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 totally different episodes even if they share the subject of child existentialism. Moaning Lisa is a realistic episode about down-to-earth stuff and A Totally Fun Thing is an "adventure" type of episode. Bart's problem is not even the plot of the episode, it's used to give it more relevance, but the story is about the cruise vacation and Bart's prank. In that sense it would be fairer to compare it to Deep Space Homer, Bart Vs Australia or season one's The Call Of The Simpson.

Especially Deep Space Homer, that shares the combination of a wacky adventure plot (Homer going to space) and a character conflict (Homer trying to win recognition). And yes, Deep Space Homer would still be much better than A Totally Fun Thing... but at least the new episode wouldn't look as randomly wacky compared to a "wacky" episode of the classic era. Of course if you compare an episode in which Lisa and her family do normal things that people would usually do in their regular days to an episode where the family is abandoned in Antarctica the new one is going to look wacky , but if you compare it to Deep Space Homer, then it's a little different.

I a simmilar vein it would be more fair to compare Moaning Lisa to a down to earth episode of today. We still have some of those from time to time, O Brother Where Bart You being a fine example.

[The Governor]

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.

I think you're overselling this pile of crap. In the beginning, I could see Bart acting that way if he was 34, had to put on a suit and tie everyday, drinking the same cup of coffee, carrying the same briefcase and going to the same board meeting and then retreating to the same cubicle 5 days a week. My point is Bart's not old enough to have that 'insight' that life is a drudgery. I can see him just getting giddy about wanting to go on that cruise just from the commercial itself and not due to the "monotony" of being a 10yr old. Lisa, yes, if her character is played out correctly, but not Bart.

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.

No it isn't. The show was meant to be entertaining in a "Simpsons" way (satire, slapstick, likeable characters, etc) and if it fails on those levels, it's a bad episode. I'm not thinking: "Wow, it's not as bad as The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed", so it's a 5/5! WTF kind of reasoning is that? I'm sure other idiots on this board, yes this board, who are going to give the GaGa episode a free pass "Who cares!? It's the Simpsons!" but it's that kind of thinking/attitude that gives us shitty episodes in the first place.

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.

I shouldn't have to compare The Simpsons to other shows to 'measure' my enjoyment of it. "Because it's probably better than shows I don't give a shit about" doesn't make me like it any more or less.

[Mr. Turley]

The end of the episode finds them stranded in the Antarctic.
How did they get out?
I think they were rescued by...oh, let's just say, Moe.

[cymek]

How did they get out?

They were on their way to a research station.

[Cartoonnetwork]

I think you're overselling this pile of crap. In the beginning, I could see Bart acting that way if he was 34, had to put on a suit and tie everyday, drinking the same cup of coffee, carrying the same briefcase and going to the same board meeting and then retreating to the same cubicle 5 days a week. My point is Bart's not old enough to have that 'insight' that life is a drudgery. I can see him just getting giddy about wanting to go on that cruise just from the commercial itself and not due to the "monotony" of being a 10yr old. Lisa, yes, if her character is played out correctly, but not Bart.

Yes, it doesn't totally fit Bart's character. It's still reasonably well done and close in style to what would be considered tolerable in South Park or Futurama. You can say the emotional part was a bit manipulative, out of character or that you didn't like it, but it is still kinda well done. It may not fix the other problems in the episode, but there was effort put in that part and it kinda works. Why? Because even after all the wackiness it manages to come back to the initial conflict and have a point. That's (a piece) of good writing there, even if the humor in the post-apocalypse part is lousy and unfunny and they probably didn't need to end in Antarctica to include this moral.

I'm sure other idiots on this board, yes this board, who are going to give the GaGa episode a free pass "Who cares!? It's the Simpsons!" but it's that kind of thinking/attitude that gives us shitty episodes in the first place.

No, it wasn't. It was Scully's personal tastes. I'm sorry, but if you don't admit audience reaction can have any consequences in making the episodes better then why we should think it can help to make episodes worse.

[Mr. Krikt]

No, it wasn't. It was Scully's personal tastes. I'm sorry, but if you don't admit audience reaction can have any consequences in making the episodes better then why we should think it can help to make episodes worse.

Because we've seen how disdainful the writers are of the negative opinions online. So the options are either that they have confirmation bias and so the bar's set low or else they don't listen to the fans at all.

[The Governor]

No, it wasn't. It was Scully's personal tastes. I'm sorry, but if you don't admit audience reaction can have any consequences in making the episodes better then why we should think it can help to make episodes worse.

You're missing the point, I said it's the attitude "oh, it's JUST a cartoon" in the producers minds that made the episodes terrible. Online reaction had nothing to do with the creation of a bad product.

[Cartoonnetwork]

Fair point.

However, I think audience or critic reaction (not necessarily online reaction) probably had some influence on improving the quality of the show. I didn't study what happened at that moment and I wasn't even a regular member of this board, but I got the feeling Jean, who had been a pivotal element of the show since its first years and produced some of the most popular seasons, was probably chosen for the Executive Producer job because they needed someone to fix the problems of Scully's tenure.

Whether this was something the staff decided by themselves or influenced by negative opinion I don't really know. Maybe it is even some kind of casuality and Jean was the only who wanted to take the job at that moment, but to me it looks like the general opinion about the show had some influence in it.

[uruguayo]

Good episode, started well, then declined
4/5

[Bella Drape 'er]

A pretty good episode, but it's hard to believe Bart...(someone who rarely cares about his consequences)...would have such deep and sorrowful feelings at the end of it.

4/5

[Nameless]

It was OK I guess. It was at least trying to be fun and had some kind of message, without any of the utterly tepid satire of that street art episode a few weeks ago. I did genuinely laugh at the actor from the movie turning out to be on board the ship, I liked the split-screen thing with lots of background gags at the beginning, and there were a few other nice touches. And I have wanted to see Steve Coogan guest-star on this show for a long time. I can see why people would dislike the plot though.

Let's say 3.5/5

[Diversity Pumpkin]

Okay, decided to watch this episode because it's Matt Selman. I just came up with a theory. Do you think his episodes skip the intro not because of time, but because the new intro is fucking hacky and terrible and he doesn't want something like that to open his show? Because he seems to care about quality more than Jean. Like, he doesn't even do the bit where something flies past the title at the start, even though that wouldn't take up anymore time.

Anyway, what the fuck. This episode was so good. I heard it was Selman's weakest especially after hearing about the penguins at the end but it wasn't even that weird.

[The Governor]

Anyway, what the fuck. This episode was so good. I heard it was Selman's weakest especially after hearing about the penguins at the end but it wasn't even that weird.

OMG...I can feel it! It's the "enjoy the moments while you can because you might never get another chance to experience them when you're older and you'll appreciate it when you reminisce." It's a true moment of clarity...

Wow, I was so wrong...I really enjoyed this episode a second time around and I could totally sympathize with Bart wanting more than his share of daily drudgery.

Actually, no I haven't changed my mind. This episode is still terrible and this episode gets brownie points cuz Selman's name is in the credits.

I'm sorry to make you think I saw something in this episode that wasn't there.

Wait, I'm not sorry!

It's still a 1/5.

[Prune Tracy]

I'm sorry to make you think I saw something in this episode that wasn't there.

I think you saw something in that post that wasn't there.