[The long of it]
Tonight's episode began with a repeat of one of the most popular couch openings on the show, the "infinite pull-back" one, where the camera pulls back to reveal that Springfield is a part of the Earth, then of the Solar System, and so on until we see the whole universe is but an atom in the head of an even larger Homer. When I saw it, two thoughts ran through my mind: (1) "Oh, cool, this is a good opening," and (2) "This is a pretty long opening; I wonder if they're trying to compensate for a short episode." According to my VCR's timer, I unspooled a little under twenty minutes of tape for this episode. Sure enough, this is about a minute or so shorter than usual.
In spite of the short length, the producers crammed an awful lot of stuff into "On a Clear Day I Can't See My Sister." I counted:
1) The main plot. After Bart is particularly cruel at a school field trip to Springfield Glacier (or what's left of it after global warming), Lisa files for a restraining order against her brother. Bart can't get within twenty feet of Lisa, and that's for starters; the distance is increased to two hundred feet as the show goes on. Lisa quickly takes advantage of the situation. We get a glimpse of Lisa's rarely-seen petty side in this episode. Homer gives her a twenty-foot pole, and she mercilessly pokes Bart with it, among other things forcing him into the "gay interest" section at a bookstore. She's so mean that I actually sympathized with *Bart* -- and that's something I don't recall doing before in a Bart-Lisa conflict. Even without Lisa, Bart's life would be pretty miserable. In several amusing scenes, he's forced out of the school and into Willie's shack, and later must live in a tent in the back yard.
2) The subplot. Homer becomes a greeter for Sprawl-Mart, replacing his injured father. He's pretty good at it too, making this one of the better "Homer's wacky new job" plots. Unfortunately, for Homer, Sprawl-Mart is an even more demanding employer than Old Man Burns, which leads to ...
3) Social Commentary, this time against Sprawl-Mart's (and by extension, Wal-Mart's) exploitative labor policies. Homer's attempts to rally his fellow workers in fighting the system were pretty good. Come to think of it, Lisa gives a speech (or tries to) about the perils of global warming, giving us two social issues in one episode.
4) A reconciliation attempt between Skinner and Edna. So I guess their love affair didn't end in "My Big Fat Geek Wedding (FABF12)" after all. Actually, it's pretty one-sided at this point, with Skinner desperately trying to win back the indifferent Ms. Krabappel. I liked the scene at the glacier lodge where each tried to prove to the other that they were over the breakup.
But wait! There's more!
5) A special guest appearance, and 6) an informational film. This week, Gary Busey plays himself in a little film designed to explain restraining orders. The film itself is great -- it even has a film-within-a-film showing what people under orders can't do. Busey's a great sport for acknowledging his obsessive persona, although even as a cartoon he comes across as being a little scary.
Oh, wait, Judge Harm makes another brief appearance, which means we have two guest stars for this episode.
7) A mini murder mystery, where we see Springfield's Finest go on a body hunt in the woods. I liked Lou's panicked cry, "Oh, my G-d! That used to be a face!" right before the police radio cut out.
8) Heavier-than-usual use of background music that fit the situation at hand. I liked the Police's "Don't Stand so Close to Me" song during the Bart-Lisa restraining order montage, and "Born Free" when Bart realizes he can do anything he wants in the woods. Which reminds me ...
9) ... feral Bart struck me as really cute. He runs around with wild critters, dons a primitive tribal outfit of leaves and neckties, and generally acts like a cross between an Amazon shaman and a lone wolf. It was fun to watch.
And so was this episode because it contained (10) an almost nonstop barrage of jokes, starting with the chalkboard opening ("Beer in a milk carton is still beer", or something along those lines) and continuing through to the closing credits. Along the way, I liked some of the subtler gags, like Abe's "Gnoooooo-mes" as he careens toward a garden-supply display.
With so much going on, it isn't surprising that "On a Clear Day" doesn't dwell on any one thing for very long. Arguably, one might say the story really doesn't go anywhere: Lisa fights with Bart, gets a restraining order, and then reconciles abruptly in the third act.
Still, it seems churlish to complain about an episode with so much good material. Or, given the slightly short length, one with no room for weak jokes. And perhaps that's the lesson of this show: When doing a "wacky" episode like this one, it's best to keep it short and sweet.
[The short of it]
This episode is a paradox: A shorter-than-average show that crams in two plots, a continuation of the Skinner-Krabappel romance, a funny guest appearance by Gary Busey, an informational film, and some social commentary, to boot. Key to this episode's success is the near- constant stream of jokes, such as Bart's misery under the restraining order, his later descent into a half-wild lifestyle, and Homer's rebellion against the Sprawl-Mart system. We also get a rare look at Lisa's vindictive side, as she mercilessly torments Bart through much of the show. Yeah, it's kind of superficial, and the ending's a bit abrupt, but who cares when you're having this much fun? (A-)
[DYNs]
... judging by everyone's expressions, Lisa's the only child to be looking forward to the glacier trip? ... the date on Homer's Mexican ID is March 20, which falls on a Sunday this year? Maybe this episode was originally intended to air later.
[References]
"On a Clear Day You Can See Forever" (song) - episode title a spoof
Wal-Mart (discount store chain) - despite what the first banner says, Sprawl-Mart *is* a parody [See "Personal Comments & Observations" for more]
"Get Out of My Dreams (Get Into My Car)" (song) - title of informational film is "Get Out of My Dreams, and Also Out of My Car"
"The Wizard of Oz" (book) - Jimbo refers to Lisa's effigy as, "the wicker witch of the West"
[Previous Episode References]
[3F01] Simpson family members not allowed within so many feet of one
another
[EABF05] Bart separated from family by court order
[CABF22] Judge Harm mucks around with the Simpsons' family structure
(chaining Bart to someone in that episode, enforcing a
restraining order in this one)
[MG22], [MG46], [7G09] Bart wears only leaves (and neckties) as
primitive jungle outfit[FFF]
Nelson's glacier awareness T-shirt:
GLACIERS
SUCKHighway signs:
+-------------+
+-------------+
+-------------+
+-------------+
Sprawl-Mart sign and banner:
SPRAWL * MART
NOT
A PARODY OF
WAL * MARTSkinner's souvenir towel:
I GOT
WOOD
AT
[tree]
SEQUOIA
NATIONAL
PARKTitle of restraining order film:
Get Out of My Dreams
and Also Out of My Car:
-----------------------
A Guide to Your
Restraining OrderTitle of restraining order film-within-a-film:
So,
You've Got a
Restraining
OrderItems in Lisa's poking pole (starting on Lisa's end, and moving toward Bart's):
- baseball bat
- broom
- putter
- fishing pole
- bathroom scrub brush
- screwdriver (flat blade)Categories at the bookstore:
GAY INTEREST GRAPHIC NOVELS
Second Sprawl-Mart banner:
DON'T WATCH
60 MINUTES
THIS WEEKHomer's Mexican ID
M E X I C O
[ photo ] HOMER SANCHEZ
[ of ] NAME
[ Homer ]
[ as a ] MEXICANA
[Mexican] NATIONALITY 20 MARCH
DATE OF ISSUE MEXICO
AUTHORITYSign outside family court:
MEET CURTIS
The
Custody
KangarooSign next to the binoculars:
BART-NOCULARS
(BINOCULARS FOR
VIEWING BART)[Personal Comments & Observations]
Bart tells Lisa that when you makes as many jokes as he has, you're "bound to repeat yourself" eventually. This might be a veiled response to criticisms that the show sometimes recycles jokes and story ideas.
While eating lunch with Lisa at Sprawl-Mart, Homer mocks Bart for saying "Cowabunga." The irony is that he's only said it once on the show, way back in the first season.
Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" plays as the bus tries to make it up the treacherous mountain road.
"Don't Stand So Close To Me" (probably not the title, but that is a key phrase in the song), by the Police, plays during the montage when Lisa torments Bart.
When Bart realizes the world is his loo, the soundtrack plays, "Born Free."
While feral Bart is running free, we hear Vivaldi's "Spring," from the "Four Seasons" suite.
Gary Busey: Actor with a reputation for wildness. I don't know how many restraining orders he has, but I believe he's been arrested a number of times. Busey rides into the informational video on his motorcycle. Note that he's wearing a helmet. The real-life Busey used to be the kind of guy who adamantly refused to wear one while riding. That was before he was almost killed in an accident. Now, he's pretty conscientious about helmet usage. (Although getting conked on the noggin while not wearing a helmet might explain some of his behavior ...)
For those of you not in the North American TV market: "60 Minutes" is, as the name suggests, an hour-long news program known for its investigative reporting. "How such-and-such a company is screwing its employees" is a common story topic, and one of the Sprawl-Mart banners suggests that the chain is about to be a subject on the show.
And why might Sprawl-Mart be on "60 Minutes"? Well, the chain it's based upon, Wal-Mart, has been in the news recently for various unfair labor practices. One tactic is similar to what happened to Homer: Employees get "promoted" from entry-level positions to "executive" positions that don't pay much more. Once someone is an "executive," however, they are exempt from laws requiring employers to pay for overtime, and Wal-Mart is not shy about forcing its so-called executives to work hour after hour -- for free.
Homer's supervisor threatens to ship him to Mexico if he doesn't shut up and go along with company policy. Wal-Mart has also been accused of farming out jobs to subcontractors who in turn hire illegal immigrants as workers. The subcontractors keep their employees in line by threatening to ship them out of the country. Predictably, Wal-Mart says it had no idea this was happening, while the store's critics say they knew the truth all along.