NHC Weekly Episode Club (Simpsons Spin-off Showcase)

[cinco]

I thought I was going to join the group.

You're part of the list now.

hammster - Bart Sells His Soul
ahhgoobras - You Only Move Twice
Animal - Marge On The Lam
arii - Bart Gets an F
B*O*R*T - The Last Temptation Of Homer
CaclculatedChaos - One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish
cinco - Radio Bart (this weekend)
Colonel Hap Hapablab
D'ohmer
EthanRunt
Fear of Flying
Green Man
Guy Haines
Jims
Joe Miller
Leo Pard
Marge Bouvier
Mr. Trampopoline
Nauru-1
NumberZone
qwertyuio
Richard Nixon's Head
ryan o
Squeaky Voiced Teen
the chilliman
TheForbiddenDonut
the real melvin
The Sovereign
The Wiggs
You Only Move Twice
zartok-35

[Ryan]

thanks marge bouvier, now I'll be in chicago the week I choose.

bitch.

or prick.

what are you again?

[cinco]

^
Should've stayed IronManGLC.

[Ryan]

Remember, ironmanGLC is now ryan o !

or maybe someone should've kept their mouth shut?

CINCO
























hahaha, naw, I'm just kidding, you're alright

[cinco]

To return to this week's episode...

The shot from Homer in the couch, Larry King saying goodbye accompagnied by the endtune and the clocknoise still disturbes me after multiple watches even if I know he ain't really dead as well as Marge's reaction during the few seconds she believes her husband is dead.

And something totally different... were Lou and Eddie ever this snooty?

[Nauru-1]

And something totally different... were Lou and Eddie ever this snooty?

Yes, in Homer at the Bat, actually. Very similar dynamics between the two scenes actually.

[cinco]

^
But without the sunglasses.

[Little Nellie Kelly]

I'm sorry, Ryan O.

[CousinMerl]

You know what?, I get an odd feeling that someone will choose KTAAR as the weekly episode at some point; then things will really get interesting.

[cinco]

^
Could that someone be YOU?

[Jesse Pinkman]

be interesting if someone picked Make Room For Lisa, because IIRC a lot of people consider it one of s10's strongest... except me who definitely finds it the weakest

[cinco]

^
Feel free to make a review for it in the actual R&R thread.

[Granto]

i'm sure in those 11,000+ posts, he has

[Ryan]

be interesting if someone picked Make Room For Lisa, because IIRC a lot of people consider it one of s10's strongest... except me who definitely finds it the weakest

who the fuck are these people and why do they have such terrible opinions?

[CousinMerl]

Could that someone be YOU?

Nah, I wouldn't pick that one, but even so; one can never be too sure

Anyhow, I haven't decided which episode to choose yet, especially since my turn is still pretty far away.

[Real Melvin]

who the fuck are these people and why do they have such terrible opinions?

[Little Nellie Kelly]

When my time comes, I'll choose most likely "Two Cars" or "The Way We Was."

[cinco]

So everyone is now basically saying which episode they will/will not choose.

To conclude this week's episode:

one of the saddest Homer-expressions ever

[Toon~g@l!]

Decided I should give a review for this episode since I like it, plus i need to join in on the fun.

I started watching the simpsons when I was 12 or 13 and one of the first episodes I sat down and watched was this one so it's left a special place in my heart.

Now what I love about this episode is the dramatic feel to it, its not too overdone and it still continues to add humor to such a dark and worrysome situation. Like one of my favorite lines was when Homer wakes up at 11:30 the next morning and he lectures Marge about it.

Homer: Marge why did you let me sleep in till 11:30?
Marge: Well you looked so peaceful lying there
Homer: There'll be plenty of time for that later Marge!

Just the way that line was delivered was genius, I actually didn't really notice the joke until several watches later.

I love how Homer tries to do his best on his supposedly last day on earth, from listening to Lisa play her sax, while singing the lyrics to the song wrong. Lecturing Bart about how someday he will be the man of the house while Bart tries to take the blame on Lisa because she doesn't pull her weight around. And finally making that video tape for Maggie and then seeing his scratch his butt while answering the phone. I always liked that little touch, though has anyone else noticed how Homer's lips don't seem to sync very well with what he is saying while making the tape?

And of course lets not forget the heartwarming scene at the end with marge as they snuggle together in what they think would be the last time. I liked Marge's poem too, such a caring and loving wife. And then you get the shot of the back side of the armchair as Homer slouches once he finishes the tape. Very dramatic and well placed.

This is one of my favorite episodes of season 2, its heartwarming, its humorous and its memorable. The story is well thought out and it makes you wish something like that can be tried again in these new seasons. Definitly a classic.

[Kiyosuki]

Sunglasses add +20 'tude to anyone. Like check this rocking chick out.



Aw yeah.

We totally have to petition to bring the sunglasses back.

[Old painty-can Ned]

So are we still doing Radio Bart this week??

[Ryan]

well, this was rather inevitable.

[CousinMerl]

I'm watching the episode as i'm typing this, so my review of it should be up very soon.

[CousinMerl]

All right, it seems that i'll be the one to kick this off. It's not as easy to analyze 'Radio' as with some of the earlier episodes we've discussed, but i'll make a try;

I just finished watching it and I must say that it's still a pretty good episode; the plot is simple and endearing and as for the humor, it's of course there as well. The characterizations are great since almost every character is in top form in this episode (Bart is a mischievous prankster, Homer is a bumbling and loveable oaf and so on) and even though it's not the best of the third season, it's still one of those down-to-earth episodes that are fun to watch and rewatch. The music is good (this episode also saw the first use of the Axel F.-styled music) and the animation is all right; there are still some coloring errors here and there, but it is after all from one of the early episodes.

In a way, the story is to some extent a version of 'the boy who cried wolf' since we have Bart, who plays a local prank that a small orphan has fallen into the well and everyone falls for it, then he suffers the same fate as the boy in his prank; I know that the stories aren't exactly the same, but I do see some similarities between them. The guest star Sting, who voices himself in the episode, does a good job and while he could have been an unecessary guest star, they manage to include him in a way that doesn't feel forced (him, along with Krusty, being one of the creative minds behind the charity single 'We're Sending Our Love Down The Well' that they sing in the episode along with other Springfield celebrities).

The humor is great; the pranks Bart pulls on Homer (invading martians) and on Rod and Todd (pretending to be God) are quite amusing, the Lincoln squirrel being discovered and later assassinated, Homer being mesmerized by the dancing on the TV and giving Lisa 110$ and then his entire wallet for her to buy Bart a birthday present... almost ever bit is funny and Homer's overall behavior is incredibly amusing. The Jaws parody was a fun addition and the crappy childrens' restaurant animatronics (even though it was a bit clichéd) was pretty funny as well.

As for the ending, where Groundskeeper Willie (who showed his heroic side for the first time in this episode) simply sets up a small 'Caution Well' sign near the well and says 'that should do it' before walking, is actually quite a good ending. It's overall simplicity makes it a fun ending and I liked that it was pretty short; I usually don't like more or less abrupt endings, but this is an exception. Overall, it's a nice, simple episode and quite a fun watch, it's also a bit underrated in my opinion.

[Nauru-1]

Radio Bart to me is one of those classic Bart shows, and season 3 is perhaps the last season that gives off those vibes of Bart being the star of the show.

As usual at this point in the series, every member of the Simpson family is well-characterized. We actually get to see Lisa as a bit of a kid (dancing to the impressionable TV) to start thing off. An attentive listener might notice a very off-voiced Mayor Quimby on TV (at least I'm pretty sure it was him). Chances are the line was meant to be for any random person and the animators made the decision to go with a recognized character.

Bart's birthday is established at this point with Lisa asking for money in a very funny bit with Homer giving her $100 and then his whole wallet. Then the radio microphone commercial comes on to amusing results. Homer thinking this would be a great gift for Bart is touching, supported how easily he buys into the advertising gimmicks.

The party at Wall E. Weasel (Disney/Pixar completely ripped off the name ) continues the episode's strong start. For some reason that anonymous kid calling the restaurant mascot (It's Wall E.....hey Wall E!) is such a memorable and peculiar delivery. And of course we got the typical Simpsons cynicism regarding robots performing a song, dance, or play (perhaps the first?).

Bart's lack of enthusiasm for any of the gifts was an interesting way to go in that he needs to be coaxed before he ever even uses it to his benefit. I like the overkill of the labelmaker and how this later in the episode serves as an important plot twist. When Bart eventually comes around to his microphone the pranks he performs are nothing short of hilarious. Tricking Rod and Todd with their religious beliefs, eavesdropping on Lisa, and spooking all work exceptionally well. Speaking of well, it is at this point that drop his birthday gift down one for the ultimate prank.

The reasons why the town can't find a simple way to get "Timmy" up is amusingly flimsy. The song for Timmy is a nice parody of the efforts made by celebrities for a cause, and the way the situation brought out the best in the town worked well to highlight the contrast later on. Of course, Homer's confusing Timmy as a hero followed by Lisa's questioning of it is a brilliant exchange.

Things change of course when Lisa discovers Bart is behind this hoax, thanks to the labelmaker he exploited in act one. Having been duped, the town's outrage effectively halts their massive support for a boy down a well. What's effective here is rather than taking things so far, like I imagine they might have at a different point in the series, people don't abandon things entirely. Obviously Homer and Marge do everything they can, but it's not as if everyone in the town quits altogether. Wiggum and others are still realistically there to try to help in some way even if they won't go above and beyond like they would have for Timmy. Also, once Homer forms his own solution, he is aided by various Springfield residents. I dig (no pun intended) the sight gag with the various valuables being just missed as the group, including Sting, makes their way down.

The resolution is finally with Bart being saved. The situation, coupled with Bart's tearful desperation that incited Homer's course of action, was enough to underline the consequences of his behaviour without having to get too into a "moral of the story" speech. And, finally, a closing shot with "Caution Well" serves as a funny conclusion that will surely prevent all problems in this or any other well from happening.

I don't know what it is with this point of the show for me, but it seems that every episode is not just good but excellent. A

[zartok-35]

There is plenty of audio and commentary in "Radio Bart", one of the fine enteries from season 3. This episode has always seemed really dark for me, and even a little bit preachy. But it has fine writing by the great Jon Vitti, so there is plenty of fine funniness here.

There is the infamous trip to Wall E. Weasle!

Who doesn't love the "Happy birthday Boy or Girl" song? And there is always something amusing about faulty animatronics.

This episode also has Homer doing C.W. McCall!

This scene was animated by Mike Anderson, with his stylish curvey eyebrows.

But the best thing about this episode is it's sense of community. The tragic struggle of a young boy trapped down in a well brings out the best of society, and all it's unsavory characters. "Sending our love down the well" is great satire, if not just a damn good song in it's own right.
All in all, A-.

Among other names on the Krusty Show birthday listing, one can find Ken Keeler and Patric Verrone as well as Bart Simpson.


This was the second episode directed by Carlos Beaza, and he's at his inventive best!
I have always loved the shot of the dancing girls reflecting off of Homer's crudley gawking eyes.

And who could forget the excellent camera view when Willie departs from his shack with Agnes? I love the details on the roof there.


Like all of Carlos Beaza's season 3 productions, this episode was produced on Wes Archer's unit. Dominic Polcino is the assitant director. In season 4, Carlos got his own unit with Swinton Scott. In animation, we once again find Istvan Majoros, Marty Archer, Tony Bell, Ed Olivares, and the notorious Tibor Belay. There is also the aformentioned Mike Anderson, better known as Mike B. Anderson. JC Wegman works on the show today, after taking leave at the end of season 3, in the Csupo/Roman transition. Sondra Roy was a staple until the end of season 4. Rounding it out is Mike Polcino, better known as Michael Polcino, brother to Dominic, but better remembered as the director of many well-directed travesties of the modern era.

[Little Nellie Kelly]

Starting off, I love that we picked a Bart episode from the Bartmania era, which this episode blatantly shows. This episode has the strength of the hilarity and bad nature of Bart, which is rarely shown in the last few years. I love the premise of the episode, with Bart playing the whole town for suckers as "Timmy O'Toole." Otherwise, let's watch the episode.

First off, I love how they made Bart turn from ten to....um...ten. Just as they did with Lisa turning eight to eight in "Stark Raving Dad." Two birthdays in one season, woohoo!

Beginning the episode with Lisa dancing to a television show by Funky See Funky Do, we do the first hilarious moment of the episode: Homer saying to Lisa where in God's name she learned to dance like that. However, he learns of the source, and ogles the women dancers in the television show, so distracted that he gives Lisa 110 dollars for Bart's birthday present. Lisa notices Homer's mistake and corrects him, to which he gives her his whole wallet.

I love the commercial for the Superstar Celebrity Microphone, which shows a pre-teenage boy doing multiple fun things with the microphone, which Homer replies to in a hilarious fashion.

Moving on, Bart gets several terrible birthday gifts, including the microphone, which, of course, saddens Homer. However, Bart learns of the tricking he could do with the microphone and ultimately loves it.

Enough with the synopsis, I love the tricking of Rod and Todd, it was a nice little feature of two underused characters. Other than that, most of the features of Bart tricking residents were a little bland and not very funny.

Going in for the big kill, Bart drops the radio down a well, fooling Groundskeeper Willie that some boy fell down. Fooling everyone, Bart takes great pride in it. However, Lisa finds out about it and tells Bart that people may not found out, but if they pull up the radio, they will notice that Bart was stupid enough to put on "Property of Bart Simpson" label.

Remembering that he did that, he has to go back to the well and get the radio before anybody gets it up. Falling down the well himself, he reveals that he was lying about Timmy O'Toole, which angers the police, who just leave him in the well.

Oh, before I forget, I have to mention one of the funniest moments in the series: "We're Sending Our Love Down the Well." Let us take a moment to send it all the way down.









Back to the review, this episode is a gem from season three. Somewhat bad in the beginning, but it picks itself back up near the end of act one, most likely when Bart becomes "Timmy O'Toole." The plot, in my opinion, is somewhat so-so..when I heard the description, as a somewhat Bart-hater in those days, I thought the plot would turn out flimsy, but after watching the episode, I was proven wrong. This, as I said, is a gem. A little bit thin in act one, but it was saved by act two & three. Oh, and Sting is quite a well digger.

A-

[Jesse Pinkman]

Radio Bart has always been one of my personal favorites from the third season and I have a high opinion of it.

Plot- It was good. I liked Homer getting Bart a good present and I liked how Bart did various pranks with it, such as pretending Maggie could talk when Marge tucked her in at night, tricking Rod and Todd into thinking he was God, etc. Of course, the real plot starts with the well, which was an innocent prank. But of course, pranks can backfire, and such is the case when Bart falls down the well. I liked them ending act 2 with him falling, it was a nice "cliffhanger" if you will to see what kind of good stuff would happen on act 3. Obviously Bart would get out of the well but it was nice to see how they got him out in the end. And the "Caution: Well" sign at the end always made me laugh.

Jokes- This episode has a lot of funny jokes. The aforementioned jokes about Maggie talking and Rod and Todd thinking he was God over the radio. Plus, the song We're Sending our Love Down the Well, which isn't really "funny" IMO, but it is a nice song and it is probably my favorite part of the episode. Other parts I liked were Bart's birthday party, Bart doing stuff for his birthday such as haircut, and ice cream (along with the line "Eat it and Get out!").

Characterization- This episode has good characterization, I think. It has Bart doing what he does best- pulling pranks on people. I liked when he was sad near the end and the stuff he will never get to do line, it showed emotion (Even though of course he wasn't going to be trapped forever, but that's besides the point).

Overall, i consider this one of season 3's bests. It has a good plot, some funny scenes, and the "We're Sending our Love Down the Well" itself is one of my favorite moments from the series. Overall, a great episode with good humor, good characterization, and a funny ending. A+

[hughes]

Great episode, not the very top of Season 3, but being firmly ensconced in the "great classic era" episodes mold makes it one of the best things to ever air on television

The pacing and progression of this episode is fantastic, going from the idea of Bart's birthday and how much Homer loves the microphone (hey, it is better than shelf paper or any of the other shit Bart got) to the pranks with the microphone to the mother of all pranks. In a way, this episode marks the end of Bartmania--it's one of the last where the entire focus of the episode is just one of Bart's pranks, but boy did that idea go out with a bang. Sting turns in a great guest performance, and "We're Sending Our Love Down the Well" is just fabulous. A great emotional moment is Homer's sadness over Bart never being able to smoke his first cigarette, use a fake ID, etc., and the way the whole town turns on Bart once they find the truth is sad and deserved at the same time. A masterpiece of storytelling

[TheForbiddenDonut]

amazing thing about Radio Bart:

just about every other gag after the Timmy O'Toole thing starts has some specific satirical target; episode covers so much ground. marketability of catastrophes, celebrities riding on such catastrophes for popularity gains, journalistic selectivity, idealization of victims, political figureheads reacting fickly to tragedies based on how cute/attractive the public finds the victims, journalistic shorthand whereby all other news is excluded except for the one contemporary hot-button issue, media circuses, media tendencies to draw out a story as long as possible without doing anything about it, appeals to consumer narcissism, lack of desire to prevent further tragedies out of laziness (possibly also out of desire to milk future tragedies), hell one even wonders whether, when they throw Sting a bone with his hyperbolic bravery in rescuing Bart, he wouldn't have helped if he weren't under the impression that Bart was a fan of his.

does so much with the basic story pioneered by Wilder's Ace in the Hole, covering so much ground but far less exhaustively. one of the best episodes spotlighted so far.