Review "A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love"

[The Governor]

Originally posted by Cloud_Cole


<begin angry rant>

But honestly, for those of you who complain about how terrible the Simpsons now are -- they certainly have changed since the early seasons but they are still the best comedy on television. And so while you are complaining, I will be watching the Simpsons and laughing and enjoying myself instead of concerning myself with looking for "flaws" in characters or complaining about the show's demise.

A problem with all you "love-it-or-leave-it" types is you think the naysayers are analyzing every piece of dialog and frame of animation under a microscope. The truth is, we're not. We don't laugh because the show is TRYING to be funny--We laugh and enjoy a show that IS funny.

I mean, it is still just a TV show and if you don't like the new Simpsons episodes then you don't have to even turn on your damn TV. Or you could. . . watch something else CBS is sairing "The Education of Max Bickford " and NBC has a National Geographic show

If Enterprise was on Sundays at the same time, even if they were reruns, I'd watch that instead.

Anyway, lets play by your rules--if you don't like negative opinions about the show, then don't come here anymore. I'm sure there are other message boards out there that don't have plenty of fans who think anything and everything about the show is the shit. Go to the official Fox board becasue I'm sure you'll fit right in.

-- if the Simpsons disgust you so much then watch those shows. But I don't think any of you will (if you are a true Simpsons fan). So, if you still watch them every Sunday then the show can't be that f@c%ing bad.

Uh oh...He's saying I might not be a "True Fan". Looks like it's suicide again for me. :rolleyes

Jake

[StrideR]

Tell em da... I mean Jake.

[Cole]

Originally posted by Jake




Anyway, lets play by your rules--if you don't like negative opinions about the show, then don't come here anymore. I'm sure there are other message boards out there that don't have plenty of fans who think anything and everything about the show is the shit. Go to the official Fox board becasue I'm sure you'll fit right in.


Jake

If you'll notice I have only a mere 14 posts to my name so obviousley I don't wast .. . umm, I spend too much of my time here. And I don't want to have a conversation with people who think the Simpsons are as good they use to be (they're not) but I don't want to sit back and read 100s of complaints and here people say (not you Jake) that they need to quit after this season. OK, the Simpsons may not be as good as they use to be, but every week I look forward to the new Simpsons on Sunday. I can barely imagine what it would be without them. Do you agree with me here Jake?

[Mr. Plow]

as the thread starter, & not being jake, i totally agree w/ u. i also agree that this idea should be another thread. but a hunka hunka burns in love is almost a wk old so go ahead & talk about wutever the hell u want

[Cole]

Sorry Joshman, but it seemed like everyone was talking about something else anyway. Back to "HHBIL":

Funniest Episode of the Season. I didn't have too high of hopes for this show but it really came through. I wish they could have found a better way to use such a talented actress as Julia-Louis Dreyfus. She really didn't add anything to the show that any other actress could have. But besides that fact and the fact that this another episode about Mr. Burns finding love, it was verry funny. And I am so glad that the show did not have a tradmark "Scully" wacky ending. Everyone walking into the sunset was nothing special or new but it was the perfect way to end the episode in my opinion. I give it an A-. Best Episode of Season 13.

Funniest part (don't have it memorized but it went something like this)

Gloria: Monty, you can really shake it.
Burns: Yes that is totally voluntary.

[StrideR]

Still perfectly aware of the "hater" status that I have, I'll go ahead and say that I didn't think it deserved an A-. AT best, B-.

[Cole]

Originally posted by stride_83
Still perfectly aware of the "hater" status that I have, I'll go ahead and say that I didn't think it deserved an A-. AT best, B-.

That's fine. That's your opinion. I thought it was way funnier than anything else this season and most of Season 12. Season 11's "Behind the Laughter" still has it beat by a long shot.

For anyone who is interested, here is my current review of Season 13:

THOH XII: C+
The Parent Rap: B-
Homer the Moe: B-
A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love: A-

[Richiewhiteboy]

Originally posted by Cloud_Cole




Funniest part (don't have it memorized but it went something like this)

Gloria: Monty, you can really shake it.
Burns: Yes that is totally voluntary.

YES! That was the funniest part of the episode by far.

[Bluesman]

(begin angry rant)

Goddammit Cole you're beginning to piss me off. (Referring to posts on page 5) if you think the forum is a waste of time the get your ass out of here and quit bitching about how people think the Simpsons is going downhill. That's their damn opinion and they're right about it too. So stop crying.

[Cole]

Wow, settle down there Kevin. Didn't mean to offend you, I was just tired of people talking about how bad the Simpsons were. I was just trying to point out their good points. No need to get upset man.

And lets get back to what this thread is suppose to be about: your review of "Hunka Hunka Burns In Love."

[StrideR]

Originally posted by Cloud_Cole


That's fine. That's your opinion. I thought it was way funnier than anything else this season and most of Season 12. Season 11's "Behind the Laughter" still has it beat by a long shot.

For anyone who is interested, here is my current review of Season 13:

THOH XII: C+
The Parent Rap: B-
Homer the Moe: B-
A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love: A-

I still think the funniest from the last 3 seasons is "Last Tap Dance in Springfield." That, and probably "Lisa the Treehugger."

[Mr. Plow]

dont forget about the new blunder years episode tonight. after it fill out my usual poll:

http://www.simpsonsforum.com/showthr...?threadid=2247

[Mr. Plow]

which was then tookend over by tomacco

[Richiewhiteboy]

I think behind the laughter was one of the worst of 11. It was just a take off of behind the music and it wasn't that funny at all.

[Tamaki Suoh]

Not a very good episode. Poor Burns characterization that barely resembled his classic persona at all, a very forced attempt at getting a Simpsons family member in the story (Burns hiring Homer to be his cool, young friend on dates? What happened to Smithers?), not many funny jokes...it just didn't work for me. I actually found my mouth hanging open for several minutes after Burns called Homer his "best friend". This was utterly ridiculous coming from the same man who in the classic era couldn't stand to be around him and couldn't even remember his name. And what's with Smithers appearing for a few meaningless lines in the first act and then only reappearing for no reason in the last act, saying and doing nothing? And Smithers being so afraid of the strippers is just only more joke that makes Smithers seem overly-gay and doesn't stay true to his past at all. There were a lot of flaws with this episode. 2/5

[tom cody]

4/5, a good episode.

[Moe Nopoly]

i think this episode is really not that bad.
The story is ok and provides some really funny moments and gags.
Like when Mr. Burns wants to rescue his girlfriend from the fire in the house
and in the end she carries him out.

good solid episode from season 13

3.5/5

[Green_Peaness]

3/5. Some great jokes, but the pacing of the plot is too quick for my liking, making it tough to believe that any of this is happening. It's especially hard to see why Elaine likes Burns exactly. These things give me the impression of lack of effort.

[Nebuchanezzar]

What happened to Smithers?

He didn't fit the part?

[Tamaki Suoh]

He didn't fit the part?

But he did fit the part. Burns needed a young man to help him out on his dates. What part of that fits Homer more than Smithers? It's obvious that they just wanted a cheap cop-out to get Homer playing a central part in the storyline, in a role that didn't need to be filled by him and didn't make sense for him to fill either.

[qwertyuio]

To be honest, I have to admit that, if I had lived all my life in a cave or a lonely island, or simply never had any idea of the structure of The Simpsons, then, I would see this episode for my first time, and maybe, in that way, would find it to be mildly amusing. Maybe.

But it's not the case, so forget any nice comment from now on. While I agree this episode has some good jokes, or more exactly some that could be good, there is one thing that can't be ignored, and it's called context. How should I get amused when I hear a line that is supposed to be funny from, say, Burns, and despite that it doesn't work because I just don't imagine him, or the character as I know him, saying that, in that moment or situation? This one would be much better if there were other characters involved, but this Burns is just unacceptable. Where is his evilness, or his misanthropy? How can I buy making him a good samaritan, a lovely friend of Homer or just a naive guy? There is something lost here, definitely. The respect for the original character, the Burns we all know and what it's meant to be isn't here. It's not just a thing about strict continuity, but following the molds that have been consolidated from an early stage of the series and helped to make it so successful.

The plot... well. Apart from the horrid characterization of Mr Burns, it's a difficult matter and requires some quality writing that is not found here. A rather young girl falling in love with an old man; I'm not implying it's something unlikely to happen in reality, just saying it's not that easy to buy. And, as long as this episode seems to simplify every emotion so much to an almost infantile level (bad writing here), I don't believe anything, absolutely, about Gloria.

So, what am I supposed to enjoy about it? I don't laugh as much as I should because most jokes are absolutely out of context. I can't relate, feel something or even care about the plot because everything seems so fake and rushed. This episode has nothing. Some occasional good decisions here and there, mostly for a joke that surprisingly doesn't feel terribly weird or doesn't compromise a character. But that's not enough. 4/10

And by the way, I hate the first act with the fortune cookies, it's so bland and annoying that makes the rest of the episode look somehow funny and enjoyable in comparison.

[zartok-35]

How should I get amused when I hear a line that is supposed to be funny from, say, Burns, and despite that it doesn't work because I just don't imagine him, or the character as I know him, saying that, in that moment or situation? This one would be much better if there were other characters involved, but this Burns is just unacceptable. Where is his evilness, or his misanthropy? How can I buy making him a good samaritan, a lovely friend of Homer or just a naive guy? There is something lost here, definitely. The respect for the original character, the Burns we all know and what it's meant to be isn't here.

I never thought Burns characterization here was too much worse than it was in "Old man and the Lisa" or "Homer the Smithers". Mind you, in these episodes, John Swartzwelder was accentuating and exploiting the fact that Burns is, to some degree, a senile old man, for the sake of entertainment. In a way, it's a type of character development, but I can see how that path doesn't meet everyone's needs.

It doesn't bother me a whole lot though, I think this side of Burns has its share of appeal.

[qwertyuio]

I never thought Burns characterization here was too much worse than it was in "Old man and the Lisa" or "Homer the Smithers". Mind you, in these episodes, John Swartzwelder was accentuating and exploiting the fact that Burns is, to some degree, a senile old man, for the sake of entertainment. In a way, it's a type of character development, but I can see how that path doesn't meet everyone's needs.

It doesn't bother me a whole lot though, I think this side of Burns has its share of appeal.

I see what you mean, but would take the example of Team Homer before than these, because it talks about Burns' senility as a major concept in a plotline.

In fact Homer The Smithers explores his character as a rather pathetic and ridiculously dependent guy, making a contrast with his well-known powerful and heartless side. That idea has been there since the character was built; it was already reinforced in previous episodes like Brush With Greatness. So, to be honest, I don't see any new path taken here but a new view in one that has been repeatedly used.

The Old Man And The Lisa would be something more difficult to buy and it's not (IMO) because Burns is depicted as a senile man in some jokes (the Ketchup-Catsup thing), but because the image of him collecting garbage is weird at first sight, and seeing him accepting Lisa's help does not make it sound better. Despite that, and even though I'm never convinced at all with his role, I think the writing makes a good work at trying to make all these strange ideas believable and justified in the character. He is in a weak situation, after all.

But in the end I guess it, like everything else, is a matter of opinions. I don't see anything appealing nor interesting in the character twist that is shown in A Hunka Hunka Burns In Love. Maybe what I hate the most about it is that it feels a bit "generic", just like they could pick Moe or Apu for the exact same role (ok, forget senility jokes) and the result would be the same -maybe even more in context, but I'm not going to speculate about that. It doesn't tell me anything about Burns as an individual, how he is and which are his main traits. And, as long as this contradicts the idea that has been formed over the years about this character in so many ways, it not only feels uninteresting but even offensive if I take these kinds of things seriously (which I do).

[zartok-35]

Maybe what I hate the most about it is that it feels a bit "generic", just like they could pick Moe or Apu for the exact same role (ok, forget senility jokes) and the result would be the same -maybe even more in context, but I'm not going to speculate about that. It doesn't tell me anything about Burns as an individual, how he is and which are his main traits. And, as long as this contradicts the idea that has been formed over the years about this character in so many ways, it not only feels uninteresting but even offensive if I take these kinds of things seriously (which I do).

I see what you mean. This episode doesn't play off enough of Burn's better characteristics. It's a shallow episode. I wonder...Is it that Burns isn't compatable enough with the story? Or is it just lazy writing?

[qwertyuio]

I think it's a blend of both. Maybe a strong writing would do something to make this episode more enjoyable if not believable, and giving Burns a role that fitted him would make the plotline easier to buy even if the script felt off or uninspired.

[JimBob]

A not bad episode,3/5.

[JimBob]

A OK but not great,great episode,this episode has it's moments and their are some funny scenes and jokes.

[Jims]

This episode is such a mess. It's not bottom-of-the-barrel or anything, but it doesn't have much going for it.

There's a bit of fridge logic going on with Burns' girlfriend. So, she starts out the episode by being a cop, then becomes Burns' girlfriend. They date for awhile and then we eventually learn that she used to date Snake. It's too much of a stretch that a cop would ever be romantically involved with Snake enough to the point of being in his car during a chase scene. It seems like the odd sort of point that they could've made a joke about, but by not pointing it out, it just seems like they were glossing over it.

She's not really an interesting character either. She has some amusing stuff, like her observation that Burns is a positive person because of his "Excellent"s. But, other than that, she's the usual hollow character shell that are often assigned to guest stars.

I don't really get the purpose of throwing Snake into the episode. Usually, when the show does this kind of Act 3 turn, even when it doesn't work (like in, say, The Squirt and the Whale) you can understand why threw it in thematically. Snake whisking away Homer/What's-Her-Name doesn't line up that well with the Burns/What relationship. I don't remember the point being that Burns was protecting her enough (or being brave). So why does the plot require him to run into a burning building?

The jokes are somewhat predictable, going through the usual list of old/young people differences. Homer and Burns are characterized fairly well, which saves the episode from being terrible. They're at least fun to watch, I suppose.

Overall, 2/5. Kind of dull.

[Prune Tracy]

It was an okay episode, but it's been a while since I've seen it, so I don't remember it very well. 3/5.

[JimBob]

One of my least favourite episodes on season 13,I didn't care much for this episode because the overall story and writting wasn't great but it wasn't bad.C.