Rate/Review "Old Yeller-Belly" (EABF14)

[Tomacco]

You know what to do.
Open after episode airs.

[Tomacco]

Umm..apparently I've lost the power to delete and move threads, so ignore this for now until I find out what happend.

[Cole]

You can't move threads from the Voting Booth is all.

Moved to GD.

[Andy]

Eh, it wasn't that good... kinda all over the place and a drunken shark? Gah.

But one thing bothers me: isn't Snowball II a SHE?

I EXPECT LOTS OF DISCUSSION

[Sam]

I missed it. I will try to download it.

[RacistInsomniac]

The ending happened fairly fast.

"Marge they're just hams." :LOL:

[Cole]

Very disappointing ... the plot was all over the place and it had few laughs. Dull and hard to sit through. 2/5.

[Necromancer]

I though this was actually a pretty good episode, gave it a 4/5. the ending needed a lot of help though.

[mmforbiddendoughnut]

Yea good point, it wasent to bad, the charactors they used where like odd becuase they have never been main, well duffman and snowball II

[Blue Phoenix]

2/5

All over the place with no real point of any kind. They just moved from plot angle to plot angle with the Duff stroyline coming in out of nowhere.

The dated beer humor didn't help maters either. Not hoffic but awfully boring and pointless.

[Datoupee]

5 / 5... I thought it was great as always.

[Moose of Doom!]

One of the best episodes this season. Great references, the real Duffman (along with the "I must be Jesus. Up, up, and away" joke), movie, meta, and religious references galore (I want a buggy-mobile!), this has to be one of THE best episodes this season.

5/5

[bmac]

Not bad, not bad at all, not all that good either though. I give it a 3/5. The beginning of the episode was a little off-base and silly with the amish building Bart's treehouse and then it burning down. And also "Suds McDuff" reminded me alot of Slurms McKenzie (Futurama Episode) and Poochie rolled into one which was rather frightening. But we got to see SLH's original owner as well as Barry Duffman. They did wrap up things nicely for once at the end with the family on the couch. Not to bad.

[Mayor Quimby]

Speculation killed it, but it wasn't to bad. 4/5 Wonder which way Channel Surfer, and DoTheBartman will take with this one.

[Pukahontas]

Return of the Chalkboard Gag. Okay now that that is out of the way, on to the real episode. The Amish builing the treehouse was the only bad thing in this episode. I thought the ep was great! This is like the first episode when they actully use Snowball II. I felt the plot was great and so were the jokes. The hardest I ever laughed this season was when the shark got drunk, I found that HI-larious for some reason...I actully teared. You can disagree, but this was diffentley a great episode. So what a shark got drunk, it was funny. SLH was finally in character for the first time since the classic seasons. This ep worked in everyway. Im only taking off one point for the first 5 minutes...everything else was perfect!

9/10- Second best of season
5/5

Otto: Wow! That shark is wasted! :LOL:

[Mafia]

i thought Snowball II was a she. I guess it wasn't established... However, Snowball I was definetly a she though.

4/5

I liked seeing Howard Duff return and the sleazy owner of SLH return. Some good jokes. I liked the coward scene but it got old. I liked under the mask duffman... Another new Duffman. I guess the old one was fired for the events of Hungry Hungry Homer. I laughed a lot during the episode... but mostly at stupid stuff I won't laugh at the second time. I like Homer's line before he expected to be eaten by the shark.

Writing this review, it is a very low 4/5.

[JaySherman]

Not great, but nod bad. I have mixed feelings about this one, though compared to the rest of Season 14 it's definitely an improvement.

Pros: Snowball 2 got some air time, Buzz cola with Lemon, not bad for SLH episode

Cons: Homer trying to scare Lisa, Homer and Bart cried, Gettin' tired of Cletus in every show

But the most important cons, they destryoed the Treehouse and never rebuilt it. How could they destroy it? Those bastards!!!

Another terrible ending, too rushed along with jokes fallin flat.

[Hans Barber]

it was ok about...2.5\5. i didnt like the new treehouse gag, the duff promotion on the beach...and just a few little things. its wasnt that funny but it also wasnt over board. decent episode.

[Ignatius J. Reilly]

Originally posted by mmforbiddendougnut
Yea good point, it wasent to bad, the charactors they used where like odd becuase they have never been main, well duffman and snowball II


I sincerely hope that you further your education.

[Urts]

Right...

Pretty uninteresting episode. The beginning reminded me a little of the older episodes: Bart and his friends messing around in the treehouse. Still, that scene was a bit odd. I also found it very strange when everyone in town started obsessing over the cat. Homer hating the dog was a bit too much like "Dog of Death", and the scene of SLH being taken away was similar to when he was taken in "The Great Canine Mutiny"(although the emotion in this scene was pretty good).

I really didn't laugh much at this one, and the plot just didn't seem to ever get interesting. One of my least favorites of the season, but not horrible.

Rating: 2 or 2.5/5

[brentholomew]

4.5/5

Good:

Homer's hallucination of the pilotless jet was hilarious
The park being renamed to a ridiculous commerical name
SLH in the commercial
Snowball II!
Snowball II saving Homer

Bad:

Plot was way too back and forth
Ending was a bit weird.

[paul byers]

Another above-average episode. A good balance of plot and humor. I rate it a 3.5/5 but I voted a 4 because I loved the Amish gag. Not bad.

[Tomacco]

If you go in expecting the world, you're gonna be disappointed. End of story.

I enjoyed tonight's episode. First of all, there weren't really any truly lame gags at all. The drunk shark was predictable, which bothered me a bit, but the ending was decent. I liked act 2 a lot for some reason, and I thought they carried Homer'a anger at SLH throughout the episode pretty well. Characterization was excellent throughout, and I liked Duffman's role in the episode. Just a totally solid episode. No plot flow problems from me, by the way.
4/5

[Handsome Pete]

What, some people didn't really like this one? Personally, I actually liked it. Sure, some of it bordered on being completely ridiculous (the train and the shark come to mind), and it kind of was all over the place, but they didn't really seem like glaring problems to me compared to some other episodes this season, and a lot of things actually seemed pretty funny to me. Also, aside from the weird stuff, the delivery of the jokes seemed to be well done. Some of the time they didn't even stoop to the level that they have on some other jokes this season. The slight continuity with season 1 was also interesting to me, even if it wasn't entirely focused on all that much. And the ending was a bit rushed...but I didn't mind.

Another thing, I liked how Santa's Little Helper and Snowball II acted mostly like animals in this one. Also, the first and third acts were decent, but the second act really surprised me. All-around good jokes, great flow, and excellent characterization (well, that part was constantly good...) really brought up the score for me. Duffman's inclusion in the third act was also well done.

Yeah, there were problems in this episode. But I'd say the pros outweigh the cons. 3.5/5, rounded up to a 4.

Did anyone catch what the last entry on Homer's favorite family members was?

[Mr. Plow]

I thought the idea wasn't that great. The jokes fell flat. I'm starting to see a bit of a decline starting with last week's episode. 2/5

[Bartman3010]

Lame episode. This episode made me realize how forced these jokes really are. This season was pretty dumb as the last one.

Oh well.

They pretty much overreacted about the cat.
The owner of Santa's Little Helper was used badly.
The whole thing about the cat was idiodic. I just cannot get over that.

I guess there were a few good points. The return of H. Duff, Duffman and I didnt reconize any celebrities.

[doyle]

yeah i found it to be pretty good. excellent humor most laughs in recent memory. no standout lame jokes or sex jokes. great use of minor characters in the first act. a few nice parodies (i know people will complain about the shark thing but i saw it as a nice jaws scenario parody with a good simpsons twist)

the only gripes i have about this episode are yeah i guess the amish thing was stupid, very stupid, and duffmans name has been changed. again.

4.3/5

[Wavy Gravy]

A fine episode, and a nice refresher from last week's mediocrity. The setup with Bart's treehouse club was very nice (with Nelson, Milhouse, and Database used nicely). The Amish bit was kinda weird, but still excusable as it wasn't overdone. The main point of the story was great (SLH and Snowball II finally given their due after years of background work) and seeing Homer and Bart's reactions to the situation was funny. Emotional bit with SLH being taken back, but still a fine wrap-up - I also liked the final scene. All in all, the season just keeps progressing. 4/5.

[Incognito, Guy]

Originally posted by Mr. Plow
I thought the idea wasn't that great. The jokes fell flat. I'm starting to see a bit of a decline starting with last week's episode. 2/5

Agreed. I thought it was turning around, but with the last couple of weeks.... :(

[Toxic Monkey]

2.5/5 (3/5 on vote)

not too many moments that made me laugh, alot of messed up stuff (how many times have they changed DUFFFMAN's name?), and the plot itself wasnt that great. ill probably forget about this episode by the time the season ends.

[no_msg]

That was a great episode. Very little stupid humour from what I could tell (except for maybe bits of the treehouse thing).

One part I really loved was Homer's exec jet fantasy. Hilarious.

4/5 to 4.5/5

[doyle]

Originally posted by Handsome Pete


Did anyone catch what the last entry on Homer's favorite family members was? i didnt. what was it

[Stina]

This episode was strange. My favorite part was when the homeless guy leaped out of the window thinking he was Jesus, lol.

3/5

[Mayor Quimby]

Originally posted by Incognito, Guy
Agreed. I thought it was turning around, but with the last couple of weeks.... :(

Maybe to you but for me the last 6 episodes have all been 4/5 or higher. What a terrific season!

[RacistInsomniac]

Originally posted by Handsome Pete
Did anyone catch what the last entry on Homer's favorite family members was?

Vegas Wife. :shifty:

[paul byers]

Did anyone notice a cut scene from the promos? Marge goes, "I would expect this from a French poodle, not an American dog" or something to that effect. This was not in the episode. I know something similar happened with last year's halloween special, but it does seem strange. It was probably for time concerns, but it was a decent joke.

[Handsome Pete]

Okay, just remembered a few more things...the whole Amish part didn't work for me. It was just very poorly added, and I especially didn't like Satan being there. It's okay if they stretch reality a little bit, but that's just too far.

And the whole treehouse unveiling was something that I groaned at a little. I'm not sure I like the whole idea that a good deal of the secondary characters were there (including the Devil :uhh: ), and the sign burning down the place was also a bit iffy, but I felt it was saved by Homer's "No one knows more about electricity than the Amish", or something to that effect. The cat worshiping later was also a little overblown, but they didn't focus on it too much, so I let it slide. And Barry? Duffman's real first name is Barry now?

But who am I kidding; I'm just nitpicking here. The episode still had a lot of great laughs for me, and that's mostly what counts.

[Ignatius J. Reilly]

Originally posted by Tomacco
If you go in expecting the world, you're gonna be disappointed. End of story.


I hear you loud and clear (though, you haven't 'said' anything to me).

[Mafia]

was herb on the family list? or mother simpson?


devil was also in Behind the Laughter.

[doyle]

Originally posted by Incognito, Guy
Agreed. I thought it was turning around, but with the last couple of weeks.... :( you give up after 2 weeks of episodes that in your mind have not been on par with the 4-5/5 average of the season? back in S11-12 they would reel off 6 or 7 horrible episodes in a row. i think that it isnt time to look at a couple episodes and be angry with the fact that you havent liked the last 2, i think it is a time to be happy with the way this season has been as a whole, which is nothing short of excellent

[Moose of Doom!]

After Gil's and Duffman's appearences tonight, I guess they've become the new Hans Moleman/Artie Pie. They keep getting into life-altering experiences but never change (and remember, Duffman never dies, only the actors who play him do!).

[Incognito, Guy]

Originally posted by dondelinger
you give up after 2 weeks of episodes that in your mind have not been on par with the 4-5/5 average of the season? back in S11-12 they would reel off 6 or 7 horrible episodes in a row. i think that it isnt time to look at a couple episodes and be angry with the fact that you havent liked the last 2, i think it is a time to be happy with the way this season has been as a whole, which is nothing short of excellent

:LOL:

I didn't say I'm giving up. I didn't say I'm angry. And if you think this season is excellent, then double :LOL:. This is a decent season. Better than the past 3 or 4. But it's only excellent to those who rate every Simpsons season as excellent or better.

[NoOneFamous]

-Episode Notes-

Opening:
Nice to see the chalkboard again, although it was lame. Damn re-used couch gags..

1st act:
Bart and the treehouse stuff - kinda lame kiddie stuff
Loved the train track lumber gag
Amish thing - kinda random but they were funny
I thought it was cool that Snowball II actually did something important for once.

2nd Act:
Loved Homer's halucination of the airplane gag
Like everything until the end - the real conflict wasn't introduced until the end of act 2

3rd Act:
Homer screaming at Lisa - Funny, until the 3rd time, that was overdoing it
Duffman without costume? - Whoah! Weird. And his name changed again. I think that was on purpose
Ending - Good conclusion and classic Homer!
-----------------------------------------------------

Review:
Hmm.. not bad. Not too funny, but I'd rather have a few good jokes and a good story/plot instead of a episode packed with horrible jokes and a horrible plot, like last week's episode. Everyone was in character, and even though Santa's Little Helper becoming a famous spokesperson was a little weird, it pulled off OK. I wish they would have done more with Santa's Little Helper's old owner. My biggest complain is that the plot was all over the place... the real conflict really didn't appear until the end of the 2nd act, and there were other conflicts before that. My other complaint is with the huge ammount of incredibly forced jokes (especially the whole shark thing), a problem that just seems to get worse as the season goes on. For example, theres been a lot of really lame, childish dialogue lately. I also could complain about how Duffman's one bit gag is long since dead, and the beer spokesman jokes were pretty dated, but thats just nitpicking.

3.5/5, C+ - Still plagued by the 2 biggest re-occuring problems in new episodes - unfocused plot and a lot of really forced humor & emotion. If it were a little funnier and more focused it would have gotten a 5/5 from me.

[doyle]

Originally posted by Incognito, Guy
And if you think this season is excellent, then double :LOL:. This is a decent season. Better than the past 3 or 4. But it's only excellent to those who rate every Simpsons season as excellent or better. ok i meant excellent in comparison with the past 5. ive reached the point that most others have where i dont believe it could ever approach the first 8 seasons, and i dont see any point in comparing episodes today to those of S1-8, cause they wont equal up. i compare them to the episodes of the recent seasons, where there would be close competition. and to me S14 has been better than last year which i saw as an improvement over yes, even S9

[mintjellyonthelam]

Bad 2/5

The only part I really liked was the ending with Homer talking about Snowball ll. One of the worst this year.

[Tomacco]

Originally posted by dondelinger
ok i meant excellent in comparison with the past 5. ive reached the point that most others have where i dont believe it could ever approach the first 8 seasons, and i dont see any point in comparing episodes today to those of S1-8, cause they wont equal up. i compare them to the episodes of the recent seasons, where there would be close competition. and to me S14 has been better than last year which i saw as an improvement over yes, even S9

I'm like this. I only compare to season 9 and up. And season 14 is running alongside 9 right now for me.

[nowhere]

Pretty good, with some groan gags (the flying train, drunk shark) and some great gags (the mennonite line sticks out in particular to me). Story was pretty good, and it was good to see Snowball II get some quality screen time.

4/5

[HomertheGreat]

well I only got to watch half of it so I won't give it a grade but from what I saw, very good episode. The only real lame gag I saw was Homer screaming at Lisa. First time it was funny, but the third time overdid it. Nice to see Duffman get a major role in an episode.

[Tomacco]

These poll results are some of the strangest I've seen.

[Moose of Doom!]

Why for?

[Tomacco]

Originally posted by Mega Moose of Doom!
Why for?

It was at 0,5,5,14,5 before, which is so even on everything except 4/5 which is way ahead. I found it interesting.

[thecapecoddah]

Good stuff, 4/5. Amazed that they actually devoted a third of the episode to Snowball II. I also thought that the plot flowed rather well and I enjoyed how they tied things together in regards to the first and final acts (SLH was always cowardly, Marge referring to what the cat did earlier, etc).

Amusing to see Duffman receive a new first name each episode... I'm assuming it's just a simple gag rewarding those who watch often OR the writers are mocking the fans who are always curious as to what a character's name is. Or both.

[|RABiD|]

A simply awesome episode tonight! Lots of laughs and some pretty good emotion as well I might add. I have enjoyed every EABF episode this season! Yes, yes I enjoyed EABF13. I'm one of the few who found it enjoyable. Anyway, a 4/5 tonight.

[Mike Scully]

I'm too lazy and sleepy tonight to write much of a review, so I'll just say that I pretty much agree with all of NoOneFamous' comments, and would also give this episode a C+. Boring uninspired rambling plot, but it offers a decent amount of laughs.

[Pukahontas]

Tomacco, what is the consecutive good episodes in a row up to, 7?

[huh?]

To me, it was a little bit of a disappointment. It tried to be too silly in the early going with the Amish and the Train gags. But it did get better later on and I thought that it ended well with the shark. Also, I though that this would have been good with the old owner coming back, but it was somewhat lacking; I would have like to have seen more of him. Duffman and Snowball II were great though.
2.5/5(Rounded to a 3)

[DotheBartman]

Boy....I hate to say it, but that was terrible. Not terrible in the "urge to kill...rising" Simpsons Safari way, but nothenless terrible. I have a fair amount to say about it, so bear with me:

Humor: First off, this episode was horribly unfunny. I don't mean that it was unfunny in a "meh" kind of way with a decent amount of jokes. I mean that it wasn't funny AT ALL. I think the only thing that was funny was SLH's beer commercial, and that was chuckleworthy at best, and certainly lame compared to previous beer parodies. Everything else was blah, and in fact many of the jokes really didn't make sense. Marge giving her family members weird nicknames (like baldy)? And using a bell to call freaks? Homer screaming at Lisa? Many other things really didn't make much sense, but I'll get to that. In general though, I almost wasn't sure when things were supposed to be jokes, and nothing was funny. Plus, they went ahead and explained the Jaws parody (not that it was a very good parody, mind you), and the C.C. Lemon joke would've been funny if they hadn't done one in almost every episode this season.

It worked before.....: I'll say this, this episode sure knew how to bring back old elements. In fact, I couldn't help but think that the writers had simply looked at a bunch of old episodes, looked at what worked, then cobbled a bunch of them together into a checklist of things to put in the episode. SOOO many things felt recycled (Bart missing his friend, the original owner, the dog leaving in some way, the family being mad at the dog for whatever reason...). The main plot itself just felt like every other SLH plot put together. Duffman "sees the light" (Hungry Hungry Homer, anyone?). Dave Shutton and Howard K. Duff, along with others that haven't been around for a while, show up (Shutton in particular seemed like another case of bring back old "classic" characters for the sake of pleasing the hardcore fans). The mentioned C.C. Lemon thing felt like every other reference to the show's "selling out", and in general just felt so done before. And the general execution of the whole thing just felt like they had seen what everyone else was doing or had done, and decided to do it themselves.

The plot: Ignoring that it had already been done before (since I already went into that), the storyline here was just weak. Maybe not in concept, seeing as how I liked the concept initially, but the execution. The flow itself wasn't very good. There weren't too many moments where it went too fast for me to comprehend, but all the same it tended to stick to things other for too long, or not long enough. The thing with Bart's treehouse is dragged on way too long (all without including SLH, which is bad plotting), but at the same time SLH's fame and the family missing him is given hardly enough time. It takes forever for it to even GET to him becoming the Duff dog, and then felt rushed once it got there. All of this ultimately contribued to another major problem with the story, which is that I just didn't care. Seriously, I was bored to death through much of it, and didn't care at all what was going on. The "emotional" bits felt contrived and weren't good at all: they felt just as plastic, if not more so, then "Sweetest Apu" or even "Natura Diddly" and "Praiseland". Beyond all this as well, much of it just didn't make sense. Why were the townspeople all coming to the treehouse? Why was a shark near the beach, and why did it get drunk so easily? Homer saying he "has no dog" means they legally don't own him? What? The smaller things like the devil or the weird train didn't bother me as much (even though they weren't funny), but I thought there were some bigger issues with things not being sensical that really hurt this one.


Now, don't get me wrong, there were some good aspects. I didn't have any problem with characterizations, even Bart (who has been poorly characterized/used in many episodes this season). And despite some more nonsensical things and a somewhat nonsensical plot flow it did tend to stay more or less grounded. But other then that, there really isn't much to like. To be fair, there isn't much to actualy HATE either, but what that leaves us with is a perfectly forgettable episode: not as offensively bad as Simpsons Safari, but not good in any real way either.

2/5, or D.

[Hapablap]

5/5 I loved this episode all the way through, it had a nice feel to me for some reason, felt somewhat "old school". I breathe a refreshed sigh of relieve after last week. The only joke I noticed that seemed off was the eyeball sale place, but I'll probably laugh at its obsurdity in a couple weeks.

*made a point not to read any previous reviews or vote yet, excuse if I repeat something*
----------------------------------------------------

And in "I'm spelling as fast as I can": did anyone happen to notice that the Rib-it sandwich mascot thing looked almost exactly like the Doc Hopper's froglegs mascot from The Muppet Movie? I missed that the first time, and maybe its old news but thats hardcore!

[Moleman...Hans]

3.5/5. It was pretty good. I love the pets but the Amish scene and the shark scene kind of sucked. I'll vote a 4/5. One bad thing was that it might have killed of the Treehouse. I was quite glad to see the chalk thungy again either though it sucked.

[Channel Surfer]

My Review (http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/EpisodeReviewPage/showid-146/epid-196016/blockid-79455/)

I actually said a lot of what DotheBartman already said, but in a somewhat nicer way. I did find some scattered amusement throughout though, like the opening bit in the treehouse, Homer's vision of the Duff jet, the commercial, and a few other little bits. Plot was rambly and unengaging though, and I've never been the biggest fan of SLH episodes anyway. I did kind of like the Snowball II screen time though.

Plopped the teaser in my review from Hapablap.

Grade: C

[Sorrydude]

2/5 and I might be a little generous with that. I don't think I laughed once. Once again, there didn't seem to be any point to the episode.

[Tibor]

Meh, a B-, tottering toward a C+. It was an amusing episode, I'll say "Damn, that's a lemony cola; Who's gonna eat my homework now?". There was another example of joke overkill (like the gummi fish in Special Edna) with Homer trying to frighten Lisa. Once was enough. The shark bit was weak, and makes me wonder why they didn't just go ahead and let the Simpsons' plan work. I know that the standard format is for the intended plan to initially fail but work after a fashion, but c'mon it ain't Scooby-Doo. It isn't a structural failure, but a lot of quick random plot pivots and the aforementioned shark nonsense drops the plot grade to a 2. Nothing deep character-wise, but nothing just jumped out at me as being cripplingly out of character or annoying. I enjoyed myself for the most part.

Is it just me, or did Spuds McDuff remind anyone of Slurms McKenzie?

EDIT: On the animation/acting end this was a pretty good outing, with even the animals delivering some convincing expressions.

[Tomacco]

Originally posted by DotheBartman
C.C. Lemon joke would've been funny if they hadn't done one in almost every episode this season.

The mentioned C.C. Lemon thing felt like every other reference to the show's "selling out", and in general just felt so done before. And the general execution of the whole thing just felt like they had seen what everyone else was doing or had done, and decided to do it themselves.



You probably didn't catch the reference. That was only a refrence to Pepsi Twist and Lemon Coke. That's about the extent of it. No C.C.Lemon involved.

And if anyone's still wondering, Spuds McDuff and Slurms Mckenzie are alike because they're parodying the same thing.

[Tibor]

And if anyone's still wondering, Spuds McDuff and Slurms Mckenzie are alike because they're parodying the same thing.

Jonah, enlighten me. :)

[Rowdy]

Fantacular! Great stuff all around although the first act got off to a slow start. Definitely one of the best of the season. A-

Also, I'm too lazy to watch the episode again, but that commercial for "I'm Spelling" had a Grampa joke that I don't remember seeing the two times that I've watched it. Or maybe I just forgot about it.

[lindsay]

i gave it a 4/5. i thought it was pretty good. The treehouse thing was kinda cool at first, but then it got kinda weird when the amish came and it was like a big premiere night club. I liked that snowball II had a lot of air time. I guess i'm the only one who thought it was funny when homer was trying to scare lisa. I don't know why but i thought it was hysterical. I liked the emotion in it, i felt really bad for bart. Anyways, i thought it was pretty good.

[Tibor]

Yeah, the Grampa thing in Spelling was a syndication cut. Shoulda been left in, though.

[Jamie]

Pretty average episode. They kept the plot pretty grounded. Not bad, but not spectacular.

What I liked:

Maggie in the trashcan
First act not disjointed from the rest of the episode
Bart's club and Lisa's club (nice to see Janey)
The Amish jokes ("Who knows more about electricity?")
Bart's new treehouse
More focus on Snowball II.. I hope she finally gets a profile in the next guide
"This is the kind of shot you only get once in a lifetime!"
Episode continunity [sp?] with Season One
Spuds McDuff making the rounds on Regis and Pyramid


What I disliked:

The Homer attempting to scare Lisa joke went on too long
Too much Duffman... he doesn't do so good in large doses
Another lame Gil joke
The "French poodle" joke didn't make it in the final cut
The whole scene at the beach
Referring to the cat as "he" instead of "she"... I sure hope someone got fired that one!

[Max Power]

All's I can say is meh. 3/5.

[homer5000]

Originally posted by Tibor
Is it just me, or did Spuds McDuff remind anyone of Slurms McKenzie?

Yes! It came to my mind almost immediately! The names, the babes, the clothes: They're all the same! The Simpsons ACTAULLY ripped off Futurama!

Onto my review...I thought it was pretty good. Good plot, I liked the ending, the treehouse and Regis/Pryamid jokes were good. 4/5...

[brancely]

Well, well, what can I say about this episode? It was average. Yes, there were some good jokes, and yes, the plot was pretty random (AMISH PEOPLE?), but overall, I didn't realy care for it one way or another.

First of all, Maggie was in a trash can. That in itself is hilarious.

Now, the Treehouse stuff was a bore. I can't figure out why Nelson's character alway shifts. In this one, he was hanging out with nerds and singing songs. In other episodes (such as "Spelling"), he is the bully wise-cracking and talking back. I must say I prefer bad-boy Nelson.

Anyways, that whole first segment was lame. I mean, using a cup and string to destroy the treehouse? Give me a break. And the scene with the train was too far-feched, although Homer's line was cute:

"This track has been abandoned since nineteen..." TRAIN!

OK, this brings us to the worst part of the episode: Amish People. AMISH PEOPLE??? Dear Lord, was that the stupidest thing they cooked up. And Marge contacted them with a BELL? And they all showed up to build a treehouse? And wasn't it TERRILE? AMISH PEOPLE?

OK, that's over with, but AMISH PEOPLE?

OK, it's over with now. On to the rest of the episode...

The treehouse social? Meh. It was pretty stupid, and the fire came really fast and sudden. Marge's family head count was kind of cute. Pointy, pointy, spiky, stylish...

Snowball II was great. I liked seeing his (her?) part being fleshed out. However, Homer's acts towards the dog were a little cruel. I mean, it's a freaking dog. Moe sucked in this one, as usual. They have fully screwed over his character.

The next couple of scenes in which SII was praised and SLH was reprimanded were all pretty much a blur. I know some good jokes were cracked (Buzz Cola with lemon, catsup, Rin Tin Tin), but I really wanted them to get to the episode's main plot. And the Simpsons' mailman now looks like Hitler? Odd...

I am actually glad that they brought up the ham thing this early on, so as to make it less random later.

But the reporter guy was randomly walking down the sidewalk at just the right time? Poor plot development.

Now we're finally into the main plot. Homer's dream sequence with the corporate jet was classic Homer. And for some reason, I really cracked up at Krusty's scene.

"Now let me stand on my mark between the snake and its baby..." Greatness.

SLH's comercial was also amusing. That part provided te best line of the episode: "The official beer of NASA: The National Association for the Selling of Alcohol." :LOL: Also, Homer's list of the family hierarchy received a chuckle from me. Did anyone else notice that Lisa was above Bart? I agree.

And now SLH's original owner wants him back? Is this supposed to be our main conflict? It wasn't clear where they were going with it. This also brings up another gripe of mine? What is it with Season 14 and resurrecting ancient one-time characters. We had Stampy, Ruth Powers, Cookie Kwan, and now the guy from the first episode ever. It's not always a bad thing, but I could have done without this guy. I mean, where was he in "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds?"

The Regis parody was stupid, except that I liked the game show bit. Homer yelling at Lisa was great the first two times, but did they really need a third one?

Gil's scene was pretty good, but Duffman really shined in this one. I liked the scene at the Men's Mission, with the guy who thought he was Jesus. Pretty funny. Also, did anyone else notice that the hobo from "Simpsons Tall Tales" was at the mission?

I dislike how they focused in on the sign that said "It's Something to Do" after showing the whole volleyball sign. In an older episode, the whole thing would have been shown in one sot, and the careful viewer would have been rewarded with a clever slogan. Irritating.

The plan to get SLH was executed well (though Skinner was forced), up to the part with the shark. After this I think the episode started to get stupid. I did like the line "Are you there God? It's me Duffman."

However, a drunk shark? Predictable AND not funny. It's a not-winning combination.

The ham joke was, in my opinion, brilliance. It was referenced to before, and utilized perfectly here. "Marge, they're just hams." The rest of the episode was just some unimportant dialogue.

Overall, this episode was good in the jokes department, but average in the plot department. I'd give it a 6.5/10, or C+.

I mean, AMISH PEOPLE???

[Jason]

Absolutley Terrible

My Review

Good:
Homer's dream of the jet without a pilot
Old guy jumping out of window thinking he was Jesus
Family List with vegas Wife as last entry

Bad:
Bart and Homer throwing tools at each other
"Who's gonna eat my homework now"
Amish building a treehouse
Drunk Shark
Homer trying to scare Lisa or whatever ever he was doing
Stealing wood from a train track

Plot was all over the place and the ending was terrible. 2/5

[chumpbender]

Pretty damn good. I tryed not to expect too much from this ep, because everytime I do it dosn't turn out so great. But this was pretty good, no stupid jokes, and a few pretty good ones. Seeing spelling as fast as I can after this ep was great, since its my second fav from this season. This new one dosn't make it into my top 5, but still a great ep, nothing to say "oh god" about when fox shows it again.

[used]

When it was over, I thought "thats pretty good for a new episode", but I stuck around and watched Im spelling as fast as I can again, and I realized they can do new episodes so much better then this. I watched it again, and Im very dissapointed, it didnt seem to have any glaring problem, but I just didnt enjoy it.

[DotheBartman]

Spuds McDuff and Slurms McKenzie both parodied "hip, party" type mascots for beer and other things. I thought the "satire" in this episode was just plain lame though, save for the beer add which still wasn't especcially good. Futurama's parody was definetely better, and even Family Guy could probably do something better. If you want a rip off of a Fururama joke on Simpsons though, the "Are you listening to me? I give up" thing from Bart Wants What it Wants is ripped off of A Big Peice of Garbage.

Also agreed with Channel Surfer's comment about the recurring characters. Its just getting ridiculous, and feels contrived to get us "lousy complainers" to see specific characters from our favorite episodes and therefore end up liking the moments.

[Channel Surfer]

Originally posted by lance
And now SLH's original owner wants him back? Is this supposed to be our main conflict? It wasn't clear where they were going with it. This also brings up another gripe of mine? What is it with Season 14 and resurrecting ancient one-time characters. We had Stampy, Ruth Powers, Cookie Kwan, and now the guy from the first episode ever. It's not always a bad thing, but I could have done without this guy. I mean, where was he in "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds?"

I actually made a note of that back when I wrote my review. Of characters revived just from the first five seasons, there's been the Goofball and Mary Bailey in "Bart vs. Lisa vs. the 3rd Grade", Stampy in "Large Marge", Ruth Powers in "Strong Arms of the Ma", Rabbi Hyman Krustofsky in "Dude, Where's My Ranch", and now SLH's original owner in this episode. And, of course, Sideshow Bob in "The Great Louse Detectives", though he doesn't really count. And, though last seen in season 11, the Maude stuff could also be used in this regard.

Though, to be fair, season 13 did bring back a few characters, like the Vegas wives and Artie Ziff, and maybe a few others that I don't remember. Some of it works, but a lot of it just feels like fan pandering to me.

Edit: Didn't realize you already commented DotheBartman. If I were to make a comparison, the constant returning of old characters reminds me of later day "Seinfeld" episodes, such as the Puerto Rican guys returning in "The Puerto Rican Day" and the old guys coming back in "The Blood", just to redo their same old jokes. And of course, don't get me started with "The Finale".

[Old Time Bike]

Originally posted by Tibor
Jonah, enlighten me. :)

http://www.bullterrierdallas.com/spudgirl.htm

it's kind of weird that some people don't know who spuds mckenzie is.

[Jake]

Originally posted by Tomacco
I'm like this. I only compare to season 9 and up. And season 14 is running alongside 9 right now for me.

I'm actually more progressive in my views. Seasons 13-14 are better than just about anything from the Scully era.

As for tonight's episode, It was pretty boring with some funny bits, like Lisa and Maggie with the Flashlights and the "hams" comment by Homer. But otherwise there wasn't anything really super-funny or super-stupid, 'cept the flipping train gag.

[brancely]

You're right, Surfer. I totally forgot about Mary Bailey and the Goofball. With the addition of Vegas wifes and Ziff, it seems to be less of a S14 thing and more of an Al Jean thing, don't you think? I certainly don't think it's a coincidence that all these old characters are making re-appearances. Maybe the writers are trying to breathe some life back into the show by using old people that only long-time viewers will remember?

Also would you consider the Duff owner in this regard? The only episode he's been in before was Hungry Hungry Homer...

[DotheBartman]

Huh, I actually wasn't aware of the specific reference with Spuds. Ah well, as a satire itself, I think Simpsons has done much better.

[*Waylon Smithers*]

4/5
Not much I can really say except that it was pretty good and didn't have a lot of the inane jokes that recent episodes have yielded. The Amish thing was pretty funny but I really think that the previous owner of Santa's Little Helper gave him back too easily.

[Channel Surfer]

Originally posted by lance
You're right, Surfer. I totally forgot about Mary Bailey and the Goofball. With the addition of Vegas wifes and Ziff, it seems to be less of a S14 thing and more of an Al Jean thing, don't you think? I certainly don't think it's a coincidence that all these old characters are making re-appearances. Maybe the writers are trying to breathe some life back into the show by using old people that only long-time viewers will remember?

It does seem to be a Jean thing. My biggest gripe is that if they are being used to rejuvenate the show, it seems more like a substitute for quality then anything else. Not saying there aren't quality episodes this season (there are a lot that I've liked), but generally speaking, the episodes that rely on past characters tend to hurt episodes more then help them.

For instance, did the Vegas wives returning help "Brawl in the Family", or did it make the episode very disjointed, and full of forced emotion? Did Ruth Powers return in "Strong Arms of the Ma" help the episode, or turn it into a preachy episode against steroids, complete with super wacky Marge? Other characters, like Stampy, felt very forced into their role, and "Bart vs. Lisa vs. the 3rd Grade", IMO, was simply a disaster. And the owner returning in this episode wasn't that great either.

The only character return I actually enjoyed was Artie Ziff. But then again, they did more then just return him. They actually redefined who he was, but without discarding the traits that made him so great in "The Way We Was". If more character returns were like that, I might not be so hesitant towards each character revival.

But it could be worse. Al Jean hasn't brought back Roy...yet.

Also would you consider the Duff owner in this regard? The only episode he's been in before was Hungry Hungry Homer...

Too new a character. Kind of like when they returned Coach Lugash in "Little Girl in the Big Ten". He's more likely to become an established regular rather then an old character being revived just to be revived, IMO.

[okayagain]

It was an enjoyable episode. Not great, but something I wouldn't mind watching again. I had a couple of good laughs, and the story was nice, but nothing special. It had some wackiness in it, but besides the shark it wasn't so bad (I admit it, I liked the train part). I also liked the screentime Snowball II had, being a cat owner myself. But it was SLH's episode, and he was pretty much forgotten as soon as the dog became popular. Can't complain though.


What I can complain about though, is SLH's owner. He had no character. He just appeared and took the dog back. I was expecting him to be some sort of shifty guy, and I'm not entirely sure if I was right. Him just taking SLH away obviously wasn't very moral. But when he just gave the dog back at the end, he didn't look so bad. He didn't show any resentment or anything, he was just "Well, I've done my part and it's the end of the episode so HERE have him back!".

Anyway, it had a lot of likeable moments, but it didn't stand out as an episode. It wasn't bad though, so a 3/5 from me.

EDIT: I wish the scene where Gil sold his eyes ended just a few seconds earlier, without the popping sounds. If it had ended with Gil being knocked out after noticing the mallet, it would've been more funnier to me. You already know what's going to happen after he's out anyway, why add some pointless noises? I also wish that Homer's last line had a bit more feeling in it ("Everybody's against me!"). The scene was a great way to end the episode, but the stale-ness of his line brought it down a little.

[Maddog53]

I would give this episode a 3.5/5 (I voted for a 3 on the poll). To me, it seems like a recurring thing this season. I don't really find the episode bad, it just doesn't have anything memorable. This episode is a further proof of this point. I didn't find anything that was terribly wrong with it (save for the devil part), yet I just didn't find anything great with it either. I may be flamed for this next comment, but at least episodes like Simpson Safari are remembered. Episodes like these just aren't. What Al Jean seems to have done is taken the show away from the Scully-ish years where a lot of episode were horrendous, and they would stick in your mind as to why they were bad. Now, that element is gone and what we are left with are episodes that are middle of the road, that don't really offend, but at the same time don't really inspire either. Maybe I'm becoming too picky in my old age, but I need episodes where something happens, that I care about, and have a decent amount of humour. Humour was just OK this episode (enough to bump my grade up .5) but if truth be told, I'm having trouble recalling exactly what happened in it (just like most of the others this season). In short, we are simply getting bland episodes in the place of really bad ones. If this is better or not is up for interpretation.

Maddog.

[brancely]

Originally posted by Channel Surfer
It does seem to be a Jean thing. My biggest gripe is that if they are being used to rejuvenate the show, it seems like a substitute for quality. Not saying there aren't quality episodes this season (there are a lot that I've liked), but generally speaking, the episodes that rely on past characters tend to hurt episodes more then help them.

For instance, did the Vegas wives returning help "Brawl in the Family", or make it very disjointed? Did Ruth Powers return in "Strong Arms of the Ma" help the episode, or turn it into a preachy episode against steroids? Other characters, like Stampy, felt very forced into their role, and "Bart vs. Lisa vs. the 3rd Grade", IMO, was simply a disaster. And the owner returning in this episode wasn't that great either.

The only character return I actually enjoyed was Artie Ziff. But then again, they did more then just return him. They actually redefined who he was, but without discarding the traits that made him so great in "The Way We Was". If more character returns were like that, I might not be so hesitant towards each character revival.

But it could be worse. Al Jean hasn't brought back Roy…yet.

Wow, it's like you're saying what I'm fixing to say. Sometimes they have added to the episode (I liked Mary Bailey). But all in all, they do somewhat bring down the quality of an episode. Stampy seemed like an easy way out. It's like the writers were thinking of how to solve both plots of that episode, and said, "Hey, let's toss in some random old plot element to save the episode." Oh well. Overall, though, I wouldn't say that all this character revival is a problem, yet. But for the love of god, leave Roy be. ;)

[DotheBartman]

Agreed with much of that, Maddog. Oftentimes it seems like a lot of the specific problems are gone, but the actual content is still lacking and doesn't really inspire. As I think I said in my review, I'd have to agree that even Simpsons Safari was more memorable in a way, since it was so offensively bad in many ways. Other episodes like this come off as forgettable, and I'd actually call this particular episode one of the most forgettable ever.

[DotheBartman]

Oh man, you guys aren't going to like this:

FABF07: How Roy got his Groove Back
Roy returns! But there's one problem: he's losing his cool, and his "two sexy ladies" now hate him! Its up to The Simpsons to help him regain his cool, and become this hippest man in Springfield, to get them back!

(and yes, that was a joke...)

[brancely]

Originally posted by DotheBartman
(and yes, that was a joke...) Thank God.

[Channel Surfer]

Originally posted by Maddog53
I may be flamed for this next comment, but at least episodes like Simpson Safari are remembered. Episodes like these just aren't. What Al Jean seems to have done is taken the show away from the Scully-ish years where a lot of episode were horrendous, and they would stick in your mind as to why they were bad. Now, that element is gone and what we are left with are episodes that are middle of the road, that don't really offend, but at the same time don't really inspire either.

Maddog.

No, evil wrong. You will burn in Scully's hell for such blasphemy. Al Jean is your Savior man.

Seriously though, I do agree to some extent, but I find it only to be true with weaker offerings. I found the better episodes of this season, like "Special Edna", "The Dad Who Knew Too Little", "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can", "A Star is Born Again, "Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington" (especially the FOX News bit), "C.E.D'oh", and "Three Gays of the Condo" to be memorable enough, as well as a few others. It's just the weaker episodes, like this episode IMO, which have turned this season into the blander years.

And, on the other side of the spectrum, I found "Helter Shelter" to be offensively bad in the tradition of "Kill the Alligator and Run" and "Simpson Safari".

[Hapablap]

Originally posted by Maddog53
What Al Jean seems to have done is taken the show away from the Scully-ish years where a lot of episode were horrendous, and they would stick in your mind as to why they were bad. Now, that element is gone and what we are left with are episodes that are middle of the road, that don't really offend, but at the same time don't really inspire either.

Personally, I'd rather middle of the road episodes than episodes that suck so bad you remember them soley for sucking. Most Simpson episodes are middle of the road for me, but that means they're the most creative thing I can put on my tv. I remember small parts of all of them. All I want is overall chewy gewy goodness. but thats just me.

[Channel Surfer]

Originally posted by DotheBartman
FABF07: How Roy got his Groove Back
Roy returns! But there's one problem: he's losing his cool, and his "two sexy ladies" now hate him! Its up to The Simpsons to help him regain his cool, and become this hippest man in Springfield, to get them back!

But the Simpsons are too late, and Lester and Eliza end up being the ones to help Roy.

[Jason]

Probaly a dumb question, but who is Roy.

[chiefdan]

Roy appeared in "Itchy and Scratchy and Poochie". He was that dude who all of the sudden lived in the Simpsons' house, and at the end of the episode, he left with two sexy ladies. Roy's character was parallel to Poochie.

[necrulez]

It was okay i guess...weak storyline but pretty funny though; 3/5

[doyle]

im surprised that i to this point, while not looking very carefully, have only seen 1 reference to the rin tin tin movie in which he bit hitler and then the mailman resembling hitler showed up at the simpsons house. i thought that was one of the best gags in the episode.

another thing, i thought that the ending kind of felt like the ending of blood feud where marge would say things and get contradicted by other family members and in this one everyone had a comeback to everything homer said. did anyone else feel that way?

[Akbar]

Just saw the episode and well...

The Good:
Jesus joke
Family List with vegas Wife as last entry

The Bad:
The entire plot
Drunk Shark
Snowball II jokes
The Treehouse(undecided)
Steeling the wood from the train track

More downs than ups... 2

[GumpRoast]

i never post in these ep reviews and i havent posted in what feels like 3 years but the reason im posting is while i hated the shark thing no one pointed out the best joke

lugi offering the snowball 2 lasagne( im italian and i still cant spell it)

anywho i expect someone to point out that someone did mention it oh well

[Peacefrog22]

I give this one a 3/5. Not great, but not too bad. Definitely an improvement since last week's stinker. I'm happy they used Snowball II. The Amish thing was a bit lame and the ending was too quick. I actually think this story has a better( Not perfect, just better) through line as compared to some previous eps of the season.

[irv]

you people are ridiculous

you negatively speculate before the episodes to convince yourselves that you won't like them. then when you don't like them, you complain. you also, rather than enjoying the show, count the number of jokes that are "lame" so you can complain about them each week. it sounds to me like you guys go through an awful lot of greif to watch a show that is lame. what the fuck is the point, and why the fuck are you still here.

[NoOneFamous]

The only reason we count the number of horribly lame jokes is because there is WAY too many of them in each episode lately. Think about it, the show used to NEVER do a joke that was even close to "lame." And if they did, it was maybe one lame joke an episode, if that. Its also kind of hard not to "count" the lame jokes when they practically jump out of the screen and bite you in the ass because they're so noticably bad. It would be different if these lame jokes were on, say, Friends or something. But come on, this is The Simpsons - the (former) king of the comedy scripted television.

You're just fueling the age old Simpsons fan argument - People who accept the new episodes for what they are vs. people who are not satisfied with the quality.

[used]

but most people positively speculated, and ten when the episode wast that great, it was a big letdown. If they had negatively speculated, they would have probably liked it more, because it would be "better then I was expecting".

I forgot to mention before that I loved the Homer trying to scare lisa thing, even though I realize how stupid it was, I loved it.

[Jake]

Originally posted by Colonel Angus
you people are ridiculous

you negatively speculate before the episodes to convince yourselves that you won't like them. then when you don't like them, you complain. you also, rather than enjoying the show, count the number of jokes that are "lame" so you can complain about them each week. it sounds to me like you guys go through an awful lot of greif to watch a show that is lame. what the fuck is the point, and why the fuck are you still here.

Wow, it's suddenly so clear to me! You're so much of a better person than I. Before I read this, I thought I was king shit, now you've really put me in my place.

[Rowdy Roddy Peeper]

Can anyone confirm, if SLH's owner was the same owner seen in 'Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire'?

[brancely]

It was, RRP. And I'm not going to even bother responding to Irvine. The idiot.

[irv]

i'm a fucking retard. fuck me for making a valid point. shut the fuck up, nigger.

[Gummi de Milo]

Meh, it was okay. Had equal parts funny and equal parts lame jokes.

Thought Homer's dream about the Corporate Jet was funny for reasons I can't think of.

[Friz]

Already done a rewatch, and my veiw hasn't changed from last time. I expected this to be a classic episode, as we haven't really heard fro SLH since "The Canine Mutiny", but the writers who can't Frink and are a Payne in the ass did it again. I really don't care if they never write ever again. Ever.

3/5.

[Mendoza!!!!]

Is it even possible to use a keg of beer as a floatation device?

[joe h]

The nice thing about syndication is once a show is cancelled, it is usually pulled from syndication the following year. And only a handful of stations will continue airing them until a cable network picks it up. So very few people will get to judge whether seasons 14-16 was classic. I just watched the shitty jockey elf episode for the third time, and it is actually a good episode until the final ten minutes. Why that bastard had to keep stooping to that shit.

But anyways, since I could careless what this episodes looks like two years from now. I only care that it was a nice, non wacky, with a couple funny parts, episode. Probably a solid B compared to the last 6 seasons, and a D compared to the entire series.

[paul byers]

For the person who commented on syndication: It is an interesting enigma. I feel myself lowering expectations to enjoy "The Simpsons" the past couple of years. Compared to the episodes that were show in the mid-1990's, this season is crap. But we must face the fact that after almost 15 years and 300+ episodes, the material is going to naturally sag. That still is no excuse for last season, since this season has had generally solid writing.

About half the episodes this season I wish to watch again in syndication, but there are only two that are keepers. "Scuse me While I Kiss the Sky" and "Treehouse of Horror XIII" are in my Top 50 list of favorite "Simpsons" episodes.

While it may be hard to grasp, lame "Simpsons" reruns on syndication are starting to stink up the schedule. However, we can take what we get. I support making more and more "Simpsons" episodes in the years beyond in order to discover a couple gems that come out of the seasons. However, I would honestly like to have the rest of the lineup to at least entertain me instead me trying to find the entertainment in it. I still watch "The Simpsons" and will continue to do so in college, but if the writing starts to be forced on a consistent basis (like Seasons 12 and 13), I will be one disappointed fan.

But honestly don't think that will happen, or at least on a consistent basis.

[Tibor]

Is it even possible to use a keg of beer as a floatation device?

It was on TV, so it must be true.

[Thrillhouse24]

i thought it sucked but i liked to see santas little helpers old owner

[Eddie]

It was an average episode. It was good seeing, not only SLH, but also Snowball II, back in the spotlight. A lot of good humor, but a bit of bad humor, too. The plot was good, well-developed, fully rounded, etc. But something about it just didn't add up for me. Still in the better half of Season Fourteen, though. 3.5/5

[ChunkyLover53]

I gave this episode a 3. It was good, but the story was kinda strange.

[Glavin]

proboly one of the best this season(ofcourse thats not saying a hole lot). Unlike many of the episodes this season there wernt any really pointless jokes, which was nice.

I didn't like bart crying, this is the second destinked time this season this has happened.

2.7/5

[Mayor Quimby]

Originally posted by Jake
Wow, it's suddenly so clear to me! You're so much of a better person than I. Before I read this, I thought I was king shit, now you've really put me in my place.

Do I dectect a hint of sarcasm?

[B]It was on TV, so it must be true.[B/]

I am laughing my ass off at the moment.

[paul byers]

Originally posted by JaySherman

But the most important cons, they destryoed the Treehouse and never rebuilt it. How could they destroy it? Those bastards!!!



Just pay attention next week. It will be magically rebuilt.

[caribou]

This was one of the best of the season. The animation was wonderful, and the opening scene had me grinning: Bart and Lisa acting like their old selves! When was the last time Lisa did anything that an eight-year old girl would do? Her having a tea party and playing with a pony doll was great. Everyone was great and in-character for once.

I loved the train gag. The looks on Bart and Homer's faces were priceless. The drunken shark wasn't as bad as everyone says it was, either.

My only major problem was with SLH's original owner. He was seriously under-developed. First, he comes out of nowhere and takes SLH back, and then gives him back to the Simpsons without a second thought. Not only was he barely in the episode, but he wasn't funny or entertaining at all. That was really disappointing...

But him aside, a solid 5/5 for me.

[kevin]

very good, but the ending sucked. 4/5

I forgot how good I'm Spelling As Fast As I Can was...

[Akbar]

Originally posted by Glavin
proboly one of the best this season(ofcourse thats not saying a hole lot). Unlike many of the episodes this season there wernt any really pointless jokes, which was nice.

I didn't like bart crying, this is the second destinked time this season this has happened.

2.7/5
learn how to spell... also we have seen much better episodes in season 14...

[Tibor]

i'm a fucking retard. fuck me for making a valid point. shut the fuck up, nigger.

No, you didn't make a valid point. You made a broad and faulty generalization. If I recall correctly, most were very much looking forward to this episode.

But I must say that your eloquent "shut the fuck up, nigger" certainly is an intriguing argument, right up there with "I know you are, but what am I."

[Incognito, Guy]

Originally posted by Colonel Angus
i'm a fucking retard. fuck me for making a valid point. shut the fuck up, nigger.

You are a fucking retard. Someone ban this jackass.

[Mr. Plow]

Wow, feelings are really mixed on this episode. The majority of thoughts on this episode seem like it was either liked a lot or disliked a lot. I still stand by the fact that this episode isn't as great as many of the episodes aired this season. I'm hoping for more improvement when this season wraps up in the coming weeks.

And nice joke there, DTB. :LOL:

[DotheBartman]

Mr. Plow: Thanks for the compliment

Says Days Ago: I think its a valid point that speculation can skewer your perception a little, but in my case, I just didn't find this entertaining at ALL, hence I panned it. And generally, I think I still stay open minded enough to judge it on its own merits whenever a new episode comes along.

And I'm not even responding to Irvine either. He's an idiot, and deserves to be banned, but if we all just don't pay attention to him perhaps he'll finally go away.

[Mafia]

i don't understand how some people have to find reasons to try to change other's opinions.

I'm a fan of Bart crying. 10 year old boy... can't be a total bad ass (even though his voice has softened WAY too much in the past few years). Homer crying though... most forced crying ever.

[Jake]

Originally posted by paul byers
I support making more and more "Simpsons" episodes in the years beyond in order to discover a couple gems that come out of the seasons.

We have to dig UP, stupid. :LOL:

[Eat up Martha]

I just wanted to say that I thought the Frank Lloyd Wright exchange between Homer and Lisa was priceless.

[Tibor]

Yes, classic Homerism, IMO. I thought this was fairly solid on the humor side, structure and plot problems aside.

Some things I enjoyed, off of the top of my head:

Frank Lloyd Wright
Shiftless Menonites
Helpful Weirdos
Simpson Headcount
"I must be Jesus" (funny in a stupid sorta way)
Lemony Cola
Duffman teaching math
The Spuds McDuff commercial

On another note, I enjoyed Spelling so much more this time. I had to rewind that Requiem For A Dream parody about fifty times.

[paul byers]

Originally posted by Jake
We have to dig UP, stupid. :LOL:

I wouldn't exactly put it that way. While it is tough to sit through the majority of the episodes that aired the past few seasons, it is nice to discover new laughs in a few episodes, not necessarily dig up.

[StrideR]

Originally posted by Colonel Angus
i'm a fucking retard. fuck me for making a valid point. shut the fuck up, nigger.

Ryan,

http://janus.errornet.de/images/show/jpg/fun/stfu

[jdholman]

Some funny nuggets, but not enought to overcome things that are rarely, if ever, funny:

1. Gil
2. Anything featuring the whole town in one scene (Treehouse party, SBII on the pillow)
3. Sideshow Mel talking
4. Mrs. Skinner talking
5. Lisa environmentalizing
6. Data talking
7. The last minute of the Regis segment
8. The ending beach scene
9. Hitler mailman

Some good stuff, most already covered:

1. Duff commercial
2. Homer's ham references
3. The Amishmobile
4. The first 10 seconds of the Regis segment
5. Mayor Quimby's part re-naming
6. Rin Tin Tin & Hitler

The problem for me easn't lame jokes, althought there were some really lame jokes. The problem was that the joke volume was too light. Too many fair jokes undone by stretching them out way too long (HJS scaring lisa, Gil's eye donation).

This episode jumped from plot to place to joke to plot, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but you have to have enough funny stuff to make it worth a second viewing.

Meh.

[Tomacco]

I'm not sure if anyone's even mentioned this yet, but I thought the best joke of the episode was actually Moe's adoration fo Snowball II sleeping on his dinner, and eating around it, after calling the dog unsanitary. :LOL:

[Mayor Quimby]

Originally posted by Tomacco
I'm not sure if anyone's even mentioned this yet, but I thought the best joke of the episode was actually Moe's adoration fo Snowball II sleeping on his dinner, and eating around it, after calling the dog unsanitary. :LOL:

Oh I dunno, it will ruin his character. :D Anyways to make my point I found this scene also quite hilarious as well.

[evilhomer]

Pretty good...liked it especially the part about the hams and the final scene. But what was nelson doing in a club w/ Milhouse, Database, and Martin????? And what was martin doing singing a hate song about a teacher, he loves teachers! Liked the Amish, Duff Man and Hobo jokes (Who knows more about electricity then the amish, i must be jesus! up up and away!)

[brancely]

Originally posted by Tomacco
I'm not sure if anyone's even mentioned this yet, but I thought the best joke of the episode was actually Moe's adoration fo Snowball II sleeping on his dinner, and eating around it, after calling the dog unsanitary. :LOL: I very much disagree with you on this one, Jonah. First of all, there were plenty of other funny jokes in the episode that can qualify for "best joke" (NASA, the hams, corporate jet). Secondly, this particular scene was terrible. Moe is a friggin' moron, and his ruined chracter no longer brings in any laughs from me.

[HellBender]

I got to agree this I found this joke bad... then it went to terrible when Moe lifted Snowball II to eat the food under him... bleh

[Tibor]

Another joke I think would've been good if they'd have stopped it earlier, with Moe just saying the bit about how cute it was for SBII to be in his food, without eating around it.

[caribou]

Who on earth is Ned dancing with at the treehouse? She looks like a teen girl in a miniskirt, and when the fire starts, it looks like they're about to hold each other in fear...

[Tomacco]

Originally posted by lance
I very much disagree with you on this one, Jonah. First of all, there were plenty of other funny jokes in the episode that can qualify for "best joke" (NASA, the hams, corporate jet). Secondly, this particular scene was terrible. Moe is a friggin' moron, and his ruined chracter no longer brings in any laughs from me.

To each his own, I guess.

I think some of you are forgetting it is a cartoon.

[reyontoyeny]

I was dissapointed with this epsisode since evryone kept on insisting that it would be a great one, but it turned out to be average episode for this season. Strummer Vacation is the best episode this season so far, and it's on my personal top 30 episodes ever. Old Yeller Belly will be forgotten in a few months. It wasn't bad at all, but people just kept on talking about how it'll be good, which is why I was disapointed.

[evilhomer]

Originally posted by reyontoyeny
I was dissapointed with this epsisode since evryone kept on insisting that it would be a great one, but it turned out to be average episode for this season. Strummer Vacation is the best episode this season so far, and it's on my personal top 30 episodes ever. Old Yeller Belly will be forgotten in a few months. It wasn't bad at all, but people just kept on talking about how it'll be good, which is why I was disapointed.

I agree...i thought it was going to be a killer episode but it turned out to be another average run-of-the mill season 14 episode

[Mayor Quimby]

Originally posted by reyontoyeny
I was dissapointed with this epsisode since evryone kept on insisting that it would be a great one, but it turned out to be average episode for this season. Strummer Vacation is the best episode this season so far, and it's on my personal top 30 episodes ever. Old Yeller Belly will be forgotten in a few months. It wasn't bad at all, but people just kept on talking about how it'll be good, which is why I was disapointed.

And episodes like, The Dad Who Knew Too Little, Large Marge, and Dude Where's My Ranch were amazing. Atleast in my opionion.

[Simpsonite]

Well,I really liked this episode.
The opening scene in Bart's treehouse reminded me of the movie 'STAND BY ME' for some reason. Giving Duffman a major role in this episode was refreshing. The Snowball II worshipping thing was a little overdone, but not that bad. The drunk whale in the end wasn't that funny to me though. The Amish scences caused me to chuckle.Overall it was solid and funny.This was probably the best episode since "SPECIAL EDNA",IMO ofcourse. I gave it a 4/5. ;)

[Simpson Purist]

So I guess I didn't miss a classic episode as I expected huh? :LOL:

I didn't tape this episode, and seeing the reviews now makes me a bit happy that I didn't. Oh well, I'll eventually see the re-run.

The moral of the story: hype kills.

EDIT: I saw the scores, I guess more people wanted to rate the episode than review it.

[Tomacco]

Originally posted by Simpson Purist
So I guess I didn't miss a classic episode as I expected huh? :LOL:

I didn't tape this episode, and seeing the reviews now makes me a bit happy that I didn't. Oh well, I'll eventually see the re-run.

The moral of the story: hype kills.

The reviews aren't bad. They range nicely from 2-4. Average ratings.

[Goldberg]

it is a ok ep

[Goldberg]

it is a ok ep
i like nearly all the ep's

[NoOneFamous]

Thanks for your amazing input on this episode.

[StrideR]

Originally posted by Tomacco
If you go in expecting the world, you're gonna be disappointed. End of story.

I enjoyed tonight's episode. First of all, there weren't really any truly lame gags at all. The drunk shark was predictable, which bothered me a bit, but the ending was decent. I liked act 2 a lot for some reason, and I thought they carried Homer'a anger at SLH throughout the episode pretty well. Characterization was excellent throughout, and I liked Duffman's role in the episode. Just a totally solid episode. No plot flow problems from me, by the way.
4/5



No offense, Jonah, but I get the feeling I could show you shit on a stick and you'd still find something good to say about it.

Of course, don't take me seriously... I just come here to rant.

EDIT: Tibor, thanks for pointing out my error. Quote fixed.

[Tibor]

n/m

[tim_duncan2000]

I agree with all the people that felt that the treehouse stuff dragged on too long. And what was the deal with Milhouse, Database, Nelson, Martin, and Bart in the treehouse? They don't seem like they'd get along. Also, I didn't like how people were obsessing over the cat. The worst joke was probably when Homer was trying to scare Lisa. That seemed like something straight out of Season 11. Other than that, it was not a bad episode.

[Stackhouse]

Old Yeller-Belly S14:

I finally got around to seeing this episode today- and wow... it wasn't necessarily a bad episode, still better than a few this season.. but the writers can sure screw over a great concept (Pray Anything and this) and turn horrible concepts into great episodes (Dude, where's my Ranch and Barting Over come to mind). It boggles my mind. This ranks in the middle in the Season Rankings.

6.5/10

[Simpson Purist]

Originally posted by FarScapeR
No offense, Jonah, but I get the feeling I could show you shit on a stick and you'd still find something good to say about it.


Jonah has seen shit on the stick in the form of "Kill the Alligator and Run" and "Simpson Safari" and I don't believe he had anything good to say about those excuses for Simpsons episodes.

[America: Fuck Yea!]

3/5... some jokes fell flat and this plot had a lot of great potential that I feel was a little wasted, but it was still alright...Homer trying to scare Lisa was the worst joke...everything else I feel can slide...

[Tomacco]

Originally posted by Simpson Purist
Jonah has seen shit on the stick in the form of "Kill the Alligator and Run" and "Simpson Safari" and I don't believe he had anything good to say about those excuses for Simpsons episodes.

Thanks for the backup, because I was about to tell FarScapeR to screw himself. I think his comment is better suited to, say, Datoupee.

[StrideR]

Well... but... well... ah, fuck it!
It must have been the bitter beer talking.

http://www.writteninsand.com/greetingcards/images/sorry_jpg.jpg

[DotheBartman]

Large Marge and Pray Anything aside, even I'VE managed to find something good to say about every shit on a stick this season. . While I wont disagree that I find Tomacco's reviews to be overly positive (not an attack on him really, any opinion I or anyone else disagrees with is going to seem too positive or too negative in the eyes of myself/the person), I think trying to paint the picture that he doesn't have the ability to pan or say negative things is unjustified. Really, Datoupee is maybe the only person here who I think completely lacks that ability.

[Tomacco]

Originally posted by DotheBartman
Large Marge and Pray Anything aside, even I'VE managed to find something good to say about every shit on a stick this season. . While I wont disagree that I find Tomacco's reviews to be overly positive (not an attack on him really, any opinion I or anyone else disagrees with is going to seem too positive or too negative in the eyes of myself/the person), I think trying to paint the picture that he doesn't have the ability to pan or say negative things is unjustified. Really, Datoupee is maybe the only person here who I think completely lacks that ability.

Thanks, I guess. What can I say? I've enjoyed most of this season.

[Simpsonite]

Originally posted by Tomacco
Thanks, I guess. What can I say? I've enjoyed most of this season. You're not alone Tommacco, so have I.
FarScapeR is much too negative and cynical for my blood... GEEZ! :(

[StrideR]

Originally posted by Simpsonite
You're not alone Tommacco, so have I.
FarScapeR is much too negative and cynical for my blood... GEEZ! :(

I try... I try.

[Tommy Vercetti]

1 of the best episodes of the season.
COMPLETE 5/5

[George Cauldron]

I thought this was a surprisingly good episode. It was funny on the most part, and although there were a few silly moments, notably the drunken shark, these didn't detract too much from the episode. The ending was well done, no abrupt nonsense there. Loved some moments. The Hitler video, and the Hitler-lookalike mailman made me chuckle for some strange reason. The story became predictable towards the denouement, the family helping Duffman get his job back. I could smell that one coming. I suppose some would complain that the plot wasn't 'wacky' enough, but this was good enough for my taste. A nice, feelgood episode.

[Kuje]

Pretty much everything GC said. I posted my review in General Discussion though ;)

[Rnymd]

2/5: shocking - boring plot, lame, lame jokes what can i say?

[Generic]

I thought it was good, though the ending let it down.

[squishee lady]

Good one. I love the fact that it focussed on Snowball II (At least for a little while), and I liked the parody of Spuds Mackenzie (Suds Mcduff makes alot more sense anyway) A-

[y2dave2004]

3/5

[SideshowTim]

7.5/10.

[Ivan]

Terrible, terrible, terrible idea of brining back a character that hasn't been seen since the VERY FIRST episode of the series. Apart from that, a rather enjoyable outing. Some great Duffman lines...however there were a few parts that did fail (and I didn't really like the overall resolution of the episode...it was obvious the writers backed themselves into a corner).

3/5

[Rest your giant head]

2/5 One of my least favorites from season 14. There's nothing really wrong with the idea,it just didn't make me laugh at all. I love SLH episodes,such as Dog of death or Two dozen,but this is pretty bad.

[Gatorgod]

Seeing Duffman unmasked was a bummer, Its like revealing who the Lone Ranger was, we don't need to know. Other than that, 5/5 Great Episode
it gets a round of applause from me
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y269/gatorgod/GatorIcons/Gator-Clap.gif