As always, credit to Dave for the hemoglobin.
For your viewing displeasure this evening, Zombie Simpsons is going to make another blind stab at relevance by having Marge and the kids blog about food. Simpsons Channel didn’t have a preview image, but there was a YouTube video in which Homer gets hurt and has his pants fall down. I laughed at this; not because it’s funny, but because it reminded me of The Critic. When Jay Sherman goes to Los Angeles to become a screen writer, he got hired to write “Ghostchasers 3”. While having a meeting with the studio, this happens:
Sherman (very sarcastically): Now, is there anything you feel could be improved from the first two films?
Suit #1 (earnestly): Ghostchaser underpants didn’t sell as well in Mexico as we’d hoped.
Suit #2 (eagerly): Maybe you could have the black guy’s pants fall down in Tijuana.
Sherman (desperately unhappy): I understand.
I know Zombie Simpsons is protected from that kind of network horseshit, but it’s amusing to think of someone telling them that Treehouse of Horror isn’t trending on Twitter as well as they’d hoped, and could they please make an episode about the internet and have Homer’s pants fall down?
Dead Homer Society 
35 responses to “Sunday Preview: The Food Wife”
I object to the fact that you refer to the newer Simpsons episodes as “Zombie Simpsons.” They prefer to be called “Living-Impaired Simpsons.”
I love what you did with lisa’s eye :D
Frankly, the moment I see the word “blog” in connection with any Simpsons plot, I know immediately that it’s going to be catastrophically bad. Even when “The Simpsons” was at the pinnacle of its greatness it couldn’t do computer jokes worth a damn, partly because no computer jokes are ever very funny.
I dunno, this one’s pretty great:
Smithers: I’ve got to find a replacement that won’t outshine me.
Perhaps if I searched the employee evaluations for the word
[types] “Incompetent”…
[computer reports: 714 matches found]
714 names? Better be more specific. [keeps typing] “lazy”,
“clumsy”, “dim-witted”, “monstrously ugly”
[computer searches, then reports: 714 matches found]
Oh, nuts to this! I’ll just go get Homer Simpson.
There was also the Mr. Burns screensaver “Hello Smithers, you’re quite good at turning me on”
Wnat about the Any Key and Y for yes jokes?
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The E3 parody had its moments, but after hearing Marge’s voice, that’s been the only thing I can focus on. Poor Julie Kavner. If they can end a dinosaur like Red Green over a guy’s voice burning out, then what’s keeping this on…Oh yeah, the merchandising.
I’m just happy they showed Jeff and Mel enter the Ethiopian place instead of having them already be there.
Oh, wow, this song. Damn. I apologize for my earlier moderate praise.
They had a character say “Crying isn’t fun.” If that’s not the end of Homer’s tedious sobbing in every episode, then there really is no hope.
Tim and Eric (and random girl) showed up out of nowhere, though. But then again, they have an uncanny ability to do that already.
I don’t care what anyone says, I really liked this one.
Yeah, some bits fell flat (the whole “Marge accidentally send Homer to a Meth Lab, and saves the day with weird food and Ratatouille references” thing, Anthony Bourdain only having two lines, and the E3 set piece being too short to be great on its own), but hell, I’m putting this one in the “liked” pile. And I haven’t done that in at least a year or so.
I agree with you, not that I liked it by Simpsons standards, but in that it’s one of the better episodes of the last 12 months. The pacing was acceptable, there were actual freeze-frame jokes, each guest voice had multiple lines, and there were a handful of mildly clever moments (Marge’s taste buds, Gordon Ramsay taking over the dream). The Ratatouille flashback was fine by me, since it was unexpected and didn’t drag on.
I guess to sum it up, this felt like it could fit into Season 13 or 14, which is NOT a compliment but at least things could have been a lot worse.
I also agree. By Zombie Simpsons standards, this was…not terrible. The usual problems were there, such as jokes dragging on too long, trying to hard to be relevant (the Angry Birds thing in particular), and changing the names of companies without adding any jokes (Gamestation 3?), but there were more than a few amusing moments (I liked Bart’s line “I wish I lived in Ethiopia”) and it moved at a fairly reasonable pace. It wouldn’t fit in any of the single digit seasons, but compared to the other episodes I’ve watched this season, I’d consider it the highlight (which only shows how low the bar has been set.)
Also, Alton Brown has just released this statement: https://twitter.com/#!/altonbrown/status/135898723896131584
Make of that what you will, folks.
And Matt Selman’s been tweeting about stuff that was cut for time (The rest of the scene with Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batali, explaining that Lisa’s Porkchops 100 Ways were made from Kale), but really, that whole E3 set piece could’ve been cut out to make room for them. It was a good set piece, but was it really necessary to the episode?
Um, yeah, followed by:
altonbrown Alton Brown
@BeachBassBone They left me out of their big so called food special! That’s what. I will be avenged…I will be avenged!
2 hours ago
awesome episode
When did Matt Selman become an executive producer and start getting an end credit before Al Jean? Did I miss something?
Apperently he showran this episode and the Book Job. It’s funny how many famous (ex-simpsons)writers were plugging his episode on twitter, almost as if they’re exciting to have someone else in charge for a change
Ok, extensive review in cometh.
Likes:
– the E4 Homer first-person action bit (though the way they got to it was a bit wtf-cky).
– Homer going on about “pine needle” thing. The first two phrases sounded like the 90s Homer, then it lost itself in stupidity again.
– Ratatouille reference (but ONLY because I’ve seen that movie).
The rest was pretty lame: trend-on jokes, mechanical storytelling (as if written by C. O.), taste buds thing was also very weird and out of place.
In all: good follow-up to the Roosevelt episode. The Cleveland Show is lamer. Simpsons level? Absolutely not.
Actually, Simpsons Channel did have a preview image of the episode; they just posted it a few days earlier. And really, if any image needs to be bloodied, it’s this one. Please do the right thing, Dave. Put it out of its misery.
http://www.simpsonschannel.com/2011/11/promo-the-food-wife/
Wow, what a bizarre episode. I will give it a pass for making a Breaking Bad reference — Breaking Bad is my favorite show, maybe ever — though I thought “Homer winds up in a methlab” was sorta weird… felt more like an American Dad scene in a way… also, Homer has been known to/shown using drugs before, did he REALLY not know what crystal meth was? Weird scene, though it had some somewhat clever lines, with Homer asking for “a taste” and whatnot.
The E3 parody was overlong and mostly just consisted of the usual Zombie practice of “lets’ SLIGHTLY change the name of [whatever; in this case, popular video games] to make them SILL-AY!” I did laugh at Grand Theft Scratchy if only because it pissed Rockstar off a few years ago, supposedly. The “First person flinging shit and running to the ‘FUN’tendo unveiling” part was pointless though technically pretty well-done.
I can’t believe they’ve shown Homer at the nuclear plant TWO WEEKS IN A ROW!
Also, Flanders continues to get some of the best lines, when talking about “G.A.M.E.S.” and “S.P.O.R.T.S.”
I’m not really into Tim and Eric, though I do wonder what would happen if they wrote a Simpsons episode. TOM GOES TO THE MAYOR was pretty funny (and dark) at times. They’re pretty boring people from the few interviews I’ve read or seen them give, and their appearance was boring.
So, yeah, I dunno. It definitely felt like a completely different show than what we’ve been seeing lately, a slight improvement but still kinda just.. there. The last few episodes have been holdovers from the last season, right? Is this the first actual ‘new’ one from this production run? Because it just felt REALLY different in many ways.
Best moment for me was the launching of the angry birds into the children’s hospital!
So, yeah, I dunno, this episode didn’t have too many offensively-bad moments despite the weird methlab scene, and Homer crying, and the episode was mostly entertaining and actually FOLLOWED A PLOT. It may not have been the most compelling plot in the world, but yeah. Shrug. It’s still a much better show than that Allen Gregory nonsense.
…….Also, did anyone catch FAMILY GUY? I am not a fan though I’ll watch it if nothing else is on. Well, uh, yeah, I never say this, but it was conceptually pretty damn brilliant. They go back in time to the pilot episode and they comment on it (not quite MST3K-style but still some pretty funny observations/in-jokes) and try to change it. It was probably a bit more CONCEPTUALLY interesting than actually, y’know, “good” but it entertained me and I thought it was sweet, and I usually never say that about any Family Guy episodes past the third season.
Haven’t seen the Family Guy episode, but Zombie Simpsons are apperently currently doing a similar THOH episode where Bart goes to the Way We Was episode and ruins things
Really? That’s fucked up… what a weird coincedence (?)…
This week’s Family Guy was pure gold. It’s immune to any criticism, and I don’t think some would even impose. This being the fact that even at their laziest this show still comes out with decent stuff, while at the Unsimpsons they fail even if they try hard.
I didn’t see the new Family Guy since I don’t watch that show, but that is a really good premise. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I may actually check that out when it turns up on Hulu next week.
It was honestly brilliant, they make fun of themselves nonstop, including Lacy Chabert’s exit, their uses of cutaways/flashbacks, their decline into mediocrity and worse… and that’s in the first 3 minutes or so. It’s very self-referential, of course, so it’s probably a “for-fans-only” (or “For-EX-fans-only”) affair, but it’s shockingly unique, though I guess it’s getting heat for its 9/11 jokes. I don’t think they’d offend anyone who posts on this blog, but I figured I’d mention it. Anyway, it’s the best episode of the show that I’ve seen.
Wasn’t it clever how The Simpsons children play Zii instead of Wii? Ahahaha. And Gamestation instead of Playstation! Guts of War instead of God of War! And look everyone, this weeks guest star is that trendy celebrity everyone has heard of. Oh, how timely and clever these jokes are.
Oh, in case you can’t tell. I was being sarcastic.
Last nights episode perfectly exemplified how lame and repetitive Zombie Simpsons has become. Contrast last nights zombie simpons to the brilliant Family Guy which gets edgier and gutsier every year that goes by. They are the opposite of the Simpsons. FG could easily rest on it’s laurels and wing it like the Simpsons do, but instead every year they defy the odds and get better with age. And whatever flaws they’re perceived to have, such as relying too much on cutaways, they’re the first ones to make fun of themselves for it. Because they’re secure enough in the strength of their own material that they can withstand a few self inflicted jabs at their own expense.
When is the last time the Simpsons had the balls to call themselves out on their own shows flaws? When is the last time they mocked themselves for relying too much on guest stars and past storylines? NEVER. Because unlike Family Guy, The Simpsons is is fully aware of how lame and aged it has become. They know it can’t withstand the level of self deprecation Family Guy is able to inflict on itself.
Um, actually, in their last Halloween special they showed Maude with the devil. This is something you have to had watched at least past Season 11 to know about it. Problem is, even their reference jokes are stale and boring. It’s not that they lack characters, plot devices or content to make jokes of. It’s the whole consistency thing, it’s how they write it and produce it, that everything from jokes to storytelling is told in a flat moron-adapted manner.
Which proves that this show still has potential (and a lot more than Family Guy for that matter), which they somewhat never use.
What happened to games like Escape From Death Row and My Dinner With Andre?
They disappeared like the writers creativity
Yes! MY DINNER WITH ANDRE: THE VIDEO GAME is probably the most hilarious game parody ever, for anyone familiar with that movie.
…For those not, the movie is mostly just a guy sitting at dinner with another guy and talking, so a video game adaptation of it would be… uhh… yeah.
Isn’t that what L.A. noire is (life imitating the simpsons) and imagine pontyepool (sp?) the video game the whole film is set inside a radio station so yeah you get the idea
What’s up with all the positive comments on this? You’re mellowing my harsh, man.