[The long of it]
A truly unexpected thing happens at the start of "Tales from the Public Domain." We learn that Homer has voluntarily gone to ... the library. Not only that, but he has even checked out a book. Will wonders never cease! Shortly after Bart's birth, it seems, Homer checked out a copy of children's tales with the intention of reading to Bart every night. Like most of Homer's plans, this one goes unfulfilled. Eventually, the library sends Homer a letter, hoping to reclaim its book, which is the action that sets this episode in motion. The kids encourage Homer to follow up on his intentions, and he reads a few selections from "Classics for Children." In the process, he launches a trio of skits parodying folklore ranging from "The Odyssey" to "Hamlet."
Lately, the writers have been taking the three-skit structure of the "Treehouse of Horror" series and adapting it to other genres, like "Simpsons Bible Stories (AABF14)" and "Simpsons Tall Tales (CABF17)." And why not? It gives the writers the opportunity to set up references to stories that otherwise may never come up in the course of the series. Freed from the constraint of having to be "realistic" and hew to established continuity, the writers can go all-out for maximum parody value. The results are typically pretty good, and "Tales from the Public Domain" is no exception.
The writers must have sensed what the audience really came for, because they spent the minimum time possible on the framework story. (In fact, it probably took you longer to read to this point of my review than it did for the show to get to its first skit.) That was probably a good call, since most people really weren't that into the scenes with the bum from "Simpsons Tall Tales."
Instead, the writers get right to the good stuff. The first skit is a spoof of Homer's (the original Homer, that is) epic story, "The Odyssey." As you might expect, this features Homer in the central role of Odysseus. (Sometimes the most obvious idea is also the best idea.) "The Odyssey" literally and figuratively covered a lot of ground, so the writers had to carefully pick and choose which scenes to satirize. They do a good job of it, giving us the key plot developments -- and even taking time to show us Penelope's plight back at Odysseus's home -- in just about seven minutes. Highlights include Homer's, er, Odysseus's visit to the isle of the Sirens, who turn out to be extremely resistible when Odysseus's crew notices that they are actually Patty and Selma. Meanwhile, Disco Stu puts in a funny appearance as "Discus Stu," one of the suitors back in Ithaca. The skit even manages to cram in the tale of the wooden horse (which I think comes from "The Iliad"). Overall, this version of "The Odyssey" gets the night off to an A- start.
The next tale is the story of Joan of Arc. Josh Lieb drew the lead- writer assignment for this parody. Either he did something to annoy the producers, or he just likes a challenge, because St. Joan's story strikes me as being innately humor-impaired. After all, it's about a young lady who leads an army into fierce fighting, only to be eventually captured and burned alive by the enemy. Still, the writers do their best. My favorite jokes were on the British, who tend to say things like, "Ouch, my heavens" when they take an arrow in the chest. Now *that's* a stiff upper lip. On the other hand, how incongruous is it to see Lisa don a suit of armor and run through English soldiers with her sword? Yes, I know she's not "really" Lisa, she's Joan of Arc, but it's still a strange thing to see. Also, the Almighty is a little too feckless in this story for my taste. I preferred the stronger portrayal of Ned as God in "Simpsons Bible Stories." On the whole, this story is either a C+ or a B-; I'm too lazy right now to decide.
The writers saved the best for last, with a riff on Shakespeare's immortal play, "Hamlet." In this go-around, Bart is Hamlet, who must avenge the death of his father (Homer, natch) at the hands of Moe (another nice casting choice). Like the spoof of "The Odyssey," this skit hits almost all the highlights of the source material. The ghost scene is terrific. When Homer tries to throttle Bart, his hands pass right though the lad, and when he floats through the wall, he leaves the a telltale trail of green slime behind. The sword-fight scene is done well, too. When Laertes (played by Ralph) is given the opportunity for a "practice stab," what he does with it is one of the funniest joke in the show. It's too bad the writers couldn't think of anywhere to go after this last skit; the last framing story gag is perfunctory and kind of lame. Despite this, the skit earns an A.
So the Simpsons' first foray into the world of public domain literature ends happily. Will there be another? It's a tempting proposition, but that would mean that Homer checked two books out of the library. I can believe the possibility of mysterious sorceresses, eight-year-old generals, and avenging ghosts, but Homer checking out more than one book? Nah, that's impossible.
[The short of it]
Lately, the writers have been taking the three-skit structure of the "Treehouse of Horror" series and adapting it to other genres, with good results. This episode continues the winning trend. "Homer's Odyssey" does a good job of picking highlights from the source material, deftly riffing on Odysseus's journey and Penelope's wait. "Joan of Arc" does the best it can, but is hampered by the underlying darkness of its story. "Hamlet" is a strong and funny parody of Shakespeare's timeless play, with good scenes from Homer as the ghost and Ralph as Laertes. Homer should go to the library more often.
Grade: B+
[DYNs]
... on the map of the Greek isles, the sirens' island was marked with a musical note? ... Krusty wears socks with his sandals? ... Martin as a page in King Milhouse's court? ... some of the Brits are forced to fight using their tea sets as weapons?
[References]
"The Iliad" (epic tale) - the story of the Trojan Horse is actually from this "Odyssey" prequel (or is "The Odyssey" "The Iliad's" sequel?)
"The Odyssey" (epic tale) - basic plot used as the premise for the first skit, including: - Homer/Odysseus angers the gods and is forced on a long journey - Odysseus's men must resist the isle of the Sirens - the run-in with Circe the sorceress - Penelope faithfully waits at home, resisting a pack of suitors - Odysseus slays the wannabe suitors when he returns
Trojan (brand of condoms)
- Ned/King of Troy says when "people think of wood, they'll think
of us" ("woody" being the slang term for an erection, if you're
not familiar with U. S. slang)"Grease" (musical) - "Grease is the word" is a line from the musical's theme song
"Copacabana" (song) - sirens' song uses different words to the Barry Manilow tune
"Loony Tunes" (classic cartoon shorts) - Cap'n McAllister/Poseidon says, "ain't I a stinker" the way Bugs Bunny does
Styx (rock band) - the damned along the riverbanks are dancing to this group's song, "Lady" [Many people today have the same reaction to their music that Homer/Odysseus has]
Joan of Arc (saint) - story follows the basic outline of her life, including: - hears God's voice telling her to lead France to victory - is captured by the British and burned for being a heretic
"Frere Jacques" (folk song) - Marge declares "morning bells are ringing, morning bells are ringing," which is a line from this song
"Bambi" (movie) - Marge alludes to having to protect her children from this story [See "Personal Comments & Observations" for more]
"Hamlet" (play) - last skit a spoof of Shakespeare's play, including: - Homer/Hamlet's Father appears to Bart/Hamlet, telling him to avenge is death - Homer/Hamlet's Father murdered by Moe/Claudius, with poison administered through the ear - Moe/Claudius then marries Marge/Gertrude, becoming King of Denmark in the process - Bart/Hamlet says, "The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king," which is a direct quote from the play - Lisa/Ophelia goes mad, drowns self (note that after she jumped out the castle window, we see a splash) - duel, complete with poison swords, between Bart/Hamlet and Ralph/Laertes, which neither survives
"Ghostbusters" (movie) - Homer's ghost leaves green slime behind as he passes through walls - family dances to theme song at end of show
Jeff Foxworthy (comedian) - famous for his "You Might be a Redneck If ..." routine, similar to Krusty/Yorick's "You Might be a Viking ..."
[Previous Episode References]
[5F06] Real human hands seen in couch gag [7G09] Homer bids Bart to avenge his death [1F21] Moe tries to move in on Marge
[FFF]
Cover of library book:
CLASSICS
FOR
CHILDRENTrojan city marker:
CITY OF
T R O Y
POP. 12,801 ["8" indistinct; could be a "6" or "0"][Homer crosses out "12,801" and writes "0" to the right of it]
On map near sirens' island:
CRAZY
ISLANDSExecutioner's apron:
Kiss
Ye
CookIn Bart/Hamlet's room:
DANES
DO IT FEUDALISM <- pennant
MELANCHOLYDeadly poison bottle:
EAR
Poison
----/-/----
DO NOT
GET IN EYES[Goofs]
Homer could not have rented a Honda Odyssey minivan seven years ago, because they weren't made then. The Odyssey was introduced three or four years ago. At least the picture Homer holds up is accurate.
[Personal Comments & Observations]
Joan Van Arc: Actress, from one of the 80s nighttime soap opera shows, I think.
Coco Chanel: Early French fashion magnate, who is also famous for her Chanel No. 5 perfume. (Five was her lucky number, by the way; there were no perfumes labeled Chanel Nos. 1 through 4.)
Stephen Bochco: Writer-producer who has created several of today's most popular TV dramas, like "Hill Street Blues," and "St. Elsewhere." He's also behind some notable clinkers, like "Cop Rock." Oh, well, even the Bard of Avon had an off day now and again.
At the end of the second skit, Marge admits to taking extreme measures to keep her children from seeing "Bambi." Normally, you'd think this quintessential children's film would be perfect for family viewing, but you must remember that, in one of the pivotal scenes, Bambi's mother is shot by hunters. Most critics praise Disney for his unflinching handling of a tragic, yet common, circumstance but try explaining that to the parent of a three-year-old who's bawling his eyes out. Disney took some heat for it from the Marges of the world, but fortunately refused to water down this movie, or his later ones.
The way the family entices Bart into listening to "Hamlet" reminds me of a film I saw in eighth grade. Realizing most schoolchildren consider Shakespeare to be incomprehensible and remote, some literary organization put together a film introducing the Bard, and playing up the blood-and-guts factor of his plays. Why "Hamlet," the announcer said, ended up with "four bodies piled high on the stage." I have my doubts about how well this tactic worked. When most students dug into "Hamlet," they probably noticed that Shakespeare wrote more like, well, Shakespeare and less like the guy who wrote the "Terminator" screenplay. Anyone lured by the prospect of action was probably turned off at the play's end, as Bart was.