[The long of it]
"Personally, I liked Homer a little better earlier in the series' run. He was more ignorant and unsophisticated then. It was a little like living with a Neanderthal, or maybe a bear who could walk upright."
That's something I posted to this group September 21, 1995. Now, a little more than eight years later, Homer has an opportunity to get in touch with his inner bear. I'd say it was worth the wait. "The Fat and the Furriest" is one of those episodes that isn't flashy, but earns my admiration by doing the basics well. It's well-plotted, well-characterized, and most importantly, it's funny.
Often, it seems like the writers take so long setting up the plot of an episode, that they have to rush madly to finish the story in time. "Furriest" follows the show's usual pattern of starting off with one plot, which leads into the "real" plot for the night. The difference here is that this happens *in the middle of the first act.* What a concept! The writers use the extra time to explore the nuances of the plot, which starts with a bear attacking Homer at the town dump. A hunter captures Homer's cowering on tape, and soon Homer is the laughingstock of Springfield. He plots to redeem himself in another fight with the animal. The show comfortably ushers us through these events, allowing us to appreciate each plot development without dragging or feeling like we're giving an interesting idea the short shrift. It helps that "Furriest" had no subplot, allowing the main plot more room to breathe.
"Furriest" also has a knack for drawing out the better side of everyone's personality. A Homer-centric episode like this one is something of a risk nowadays, in an era when Homer often comes across as too foolish or mean-spirited. Here, though, his reactions are more "relatable." You can sympathize with his initial fear, and his later determination to face those fears and find redemption. The supporting cast isn't neglected, either. Bart is enthusiastically supportive. Marge is more practical, without being a wet blanket or the borderline-psycho housewife she's sometimes made to be. Lisa's personality is nicely balanced. At one point, she's bright enough to use the Latin name for the daisies she presents her mother, yet she's enough of a little girl to be distracted by one of her father's silly costumes. I also liked Grant Connor the hunter character (evidently voiced by Charles Napier, although Fox's promotions don't mention it). Connor's living room is furnished entirely with the carcasses of the animals he vanquished over the years. When he wants a snack, he points his rifle straight up in the sky, fires, and downs an eagle. He's exaggerated, sure, but never crosses the line to absurdity.
If he did, at least Connor did so in a way that was funny. There's a lot of good humor throughout the whole episode. A few jokes misfire, but there's enough good stuff to make up for it. I like the antics that ensued when Homer gives his wife a machine that allows the family to make carnival treats at home. Homer eventually uses it to make a giant concoction of cotton candy and caramel, which causes trouble of its own: It attracts ants, which in turn attract birds, which in turn attracts cats. Homer's post-attack panic attack is nicely done. (Among other things, he imagines himself under attack by bruins wearing Chicago Bear uniforms.) Even the filler material is funny. In one scene Homer tries a tracking clip which gives him a painful electric shock. After dancing around for a little while he takes it off, stares at it, and says, "It probably was the clip, but just to make sure ..." You can probably guess the rest.
"The Fat and the Furriest" isn't a flashy episode, and some viewers may be let down by the low-key approach. Not me, though. Sweeps shows are fun, but I find myself looking forward to the shows after the ratings competition is over, when the show can concentrate on the fundamentals that made it popular in the first place. Good jokes, plotting, and characterization may not make for an exciting ad campaign, but those are the ingredients of a good show. Let's hope the writers remember this more often.
[The short of it]
This is one of those episodes that isn't flashy, but earns my admiration by doing the basics well. The story is excellently paced, getting to the main plot quickly enough to provide time to explore its nuances. The better aspects of the characters' personalities shine through, and I liked the introduction to Grant Connor, superhunter. Most importantly, the jokes were generally good. (Highlights include the family's antics with the kitchen carnival, Lisa's country octopus, and Homer's ear clip dance.) The writers would be better off concentrating on fundamentals like this, instead of flashy guest stars and exotic locales. (A-)
[DYNs]
... Maggie's mug was better made than Bart's and Homer's? ... Patty and Selma's cart is filled with cartons of Laramie cigarettes and cases of Kaluha? ... the household pots and pans are strong enough to deflect rifle bullets?
[References]
"The Fast and the Furious" (movie) - title of episode a parody
"Get Smart" (TV series) - opening couch gag almost exactly like opening for parody spy show
Wal-Mart (discount store chain) - Sprawl-Mart similar in name, size, and the way merchandise is displayed - both hire retired people (like Abe) to serve as storefront greeters
"Veggie Tales" (children's movie series) - Homer watches a video where animated vegetables re-enact Biblical stories [Moses first says "Let my people go" in Exodus 5:1, which might also count as a reference]
Ramses I (Egyptian ruler) - Pharaoh in video was called "Yamses"
the food pyramid - cucumber in video says his "pickles" tire of building this; in reality the pyramid is a visual guide to how much of the four food groups the FDA thinks we should eat
Jaclyn Smith (line of clothing) - actress has a clothing line named for her, and has now evidently expanded to the axe market
[?] Clairol (hair coloring) - when Homer wears his cotton-candy "wig," he says, "Only my hairdresser knows for sure," which was a commercial tag line for this product
Country Bear Jamboree (theme-park attraction) - two of the bears in Homer's hallucination appear to have left this Disney ride
Smokey the Bear (public-service character) - also in Homer's hallucination
Chicago Bears (American football team) - two bears wearing Bears helmets and jerseys join the mob against Homer
Care Bears (greeting-card and TV series characters) - Homer about to get whacked by the Intensive Care Bear
[Previous Episode References]
[7G09] A Simpson befriends a bear
[FFF]
Discount storefront:
SPRAWL * MART
Axe head display:
Jaclyn Smith <- script
AXE HEADSBox in Homer's cart:
MAI TAI MIX
Side of "Kitchen Carnival" box:
AMERICAN CARNY
[bearded lady]
[giving the ] <- This should be a circle, but
["thumbs-up" ] those are hard to draw in
[ gesture ] straight text, so the heck
with it
ASSOCIATION Endorsed by
the American Carny AssociationCompartments in Kitchen Carnival machine:
COTTON
DEEP FRY CANDY CARAMELSign at the dump entrance:
SPRINGFIELD
DUMP
-----------
NOT AFFILIATED
WITH THE
SPRINGFIELD MARRIOTTSigns inside dump:
BETAMAX LASER RESERVED
TAPES DISCS FOR
DVDsMarge's puzzle book:
WORLD'S
EASIEST FUN
E O
WOW CROSSWORD
PUZZLESNews graphic:
KENT'S
COWARDS <- yellow letteringSign outside Homer's workstation:
MONITORING STATIONS
Scary children's books:
The Bear Went THE GOLDILOCKS
Over The Mountain BERENSTAIN [Goldie]
BEARS and the
THREE BEARS
[bears]Scary bear-related products:
SUPER GUMMI BEARS Teddy
SUGAR Grahams
CRISP SnuggleScreenshot of Abe's website:
OLDCOOT.COM
[ Abe ] WHY
[shaking] TODAY
[ fist ] STINKSConnor's shingle:
+------------+
| GRANT |
| CONNOR |
| -HUNTER- |
+------------+
| |
+------------+
| TO AVOID |
|BEING KILLED|
| RING BELL |
+------------+Sanctuary sign:
WILDLIFE
SANCTUARYVACANCY <- flashing read neon sign
[Oops!]
- Do they still even make Super Sugar Crisp?
= The bear's ear clip doesn't appear until Homer is ready to remove it.
[Personal Comments & Observations]
Lenny, Carl, and Bart sing along to "Afternoon Delight," by Starland Vocal Band. There's more about this group in the episode capsule for "'Round Springfield (2F32)," if you're curious.
Sonny and Cher's "I Got You, Babe" plays over the montage of Homer and his bear buddy.
Bart says he'll cover his clothing in caramel, and then eat his shorts. This is a literal interpretation of his famous catch-phrase.
This episode begins just before Mother's Day, which in the United States is observed in May. I suspect this episode was planned to air then, since the production code (EABF19) suggests a late-season airing. I wonder what delayed it -- was there a production problem, or did Fox think the show lacked the juice needed to air during the May Neilsen sweeps?
While opening her present from Homer, Marge says she feels like, "a secretary on Administrative Professional Day." As it happens, there was a holiday called "Secretaries' Day," in which offices would supposedly honor their secretaries for their hard work. Usually this meant collecting a dollar or two from every other worker in the office, and maybe buying a gift certificate. Over time, the title "Secretary" became pass� and secretaries found their job titles upgraded to things like Administrative Assistant. The holiday's title followed suit, giving us today's slightly clunky-sounding "Administrative Professionals' Day."
When Homer pulls up to the traffic jam, there's a blue VW Old Beetle in the line of cars ahead of him. When he pulls into the carpool lane, one of the cars he passes is a yellow Beetle. (This might be a goof -- a blue car changing to yellow -- but I'm not certain this was intended to be the same car.)
Connor must be hanging around with some mighty big bears. According to http://www.new-cars.com, the curb weight of a Mazda Miata ranges from 2,387 to 2,447 pounds, depending on how it is equipped. A male grizzly bear weighs 300 pounds on average, with 950 being the record- holder. (Source: http://www.predatorconservation.com.) A female normally weighs 275 pounds.
Incidentally, the Latin name for a grizzly bear turns out to be, "Ursus arctus horribilis." Yikes! No wonder Homer is scared. I generally try to avoid animals that have "horribilis" as part of the species name.
Gary Busey -- Actor with a reputation for drinking too much, partying too hard, and getting into too much trouble. People confined to house arrest are sometimes required to wear electronic trackers (but not anything that clips on the ear), but I don't know if Busey was ever required to do anything like that.
* Don't head for the dump just yet. The proposed successors to DVDs that I have seen are backwards-compatible with today's discs, so you won't need to throw away your existing collection to take advantage of the new format.
* Actually, I thought the point of "Moby Dick" was that obsession (in particular, an obsessive focus on revenge) could be your downfall.