Spoiler space
The Rack's Ubiquitous, Critical, Kick-Ass, Somewhat Anal & Useless Review "Uv" the Simpsons (TRUCKASAURUS)
Episode CABF19 "Treehouse of Horror XII"
LOLs(11):
--"Aaigh! Beads!"
--The wedding cake decoration
--Matthew Perry: "Ya. Could I BE any more of a house?"
--"Mmmm.... unexplained bacon"
--Picture of Pierce (Hal) taped over Homer in family
portrait
--"This is constable Wiggum. We'll be right there. Remove
your knickers, and wait in the bath."
--Pierce soaping Homer's face, then feeding him a pill
--Nelson: "Stop zapping yourself!"
--Krusty: [moaning] I've heard of a wailing wall, but this
is ridiculous. [rest of the souls complain]
--Homer: "My sweet little angel!" (One eye wanders down to TV)
--Montymort: "My enchanted shin! How did you know that was
the source of my power?"Mildly funny (The "chuckles")(20):
--Flaming Jerk/Ruined Gypsy tarot cards
--Homer's casual grin as he relaxes in bed, right after
the hex
--Marge: "You strangle him all the time, and that never
happens"
--Homer: "That curse is a silly superstition. Right Lisa?
(kick kick) See? Two means 'yes'."
--Lenny: "You know what's even better is Jesus. He's like 6
leprechauns."
--Carl: "Yeah, but a lot harder to catch."
--Homer's idea to catch a leprechaun with Lucky Charms.
--The cereal is TRIX, not Lucky Charms.
--Homer: "Wake up, ya lousy drunk!"
--Leprechaun: Stroke me, clover. Say me name!
--Dig at Dennis Miller: Voice that caused all those
murder-suicides
--Pierce: [American accent] Thanks a lot, ass wipe!
--Selma hides the self-destruct in her cleavage.
--Milhouse: "Slimy Prince Limey!"
--"Ello, luv. Give us a kiss, then."
--Bart's "frog" vomiting on Lisa's prince, and the prince's
reaction
--Ralph: "Dying tickles"
--Homer: "Hey! We stayed for YOUR kids!"
--Lep: "Ooooh! Mr. Movie Star gets to park right next to
the stage!"
--Lep: [evil laughing] Can I turn on the radio? [evil
laughing]Satirical Content: --Homer's TV-based wisdom that tells him to catch a leprechaun by using a heavily-advertised leprechaun cereal. TV is surely Homer's teacher (if not mother, and secret lover :)
Creativity: --The laser dinner triangle --Montymort's castle--a cooling tower shape
Cleverness: --Amnesia dust
First laugh (1:26): --"Aaigh! Beads!"
Laughed hardest at: --Picture of Pierce (Hal) taped over Homer in family portrait
Un-funny jokes(6): --Bart pulls Katie Couric out of the hole --Homer: "Saying I'm sorry won't bring him back. Marge: "The gypsy said it would." Homer: "She's not the boss of me!" --Marge: "That really covers the cat crap!" --Pierce: "I analyzed your... um... leavings." --Pierce: "No, I'm _asking_." Marge: "Mmmm... Not a very good one?" Pierce: "Damn straight." --Homer's exposed brain
Unnecessary Exposition(3): --Homer: "Wait. This is just a shaved puppy." --Marge: "That gypsy said horrible things would happen to everyone you love..." --Homer: "Everything worked out for the best." Marge: "What? Bart is dead!"
Painful Reminders (continuity)(0): Nothing noted.
Predictability: --The wart on the gypsy's nose wouldn't be a fake
Wackiness: --The beginning sequence seemed to be a stream-of-conciousness without reference. The family is sliced when they walk through the gate? Okay, I guess. Is that based on some movie, or is it just an absurd creation? If it wasn't a movie/TV reference, it didn't really work. Same with the caskets popping out of the ground. There is probably some movie/TV reference I'm not aware of that makes the beginning clever, and me sound like an ass :)
Huh?: --Homer's motivation for strangling Bart was weak. He just said that Marge could be in a freak show. Yes, the painful irony is that bearded ladies appear in freak shows. --Moe ends up in the pickled egg jar... when did THAT happen?
Story Rating:
Comments: Homer catching on fire was a typical Scully gag... "here we go"... but, there were some good surprises. Homer actually knows where leprechauns (are supposed to) come from.
Opening sequence: Burns' typical under-whelming, under-exaggerated sense of the moment (the single bat decoration) reminded me of his tiny foam "#1" finger, and his demand that the dragsters slow way down from other Burns scenes. The beginning's events were quite off the wall, if they weren't actual movie references. (C)
Hex and the City: The best humor in the segment, despite Lenny's Jesus comments, was slapstick-- but it was good slapstick. The Lucky Charms joke would have worked even better had it been a surprise, and had not been shown in the advertisements. A terminal case of Scullyitis killed it, as the plot isn't resolved, and there's a dumb "not the boss of me" recycled joke as the closer. (C+)
House of Whacks: There's a good "2001: A Space Odyssey" feel throughout that even covers the bad jokes. It was nice to see real movie references, like Homer's dismantling of the computer by removing its chips. Scully's hand is apparent again, with the cat crap/leavings/brains out type jokes that seem to have perpetuated since Season 9. Another BABF20 "guts hanging out" joke, but Marge naked is always a plus. (B-)
Wiz Kids: We begin from the established norm that Springfield is a town of magic, and that the school is a magic school. Good creative start. Nelson's "stop zapping yourself" is funny, because it is self-referential, while establishing a slightly different reality. Some magic "demonstration" in such a plot is always great, with some creative tricks by Lisa and others. The contrivance that Burns' shin is the source of his power had me LOL. A good segment, with an unnecessary leprechaun piggy back ride at the end. (B-)
Epilogue: A bit tacked on, but Dan Castellaneta's leprechaun voice is a real hoot-- especially with the "Ooooh! Mr. Movie Star" line. (C+)
Overall: Not a bad effort; but, with a litany of great THOHs to look back on, this episode seems like it was going through the motions. The plots were quick, and only the middle segment provided good conflict. (C+/B-)
Prediction: This will sit on our videotapes, occasionally in our VCRs, and only vaguely in our memories.
DYN...
...in the leprechaun's rant, he calls Homer a "big fatass"?
...the blow-dried shrunken head grunts when the gypsy drops
it back on the shelf?
...sales robot sounds like Gil? (others have mentioned this)
...when Lisa suggests the Pierce Brosnan voice, the animation
appears two-dimensional and cheap?
...the family eats breakfast in each of the three segments?Previous episode refs:
[9F17] Homer unwittingly helps an adversary discover his weakness [1F19] Someone says "I'm gonna enjoy THIS!" [2F03] Humans falling into a blender [2F03] Homer weilds an axe as a weapon in a Hallowe'en episode [2F03] Homer's portable TV [2F21] Marge is TOO a cop [3G03] To prove someone a fake, Homer grabs a person's face [5F12] Homer attacks a water-related appliance in the basement [AABF18, CABF11] Nelson: [to a nerd] "Stop ____ing yourself!" [BABF20] Homer's internal organs exposed
Movies (and other) references:
~ Dragon's Lair (video game) Laserdisc video game; in one segment, the floor tiles light up, and begin to disappear
+ Remington Steele (TV series) NBC crime/drama series featuring Pierce Brosnan
+ Sex and the City (TV series) Hex and the City takes its name from the HBO series.
+ Mr. Ed (TV show) 1960's TV show featuring a talking horse
+ Mr. T (actor) Milhouse's third incarnation makes him look like B.A. Barrackus
~ Soylent Green (movie) "...she made the refreshments from dead people!"
+ Whiz Kids (TV series) CBS 1-hour drama in the 1980's, featuring a teenage genius, his talking computer, and his pals. Starring Matthew Laborteaux.
~ Wizard of Oz (movie) Burns (cf. Wicked Witch of the West) sees a Lisa (cf. Dorothy) in his large crystal ball (in the present)
DISCUSSION:
Stevie Nicks' wicked witch-ery:
Anyone want to discuss this? In a VH1 Special, Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane/Starship calls Stevie Nicks the "magic witch"... Nicks' recent music is steeped in mysticism, and in many of her shows, she dresses the part of the magic witch.
CBG's "So sick of that joke!":
Sounds like an ATS reference, no? Maybe a subtle reference at the complaints about recycled gags in Simpsons episodes... discuss?
-Chad Lehman
"You crazy car. I don't know whether to eat you, or kiss you."
--John Truckasaurus