Simpsons 300th Episode

DGMacphee · Fri 25/04/2003 03:03:49

That's was my favourite quote from the episode, Las!

I also liked the bit when Butters plays LOTR by humping Stan.

Jimi · Sun 27/04/2003 10:52:52

Homer has just become a complete dumbass, and so has bart. Marge doesn't actually have that much of a spotlight, maybe if maggie could talk the writers could have some more ideas?

Pumaman · Sun 27/04/2003 20:54:53

There is a reason why most shows only run to 7 or 8 series. Seinfeld managed 9, but was starting to flag a bit by the end.

I don't think this is particularly the Simpsons' fault - if you try and stretch any TV show out for 15 years it's bound to get stale and the writers will run out of ideas. It's too bad Fox doesn't know the meaning of a graceful exit.

Adamski · Sun 27/04/2003 23:09:02

I think we should morn for the loss of Family Guy and Futurama, for they were axed before their time...

Although personally i think the award for 'show axed with greatest injustice' goes to Farscape... that show had razor-sharp writing and was generally excellent for the entirety of it's four series run.

And they left it on one helluva cliffhanger too...

Nacho · Sun 27/04/2003 23:35:36

I believe that the problem of the Simpsons became when they realised how easy was to create humour doing Homer sillier each season. Now he is the stupidiest character in the world.

I preffered when bart was the main character. Do you remember the "General Bart" episody? I think it was the 2nd. A chapter to remember!

I also preffer Fututrama, what a pitty, it is cancelled...

DGMacphee · Mon 28/04/2003 13:10:13

Speaking of good cartoons being axed, I loved Freakazoid!

Anyone remember the episode where he fights Cobra Queen?

"That hiss can mean only one thing -- THERE'S A BALLOON VENDOR AROUND THAT CORNER!"

Fuzzpilz · Mon 28/04/2003 15:20:27

Quote from: DGMacphee on Mon 28/04/2003 13:10:13
Speaking of good cartoons being axed, I loved Freakazoid!

And once again I try to direct people towards the Digital Archive Project. Freakazoid is one of the archived shows. (and yes, it's a \o/ - worthy show)

Adamski · Mon 28/04/2003 15:59:44

This calls for a 'w00t!'

agsking · Tue 29/04/2003 22:37:55

I see people laughing at things like the more recent episodes of the Simpsons or SNL when they're not funny. Its really sad, I think they are just used to laughing at it. Maybe the people around me are just weirdos.

The Simpsons was a really great show a little while ago, but if you don't like it now, don't watch it.
Its pretty simple.

Trapezoid · Wed 30/04/2003 00:43:19

Agsking, you're an idiot.
(for now anyway

)
If you don't like something it doesn't mean no one else can like it.
Now... chew through my ball sack!

Pumaman · Sat 03/05/2003 00:07:27

Quote from: Trapezoid on Wed 30/04/2003 00:43:19
Now... chew through my ball sack!

I don't think we need say any more ... that is exactly the sort of line from recent Simpsons episodes that makes me cringe ... it belongs in a show like Family Guy, but not the Simpsons.

Trapezoid · Sat 03/05/2003 01:22:54

I dunno, that line always amused me. It came out of left field. It's not something you'd hear in an earlier season, and it wasn't supposed to. If you were writing for the Simpsons, you sure as hell wouldn't want to be constricted to only making the sort of jokes made in the earlier seasons. It's a change of style, don't assume it's bad.
If you're really upset by that sort of joke, maybe you shouldn't have made South Park popular.

Dmitri · Sat 03/05/2003 01:40:22

I too quite like southpark now, it went from cartman getting a satellite anal probe to making fun of the latest things; Underage sex, Pokemon and Iraq being some examples I've seen so far (I don't have comedy channel or SBS so I can't watch it anymore)

And Homer went from "In theory Communism works" and "(god) is my favourite fictional character" <--- two of my favourite quotes
to "No (wink) I don't wanna see your crappy science project (Wink) But it sure as hell beats eating this crappy breakfast (Wink wink)"<-- That was the funniest segment and one of the only quotes in the show, the rest was Homer screaming and carrying on about his thumb

Trapezoid · Sat 03/05/2003 01:52:34

...what?

Timosity · Sat 03/05/2003 04:30:08

I was just watching tv and the 300th episode is on tuesday in Aus, I don't know if it has been on before, is it a realatively new one?

Pumaman · Sat 03/05/2003 13:44:56

Quote from: Trapezoid on Sat 03/05/2003 01:22:54
I dunno, that line always amused me. It came out of left field. It's not something you'd hear in an earlier season, and it wasn't supposed to. If you were writing for the Simpsons, you sure as hell wouldn't want to be constricted to only making the sort of jokes made in the earlier seasons. It's a change of style, don't assume it's bad.
If you're really upset by that sort of joke, maybe you shouldn't have made South Park popular.

I think you're somewhat missing the point here - a joke like that would be funny if it appeared in South Park or Family Guy, but it's just not the Simpsons style. The fact that they have changed their style to this sort of thing underlines the fact that they've given up being a clever satirical show and are now just doing what everyone else is doing - getting cheap laughs from fart jokes.

Trapezoid · Sat 03/05/2003 15:53:43

Well, I say that they didn't "give up" being a clever satirical show-- the clever satire is still very much there. They didn't give up anything. The show has evolved, so what? The jokes are cheaper, yeah, but they're never anything as obvious as fart jokes. Even the Simpsons' cheap humor is clever. What they've done is phased out the "heartwarming" aspect of the earlier seasons, because it was never that funny-- or heartwarming-- to begin with. If the series were exactly the way you wish it were, a large amount of people would still not like it.
Also, I think it's hypocritical that so many of the same people who complain about the Simpsons' humor laugh at similar jokes in South Park and Family Guy. The difference is they EXPECT the Simpsons to be the same as it proved to be a frigging decade ago, and expectation spoils anything you love as soon as it starts moving out of your expectation.
The internet community is obsessed with "jumping the shark", and even before the term was coined, have been desperately applying it to things, because they expect things to have gone bad after a while. Do you think it's any coincidence that some of the things with the biggest geeky cultish fanbase-- Simpsons and Star Wars, for example, are constantly accused/assumed to have Jumped the Shark? People, especially geeky internet types, tend to latch on to things they liked when they were younger, and when they're old and bitter they can't seem to accept anything that challenges the rules layed down by their still-retained childhood adorations. I still think that if someone who's never seen the Simpsons watched the entire series backwards, they'd love the episodes you hate. And, if the process spanned over more than a decade, they'd probably be pretty pissed off by how the earlier seasons just aren't the same as the later seasons. They'd complain about it going soft, and sappy. And that's crazy, right?

Scummbuddy · Sat 03/05/2003 16:16:37

No, I'm siding with Chris on this. The Simpsons started with continuity in mind and was a great show. They had talented writers that kept that in mind. Then when the new batch of writers came in, they were in the same mind set of those of Family Guy. It was alright for the jokes in Family Guy to come out of no where, like Chris:"Ahh, the governments here, Run ET run away!" (Then ET comes from the family room and runs out the door)

See, thats funny, cause you expect that kind of humor from Family Guy, and its hilarious. But when the Simpsons jumped on to that style, they really went downhill. When Homer 'just stopped going to work' cause the writers didnt care about continuity or just ran out of ideas, the series became a Homer-does-this every week and it became terrible. Dont get me started on all the drug references and ones that pretty much just say get high. Seriously, if none of the writers for the show dont get high on a regular basis, I'd be very surprised. It really has become The Homer Show. I stopped watching the last couple seasons really. It was alright when the Simpsons could take a break from continuity on Halloween specials. That was fine.

*dont know how to end this right now, too busy in class*

Trapezoid · Sat 03/05/2003 16:47:57

See what I mean? It's all about expectations. You can't be totally sure that you'd be happy if the show still had the same sense of continuity and level of humor. I'm not saying you SHOULD like the new episodes, I'm just saying that I think it has more to do with the mindframe of the people who don't like it, than the quality of the show.

Jimi · Sat 03/05/2003 16:51:47

I gues we have to accept that they are giving us free entertainment, and we can't expect that they will be able to keep it up after 15 years.