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S4E2&3 - A Streetcar Named Marge & Homer the Heretic
9 Plays3 months ago
Jon, Michael and Matt watch The Simpsons episodes 'A Streetcar Named Marge' & 'Homer the Heretic', and discuss what they say about society.
Follow us on Twitter: @Molemanpod
Jon: @Meroka_BM
Matt: @mattperspective
Michael: @BMashHorse
Buy my beer (and rate it 5* on Untappd): brewyork.co.uk/product/beyond-the-binary/
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Transcript
Introduction and Hosts' Introduction
00:00:00
Speaker
Hello, this is Moleman in the morning. Good Moleman to you. Well, welcome to Moleman in the morning. Good Moleman to you. That was the ghost of Christmas, Moleman. Oh, OK, right. I was about to call 999.
00:00:21
Speaker
I thought it was more of a sensual moan you were going for. It was hard to... No, that's good. Oh, okay. I see the distinction now. You'll be getting a sensual moan in a bit. Oh my.
00:00:36
Speaker
yeah More Man Morning. We are a podcast about how The Simpsons says a lot about society. as the quickest we've ever done ah that bit of the intro normally one of us has some bullshit to say it and by one of us i mean me i was trying to drag it along because if i let you go that and if i just sit and wait you will fill the air with bullshit anyway so is this the only way to solve it is just to move it along um okay that's fair i get that i and the irony of that explanation is now that it's filled time
00:01:09
Speaker
It absolutely has. yeahp I am your host, Jon. I am joined by two time fillers. I'm joined by Matt. Hello. but but and michael level cut areina I need a catchphrase.
00:01:26
Speaker
this is a sha We're here today to talk about the Sharp series of books. Yes, we are. We're here to talk about Sharp and the Glory of Sean Bean. I have a Sean Bean keyring. Just judging by the Wikipedia tabs I had open at the start of this, I'm like, why am I still looking at Sharp? When we're talking about Sharp, before we record it, now I'm like,
00:01:46
Speaker
Okay, open the correct tabs. Just that awesome. I love those books. The Sharp Podcast. I bet there's a sharp podcast. There has to be.
00:01:57
Speaker
We'll keep talking about doing more podcasts and spin-offs and things like... We can barely handle the two we have! Well, Michael has to edit one, yeah. He can host and edit one. Oh, you really want to put my non-existent computing everything skills to the test? You'll learn, you'll pick it up. How hard can it be? I have to ask you every week if the audacity recording's done. It's fine. It's like riding a bike.
The Simpsons and Society
00:02:22
Speaker
ah We are here to talk about two episodes of The Simpsons from Season 4, episodes 2 and 3, which are a street car named Marge and Homer the Heretic.
00:02:33
Speaker
It's been a long time since we've done this. I don't remember what other bits we did. Are there any other bits I'm missing? What's everybody drinking? not drinks And then on this day. Something I've been mulling about in the over a month since we last recorded is last time we had a whole bunch of like context and now we've got like... um context has happened in the world and I always feel like we need a bit not to pad the podcast out more than it is like what's going on in the world what what is the context in which we exist did we just fall out of a coconut tree or yeah what's going on I get what you mean though the idea that um considering this is a podcast about how the Simpsons says a lot about society
00:03:12
Speaker
the society we live in is going to... What is the society right now? Is there a society still? Yeah. Yeah, because last time we were on the very eve of an election, I think. We haven't recorded. I don't think we have recorded since then.
00:03:26
Speaker
We must have been, surely. I don't think we had. I don't think so. Oh. Yeah, Labour won a while. Yeah, Labour won. This sparked race riots. Trump assassination attempt. Was that, had that happened yet? No, that hadn't happened either. Okay. So Trump nearly got assassinated.
00:03:43
Speaker
ah Biden dropped out of the presidential race. Kamala Harris has replaced him. ah Found the nicest dad you could possibly hope to meet. Yeah, dad bro. To be her running mate, which has completely thrown the right wing of politics into disarray because they do not know how to counteract a nice guy.
Kamala Harris and Politics
00:04:03
Speaker
Yeah, genuinely nice guy that does that has all of the hobbies that they have. Yep. Like he is just typical middle American kind of vibes, ah you know, America, America kind of guy, but he's just left wing. So they don't really know how to handle that.
00:04:23
Speaker
It's great. I'm loving seeing them just frantically flailing. Donald Trump posted some weird like picture of Kamala Harris at a rally earlier today, which he'd edited to like put a massive communist banner in the background. It's like, you got nothing. You got absolutely nothing. Kamala Harris came up with the best counter attack to any right wing criticism, which is, aren't they all just a bit weird?
00:04:46
Speaker
Oh yeah, they do not like, they've got no counter action to being humiliated either. like the like they They can be angry if they're like attacked or insulted at all, but like just being called weird, they don't like that. they like they They think of themselves as normal and being called weird is just something they cannot process. Trump had an interview with Elon Musk. I have not seen it. ah That does not sound like a thing I want to watch. I did i heard that it happened.
00:05:12
Speaker
I know Elon Musk had the fucking temerity to, like, during an interview, say that he doesn't he he has never had the weakness of needing to be liked. I thought. Nobody wants to be liked on this planet more than that man. Absolutely. Holy crap. There is no one in existence more desperate to be liked.
00:05:36
Speaker
He bought an entire social media platform to try and force people to like him. plus Bless him. He's trying. He bought his way onto Simpsons. Anyway, Simpsons. Yeah, Simpsons. Speaking of that, oh, what a segue.
Casual Chat and Cartoon Network Coincidence
00:05:50
Speaker
I know, right? And I'm going to ruin it by saying, what are we drinking? Reverse segue.
00:05:56
Speaker
god yes but I am drinking lemon tea. Fancy. Yeah, I'm also slightly ill, and I already drank today, so I'm drinking Dr. Pepper. So I don't know why I was so vehement about bringing this bit up. Fair enough. I am slightly retreading old ground because I've got a Black Forest Gatto pastry stout. That just sounds awful. That's what you had last time, isn't it? I've had one before. It wasn't last time. Last time I was drinking my own beer. Oh, well, you're so sorry. Were we both drinking yet? Yeah, we both drank it last time, yeah. Dope.
00:06:30
Speaker
Yeah, cool. I didn't get the memo. You never do. the This is sickly sweet and full of flavourings. Don't know what I expected. Shall I do what happened this day in history? What happened yeah this day in history, Michael?
00:06:46
Speaker
Well, the episode we're first looking at is a street car called March. Named March. That was enough. It aired on October 1, 1992, and this is what I have for these days on this date in history.
00:07:03
Speaker
Ironically enough, Cartoon Network premiered. Which is ironic, because I think it's just closed. Oh, did it? Uh, no, the website is just closed. I don't think the, um... Yeah, as far as my... I think the company is still going, but you you've made me worry now. It's owned by Warner Brothers, isn't it? I think they owe, like, nine billion. I thought it got bought out a while ago, but... Wait, the website's still up. I'm so confused. that I've been fed lies.
00:07:32
Speaker
Yes, we've all been fed lies. I've got a clue. I haven't heard anything about this. Ross Perot reenters the US presidential race. This clearly made a mark on history. We
Music Charts and Episode Setup
00:07:43
Speaker
all remember this. Yes, very m clearly. How about some charts? Okay, so the US number one. End of the road, boys to men. I think that was what it was last time. rings a bell Yeah, it was boys to men last time.
00:07:58
Speaker
I think the UK number one is the same too. It's Ebenezer Good by Shaman. Shaman? so That's how it is. What do so do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be a Shaman. Shaman. The Shaman were a Scottish psychedelic band. Oh they sound right up my street. There you go. So shall we get into the episode? Go on then. Since where are we at?
00:08:24
Speaker
but who Okay, so the chalkboard gag. My name is not Dr. Death. Yeah, I don't get it. Is is there a guy is there a specific gag here? Is this a reference? I know Simpsons don't make like ludicrous references that no one would get. I thought maybe this is the time they decided to do it. You really need to lose the B in the bonnet about the references because we're going to be at this for years. I know. Isn't that great?
00:08:54
Speaker
I don't know whether it's a reference or anything. The couch gag begins, and lo and behold, it's the couch turning into a tentacle. Hentai monster of some kind. Alright man, it just ate the Simpsons. Going straight for the big guns. Yeah which head die ah love it I I've seen enough Hentai to know where this is going.
00:09:17
Speaker
Okay, so the episode begins and we're getting something that's incredibly 90s, but doesn't exist anymore. It's a beauty pageant. They still exist. They definitely still exist, dude. But they're not to the level that they were. They're not sponsored by Meryl Streep's versatility. They smell like street for cheap. I dated a beauty pageant girl. Yeah, genuinely. She came second a lot. that with that That's the story.
00:09:43
Speaker
i play yeah i was that for more but There's not much else to tell. She played the violin. um She was obviously very beautiful. um She had very high pressure parents. I mean, i not like you would for a beauty pageant. Yeah. to and trint here There you go. That's my story about dating a beauty pageant lady.
00:10:10
Speaker
So we get to see some of the contestants and some of them include the Washington but off she didn't contestant having the Mount Rushmore on her head. Yeah, it's kind of there's kind of an irony because the the whole intro here is set to a song that is meant to... A song I was absolutely unfamiliar with had to dig into this, but it is a song sort of taking a jab at beauty pageants. It's a song written from the perspective of kind of a teenage outcast misfit, like, oh, it doesn't fit in, like the world was made for beauty queens and whatnot. Yeah.
The Simpsons' References
00:10:45
Speaker
Wait, Jon, are you telling me that the writers of The Simpsons made a reference that not everyone will get?
00:11:00
Speaker
That's crazy. Admittedly, in the 90s, when this originally aired, that's probably not like a deep cut. I think now, definitely. But back then, a lot of people probably would have heard that song and gone, ha. But actually, I make a note of when that song originally aired. When you look it up again now, when you started this bit on the way you said, John, I thought you were about to accuse John of writing the song.
00:11:28
Speaker
John did write the song, didn't you know? John was a very prolific baby. and Very impressive, well, I won't say their age on the air, I think that's a bit... I think I've said my age multiple times. People, I don't think it's a secret. I am 30. I'm 21. You piece of shit. You piece of shit. Yeah, but it wasn't about five years ago.
00:11:57
Speaker
Alright, let's stop embarrassing ourselves, shall we? Right, well I guess we'll stop recording then. Jeez.
00:12:07
Speaker
Marge is much not embarrassing herself as the homo and the kids are enthralled by this program. Marge reveals that she's off to go audition in a play and that she's leaving the microwavable fiddles. They really didn't want to like do an opening. Marge decides to go be in a play. They were just like, okay, we don't want to do the set up this episode. Marge is going to be doing a play. The end.
00:12:35
Speaker
Yeah, that's true. There isn't the usual kind of fake out, meandering plot. This doesn't go, yeah, it's straight in like, here's what's going on with this episode. It's a very, again, like they do this a lot, but it's a very typical kind of old school sitcom vibe of family sat on the couch, in comes character, character explains plot of episode, episode proceeds.
00:12:57
Speaker
Yeah, very much. They're too interested in the TV program to pay any attention to March, as Troy McClure says, all the contestants are winners, then reveals that they're cutting 40 out of 50 straight. We'll cut 40 contestants after the break. We also ignored the and here are our judges. That comes next. Oh, is that not happy yet? Okay. That was immediately after this. I love that gag.
00:13:22
Speaker
So we have the judges introduced in which included token black guy token black guy. My note here is I'm not entirely sure the Simpsons are allowed to do a token black character gag, but you know, no, I it just got me. but Also, we've seen skincare consult and Rowena before. I remember we point yeah she was on the know her she was on the Washington panel, wasn't she for the essays? Yes, that was but one of the worst episodes of Simpsons ever.
00:13:52
Speaker
Troy has a little moment with the gal in the end, I forgot what his name was, but he's a gossip colomist or something. Yeah, they're like who writes annual worst dressed list. They really linger on this guy for like him to do his little speech and I heard it and was like, I don't get it.
00:14:08
Speaker
basic Basically he's insulting Goldie Hawn's fashion sense. Yeah, but like the sort of the catty yeah fashion critique bit feels like was that a thing that was like an annual tradition in some columnists somewhere in the 90s? Probably. Might be a reference. Dunno.
00:14:27
Speaker
It all exists about calling him a bitch. But in a light-hearted, jokey way. A word I'm mildly surprised to hear from the Simpsons, actually. I wasn't a word I thought that would be in so the approved list. Yeah, i it was another one of those, like, ah we need Bart to say something this scene. Because that would have made more sense coming from Homer. But they were just like, nah, we need Bart to say something. We need to remind everyone that Bart exists. Guys, Bart.
00:14:54
Speaker
yeah Marge, Marge tries to engage her in his, you know, play but almost answered it to everything it sounds interesting. Sounds interesting. Even my Marge comments that she sometimes feels she doesn't exist. Yeah, poor Marge.
00:15:10
Speaker
Yeah, Homer's not doing great this episode. and No, this is not a Homer episode. Progressively, yeah, it's worse. We then, Tom McClure starts ah introducing the finalist and Homer starts are making level four rhymes, which I think included the Butte from the Newt. The Butte from Butte. And the Carolina, nothing finer. Nothing finer. Yeah, and he's all aware. Good for her. he' just we don't see the previous winner giving a speech about how she's giving up her ground and uh she apologizes for a comment she made at the UN yeah what were those comments i want to know well never know because Marge is too busy singing uh you're doing scales um i might get yelled at to be quiet
00:15:58
Speaker
Yeah, the convenient second living room of the Simpsons where Marge can practice. And that piano just randomly crops up. Yeah, every now and then we're reminded that that piano is there.
00:16:09
Speaker
We also see ah Maggie starts playing a... This is saying Tagovskis? Uh, Tagovskis dance to the sugar plum fairies, yes. Yes, duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh yeah
00:16:40
Speaker
As Marge insists that she did tell him, Hummer continues to insist that's not the case and the kids back him up and eventually Marge just gives up and accepts that... He goes, yeah, fine, alright, I didn't tell you, I thought I had. and i's like but yeah I mean... Very clear foreshadowing to the vibe of the rest of this episode. Yeah, and also, like, I've been there before, which made it hard to find any humour in that scene as well. We then cut to the next scene and it's at the auditions and we see Jasper is doing ballet in the background.
00:17:10
Speaker
Yeah, dude, Jasper is is is a lithe gentleman. Marge converses with Flanders, and Flanders reveals he's been in Streetcar before as blunt. yeah and Part of the fun of going to an all-male school. More more Ned cross-dressing stuff. Yeah. so We get some manly Ned in a minute, though. It's probably a situation I would have encountered at my old boys' high school, but they cut the drama department, so they never came up.
00:17:38
Speaker
We then get our guest star of the week and this is Lewin Sinclair who is John Lovitz, I believe. I love John Lovitz. John Lovitz is hilarious in everything he's he's in, especially when he guest stars because I do to some extent feel like they just invite John Lovitz to the set or the recording booth and just go, can you be John Lovitz for 20 minutes? And he goes, yes, with pleasure. And then he proceeds to be John Lovitz for a bit.
00:18:09
Speaker
the The fourth time he's done a character, the fourth's an entirely different, separate character now at this point. He reveals that he's directed three plays in his career and had 300 ducks. And I plan to have a fourth! Well, I just think she should have done a calligraphy class instead, and Chief Wiggum tells us that Mr Takahashi is a lunatic. Yeah, Chief Wiggum just randomly here, man. I don't know what's going on here. Well, he's there to theatre, like everyone else, part of the community.
00:18:36
Speaker
Do you know what, that kind of, yeah, it does kind of weirdly make sense that Chief Wiggum would want to be, like, involved in the community. case Yeah, Chief Wiggum. He's in uniform, which is weird, but okay. Chief Wiggum is always in uniform. He is, yeah. Lewin then reveals that he was a bit harsh on her one of his plays, which is for fourth graders, but he holds up his newspaper article review of a play enjoyed by all ah speaking for itself.
00:19:00
Speaker
uh play enjoyed by all four stars just want to point that out don't know there's all the males do you take their tops off so he can look at their physis everyone yeah ah everyone auditioning for steve or whatever take their take your shirts off what's his name? there's a steve in the play stanley's the male stanley yeah that's so what who a poo is playing ah Yeah, except they change it later on. Somebody else ends up playing Steve. It's weird. They're not very clear on... I don't... There's some continuity errors in this. I don't think they've thought about it much. Yeah, I know. Low effort on this episode, really, all round. Lewin, as he's looking at everyone's physique, says, left horrified by Otto's tattoo. You should see my butt. Eventually, this leads to Ned getting the part just because basically he looks the best without a shirt on. This isn't the first time we've seen shirtless Ned, is it?
00:19:52
Speaker
No, I believe shirtless Ned has existed. Has existed. It has always existed. In our hearts, in our minds, shirtless Ned. I don't remember where, but probably. I'm fairly certain he's ripped his shirt off be before and been all Ned. what's like Yeah. We don't see the women audition, and we hear, they're all pretty quickly cut off, including Marge, who was brutally told to get off the stage pretty quickly. m Yeah, I'm not surprised with that bloody voice.
Marge's Acting Journey
00:20:21
Speaker
well As Lewin starts yelling at all the girls saying that none of them capture the spirit of Blanche's downtrodden and hopelessness, he then overhears Marge on the phone to Homer, in which he's downtrodden and hopeless, being downtrodden and hopeless, yeah. As Marge sadly says she'll go get a bucket of fried chicken with extra skin.
00:20:38
Speaker
Why does she immediately call Homer? To set up this whole bit. Yeah, yeah, that is the reason. Plot. But I mean, ah yeah I guess it's a homage. If you want to justify it, I guess Marge thinks Homer would care because she's still still hopeful. He might. Yeah. Yeah. There's somewhere the spark. of hope in there because Marge is eventually about to go buy a cream pie parfait at this magic chicken shop. Also, I want to point out that we all wish we could order KFC with extra chicken, right? I mean, extra fit extra skin. We all wish that. We all wish that. If they could breed chickens with... God, horrifying. If they could breed chickens with their second set of skins. Just an extra set of skin.
00:21:19
Speaker
just flopping in the wings like bingo arms yeah grim what have the science wrote i will never know yeah comfort i just i am become death we'll never know because margie never gets to put in such a good order because uh he's immediately cast by lewina's blanche oh yeah and i love i yeah i saw i was trying to like put myself back in the seat i love him just taking the uh the first stop bothering my blanche hang up Could the next scene of my just telling the family about how she's got the part Oh, yeah, that's another thing. We want to talk. I want to well I want to talk about this episode freakin goes there is no downtime ah no we've got oh Yeah, we've got one as no no
00:22:00
Speaker
i same we' got no b plot no there is a there is a b plot there totally is but it yeah it ends before the episode ends and is a lot shorter and Basically it was, somebody had watched The Great Escape that week and decided, let's put it on The Simpsons. Someone heard The Great Escape and was like, dude, that track's banger. Let's put it in Simpsons. That was the whole idea. I think that's not terribly far from the truth. It really was just like, yeah, can we get that song? That's a good song. Can we use that somehow?
00:22:31
Speaker
We'll get to it, we'll get to it. ah um But Bart asks if for there are any jive-talking robots. I know Bart's goal is in asking a stupid question. Then asks if there's any forefrontal nudity. Both fair questions. Also...
00:22:44
Speaker
kind of vaguely a reference. No way! really Because the musical version of Streetcar that they're performing is, that it we see the titles in one scene, it was O Streetcar, which is a reference to O Calcutta, and O Calcutta is a play which features quite a significant amount of frontal nudity.
00:23:07
Speaker
that no that's the deepest cur ever a eat the i don't give these writer specifically specifically but it's a weird coincidence if it's not specifically connected to that the cast then meet up to introduce themselves which included also introducing himself as Pablo and somewhat climbing um a do I play Pablo We then get a poo giving his entirety of his name to just reveal he's playing Steve. Yes, yep. I'm about to introduce to the self when she's bought her cookies for everybody. Lewin tries one and says does anyone else like a- Would anyone else like a bite of banality?
00:23:46
Speaker
i want wiham would I love Chief Wiggum. We've talked about my love for Chief Wiggum before, but yeah, he is ah the guy the guy's line delivery is flawless.
00:23:58
Speaker
just i would So honest, so real. you know He doesn't care that it's banality. He wants a brownie. It's cake. It's cake. Sporting cake. Of course I want a cake.
00:24:09
Speaker
No, no, no. Wrong number. This is 9-1-2.
00:24:14
Speaker
We've also got Lionel Hutz in the scene, because we've got Phil Hartman, so we always double up on Phil Hartman. If you see Lionel Hutz, there's a Troy McClure and vice versa. I've brought a class action lawsuit about everyone who wasn't cast in this play. Also, I play Mitch.
00:24:28
Speaker
Go to the next scene and Marge and Ned are rehearsing, which includes Marge being launched bodily onto the bed. Oh my god, the noises Ned makes, though. just he He's just like, so you throw her down with passion! Oakley, Oakley! Vrrr! And he just goes, errrrr. The idea of Ned being saucy is so funny to me. Just, errrr, you like that baby.
00:24:55
Speaker
Fortunately, his passion is ruined in that moment because Maggie takes his glasses. And me without a camera. So It's very cute. It's so cute. Lewin reveals at this point that he's got a sister that runs a daycare and this is the entirety step up of the bleeple. I'm going to ask a very stupid question because I didn't check and I'm very curious. i He also plays the sister, right? ah Yes. Yeah, I thought so.
00:25:21
Speaker
Yeah, I found a woman that sounded exactly like him. Very impressive. It sounded weird. It didn't sound like exactly like him. So I was like, this is. This is deliberate, right? Yeah, I.
00:25:41
Speaker
I struggled with this character a little bit, I suppose, because they also gave her a really conspicuously receding hairline, which is just kind of like, to me, just immediately read as, trans? Are you just- No, she's just supposed to look like the other- She's just supposed to look like the brother.
00:25:58
Speaker
But yeah, when you've got her literally voiced by a man and have given the character receding her line, it was just kind of like, okay, wait, you're doing that? I think that's a very modern way of looking at it. Oh, it is, it is. yeah no There's no way that crossed their mind 30 years ago, and I'm sure of it. But to me today, yeah, that was... that was I get that. That was a jump scare. A jump scare?
00:26:21
Speaker
We did get to meet this woman and she scolds Marge for the use of bottles saying, what do you think a baby says when it reaches for a bottle? Baba? I think we've sort of buried the lead on that because we missed it. It's the Ayn Rand score for Tarts. It's the, the, uh, what's Ayn Rand's thing? object Objectivism, that's the one. So it's so it's it's an objectivist.
00:26:46
Speaker
daycare school so yeah it's everyone out for themselves no cooperation no collaboration everyone teaching everyone to be selfish awesome that's what we need in the world yeah Margie Margie's unsure about leaving Maggie there but uh after she reveals that it's the only daycare not being investigated by the state Margie's swayed yeah a weak kind of hurt we don't see uh Maggie looking sad as Margie leaves and uh at this point Maggie's pacifier is taken and stored away very sinister music yeah this they they didn't try with this B plot they were just like Maggie goes on adventure the end episode of Rugrats
00:27:26
Speaker
yeah they also he also and we'll get to it later but it it ends weird because they did cut a bit of it out as well like it's cut short but i'll get that when we get there we then see the uh back to the rehearsals and uh marj is struggling to get the required anger for the part particularly to plan to having to break the bottle for i usually give it to one of these there the old face shredder fish shredder i thought you said fish shredder fish it can do that as well well that's just it makes more sense as a fish shredder but i thought he said fish shredder and i was like that's just fans as being flanders we then slew and eventually just gives up and goes to drink amaretto in bed which is the terrible way to spend one's evening i think absolutely how sad
00:28:11
Speaker
Meanwhile, in the actual Simpson bed, Homer is playing a bowling on the some form of Gameboy, as ah Marge wants to practice lines with him. Fortunately, Homer also goes to bowling, then points out that Marge's selfishness has been the root of his problems.
00:28:24
Speaker
yeah but um you forgot that other people have problems too or something like that hmm yeah we come back to the daycare and uh maggie is now trying to suck on various things to replace a passive fire yeah again just fricking zooming from bit to bit include this includes a Bart Simpson doll just in case you needed some meta just just to remind you that Simpsons is popular guys Simpsons have you heard of this thing i don't you know i haven't we've been pretty big actually could you make a reference to it that i won't understand
00:28:56
Speaker
ah but You'll understand the next reference, because the first of our two great escape moments begins. bad Basically Maggie recoating two random babies to help her build a sort of tower. Fortunately Maggie can't. Yeah, there's no, again, there's no build up to this. She just suddenly has a small squad. Which goes against one of the signs on the wall which said helping his futile.
00:29:19
Speaker
helping is futile strip there's your objectivism stuff again yeah is a which is a reference to no way the the law of identity which is a key theme in ah atlas shrugged an an ran book Well, we see that helping Institute out in this case because the the tower falls down and Maggie is just left hanging off the locker, sucking on the pasta by the door days. Eventually, they have forgotten what the daycare administrator's name was. Let's go on Mrs. Sinclair takes my missing player. That's all we got yet.
00:29:52
Speaker
Yeah, she takes Maggie to be taken to the box, one of those babies throws her a ball, and we just see Maggie in the box as the ball just keeps bouncing off her head instead of catching it. Which is also a reference to the thing that they locked the guy up in in the greatest game. The The hole.
Marge's Frustration and Independence
00:30:08
Speaker
The hole, yep. We don't know if it's good back to rehearsals, and Margie's still trying as she can't really see why Blanche is so mad with Stanley and should just take his humour in good grace. Yeah, this was really on the nose.
00:30:22
Speaker
Homer then finally shows up to pick Marge up for a ride, and as Marge starts to get increasingly frustrated with him, as Llewyn starts to explain what he's wanting from Marge, Homer asks oh my but change for the vending machine, and Llewyn throws down a hell of a lot of change from him.
00:30:46
Speaker
It was a sea margin, Lewin discussing ah Blanche's motivations and but Stanley as a boot. We could see Homer in the background of the candy machine but struggling to get the candy and eventually just doing a full charge. This is a freaking Jackie Chan flying, yeah flying crane kick. It's crazy.
00:31:04
Speaker
the homo goes outside and starts honking his horn for Marge to come outside, this is finally the tipping point for Marge who imagines Ned as homo, including his perfect abs turning into a big gut. oh that that's again i love when the animators put in those extra frames just to make it really sinking because his abs just got kind of like burger like that horrible like drenching wobble yeah I can't, I kind of expected more sort of like, of a, I don't know, I think it's very sudden. Marj absolutely snaps. She has up to this point taken everything with good grace and it was like, no, that's it. This we've talked about this special law this is what Marj does is she holds
00:31:45
Speaker
literally everything in until the absolute breaking point. And obviously we can use it to criticize the character of Marge, but it is also a character trope that is just carried through Simpsons throughout and leads to some of the funniest episodes.
00:32:02
Speaker
yeah ah's snap finally break said bottle and leaps eye on ne as louwin praises himself for doing it again bench chides in it for not overpower you also overpower fun business try but i think he's about to be got with the fish the fish face shredder. He does get caught with a fish face shredder we see we see this next time we see him. I like how yeah and ah pretty much throughout the rest of the episode he is shirtless.
00:32:30
Speaker
We come to the next scene and the family are at dinner and Marge is talking in a southern accent to get into character. Lisa starts talking in a southern accent and Bart starts talking in a British accent and someone thinks he's living in a cuckoo world. In a cuckoo clock.
00:32:42
Speaker
We don't see Marge go off to uh go rehearse with Ned and Homer asks her about Berserk and Marge's response to this is you can open your own pudding can. Homer tries to open said pudding can with his ring snaps. I have never, what for one, when a ring pull snaps, saddest moment in your life ever. It just is. Especially when you're trying to open a Fred Bentos. Truly. They are horrible to open. They truly like one of just the most heartbreaking moments when you just hear that click and then you're like well what the fuck do I do now?
00:33:11
Speaker
Do you not own a tin opener? No, of course I do, but then I have to get a tin opener. I don't know if you've ever tried to open a fray bay or just buy. They are a nightmare. Not in recent history. Yeah, these is hell. If the poor goes, you are going to be there for at least 20 minutes opening that thing. For our American viewers, all two of you, a fray bentos is a brand of tinned pie that you can buy in England.
00:33:39
Speaker
I don't appreciate you sharing that information with the Americans because they already think very poorly of British cuisine. So saying, by the way, we have tinned pie is not going to improve things. ah Yeah, but they can they can suck a dick because they want no flavor. If a bit them in the eyes, they cover everything in sugar. I will. I will say that the gravy in a paper is amazing, particularly if you get the steak and all of them. I a bentos. You know, not ah quite happy to have one. They're not my first go to because they're a bit expensive now.
00:34:08
Speaker
Yeah, yeah now I had bought one in about five years because of the price. But anyway. Simpsons. Yeah, I forgot what my second point was. I have never seen any kind of, quote unquote, generic pudding just in a tin the size of a tuna can. Like, what was in that? What was in that? Because it didn't the tin just say like pudding?
00:34:30
Speaker
Well, pudding is tend to be in like plastic at home these days. Yeah. I mean pudding as a concept, just like as in a thing, which is pudding. It's something that you see frequently in American stuff. I've never known any of that to be served anywhere in British. No one says, Oh, do you want pudding is like a category of food? Yeah, exactly. I would say to America is a dish unto itself. Pudding is like flat. Like they call flan pudding usually, or like at least whenever I see pudding, it looks like flan.
00:34:57
Speaker
Yeah, I think it's just like chocolate mousse in this sort of way, isn't it? That's where we've got the impression, yeah, just some so some sort of sweet slop. Whereas pudding here, yeah, it's like, do you want some pudding? Pudding is a dessert. Yeah, it means anything from the best cheesecake you've ever had to Nana will let you open the biscuit in.
00:35:19
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. We then are cut to the next scene and Homer is now just yelling at Marsha on the garden. Marsha's response to this is just telling Homer to keep yelling at your great ape. Ned tries to defend Homer and this prompts Marsha to break the bottle to practice the bottle scene again. Let's practice the bottle scene!
00:35:37
Speaker
I just want to say, just pretend that they did. Yeah, I love that Ned's got the bandage as well from the day before. Poor Ned. Poor Ned in this situation, man.
00:35:50
Speaker
He's just been walking around topless for the last week as well now. Marge's loving it. We then come back to the bedroom and we see that Homer's asking what time the play is starting. Marge says they wouldn't enjoy it because there's no bowling and realise there is bowling in it. Yeah, probably not much of it. Marge, frankly, just asks Homer why he can't be more supportive and Homer's blunt response to this is, I don't care. See, that at at least at least he's honest. I'm not saying that it wasn't mean.
00:36:18
Speaker
but it's honest because the amount of times people have been like, Matt, can't you just show some interest? I'm like, no, I don't fucking care. This is not interesting to me. This is not this is not important. I don't want to be here. I want to go home. I want to be in bed. Leave me alone. ah I wish I could do that more often. Hey, we support like March. We support your cookie projects. Anyway, Simpsons.
00:36:43
Speaker
And Marge asks what kooky projects? And we just see Homer start naming all the stuff Marge used to do and he includes the Moss class. Yes, I think it's a shame that they didn't use actual examples. No, they mentioned the art class. Yeah, the last time we saw John Lovett, or at least one of the previous times we've seen John Lovett was one of them when he took the art class. She took the art class? Yeah. The Mr. Burns. Oh, yeah, Jesus.
00:37:12
Speaker
yeah see well then now there you go then there you go i i'm i'm wrong yeah it woees me i'll take my penance by you know the next ring pull i try and open family before do intentionly twist yeah he lists painting first aid class first aid course can say that correctly dave course and I also have first aid claws, come here and let me heal you. And the whole, how do you pronoun pronounce it? Lamance. I just got that joke. I just got that joke. Cause it's a pregnancy thing. yeah it's a buring you it's like It's a thing that's like recommended to take. So it's not, the joke is that it's not a kooky project. It was a thing to make sure she gave birth safely.
00:37:56
Speaker
Oh my god, why did it take me so long to get that joke? I had never heard of it until googling it just now, so... you've never You do not watch enough sitcoms. Apparently not. As Marge asks ah Homer why he's never said anything before, Homer says he would never do anything to crush their dreams and immediately goes to sleep. We then come back to the daycare, and we ah see that Maggie is being called a Delord by Mrs Sinclair, but this is all just a set from the rules for Great Escape Part 2.
00:38:27
Speaker
but My game might just so somehow get into the vent, and include using a crispy dolt to lower herself down into the office, using bottles of milk as ballast. Hey kids, I'm fire retardant! If I could break fire a new one! Aw, that was the best one. That was so good.
00:38:48
Speaker
We'd also see that, as Mr. Sinclair has pointed out, the babies have developed one of the most complicated- Sorry, can I interrupt the show with one of my classic Matt-realized-something-this-the-other-day? Mmm? Yeah, sure. Okay, so you guys know what a Furby is, right? Yes. You know the toy, the Furby. It's taken me... How long have they been out since I was about, like...
00:39:10
Speaker
I think that came out as sort of 20th century, so about 1990. Yeah. So it's it's been like 20 years for it for me to figure out that Furby is short for fur baby.
00:39:25
Speaker
um bad enough I don't think I've ever thought that hard about Furby to dig into it. No, neither had I! It was one of those really annoying bedtime thoughts where I laid down and suddenly went, Furby is short for Furbaby and I couldn't sleep for 10 minutes because I was hating myself. They were launched in 1998 and they are still making them, good lord. Yeah, they are terrifying. Go onto the Reddit that just talks about the creepy things that Furby's have done in the night.
00:39:51
Speaker
Oh I don't need that in my life, I'm quite sure. laura It's This is going to be the inspiration for Five Nights at Freddy's. Do you know it probably was to some extent? but is element yeah the five The Five Nights at Freddy's animatronics do have a startling resemblance to Furby's.
00:40:09
Speaker
Back to the show. where Babies have developed the most complicated ah warning system for Maggie at one point. What the hell? Right, okay. Let me see if I can remember it. No, I've already forgotten. Yeah, they wave, then there's the... They wave a towel, then there's a ah nailing in the... Yeah, the nail thing, the like hammer.
00:40:29
Speaker
Then there's a pop-up book which eventually leads to that most vi but thing. Can't see that a Maggie creates a sort of zipline situation with a coat hanger and then some more Christian merchandise.
00:40:43
Speaker
i realize yes she's using the bottles as ballas He manages to open that locker and start throwing the dummies out to everyone as the music triumphantly comes to an end. yeah is This then leads to one of the most disturbing scenes in Simpsons history. Yeah, this is so weird. Amma comes to pick up Maggie and he's horrified to be greeted by the image of what seems to be like at least 200 babies all sucking on pacifiers. Staring at the door and there's reverb.
00:41:11
Speaker
the echo war The echo is almost walking through the room as the sucking is happening. He finds Maggie and slowly starts bucking out of the room, shielding the children. You've got to have confidence in a bit to have no dialogue like that, because it is basically silent and it is so uncomfortable.
00:41:33
Speaker
We don't see Homer, has he coming after the daycare go babies? And then Alfred Hitchcock walks past, walking his dog for some reason. yes course That entire bit was a reference to Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. ah that makes more than right what And he also made he walked past with dogs as like a cameo in The Birds as well, I think.
00:41:53
Speaker
Ah, okay, that makes more sense. So what is the what's the bit of the B-plot that was cut out? ah How did Miss Sinclair not deal with this? ah there's a bit there' There's supposed to be a scene where they lock her in the office behind her once she goes in. That would explain why they have a little bit where she walks in disheveled. Yeah, she she walks ah walks in, the bottles drop, smash, she's shocked, and that's the last we ever see of her, but there was supposed to be a bit where the baby's locked the door behind her, so she's trapped in the office.
00:42:22
Speaker
That's a weird bit to cook, so that's like, what, two seconds? It can't have been very long, but they must have been really pressed for time. Yeah, pressed for time on this frickin' gold. We then let's see the show's about to start, and Lew and his back stage giving a pep talk to all the actors, except Otto, who's firing and replacing him. You're not working out, I'm taking you apart. So the play begins, and we start with the Fuck You New new Orleans song.
00:42:46
Speaker
Oh man, this was just like, why do they like New Orleans? is Because I've never seen a street car named Desire, so I didn't know if there was like genuine bits where they shit on New Orleans. No, this is a parody of Sweeney Todd, which has a song which shits on London. London town, yeah.
Controversial Play Song
00:43:07
Speaker
yeah so that's what that is however this did generate a lot of controversy because everyone was like what the fuck's wrong with new orleans why have you done this uh you will note when we get to the yeah we'll see it next yeah they get one back but no this is just a solid minute of can You all eating something? Does everyone in the audience just look at it? but There's also apparently a cut gag from there because they wanted to have two Cajun characters disgusted by this and walk out but they couldn't actually get a voice actor to do a convincing accent.
00:43:46
Speaker
no We then see that Homer is bored in the audience until Marge finally crops up in the play, and we get Marge's first singing bit, which is frankly short. No offense meant to the actress. Marge, the plot picks up as Apu comes in, and Marge decides that she wants to kiss him. This leads to Apu's solo.
00:44:08
Speaker
This was so strange. It's a weird bit. I do appreciate the fact Appu rhymed floozy with music. Appu really holds his to-do at the end and then much kisses him and Appu gets very excited. They did a great job of, like the actor for Appu did a great job of singing as Appu. You know, like Appu can clearly still kind of sing, but it still sounds like Appu.
00:44:37
Speaker
Whereas obviously with Marge, they just went with the gag that she can't sing. I mean, it's gotta be a hard voice to do and also try to sing as well. Absolutely. Absolutely. This is credit to the actor that managed to do that. We don't cut to shirtless Ned, who's singing his song about Stella. Oh, that's right. I love this one. What a good rhyming. Can't you hear me yeller? You're putting me through hella. I like how aggressive he's saying the word Stella when he gets to the yellows.
00:45:05
Speaker
te not We then cut to Marge flying around the rafters with lasers going on. Yeah, genuinely, what? We see that so she's being lifted by a very sweaty mowing body, as Bart is very impressed by the fact his mother can now fly. And then Lisa, again, this is another one of those moments where it's like, don't forget to give the kids lines. Yeah, the same to the madness. But then start singing a song about the kindness of strangers, which I don't think many children should have paid that much attention to. Marge and Lisa, don't listen to this song.
00:45:37
Speaker
yeah this is kind of supposed to be inverting the last the last line of the play is i've always depended on the kindness of strangers um ah but they make this this really silly upbeat number about oh everything is great and there's that's not how the play ends so there's kind of yeah silly bit of irony there. The play ends and we see uh the cast taking about as Chief Wiggum comes up with his wave, Lou and Eddie are very excited.
00:46:05
Speaker
Marge gets the flowers and we can see that Homer is looking very downcast in the audience. And the curtain closes as Marge is looking sad and Homer is looking sad. There's a lot of sadness going on. We don't see that you're all right, Michael. Yeah, I'm just sad because everyone else is sad. Okay, you're a very empathetic person.
00:46:24
Speaker
My heart bleeds. We don't see that Bart is using the ah pulley system for himself, and Lisa drops him on his horse because she sees Marge. And the eventually Marge and Homer have a talk, and Homer says that she was terrific, but Marge doesn't believe him.
00:46:39
Speaker
as he thought that Homer was just bored, but this is where Homer redeems his entire, I've been a jackass for 20 minutes, but I'm about to make a good on it by saying one nice thing at the end. I personally don't feel like he entirely redeems it, but like he makes an effort. Homer is sad because he thought that Stanley was being a jerk to Blanche and Blanchether for putting her into the nut house, although he does actually forget who Marge was actually playing before he goes into this point. Yeah, they really... like the Normally, Simpsons is quite good with when Homer has his moments of clarity, shall we say, that they, you know, they they stay in the moment and they don't feel the need to, you know, make gags or jokes or anything like that. Or if they do, they're very, very well timed.
00:47:23
Speaker
Whereas this one was just, we need a joke here. Let's have him forget the character's name. And it's like, yeah, but that defeats the point of what Homer's moment is supposed to be. Thus completely muting the whole issue. Well, this is enough for Marge and Marge kisses Homer. And do we get that nice, happy, cheery music as Homer lends to himself? But maybe he's a bit like Stanley. Yeah. to use it Because he uses the male's bits out of his teeth. But Marge thinks maybe just a little kisses him. And that's our episode. And yeah, the first episode in a while where Homer and Marge end their marital disputes by banging.
00:47:58
Speaker
but oh shirtless ne was ah or The banging is never shown here, so it does have to be very much inferred. but yeah Oh, I'm in fur in it. If I didn't do that episode, I would have a baby sucking looking evil at the end. Why? What is wrong with you? Just keep the gag going. Just keep you on your toes. So what did we think? God, this is the most like bog standard episode.
00:48:34
Speaker
that's a very good that's a very good way to describe it has one or two good laughs some good moments but it like it just zooms this is the quickest i've ever felt a episode of simpsons go by and not because it was entertaining it's it's definitely not a bad episode it's just there's not a lot there and then with this and and like with the march has stockholm syndrome episodes which you know are frequent Sometimes they they just stop trying and they're just like, every single gag is, Marge shouldn't be in this relationship. Marge is sad. Marge has Stockholm Syndrome. Homer is a dick. It's like, you're not making it funny, you're just making... This is just kind of a downer. Yeah, I mean, I didn't dislike the episode, but it was yeah too emotionally heavy to actively like it, I think. Mm-hmm.
00:49:27
Speaker
I enjoyed a Pooh song and I got a mild laugh out of the ah great escape moments. There a great deal other than that. There's great moments. Like again, Lou and Eds, like cheering for Chief Wiggum or just all of John Lovitz bits.
00:49:44
Speaker
But the overall episode is just weird. It's not bad. It's not even a weak episode. It's just basic. I think for my outer coma, I am going to give it change on the floor. I found a couple of quarters in there. most It's dimes and nickels. That was glorious. Well done. I like that.
00:50:05
Speaker
I went with a... I'm sure if I quietly watched it over and over and tried to see the benefits of this episode from the point of view of the writers, I'd love to learn. I'd learn to love this ah ah episode a lot more and appreciate it as I should. Out of Homer. It's long out of Homer. Probably the longest out of Homer I've ever given, I gotta to be honest. I give it an an emotional revelation out of Homer because I didn't expect anything quite so emotionally impactful from The Simpsons.
00:50:33
Speaker
yeah yeah i think this is a great example episode of how like if we're talking you know we're moving on to the society bit this is a great episode of how we as as viewers have changed in terms of what we find funny what we find acceptable in comedy because obviously there are sitcoms now that deal with very heavy topics most sitcoms these days seem to think it's a rite of passage to have like one really sad episode But the the balance of that has so totally changed where this was still trying to be an episode of Simpsons. Whereas, you know, like most sitcoms, like obviously um Brooklyn Nine-Nine has quite a lot of them where they they they have those serious moments and they don't really do a gag because they're like, no, this is our this is our we're pushing for a BAFTA kind of moment.
00:51:25
Speaker
hmm and they just linger in it whereas Noah Simpson's are like no still gag still still a sitcom and you're just like nah this doesn't gel right this is weird yeah I mean for something like Brooklyn 99 you've kind of got like character arcs and development and plots and you to some degree you're still engaging with it like yeah on a continuum you will watch it through from start to finish and like go on a journey with the characters where the Simpsons is just a one and done each episode needs to be viewable on its own. After 25 minutes it is everything resets to zero so it is a lot harder to yeah no I totally agree. I've got that women will censor and constrain themselves for the sake of a fragile usually male ego.
00:52:10
Speaker
Yep. yeah And people should go to the theatre more, including me. People should go to the theatre more. We go see a play. Me and me and Michael will come visit you in Wales and we'll go see some Welsh theatre.
Welsh Theatre Visit
00:52:23
Speaker
We've got the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff. Big theatre. Dope. Let's go see some Millennium Wales. Sweet. I think there's a street car called Cardiff. Street car called Cardiff.
00:52:39
Speaker
Sure. ah Nate Myers gave it five out of five, by the way.
00:52:47
Speaker
Oh, Nate. Oh, one other note as regards the development of the episode that I quite liked that I didn't touch on was ah the Anne Rand Society got in touch with them after after they had this episode and said they were absolutely amazed about the references to Rand and asked if it was making fun of them.
00:53:06
Speaker
But why do they why do you care? If you're following objectivism, you shouldn't care if someone's making fun of you. Because what they're doing is is is irrelevant to you. Just keep moving forward. Get over it. Yeah, yeah. yeah Elon Musk's.
00:53:24
Speaker
Shall we go on to the next episode? Yeah, I got no answer. I think we'll wrap that one up. Let's move on to Home of the Heretic, which aired on October 8th, 1992. so i can think i think we can all agree this was the highlight right oh yeah absolutely absolutely holy crap this was a jump i i i will quite happily immediately say what a banger all right let's move on let's go i do actually have something that happened on this day video game multiple combat first release is a 2d fighting game by midway game yo that's crazy cool that's a weird bit of like i'm actually kind of connected to that history vibe of you know what i play in all combat
00:54:05
Speaker
The US s number one and the UK number one are still the same. I don't know why. Yeah, the Mortal Kombat theme.
00:54:13
Speaker
Yeah, the boys to men will know the com boys to men took a really weird detour just to do the theme for mortal combat. I was really surprised to see so much Scottish psychedelic music in in Mortal Kombat as well. Yeah. I'll kick you in the face.
00:54:36
Speaker
And your whole school will cave in. Yeah, I think we've got this. Nailed it. So, onto the episode itself, and, uh, the terrible gag is interesting. ah Yeah. It's, uh, I will not defame New York, New Orleans. I wonder why they put that in. Yeah, they had to apologize for the song in the last episode, and this was part of walking that back, I guess.
00:55:04
Speaker
Honestly, i I am surprised that The Simpsons, for doing it for doing a comedy song, when what the state of New Orleans complained, they didn't just go, grow the fuck up.
00:55:16
Speaker
and get that keep that new orleans ear boship i guess yeah I mean, you know, it's one of the few chalkboard gags that, you know, ah is funny, but I don't know how funny it would have been if, say, for example, we'd watched Streetcar Named Marge at the end of an episode, you know, if it was the second of a two rather than the first.
00:55:39
Speaker
because i watched it one after the other i saw the chalkboard gag and immediately got it how how much attention are you paying to simpsons on a week to week basis that you will see that like that chalkboard gag is only funny if you've just watched the previous episode Presumably, de I mean, it's a reference, not everybody's going to get Simpsons, surprise, surprise, and all that. But anybody who had objected to the previous song would probably have objected over the course of the previous week. It would have been in their minds, at least at some point. yeah if it
00:56:17
Speaker
If it annoyed them to the point of writing to the producers to complain, like they might remember that they slagged off New Orleans the previous week. yeah maybe i Anybody else it is going to whoosh and they'll be like, oh, that's the silly thing that Bart's writing on a chalkboard, but it doesn't really matter if you don't get it. It's the chalkboard gag. Yeah. I wonder if it was newsworthy because it was the night he's not was happening then.
00:56:39
Speaker
be another mit like sorry and we are the coach garug is just the revolving wall ye they disappear thats it the end couch but We got to ah baby Homer, and he's enjoying another day in the room. Another day in the womb. He starts doing some nice swimming to some nice classical music. Unfortunately, the waters break and Homer is forcibly yantled. We don't reveal that this is actually a dream and Homer is clinging to the bed screaming he's naked and wet. This is a dream? No way!
00:57:16
Speaker
Do you think they thought of this bit like Homer getting fought like in the womb before or after they were like, Homer needs to be woken up from a dream? like where when At what point do you think someone drew Homer as a baby in the womb?
00:57:37
Speaker
Oh, I think they've had that locked on fire already to go for the stock since the start of the show. That's kind of what I'm thinking though, is that yeah, they were just like, I need to find an excuse to fit this weird bit into an episode.
00:57:50
Speaker
We then see that this is Marge trying to wake Homer up for a church, and Homer doesn't want to go, partly because it's too cold out. We then cut outside to the blizzard, and the former best- stealing fish out of the bath. But Marge is not having any of this, and throws Homer his church pants. We then see Homer struggling to get inside church pants. Unfortunately, they rip, and Homer decides that's enough motivation not to go.
00:58:11
Speaker
I like the the very obvious joke as well, of one size fits all my butt, because obviously he's got a big bum. I mean to be fair, if you only had one pair of church pants and you just ripped them, you probably would be reluctant to go to church, if you ripped church pants. I thought he was completely justified on that argument. No, but remember, these are cartoon characters, they have several identical outfits.
00:58:33
Speaker
You know, it when whenever we see them in the same outfit, that's not the same outfit. The other outfits in the wash, they just happen to have that combo of shirt and pants 12 times. ah He only needs this once a week, though. Yeah, he's still a... he's still a... I don't know, I feel like Madge would be prepared.
00:58:51
Speaker
Marge instead is sieving as she this apparently doesn't have her windscreen wipers and is just wiping the screen with her own hand. Well, no, it's it's the temperature. It's not the condensation. Yeah, yeah, condensation. So but wouldn't that mean that like the kids that the kids are shivering, but wouldn't that mean if this conversation that she's got the heating on in the car? Maybe the heating doesn't ah go to the back. Maybe it's not enough. Maybe it's still cold. Who knows? this book These are questions that don't need answers, but I will ask.
00:59:19
Speaker
We then cut to Bart asking where Homer is and Marge says he's resting and Bart's response to this is hungover resting. We then cut to Homer rest resting and he's tucked up into his bed like a toastie. It's the meme!
00:59:36
Speaker
than me. Fortunately for Homer he needs to whiz and ah as he tries to think of a plan to get around this eventually just gives up and goes to whizzing. There has never been a more relatable bit in Simpsons. Yeah we've all had that moment. I have had that too. I genuinely had it today. I was like napping and I was like oh this is just I'm just so comfy because you know when you're just on that that edge of waking up and sleep where you're just kind of delirious and very comfy because your whole body feels like jelly yeah I was in that stage, and then I need to pee, and I was like, if I get up, I'm gonna lose this. But if I don't get up, I'm going to piss myself. So, what's it gonna be? Better get up and whiz with the door open. Yeah, absolutely. And lovin' Oh, but get's in the shower, he's singing Delilah.
01:00:26
Speaker
and uh he's got the radio on and uh he can actually swear he's got his no soap radio on yeah is that a bit or is it just the fact that you know like he's it's a it's a shower radio it is a bit uh there is a joke a really weird obscure joke um no way uh it became popularized in new york in the 1950s and it's uh kind of about It's about, it's abouts a social experiment, bro. um So you tell a joke, you usually having a co who should have an accomplice with you who already knows what you're doing, and your punchline to the joke is a nonsense, completely unrelated. Like the example cited on Wikipedia is, the elephant in hippopotamus were taking bath, and the elephant says to the hippo, please pass the soap. The hippo replies, no soap, radio.
01:01:23
Speaker
so so yeah ah either you don't get it or you laugh ah if you laugh you go like you have to explain it to your family that all then proceed to call you a fucking nerd yeah yeah it's it's a non-punch line so either you laugh because you feel like you're supposed to get the joke and everyone laughs at you because like you you you're an idiot or you if you go what the fuck is that that's not funny you you can just keep pushing them it's like ah like no soap radio don't you get it and it was like ha that's great yeah no soap radio how fantastic yeah you need but what why are you getting why don't you get the joke so it's just yeah i hate the entire universe we don't we don't god is right we have sinned and god will punish you by making you sit in a sermon where the furnace is broken so you're shivering your ass off including maggie's bottle freezing into a block of ice
01:02:22
Speaker
frozen milk is very uncomfortable to look at does anyone else find that like especially actually for milk ah my my teeth are genuinely genuinely like getting all itchy thinking about it but have you ever bitten into frozen milk No, I don't think so. It is unpleasant. Isn't that just ice cream? No, it it freezes in a very weird way. Very like cre- No, make myself crazy to think about it. On at least one more occasion does the thing that's liquid, that's not liquid anymore, but is cylindrical and every time it comes out it's just very disturbing. Or like the hot chocolate one. Or it's the, um, the marshmallow in Bart's hot chocolate.
01:03:05
Speaker
Puts the marshmallow in, it absorbs the entire drink, and then you just swap out in a cylinder, yep. I have dreamed of that happening. I have dreamed of it happening. I want that. That sounds great. Pull out a knife and fork, Savu. Yeah, exactly. Savu, great evening.
01:03:24
Speaker
i ah Homer, meanwhile, is having a hell of a time himself. He turns the thermostat up to 100 and is dancing to the short, short song. That is so warm, though. What is 100 degrees Fahrenheit? 100 degrees.
01:03:37
Speaker
hundred Fahrenheit Celsius is 37 degrees in the house that is too hot that's a lot a little toasty that's why he was wearing his underwear yeah man 37 degrees Jesus if I ever woke up and my house was 37 degrees Celsius I would just die I don't think I'd wake up I think I'd be in a coma
01:04:07
Speaker
he's a little overdressed for 37 degrees really yeah man he's naked well he's got to put on some clothing because he's supposed to make his patented moonwaffles and um this is quite the thing of liquid smoke in waffles oh god what the fuck man liquid smoke why liquid smoke like the whole bottle as well i told him eat zero waffle batter Yeah, waffle run off. He then cooks his waffle, which is a horrible sticky mess, grabs the stick of butter, wraps the waffle around the butter, and declares it fattening as he starts to just take it off his face. This is going to be the second time on this podcast I've brought this up, but guys, you can get deep fried butter. Yeah, maybe you don't know what that's supposed to be. Deep fried butter!
01:04:56
Speaker
You want a product to kill you very quickly. What was it that Al said he'd tried? Because it was when Al was on. And we talked about deep fried butter and he's, he mentioned that he's tried something and I can't remember what it was. Oh well. Sad times. We're then cut back to the church in Reverend Lovejoy. He's talking about hell and everyone is warming themselves to the description of it. There's killing bots hanging by him. I'm there. Meanwhile Homer's back at his underpants and his moonwaffles have fallen over his chest and he gets the dog to clean them up.
01:05:26
Speaker
yeah why is this such a bit like this is so many sitcoms and cartoons and everything and I'm like no like no that's weird like I'm okay with like you know drop if if like food gets on the floor letting my dog eat it as long as it's not you know poisonous to the dog But if it drops on me, for one, that's still good. I'm still gonna eat it. I'm just gonna get it with my fingers. go in them You know, I'm not gonna be like, oh no. I don't know if, again, it's just a very modern way of looking at it, but it's like, oh no, i got I got butter on myself. Come over here, dog, and clean it up. You know what I mean? It's just, I hate it. I hate it so much.
01:06:07
Speaker
We don't know, come back to the church, but the doors are frozen shut as the sermon ends. Lisa starts praying for God to intervene, but Bart's called her that. This isn't even a time off. I thought this was going to be the B-plot, but there is no B-plot for this episode. I thought the B-plot was going to be, you know, Homer having, well, A-plot is Homer having a great day and the rest of the family and the rest of the town being stuck in the church. But nope, bait and switch.
01:06:34
Speaker
who's also not stuck in the church is the radio disco jockeys who are doing a contest and Homer knows the piece of trivia answer because he has the album. He then grabs said album and when he's asked what the title is he misreads it. Yeah yeah I did quite like there's this quite a funny concept because they described it as Johnny Calhoun's next record a spoken word like a spokenw word album of his right-wing political views. And then destroyed his career. It killed his career.
01:07:01
Speaker
I love, I love that typical, um, disc jockey kind of, Hey, hey, hey, it's time for the usual questions. I like it. I wish, I wish we all in our daily lives just talked like that.
01:07:14
Speaker
We then see that Willy is now trying to melt the ice on the door of a flamethrower, and he points out that Miracles are not his department. ah To keep everyone entertained, Reverend Lovejoy starts reading out the ads, which includes the tale about a car table that is missing the top of a table and missing a leg, but the fly is fine. I was fully expecting that to be Homer's ad. We then cut to a Homer watching the Three Stooges. I guess that's what that is, yeah. Apparently they were doing chiropractic Grab a spine and start twisting. Start cracking, boy. Cracking, I say. Homer just rarely comments that's Moe's mom. Moe is their leader, like what is? They really just want to be like, let's put a Three Stooges reference in. Okay, we've got to make it relevant to Simpsons. Have Homer say something like Moe is their leader. Okay, done.
01:08:11
Speaker
Does that make relevance? No, it doesn't. But they tried. Willy has a managed to open the doors and we see everybody wishing out to the exit despite Reverend Lovejoy's pleas for calm and calm. We don't see Bolt climbing over the heads of everybody, even commenting on people's hats. We'll go back to Homer, and he's trying to find something good to watch on the TV, but unfortunately he finds a political broadcast.
01:08:38
Speaker
yeah he' he's pretty literally praying to god like please this let this be good I loved the title card, though, for, um, municipal round two. Municipal round two! Like, like just two buff lawyers! Being each other with weaponry. But, ah unfortunately, that program has been cancelled for a football game, and we see how we get up to start dancing.
01:09:02
Speaker
We then come back to the church car parking lot and we see that Marge is struggling to get the car to work. Lisa's trying to offer advice on how to get this car started and eventually... Literally backseat driving. Marge eventually has enough of this and full on yells at Lisa. Best part of the episode. And Lisa cowars into the boring corner saying nothing.
01:09:19
Speaker
nothing We then see that Homer has apparently watched the greatest game of football by the sounds of it. A lot happened, including, I think, the return of a fine boy. The surprising return of Jim Brown, who retired in 1966. In the 90s, too. That's such a great joke. We then cut to Homer then seeing on the floor. That's a penny. And Abraham Lincoln himself. Could it be? I found a penny!
01:09:49
Speaker
Almost starts to ponder if this is the greatest day of his life and we see the flashbacks to his other two containers which included his wedding to Marge and dancing in the overtoned beer truck. Alright so question as we're all alcoholics if you were in that situation I'm not gonna ask would you strip down because of course you would but would you drink the beer would you do the you know put your face to the sky and drink the beer yeah probably yeah John your your answering is if I'm gonna go well you're a piece of shit no I'm asking I would I'm not gonna get a straw and start slurping it off the ground yeah it's only been in contact with the air it's fine you only live once so
01:10:41
Speaker
Homer declares it the best day of his life, and as the family come back from the door shivering, Homer then reveals that he's had the best day ever, and it's because he missed church, which Marge is horrified and outraged by. But Homer declares that he's now never going back to church, and Marge asks him scandalised if he's giving up his faith. Homer shows a no, but then eventually backtracks and says yes.
01:11:02
Speaker
the one thing i would note on that is that like there are a lot of people who still would consider themselves religious and have faith who do not particularly go to church very often like yeah your your faith is not entirely dependent on going to church but this is america well this is america this is indeed this is middle america this is peru this is peru yes we hope we have learned this the condos
01:11:29
Speaker
We've got the next scene of mine just trying to get the batter of the waffle iron. Also, John, can that be your next tattoo? This is Peru. nothing in hell in comic sands This is This is Peru. I'm going to pass on that one. I'll pay for it.
01:11:46
Speaker
It doesn't make you better! This is Peru. I'm mulling over getting a Simpsons tattoo lately though. Your next romantic partner, you know, you're getting all amorous and then you reveal the tattoo. This is Peru. And then you have to sit and all romance dies as you explain what the fuck you have. Well, it started with the antediluvian condor.
01:12:13
Speaker
ah For some reason like recently I've been like I probably should get a Simpson tattoo I should get a Simpson tattoo. What would I get? and i'm I'm coming to the conclusion. It's got to be Hank Scorpio yeah that's a good that's a good i'm gonna get the entire otto tattoo on my chest oh what the one from the last episode yeah yeah absolutely oh that's a good one well be impressive and but then underneath it have again in comic sans because it can only be in comic sans you should see my butt and then on my bum i'll just have in like the most beautiful uh gregorian font you've ever seen made you look
01:12:51
Speaker
Well, how's Margie cleaning this, uh, waffle iron? She's then scolding over for giving up her... What is she cleaning the waffle iron with? Looks like a frickin', like, ice pick. It does, yeah. I think it's a screwdriver. I thought it was a screwdriver at first, but then I thought, why would she clean it with a screwdriver? Granted, why would she clean it with an ice pick, but... Go get something sharp. Yeah, just trying to scrape it off with something, but I don't know. Leave it to soap, girl. No soap. Radio.
01:13:17
Speaker
I get it. Nah, he gets it. No. You can't see that Marge is calling Homer for giving up the church and Homer starts explaining his position and every point he makes, but caps it off with a... Oh, he's making some tremendously compelling points here. I think so. I'm 100% on board with how we're in all of this. I do agree with his final point though. If we've played the wrong religion, we're just making God angry and angry. And God is everywhere anyway. Yeah. Yeah.
01:13:49
Speaker
as a bot is agreeing and shouting testify at the end. Well, if you look at January, if you read the Bible, there are segments of the Bible. I think a lot of them get caught in America, but a lot of segments of the Bible do say worship at home.
01:14:05
Speaker
Yeah, they they say don't you know make a big song and dance out of your religion like those? loudmouth pagans or something like that So but yeah, Christian is doing it wrong. Someone might want to go tell Catholicism Just a tad yeah Wonder why you've been there booing for the witchy. Just a little ostentatious guys
01:14:31
Speaker
We don't go to a march praying to god to help your home of the way and home is trying to get march to come to bed. We just see that march just edges down the bed and starts praying more quietly. So we've learnt the one thing.
01:14:44
Speaker
that dulls the horn of Marge Simpson is her lord and savior. Evidently. Her faith is more important to her than the only other most important thing to her in the world, which is Homer's dick. Fortunately for her, Homer cannot stand i could stay up all the We then go to Homer having a dream, and he's in some form of an earthquake, and television starts going, uh-oh. It says, uh-oh. The roof of his house is ripped off, and then we see that God has arrived. It's me, God. God tells Homer he's forsaken his church, and Homer drops to his knees and explains to the Lord that he's a good man that has lived a good life, so he wonders why he has to spend every Sunday hearing about how he's going to hell, and God is swayed by this argument. Yeah, fair point.
01:15:30
Speaker
ye Got him. I just got agrees with Homer that the sermons are boring and he plans to give Reverend Lovejoy a kankersaw. I love the fact that it is also very clearly the same voice actor as Reverend Lovejoy. it so just makes It's just that little bit of added layered humour.
01:15:49
Speaker
yeah after god gives the cat a stroke he agrees with homo's plan and tells him mean he's got to go up here in a tortilla in mexico and we don't cut to homo waving goodbye to his lord and save him cutting back to homo in his dream state waving and marge just like looking at him like What the hell? yeah Apparently they originally wanted more scenes with God, but the only way to do that without Homer like literally being visited by God was in a dream. yeah And the original draft of the script which i had Homer talking to God so often that he had to fall asleep so often in order to achieve this, that he looked like he had narcolepsy. Should have just gone with it.
01:16:31
Speaker
then cut to the next scene and homo's gone full monk yeah yeah i love this imagery just wandering around the garden in it's a dressing gown but it looks like like a friars robe kind of thing yeah we don't see that uh good toothbrush as well come my animal friends as lisa asks homo why homo why he's sinning homo assures that there will be count on his deathbed if he's wrong
01:16:56
Speaker
then hobo acquires new new animal friends who uh literally do stick up on him and so hobo's in the shower in the next scene would you give me five minutes we go to the next scene and reverend lovejoy has been invited over for dinner which is alarm to find out that was this is a ruse he seems so upset he was like i thought i finally had friends
01:17:17
Speaker
Then Homer tells Rev. Lovejoy in Marge's dream about so God and God being in full support of his plans.
God's Aroma and Biblical Humor
01:17:23
Speaker
But asks what God looks like and Homer says great teeth. Great smell all around a nice guy. I imagine God would smell nice. Yeah, he would have it to. too But does God smell nice because it's the absence of smell? Or does God have a nice smell? Like, does does God smell like freshly ground coffee?
01:17:42
Speaker
He smells like whatever your favourite aroma is to each and every individual person. Good answer. Good answer! and love joy quote the parable about building a house and son to homer de tryitus the way his mind and homer comes back with just name a parable around Matthew 21 17 yeah and he left them and went out of the city into Bethany and lodged there yeah big about know but chuck challenge the vicar on Bible verses I thought this is interesting as well because in a way Matthew 17 21 does fit like leaving them and going out into Bethlehem because that's what home is doing
01:18:22
Speaker
So there is like an actual, you could sit there and have a theological debate using the points that Reverend Lovejoy and Homer put forward, which is quite fun. Yeah, yeah. We don't cut to the next scene and Homer's at Mo's, the an informing work that he will be in tomorrow, because he's got a religious holiday. The Feast of Maximum Occupancy. Yeah, I was fully expecting him to like say it in a weird way, you like pronounce it wrong, so it sounds like some kind of Latin or something. No, he just says maximum occupancy.
01:18:52
Speaker
But also, like, that genuinely sounds reasonably plausible as far as, like, just a Christian feast goes. It's like, oh, the feast of maximum occupancy. If it's always you don't think about it, it's just like, yeah, it sounds plausible, actually. I get it, I get it. Oh, but then he invites Moe to join his religion, but Moe turns him down as he's born and dies snake-handling. What the hell, man? Oh, this is a thing. So, did anybody else look that up? No. Because my reaction was, what the hell, man, as well.
01:19:21
Speaker
There is a weird subset of Pentecostal Christianity which involves ah Snake handling, literally snake handling, that's it. They believe that like as a test of your faith, you should handle venomous snakes as part of going to church. So like you go to church and they just hand you a snake. And yeah, a lot of those adherents have got missing limbs or badly disfigured limbs. Yeah, it doesn't end well. That is absurd. A good amount of the time. Yeah, that is a whole ass thing.
01:19:59
Speaker
But if you truly believe in God, the snake won't bite you, don't worry. Alright. What happens once the snake is bitten you? Did you just get expelled from the cure? I don't know. You don't believe in
Homer Starts a Religion
01:20:09
Speaker
God enough. I i mean, presumably they want to keep their adherence, but like, obviously you probably need to like, repent, say some prayers, and try to be a better Christian or something. So the snake doesn't bite you next time. I suppose it's it's that same kind of logic though, that's used in like the the witch trials, because Michael mentioned it earlier. The fact that if they if they drown,
01:20:33
Speaker
they weren't a witch if they're a witch they'll survive so it's that kind of it's the same thing of like oh well you were bit by the snake so you need to believe more so you need to keep coming to church it's that same kind of weird circular logic Yeah, yeah, yeah. Certainly is. We go to the next scene, and the planners are at Homer's door, saying they want to bring him back to the book. Homer's not sold on this, but then we but they've got a nice little thing about Noah and his ark, and we get several scenes of Homer being annoyed by this, including being called at work. These were fire, dude. The car chase? Holy crap. I loved it.
01:21:10
Speaker
This eventually does lead to a car chase, the Zoma tries to get away, and Flanders is after being prompted by Rod, but the heathen is getting away. Yeah, the heathen's getting away. I see him. We then get a shot of a homo driving through a train crossing, and Flanders somehow getting his car to go through the wood car. Ramps it through the boxcar as the train's going over the crossing. Eventually it's the homo driving to the harbour and leaping himself onto a barge, which is going to Garbage Island.
01:21:39
Speaker
yeah worse so Where are we going? Garbage Island. Next up, Funzville. It's that guy again, yep. We don't know how to cut to the itchy and scratchy episode. da da da da da We see that Scratchy fails to notice that Itchy has turned his tongue to a rocket which... Michael's become an absolute expert in ignoring my bullshit. but What did you do? I sang the Itchy and Scratchy theme! You don't even notice! No, it's no, now I know you did that, but what acknowledgement are you looking for? No, nothing! thanks Was this leading to something? No, I just... How do you be singing the song? I love that you just... you just go. You just keep going. You're just like, yep, Matt's being mad again.
01:22:23
Speaker
I think it was leading to something. I would have ah stopped talking, but you just sang the song. I am never leading to anything. You can lead a mat to water, but you'll never have a point. Can you lead the moon to Scratchy, whose great defense this was the going to go into the closet? oh Yeah, I'll give it a go.
01:22:41
Speaker
Basically, the kids start to wonder why they have to go to church in Homer doesn't. And, uh, Marge goes into a very uptight spiel about how he's got to set a good example for the children. Homer's response to this is to talk about a man with long hair that had crazy ideas, but Homer forgets who he is and what his point was. You know, the guy that drove the blue car.
01:22:59
Speaker
Oh such, yeah no, that that that got me, that that really got me, it did the old switcheroo, it was the old switcheroo! I had some long hair, wild ideas, didn't do what other people thought was like, you know who you are, you're the guy that drove the blue car. I think Jesus would drive a blue car though, and we can all agree. This leads to a heart to heart with Homer and Marge, and Marge says that Homer won't win in a test between her and God. Homer starts going on a spiel about how much size we've ever been.
01:23:28
Speaker
apart from him, which includes talking about the mailman guard. Flanders
Homer's Home Alone Antics
01:23:33
Speaker
and ah the water company. The water department, yeah. Flanders, the water department, guard. Marge S, one last time with Homer, will go to church and fortunately Homer has a special about how to make your own ladder. Definitely no. That is way more tempting than church. We don't see Marge looking all sad in the dark as Homer's watching his television.
01:23:57
Speaker
We don't see that ah the sermon is now about Homer himself. Whoever Lovejoys says that... a yeah Is he trying to turn the community against him? Why is he giving a sermon that's explicitly anti-Homer? I think it's meant to be a joke about like the whole new ideas thing that as soon as someone with radical new ideas kind of shows up the the that the the religions tend to immediately go on the defensive of saying, you know,
01:24:25
Speaker
of like, you know, equating them to the devil because new new ideas usually don't end well for the ah the higher-ups of churches. Hmm. Devil of Joy declares that the devil is walking amongst them, on but attacks a poor man with a goatee. Yeah! We then cut to a Homer backing his underwear, reading a Playdude magazine, as he makes a very erotic noise about his interview with Lorne Michaels. Who is a Canadian comedian! Oh okay, I did not look that up, okay. Homer then realizes that's not arousing, so goes onto another article. yeah which is like the joke the article the joke articles they submit yeah ah unabashed dictionary defines iud d as love springs internal we i don't get it either iud it's not improvised no i'm thinking of iud that's an iud that's a very different thing what's an iud it's one of those devices they put inside a lady to stop her getting pregnant i love springs internal right there you go now i get it i didn't get it i was like homer
01:25:28
Speaker
There's a knock on the door and we see that it's Christie collecting for Jewish clowns. Specifically for Jewish clowns caught up in a tornado and it has a flashback to the last convention where there was rainbow wigs and big shoes everywhere. Elmo gets clarity that this is a religious clown thing and shuts the door in his face. I just liked as well like the weird um like the ads that you get on TV the statistics every year 45 clowns are killed by tornadoes but to look better off is even the natural thing I highly doubt it I would suspect not I suppose Reverend O'Joy continues his sermon. We then see that Homer is buying cigars and beer at the parking lot. As he comments to Pooh, he's not in church, and Pooh reveals that he isn't, because he's got a shrine to Ganesh. I've got the name right there. Yeah, yeah, Ganesh. Homer, at this point, goes and offers it a peanut, and Pooh's great. Please do not offer my garden a peanut.
01:26:29
Speaker
As Homer mocks up over, but apparently being back at the line for religion handed out, Pooh very bluntly tells him to pay for his purchases and get out, but also tells him to come again. Can we get another shot of Reverend Lovejoy a bad-mouthing Homer, and then we ah cut back to Homer lying on the couch, smoking his cigar, declaring that everyone is stupid but him.
01:26:49
Speaker
ah Unfortunately, Homer's narcolepsy kicks in at this specific specific moment, and his cigar falls down to, like, fire to varying things, including an over-pulled power socket and his oily rags. Not my box
Homer's House Fire Incident
01:27:01
Speaker
of oily rags!
01:27:04
Speaker
Which just leads to a full-on explosion. Homer fails to realise that the entire house is burning around him and asks Marge to turn down the thermostat. That's better! We then see the dog running, and the dog saves the Hershey's chocolate bar, which will ironically kill him. yeah Eventually Homer's hair burns off, which is the prompt to wake him up.
01:27:24
Speaker
It grows back immediately as he has Harrogate in the next scene. As Touma starts chock-offing, he tries to remember the fire's safety, so unfortunately he forgets. Unfortunately, where he can remember the beginning and the end, he forgets the middle most important bit of it. At this point, Touma is overcome by the fumes and finds himself passing out.
01:27:43
Speaker
We then cut to the Quickie Marten, Apu is just randomly and guessing in his break he looks out through binoculars. I mean I guess he's seen smoke on the horizon and conveniently had binoculars for reasons and decided to see what the smoke was from. Better than smoke on the water.
01:28:01
Speaker
hey hey Apu notices the house is on fire and this is where it's revealed that Apu is the fire chief. Alright, random. Yeah, the guy I guess Springfield's fire service is voluntary. Very much a volunteer-led affair. Including Millhouse's mum. Yep. Appu asks the bullies not to steal anything while he's gone and he doesn't trust her. Promise so. He brings out his nephew to look after the store. with all Long have I waited for his day and pulls out his shotgun.
01:28:35
Speaker
which point then's see the fire department rushing to action which includes chief wiham millas his mom christ so i guess his charity work is done for the day yeah but unfortunately a pool has to stop because a ah mama duck is leading its ducklings over the road curs them out but also the close that they're very cuted at the same time testing my patience but you're so cute We then cut back, and Ned Flanders is just walking by the Simpson house as he's noticed that Oma is inside ah it. He comes through kicks in door and kicks him around, unfortunately fire blocks the exit, as Ned gives a very loud farting machine. He then falls through the floorboards, and he's literally hanging onto Oma and not plumbing into the depths.
01:29:19
Speaker
Apparently that bit is specifically a reference to Backdraft. You're a Backdraft. Yeah. Ned has to go upstairs and manages to break the window to throw out a mattress. He don't praise to go to make sure that Homer's landing on the mattress is proof. This is probably my single favourite Ned Flanders bit of all time.
01:29:40
Speaker
Flanders knocks Homer out of the window who immediately bounces off the mattress back through the sponge window. Okay. After Flanders where he sighs, he does does a full arm leap into the thing. Perfect Christ air into a backwards somersault off the mattress into the living room. I also just love how the noise Homer makes. it a huge video
01:30:05
Speaker
It is gloriously stupid. Yeah, absolutely. And it is also what he prayed for. He did land on the mattress. Yeah, he sure did. Flanders manages to drag Homer out of the house and as Homer comes to ask Flanders why he saved him and Flanders responds to this, you would have done the same for me. We then cut to Homer having an imaginary moment of Flanders burning in his house while Homer's shackling. Damn it, Homer. Yeah, gotta remind such assho him mind everyone that Homer really hates Flanders.
01:30:33
Speaker
over the cuts back for the moment it says that's true all that old friend old friend march march in the kids run to see her work on the floor and home is lamenting the fact that all their magazines are gone and the roach traps yeah i mean you know that's what are you gonna do we don't fancy that christy has managed to save the cat course i saved your cat We don't see that Barney's also asking what he's supposed to do with the fire axe and the Chief McGinn's response is chop stuff. How do they manage to fit so many bits in the last like two minutes? If Barney starts chopping down the mailbox... That's some good chopping. Lisa declares it an act of God. Then Flanders House catches Byron Homerass by God isn't intervening here. God does interview him at that moment. With a rainbow. With a rainbow and a little thunder shower.
01:31:21
Speaker
Homer curses it. We go to the next scene of Homer talking to the insurance person, and he's talking about his peccasos and classic sports cars. Are you valuable as well, the peccaso? Classic cars? Actually, Homer is informed that they don't the insurance policy doesn't cover imaginary outfits, yeah which annoys Homer to no end. This insurance is only for real items, not made up stuff. Oh man,
Community and Religion
01:31:43
Speaker
that was... How did they do this? This fits so many bits in the last like two minutes of the whole episode.
01:31:49
Speaker
Can Brockwood begins a news report about firing an inquenchable... Unstachable, remorseless, unquenchable... Hey, it's out! Next up! I don't see the everybody in the ruined kitchen, and Elmo thinks there's a lesson to be learned, but he's struggling to get what it means. He eventually comes to the point that God is vengeful, and asks God who he wishes might.
01:32:12
Speaker
And tell me who to smite and there will be smoten. But, uh, Rev. Lovejoy says that God was actually working in the hearts of Homer's friends, whether or not they were Christian, Jewish, or in Apu's case, miscellaneous. miscellaneous. Oh god. Apu's response to this is that there's 700 million Hindus in the world. and That's nice. That's super. That's super. Actually, this all leads to Homer finally saying he will be back in church, and he promises to be front row and center.
01:32:38
Speaker
We then go to Homer in church to sleep. We then go back to Homer's dream of God, and God informs Homer that most religions don't last a week. As ah Benjamin Franklin is playing Jimi Hendrix at table hockey. As he would be.
01:32:54
Speaker
Yeah, I think they originally wanted to give Hendrix a line there, but unfortunately people know what Hendrix sounds like, so they were like, let's just give the line to Franklin. Since when franklin sounds like they have This instance they did care. i'm fair Yeah, I'm fairly certain they've done celebrity or like sort of celebrity references and not even slightly tried to emulate the voice.
01:33:18
Speaker
Oh, but then ask his God what the meaning of life is and God tells Omar he can't tell him until he's died. Omar says he can't wait and God says he can't wait weeks six months. Does that mean that the rest of Simpsons takes place? Like the next 20 billion seasons of Simpsons are all taking place within six months? No, because there's plenty of- there's plenty of future for episodes. My homo is clearly alive after the six months. I dunno. And it is a dream. It's a theory. It's a theory.
01:33:49
Speaker
God finally games, but unfortunately the music gets simple if I know what they mean. perhaps but bird Yep, that is the meaning of life. yeah I didn't stick around to the Gracie films bit this time. I should. Every time. I love that Gracie film. It's the most nostalgic tune I think out there for me. Other than obviously like the 20th Century Fox tune.
01:34:16
Speaker
What do you think dude this was locked and baing in the previous one? Yeah, yeah, I I am trying to curb my enthusiasm Based on how much I just found the previous episode meh So I don't know if that's affecting how much I enjoyed this episode but talking about it. No this episode straight-up slaps it is non-stop funny it's not all like you know wet in your pants funny but it's just constant just weird gags and it's very good yeah no it's just solid so solid plot solid gags it's it's a much better episode yeah yeah i agree it's a very good episode yeah i like it
01:34:57
Speaker
I mean, I still, like, think the ending gets a bit preachy and Homer absolutely has the right idea and I would... I'll join his religion, this is fine. Yes. Just make friends with the animals and live life well. It's good religion. Yeah, shower with squirrels.
01:35:17
Speaker
That was the lesson, right? I think so. That one's out of Homer. So, I... I'm very close. I'm very, very on the cusp. But I am so i'm going to give it a Ned Flanders doing a Christ dive into a perfect reverse somersault out of Homer. Just plain great. But this is... God, it's so close. Because I've said before, I've said earlier in previous episodes, I am trying to be harsher. But this is tough. This is so close to like utter perfection. yeah You can give it a Homer if you want to give it a Homer. It's going to stop you.
01:35:54
Speaker
I mean, you can give as many homos as you want. I'm gonna give it a Homer out of Homer. This episode was great. This episode's great. The thing is for me, the out of Homer, a lot of it is, would I watch it immediately again? And I would quite happily put this episode on now and watch it again.
01:36:11
Speaker
I mean, for a little peek behind the curtain of the production, this is another episode that we planned to do a little while ago and it got delayed because of circumstances. So I've now watched this episode twice in recent history and, like, Streetcar named Marge, I didn't laugh much at the second time around. Home of the Heretic was still funny the second time around. yeah Are you giving it a Homer? I gave it a very weird Pentecostal religious religious ritual out of Homer. It's extremely entertaining, but also a bit preachy. I'm giving it a patented moon waffle out of Homer. Amazing. you It's fattening in the good way. i think um I think Michael is the lowest on the count of Homer's. So I think I've now given six.
01:36:57
Speaker
of maybe five. Jon you're on like three? think I think I'm on three. And Michael's on two. I'll admit it's very close, this one being Homer for me. Nice. But there are some episodes that are coming up in this, particularly in this season, I think. Yeah, we are entering King Simpson, so. Now we're going to cross the Homer's given.
01:37:21
Speaker
Did it have anything to say about society? I mean, yes, in that sort of... Go to church. Yeah, go to church. We're in America kind of way, but... I think it's a strange one, because I think us watching it, we were all in agreement with Homer. Yeah, absolutely. But I think if you were watching this in an American Christian background, you probably would have been with Marge.
01:37:45
Speaker
Maybe. I mean, it also like, maybe it hit a little different 30 years ago, I don't know, but it definitely feels a little distasteful about how disparaging it is towards Hinduism. Yeah. yeah I mean, yeah is that Homer's opinion? Is that what the search show is trying to say? I don't know. um Either way, kind of mildly uncomfortable about the, hey, want a peanut and stuff.
01:38:07
Speaker
yeah nah i can see that it was a throwaway joke so i wasn't like super focused on it but i totally get that yeah even in the moment i was a bit like maybe Maybe not even the peanut, but like the, oh, where you when you were getting, when they were handing out religions, you must have been out taking a whiz. Yeah, like, lol, your religion is different, thus inferior. Yeah, it's basically the thrust of it. I think that was the point that we're trying to make, that I was being a jackass here. He was a jackass to Christie too, so I think that's what they were going for. This is true, yeah, he is, like he was like even just slams the door in Christie's face. He is, he is a dick, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I think that's what they were going for, because the guy kind of pushed over in the ah episode thing, but oh my god, it makes appointments. ah Everyone could have just left him to burn, burn in hell after the way he behaved, but they all came to save him. What good eggs. Yeah, I mean, it definitely got something to say about the strength and power of community solidarity. I would argue in light of but the the context in which we exist, the coconut tree and all that community is more important than ever.
01:39:12
Speaker
yeah as we've seen in stopping the race riots like the police didn't stop that the state didn't stop that it was the community came out to protect their own people so community is important but i don't think community needs to be religiously led i think you can have community without religion yeah not these days but it's still important all we just listened to ayn rand and we all become selfish yeah let's do that let's let's all have some helping his futile ideology Everyone has their own religion. Yeah. Mine involves squirrels. Same. Damn it. Now we have to fight. My squirrels versus your squirrels battle. din and and and and and na and and I'm going to call it. I'm going to give it pocket squirrels.
Episode's Appeal and Memes
01:40:01
Speaker
Nate Myers gave it five out of five. I'm not upset with that. No. Yeah. Stop clocking all that.
01:40:07
Speaker
Yeah, I think I think generally this is one of the better received episodes of Simpsons overall. Yeah, I could not imagine not liking this episode other than on like us being a super religious person and being like, oh we're glorifying, you know, staying at home and slovenliness, but that kind of person wouldn't like Simpsons anyway.
01:40:29
Speaker
but i mean That's all sort of fixed by the end of the episode when he rediscovers his religion and the power of religion uniting the community and everybody's saved by God. and like yeah that that sort of That secularism is kind of the butt of the joke anyway, so it's still there for the Christians.
01:40:49
Speaker
We're all there for the Christians. That sounds like a really shit version of doing it for the kids. But yeah, like I don't think it's ever at all unreasonable to give this a Homer out of Homer, because I think a lot of people would. Yeah. It is a banger. I think if you're a fan of Simpsons, you're a fan of this episode. Plus it had the meme! It did have the meme! It did have that.
01:41:16
Speaker
right uh
Unrelated Movies and Personal Opinions
01:41:17
Speaker
anyone got anything else to add on this or guys we finished we finished 15 minutes early than we normally do that doesn't mean you get to ramble for no i wasn't that gives me 15 minutes less editing to do i wasn't going to i was just gonna say you can clearly tell there's a vibe going on right now of everyone being like we should keep talking right There is that feeling that you're like, oh, well there's a whole 15 minutes left on the clock. close yeah What's happened here? we would mean More talking is necessary. No. tell Tell us about your things. Where can they find you?
01:41:49
Speaker
ah Right now, nothing. I'm not streaming much at the moment. I'm not producing anything. And we're still waiting on our guest for the next episode of All 4 Annie. But yeah, go listen to All 4 Annie. It's on Spotify. It's my podcast that I do with Jon about Arnold Schwarzenegger. We're watching all of his films in order. Jon has disliked most of them. ah It has been an entertaining ride.
01:42:16
Speaker
I don't know if that's true. No, I think you've liked most of them. The only one that you are like, vehement that you don't like is Hercules in New York, which is kind of fair. That was pretty bad. You also didn't like
Social Media and Project Plugs
01:42:26
Speaker
the first Conan, but preferred the second one, which is insane. Also, you preferred the second Conan to Terminator. Yeah, which is stu but so weird. No, that's so weird. Terminator is like one of the most important films in sci-fi history. You freak.
01:42:47
Speaker
Yeah, but Conan was fun. Yes, it was fun. I admit Conan the Destroyer is not as bad as people say it is. Well, you can find all that on their podcast books. Don't worry, Michael, you'll be on it. I'm a little more of something else is all good. Michael, you got anything to plot plug? Plug? Plug? Plug? I can say words. Michael, you got any blood? Yeah, well, the cats attacking me, so in a minute.
01:43:13
Speaker
Yes, you can find me on X at B Nash Horse, the button Nash Horse, for those that wonder what that is. I haven't posted in a while, but I'm trying to pick that up again this week. Dank memes. It's all just memes. If you want Simpsons memes, do you post other things or just Simpsons memes? I feel like it's just Simpsons memes. I'll occasionally post something semi-series. Predominantly Simpsons memes. Go there. Predominantly Simpsons memes. It's 95% of my content in the moment.
01:43:43
Speaker
How could they find you, John? ah You can find me on the twitters at maroca underscore bm. You can find what the hell else do I do? I can't even plug my YouTube channel. I got an email from YouTube today going, hey, you haven't posted anything in ages. We're going to demonetize you if you don't post something soon. Oh, that's how that's how YouTube is going for me.
01:44:08
Speaker
I mean, ah not that not that demonetization is a major blow to my life. I've apparently made 21 pence in the last month, so it's not my main source of income right now. But, I mean, if you want to dig back through reviews and other video games, commentary, I got some stuff there, youtube dot.com forward slash button mash.
01:44:28
Speaker
I might, you know what, i I have written a script for a review, mostly, I haven't finished it, um this week, and depending on how I prioritise what I choose to make over the next week or two, ah there may be another video on my channel before this podcast comes out, there may not be, go to my channel, have a look anyway, find out that way, go look at my channel.
01:44:51
Speaker
john values that twenty one p um we all and this kind of pushed me back over there' fourth is it four thousand views a month then i can keep that twenty one pe otherwise it goes into google's pockets do you want that twenty one p to go to google no you go watch my channel now John values that 21p.
01:45:21
Speaker
beyond the binary beyond the binary that's my beer go buy it if you can find it if you can't find it don't buy it now who's giving yourself extra editing yeah let's wrap this up thanks for watching everyone listening there's nothing to see don't watch anything if you're watching please get out of my house thanks for listening bye everybody