Okay, so a question for you all (just to get your thought juices flowing): Do you consider the future episodes (So far, this includes "Lisa's Wedding," "Bart to the Future," and "Future-Drama") to be 1. actual depictions of the future? In other words, reality that exists within the continuum of The Simpsons? 2. simply "visions" that come from the minds of those "producing" them (as in the fortune teller, the indian casino manager, and Professor Frink)? In other words, just stories but not actual predictions of the future? 3. real futures in some episodes, "what-might-happen" scenarios in others? In other words, some episodes are option #1, and some are option #2?
And why?
Extra credit: What is the atomic weight of bolognium?
I was just reading some of the older posts on this NG and saw some really good discussions, so I thought I'd start one, instead of whatching eachother quote. I just wanted to entertain!
Actually Skinner in one episode was responsible for slashing the budget. He eliminated Science, Music and Art :-( and maybe something else I can't remember.
I consider the ending to "Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie" and "The Front" (with the high school reunion) as "real", and the others as visions. At least I did before "Behind the Laughter", where it was decided that nothing is real even as far as the "real" Simpsons are concerned because it is just the Simpson family in a TV series.
Bolognium? Is that the stuff that turns people (and Irkens) into bologna? "Hey, Gaz - taste me - I'm delicious!"
I've always considered "Behind the Laughter" as an episode that existed outside of the reality of the Simpsons, like the THOHs, "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular," and "The Simpsons Spin-off Showcase" ("Simpsons Bible Stories" is kind of a gray area, since they, y'know, go to Hell at the end).
It's interesting to note, though, that "Lisa's Wedding" is the only one of the three that exists within a "normal" episode:
"The Way We Weren't"
Homer: "Marge, I'm really sorry I hurt you, but I've done way worse stuff since then. There was the gun I hid from you, the time I sued the church, ruining Lisa's wedding in the future. Remember that?"
Although, it's possible Lisa just told Homer what the fortune teller said.
In alt.tv.simpsons, on the "Future Episodes: Reality?" thread, Matt Awbrey wrote:
#3, I suppose. Here's why.
I've always accepted "Lisa's Wedding (2F15)" as an actual depiction of the future, largely because I thought the story was just too good *not* to be true. Also, it mentions that Bart would be aiming for law school, which seems to set up his future career as Chief Justice of the Suprerme Court in "Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie (9F03)."
There's also this bit of dialogue: Lisa: Wow. Now that I know all this, isn't there any way to change the future? Woman: No...but try to look surprised.
This is unusual, in that "predict the future" episodes on other shows usually mention that what's being shown is one of several possible futures. In the the next future episode, "Bart to the Future (BABF13)," the casino manager specifically says that Bart's future will be like the vision *unless he changes his irresponsible ways*. That clearly falls into your second category.
"Future-Drama (GABF12)" falls in between the two. Frink uses a machine and some sort of scientific principle to show Bart and Lisa eight years from now, suggesting an "actual" future. The question becomes, "How accurate is Frink's machine." It predicted that Maggie would be with Bart and Lisa in Frink's basement, so it obviously isn't perfect. Even so, predicting that Bart and Lisa, of all the people in Springfield, would show up in the right place at the right time is pretty impressive. I think Frink and his invention probably got the broad outlines correct, but some of the details are open to question.