It�s time for a new episode review by me. I wanted to say something nice about an episode, so I�ve chosen one from my alltime-classic list, namely the IMO brillant 2F32 "Round Springfield" from S6.
As usual sorry for my English. It�s getting rusty, I should use it more often.
The episode has a surprisingly bad reputation and many people consider it as too sappy, emotional and not funny enough, but I�d say it�s a very important episode and very underrated. Personally, I consider a large group of episodes in season 5 and partly season 6 as too superficial, the episodes mostly used the characters as mere tools for jokes in fast plots. S7 was written in another and more serious way, but the change of style started already in season 6 with episodes like 2F32.
Why define characters in a deep and three-dimensional way in the very first seasons and use them later for nothing but simple fun and slapstick? Doesn�t make much sense.
2F32 was an important episode, which brought the show at least a little back to its roots and which was able to unite the dark seriousness of season 2 with the fun-orientation of season 6. The episode isn�t overly funny, but that�s good. The writers weren�t so afraid of their own seriousness at the end of season 6 and thus they started again to write darker and more serious plotlines. It�s an episode about the death of BGM and the humor is toned down in a suitable way. It�s not the loud slapstick of season 5 but more of a silent and character-oriented humor and I love it.
The episode is character-related and partly very emotional and a good sequel to 7G06 "Moaning Lisa". Back in good old season 1, Lisa told BGM about the suppression of her creative spirit. Now, she�s able to express herself with her music (at the school concert) but when she returns to talk to BGM, he�s dead. That�s dark. It�s dark, but shown in the right way, neither flat nor cynical. The balance between emotional side and humor is quite right and IMO very different from sappy sitcom humor of other shows.
There are also a couple of good plot- und structure related elements, the satirical subplot with Bart and his "incident" with Krusty-Flakes is a sub-element which contributes to the main plot. Bart has to go to the hospital, so Lisa could meet BGM again at the beginning. At the end, Lisa was the only one who believed Bart that he was sick and thus he helps her with the "Sax on the Beach" album, which is a way to bring the main plot to an end as well. That�s active co-operation of plot elements.
By helping his sister, Bart also "extends" above his usual characterization (he buys her the album "cause it�ll make you happier than me") so the story hasn�t only depth for Lisa but also for Bart. It�s the important element of family integrity opposed to a satirically exaggerated world. Very good. The emotionally deep situation between Bart and Lisa is repeated in (even better) 3F02 "Bart Sells his Soul", just with different roles. 2F32 has moreover some other important classic elements and a lot of good humor (Abe and the Death) and good social satire (KJAZZ has 152 listeners.)
The ending is of course rather cartoonish, but I don�t mind. It�s probably the only very surreal ending (without deeper meaning and message) I consider as absolutely brilliant (humor is in the detail again, all heads except BGM were spoken by James Earl Jones.) I think the emotion and character depth of Lisa is strong enough to "carry" the surreal ending, the own OFF rendition of Carol Kings "Jazzman" is superb. That�s how an episode about the death of a semi-regular character should be, not as in the flat and "superfunny" BABF10 when Maude died.
The only negative thing about the episode is, that the writers choose BGM because his character was very unpopular, like Dr. Monroe. Personally, I always liked BGM, coolest Jazzman in Town
Good news: there are no syndication cuts in 2F32.
I�d call 2F32 an outstandingly good episode. It�s not only important to know how to write good humor, it�s also important to know how far such good humor can go and which line shouldn�t be crossed if the topic is serious. Different to many many new episodes, the balance is quite right here. The ending is cartoonish and weird, but the characters are deep enough for such a conclusion, the final song is excellent. Play it again, Lis. Grade A
'Round Springfield was my favorite episode for many years, long before Lisa became my favorite character--and it is episodes like this one that helped make that happen. I was fourteen or so at the time, and the humor was right at my level. One of the heartiest laughs I ever got from The Simpsons came from that Cosby skit, and I remember noticing for the first time just how many witty nuances the writers then endeavored to put into the show, such as Barney walking from the Detox to the Retox Unit, and Krusty's classic portrayal as a genuine schlemazel.
Chris' analysis hit right on the head in just about every way. This episode is a testament to character development, not-in-your-face satire, parody for a more refined palate, and genuine humor.
As for the singing, Yeardley Smith is actually quite able when it comes to singing for Lisa, and from this episode I learned to notice that, whenever the Simpsons sing a song, her voice helps carry the tune where the other voice actors, save Dan Castellaneta, fall short. I very much enjoyed the germane inclusion of the Jazzman theme. That it was introduced before Blood and Guts Murphy died and then recalled at the episode's climax is a textbook use of the dramatic irony, emotional undercurrent, and dramatic contrast techniques.
Killing a character off is indeed a serious affair, and this is the only time I think it was done well. The death of Frank Grimes did have a valid social point to make in the nature of its execution, but I nonetheless found it in poor taste. The death of Maude Flanders was absolutely childish, and frankly forgettable. Also, this is the one of a very few episodes where any Simpson is asked to come face to face with the repercussions and implications of death. Cogent-minded people the world over will be the first to insist that seemingly serious affairs such as death have no place in comedy, but having seen considerable evidence to the contrary, I disagree. Just take a look at "Chuckles Bites the Dust," an episode of the Mary Tyler Moore Show. It is a veritable treatise in support of the premise that humor can and should treat every topic.
Most of the people who enjoy a good Lisa episode are most of the same people who condemn the recent seasons of The Simpsons. For better or worse, episodes such as 'Round Springfield highlight everything that no longer has a place in this television show. Episodes such as this are the reason why people such as myself are upset that the characters are so incompetently utilized these days, even though it's "just a cartoon." Well, diddly doodly, I don't buy that rubbish. Anyone who insists that a piece of art (such as The Simpsons) cannot be enjoyed for the inspiration it stirs must similarly turn a blind eye to the moving power of Shakespeare, the honorable recount of Beowulf, the poets of the Renaissance, the motion picture pioneering of people like Akira Kurosawa and Stanley Kubrick, the artistic and intellectual idealism of the early Star Trek: TNG, and a great array of other art that stirs and moves us all. I pity the soul that insists there is no reason to put any emotional stock in characters like Lisa Simpson.
'Round Springfield deals with Lisa's sublte yet precarious mental instability. It is the first episode, however, to deal with that yet suggest that she will grow up and likely escape becoming a nutcase. Anyone who can sympathize with her plight of inhibited personality will take comfort in the fact that in this episode, she does a bit of growing up, and takes on a great deal of seasoning to add to her sometimes theretofore overbearing self-defeatism. Other episodes, like Summer of 4 ft. 2, resurrect this theme and remind us that the trial of humanity versus itself is ever ongoing, with no closure to be found until all people learn to appreciate the full worth of themselves, others, and all civilization.
And yet, most of you never noticed any of this and still don't care a whit. Despite all its other value the episode is funny, and that is a testament to its creative power.
Thanks for your excellent comment, it was brillant. I absolutely agree with everything you said.
Sometimes I wonder if anybody really reads my episode reviews here in a.t.s. and if anybody cares for them (there�s too little feedback) so I�m glad for every comment I can get, especially if it�s as excellent and insightful as your opinion.
I agree that 2F32 is probably the only OFF episode that deals with death in a good and serious way and with right balance to fun and good silent humor. BABF10 is of course the worst example, dealing with the death of Maude in an atmosphere of plastic emotion with lots of "funny" jokes about outdoor sex, incest and boobs. Well, that�s how Mike Scully liked the show (some people call it evolution.)
There�s maybe just one other good episode about death, 7F17 "Old Money" from season 2 (best season ever) but it�s more an episode about the dignity of old people than about death. But there are other episodes dealing with other serious topics with excellent balance to fun. Have you read my reviews about the masterpieces "Bart Sells His Soul" and "Mother Simpson"?
Unfortunately, many people today can�t understand what the show has lost when the characters became lifeless caricatures and thus they mock people who talk about "deep" characters. Fun and slapstick weren�t everything. Those were the days. Let�s wait for the season 2 DVD (well, not me. I already have the British S2 VHS Videobox.)
Thank you. I could talk about The Simpsons in general and Lisa in particular all day. Her character is--or, used to be--a genuine looking glass into my own.
I am greatful to avail such a worthwhile endeavor. I appreciate anyone who takes the time to gather their thoughts on electronic paper and present them rationally and politely for others to see and ponder.
And some call it ridiculous. There is enough filler on television already. The Simpsons was once able to make light of all our social foibles, but At least the characters do not age, lest we be exposed to episode after trashy episode of the love pursuits of late-teen Bart and Lisa. As she once said, you will never go broke pandering to the lowest common denominator. And, indeed, The Simpsons is as successful as ever.
The show lost its novelty in the fourth season, coming to rely more and more on existing characters, and not introducing anyone new--with a couple exceptions here and there, and also excepting the weekly barrage of guest stars. For instance, barflies Sam and Bill came to be replaced by Lenny and Carl, and the nuclear plant rarely featured anyone besides the usual five after season six. New scenery ceased to be a weekly affair, and episodes came to take place either in new places that were plot-specific, or existing locales (such as the Kwik-E-Mart, or SNPP.) In short, Springfield became a lot smaller, and this always spells doom in the long run. However, things remained, in my opinion, quite uproarious through the seventh season. The eighth season had some spectacular successes and--truly--some of the first real failures, with a few oddball exceptions smattered through all seven seasons prior. Season nine missed more than it hit, which was a Simpsons first. Seasons ten undid in one day--with "Beyond Blunderdome"--what the show had spent nine years cultivating: my sincere respect. Nothing in seasons ten through twelve did anything to change that, but there was always the occasional chuckle to be had, and I'm not ready to give up on the show just yet.
Season thirteen has drifted away from the worst of things, but it has failed to restore the humor that hallmarks the series. Now that the loudness of the humor is beginning to subside, there isn't much left but twenty-one minutes of deathly expensive animation. It feels empty, but perhaps this season is transitory for better times ahead. Of course, pleasing blokes like me will mean displeasing many of the show's other fans.
I have read all of your reviews. I'll talk about those two episodes somewhat briefly below:
"Bart Sells his Soul" is a fine episode, though not on the list of my favorites. I best remember it for Lisa's quote to Bart about the soul. She said: "Well, whether or not the soul is physically real, Bart, it's the symbol of everything fine inside us." I find that to be among the most lasting and brilliant observations anyone ever made in the history of the series, and I have used it as an underlying premise in many essays and a few stories. (I write.)
The subject of Lisa's religious bearings is something of a hot topic, which is why the aforementioned quotation means so much coming from her, since a lot of people have the need to bring resolution to the issue. Those in favor of penning Lisa as a devout Christian readily cite "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment." Those who prefer to think of Lisa as not religious tend to focus on, naturally enough, "Lisa the Skeptic." But, in trying to prove it either way, each of these episodes is fallible; you have to look across the entire series to take a crack at formulating a premise treating that matter, just as you'll have to look across the entire series to understand any greater whole to the characters. "Bart Sells His Soul" offers us the above quote, and later Lisa adds the following, to chastize Bart: "I would like to say grace. Ahem. Lord, have mercy on my soul...and Mom's soul...and Dad's soul...and Maggie's soul...and let every soul in Christendom--" Bart then cuts her off, but not before she gets in the big C word. This is a nice bit of contrast to her earlier, far more pragmatic statement, that is more agnostic in nature than anything else.
What conclusions can be drawn here? Well, the earlier quote was said with sincerity and alarm for Bart's well-being, while the latter was said as a mockery, a cruel sort of fun-poking, if you will. We can therefore conclude with certainty that, whether or not Lisa is religious, she will tend not to let her views get in the way of her everyday, pragmatic thinking and living. Their better qualities aside, religions indisputably carry a lot of blustery baggage and inanities, as we have seen in Ned Flanders and Reverent Tim Lovejoy time and again. Lisa, therefore, has managed to achieve something that no one else in Springfield could: she has mixed a secular lifestyle with a spiritual grounding, and has done this more or less successfully. Her graceful recitations to Bart indicate just how comfortable a grasp she has developed on the matter of religion and spirituality by the seventh season.
Where Lisa's religion is concerned, there are two ways to take the latter quotation--her funmaking of Bart's lack of a soul. Either she made reference to Christendom as a joke, tackling the religious and the nonbelievers alike in a single stroke, or she was speaking it seriously, to contrast Bart's deviation from the path to salvation. A case can be made for both, but for a more confident resolution, we have to look not at Lisa's religious bearings, but at Bart's. This episode is, after all, about Bart more than anyone else, and here we get a rather deep glimpse into the boy's inner workings.
Bart Simpson, in denying the existence of his soul, is taking his anarchistic gleanings to their ultimate conclusion, in the assertion that both the society and the self are just a big joke, with lame sociological and psychological structures made up to give life the appearance of any class or greater meaning. As you will recall, the course of the episode takes Bart to the brink of this destructive philosophy, and then sets him back at the starting point, wiser for the wear. You can bet that he will have some serious questions to answer about the logic of his anti-authority tendencies...but alas, for the fact that Bart is a kid before anything else, and he would never think to try and learn from the experience. Perhaps he'll get the chance to think on it in his future, should he be fortunate enough to remember it.
In any case, the underlying implication made by that plot is that the soul and all its array are worthwhile in some sense or another...not useless as Bart had thought. We can assume that Lisa would bring herself to the same conclusion, and so she is left with a spiritual--not a religious--doctrine, for indeed any one religion would not permit all the peoples of the world to enjoy having a soul and living well by it, in faith and confidence, whereas a spiritual perspective would permit religion to function based on its value to the people who practice it, rather than by any underlying cosmic truth.
"Bart Sells His Soul," therefore, points Lisa in the direction of spirtuality, and not religiousness. Her reference to Christendom was likely a joke, tackling the religious and the nonbelievers alike in a single stroke as I previously indicated, but it is not impossible that she actually was keen enough to recognize her statement as having a double value. But, logically, if this is so, then Lisa herself would understand the nature of the statement as we do, and she would again be left with a spiritual and not a religious bearing.
It is a good episode. The Space Needle scene with Itchy and Scratchy is truly among the most painful things that poor cat has ever had to deal with. In Bart's dream at the episode's end, Martin jollies himself and his soul about the likeness of their boat trip to "punting on the Thames," which is classically Martinesque, and stirs upset that his character is only seldom used anymore. The subplot with Moe gives Homer his mandatory airtime and stays true to his character, and also does well to remind us that Moe is not a..."people" person.
The episode's resolution, where Lisa gives Bart his soul back, is witty and moving both. I have always admired the times when these two siblings reach past their puerile disdain for one another and make a positive impact in each other's lives. This is evidenced in the fact that "Separate Vocations," where this topic is given the full treatment, is among my very favorite episodes.
"Mother Simpson" does not move me as it seems to many others. The premise that Homer's mother one day show up unnanounced after 25--ahem, 27 years of hiding is far-fetched to say the least. It would have lent greater normalcy and reality to the family had Abe remained a widower, which I believe was the show's original premise.
But, I do give credit for the creativity of the idea, and so I won't strike it down completely. All in all, the episode was well-executed, shoveling quite a bit of plot into the allotted twenty minutes, especially considering the length of the setup--Homer's death and bureaucratic resurrection. I was not impressed with the technical integration of the Bill Gannon and Joe Friday scenes, for here indeed was some fabulous potential, which I feel went to utter waste. I would have liked to see them get perhaps another minute of airtime between them, so that they could really fall in synch with the story. For those of you who never watched Dragnet, it is a true classic with equally classic foibles...Joe and Bill would be right at home in Springfield.
Since Homer's mother was conceived as a fugitive activist, then it is only natural that Mr. Burns would become involved in the plot, and this is done and done well. That Chief Wiggum is introduced as one of Burns' minions is a cartoonishly clever twist, and speaks to the unusual feel of the episode.
Grandma Simpson and Lisa enjoyed perhaps a minute of airtime together, and developed a very engaging rapport. It was revealed to us that here, then, is Lisa's connection with her family. The non-sequitur is at last resolved, eh? But for my part, I really disliked that idea. To me, introducing a genetic explanation for Lisa's brilliance and strength of character takes away not only from an entire lifetime of her personal accomplishments and experiences, but also from the fact that, despite themselves, Homer and Marge actually raised a wonderful kid. This ruins a lot, and that it could have been done at all simply indicates just how loony the show had already become by season 7; in the original seasons Lisa was a definite Simpson, despite her intellect and ambition. So, I am appreciative for the genetic relevance Lisa now shares with her ilk, but I prefer to minimize its importance in the greater whole of the series.
Just about everyone on this newsgroup says that their favorite episode ending is either this one, or the end of "And Maggie Makes Three." I enjoyed both endings, but for truly moving endings, neither of these episodes makes the cut. The emotional charge of this "Mother Simpson's" ending is too obvious to be classic--indicated by the number of people that speak highly of it. I think "Separate Vocations" has the best ending of the series, but that of course is just me. As something of a brief off-topic tangent, the Futurama episodes "Luck of the Fryish" and "Parasites Lost" have spectacular endings, and speak to the sad truth that Futurama is a show whose vast potential was wasted from the very start.
That's why fellows like us write our own fan fiction. I have actually gone to the trouble of writing trueblooded episodes, in script format and constructed to reflect a twenty-one minute running time. As they say...complaining doesn't do much good. So, if the folks at FOX can't get it right, let someone else try. Personally, I think that if the entire Simpsons staff was routinely fired and replaced with fresh blood every few years, the show could remain excellent indefinitely.
That is what these newsgroups were meant for. It is my pleasure.
Absolutely. That one, and this, and anything else I post here.
Sounds familiar. You can contact me via email as well, if you want to talk about The Simpsons, it could help me to improve my rusty English. I always enjoy a good and meaningful talk about the show. I won�t be online for a couple of days, but feel free to send me a mail, preferably to my AOL address [email].
Just a few comments to your post (maybe we can discuss it more detailled via email.)
"Beyond Blunderdome" was a BABF, but I think it was already season 11. Season 10 had enough bad episodes of its own, like "When you Dish upon a Star" or awful "Maximum Homerdrive" and some others, yet it had some better episodes like "Bart The Mother" (good eco parable) or the Bible Stories.
Good point, but personally I�d say Lisa�s own point of view is of a more philosophical than spiritual nature. She quotes Pablo Neruda and at the end, she says to Bart what philosophers think about the soul - "But you know, Bart, some philosophers believe that nobody is born with a soul - that you have to earn one through suffering and thought and prayer, like you did last night" and by that line, she transforms the religious idea of Bart�s loss of soul into a mere concept of self-finding.
Personally, I�ll always consider "Bart Sells His Soul" as one of the best episodes ever, not only because of the character depth but also because of the Film-Noir atmosphere and because of the superb scene between Bart and Lisa, which is even better than the one in 2F32.
Syndication treated "Mother Simpson" badly, around 50 seconds were cut. Doesn�t sound so much, but a couple of excellent scenes is missing, including a brilliant one with Bill Gannon and Joe Friday talking about the war in Southeast Asia.
Futurama made IMO one big mistake - they never introduced the characters detailled enough. The characters just walked in and were immediately thrown into a lot of funny adventures with lots of visual gags and fun. In Simpsons Season 1 (let�s leave the Shorts beside) every character had its own introducing and defining episode, we can say there were quintessential character episodes: 7G02/5 for Bart, 7G06 for Lisa (and Homer), 7G10/11 for Homer and Marge. The characters were excellently defined in season 1 and seasons 2 and 3 were then able to deepen that definition and to show stable characters in more funny and more plot-driven episodes.
I think Futurama never did that in a right way and that�s the main mistake of an otherwise basically brilliant show with lots of (mostly unused) potential. "Luck of the Fryish" is an outstanding episode. First all the flashbacks to the past and you don�t know what�s actually going on, but then the story floats together and everything starts to make sense and then we have the spectacular ending with the camera pan and "Don�t you forget about me". Brilliant. That�s cartoon art. "Parasites" also is a good episode, but "Luck" probably is my F3K alltime favourite.
I�ve written 9 episodes meanwhile, but unfortunately they�re all in German and I�m afraid my English isn�t really good enough to translate them correctly.
I guess you would like some of them, my latest script CPBF09 "The Persistence of Lisa S." is a funny, but also very deep, subtle and symbolic Lisa episode. Are your own scripts online somewhere or can you send me an example, I�d like to read them.
Feel free to contact me via email, but don�t wonder if I�ll need a couple of days to reply.
IMO 2F32's problem is that it's not just unfunny, but severely so. Classic episodes like 3F02 & 3F06 (as you have pointed out in your other wonderful reviews) were at least funny, if not joke-after-joke. There was an actual balance, and it worked well.
It's not that the subject matter of "Round Springfield" made the episode too serious; it's that the jokes it tried to make were really awful IMO (Milhouse-eating snakes, jagged cereal pieces, kids wanting appendicies out, the bear on Homer's arm, Dr. Cheeks, Ralph's flute, etc...)
I've got no problem with serious subject matter on The Simpsons; but this episode was fairly joyless (IMO of course).
You're right.
As stated earlier, IMO it was more "poor jokes" than "serious tone".
The Bill Cosby stuff, and Bart's imagination about being a butterfly were two fun points.
"Partly" very emotional is an interesting choice of words. I'm not sure there is any real emotion displayed by anyone until Lisa finds out BGM is dead, and then there aren't any answers for Lisa. She does very little soul searching, and her solution isn't soul searching; it's about playing a record in tribute to BGM. That is fine; but the episode presents no more insights for Lisa about losing a loved one than BABF10 did for Ned. (IMNSHO). There are no moments when she sits back and tries to make sense of any of it. If that would have happened, IMO, we'd have had more actual (real) emotion.
Good point; but I didn't read any real content into those scenes at all. It was cute to see Lisa not brushing her teeth, to be like BGM.
Bad satire (IMO). It's not based enough on reality.
IMO it's a mistake; how did Bart know Lisa wanted the album? He just brings it to her. Maybe there's a missing scene or something, but it made no sense. It seemed to me like too "magical" a solution to the problem, since never does Bart find out that Lisa wanted the record. All we see is Lisa looking at the album in the Android Dungeon, and Bart is nowhere around.
IMO very good, if it weren't contrived (which IMO it was).
Meh.
That was one of my least favorite jokes of all time. It seems to say that the solution to your problem is having a vision of the departed; then, it's okay for the person to be dead. It puts a superficial end to a real problem. IMO it would have been better had Lisa had no answers at the end of the episode, and just had to accept BGM's death. In an episode about death, anyway, IMO that's appropriate.
The joke itself was about as telegraphed as a joke can be. (I thought... "ok... more heads are going to pop up--yep. There's another head...")
BABF10 had its problems, too.
Again, for myself, the humor wasn't toned down; it was just "poor jokes". The majority of the jokes failed. Sorry that there's such a disparity in our opinions, Chris, because I was right there with you on 3F02 & 3F06.
I still appreciate your point of view, as do many people on this group. Keep writing the reviews. I'm sure your next one I'll agree with more (since 2F32 is one of my all-time least favs :)
Bart�s at the Androids Dungeon and wants to buy a Steve Allen pog (from the money he got in the subplot) when Lisa sadly walks by the window. Then Bart starts to look at the album and at the pog he originally wanted to buy (to show his inner struggle) so he seems to know what Lisa desperatly wants (after all, he and Lisa live in the same house, so he surely heard about her idea to buy the album to honor BGM.)
Thus I don�t think it needs a missing scene, to explain why he knows that Lisa needs his help, stuff like that can also happen in the background in a somewhat working reality, it makes it even more real to me.
As you mentioned the appendix removals as awful humor - it may not be the best kind of humor, but it�s IMO a good element of logic plot design. During the school concert, most of the kids from the school band are in hospital (because of the appendix surgeries) and that gives Lisa her own special chance to express herself in a sax solo, so the subplot once again influences and supports the mainplot.
In one of the modern seasons, everyone would have been back to school in later scenes, but here the writers remember the appendix story and even use it to support the later plot development, so I think the episode can show us good examples of well-handled story design.
There�s maybe one example of somewhat poor and forced humor in the episode. Homer�s inability to communicate with Lisa on the same level is a classic element, but his crazy talk about "going to the pound and buy a new jazzman" was rather unnecessary. Other stuff like Milhouse and the snake or Homer and the bear were the usual season 6 visual humor, not always funny, but IMO not disturbing the story.
However, you have some good points of criticism and I even agree that there were better episodes than 2F32 (that�s why I gave grade A and not A+) but for season 6 it�s IMO outstanding, it shows to me that the writers realized the importance of character-related plots. Well, it�s also a Lisa episode, so I�m maybe prejudiced.
To become a little offtopic: I�ve just seen the latest three OFF episodes and the Futurama episode where Bender has tiny people living on him and is first considered as God and later meets God (I don�t even know the title, very good episode.) That F3K episode wasn�t really funny and maybe also a little too religious and preachy and not subtle enough, but it was - despite its almost missing humor - absolutely outstanding as cartoon art in comparison to the rather lame 3 latest DABFs.
It showed once again how unimaginative, sitcomish, lifeless, standardized and empty many of the new Simpson episodes have become.