OK episode, didn't seem really special but was fun anyway. I liked the Homer/Ned dynamic but we've seen them working together before, haven't we? (It is slipping my mind - I spent a good part of the day taxing my brain, so it's a little off. But even on a pal level, we have stuff like 1F14 and AABF06.) It's hard to dislike the inclusion of erotic cakes, but it was kind of a one-note joke. (What did Marge think went on at a bakery called "Au Naturel" anyway?) The extended chase scene at the end, with all the acrobatic junk and Casino-Royale-Parkour stuff, kind of lost me. Anyway... chin up!
DYN: ...the "booze free" St. Patrick's Day was not "boo"s free? (I notice there was no "free misunderstanding" joke like 3F08 or DABF03) ...both act breaks in the middle of the show were on Homer's imminent death? ...Sideshow Bob (last seen KABF01) is both wanted for breaking bail and later seen escaping jail? ...in the cement, Homer says "aww, dammit" but it looks like just a drawn-out "ohh"?
Some previous episode references (I may be missing some fairly obvious ones) 3F04: Erotic cakes! 4F15: St. Patrick's Day parade, etc. (It may not be March but the episode is 17-related at least...) GABF09: Riverdance stuff CABF19+many: Angry leprechaun CABF18, JABF19: Julia Louis-Dreyfus returns as Gloria (pregnant now!) 5F06: Criminals' property becomes Simpsons' 4F01: Agnes wants to see something that will turn out to be a butt DABF11: Ned reads/recites the Bible to Homer (here, OT and part of Mt only)
People Homer and Ned were to get: Snake (not specifically assigned) Sideshow Bob Fat Tony Homer Bart Drederick Tatum ...assorted other people (was the guy Homer jumped on from the roof on before? He looked kind of like the coach from GABF15)
Meta-reference corner Chalmers says that he's beginning to like Skinner "after 20 years" (20th season premiere tonight). Homer grabs an Emmy during the chase - just last week, OFF won another one, for KABF02. Homer doesn't want Ned to say "diddily" or "doodily" (Ned uses "- rino") instead; later, "D'oh" and "Diddily" are used in the Batman "pow" balloons.
Other stuff
Does anyone else think the new Fox/Animation Domination announcer voice is really annoying? It's vaguely reminiscent of the South Park silly trailer voice ("Rob Schneider is... a stapler!").
I know what the title is a reference to, but I can't help but think that it would make more sense without the first comma. (OK, they're not PIES, but still...)
Full-length credits! And nothing special in them... I was wondering if maybe it was because of a dedication at the end (for George Carlin and/ or Paul Newman), but I guess not.
Some time during the summer, Fox started putting full-screen disclaimers before TV14 shows (Family Guy, Terminator, etc.), consisting of a few seconds of theme and a detailed breakdown of what was so objectionable. Tonight's Simpsons episode was TV-14-DLSV, but had no such disclaimer. Hooray!