[The long of it]
Only Fox's promotions department knows for sure, but I suspect "Don't Fear the Roofer" wasn't always intended to be the landmark 350th episode of "The Simpsons." It shows, and that's a good thing. Most other "landmark" episodes seem concerned with being vehicles for big guest stars, or having a bigger, "grander" plot than usual. Not that this formula never works, but many of my favorite episodes revolve around the core cast and find the humor in everyday situations. "Don't Fear the Roofer" has two pivotal guest stars, but lacked feeling that the writers were straining to out-do past episodes. The result is a good show, and probably even better than what the network had originally planned.
In this episode, it's Homer's turn to feel unappreciated by friends and family. He lets the roof maintenance on his home slide to the point where Marge can accuse him of literally failing to put a roof over his family's heads. The patrons at Moe's kick him out after he accidentally spoils Lenny's surprise party. He goes to a Hooters-like bar to lick his wounds, and this is where he meets Ray Magini, a congenial fellow and -- what a happy coincidence! -- a professional roofer. Magini is voiced boy Ray Romano and picks up not only the actor's voice, but much of his easygoing persona, as well. He doesn't mind when Homer grabs most of his nachos at the bar, he's up for a nail-gun fight on Homer's roof, and even helps Homer get started with his repairs. Some of their scenes together even have a romantic subtext (which is kept at the shy puppy-love stage to keep from getting too icky).
If Magini has a fault, it would be his Homer-like lack of dependability. This has some interesting consequences. Marge, who never seems to run into Homer's new friend, suspects that he's a product of Homer's imagination. The theory is reinforced when no one else can recall seeing Ray, either. At this point, the story turns into something from an M. Night Shyalaman [sic?] film, and we start to wonder if we've been fooled ourselves. I wish the writers had introduced this idea earlier, because it's the most imaginative concept in an otherwise straightforward buddy story. Instead, it's brought up when the show's more than halfway done. At least the writers have an amusingly convoluted explanation, instead of getting lazy and springing another "There's an explanation but we can't be bothered with telling you what it is" ending on us.
I mentioned that there were two guest voices in this episode. The other one belongs to Stephen Hawking, whose appearance was a pleasant surprise for me. (He wasn't mentioned in any of the promos I saw.) He's back in town as the owner of the local Little Caesar's franchise, and to help with the third-act explanation. I like how "The Simpsons" can not only have Romano and Hawing as guest stars, but have them on *the same episode.*
There were other cute gags here and there. Homer's rain chute, fashioned from Hot Wheels track, was a winner. So were his thought bubbles at the bar, where he figures out how Ray can help his life. In a freeze-frame moment, the kids make a great "welcome home" banner for Homer. The final scene between Ray and Homer turns a heavy-handed meta-reference to Romano's other acting gig into a funny, drawn-out conversation that spills over into the end credits.
Ray Romano is a fitting choice for a guest star tonight. He's a likeable actor, and he can obviously carry the central role of a show, but he never dominates whatever he's in. That holds true tonight, where he's a pleasant addition to the show, rather than the justification for the show's existence. Instead of concentrating on the Big Guest Star or the Big Plot, the writers focused on a story that was unusual, but not outrageously so. Fox might have intended "The Heartbroke Kid (GABF11)", the second feature on tonight's double- header, to be the designated #350, so perhaps the writers didn't feel the pressure coming up with something "important" for this one. I fear that milestone episodes will buckle under this pressure but, whether by chance or design, "Don't Fear the Reaper" gives me nothing to worry about.
[The short of it]
Unlike most milestone episodes, this doesn't shoot for being the Biggest Episode Yet, and that's why it's better than most milestones. Ray Romano lends both his voice and his easygoing persona to Homer's new friend, and most of their scenes together are good. I also liked the twist in the second half of the show, as we are led to wonder about Ray's very existence. It's too bad they didn't bring it up a little earlier, though, since it was such an interesting development. Stephen Hawking also makes an unexpected, but funny, guest appearance. The convoluted exposition at the end is satisfying, and the conversation over the end credits works well. Don't fear -- "The Reaper" doesn't buckle under the pressure of being #350. (B)
[DYNs]
... the hand placing the puzzle pieces in the couch gag is (Caucasian) flesh-colored, rather than yellow? ... on his way out the door, Lisa's hamster's head hits the mail slot cover? ... someone remembered to draw in those little Hot Wheels track connectors? ... Homer drives with the window partly lowered even when it's raining?
[References]
"Don't Fear the Reaper" - title a spoof of popular Blue Oyster Cult song
Ritz (brand of cracker) - Bart holds up a box of soggy Ritzy Crackers
Hooters (chain of "bosom bars," as Marge puts it) - Knockers an, um, knock-off, with similar concept and decor
"A Beautiful Mind" (movie) - characters initially presented as real turn out to be hallucinations caused by mental illness - as I remember, they tried ECT on the main character, too
"March Madness" (basketball slogan) - the slogan refers to the hoopla surrounding the NCAA Division I college basketball playoffs, which begin in March; Calmwood can cure this now, apparently
[Previous Episode References]
[AABF18] Stephen Hawking is a guest star
[2F08] Homer kicked out of Moe's after inadvertently upsetting the
other customers
[7F24], [CABF11] Nail gun follies
[DABF06] "One, two, three, four, I declare a _____ war!"
[4F07] Calmwood is the institution that treated Ned Flanders[FFF]
Commemorative designation:
350TH EPISODE, MAN!
[And thanks to WTVT-13 for nearly covering this with their Lotto
number results!]The best cola ever:
Homer Cola
----------
Sugar
Water
Bubbles
and ?Knockers roadside sign:
WELCOME
HOME ROWDY
DRINKERSWarning sign in restaurant:
NO LOOKING
AT OUR
WAITRESSES'
ENORMOUS
BREASTSHomer's T-shirt:
KNOCKERS
ON
ROUTE 98Scenic billboard:
KRUSTY
FLAKES
[milk pouring into bowl,]
[ as Krusty watches ]
IT'S LIKE EATING A BIRTHDAY CAKE FOR
BREAKFASTMental hospital:
Calmwood
MENTAL HOSPITAL
+-------------+
|WE NOW TREAT |
|MARCH MADNESS|
+-------------+Lisa's anagram sign:
RAY MAGINI
\XX\/\X\// [<- bunch of arrows showing letter transpositions]
IMAGINARYKids' "welcome home" banner:
WE [heart] OUR INSANE DAD
^
|
["IN" crossed out][Personal Comments & Observations]
The show Ray Magini is trying to recommend to Homer is "Everybody Loves Raymond." The meta-reference is that it stars Ray Romano, the guy playing Magini. By the way, Magini is right when he says you must hurry to watch the show, as the last new episode will air in a few weeks. [Or aired a few weeks after "Don't Fear the Roofer" did, if you're reading this after May, 2005.]
Normally, a nail gun isn't supposed to fire unless the tip of the gun is pressed against something, like a board or Ned Flanders' head. In the capsule for "Bye Bye, Nerdie (CABF11)", someone named "Dag Nabbit" reports you can defeat this safety feature and sort of use the guns as a weapon. However, "lacking a barrel or any kind of stabilizing device on the nail, they don't fly straight ... unless wizardry is involved."
Needless to say, you should not try this at home, or anywhere else.
Billy Joel: Rock-and-roll singer whose heyday was in the late 70s and early 80s. While catchy and upbeat, a lot of his songs had a certain sentimentality to them, which might be the source of the "cheesy" gag leveled at him tonight. Joel's laughing all the way to the bank, though. Not only was his song catalog enormously popular, but there's a Broadway musical based on his work, and he once spent about a year travelling the country speaking to college music students about his work.
Pat Sajak: Longtime host of "Wheel of Fortune," a syndicated game show.
It's getting late. I'll post a review for it tomorrow. Consider yourself warned.