[The long of it]
Well, it's official. The success of "Lisa's Wedding (2F15)" will never be duplicated. It was a perfect storm of an episode, combining novelty, humor, science-fiction spoofing, and almost heartbreaking emotional depth in a way that was rarely seen before in the series and will probably never be seen again.
So, in a race with "Lisa's Wedding," "Future-Drama" comes in second. How does it stand on its own merits? Commendably well, actually. In fact, I liked it better on the second viewing, when I wasn't so busy comparing it with its predecessor.
This time around, it's Professor Frink who gives Bart and Lisa, and by extension the audience, a glimpse of what will happen in 2013. Lead writer Matt Selman (a good choice, by the way, given his skill in handling Bart-Lisa episodes in general) wisely sets up the framing story quickly, so we can get right to the good stuff: Bart, Lisa, and the rest of Springfield as they will look eight years from now. Part of the fun of a future episode is seeing what fates are assigned to what characters. Some seem inevitable. Edna Krabapple, noticeably more wrinkled, cruises the bar scene and even propositions 18-year-old Bart. Martin is such lame company even the robot he built doesn't want to hang out with him. Lenny and Carl are still friends, and have a great scene together. Other futures are a more unexpected: Nelson knocks up *both* Sherri and Terri. Smithers' choice of dating partner is something I wouldn't have guessed at in a million years. Milhouse tries to pump up his self-image with body building, but it's an exercise in futility. Alas, Homer and Marge have finally separated. It's a downer, but stick with it, for it ends really well.
Some people will complain that the science seems impossibly advanced, especially for a story that takes place only eight years hence. They're right, of course, but it misses the point: The show is going for science-fiction spoofs, not accurate extrapolation. Most of the jokes work, like Homer's early-adopter hovercar (which is funny because it doesn't work well) and his impractical future house. Moe clones himself, only to discover that he doesn't get along with Moe any better than anyone else does. Burns has plans to turn all his diamonds back into coal, "the most valuable substance in the world." Frink's machine is pretty cool itself, capably not only of showing Bart and Lisa's future, but several parallel storylines, as well.
The missing ingredient in "Future-Drama" is an equivalent to the moving reconciliation between Lisa and her father. The new episode supplies Bart with an on-again, off-again girlfriend, Jenda (voiced by Amy Poehler). It makes sense that we'd "drop in" on the middle of an established relationship, since it gives the impression that Bart and Jenda have been an item for a while. The problem is that we don't have any backstory on her -- what does she see in Bart, and why is she so quick to dump him -- so that when she left, it was hard to feel Bart's pain. This also meant that in the third act, when Bart has to choose between pleasing Jenda or helping Lisa, it doesn't seem like much of a decision. By comparison, "Lisa's Wedding" traced the entire arc of Lisa and Hugh's love affair, and we had seen (at the time) six years of her relationship with her father. When Lisa made her choice between Hugh and Homer, I was almost painfully aware of what the decision implied. When Amy and Bart broke up for the first time, I felt like saying, "Jenda, we hardly knew ya."
Matt Groening's long-ago decision not to age the characters is a sound one, since it preserves the family relations between Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie that are such an important part of the show. It does, however, leave a hunger in the audience to see what the characters would be like at other stages in their lives. I don't think it's a coincidence that a large sub-genre of "Simpson" fan- fiction is future-themed episodes. (Jake Lennington has gone so far as to create his own future-themed *series*.) "Future-Drama" scratches this itch with aplomb, giving us novel and funny predictions of where the characters are heading. If the some of the story seems sketchily defined, well, no worries. In the amazing world of the future, they'll probably have a fix for that. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy "Future-Drama" right now.
[The short of it]
It's not the sublime experience "Lisa's Wedding (2F15)" is, but "Future-Drama" stands commendably well on its own, and that's what matters. The framing story sets up the premise and gets us to the fun part quickly. Many of the characters' "fates" are appropriate, and a few, like Smithers', are downright unexpected. Marge and Homer's situation is kind of a downer, but stick with it, for it ends really well. Most of the science-fiction spoofs work, or at least work better than Homer's hovercar did in the show. The main fly in the ointment is that the Bart-Jenda relationship seems shallow, in part because we don't learn much about her. Maybe in the future they'll have a fix for that. Meanwhile, I'd give this episode an A-.
[DYNs]
... at some point in her life, Lisa is destined to get visible braces and a "Band Camp" T-shirt? ... future Bart and Lisa's voices are pitched down slightly? ... Jenda's hair looks similar to Amy Poehler's, who did her voice? They both part it in the middle and have a hint of flip on the end. ... the tassels on Burns' nightcap and gown have that futuristic ring-of-Saturn effect? ... Frink's skeleton hanging in his (future) house?
[References]
"Futurama" (TV series) - episode title a spoof - Bender tries to be pals with future-Homer and Bart, only to be rebuffed [See "Personal Comments & Observations" for more]
"Transformers" (animated TV series) - in the couch gag, OFF appear as robots that transform from "mundane" machines into cyborgs
Tampa Bay Devil Rays (professional baseball team) - Frink refers to astrology as the "Devil Rays" of science, referring to the Rays' lackluster win-loss record [Ouch! I live in the Tampa Bay media market]
"E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial" (movie) - trash collectors' spaceship similar in design - garbage man's appearance at ship portal similar to ET's when he boards for his flight home
"The Grinch that Stole Christmas" (book and TV special) - Lisa, apparently, steals Christmas some time back
The Incredible Hulk (superhero) - Milhouse's reaction when Lisa leaves him is similar to one of the Hulk's rampages - Bart also calls him a mini-Hulk, if I'm not mistaken
[Previous Episode References]
[2F15], [BABF13] Simpson kids have their futures revealed to them [7F12], [DABF04] Larry Davis Experience performs at a prom [2F06] Homer realizes his dream of living under the sea [7F12] The make-out spot appears [FABF21] Martin's reluctant robot pal appears
[FFF]
Banner above the prom stage:
THE LARRY DAVIS
IPOD EXPERIENCE [For those of you Googling this 10 years from now, an iPod was
Apple's popular MP3 player.] [For those of you Googling this 20 years from now, Apple was a
popular maker of computers and consumer electronics, like iPods.] [For those of you Googling this 25 years from now, Google was a
popular search engine.]Sign at make-out spot:
contraception
overlookMenu of future events on Frink's machine:
[Frink] NOW PLAYING
O Teenage Bart and Lisa
O Kang and Kodos Invasion
! Vice-President Cletus
O Moe Gets E-mail
O Flanders' Revenge
O Maggie's D.U.I.
O Lenny's Super PetTunnel sign:
QUANTUM
TUNNELSurgery clinic sign:
PLASTIC SURGERY CENTER
CELEBRITY BUTTOCKS,
NIPPLE RELOCATIONS,
AND
FLUFFY TAILSGorilla campaign sign:
[Ape giving] GIVE APES
[thumbs-up ] THE VOTEYOU WON'T REGRET IT
Store display at Costington's:
SURPRISE HER
WITH A
DOGCATHomer's party banner (spelling as-is):
CONJRADULATIONS
HI SKOOL
GRADUATES[Oops!]
There's probably a good explanation for this, but who was minding Maggie on her vacation to Alaska?
For those of you who believe in the veracity of the fortuneteller's view of Lisa's future, several things in this story contradict the future seen in "Lisa's Wedding." For instance, Martin appears at the prom here, but is disfigured in a lab accident in the earlier story.
(For those of you who don't believe in fortune telling, this obviously isn't a goof.)
[Personal Comments & Observations]
After Homer and Bart go through the quantum tunnel, Bender appears in their hover-car. The two quickly toss Bender to the curb and call him a "loser," to boot. It reminded me of the way Fox treated Matt Groening's other animated series.
"Take On Me," by a-ha, inexplicably plays at the SHS prom.
As Homer and Bart go for a drive, "I.G.Y.," by Donald Fagen, plays on the radio. Thanks to <http://www.steelydan.com/lyrnightfly.html> for helping me identify this.
During the graduation party at Homer's, New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle" can be heard.
"Sea of Love" plays during Marge and Homer's final scene.
Marge takes what at first appears to be a Polaroid (TM) photo, but when she shakes it, the photo turns into a cake with Bart and Lisa's picture on it. At least one half of this technology is available now. Many bakeries can now accept digital photos. The pictures are printed, using edible food coloring, onto a thin sheet of "paper" made of sugar. The photo is placed on a cake and -- viola! -- a cake decorated with a photo-realistic portrait of the party's guest of honor.
Maggie's postcard from Alaska, showing her relaxing on a beach, is a commentary on global warming. Evidently, someone on the writing staff thinks it will be a problem in the future, turning frigid Alaska into a tropical tourist destination, and playing havoc with the local polar bears.
I'm glad I took a second look at Maggie's DUI arrest. At first, I thought she was defiantly sucking that officer's pistol, like John Malkovich in "In the Line of Fire." Turns out she's not that psycho, though; it was just a Breathalyzer.
This is disputed by some scientists, but supposedly twinning runs in families, as Nelson, Sherri, and Terri can confirm.
Eric must have been vacationing with Maggie. Who do you think was taking her picture at Alaska Beach?