There’s no new Zombie Simpsons until, gulp, the end of the month, so we’re going to spend what’s left of the summer overthinking Season 9.  Why Season 9?  Because we did Season 8 last summer, and Season 9 was when the show started becoming more Zombie than Simpsons.  Since we’re too lazy to do audio and too ugly to do video, we’ve booked a “chatroom” (ours is right between the one with the sexy seventh graders and the one with the bored federal agents pretending to be sexy seventh graders).  So log on to your dial-up AOL and join us.  This text has been edited for clarity and spelling (shockingly, not on “cetaceous”).

Today’s episode is 923 “King of the Hill”.  Yesterday’s was 922 “Trash of the Titans”.

Charlie Sweatpants: This is one of those twilight of the Simpsons episodes that I liked a lot more the second time I saw it.

There’s a few too many horns of suspense to really enjoy it the first time around, because the story, especially the last third, doesn’t make a great deal of sense. But it’s shot through with good jokes.

Mad Jon: It’s a zany plot idea, but there isn’t a whole lot that could have been done much better, minus, as you say the suspense horns, and some of the Homer gags I could live without – like the O2 tanks 5 feet up.

Charlie Sweatpants: Yeah, that and the montage are the low points of the episode.

Mad Jon: Just like Trash of the Titans, I find this one entertaining.

Charlie Sweatpants: I like this one better than “Trash of the Titans”. There’s far less Jerkass Homer.

Dave: “Trash” is more watchable in my estimation, but this isn’t too far off.

Mad Jon: I don’t know why you would have both Steve Weber and Brendan Fraser guest voice at the same time. We’re they pitching something they did together?

But I did like their work.

Charlie Sweatpants: I don’t know, but they were both great.

The entire Powersauce thing was awesome, especially since food in bar form has only grown more popular and more idiotic since this episode aired.

Mad Jon: Also I am pretty sure the Murderhorn is taller than Mt. McKinley

Charlie Sweatpants: Only four vertical miles to go.

Mad Jon: It’s just apple cores and Chinese newspaper.

Charlie Sweatpants: The mountain thing is little tough to swallow, but that’s why this one improved so much on repeat viewings. Time-wise it doesn’t take up that much of the episode (in terms of threatening about how tall it is).

Mad Jon: Fair enough

I get a chuckle out of Grandpa’s story as well.

Course folks were tougher back then

Charlie Sweatpants: The suspense parts are all neatly broken up by things like the Sherpas, the Powersauce updates, and Homer discovering McAllister’s corpse and his hilarious last desire to see his wife blind and torture Abe Simpson.

Dave: It wasn’t quite classic Grampa, but it was enjoyable.

Mad Jon: Oh the Sherpas, they may be the funniest thing in Season 9

Charlie Sweatpants: He shouldn’t kick us.

Mad Jon: His toes will fall off soon.

Charlie Sweatpants: I foresaw your death last night.

Mad Jon: Stop saying that.

Charlie Sweatpants: And then the pickup truck stops to pick them up on the way to Nepal.

The Sherpas are pretty much solid gold.

So, by the way, is Rainier Wolfcastle.

Mad Jon: Technically, shouldn’t you go back to the bottom and start over?

Charlie Sweatpants: The CommiNazis in the McBain movie are good, as are his self regard and desire to shout slogans at people.

Mad Jon: Master your ass!

Charlie Sweatpants: The Abdominator, that’s a very quotable joke seeing as how they invent new abdominal contraptions every six months.

Also, this episode gave us the pronunciation of “gym” like it rhymes with “dime”. That’s a contribution to Western culture that will not soon be forgotten.

Mad Jon: You know, I’m pretty big on the opening as a whole too.

Charlie Sweatpants: There’s a lot to like at the picnic.

Mad Jon: “Sorry Daddy’s down for the day” is a great line.

Lovejoy telling Flanders to play the damn game, the policemen and the gangsters picnicking next to each other.

Charlie Sweatpants: Flanders, Lovejoy, Wiggum and the gangsters, even Comic Book Guy.

Mad Jon: All good stuff.

Charlie Sweatpants: Agreed.

I’m also a big fan of Marge’s sarcasm when Homer declares that he’s going to lose weight.

Kavner nailed that.

Mad Jon: The bit where he pushes down his belly to see the clock is reminiscent of earlier seasons as well.

Hmmm, talking about this episode with you guys may actually be improving my feelings about it.

Charlie Sweatpants: It’s got some problems, but they’re very minor.

And there’s so much to love.

It’s also worth pointing out that they didn’t go overboard with Homer getting into shape. He can still have his flab grabbed and he still gets out of breath. Unlike, oh, say, that piece of shit from Season 21 when he went back and forth between ripped and cetaceous (sp) every thirty seconds.

Mad Jon: I don’t even remember that. But I’ll take your word for it.

Charlie Sweatpants: Holy shit, I spelled that right!

Mad Jon: Congradtulasions.

Charlie Sweatpants: Eat it, Google spell checker.

It was the one with Seth Rogan.

Mad Jon: Oh yeah. Dick. I asked you not to remind me.

Charlie Sweatpants: Homer became a movie star, losing and gaining wait, and all of America died a little inside.

Mad Jon: Yeah yeah, I remember. Stupid funny Seth Rogan not being funny.

Dave: Be more funny.

Charlie Sweatpants: Okay, anything else here?

Mad Jon: No, I think we covered it pretty well, a little crap, lots of goodies, not too shabby 150 episodes in.

Shit, I guess more like 180

Charlie Sweatpants: Honestly, this is one of the last ones I watch with any frequency.

There’s a few quality episodes after it, but not many.

Mad Jon: And they are kind of hard to find.

We’re getting to the bottom of the barrel for this season, and already I’m thinking of moving somewhere without internet access next summer so I don’t have to do anything with season 10.

Charlie Sweatpants: Oh, I’ll find you.

Mad Jon: I bet you would you bastard.