So ends another production season. The EABFs have been all over, but generally pretty good. (I'm not trying to start another endless debate about who should like the show, what seasons, what reasons, and whether it should be cancelled etc...) "The Fat and the Furriest" was a decent capper to it, albeit it 5 episodes into the season; I kept my mind open to how the bear situation would be resolved, and didn't see the tracking tag coming, but I'll be darned if it didn't actually make sense! ...to a point. It's hard to pin down just when gags started getting too unrealistic, but there were several examples of that tonight, and they kind of ruined the scenes/jokes (Homer popping up from different toilets, Abe's conveniently loaded website on the convieniently placed computer, eating the bird whole, yet another animal acting like a human). However, despite that, it was still funny, an interesting story that came together well, and I also particularly like that Bart and especially Lisa have been acting like little kids more recently (It seems as that as the show grew up, so did their characters; maybe it's just me). Um...A-.
DYN: ...in the reused couch gag, the phone buttons don't make touch-tone sounds? (This isn't the first time a couch has been slightly changed/shortened...) ...so far there haven't been any full-length openings this season (not counting the nonstandard TOH XIV)? ...Homer might have done well to place a bet for Marge's gift, considering her problem? ...as I type this, "Eye of the Tiger" is playing on the Bernie Mac season premiere, as it did tonight? (OK, well, did you notice it at all?) ...Frank Welker was not credited at all? Who did the bear sounds?
Previous episode references: 7G08 (what a way to start!): Shopping at Sprawl*Mart for cheap gifts reminded me of Homer's bonusless Christmas shopping (it says it's for dogs...) 5F08: Kitchen Carnival sponsored by American Carny Assocation, possible reason Homer went for it? DABF16: At least one thoughtful gift he's gotten 8F17 (CABF09, more?): Maggie breaking out of her baggie 3F24: Homer playing in the cotton candy 9F11: Homer gradually eating a snack 5F05: With death impending, someone decides smoking isn't a hazard (a bit of a stretch) 4F03: The bullies' dads are strong and brave BABF01: Super Sugar Crisp is one of the items that frighten Homer 1F13: Astronaut suit (this seems to be the only one from a previous episode, but I doubt that was his actual suit anyway...probably another costume) 9F16: Bart plans to change his name when he grows up (Steve Bennett there, Joe Kickass here) - many other episodes with changed names of course, but this is the best one 7G09: A Simpson befriends a bear
Other references: Wal-Mart: Duh; same general style (though it reminded me a bit more of Sam's Club or the Monstromart inside), name, and lettering outside, plus they seem to have a habit of hiring the elderly (Abe as a greeter reminded me of that guy Mario in the commercial they always run) Veggie Tales: From what I've seen, it's a series of children's videos (perhaps aired first) with talking fruit and vegetables that learn a life lesson or something to do with the Bible (I may be wrong - I think they're not explicitly Christian but do have those general values)
Goofs: -In the very first shot, Homer's car is colored a deep purple. -Mothers' Day is obviously in May, but considering that this was a holdover episode, it could have been planned for a May airdate - not as bad as some other holiday-way-off eps -Shouldn't the carpool lane be on the right side of the highway? -Rod and Todd have had sugar before (1F14 notably, but CABF16 too I think)
Meta-reference corner: Bart can finally eat his shorts if he coats them with caramel...
Deleted half-scene: In a longer version of the promo, a scene is included where Homer says "I'm gonna die a man: peeing in my pants standing up" - only the first half of this was in the broadcast episode.
Other stuff: I'm not an expert, but I believe that in general the best way to get rid of a bear is to make a lot of noise and make yourself appear as big as possible (holding out your arms, particularly if you have a jacket on); but that may not apply if it's attacking you for a good reason (e.g. disturbing its children if it's a mother bear), so maybe Homer did the right thing after all. Anyone a better bear buff?
Finally, speaking of wildlife, a brief talk about bugs. This is the kind of thing whose absence you don't notice for a while (like when hiccups go away), but I guess it's here to stay (for this season, at least)... The increasingly popular (well, populous at least) "bottom third" ads for upcoming shows have been absent from The Simpsons this season (in fact, there are no other promo things of any size at the bottom); same goes (I think) for Malcolm in the Middle, which had them last season. I believe Benjamin Robinson pointed out that originally Linwood Boomer had some sort of anti-bottom-third deal with Fox that must have expired, but I couldn't say why they're absent now. (King of the Hill has had a Simpsons bottom third the past few weeks, and Bernie Mac does too...perhaps Fox adopted a favorites policy?) For what it's worth, a new practice (since last year) I'm not too fond of is talking over the studio logos - it hasn't really gotten in the way of anything like quotes in the Gracie logo, but it's pretty annoying. That is all.