The Simpsons: "She Used To Be My Girl" Talkback (SPOILERS)

[MovieGuy]

From Fox.com



MARGE CONTEMPLATES HER LIFESTYLE
ON “THE SIMPSONS” SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5, ON FOX

Kim Cattrall Guest-Stars

Marge runs into her former high school pal Chloe Talbot (Kim Cattrall), who is now a famous newscaster. Chloe is cultured, sharp-dressed and has a successful career on television. While Lisa has become enamored with Chloe’s worldliness, Marge becomes jealous and wonders if she made the right decision by choosing family over a career on THE SIMPSONS episode “She Used To Be My Girl,” Sunday, Dec. 5 (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (SI-1522)

[Killtacular]

ARGGHH WHY DO I WATCH A SHOW THAT PISSES ME OFF SO MUCH!?

This is now the worst episode of the series... it was even more retarded than "Dude Where's My Ranch." I didn't think it was possible but they found a way. I will be amazed if people give this episode a 5/5 or 10/10, but I now know after a long amount of experience that standards HAVE lowered in general..

[Animelee]

The only parts in the episode that I liked were Bart cutting the TV with a saw, Homer telling the ladies that they didn't have to fight over him, and Spongebob. But not even Spongebob could save this crap.

[Juu-kuchi]

ARGGHH WHY DO I WATCH A SHOW THAT PISSES ME OFF SO MUCH!?

What exactly pissed you off about the episode anyway?

[SirLemming]

Wow, they actually had a blackboard gag again. If I were feeling particularly cynical today I'd go on a rant about how there's no point in bringing it back to do such a fairly worthless joke. But that would be stupid.

LOL at Bart sawing through the TV.
Homer walking naked on stilts probably would've been funnier if it wasn't in the commercials.
That Irish spray thing... what the [all expletives]?!

Overall, this was a weird, inconsequential episode. Didn't offend the senses too much and had a few very funny parts, but it didn't really do much for me. The plot didn't go anywhere. The conflict shifted a lot and wasn't resolved. First it was about Marge feeling boring compared to Chloe, then she got angry with Chloe, then Marge had to save Lisa from a volcano, and she did, and then I guess Chloe left the Simpsons' lives. Umm, okay. So I guess the conflict between Marge and Chloe was never resolved in any way. And I suppose the fact that Marge rescued Lisa was supposed to be the resolution to the "Marge feels boring" plot, but it didn't really work.

[Classic Speedy]

Animation: Toonzone Entertainment (this is only their second episode. Does this mean they'll be doing one episode per season or something?)

Oddly enough, I 100% agree with you, Matt. This episode was just awful. Bad writing, poorly-timed delivery on every joke, and Season 13-style WTF moments (Homer naked on stilts? Huh?). Tim Long, this is worse than "Saddlesore Galactica", and I didn't think that was possible. GRADE: F

Previous episode grades: -Treehouse of Horror 15: B-
-All's Fair in Oven War: C+
-Sleeping with the Enemy: A-

[Juu-kuchi]

Yeah, when I think about it wasn't all that. The journalist really did get out of the Simpsons' lives, and there was no resolve really for the conflict.

Mayor Quimby's starting to annoy me now.

[Eddie G.]

FOUR THINGS THE SIMPSONS NEEDS TO LEARN
(1) They aren't and never will be Family Guy.
(2) The "scream, yell, or whimper something specific or unrealistic" gag isn't and never will be funny.
(3) This episode wasn't funny the first time they made it.
(4) Stop making every character who isn't being focused on into a cardboard cutout idiot.

Anyway this episode was pretty poor except that little bit in the end with the credits. There were no good jokes, the characters were poor except for Marge and Lisa. But we've seen both of these characters in a similar episode a few seasons ago.

C-

Yeah, when I think about it wasn't all that. The journalist really did get out of the Simpsons' lives, and there was no resolve really for the conflict.

It's now become rare for the Simpsons to resolve thier plots at all, they just end it with some dumb half baked gag that even Family Guy (I hate to compare them again but the show is trying to be Family Guy and to a degree the WS shows.) didn't often resort to and when it did, did it properly.

[Killtacular]

What exactly pissed you off about the episode anyway?

The fact that every single joke was a misfire of bad direction, awful acting, and just poor writing in general. I hope this show turns around but they can't do that as long as John Frink, Don Payne, Ian Maxtone Graham, Dana Gould, and Mike Scully are still producing it.

And I kind of wish the actors did lose their jobs because they cannot deliver a joke properly anymore. This is natural when you've been playing a character for so many years.. your intonation changes. However they lost that natural ability to sell any line (even a bad one).

Writing wise I hate the retarded contrivances that the scripts use in the plots. Family Guy was always hollow and could get away with something really ridiculous because that was its nature. When Barney comes flying in with a helicopter sober, my head hurt so much I thought the show might have given me a tumor somehow.

I think the show can turn around but its problem is that it does not know when to let people go. They have not heard of "limitation". It's beyond "too many cooks". It's like too many kitchens at this point.

[Classic Speedy]

Just some examples of the poor writing tonight:
-The cough-Bill Clinton Schwarzenegger-cough joke wasn't funny. There wasn't a better way to hint that she slept around with big shots?
-And yet again, for the bazillionth time, they resorted to "Whaaaaaaaa?" when confronted with something surprising. It was funny, oh, the first couple times in the show's run, but now it's just predictable and annoying.
-Marge screaming "NOOOOOO!" melodramatically at the end after her daydream. Wow, didn't see that coming.
-Lisa reused the exact same joke about not being picky about gods that Homer said in a previous episode: "Jesus, Buddha, Allah, I love you all!" And the SpongeBob laugh was a pale imitation (though I suppose that characteristic laugh is copyrighted or something stupid...).
-Why do the writers have to make cheap jokes about Marge's supposed wine addiction? And why do they keep bringing that in, anyway? It was handled a lot better in "You Only Move Twice" when Marge started drinking because she had nothing to do with all the housework automatically operated. Here it just feels like a cheap joke at her expense.

[Sharklady]

> Anyway this episode was pretty poor except that little bit in the end with the credits. <

I missed that. What exactly happened?

BTW: Minutes before this ep started, '60 Minutes' broadcast an interview with Bob Dylan, and he spoke with perfect coherence. So much for that joke...

[SirLemming]

The cough-Bill Clinton Schwarzenegger-cough joke wasn't funny. There wasn't a better way to hint that she slept around with big shots?

Oh yeah, that. The gag that would've been incredibly predictable in a Newgrounds cartoon.

[Spongebrain2.0]

It think this episode is proof that The Simpsons is trying to become a cheap imitation of Family Guy (Sad, considering many people belive FG is a ripoff of TS). Family Guy is able to get away with WTF moments because they are like an animated Monty Python. They have random, bizarre moments and they are faster paced and most of the episodes drift away from the actual plot to hilarious, off the wall type jokes. The Simpsons was not like Family Guy, they were more like The Simpsons 1(1989-1999), this "new" Simpsons (2000-present) is just plain sickening.


My analogy of the recent seasons of The Simpsons is like watching an old sick dog, who used to be hyper and jubilant, starting to become cold, sick and close to death. The humane thing would to put the dog to sleep, euthanize it, than just sit there and watch it suffer.

[Fone Bone]

It think this episode is proof that The Simpsons is trying to become a cheap imitation of Family Guy (Sad, considering many people belive FG is a ripoff of TS). Family Guy is able to get away with WTF moments because they are like an animated Monty Python. They have random, bizarre moments and they are faster paced and most of the episodes drift away from the actual plot to hilarious, off the wall type jokes. The Simpsons was not like Family Guy, they were more like The Simpsons 1(1989-1999), this "new" Simpsons (2000-present) is just plain sickening.


My analogy of the recent seasons of The Simpsons is like watching an old sick dog, who used to be hyper and jubilant, starting to become cold, sick and close to death. The humane thing would to put the dog to sleep, euthanize it, than just sit there and watch it suffer.

Family Guy is an animated Monty Python. Wow. I always thought Monty Python was an animated Monty Python and Family Guy was the most overrated series on the internet.

As for this episode, yeah it wasn't very good. The first act was surprisingly strong (I laughed at the baby going "Ah, er") but the second two acts were stagnant. I don't think this episode is nearly as bad as everyone says but it was still a disappointment. ***.

[Spongebrain2.0]

Family Guy is comedic gold

[Fone Bone]

Family Guy is comedic gold

I won't deny it can be funny but it has about as much depth as a rain puddle.

[simpspin]

My analogy of the recent seasons of The Simpsons is like watching an old sick dog, who used to be hyper and jubilant, starting to become cold, sick and close to death. The humane thing would to put the dog to sleep, euthanize it, than just sit there and watch it suffer.

No, that's TOO harsh (but not far from the truth!). I'd say the show is like a 1983 Lamborgini (sp), but instead of being a 'classic', it's rusty, and full of dents and dings. But some people will say how awesome the car is, no matter how much of a jalopy it becomes.

[Neo Yi]

The episode was okay, but not the best. Maybe it's just me, but Marge Simpson trying to be funny or slapstick in any way doesn't seem to work on her as it does on the others...well, to me anyways, so I was more then irked by the fight between her and Chloe. But the plot point between Marge's jealousy towards Chloe over Lisa was well done.

Oh, and Bart cutting the TV. Funny.
~Neo

[SirLemming]

I'll bet we could raise funds for Toon Zone by setting up a webcam of Matt Wilson watching this and Megas XLR.

No, that's TOO harsh (but not far from the truth!). I'd say the show is like a 1983 Lamborgini (sp), but instead of being a 'classic', it's rusty, and full of dents and dings. But some people will say how awesome the car is, no matter how much of a jalopy it becomes.

Zing!

Whaaaaaaaaaaa? *smack*
A-yyyyyyessssssss! *smack* *smack*

[Johnny Cakes]

Well I have not watched a new episode of the Simpsons in some time now, so I'm not a jaded on the show as the rest of you seem to be. That said, I kind of enjoyed the episode but, I have never been a fan of Marge or Lisa focused episodes. So, this certainly was not my favorite. None the less I still found it entertaining, at least the jokes from Bart.

Actually, I think that in order to save itself the Simpsons needs to return to its roots and make Bart the main focus once again. Homer had a good run but I think Bart is really where it's at.