“‘Nuke the Whales’?  You don’t really believe that, do you?” – Lisa Simpson

“I dunno, gotta nuke something.” – Nelson Muntz

In an attempt to fill the summer with love, hate and pointless Simpsons commentary we at the Dead Homer Society are going to spend some time overthinking Season 8.  Why Season 8?  Because Season 8 is when The Simpsons really began to deteriorate into Zombie Simpsons.  That’s why.  Because we’re cutting edge and ultra-modern we’re using a newfangled, information-superhighway fad called a “chatroom” to conduct our conversation.  This text has been edited for clarity and spelling (especially on “Skittle-brau”).

Today’s episode is 807, “Lisa’s Date with Density“, and we’ll be back tomorrow with 808, “Hurricane Neddy“.

Mad Jon: I saw “Walk the Line” there a few years back. Stupid Phoenix brothers.

One’s dead and the other should probably be dead, although I hear he is retiring from making films to ahem focus on his music career. Dogstar you better watch your step!

Charlie Sweatpants: Hehe, feel like channeling any of that rage towards Lisa’s Date with Density?

Mad Jon: oh sure

Dave: heh

Charlie Sweatpants: Any initial thoughts on the whole Lisa gets a crush on Nelson thing?

Mad Jon: It’s a character growth episode. And for that matter it is sort of an secondary character growth episode, so it’s got one strike from the get go

Charlie Sweatpants: I’m probably going to sound like a broken record before we get through all of Season 8, but again this struck me as a very TVish plot.

Good girl falls for the bad boy who actually has a sweet side, learns a lesson about life and love and then everything goes back to normal. It felt like every 80s and 90s family sitcom had an episode like that.

Mad Jon: Your observation is valid

Dave: the setup was completely contrived – and then we got 15 minutes of a formulaic relationship

bingo, Charlie

Charlie Sweatpants: And normally when the Simpsons did something like that they would undermine it, here they just play it straight ahead.

Mad Jon: yep, but I feel the pre-plot part of the episode was pretty funny

Dave: it was not without its charm, I admit. also, we got “smell you later” from this episode

Mad Jon: I always love a quick banter with Supernintendo Chalmers

Charlie Sweatpants: Skittle-brau is hilarious.

Dave: did I ever send you guys the link to skittles-infused vodka?

it instantly made me think of Skittle-brau

Mad Jon: Probably, but I drink

“I’m troubled”

Charlie Sweatpants: Oh wait, nevermind, this isn’t the Skittle-brau episode, this is the one where Homer puts the candy on the donut.

Mad Jon: A jolly rancher is not a sprinkle sir

Dave: maybe in Shangri-la it is

Charlie Sweatpants: That’s what I was thinking of.

Though it’s a good example of Season 8 level comedy, where many if not most of the individual gags are still funny and it’s the main plot that just disappoints and eats time.

Think of all the clock that gets wasted by Lisa and Nelson’s awkward bonding.

Mad Jon: My wife and I were arguing about the sub-plot. She thinks it is was pretty good, and I would agree except it is kind of like watching an alcoholic in the beginning stages. I can see Homer progressing from stupid, drunk and irresponsible to just stupid and invincible, but I know it gets much, much worse

Charlie Sweatpants: You mean the auto-dialer thing?

Mad Jon: Yeah

That being said I might be pre-judging him as I have had to watch so much Zombie Simpsons lately

Dave: I think I enjoyed the b-plot more than the main plot. I agree Mrs. Jon – it was decently solid

Mad Jon: Although it does provide the awesome soliloquy from Chief Wiggum.

Charlie Sweatpants: I’ve always been kinda +/- on that one. It’s got its moments, but you’re right that it so heavily foreshadows the rampant criminal Homer is going to become that it takes some of the joy out of it.

Telemarketing scam is just a little too close to phony kidnapping. And we all know how that turned out.

Mad Jon: Yes. I do however like that in the message he asks if they want to look as happy as he does.

Dave: I see your point, but I enjoy it for what it is. If I think of it as foreshadowing, then yes, it’s an infinitely worse representation of homer

maybe we should start charging a dollar for DHS

Charlie Sweatpants: Good one, Dave.

Mad Jon: it reminds me of the forfty percent quote

Charlie Sweatpants: How so?

Mad Jon: Because its one of those little things he says or does that most people wouldn’t notice that points out the stupidity of what he is saying or doing with out going overboard. I mean he says “Do you wish to look as happy as me…” in a phone message.

Charlie Sweatpants: I could see that, comedy that doesn’t explain itself.

Mad Jon: I know it doesn’t exactly relate but I was just saying it reminds me of that.

Charlie Sweatpants: I guess I’m down on the b-plot because, and this is very much a recurring theme in Season 8, these were the episodes when the spell of Simpsons was really broken for me.

There was just no way to defend them as being of the same quality as what had come before and so it bums me out, even though it has things like “Nuke the Whales” which are hilarious.

Mad Jon: How much time did homer spend at the plant? not much. He was too busy being stupid on some stupid thing he decided would change his life forever.

Charlie Sweatpants: Yup.

Dave: the nuke the whales bit is classic

Mad Jon: Still, I can see some parts that would have been much much worse if it were 10 seasons later.

Charlie Sweatpants: Most definitely. Milhouse getting beaten up springs to mind.

Dave: yes – that was handled rather gracefully

Mad Jon: side note- I never noticed the “nuke the arabs and take their oil” sticker until yesterday

Charlie Sweatpants: Eerily prescient, isn’t it?

Mad Jon: I also feel that Nelson throwing the beehive would have been much different.

Charlie Sweatpants: Yeah, that would’ve gone on a lot longer.

Mad Jon: I always laugh out loud when I see Nelson swinging the rake, but nowadays Homer would have showed up to pick Lisa up or something and accidently walked in front of said hive which would lead to 24 seconds of screaming and random bumping into things.

Charlie Sweatpants: Any final parts that stand out as highs or lows?

Mad Jon: The lunch room scene with Lisa and Milhouse

“Why does everyone keep saying that?!?”

Dave: the word “crumb-bum”

Charlie Sweatpants: For a high I’ve gotta go with Marge and Lisa in the car, as Marge is trying to explain to Lisa that she can change a man and Lisa sees that Marge is really just in denial.

Mad Jon: that is funny

Dave: very funny

Charlie Sweatpants: For a low it’s easy: Lisa putting the cat in the basket. It’s awkward, it has no jokes and it goes on and on.

“Crumb-bum” is a very good word for an angry man who can’t bring himself to swear.

Mad Jon: I like when Willy takes a crowbar to the locker, and then it pans out across all the lockers having been pried open

Dave: one out of character moment that was a high for me was one of the bullies screaming “charlatan”

Charlie Sweatpants: As they’re walking away? Yeah, it has that winking at the audience for no reason feel to it.

Dave: exactly, the audio equivalent of a blink and you’ll miss it sight gag

Charlie Sweatpants: Anything else, or are we ready to move on?

Mad Jon: Yeah, I’m done with that. It was an episode that meant well, but the whole life lesson thing for Lisa and Nelson really did keep the random humor at bay.

Dave: I’d sum it up as well-intentioned, but ultimately soulless

Mad Jon: I wouldn’t turn it off, unless it ate crackers in bed.

Tune in tomorrow for the, uh, thrilling conclusion of this high minded and totally not pointless discussion.