“Homer, didn’t John seem a little . . . festive to you?” – Marge Simpson

“Couldn’t agree more, happy as a clam.” – Homer Simpson

“He prefers the company of men.” – Marge Simpson

“Who doesn’t?” – Homer Simpson

“Homer, listen carefully.  John is a ho – mo – ” – Marge Simpson

“Right.” – Homer Simpson

“Sexual.” – Marge Simpson

“Ahhhhhhh!” – Homer Simpson

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 “Gyllenhaal”).

Today’s episode is 815 “Homer’s Phobia“, yesterday was 811, “The Twisted World of Marge Simpson“.

Charlie Sweatpants: Okay, so Homer’s Phobia.

This is one I’ve got damn near the top of 8.

Dave: as a wee lad, I remember watching this and loving every minute of it… and it holds true today

Mad Jon: For sure

Charlie Sweatpants: Before we get into it . . .

Dave: yeah

Mad Jon: what

Charlie Sweatpants: Is this the first real “message” type episode?

Mad Jon: Define message

Charlie Sweatpants: I mean, this one’s got a pretty (for the time) political message (Gays Are OK).

When I was watching it tonight I was trying to think of one before it and I was coming up blank. (I have been drinking.)

Mad Jon: I can see that…

Dave: I can’t really think of one either (sober)

(not for long)

Charlie Sweatpants: But it’s still funny, that’s what’s so great about it.

Mad Jon: I am struggling to think of another message…

(legal gray area for sobriety)

Charlie Sweatpants: Lisa the Vegetarian is the best I can do, but it’s kinda neutral on the actual question of vegetarianism.

Mad Jon: If anything that message was if you want to be a veggie head, you still have to respect us carnivores

Charlie Sweatpants: It’s definitely something Lisa would do, but it’s not really about vegetarianism the way this one is about homosexuals.

Mad Jon: true

Charlie Sweatpants: I checked, by the way, it aired two months before Ellen came out of the closet, so once again Simpsons was ahead of the curve.

As opposed to, you know, today.

Dave: simpsons did it!

Mad Jon: Ha ha

Dave: ah, the joys of a progressive cartoon

Charlie Sweatpants: Okay, so the political thing aside, thoughts on the episode?

Mad Jon: barrel of laughs from start to finish

Charlie Sweatpants: “Twisted World” gave us some cultural phrases, but this one is wall to freaking wall.

Mad Jon: would be better if you removed the one or two things that were part of the Zombie Homer evolution

Charlie Sweatpants: I’ll agree with that.

Dave: yep, i started to type that it’s a episode bursting at the seams with funny

Mad Jon: But for this episode I am willing to look past them

Charlie Sweatpants: But I’m more forgiving of the Zombie Homer stuff here because it fits in with Homer’s longstanding homophobia.

Mad Jon: yeah, especially as he doesn’t realize John is gay for a while.

Charlie Sweatpants: Exactly.

Like he knows he doesn’t like gay guys, but he’s never met one (he’ll be the last man on earth to suspect Smithers) so he doesn’t know a thing about them.

Mad Jon: By the way, John Waters is in the running for my favorite guest

Dave: i second that

Charlie Sweatpants: Farther than I would go, but I can see it.

Mad Jon: I didn’t proclaim him the victor, but he’s up there so either live with it or go play with something poisonous.\

Sorry

That came out a little stronger than I had intended

Charlie Sweatpants: “What I did, I did because of alcohol and anger . . . ”

Dave: it was hilarious, Jon

do that again

Mad Jon: (grey area fading, fading, gone)

Back to the grindstone then

Charlie Sweatpants: While it did give rise to one of Homer’s best rants, when John asks him, point blank, “Homer, what have you got against gays?” it feels kinda television-y.

And feeling television-y is almost the definition of Zombie Simpsons.

Dave: a little television-y, but in line with Homer’s strange brand of homophobia, no?

Mad Jon: Yeah I can see that. The old homer would have just gone to Moe’s

Charlie Sweatpants: Like I said, one of the best rants ever.

Dave: he doesn’t know why he hates them, he just does

Charlie Sweatpants: But it feels like a “line”, if you know what I mean.

Dave: yeah I can see that

I love tenderized homer’s defense of john at the end

Charlie Sweatpants: That’s a good one too.

Mad Jon: Too bad he was tenderized

Charlie Sweatpants: There’s a line that works in ordinary conversation.

“Just my bones, and organs.”

I’ve answered multiple people with that when they’ve asked me some variation of the “how bad does it hurt” question.

Dave: this guy’s a fruit… no, wait, wait, queer, queer… queer! that’s what you like to be called right?

Charlie Sweatpants: Well, that or John.

Mad Jon: It is pretty funny

I also like the “concussion talking” speech.

“Huh?” “He thinks you’re gay…”

Charlie Sweatpants: I feel it needs to be said: the gay steel mill is one of the best “sudden change” type gags in this history of culture.

Mad Jon: Definitely didn’t see that one coming

Charlie Sweatpants: Not only does it come out of nowhere, but it’s so perfect and well thought out that it goes on for like four punchlines.

Dave: ah, the anvil

Mad Jon: And probably peed myself the first time I saw it

Charlie Sweatpants: There’s a spark in your hair!

Dave: we work hard, we play hard

Charlie Sweatpants: Hot stuff coming through!

Dave: get it, get it!!

like I said, bursting with funny

Charlie Sweatpants: Why did you bring me to a gay steel mill? (Hilariously panicked): I don’t know, I don’t know!

Mad Jon: Oh be nice

Dave: keep reaching for that rainbow!

Charlie Sweatpants: C&C music factory makes it at the end. A lesser show would’ve gone with Village people.

Mad Jon: nice observation

Charlie Sweatpants: Oh wait, that was Season 9.

Dave: it is, for all intents and purposes, a perfect ending.

Charlie Sweatpants: Homer doesn’t spend long getting hurt, either.

Dave: when did that happen in season 9? my memory’s hazy

Charlie Sweatpants: Simpsons Tide.

Dave: ah

Mad Jon: Not long. But still…

Charlie Sweatpants: Noticeable, right?

Mad Jon: It’s like feathers on a dinosaur

Charlie Sweatpants: True, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

Was anyone besides me disappointed that when Homer goes to the hunting supply store it’s just called “Springfield Hunting Supplies”?

Mad Jon: Doesn’t quite rival “Stoner’s Pot Palace” does it…

At least for some reason it’s in a mall

I wish I could buy a rifle at the mall…

Charlie Sweatpants: Speaking of Homer’s homophobia, examples?

I’ve got Bart the Genius – (There’s nothing wrong with a father kissing his son. I think).

Mad Jon: The bargaining scene in Last Exit to Springfield

Charlie Sweatpants: Yes.

Lisa’s Pony: (Marge if I do any more of these girl things I’m gonna, you know, go fruity.)

Dave: http://www.snpp.com/guides/homosexuality.html

Charlie Sweatpants: Wow, I suck at the internet.

That didn’t even occur to me.

Mad Jon: Ask and ye shall receive

Charlie Sweatpants: Jebus, it just keeps going.

Dave: the internet’s awesome

we talked about this last weekend

Charlie Sweatpants: Every time I think I’ve seen everything on SNPP I look like a fool.

Dave: heh

Mad Jon: I feel so inadequate

Dave: the Uruguay one is good. “haha, U-R-gay”

Charlie Sweatpants: Okay, so this is the part where I might ask for favorite parts, but this one is fucking full of them.

Dave: the gag involving Bart’s Hawaiian shirt

Charlie Sweatpants: I used it for QotD not too long ago, but the “came out of the closet” joke about Bart’s shirt didn’t hit me until about the sixth time I saw it. But it’s great.

Damn, we are on the same page.

Dave: yeah, that took me a few viewings too

Mad Jon: I like the scene where John bumps into Smithers

Charlie Sweatpants: So this is your sick mother?

Dave: don’t do this to me Waylon

Mad Jon: The tour of Springfield was funny

Dave: pogo stilts

Charlie Sweatpants: That’s good on its own, and then it gets Homer hurt quickly and hilariously.

Mad Jon: true that

Dave: and off “camera”

Charlie Sweatpants: Yeah.

That Marge would give Homer’s pin pals shirt to Goodwill is a nice little character touch.

Dave: I’m going to skip a step or two and say this is top of 8

Mad Jon: I like ” We could of stayed at the bar and shot rats”

“Hey hey, those aint your rats”

Charlie Sweatpants: Plus the smiley face Homer shoots in the tree.

And yes, this is the top of eight.

Mad Jon: Agreed

Its one of those episodes that always gets played when I am randomly watching episodes

Dave: maybe even top 10 all time, but I’d need to think about that a bit more

Charlie Sweatpants: I’d disagree with that, but it’s not really for now.

Dave: right

Charlie Sweatpants: On Jon’s point, that was one of the first things I noticed when Dave suggested that we watch these two this week.

I like both of these episodes, but I watch Homer’s Phobia a lot more.

Charlie Sweatpants: Once you get into seasons 8 and 9 there aren’t a whole lot of episodes where I’m no longer even vaguely sure about how many times I’ve seen them.

Mad Jon: Well, except for earlier today I couldn’t tell you how long it’s been since I’ve watched Twisted, but I would guarantee I’ve seen phobia in the last week.

Charlie Sweatpants: This is one of them.

Yeah, but that’s because you’ve been hanging out with me.

I’m pretty sure we did Phobia when you had no cable.

Mad Jon: Well, even if that wasn’t the case, I probably would have still seen it

Charlie Sweatpants: Sorry, that was a dick comment on my part.

Mad Jon: I have it both on DVD and my cpu

Charlie Sweatpants: I too, have been drinking.

Mad Jon: No, no, don’t apologize. I’d have done the same to you

Dave: quick, name me one gay Indian.

Charlie Sweatpants: Ha ha.

Alternative in stead of “ha ha”: Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal shot them.

The point is, this one gets watched way more than Twisted World does, are we agreed on that?

Mad Jon: Can gays shoot good? I’ve only seen the last hour of Brokeback, but I don’t remember any shooting

I’ll have to ask Rob

Charlie Sweatpants: Please, call him John.

Dave: I’ve never seen Brokeback, I watched http://www.mightymcpilgrim.com/films/brokemac/ and figured i didn’t need to see the real thing

Charlie Sweatpants: You and your damn URLs tonight!

Wow, I am more violent when I’m drunk.

Dave: that would be two. heh

Mad Jon: I’m pretty sure Rob would not like it if I called him John… Oh I see what you did there.

Dave: who’s rob?

Mad Jon: Funny

Rob is my wife’s best friend. He’s a cool cat, and also gay

Charlie Sweatpants: Rob is what “John” from Phobia would be if he was a theater guy instead of a knickknack guy.

Dave: gotcha

point well taken

Mad Jon: Yep, pretty much

Dave: back to the point, yes, this one > twisted

Mad Jon: Are you really asking?

Charlie Sweatpants: This one also feels like Twisted World in that the A plot doesn’t quite seem able to fill the whole time.

There isn’t as much stretching, but it does feel like there’s some.

Dave: really?

btw, jon – this is for you: http://i33.tinypic.com/2czecp.jpg

Mad Jon: Nice

Charlie Sweatpants: Dave with the URL FTW.

Mad Jon: Even got the same hair as me

Charlie Sweatpants: Anyway, yes I do get the stretched feeling.

Dave: I thought it was pretty focused, but go on

Charlie Sweatpants: The reindeer scene drags in places, and Barney and Moe’s homophobia seems a little too drawn out. I’m not talking much, I’m talking seconds only, but I got it then and I still get it now.

Mad Jon: This one flows into the B plot a little better. Not to say that Twisted does it poorly, but not as good.

Charlie Sweatpants: The “horns of surprise” (cousin to the “string music of sadness”) aren’t usually a good sign.

If that makes sense.

Dave: it does.

Mad Jon: yep

Charlie Sweatpants: Again, I’m talking only a few, very short, parts. But it’s there.

Dave: that was weird

Charlie Sweatpants: What?

Mad Jon: It’s still in season 8, so some of that is to be expected. If the Simpsons have proven one thing time and time again, it’s that as the season number goes up, the likely hood of an untouchable episode goes down.

Dave: I got kicked out of the chat

Charlie Sweatpants: Fuck, not again.

Mad Jon: Well, welcome back then

Dave: thank you sir

Charlie Sweatpants: And Jon, I agree.

Dave: Agreed on that point. it’s not a perfect episode but decently close I feel

Charlie Sweatpants: That’s pretty much where I am.

Dave: certainly much more so than twisted

Charlie Sweatpants: Hmmm, note for later: we come to shittier conclusions when the episode in question is good.

There are only so many ways to say that something’s great, aren’t there?

Mad Jon: So it may be a great season 8 episode, and it may be in “someone’s” top ten list (debates to come later) but it would be unreasonable to expect perfection this far on, and frankly we should be happy with what we have. There I said it.

Dave: good work

(i did qualify my statement with “i’d need to think about it”)

Charlie Sweatpants: Okay, this has already gone on way longer than usual (technical problems contributed), final thoughts?

Dave: negative

I am spent

and in need of booze

Mad Jon: You are off the hook Dave, I was just reaching for some comedic horseplay