S6E16&17 - Bart vs. Australia & Homer vs. Patty and Selma

Transcript

Speaker: Hello? This is Mole Man in the morning. Good Mole Man to you. Hello and welcome to a moment in the morning! Good mole man, you drongos. Okay. Nailed it.

Speaker: i think I thought you were going to somehow try and hybridize Mole Man in an Australian accent. I was like, I don't know how that's going to come out, but I'm intrigued to see the attempt. I was thinking about it. I don't know how you'd do it. I wouldn't begin to attempt it. I thought you might. Nope, nope.

Speaker: Hello, welcome to Mole Man in the Morning. We are a podcast about how The Simpsons has a lot to say about society. I am your host, John, and I am joined, as ever, by my two Antipodean co -hosts, Matt Alright girls, today we learned the dance of the fairy queens. You can either be a fairy... or a queen.

Speaker: It's wide open. And Michael. Good day. For Kesterinos. There it goes. You all right, Michael? I was trying to make it work in my mind, but it didn't sound as good as I wanted to. Oh, good day. Okay. It didn't entirely come through on the Discord. I don't know if i don't if your good day was like...

Speaker: intoned in such a way that the noise filter was like, ah, that's not words. On my end, it kind of just came at us. hey And I was like, did he get the line wrong? I just lost confidence in it almost immediately. We've all been saying it for three years.

Speaker: I'm sure it'll sound fun in post, don't worry about it. There it is. There we go. Cool. We are here, as we always are, to talk about a couple of the episodes of The Simpsons. We are going to go in chronological order and seeing if any of them have anything to say about society. They often do.

Speaker: We are. winding our way through season six at the moment we are up to episodes and 17 today That's going to be Bart versus Australia.

Speaker: And Homer versus Patty and Selma. A couple of versus episodes. every time they but but every time we record i'm paranoid i've got the episodes wrong and every single time i'm i'm relieved that that i've watched the right episodes and i'm always worried my little sigh of relief will come through in the recording of just me being like ah you could just ask You know, we have like a couple weeks to figure this out. You could just be like, hey, which episodes are next?

Speaker: Guys, I know I come across as this suave, handsome, cool, confident guy, but I genuinely feel like if I ask that question, John will yell at me. it's I promise you I won't. There's a tiny part of me that thinks John's going to yell at me. Well, there are like almost a thousand episodes of The Simpsons. Forgive all to get confused once and now.

Speaker: i oh We have so much podcasting to do. Oh God. Yep. You're here forever. Don't forget you're here forever. The sign is on my door.

Speaker: Oh, it's not that many. Don't worry. It's only 809. They're still making them! It will probably be a thousand by the time we get done with it. Yeah, that's for sure. Yeah, a little bit.

Speaker: We'll be dead in this one. I am waiting for the day that some, like... i'm gonna say producer i guess not producer i don't know some some exec in charge of something finally has the balls to cancel it and the world will finally breathe a sigh of relief but like yeah still going Somehow.

Speaker: They're still trying. Yeah. I mean, I've also heard a strange theory in the weeks since we recorded last that actually apparently the last few seasons of The Simpsons...

Speaker: are actually all right. i've heard I've heard that, yeah. i've heard I've heard a couple people be like... They're okay. I've seen some of the modern Simpsons. I don't know how modern they are because I don't like look up the episode number or anything like that.

Speaker: But I have seen some of the newer Simpsons and thought... This was okay. Like, it... it I've definitely seen some episodes that I thought this was on par. with some of the episodes I thought were mid that we have already watched.

Speaker: I mean, it is just kind of interesting to note that I think like the general consensus of the decline is somewhere between like seasons 10 and 13. And Aljean took over in season 13 specifically.

Speaker: And remains. running the he was in charge of the show for 20 years he he was showrunner from season 13 to 33. And it's only since season 33 that people have been like. Oh, it's getting a bit better now, isn't it? Oh, so it's just all on Algene? It might be all on Algene, yeah.

Speaker: So many wasted years. Don't worry, it's only 20 seasons to get through. we'll get there We'll get there. We will get there. But before we get into the decline, we've got the golden era to get through. we've got We've got all the bangers, all the Homer out of Homers. I don't know how many there are in season 13. Probably not many.

Speaker: So let's talk about them while we can. But before we talk about... any of those, we need to talk about what we're drinking today. You've got energy today. I like it.

Speaker: Oh. I don't know where that came from. I'll go first. I don't know where that that joy came from. It's not very British of you. How dare you sound enthusiastic on a podcast. Hmm. Yeah, I'll go first since I technically have to...

Speaker: uh, confessor thing. Oh, no. The, uh... I don't think I've broken the rule. but I think it's on a technicality. that The latest episode of All for Arnold has not come out.

Speaker: I was wondering. It is edited and it will be released. After we record this, the only reason it isn't uploaded right now is because I didn't know if it was going to upload. In time.

Speaker: Oh, so It will be released. Today. Okay, cool. I, like, but just just for clarity, where, wait how many... are you counting based on like the recordings like when we record these episodes yeah Okay. I know because I've released two in rapid succession lately, I was like, oh, I wonder where we're at with that, because I hadn't actually kept track either. i was like Yeah, i was inspired I think it's bang on three -ish, and this is...

Speaker: fall. Oh, okay. so In the spirit of that... I bought a beer that sounded wretched. Okay, cool, cool, cool. It is Badger.

Speaker: Cranbourne Poacher Ruby Ale. And it says rich and fruity. with licorice notes so this sounds Fucking foul to me.

Speaker: Think you'll be fine with it. Badger makes some very normal beers. Out. Let's give it a taste. they're They're very much an old man kind of beer. Eh, it's okay. yeah it's fine it's fine it definitely does have licorice notes it's kind of impressive in that way But yeah, now this isn't something I would buy ever.

Speaker: Fair enough. Michael, what you got? the have I have. I've made a tactical error. You made a tactical error. Because. Well, our episode involves a certain country, and I thought this would be... And I thought this would be funny.

Speaker: So I bought a beer that begins with an F. Oh, you're on Fosters? But it was not for - I'm not going to lie, I also considered Fosters. But part of me also thinks...

Speaker: I know for a fact I'm not the biggest fan in the world of Fosters and I haven't drunk one in five years. And I sort of just lied about. I could have just lied about this because no one was ever going to see. That's very true. So true. I assure the audience I have four fosters. It is in the blue cam.

Speaker: It says amber nectar on the can. Was it made in Australia? i don't i think i googled this a while ago i don't think don don't make it in australia yeah it' it hasn't been an australian company in a long time that would even sell it in a australia i don't i i yeah i was going to get into this because fosters does come up in the episode but like yeah i don't i don't think australians even like are particularly much aware of Fosters. Never mind it being like their main thing.

Speaker: It is a brand of Australian lager, but it is it is owned by the Japanese brewing group Asahi. Oh, yeah. We'll be in the UK. according to its own can.

Speaker: that's yeah i mean it's yeah it's probably brewed in tadcast because most of the big beers are Oh and it's it was actually ah created by two Americans. It's, uh, actually. yeah It could not get.

Speaker: Less Australian. he's so not australian but like bart versus australia thinks differently I never mind have a minded Fosters. Fosters is fine. Like, it's not good, but it's not bad.

Speaker: It's very similar to in my opinion to like Budweiser and shit as in that. It's just its It just does the job of tasting vaguely alcoholic. Yeah, fair enough. It's there.

Speaker: It's fine. Yeah, it's there. That is the best thing you can say about it and the worst thing. That'll get me through the evening. Its greatest contribution to society and its greatest crime is existence.

Speaker: was deep Put that on a movie poster, man. Put on a pair of peonies. Yes! That has often been said about my penis.

Speaker: Yeah. Sure. Sure. I'm saying this all the time. No, you you know I know you believe that my penis is a gift to society, and I will always be grateful for your support. But most people don't agree with you ah

Speaker: Anyway, I considered Fosters, as I say, and then was like, what's Australian that's better than Fosters? I was like. australia makes some nice wine i'll get a nice bottle of australian wine so i found a good looking pinot noir called elephant in the room

Speaker: which look decent. And we've now coincided this podcast recording with... Me about to have my birthday weekend and I'm going to drink a lot of alcohol and I'm not going to start that today. So I'm drinking a London Fog.

Speaker: It's the fanciest tea I could make at home. which london fog for the uninitiated is kind of a earl grey chai latte kind of thing It's very nice. I like them.

Speaker: Let me preemptively say happy birthday. Thank you. I am old. And if you want to say happy birthday to John in the comments, please do. the 50th engagement yes and the 50th comment will win a gift of some sort I'm John.

Speaker: Wait, what? Your responsibility, you saw it. The 50th comment can get a fucking cameo from me that just said, it's just me calling them a cunt.

Speaker: because that's how old that's Because that's how old John will be.

Speaker: What, are you even playing at 50? Maybe. You're not that young. i can I can pass for 30 quite comfortably. I thought you were going to say I can pass for 50. day.

Speaker: That would be so sad. Hey, hey, hey. just In my defence... I got ID'd for a bottle of whiskey earlier this year. Damn. I know! I know, right? I mean, you do kind of have baby face syndrome.

Speaker: Yeah, no, I do get, i like, i I'm very glad, but I do get it a lot, that people are like, wait, you're 38? I'm like... Yeah, I know, I know. but I would have thought that the beard would have ruined it by now.

Speaker: my My beard is very like tidy. It doesn't make me look old I've got a very Homer Simpson kind of beard. So it never goes away. in a system Yeah, exactly. I shave it off and it pops back three seconds later. Yeah.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Uh, I'm David Simpsons. Anyway, let us, yeah, let us talk about the part versus Australia. which aired on February 19th 1995.

Speaker: What on earth happened on that day? Well the best thing I can find is there was a famous marriage that took place on this day. Ooh. Are you going to tell us or leave us in suspense? I can do both if you want.

Speaker: Oh my god! I'll tell you. it was the american baywatch actress Pamela Anderson. Oh. And she married Molly Crew Drummer. Tommy Lee.

Speaker: Did they stay married? No. No, they stayed married for about two years. I thought you were gonna say three weeks. It does have a note here, divorce in 1998. Yeah, it does. Yeah, it does.

Speaker: That's kind of it, I'm afraid. My dad had a full -on rant at me the other day about how Baywatch got stupid. I was like, alright, dad. Fair enough. was Was Baywatch at one point? Deep? Uh, he said it was like, he said...

Speaker: him and my mom liked. the first season? Alright, okay, fine. And then it just got silly. Fine, we'll do a podcast about how Baywatch has a lot to say about society. Oh, goddammit! David Hasselhoff is just giving out science lessons in that place. Before he goes into the water.

Speaker: Okay, so your US number one is Take a Bow by Madonna. Don't know that one. Vaguely recall it. And the UK number one is Think Twice by Celine Dion. Hell yeah. Okay. Yeah. All right. Fair enough. Not a song I particularly love, but yeah, fair enough. that's uh people we've heard of so that's nice i do know it for once which like does not happen a lot with these number ones i gotta to be honest with you Yeah.

Speaker: I think one thing this podcast has shown me is how uncultured we are. I am not up on 90s charts music. I gotta be real with you. I'm not up on naughties chart music either.

Speaker: or or teens or twenties. I'm looking forward to the day when the Macarena is number one. because It'll make my life so much easier. God, what are you, Macarena? I don't think it's far off. Oh, no.

Speaker: Right. Let's get into it shall we? Blabodgag. I will not hang donuts on my person. Why the fuck is he hanging his donut? Both of the chopper gags for this were shit.

Speaker: Both of them. I mean, like, I suspect I don't think I fully appreciated the the chalkboard gag as a child. As an adult, I'm like, oh, God, that's kind of gross. hu There is a very real implication about where he's hanging his donut. Oh!

Speaker: Wow. Matt finally gets it very slowly.

Speaker: I'm a fucking idiot.

Speaker: I hate that. Yeah, me too. I'm not a fan of it myself. Oh no! Let's move swiftly onto the couch gag, and it's the Family Underwater.

Speaker: And they all get into this open box, got a snorkel mask. Yeah, the floor is made of water. No, it was first seen in Lisa's Rival. This is the second time we've seen it. i've bet it felt familiar but again like every time a couch gag feels familiar i don't know if that's just because i've seen the episode before I mean as ever we're sort of in the back half of season six now so i think they'll be reusing the first half again basically yeah Don't really invest in new ones until...

Speaker: Probably next season, I would have thought. Was Lisa's rival season six? Yeah, it was, yeah. The episode begins with us in the Simpson bathroom and Bart and Lisa are having a race with... the various bathroom fluids that you can find.

Speaker: And. ah Bart is good. yelling at the toothpaste to move its piece. Why would you think toothpaste would win? Missed trick that it's not glum toothpaste. Oh, that would have been so funny. I also should have had it, but. Yeah.

Speaker: But Lisa, of course, wins with shampoo and... but declares it wasn't fair because she had the inside track. because the water was spinning the water had been spinning the other way and at least that's the point out that but water will never spin that way in the northern hemisphere because it always goes counterclockwise it's very weird that lisa is as angry about being dragged into this as she is when she's a very willing participant yeah she was quite excited but then it turns on a dime but really quickly doesn't it Would she not have had the inside track even if the water was spinning the different -

Speaker: direct Like... You have the inside track based on your positioning, not - the direction. Yes. like if yeah if if Like on a NASCAR track. For example, if you flipped all the cars and they just went the other direction...

Speaker: They wouldn't suddenly have the inside track, they'd just be going the other direction. This is correct. And also, like it seems like ah that... Okay, so... Minor tangent, I have started reading a book about The Simpsons.

Speaker: And particularly the the intersection of The Simpsons and mathematics, because I am that kind of nerd. um Jesus Christ, man. It's surprisingly compelling, I gotta level with you. um But also, like, most... Like...

Speaker: a significant amount of the Simpsons writers. We're all like... advanced mathematicians they're all like phd and masters level mathematicians so yeah i'd feel like That feels like something they should have gotten right. I've got to be honest with you. Well, maybe maybe maybe I'm wrong. like wet where ba we're making assumptions based on

Speaker: a sort of vague connection maybe you sound right is what i'm saying i often do but i'm often wrong Were you a script writer for Baywatch season one? I speak with confidence. Not accuracy. Fair enough. Well, i'll get here it it'll get you a long way in life. mm -hmm Bart doesn't believe this and he thinks that Walter doesn't obey your rules. It goes where it wants, like him. baby i I never like when he calls Lisa babe.

Speaker: Yeah, it's always weird, yeah. so As Bart's about to get out the donuts to make his point, Lisa then tells him, Don't fuck that! No. I hate this. Lisa just tells him to try it and see and Bart does it with the tap many times and He's sure it's gone the other way. And then he goes, ah, faithful toilet.

Speaker: so Bart of course starts flushing the toilet but uh it's still going counterclockwise he tries to move it with his hand and of course we cut to homo in the shower and course it keeps going hot and cold and hot and cold and homo's not going who's doing that I like Tim, instead of singing in the shower. He was singing. that he is singing.

Speaker: In the shower. like the song he was singing was that i'm a singer in the shower March walks in on the barter with his hand in the... toilet and tells him to just use the plunger. Implying that she's had to deal with this before. She probably has, to be fair.

Speaker: So Bart is sulking in his room and Lisa tells him that water will only go the other way in the southern hemisphere. Barg asks, what the hell is the Sylvan Hemisphere? and just point of scientific order here this is untrue like it works on like i was curious about this yeah it works on like weather level effects like that's the reason cyclones and hurricanes turn the way they do in different hemispheres but like on the small scale of like your tap.

Speaker: no like it's just kind of the way the water set off it keeps going in that way and like it has nothing to do with the Coriolis effect Yeah, there was a, there's a, there's a thing later on. So I'll just point this out since you, but because now you've like confirmed that.

Speaker: The bit later on with the american quote unquote American toilet. Most American toilets don't spin. They just sink. Hmm. Like they do they don't do the whole flushy, flushy, spinny, spinny. They just go bloop and it all just like disappears into the pipe and then comes back up. I hate it. It's weird.

Speaker: American toilets are so full of water. that's that's the bit that weirds me out the most is like how much water they put in the toilet it's like why is there so much unnecessary Well, you've ruined this episode for me now that you've revealed that scientific factor. Let's just cut on to the next episode, shall we? All right, so Homer versus Patty and Selma. No, can't skip the good one, no.

Speaker: so uh Lisa asks if he's not seen his globe and she goes and unwraps it, which was a birthday present from Grandpa. and Lisa's about to point out the equator line and Bart looks blank so she goes Just this line.

Speaker: So part goes out, so in Argentina and... Rand McNally, which may have guessed it, not a country. The water runs backwards and Lisa goes, yep, and then points out that it ran McNally. They wear hats on their feet and hamburgers eat people. What beliefs? Cool.

Speaker: the mc bought grabbed the phone book and there's an international dialing and we just see him there type in the very very long number which is a call to the Antarctica first and... I love how there's kind of a bit of a rake gag in there that just keeps going and going. He just keeps dialing numbers. Every time you think he's done, he keeps pressing more buttons. is And getting faster as well. like key like At one point he just starts going...

Speaker: It's very funny. We then see at the southern hemisphere that Penguin and Ice Block hits the igloo. Yep, just walks off. This is just the Antarctic. That's what happens. Paul asks the researcher what way the water goes. He goes, I'll check. And the toilet is completely frozen. I like how he just accepts it. He's just like, I'll check.

Speaker: He's doing research. He taps it with his pen just to make sure. Dang it. And then the second guy walks in with his magazine and goes, ah, nuts.

Speaker: There's no shit for that. map he was He was carrying a bikini mag, I don't know if he was in there to shit. You know, you can do both. Yeah. He reads it for the articles.

Speaker: Okay, fair enough but then calls the next country and uh the a test i sparked to translate them the part goes What way does the water turn in your toilet? and the man on misunderstands of the tide is turning so the president says i carumba which makes me laugh anyone the rebels are going to take the capital i must flee and he just jumps out of the window oh i love anyone i love a leaping out of the window gag a lot of defenestration in recent episodes i feel Yeah. so it's a bug says he can't go crazy

Speaker: and answer out this crazy hemisphere so calls the next number which is to argentina and uh we get the zoom in of the license plate adolf one and uh An elderly gentleman is trying to get to his phone and is speaking some German.

Speaker: In the... Einen muten, einen muten. Am I missing a bit here? Like I know I know the obvious bit It's Hitler. Okay, so there is a conspiracy theory, ah mostly outlined in the film The Boys from Brazil, that a lot of the high -profile Nazis escaped to South America after the Second World War. so This includes Hitler.

Speaker: it's not a theory they think the trapped down at least. five that were in Argentina. Okay, I'm pretty sure Hitler definitely did blow his brains out, though. This explains why one of them said...

Speaker: This explains why one of them said, Buenos noches, mein Führer. Yes, no, the the implication here is this is absolutely Hitler. Hitler has absolutely escaped to and is living his best life in Argentina in 1996. Well, it's not his best life because his his car phone is a nuisance phone. This is true. too I do, I do. I just love the line, that's fucking foreignism.

Speaker: nuisance um that's a weird like i completely misremember that in my head all these years i thought he said das autofone but it's not it's das wagenphone Mm hmm.

Speaker: What, yeah, Volkswagen. Yeah. Yeah. comment yeah Makes sense. A man rides past the penny falling bicycle, goes, buenos nachos, mind you. And it was just like. Buenos nachos. Buenos nachos. I mean, nachos are pretty bueno.

Speaker: That's true. it Just cycling past Hitler and be like, good nachos today, Hitler.

Speaker: if i If we ever do merch, can we please have a shirt that says good nachos today? it like Fuck me standing! That's the funniest thing you've ever said.

Speaker: Batman died then. HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

Speaker: good nachos today hitler i don't know what is about hitler in the simpsons but his bits are always funny oh yeah he keeps coming out and it's great hitler's funny he's still a guy hitler just being in the background of a shot is just inherently quite funny yeah Yeah, it's the same it's the same thing when people do the Elvis bits of him still being alive as well. It's got that same kind of just...

Speaker: bizarre, we all get the joke. Vibe. Fucking hell that mate, I might need my inhaler. Good nachos today. Mark makes another phone call and it's a man on his roof of his house that's floating in lava. Tries to get to the payphone. That was good. I liked that. Yeah, just straight. Like. The bit just ends and it's very abrupt. You're just in the lava. Done.

Speaker: So at least it points out that I can't be calling these places because it's really expensive. and but finally makes his Call collect call to Australia. And. the We cut to Australia here and they... First shot we get is a koala climbing up the electricity pole and...

Speaker: Let's keep this up twice. The... All right. One of the things about this episode... was the accents were just actively annoying. i Maybe Americans found it hilarious. I found it.

Speaker: actively irritating really it ruined most of the jokes Because I was just like... You guys didn't even try. You didn't even try. I mean, you are correct, they did not even try, but also, like, I don't know, a silly accent is always funny to me. the same There was a certain charm to it for me.

Speaker: Ehhh. So the operator says the collector call is from and Bart pretends he is Dr Bart Simpson from the International Drainage Commission. And Tobias, the Australian boy, accepts the call and...

Speaker: But... Opening line as he thinks the drains in the area have been malfunctioning and sucking in people. What not? So. Spice is understandably shocked by this because he says the word willikers.

Speaker: Yeah. Which is a great move. Great, Wood. But I'll tell him to go check his s sink in his toilet and... Just got seen a bar waiting. And Tobias comes back and says, they're all going clockwise. and Bart's annoyed and calls Lisa the science queen.

Speaker: but then he sends tobias off to go check his neighbor's drains and of course device lives on a long dirt track road so this is gonna take a slight australia yeah and so it's good take a yeah Trip, yeah. Is it true that in Australia there's a road that is so long and straight that because of the curvature of the earth it actually has to turn?

Speaker: Uh, that sounds likely. Because I was thinking about it the other the day, and I was like... i don't think any of the roads on route 66 had to do that because they never They never don't pass through something.

Speaker: But in Australia, they don't there's a lot of fucking nothing. There is a lot of fucking nothing, but also like to have a road. that straight i don't know how long i do should i say that how long how straight would the road have to be for that to be an issue. I don't know. yeah I do remember playing GeoGuessr at one point and finding a road in Australia that just seemed to go on for...

Speaker: FUCKING ever i am a dog at geoguessr but i love playing it despite getting incredibly irritated Yeah, it's cool to see your place. Al is fucking godlike.

Speaker: i Random side note, Al is godlike at GeoGuessr. It's annoying. Some people who are into maps are real into maps. like I follow someone on Blue Sky who always posts his GeoGuessr daily scores every day. My man is real good at it.

Speaker: Mel House props his head into the window and asks Bard if he wants to go smell the town because it now smells like cookies because the bakery's on fire. And Bard responds and says, yes. Yes I do. Yeah, but then you won't get any cookies or you'd get as hungry.

Speaker: Bye. It's a nice smell. You have a... You'd be hungry. I don't like nice smells. I like food. Maybe Bart doesn't want to eat the cookies. Maybe Bart has diabetes. I'm a fat kid deep down, okay? I want cookies. I spent two months working for a company whose office was near to a bakery, and like a big, like, bakery. So every time you finished work for the day, you go outside and the entire local area just smelled of, yeah, cookies. It was great.

Speaker: Nice. See you. the boat leaves the phone on standby and we then see nighttime yeah like how he doesn't hang it up he's just like i just oh ah this will be fine Yeah.

Speaker: So, for tea, I'll come back down for some milk and... He then sees the biases back on the phones of a bot that they are draining clockwise and bots' his response is, I don't care about that anymore. and the just hangs up as the buyer is asking if he's in any danger.

Speaker: And we see three weeks later and Homer starts going through the phone, but he's just like. a cute I always like when Homer puts on his boots. I love disputed zone as just a location. It's so good.

Speaker: So Homer's brain tells him that it might be him. And Homer goes, no, I'm going to ask Marge. He goes, no, let's not embarrass ourselves. Just write the check and I'll release some endorphins. Keep it quiet and I'll release some more endorphins. Homer's brain is truly incredible at times. So Homer writes the check and just goes, ah. Well, that crayon is like.

Speaker: causing some issues you know but his brain is still a genius So. we now come to the most quotable line in the entire episode. one well the most important lines 900 dollarydoos $900 he does!

Speaker: A line so immortal that there was a petition to change the Australian national currency to this. Is that fucking true? Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's genuinely true. australians get a fucking hobby you losers You got one dollar reduce?

Speaker: readings The petition got 69 ,574 signatures. Fuck me! I hate Australia now. I don't know, like, I would have respected Australia so much more if they'd changed their currency to dollaradeers.

Speaker: Yeah. Sing a hymn. You might have no joy in your soul, Matt. I don't. I dare you when you go to America and you pay your first thing to use. It's $5 .00.

Speaker: i don't even like saying dollars it sounds fucking stupid but also in in the sense of this is such an important line is like i do just call dollars dollary do's frequently now, so.

Speaker: It's more fun. It is a really fun thing to say. So. The Bruno the father asks Tobias if he took the six -hour call and Tobias said it was ah an emergency call from the international drainage commission in Springfield and Bruno's response is Oh my god, there's nothing wrong with the bidets there.

Speaker: what a weird bit it is a very strange thing i'm i i don't even i know bidet culture ah varies wildly around the world i have no idea what australia's dance is on it is do you even like i think it's If I was to guess, I think it's that bidets were for a while considered quite weird in America.

Speaker: so it was just australia's weird let's say they use a bidet since maybe the whole plot centers around fucking toilets ah yeah Yeah, I guess. I mean, like also, like my... awareness of like rural australian settlements is that like you probably just have a compost toilet like you're not gonna have like bidets you're gonna waste good water squirting your ass You know, dollary do stretch quite far.

Speaker: Well, yeah. So, support him. So Bart is woken up in the middle of the night and... rune of his calling to speak to room and uh but has to pretend that he's in some form of office. under Yeah, this was weird and went on too long.

Speaker: Yep, he just jokes Bruno around for a bit, pretending he's Bert Stanton, and then... He's Bart Simpson's secretary. and but Then he's the whole music. yeah And then, uh... That finally comes... clear, and he go tells ah Bruno. You owe me nine for nine hundred dollars.

Speaker: bruno finally works out he's a punk kid on bat because You're not going to get me. Because I... You're all the way in Australia and I can hear a dingo eating your baby. Which is a reference to a thing that happened.

Speaker: Yep, it is a thing. In 1980, a nine -week -old Australian baby girl was killed by a dingo. But they like that that has apparently been litigated for years and years and years. i think' only relatively recently 2012 i think like um the parents are actually finally vindicated that they didn't just murder their child in the night That's a fun story. Hmm.

Speaker: What a great day. The high energy of this podcast is gone now. Look, they based this episode on a number of real events, and they ain't good events. That's bad.

Speaker: So. Bruno is annoyed and he says he's going to report this to his... have It's a brutal society. Hitler and his nachos. Good nachos today, Hitler. Oh, wow. So. Bruno says he's going to report this to his Member of Parliament, so he just looks out of his window and... does

Speaker: Member of Parliament is his neighbour, Gus, who's a pig farm. And Gus calls it an outrage and says, we're going to text the prime minister. So they run down the lake and we just see that the prime minister is naked in a tube drinking a can of Fosters. The dream.

Speaker: So they yell at him. Hey, Mr. Prime Minister, then just go with. I'm big. i did wonder if this was a reference to a real guy i was like i mean i've got to look up some australian prime ministers but like there was no andy in the 90s i'm sorry wasn't kevin It was a Kevin. Yes, and that just proves that you can't take a politician seriously if they're named Kevin.

Speaker: So he just says, hey mates, what's the good word? So we come back to Bart and Bart is now getting letters from... ah Australia. representatives and I did like the one letter that said bloody urgent.

Speaker: Bloody urgent, this. But this is like a some Australian joke and we tend to see that the bin just gets progressively more and more full until... Bard uses Lisa's saxophone to press it down.

Speaker: And then Lisa looks at the letters which include the solicitors. That was such a contrived way to get Lisa to see the letters is for Bart to use her fucking saxophone.

Speaker: Yeah, but it worked. that do It worked. It's more than a bit, but it's just, yeah. So Lisa looks at the letters which are from the Solicitors General, the Office of the Prime Minister and the Hopping Mad Collection Agency, which has a picture of a kangaroo on it.

Speaker: case you miss Just in case you missed the joke. You could see a mad kangaroo. So Lisa says that he should probably talk to his mum and dad about this. and Well, it just walks into the room and casually announces.

Speaker: Just so you don't hear it any wild rumours I'm being indicted for fraud in Australia. Quite frankly, how have Marge and Homer not already seen this? Surely they collect the mail each day and would and would go through it to see what's been sent and would find a letter addressed to Bart Simpson from a collection agency in Australia.

Speaker: Maybe they didn't understand the urgency of bloody urgent. Maybe. Maybe the endorphins in Homer's brain are blocking his vision. For the bit. I know, yeah I know.

Speaker: It's rare that I get to say it. Thomas' response to this is, that's no reason to block the TV. Yeah, it's true. and march is slightly more panicked and goes did you trick an australian wanted into accepting a 900 collect call.

Speaker: But goes, yes. And Homer now looks at the globe and goes, yeah, there's Australia. Then he gets very tickled and he's like, oh, look at this country. You are you are gay. Next scene, an official limousine has now pulled up, so this has escalated and...

Speaker: This is Evan Conover. Hey. Still voiced by... Yeah, it is still happening. It's still Phil Hartman, but a different lawyer, which I you just thought was funny. It would have been a huge career jump for Lionel Hooks.

Speaker: well yeah he's more like a government official than a lawyer specifically in this yeah he's more like a yeah ambassador kind of thing He is the Undersecretary for International Protocol, Barat and Punk Division.

Speaker: I'm done. kind of goes into his explanation that uh part is damaged off America. australian relations i think i said i think i said that right but i'm not sure So he then explains that the boom period of Australian culture, which and of course includes Crocodile Dundee and Koala jeans, I think.

Speaker: Yep. but uh the australians thought this would be permanent of course it wasn't and Peace. Slideshow then shows the Yahoo Serious Festival and Lisa goes, I know those words but that sign makes no sense.

Speaker: a very important sentence because like i think of that one often If you need the context for that, and I imagine people might... because like who the fuck knows what this yahoo serious

Speaker: was like a comedian who was very popular in Australia. And I don't think ever managed to make it successfully outside of Australia. So the implication is here. They tried to export his comedy to America and it did not work. But like, as it as as Lisa says, if you try and stick those words on it on a sign.

Speaker: To anyone who does not... you know come from Australia like Dou - Those. You know those words, but the sentence makes no sense. It then shows the next slide, which is a picture of Castro that just says Cuba Plan B. And he goes, oh, we weren't supposed to see that.

Speaker: I like how he swallows the slide as well. So, he then points out that part of... taunting has agitated the Aussies and Hoban's response is, oh yeah, he'll agitate you. He sure will. sure will What can we do?

Speaker: So Conover says they can't pay back the money now, but as a sign of good faith, they'd like to imprison Bart for five years. Someone's response is tough, but go with that. So Marge is like... i'm just like no no Stop. going to take my son to jail just because of some silly tip of Australia. He'll just have to find another country to have relations with. I love that. as yeah that That's how it works. That's a very moan response. It is.

Speaker: yeah So kind of a says. You're sure? Because the prison train is sailing. I do like that brief enough pause that he's like, you could change your mind. he goes okay i'm not hearing a lot of support for prison and then then says they'll drop the charges if park comes and makes a public apology in australia and uh almost like oh we get a free trip to australia and that goes i'm an expert in phony apologies and much approaches him and Fuck goes, I'm sorry. just That's better. And he just goes.

Speaker: so the family are now on their flight on transmit hemispheric airlines i love that yeah and march completely fine with planes these days yep thought of that i was like oh i guess you got over a fear of flying Yep, so sure did.

Speaker: so we get a shot of going down the earth which includes the coffins and then the dinosaur coffins and Vishnu in the center of the earth working loads of machines. Very overworked Vishnu. I mean, I feel like Vishnu probably is. Kind of overworked.

Speaker: Hmm. is it He's got a lot of point. Don't we all Vishnu? Don't we all? You're not special. There's the ruins of Skylab but as they come out the other side of the planet.

Speaker: So Homer asks what time it is now and... He supplies out 6 .45 next Wednesday and eventually it's summer and not winter and Homer has to throw away his sled. Very disappointed. I like how he just yeah he just casts it aside. He's just like, well, I don't need this.

Speaker: I love that he just carried it with him by hand on the plane. Well, you know, you get one carry -on. I'm bringing my sled. So. but that's what a sign that says foreign flory and funny prohibited and yeah he says um i thought they spoke english here or something like that so he supplies that it means you can't bring outside plants or animals because it will damage the environmental balance and uh but has to pull his bullfrog out of his bag and he says he doesn't want to get any more trouble so he just put it into the water i'll pick you up on the way back

Speaker: We then see the frog immediately jump out the window where it's picked up by a kangaroo. Which puts it to its pouch. So. The family arrive at the embassy and Homer immediately mistakes that the guard is like an English beef eater and starts mocking with funny noises and faces.

Speaker: Which gets him punched in the face. and Let me just as I know. Marine Corps. we then see the family in the very luxurious hotel room and I must ask Bart to commit fraud in Orlando next year. Bart goes, I'm way ahead of you.

Speaker: And the Ambassador Avril Ward walks in and... Ward reveals that everything's set for bot topology in bots. first question is do the toilets go backwards and he goes nope we've ah installed a device that makes them go the correct way He demonstrates this and the big high -powered press machinery makes it go the other way. It's an incredible, over -engineered, ridiculous thing with pumps that start going do -do -do -do -do -do -do. Pomo begins sweeping and singing the national anthem.

Speaker: Unless he's watching this. So the family go and see the sights and sights of Australia. who Whoa, whoa, whoa. They go over the border first. This is an important gag because I have done this. Have you really?

Speaker: You never found a border and danced over both sides of it like Homer did. but I have not. Oh, I've definitely like, on I've been to Northumberland. uh and gone on a walk that takes you right up to the Scottish border uh where we were there was like this tiny little wooden bridge that goes over a little back but technically it was the England Scotland border so I got to go look now I'm in England now I'm in Scotland now I'm in England now I'm in Scotland Did a marine punch you?

Speaker: No, I didn't get punched they Just let me do it. Bob points out that the the sign's broken because they're already in Australia and he has to point out that the embassy is American soil and hummockers. Hobo! channels his best john and goes look i've been australia america australia america this of course gets homopunched and uh here in america we don't tolerate that crap sir But apparently in Scotland and England, we will. Boom.

Speaker: Good tonight. Really well. So we do start to see. The family experienced the sights and sounds of Australia which includes the cultural centre which includes a statue of a man that looks like a snake. And. a marjorie's the inscription oh my god my brain when you said snake i was like wait from metal gear and he's like no fucking snake from simpsons do dicks Metal Gear?

Speaker: So Marge learns that Australia was founded as a settlement for the British convicts and tells Lisa to watch her camera. Lisa does as a group of people just were like, oh Yeah, the noise was very amusing. So we come to the family in the pub.

Speaker: and Bart is pointing with a pocket knife and a man walks up and goes you've got a lot of knife this is a knife He pulls out a spoon and butt points it out. That's the spoon. He goes. Alright, you win. I see you've played Knifey Spoonie before. I felt like this went on longer than it did, but no, it is complete throwaway. It just happens and then it's over. No, it's just like, let's just have a dom. Crocodile Dundee, Gary V Yeah. cool so i'm oh very happy with that so i'm asking for a giant beer they said so much about and a giant beer is point for the moment but i'd ask him what's wrong and he goes That's pretty big I guess.

Speaker: Is that a thing? What is this about? I don't really get this. I don't really get this bit. Is it supposed to be that Homer is pretending to not be impressed? Or is he disappointed that it isn't big enough? What? I don't get it. Oh, he's definitely disappointed it's not big enough. But I don't get the Australian giant beers. Because, like, as far as I'm aware of, Australians tend to drink half pints because... it gets warm too quickly if you drink bigger beers.

Speaker: I have no idea. Yeah, they they just drink more. beers but in smaller quantities you know Well, she asks for a cup of coffee and the bartender gets beer. Yeah. Just, no, I said coffee.

Speaker: Yeah. Caw! Mmm. B .E .R .C. Oh. B... A... it's stupid but I do like that they're all stupid but they're all great So they're outside the Parliament now and...

Speaker: I shouldn't. Lisa, take their apologies that, uh... That's it. They're going to miss this public humiliation, but the Wobbaloo Dirt Monument is just too exciting to number some. It's about time how we're going to Parliament and...

Speaker: And you're the Prime Minister. brings the session to order and presents the Barton says, Bart's got something to say. and But does his apology and everyone's like, oh, done yes. So. This actually looks like far too big to go, but...

Speaker: Then he gets the handcuffs slapped on him and it's time for his additional punishment. And. He then it points out that the booting will begin and Helmer's like, booting? He goes, eh, just a little kick in the bum. And then a man walks in with a giant boot on his foot.

Speaker: And Bart finally goes, yeah. So this is the other thing that this episode is riffing on primarily, which was a incident in Singapore in 1994 when a young teenager, Michael Fay, was like arrested for vandalism. And he was told that, yeah, if you plead guilty to this, like.

Speaker: It'll be fine. you you You won't be, like, serious as long as you just plead. No, they they sentenced him to caning, corporal punishment. So this is kind of what that's riffing on. Yeah, it deserved.

Speaker: I believe he took it and I think they let him out of the country for pretty much immediately after them. The number of cane strokes was reduced from six to four after the United States officials requested leniency. It was indeed carried out on the 5th of May 1994.

Speaker: If you go to another country and be a dick, I think caning is fine. I kind of do. Be it be a good tourist. yeah like he was he was arrested on charges of like vandalizing cars and graffiti uh yeah fuck that guy he he only actually pled to the graffiti i don't think there was actually necessarily any evidence that he did vandalize the cars though Hmm.

Speaker: But I'm not. super familiar i've only skimmed the case i'm not really like i didn't dig that deep into it well my mate says out loud what kind of sick country she would kick someone with a giant boot and kind of ask the shim going disparaging the boot is a bootable offense it's one of their proudest traditions and it then shows off the flag which includes the boot and the bear I love the flag the flag is so good I bought an enamel pin with the Australian flag on it because it's so good So Bart is bent over and Homer tells Conover he sold him out and...

Speaker: homo bounces to pull the boot off and starts threatening people with it on his hand he just wields it like a gun he then takes the prime minister hostage and then tells him he'll boot him and everyone's like her Helmer then goes into quite an inspirational speech. of but That's in America, they've stopped using corporal punishment and things have never been better because the streets are safe. All people can construct confidently through the darkest days. And the weak and nerdy are at might.

Speaker: like I feel like the the whole bit is just that none of this is true. Yeah, so we will get into this at the end, I think. But yes, there are things to be said about this particular little speech. Yeah. So Hammer says, let your children run wild and free, because as the old saying goes, let your children run wild and free.

Speaker: So, oh, well, that's the five mysticos. then says no let's back to the embassy and back to american soil He smashes the window with the boot and they both run out. They're then chased by the entirety of the Parliament of Security and... one of the security officers goes I'll stop him and... well Castle stopping with a boomerang.

Speaker: So he throws the boomerang, which cuts a bit of Bart's hair off. under the judge panics because it's coming back this way and uh One of the mangoes. That throwing stick stunt of yours is boomerang dance. I liked that. That was clever. well know was so winninging and they see a pair of kangaroos and go, yeah, we can get away in their pouches. So they try to climb in and... it doesn't go the way the fucking foley work in this does some work man that is gross It's not like in cartoons. Yep, there's a lot more mucus.

Speaker: Meanwhile in the souvenir store. Lisa wants a souvenir of the didgeridoo which she starts playing and Marge is not very keen on this. says Tracer's a jester. Huh. Have this cap. which is Nobody's perfect in Australia. It's clever.

Speaker: Like you. This shop, strange though it is, is apparently a reference to a real shop. i'm not Really not sure why on earth they bothered to choose it, but apparently south of the border is a roadside attraction in South Carolina, not close to the North Carolina border. the The entire design of the shop is basically yeah a caricature of of that shop.

Speaker: Why? and see that they have. frogs have gone out of control and uh They're just all over the place, and including in the Bond Wizard and the Maloga Gildacook.

Speaker: I'm going to cook. And the the clerk says they're like kangaroos but they're reptiles and... much points out that the bullfrogs and the clerk says that's it Not a name because he wanted to call him Chas Wazzers. I'll call him Chas Wazzers. Fun fact, the only species of true frog in Australia is a bullfrog.

Speaker: Yeah. Obviously, different type of bullfrog. There's different types of bullfrogs. But it's the Australian bullfrog is the only type of true frog. You then see somebody run past the door. And it's both. And he goes.

Speaker: Lisa. Lisa. I love the Doppler effect. March. March. Now you come back and the entire family is now fleeing from pretty much the whole of Australia.

Speaker: they're coming up to the american embassy yeah this there's like a mad max character in there as well Which is great. So... They're running up to the American embassy and... the What says though they're not going back on US soil? so he tries to close the gate which was proudly made in the USA so of course in breaks.

Speaker: And the family do get in and the Marines close the door just in time for one man to run headlong first into it. We then cut to negotiations happening and... Marge is annoyed that Bargar set up and she says she's very angry at the State Department and...

Speaker: Walter says, we're about to make a breakthrough with the Aussies and... They've agreed that at the bargaining session they get two candy apples. um Well, Bon Candé, Bon Caramel, and... Marge says she's had enough of this and takes the phone and says she'll punish by herself because Two countries can agree that. There is no substitute for the discipline of a loving parent.

Speaker: She gives the phone back to Conover and says, yep, she won't be allowing you at the phone again. Yeah, we've come to an agreement. She won't be allowed at the phone anymore. So later on they come back in and they say they've put the Aussies down too. A booting.

Speaker: the family is shocked and uh well it explains that the prime minister just wants to kick barb once through the gate with a regular shoe and uh Budge is now about to take this some but then Bart starts looking around the room and he sees the marine And the American flag and the toilet and Bart starts weeping again. It's a surge of patriotism.

Speaker: Yep. because spot says it's time for him to bend over and receive his destiny So we then see that the sample crowd is gathered and... Lisa says she won't make fun of him later and Homer tells him to show him what American butts are made of.

Speaker: So, Bob bent over. He closes the gate and Andy says this is for the Commonwealth of Australia. so he winds up a it but gets out of the way's foot and says this is for the united states of america so He then shows that he's written, don't tread on me on his arse and starts singing the Star -Stangled Banger because he's getting madder and madder.

Speaker: Eventually that American gate breaks down and... It's time for everybody in the embassy to take their leave. Two marines pull down the flag and eat it. This genuinely got the biggest laugh out of me this whole episode. And it was not a big laugh, but it was the biggest laugh.

Speaker: I don't know why. Just eating the flag. Yeah, it's impressive in its own way that that's the biggest laugh of this episode for me. Was them eating the flag. I found it very amusing. So Marge says she's wished Bart had chosen a more tasteful way to be patriotic and Lisa's just impressed she was able to write so legibly. I'm just surprised you can write so legibly on your own butt.

Speaker: The Simpson family get in the helicopter and start flying off and... The Aussies unleash a barrage of foster cans at them and... I'm going to ask if they're going to be dropped off further than that. aircraft carrier but nope they're being dropped off with a laundry ship And then we look out and we see that the frogs are now causing havoc with... ah Australian wildlife has a... them.

Speaker: they've multiplied to great numbers and uh As Homer points out, those frogs are eating all their crops. which prompts the families to laugh hysterically. Yeah, I like the... the They're sort of faux. like lisa so you know says the whole that's what happens if you introduce wildlife to any ecosystem And it's delivered as a joke, even though obviously it's just a very dry.

Speaker: Yeah. when everyone finds this hilarious yeah it was amusing Mmm. Also just to note this whole evacuation from the embassy thing is sort of riffing on a famous photo of the evacuation of a US embassy in Vietnam during the fall of Saigon.

Speaker: So, yeah, a lot of USAID and CIA and but employees had to be evacuated by helicopter. So this is what the what this is. ah That's crazy because America never did anything weird to Vietnam. nope never had a problem What's up?

Speaker: As Lisa makes that point, everyone's laughing, but then we get to zoom out to see that a koala is now hanging onto the helicopter and we get zoomed in. Where they get sinister. Ending music with a slight Australian twang.

Speaker: And then we get an Australian theme tune to to finish it as well. I should have stuck around for the gracie the Gracie films because I don't know if they did something different with that. No, and they they kind of didn't. They kind of just carried on the music a bit. There wasn't really an Australian twist. They didn't say shh in an Australian accent center or anything. thing Yeah.

Speaker: And that's your episode folks. Yep. Banger. Uh, this episode sucked. Ugh. Why do you hate all the good ones? What's wrong with you? This episode sucks. It wasn't funny. It's funny. It was... Boring. It was actively boring and just not fun.

Speaker: What? This is one of the best. This felt like one of the lowest episode... lowest effort episodes of Simpsons I've ever watched. I bet you liked Homer vs. Patty and Selma, didn't you? I didn't! Okay good.

Speaker: Well, looking forward to that. i was yeah i was joed Before I went to the gym today, I was saying to Blaney, I genuinely don't want to talk about these episodes. Okay, this is wild because genuinely... Barbers Australia is like properly top five episodes for me. That's insane.

Speaker: it is one of the best it is this is some absolute top tier simpsons firing on all cylinders this that is some of the best they ever do That is absolutely insane to me.

Speaker: that That it, that it, I have lost respect for you. this This was worse than you saying Conan the Destroyer is better than Conan the Barbarian. Although fucking Running Man ah is better than most of the other Arnie films.

Speaker: this would This was actively not funny a lot of the time. oh Really? I don't think I've ever felt power like this before. this is the big This is the biggest divide I think we've ever had. It may be, it may be. I'm about to ruin it for you both because... I'm solely in the middle.

Speaker: Really? I... Thanks. The bits that I like, I really do like. The dollary -doos, Hitler. But there is. some stuff in that i'm just Doesn't quite hit for me, but...

Speaker: It's a... It's a high episode. ah I like it overall but still i wouldn't classify it personally as a homer for me. I just don't think it did anything interesting.

Speaker: Fair enough. Okay, well do we want to give it some ratings? Yep. John, I think I might know what your rating is. That's a homer out of homer. it's like this ah This is one of the ones I knew what the score would be before I started this podcast four years ago.

Speaker: I'm giving this $900 -y dude out of Homer. Okay. not quite Not quite there, but... Almost. To celebrate the low effort they put into this episode, I'll give it a...

Speaker: Something out of home. I'll get i'll get to it eventually. Sure. Okay, fine. What did I have to say about society? what did it have to say about say there were there were some speeches in there homer's big speech in court

Speaker: uh about corporal punishment i think it's kind of like the the main cornerstone of this the the the theme of it the booting is obviously riffing on a real world incident of corporal punishment uh judicial corporal punishment specifically so like ah it definitely feels like that's the subject matter for me in in in such a way that it really honestly feels like a john schwartz welder episode and it is not i will note but because the other so other side of it is also it's it's Kind of a bit about... government overreach as well.

Speaker: But with don't tread on me written on his arse is the the the slogan with the fucking rattlesnake flag that's the symbol of libertarians everywhere because they don't like. government in getting involved in their affairs. and yet are the ones that support it.

Speaker: What? Don't tread - like, Trump users don't tread on me and shit. Oh, Trump trump trump is is a demented old man. Trump uses a lot of things. No, but the Republicans often use Don't Tread On Me, but they're the ones that want the most government oversight.

Speaker: I mean... i mean yeah fair i mean i would associate it more with the libertarian movement no i i agree that that's where that's where it's from But I think he... The Libertarians more often vote Republican than they do Democrat.

Speaker: Yeah, I mean, the MAGA movement, I guess, would probably try to characterize itself as being, like... in favor of a small government because you know look at doge cutting everything to the bone because yeah exactly there's a difference between Small governance?

Speaker: and small government. And small governance. can be effective. Small government. just means nothing gets done. Sorry, this yeah means this is completely irrelevant. Let's continue. Well, I mean, yeah, to go back to the corporal punishment thing, like the weird the weird speech that Homer gives about, oh, we've we abolished corporal punishments. It's like...

Speaker: What is this speech about? Because Australia also does not have corporal punishments. At least, like, to no greater extent than the Americans do. Like, I went down a weird Wikipedia rabbit hole about this. counts as corporal punishment well i guess that's capital punishment That's, yeah, that's there that wouldn't be corpus more like caning. I would say that...

Speaker: You know, all capital punishments are corporal, but not all corporal punishments are capital. You know what I mean? I suppose, um... ah Yeah, I guess. That's maybe...

Speaker: That maybe might might be twisting things a little bit outside of the scope of discussion. but Yeah, a little bit. I don't think it's relevant. In the sense of like... flogging people caning people booting people whatever as like punishment for their crimes like Oh, .

Speaker: There's not many countries in the world that still do it. Obviously Singapore in 1994 was still doing it. for sure. But America, I think, stopped using the last. recording since in america was like the 60s i think australia was like at latest like the 70s Like, most countries...

Speaker: phased it out at some point in the 20th century. We got rid of it for adults sooner than we did for children. yeah yeah there's also going down that weird sort of wikipedia corporal punishment rabbit hole is like seeing the diagrams of which countries have abolished it for minors and which ones haven't and like fascinating but like Scotland and Wales have, but not England. Yeah, we have. It's like a fascinating detail there. We got rid of corporal punishment for minors when I was...

Speaker: in secondary school. you're still allowed to do it in the home it's frowned upon why would not react but yeah it's not illegal I didn't know that. I knew... I... i thought that was sort of part and parcel like in schools and That's crazy! I may be misremembering the details, but I think you're also i think it's also still allowed in private schools?

Speaker: Jesus! there There are a surprising number of places where it's like, oh, it's banned in schools. But it's allowed in private schools. We should ban private schools. One of the Australian states still allows it in private schools. And I think a number of American states still allow corporal punishment in private schools.

Speaker: america so it's also very hypocritical for homo to be like oh america doesn't have corporal punishment i like well yes you fucking do they just you just do it to kids Yeah, so sorry, like, um, we would... so what was this speech like in reference to like did it have anything was it a specific thing or Was it just riffing on the whole? I was, I mean, the whole booting thing was like a American kid who got arrested in, where did I say it was? Singapore.

Speaker: Singapore, that was the one. So what that has to do with Australia is, who fucking knows? God knows why they brought Australia into this. Australia has done nothing wrong in this regard. They just seem to have swapped Australia out for Singapore in this sort of weird analogy they're making. But also then it's like...

Speaker: We've stopped using corporal punishment. No, you haven't and the implication is Australia hasn't stopped using corporal punishment and yeah, they had It's just very very odd. It's like with's a weird kind of American exceptionalism that they're trying to do here that, like, kind of falls completely flat on its face because, like, it's all completely untrue.

Speaker: Yeah, Americans have never fallen for a good speech before. Yeah, that's true. That's true. I genuinely all I had for society was America has always sucked at foreign policy and relations.

Speaker: I mean, that does also, yes. It's accurate. It's accurate. They're never gonna let me in there again. It's not looking great. It's alright, I'll save this episode until after you get there.

Speaker: uh i i did wonder if they're like is there anything to say about the invasive species because like kept coming up and it's like i don't know i think it's just a thing that happened i think that was like it's not even a b plot it's like a d plot It's like a background bag. It is definitely, it is somewhere down the alphabet, that thing. Yeah. It really is. It was amusing. Like, I didn't hate it.

Speaker: it was It was a fun side bit that kept coming up. Sometimes I'd rather they do that. I think we've talked about that in previous episodes that... I don't want a whole B plot.

Speaker: With an episode, I would rather them, if they want to be like... because we've talked about it before of like them being like oh Bart and Lisa still exist You know, like they do that sometimes. I'd rather them do that and we just kind of get snippets of what Bart and Lisa are up to. And we don't need a whole plot. We just need these... These, like... Side gags of...

Speaker: Oh shit, the project's on fire and then Bart and Lisa run off. The screen. And that's it. And we're just like, what the fuck was going on there? I'd rather that. Then you know and allow them to tell the episode they want to tell I didn't like this episode but I don't think a B plot would have improved it.

Speaker: Hmm.

Speaker: I mean, the frog thing is, like, it it is, ah again, a reference to a real thing because... Cane beetles were a pest in Australia. So they introduced cane toads as a natural predecessor to take care of the cane beetle and the cane toads are themselves now a pest in Australia. So it's kind of, it's kind of riffing on that. thing yeah very much that in fact there's i think the simpsons will do that again at a later stage as well ah most Most western countries did it with ladybirds. There's a different species of... I didn't know this. There's a different species of ladybird.

Speaker: That comes from... China? And I think China. I i could be wrong. But... the they people would buy essentially Bags of them. and just release them into fields, because they were cheaper than buying...

Speaker: fucking english ladybirds essentially so they buy they they'd get foreign ladybirds to come in and steal the jobs Of good hard working. English lady, but...

Speaker: but yeah now calm down all right calm down nigel they're right but they're now a huge problem And that's why... there's like a problem with i think it's i think aphids have gotten worse because of these...

Speaker: Ladybeth. something like that but google google foreign ladybirds or google foreign ladies and just have fun Guys. Yeah. Okay, well, there's two separate tangents for me to go down when I'm editing this podcast. It's really interesting. I read i read about it and genuinely was very fascinated.

Speaker: Yeah, I mean, they definitely seem to be like trying to like... shoehorn this message in but like ah i don't know to which viewer this is a message that's i think that's where we differ is i don't think it's a message i think it's purely a gag You reckon? Yeah, absolutely. That's what happens you when you introduce foreign species, isn't like, nah.

Speaker: No, i just ga I think it really was just a gag. And I think we've talked about this before. that we Some episodes we've had to try. to think of what they're saying about society and i think this is one of those instances i do just think it was a gag I don't think it was a great gag, but it was a gag yeah Fair enough.

Speaker: Okay. Shall we move on? Go on then. All righty. ah The second half of our duo of versus episodes, I think these were both in a...

Speaker: vhs box set of like the simpsons versus the world which the theme was just episodes that versus in the title and i think these were both i didn't realize they were back -to -back episodes but like here they are yeah i was wondering if there was going to be a theme When I saw the... They...

Speaker: were both back to back but no they're not related in any there's a theme on a vhs somewhere in the world That's it. Yeah. Homer vs. Patty and Selma aired on February 26th, 1995.

Speaker: What happened on that day? Well. Some bad financial news. oh no london finance house barrings collapses after huge losses in singapore by rogue traeger Nick Leeson.

Speaker: Oh no. That is legitimately all I have. Your US s and UK number ones are still exactly the same. i literally I have absolutely nothing to give you for this segment.

Speaker: Disappointing day in history. Slow news day. I remember when those existed. Yes, it's a huge disappointment. of epic proportions So the chalkboard gag, I will remember to take my medication.

Speaker: this fell good advice This felt ah like a bit... I don't, like, i what's the joke? And if there is a joke, it just feels kind of dark. i yeah yeah yeah it's not a i don't I can't see how that's a joke. because I don't see how you read that as a joke. On the other hand, like...

Speaker: Remember taking meds, folks. I don't know. Yeah, I guess. I took my meds this morning. You should take yours. Yeah, do it. ah You, listener, have you have you taken your meds yet today? Have you drank water? haven't Also drink water. Next chalkboard gag, remember to hydrate. Hydrate or die -drate.

Speaker: is it wrong is Is it wrong that I've just started to dread when I see a short intro now? Genuinely, now, the recently... When it's been a... long episode i just think all right all the gags are going to go on too long now i i didn't I didn't particularly know. Yeah. and Oh, yeah. I'm scrolling through the timeline now. And yeah, that is a short intro. It's a short intro. And oh this this episode was not good enough to warrant. an extra 30 seconds of runtime We have to get this in.

Speaker: The couch gag of The Simpsons are beamed in like they're in Star Trek. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. different. It's a reused gag, but this time they're beamed in like they're in Quantum Leap. Oh.

Speaker: Oh. very how dare have a Slightly different beaming effect. yeah i'm sorry i'm not down up to date with my beams Well, you've got some research to do then. Got some learning to do. Sorry folks.

Speaker: So. I like Barney have been smoking the plastic.

Speaker: So. That brings us to the start of the episode and everyone's in Moser. and those are smoking cigars which have been provided by homer and uh I was happy about this because the place is going to smell classy all week. It's going to smell classy for a week.

Speaker: So Barney says Homer is the Wall Street genius and Homer bows to the girl. He likes to go over a dollar bill then immediately tries to put it out and put it back in his wallet. Christy the clown he is not. So let me ask Soma how he's got money to burn or at least singe. that's a good line a lenny Lenny usually does have the some of the best lines and I i like that one so how much takes asking to take a guess of what his secret investment is money just goes pumpkins and

Speaker: oh my god yeah that's right inkins again a great subversion you're just like oh man he's saying dumb shit no he really did invest in pumpkins So Homer reveals his vested pumpkins because they've been growing up the whole month of October and he thinks they're going to peak in January. And Barney.

Speaker: Barney does another toast to Homer and to Sergeant Pepper that's growing out of the middle of his back and more than points out that Barney is supposed to take the plastic off the food before you light it. Everyone does a toast as the camera pans in on the jack -o' -lantern, which... That's based out to The Rotting Pumpkin. this the the the happy halloween sign disappointed me because i was like No one's that stupid. We already got the joke.

Speaker: And it it was just a shame to me that I was like, I felt like this was a really good bit and then they just really had to be like, in case you didn't get the joke. You just want to be sure. Yeah.

Speaker: So. We then see that ah the jack -o' -lantern becomes a rotten pile outside Homer's stockbroker. tells at homer He's got to sell his pumpkins before Halloween. A1 discount broker. Our commissions offset your losses. As if this has been a yearly problem for Homer.

Speaker: A yearly problem that he keeps forgetting. He gets so excited that the pumpkin stocks are going up that he he he thinks this year will be different. Really goes a long way to explaining where the ATK goes. Yeah, exactly. so farmer says he'll panic because he'll make some money by selling one of his livers because he can get by with one <unk>s True. You can get by with one liver.

Speaker: and yeah Yeah, you are right. yeah so so phobos coming home and he's Trying to work out who's going to tell Marge that the family is broke. I need a miracle. Oh, my house is on fire. So Homer thinks the house is on fire and is delighted that insurance is coming to the rescue.

Speaker: Alas, the house is not on fire. It's just Patty and Selma smoking and... Helmo then points out that Marge had a deal that her sisters wouldn't come around after six and he'd stop eating the lipstick and then we see Helmo frantically trying to get the lipstick off his teeth.

Speaker: Was that a reference to a previous episode or am I misremembering something else? Did he eat lipstick at some point previously? I don't think so. Oh, tulips. I'm thinking of the tulips. He also ate the fancy bath salts.

Speaker: yeah Well, we've all been there. Well them shouldn't make them look so delicious. Why do they make them shaped like cupcakes? they do make a lot of them that shape like cupcakes yeah no kidding So.

Speaker: large point out to special occasion because they've just been promoted dmv and uh Someone says it's nice for your wife to see a glimpse of success and... Homer says this is the last straw, though. He's going to take out the trash. But first of all, he wants them them until i so buy in summerma clingle to the sofa and Homer just pushes the entire sofa out of the house. just yeets the sofa.

Speaker: So... Arch then says that Helmer doesn't mean to be rude, he's just a very complicated man and Helmer's at the bedroom. Why the plate, man? Get attention. someone just breaks a plate over his head and declares that that is wrong and uh Wrong!

Speaker: Pat and Tom will say, yeah. like You've got kids, Alvin, but you've got to see that... a that when the seed's been planted you throw away the envelope okay Well, because when you buy seeds, they come in a little envelope.

Speaker: Yeah. But Marge's response is, he may not be a big success like you, but I can always count on him to abide and... The power plant! They work in the fucking DMV! They just got a promotion. A fucking badger could do their job!

Speaker: That's gonna be so bad on the recording. So. almost stares at the mortgage payments notice and says he'll get the money somehow and his immediate response is to call vegas and put 100 bucks on red He just rings Vegas. in Hello, Vegas. yeah I like hello, Vegas. Yes. The phone number for Vegas.

Speaker: Of course, he loses and he goes, don't worry, I'll send you a check. so homo is trying to come up with an invention in bed and he says he's got to concentrate more harder than he ever has in his life and he immediately falls asleep And Helmer has his dreamer. He's in a conference table with executives and one of the executives is just like...

Speaker: showing off his brilliant invention which is ingenious and every american has two or three and it fits in the palm of your hand. almost trying to see him he's like why would you see it jesus i created this product in question and love he You're the genius who invented the yeah the product in question. yeah like that It's like that his dream is aware.

Speaker: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, it's clever. So he then says he's about to show off the ad campaign and Homer's trying to get a good new bit. Yeah, they all stand in. But unfortunately, Marge wakes him up at that moment because there's still a few minutes till their usual bedtime. Why would you do that? A but Okay. so I'm panicked because it mentions his money voice and...

Speaker: which asks if they're in some fiduciary trouble and uh oh my looks at Marge and he imagines her dressed like a queen he's like i As much as I like the bit that proceeds with the Majus Mai... You know my queen is a flat I would have liked it. If he said no...

Speaker: but because he doesn't understand the word fiduciary. So he doesn't actually understand the question. So he just says, no. Emma also sees Lisa as a little princess and And we can't forget Dear Ratboy. Unless you included the word deer.

Speaker: Bart says he resents that, but then begins gnawing on the doorframe. Then we cut to real life Bart and Marge is like, stop. Chewing on the jungle. I believe apparently this is Bart as a rat, rat boy, is really a meme in Latin America apparently.

Speaker: Niño Rata, the Spanish equivalent of Rat Boy. and is kind of used as a colloquial term for a phrase that i had forgotten uh but if you think of like a In gaming circles, when you think of little kids on the mic, squeakers is what they used to be known as. A word I've not heard in a long time. You made me feel really old.

Speaker: m It is the Spanish equivalent of a squeaker. Oh, fair point. El niño rata. So it's not a fetish thing like Marge's bunny ears. No it is not. No that's just canon man. We then see Bart and Milhouse walking to school and Bart's as happy because the sun's out, the birds are singing.

Speaker: The bees are trying to have sex with them, which is part understanding. That is my understanding. Mm -hmm. So Milhouse to class, it is a fabulous day. Marvelous, even. and then Bart and Milhouse have a thing of hey what's your hurry and then what's your hurry and then Milhouse is like...

Speaker: Fun's fun, this sp but we're going to be late in March. Why doesn't... Again... Again. again for the bit for the bit But. Why doesn't Milhouse tell him why he wants to hurry?

Speaker: Why do we like? If this is a common thing... That they all understand. They all agree it's important. Why doesn't Milhouse - reiterate the issue.

Speaker: My understanding of this is that Milhouse probably didn't know that this sports day thing was happening Yeah. but all right mill I don't think Milhouse knew. I just think Milhouse really didn't want to be late.

Speaker: yeah i think they i think they're doing their walking slower and slower thing as kind of like uh just trying to be cool around and around their friends because they're kids kind of thing but you want to say a wrong milant Trying to be a rungan.

Speaker: no i don't think i was going for that no i like to think you were I like i like the idea if you get of adopting a very Yorkshire accent. Read wrong in there. But I think ultimately, Milhouse being the awkward nerdy kid is absolutely far more afraid of but getting in trouble than looking uncool and ends up running off because he can't handle it. But Milhouse later brings up...

Speaker: that he Or at least he indicates that he did know. Because he was like, oh, how didn't you know? Oh that's true, that is true. How about that was a Lisa? Lisa says that. That's Lisa's line isn't it? But Milhouse says something... On top of that, doesn't he? Milhouse tells him to hurry after he's... Picked his club.

Speaker: no Yeah, no fair enough fair enough. I mean the ultimate answer is always For the bit. However, I always have questions i think yeah I think looking through Frankie, I think the how could you forget line came from Lisa. Milhouse just says, oh, baseball just filled up.

Speaker: Right. Okay. So we'd go to the school and... the things that we're referring to are that it's time to choose a gym class for the coming term so Skinner says let's all prove how old adult we can be even though it is our first come first serving Popular spots always go first. So there's a master series to get to the gym and Willy is trampled by the crowd as he goes, ah, too many wee ones. Too many wee ones.

Speaker: So we see. a But friends, er... saying it gets ugly every year and then asking where Bart and me arse are and they say if they don't get here quickly it'll be ts TS for them. I like that. Again, nice little subversion. We love a subversion on this podcast.

Speaker: So TS is, of course, Tethered Swimming. Tethered Swimming. That thing we all know and love. is that No, absolutely not. It's not a thing. You will not be allowed to do that legally. which we see that ralph is So, Ralph is the...

Speaker: So Ralph is the only person in the class and he just says, I don't feel right. I can't. i think there was some confusion over that even looking on the simpsons archive i think a slightly confusing gag is like is that i don't think that's necessarily supposed to be a sport signed up for What? No. Tethered swim that swimming training. You can buy them. You can buy the tethers. What are the benefits of tethered swimming? Many of the world's top swimmers regularly use tethered swimming. I said tethered. Fucking hell, I'm a chav.

Speaker: ah Swimming training. As a part of their training program, there are many benefits allowing the swimmer to continue training when their usual body of water is unavailable. enabling the swimmer to conduct a quality training session in a small pool, allowing the swimmer to focus on their technique.

Speaker: enabling the swimmer to develop their power. and strumpf. Okay. Yeah. Interesting. Yeah. Like ah to me, this read as more. it was like ah a weird a weird punishment that the school had doled out to ralph for some reason rather than a thing he'd signed up to voluntarily but again it seems to be people reading it both ways.

Speaker: Uh... i Yeah, I think it's just... They needed to explain the gag, again, I think ultimately for the bit. I don't think it. you You can either take it as Ralph also got here late because he's Ralph. I mean, I don't think, it yeah, it doesn't matter either way. it's As you said, the gag is just subverting TS, right? yeah again it's just another for the bit but i i agree yeah you it's it's interesting that Why did they use Ralph?

Speaker: and and i'm not i'm not bothered about that it's ralph at all it's just like is it a punishment or is it a choice is kind of the dilemma here is like is he there voluntarily has he chosen to do the weird swimming or has the weird swimming been inflicted on him and again it does not matter it's just it's not tough shit yeah it's tailored swimming if i was if i was to assume And you know what they say about people who assume they're very handsome.

Speaker: Yeah. It's that Ralph was also lit. and that this possibly this was what ralph ended up with but if that's the case then why didn't i end up with uh tethered swimming let's move on Because tethered swimming filled up because everybody took tethered swimming. I mean...

Speaker: All the top athletes do it. All the cool people are doing it. while While we're doing the whole weird PE thing, like... part of this i while watching it i was wondering like Is this how they do this in America? Is that what American PE is like? Not that I know of. Do they fight over it? Not that I know of. Simpsons Archives seems to reassure me that no, this is a really weird concept because none of the Americans writing for that uh recognized either they were like what is this about that's not how pe works Yeah.

Speaker: i think um I think even in a lot of American high high schools instead of secondary school. Uh, they still have electives. But yeah, they don't. do PE on like a elective basis.

Speaker: Mmm. Most schools don't get the funding to have multiple types of PE. Yes, true enough, yeah, yeah, yeah. I wish we had more... like I wish electives were more common. in english schooling i would have liked to be able to like choose something more in secondary school Yeah, yeah. i died I was just not the sporting type in any way, shape or form. I didn't mean electives just for sport, but yeah. i'd be Yeah, true enough, I suppose, yeah.

Speaker: i we we ah I don't know if it works the same way in your schools, Bob. I didn't get to like choose my classes till GCSE. At which point, obviously, then I had to like... Pick my GCSEs.

Speaker: yes we got it yeah you got it you got like a choice in my school at any rate you got a choice of like which technology you wanted to do you could do like electronics or woodwork and stuff and then you got like a couple of other options that were like yeah i suppose we had it that it was you still had to do english maths and science obviously yeah yeah and then you chose I think it was like three classes because I did triple science.

Speaker: Music? and IT. t I think were my three and I got to choose those three classes. And those were my GCSEs. I'm fairly sure I only got two choices. I don't worry i think there was a language choice as well. You could like choose whether you wanted to do...

Speaker: Like. French or German. Yeah, I did triple science because my teacher wanted me to. And they were like, you would do good at it. And I was like. yeah Okay. and obviously like it's all about time brackets so i i don't think there was anything else on the triple science that i was like Free like that. I would want to do instead so I i did it How did you guys do any GCSEs? I got all Bs except for one D.

Speaker: Oh, and I got an A in English ah language. I have always been one of those students that annoyingly got really good grades with making very little effort. So, um, generally pretty well. That's why I I got a lot of As, honestly, over here. I remember telling someone when I got all Bs and their immediate response was, oh, fuck you. and No, I got a lot of As, I've got to say. Michael? Sorry. Oh, I don't...

Speaker: All right, so it was a couple of A's, a couple of B's. I failed math, so I had to retake that. The only D I got was in religious studies. Because we had to take that as a GCSE. I got a store in religious studies What I will say about being the kind of student that gets all A's without having to make any effort is that it sets you up real badly for life because you never learn any skills about putting...

Speaker: mmm you don't learn any skills about putting effort into anything ever so and you just go into life expecting things to be fine and then you're like oh shit college was a huge shock for me oh yeah boy wasn't it just having to do your first real essay you're just like oh no yep yep as a reason i did college twice Yeah.

Speaker: yep Anyway. Anyway. T .S.? Yes, ah back to where the hell we were. Okay, yep, there's my phone. So the bell rings and... ah Fucking no. Millhouse can hear us Millhouse panics because that's the tardy bill.

Speaker: t True and truant, they'll all say as he runs off screaming. and Plus he can have fun by himself and does a little routine with his hand. where there's just talkative language. It's all right. It's all right. Sorry. But it's like, yeah.

Speaker: That's all I've got for that. What the hell? This was a reference to something. What the f - fuck was it a reference to i forget now but some really obscure thing the usual simpsons like what fuck are you riffing on here? Yeah, it was beyond me.

Speaker: So, moments at Moe's and, uh... Mo says he'll lend Homer the money, but because Homer's got no collateral, Mo has to break his legs in advance. and Homer's response is, I use my legs all the time. Can't you just bash me in the head my head? And he goes... Hey, you're a long chunk, do you know how this works? You're a long chunk!

Speaker: So Mel pulls out his sledgehammer and goes, let's do this. And Homer just backs out of the room. I again... Again, I'll say it now. for the bit. However... What benefit is there in breaking his legs in advance?

Speaker: he just knows he's going to default on it so he's just getting ahead of it really he's like i'll still lend you the money because you're my friend but i also have to stick to my standard Absolutely. yeah it' back I'm not a loan shark. I don't know how it works. and yep So.

Speaker: Bart realizes he screwed up with P .A. sign up day and Lisa says that they had signs all over the library and uh now says that baseball's just gone and then gets kicked in the face and uh taekwondo has happened i like how that means that um what's his face has already got nelson has already got his uniform Yeah, it's the mouth.

Speaker: So Bart starts running around and in he can't find anything. He can't even get into gender issues for sport. I never even thought a how... That's even funnier. in m - now.

Speaker: I think, is gender issues during... i Oh, I as a completely missed that. As a PE elective. That's fucking genius. oh martin's queuing up for gender issues of course he is Skinner points out there's only one class left but don't worry it's the coolest of all and of course it's ballet The tea is silent.

Speaker: So Bart says, dancing is for girls and Skinner's response is, well, you should have got here earlier. Yeah, I feel like they they just didn't know what to - what line to give. Skinner at that point.

Speaker: Yep. Just got to get out of the bit. So. Elmer's at the bank and he's asking for an extension on his mortgage payment and the manager says your credit is not good and it says you be be declined for every credit card and you also want to grab the a dog by the hind legs and moved him around like a vacuum cleaner. That was in the third grade. Oh, it's on your permanent record. haven't we all done that though

Speaker: No, I have not. Bullshit. Bullshit. Nah. Bullshit. We've all picked up a dog by their hind legs, at least when it's our dog. Fuck you. I'm not a cra - I'm not crazy. two two things in here that like normally you get pre -approved for credit cards i love that home has been pre -denied yeah yeah uh but also like the idea that the permanent record is a real thing it's like in school oh that's gonna go on your permanent record like in later in life you don't have a permanent record what's this

Speaker: So the manager says that if Homer doesn't pay by tomorrow, the bank will take his house. And Homer says, good luck finding it. So they take the numbers off. The house with no numbers on it. So I said, well I'll take the numbers off my neighbour's house. Well, we'll look for the house next to the house with no numbers. Omar admits defeat after that, goes, I'll get your money. So we don't see that Omar goes to his last chance, bottom of the barrel.

Speaker: Hail Mary, long shot. Final resort, which turns out to be Patty and Selma, and uh... and some will say they'll take care of him and they start laughing evilly I'm upstairs for a second, but then he begins to chuckle along. Haven't they done this bit before?

Speaker: i so I swear they've done the bit before of Homer. laughing along with someone that is laughing evilly at his expense. I don't remember but now that you say it I feel like you might be right. Yeah.

Speaker: So I was just laughing. and he He goes into hysterics and finally patting himself to say, just cut him the check and get him the hell out of here. That's fair. We go to Homer at the family and he's in a good mood. He wants someone to take his picture of his arm around his steak and...

Speaker: Elmer's very happy that he solved this problem and to celebrate he's going to put himself, he's going to tilt his chair. I know, but it's so slanty. So. Patty and Selma have arrived and dropped in unexpectedly for dinner.

Speaker: Obvious response to this is, uh... He's going to fertilize the law with them. A couple of 500 pounds of manure and he grabs them both by the neck. Martin's response to this is, careful, my sister's necks are brittle. And Patty goes, nothing's broken except Homer.

Speaker: And as Marge asks what that means, ah almost shoves their heads... Into his armpits and goes, these fabulous babes are staying for dinner. Both Salma and Patti are like, that's a stink we could have done without. Someone, um I'm not going to take credit for this since someone on Simpsons Archive spotted this, but Selma has previously stated that she's got no sense of smell.

Speaker: Oh shit, yeah! maybe Maybe his smell is that bad. Maybe. I might just allow you having such a nice dinner. She's going to go get the most international coffee she has, which is Montreal Morn.

Speaker: Sure. So, almost as they've had. they're fun but the fun has it only just begun because Someone shows off the IOU paper signed by Holman. She says, We now own you like Siegfried owns Roy.

Speaker: Ouch. True. And Marge comes back and she's really sad because the only thing she's got is Nescafe. How does she not know what coffee she's got in the house? Also, she says Nescafe weird. She says Nescafe.

Speaker: Which is very, very sorry about it. and the Party's a slur! Helm was about to give us a foot rub and Helm was like, oh. But he realizes he's been caught. He says, I'm going to give you a massage. at least let me have that but nope he's got to start with corns and then go to bunion country Bart is outside the ballet room and he says taking ballet doesn't make me any less of a man so he opens the door and all the little girls laugh at him.

Speaker: And the teacher comes and the teacher's... Obviously of Eastern European descent, I think. i Once I'd watched this episode, I remembered this whole ballet a bit. but genuinely when they showed a uniquely drawn Female character.

Speaker: That is going to be teaching Bart something. I assumed they were going to continue doing the bit that I fucking hate. And I'm so glad they. Fucking didn't.

Speaker: um But yeah, they're like... they Is she a reference to someone? Because she has like a... VERY specific design. she The voice actress for this is a, it is a guest. It is Susan Sarandon.

Speaker: And I gather the character is literally just like designed to look a bit like Susan Sarandon. Fair enough. so that that That's it. That's the bit. Just... guessed guessed guess guess Yeah, she kind of looks like her.

Speaker: So you can either be a fairy or a queen because it's wide open. Bart groans and she goes, ah, young man that wants to be the next barista. Bart says he doest what he's only doing the class because they made him and she goes ah he's got the fire in his belly but it'll take more than belly fire to be a professional cough I think I was disappointed that they didn't use a different...

Speaker: name the second time. Because I feel like the big... ah Yeah, I feel like the bit would have been... funnier. Ace.

Speaker: did you Yeah, I get you. i mean yeah It feels weird to have the repetition, but also, like, I don't know, would it have made sense to say somebody else? And a second point, does anybody know another ballet dancer? No, you're... Yeah, I think you think the repetition was very... But... That's the only male ballet dancer someone will know. But... Yeah. One thing I wanted to point out that I think's fun...

Speaker: is Susan Sarandon played Louise in Thelma and Louise and it's this fucking show that inspired both me and John to watch Thelma and Louise. So now Susan Sarandon has been in.

Speaker: This show, I just think that's fun. It's not a big deal. I think that's, I just think that's fun. I just think that's funny. Yeah, she was she wanted to star on this because her kids were fans, which seems to be a recurring story. Yeah, who was that there was another woman that did that, and I remember, yeah, they were just like, yeah, you should be in this. Yeah, dont remember how I can't remember who it was now. but I need to find out now if Gina Davis was in Simpsons at one point. Don't mind me. I'm going to disappear.

Speaker: so Bart declares that he thinks ballet is for sissies and she says no ballet is for the strong and the fierce that then tells him to punish his fairy outfit So back at the power plant. go invite someone to come out and have a zima with them but uh so Why Azima specifically? It's such a weird pull there, but like, okay, fine, they're stopping for Azima. Azima's a...

Speaker: I need to drink, right? What's the Zima? I had to look it up. It's it's it's a -defunct brand that they keep trying to like bring back for special occasions. It functionally just seems to be an Alka -Pop, honestly. Yeah.

Speaker: So. oh that's responses uh i'm going to stay work overtime because his sister -in -law's at the house and Carl tells Homer to stop hollowing in self -pity and pull himself together and come get drunk with us. I get the bit there, but I just don't... think it lands in my opinion.

Speaker: Like, the the the gag is obviously, oh, don't wallow in self -pity, come and wallow in self -pity with us. yeah but like getting drunk doesn't necessarily mean you're wallowing in self -pity so i think No, but it does require the audience to have the awareness of what usually goes down at Moe's. Exactly. I think... i think The gag.

Speaker: is f - Fine. It just isn't. To Simpsons standards. In my opinion. I guess I'm being very gesticulatory and no one can see it I mean, I would say that about a lot of this episode, but sure. No, that's fair. But i would have said I would have said that about the last episode, so it it varies, doesn't it?

Speaker: Yeah. Bart is not enjoying himself in the ballet class and because he doesn't like wearing tights. and the teachers says So many of our heroes were. tights like Batman and McGillen. mean yeah That was like...

Speaker: Again, that was kind of weak I get cuz again she was gonna go Why did... has atom uh man whatever he's called What's he called? Radioactive Man. Has Radioactive Man been introduced yet?

Speaker: No. Don't he he has. Has he? He has in comics because there was a... Oh, that's true. We haven't seen Rainier Wolfcastle playing him yet. Yeah, because we met... Yeah, we've not had that episode now. He's a known. quantity in this universe comic i harry to yeah and that for in that episode with the with the radioactive man yeah so Yes.

Speaker: But yeah, I don't know. I don't know, again, another kind of like... week. Cause who gives a shit that Magellan wore - tights I don't know it's weird I feel like it's kind of that she's reaching she takes a second to think of Magellan so she's kind of trying to reach for a second yeah male figure that could be relatable to a child that would wear and like the best she's got is a historic figure because like there are she can't think of anyone else other than batman yeah that's fair no i get that that's fair

Speaker: So. but declares that, yeah. he's never going to light belly and he says he's getting out he he's going to get out of his outfit so While struggling to take his outfit off in the... The struggle becomes graceful and... what do you know but when he discovers that he actually loves dance this is the dumbest way for him to figure this out yeah this is so la This is so lazy. lazy.

Speaker: Oh. The girls are all happy and so is Susan Sarandon. We then see that Patty and Selma are now in Homer's living room and... Patty declares to just get fatter in here as Homer arrives, and Homer asks for permission to slink by, which would be... I swear to God.

Speaker: I swear to God. If Jill's siblings ever treat me like that, I will fucking kill them. i We should probably not owe siblings a mortgage payment. That's fair. That's fair. Well, Patty and Selma treat Homer like this anyway.

Speaker: Yeah, that's true. Well, he would have thrown them out by now if he didn't owe them a mortgage. Very true. So. ah they ask homer to light their cigarettes and homer points out they're already smoking which they immediately put out

Speaker: homer says they're pushing it and say come on homer you can't spell obiscus with i -o -u obsequious obsequious homer's response to this is i'll have to trust you on that and there you go well let's ask marge she's a good speller and homer goes no i'll be good i'll be good so he lights the cigarettes and then tries to burn the i -o -u but uh for that burning the i -o -u wouldn't mean anything like they still know yeah but homer Home is an idiot.

Speaker: Yeah. but uh just for that homeowner has to crawl on the floor like a dog and uh homo obeys and uh he's just to say in dog language i am homer simpson a roma in remember roma rison So Marge walks in and Homer responds to her in the dog voice of, oh, absolutely nothing, Marge. Absolutely nothing, Marge.

Speaker: and Sorry, I just want to point that out. That's my my... One of the hardest I've ever heard my dad laugh was at the fucking Scooby -Doo movie when Scooby -Doo goes, I'm a wrecked race. My dad fucking died that day.

Speaker: Okay. Does that work? I'm this brief struggle for the piece of paper which lands onto the light and it illuminates it onto the ceiling. Marge's response to this is, is is this projection accurate? as Very thin paper this IOU is made out of. Now, Homer's response to this is, I don't keep track of all my wheeling and dealing, and Pathy reveals that he blew all the savings on Jack O 'Lantern, so Homer's response to this is, you told. We don't cut to the outside shot of the Simpsons house and first of all, Patty goes flying.

Speaker: And then Marge goes flying, at which point Omar has to run outside to bring it back. back into the house and then throws his helmet out the house and then says I never want to see you again. Turns to the other twin and goes, you either.

Speaker: And Marge asks why he didn't tell her. And Homer says he was ashamed. as he failed as a husband and provider. And he was a B -plus thug. He walks up the stairs and says, I understand if you want to sleep on the couch tonight. mm -hmm

Speaker: So we then cut to the Simpsons breakfast table and Lisa asks how Homer's doing. And Marge says, he's under the table. Not good. Frankly, he's underneath the table. So Homer says he doesn't deserve breakfast because he's so deep in there. And Marge says, I like to make you breakfast. And Homer goes. In that case, I'll have French toast with double butter on the side of bacon. But no powdered sugar. I don't deserve it.

Speaker: oh i mean a little powder of sugar yeah this is one of the better bits of the episode for me like a lot of it falls a bit flat but like the frankly under the table is like oh man so deeply that doesn't deserve breakfast Okay, I'll just have French toast. yeah So Bart has gone full ballet now and he's talking about a little Arbesque and uh...

Speaker: And he's dope. Fully went into it with the demi -etrant. Not that he's into that kind of thing, of course. I... These are... ballet moves i looked these up just to see what the hell they were talking about but yeah no i think they may even be the ballet moves that they animated as well i had to do these moves.

Speaker: Because i think i've I think I've mentioned on this show before I was trained at dance. I think I've mentioned that. It may have come up, possibly. I think I've told i told you, John, at the very least, at some point that I was trained in dance.

Speaker: ah No, I didn't do any tap, unfortunately. i did i did I did ballet and sort of general. I said, did you drink a tab? Oh, did I drink a tab? ah i'm gonna answer that the same way no No I did not.

Speaker: and Did Tab ever come out in England? I don't believe so. like ah another random like research tangent i went down last night tab was like just like a diet brand of Peace. Something else. Diet soft drink.

Speaker: Yeah, was it yeah was just Diet Cola. But without the cola branding, I guess? Yeah. It was created by Coca -Cola. Yeah. So the teacher finally reveals that there's going to be a...

Speaker: a recital and both will be the male lead and uh But it's like. dancing for the school why is it with you and Bali I gather the tab thing is a reference to Flashdance.

Speaker: Oh, I thought it was just kind of... I just kind of assumed that they were going for a lol gay joke, to be honest. I mean, to be without the context, I almost assumed, like, is this product placement? No. Like, no, i the the character in Flashdance drinks tab. Sorry, there's... nodding to that the set the the product was available in united states virgin islands the south african customs union norway with The South African Customs Union. That's a place?

Speaker: Norway, Canada and Spain. Yeah. It was also sold in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s to the mid -1990s. So it was around for a long time. and in In England.

Speaker: And the only reason it got discontinued is because of COVID. Co -another thing Kofi took from us. Wait, you see? You said it was around until the mid -90s? In the america UK, it was around until the mid -90s. As part of their efforts to scale back on underperforming brands during COVID -19 pandemic October 2020, Coca -Cola announced that it was discontinuing Tab.

Speaker: if it's just diet coke why did they need a different brand for it anyway they already have diet coke slightly different taste. I haven't read them all. And Coke Zero. Also, in Norway, it was named Tab Extra as if there was another Tab product in Norway.

Speaker: Simpsons! Yeah, wi you can tell we don't want to talk about this episode that much, huh? he just says oh you know me i'm i'm always just down for a fucking wikipedia uh tangent i genuinely i mean me too but like we're getting into like defunct diet soft drinks from the 70s at this point It's more fascinating when it's less important.

Speaker: Carry on Michael. Can I go? Yes, go, please. So the teacher says, you've got a conflict because you love ballet, but you don't think the boys will laugh at you. What's the response as this is? No, I feel... The girls will laugh at me. I think the boys will beat the shit out of me. Yes, which is fair.

Speaker: So please, sir, seize the moment on the thing and the ask the... What he's doing, he says he's trying to look for the ads for a part -time job and, uh... Lisa says that's a gag paper from the carnival. I want to sing the praises of this next gag. Whatever anyone thinks about this episode, you cannot deny. that The TV coming on. advertising a job and homer being like Good thing you turned on that TV Lisa and she goes I didn't turn it on. All right, we'll turn it off It is off. It is off.

Speaker: Got. A fucking b - Belly laugh. Yeah, with a bit of X -Files going on. Also, just to nod, if we want a bit of a glum toothpaste in our lives, the... the magazine whatever Homer's looking through. they gag So many background gags that are in there for like four frames at best.

Speaker: Like ah looking through it is like an advert. So turn base elements into gold. Learn trepanning. o Wanted expert toad milkers. Isn't trepanning... When you drill into someone's head?

Speaker: Yes, yes it is. Why did I just know? Thank you, Element. Broke no more. Make money fast and easy. Play banjo for fun and profit. one that homer has circled wanted do you give good phone we need you make up to ten thousand dollars a week must know the industry and like to lie a lot cellular phone a must What's... And like to lie a lot. I'd nail that job.

Speaker: Earn dollars bartering soup for birthrights? What? I don't even know. It's just random nonsense. He does also circle, ah an earn at home, be a salmon gutter. Oh yeah, I saw that.

Speaker: Wait, so they send you the salmon, you gut it and send it back? What do you do with the goods? I don't know Also, just notice, also circled in the top left corner, clean the monkeys. o That's it? Just clean the monkeys? just there's there's some scribbling below it but it is illegible it just all that's readable on the advert all i need to know is given in that title Yep.

Speaker: So we go to the day of the ballet performance and Skinner says, you're going to have to work hard to win them over. if Most of them are here on detention. And butgo says oh we bust in ah true misbehaviors from other schools. I love that. I love that the idea is that Skinner just loves.

Speaker: his job so much that he's willing to take on The detention of other schools. Mmm. The ballet starts and Bart has solved his problem by putting a mask on.

Speaker: And Lisa goes, that spiky -haired mass dancer is something. I wonder who he is. I like how Lisa said that right after I thought. the same thing of, like...

Speaker: Peace. pretty fucking obvious who it is. But Jimbo thinks it's graceful masculinity. You can enjoy it. and Nelson says this reminds him of the movie fame.

Speaker: And to a lesser extent, the TV series. Which was also named. Yep. So. We then cut to the classy Joe's limo and Homer's first passenger is Mel Brooks. Is this actually Mel Brooks?

Speaker: Yep, yeah, yeah, this is Mel Brooks. yep so so he tells him that he loved young frankenstein because it scared the hell out of him but ah books like ah bugs Well, he had been in the studio before because his wife Anne Bancroft was the therapist that helped Marge get over her fear of flying. So he came with her to the recording session and they discovered he was dying to do the show as well. So they got him on as a guest a few episodes later. I do know i genuinely i genuinely like when we find out that a comedian...

Speaker: wanted to be on the show. I don't know why I feel like that's more fun for me. yeah i mean there is a lot of that going around i don't know whether whether that holds as true today as it did in the 90s but like this show was big in the 90s everyone's like oh shit my kids watch this well everyone's a fan of this i want to i want to be on the show that everyone loves right now you know that's yeah that's fair yeah it is good for the brand as much as that makes me vomit

Speaker: and but i ah But genuinely, like, I think... If people's kids are watching it, they're probably watching it themselves, so they're probably enjoying it just as much. They're like, oh, it's that show I enjoy. Oh, shit, I could star on it. That'd be cool, wouldn't it? Wasn't it What's -Her -Face from...

Speaker: Like Devil Wears Prada and... Mamma Mia. she wanted She wanted to be on the show, right? i have no idea who you're talking about i'm sorry I mean, I'm amazed that those are the...

Speaker: Films I thought of devil. was I have never seen The Devil Wears Prada. I'm more surprised that you didn't know the actress that I'm referring to. Meryl Streep? Yeah, Meryl Streep. She wanted to be on the show when she was on it, right? She was like, yeah I like the show.

Speaker: Yeah, yeah Sorry, carry on, Michael. I'm ruining your job. No, no, it's fine. I'm just glad that we're keeping this concise with episodes we hate.

Speaker: So let's start going into the, let's do the 2000 pound man. thing and uh Elmo wants to be Carl Reiner and Yubi wants his face and Mel Brooks is like... It takes the comic genius to call it out. min pull this and They start doing the entire bit, and which of course is the national anthem of the caves, which is...

Speaker: They could all go to hell except cave 76. They get pulled over. I had to Google this. I didn't i had' get it. I'm completely unfamiliar with the 2 ,000 -year -old man thing, which I'm obviously butchered as a 2 ,000 -pound man thing. But yeah, I guess this was a running bit they were they they did for years. but Yeah.

Speaker: Lost on me. So Chief Wiggan pulls him over and Mel Brooks does it in a Yiddish voice before correcting himself. Yeah, I thought that was funny. So we can point out there's a taillight issue and ask to see Homer's chauffeur license. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. What he said was your light started blinking when you did that turn.

Speaker: Which I thought was great, because that's just Chief Wiggum being a fucking idiot. Yeah, I mean... Yes, but also... It wasn't a taillight issue. He just... Used as indicator.

Speaker: In a very strange way, when I watched this episode, this was the second thing I'd watched in a day that made a reference to having a short in the taillight because I'd watched i Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 earlier in the day in which the women get pulled over in a car because their taillight is blinking because they have a short.

Speaker: Fair enough. Yeah, ah I guess that is a known fault in taillights? I don't know. Yeah. so i don't but i had always assumed that was the gag likewise i've been like of course of course he he made a turn so he was indicating so his light was blinking and then we can pulled him over for having a blinking light that is what i would assume the gag is e but now dolly parton got me question questioning that dolly gets me questioning a lot of things but you know moving on well yeah Mr. Boots.

Speaker: Rest in peace, Dolly. I was genuinely surprised that Dolly had died. I was not surprised that Tim Curry had died. I loved him, Curry. But the last time I saw him, I was like... From then on, every time someone was like...

Speaker: mentioned it was like he's still alive i was surprised he was alive it's It's just annoying that we lost two 80 year olds and none of them were the right one. Yeah, I've seen those jokes on Blue Sky. So...

Speaker: How about... Thelma tries to make a getaway after telling Mel Brooks to... buckle his borscht belt so homo tries to floor it and uh wickham has to point out that you're trying to make a getaway in park so i'm assuming you don't have the license So he gives him a photo of Patty and Selma and tells him he's got the DMV and a homicide screening. Why would he? Why? Why? Why? Why? For the bit. For the bit. For the bit.

Speaker: Oh, Wiggum's a massive pervert. It's one of the two. carrying around a photo yeah big fan i love that wickham's just a fucking fan No, that makes it better. That makes it... I take back my questions. That's fucking hilarious.

Speaker: so Mel Brooks is understandably unnerved by this and asks Wiggum if he can give him a ride to the airport and Wiggum goes yeah sure but we'll do the two thousand dollar man thing and Mel Brooks is not happy about this and he goes, you'll be Carl Reiner and I'll be Chief Wiggum. I hate Carl Reiner!

Speaker: So. Oh, books, fingers. I'll be chief. Because he hates Kyle Reiner. Who is Kyle Reiner? He was Rob Reiner's father. He was he in the...

Speaker: 2000 year old man. Like. sketch he was like as a comedy du they did it worked as a comedy duo and carl reiner was like the straight man to oh so the gag is just that or the this long -running this guy that i've worked with for decades i actually hate him yeah i didn't i just didn't know that's that's funny i like that i like that that's cute The ballet is going well, and Jimbo is weeping, and...

Speaker: everyone is very happy and Bart thinks everyone's accepting me so he finally outs himself as the ballet dancer and of course Everyone mocks him and fuck us. your head and laugh but i took a chance and if that makes me a sissy then i'm a sissy Get him.

Speaker: So Baracross has to flee from the bullies and he gets to like a... Can I have the money, guys? And then we see the teacher. appear like Obi -Wan. Giving him guidance going. Leap, Bart. Leap like you've never leapt before.

Speaker: So, Bart tries to and he immediately... Eats. He eats dirt. He doesn't make it. And Jimbo goes, it looks like he took a bad spill. Nelson pokes him with a stick and goes, as long as he's hurt.

Speaker: Yeah, but then you walk up. That's never stopped him beating someone up before, but sure. so Lisa climbs down and tells Bob that... He's shown a sensitive side that can't be erased, and they're now kindred spirits. She then kisses him on the cheek and walks off. Bart's response to this is, Why did you leave when I obviously need medical attention?

Speaker: And that should be plot folks. Homer's at the DAV and he's annoyed because... the he thinks that god is teasing him like he's moses like he was teasing moses in the desert and uh my response is tested home ah tested Eh, it felt like teasing, I think.

Speaker: I just did not do it. Fight with visitors and Homer goes, oh, I'll get along. then he'll hug and kiss some poisonous snakes and he goes that's some good sarcasm

Speaker: Hummer's driving the car and he asks them to be fair with him. And they start taking up points off of minor infractions. And Emma says, you won't be happy until you think I'm a loser. And they're like... You are a loser. I'm a winner. You've got to learn that. So it gets more.

Speaker: It gets more vicious with this. seatbelt's being twisted of losing a point and homer goes nagging the driver minus 10. graze the cone Being a jerk is worth minus a million apparently. And then we get to Hummer's... written portion of the test and we see that a Omar fails the test because he didn't fill in C all the way.

Speaker: It's fair. It's fair. They take great pleasure in slamming the failed sign twice. Why did he fill it in halfway? He wasn't paying attention. He put in... he put in an amount Hmm. so just before homer's about to tell mike he failed the tester The Supervisor of...

Speaker: The supervisor comes over and... Superinvisor. It's late, folks. supervisor comes over and says that ah smoking in a government building can cost you your promotion, and Patty and Selma are trying to stammer their way out of this. and oh my last he sees marge looking quite upset about the whole thing because i've got no choice here

Speaker: Who takes both cigarettes at that smoke? I am in flavour country. This is one of the more memorable bits. Both of them? It's a big country. The supervisor apologizes. The party's over. Homer is worse than Hitler. You saw worse than Hitler.

Speaker: that was yeah oh god i so yeah that gag made up for so much boring in this episode it's a big country but So Pai and Thelma say that he's just saved their hides and Thelma's response this is please on top of everything else don't make me picture your hides.

Speaker: Which Marge says, that was a wonderful thing you did for my sisters. And Pumbaa points out that he actually did it for Marge. And he'd kill for her and then ask Marge. Please ask me to kill for you. Actually, Marge points out this is what she was talking about earlier. and Patty and Selma apologize and say if there's anything they can do with when Homer goes to call off the debt and they Later.

Speaker: game two Joe. they'll have a pass off the driver's test note goes Call off the debt and then... They eventually reluctantly go, and Elmer goes, yep, that's off, let's go. and the episode if They don't really commit to anything and go, oh, well, and Homer just goes, that's off and runs off. And we just said with Paddy and Selma just standing in DMV just like...

Speaker: And that's your episode. It's a big country.

Speaker: That's what we think. I do not genuinely... Normally when we talk about something, I don't change my rating. because of it i try and stick to my initial thought And i I was like this episode is fine But there are some gags that I appreciate a lot more. And I genuinely think if I watched this episode again in like a week.

Speaker: I would enjoy it more. I don't think it's great. Hmm. But. I -I do think it's good. But I'm also not clever enough to come up with a... A better... out of Homer?

Speaker: So I'll keep my out of Homer. But I, you know, I did like the episode more now that I've talked about it, but it is... I gave it a about doing ballet B plot. Out of homer.

Speaker: Completely superfluous. Mmm. Sure. Okay. Alright, fuck you. I thought it was fine. I thought it was fine. There were a couple of gags there that... to quite good and memorable but uh on the whole it is a forgettable episode.

Speaker: yeah i'll give it a baryshnikov i'll give a baryshnikov out of over the only ballet artist you know is but I don't know enough about it to fully appreciate its beauty. but That's clever. that I like that.

Speaker: I'm more familiar with this episode than it probably has any right to be on account of, as I say, that one VHS because I had more than a few of the random Simpsons VHS compilations. Uh, growing up. So yeah, I have seen this episode enough. that I remember.

Speaker: More of it? But, like, re -watching it, it's it's... Genuinely not. a good enough episode to include in the compilation. they like They were clearly struggling to find versus episodes to fit the theme that they tied themselves to.

Speaker: Because it's not a top tier episode. No, I don't suppose. It... I do think it's a big country is one of the best Simpsons gags. There are lines. Yeah, absolutely. There are a couple of good lines. Even The Simpsons, at its worst, usually has a few good lines in there, and It's a Big Country is definitely one of those, for sure. The Simpsons is more often than not like pizza than it is anything else. There's no such thing as bad pizza.

Speaker: Yes, true, true enough, yes, yeah. Very much so. It it is the pizza of TV. Yeah. yeah It's that like, you never feel like you've wasted your time. Mmm, true enough.

Speaker: I gave it tethered swimming out of Homer because it was not very exciting. Cool. Did it have anything to say about society? I mean, the Bart plot is obviously...

Speaker: Like, a commentary on how we see men in typically feminine pursuits. But... I do not think they pushed the boat out on that. I think, I guess you could analyze the whole, like...

Speaker: When the dancer is anonymous... and you have no emotional connection to that dancer. You can appreciate it as art. But as soon as you know that person...

Speaker: you then have to grapple with the fact that... you are now connected to something that might be considered feminine. And that is, yeah that is... The. biggest fucking stretch I've ever made.

Speaker: But I did my best. So, John, please, uh... Let me have more than gruel. for tea tonight. That would be nice. Yeah, I mean, ultimately... it yeah it is very much a stretch to try and find anything so so like this episode if it was doing anything it was exploring homer as a character than anything thematic so society societally yeah like we do see the range of homer from his absolute idiocy of investing in the pumpkins to like his

Speaker: habit of habitually lying to his loved ones even if even if well intentioned and then yeah like the good side of him when he comes through at the end absolutely yeah it's usually other homeow Unless it is fucking... um Uh, when Flanders fails...

Speaker: Homer always comes through. Which I f***ed up. Even arguably, well, I mean, like... they gave him a redemption oh yeah he's he's the one that gets everyone to come there actually isn't he Yeah, you can't leave Homer being the villain at the end of the piece. No, it's true.

Speaker: I think, again, like Homer is a land of contrast as the messenger. Like a lot of earlier Simpsons episodes. This one was about family drama. And it's analyzing that. It's not analyzing society. It's analyzing family dynamics, which a lot of sitcoms used to do.

Speaker: yeah It's just not in any particularly unique or interesting way. Yeah, there's ah there's quite a lot of sort of... ah critical reception and even like commentary from like the producers themselves that said this was It was it was a more sitcom -y than they've been doing recently, and it was much more of a throwback to like the style of the second and third seasons.

Speaker: was so it's It's an older style of episode for the Simpsons here. Yeah, it it is that. It's that family value. Yeah, I definitely think that if you said... If you showed me this episode and said it aired in Season 2, I would believe you.

Speaker: Yeah, yeah, yeah, we could very, very plausibly fit in there. For sure. like It wasn't amazing. and it had a very sitcom vibe, I would be like, yep. Mm hmm. but I think that'll do us. Has anyone got any final points to...

Speaker: Throw in there? No. Michael? You got anything, Parival? think we've covered it all. Cool. Alrighty, Matt, what is going on in the world of Matt? Yo, it is fucking spooky, spooky tales.

Speaker: It's out soon, the demo. of a video game I am in, that you can hear my voice in. is out right now. Go to Spooky Tales on Steam. And check me out. I think it's...

Speaker: Fucking great. I love my performance if I'm gonna brag I think the developers did an amazing job of creating a PlayStation 1 style Goosebumps. or Tales of the Crypt.

Speaker: kind of video game. Super awesome. It's out on the 31st of October. I am so beyond. excited for people to uh play a video game and pay money for something that i am in that is So incredibly cool.

Speaker: And also a new episode of All for Arnold is out. Right. Now. So we are we're watching Twins. And probably while I'm in America, we will record.

Speaker: the episode of myself and John. talking about Total Recall. we Hell yeah. Very excited for that one because I think we met. i was editing the podcast today we mentioned that this is the first time that both of us have seen the film.

Speaker: before. And I think it's your first time having seen the film before. I think this is the first time you've already seen a Nani film. cause this it yeah this is the first arnie film we've gotten to the that i had already seen previously i gotta be real though like it has been a long time and i don't remember it very well i remember like the like quotable memeable bits last time i watched a show recall the original was like six years ago And I watched the Colin Farrell.

Speaker: Remake. as well. But the Total Recall was also made by the guy that made Robocop and I fucking love Robocop. fact cool But yeah, that's that's kind of it for me. um I've got some other projects in the work that I can't talk about.

Speaker: ah Yes, voice acting is happening, and I'm very, very, very... Very excited about it and very... um uh uh grateful for all of the support i've gotten on it which has been very cool Very good.

Speaker: Cool. Michael? yep if you want to you can follow me on bluesky at buttermashhorse Just a reminder to please like and... engage with our videos we do really do appreciate it our entire backlog of mo man in the morning podcasts can be found it on youtube and earlier for the seasons one and two can be found on spotify and apple i we A good podcast can be found. And over time now on Patreon, right?

Speaker: Which is free. yes so that Patreon is free currently. that is what i a i probably should have done that at the start of the episode whoops my bad um should have had that as some opening matter really um but yes that was what i was about to come to is yes we now have a patreon uh it is mostly there for for because people have requested it, is is by and large it.

Speaker: there are people out there who have wanted either specifically audio but only versions And our podcast host has been pushing people more insistently towards video formats, which has made for unwieldy file sizes that some podcast player apps don't particularly care for. So if you want a downloadable audio only version, it is available in patreon on Patreon.

Speaker: uh and other people just just like to use patreon as just a convenient place to keep all their podcasts together yeah like i mean a lot of people don't want to use spotify i get that yes yeah yeah yeah Folks, I am ah looking at it now, i having just joined it myself because I did not know this existed.

Speaker: it which ah Last time we recorded a podcast, it didn't exist. but uh yes it it all looks very good there's video versions of our previous season so That'll keep being updated. So if you'd like to support the channel. please do take a look at it please send the shorts to people as well because honestly it's It's amazing how... where how good shorts do.

Speaker: Fall. advertising something like genuinely when i sent whenever i like talked to some because i'm a white guy Over 30, so ah of course I tell people about my podcast. of course you do I send them the shorts because that is it. that Those are the best ofs.

Speaker: And I'm genuinely sure that... There's a decent chance that the fucking good nachos today, Mr. Hitler, will um will become a shot. um yeah thank you for advising on that one yes that should probably be yep they are a great way to advertise the show to other people because they show us at our best or at least what we think is our best I love sending people the um, the wang.

Speaker: One, that's my personal favorite. really I think that one's so funny. Or I send them the first one that we did about me being proven wrong about fucking buzzards. uh because again in a weird in a very very strange and weird kind of way like Those first two? almost put me completely off doing shorts because like they did they performed so poorly on YouTube.

Speaker: that i was like oh this isn't even worth bothering with like they just the algorithm did not pick them up at all they've got like the first one the buzzards one got 30 views to date has had 30 views the wang one has had 23 and then all the other ones actually it turns out is a reasonably good way to prose it because yeah damn hundreds if not thousands of views on some of the others yeah stack the algorithm does pick it up and show it to people Yeah.

Speaker: So, um just looking at the Patreon, just... but minder it is completely free. who There has been a slight. suggested donation thing for if you want to support us but uh yeah so the the way yeah the way it works is you can pay money if you want to but that is just like if you really love what we're doing i want to throw us a couple quid our way for you know the more man in the morning christmas do i think we like to say that there's a reason

Speaker: a reason for that, but it really is just that I don't think any of us can think of what to make for Patreon exclusive content. i have ideas i don't think we are consistent enough at making content to be able to put out like say i don't know a bonus episode every month or something you know

Speaker: Yeah. If we get really consistent at making it and there's a demand for it, yeah, maybe we could put some bonus content out. I do have some ideas for things. but that's that's a step up like right now let's make some episodes pay the patreon is currently at a stage as we record of like i'm just trying to get the back catalog up there which is going to be like a so ah an ongoing project really, but I'll try and get the entire audio back catalog up there to listen to for free for whoever wants it on there.

Speaker: Cool. Yeah, that's that that's the Patreon plug. Patreon plug. Oh, I should probably relink it. Patreon .com forward slash moremanpod. I thought you were going to say you should also plug yourself.

Speaker: yeah I probably also should mention that you can follow me on blue sky at marocca .bsky .social and that's about all i got going on really let's be real yeah i mean i'm on i'm on this guy at map perspective you know i it's but it's now mostly about Voice acting so if you're interested in my voice acting career then feel free to come along But if you're in if you are only interested in the fact that I'm a grumpy miserable git on this podcast.

Speaker: I don't actually post that much about anything other than voice acting on other than my occasional ah Man yells at cloud. if you want yes if you want if you want the simpsons adjacent content that tends to be a thing i post yes so

Speaker: But we have gone long enough today. I think we should probably wrap this one up. So I think all that remains for us to do is to thank you very much for listening slash watching, depending on which platform you're on.

Speaker: And we'll see you next time. Bye, everybody. by Bye everybody.