From: mxg77@po.cwru.edu   
      
   Wow, kind of a shame when an episode with an interesting, thoughtful,   
   perfectly suited premise and basic plot just squanders it under a pile of   
   weird offputting/cartoony jokes and casual no-impact violence. I really liked   
   the former and I really disliked    
   the latter. Why do we need bicyclists getting hit by a train and mocked,   
   exploding pants, Homer trying several times to kill himself incredibly   
   gruesomely (played for comedy), making DAMN sure we get the Maude joke,   
   sending a beer truck off a convenient    
   cliff and apparently dooming its parachuting driver...? On the other hand,   
   some nice touches were little moments like ironing ironing board covers, beer   
   babies, and the "below par" gag. I did like this installment of fairly   
   competent Homer, with a    
   prospective job that he would be really good at (with his charisma), and the   
   way Marge found the one problem with it that caused some soul-searching (with   
   shades of previous episodes like Duffless). The no-drink chip thing is full of   
   nonsense, though,    
   and how did Homer have convulsions from second-hand exposure if it didn't even   
   work?   
      
      
   DYN:   
   ...the singular of confetti is confetto (not confettus, I checked)?   
   ...Lisa's remark to her imaginary therapist should not on its own make Marge   
   think she's talking to anyone nonexistent (in fact it might be she's talking   
   offhandedly to Bart)?   
      
   Previous episode stuff   
   BABF12: The competition (especially round 1) a lot like the bartending one   
   PABF09: Extended Game of Thrones intro parody (for Duffman press announcement)   
   as in that episode's couch gag   
   BABF10: Homer's less-and-less-subtle joke about no one ever being killed by a   
   t-shirt cannon   
      
   Sam Simon   
   He died last week, so predictably there was a (one-time-only?) dedication to   
   him in tonight's episode, and fittingly it was much longer than any other I   
   can think of, including Marcia Wallace's. It had an old interview clip with   
   him, then "One of the    
   greatest comic minds ever/Thank you Sam" on separate cards, between the execs   
   and regular credits. Aww. Now, I don't know how everything in TV works, but I   
   imagine either on all new episodes from now on or some time shortly down the   
   road his name will    
   not be under executive producers. We'll see!   
      
   And speaking of dedications   
   Tonight was the second airing of TABF08 (The Princess Guide), which originally   
   had a Leonard Nimoy dedication and now does not. Actually, in the east, Nascar   
   coverage ran a little past 7, so the episode started at about 7:05 in   
   progress. Just like a    
   joined-in-progress recent repeat of RABF21, the episode's original opening was   
   not used (even though it was only 24 seconds long); and just like that one, a   
   (possibly abridged) version of the NABF21 opening WAS used. I suppose that   
   means this is Fox's    
   standby opening for JIP episodes, and perhaps has been for longer than I've   
   been aware, but what an odd one to use, especially with a blackboard gag   
   mentioning November 6 and nonstandard TV-credits music.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)