Butt Plug: Simpsons Season One DVD Review

[JasonX 0]

My first article for The Smart Marks is up on the website now. I'd love to hear feedback from you guys about what you think about it....

 

Jesse Baker

[Guest Jesse]

Not a bad review, but I'm curious as to why you reviewed a set that's been out for over 2 years.

[MrRant 0]

Because it doesn't matter when something came out to review it.

[BlackFlagg 0]

Not a bad review, but I'm curious as to why you reviewed a set that's been out for over a year.

actually it's been out for about 2 1/2 years

[Guest Jesse]

Not a bad review, but I'm curious as to why you reviewed a set that's been out for over a year.

actually it's been out for about 2 1/2 years

2 1/2 years is over a year. And I edited

[AndrewTS 0]

"without 'The Simpsons', networks would still be oblivious to the fact that adults do indeed watch cartoons and are willing to watch cartoons that carry the same sensibilities and level of humor that other adult series have."

 

Hell, most of the animated sitcoms smoke most of the regular sitcoms.

 

*hates 'Friends.*

 

"Fox, which was still struggling for that one big hit to elevate them to the same level as NBC, CBS, and ABC would still exist on the same lowly level that the WB Network and UPN both currently exist on at the bottom of the Network ladder. "

 

Funny thing is, I think the Clerks animated series had a shot at being on UPN, but instead Smith went with NBC, I think (I could be wrong, though), and as a result they barely got a chance and were cancelled after about 3 episodes.

 

UPN still doesn't have a great show to really propel it to the top, and a million identical sitcoms with a celebrity as a star doesn't really cut it. Also, aside from Rock Me Baby and Smackdown, there are practically no shows with white people in it on the network.

 

"The Simpsons began in 1987 as a series of intestinal filler shorts for the Fox variety show “The Tracy Ullman Show”. The family consisted of dad Homer, mom Marge (who ironically was never referred to by her name in any of the Ullman shorts), the mischievous oldest child Bart, the pesky middle child Lisa, and the taciturn baby Maggie, who never spoke and simply made sucking sounds via her pacifier. "

 

Beavis and Butthead started life in a similar way, oddly enough.

 

"This episode also features a very famous continuity glitch in the series, as Mr. Burn's devoted personal assistant Waylon Smithers is introduced as a black man. Not wanting to feature an African-American character as a spineless man-servant, Smithers was soon made white in all future appearances."

 

Did they keep him in his original appearance in the DVD? Also, at this point was it hinted at that he was gay (not this ep, but the season and in general)?

--never mind, just noticed that in the Tell Tale Head synopsis.

 

"One of the running themes in all thirteen commentaries is the fact that even though the episodes were demonized by critics for promoting lewd social behavior and teaching kids how to be insolent to adults when they first aired, the episodes in retrospect are extremely tame and almost sweet and endearing with their message of family love and support."

 

Actually, even at the time I didn't see what the big deal was. Of course, my dad's quite a bit on the dim side as well, so it didn't seem too much different than my family.

 

I find the episode guide most helpful--I had no idea so many of the episodes I loved to watch reruns of were season ones. The extras sound pretty good too.

 

How is the animation on the Tracy Ullman shorts?

[Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes]

The Shorts animation was completely different. Homer looked like a dried up raisen, Bart was 5 1/2 feet tall, and Marge looked anerexic.

[MrRant 0]

Umm.. why does everyone forget that the Flintstones were run in primetime at 8:30PM on ABC and were VERY successful?

 

Recognize bitches.

[Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes]

Umm.. why does everyone forget that the Flintstones were run in primetime at 8:30PM on ABC and were VERY successful?

 

Recognize bitches.

I think it's because no one who posts here (just about) was born to see the Flintstones aired at night back when it was new.

 

Let's not forget Scooby Doo....pot-references all over the place god damn it. Thats adult entertainment.

[AndrewTS 0]

Umm.. why does everyone forget that the Flintstones were run in primetime at 8:30PM on ABC and were VERY successful?

 

Recognize bitches.

 

Maybe I'm wrong, but those were still primarily for children, which was what the biggest deal with the Simpsons was--it was much more sophisticated. Also, Flintstones is little more than a ripoff of The Honeymooners minus the threats of spousal abuse.

 

Although, I didn't know about the time slot.

[MrRant 0]

It was promoted as a animated sitcom.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

I wasn't around to see the Flintstones air in prime time, but I think anyone who's watched the Simpsons over the years should be aware that they were indeed shown in prime time, since Fox made a big deal of it when the Simpsons have finally surpassed the series for the longest-running animated prime time series.

[Dr. Tom 0]

Jesse:

 

Very good review. The content was rock-solid.

 

The only thing I'd suggest is using bold or underlining to make titles and headers stand out more.

[griffinmills 0]

"This episode also features a very famous continuity glitch in the series, as Mr. Burn's devoted personal assistant Waylon Smithers is introduced as a black man. Not wanting to feature an African-American character as a spineless man-servant, Smithers was soon made white in all future appearances."

Found "conflicting" info on that online here...(original article, not quoted poster sorry about that)

http://www.snpp.com/guides/lisa-3.html#3.3.1

Which has some dialog from an interview to give it some weight. Could be that the story has changed over the years though.

 

Not sure I like the "Third Grade Book Report" format. By this I mean that everyone has seen these episodes and know the plot pretty damn well by now. At least they weren't overly verbose.

Some small stuff like saying "do to" instead of "due to" is annoying, seems like needs an editor to help with that. Another example is the "dux de machine" line, that isn't even a phrase findable on google! "Deus Ex Machina" is though. At least he doesn't write "alot" instead of "a lot."

He seemed to kind of misrepresent or just plain miss some of the episodes plots. Saying that the B-Plot in "Moaning Lisa's Blues" is about homer beating Bart in a video game is accurate but more accurately it was in the archetype of "Son eclipsing his Father while Father desperately tries to stay on top." For another (dork) representation of this see Star Trek: The Next Generation episode 39, The Icarus Factor.

I really liked the insight and comment parts of the article though. Don't get me wrong. It feels a little padded out with the recaps. Also not much commentary on the quality of the DVD video/audio. Although if you go too far it turns into a Scott Keith review so... I don't know stick with it for now I guess. Could be a difficult format to follow if you have to recap something you don't like much I suppose.

For a first effort it is C+/B-, good!

[Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes]

....You're satin, aren't you? (I bet no one will remember where that is from)

[griffinmills 0]

....You're satin, aren't you? (I bet no one will remember where that is from)

Ohlemmeseehummahumma, The Critic?

Come on, heck it is even out on DVD. Not to mention I used to mail out free complete season VHS sets on The Critic newsgroup and helped write the FAQ for same.

Heh, and it is Satan, I'm not very soft and smooth.

[BX 0]

JasonX is Judas?

 

Well, I'll be damned. Why didn't you tell us?

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

I found that Simpsons Season 1 had a pretty even Homer/Bart ratio. Bart may have edged out, but its not like it was in say Season 3 or 4, where you had the Bart Eps. and the Homer Gems. I don't think it was enough to justify the position that it was Bart-centric.

 

I hate Season 1 - I hate the voices, the animation, the themes and messages, the characters - but I'll take those any day of the week over the past 5 years of the show.