S P O I L E R
S P A C E
Chalkboard: I AM NOT CHARLIE BROWN ON ACID
Couch gag: A Matrix-inspired scene in which the family jumps and floats in mid-air.
DYN:
... Maggie drops an apple on the floor?
... Marge has, allegedly, frequently asked Homer for an autographed
photo? ... Homer thinks up "Chad Sexington" as a plausible name for the male
model on the Burly paper towel packaging? ... anticipating "Chad"'s arrival, Marge wears a red version of the outfit
she had on for the New Awareness awards show in "Behind the
Laughter" [BABF19]?... Maggie is falling asleep at the Pimiento Grove?
... Homer's childhood hair color is the lightest in this episode that it's ever been? Maybe the flashback takes place in the summer.
... Moe had acne- and a Daisy BB gun- as a child?
... Moe sounds like Frink when he says "Mmmm, that's good yekki"?
... the pun in "The quarry's only a stone's throw away"?
... baby Waylon Smithers, Jr. calls Mr. Burns "sir" as he grabs Mr.
Burns' nose? Or something sounding remarkably LIKE "sir"...Movie (and other) references:
"Stand By Me" (movie)
Homer's flashback with four young boys in an American "everytown"
and the finding of a dead corpse. "Brawny paper towels" (product)
Burly paper towels an obvious reference to this real-life paper towel
brand, which has a lumberjack pictured on its outer shrink-wrap
packaging Johnny Carson's "Karnak" sketch
The hypnotist standing at his mailbox "reads" his mail by putting it up to
his forehead, then tossing aside two of the envelopes and giving an
"answer" before opening one, like Johnny Carson's sketch on "The
Tonight Show"Previous episode references:
- [1F17] Marge fantasizes about a fictional character in a sexual way
- [7F22] Homer, while pretending to be someone else, says "I don't know" when asked a personal question that whoever he's pretending to be should obviously know the answer to.
- [BABF19] Marge wears a similar outfit (red in this episode,
green in "Behind the Laughter" [BABF19]-- a dress with separate,
off-the-shoulder sleeves).- [2F07] Professor Frink is turned from a "nerd" into a Casanova, and in response to a "sexified" Professor Frink's advances, a woman says, "Whatever you say, professor!"
- [7F06] Homer has a flashback to the time when he attempted to jump Springfield Gorge on Bart's skateboard
- [8F02], [9F21] Parody of Johnny Carson's Karnak sketch
Freeze-Frame Fun:
__Celebrities on the wall of the Pimiento Grove (no particular order)__
Barry White Bette Midler Big Bird Bumblebee Man Birch Barlow Stephen Hawking
Hmm. I only noticed one person without a "B" in their name. (Don't
worry, Homer, the bees are all gone now.)Not freeze-frame, but "Careful Listening Fun":
__The Groceries:__
Fruit Roll-Ups Beer Roll-Ups Burly Paper Towels Mama Celeste Pizza Newman's Own Salad Dressing
__Long-Term effects on Homer of finding a corpse:__
1) Occasional overeating 2) Fear of corpses
__Moe's evidence:__
A used band-aid
A 6 or a 9 from someone's address
Gravel
A shell ("looks like a helmet for a mouse")Animation, continuity, and other goofs:
Didn't the power plant "just open" when Homer decided to get a job there
as an adult? The Simpsons talk about the "murder" as if it is a new case that has
to be solved, and go on a hunt as if there is evidence readily
available for
collection, when the incident had to have happened over twenty years
ago. Mr. Burns says the death of Waylon Smithers, Sr. happened thirty
years ago, but if Homer was 12 in the flashback and is 39
(perhaps
38?) now, the death happened 27 years ago. That may be picking at straws, but a corpse won't look that fresh after three years,
especially
with water pressure building up against it. Moe starts presenting the evidence in a long shot with Homer, Marge
and Moe visible. It cuts to a close shot, then a long shot again.
In the
second long shot, the coffee table disappears.I propose a new category for "Unnecessary meta-references."
Lisa- *gasp* "Mr. Smithers' father!"
Lisa- I'm not asking for ANY memory, Dad...
Review:
Alee Molino: Once again, we rush through parts of the story that I think could have been a major plot point- in this case, Waylon Smithers, Sr. and his death, and Homer's boyhood, which on their own could have been expanded into another episode or another half of an episode. "The Blunder Years" wasn't really a poor episode, but I didn't find it particularly funny or moving or... well, it was a valiant effort, and tying the end of the story to the beginning of the story with the Burly paper towels was absolute genius. Just that point helps bump this grade up to: B