Alt Tv Rewind

slatconsultingNov 11, 2002, 12:29 AM ET

First time without the sunglasses?

Mark WildenNov 11, 2002, 1:18 AM ET↩ slatconsulting

"slatconsulting" wrote in message news:[email]...

Sad. What was the point?

Jason HoehnNov 11, 2002, 1:39 AM ET↩ Mark Wilden

"Mark Wilden" wrote in message news:[email]...

Ya know, they are totally raping the characters. They NEED to leave the characters as one-dimensional cariactures. That's what makes them funny. I mean, having a Disco Stu who deep down inside doesn't like Disco?.... I mean, it's like Homer admitting he doesn't like beer. The whole joke of characters like Disco Stu is they ARE disco Stu, and we expect that. Turning them into something else just ruins them,.... Making Barney sober, marrying off Apu, Making Disco Stu "deep".... Having mr. Burns actually REMEMBER who Homer is.... It destroys the character of the characters,....

STOP RUINING THE CHARACTERS!!!!!!

Cromulant84Nov 11, 2002, 1:45 AM ET↩ Jason Hoehn

Not to mention revealing that Skinner is an impostor...

Jason HoehnNov 11, 2002, 1:49 AM ET↩ Cromulant84

"Cromulant84" wrote in message news:[email]...

Another fine example,...

Robert BindlerNov 14, 2002, 6:05 PM ET↩ Jason Hoehn

Jason Hï¿½hn ï¿½ wrote:

Maude's passing away really affected the Flanders. The were always so happy and united as a complete family, the complete opposite of OFF. Now, I don't know if they will be compared again.

JamieNov 14, 2002, 6:44 PM ET↩ Robert Bindler

Bzzt. Wrong.

Mark WildenNov 11, 2002, 1:47 AM ET↩ Jason Hoehn

"Jason Hï¿½hn ï¿½" wrote in message news:PgIz9.770150$[email]...

I couldn't agree more. I tried, but it was impossible.

VoVatNov 11, 2002, 2:07 AM ET↩ Jason Hoehn

"Jason Hï¿½hn ï¿½" wrote in message news:PgIz9.770150$[email]...

Turning

marrying

who

While I would generally agree, I'm sure the Disco Stu thing was just a throwaway joke, and he'll be back to his old persona next time we see him. It wasn't that funny, but it didn't bother me, either.

Nathan

JamieNov 11, 2002, 4:54 AM ET↩ Jason Hoehn

Turning

marrying

who

Barney & Apu are NOT one-dimensional.

Disco Stu is however, he's had what 10 lines in the entirety of the series? But the two Barney & Apu plotlines were good, and a nice exploration of each character. Everyone complains nowadays that the writers seem to have no new ideas - and then they complain because they have new ideas.

"So, you want a realistic, down-to-earth show.......that's completely off the wall and swarming with magic robots?"

VoVatNov 11, 2002, 9:46 AM ET↩ Jamie

"Adrunk" wrote in message news:aqnupk$4i7$[email]...

I

series?

each

"Days of Wine and D'ohses" was okay in and of itself, but it totally ruined Barney. I mean, has he EVER done anything funny since sobering up?

Nathan

JamieNov 11, 2002, 3:15 PM ET↩ VoVat

Hey, these people don't just exist for your amusement!!! They have lives of their own you know!

abe michaelsonNov 11, 2002, 7:41 PM ET↩ Jamie

wasn't disco stu originally sort of a typo that came to life?

Lisa: Dad, why does your jacket say, "Disco Stu" on the back? Homer: I was going to write, "Disco Stud", but I ran out of space. Disco Stu's friend: Hey Stu, you should buy that jacket! DS: Disco Stu doesn't advertise.

now THAT was funny.

i'd be all for a more complex disco stu, but having him not really like disco was a bit predictable. and not all that complex, really.

(quotations from memory, btw)

"Adrunk" wrote in message news:aqp37v$ri6$[email]...

of

Jason HoehnNov 11, 2002, 8:37 PM ET↩ abe michaelson

"abe michaelson" wrote in message news:87Yz9.7536$[email]...

He was always at his funniest when he had quick little one liners... Making him a "character" is a mistake,... Like all the other second bananas, he's t his best when he comes in with one or two quick funny lines,... Same thing with the barflies, same with the cops,...

P. Piggly HogswineNov 11, 2002, 9:07 PM ET↩ Jason Hoehn

"Jason Hï¿½hn ï¿½" wrote in message news:LXYz9.801158$[email]...

bananas,

Same

disco stu wants you to be comfortable while he does his thang ...

VoVatNov 12, 2002, 1:06 AM ET↩ P. Piggly Hogswine

"P. Piggly Hogswine" wrote in message news:InZz9.11831$[email]...

Who's Disco Stu?

Nathan

David McClearyNov 12, 2002, 1:37 AM ET↩ VoVat

"Disco Stu, likes disco music."

Chris®Nov 12, 2002, 4:57 AM ET↩ VoVat

Looks like Disco Stu does need to advertise.

"I used to be with it, but then they changed what "it" was. Now, what I'm with isn't it, and what's "it" seems weird and scary to me" - Abraham Simpson

TerryNov 13, 2002, 5:56 PM ET↩ Chris®

"Disco Stu's working pro bono..."

ZedNov 11, 2002, 10:41 PM ET↩ VoVat

I miss Barney too.

Stoneco864Nov 11, 2002, 3:16 PM ET↩ Jamie

Yes where may I find one?

JamieNov 11, 2002, 3:17 PM ET↩ Stoneco864

alt.tv.family-guy

Eric PerlinNov 11, 2002, 11:36 PM ET↩ Jason Hoehn

"Jason Hï¿½hn ï¿½" wrote:

} Ya know, they are totally raping the characters. They NEED to } leave the characters as one-dimensional cariactures. That's } what makes them funny. I mean, having a Disco Stu who deep } down inside doesn't like Disco?.... I mean, it's like Homer } admitting he doesn't like beer. The whole joke of characters } like Disco Stu is they ARE disco Stu, and we expect that. } Turning them into something else just ruins them,.... Making } Barney sober, marrying off Apu, Making Disco Stu "deep".... } Having mr. Burns actually REMEMBER who Homer is.... It } destroys the character of the characters,.... } } STOP RUINING THE CHARACTERS!!!!!!

In other words, you want all the characters to endlessly do the same old routines over and over, episode after episode.

Markc65Nov 12, 2002, 3:58 AM ET↩ Eric Perlin

It seems rather easy for a writer to make a character change 180 degrees in order to do something new or interesting with the character (or, God help us, have the character "grow"). Archie Bunker is a bigot? Let's make him tolerent! So what if it goes against his character. But once you establish that change, the character can never go back to what they once were (and what the audience once liked about them).

So in this spirit I suggest the following episode ideas:

Lisa becomes stupid!

Burns learns to be a decent human being.

Smithers turns straight and gets married (and has nine kids).

Moe becomes an aristocrat.

Martin becomes stupid!

That wouldn't ruin the characters, now would it?

JamieNov 12, 2002, 12:28 PM ET↩ Markc65

your "hilarious" hypothetical examples are of complete personality reversals. Apu's decision to get married is hardly going to completely alter his character, is it?

Markc65Nov 13, 2002, 3:40 AM ET↩ Jamie

I see you don't know much about marriage.

As for the "complete personality reverals," isn't that what the writers did when they changed Barney from a sloppy drunk into a neat and sober person?

JD44-C84XNov 14, 2002, 5:50 PM ET↩ Markc65

["Markc65"; Tue, 12 Nov 2002 08:58:11 GMT]

It sounds to me that people aren't happy with the 180-degree changes, like Barney's sobering up. People don't want the same thing endlessly (zero- degree change), but it sounds like good character growth would be like 45- degree extensions of the characters -- not complete turnarounds that flip everything we know upside-down. That's unbelievable.

Jean FontaineNov 11, 2002, 2:57 AM ET↩ Mark Wilden

I think the point was to underline the claim that, in a taxi cab, people lose all inhibitions and don't act or talk as their usual selves. The phenomenon is known to psychologists as the "Disco Stu Complex". Even Lisa didn't suspect Disco Stu to be so "complex".

Don't worry: in the future episodes, Disco Stu will be back to his usual persona, as long as he stays away from taxi cabs.

Chris®Nov 11, 2002, 1:50 PM ET↩ slatconsulting

I thought the Disco Stu gag on "Taxicab Conversations" was the only truly funny aspect of what was a lame, pedestrian episode.

"I used to be with it, but then they changed what "it" was. Now, what I'm with isn't it, and what's "it" seems weird and scary to me" - Abraham Simpson