I'll be quick with this one...tonight's episode was a surprising success. (The end. See, that was quick!) But seriously, though, I wasn't entirely sure how it would turn out; I should have looked at the head writer (Jon Vitti) beforehand, though, because that would have put me in the right mindset. With a few exceptions where things were a little exaggerated (e.g. Marge's reaction to the kids), I found the plots rather smooth and believable. I didn't foresee Nelson's dad returning (have we seen him since 9F12? any other continuity goofs?), but in the Simpson universe, his story was not entirely implausible (this is a use of litotes), and in fact the whole episode had undertones of sweetness that was not thrust at us. I suppose it could be seen as sensational/a ratings grabber (the shocking twist of Mr. Muntz's disappearance), but it didn't strike me that way. Also in its favor, the episode was funny more or less throughout, though there were a couple dumb points (notably Ralph's furniture duck-duck-goose; he's not _that_ stupid... I smell a rake scene/syndication cut!). A-
DYN: ...there were more than 64 spaces in Lisa's hopscotch setup? (I didn't count the number of _squares_ though...) ...the state capitals test seemed to be one single-sided page, yet it only went to Iowa alphabetically? (And KY was apparently there too...) ...Homer doesn't include grandchildren in his plan for Marge's life as a motherly type? ...this is the first time we _see_ Mrs. Muntz (I think)? ...someone really dropped the ball on delivering that Labor Day cake? ...Patty was apparently the first born? (Though perhaps each magazine simultaneously ran an "other twin" feature...)
Previous episode references 9F02: Lisa concerned about her image (plus, Homer tells her she's cute [though not as a bug's ear this time]) 4F24: Lisa imagining a fat older Lisa with dorky husband (Milhouse here, Ralph there) 8F11: Bart's crappy party and its guests (at least they didn't pull out the radio mic for an ill-staged gag) 4F01: Nelson still seems to care for Lisa EABF16: Nelson pines for his dad
Other reference Family Guy (A Picture is Worth 1000 Bucks, 2ACX07): a girl so thin she's 2-dimensional
Meta-reference corner I'm not sure just when it was first mentioned, or if it was strictly intentional (my guess is yes), but I've read in a number of interviews that indeed the hair and ear in Homer's profile was originally Matt Groening's initials. If only Homer knew... Incidentally, Homer's explanation of the roundness of the Simpson form looked like a "how to draw" guide popular for cartoons, except that one would expect more rough spheroids (with equators/meridians) for the arms, head, etc.
Goofs (really nitpicky this time) -Milhouse first met Bart in kindergarten, not first grade, according to 3G02. Memory being what it is, this could be intentional. -Nelson knows Marge; that wasn't even a necessary contrivance to make the plot work. -Similarly, Marge definitely knows that it's Itchy and _Scratchy_.
Personal comments -Edna's forgetting to roll up the state map (Bart must have awesome eyesight) reminded me of an experience of my own from 8th grade. We were going over the prepositions, and our teacher was going to give us a quiz where we were to list more or less all of them (we had a list of 48). Before class began, I wrote them out on the side blackboard as kind of a last-minute study guide for anyone who wanted it, but they were never erased. I didn't comment on it before or during the quiz, partly having faith in the honor system, but partly to see just what would happen. Pretty much everyone got 100% on the quiz, though I do think a number of the students did it honestly from memory; after she noticed, our teacher was not happy and had us retake it. She also figured out that I had written them up there, and for _some_ reason I got all the blame, even though the blackboard was in plain sight. Oh well. That's my story. -Also, interesting job with the credits; even though the extra part ended before it usually would have to (i.e. the also-starrings and guest voices are shown before the split), Fox ran the whole thing full screen. Good sign? I guess we'll see!