The Simpsons 256-260

Skinner's Sense Of Snow

This episode premiered on December 17th 2000. The lead in show was King Of The Hill and it was followed by Malcolm In The Middle. It ran opposite The W.W.O. Disney (George Of The Jungle), Touched By An Angel and the NBC Sunday Night Movie (The Sound Of Music)

The title is based on the 1997 movie Smila's Sense Of Snow.

The chalkboard gag is "Science class should not end in tragedy" (kind of dark there) and the couch gag is a football is tossed into the living room, the family, all in uniform, jump on it but Maggie pops out with the ball and spikes it in victory.

Homer is watching a sports talk show, they are joking about their wardrobe until the "very Gay" costumer comes out and quits. Marge come in announcing they are going to the circus, The Cirque de Puree. A storm hits and shuts down the show. The next day the blizzard shuts down the town except for Springfield Elementary. None of the teachers show up because of an emergency caucus, drinking at the ski lodge. When the kids go to leave school they discover that they are snowed in, on the day before Christmas vacation. The city has sold their snowplows to Burns, who uses them for car soccer. Homer and Ned try to go to the school to rescue the kids. The kids turn on Skinner so he hides in his office, has a Vietnam flashback in which he tries to prevent the rest of the prisoners form escaping, they get eating by elephants. Skinner puts on his old uniform and starts treating the kids like soldiers. Homer hits a fire hydrant and freezes up the car. Bart tries to tunnel out but gets caught and Skinner gets stuck when he tries to close off the tunnel, the kids run amok. Skinner gets tied up in a dodge ball bag. The car fills with co2 and Homer and Ned have hallucinations. Skinner is forced to write on the chalkboard and climb a rope. Milhouse finds the keycard to the permanent records, he tries to destroy them but they self repair. They find Skinner's financial records. Skinner puts the hamster in a ball with a note but it sinks into the snow. Homer has a dream about being a sultan with a Ned camel. The hamster smashes through the car window and they break free from the ice. Homer tries to turn on the cruise control and crashes into the salt tower at the cracker factory, it melts the snow around the school just as Homer and Ned show up. Chalmers shows up on a snowmobile but leaves when Bart tells him there is a good explanation, but doesn't say any details. On the way home Homer is once again gassed and sees Lisa as a camel, who wishes everyone a Merry Christmas. 

Cirque de Puree is a spoof on Cirque du Soleil. (Puree in French means mashed.) "The Eighty Dollar Circus"

Skinner shows the kids the move The Christmas That Almost Wasn't But Then Was. Consolidated Pictures 1938 When the hobgoblin come into Santa's workshop to destroy Christmas you can see the stage lights in the background. The film catches on fire despite being on a DVD. 

Bart forces Skinner to write "I ain't not a dorkus" on the chalkboard as a bonus joke. 

Homer can't remember owning a snow plow even though he's wearing his Mr. Plow jacket. From the episode Mr. Plow. 

This, this is my least favorite episode (out of all that I saw). Homer cuts a chunk off Ned's roof to build a snowplow and spend the entire night trying to drive to the school, nobody else goes to save the kids, not even their parents. Some of the jokes are repeats and most feel like they were rejected from other episodes and just mashed together with the thinnest of plot lines. And once again there is no real conclusion, just the camel Lisa wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. I wasn't looking forward to watching it and now I'm glad I'm past it.

This was the last episode of 2000, only 24 more years to go.

HOMЯ

This episode premiered on January 7th 2001 (according to Neil DeGrasse Tyson it would make it the first episode of the 21st century, since there was no Year Zero). It ran in its usual time slot and opposite The W.W.O. Disney (The Mask), Touched By An Angel and Dateline NBC

The chalkboard gag is "Network TV is not dead" and the couch gag is the family arrives on the couch via pneumatic tubes, except Bart is replaced by Fry from Futurama. However he is sucked back into the tube and replaced by Bart. (Fry is the same yellow color as the rest of the characters on The Simpsons)

The family goes to an animation convention. While there Homer sees a demonstration for a motion capture suit. He invests the families life savings in the company however it goes bankrupt losing him all his money. Homer suggests they get out of their financial problems by renting out Marge for surrogate pregnancy. Barney suggests that Homer try out medical experiments to make money. Homer tries perfume but it makes his skin burn, so they call it Desert Breeze. When he tries the diet pills he goes blind. Homer keeps trying to hit a light up button but a mouse is faster than him (Reference to Flowers For Algernon), the mouse wasn't part of the experiment. While checking out Homer's MRI they discover that he has a crayon lodged in his brain. Hibbert shows up to explain that in past he must have covered the crayon with his thumb while looking at the x rays. When Homer was 6 he jammed all his crayons up his nose but one got permanently stuck. The doctors remove the crayon and Homer gets smarter. Homer scientifically proves there is no God so Flanders burns his work. Homer finally does his job and inspects the plant, sending his report to the nuclear commission, they show up and close the plant. When Homer goes to the bar he finds them burning him in effigy. Homer is upset that he has become an outcast and talks to Lisa, she suggests he take a walk. Homer goes to a movie but criticizes the thin and cliched plot line and the audience gets mad at him. Homer goes back to the medical research lab and asks them to turn him back into an idiot, they send him to Moe. Lisa is drawing with her crayons and finds that one is missing. Moe jams the crayon in Homer's nose until he says "Extended warranty? How can I lose?" Homer crashes through the front window with a hand full of lottery tickets. He drops a note from his smarter self to Lisa to let her know that he appreciates her for being smart. 

The plot of this episode is based on the story Flowers for Algernon and the 1968 film Charley, the backwards R in the episode title is from the movie poster. 

Totally Sick, Twisted, F***ed-Up Animation Festival. Children Half-Price (the censoring is on the sign)

Cartoons at the convention: My Neighbor Totoro / Itchy And Scratchy / Happy Little Elves / Kids Zone / Lance Murdock Cartoon Show / The sorcerer hat from Fantasia / A Cyborg from the original Battlestar Galactica / Poochie / GI Joe / The Yellow Submarine / Radioactive Man / Cel-Out / Veggie Tales / History Of Animation / Trek Toons / Wallace And Grommet / Malibu Stacey

Ned lets Rod and Todd watch The New Adventures of Gravy and Jobriath (a spoof on Davey and Goliath) Gravey is building a pipe bomb to blow up Planned Parenthood and when Jobriath complains Gravey blows him up instead. 

Self aware joke, Marge says animated show are everywhere, or were, last year. A lot of animated shows came and went during the Simpsons era. When Lisa complains about a Japanamation showing a wolf shooting webs Bart says cartoons don't have to make sense, Ozmodiar (a spoof on The Great Gazoo and first appeared in The Simpsons Spinoff Showcase) shows up to say he's right. Homer calls an automated service to check on his stock, when it's up he yells Yahoo and gets the quote for the search website then says "what is this crap?" and gets a quote for Fox Broadcasting. 

Itchy and Scratchy Show, From Here To Infirmary. In a spoof on From Here To Eternity Itchy and Scratchy are kissing on the beach, Itchy switches out with a shark. It then turns into a commercial for Laramie Cigarettes. 

Homer goes to I.P.O Friday's at the mall to buy stock. The ticker lists out Lard Lad donuts / Laramie / Buzz Cola / Ah Fudge / Duff 

When buying stock Homer pictures being on stage with 1930's dancers and King Kong wearing a top hat. 

Homer goes to the Screaming Monkey Medical Research Center

When the scientists are checking out Homer's MRI they do a spoof on the zoom and enhance scene from Bladerunner. 

Old Springfield Library. Home of Bookworms and Silverfish.

Moe gets upset when he finds out Dame Edna is a man. Dame Edna was mentioned in the episode Homer's Barber Shop Quartet

Homer goes to see Love Is Nice staring Julia Roberts

Signs that go by as Homer is walking: Smart People Not Welcome / Dum-Dum Club / Lunkheadz, a place for drooling / Disney Store

The Great Gazoo is from the final season of The Flintstones. 

Pokey Mom

This episode premiered on January 14th, 2001. It ran in its usual time slot and opposite The W.W.O Disney (Jungle 2 Jungle), 60 Minutes and Dateline NBC

The title is a spoof on Pokemon.

The chalkboard gag is "I will not 'Let The Dogs Out' and the couch gag is a repeat of the spinning wall

Marge tries to wake Homer by pushing the bed remote, it crushes him and red liquid starts flowing out, except it's just his juice box. He promised to take Marge to the apron expo but doesn't want to get up. Everyone has a fun time except for Marge. On the way home they stop at a prison rodeo. When Jack gets tossed by the bull Homer uses Lisa to distract itand then tries to use Bart but he's not wearing his blue shirt, the bull rams the stadium, Homer falls in and the guards fire teargas into the crowd. In the prison hospital Marge tells Homer to look at a painting of Jimmi Hendrix to distract him from his hurt back, it turns out that Jack did the painting. Marge and Homer take off but leave Bart and Lisa at the prison. Marge decides to volunteer at the prison in order to help Jack out. Marge give cookies to the parole board to get Jack released and then brings him home. While raking the yard Homer falls over the trash can and it fixes his back, he decides to go into business. Dr. Steve, the chiropractor, shows up and threatens Homer. Marge gets Skinner to hire Jack to paint a mural on the side of the gym. Jack does a Frazetta style painting and Skinner gets mad at him for not doing it the way he drew out. Jack gets mad but paints what Skinner wants. A couple of chiropractors show up and destroy Homer's trash can. At the painting unveiling everyone criticizes the painting so Skinner blames Jack, they almost get into a fight but Marge stops them. A fire breaks out on the painting and reveals the original painting, everyone praises it but it burns up too. Jack claims he didn't start the fire and Marge believes him however he then sets Skinner's car on fire and goes back to jail. 

Michael Keaton does the voice of Jack, Charles Napier does the voice of The Warden, Bruce Vilanch does his own voice.

The warden says Bob Dylan wrote a song to keep Jack in prison. This is a spoof on Dylan's The Hurricane, a song about a boxer who was actually innocent.

Instead of saving Jack the rodeo clowns are checking their makeup, it's a Gay joke you couldn't make in the modern world. 

At the prison infirmary Sideshow Bob is fully bandaged up but recognizable by his hair, which is also bandaged. 

They haven't done an "behind the Simpson House" bit in a while but from the kitchen window Marge can see the Waterville Prison and Springfield Elementary. 

Homer goes to a chiropractor, Dr. Steve.

Homer calls his trash can the Spine-O-Cylinder

When the chiropractors destroy Homer trash can Moe tells him "forget it Homer, it's Chiro town" this is a reference to the 1974 movie Chinatown.

Skinner tells a bad joke about Chalmer's sister and when it bombs he says "Thanks Bob Vilanch", Vilanch is in the audience and says "Whoopi would have made it work".

Jack's painting is a reference to Frank Frazetta's Conan the Conquerer, best know as the cover of Molly Hatchet's album Beatin' The Odds.

Worst Episode Ever

This episode premiered on February 4th 2001. It ran in it's usual time slot and opposite the NFL Pro Bowl (AFC 38 NFC 17), Touched By An Angel and the The NBC Sunday Night Movie (The Fugitive)

The title comes from Comic Book Guy's catch phrase Worst _____ Ever.

The chalkboard gag is "I will not hide the teacher's medication" and the couch gag is there is a Valet waiting in the living room, Homer gives him a claim ticket and he comes back with the couch. Homer stiffs him on the tip.

Lisa finds an old box of Baking Soda in the back of the fridge, Bart bets Homer $5 he can't eat the whole thing, he raises the bet to $50. Lisa calls poison control in advance and says Homer is having an antacid trip. With the $50 Bart and Milhouse go on a spending spree, first to the Kwik-E-Mart to overindulge on snacks and then the Laundromat to wash Milhouse's clothes with fabric softener. While at the comic book shop Martin's mother comes in with a box of his stuff to sell. Comic Book Guy offers Mrs. Prince $5 for the entire box but Bart and Milhouse tell her the stuff is worth thousands so she takes it back. Comic Book Guy puts the boys photo on his Banned For Life wall. Homer flashes back to his first lifetime ban, He's at a Gallagher show where he eats the watermelon and gets kicked out. Bart finds out that Tom Savini, special effects master and actor, is going to be at the comic book shop. Homer comes up with a plan to smuggle the kids in by having them carry him on their shoulders, it turn out Homer had ratted them out to Comic Book Guy. When Savini makes fun of Comic Book Guy he has a heart attack. Bart and Milhouse call 911 and saves his life, Dr. Hibbert tells him he needs to take a break from the stress of the shop and recommends he get a friend to run the place. CBG doesn't have any friends so Bart and Milhouse take over for him. Ralph goes in the adult section and says "Everybody's Hugging". To help out CBG Homer takes him to Moe's, he insults Duff and everyone gets mad and kicks him out. Milhouse orders 2000 comic books about a superhero with glasses like his, published by Lens Crafters. CBG goes to a community college class on How To Make Friends and meets Agnes Skinner. Bart and Milhouse get into a fight over the comic book purchase and crash through a She Hulk poster, finding a secret room full of bootleg tapes. Milhouse comes up with the idea to hold a midnight screening of the videos and charge a $5 admission. The police raid the midnight showing and seize all the tapes. Just as CBG and Agnes are getting frisky the cops bust in and arrest him for his bootleg tapes. The show ends with Ned driving around with the radioactive baboon that Homer had turned loose in his house (it was on one of the video tapes)

Tom Savini does his own voice in this episode.

At breakfast Lisa gets some Ms. Butterworths for the pancakes. In 2020 the company changed the bottle to look "less ethnic" and more generic.

Homer's baking soda flashbacks: Johnny Cocran's You must acquit closing argument / Nixon resigning / Neil Armstrong's moon landing speech.

Milhouse is wearing My Little Pony underwear.

Martin's stuff: A hand written script of the original Star Wars / Princess Leia's anti-jiggle tape / film reel of alternate ending "Luke's Father is Chewbacca" 

Comic Book Guy's Banned For Life wall: Sideshow Bob / Nelson / George Lucas / Bart and Milhouse. 

Gallagher the comedian was known for his bit of smashing watermelons with a big wooden mallet. 

Lisa is reading The Daily Set-Up

When Dr. Hibbert tells Comic Book Guy he had a cardiac episode CBG says "Worst...Episode...Ever"

CBG's rival store is Frodo's of Shelbyville. A Tolkien reference.

There's a display of Poochie merchandise, Milhouse is marking it down in price. 

A guy from Plan 9 Comics comes to the shop. This is a reference to the 1957 movie Plan Nine From Outer  Space. (considered to be the worst movie ever made)

CBG tells Agnes "Now I know whatever happened to Baby Jane" a reference to the 1962 movie.

Bart and Milhouse falling through the She Hulk poster is a reference to the 1994 movie The Shawshank Redemption. 

At Skinner's house there are framed silhouettes around the living room. This is a reference to the episode The Principal and The Pauper. (Considered to be the "worst episode ever" by long time fans of the series)

CBG is wearing a shirt that says "My Other Shirt Is Clean"

Restaurants at the Squidport food court: Mussolini & Frank's / Have It Uruguay / What They Eat In Iceland / The Karachi Hibachi / the London Broil. All the food comes from the same kitchen. 

The kids watch Secret Nuclear Defense Plan. U.S. Govt. Film #1612. In case of a nuclear war Springfield is to be booed first to make sure all allied missiles are on target. 

Dated Jokes: Wiggum says "this place has more pirated tapes then a...." Lou fills in the comment with "A Chinese K-Mart". Wiggum then says "The owner is in more hot water than..." and Lou says "A Japanese tea bag". Ooooo, Wiggum does say "Why don't you lay off the Asians Lou".

CBG and Agnes "Snuggle" while Baby I'm-a Want You by Bread plays.

Tennis The Menace

This episode premiered on February 11th 2001. It ran in its usual time slot and opposite The ABC Sunday Night Movie (Dr. Doolittle, the 1998 version), Touched By An Angel and The NBA All Star Game (East 111 - West 110)

The title of the episode is based on Dennis the Menace, who has been used as a plot in several episodes.

The chalkboard gag is "I will not publish the Principal's credit report" and the couch gag is the family ice skates in and sits on the couch, however the ice breaks under Homer and he falls in the water. 

Homer is taking a shower when Bart starts playing with the kitchen sink going from hot to cold, Homer screeches out Mary Had A Little Lamb. Marge catches him and tells him to wash up so they can go to the Senior talent show, he makes Homer screech Beethoven's 5th Symphony while washing his hands. Jasper's talent is spinning denture plates. Abe sings What's New Pussycat and wins a free autopsy. At the funeral home Bart gets stuck in a coffin but it has a built in camera so they can see him scratching on the lid. Abe wants to be buried in the deluxe cemetery where you get a virgin grave and a hired weeping widow. However the cost is $17,000 Homer decides to just toss Abe into the woods. When the funeral home operator says the Mauso-Palooza contains as much cement as a tennis court, Homer builds a tennis court in the back yard. He gets upset when he finds out it's not a Foxy Boxing ring. Everyone comes over to play but Homer is terrible at the game. Marge overhears people insulting their tennis playing. Homer promises to try harder but all he does it blow up the ball server. Homer signs him and Marge up for a doubles tournament however she swaps Homer out for Bart and they win plus get invited to play in the Krusty Kharity Klassic (another KKK joke). Homer has a dream that Bart wants to kill him and marry Marge and decides to recruit Lisa to be his partner. When Homer finds out that the Williams sisters are in the stands he gets Venus to be his partner. Marge complains so Wiggum, the line judge, lets her swap out Bart for Serena. Serena trades out Marge for Sampras and Agassi shows up to replace Homer. The family makes up and plans to go out to dinner when the tournament is over. 

Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Venus and Serena Williams all do their own voices.

The funeral home banners: Sales From The Crypt. A reference to Tales From The Crypt. The place has a selection of anti stink spray: County Mourn / Mrs. Rotewell's / Stank Off!

When Marge complains about Homer screwing around instead of winning he mentions John Rocker (baseball player who made a lot of racist and homophobic statements), OJ Simpson (we all know about that) and Dorf (the character Tim Conway played on his videos). Lou calls the Simpsons the LA Clippers of tennis. (to date the LA Clippers haven't won a championship in 51 years)

And the tennis court is never mentioned again. (that I know of because there are a lot of episodes I never saw)

We've made it through another 5 episodes and passes the one I dreaded the most. So far I remember these episodes although I'm pretty sure there were a couple that I had only seen once, and wasn't paying close attention to. So for myself I'm heading further into unfamiliar territory. At this point I only have 500 more to go, although they are still making them so I can't really say how far along I am. Wish me continued luck.