[The long of it]
Near the start of this, the fourteenth installment of "Treehouse of Horror," Kang -- or is it Kodos? -- complains about the tardy showing that "Treehouses" have had in recent years. "No one is thinking about Halloween in November," he says. I was tempted to answer that no one involved in "TOH" appeared to be thinking about it, either. For the past several years, the best skits -- "Fly vs. Fly," "Terror in Toon Town," and "Homer^3" come to mind -- owe more to science fiction than the horror genre. Several horror-based sketches, on the other hand, seemed designed to pump up the gore factor without really adding anything to the story. That judgement would have been premature for "TOH #14," though. My favorite story of the night was still had a strong S-F flavor, but people who prefer a "proper" scary story finally got a decent one tonight. Two, actually.
The opening sketch has some funny moments, like Bart and Lisa's "Peanuts"-inspired costumes, but shows what I mean about violence for the sake of violence. Bart and Lisa get into a fight over Halloween candy, and in no time it escalates into Homer rolling them up in a rug and trying to pound them with a fireplace poker. Ho, ho. Part of the fun of "Treehouse of Horror" is the macabre humor, so I'm not bothered by that. The problem arises when writers toss this stuff in with the idea that seeing normally civilized Marge spill Homer's blood on the wall is intrinsically funny. It might have been thirteen years ago, but it's getting a bit old now. The most disturbing thing about the opener wasn't the blood, but the casual way the family turned on one another, and I'm not convinced that's quite the effect the producers wanted for a mood-setter.
The first story of the night, "Reaper Madness," combines its ghoulish and silly sides really well. When Death comes to claim Bart Simpson, Homer rescues his son by clonking the Grim Reaper with a bowling ball. That spares Bart, and everyone else on the planet. The deathless world is pretty funny -- Fat Tony can't rub out a squealer, and Moe once again flubs a suicide -- but eventually Homer unwittingly accepts the position of new Grim Reaper. Some viewers might be reminded of "G-G-Ghost D-D-Dad," another story that featured Homer performing supernatural acts, but "Reaper" is funnier. Homer's new job makes for an interesting career day in Lisa's classroom. After Lisa winds up her report, Mrs. Hoover asks her class if they'd like to see Homer harvest a soul. They do, of course, so Miss Hoover brings in a homeless man she lured to the school for just that purpose. Not all assignments are that easy, though. One morning, Marge Simpson appears on Homer's "To Die" list. I liked his clever solution, and the way the writers revealed it to the audience was a good deception. The ending was rather abrupt, but on the whole this was one of the best opening stories I've seen in a while.
"Frinkenstein" keeps the horror humor coming as the second tale of the night. Recent Nobel laureate Professor Frink decides to bring his estranged father back from the dead. Once he's alive, we can see why the two men drifted apart in the first place. The elder Frink, an Indiana Jones type who was never satisfied with his son, objects to some bionic parts that the Professor used in the re-animation process. His solution is yank body parts out of other people -- while they're still using them. This segment leans hard on the gross-out effect of the elder Frink ripping out vital organs, but here it's handled with some �lan. Frinkenstein takes Skinner's spine, for instance. As the spineless principal lays on the sidewalk, his mother walks up and says, "Every day you find a new way to disappoint me." Later, Frink's dad goes on a rampage at the Nobel awards ceremony, scooping out the brains of other scientists and using them to augment his own. As he takes his victims' brains, they instantly slump and fall lifeless to the floor in a bit of animation that I felt was particularly effective.
The most striking part of this segment may have been the actor chosen to play Frink's father: Jerry Lewis. An appropriate choice, since Frink's character was based on Lewis's Nutty Professor. I was expecting some sort of duel to see who had the most Lewis-like performance with the Yiddish and the funny accents and the odd cadences-until-it-gets-really-annoying-for-the-viewers, glaven, but it didn't happen. Instead, Lewis shrewdly does enough Nutty shtick to show where the younger Frink gets his mannerism from, but tones it down enough so there is some contrast between the two characters. Frink's Dad, despite his "organ lust," comes across as a more practical, mainstream man than his son. It's nice work.
Even though we had two strong traditional blood, horror, and guts stories, the highlight of the night was another science- fiction/fantasy romp. "Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off" is rather upbeat compared to the two preceding stories, almost bloodless and played for laughs. Bart sends away for a stopwatch that allows him and Milhouse to freeze time at will. If I had this thing, all of my reviews would appear at 8:30:01 Sunday night, and the capsule backlog would be history. Bart and Milhouse, on the other hand, immediately put this technology to its best use: Playing practical jokes. Almost immediately, Lisa is the subject of the first prank. Bart pauses her in mid-stride, inserts her finger in her nose, and restarts time. Marge quickly discovers and scolds her. The clever part of this episode is that it doesn't confine itself to Bart's perspective, where time stops and everyone looks like mannequins. We also see how "normal" people perceive the world, where strange things apparently happen instantaneously. Homer takes donuts from the box, only to see them instantly disappear. Letting on signs at the town hall change places several times. The mayor goes from wearing a suit to wearing a Little Dutch Boy costume. The ending for this story is an unusually happy one for "TOH," too.
To be honest, for the last couple of years, the "Treehouse of Horror" franchise was looking a little tired. The traditional October airing was scrapped to make way for the World Series. Storylines became uninspired, ironic given a resurgence of good horror movies in the theaters. Even the Halloween spoof names disappeared. This year, they're back, and this might be a sign that "Treehouse of Horror" is coming back to life, too. Let's hope it doesn't make a grab for our spleens.
[The short of it]
Recent "Treehouse of Horror" episodes drew more (and better) stories from the realm of science fiction than horror. Number 14 marks a move towards classic form. "Grim Reaper" and "Frinkenstein" do an excellent job of blending the macabre with the darkly funny. Homer's turn as the grim reaper was to die for, while a restrained (!) performance from Jerry Lewis highlights the latter story. "Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off," unusually upbeat for a "TOH" segment, was my favorite of the night. Bart and Milhouse's practical jokes on the town were a hoot, and the ending with Lisa was nicely happy. Even the Halloween spoof names are back, suggesting that the producers can bring TOH back from the near-dead. (A)
[DYNs]
... Lisa laid her fingers on Bart's Butterfinger? ... the TV Guide Kang (or is it Kodos?) holds up has the Simpsons on the cover? ... the aliens' Christmas decorations showed them eating Santa Claus and his reindeer? ... the death orders for Bart are forgotten about once Homer becomes the Grim Reaper? ... Kirk Van Houten and Reverend Lovejoy are among Homer's victims at the ballpark? ... one guy at the park gets poked in the eyes? Whatta way to go. ... it's an errant baseball, not Homer, that spells doom for the socialite? ... this is only the second time we've seen an adult woman's backside on the show? ... the Zebra Girl comic in the box? ... not only is the novelty stopwatch place still in business, but they haven't raised their prices in thirty years?
[References]
"Peanuts" (comic strip) - in the opener, Bart wears a Charlie Brown costume, and Lisa dresses up as Lucy Van Pelt
"Butterfinger" commercials - Lisa snatches a Butterfinger from Bart's candy pile
"Reefer Madness" (movie) - first skit of the night is, "Reaper Madness"
"Benny Hill" (TV series) - chase music from this series is used as Bart tries to elude Death
"The Incredible Shrinking Man" (movie) - John Frink credited as, "Incredible Frinking Man"
"Curb Your Enthusiasm" (TV series) - Homer says he'll curb Death, but not with enthusiasm
"Rear Window" (movie) - Jim Reardon credited as, "Jim Rear Window"
"Frankenstein" (movie)
- title of second skit ("Frinkenstein") a spoof
- the general concept of reanimating someone with other peoples'
body parts
- Frink uses lightning directed through satellite dishes to bring
the elder Frink back to life, the way Dr. Frankenstein used it
to jump-start his monsterIndiana Jones (movie character) - action-scientist appears to be the model for Frink's dad
"Saturday Night Fever" (movie) - Frink's father struts down the street like John Travolta (same music, too)
"Halle Berry" (actress) - cried for what seemed like ten minutes when she won the Academy Award for Best Actress; Bart thinks this in on a par with Frink's behavior
"Stop the World, I Want to Get Off" - title of final act, "Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off," a spoof
Hanna-Barbera (animation studio) - the studio was known cutting corners, like *not* animating characters in the background
Fantastic Four (superheroes) - Lisa accidentally transforms the family into this foursome, with Homer as The Thing, Marge as The Human Torch, Bart as Mr. Fantastic, and Maggie as the Invisible Girl (which seems fitting, given her tendency to disappear from stories)
"The Ring" (movie) - Russi "I'm In the Well" Taylor probably a reference to Samara, the vindictive girl trapped in the well
~"The Mole" (TV series) - John "The Mole" Hyde appears in the credits
"Nightmare on Elm Street" (movie) - "Nightmare on West Pico" appears in the credits
"Psycho" (movie) - Norman "Bates" McLeod, a reference to Norman Bates, appears in the credits
[Previous Episode References]
[1F11] Box factory (which is now apparently abandoned) the site of the
attempted Mafia hit
[1F04], [AABF01] John Swartzwelder credited as "Triple Admiral John
Swartzwelder" (cf. "Rear Admiral")
[BABF05] Homer rides a motorcycle
[5F02] Floyd the scrubbing robot appears
[2F04] Bart struts like Travolta
[5F19] The first time we've seen an adult woman's backside on the show
[CABF17] Homer aware of role he played in an "alternate reality" story
("I like that story, cause I was a judge.")
[CABF08] Milhouse picks dorky way to cut loose (doing laundry with
fabric softener, in this case)
[BABF13] Future Bart looks like the version in this episode, but with
a goatee[FFF]
Baseball stadium:
SPRINGFIELD
WAR MEMORIAL
STADIUM HOME OF THE
ISOTOPESSubtitled Dialogue:
Thanks for honoring
our town.Jumping Jiminy!
Nobel Prizes awarded here:
SWEDISH AUDITORIUM
N�BEL PRIZE CEREM�NY
WINNERS DRINK FREE!Comics from the 70s:
SUPERMAN EVEL BATMAN
VS. KNIEVEL and RHODA
PATTY JUMPS THE
HEARST JACKSON 5
^
|
This was in the stylized font
The band used for their logoComic-book ad:
MIRACLE WATCH
STOPS TIME! [ picture of stopwatch ]
[and two surprised boys]
ONLY
NAME: __________________________________ 49�
ADDRESS: _______________________________
CITY: ___________ STATE: ___ ZIP: ______Label on box:
MAGIC
STOPWATCH
49�Town Hall meeting sign:
TONIGHT'S TOPIC:
----------------
RECENT STRANGE
EVENTSNo, wait, it's:
TONIGHT'S TOPIC:
----------------
NEVER
EAT GREENSOops -- my mistake. It's actually:
TONIGHT'S TOPIC:
----------------
TV TEENS
GET ACNEUh, what I meant to say is that it was:
TONIGHT'S TOPIC:
----------------
GENT'S REAR:
TEN CENTSThings in Bart's living room:
- pile of money
- pinball machine
- abstract paintings
- electric guitars
- coin-op videogame
- gold coins
- bazooka
- dinosaur skeleton (visible through archway)
- acoustic guitar
- personal jet watercraft
- suit of armorOscar de la Hoya's check:
+---------------------------------------------------+ |Oscar de la Hoya [number obscure] |
|MEMO ___________________ [signature] | +---------------------------------------------------+
Loot in Bart's room:
- the Mona Lisa
- swords
- two treasure chests
- jukebox
- ancient pottery
- suitcase filled with Faberge eggs [?]
- Greek battle helmet
- scrolls
- Roman battle helmet
- bag of money
- round shield
- sarcophagus
- battle-ax
- chalice
- (shown a few scenes later) stone bust[Personal Comments & Observations]
"She Blinded Me with Science," by Thomas Dolby, plays during the Nobel awards ceremony.
"Rock Around the Clock," by Bill Haley and the Comets (I hope), closes out the third act.
Kodos thinks it's really lame to air a Halloween special in November, a view many on this newsgroup share.
Jerry Lewis is cast to play Professor Frink's Dad, which seems only fair since Frink (the son) is based on Jerry's Nutty Professor character.
The past two Halloween specials scrapped the goofy Halloween names in the credits. Many viewers missed them. Not only are they back this year, but Al Jean is even credited as, "Al 'Halloween Names Are Back' Jean."
Confucius -- Ancient Chinese philosopher, best known in the West for the pithy way he imparted his wisdom. Confucius believed in an orderly, practical way of living. His teachings became the foundation of a religion-philosophy that was practiced officially until the Communists took over China and outlawed religion altogether.
Milton Berle -- "Uncle Miltie," a comedian who was a big hit on radio before successfully making the leap to television. His cross-dressed frequently for his variety show, which may be why Flanders was surprised to see him in Heaven.
Patty Hearst -- Wealthy heiress (of Hearst media fame) who was kidnapped by a band of outlaws who called themselves the Symbian Liberation Army. Being self-styled "revolutionary" was tr�s chic in the 70s, and when the SLA went on a bank-robbing spree, it appeared that Hearst had joined in. The authorities captured her, and it turned out she was brainwashed (or coerced, I was maybe five years old when this happened) into acting as she did. She was eventually sent home, and I think she went on to take the helm of Hearst Media.
Evel Knievel -- Stuntman most famous for jumping his motorcycle over things. Or for *not* jumping over things; some of the time his stunts would go awry and Knievel would crash spectacularly. He was the character model for Lance Murdock, the Bart's hero in, "Bart the Daredevil (7F06)."
The Jackson Five -- Pop-R&B band made up of members of the Jackson family (Michael, Tito, Jermaine ... and I forget the other two).
Rhoda -- Not a real person, of course, but the title character in "Rhoda," a spin-off of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." Rhoda Morgenstern was a single woman seeking professional and personal happiness in New York City, which I guess isn't that far from Gotham City. Bonus "Simpsons" tie-in: Julie "Voice of Marge" Kavner played Rhoda's sister, Brenda.
"Pupik" is the Yiddish word for "navel." I'm not sure what "shmendelah" is, or even if it's a word. Maybe it *is* dirty, after all.
Obviously, there aren't nude women directing traffic in Sweden. (If there were, I imagine the absenteeism rate would skyrocket when winter set in.) Sweden did have a reputation as a hub for nudist camps, which is probably the basis for this joke.