The Simpsons 251-255

Insane Clown Poppy

This episode premiered on November 12th, 2000. The lead in show was King Of The Hill and it was followed by Malcom In The Middle. It ran opposite The W.W.O. Disney (The Miracle Worker, 2000 version), Touched By An Angel and Ed.

The title is based on the band Insane Clown Posse

The chalkboard gag is "I will not surprise the incontinent" and the couch gag is a Matrix style freeze frame with the family midair as they jump on the couch. 

Homer and Bart are packing a watermelon with explosives, Marge tells them to get to their chores. Homer has to get a drawer unstuck so Bart gives him an M-80 and they blast it loose. They then blow up SNL's old doghouse. Lisa has a video jammed in her VCR so Homer tries to blast it out and destroys her room. It turns out to be her birthday so Homer offers to do whatever she wants, they end up going to the book festival. Krusty is doing a book signing and his daughter Sophie shows up. Krusty had a fling with solider during the Gulf War and the next day he prevented her from killing Saddam because "he's half the act", instead she shoots down a crate of Duff being parachuted into the troops. Krusty takes his daughter to the beach but just wants to lay out. He decides to ask Homer how to be a better father. While playing poker Krusty gets a winning hand of four aces and a king but is out of money so he bets Sophie's violin, and loses to Fat Tony who has a straight flush. Homer suggests breaking in to Fat Tony's house to steal the violin back. They find a bed covered with violin cases but they are full of machine guns. While trying to escape they set off one of the guns and spark a mass shooting. Krusty manages to escape with the violin but when Sophie opens it there is a bunch of money hidden inside too. The show ends with the mob chasing Homer down the street while shooting at him. 

Drew Barrymore does the voice of Sophie. Jay Mohr does the voice of Christopher Walken. Stephen King, Amy Wong and John Updike do their own voices.

After blowing up SNL's doghouse Homer shows him the architectural plans and says the target construction date is Jan. 2007. That was 7 years in the future for them and 17 years in the past for us.

Festival Of Books: This Banner Available On Audio Tape.

Reverend Lovejoy has written a cookbook Someone's In The Kitchen With Jesus. Homer gets chocolate on Thomas Wolfe's white suit, he just rips it off and has another suit on underneath (I bet if I knew more about him I'd get this joke). Stephen King is writing a biography on Ben Franklin and how he used electricity to torture people and small animals, and his key on his kite was the Key To Hell!

Professor Frink has an InfoCram 6000, a device that puts the books in your mind instantly, however he suffers an overload of Tolstoy.

Dr. Nick has written a diet book, The Stuff Yourself Sick Diet. Marge asks "Will you lose weight?" Dr. Nick replies "You might, it's a free country"

Bart wanders into the For Dummies section, he picks up Moby Dick "Call me Ishmael dummy"

This episode features one of the best scenes, Christopher Walken reading Goodnight Moon, the kids keep trying to get away and he keeps warning them to scooch closer.

Lisa tells Amy Tan that she enjoyed the Mother/Daughter bond in The Joy Luck Club but Tan tells her that she got the message of the book all wrong. 

Krusty The Klown has written Your Shoes' Too Big To Kickbox God. John Updike ghostwrote the book for Krusty. 

In 2000 Saddam Hussein was still the president of Iraq, it was three years before the Second Gulf War. He was executed in 2006.

When visiting the apartment of Sophie's mother Krusty sees it is full of dead clown art, he says he'd rather go some place safer, like downtown Grozny. Chechnya was attacked by the Russians in 1994 and Grozny was mostly destroyed.

Series regulars at the poker game: Krusty, Moe, Snake, Homer, Fat Tony. 

Bumblebee Man appears on Dawson's Creek as the new foreign exchange student. The show ran on the WB from 1998 to 2003

Homer asks if he can play Devils Advocate and then heads to the Kwik-E-Mart where it is a pinball machine. 

Mob licence plates: Bagman2 / Mob Mom / Killer (Just Made is written on the trunk)

Mob families at the big meeting, The Cuomos / The Travoltas / The Lasordas / The Boyardees

Lisa The Treehugger

This episode premiered on November 19th 2000. It ran in its usual time slot and opposite The W.W.O. Disney (Santa Who?), Touched By An Angel and Dateline NBC

The chalkboard gag is "I am not the acting President" and the couch gag is the family comes in to the living room dressed as the Teletubbies, while Maggie claps. 

Bart sees a commercial for the new GameStation 256 (It's slightly faster To The MAX!) and is mad because he only has the 252 so he tosses it in the fireplace. Marge and Homer won't buy him a new gaming system so he gets a job sweeping up at the barber shop but gets paid in hair. He then gets a job putting out menus for a Thai restaurant and becomes a ninja at hanging them on door knobs. Lisa complains about the environmental damaged caused by all the menus Bart is spreading around town. Bart takes the family out to Krusty Burger but protesters in cow suits are blocking the entrance with a banner that reads "Krusty Burger = Earth Death". Lisa instantly falls in love with the leader of the protest, Jessy. The protesters find out that Mayor Quimby secretly sold the largest Redwood in Springfield to the YeeHaw Texan, Lisa volunteers to live in the tree. During the night She decides to sneak away for an hour but falls asleep at home in front of the fire. The next day she wakes up in a panic and rushes back to the tree only to discover it has fallen, she blames herself for letting them kill it. However it turns out the tree was struck by lightning and the police believe she is dead. The Texan says he's turning the forest into the Lisa Simpsons Preserve. The school offers Bart straight A's to help him with the tragedy. Homer gets a "My child is a Dead Honor Student" bumper sticker. He takes a recorder to Moe's with a tape of Lisa asking  him to tear up the bar tab, and pour cocktail onions down his pants. Branford Marsalis is about to play a tribute to Lisa with her sax but Milhouse grabs it and runs off in order to preserve her spit in hopes of cloning her. Omni-Pave announces they are turning the forest into the an amusement park, Lisa Land. Lisa shows up to complain. The protest leader cuts the support wires of the downed redwood that is being used as the park sign, it takes off down the hill, it smashes through Omin-Pave headquarters, the hippies cheer, then Kentucky Fried Panda (Finger Ling-Ling Good), then Hemp City, everyone else cheers. Jessy goes to jail.

Joshua Jackson does the voice of Jesse Grass

The plot of the episodes was based on Julia Butterfly Hill who lived in a tree for two years to prevent it from being cut down.

Marge is cutting out headlines for Jay Leno "Ketchup Truck Hits Hamburger Stand (the rest of the story says Six Dead). Jay Leno was the host of The Tonight Show from 1992 to 2006 and one of his regular bits was reading funny headlines. A reporter I knew had a story on the show when the local post office lost their paychecks, in the mail. 

The Asian restaurant is You Thai Now

The menu training montage of Bart is a spoof on The Karate Kid. The placing of door hanger menus is a spoof on Crouching Tiger / Hidden Dragon

Bart reads Itchy and Veronica. Archie's head is in the middle of the table and they are drinking from it. 

This episode contains a line I use when I beat a tough level on Candy Crush "Take that Lisa's beliefs!"

The protesters are members of the group "Dirt First", this was a spoof on the Earth First crowd. They were a pro environment movement but soon became radicalized and started attack places with sabotage and a car bomb. After 9/11 the group went silent.

Places Lisa can see from the Redwood: Shelbyville / The St. Louis Arch / the Hollywood sign / Mt. Fugi / The Eiffel Tower / NCY (the Twin Towers and Statue of Liberty) This is all part of the running joke about the location of Springfield. (This episode was a year before the 9/11 attack)

Homer says the lead protester has Bobby Sherman good looks. Sherman was the teen idol of the early 70's and even sang a song about a tree. 

When Lisa spies on the family, from up in the tree, she sees them making popcorn, hanging Christmas stockings and dying Easter eggs. 

Businesses in Springfield: Merry Widow Insurance Co. / Zip Brothers (auto parts) / Red Blazer Realty (Realty Bites)

Springfield Shopper headline: Lisa Alive! Hemp City Reduced To Stem And Seeds

The log goes on a cross country journey while a version of This Land Is Your Land plays. There is a techno version of the theme song over the closing credits. 

Homer Vs. Dignity

This episode premiered on November 26th 2000. It ran in its regular time slot and opposite The W.W.O. Disney (The Santa Clause), Touched By An Angel and The NBC Sunday Night Movie (Titanic)

The chalkboard gag is "I was not the Sixth Beatle" and the couch gag is the family rides into the living room on skateboards doing a jump off a ramp and landing on the couch, except for Homer who crashes and gets hit with the board.

The family goes out to celebrate Bart's first A, Lisa is jealous. Bart was messing around in the classroom when Skinner and Krabappel come in to fool around so he memorizes the planet chart to distract himself. Homer's credit card is rejected, the family tries to flee but get caught and end up having to be the restaurants mariachi band. Homer sells the back seat for gas money but buys a novelty horn that plays "Charge". They go to a financial planner that shows them a graphic of a future Nelson kicking over their gravestones while laughing Ha Ha and then coughing. Smithers goes to Albuquerque to put on his show about Malibu Stacey. Homer asks Mr. Burns for a raise, he demands Homer throw pudding at Lenny. Burns pays Homer to be his prank monkey. Homer buys Spiderman #1 from Comicbook Guy for $20,000 and then eats it in front of him. Burns throws money at him and laughs as Homer picks it up out of the street. At the Albuquerque Theater Smithers sings Sold Separately in his Malibu Stacy The Musical show. Homer goes in the men's room at the stadium wearing a diaper and rolls around on the floor saying "baby made a boom boom". Since Homer has money the kids get all their shots updated. At the zoo Homer dressed up like a panda and does the Lindy Hop but then a male panda is released into the cage and Homer is, well, lets say the show becomes very adult at this point. Homer escapes but gets sprayed by skunks and is caught by Lisa. Homer stands up to Burns, Lisa convinces Homer to spend the money on toys for the children. The president of Costington decides to hire Homer to play Santa at the Thanksgiving day parade. Burns shows up with his own float wishing a Happy Pranksgiving. Burns offers Homer $1 million to prank Springfield. Santa starts throwing fish guts on the crowd and then the sea gulls attack. It turns out Homer gave his costume to Burns who is attacking the crowd. 

Leeza Gibbons does her own voice as one of the parade announcers.

The plot of this episode is based on the 1969 movie The Magic Christian. (Yeah, I never heard of it either)

The family goes to The Singing Sirloin to celebrate Homer "raise". The restaurant was first featured in the episode Life On The Fast Lane.

Lets get Fiscal Financial Planner.

According to Carl's Word A Day calendar it's Nov. 10th.

Cultural error, outside the Albuquerque Theater there are saguaro cactus however they are indigenous to Arizona. This is a common mistake made by Hollywood even though they are practically next door to the two states. 

Smither's musical about Malibu Stacy came out 23 years before the Barbie movie. 

The panda exhibit is called Panda-Monium

The parade features balloons Rusty The Clown, Funky Winkerbean (a comic strip that ran from 1972 to 2022) and The Noid (mascot of Dominos pizza in the 80's). 

Chief Wahoo, the former mascot of the Cleveland Indians shows up at the Thanksgiving parade representing Native Americans. The paper mache is made from broken treaties.

The seagull attack scene is based on the 1952 film The Birds.

This is one of my least favorite episodes, Burns is seen as extra cruel, Homer as extra pathetic and there is a scene with a panda bear rape (stolen from the 1983 movie  Trading Places btw). Also several of the jokes are recycled. Furthermore there is no real redemption arc, instead Homer walks away and let Mr. Burns throw fish guts on the Thanksgiving parade crowd, who then receives no punishment for his actions, the show just ends with the family getting pelted with fish guts. When I call these the Dark Years of the Simpsons this is one of my examples.

The Computer Wore Menace Shoes

This episode premiered on December 3rd, 2000. It ran in its usual time slot and opposite Tangerine Bear, Touched By An Angel and Dateline NBC.

The title comes from the 1969 Disney movie The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes

The chalkboard gag is "I will only provide a urine sample when asked" and the couch gag is the family comes in and finds SLH doing the Snoopy dance. 

Homer finds out the plant is closed for the day and everyone was notified via an email, however he doesn't have a computer. At the store the guy sells him an expensive computer for $5000, that he drags home behind his car. Homer hits a pothole, this will become important later. Homer asks the computer to kill Flanders but nothing happens so he throws it away, Lisa sets it up for him, he throws it away again. He finds Dancing Jesus, then the Springfield Police Department that gives him the option of pleading guilty or not. Homer builds his own website that is just graphics from other pages. Bart confesses to a series of crimes and always being angry, and everyone ignores him. Homer decides to set up his page Mr. X, when a car hits the pothole and a tire comes flying through the window Bart says that Quimby spent the street repair money on a pool, as told by Nelson and confirmed by Jimbo, Homer posts the story on the internet. Comic Book Guy is looking for porn and decides to check out Mr. X and is shocked by the story about the pool. Soon the whole town is upset by the story and the mayor gets caught. When the city fills in the pothole Lisa tells Homer to quit while he's ahead, however he overhears Apu saying his bagels are just week old donuts and Krusty ran over someone and buried the body at a golf course, Homer posts the donut story. The police confiscate all the donuts, however the press conference ends when the reporters start asking questions about the police racing prisoners and using the electric chair to cook chicken. Homer goes to the bar and Lenny figures out he's Mr. X but he says it's not him. Homer overhears Burns and Smithers talking about supplying terrorists with plutonium. They want to give Mr. X the Pulitzer Prize and a cash award, so Homer exposes himself. Moe doesn't want Homer hanging around anymore and the rest of the town won't talk in front of him anymore. Lisa tells Homer that he can't post news if he doesn't have any, so he starts making up stories and spreading conspiracy theories, Nelson offers Homer a story about the school using dead hobos in science class but Homer turns him down since his fake stories are more popular. Homer goes to the Kwik-E-Mart but it's a fake building and he's hauled off in a truck. When Homer comes to he's at a strange island with birds in costume and everyone is dressed up like the 1800's. Homer tries to make a call but gets gassed. Wiggum goes searching for Homer with a dog, it swims out into the ocean and almost drowns. It turns out Homer's story on the flu shots being used for mind control is true so he got taken to the island which sends a German act to take Homer's place. Prisoner Number 6 builds a boat so Homer steals it and tries to escape, an orb comes after him and he pops it with a fork and gets home. Homer goes on line and starts telling the world about the island but the German attacks him. Homer beats him and the family comes home however the family is gassed and taken to the island. And that's where it ends. 

The plot of this episode is based on the 1967 British TV show The Prisoner. Patrick McGoohan, star of The Prisoner does the voice of Number 6.

The computer salesman tells Homer the model is the one astronauts use to do their taxes. Homer comments that he was an astronaut and the guy scoffs. (Deep Space Homer)

On Homer's page he has the image of himself with a bag over his head, however when you first open it you can see his face before the digital bag covers him. 

Springfield Shopper headline: Web Snoop Exposes Pool Hustle / Mr. X Makes Headlines 

Mr. X: All The Muck That's Fit To Rake. This is a spoof on The NY Times slogan All The News That's Fit To Print. 

Springfield Forest: Witch-Free since 1998

Homer dragging the computer behind his car is another example of why I call these the Dark Years, he become extra stupid about everyday stuff and we're suppose to laugh at this. It's like Flowers For Algernon part II. And this was another episode where they didn't really have an ending so they just said "Well, that's the story" and left it where it was, no real conclusion, no explanation of how they got back to Springfield for the next episode. In fact the entire thing was just forgotten the next week. Truly we are in The Dark Years.

The Great Money Caper

This episode premiered on December 10th, 2000. It ran in its usual time slot and opposite The W.W.O Disney (Annie), Touched By An Angel and Dateline

The title comes from the 1981 movie The Great Muppet Caper

The chalkboard gag is "The Nurse is not dealing" and the couch gag is the family is in a fish bowl in diving outfits.

The family goes to the Magic Place for dinner, the waiter gives Marge a Long Island Iced Tea and after several she gets drunk and volunteers to go on stage. Marge keeps interrupting the magician so he puts her in the Kill-O-Teen where she's turned into monkeys, when she pops out of a banana the monkeys attack her. Bart buys a magic kit at the gift shop. On the way home a sturgeon drops out of the sky and lands on their car, it came from the Russian space station. The mechanic tells Homer that it will cost $6500 to fix the car so Homer and Bart take his magic act to the Squidport to earn some money, but they get chased off by the Michael Jackson impersonator. They get into a fight and Homer takes off without Bart, everyone feels sorry for him so they give him money, Homer gets the idea to start hustling. Bart pretends to be blind and tricks Kent Brockman into knocking a fake cake out of his hands. Brockman pays them off. The next con is the lost dog scam, they fake the dog getting eaten by a shark and then Homer comes by with SLH for sale. They then move on to the Bible scam from Paper Moon, Flanders recognizes it and they run away. Grandpa shows up and tells them he was a grifter during the depression. He convinces them to scam the retirement home using a fake oversized check. When Homer shows up with a grand prize Abe pretends to drop dead and they offer to give it to the seniors if they pay the "wealth transfer" fee. However one of the seniors turns out to be an under cover FBI agent's and arrests them. The FBI agent tells Homer he'll let them turn themselves in so Homer goes into the police station and says they want to see what a jail cell looks like, the FBI agent turns out to be fake and steals the money and the car. Homer tells Marge they were carjacked. Homer describes the guy and the next day the police arrest Willie. At a trial Willie is found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in prison, he grabs Quimby's gun and shoots Skinner, so Homer confesses. It turns out the whole thing was a set up to teach Homer a lesson. Just before Lisa explains how they put the whole thing together Otto busts into the court room to announce Surfs Up! Everyone heads to the beach including the Russian cosmonauts, the magician and the sturgeon. 

Ed Norton does the voice of Devon Bradly, the actor and fake FBI agent.

Magic Palace: The Great Linguini $5.99

Pipeline by The Ventures plays over the closing credits.

Self Aware Joke: Homer questions why everyone was in on it including the police and TV station and points out that it makes no sense. 

This episode is based on the 1973 movies The Sting and Paper Moon, and the 1976 TV movie One Of My Wives Is Missing. 

And so we come to the end of another 5 episodes. These were a slog. The jokes fell flat, they didn't really have an ending for most so they just tacked on some weird twist and most of it felt like a series of individual jokes in a loose plot line. Well, onward and upward I guess.