– By Lenny Burnham I’m guessing everyone reading this knows the main thesis of Dead Homer Society: The Simpsons was a smart satire with developed, interesting characters. Zombie Simpsons is a stupid mess with only a shallow resemblance to The Simpsons. But, while the extreme decrease in quality in the double-digit seasons is a bummer for any Simpsons fan, it creates a particular problem for queer Simpsons fans—half of the show is great in quality but has fairly little in the way of representation, half has lots of gay characters and storylines but doesn’t have the same quality. It’s hard…
Category: Company Eating Rules
Where Al Jean Went Wrong: A Closer Look At The Last 10 Years Of The Simpsons
– By John Hugar 2001 was the height of my Simpsons obsession. That might sound odd when you consider it’s 10 years later and here I am writing a post for a blog dedicated to dissecting every flaw of the show’s later years, but trust me, back then it was different. These days, while I still love The Simpsons and I still love talking about them, I am, in fact, capable of carrying on conversations about other subjects. For 11-year-old me, that was quite a challenge. I had been into the show since 1997, but my love for it was…
Guest Stars Then & Now
– By Gran2 The plethora of Season 22 guest stars filled me with rage. This show is bad enough already without Danica Patrick, Paul Rudd or Mark ‘Facebook’ Zuckerberg turning up to dig it even closer to Earth’s core. I dreaded hearing Al Jean rattle off next season’s list at Comic-Con (spoilers: It included Michael Cera). The point is: guest stars suck now. The really obscure ones suck because you have no idea who they are, or why they are there (pretty much every guest star from seasons 11 and 12 falls into to this category, or maybe that’s because…
Growing Up with The Simpsons
– By Gabe Kagan All evidence from the past points to my father being a big fan of The Simpsons. He watched the episodes, he had many of them on VHS, and his collection of Simpsons comics is comprehensive and remains mainly in mint condition with many of the more obscure series from the early ’90s. So it’s basically to be expected that this fandom would rub off on me. One problem, though: I was born in 1992. So while everyone at DHS was reveling in the early, golden seasons of the show, I was a small child learning the…
Ten Scary Simpsons Moments
– By Andreas “Cool, she’ll be a freak!” – Bart To have an annual Halloween episode is one thing. To freely cram shocking, ghoulish imagery into otherwise normal episodes of a family sitcom is another. But then, The Simpsons’ writers and animators never had much interest in following formulas or obeying TV conventions, preferring to meld their own savagely satirical experiments with an emotionally naturalistic representation of family life. This, and the fluid nature of its animation, meant that the show could veer from mundane reality to nightmarish fantasy in the blink of an eye. Here, then, are ten of…
A Lisa-centric Simpsons Marathon
– By Lenny Burnham Yesterday I planned and executed a Lisa-centric Classic Simpsons marathon. I thought I’d make a handy guide of what discs you’ll need if you want to replicate this marathon and throw in a few notes and observations from the discussion that came up while we were watching. Season One Moaning Lisa (Disc One) This episode caused an argument between my roommate and I. She just doesn’t like season one, even though this episode has Lisa saying she’s wailing for the homeless, poor farmers and sick miners and Mr. Largo telling her that none of those unpleasant…
A Simpsons Confession
– By Charles Kenny Bless me Father for I have sinned. It has been 6 months since I last watched a new episode of The Simpsons. I sinned against comedy when I decided that one, fateful Sunday evening to watch a film on Netflix instead of ‘Animation Domination’. I knew it was wrong, but by that stage I has reached my wits’ end. Long had I watched the quality of one of my favourite shows decline. I stuck with it through thick and thin; the unmasking of Seymour Skinner, the many instances of Marge kicking Homer out of the house,…
Crazy Noises: The Principal and the Pauper
“Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Capital City’s nakedest ladies. They’re not even wearing a smile. Nod suggestively. Yes, six, count ’em, six gorgeous ladies just dying for your leers and catcalls. Yowza. Yowza.” – Whatever the Hell His Name Is In This Episode There’s new Zombie Simpsons Sunday, so this is the last of our summer series 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…
Crazy Noises: This Little Wiggy
“Alright, alright, now, you’re over stimulated. Let’s get some beer in you and then it’s right to bed.” – Marge Simpson “Woo-hoo! Beer beer beer! Bed bed bed!” – Homer Simpson There’s new Zombie Simpsons Sunday, so this is the last of our summer series 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…
Animation Showcase: Homer Goes to College
– By Bob Mackey When The Simpsons had its prime-time debut in 1989, the show’s animation was considered crude by most. While it’s true that the visuals improved by leaps and bounds after that first rocky year, the original 12 episodes of The Simpsons – despite their roughness – still stand as a major leap forward in the progress of television animation. And over The Simpsons’ first handful of years, talented artists like Brad Bird, David Silverman, Jeffrey Lynch, Jim Reardon, Wes Archer, and Rich Moore (amongst others) not only defined and refined the look of the show; they also…
Crazy Noises: The Last Temptation of Krust
“But you endorse everything! In fact, this endorsement contract comes from your line of legal forms.” – Canyonero Guy “It’s a quality form.” – Krusty the Klown There’s no new Zombie Simpsons until September at the earliest (October? fingers crossed!), so we’re going to spend 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…
Crazy Noises: The Trouble with Trillions
“Some of us took our receipts and pay stubs to our accountants months ago. And, at the risk of sounding a little smug-” – Kent Brockman “Oh, help! Does anyone have a calculator.” – Myron the Accountant “Myron?” – Kent Brockman There’s no new Zombie Simpsons until September at the earliest (October? fingers crossed!), so we’re going to spend 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…