[The long of it]
If at first you don't succeed, try again. A trite phrase, perhaps, but a true one. Last week's "Bart-Mangled Banner (FABF17)" aimed at being sharp social satire, but overly exaggerated humor deflected attention from its central point. (The pseudonymous Lord Jubjub was more concise than I: He said it was, "over the top.") "Fraudcast News" offered another political topic, and a chance of redemption. This time, the writers turned the wacky knob back a bit, to our benefit.
The cause celebre this time is the consolidation trend in mass media, where formerly independent news outlets get bound up into giant monolithic media empires. Critics contend this channels too much power into the hands of an elite few, who might bend the news to suit their hidden agendas. If they weren't thinking of Monty Burns as an example before, they will after watching tonight's show. The old man is presumed to have been killed when a stone formation in one of Springfield's parks collapses, burying him under tons of stones. The writers aren't dumb enough to kill off such an important character, of course, so Burns survives to be offended by an unflattering eulogy on the evening news. Remember the old joke about the rich man who buys a hotel just so he can fire a surly desk clerk? Burns does something similar: He buys up all of Springfield's news outlets and immediately turns them into vehicles of self-glorification.
The story becomes more interesting when Lisa starts up her own paper to publish an elegy about the very same formation that "killed" Burns. (It seems to me that Lisa would want to start a literary journal instead, but that's being nit-picky.) After Burns's media coup, hers is the last independent media voice in the town and, needless to say, she and Burns clash. There is some exaggeration involved -- an eight- year-old, even a plucky one like Lisa, isn't going to seriously threaten Burns and his well-funded media machine -- but it's more reasonable tonight. We don't see any re-education camps, and the whole town doesn't rush to take sides. Instead, "Fraudcast News" is a straightforward David-and-Goliath story, taking place in just one town. It's much easier to suspend disbelief.
The writers might have helped themselves with their choice of subject matter, too. Media ownership is a more obscure topic than post-9/11 civil rights, so the audience brings fewer preconceptions to the show. Also, no matter where they stand in the political spectrum, people think that the media is secretly or overtly aligned against their point of view. It's easy to relate to put-upon Lisa and her "Red Dress Press."
"Fraudcast" doesn't have any really knock-it-out-of-the-park humor, but the jokes are pretty good, on average. Burns uses his control of Itchy & Scratchy studios to create a terrific pro-nuclear propaganda film. Now that I think of it, I wish there was more time to show Burns seeding the media with other messages supporting his causes, instead of cramming most of them into this one short. Later, Homer ends a tribute to his daughter with, "When I grow up, I want to be just like her. Except still a dude." Fans of headlines get a feast tonight, what with the war of words between Burns and Lisa. I also liked Bart's second political cartoon, which shows Burns tying a dog (labeled "Free Speech") to a railroad track, and Smithers as a locomotive bearing down on them.
Still, the writing highlight wasn't a joke at all, but rather Lisa's poem. It's a pretty elegy to Springfield's Old Geezer mountain. One nice touch is that the poem wasn't perfect. Lisa still has a mannered poetic style, salting her language with a lot of archaic "thees" and "arts." She'll probably grow out of that, but for now she writes like a bright eight-year-old, instead of a thirty-eight-year-old professional screenwriter. Nice touch.
The writers normally pick one of the better episodes to serve as a season finale, and they've done so again. "Fraudcast News" has a message about the importance of an independent media, so it's a good thing the writers trust the audience to get the point without outrageous humor. If you're reading this right now, then I guess the Burns media machine agrees. And, as you know, that dashing Mr. Burns is right about everything.
[The short of it]
Another political satire, but this time the writers wisely turn down the "wacky humor" knob. There's some exaggeration in the David-vs.- Goliath tale, but not so much that we can't suspend disbelief. The writers also help themselves with more bipartisan subject matter, as both conservatives and liberals think the media conspires against them. The jokes are good on average, and headline fans get a feast tonight. Lisa's poem is terrific: Well-written, but not *too* well for a little girl. As usual, the show delivers a good season finale, even if it is a little harsh on that kind-hearted philanthropist, C. Montgomery Burns. (B+)
[DYN]
... the production code turns out to be FABF18, after all? ... during the dedication ceremonies, you can see Homer climbing Old Geezer mountain? ... the portrait of the Burns-like female ancestor, visible over Burns's shoulder when he returns to his mansion? ... Lisa must have revised her poem before publishing it, since it refers to the Old Geezer's collapse? ... the bottle of Duff in Barney's paper-carrying bag?
[References]
"Broadcast News" (movie) - spoofed in title (fittingly, the movie was a James L. Brooks production)
Old Man of the Mountain (tourist spot) - rock feature in New Hampshire that resembles a bearded man in profile; Springfield's Old Geezer is very similar [See "Personal Comments & Observations" for more]
Blood, Sweat & Tears (band) - two of the three members appear at the Old Geezer dedication
Quiznos (sub sandwich chain) - had a commercial showing a man nursing from a wolf, the way Burns nurses from a mole
Grit (newspaper) - offers kids a chance to "win swell prizes" by selling subscriptions
"Superman" (comic book) - Frink yells, "Great Glavin's Ghost," like the editor of the Daily Planet and his "Great Caesar's Ghost" catchphrase
"What's New, Pussycat?" (song) - title of Itchy & Scratchy cartoon a spoof
the New York Post (newspaper) - when the government turned down financial assistance to New York City, the Post ran a headline reading, "DC to New York: Drop Dead"
the Jayson Blair affair - Milhouse admits that he just made up his stories from abroad
The PennySaver (newspaper) - Lenny publishes The LennySaver
~"The Truth About Charlie" (movie) - Lenny's headline, "The Truth About Carl," sounds similar
[Previous Episode References]
[1F03], [CABF18] T-Bird from 1964-66 seen [9F15], [1F18] Deal cemented with, "Done, and done!" [9F15] Burns-like vulture seen [7F22] Burns and Smithers go on a shopping spree
[FFF]
Smithers's chest tattoo:
BOSS
[Smithers] OF MY [Burns]
HEARTLisa's first edition:
The
Red Dress Press
-----------------
[Lisa]
OUR EDITORLisa's poem:
ELEGY FOR GEEZER ROCK
By Lisa Simpson Postcard image, thing to see,
To think of Springfield is to think of th
What thoughts be-pass a'hind thy mi
Why sky art blue, why tree art gree
And what, pray tell, did thine eyes
old friend, they gazed[Want the whole thing? I transcribed it below.]
TV Studio:
+----------------+ |+--------------+|
|+--------------+| |STILL IN ENGLISH| +----------------+
Burns later adds:
A Division of Burns Media [logo]
Shopper's new headline:
BELOVED HERO CHEATS DEATH
Itchy & Scratchy title card:
ITCHY & SCRATCHY
in
what's
nuked,
pussycat?Burns's magazine:
BURNS
WEEKLY[Burns]
"It's Too Late"
Second "Red Dress Press" headline:
The
Red Dress Press
-----------------
LISA TO BURNS:
'DROP DEAD' RALPH WIGGUM'S [Ralph's]
OSCAR PICS [ pic ]The goons force Homer into:
RATTLESNAKE
SANCTUARYChicago Tribune front page:
Chicago Tribune
---------------
[Ralph]
Ralphings
----------
I Can Go
On The BusSkinner's mimeographed ad:
CHAIR FOR SALE:
FIVE DOLLARS O.B.O. +-+
|_|
/_/|
| |GREAT FOR SITTING
Third "Red Dress Press" headline:
The
Red Dress Press
-----------------
NYAH, NYAH
WE'RE BACK
Lisa Rules, Burns Drools"Springfield Shopper" headline:
Springfield Shopper
---------------------
DAILY NEWS 50�
---------------------
LISA'S A TOTAL WACKO,
IMPLIES FATHER
[ Homer ]
[speaking ]
[into lamp]Second "Springfield Shopper" headline:
Springfield Shopper
---------------------
DAILY NEWS 50�
---------------------
LISA LOVES
MILHOUSE
[Lisa] [Milhouse]Fourth "Red Dress Press" headline:
The
Red Dress Press
-----------------
FINAL
'I GIVE UP'
EDITION"The Homer Press" headline:
The HOMER Times
---------------
MY DAUGHTER,
MY HEROThe LennySaver headline:
The LennySaver
--------------
THE TRUTH
ABOUT CARL:
--------------
HE'S GREAT!
[Carl]Patty and Selma's paper:
TWIN SPIN
Other people peddling their papers in Homer's neighborhood:
- Barney
- Nelson
- Bumblebee Man
- Lenny
- Jimbo, Dolph, and Kearney
- Disco Stu
- Professor Frink
- Groundskeeper Willie
- Patty and Selma
- an anonymous man and woman[Personal Comments & Observations]
Before the batteries mercifully give out, Homer listens to a bit of "Do You Wanna Be My Lover," by the Pretenders.
The teen hurling himself off Geezer Rock was despondent over the cancellation of "Futurama." (Aw, I was hoping it would escape that fate in the "Simpsons" universe.) By remarkable coincidence, "Futurama" was Matt Groening's other animated sitcom.
Mr. Burns and Smithers kiss up to Rupert Murdoch, who runs News Corporation, which owns the Fox television network (and the movie studio, and the home entertainment company, among other things).
Take a look at the change in your pocket. You might have a quarter commemorating the Old Man of the Mountain, a rock formation in New Hampshire that looks like a bearded man, seen in profile. If you're like me, that quarter was your introduction to the Old Man; I never heard of it before than. As it turns out, the quarter is now the only way you can see this natural wonder, as the real thing collapsed just recently, a victim of erosion. (At least, I think I did. The only place I heard this is, of all places, "Saturday Night Live's" Weekend Update.)
The suicidal teen lands safely in a Ford Thunderbird, c. 1964 to 1966.
The goons' sedan is a Lincoln Town Car. The grille is more accurately drawn when the car first pulls up to the Simpsons' wagon than it is in the front-end shot that immediately follows.
It technically isn't a car, but the vehicle that finally forces Homer off the road is a Kamen Industries Segway. Homer must have been driving very slowly at this point, since the top speed of a Segway is about 12 miles an hour. (Of course, the goons might have had a souped-up version.)
Larry Flynt -- Publisher of "Hustler," a notorious girlie magazine. Homer mentions the woman who wheels Flynt around. The real-life Flynt is a wheelchair user; a would-be assassin's bullet pierced his spine. I think the woman is his wife, Althea.
The premise of tonight's episode was likely inspired by real-life fighting over new FCC regulations. (For readers outside the United States: The FCC is the federal agency that sets rules for broadcast media such as television and radio.) Until recently, the FCC forbade any one person or company to own more than 35% of all the TV and radio stations nationally, or to own all the stations in one market. There were restrictions on owning a TV station, radio station, and newspaper in one area, too. This was before the age of media consolidation. Large conglomerates like, say, Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation wanted the FCC wanted to relax these rules so they could expand their empires. The FCC did so, and met with sharp criticism, mainly from the press. Their argument was that lack of diversity would lead to total political control; their vision of the future strongly resembled the post-Burns world shown tonight. The moguls replied that with new media like the internet, it would be impossible to control even a majority of the media, let alone all of it. These arguments ignored the fact that (a) no internet news source has anywhere near the influence of a major newspaper or television network, and (b) there was no regulation from stopping conglomerates from owning internet content providers, as well. In any case, Congress sided with the public, putting the new FCC regulations on hold for now.
Just kidding -- Homer was listening to the Spice Girls, making him one of the last people on Earth to do so voluntarily.
I figured someone would ask for Lisa's poem, so here it is. Customer service is our #1 goal!
Elegy for Geezer Rock By Lisa Simpson
Postcard image, thing to see, To Think of Springfield is to think of thee. What thoughts be-pass a'hind thy mien? Why sky art blue, why trees art green? And what, pray tell, did thine eyes see? Perchance, old friend, they gazed at me.
Brought low by Nature's oafish hand Thou crushed our reviewing stand. And twixt thy stones glimpsed I the truth:
All things must pass, thy face, thy youth.