Tonite's episode: B-

This episode didn't have me laughing as much as some other episodes, but it was still fairly good. I've got to agree that was the best couch gag ever, and it was great to see Kang and Kodos in a non-Treehouse of Terror episode.

Here's a DYN for snpp.com. When Artie walked into Moe's the first time, he was greeted by four other past Simpsons characters who, like Artie, have only appeared for one or two episodes (actually Artie appears on 3 past episodes). These included Jay Sherman, the director of A Streetcar Named Desire (anyone know his name?), and two other men I didn't quite catch. Anyone saw who they were?

I think my favourite part was actually the beginning, where Homer took Bart, Lisa, Rod and Todd to the movies, and they saw that movie that Lenny played a part in. Lisa called Lenny "Mr. Leonard", so arguably Lenny's last name has been revealed finally. I loved the Flanders' "What Would Jesus Watch" booklet, which makes me wonder whether it's a coincidence that this episode came out so soon after The Passion of the Christ was released in theatres. I was surprised to see that even Bart was scared of the movie they watched. Meanwhile, things were just as funny where Ned Flanders was, which was taking the people from Springfield Retirement Castle out for ice cream on Jasper's birthday (gotta love the bowties in his beard!). When the rappers came out and started shooting confetti and ribbons, Grampa had another priceless moment, sitting in the corner yelling "Never leave day room" over and over.

My rating of this episode: B-. It had its funny moments, and the couch gag did a lot for it, but it could have been a bit better.

Jay

One of the other two was Marge's night school art instructor.

-- Andrew

Somebody claiming to be [email] (Andrewjmilner) wrote in news:[email]:

I thought the fourth one looked like The Leader from "The Joy of Sect", but I don't know if that character was voiced by Lovitz.

Close, but you evidently missed the joke. They were all characters who, like Artie, were voiced by John Lovitz.

That was revealed quite some time ago. If you're that out of it, here's one that'll really drive you nuts. They also revealed Carl's last name, but I'm going to make you go to Google to find out what it is.

How? What would YOU have done differently?

What was it that Artie said after all those characters said "Hello handsome!"? It got blocked out by a passing motorcycle on my end.

Paul Case wrote in message news:...

There were no motorcycles in last night's episode!

Space Mvsevm

Draebyerg wrote in message news:...

And in turn, you failed to explain the point of the joke. Artie insults four people who are very similar to him ( and in the case of Lewelyn Sinclair, Aristotle Amandopolis and Jay Sherman, have similar egos), immeadiately after they compliment him. This further proves Marge's observation that Artie only cares about himself, and at times goes out of his way to be mean to others.

I expected to see Brad Goodman though

But another TOH implied that they were from Uranus.

He wasn't voiced by Lovitz.

"Bloodmonkeys... everywhere!!!"

On 15 Mar 2004 08:20:49 GMT, [email] (Gyumaoh) wrote:

In "Citizen Kang" (THOH VII [4F02]), Kang says "Silence! We are travelers from a certain nearby ringed planet whose name we'd prefer not to mention." Saturn is the most prominent in our solar system, but Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune also have rings.

However, Kang could consider Rigel 7 to be "nearby".

Good point, but the OP was referring the the characters number of appearances. We've just referenced two different levels of the same joke. Anyone else see any others?

Draebyerg wrote in message news:...

"What would YOU have done differently?" - - - > The episode was fine, until it was needlessly complicated by the poker game/Ziff stock/Homer arrest plot... [A very rough draft for an alternate idea for remainder of show] - After Artie was in the backyard with Lisa,(referring to the actual "Ziff came to Dinner" ep) - he could have soon after thrown away his computer, ("My very last possession"), in a garbage can on the street out front. Artie walks over to it and sighs, "It still has a dot left on the screen...just no com". [Shot of computer screen with just a dot. (Like a burned out tv or monitor with just a dot in the center of the screen.) The dot starts to flicker, as if a cosmic star flickering with life.] Lisa [points excitedly]: "Look, there still is hope..." Artie: "Yes!...Yes there IS hope!" They grab the computer and bring it inside the Simpson house. Artie and Lisa work together on rebuilding his company from scratch. (Internet jokes/references could be thrown in while they are working on the web.) A few days later, Artie makes his first internet sale from the new website. Doorbell rings and Moe is standing there. Moe is there to make a payment, for what he thought was an adult website. Artie selfishly grabs the check, slams the door with Moe still standing in doorway as Artie then exclaims, "Silicone Valley, here I come!" . ("SiliCONE Valley- meaning when he has money, he will have women.) Then there is a montage of Artie and Lisa making sales/receiving phone calls/images of a tickertape machine/a calendar showing the days pass, etc.

In the finale, Artie and Lisa are on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange and go for the "big kill". Bart tags along there, causing trouble, pretending to be a hot shot stock broker. (A subplot involves Homer and Marge who stay back in Springfield.)

While at the NYSE, there could be "Wall Street" (the movie) jokes/references, etc. In the end, Artie becomes really wealthy again. He still pesters Marge. In final shot, Marty is by his mansion pool, the shot pans out to the sky/earth, molecular level, etc. just like the couch gag in the beginning.

**Like I said "very rough" draft.

"888eight888" wrote in message news:[email]...

Ok, I like it. Just one thing though. As the camera is doing the final long pan out, they should show Unkle Herb in one of the neighboring pools.

Draebyerg wrote in message news:...

"What would YOU have done differently?" - - - > The episode was fine, until it was needlessly complicated by the poker game/Ziff stock/Homer arrest plot... [A very rough draft for an alternate idea for remainder of show] - After Artie was in the backyard with Lisa,(referring to the actual "Ziff came to Dinner" ep) - he could have soon after thrown away his computer, ("My very last possession"), in a garbage can on the street out front. Artie walks over to it and sighs, "It still has a dot left on the screen...just no com". [Shot of computer screen with just a dot. (Like a burned out tv or monitor with just a dot in the center of the screen.) The dot starts to flicker, as if a cosmic star flickering with life.] Lisa [points excitedly]: "Look, there still is hope..." Artie: "Yes!...Yes there IS hope!" They grab the computer and bring it inside the Simpson house. Artie and Lisa work together on rebuilding his company from scratch. (Internet jokes/references could be thrown in while they are working on the web.) A few days later, Artie makes his first internet sale from the new website. Doorbell rings and Moe is standing there. Moe is there to make a payment, for what he thought was an adult website. Artie selfishly grabs the check, slams the door with Moe still standing in doorway as Artie then exclaims, "Silicone Valley, here I come!" . ("SiliCONE Valley- meaning when he has money, he will have women.) Then there is a montage of Artie and Lisa making sales/receiving phone calls/images of a tickertape machine/a calendar showing the days pass, etc.

In the finale, Artie and Lisa are on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange and go for the "big kill". Bart tags along there, causing trouble, pretending to be a hot shot stock broker. (A subplot involves Homer and Marge who stay back in Springfield.)

While at the NYSE, there could be "Wall Street" (the movie) jokes/references, etc. In the end, Artie becomes really wealthy again. He still pesters Marge. In final shot, Marty is by his mansion pool, the shot pans out to the sky/earth, molecular level, etc. just like the couch gag in the beginning.

**Like I said "very rough" draft.

Jay LaRochelle wrote:

With Kudos and Kang and that horror movie, it almost seemed like a TreeHouse-of-Horror episode. But the couch gag merely showed that Kang and Kudos were relatively close compared to the rest of the universe. In the past, whenever they would reference outer space, they would show Kang and Kudos nearby watching earth. Now we know that they are in our solar system!

Oy! Listen to Alan Michelson's latest shpiel!

First, say it with me "K*o*dos". Second, we've known all along where they're from, they're Rigelians (from Rigel 7).

Yes, we would have passed them just before we left our Milky Way Galaxy!

Alan Michelson wrote in message news:...

Kudos for Kodos! Kodos got some Kudos! Paging Bort Simpson!

As opposed to YOUR Milky Way Galaxy?

Space Mvsevm

Aaron Hirshberg wrote:

Yes, exactly!

At the beginning of the episode, when they're at the movie theatre, among all the fake movie titles, I saw one called "The Fashion of Christ".

• Vicki

The Lacusta/Castellaneta-written episodes always underwhelm me, for some reason. The plots are decent-enough, but the dialogue itself isn't all that funny,

I loved the Flanders' "What Would Jesus Watch"

Um...didn't you notice that one of the movies on the marqee at the theater they went to read "THe Frassion of Christ"??? They obviously timed this episode to come right after all the Passion of Christ hoopla. Although I have to admit, I'm pretty surprised they worked in that visual gag at such short notice.

Also at the movie theater was a poster for "Charlie Brown, your'e in the matrix" and "A Very Matrix Christmas"

Matthew:

Not necessarily. People were talking about that movie long before it was actually out in theaters.

On Sun, 14 Mar 2004 22:55:19 -0800, Matthew wrote:

that would be "The Fashion of Christ"

His name was revealed long ago.

Tim Smith wrote in news:TEf5c.4027$[email]:

Yes, about 2000 years ago. Oh, wait, you're talking about Lenny. Never mind.

Jim