Notes for FABF23 (Treehouse of Horror XV)

Maybe it's my craving for new episodes after 5 and a half months, or maybe the upswing the series has taken in the last few years is quite steady, but this was a very enjoyable episode (especially as Treehouses are concerned). All three (and a half) stories were consistently and smartly funny, and the plots were well-done as well (insert your own remark about how predictable the plot twists were... I didn't see them coming, at least for a while). I also found the characterizations of everyone quite true. In fact, as I struggle to think of something negative to say, I can't seem to come up with much, which everyone usually can even with a good episode, so unless it's only the required compactness of a TOH or my particular amusement at the opening and closing, I think we have a winner. Kudos to Bill "no funny name" Odenkirk and the other writers...hopefully the rest of season 16 will follow suit.

DYN: ...Flanders' interpretation of the trinity (so it would seem) makes each a separate god? ...God still has 5 fingers? ...the blue-haired lawyer seems to be at the opium den? (Must be some pretty powerful stuff...) ...Princess Kashmir, Edna K, Ms. Hoover, and Cookie Kwan are 1890s working girls? ...Kang and Kodos make their first repeat appearance within a TOH? ...Homer's unclipped fingernails pressing against Burns' skin? ...there didn't seem to be any TOH-esque music at all? (Maybe the Kang and Kodos cue, but still...) ...Yeardley Smith's Halloween credit (Aeeiy Lmrdthys) is an anagram? ...also on the fake names, could this be Alf Clausen's first non-"Sheer Terror" credit? (G-Daddy Claws-son)

Previous episode references BABF01, 1F14 sorta: Flanders kills Homer 8F04: Springfield is dependent on Homer's goings-on at the power plant 3F16: A Lisa-like character named Eliza does detective work (of sorts) 8F18, others?: Bart's Cockney accent 5F11: Otto: ___ rules! 8F20 (also mentioned in 9F22, 2F02): Killing of Selma (actually, having SSB as the murderer would have been interesting) 2F03, EABF21: Previous TOH stories referenced in later ones 8F23: ____ translator (though might also be a reference to the dog translators that have recently come about) 5F15, FABF01, FABF04: I think we have a new recurring character on our hands, in crazy cat lady 4ACV01 (if I might bend the rules a little): Giant medicine capsule, with a cutesy character inside it to boot 4F02: Frink's shrinking ray CABF19: Burns' snake tongue (also the Simpsons' in 2F03) 8F02: Eerie Homer/Burns combo that seems to be taken in stride CABF21: Gracie/Fox logo...that's all I have to say (except that the Fox scream is just a repeat of the first one this time)

Other references: (many obvious ones skipped over) -Did the "catch a ride on a nerve impulse" thing remind anyone of Tron? (No, no, no, no...)

Goof: -Homer's mutton chops seemed to go behind his 5-o'clock shadow at the gallows, in a way suggesting the shadow itself is away from his face.

Meta-reference mini-corner "This is the worst Halloween horror we've ever faced!" seemed to be about the only explicit reference to Halloween this time. Somewhat fitting that they should draw attention to the diminishing association these episodes have had with October 31st (thanks, baseball!).

Other notes -This episode is one of very few in recent years where the broadcast version has complete and _full screen_ credits (instead of shoving the video to one side with no actual interruptions), with FABF09 and CABF17 being the most recent. Could this be a promising trend? Probably not, but I'll take what I can get. -I don't know about you guys - maybe it's just the long break since new episodes (or the small gap in spooky credits), but this year's batch of credits struck me as extra humorous. Maybe that break really did help recharge them. Still, I have to wonder what's with Harry Shearer's names...

Deleted scene, uh, corner After such a heavy advertising campaign for this episode, it's no wonder these clips would get stuck in my brain...yet here are 4 that didn't turn up: -Homer: "This calls for an out-of-shape amateur!" -Homer throws kabob sticks into Abe's back; Abe: "My back pain's cured!" (another stick flies into his back) "That was one too many." (falls) -Homer: "I learned to walk naked on stilts!" -Something involving SLH and a chocolate milk muzzle (I forget how this one went)

She's been in more episodes than that. Margical History Tour, and at least one more. Also, she was on the cover of TV Guide a while back

Um, those were advertizing the entire season, not just this episode. The muzzle one is likely going to be in "Fat Man and Little Boy".

Steve Brown wrote:

Maybe so (I forgot that scene enough to prevent remembering any context), but the first two seem particularly suited for the TOH. "Naked on stilts" maybe not so much (it sounded like a vision of death at first, but that seems hard to fit in).

In any case, there is another one I forgot about till I reviewed some transcripts of previous previews... Frink: "Can you fit into a large flight suit?" Homer: "No, it'll show my boobs and ride my crack!"

Matt Garvey wrote in message news:...

Yeah, the whole thing went like this:

Announcer: The Simpsons' epic 16th Season kicks off with the annual Tree House of Horror! (an intergalactic oven opens up to reveal OFF roasting inside) Kang: Is dinner ready yet? Kodos [pointing at Homer]: This one keeps eating himself! (Homer takes a few cannibalistic bites out of his own flesh. Cut to Frink laughing maniacally and pulling a lever.) Announcer: When a mad scientist shrinks Maggie and traps her inside Mr. Burns� (Scenes are shown of Maggie playing in a giant pill that looks like a ball pit, the pill getting shrunk down, Burns swallowing the pill and Maggie playing inside the pill inside Burns' stomach. Cut to a scene of Frink and OFF standing by Burns who lies on an operating table. Homer sticks his arm down Monty's throat.) Homer: I've got her! (He pulls out an organ from Burns' body) Homer: No, wait. This is yours. (He tosses it back in. Cut to OFF in their flight suits being shrunk down.) Announcer: �The Simpsons take a fantastic voyage inside the belly of the boss! (Scenes of Frink injecting mini-OFF into Burns' neck, OFF speeding through his bloodstream and Burns lying on the table are shown. Burns' belly enlarges and an explosion is heard. Cut to Frink holding up a flight suit.) Frink: Can you fit into a large flight suit? Homer: No! It'll show my boobs and ride my crack! (sobs) Announcer: Sunday, November 7th, the Simpsons Tree House of Horror is all-new. And it's only on FOX!

In alt.tv.simpsons, on the "Notes for FABF23 (Treehouse of Horror XV)" thread, Matt Garvey wrote:

If the writers do something special with the ending credits, like Homer's pie song in "Special Edna (EABF02)," or Weird Al's song in "Three Gays of the Condo (EABF12)," then Fox will *usually* leave it alone. At least, they will the first time it airs. Repeats typically get the "squeeze-and-tease" treatment.

Benjamin Robinson wrote:

Well, I was referring just to the episodes where the credits are shown exactly as you'd get on satellite or a video release... not only do you see them all, but the text is superimposed over the image in the Groening font. For lack of a better term -- I've been saying "text credits," in the sense that they're stored more as computer text than as an image when the broadcaster gets them) -- what happened in those episodes and many more (EABF03, DABF09, CABF19...) is not what I meant. (I suppose they do have the slight advantage of allowing us to see the unobstructed image, but it's smaller and just seems silly.)