REVIEW: Brawl in the Family (DABF01)

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REVIEW From tvguide.com: Simpsons Brawl in the Family 30 min. A social worker is assigned to try to bring the family together after police respond to a fight between Bart and Homer during a game of Monopoly. Pamela Hayden, Tress MacNeille, Ron Taylor.

REVIEW From snpp.com:
      January 6 . Brawl in the Family (DABF01)
      A social worker is sent to keep an eye on the Simpsons after Homer and
Bart start fighting during a Monopoly game

Just a note of how little Fox cares about Futurama: I was waiting for Futurama to start (even though the Falcons Rams game ended at 7:00 exactly we had to listen to the imbred antics of the football gurus for another 10 minutes and then missed the first and a half act of Futurama), and I had my closed captioning on, and the FOX PEOPLE spelled Futurama "future rama". They must really care about that show, huh? That and Futurama moves fast (it is set in the future after all) and when you miss the first act that explains the what if machine, people are going to change the channel when the first thing they see is the gang in a pac-man related video game environment.

Also, why do they not even advertise the show. When they talk of the Sunday night line up, it is always "Simpsons followed by a hilarious Malcolm in the middle and X-files" Why no mention of Futurama or KOTH?

This was probably the first time in a long time that all shows were especially strong, and that was one of the great things about these shows that reminds me of when the Simpsons would have no advertising for it and would crank out a great episode outta the blue. These shows should really be put on another night where they will not get pre-empted half the time. If Fox is going to be a sports station, then they should make a sports day for the sports fans and make a non-sports day for their other shows. I watched the Simpsons when it was on Thursday night and I actually liked it better at that time. Maybe move them all to that time and on Sunday nights they can show Drew Carry re-runs or whatever until 8, then show malcolm in the middle blocks for whoever watches it, then the X-files. Man, does anyone know how to get a programming position at Fox? :-)

previous episode references: acid rain going through clothes: 2f10 And Maggie makes three homer thrown out: 1f20 Secrets of a Successful Marriage homer living in the treehouse: 1f20 Secrets of a Successful Marriage family needing counseling: 7g04 There's No Disgrace Like Home republican headquarters: 2f02 Sideshow Bob Roberts

references: Blind Date: only the greatest show in the history of TV

Guest Appearances: Delroy Lindo-actor who played in Get Shorty, Clockers, and Congo among others. Jane Kaczmarek-Malcolm in the middle mom

Review: This was probably one of the best all around episodes since the 9th season, and that is not a bad thing as there have been close to a third of the run from then to now. While some aspects of this show are a little contrived (the main of the show seems like There's no disgrace like home), but I suppose that a decent derived episode is better than a lousy original one. One of the main things that I liked about this show was its pacing. Things did not happen too quickly or too slowly (other than the Las Vegas wives appearance there was no jerky-ness in the show's action). Also, I am a huge anti-fan of the show having guest spots for the sake of having them, and it seems like an accomplishment any time that they can make it an entire 22 or so minutes without having one. Of course the most important thing for the show is that it is funny, and I laughed out loud several times. I give this show a B+ because it is not as good as the "glory years" of the show but it was a helluva lot better than the last two seasons. I suppose that when any show approaches 300 episodes and nothing about the show really changes (except adding or taking away a few outside characters), things are going to get stale, but with what they have to work with (or more likely the case, what they dont have to work with as so many storylines have been used and re-used), they can still make television enjoyable.

I hate to admit this, but I really think that this is about as good as the show will get for the rest of its run, so we should probably all enjoy it.

Stephen wrote...

There are several more: Family spat breaks out while family is playing a board game: Bart the Genius Family going camping: Call of the Simpsons Judge Judy caricature: 13th-season episode season premiere that just aired two months ago (I don't know the title) The state meddling in the Simpsons lives: Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodly

Needless to say, this episode was something of a direct sequel to the episode when Homer and Ned went to Las Vegas. (Excuse me, but I don't know the title of that one either.)

This episode probably set a new record for past-episode references, and it seems to have been deliberate, being as the series is likely to be in its final season now and drawing to a close. (I could be wrong about this, but how much longer do you think they expect to keep going?)

BTW, in the middle of the third act, Homer and Marge were split, and it looked like Marge was not interested in taking him back and the kids didn't even care! I honestly thought for a moment that Marge and Homer were going to split up for good. (If this wasn't the 13th season, I would have expected them to get back together at the end.) I know they're fictional characters, yet this struck a chord with me. Anyone else have a similar reaction?

I think the final episode should somehow come full-circle with the first. The first one being the Tracey Ullman Show sketch in which Marge tucks in Lisa at night and says "Don't let the bedbugs bite," inadvertently scaring her silly. Everything would be updated to reflect how the characters, and the series is now. (The current Lisa would never become scared by a simple figure of speech, nor would Bart ask Homer deep scientific/philosophical questions.)

Maybe the final episode could be a lampoon of other famous series finales. Homer Simpson finally catches the one-armed man, while Bart and Milhouse are finally sent home from Korea.

Any other ideas or speculations about the eventual final episode?

I used to think that a good final episode would have the simpons aged, but only by a little... Bart and lisa would be on the first day of the 3rd and 5th grade respectively, and Homer gets a new position at the power plant. Nothing really happens except that there would be a little change to show that they all had grown up a little.

Of course that was when season 5 was on, and we are almost 10 years later. I dont have any ideas as to end the show now, but I honestly do not think it will be anytime soon. Maybe in a couple years, but there is too much money to be had in the show for people to just walk away.

I thought that the way season 9 ended (bart and lisa standing as rock the casba played) would have been a cute way to end the show, personally.

Stephen

"Eric Perlin" wrote in message news:3s8_7.3034$[email]...

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two months ago

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"The Simpsons" will not be cancelled anytime soon.

I hope "The Simpsons" final episode is handled like that of "Hill Street Blues": as just another day, representative of all the others.

I don't think there should be a final episode. K.

You want the show to go on for eternity?

"Stephen" wrote in message news:Bb7_7.207370$[email]... (snip)

Er, no it didn't. It ended there and abouts, but not "exactly" at 7:00. You must remember, these are live, televised events, as compared to a taped, animated program.

That's a part of the show. I really don't like it either, but it's a part of the show.`

Yes. That's why they haven't cancelled it yet.

Er, you might, but not everyone will. You are not able to speak for anyone and everyone who would watch the show.

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They do. You must be missing these. You also appear to be missing your medication. You might want to watch for both.

They already are...that's why there is a Fox Sports channel.

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Er, Um, Duh, yes it did... In the past (a time that may not be long remembered by you) when the show ended they would start the show and show it in its fullness. Nowadays, it seems as though even if the show/game ends on time, they still seem to find a way to skip part of the show. Yes, they are live, but it is not necessary to talk about games that they have been showing the scores to for the entire game in the upper corner.

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part of the show that is not necessary. People already know the scores from the upper box and whether or not their team covered the spread.

um, it will not be cancelled as long as it makes them money. But it needs all the internal support it can get. Can you really rationalize your comments, or are you just looking to disagree?

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anyone

I consider myself to be a pretty smart guy, and if I had not read the synopsis of the episode I would have not had the slightest idea what in hell the gang was doing in a video game. Actually I found it to be quite annoying

Also, maybe you need a little lesson in semantics/English. By my comment "people are going to change the channel when the first thing they see is the gang in a pac-man related video game environment" I mean not all people obviously.

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So why dont they show their football on it as opposed to you gotta see this 12 times a day?!?

The "fox people" didn't do it. Close captioning is done buy a captioning company. The captioning has to be entered buy a PERSON on a device much like a court reporter uses and as people they are not perfect and they are allowed to make mistakes.

Because FOX sports is a cable channel that is not carried by all cable channels and even Dish Network is considering dropping. The network is where the audience is and in addition broadcasting on cable would leave affiliates out of the picture and they make money from showing the games too.

Kevin

A friend of mine was an assistant to the general manager of a FOX station (Raleigh, NC). He told me that FOX is dicey when it comes to it's affiliates... And that most sporting events that FOX televises are the choice of the affiliates. He also told me that because FOX gives no provisions to stations that actually run news, the "8-10, No more" policy is killing stations that want and need to compete with the 11 o'clock news stations, and that no one would rather watch FOX news than an ABC/NBC/CBS/Cable show, and not just because FOX has the dubious reputation of the un-serious network...

In my area the Fox station runs their local news at 10 PM instead of 11 PM where they would have to compete directly with the local ABC,NBC and CBS stations.

Getting an hour jump on the competition is probably a good idea as many people do want to stay up until 11 PM for the local news, I know I don't I'm just too tired and go to bed around 10:20 PM or so.

Travis Zdanski wrote:

Our Fox station solved the news problem by starting to do an hour newscast right after the primetime shows end on Fox so they have the primetime lead in and they start an hour before the other channels' news. Local news doesn't have much to do with the network except for the amount and quality of material availabe from the network news that they might want to show as part of their newscast. But most people watch local news for the local content, most people get national news from the network evening news or from cable as you said. Our Fox station here is actually the oldest station in town and so it's news is very well watched and respected even if Fox News is severely lacking.

Kevin

yes, but these companies and WGBH (the pbs station from Boston) are given lists of programs/keywords that are to be written for CC, and of course I was being picky but also I thought it was funny/sad that Fox really does not seem to care about their own programs.

Yes, you are right about Fox and the Network affiliates to make money, but that goes back to my statement that maybe the cartoons should be moved to another night, so Fox maybe can have a whole Sportscenter deal after the game where they can talk all they want and everyone will be happy. That is what I am thinking at least.

Stephen

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too.

Stephen wrote:

Well, I certainly don't disagree with you on this point. Futurama has a crappy time slot, no doubt. What we need to do is go back to the time when stadiums were all outdoors and did not have lights and the games had to be played early enough to be over before it got dark. Then Futurama would probably be safe. And everybody would be safe when Fox decides to show all baseball playoffs and the world series.

Kevin

Isn't that back when coins had pictures of bee's on them?

"Give me 5 bees for a quarter," you'd say.

Austin

"ALewis525" wrote in message news:[email]...

Well anyway, I was wearing an onion on my belt, as was the style at the time.

No,,i saw it in progress, and my first thought was GREATEST EPISODE EVER! You have to be a child of the 80s to appreciate old video game jokes though.

You

Yeah. All your base are belongs to us, man.

isnt that late early 90's?

"Travis Zdanski" wrote in message news:[email]...

What's that from? LOL. I've seen it before last night, but I don't remember...

Austin

http://www.inspiredlunacy.com/showcase/base.swf

that should answer your question. its a great legacy.

"ALewis525" wrote in message news:[email]...

It was hilairous. I loved the alien giving commands and I knew exactly what would happen with the last ship...that damn thing is hard to get.

Kevin

How about when he got that flying saucer at the top of the screen? Man,,nobody i knew was able to hit that ship (except philip j fry that is).