Thoughts on #308 - THREE GAYS OF THE CONDO

Review: This was a funny episode, but a bit uneven in light of some other flashback episodes, and particularly "Homer's Phobia." They really played the jigsaw puzzle intro too long. Would OFF make fun of any other minority the way they pick on gays? Smithers's flamboyance had me ROTFL considering how subtle his homosexuality was in earlier seasons. Might have been less caustic and more funny if they had played the "Odd Couple" angle with Kirk VanHouten. I give it a B+.

Certainly not Hindus! . :) Seriously, though, I think the show is pretty much "equal oportunity" in its mockery. Even liberals and environmentalists get their share. Like Monty Python used to be --nothing is sacred/anything for a laugh.

Just about every stereotype exists on the Simpsons.

Willie -- Bushy-haired, kilt wearing, Haggis eating, funny-accented Scotsman.

Luigi -- Chico Marx styled Italian accent, Mario Bros.-like mustache, and he is a chef (that, along with organ grinder, opera singer and mobster [see Fat Tony below] seem to be the main occuptions of Italians in Hollywood).

Fat Tony -- Italian Mobster

Cletus -- Inbred, slack-jawed yokel. He is also incredibly stupid like all hillbillies on tv. Extra points for funny southern accent.

Apu & Sanjay -- Hindu who runs convenience store, has funny accent.

Montgomery Burns -- Greedy, hard-hearted robber baron.

The Flanders -- Overbearing and pollyanna-like, clean-living Christians.

Sea Captain -- Talks with an "arrh, Matey" type voice, like the stereotype of an old salt.

Rainier Wolfcastle -- Austrian accented actor.

Uter -- German exchange student. Speaks with accent. Loves chocolate. Wears lederhosen.

Dr. Nick -- Hungarian accent (?)

Lou -- Black cop with large genitalia.

Krusty -- Jewish entertainer stereotype.

Rabbi Krustofsky -- Speaks in Yiddish dialect. (There is also an unnamed old man that speaks with the same dialect on the show.)

Bumblebee Man -- Mexican entertainer.

Texan -- Stereotype of a Texas oil millionaire. Wears Stenson hat and cowboy belt buckle and boots. Speaks with a southwestern drawl.

Milhouse, Database and Prof. Frink -- Nerds

Mayor Quimby -- Corrupt, Kennedy-like politician. Speaks with Boston accent.

...and much, much more. So lighten up, folks!

For some reason, old images of Dr. Hibbard always crack me up. Also shouldn't Smithers just come out of the closet? He'd feel a lot more comfortable with himself. I say he's closited because of how he's never outright said he is gay. For example when he rated on Sideshow Bob he said his motive was because of "lifestyle choices." Even tonight, when all the gay guys were saying hi to him he was uncomfortable with it.

My sense is that he's out w/in the Springfield gay community (whose size does seem to fluctuate quite a bit). The thing is, in some episodes he seems to be spending all of his free time w/ other gay men, while in other episodes he doesn't seem to have any life outside of Mr. Burns & the plant.

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

"The thing is, in some episodes he seems to be spending all of his free time w/ other gay men, while in other episodes he doesn't seem to have any life outside of Mr. Burns & the plant."

The previous reply is a good observation, it's sort of a contradiction.

Somebody claiming to be "Noah S" wrote in news:U7qma.13853$[email]:

Not necessarily. In the Season 13 episode that began with the Gay Pride parade (no, I don't remember the title -- that's the problem with these episodes that have an Act 1 unrelated to the main plot!) there was an "In the Closet" float in which Smithers was in one closet, with Patty in the other closet.

Maybe that was just a role, like someone else would dress up in a clown suit. They wanted a "closet" float, nobody wanted to do it, so he said he would, proving his place in the gay community.

Michael

Does anybody even like these "gay episodes"? Does anybody find them funny? Are these part of some sort of politically correct agenda that we are being force-fed by the writers, or is it the complete opposite-- a simple-minded "flaming fags are funny" mockery?

Either way, it isn't funny or "daring". I think Smithers is probably a much more "daring" gay character for just being there as a regular for 13 years with something to do besides "be gay".

It seems to be a combination of both.

The Simpsons, in general, stopped being a funny or daring show a long time ago.

[email] (Markc65) wrote in message news:...

The Simpsons was very funny last night, making your point, in general, wrong.

The posters who lists many more one-dimensional characters are right, but to me it just seems silly that EVERY SINGLE gay male in the community Homer moved into was one-dimensoinally effeminate (this is also true in the plant he visited in Homer's Phobia,etc). If there were more Scot characters on the show and they were all wearing kilts, etc, then I would point that out as well. Believe me I'm not going to stop watching my favorite show after fourteen years just because they push the envelope for the sake of laughter, that is why I in fact usually laugh. as for the Italian characters they are the second most stereotyped group on the show. they can't put one on there that is just a regular everyday guy? Maybe I'm mistaken, what is Moe's ethnicity?

Moe is Polish. His last name is Szyslak. However in "Bart's Inner Child" (1F05) Moe's inner child spoke with an Italian accent.

I should point out that when Homer and Burns went to Scotland, they pointed out that every one there, even the women, looked and acted like Willie.. so yeah... All their scots do act the same.. Plus, all their elderly love Mattlock, and are basically the same level of intelligence..

The Simpsons is a comedy, so everything is an extreme.. Every character trait is an extreme. Homer can't just be a little dumb, he has to be so dumb that people wonder how he remembers the blink.. His boss can't just be mean, he has to be an evil villain.. Flanders can't be just christian, he has to be blah blah blah.. You know what I mean! Springfield's gay guys can't just be gay, they have to be EXTREME gay!

And if they had more indian characters on the show, you can bet they'd all pretty much act like Apu..

The only extreme I've noticed that The Simpsons have avoided is doing black stereotypes. Probably because *every* other comedy seems to touch on the subject. I don't know.

No, you are wrong, and you know it because it is a fact.

[email] (Markc65) wrote in message news:...

Which is the fact, that I'm wrong or that it wasn't funny? It was funny, a number of people commented on it being one of the best this season.

You said the Simpsons stopped being funny a long time ago, which is clearly wrong as Sunday's was funny. I enjoy your pining for the old days though, it's cute in a 'my grandfather talking about World War II' sort of way.

Why, both of course.

If you like mediocrity, that's fine. However, even the shows creators admit that The Simpsons has lost its lustre. They also admit it's hard coming up with new ideas and to avoid repeating themselves.

Actually, I don't pine for the old days. I'm just an evil troll trying to bring down the colossus that is The Simpsons with my negative carping.

BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!

P.S. Matt Groening is fat.

Definately the worst episode ever for Homer. He is my favorite character, but IMHO this was out of bounds, too far and just unexplainable. I can only guess that one or more of the writers / producers / directors has some sick agenda. I am a big Simpsons fan and it's my favorite show, but I think I'll just try and forget about this pathetic uncalled for show. (Of course some of the rest of the absolutely inconceivable crap on Fox is actually even worse!)

I am a straight female and even I thought this episode was too gratuitous with the stereotyping. Why has every gay male character on The Simpsons been flaming and femme? Come on now, this is 2003! There were laughs but I didn't find the "sassy, femme" jokes funny, they are TIRED. In Living Color was doing this type of stuff TEN years ago. Not one of the worst of the season, IMO, though.

AlannahLouis wrote in message news:[email]...

with

didn't

doing

Want to go out?

"Want to go out?"

Okay, my email address is [email]....

I'm not ranting or anything, I am just making an observation. I mean the represenstation of gay men on The Simpsons is getting more one-dimensional. For several years Smithers was quite masculine, yet the writers have effeminated him gradually (collecting Barbies, for instance), now he's rollerblading down the street with rainbow hotpants on? What next for him, I can only imagine. I guess its official now, Carl and Lenny are gay, hopefully they writers will handle that maturely, or else why bother?

What about their representation of kilt wearing Scotsmen or slack-jawed, inbred hillbilly yokels?

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

with

Well, except for Smithers.

Nathan

Smithers has been getting more flaming with each new season. At work he's always been self-contained but it seems the writers may be heading in a direction where his sexuality might be revealing itself on the job, too.

I can't give statistics, but I'm not sure about the job. Yes, over the years he's made comments to/about Mr Burns, but I thought that was fairly constant.

What is happening is that as time goes by, we see more of his home life. And that's where he's happiest. When we get a look at all that, then his intererests become far more obvious. He at times seems like two different people. Yet I'm not so sure it's completely that he his hiding his home life at work, but that he is business-like at work, and then is different at home.

His reaction when the guys on the trolley (suddenly, Springfield has trolley's? Seems more like a San Francsisco reference) make comments could be that of someone who is trying to hide his orientation from the people at work, or a clash of two worlds. If someone learns something about you that you hadn't told them, you may react the same way, and it doesn't really matter what the thing is. You need time to adjust to them knowing.

It might be said that Smithers is quite open about his sexuality, just not with the people at work. If he was trying to hide it, he wouldn't be rollerblading in shorts in the gay side of town. And he likely wouldn't be a visible expert on Malibu Stacy. He also wouldn't be known to the guys on the trolley. Instead, he'd be dressing the same way at home, and live quietly.

Michael

You are absolutely right, there was a time when we didn't see him much away from work so he is probably more "flamboyant" in his personal life, which is getting more exposure as the series goes on.

[email] (Michael Black) wrote in message news:

If Smithers were truly comfortable with himself then he wouldn't need to hide it at work.

I think we're forgetting one important thing...... the reason *why* Waylon chooses to live a dual life, toning it down at work.

I think he prefers to keep himself closeted at work because he's afraid he might be rejected by Mr. Burns if the old man knew about his orientation. Maybe Smithers doesn't want to risk losing Burns' friendship, especially as they've known eachother for so long.

Not that Smithers needs to worry. Burnsie probably knows about him anyway, and doesn't care.

That's a good interpretatiion, because the only time Smithers gayness shows up at work, unless I'm forgetting something, is when he blurts out things to Mr Burns of a sexual nature. He does always cover his remarks, and it could just as easily be because he is so smitten with Mr. Burns that the rejection would be terrible than because he is trying to hid his sexuality.

Michael

"Michael Black" wrote in message news:b7hr9d$kg6$[email]...

Yes, it's true. Smithers just can't cope with rejection. In all the 13 years we've known him he was at his most wretched state when Burns fired/ rejected him in the "Who Shot?" saga.

He just fell apart. What a mess.

So it's easy to understand why he wouldn't want to jeopardise his relationship with Burns by coming out at work.

Smithers has got to be one of the most insecure characters in the show!

[email] (AlannahLouis) wrote in message news:...

My theory was that Smithers was more along the lines of a "Burns-o-sexual"

Andrew Burns "It's a word. You know why? 'Cause I say so, that's why!"

Tony Hill wrote in message news:...

This was definetly one of the best of the season. A few parts were halarious (bart repressing memories, homers binging) Id give it an A-