"The Simpsons"-"Pranksta Rap"-2-13-04-Talkback(Sigh, here we go again...) [Archive]

Scythemantis

02-13-2005, 08:30 PM

So far I think this is an okay episode too. The rap aspect was minimal and the guest star minor and unobtrusive. Kinda nice to have a bit of a wiggum plot all the sudden.

"How would I explain it to Ralphie? That kid can't understand where the world goes when you close the drapes..."

"You leave maggie to me" was funny, too.

Course, while the writing isn't painful, this is another of those episodes with an unrealistic and unsettling storyline. Probably the worst thing Bart's ever done, even if it did improve things for others.

And now I'm watching the end of it, and it all fell apart. The "random inexplicable party" ending was done before, in a MUCH better episode.

MJC

02-13-2005, 08:31 PM

One of the best episodes in a while.

Loved the ending.

SirLemming

02-13-2005, 08:32 PM

Hey, let's parody The Passion 15 more times before the season ends!

Bart... is... rapping...

I guess I'm not the expert, but from what I know that looks nothing like 50 Cent. They don't seem to be able to caricaturize black celebrities very well.

I wonder if the "Thanksgiving" comment was a reference to how this plot is getting kind of similar to "Bart vs. Thanksgiving" or if it's just a coincidence.

The sooner they realize they're not at all good at doing Family Guy-style "it goes on so long it's funny" gags (Milhouse playing frisbee with himself), the better.

I also wonder if Wiggum recognizing the popcorn was a reference to "Krusty Gets Busted", when Krusty was arrested while making tinned popcorn, but again there are signs pointing to it not being a reference.

*smacks forehead in embarrassment* Ohhh, they were getting close to earlier Simpsons with Lisa finding the jersey, but then Homer had to be completely irrational with the burning stuff. Not irrational in a lovable dumb way, either.

Heh. The clock and the "Thursday the 20th" bling.

Heh. "It's idiomatic, biotch."

Ooh, a white guy acting like a black guy! Comedy gold!

In short... ehh. It'd give this episode too much credit for me to make some sort of witty "rap review". Suffice to say, it had some good elements, no particularly terrible elements, and a lot of stuff I didn't know how to feel about. Oh, and 50 Cent was pointless.

Spongebrain2.0

02-13-2005, 08:33 PM

Wow.......this was terrible.........:sad:

What a shame, they had a sure fire emotional-Bart realizes what he's done bad and confesses episode, and it just FELL APART....

I thought Bart would confess, Chief would go through a little emotionality and it would be somewhat heartwarming....I was wrong....

The party at the end ruined everything what could've been:sad:

MJC

02-13-2005, 08:36 PM

Fatneck

02-13-2005, 08:39 PM

This was actually a decent episode. I laughed, it had a decent Wiggum story and I didn't cringe and shake my head a lot.

Anyone know who wrote this episode?

Spongebrain2.0

02-13-2005, 08:39 PM

I actually liked the fact that they didn't go in the "moral of the story" direction.
Really....I thought this ending with the "House Part-ayyy" ending they used was typical/predictable BS thats been used for the past 4 years too much.

TS needs a good emotional episode, like they used to do so well, even when Maude died they pulled it off gracefully, this was terrible. Which is sad, because halfway through the episode it looked like it was going great:(

Don_East

02-13-2005, 08:39 PM

Don's Thoughts: Better than last week's episode. 50 Cents' cameo wasn't necessary. Like th jokes about dated street terms. What's up with the ending? It's like the "Surfs Up!" cop-out ending from "The Great Money Caper".

Grade: C+

Space Cadet

02-13-2005, 08:40 PM

When I read the synopsis for this episode, I was expecting lots of outdated jokes about rap and characters freestyling. I was surprised. The rap stuff was kept to a minimal and I actually liked the 50 Cent cameo. However, it wasn't a good episode and the whole "Bart fakes his kidnapping" was so unrealistic. I did like Wiggum in the episode. I wonder how the pilot for Grandmaster and the Furious 15 will turn out.

Luna

02-13-2005, 08:44 PM

Well,tonight's a bit of a reversal for me....I HATED the new King of the Hill episode(I don't like seeing cats portrayed in a negative light),and I loved the Simpsons...there were some good quotes in the episode...

Homer(stuck in the the dog door): Why must I be so voluptuous?

Wiggum:I don't know how to explain this to Ralphie...That kid can't understand where the world goes when you close the drapes...

Homer(after learning Bart's been kidnapped): Oh,this will be the worst Thanksgiving ever!!!

Marge: Thanksgiving isn't for months from now

Homer:Oh,great,more bad news...

I also thought Homer burning his shirt and pants for no reason was funny....

SirLemming

02-13-2005, 09:01 PM

Wait... What's up with Spongebrain2.0?

This episode is probably the best one I've seen recently. We got a little emotion so far and humanity (that doesn't seem forced), something we haven't seen on The Simpsons for years.Though, that part at the beginning with Bart talkin "gangsta" and rapping was downright terrible, but the other 20 minutes is really good:)
Wow.......this was terrible.........:sad:

What a shame, they had a sure fire emotional-Bart realizes what he's done bad and confesses episode, and it just FELL APART....

I thought Bart would confess, Chief would go through a little emotionality and it would be somewhat heartwarming....I was wrong....

The party at the end ruined everything what could've been:sad:
Your opinion of the show is about as unfocused as the writers' vision for the show.

Ekkostar

02-13-2005, 09:07 PM

The episode wasn't as funny as last week's. I think that The Simpsons are slowly getting ready to die.

More to the point, what the heck is up with Fox's satellite tonight? The video is REALLY jagged looking!

Spongebrain2.0

02-13-2005, 09:09 PM

Wait... What's up with Spongebrain2.0?

Your opinion of the show is about as unfocused as the writers' vision for the show.
I commented too soon, about halfway through the episode looked golden, then it was bad, still this was probably the best one I've seen this far into the season, but thats not saying it was a classic

Spider-Man

02-13-2005, 09:14 PM

This episode was pretty bad and really dated. I got a few chuckles here and there but this felt like a chore to sit through especially after the excellent King of The Hill episode that was on at 7pm. There could have been some great moments of character development but they seemed to be washed away. I wonder if they will stick to Police Commissioner Wiggum. And did anyone notice that Milhouse just disappeared for the entire third act of the episode? With his dad in prison what is going to happen to him?

SirLemming

02-13-2005, 09:28 PM

And did anyone notice that Milhouse just disappeared for the entire third act of the episode? With his dad in prison what is going to happen to him?Oh man, you're right! That's a RIDICULOUS plot hole! Man...

It's also pretty lousy of Milhouse's dad to want to stay in prison, taking that into consideration. And lousy of Bart and everyone else who figured it wouldn't hurt anybody to cover it up. And stupid of Lisa not to point that out, since it likely would've changed everyone's mind and given the episode a decent ending.
And if Milhouse were to live with his mom, he'd be out of Springfield.

Lehteb

02-13-2005, 09:29 PM

But that would've been really predictable...

I actually liked the fact that they didn't go in the "moral of the story" direction.Besides, Bart and Lisa were both out to tell the truth. Chief Wiggum and Homer were the ones who wanted to keep everything covered-up.

This was one of those endings where, regardless of who did right or wrong, not everybody got what they expected/wanted. It was sort of like the resolution for Lisa's cheating problem in "Lisa Gets an 'A'"

Quagmire

02-13-2005, 09:35 PM

It was a decent episode until the stupid house party ending.

Great Wiggum character work, but as mentioned, horrible Milhouse plot hole.

SirLemming

02-13-2005, 09:55 PM

Also, while this has no effect on the quality of the episode, I find it odd that this season has had at least three episodes where people get exclusive jackets.

mammy2shoesfan

02-13-2005, 10:59 PM

It was a good ep. Just wish I didnt miss the first 6 mintues well I will catch it next time. I did notice for a change they showed female buttcrack in the is ep.

Jolly Bengali

02-13-2005, 11:30 PM

Tonight, we get an episode with an interesting moral dilemmna on-par with Lisa Gets an A or The Boy Who Knew Too Much.

Well, at least, the show attempted to do so much, but it didn't really work out so well. There were definitely some intriguing aspects and twists that kept me hooked: Wiggum not wanting to release Kirk, the dilemma never actually being resolved. But there were just too much incoherent and illogical character writing to make the story really lift off the ground.

It was hard to buy Homer so nonchalantly accepting that Bart completely hoodwinked him, and letting Bart off the hook. Just look at how angry he was about Bart's license prank in Bart on the Road. I know he had to be in on it to further the story, but there really should have been some sign that he wasn't altogether happy about the whole situation, instead of the weak joke about him burning all his clothes. Kirk willing to be in jail, while sort of funny, seemed a bit hokey, which makes the whole story limp. Some characters, who should be key players in the 3rd act, disappear very conveniently. Milhouse doesn't appear at all after the parade. Marge, whom I would expect Lisa to run to, is nowhere to be seen (as far as I can recall).

I'd say this episode is guilty of bending the characters or employing weird devices in order to suit the plot. Not that it was bad necessarily, but I felt too distanced from the characters to truly enjoy the story.

On the humor side, things unfortunately get very sketchy. No real LOL moments, and several jokes that do little for me. The jokes about gangsta rap seemed very standard. 50 Cent shouldn't have cameoed, the Milhouse frisbee gag wasn't funny, bla bla. There were some funny moments, like Homer's reaction to the ransom letter, but otherwise, I can't even recall what they are right now.

Overall, disappointing, considering that Matt Selman scripts are usually winners.

Grade: C

Divbid

02-13-2005, 11:36 PM

i expect more out of Groening
id rather watch reruns of family guy and athf

Classic Speedy

02-13-2005, 11:41 PM

Animation: Rough Draft

I'd say this episode is guilty of bending the characters or employing weird devices in order to suit the plot. Not that it was bad necessarily, but I felt too distanced from the characters to truly enjoy the story. I'd agree with that statement- it felt like an odd mixture of old scripts into a new episode (complete with non sequitor "Great Money Caper"-style ending). And it's true what's been brought up, that characters seemed to drift in and out and some characters were slightly distorted to keep the plot going.

Having said that, though, I found tonight's episode hilarious. And believe me when I say that's a rarity for this season so far. Every act was good and had plenty of LOL moments, especially from the freeze frame stuff. I was busting a gut at Bart looking at his picture of Homer falling down the cliff from "Bart the Daredevil", the "Cover-Up 2005" t-shirt, or the numerous Wiggum headlines. I also appreciated the 50 Cent cameo, which was the best in recent memory. "Does THAT count as my community service? No? Well then take me to the park to pick up dog poop." Or the joke about Kirk's apartment being worse than prison. Or "We don't need an Eddie."

About the only joke that didn't work for me was that stupid fireplace "burn Bart evidence" thing. Wasted.

Otherwise, a much better offering than last week's, if nothing else, because it was actually funny. GRADE: B+

The sooner they realize they're not at all good at doing Family Guy-style "it goes on so long it's funny" gags (Milhouse playing frisbee with himself), the better. True, but atleast the gag ended with a funny joke, where Milhouse says, "It just isn't the same without Bart, who used to watch me do this." :D

Peter Paltridge

02-14-2005, 01:27 AM

True, but atleast the gag ended with a funny joke, where Milhouse says, "It just isn't the same without Bart, who used to watch me do this." :D
That WAS a good gag, and this episode gets another bonus for doing something with Wiggum that wasn't a two-dimensional string of gags about his being a bad cop. But there were also a lot of "huh, is that supposed to be funny?" parts...like Kirk finally being happy in prison because so many women wanted him. That makes no sense...

simpspin

02-14-2005, 02:37 AM

This is will go down as one of my 'guilty pleasure episodes' since I don't really like rap and because it's always disturbingly funny when parents try to rap rules to their kids. Pranksta Rap is one few 'stupid-funny' episodes of the Simpsons that I laugh with.

Grade A-.

Animelee

02-14-2005, 06:54 AM

I loved this episode! The season 16 episodes, so far, are really giving me a lot of hope in the direction the show is going in now.

The great thing about this episode was that everyone was in character. Homer was a loveable dope, and not an obnoxiously stupid jerk, and Marge was her old lame-but-caring self.

It was great that we got some characterization on Clancy, as well. And I liked the sort of meta-reference to El Barto, heh.

Another thing that really surprised me was how much I was laughing. And not little "Hehe, clever"-type laughs, or chuckles, but real belly-laughs! The animation and background music was good, as usual. I'd just like to mention how glad I am that The Simpsons still uses a real orchestra, unlike a lot of North American cartoons today that use synthesizers -- either because of budget constraints or preference.

And that bit with Millhouse and the frizbee had me gradually laughing more and more, and I was glad that they knew when to stop. Right when I was gradually beginning to stop laughing, they stopped the gag -- great timing.

Ekkostar

02-14-2005, 07:29 AM

Fone Bone

02-14-2005, 09:03 AM

Again, can somebody tell me why Fox's show feed looked so jagged and jerky last night (Most noticeable during The Simpsons and Family Guy)? Was it because of the new delay practice so they can blur or edit something if they really, really have to?I noticed that too. It was REALLY jarring during King of the Hill (much more so than The Simpsons and Family Guy). I have no idea why that was but I'm not sure they'd need a delay on scripted television.

The first act of the episode wasn't very good (although I loved Fiddy Cent's cameo) but the rest of the episode got better as it went along. I agree that the best jokes were how Ralph thought the world went away when you closed the curtains and Cheif Wiggum's "We don't need an Eddie."

I thought it was odd that Milhouse was ignored in act three, especially since they had deliberately set it up so that he was the first person to know Bart was scamming. And yes, Kirk was a horrible father but that was completely in character.

The ending kind of threw me. I didn't understand it very well. Why was there a celebration?

I liked the episode, but I didn't love it. ***.

Eddie G.

02-14-2005, 09:21 AM

That WAS a good gag, and this episode gets another bonus for doing something with Wiggum that wasn't a two-dimensional string of gags about his being a bad cop. But there were also a lot of "huh, is that supposed to be funny?" parts...like Kirk finally being happy in prison because so many women wanted him. That makes no sense...The joke was that his life and job was so horrible that prison was an improvment (NOTE: Some Homeless and poor men will commit crimes to go to jail for the warmth, shelter, and food). With the women, there are crazy women who actually date men in prison because they're lonely or because some have a fetish about men on TV.

Anyway this was the best social commentary episode that The Simpsons has had in awhile, I give it credit for not being obvious and more universal. Still not great, but decent. I enjoyed a lot of the gags, "It's idiomatic bi-atch!" and the episode and humor seemed better laid out than the usual episode.

SirLemming

02-14-2005, 10:43 AM

And yes, Kirk was a horrible father but that was completely in character.No it wasn't. He's always been an incompetent father, but he's never shown such disregard for Milhouse. Of course, this wasn't so much a reflection on him alone as it was a reflection on the writers simply forgetting about Milhouse -- everyone forgot about him. He just dropped out of the plot, when he should have been one of the key points of it.

Really, this episode just dropped the ball. It's cool that it at least had the ball to begin with, but I still want to see more improvement.

Ekkostar

02-14-2005, 03:32 PM

I noticed that too. It was REALLY jarring during King of the Hill (much more so than The Simpsons and Family Guy). I have no idea why that was but I'm not sure they'd need a delay on scripted television.

Fox seems to have a lot of problems with their feeds at certain times during the year. I know that I've seen the picture screw up during the late spring and early summer (From the "sun spots" when the sun shines on transponders and the ground sats have trouble finding signals).

candy17

02-14-2005, 04:59 PM

I think that The Simpsons are slowly getting ready to die.Actually the show is already dead, but the writers are pulling an elaborate farce a la "Weekend at Bernie's" to make it look like it's alive. Sometimes, there may be a glimmer of life in its eyes, but then you realize that it's just that cold, lifeless stare you get when you see a vegetable (not the food; just someone who is physically dead, but shows signs of life mentally) or a bass at a fish store.

i expect more out of Groening
id rather watch reruns of family guy and athf

I watch Family Guy and ATHF reruns in place of this. Also reruns and new episodes of SNL, reruns of Futurama, and episodes of American Dad.

Anyway, given the choice between this episode and the newer episodes of SeaLab 2021 (which suck), I'd pick neither and read a book.

staticblue

02-14-2005, 05:55 PM

Spongebrain2.0

02-14-2005, 06:10 PM

ok so....according to the end of the episode, milhouses father is going to remain in jail. But wasnt there an episode where milhouses mom moved away, and he stayed with his father? so where is milhouse gonna live not that he has no parents?:shrug:
That is what exactaly is wrong with TS nowadays...no heart or emotion, they act like they don't want you to care about the characters. On the old TS you actually cared and worried about the characters' feelings and such. Now they are trying to hard to make it random, non-sensical humor that doesn't make any sense, which just doesn't work for the show.:sad:

Fone Bone

02-14-2005, 07:46 PM

No it wasn't. He's always been an incompetent father, but he's never shown such disregard for Milhouse. Of course, this wasn't so much a reflection on him alone as it was a reflection on the writers simply forgetting about Milhouse -- everyone forgot about him. He just dropped out of the plot, when he should have been one of the key points of it.

Really, this episode just dropped the ball. It's cool that it at least had the ball to begin with, but I still want to see more improvement.I think you may be right. I have always seen him as completely pathetic but that's different than the way he was being this episode. I didn't hate this episode by any means but there were too many loose ends for it to be satisfying.

Ekkostar

02-14-2005, 09:30 PM

Actually the show is already dead, but the writers are pulling an elaborate farce a la "Weekend at Bernie's" to make it look like it's alive. Sometimes, there may be a glimmer of life in its eyes, but then you realize that it's just that cold, lifeless stare you get when you see a vegetable (not the food; just someone who is physically dead, but shows signs of life mentally) or a bass at a fish store.

True. I didn't think of it that way. It's clinging by a tooth nerve or something. It's still around, but painful to watch. The writers and producers need to figure out that that this is the Seth MacFarlane/anime-era (or should it be called the Adult Swim-era?) and move on to a new project.

Classic Speedy

02-15-2005, 01:16 AM

Anyone know who wrote this episode? Matt Selman, who has written quite a few "Simpsons 2" episodes that I like, including "Trilogy of Error", parts of "Behind the Laughter", "Eight Misbehavin'" (the first two acts, anyway), "They Saved Lisa's Brain", and "Natural Born Kissers".

Jerry Mouse

02-15-2005, 02:52 AM

It was okay. Seeing Chief Wiggum actually do work for a change was rather different. I like how he promoted Lou to Chief and Eddie to Lou. "Who's gonna be Eddie?" "We don't need an Eddie." was a pretty funny exchange. The one thing aside from Homer burning his shirt and pants that I thought was pointless was 50 Cent's cameo. I think they did fine with their made up rappers..they didn't need a real rapper. Kirk VanHouten wanting to stay in jail was kinda stupid too but considering there are people out there who are really like that it wasn't really that bad. But, it does raise the question, "Where's Milhouse going to live?". Although didn't his mom move back to Springfield or do I have my info mixed up? Anyway, I give it a high C...about a 77.

lostrune

02-15-2005, 08:36 AM

It was okay. Seeing Chief Wiggum actually do work for a change was rather different. I like how he promoted Lou to Chief and Eddie to Lou.
But next ep, it'd be like the promotions never happened. :sweat:

candy17

02-15-2005, 11:38 AM

True. I didn't think of it that way.
Really? I thought the description was a little over the top, but that's probably the only artful way I can say "The Simpsons sucks" and I felt like a fool tuning in to see how low it will go, so I gave up on it (there are other shows that have lasted almost as long as The Simpsons, like Married...With Children, Seinfeld, etc., but they at least tried to be entertaining in its last years).

Agent S7

02-15-2005, 03:02 PM

That was just strange. I'd expect more of the Simpsons. But then again, I don't really like rap. The funniest parts were probably when the rappers all pulled out pistols.
"Darn it. And mine isn't even loaded."

90'sCartoonMan

02-17-2005, 10:28 PM

This episode was kinda weird, it gave me mixed feelings. First we have some strange rapping and an unnecessary 50 Cent appearance, but we get a pretty decent Wiggum plot.

Some of the jokes were really good, but the ending was dumb (although I did like Chalmers). I don't know what to make of it. It was better than an average episode from this season. Maybe if 50 voiced Alcatraz and not himself I wouldn't be so bothered.

Will Wiggum keep his new job? Krusty is still a senator, right?

Neo Yi

02-18-2005, 03:07 PM

I honestly thought this was a good epsiode except the ending which I didn't like how they solved their problems. The whole celebrity appearance is nothing new and I've come to terms with accepting that, so eh. I partically liked how most of the characters were in character, especially Marge who's been acting not herself for a while. Overall, this was very good in my eyes.
~neo