Notes for FABF20 (All's Fair in Oven War)

Is it one's mood that defines largely how one will enjoy an episode? With two promising premises, I was hoping "All's Fair in Oven War" would make me feel a little better after the new MITM episode got screwed over (good job, Fox...only took 2 weeks!), but whether it was merely my preexisting mood or bad management of tonight's feature, I didn't enjoy it very much. Objectively, it didn't help the episode that both plots had to fight each other for time; if each were an "A" story there would be more room to explore the themes, and both could work very well if fleshed out and not rushed. As a result, I didn't connect with Marge enough to care about her problems (though the dessert dogs sounded quite delicious), and so forth. I might also mention that the first act, while it did a good job of introducing both plots, felt absolutely ridiculous and cartoony (breadmaker maker, walk-in microwave, rampant destruction and the giant kitchen we'll never see again, plus the Apu running gag that would have worked better spread out if at all - they even passed up their chance at a payoff in the Kwik-E-Mart in act III). On the plus side, there have been much worse plots and story flows; this felt like a first draft but I'd watch it again... and there were a good number of genuinely funny jokes and lines (plus the Agnes-into-door gag that oddly didn't feel stupid, and the method of spreading "the talk" to the neighborhood), which is pretty much the episode's strongest point. After last week's utterly glowing review, I seem to be going the other way (this time, I'll remember good things I didn't say, but after I post) - it's a decent episode (or 2) with room for improvement, so let's say a B.

DYN: ...it would seem that the episode's title is not true (especially according to Lisa)? ...Jasper seems to have no last name yet? (As long as it's not Jasperson, I'll be happy) ...Homer apparently gets his own separate meat loaf?

Previous episode references FABF05: Thomas Pynchon makes an appearance (given the randomness of said appearance, maybe they just recorded this for fun while they had him the last time) AABF21: Bad blood surrounding a cooking event (yet no comeuppance for Marge - and people seemed more shocked when she simply halted the bakeoff!) 7F13: Bart plays host to some adult themes 8F22: Indiana Jones closing door gag (complete with someone crashing into it) 3G03 and a number of other episodes (almost all seem to be in the first 4 seasons): Playdude appears

Other references A Midsummer Night's Dream: "All's fair in love and war" was a line from this play (though was it a well-known saying in Shakespeare's time?) Tastykake (cf "tastyfake"): A (delicious!) brand of desserts, pastries, dounts, and assorted other treats; it's primarily local to mid-to-eastern PA and several neighboring states, I believe since the distribution radius is limited so that they're as fresh as can be (you can order gift assortment packages to be delivered elsewhere, though). *batteries not included: The idea of the breadmaker maker reminded me of the spaceships creating young'uns of their own inside the "mother" ship (har har! mother ship!)

That's it for me

There was also an episode where Bart meets Hugh Hefner at the Playboy Mansion, though I seem to recall he was merely daydreaming. He was wearing a robe, and had the bubble pipe.

That makes tonight's episode interesting, since that previous episode (and I can't remember which one it was in), it was very much Playboy, complete with a mention of a grotto. Yet tonight, while the theme has to be Playboy, they've changed the name to Playdude.

Michael

Michael Black wrote:

I forgot about that - it's in Krusty Gets Kancelled (9F19), and it's not a dream sequence. I don't recall offhand if they ever actually said the name "Playboy" there. Still, Playdude was pretty well established since season 1...it's as much a real thing in Springfield as Duff, Laramie, and Krustyburger. (Yet oddly, when Homer met all the fake food mascots tonight, it felt strange. Just goes to show...)

I couldn't remember the context of why Bart would be visiting Hugh Hefner, so figured it might be a dream. But of course, he was getting support for Krusty.

Is there any argument that that wasn't Hugh Hefner in the previous episode? You're right, it might not have specified playboy, but the character seemed too much like Hugh Hefner to be anything but a direct reference.

But given that previous scene, it seems odd that Bart himself has forgotten it, yet comes across as identical to that scene. He seemed not to be influenced by that visit, completely forgets it, but pulls all the "Playboy Philosophy" out of Playdude magazine.

It's interesting that we only saw cartoon characters as "spokesmen" for products. When they said the prize would be getting your face on future products, I pictured Aunt Jemima and Betty Crocker, and did expect them when they went into that room. Maybe they were left out since they never appeared in commercials (or none that I can remember).

Michael

[email] (Michael Black) wrote in message news:...

They called Hefner by name, but I don't think they referred to Playboy by name. I suppose this is yet another case of a real-life person or institution co-existing with a Simpsons universe knock-off (Mike Tyson and Drederick Tatum, Don King and Lucius Sweet, Raffi and Roofi, Lego and Blocko, etc.).

Nathan

Michael Black wrote:

Smoking jacket, actually.

Yes, and when I posted I suddenly couldn't remember what the proper term was.

Although considering they have pyjama parties at the Playdude mansion, I'm sure robes are seen from time to time.

Michael

Matt Garvey wrote:

Be glad the Packers' kicker made that last-second field goal, or the episode might have been cancelled when the NFL game went into overtime. (Then again, in your case, that might have been a good thing, as when a new episode of something is entirely pre-empted, Fox doesn't show it in the west, but reschedules its first airing. Don't worry, you didn't miss much, except for the "hug jail" and maybe Malcolm and Reese standing on their heads inside buckets...)

Expect another new Malcolm in progress next week - it's another Fox NFL doubleheader day.

-- Don

In alt.tv.simpsons, on the "Re: Notes for FABF20 (All's Fair in Oven War)" thread, Don Del Grande wrote:

Really? Hmm. I thought Fox and CBS alternated their doubleheader weekends. Oh, well...

I was wondering if Fox had gone back to delaying the remaining shows for the night (as they did last week in the Tampa area), or if we'd be joining things in progress. Now we know. Tough luck for Eastern Time Zone "KotH" and "MiTM" fans, I suppose, although most games finish up before 7:30.

Benjamin Robinson wrote:

Normally, they do, but Fox got CBS to show two doubleheaders in a row on 10/31 (in case there was a World Series Game 7, I guess) and 11/7 (for the season premieres), and Fox "returned the favor" by showing doubleheaders on 11/14 and 11/21. After that, it will alternate for the rest of the regular season, and neither Fox nor CBS has any doubleheaders in the post-season.

-- Don

In article , Matt Garvey wrote:

Well, um...how should I put this...uh...IT IS A CARTOON!!!!!!