Rate & Review: "Treehouse Of Horror XIII" (DABF19)

**Gabbo** · 11-03-2002, 05:52 PM

I was very excited about this one, but kinda disappointed when i saw it. The second segment tore the episode apart. The 1st and 3rd one were good, but the second one really wasnt.

**felineki** · 11-03-2002, 05:52 PM

Send in the Clones was great... very good animation, and lots of great gags... loved the Peter Griffin mixed in with the bunch of Homers and the classic Homer babbling about frosty chocolate milkshakes.

And they used one of my absolute FAVORITE songs of all time, Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" for when the helicopters were trailing the giant donuts! WOO-HOO!

The Right to Scare Harms was pretty bland, but not as bad as some... the German guy's "Yippity-hippity!" was pretty funny. I loved it when Homer started playing Beethoven's "Fur Elise"... that was cool...

The Island of Dr, Hibbert was pretty good... I liked Cat-Marge's design, very cool-looking! Some fairly funny stuff, but not as good as Send in the Clones.

***Waylon Smithers*** · 11-03-2002, 05:52 PM

You guys are so lucky, I have to wait till 8 PM!

**NoOneFamous** · 11-03-2002, 05:58 PM

I think they stopped calling it the "Halloween Special" because, well, these really have NOTHING to do with Halloween now.

Anywho, on with my review.

Opening Sequence: 0/5 - That was terrible! Worst opening sequence yet... it seemed very cheesy, and I'm sick of the references to Maude's death... and without the funny names, its even worse.

Send in the Clones: 4.5/5 - Very funny and well done. It even had a lot of classic Homer gags in it! I would have given it a 5/5, but I didn't like the fact that apparently the real Homer died in the end, and it was also somewhat of an abrupt ending. Still one of the best THOH sequences in awhile.

The Fright to Keep and Scare Harms: 1/5 - A few funny jokes but mostly it was a rushed mess that didn't even make much sense. It seems like the whole point of it was that the writers wanted to express that they feel that guns are both good and bad amd we're screwed either way, and they mixed that message in by ripping off past THOH segments (Dial Z for Zombie, The Monkey's Paw, Time and Punishment come to mind.) This was probably the worst THOH segment so far.

The Island of Dr. Hibbert: 2.5/5 - I can't say I liked this one much either. It had a really stupid set up - they were vacationing on a mysterious island for no apparent reason, which they said so themselves. There really was no story or point to this segment either - it just seemed like an excuse to show off what the characters would look and act like as animals. The only instance of plot development is that Homer was apparently going to save them, but that went nowhere and ended with him wanting to join. They never even explain why Dr. Hibbert changed the whole town into animals in the first place.

Overall: 3/5 - The 2nd and 3rd segments felt very contrived, but Send in the Clones makes up for that.

General complaints about the whole episode: Too much sex jokes, refferences, and things done just for pointless shock value.

Word!

**Blue Phoenix** · 11-03-2002, 06:03 PM

-Send in the Clones 4/5

I nearly tossed a lung on the classic Homer/milkshakes line. That was a nod to the long time fans thats for sure. Plus the music was great.

-The Fright to Keep and Scare Harms 3/5

Thrown together and disjointed. They've done gun controll better on this show then in this segment.

-The Island of Dr. Hibbert 4/5

The anamation of the springfeildians as animals was rather inventive and overall it was a funny bit. Plus the animals seemed to fit the characters, the Simpson faimly animal chocies also fit rather well.

Overall 3.6 rounded up to 4/5. All in all nto a bad Holloween episode they've done better but they've also done far worse. So I'm not disapointed, now lets see how the real episodes look this season.

**Smilin'JoeFission** · 11-03-2002, 06:03 PM

Easily better than the last three, excellent episode throughout.

=Opening=
A little corny, but the Maude ghost animation was very clever. It set the stage much better than the "bat" opeing last year.

=Send in the Clones=
Exceeded my expectations by far. Super the whole way thru, but the best part of all was the Ullman Hmer clone: "Lets all go out for frosty chocolate milkshakes!"

=The Fright to Creep and Scare Harms=
Above Mediocre, some good moments, especially the German zombie pretending to be a cowboy. Future Homer gave it a nice twist, but it could have ended better than with Moe travelling back in time

=Island of Dr. Hibbert=
I liked this one the least of them all. The transformations were kind of funny, but the whole segment didn't go any further than that. The Ned cow getting milked was awful, but other than that a mediocre segment. Kang and Kodos didn't do much to help at the end.

Grade= B+

**Bartman3010** · 11-03-2002, 06:04 PM

I thought that Send in the Clones was the best. The other two were probably overshadowed by the first one. The last one was the second best though.

Send in the Clones had so many good gags. I liked when the clones got a hold of the hammock, and came up with a Homer with glasses, Peter Griffin and Ullman Homer.

The Right to Keep and Scare Harms was....just plain dumb. It did seem like they just took idea's from previous THOH's and piece the stories together, whoever explained it earlier was right. Though Future Homer comming to prevent future gun violence was a good comeback, though I didnt really find it that funny, it was something that should've been there (And...it...was...yeah)

The Island of Dr. Hibbert was....okay, personally, it'd be nice if they did Dr. Marvin Monroe, but that's just nit picking. The real problem is that it wasnt very funny, and the whole milking Flanders thing was just....disturbing. The segment should've probably need a longer time for the story to be more enjoyable.

And a couple of things: To me it seemed like that Send in the Clones had a longer time, I dont know how but it did, the other 2 seemed a bit short.

And the whole Maude thing was overhyped. Of course the scene was not funny, but praising that it would be a whole segment was a complete lie, I just hope they use Maggie (Voice of Maude) in the future for better roles.

Overall I give it a 3 out of 5. The first act was the better bit, but the other two just wernt very interesting or funny.

**Wavy Gravy** · 11-03-2002, 06:04 PM

I loved this episode! A 4 out of 5. "Send in the Clones" was definetely the best - all the jokes worked great (Ullman Homer, the collective "mmm, donuts", Gil as the farmer, "Does anyone remember the way home?" "I do." (BLAM) "Anyone else?"). Liked the surprise ending too. "The Fright to Creep and Scare Harms" was actually better than I expected - considering the cheap ending. I liked Bart and lisa singing. Finally, "The Island of Dr. Hibbert" was great. Seeing all the characters as animals was hilarious. Only thing I didn't like was the beastality reference. Kang and Kodos coulda been better, but I'll take what i can get. overall, excellent episode, can't wait for "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation" next week.

**Mafia** · 11-03-2002, 06:06 PM

did it say THOH 13 or Simpsons Halloween Special 13 on the book?

**James** · 11-03-2002, 06:06 PM

This episode seemed too light, by far, for a THOH. Also, it seemed like the writers, by far, were trying too hard for ideas and good gags.

"Send in the Clones": This one was full of the new twists on old themes and archetypes (the Hammock Man/Frogurt Guy from "THOH III", Lenny adoring Homer, the lazy Homer and his hammock), and was enjoyable to a point, but was ultimately strained and mechanical. It's probably never been more obvious that the writers are trying too hard for originality, so they come up with dull and lifeless (but enjoyable) gags and decent storylines that really only suffice. Still, though, this was enjoyable. I thought the theme of Homer engineering multiple copies of himself to do jobs he's too lazy to do and make himself good was fun and funny, fitting his oafish character well, and the Flanders beheading was great. B.

"The Fright to Keep and Scare Hams"- Too light and airy for a THOH by far, as well as too empty for even a THOH, but it had some good jokes: Kaiser Wilhelm, "Butch Cassidy: we aren't joined at the hip", and "open mike-night". The idea was strained, as well, but showed effort, and, while this ended up coming off as clipped, superficial, and unmemorable, it was at least better executed than the next one, a blotched attempt at hilarity. The good jokes ended up balancing it out, another B.

"The Island of Dr. Hibbert"- A rushed, badly developed plotline crammed with too many set-pieces and jokes would be the main complaint about this mini, and the main complaint is also a main feature of most Al Jean episodes so far. Again, empty and unmemorable, linear, strained, even a bit dull. Flanders as a cow was the high point. The ending was probably the worst of the three. C.

This would end up balancing out as a B-. I'm still looking for an episode that doesn't feel this contrived, yet the superficial enjoyments of a decently good joke lift this up from the pits. That, and the effort. But, please writers, can you stop worrying so much?

**Handsome Pete** · 11-03-2002, 06:08 PM

What? Everyone thought it was that good? Ugh...I didn't really like it as much as all you. Maybe I was just being a little too harsh. I mean, after all, this was a Halloween episode...but still, I had some major problems with it.

Intro - It was nice to have Maggie Roswell back for a change, if only for a short moment. Not really much else to notice here.

"Send in the Clones" - A fairly good segment. I did feel that it was a little too wacky overall, even for a Halloween episode. There was some weak development in general (you know, plot, jokes, etc.) in my opinion, but aside from those things, the segment was solid. Can't help but like having Peter Griffin among Homer's clones.

"The Right to Keep and Scare Harms" - Terrible, simply terrible. Completely stupid jokes ("caveman hookers"? What was with that?), poor plot, and an overall feeling of mediocrity. Fortunately...

"The Secret Island of Dr. Hibbert" - was a little better. There were no real problems, but nothing really stood out, either. OK, I guess. I will say that Kang and Kodos's appearances were rather lacking.

As for the episode as a whole, I did have some problems with it. First of all, the characters (particularly OFF) seemed really, really out of character and rather inhuman. I mean, wouldn't Homer really care (almost immediately) that Marge had turned into a cat-like creature? And that he had sex with her? Also, there was just too much that seemed to be from previous Halloween appearances (the hammock guy's warning, similar to Frink's warning for the matter transporter, for example). I know, they're probably running out of ideas, but still.
I did, though, that Homer didn't really seem all that whiny or stupid in this one. It made some of the segments a little more bearable.

Overall, I would give the episode a C (2.5/5 in my book). There were decent parts, but the middle segment really bogged it down. Hopefully, this season will be good, but judging by this episode, I'm not entirely impressed. Well, it was ok...but I'm not going to give in. Not yet, anyway.

Oh! I nearly forgot. The animation was rather good. It seemed that computers were used for a little bit, mainly for "Send in the Clones". If this is how the show is going to look like in the future, I'll be perfectly fine.

**Gagnonsux** · 11-03-2002, 06:17 PM

I think on Halloween episodes the characters can be a little out of character. Its outside of the show's "reality" so its okay to have the characters act a little crazier or whatever.

**Tomacco** · 11-03-2002, 06:19 PM

Hmm. I think people who have been saying they loved the ENTIRE episode have to be sort of kidding themselves. The "Fright to Creep and Scare Harms" segment was the worst THOH segment ever made. Disjointed, random, plain weird, lame jokes, and felt pointless. Felt REALLY short too. "Island of Dr. Hibbert" started well, but went badly at the end. Homer looked like he was staging a rebellion against Hibbert, but it all just fell apart. The segment really did feel like an excuse to show characters as animals, which was nice, but can't hold an entire segment.

Now, "Send in the Clones". That was pure vintage Simpsons stuff. Also the longest segment of the trio, and the most developed and carefully crafted. Great jokes, both physical and spoken. The ending was a bit off, but whatever. Great segment, one of the top ever. Too bad it was put together with two pretty poor segments that followed.

Probably a final score of 3/5, but without "Clones", it would likely be a 1.5, unfortunately.

Watching King of the Hill afterwards is starting to make Simpsons look like slop. KOTH made a 30 min episode last, and was paced well, with well-developed stories, and good usage of characters. People should pay more attention to the show, because even though it's not always as funny as Simpsons, it never reduces itself to anything cheap, which Simpsons did a lot tonight.

**irv** · 11-03-2002, 06:24 PM

don't tell me what to think, jonah. i thought the second segment was hilarious, but agree that the third segment was bad. now do me a favor and ejaculate in al jean's mouth. k thx. or perhaps animate a KOTH short.

**Simpson Purist** · 11-03-2002, 06:27 PM

Just like many recent Simpsons episodes, I'm also beginning to think if I was too generous by giving that episode a 7/10. The more I think about THOH XIII, the more flaws I see in this episode.

**Scratchy** · 11-03-2002, 06:27 PM

Great episode!

But, since when did they stop calling it "The Simpsons Halloween Special" at the beginning and start calling it "Treehouse of Horror?" It was just a little weird, cuz I never ever remember them callig it THOH on TV.

**Thrillhouse24** · 11-03-2002, 06:30 PM

I missed the intro i thought there was a whole segment with maude coming back. I started taping after the intro because i was looking at mad magizines and didnt relize it was 8:03. I gave it a 4/5 it was very good havent seen a thoh this good in a long time. Im glad i have it on tape.I wish the season dvds came out a little faster so i can see some of the good thoh's.The clones episode was great seeing the tracy ullman homer and peter griffen. And to top off my night i saw the funniest koth i ever saw it was awesome.This night was great but i do wish thoh came on the sunday before halloween.

**Simpson Purist** · 11-03-2002, 06:31 PM

Probably because the THOH eps air after Halloween. Calling it The Simpsons Halloween Special when Halloween is 360 days away is a bit premature

**NoOneFamous** · 11-03-2002, 06:32 PM

My guess is that they stopped calling it "The Simpsons Halloween Special" is because:

1. Halloween was last Thursday and they never air before Halloween anymore.
2. They're actually called THOH by the staff, and its what the fans call them.
3. The episodes really don't have anything to do with Halloween anymore - they started off as mostly parodies of classic scary movies and TV shows, but are now just random, crazy stories.

**Tomacco** · 11-03-2002, 06:33 PM

Yeah, I'm sorry actually that I said some people might be kidding themselves when they say they loved the whole episode.
But it is a fact that sometimes people actually do try to like things that they just want to, even if they know deep down that it's not as good as they say. It happens, but I'm not saying everyone's that way.

Anyhow, really mature JesusPHH. Excuse me for liking King of the Hill. ;-/

**skittlebrau** · 11-03-2002, 06:39 PM

Although the whole episode wasn't that good in some parts, it was great.

Clones= Best of the bunch. This is what it's all about. 5/5
Harms= Weakest of the bunch. Not all that great, although the old saloon scene in Moe's and Moe's line "Now to get me some caveman hookers." were good. 3/5
Island= Good at first, but fell apart quickly. It was decent enough to get a 4/5 out of me.

Overall, 4/5.

**Mafia** · 11-03-2002, 06:45 PM

TOMACCO: that can also be said about how some people have a bad attitude toward the show and expect badness and think it is bad because they do not see the good points while thinking of the bad. I'm just pointing that out because people who say episodes will suck before they air kind of annoy me. I guess it works both ways. However, I agree with you on everything you said. The episode was pretty bad after Clones. King of the Hill was much better this week.

**Bob Underdunk T** · 11-03-2002, 06:47 PM

Whoa! the Maude Flanders thing was huge! Maggie Roswell's part was so long it almost got boring! She practically voiced the whole episode! FOX was sure right to hype her guest appearance up! Her monumental appearance is sure to go down as the single greatest moment in television history!

(Oh, and in case you can't tell, I'm being sarcastic.)

**DotheBartman** · 11-03-2002, 06:50 PM

Opening: Lame. A couple chuckles, but most of it fell painfully flat. I groaned out loud at Homer's "Rowr!" and Lisa's "Duh!". Just painful. 1/5

First story: Not too shabby. Had some good lines and gags, particularly some of the clone behavior. Peter Griffin and the Tracey Ullman Homer were both great gags. Still, it was a mixed bag, half good, half meh. The ending was pretty awful too. 3/5

Second: Pretty lamish. I liked the far future Homer getting shot, but the rest was pretty much laughless 2/5

Final: Abysymal. I don't think I laughed out loud even once. And the ending.....why did they have to screw up on Kang and Kodos too?! 1/5

Overall, the current THOHs just don't contain the excitement and atmosphere of the old. If this is all they can come up with, they should just stop doing them.

Overall: 2/5 (1/5 if you wanna follow the captions at the top)

**Mafia** · 11-03-2002, 06:50 PM

fox didn't really hype up maggie rosewell's return. i don't remember seeing her name in any commercials. the internet hyped her up. It was said that she would only be in the intro, even the TV Guide description.

**Tomacco** · 11-03-2002, 06:51 PM

Good point, Mafia, that's very ture. People who always expect badness will sometimes hate episodes for no reason but to satisfy their expectations.

Anyhow, I do give it a 3/5, and I think that's very fair.

**Gagnonsux** · 11-03-2002, 06:51 PM

Did Fox actually hype up Maggie Roswell's return?

**Citizen Kang** · 11-03-2002, 06:52 PM

3/5 - Good not great...

I like the first act but the rest only had a few laughs. And I though the Prof Frink turkey was very bad...

But I don't think the few past THOH have been that great...

**Old Time Bike** · 11-03-2002, 07:00 PM

send in the clones = good
fright to creep and scare harms = not that good
island of dr.hibbert = ok

i give it a 3/5

**Kefka** · 11-03-2002, 07:02 PM

This episode wasn't that great. For a few reasons:

1) No Scary Names.
2) The segments didn't seem very Halloween oriented. I mean they were, but not as dark as the older ones, which I thought kinda sucked. I mean, a few years ago, Send In The Clones would've been a full episode.
3) Very few funny jokes.

I give this a 3.5/5

Not great, Not Terrible.

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