The General Discussion Lounge

[cinco]

Anyway... What season is everyone watching at the moment?

I watch them randomly.
I really don't see the point to watch them in order as there are only minor continuity changes and they are standalone anyway .

Except for...



(also, I miss Bella)

[Richard Nixon]

(also, I miss Bella)

Two days is such a long time, isn't it?

[cinco]

^
post/usertitle

But really, watching the series episode by episode, season by season just feels like obsessive–compulsive behaviour.
Just watch what you feel like watching, depending on the mood you're into.
Also, watching Scully episodes while feeling drowsy makes them more enjoyable.
Seems like low brain-functions do a lot for those installments.

[Jesse Pinkman]

this reminds me of the weirdo that tried watching every single episode in one outing

[arii]

It's hilarious for females

not to drag up an old subject but for the record I would've responded to this had I had the time when it was posted, but anyways, yeah, fuck you for this statement. you don't find things funny just because of your gender, it's based on personal experience or just whatever your natural sense of humour is. and for the record, I'm a female and didn't find anything funny about what you were posting.

Hmm. On the general subject this thread seems to have turned to now, I tend to just watch whatever's on TV, but rarely select random episodes for me to watch. I'm a fairly indecisive person to begin with and there are a lot of episodes, so if I actually go out of my way to watch a few, it's gonna be marathon style and it'll be done in chronological order and that'd take me about two weeks or so for the entire series probably.

Though since moving out and into dorms for eight months and losing the constant presence of a TV in the process, I've watched far fewer reruns. And since gaining back the constant presence of a TV... I've had no desire to watch reruns. At random I do but... not really.

Which is definitely for the best, considering I was on a three-episodes-a-day thing for quite a while there. I know it's been talked about waaay earlier in the thread but I hope to join those who took a break, and then went back to watching the show at random and had a deeper appreciation for it again.

[Jesse Pinkman]

i agree with the first thing. randomly saying that just isn't funny for any reason. i know we should let bygones be bygones, but there's a limit to what people consider "funny", and personally I think anyone who did find that funny has a wicked sense of humor (and not in a good way).

also, I'm not watching any season on DVD right now, but I am of course watching s21. I've seen every episode except To Surveil With Love, which I will probably watch next time it is on.

[hughes]

This Cracked article has a funny take on the story we've all heard a million times about Matt Groening creating the Simpsons

[Sycophantic German]

The Simpsons are like having a shitty house guest who also happens to be Mahatma Gandhi. Sure, they can't take the hint that it's time to leave, but you can't exactly kick them out. They've made some very important to contributions society- hey! Would it kill you to use a coaster, Mahatma? This is oak, man. Jesus.

It's funny 'cause it's true.

[Sycophantic German]

New article from nerve.com:
Ten Times The Simpsons Jumped The Shark

[Jesse Pinkman]

the only one that really could count is "Principal and the Pauper" IMO

[Richard Nixon]

24 Minutes shouldn't be on there; it's one of the best Jean era episodes IMO

But the rest I agree with

[CalculatedChaos]

Good article, I agree with most of the choices, specifically That 90's Show as the worst of the worst.

[hammster]

I like 24 minutes and Principal and the Pauper (don't eat me). I think the critism of Gump Roast is petty despite my dislike of the episode. The rest of them I'll agree with especially that 90's show.

[CalculatedChaos]

I know I had a sadgasm while watching it.

[Bella Drape 'er]

That's actually a pretty good list, although 24 Minutes and The Frying Game don't deserve to be there.

No KTTAR, Saddlesore Gallactica or A Tale of Two Springfields, though?

[Jesse Pinkman]

isn't there a difference between "bad" episodes and "jump the shark" episodes?

[Bella Drape 'er]

if you're referring to me I generally consider those three episodes to be jump-the-shark moments

KTTAR - dumb plot, no smart references or social commentary to anything, a chance for Homer to go crazy
Saddlesore Gallactica - rehash of loads of plots bunged into together, limping pathetically with bill clinton
A Tale of Two Springfields - Homer giving Marge the cloth of death!!!

[Jesse Pinkman]

i was talking about the list of the 10 examples in general. generally when i think of "jump the shark moments" i think of stuff such as a character dying, characters moving, someone giving birth, or something similar. I don't really think of episodes I dislike as "Jump the shark" moments unless they featured one of these things happening, or something similar

[Bella Drape 'er]

well although I haven't seen the Tik Tok parody yet

I think the examples suitable, as they show the extremities of characters' natures or plot situations, than we allow.

For example, the word "jump the shark" came from Happy Days, where the Fonz literally jetskied over a shark, that's pushing boundaries too far for a simple sitcom show.

As for character dying, characters moving, someone giving birth, etc. I see that neccessary factors for character developments - all shows do it, and the Simpsons have done it much more better than other shows I can think of.

[Jesse Pinkman]

i thought it referred to when a show has been on for so long and the writers try to do something to increase ratings, such as marriage/pregnancy/killing off someone/etc. or is this "gone downhill"

[Bella Drape 'er]

lack of original ideas/selling out I'd call it

[CalculatedChaos]

Or... you know. They could just end it.

Save a little dignity from all the effort they initially put into it by sparing us the crap of the 3rd generation writers.

[qwertyuio]

New article from nerve.com:
Ten Times The Simpsons Jumped The Shark

What a big sick shit of a list.

Again, The Principal And The Pauper is taken as a "jump the shark" episode, although its cons don't have anything to do with what came later.

The inclusion of Gump Roast is a bit stupid too. I mean, it's a bad episode and a bad clip show, but how does this make any effect in the quality of the series and subsequent episodes?

All About Lisa. Oh fuck. Stop with that cheap comparison with Bart Gets Famous. It's not the same, the characters are different, the reactions are different, the development AT ALL is different. The only thing that could look similar is that phrase to describe the premise: "Bart Lisa becomes Krusty's new assistant". Not even a solid reason to start with.

24 Minutes. Really... How to start? He says A Star Is Burns as if this was better than this one, and it was just a normal episode with a guest appearance. Nothing more, nothing else. Instead, 24 Minutes does create a structure, animates, and makes humor from and for the parody. This is a much harder work than how this list is trying to make it sound.

The Frying Game. Underrated episode, but I see where this comes.

That 90's Show. And then again, we have the same "The Simpsons messed up continuity!!!!" reaction that means nothing. I wonder if he's been watching the same series than me, really.


EDIT: I've been reading it better... Jeff Albertson? A damn song? What the...

[CalculatedChaos]

That 90's Show. And then again, we have the same "The Simpsons messed up continuity!!!!" reaction that means nothing. I wonder if he's been watching the same series than me, really.

Okay how-bout this? It was a fucking awful episode on its own.

[qwertyuio]

Okay how-bout this? It was a fucking awful episode on its own.

Maybe (I would disagree), but the reasons given in the list are pretty stupid.

[Granto]

naming Comic Book Guy was one of the worst things the show did

[Real Melvin]

hey, was the couch gag from last week (which had Nelson putting together model figurines of the family) the first time that the series used the term "Our Favorite Family" within the show?

I thought this when I watched it but then just forgot about it.

[Jesse Pinkman]

nah, i think someone else referred to them as such in an episode. could be wrong but i think one of those season guide books said it in the "Stuff You May Have Missed" section.

also, don't wanna start anything but i actually thought 90's Show was fairly funny. I'm not one who complains about continuity a whole lot, and so the plot didn't bother me much. I also found most of the jokes fairly funny.

[Little Nellie Kelly]

The jokes in That '90s Show were somewhat funny, but I hated the inconsistency. Other than that, the episode was fairly enjoyable.

[cinco]

^
I avoid that episode at all costs.