NHC Weekly Episode Club v3.0

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

When I was younger back in the late 90s my favorite episode used to be Brother, Can You Spare 2 Dimes? I forget which commentary it is in, I wanna say "Das Bus," but they point out the drinking bird from "King-Size Homer" and I want to shout to them that it came from Brother!!!

[The Thompsons]

It was used in both episodes I believe.

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

It was, but as a fan I wanted them to acknowledge the earlier one too! Speaking of both I can't believe neither has been picked for discussion yet! Might have to change that in a few weeks...

[Dobbie]

Especially with the all the contradicting 'past/flashback' episodes. Continuity on the Simpsons essentially doesn't exist!

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

It is still fun to think about though, and when they actually acknowledge it...usually at least. I mean the best part of Saddlesore Galactica is Comic Book Guy for example.

[zartok-35]

It's one of thoes things that you should appreciate only when you actually get it.

[zach]

[cymek]

If not for Herb Powell being a glaring exception, I think it was a rewarding addition to the show.

I'm glad that they didn't use this idea in any other episode after this. We've already got characters with defective heredity like Ralph Wiggum and Cletus Spuckler for jokes about bad genes. Making characters like Bart (let alone Herb) look like inbred white trash just to make Lisa look good is very mean and stupid.

[zartok-35]

I'm pretty sure it was never intended as a reference to hillbillies inbreeding, just something trivial that runs in the family. However, it's origins never were explained...

[The Thompsons]

Keep in mind it was Grandpa who came up with the Simpson gene. It could be a case of his seniality creeping in.

[cymek]

I'm pretty sure it was never intended as a reference to hillbillies inbreeding

What I meant was that this idea makes Simpson men look as retarded and defective as Cletus Spuckler just for the sake of making Lisa look smart. I didn't mean that the Simpsons have been inbreeding.

[CousinMerl]

About the Herb issue, contradicting or not, it does not lower my enjoyment of the episode (but I must say that it's good that they didn't run the whole Simpson gene thing into the ground in future episodes, albeit it would have been nice to see a couple of those Simpson relatives in another episode).

[cymek]

it would have been nice to see a couple of those Simpson relatives in another episode

Season 15, Catch'Em if You Can

[CousinMerl]

Season 15, Catch'Em if You Can

I haven't seen that episode, but I've read about it and that a Tyrone Simpson appears, but that was his first apperance so he didn't appear in 'Lisa The Simpson'.

[cymek]

There's a couple of relatives standing around him, but they don't speak.

[Lionel Hutz]

Keep in mind it was Grandpa who came up with the Simpson gene. It could be a case of his seniality creeping in.

That's what I would have said, except the Simpson Female doctor acknowledges its existence at the end (the defective Simpson Gene is on the Y chromosome, so only men are affected).

[CousinMerl]

There's a couple of relatives standing around him, but they don't speak.

Seems like I should check that one out, then.

[cymek]

That's what I would have said, except the Simpson Female doctor acknowledges its existence at the end (the defective Simpson Gene is on the Y chromosome, so only men are affected).

I wonder where she got that information from in the first place. Maybe Grampa?

[Financial Panther]

No, Grampa didn't appear to know that it only affected men. She is a doctor; perhaps she deduced it herself.

[cymek]

I think I've found a pretty good solution to explaining this "simpson gene". I had to make some assumptions though.

That Female Doctor (TFD) was invited by Marge with aim to make Lisa feel better. She (TFD) was made aware of the "simpson gene" concocted earlier by Grampa in one of his senile moments. Since initial version of the story (Grampa's) only made things worse, TFD had to make some additional details up so that Lisa miraculously becomes "unaffected". Why make things up? Because it's cheaper. Running laboratory DNA tests just for the sake of making some 8-year-old happy is way too expensive. Lisa would certainly believe her because she's a doctor and she's a female. Marge wouldn't mind because: a) it serves the purpose; b) she's not a very good mother.

[zach]

off topic: @AlexandreLeblanc what are you picking for the next episode?

[zach]

[CousinMerl]

cymek, nothing really says that it was Marge who invited Dr. Simpson; it was Homer who rounded all of them up and even though when they were all on the front lawn, he didn't ask any of the women what their job was before Marge told him to. Still, Dr. Simpson knew how the gene worked so it all worked out for Lisa in the end.

[cymek]

Well, I did say that I've had to make some assumptions. Why would Homer want to invite somebody if he didn't care about their opinions?

I'm just trying to rationalize this poor and contrived idea so it doesn't look so bad.

[CousinMerl]

I don't think he didn't care about the opinions of the women and besides, Marge telling him that he didn't ask the women was needed for the plot to make him ask one of them and move the plot forward in the right direction (but you do have a good theory that it was Marge who invited Dr. Simpson).

[cymek]

I agree that it was necessary to move the plot forward, but I tried to pinpoint Homer's reaction to Marge telling him to ask that female doctor. I think he was clearly annoyed and reluctant to ask her because it was not a part of his plan and he wasn't considering asking her in the first place.

[CousinMerl]

I hope Alexandre will announce his choice of episode soon so we know which episode to watch tomorrow (I suppose the majority of us participants watches the chosen episodes on Friday).

[zartok-35]

I usually watch on saturday, but I like to know the episode a few days before to research the animation a bit.

[zach]

c'mon @AlexandreLeblanc, build us a house you lazy bum.

[Financial Panther]

There's an episode I can't believe hasn't been discussed yet. Nobody'd better take it...