(Happy birthday, MG! The ol' 5-5 eh)
Neat concept, fine episode, whatever. Actually I have nothing great to say about the plot, but I did like it overall. Very SHORT though (20:55 including credits)! Notes on WS and new intro below.
DYN: ...four acts again? Ugh... ...Paul Yield has a yield-sign-shaped head? ...the birds near the start make a "VANCE" formation? ...even though he's appeared plenty of times on Futurama, Al Gore apparently won't do OFF? ...the prom is very much like their actual one, including Marge going with Artie Ziff (who was on the wall of plaques earlier)?
Previous episode references 1F13: Homer's astronaut portrait by the blackboard in intro 1F09: Digging for the old ballots kind of like this (with silly non- finding note too) DABF19, KABF18: Post-death speaking appearances from Maude (Maggie Roswell is not credited but it sure sounds like her!) AABF09: "DEBBIE PINSON!" (She was named as homecoming queen then, and the episode has a certain relevance to tonight's in theme too) 1F22: Algae in the pool
Meta-reference There's plenty, but the 7G/6F thing amused me in particular. Recall that "7G" was the assigned prefix for the show's first season, and that's what the sector is named after. Of course, "G" wouldn't stay long, since in the early 90s they added some amount of order and we got "F" for most of the rest (the 4 3Gs excepted). The change to the new system almost decade later prevented any episodes from having a 6F, though. (OK, there was a little gray area - I am told some 5Fs were known as 9ABF occasionally, and potentially some AABFs could have been 6Fs for a short time.)
Other notes
Triple title madness! Yes, the phrase "take my wife, please" now enters the elite group of references made from three Simpsons titles, bringing my count of such references to 4 (see more notes in my KABF12 post). This follows "Take My Wife, Sleaze" (BABF05) and "Brake My Wife, Please" (EABF15). The interesting thing about this is that each version changes one different word out of the original four ("my" I can't expect to change), and in fact by altering the phonetic sound of the first consonant (cluster). I think it's neat.
FOUR ACTS AGAIN. I get the feeling that's just how it's going to be, and I'm pleased they're not isolating the credits or anything, but this format doesn't seem to work as well, especially when it makes some of the acts so SHORT.
Widescreen/HD Simpsons
It's not as surprising that The Simpsons is going WS/HD as that, for example, King of the Hill is (it has what, 4 episodes left?), but it does seem a little odd. It's got to be near the end anyway, so why not just be consistent in 4:3?. Still, I'm happy it's being letterboxed for those of us with less than optimal equipment/service; it will remain to be seen what happens in syndication, especially if the HD version differs. Credits are formatted to be in the center - including the now boxy- looking screens full of names in the end credits. (Gracie/Fox are 16:9 though.) However, it does seem like the show is framed to take full advantage of the new aspect ratio, so if it IS panned and scanned for syndication, it is going to look pretty bad. I note that network promos are 4:3, but that's not as noteworthy as it was for the theatrical/DVD movie promo discrepancy.
I also see that the Fox logo is halfway in the black bar in SD, though I do believe some other WS Fox shows (Terminator, for example) have it all the way in the image. As I watch Family Guy, I see it's at the same height there, even though that is 4:3. (Actually, no, only the first act used that - the rest is lower!)
WS/HD Meta
Moe's is "Now in High-Def" - ??? Despite the new intro's TV, the old rabbit-ears is in place during the episode (right after Homer feels jealous of color TVs).
New Intro
I avoided watching that until the actual broadcast. Overall, OK, it looks like a general upgrade of the same standard parts. (I will delay a full analysis for a little while, but eventually I have to update the openings file at snpp!) My main impression, though: too many jokes! Part of what made the blackboard/couch gags work was their variability and not having to commit to a single joke every episode. I see some things that might be able to change every week (billboard near the start, portrait by blackboard, etc.) in addition to all the rest - but if they don't, it's probably going to get a little old.
Other stuff on that: Crow caw. I do like the timing of Barney's burp. $486.52. Sherri and Terri playing portable game devices instead of instruments. One of the oldest sax solos of all! Jebediah statue is intact when Marge and Maggie drive by. (Also in couch gag.) Homer's driven through the door? Really? Couch gag this week similar in spirit to GABF20's.