From: mxg77@po.cwru.edu   
      
   Fine episode, not particularly deep but OK focus on a side character and   
   whatnot, with some cultural commentary (occasionally cringeworthy). A   
   little short. Not sure why it's TV-14 again, Homer's context-free MDMA gag??   
      
   Here's another TV theme tune I only know from looking at old 20th   
   Century Fox production codes: the song in the montage when Homer starts   
   doing the stunts is "The Unknown Stuntman", the theme from the 80s   
   series The Fall Guy (is it in the recent movie adaptation?), which is   
   very understandable as part of the episode title too. In that series,   
   though, the stuntmen etc. actually solve crimes and do some light spy   
   work while under cover. This song version sounds like a cover itself.   
      
   Another Co-EP, this time Cesar Mazariegos, who also wrote the episode as   
   well as the lyrics for the end credits song!   
      
      
   Dedications come and dedications go   
   This airing (and probably no others) was dedicated to Rob Reiner, who   
   was slain a few weeks ago; it seems to be an image from HABF09 but I   
   haven't double checked. Surprisingly, the special upbeat Gracie sound,   
   now disjointed, is here, when some dedications drop those for continuity   
   and/or tone.   
   But last week's repeat of 36ABF14 (Keep Chalm and Gary On), 12/21 at   
   7:30, did lose the original airing's dedication to Jane Goodall.   
      
      
   Calendar fun   
      
   Once again, this episode was a first for The Simpsons: the first time an   
   episode has premiered on December 28. This is the fifth season in a row   
   with a Christmas-ish date scratched off the checklist:   
   1/2/22 UABF05   
   1/1/23 OABF05   
   12/24/23 35ABF01   
   12/22/24 36ABF02   
   12/28/25 37ABF06   
      
   Here's where we stand now, and unfortunately NOT MUCH has changed or   
   will change despite the great opportunity the first third of 2026   
   presents (and the debut of a goofy Thursday slot for animation on   
   5/29/25, sans Simpsons of course):   
      
   Three normal in-season dates with no premieres: January 18, February   
   1, April 12. These ARE ALL SUNDAYS in 2026, but the first two seem to   
   have non-Simpsons schedules already, and it is reported that the 37th   
   air season will end in February so that would miss the chance for an   
   April episode premiere. February 29 has never had a Fox airing of the show.   
      
   Other dates with no episode premieres: May 24 to September 3 (minus   
   those oddball "summer episodes" of early years, 7/11, 8/23, 8/27, and   
   7/27 for the movie if you like), other scattered dates in September   
   (5-9, 12-16, 22), and most of the Christmas-New-Year corridor (now   
   down to December 23, 25, 27, 30-31).   
      
   No new episodes in June or on a Monday or Saturday.   
      
   Counting network repeats, the only exceptions are February 29 and May   
   29. Fox has never aired The Simpsons on those dates in 36 years.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)