(long) A review of "Revenge is a Dish Best Served Three Times (JABF05)"

[The long of it]

As the title suggests, "Revenge is a Dish Best Served Three Times" is really three one-act shows. (Well, *four* if you count the framing story.) Multi-story episodes click with me, because they're a change of pace from the usual sitcom setup, and because the shorter format lets the writers explore ideas that would get tiresome if they were stretched over a three-act arc. There have been some exceptions to this rule, but "Revenge" isn't one of them.

The framing story is so quick that it's almost impossible to expand a description past a two-sentence summary. While out on a family drive, Homer is cut off by the Rich Texan. As Homer speeds up to exact revenge, his family tries to talk him out of it by sharing stories of vengeance gone wrong. It's not a hilarious setup, but it serves the story well, and it's quick enough that we get right to the first tale.

That would be Marge's "The Count of Monte Fatso," which casts the Simpsons as an 18th-century Parisian family. Moe, jealous of Homer's wife and kids, has Homer thrown in jail on trumped-up treason charges. Homer escapes and vows revenge on Moe, who has since moved in with Marge. The story drags a bit in the beginning with some French gags, but picks up once Homer is imprisoned. Homer's belabored attempts to escape -- he manages to screw up even when *given* a treasure map and an escape tunnel -- were the highlight of the story. His "revenge machine" that he constructs to entrap Moe is a good idea (for the audience; it doesn't work out so well for Homer), although I wish it were even more elaborate. The ending was a bit predictable, but this might not have been avoidable since the characters announced from the start that the stories were examples of how revenge always backfires.

Lisa's contribution is "Revenge of the Geeks." Later in the episode, Bart mentions that Marge and Lisa's stories were "kind of" the same. Indeed, they both have the same theme and plot structure: someone is wronged, they plot revenge with an elaborate device, and his downfall comes when they take it too far. Lisa's story is just different enough to keep from being repetitive, though. The school nerds create a backpack-glove duo that allows the wearer to dish out any schoolyard torture he desires, from wet willies to purple nurples. (The list of choices was one of the best things about this story, by the way.) Milhouse volunteers to try the device on the school bullies, and this works great. Of course, Milhouse being who he is, he manages to screw things up by taking revenge on everyone else who slighted him, which is pretty much everyone in Springfield Elementary. This story has the thinnest plot, but the one-act structure works to its advantage, in that the writers can get away with having a five-minute "show." Also, the wrongheaded "lesson" homer learns from this story is almost as good as the story itself.

The last story comes from Bart (what, you thought Maggie was going to tell us something?), and his "Bartman Begins" is noticably different from the other two. It's a point-for-point takeoff of the Batman origin story, with Bart in the title role as is "Bartman" alter ego. Anyone familiar with Batman can tell you where the revenge angle factors in: Bart's parents are shot and killed by a mugger, and he becomes a crimefighter as a way to avenge their deaths. There's a nice comment on Bartman's over-the-top method of justice. He thwarts a newspaper thief by throwing him on some high-voltage lines, and Apu commends him by saying, "Your act of reckless homicide has saved me eighty cents." Furthermore, the parodies of the various villians Bartman faces are good -- I liked The Toker and The Diddler -- and the final face-off between Bartman his nemesis The Serpent caps the story well.

After that, it's back to the framing story wrap-up which features some nice, if heavy-handed, self-referential humor and a funny peacemaking conversation between Homer and the Texan. The show ends on an incongruous list of "Star Wars" fatalities. I thought it was amusing, although you can argue that it felt like the writers were covering up the lack of an ending.

"Revenge" is a solid entry in the three-story library of shows. I think the writers are doing a better job with these than they are with the traditional "TOH," to be honest with you. If living well is the best revenge, then surely writing well is in the top five somewhere.

[The short of it]

I usually enjoy these three-story episodes, and tonight's show is no exception. "The Count of Monte Fatso" is a good start, with Homer's escape from the French prison being the highlight. "Revenge of the Geeks" has a good role for Milhouse and the bullies. I also liked the Get Backinator, and the one-act limit keeps the story from running too long. "Bartman Begins" is a fine parody of the "Batman" origin legend, and features good villians in addition to the here. The framing story sets up this episode nicely, although some might not like the incongruous ending. A fine episode overall. (B+)

[DYNs]

...	in the couch gag, Maggie looks around as if surprised she's the
	only one that's still a baby?
...	Jimbo was reading a Daily Racing Form when Martin interrupted
	the bullies?
...	Milhouse's hair gets mussed up as he uses the Get Backinator?
...	*Ralph* is on Milhouse's revenge list?  What could he have done?
...	Abe's dozing as Bart works out with the bowling-pin things?

[References]

"The Count of Monte Cristo" (novel) - Marge's story is called "The Count of Monte Fatso"

"The Man in the Iron Mask" (novel) - guards mention famous prisoner as they escort Homer to his cell

"Revenge of the Nerds" (movie) - Lisa's story is called "Revenge of the Geeks"

"Get Back" (song) - nerds' revenge machine called the "Get Backinator"

"General Hospital" (TV series) - one of the schoolyard tortures is the "Genital Hospital"

"Batman Begins" (movie) - "Bartman Begins" borrows the movie's title and premise

"Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (movie) - in Bart's story, the comedy duo meet polio

"Batman" (superhero) - one of Bartman's adversaries is The Toker, a spoof of The Joker - The Diddler (as in, The Riddler) is another Bartman foe - Batman's Poison Ivy becomes Poison Lenny here

[Previous Episode References]

[4F15]   Bart drunk
[HABF02] Lisa drunk
[2F20]   Homer offers a revisionist explanation for Mr. Burns's
         shooting
[7F21]   Bartman appears

[FFF]

Satellite radio stations:

    COOL      NEON      CHILL      CHILL     JAMAICAN
    WAVES    BREEZE    THUNDER    THUNDER     BEATS
                                   LITE

Prison newspaper:

       Chateau d'if Times
    -------------------------
    PRISONER'S WIFE REMARRIES

Modified sign in front of Homer's house:

     CHEZ
    SIMPSON    ["Simpson" crossed out, ]
      MEAUX    ["Meaux" hand-writtin in]

Hitler standee:

    BEFORE I WAS
    A NAZI LEADER
    I WAS A NAZI
       READER.

Settings on the "Get Backinator":

    WEDGIE    PURPLE    NOOGIE    PINK     INDIAN
              NURPLE              BELLY     BURN

     WET       DRY      KIDNEY      NASTY     GENITAL
    WILLIE    WILLIE    STONING    JACKSON    HOSPITAL

      STOP     FRESHMAN    ULTIMATE
    HITTING     FACIAL      NOOGIE
    YOURSELF

Milhouse's enemies list:

    SKINNER   JIMBO
    KEARNY    NANA
    ------------------
    WENDELL   DOLPH
    SHERRI    COSINE
    ------------------
    TERRI      M[Milhouse's]
    CHUCK     DA[  thumb   ]
    ------------------
    BECKY     MARTIN
    RICHARD   DATABASE
    ------------------
    ROD       NELSON
    TODD      WILLIE
    ------------------
    UTER      LOUIS
    RALPH     JANEY

Theater marquees:

ZORRO JOINS THE NAVY

ABBOT AND COSTELLO MEET POLIO

Opera house marquee:

    GOTHAM CITY
    OPERA HOUSE

First Gotham headline:

     Gotham Herald
    ----------------
    CRIMSON COCKATOO
    BEATEN SENSELESS

Second headline:

       MUSCULAR CHILD
    TERRORIZES UNDERWORLD

Museum marquee and banner:

GOTHAM NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

              TONIGHT:
        THE STEALABLE JEWELS
           OF THE ORIENT

"Star Wars" death call:

    THIS EPISODE IS DEDICATED
     TO ALL WHO DIED IN THE
       "STAR WARS" FILMS

DARTH VADER

DARTH MAUL

GREEDO

UNCLE OWEN

STORM TROOPER #5

JANGO FETT

GENERAL GRIEVOUS (DROID)

STORM TROOPER #22

DAK

OBI WAN (BEN) KENOBI

WHOEVER JIMMY SMITS PLAYED

HUTT, JABBA THE

SY SNOODLES

       UNFORTUNATELY, NOT
         JAR-JAR BINKS

     EVERYONE ON BOTH DEATH
     STARS WHEN THEY BLEW UP

[Personal Comments & Observations]

Bart mentions that there are three ways to talk about revenge -- coincidentally, that's the same number of stories in this episode.

He goes on to say that two of the ways are kind of the same; Marge and Lisa's stories both strike the same theme of revenge going awry.

Finally, Bart figures that one of the ways would make a better Halloween story; "Bartman Begins" is the sort of movie parody story that's normally done on "Treehouse of Horror" episodes. (It has the high -- for a "Simpsons" episode, anyway -- body count we'd associate with "TOH," too.)

According to http://www.snpp.com/episodes/4F19, Moe had an enemies list too!

Moe:      No, it's true.  I got their names written down right here on
          what I call my, uh, "enemies list."  [reaches under the bar
          for a sheet of paper]
Barney:   [takes list and reads it]  Jane Fonda, Daniel Shore, Jack
          Anderson ... Hey!  This is Richard Nixon's enemies list.
You
          just crossed out his name and put yours.
Moe:      Okay, gimmie that, gimmie it back.  [takes list]
          [writes] Barney Gumble.
Barney:   Oh.

BTW, it is "Daniel Schorr", not "Daniel SHORE".

Mr. Museum

Benjamin Robinson wrote:

Maybe it's for horning in on Lisa in 9F13?

I agree with Matt--it would make sense that he would be mad at Ralph for dating Lisa. FWIW.

I don't know if this counts as a goof, but grammatically it should be "whomever Jimmy Smits played".

These ARE goofs--it should be General Grevious and Sy Snootles.

As someone mentioned in another thread, Revenge Of The Geeks really could have worked as a ToH story, too.

Where Is Springfield Department:

The Rich Texan says that he and Homer are both from Connecticut.

That was the funniest moment of the show for me, just because it snuck up on me--I immediately thought of the Where Is Springfield angle, so it took me a moment to realize--wait, the rich *Texan* just said he was from CT? Just strange enough to work. Good episode.