Rate and Review: "A Totally Fun Thing That Bart Will Never Do Again" (PABF12)

[Zombies Rise from the Sea]

I disagree with that, I mean marriage crises being repeated ad nauseum are one thing, but showing Homer and Marge's positive side is always welcome and certainly unlike the other animated shows on FOX except perhaps Bob's Burgers, I dunno. But I can see why you'd feel that way though it isn't surprising 23 seasons in...

I get that, but it seems like they're using the positive side as a crutch instead of as something magical. I mean how many times can you use the whole "Homer and Marge's positive side" before the entire thing feels old. It's not that I don't like it but when it's overused, it's a different story; for example, Season 17... It seemed to be filled with tons of these plots and that's a very weak season.

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

Season 17 is next on my re-watch list, but I remember it being weak mostly due to a large number of boring, unfunny, forgettable episodes, I can only think of 2 or 3 Homer and Marge plots off hand, one of which is what I just described the other two I can't remember as well. Your feeling is certainly understandable, makes sense, and is likely a common opinion, just not one I share...at least not entirely.

[lionelhutz123]

I have visited the future. The Antarctica episode: 1/5. I did not need to see Bart surf on a penguin down a glacier.

^ Posted 7/24/2011

Damn, I was so close. I was right about everything else though. My journey back to the present must have altered the future. I bet those crafty writers read my post and cut the scene I saw, just to screw with me. I guess we'll never truly know until the deleted scenes are released on dvd.

Those who actually buy it can confirm that for us.

[The Governor]

I get that, but it seems like they're using the positive side as a crutch instead of as something magical. I mean how many times can you use the whole "Homer and Marge's positive side" before the entire thing feels old?

That's why the writers went to the EXTREME by making their magical moments about sexin'.

[The Governor]

Great compare and contrast of "Moaning Lisa" vs. "A Totally fun thing..." over at Dead Homer Society.

[Mr. Krikt]

These compare and contrasts should be required reading if your cursor hovers near the 5/5 option. All you need is that image of Lisa forlornly at the mirror and you can see the vast divide between these two episodes.
Moaning Lisa is driven by the characters; the cast of this episode could have been filled by anyone.

[moneychair2003]

Absolutely loved it. The DVD scare thing, all of Bart's imagination, the philosophical observations from Lisa about the drudgery and monotony of everyday life, and the ending were amazing. Easily 5/5!

[Malaise Forever]

I have watched it again and I think it's a rather mediocre episode. My main gripe is that there's barely anything funny in it apart from the song and the Io joke which made me laugh.

So... 2.5/5

[The Governor]

"A totally Fun thing..." represents great comedy and genuine sentiment as Patricia Krentci represents the conservative use of tanning beds.

Absolutely loved it. The DVD scare thing, all of Bart's imagination, the philosophical observations from Lisa about the drudgery and monotony of everyday life, and the ending were amazing. Easily 5/5!

Lisa:
I’m just wondering, what’s the point? Would it make any difference at all if I never existed? How can we sleep at night when there’s so much suffering in the world?
^^^ There isn't ONE LINE from "A Totally Fun..." that even comes close to this from "Moaning Lisa".

[ThankYouComeAgain]

Just saw the episode and to quote Comic Book Guy
WORST EPISODE EVER
Seriously cancel this show already.Watching this horrible episode was really really painful.......and you guys thought "Politically Inept with Homer Simpson" was bad(I though it was OK BTW) this is the most horrible Simpsons Episode Ever
-123221321323213213212321/10
0/10 in the poll

[Tubbb!]

More people should make a point of checking out that review and its pertinent comments so they can see how they're perceived outside of the "NoHomers bubble".

"I don't think the people at NoHomers.net are in any way fans of the Al Jean era."

"NoHomers is an odd site. I get the feeling that, sometimes, veterans of that site don't even know what they're looking for in the show anymore. Other times though, their criticisms are spot on."

"As of now, the majority of voters on Nohomers.net have given this episode a 5/5."

"I get the feeling that for those few at nohomers, the very idea of The Simpsons going to Antarctica was enough to downgrade the episode to 'worst'."

"Fuck NoHomers, I very much enjoyed this episode."

Meh. Worse things have been said about me to my face. To paraphrase that last statement from the A.V. Club: "Fuck the A.V. Club."

Now I'm going to pick on the members of the A.V. Club... for no reason at all.
I see a bunch of folks bitching about "old writers using music from 2004."
Sounds like a bunch of hipsters from a certain website's /mu/ board to me....
Seriously, they nit-pick the music in the episode for half of the post that mentions us. (That's different from us... how?)

"I'll listen to old music, but I rarely listen to the same music for years. I thought using songs from 2004 (which I was listening to in 2004) came across as desperate, esp. in an episode that seemed like it was written by old people (with all the deathbed daydreams and all)."

I'm not sharing my Nirvana records with Raketemensch, or anyone from A.V. Club anytime soon, that's for sure. (Not that a majority of them are old enough to remember Nirvana anyway.)

All you need is that image of Lisa forlornly at the mirror and you can see the vast divide between these two episodes.
Moaning Lisa is driven by the characters; the cast of this episode could have been filled by anyone.

You mean there's a decline in quality between Season 1 and Season 23?

[The Governor]

You mean there's a decline in quality between Season 1 and Season 23?

That's neither here nor there. When people give this "philosophical" episode that's supposed to state Bart's disappointment with life through screwing up a fun cruise a 5/5 and forget an episode from the first season did a better job with Lisa dealing with her existence, they need to be reminded of when things were genuinely great, not "Good because it could've been much, much worse."

[Tubbb!]

That's neither here nor there. When people give this "philosophical" episode that's supposed to state Bart's disappointment with life through screwing up a fun cruise a 5/5 and forget an episode from the first season did a better job with Lisa dealing with her existence, they need to be reminded of when things were genuinely great, not "Good because it could've been much, much worse."

The thought of rating this episode by Season 1 standards or even comparing it to a Season 1 episode is ridiculous, and you know that.

[Mr. Krikt]

You mean there's a decline in quality between Season 1 and Season 23?

Congratulations; you've said nothing. My post was referring back to my earlier complaint that this particular episode had such wafer-thin characterization that it felt unlike or even consequential as a Simpsons episode.
And anyway, there was an improvement in quality between those two seasons as well.

The thought of rating this episode by Season 1 standards or even comparing it to a Season 1 episode is ridiculous, and you know that.

No, what's ridiculous is saying that 5/5 for one episode is different to a 5/5 for another which is what you're suggesting.

[Food Blog]

Better than I could ever have imagined. Some of it even had a Classic Season charm to it, and I liked Bart in this episode because he's really like a kid and just wanting everyone to be happy forever. They didn't make him too selfless or too selfish for his age. Interestingly in some parts his jadedness seemed like a more subtly handled version of the "now I'm a little older, everything looks like shit" perspective from South Park. This episode actually has a really good moral to it in that chasing the buzz can't make things perfect for the rest of your life because even if you could afford it you would lose the magic. Due to this kind of layer to The Simpsons I feel loath to complain about the lack of investigation or it not being the most hilarious thing ever - after all, most of my shows aren't remotely this touching or even believable.

If this was any other show, how they reached one conclusion would be the least of my worries. All I'm saying is (and not just directed at the members of THIS board) calm the heck down! It's totally reasonable to rate something based on how much worse it could be in terms of its contemporaries now. What I find less reasonable is to compare it to its spring chicken self - this show has got both better and worse before, more than once, and sometimes more than once a season. I found this to be a strong episode in general, and frankly I'm sick of even rating Simpsons episodes against each other if the case is that this week's offering made for better television than any of the other crap that was on. For a while now I've been thinking that the rap halfway enjoyable episodes get these days (fronted by the stronger individuals on the team) have to take, says something very bad about the entertainment industry in general. /rant

[Mr. Krikt]

"As of now, the majority of voters on Nohomers.net have given this episode a 5/5."

I just noticed this quotation and although it's a few days old now, it was and continues to be wrong. 5/5 currently has 25 votes. The other poll options have 46. That's clearly the minority of the voters.

[Cartoonnetwork]

Great compare and contrast of "Moaning Lisa" vs. "A Totally fun thing..." over at Dead Homer Society.

The comparison is pertinent but pointless.

It's pertinent cause yes, Moaning Lisa feels more genuine, and even the animation looks and feel more authentic, and it's good to remember the show was once quite realistic and had an edge, like in that scene with Maggie and the tv.

But it's pointless cause Moaning Lisa and A Totally Fun Thing Bart We'll Never Do Again are to