Season 19, Episode 18 - Any Given Sundance

100 Word Review: In this sadly average episode of The Simpsons Lisa makes a documentary about her family and it gets accepted into the Sundance Film Festival. You can add film financiers to the list of things Principal Skinner and Super Intendant Chalmers do that they probably shouldn’t. After the Simpsons are in Utah and upset over Lisa’s film we see that Nelson also has a movie showing at Sundance (which is vastly superior to Lisa’s). That’s pretty much it. Guest voices Jim Jarmusch and John C. Riley were entertaining, but Riley felt wasted. Not the best episode. Not the worst. so-so.

100 Word Review: There are some people that say that this show hasn’t been good in years. I don’t understand those people. The Simpsons, to me, is as good as it has ever been. In this episode Bart ends up in the 4-H club, raises a cow, rescues said cow from slaughter, and ends up forced into a shotgun wedding with one of Cletus’ kids. Is it the greatest episode of the series? Of course not, but it is amusing in places and there are a few great lines. “Sorry, Lise. I can’t be a vegetarian. I love the taste of death.”

“E. Pluribus Wiggum”

Welcome to January folks - the month of many a season finale. One show that is still rolling out new episodes, thankfully, is The Simpsons. The reason for this is mainly due to the amount of time it takes to produce the show. Most of the 19th season was completed before the Strike - but there is no word on exactly how many episodes we’re getting this year. What we do know, is that last night we had a new one - with a great plot.

“E. Pluribus Wiggum” starts off with a bang. The new couch gag is probably going to join the ranks of my all time favorites. I won’t spoil it - but it’s excellent. The show opens with Homer going on a binge to consume as much fast food as he can after Marge calls him on his promise to go on a diet. Upon exiting a fast food drive through, Homer decides to throw away some trash in the car - including uncashed checks, a tricycle, and an old car battery. The car battery leaks on on a gas line and blows up the entire fast food district of Springfield. As a result, a bond issue must be passed to rebuild the area, and to do that they have to move up the election primary…and hilarity ensues.

John Stewart guest stars, Old Media gets ragged on, and the entire electoral process gets sent up. The best part? Both the Republicans and the Democrats are equally sent up in this episode, and there is no real political opinions suggested - other than that the entire system is stupid. The episode is seriously ‘The Simpsons’ at its very best. Don’t tell me the show has ‘jumped the shark’ - everything that makes ‘The Simpsons’ great, and in a sea of re-runs and shoddy reality shows, this is a very welcome change.

Grade: A

“Season 19 Episode 08 - Funeral for a Fiend”

Sideshow Bob is at it again - but, unfortunately, there’s nothing terrible special about this appearance of everyone’s favorite homicidal clown - other than the gimmick of reuniting the cast of Fraiser.

The episode opens with an extended Tivo bit - and how corporate heads think you’re stealing from them if you fast forward through the commercials. It’s a bit we’ve seen on Family Guy before, and when you add in Marge’s staying up all night (which the Simpson family did when they first got cable) the entire opening segment felt like it had been done before. This bit led us into the family going to eat at a steakhouse that was actually a ruse for Sideshow Bob to attempt, yet again, to kill Bart.

This is Sideshow’s 10th appearance on the show - and I really wish it had been better. Bob fakes his death with the help of his family, and their plot is ultimately foiled by Lisa, who notices that Bob’s coffin has a place for his giant feet, which you wouldn’t do for a dead man… apparently.

Unfortunately, that’s how Bob was caught the first time when he attempted to frame Krusty for robbing the Kwik-E-Mart, so even that felt a bit, “been here, seen this.”

Now, having said all that, there were still a few good moments in the show, and overall it was enjoyable - just nothing particularly special. I’m not one of those people that think the Simpsons is passed its prime, or that it “hasn’t been funny in years”. I love this show - and hope that it continues on for another 10 years (although I doubt it will). The day The Simpsons airs its last new episode will be a very sad, sad day in my house.

BUT - they can do better than this.

Grade: B-

Originally a part of The Simpsons Movie promotion, the first official Kwik-E-Mart to ever open full time has done so at Universal Studios. The store is your one stop for all things Simpsons - particularly Homer and Bart.

Why we don’t have these as a national chain is beyond me. Talk about a franchise opportunity. I’d go to a Kwik-E-Mart in the bad part of town before I’d stop at a 7/11 or a Cefco.

via Buddy TV

There is no greater Halloween tradition to me than The Simpson’s “Treehouse of Horror”. Granted, it’s usually a POST-Halloween tradition as far was watching the new episode is concerned.

This year is no different, as the 17th annual Treehouse of Horror episode doesn’t air until Nov. 4th - but - since I refuse to let Halloween go buy without enjoying this marvelous Simpsons tradition, I present to you, the Top 5 Simpsons “Treehouse of Horror” Segments of All Time with VIDEO.

5. The Raven

Narrated by the always awesome James Earl Jones, this segment from the very first Simpsons Halloween Special still holds up as one of the very best from the entire 16 year run (thus far) of the specials.

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