All my reviews are really just simple, harmless opinions. Please discuss, but please don't be offended...
The Rack's Ubiquitous, Critical, Kick-Ass, Somewhat Anal & Useless Review "Uv" the Simpsons (TRUCKASAURUS)
Episode DABF02 "She Of Little Faith"
LOLs(10):
--The Monster... From Space? A doggie
--Homer: Son, we are about to break the surly bounds of
gravity and PUNCH the face of God.
--Guy: (catches bottle) Hey! Wine! (jumps in gutter, throws
away brief case, chugs it)
--Homer: Don't worry; I planned for this. (fires shotgun)
--Neon Jesus sign
--Homer: Owwww.... waaaaah... [second time he acts "upset"]
--Marge: ...always making a big deal out of EVERYTHING...
[like a ghost] Oooooooooo!
--Marge: "HER"? She's just kidding, Mr. Lord!
--Ned: (gasp) My Satan-sense is tingling. Into the root
cellar, boys!
--The "tasteful" angel barking "Jingle Bells"; Homer dancingMildly funny (The "chuckles")(10):
--Astronauts feeble acting job... being thrown back & forth
--Astronaut lights cigarette after putting on goggles
--Bart: He didn't say "science". He said "pie pants"...
Homer: Mmmmm... pie pants...
--Marge: This is the worst thing you've ever done!
Homer: You say that so much, it's lost all meaning.
--The cross hits Mr. Burns at an opportune time
--Lisa admits that ice in the urinals one of the wonderful
things Burns has done for the church
--Bart: How about one of those religions where you eat a
human heart?
Lisa: No.
Bart: How about Methodist?
Lisa: (emphatic) NO!
--Gere: It's a good thing Buddhism teaches freedom from
desire, cause I've got the desire to kick your ass.
--Homer: As long as you're in my house, you'll do what I do
and believe what I believe. [reveal Bart] Now,
butter your bacon!
Bart: Yes, father.
--Ralph: More sugar, please.
Homer: Bag's in the kitchen...
Milhouse: All RIGHT! (Milhouse, who was *ahem*... the
"end" of the horse... makes you wonder where
_his_ sugar came from...)Satirical Content: --Old space movies were really unsophisticated (not to mention unscientific). In the old days, all you'd need was a rocket and an upside down fishbowl on your head and you were ready for Mars. A belief that a simple pair of goggles would provide air mocks these films, especially when the captain lights up a cigarette right after. Add to that the effects of "gravity" in space, shown when the men are thrown around the capsule.
First laugh (0:10): --Astronauts feeble acting job... being thrown back & forth
Laughed hardest at: --The "tasteful" angel barking "Jingle Bells"; Homer dancing
Un-funny jokes(1): Bart: ...from the looks of it.. a male dog.
Unnecessary Exposition(2): Lisa: That's just a dog in a space suit! Marge: Oh, no! Our daughter's run away on Christmas Eve!
Overt Social Commentary(1): --Announcer: We will return to our film after these very loud messages.
This is a new category, that will pop up when it's needed. If you're going to comment about loud commercials, just show that to us. Show us a very, very quiet TV show, then an exaggeratedly loud commercial. Overt commentary like that destroys the satire and irony.
This category will delineate the need for "show us, don't tell us" in The Simpsons
Predictability: --The guy with long hair with lots of "finger quote" crazy ideas would not be Jesus... --Clip-Clop wouldn't be a real pony; just people posing as one
Comments:
Once again, here's my homework, teacher ;) The method is usually watch Sunday night for laughs, watch it again Monday and take notes, then watch it again Tuesday to get a better feel for the episode. In the end, TRUCKASAURUS is just one voice in the crowd; it's one insignificant man's interpretation of his own enjoyment of a Simpsons episode. TRUCKASAURUS is not intended to teach, or establish anything concrete. In short, it's NOT for educational purposes ;) Moving along...
"She Of Little Faith" is a no nonsense, good attempt by former sitcom writers to write a classic Simpsons episode. At least, that's the way it felt. Here, "sitcom" means those shows where dialog is paramount, because it's what makes people laugh. For the last few years, The Simpsons seemed to follow that path, too. SOLF breaks out of that rut, without self-parody and without apology. The show creates and follows a nice plot, with most of the jokes coming directly from the context of each scene. But yes, as others have pointed out, the problem lies in the story pacing.
Jokes like the man catching the wine bottle and jumping into the gutter, and the money changer in the temple create that classic, goofy, tongue-in-cheek feel of classic episodes. Episodes written story first, and jokes "as the opportunities present themselves" is the special quality that separated The Simpsons from those shows written gags first, then "let's see if we can assemble them into some kind of plot" later. Real people don't just stand around cracking wise with one another; they participate in life. The Simpsons was always a show about life.
The characters, even in this inperfect episode, seem lush in the face of such episodes as [BABF16] "Kill the Alligator and Run". Bart gets to be a bully for once! Lisa's love of ponies returns. Homer's artery-clogging eating habits are his religion. Maggie is cute and very alluring for the side of Christianity, with her candy cane offer. Perhaps most richly characterized is Marge, who knows how to offer advice if Lisa's having boy problems, but can offer nothing but an annoyed promise of a "bath tonight" when faced with (what she perceives as) an impossible, larger problem.
Another promising sign of the writers' efforts is shown when they eschew the opportunity for a "set-up/punchline" joke:
Lisa: I was hoping Buddhism could bring me inner peace-- or is that just a pipe dream? Gere: We all have dreams.
This is just good, straight dialogue. The staff shouldn't be afraid of straight drama; they shouldn't be afraid to just "let go", and allow the characters to plot the stories. This is a good example of an opportunity for a one-liner that is foregone for the betterment of the story. There's nothing more annoying that getting stuck in that sludge of "set-up/one liner, set-up/one liner" that so many TV shows use. Predictability vanishes, and character humor and ironies can be done without this need to "funny-up" every other line. Stories like that seem more "organic", and less "esoteric".
DABF02's main problem is easily pointed out by Ben Robinson, and others. We're into Act III before the real story begins. In contrast, "Lisa, The Vegetarian" sets up the conflict in the first act, uses Act II to heighten the conflict, and then resolves it in Act III. It's a classic formula, but it works. To DABF02's credit, Act III resolves the conflict decently; but the story doesn't reach its full potential, at approximately seven minutes long. The show could have smacked a home run, but was hampered by an abbreviated swing.
Without sounding condescending-- a suggestion to some of the writers: buy Syd Field's "Screenplay", and read it. When you're used to writing witty rejoinders, and not drama per se, it would be just plain lucky to come up with a good, solid plot in any screenplay. Understand character-based composition; write story-first, and jokes as the opportunities present themselves. Much of this is being done right now with "She of Little Faith", and I join others applauding the effort. Just keep working on plots, and they'll improve every time.
--There, but for the grace of God goes Marge herself...
Marge was a little annoying with her "these new pews are so comfy" line, and when she actually "kicks" Maggie. Sure, it was a foot-nudge, but... it seemed a little harsh for her character.
In other nits... the episode could have been funnier. But, with this style, IMO that will improve.
--YOU mocking ME? Oh, THAT is rich...
A possible crack at A.T.S.? (It's not the one you're thinking of):
Lovejoy: That is a false analogy. Lisa: No, it's not; it's apt. APT!
Nowhere have I seen the word "apt" more than in A.T.S...
Reminiscent of Homer's saying he'll never get his "comeuppance" in [AABF21], after that word and phrase was used to describe Homer (repeatedly) on A.T.S...
--Son of Slam-I-Am
Don't we love these kinds of jokes? ...
Homer: Is TV Guide a book? Lisa: No. Homer: "Son of Sniglet"? Lisa. No. Homer: Katharine Hepburn's "Me"? Lisa: (emphatic) NO!
KH's book is compared to those great literary tomes, and is thus slammed by Lisa. A religion where one eats a human heart is less offensive to Lisa than Methodism...
They've slammed Katharine Hepburn, and Methodists... and, there's another one I can't seem to remember...
--It's my birthday, and I'll Baha'i if I want to
Whattya know... Richard Gere's birthday actually IS August 31st. (1949, to be exact)
--Very loud commercials
This is done by compression: the peaks in the sound waves are compressed in comparison to the softest parts of the sound, making the softest and loudest parts relatively closer. Then, the volume is returned to the previous level. The effect is an overall perception of greater loudness. Radio stations do this to their songs, too. Studies have shown that listeners prefer this "squashed" sound to a greater dynamic range, where the softest and loudest parts are "further apart". It actually becomes hard on the ears, with continued exposure.
Prediction: After "She of Little Faith", the writing staff
will continue to improve their techniques until
the show becomes as sharp as it ever was (Hey...
a guy can hope, can't he?)DYN...
...despite calling Col. Chip Manners a loser, Bart falls
for the commercial anyway?
...hamster Nibbles can understand English?
...the neon Jesus sign doesn't seem to bother Lisa, but
the ads inside the church do?
...Agnes fans her face when Burns throws the smoke bomb?
...Marge's green dress has a collar when she's wearing the
sweater, and her pearls are gone?Previous episode refs:
--Moe & suicide: -[2F03] Moe hangs (himself?) in the opening credits -[4F11] After a gay man saves him, it's suicide again for him -[BABF07] Moe's head comes out of the oven, replaced by a plump Christmas goose -[BABF08] Off a tall building... is a GREAT way to "do it" -[DABF02] Moe's Christmas noose is stolen
[7G08] Homer finds their dog, so Christmas would be complete
[7F19] someone says "I know it's you!"
[7F22] Operation (lame-name) (mail take/xmas-remind-of-how
good-is)
[8F22], [2F16] Someone yells... and birds fly off a tree
symmetrically...
[2F16] ...which yelling disturbs Flanders
[9F01] a guy with long hair with lots of (finger quote)
"crazy ideas"... who's not Jesus
[9F01] Someone likes "short-shorts"
[9F07] Advertising in church
[9F14] hamsters eat their young
[1F07] Homer wears horn-rim glasses (not to be confused
with his reading glasses)
[1F13] G-force pushes astronaut's face flesh back
[3F02] Genuine concern about a family member's soul
[3F16] Bart calls someone a loser
[3F16] Homer dons a colander for a cap
[4F06] Lisa owns a tree
[4F14] Marge interferes with one of her children's prayers
[AABF14] Lisa singled out for Heaven
[AABF18] Bart quickly swallows a non-food item, then
complains
[AABF18] A two-part "horse", made of people
[AABF22] First Church of Springfield in peril of being
destroyed by projectile (rocket/tank shell)
[BABF02] HJS initials
[BABF07] One of Moe's Christmas "accidents"
[BABF09] the bullies beat on one of their own
[BABF20] Someone feels "conflicted"Movies (and other) references:
+ Star Trek (TV Series/Movies/Sci-Fi Phenomenon) "To boldly go where _____ ... have gone before"
+ Crazy Eddie (New York-area electronics shop) "Crazy Larry's prices are IN-SANE!" (Exact same line used by Crazy Eddie)
+ State Line Casino (Wendover, NV casino) The neon Jesus sign, complete with lasso and moving arm with thumb pointing over his shoulder looks like the State Line's cowboy sign... (Is there a similar casino in Vegas?)
+ The Bible (Matthew 14:30-31) The episode's title comes from Jesus' common assessment of his disciples "ye of little faith"
-Chad Lehman
"You crazy car. I don't know whether to eat you, or kiss you."
--John Truckasaurus