Don't Fear the Roofer (GABF10)
... Marge doesn't seem to care that her child plays with a toy that has been recalled three times? ... the Ritz(y) crackers actually got soggy in the package (so much for guarantees)? ... Snowball II has lost weight since GABF08? ... Marge was going to take Lisa to Bart's circumsision? ... Grampa doesn't recognize SLH? ... the picture of Bea Simmons on the wall on the Retirement Castle? ... elderly SLH gets liver spots? ... Homer draws a very Season 1 looking Marge on the back of the house? ... everyone considers Lisa to be a better source of logic than Stephen Hawking and Dr. Hibbert?
"Don't Fear the Reaper" (song) - title
Hot Wheels - Homer reroutes the water with Hot Wheels tracks
Ritz crackers - old slogan poked fun at by Bart's comment & soggy package
[7F24], [4F07] someone is admitted to a mental hospital [8F19], [2F08] Homer drinks at a bar that isn't Moe's [2F01] Grampa doesn't recognize SLH [2F09], [BABF04] Snowball II battles an indoor flood [CABF12], [EABF21] "Everybody Loves Raymond" referenced [CABF11] Homer is shot with a nail gun [EABF07] Ray Romano mentioned [FABF01] a member of OFF has an imaginary friend [FABF14] a small Simpson encounters trouble with Snowball's litter box [GABF08] a family pet finds another group of people to belong to
Nowadays, shock treatment is done while the patient is unconscious. After six weeks of treatment, Homer would have likely have suffered broken bones if he was conscious, as the treatment is, essentially, the induction of a seizure.
I didn't really have any expectations for this episode, so I was pleasantly surprised with what I saw. The first thing that struck me was how quickly they got to things related to the main plot, a rarity in recent years. Homer's isolation from his friends and family that caused him to need a new friend was very well set up, both humorously and convincingly. Ray Romano did a great job voicing Ray Magini, a character who did a good job of providing the perfect friend for Homer, to the point that it wasn't much of a stretch when the idea that he may have been a figment of Homer's imagination was introduced. The plot flowed smoothly and was aided by the jokes, few of which fell flat. And SLH's little story, while ultimately pointless, in no way detracted from the main story (which got most of the important development done in the first act), and actually added a few humorous moments. That said, there were a few shortcomings. For one, the shock treatment was cringe-inducing (redeemed by a particularly funny Hibbert), and there were a few things that made no sense (the family's anger at Homer, while funny, wasn't really provoked by any of his actions). And Stephen Hawking added little to the episode, though his explanation of why Bart could not see Ray was pure gold, topped off by Lisa's confirmation. All-in-all, it's no classic, but one that I'd be happy to rewatch anytime, with a 8.5/10. (B+)
To celebrate this "landmark" episode, a giant block party was held at the FOX Studios Pico lot in Los Angeles on Monday, April 25th, 2005. The event was attended by cast, crew and guest stars, where the episode was screened and some lucky invitees got to socialize with the faces behind America's favorite family. Among those in attendance were some notable names; to name just a few of the attendees: creator Matt Groening, producer James L. Brooks, Yeardley Smith, Pamela Hayden, director Mark Kirkland (along with father, Douglas Kirkland, famed celebrity portrait photographer), former executive producer Mike Scully, tonight's star, Ray Romano, upcoming guest Michael York, former guest Nichelle Nichols of Star Trek fame, former guest and master of lyrical parodies "Weird Al" Yankovic, and so on.
Ray Romano, voice of tonight's Ray Magini, is no stranger to the worlds of television and animation. For nearly a decade Romano has starred as the title character on CBS's hit, Emmy-winning comedy, "Everybody Loves Raymond", a sitcom which details the life of successful sports writer Ray Barone and his trials with his (you guessed it) dysfunctional family. "Everybody" wraps up its ninth and final season this month (May 2005), ending Romano's whopping $50 million dollar contract with CBS. During the nine year run, the show crossed over with numerous other shows, including "Becker", "King of Queens", "Cosby" and "The Nanny".
Romano's role in tonight's episode was not his first foray into the magical medium of animation. His other involvements with cartoons include a stint as a writer on the short-lived Steven Speilberg Saturday morning show, Toonsylvania (starring Nancy Cartwright). Later, he lent his voice to Manfred the mammoth in FOX's CGI motion picture, "Ice Age" (written by OFF writer Jon Vitti). However, his guest spot on OFF marks the first time that he has actually recorded lines with another actor present; according to Romano, all of his parts were taped simultaneously with Dan Castellaneta, who shared the spotlight with him tonight.
While 350 episodes is hardly a true landmark (by any standards), you'd think it would be simple enough for the big shot advertising executives over at FOX to count the number of episodes that have aired over the last sixteen years and correctly bill the appropriate one as the 350th. But you'd be mistaken in thinking that, because once again, there was a miscount. GABF10, "Don't Fear the Roofer" is, in fact, the 351st episode to air, making the true "landmark" outing GABF12, "Future-Drama". To make matters worse, the 352nd episode, "The Heartbroke Kid", was originally billed as the 350th, but the postponing of GABF09 due to the Pope's death caused the schedule to change, leaving GABF10 with the "prestigious" honor. So why all the confusion? The 100th, 138th, 150th, 200th and 250th were all correctly billed, so with 300 the mistake lies. In fact, "Barting Over", the episode that what hyped as the 300th (an actual landmark), was the 302nd. From there, FOX must have counted to 350, which is why the 352nd episode was the original bearer of the billing.
Now that you're likely even more confused than before, I'm off.
Alternate Title: Fat on a Wet, Thin Roof Or: Everybody Hates Homer
I:
Announcer: FOX Sunday, Animation Domination invades your home with a one-hour Simpsons event: the landmark 350th Episode, with Ray Romano. (Ray and Homer are seen on OFF's roof. Ray shoots Homer with a nail gun, laughing, causing Homer to fall off. Cut to Homer and Ray at the hardware store. Ray steps down from a ladder with a box labeled 'shingles') Ray: I just came down with a case of shingles. Homer: Ahahahahaha...what's in the box? Announcer: The Simpsons 350th Episode, part of an all-new hour, 8/7c, FOX Sunday!
II:
Announcer: FOX Sunday, Animation Domination invades your home with a one-hour Simpsons event: the landmark 350th Episode, with Ray Romano. (Ray and Homer are seen on OFF's roof. Ray shoots Homer with a nail gun, laughing, causing Homer to fall off. Cut to Ray and Homer inside "Knockers" with a heaping pile of nachos in front of Ray.) Ray: I haven't seen this much cheese since I left my Billy Joel albums out in the sun! Homer: Ahahahahahahaha... the sun. Announcer: The Simpsons 350th Episode, part of an all-new hour, 8/7c, FOX Sunday!