[I wrote this last week, but it doesn't look like I posted it. -bjr]
[The long of it]
It says something about the quality of "The Simpsons" when a lightweight episode like "Million Dollar Abie" makes more of an impression than most series' regular episodes. Tonight's episode plays things light, and taken on those terms it's fun to watch.
"Million Dollar Abie" is really three stories in one. It opens with Homer lobbying the NFL to place its new expansion team in Springfield. Surprisingly, the NFL agrees, but the deal is scuttled at the last minute when Abe mistakes the commissioner for a thief and ties him to a chair. In the second act, he contemplates chucking it all in and seeing a suicide doctor. (Is Springfield in Oregon now?) Finally, he becomes a bullfighter, much to Lisa's chagrin.
There are some sensitive moments, but early on the show signals that silliness will overtake sensitivity. Take the part where Homer lands that NFL team without any apparent financial backing. (He does sell naming rights to the stadium, but there's still the matter of paying for the team itself, plus the league's multi-million dollar entry fee.) The Springfield Meltdowns are ready for play almost instantly, instead of the several years' lead time real-world teams need. The stadium's ready on opening day, too. I'll bet the Tennessee Titans, who had to play for several years in temporary facilities, would have loved to have had *that* contractor. Of course, it's all for naught because apparently the commissioner can yank the team on a whim after the schedules have been set, and personnel hired. So, some suspension of disbelief is necessary.
It's possible, though, because most of the jokes are pretty good. The second act was the high point for me, in spite of the somber subject matter. The town, with justification, blames Abe for the loss of the team, and they aren't shy about expressing their displeasure. A group of fireman pulls a child from a burning building, then picks up Abe and put him in it. Abe stops by Howard Johnson's for pie before visiting the suicide doctor. The doctor treads a thin line between callous and caring, asking Abe to delay his decision, but conceding it's mainly to give him time to clean out the "death machine." The machine, incidentally, resembles a giant iPod, and offers choices of "Instant Death" and "Megadeth." The third act, slightly more dramatic than the other two, is good. A melodramatic bullfight announcer provides interesting color commentary. Even a groin-injury joke is smart, as these things go.
It's an enjoyable show, although I can see why people might object, thinking the light touch reflects a lack of respect for realism, or that the show dealt with too many stories at once. The writers (led by Tim Long, who's a pretty good bet if you want surreal episodes) manage to keep everyone in character, which helps keep the show from going over the top. Grandpa's crotchety personality comes off particularly well here. There's even some room for touching moments. Lisa's pained expression when she hears the outcome of a bullfight is more eloquent than any dialogue I can think of. It's possible to have expanded these stories to occupy an episode by themselves, but I didn't feel they were given the short shrift.
As we enter the first days of spring, the mood just feels right for a episode that concentrates on laughs, without reaching for much emotional depth, or trying to come up new ever more surreal situations, or showcasing the next big guest voice. "Million Dollar Abie" hits the spot, and if that's not worth a million, it certainly isn't chump change.
[The short of it]
This show's three stories in one, all of them taken pretty lightly. As long as you don't take them too seriously, they make for a pretty good episode. Abe's crotchety personality serves nicely at the center of the episode, and the supporting cast is just grounded enough to keep the show from getting too goofy. The suicide doctor is an interesting blend of caring and callousness, and I liked the melodramatic bullfight commentator. Isn't it interesting how a light episode of "The Simpsons" makes more of an impression that most series' regular shows? (B+)
[DYNs]
... Homer's stadium model shows Carl, Lenny, and himself tailgating in the parking lot? ... in the model, Homer is puking into a trash barrel? ... Apu "enhances" the Kwik-E-Mart salsa by emptying a dustpan into it? ... some members of the Blue Man Group are in the Vegas trash pile? ... the promotional song group includes Jar-Jar Binks, Sting, Jack Nicholson, Michael Jackson, Stephen Spielberg, Cyndi Lauper (possibly), Quick-Draw McGraw, and Freddie Krueger (and probably others)? ... Dreaderick Tatum is seen going into the "Estadio De Toros" (at about the same time Lenny and Carl show up) ... the fired "Itchy & Scratchy" writer (from "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show"), Ruth Powers, Otto, and Comic Book Guy lead the crowd running from the bulls?
[References]
"Million Dollar Baby" (movie) - title of episode a spoof - both the movie and the episode touch on the theme of assisted suicide
"Stacked" (TV series) - like "Boobs," this series is built around casting a sex-bomb actress in a role where you'd expect an intellectual
"Sportscenter" (TV series) - ESPN's sports newscast reimagined as "Jock Center"
"Saturday Night Live" (TV series) - Homer thinks his family's defeatist (or is that realist?) attitude is, "stinkin' thinkin'," a like taken from the recurring Stuart Smalley sketches with Al Franken
"60 Minutes" (TV series) - Springfield has "48 Minutes," which possibly refers to the running time of the show minus the commercials
Dr. Kevorkian - isn't the first name of the notorious "suicide doctor" Egoyan?
"Koyaanisqatsi" (movie) - music similar to the music from the movie plays in the background as Abe vainly waits for a phone call
iPod (brand of MP3 player) - Abe is hooked up to the diePOD, which looks like a giant iPod
Megadeth (rock band) - listed as one of the choices on the diePOD
the Running of the Bulls (annual ritual) - bulls run through Springfield as crowds dodge them; this is similar to a bull run held every year in Spain
Manfred Mann (singer) - Wiggum arrests Egoyan for "Manfred Mann-slaughter"
House Un-American Activities Committee Abe testifies -- or tries to testify -- before this committee, charged with exposing "subversive" Communists
[Previous Episode References]
[DABF16] Carmen Electra is a guest voice
[2F14] Carl Reiner mentioned
[DABF09] The leader of Los Jaqueteros appears -- and wears a
commemorative movie jacket
[5F01] The Latin-market soccer match announcer calls the Springfield
bullfighting action[FFF]
Maggie's toy:
POINT 'N'
LAUGHStadium sign:
DUFF BEER
KRUSTYBURGER
BUZZ COLA COSTINGTON'S
DEPARTMENT STORE
KWIK-E-MART STUPID
FLANDERS PARKMayor Quimby's welcoming sign:
WELCOME
VEGAS TRASHOtto's Meltdown T-shirt:
GET
[mushroom]
[ cloud ]
MELTEDRenamed street signs:
Touchdown Ave.
Two-Point-Conversion Ave.
Off-Season Knee Surgery Blvd.
Commissioner's license plate:
COMMISH
Stern church sign:
First Church
of Springfield TODAY'S TOPIC:
JESUS HATES YOUSuicide doctor's business card:
DR. EGOYAN
----------
555-0362The diePOD screen:
diePOD
-------------------
> Instant Death
Slow Painful Death
MegadethSigns at the supermarket:
BANANA STRAINED SALT WATER
MUSH PEAS TAFFYSpringfield stadium sign, revised:
SPRINGFIELD
ESTADIO
DE TOROSOPENING DAY
Lisa's protest sign:
STOP
THE
SLAUGHTERPost-bullfight headline:
OLD MAN BEATS MEAT
Cleaner where Gil picks up his suit:
SPRING FIELD
C L E A N E R[Note that the space in "Spring Field"]
Luigi's crate:
FRESH
VEAL[Personal Comments & Observations]
During the intro to L.A.'s pitch tape, we hear Randy Newman's "I Love L.A."
REM's "I Am Superman," (well, their version of it; it may not be their song originally) plays while Abe looks for the taffy.
Carmen Electra -- Model and actress, currently appearing as the wife (or is that ex-wife?) of guitarist Dave Navarro. Her reputation is that she's basically eye candy, which is probably the reason she was cast in, "Boobs."
Rob Reiner -- Has had a successful comedy career on both sides of the camera. He was most visible in "All in the Family," playing Archie Bunker's son-in-law Mike. He is the son of ...
Carl Reiner -- Another successful funnyman who appeared on "The Dick Van Dyke Show," and worked with Mel Brooks. This means that Rob Reiner is cold enough to cover up his father's name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Rob Lowe -- Actor, most recently in NBC's "The West Wing." (Which, in its final season, airs opposite "The Simpsons.")
"Bennifer" -- Okay, this is two people, actors Ben Afflek and Jennifer Lopez, who were the subject of one of the most-scrutinized romances in recent Hollywood history.
"Brangelina" -- Another two-fer, featuring actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
Sarah Silverman -- Just one person, she's an actress who had a fifteen-minute career on "Saturday Night Live," before moving on to other series (Fox's own "Greg the Bunny") and movies ("Jesus Is Magic"). She has a politically incorrect sense of humor, which sometimes works, and sometimes just induces cringing.
Socrates -- Greek philosopher. He may not qualify as a suicide victim, as he didn't voluntarily die. After his conviction as a subversive, he was sentenced to death by drinking hemlock.
Virginia Woolf -- Depressing early feminist writer. "The Hours," an Academy Award-nominated film, was based on one of her works.
Ernest Hemingway -- Although he was successful and well-regarded author, Hemingway suffered from depression and ended his life with a shotgun blast.
Hunter S. Thompson -- Author and "gonzo" journalist, who recently killed himself during the final stages of a terminal illness.
Charlie Chaplin -- Comic actor famous for his silent work. The man advertising new condos is dressed as Chaplin's Little Tramp character.
Howdy Doody -- Well, not a real person, but the marionette host of a hugely popular children's show. He's not a Communist that I know of. But if he had, would that have made him a Soviet puppet?
Stalin -- Josef Stalin, dictatorial ruler of the Soviet Union from the 1930s to 1953. Abe was obviously on the money in naming him a Communist.
In the promotional video, Rob Reiner drives a Rolls Royce Corniche.
There's a Volkswagen Old Beetle in the cops-vs.-hippies footage. Later, one of the cars people must run around a yellow New Beetle to escape the bulls.
Maggie's subtitle was a clever way to allow Maggie to express herself without having to give up her trademark inability to say anything. It's easy to overdo it, but I wouldn't mind seeing it every now and again.