying while dancing when the Simpsons visited Brazil) are not funny; disgusting gags like Homer bleeding are not funny. I frankly don't care what people say- Al Jean is horrible; the quality of the writing has been miserable this year and each successive episode has been worse than the last. About the only funny thing was when Lenny asked at the hockey game "Do we normal folk get any thing", got punched in the gut, and Carl asks "So we do we tip him or what?".

[Tomacco]

Again, my only problems were found in the 1895 house and the family taking on the roles of the time, and where the plot went in Act 3. Unfortunately, these problems were glaring and occupied a bulk of the episode. But there were enough good jokes in the episode to keep me semi-satisfied, although the general feeling of the episode reminded me too much of season 11-12 wackiness (blood, a house being rushed down a stream, the family acting out of character - even though it was intended for the show). Season 13's main problem (meta-referencing) was found too - Comic Book Guy calling the Simpsons "our favorite family", the producer saying "we need a family who hasn't been on TV forever - The Simpsons", and of course, the wacky advantures line. I also didn't like how they re-used two successful jokes from season 12: Bill Cosby and Homer's Lenny & Carl joke black/white line.

But the parodies OUTSIDE of the episode's purpose were all great: Bug's Life, King of the Hill (spectacular), Law and Order, hockey sushi and russians.

But meanwhile, I found the reality show references seemed dated, but I suppose that's semi-expected since episodes take 9 months to be made, and this was a hald-over from season 13, making it just a half-year even more dated than when it was intended to air.

[StrideR]

I may or may not have the opportunity to see this episode, but you know all ain't right when some of the people who like the newer episodes aren't too thrilled with "Helter Shelter." Oh well...

[DotheBartman]

While I honestly didn't hate this one (third act sucked, but I still say the rest was mostly funny), I'd have to agree that this season has been dismal. I'm probably going to watch the next couple months or so of the show, and then decide if I want to even bother watching anymore. So far it looks like a "no". :(

[Tomacco]

Time for the score comparison to last season's holdovers!:

S14:

THOH XIII: 3.5/5
How I Spent My Strummer Vacation: 2.5
Bart vs Lisa vs the 3rd Grade: 3/5
Large Marge: 4/5
Helter Shelter: 2.5/5

Average: 3.1/5

S13:

THOH XII: 3/5
Parent Rap: 3/5
Homer the Moe: 3/5
A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love: 4/5
Blunder Years: 2/5

Average: 3/5

Well, looks like the two season's beginnings are pretty much even, and in my opinion, both seasons started overall poorly.
However, last season was turned around RIGHT after this point, and it became better than seasons 10-12.
I'm hoping for the same deal this year, and I've always been expecting it since I've known S14's plot descriptions.

[DotheBartman]

Yeah, true. So far most of the rest of season 14 actually sounds good (except for the 300th episode, which sounds decent but might suck, and the Marge on steroids and Homer living with gay people plots), so hopefully it'll turn around. Special Edna and Great Louse both sound interesting.

[FlexMasterFunk]

3/5

not the worst episode, but far from the best...
I gotta go watch it again to see if my opinion changes...

[*Waylon Smithers*]

4/5
Couch Gag: Hated it. I don't know why, but It just was horrible
Before the reality show: Pretty good. Smithers and Burnsie had lines, excellent. The hockey idea was so-so, kinda reminds me of how my family feels about hockey. The way the termites got in the house was so-so, too. I liked that they brought Bill Cosby back. I LOVED the King of the Hill parody.
The reality show: Ok. The confession thing could've told us what Marge's real hair color is (most likely grey), and I'm suprised Lisa wasn't in there 24/7. Everything else was fine exept when they put the family on the river.
The End: Meh. I didn't much care for the tribe of lost people from an abandoned reality show, the boulder thing was stupid. The Homer ticked off at tv was totally out of charcter. The hose thing kinda ended it good.
References to other episodes (Lisa on Ice, Pokey Mom {Bill Cosby}) just shows that they aren't running out of ideas.

[Channel Surfer]

My thoughts (http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/EpisodeReviewPage/showid-146/epid-129860/blockid-79455/)

If it weren't for the first act, it would've seamlessly fit with "KTAAR" and "Simpson Safari". But it's still an awful episode.

Here, it's a 1/5.

[homer5000]

Okay....defintely 3/5...

First Act (The Good):

* The Skybox part (did anyone notice Jake the Barber from the Ullman Shorts?)
* A Bug's Death!! Too Funny!
* Russian Termites
* King of the Hill parody was so funny! But, what made it great is watching King of the Hill's opening sequence seeing how they got it straight on. It would've worked better as a couch gag though.

First Act (The Bad):

* Termite jokes
* Dolph, Kearny and Jimbo thinking the Simpsons house is a circus with tent on top, then being poisoned. That was really stupid.

Second Act (Good):

* COSBY!!!
* Did Comic Book Guy call Simpsons "our favorite family"?? Hahaha! Btw, when did people started calling Simpsons "OFF"? (I actually didn't know what it meant for a very long time until I saw on SNPP saying "OFF, our favorite family", then it came all clear to me)
* Lenny's Apartment
* Return of "Ye Old Offramp Inn" (In fact, I sat down and said to the people around me "OK, what's the past episode reference tonight?)
* "Let's have a family who hasn't been on TV for forever- let's try the Simpsons!"

Second Act (bad):

*The 1895 House
*Squiqqy

Third Act (good):

*Ummm...er...Law and Order: Elevators Unit?

Third Act (bad):

*Yeah, everything else!

Heheheheh...I'm done...

[StrideR]

OK... since I didn't start watching the episode until Lenny's apartment, I can give the episode the benefit of the doubt as to the quality of everything up to that point. I didn't feel as insulted as I was when I had the displeasure of watching "Kill the alligator and run," but that's probably because I'm becoming numbed to the effects of the stupidity. But, I digress. Actually, there's nothing much I can say about this episode. I'm not impressed, but I'm not disappointed, since I didn't have high expectations for this episode. I will, however, give praise where it is due: The Law & Order joke was funny.

Please, what happened to memorable characters? I keep seeing generic, inexpressive, forgettable faces. What happened to the imagination that spawned the faces of such guest characters like Scorpio, Jaque, Leon Kompowsky, and others?

2/5

[Roarke]

Jonah's opinion pretty much sums up what I thought, though I'd give it a flat 3/5 instead of 2.5

Might be because I went to the Pacers/Clippers game today, and the Sky Box jokes hit the spot.

[Jason]

3/5. Loved the KOTH bit very funny. Ending was terrible.

[chiefdan]

In my opinion, this was the best episode of the season so far. I give this one a 4/5, whereas I gave each of the other episodes a 3/5.

[DotheBartman]

You know what's odd? I finally saw the "Simpsons Already Did It" episode of South Park tonight, and it actually had better pacing and was generally more entertaining then the actual Simpsons episode. Same goes with the season premiere of Andy Richter (I don't watch KOTH or Malcolm, so I can't say anything about either).

Is there something I'm missing here? Why do the writers think they need to move everything as fast as humanely possible? Its pretty sad when a "South Park" episode spoofing the show actually moves along at a slower pace and generally makes more sense then an actual Simpsons episode. Tonight's really was all over the place....its actually hard, just the night the episode aired, to even remember most of it, as it was so confusing and wild.

The writers really need to slow the episodes down a little. Its getting ridiculous.

[Matty]

This episode was so terrible... especially the 3rd act, where I was just hoping the episode would end.. but more random things kept being thrown at me: dumping the house in the river, meeting the survivor people and starting a big riot, suddenly home watching tv, for some reason showing 45 seconds of stupid hose material...

It's tempting to cut out the 2 minutes of good material and paste them in a new videofile. It's not like it could get more disjointed or make less sense

1/5

[Ottoman]

great episode but kind of sucked down at the end... oh man that was a stinker..

but that king of the hill bit was sooo funny.

3/5

[spiky hair]

4/5 -- as good as a Survivor spinoff

[HomertheGreat]

Here's how Season 14 ranks with Season 13 and 12

Season 14
THOH- 3/5
Strummer Vacation-3.5/5
Bart vs Lisa vs the Third Grade- 4.5/5
Large Marge- 4/5
Helter Shelter- 2.5/5

Total- 17.5/25

Season 13
THOH- 4/5
Parent Rap- 2.5/5
Homer the Moe- 2/5
Hunka Hunka Burns in Love- 4/5
Blunder Years- 3/5

Total-15.5/25

Season 12

THOH-3.5/5
Tale of Two Springfields- 3/5
Insane Clown Poppy- 3.5/5
Lisa the Tree Hugger- 4/5
Homer vs. Dignity- 2.5/5

Total-16.5/25

Wow all pretty close! Season 13 started out worse but I liked it the best. I think Season 14 has started out ok. I think the EABF's (based on the descriptions) seem a lot better than Season 13. I personally can't wait for The Great Louse Detective and Special Edna, so I'm hoping Season 14 can get better!

[mohammed jafar]

remember that these episodes are still in the DABF production run, so technically they are the same "season" as the actual season 13. so saying "I had high hopes after season 13, but season 14 so far has been awful" is a bit silly. The next episode, The Great Louse Detective, will be an EABF.

[Hapablap]

Thought this episisode was pretty good, great jokes, but lost points with the not so great plot. Loved the crack on Moby's apt. in cribs, (Moby's apt. was really pathetic relative to usual cribs standards, one of the few things on his walls was a drawing of Homer signed by Groening. for anyone who missed it)

though I'm also sick of Homers crying, it it almost seemed to serve a purpose in this episode. Homer starts crying right after producers say "they go to pieces over nothing", and they all nod approvingly while he's on the floor. -a joke at the writers expense, perhaps?

Plot got really soft in the middle, and the end left much to be desired. Although I did like the last part with the hose. "hmm, perhaps my other eye could get to the bottom of this"

act 1 gets a 5/5, rest of episode drags it down to a 3.5/5.
Still a good episode overall, slightly better than average.

[Oscar Meyer]

4/5 Its better than i thought it would be! And it beats the hell out of the god aful Strummer Vacation!

[JonMDavis]

Homer crying and bleeding really turned me off of this episode. Homer's lines need to not sound as forced and should flow more naturally as they did before. Not to mention the fact that it was based on a series of reality shows, which I can't stand. The black/white gag was much worse than the "Carl = Black, Lenny = White" bit. And how many times can you make fun of network executives. They really need to stop recycling jokes, especially when they are from episodes that aired just a couple of years ago.

I was pretty skeptical of the King of the Hill bit when it started, but I think that Homer's "Well, that was boring" line worked well. I've also never seen Law and Order or Cribs, but I still thought they were decent references. Not a bad episode, but not a very good one, either.

[Kamikaze_chimp]

I thought this ep was fairly decent, much better than last weeks crap.
Had some good jokes(CBG,Lenny and carl at hockey game) and some bad ones(homers bleeding, squiggy). But overral decent i give it a 5.5/10
I'll vote for 3/5

[•ºMikè~Stẕ]

Did anyone notice bart changes costumes? In one sceen, Barts wearing that girl hat/dress, and then in the next one, hes wearing a suite.

[wee raging wilie]

3/5 It had its funny parts..

[Nasty_b]

I am now taking framegrab requests. Please send me a private message (http://nohomers.net/spiffy/sendpm.gif). Grabs will be posted on my website or in this thread within 12 hours of the request.

["Yes i Cannibus"]

Ok. The confession thing could've told us what Marge's real hair color is (most likely grey),

well, i imagine since paty,selma and her mother all have purple hair, i'd say that marge's hair is probably purple (maybe she likes blue better, thats why she has died it since high school, although when we see her as a kid she has blue hair?)

also what was wrong with the vioces and animation

for example

vioces:

-Kearney sounded completely different
-When bart made the comment about the "german backpacker" he sounded wiered
-Jimbo had millhouse's voice
-Flanders sounded different aswell

Animation

-a zebra with red hoofs - WTF is that
-The twisty mouths were back (actually they have been back earlier this season as well)
-Everything was too bright (and no it was not my TV) i felt like i was watching a neon sign
-the termites looked so fake when they came out of the hockey stick

i thought this season was supposed to use computers to make it look more like the high quality of futurerama, well if they are using computers i think they should use somethung other than a comadore 64 to do the animation

[blockyourfather]

The couch gag was good. The KOTH parody was the best part of the whole episode(esp. since KOTH is rapidly becoming one of my favorite shows), and it was good to see the return of Bart't prank calling/telegraming Moe...... the plot was disjointed, Squiggy was insignificant, and the ending made no sense whatsoever. However, I'm a sucker for self-references, and this episode delivered:

"We want a family that hasn't been on TV forever- let's try The Simpsons."

Homer {sobbing}: I can't remember the last time I cried like this!
Lisa: When you put your shirt on backwards?

Despite the disjointed plot and the horrible ening, the self references, and the KOTH parody bring Helter Shelter up to a 3/5.

[~B+]

Can someone tell me what the chalkboard gag was? I tuned in about 5 seconds too late. :p

~B+:

[Mike Scully]

I missed this episode, and from what I've been reading in this thread, I don't even feel like downloading it.

[blockyourfather]

Originally posted by ~B+
Can someone tell me what the chalkboard gag was? I tuned in about 5 seconds too late. :p

~B+: Millhouse did not test positve for cooties.

[ShadowBun]

Anyone know which episode comes on next week then?

[Hapablap]

Originally posted by The Jolly Bengali
I missed this episode, and from what I've been reading in this thread, I don't even feel like downloading it.

thats why I'd never read these reviews before seeing the episode. I was expecting really good reviews for this one but alot of people seemed to hate it. go figure, I thought it was funny as hell for the most part. I'm not expecting to be laughing in tears through every episode. IMO people expect too much these days, its definitely worth seeing.

--and thoh XIII is scheduled for next week, shadowbun

[Skyegazer]

Originally posted by blockyourfather
Millhouse did not test positve for cooties.

Did'nt they use that one allready??

The ep wasn't that good. The Lenny scene was funny and it was nice finally seeing the 3 bullys again. But it wasnt that funny.

[Robbie]

3/5

It was sort of an up-and-down episode.

EDIT: By the way, how in the hell did the title relate to the episode? I figured the plot would somehow involve the Helter Shelter from "Homer Loves Flanders".

[Mafia]

"The light is out on the 5."
"I think I'm gonna be sick."

Rating: 3/5
Why: First act was gold (5/5). Second act was good (3.5/5). Third act was given a 1/5. 9 divided by 3 is 3. Probably a little higher cause of the .5 i left out, but meh. The episode could have been the best in the season had they not put it in the river. I woulda been happier if they focused more on Squiggy living with them.

[Tomacco]

Here's my rundown of the episode's biggest successes and biggest failures (and jokes that make you ask "what the hell are they thinking?")

Successes:
http://paradisesimpson2.free.fr/resume/dabf21/051.jpg http://paradisesimpson2.free.fr/resume/dabf21/054.jpg http://paradisesimpson2.free.fr/resume/dabf21/062.jpg http://paradisesimpson2.free.fr/resume/dabf21/065.jpg http://paradisesimpson2.free.fr/resume/dabf21/077.jpg http://paradisesimpson2.free.fr/resume/dabf21/094.jpg http://paradisesimpson2.free.fr/resume/dabf21/154.jpg http://paradisesimpson2.free.fr/resume/dabf21/224.jpg

Failures:
http://paradisesimpson2.free.fr/resume/dabf21/068.jpg http://paradisesimpson2.free.fr/resume/dabf21/118.jpg http://paradisesimpson2.free.fr/resume/dabf21/128.jpg http://paradisesimpson2.free.fr/resume/dabf21/130.jpg http://paradisesimpson2.free.fr/resume/dabf21/148.jpg http://paradisesimpson2.free.fr/resume/dabf21/176.jpg http://paradisesimpson2.free.fr/resume/dabf21/168.jpg http://paradisesimpson2.free.fr/resume/dabf21/202.jpg http://paradisesimpson2.free.fr/resume/dabf21/227.jpg

When an episode has as many cringe-worthy failures as successes, you know it has problems.

[Voodoo Monkey]

The KOTH parody had me laughing.

I liked the prank telegram and 'We need a family who hasn't been on TV forever'.

I'd say more, but I'm mad the 'The Mole' only gets 3/5.

[George Cauldron]

I haven't seen the episode yet, but those don't look that bad as still pictures. Maybe when they're moving, I'll think differently.

[StrideR]

You definitely know there are problems when the good jokes and bad jokes aren't separated by much...

[Simpson Purist]

I agree with your pics Tomacco, except the Sarcastic clerk chewing and the 1895 car, I thought those scenes were hilarious.

[Blue Phoenix]

I'd have given this episode more consideration for it's humor if they would have bothered having a cherant plot to go with it. All they did was go from one joke to another in a very disjointed manner.

[nowhere]

Tomacco makes some good points, but even more of the jokes seemed to fall flat to me. To me, only the prank call, KOTH, and Law and order were successes.

[NoOneFamous]

I agree with all your points, Tomacco (except the 1895 car, I found it pretty funny even though cars were never fueled by coal), but like they said, there were a lot more "what were they thinking", or "WTF?" jokes than that (for example, Cletus's daughter and the tooth...). and you know what I hate? The terrible, awkward jokes usually seem to take up the longest time, too.

And the house floating down the river was one of the most absurd things the show has ever done, right up there with the rolling ball of people, all of Simpson Safari, etc. Like I said before, a few great jokes saved this episode from bein down with the ranks of Simpson Safari and Kill the Aligator and Run.

[kupomog]

Well, I just plain hate reality TV that involves living with people in houses, so that automatically chops down on my score. Most of the jokes (mostly ones Tomacco posted as failures) left me yawning in disgust, while others (especially the prank morse code call) made me laugh heartily. For the most part, this episode just made me feel uncomfortable. I give it a 3/5 because it was most definitely better than the crap on The Real World.

[Bubble Crum]

3/5

It seems the good-old Simpsons jokes are tuned up, but so are the hated, dumb ones like Homers's expessive crying and bleeding. H.S. definitly had its ups and downs. I'm sick of Homer confusing Lenny and Carl. It's not funny anymore. (He's dumb. We get it!) They try too hard to be wacky/funny when they do perfectly well being funny/funny. (But its still a great show.)

[Simpson Purist]

I'm curious, what episode rated on this board got the lowest average score? It seems that most of the members here hated this episode yet still gave it a 3/5. I guess expectations played a big role in determining the majority.

[kevin]

Originally posted by "Yes i Cannibus"
yeah, scully was Executive producer of How i spent...

and it was the best ep of the season

scully knows simpsons, and sure the plots are out there with him, but they are good,

i'd rather watch a zanny plot with good jokes than a boring plot with lame jokes

Go back to the FOX Forum!

[Helper Monkey]

Bleah. This episode reminded me strongly of Missionary:Impossible. That is not a good thing. There were more funny moments in Helter Shelter, but the overall feel was just as... wrong. The family was dropped so far out of place for such a contrived reason, it just irritated me the whole time. I will be sorry when this one starts showing up ad nauseum in syndication.

2/5, but only for the strong first act.

HM

[Tomacco]

This episode is getting the worst average score yet this season. Normally, almost as many people pick 4/5 as 3/5, but this time, it was pretty typical for people to pick 3/5, and the other options picked evenly less.

[Tomacco]

From zap2it:

"Becker" and "The King of Queens" averaged 17.7/13 on CBS at 8 p.m., well ahead of FOX in second place with "The Simpsons," 8.3/13, and "King of the Hill," 14.4/11. NBC was third with "American Dreams" at 6.9/10 for the hour. The WB came in fifth with "Charmed" at a 3.4/5 for the hour.


Am I reading this wrong? Or does it say that KOTH got MUCH better ratings than Simpsons did last night?!

[nowhere]

The 2nd number is the share, right. There might be a typo or something because I would be surprised if KOTH beat the simpsons by 6 points in the ratings, but had a lower share.

[Stackhouse]

I dont see how 'Bart VS Lisa VS the 3rd Grade' couldve gotten better ratings than this ep. It had less jokes than Helter Shelter, and was plainly more fun to watch..

[Ignignot]

ILL TEACH YOU TO WHISTLE ON THE SABBATH!

[J.Re*]

Originally posted by Tomacco
From zap2it:

"Becker" and "The King of Queens" averaged 17.7/13 on CBS at 8 p.m., well ahead of FOX in second place with "The Simpsons," 8.3/13, and "King of the Hill," 14.4/11. NBC was third with "American Dreams" at 6.9/10 for the hour. The WB came in fifth with "Charmed" at a 3.4/5 for the hour.


Am I reading this wrong? Or does it say that KOTH got MUCH better ratings than Simpsons did last night?! They got more people but less of a share of the total audience watching at that time?

This episode made me wanna kick the TV. :( 2/5

[Simpson Purist]

If you look at the weekly statistics you'll notice that The Simpsons pop up in the top 20 in viewers but not in the ratings. It's usually around in the late 30s-early 40s range in the top ratings.

[kevin]

Originally posted by Tomacco
From zap2it:

"Becker" and "The King of Queens" averaged 17.7/13 on CBS at 8 p.m., well ahead of FOX in second place with "The Simpsons," 8.3/13, and "King of the Hill," 14.4/11. NBC was third with "American Dreams" at 6.9/10 for the hour. The WB came in fifth with "Charmed" at a 3.4/5 for the hour.


Am I reading this wrong? Or does it say that KOTH got MUCH better ratings than Simpsons did last night?!

The Simpsons at 7:00 is a horrible time slot IMO. They need to move it to 8:00.

[StrideR]

Y'know what? My ragin's been a little mild as of late. I've even begun to lose perspective on what makes an episode great or not. In all honesty, from a neutral standpoint, I'd give all the episodes of this season a 2/5. Trying to decide which is better than which is like trying to decide the better of two evils. I'm thinking about the episodes, and I'm thinking... y'know what, the amount of good jokes should define how great they are. If that were the case, We could have Homer standing in front of a brick wall telling jokes for 22 minutes. Even better, we could just have a series of freeze-frame gags and insert clever quips here and there. Pure Gold!!! But even the most brain-dead fan in here would not be impressed (actually, I'm not too sure about that statement).

It's episodes like these that make us go back and question the quality of GOOD episodes ("well, Homer was a jerkass here," "'Flaming Moes' did have a celebrity appearance," or "there was a lot of surrealism in older episodes"). Unfortunately, we've been flooded with a huge wave of horrible episodes (by horrible, I mean every episode whose P-code started with a letter, even the "good" ones)...
TO BE CONTINUED LATER

[Warren]

The episode was one of the worst so far this season.

I laughed rarely,only a few good jokes,like drunk Maggie and KOTH parody.

Did anybody laugh at the "I looks like Britney Spears!" quote?

Even more past episode references,I saw (Comic Book Guy with Xena poster on wall,Lisa liking hockey,blood pours out of Homer's face like rainbows in "Weekend at Burnsies).

2/5

[DotheBartman]

Assuming I know what you're getting at, I kinda agree Stride. The problem with the new episodes, really, is that they're basically all just a row of jokes, with the plot being there only to move those jokes along. Some of the gags work, some don't, but they're all JUST jokes. This is maybe the inherit problem. In the old days most of the jokes had something fueling them: clever parodies, smart subtle satirical messages, and great characters who played well off of each other (almost any Bart and Lisa episode in the old days would have relied heavily on how the two interacted with each other, and let the jokes flow from there. With "Third Grade", they basically came up with a loose plot, and strung as many jokes as possible from there). When you do ONLY jokes, you set yourself up for failure or at least a good chance at failure, because if the gags don't work, you're screwed. "Life on the Fast Lane" is great because of the story and characters....not because its incredibly funny (though IMO it is, simply from the comedy that flows FROM the plot and chartacters). A more satirical or intelligent comment from the writers in other episodes would've brought out a "wow, that's insightful" or "wow, that was smart" type comment from the viewer, even if the joke itself wasn't very funny. Now, all we have is gags. And when an episode is nothing but a row of empty gags (most of which are only funny once or a few times, hence limiting the repeat viewing value), how are we supposed to rate them for anything other then what we personally found funny?

[Simpson Purist]

Do you think that the writers are putting all these classic episode references just to shut the old-schoolers up?

It's gonna take more than "Little Girl" and "Poppa's Got..." in order to win me back for the end of the show's run.

[Smilin'JoeFission]

Very M-E-H. There were maybe 5 good parts, all of them gags. Sure, some funny parts, but all together a bad, if mediocre ep. They did a better job making fun of reality TV two weeks ago.
Grade: C-

[Sam]

Originally posted by nowhere

Yes, Mrs. Scully, we know your son is the greatest.

LOL. (not sarcastic). (that "not sarcastic" was not sarcastic).

Nowhere should write for the simpsons. take the place of Scully.

(Beep)

[Evan Conover]

Wow, did this episode bomb or what?! Like what's been said already, the first 15 minutes were hilarious, and then everything just dropped rock bottom from there! It felt like another crappy Scully attempt there. Oh well, next week's better end better!

[StrideR]

Originally posted by stride_83
Y'know what? My ragin's been a little mild as of late. I've even begun to lose perspective on what makes an episode great or not. In all honesty, from a neutral standpoint, I'd give all the episodes of this season a 2/5. Trying to decide which is better than which is like trying to decide the better of two evils. I'm thinking about the episodes, and I'm thinking... y'know what, the amount of good jokes should define how great they are. If that were the case, We could have Homer standing in front of a brick wall telling jokes for 22 minutes. Even better, we could just have a series of freeze-frame gags and insert clever quips here and there. Pure Gold!!! But even the most brain-dead fan in here would not be impressed (actually, I'm not too sure about that statement).

It's episodes like these that make us go back and question the quality of GOOD episodes ("well, Homer was a jerkass here," "'Flaming Moes' did have a celebrity appearance," or "there was a lot of surrealism in older episodes"). Unfortunately, we've been flooded with a huge wave of horrible episodes (by horrible, I mean every episode whose P-code started with a letter, even the "good" ones)...
TO BE CONTINUED LATER

CONTINUATION:
... episodes that have lowered our standards. I have to applaud Scully, though; by the time he was done dumbening down The Simpsons, we didn't know way was up anymore. Right now, I'm watching "Radioactive Man," and if I ignore the jokes, parodies and gags, there's still a realistic plot, spiced up with a touch of unrealism and tangential jokes, that is coherent, intelligent, and believable enough to entertain me. The story itself is the perfect spring-board for the jokes. Without a decent, cohesive storyline, only the failings stand out. For example, looking very carefully, I also notice that "Radioactive man" uses a lot of bright colors and the animation shows signs of the beginnings of the departure from the "warmth" and assymetry(?) of older episodes. These are qualities I've come to associate with newer episodes. However, I didn't notice them until the plots began to go down the tube (face it, since season 9, the writing has gone downhill).

So, we're here, waiting for the next episode to air. But what show is it going to belong to? The Simpsons? There hasn't been a single truly Simpsonian episode made in the past four years; we're just being treated to a cheap substitute.

["Yes i Cannibus"]

Originally posted by Slappy


LOL. (not sarcastic). (that "not sarcastic" was not sarcastic).

Nowhere should write for the simpsons. take the place of Scully.

(Beep)

sorry, me no speaky chiny :LOL:

[Channel Surfer]

Originally posted by stride_83
Originally posted by stride_83
Y'know what? My ragin's been a little mild as of late. I've even begun to lose perspective on what makes an episode great or not. In all honesty, from a neutral standpoint, I'd give all the episodes of this season a 2/5. Trying to decide which is better than which is like trying to decide the better of two evils. I'm thinking about the episodes, and I'm thinking... y'know what, the amount of good jokes should define how great they are. If that were the case, We could have Homer standing in front of a brick wall telling jokes for 22 minutes. Even better, we could just have a series of freeze-frame gags and insert clever quips here and there. Pure Gold!!! But even the most brain-dead fan in here would not be impressed (actually, I'm not too sure about that statement).

It's episodes like these that make us go back and question the quality of GOOD episodes ("well, Homer was a jerkass here," "'Flaming Moes' did have a celebrity appearance," or "there was a lot of surrealism in older episodes"). Unfortunately, we've been flooded with a huge wave of horrible episodes (by horrible, I mean every episode whose P-code started with a letter, even the "good" ones)...
TO BE CONTINUED LATER

CONTINUATION:
... episodes that have lowered our standards. I have to applaud Scully, though; by the time he was done dumbening down The Simpsons, we didn't know way was up anymore. Right now, I'm watching "Radioactive Man," and if I ignore the jokes, parodies and gags, there's still a realistic plot, spiced up with a touch of unrealism and tangential jokes, that is coherent, intelligent, and believable enough to entertain me. The story itself is the perfect spring-board for the jokes. Without a decent, cohesive storyline, only the failings stand out. For example, looking very carefully, I also notice that "Radioactive man" uses a lot of bright colors and the animation shows signs of the beginnings of the departure from the "warmth" and assymetry(?) of older episodes. These are qualities I've come to associate with newer episodes. However, I didn't notice them until the plots began to go down the tube (face it, since season 9, the writing has gone downhill).

So, we're here, waiting for the next episode to air. But what show is it going to belong to? The Simpsons? There hasn't been a single truly Simpsonian episode made in the past four years; we're just being treated to a cheap substitute.

Very good comments stride. But before I respond, I'm going to mention that I sidesteped the subjective comments of your last paragraph. It'd just lead to unnecessary bickering regarding what episodes are good and what aren't. However, what actually constitutes a good (or bad) episode is an intriguing question that I'll attempt to answer.

A good episode of "The Simpsons", IMO, is one that has a current significance to me, i.e. one that I feel I've gained something for spending my time watching, where upon the best ones have the greatest significance. No, I don't try to measure an episode objectively. Objectivity is a myth, and distances yourself from the actual emotional aspects (humor or drama) of an episode. And no, I don't try to measure the modern episodes to how I felt towards classic episodes "back then" either. It unnecessarily degrades the quality of the modern episodes, and pits them to a contest that nothing could overcome (the nostalgia factor). And unlike many people, I don't really care if an episode has an unrelated first act (like "Brush With Greatness" or "HOMR"), high levels of fantasy ("Homer at the Bat" or "Saddlesore Galactica"), a wacky vacation premise ("Bart vs. Australia" or "Blame it on Lisa"), or is merely a feel good episode ("Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" or "Hungry Hungry Homer"). Specific traits aren't a problem. It's the cumulative value of what you get out of an episode.

I watch the show today because I enjoy it. No, I don't believe I've lowered my standards. About ten of my top 50 episodes come from season 4, in contrast to 0 from season 10. But I still find episodes that can measure up to the classics ("Trilogy of Error", "Little Girl in the Big Ten"). Whether or not anyone agrees with me or not is unimportant (less they point out something I miss). And I do notice flaws in these episodes (perfection is a fleeting dream after all, impossible to achieve by anything anywhere). I even noticed a flaw in my favorite episode, "Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodly" ("Yes, a little LSD is all I need"). But they're negligible if the episode has a lasting effect on me. And the deeper the effect, the greater the episode.

And let me add this. If no modern episode has left a lasting imprint on you stride, well, I understand why you've been displeased with the current season. The best thing for you to do, IMO, if you want to try and love the new episodes is to take a vacation from most the new episodes, selectively choosing the best sounding episodes to watch. If you consistently like what you see, start watching more. If not, cut out all the new episodes for a while. Move on to other things: shows, books whatever; things that have a meaning to you. It's as frivolous an exercise for you to be constantly displeased with "The Simpsons" as it would be for me to constantly watch "Friends".

If nothing else, I hope this adds a little insight as to why people like me still enjoy the show. :)

[Kalbelgarion]

Here are my humble opinions on how these holdovers stack up to last year's:

Season Fourteen

THOH XIII- 4/5
How I Spent My Strummer Vacation- 3/5
Bart vs Lisa vs 3rd Grade- 4/5
Large Marge- 4/5
Helter Shelter- 2.5/5

Season Thirteen

THOH XII- 3.5/5
The Parent Rap- 3/5
Homer the Moe- 2/5
A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love- 4/5
Blunder Years- 1/5

Season 14 comes to an average of 3.5/5, and Season 13 comes to an average of 2.7/5. Perhaps this means that Al Jean's worst is still better than Mike Scully's worst?

[StrideR]

And no, I don't try to measure the modern episodes to how I felt towards classic episodes "back then" either. It unnecessarily degrades the quality of the modern episodes, and pits them to a contest that nothing could overcome (the nostalgia factor).
I understand the effects of nostalgia on hindsight, but I'd like to point out that I started watching The Simpsons in 1997, catching all that I could in reruns (it'd probably why I have a homogenized view of all the episodes from season 2 to season 9). While I wouldn't lull myself into believing nostalgia has no effect on the way I look at the episodes, it is fair to say that it had not colored my perspective to the point where nothing could measure up to my impression of the older episodes.

As for taking a break, it all depends on "The Great Louse Detective." Although I'm not expecting much, I'm willing to let myself be surprised.

I guess we were all attracted to different qualities in The Simpsons. Unfortunately, whatever element that attracted me is all but gone now.

[Jake]

Originally posted by Simpson Purist
Do you think that the writers are putting all these classic episode references just to shut the old-schoolers up?


They don't have to. As long as there are fans, and there's a lot who think this way, who keep proclaiming: "It was a shitty episode, but it was better than 102% of the rest of TV!!!", the show will never have to try because it will, at least in the eyes of 'true fans', NEVER fail.

Jake

["Yes i Cannibus"]

Originally posted by Jake


They don't have to. As long as there are fans, and there's a lot who think this way, who keep proclaiming: "It was a shitty episode, but it was better than 102% of the rest of TV!!!", the show will never have to try because it will, at least in the eyes of 'true fans', NEVER fail.

Jake
Well said!

[brentholomew]

3/5, decent. First act was great, other 2 were mediocre.

[Porkster]

1 of my favorit episodes ever!!!!!!!!!!!! the part where homers mouth was bleeding was so funny. and when it was like king of the hill LOL,i give it a 5/5

[StrideR]

Originally posted by Porkster
1 of my favorit episodes ever!!!!!!!!!!!! the part where homers mouth was bleeding was so funny. and when it was like king of the hill LOL,i give it a 5/5

Whew... for a second there, I actually thought you were serious...

[George Cauldron]

Just look at the name! He also rated Kill The Alligator and Run highly.

[StrideR]

Heh... the ratings chart is giving us the finger.

[Simpson Purist]

I hate to beat a dead horse but, it's amazing how different the members' tastes on this board are radically different from other TV discussion boards. Over at the FOX and DVDtalk boards, I hear nothing but praise for this awful episode. It makes me wonder if Mike Scully brainwashed the Simpson newbies and made them despise the classic elements that made OFF so fresh and funny in the first place.

[George Cauldron]

Well, there's a difference between this forum and the FOX one. While we speak and behave in an educated manner, they use crude, lowbrow expressions like "oh yeah?" and "c'mere!"

[Max Power]

To sum it up. Meh. Not the greatest ep ever, but still loving the classic episode references. 3/5.

[kevin]

Originally posted by Simpson Purist
I hate to beat a dead horse but, it's amazing how different the members' tastes on this board are radically different from other TV discussion boards. Over at the FOX and DVDtalk boards, I hear nothing but praise for this awful episode. It makes me wonder if Mike Scully brainwashed the Simpson newbies and made them despise the classic elements that made OFF so fresh and funny in the first place.

Mike Scully...........THE BRAINWASHER!!!

[kevin]

Originally posted by Cauldron, George
Well, there's a difference between this forum and the FOX one. While we speak and behave in an educated manner, they use crude, lowbrow expressions like "oh yeah?" and "c'mere!"

Oh yeah? I think you better c'mere a minute!

[StrideR]

I just took a peek in thesimpsons.com's message board. Interesting...

[kevin]

ya its really bad

[HomertheGreat]

I can't believe I actually subscribed to that forumn, but I've only posted like twice

[kevin]

I posted over 3000 before this place was created.

[Channel Surfer]

Originally posted by stride_83

I understand the effects of nostalgia on hindsight, but I'd like to point out that I started watching The Simpsons in 1997, catching all that I could in reruns (it'd probably why I have a homogenized view of all the episodes from season 2 to season 9). While I wouldn't lull myself into believing nostalgia has no effect on the way I look at the episodes, it is fair to say that it had not colored my perspective to the point where nothing could measure up to my impression of the older episodes.

As for taking a break, it all depends on "The Great Louse Detective." Although I'm not expecting much, I'm willing to let myself be surprised.

I guess we were all attracted to different qualities in The Simpsons. Unfortunately, whatever element that attracted me is all but gone now.

So true. And DotheBartman is an even later show joiner, which further cripples the nostalgia argument. As you obviously read, Tim_Duncan had stated earlier (on another thread, of which I'll paraphrase) how entertainment is such a personal thing, and that each person has their own interests as far as what they want. This point is continuously rubbed in my face when people sing the praise of "I am Furious (Yellow)", an episode which I personally detest.

However, I do believe nostalgia does play a role. IMO, why else do people from the 80s watch "The Facts of Life" and "Three's Company" on Nick at Night? ;-/

Originally posted by Simpson Purist
I hate to beat a dead horse but, it's amazing how different the members' tastes on this board are radically different from other TV discussion boards. Over at the FOX and DVDtalk boards, I hear nothing but praise for this awful episode. It makes me wonder if Mike Scully brainwashed the Simpson newbies and made them despise the classic elements that made OFF so fresh and funny in the first place.

I've said it once and I'll say it again. Different message boards attract different demographics. The official site attracts the Chris Pfeiler "kids" audience, while the No Homers Club attracts more of an old-mid episode lover’s audience (pre season 10). If you head over to tvtome, most people there feel the show declined in season 12. And we all know about ats.

Personally, I think none of the boards represent the majority opinion, which is held, IMO, by the 25-45 year old (mostly 70s nostalgia) audience (which partly explains the popularity of "Strummer", an episode I personally thought was average). Most audience members don't hate Lisa, despite what thesimpsons.com implies. And most people don't hate (the current) Homer either, despite what The No Homers Club implies. Every place has its own opinion. And I think it's important we all remember that.

[Ryan]

can anyone tell me who wrote "Helter Shelter"? i won't see it till next year, and snpp hasn't been updated yet...

[Andy]

Brian Pollack and Mert Rich. Both newcomers to a writing credit, although I do believe Pollack has worked on the show for a while.

[|RABiD|]

Originally posted by PsycheEnFuego
Brian Pollack and Mert Rich. Both newcomers to a writing credit, although I do believe Pollack has worked on the show for a while.

I dont think Pollack has worked on the show at all. I never heard about him until this episode aired.

[StrideR]

I don't think the writing staff needs new blood at this point.

[chiefdan]

Originally posted by stride_83
I don't think the writing staff needs new blood at this point.

Really? I think they do, considering the crappiness of many recent episodes.

[DotheBartman]

Originally posted by chiefdan721


Really? I think they do, considering the crappiness of many recent episodes.

I think his argument is that its largely newer writers ruining the show, hence it would only make things worse.

Personally, I think the current writers simply need to come up with a different direction for the show. After the improvements made last season it seems to be going down the toilet again. I don't think its entirely lack of skill; rather, they're simply taking the show in the wrong direction. They could easily do a truly emotional episode if they wanted...but who wants to see that? Gotta make it fun, fun, fun! (hence the shitty ending to Bart/Lisa/Third Grade)

[chiefdan]

Originally posted by DotheBartman


I think his argument is that its largely newer writers ruining the show, hence it would only make things worse.

Personally, I think the current writers simply need to come up with a different direction for the show. After the improvements made last season it seems to be going down the toilet again. I don't think its entirely lack of skill; rather, they're simply taking the show in the wrong direction. They could easily do a truly emotional episode if they wanted...but who wants to see that? Gotta make it fun, fun, fun! (hence the shitty ending to Bart/Lisa/Third Grade)

Well, I do agree with almost all of what you've said(everything after the word "Personally"). But I think that The Simpsons should still look for new writers. And I don't think that newer writers are the main reason why the show is getting less and less funny.

[Simpson Purist]

The Simpsons need to get "new" writers in the form of Conan O'Brien, Oakley/Weinstein, Kogen/Wolodarsky, Greg Daniels, Jeff Martin, and Sam Simon.

["Yes i Cannibus"]

yeah i'm sure conan will leave his own show to come back to writting for a cartoon:)

[Tomacco]

Can someone explain what that "23 skidoo" line that Marge said in the Kiwk-E-Mart was? Mr. Burns said it too in "Homer vs Dignity", and I don't get what it is.

[Andy]

It's an old expression that comes from the Flatiron building in New York, designed by architect Daniel Burnham. Here's the origin: The Flatiron Building! One of New York City's most popular and loved landmarks sits on the southwest corner of Madison Square Park. This building has seen millions of people pass by, from Admiral Halsey to Laurel and Hardy.
The building, which was completed in 1902 and designed by the famous Chicago architect Daniel H. Burnham, stands tall and proud at 285 feet (21 floors), at the intersection(s) of 23rd street, Broadway and 5th avenue. 5th and B'way cross right smack in front of the building.

The building was designed for the Fuller Construction Company, and its original name was The Fuller Building. However, because of its likeness to a flat iron, it got the nickname, which has stuck ever since.

While the building does have a steel frame, it was not the first in the city to have of as popular belief leads us to believe, as there were dozens already finished in Manhattan during the late 1890's.
The term 23-skidoo has its origins taken from the result of this building. When first finished, it created a nasty updraft and the men (those who would go near it, since many were afraid that it would fall over!) would gather to watch the womens skirts blow skyward, in hope of catching a glimpse of a sexy ankle.
The police would do a '23-skidoo' (23, reffering to 23rd Street and Skidoo is an old term for 'scram'), which was meant to go and shoo the gawkers out of the area.

[Helper Monkey]

Here's the link:
http://www.wordorigins.org/wordort.htm#twenty-three

And here's the write up:
Twenty-Three Skidoo
Despite being associated in the public mind with the 1920s, the era of flappers and speakeasies, the phrase actually dates to about 1900. It was a tremendous fad phrase at the turn of the 19th century, much as show me the money was a short time ago. The phrase means go away or don't bother me.
The phrase is a bit of mystery. The skidoo part undoubtedly is a variation on skedaddle.

The twenty-three portion may derive from an 1899 production of A Tale of Two Cities performed on the New York stage. In that production much was made of the knitting woman calling out the number of the guillotined. Sydney Carton was the twenty-third victim. The twenty-three was combined with skidoo in popular speech to denote a finality.

A common tale told about the origin is that it derives from the Flatiron Building on 23rd Street in New York. The odd shape of the building created updrafts that would lift women's skirts as they walked past. Groups of young men would congregate to watch and would be chased off by police officers with the phrase twenty-three skidoo. A neat story, but one without a shred of evidence to support it.

Here's one more link:
http://www.word-detective.com/back-v.html#23

And some of the text:
Since neither of these theories strikes me as very believable (especially not the "windy corner" one), I was pleased to find that the late Eric Partridge devoted nearly a full page to "twenty-three skiddoo" in his Dictionary of Catch Phras