A review of "The Regina Monologues (EABF22)"

[The long of it]

Several years ago, before "The Simpsons" became a series, I was in a bookstore flipping through a history of another long-running comedy, "The Beverly Hillbillies." After nine seasons or so, the show was getting a little tired, and it was hard to come up with new ideas. As proof that the writers were reaching the bottom of the story well, the book cited the decision to send the Clampetts to England for a spell.

More recently, after nine seasons or so of "Married: With Children," the Bundy family traveled to England, to some village their ancestors unwittingly brought a curse upon. The show petered out not to long after that.

Well, it's now the 15th season of "The Simpsons" and the show is still going strong. No problem with finding new stories here. Why, tonight the Simpsons are going on vacation to ... England. Uh, oh.

I don't imagine that the Simpsons are going to be leaving the air anytime soon, but "The Regina Monologues" isn't an example of creative vitality. It is, for the most part, a mish-mash of "local color" jokes, guest-celebrity appearances, and rushed plotlines. When the Clampett and Bundy families went to England, the storylines stretched through several episodes. The Simpsons, by contrast, to the Sceptered Isle in only a day. The show is like a quick day tour of London; you get a glance at all the famous sites, but they all sort of blur together.

The tour feeling is especially prevalent in the first half of the show. Bart runs into an unexpected windfall, and Lisa guilt-trips him into springing for a family vacation to England. We get to see several icons of the London scene in rapid succession: Buckingham Palace, Carnaby Street, double-decker buses, Harrod's Department Store, and London cabs, staying long enough for a joke or two, and then moving on. It reminded me of all the scenes in "Homer vs. New York City (4F22)" that didn't involve Homer's wait for the parking officer.

There's a rush of (mainly) British guest voices, too. None other than PM Tony Blair greets the Simpson family at the airport. (I'm not sure this will help or hurt his chances in the next election.) Lisa has a funny meeting with J. K. Rowling of "Harry Potter" fame. A meeting with Ian McKellan in London's theater district doesn't go quite as well -- the Simpsons keep accidentally bringing him bad luck in a joke that runs a little too long. Evan Marriott (America's own Joe Millionaire) has a quick one-liner in a play. Finally, "Frasier's" Jane Leeves plays a woman Abe romanced during World War II.

Oh, I didn't mention Abe was looking to reunite with a former lover? That's okay; the writers barely mention it themselves, even though it was part of the reason the family went to England in the first place. (That may be just as well, since "King of the Hill" already did almost exactly the same plot, but with Japan substituting for England.) The longest-lasting story in this show begins when Homer rear-ends the Royal Coach, and is thrown in the Tower of London as punishment. There was a been-there done-that feel to this plot, too. I think Marge is right to wonder if her family can go anywhere on vacation without running into big trouble. The subplot does have at least one redeeming virtue -- I liked the vengeful attitude of Queen Elizabeth II. At Homer's trial, she gives a speech you expect would end in a plea for leniency but instead she points to Homer and says, "If you have any love left for me, you will destroy him!"

Actually, there were a lot of little gags in the show that I liked. Quite a bit of freeze-frame fun for those with VCRs, too. The law of averages suggests that with so many jokes there would be a few gems. The bulk of the them, however, were mildly amusing; okay, but nothing that you'd remember long after show is over.

That could be said for "The Regina Monologues" as a whole. There's a lot of stuff in there, yet the show feels shallow. It lacks the drama of Bart's struggle in France, or Homer's wait for the elusive parking officer in New York City, which is what made those episodes so stand out in a crowd. The writers would be better off coming up with a strong storyline first, and them hanging the foreign-location jokes from that. After all, we don't want some writer in the future to say, "the Simpsons went to England that year, and after that the series went down hill ..."

[The short of it]

I hope the family found this to be a refreshing vacation, because I thought this episode lacked the creative vitality of their more memorable trips. This show tried to fit too much in, and ends up a mish-mash of "local color" jokes, guest-celebrity appearances, and rushed plotlines. A few of the jokes stand out -- I liked the vengeful queen of England, and Lisa's quick meeting with J. K. Rowling -- but most of them blur together without distinction. Excellent quantity, but so-so quality. (C)

[DYNs]

...	the combatants in "Hockey Dad" are Mr. Shadowski and Mr.
	O'Bannon
...	the $1,000 bill's serial number is G00088591A?
...	Jaleel White and Evan Marriott go by their characters' names
	on the theater marquees?
...	many of the cars that were in the roundabout with the Simpsons
	in the afternoon were still there in the evening?
...	Maggie isn't at Homer's trial?
...	Bart finally has a good excuse to use his Cockney accent?
...	Lisa isn't in the tour group at the Tower of London?

[References]

"The Vagina Monologues" (play) - title a spoof

"Star Wars" (movie) - R2D2 plays bass guitar in Bart's fantasy

Museum of Modern Art - provides the inspiration for "Museum of Modern Bart" - museum often nicknamed MoMA, like MoMB

~"Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" (radio show) - if you win this current-events game, host Carl Castle will record a greeting for your answering machine

Tony Curtis (actor) - Bart calls Burns, "Bony Curtis"

"King of the Hill" (TV series) - Hank's father Cotton has an affair with one of the locals during World War II, and fathers a child similar to Hank

"Mary Poppins" (movie) - Victorian nannies float around the airport in London

"James Bond" (series of movies) - theme plays as Prime Minister Blair flies away in his jet-pack - more Bond-like music plays when Homer and Marge's car detaches from the Ferris wheel

Buckingham Palace - the Simpsons stay at "Buckingham Pay-less" hotel

Mad cow disease - struck the British beef industry a couple years back; the fish and chips place claims their product is free of mad fish disease

O Henry (author, and I think there was a candy bar with this name) Henry VIII (English monarch) - England has an Oh Henry VIII candy bar

"Pygmalion" (play) - upper-crust Londoner bets he can turn a street urchin into a refined lady

"The Cherry Orchard" (play)
"Joe Millionaire" (TV series)
-	Evan Mariott's character admits he doesn't really have such a
	property, bringing the gimmick from his TV show to this Chekov
	play

Hertz (car rental agency) - with the Cockney dropped "h", this becomes "'ertz"

The Sun (newspaper)
-	famous for printing a photo of a topless lady on page 3; after
	Homer's arrest a topless photo of him appears there
	[*That* ought to piss off the Brits!]

[Previous Episode References]

[DABF10] Homer kidnapped while on vacation
[BABF16] Family sentenced to chain gang while on vacation
[1F06]   Bart and Milhouse on a syrup high (cf. Bart and Lisa's sugar
         high)
[3F01]   Maggie rotates her head all the way around
[2F13], [AABF20] Simpsons run afoul of foreign government

[FFF]

Lost money flyer:

     $1000
     BILL
     FOUND
     CALL
    KL5-6587

Mansion in Bart's fantasy:

BART'S MOON MANSION

Bart's museum:

     MUSEUM OF         SEE
    MODERN BART        THE
    ------------      $1000
    ADMISSION $5      BILL!

Bart exhibit:

    BART: THE EARLY
          YEARS

T-shirt at exhibit:

     200TH
    EPISODE

Lisa exhibit:

     THE BIRTH OF LISA
    A SIMPSON TOO MANY?

Sign at exhibit:

    LISA'S
    DIARY
       |
       V

Museum gift shop:

    MoMB      I SAW
              $1000

While in London, OFF stays at:

    BUCKINGHAM
     PAY-LESS
    M O T E L

Shop next to bookstore:

NOSTALGIA

Fast-food restaurant:

    JUDI DENCH'S
    FISH & CHIPS

Signs on the double-decker bus (that I could make out):

    BIG BEN & JERRY'S      Shakespeare's
        ICE CREAM          Fried     [ Shakespeare  ]
                           Chicken   [eating chicken]

Department store:

        Harrod's
    DEPARTMENT STORE

WE MAKE KEYS <- flashing neon sign

In the store:

    PRINCE ALBERT
      IN A CAN

     [Albert's]
     [portrait]

Candies shown during Bart and Lisa's sugar binge:

    SPOT       CARAMEL PASTIES
      O                             Oh Henry VIII
     CHOC         BITTER
                 SWEETIES

Classy London plays:

      URKEL          JOE MILLIONAIRE         Sir Ian McKellan
       IS                 -IN-                      in
    "OTHELLO"      "THE CHERRY ORCHARD"         "MacBeth"
                      APOLLO THEATRE

Car-rental place:

     'ertz
   rent a car

Newspaper headlines at Homer's arrest:

    THE [logo] TIMES     THE               THE
       OF LONDON        Mirror             Sun
    ----------------    SIMPO   [Homer]           YANKEE
       YANK BANGS       TO UK:                    DOODLE
    QUEEN, OLD BEAN     "I'LL KILL                 RANDY
                         YOU ALL"          [Homer] TOPLESS HOMER
                                                       ON PAGE 3

Newspaper headlines after Homer's conviction:

    THE                THE                 The Daily [logo] Mail
    Sun               Mirror
    JUDGE             WACKO                BART AND PRINCE HARRY --
    GOES   [judge]    JACKO   [Michael]        OUT OF CONTROL?
    MEDIEVAL          TO      [Jackson]
    ON SIMPSON'S      BLIMPO  [  and  ]
    ASS               SIMPO:  [ Homer ]
                      ------
                        SELL ME
                        YOUR BONES!

Sign at the Tower of London:

          THE
    TOWER OF LONDON
    ---------------
      AS SEEN IN
     "KING RALPH"

[Personal Comments & Observations]

The show was briefly in hot water with Brazil's tourist ministry after "Blame it on Lisa (DABF10)" aired. The Brazilians took offense at the portrayal of their nation as a land of rogue kidnappers, neglected street orphans, and free-roaming monkeys. They demanded an apology, and eventually got a not-particularly-sincere one. Homer's comment that Brazil's monkey problem is "even worse now" suggests that the writers still aren't quite repentant.

Commentator Andy Rooney wrote that one way to identify the truly rich was to see how much cash they habitually carried with them. Paradoxically, it seems that the richer someone was, the less likely they were to actually have any money on them. It wasn't uncommon to see a billionaire have to bum some money from a friend to pay for a taxi. The observation apparently holds true for Mr. Burns.

ATMs don't dispense $1,000 bills, of course. The Treasury stopped printing bills higher than $100 many years ago. Even when the bills were being printed, they were rarely in public circulation. Instead, they allowed banks to efficiently move large sums of money in the days before electronic fund transfers. (If you still had a $1,000 bill, however, it would still be honored, regardless of circulation status.)

What did the real $1,000 note look like? Pretty much the way it appeared in tonight's show. The animators did a good job of recreating it, including the portrait of President Grover Cleveland (sorry, Moe, not Hitler).

There's an ancient phone prank that goes like this:

Prankster: Do you have Prince Albert in a Can? Victim: Uh, yeah, I do. Prankster: Well, you'd better let him out, then! [hangs up]

Ha, ha! I have no idea what kind of product Prince Albert in a Can actually is, but apparently this joke was almost as popular (and as old) as, "Is your refrigerator running? You'd better catch it!" The show pays homage to the joke when Homer and Marge walk past a huge container of Prince Albert in a Can at Harrod's.

Judi Dench -- Or Dame Judy Dench, as she is properly titled. Famous British actress. She won, (I believe) an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in "Shakespeare in Love." She also has taken over for "M" in the James Bond series of spy films.

Jimmy Page -- Led Zeppelin's lead guitarist. Page (and the remainder of Led Zep) were inspired by blues music of the American South and borrowed liberally from the bluesmen to create their hard-rock sound. It's not quite fair to say they "stole" from them, though. I think they had a pretty unique sound (until other bands started borrowing from them).

Madonna -- Singer who married British director Guy Ritchie. She moved to England. Despite the fact that pretty much everyone in Western society knows she's from America, she decided to adapt a British accent -- according to the locals, a really phony British accent, too.

Dame Edna -- Not a real person, but a character played by a male actor in drag. "Lady Homer" was indeed a bit better-looking than he, if that says anything.

The family rides in one of London's famous black Austin taxis. Later, another cab splashes Ian McKellan.

Homer rents new Mini Cooper, a surprising choice for a family of five. (And Marge rides in the back seat!) Perhaps this was the least expensive car available for hire.

Homer cuts off a green VW Old Beetle when he makes his escape from the roundabout.

"Benjamin Robinson" wrote in message news:[email]...

I think it used to be a brand name of canned sardines.

It was, and still is, TOBACCO.

evan

First of all, his name is spelled Carl Kasell, not Castle. Second, he is the Official Judge and Scorekeeper of WWDTM, not the host (Peter Sagal is the host).

And probably every other comedy show.

Would this be "The Milennium Eye" ferriss wheel?

In their dreams...

Why?

"The Times of London"? Never been called anything but "The Times" for over 200 years, but obviously this was put in to diffeentiate it from "The New York Times". If you're going to do something, at least do it right.....

The Sun and The Times are owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Not for the better.

That Mirror headline is more suited to The Sun...

moved

too.

Yup... As bad as any American attempt to do a British Accent. It either ends up sounding like Dick Van Dyke or the Queen...

actor

The name you're struggling for is Barry Humphries, who notches up 40 years of that act next year.

five.

Yes, that's the cheapest Hertz car. Though the Mini is a British design icon, hence appearances in "Austin Powers" and "The Italian Job" (both versions).

the

Did anybody notice if the cars were on the correct side of the roadfor Britain?

In alt.tv.simpsons, on the "Re: A review of "The Regina Monologues (EABF22)"" thread, David Brunt wrote:

Actually, other than this one and "King of the Hill," I don't remember watching any other programs with that plot. (I dunno, maybe I missed that episode of "Laverne & Shirley.")

Probably. It was by the bank of a river (the Thames, if I had to guess) and had enclosed, ovoid cars to carry the passengers.

They'll be airing this episode in the UK in a week or two, right? You can see for yourself then.

Pretend you're a Page 3 fan. You go to the newstand one morning. You pick up a copy of the Sun. You look at page 3, expecting to see a topless photo of a winsome young lady. You see a flabby thirtysomething Yank. Would you consider this a good change?

Well, don't blame me. I'm just transcribing what was on the screen.

Funny, cause I think of the new Mini as a BMW product. Incidentally, the new one is considered a "premium" compact in the US. It was *the* hot ticket when it first came out, and sold above sticker price for a while.

remember

missed that

Did I specify US shows?

Off the top of my head (and there are many more instances)) UK-wise there's "Steptoe and Son", "Dad's Army", "George and Mildred", "Bless this House". Give me a few more hours I could draw up a more definitive list, it isn't a new idea.

guess) and

Yup, that'd be it. Up river and round the corner (though the oposite bank) from the Tower of London. Quite close to the National Theatre and that white elephant the Milennium Dome.

You can

Scheduled the first week of January, apparently.

You pick

topless photo

Would you

Well, they do it quite often. The last week alone the real news (Bush's visit, Wacko Jacko) have bumped the nude to further into the paper. It's such a part of the culture now that if they missed a day I doubt if that many people would notice, or be too bothered.

Incidentally, last Monday The Sun ran an item on the episode right next to the nude on Page Three. Shows someone has a senseof humour on the paper.

for

from

it

Yes, sorry. It wasn't aimed at you, it was a general rant at the show's writers/animators.

Incidentally, the

hot

while.

BMW bought out British Layland, who originally made the car. It's still seen here as a British car (and a lot of it *is* still made here), despite being made by the sausage eaters.

David

As soon as Gramps mentioned a night of passion in England, I knew where it was heading. When people here mentioned the King of the Hill episode, my first reaction was "that's where I saw it". But while I can't think of any specific examples, it just seems like something that has been used a lot. Unlike the Grim Reaper episode, I have a nagging feeling that it's not merely the other cartoon show that was where I've seen this before.

Michael

[email] (Benjamin Robinson) wrote in message news:...

Seinfeld had somewhat of the same sub plu where George's Dad find his lover from Korea in NYC.

If my memory serves me correctly, on Mon, 24 Nov 2003 07:14:53 GMT, Benjamin Robinson issued the following challenge to face my invincible Iron Chefs:

The "Fighting Hellcats" patch on Abe's shoulder in the WW2 Flashback?

Hockey Dad -- Well, it was funnier on "The Simpsons"....
--------------------------------------------------------

On July 5, 2000, Thomas Junta beat Michael Costin to death at a hockey ring in Reading, MA, following a confrontation concerning rough play between their two sons.

In January 2002, Junta was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, and sentenced to six-to-ten years in prison.

Roundabouts -- At Least Homer Didn't Drive Like a Bostonian ----------------------------------------------------------- The British call them 'Roundabouts', the Americans call them 'Circles', and New Englanders call them 'Rotaries'. They're used when roads converge on the same point, in place of stop signs and/or lights, and flow of traffic in a counter-clockwise direction. (Clockwise in Britian).

In Massachusetts, cars are suppose to yield to those already in the rotary. In reality, the procedure is:

• Cut off cars to get in the rotary
• Cut off cars trying to enter the rotary
• Cut off cars as you exit the rotary (Homer got this one right!)

[email] (Benjamin Robinson) wrote in message news:...

I am always willing to give the new eps a chance...but this was definitely mediocre. I am tired of the formula they use when famous people are on the show:

[Insert Simpson's family member]: "Hey, look it's [insert celebrity name]!"

Why do they always have to announce "Hey, look it's...." After the celebrity is announced, the Simpson family stand there to the side of the celebrity and meld into the background with almost Hanna-Barbera stillness, throwing out lines as we are supposed to somehow be in awe of the celebrity's appearance. Did Lisa have to announce that it was J.K. Rowling coming out of the store? How about just dropping enough clues and let the audience figure it out/feel smart enough they figured it out. This Regina Monologue episode fell flat as soon as Homer hit the Queen's coach/went to jail.

The newer shows definitely hold promise...the episode where they went to Japan was one of the funniest episodes I ever saw.

It's very much a joke. A reference to old sitcoms and such where celebrities were announced by cast members in an awkward way. Think of Tim Conway in the Simpsons Spin-off Showcase. That idea.

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

Yes, I see what you're saying...in any event, the joke is way too played out.

You mentioned maggie's head spinning as a reference to a previous episode in which maggie's head spins, but it is actually a reference to the movie "Trainspotting" where a heroine addict hallucinates that a dead baby is crawling across his ceiling, then its head spins around and looks at him. A big clue was the theme from the movie being played during that scene.

Don't forget when Batman and Robin went to "Londinium" to engage in a battle of wits with Lord Foggybottom and Lady Penelope Peasoup. Of course, the Batman t.v. series only lasted three seasons. But it was the last season, iirc.

To be fair, the Simpsons have travelled to more foreign countries than the Clampetts or Bundys could ever have dreamed of, even going back to the early seasons (e.g., Bart enslaved on a French winery.) But you might be right about the "England curse."

It didn't make a lot of sense. I wasn't too crazy about the Brazil ep either which was also a mish-mash. I guess the England visit was especially tiresome because England has been satirized so much more often in the media than Brazil or Australia, for instance. And the writers picked all the obvious targets, I almost expected a thick fog to be over most of the episode.

The first part of the ep was more fun, especially the Museum of Modern Bart segment.

It just wasn't inspired and like I said England jokes tend to be lame....same old butlers and tea time crap. Anyone who's been in England in the past decade or so could've come up with some funnier stuff. For instance, the incredible street crime (more muggings in London than in NYC) and prevalence of third-world immigrants, especially Pakistanis and Indians. (I visited London in '95 and almost got beaten up by a Jamaican guy who got pissed off because I wouldn't get out of a phone booth quick enough.) The Simpson's cab driver could have been an Apu lookalike, for instance, and there would've been a bit more fun in such a joke. Or how about an appearance by Mr. Bean? or one of the "Young Ones" from the hilarious sitcom that MTV used to broadcast some years ago? Either one would have been preferable to J.K. Rowling or Blair.

simpsfan wrote in message news:...

Yeah, but London isn't really anymore famous for any of those things than any other big city. The Apu lookalike joke could work in many places, seeing as it's as big of a stereotype as an East Indian person working in a convienience store is. And London isn't as famous for being a cultural melting pot as somewhere like Los Angeles or NYC. Many people wouldn't understand references like that.

[email] (Benjamin Robinson) wrote in news:[email]:

"National Lampoon's European Vacation" (movie) - Being trapped in a roundabout from dawn till dusk.

Mr. Burns' PIN equals his age. It is four digits...

In alt.tv.simpsons, on the "Re: A review of "The Regina Monologues (EABF22)"" thread, Ed wrote:

I doubt even Mr. Burns is 1,000 years old. I suspect the PIN was three digits, with the fourth beep being the "OK" button. This isn't the usual way ATMs work, but we already know this is a non-standard ATM. It says "Enter Password" rather than "Enter PIN" and dispenses $1,000 bills, after all.