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Miscellaneous / Verschiedenes » alt.tv.simpsons » (long) A review of "We're On the Road to D'ohwhere (HABF04)"
| (long) A review of "We're On the Road to D'ohwhere (HABF04)" [message #208350] |
Mo, 30 Januar 2006 06:16 |
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[The long of it]
Early on in "We're On the Road to D'ohwhere," Bart gets the chance to
search through Skinner's desk drawers. In one drawer, he finds
Skinner's diary, complete with a girlish-looking cover. In another,
there's a videotape labeled, "Dance Contest Submission Tape." On the
tape cover, a photo of Skinner in '70s disco garb is a tempting teaser
of the tape's contents. Finally, there's a key to the school's steam
tunnels. Faced with these possibilities, Bart chooses to steal ...
the tunnel key. Eh? The trip through SES's steamy underbelly yields
some laughs, but c'mon -- that's the best thing Bart can think of
taking?
That scene represents the episode as a whole. It's not without its
charms, but given the success the show has had in the past with road
trips and parent-child conflict, I got the feeling that this episode
has some untapped potential to be a better show.
As it stands, "Road to D'ohwhere" feels more like a collection of
vaguely-related jokes than a story with a beginning, middle, and end.
Well, maybe that's a bit harsh. There is a discernible beginning --
Bart and Milhouse wind up damaging school property on their trip
through the tunnels, so Skinner sentences Bart to a behavior camp.
Homer has to give up a trip to Las Vegas to take him there. After
that, the show meanders, with Bart and Homer fighting, then abruptly
making peace with one another, only to end up fighting again. The
final joke is good (and has a "Simpsons" edge to it), but leaves the
show without a satisfying resolution.
The main plot has Bart and Homer separated from the rest of the
family, so the writers use a subplot to give Marge and Lisa some
screen time. They hold a yard sale to get rid of the boys' excess
stuff, and the most popular item turns out to be Homer's expired
prescription meds. Marge's unwitting entry into the world of
recreational drug sales is funny for her cluelessness, although you'd
think Marge (and certainly Lisa) would realize what a risky course of
action this was.
Like I said, this episode has some nice comic moments, like Bart's
schmoozing with Skinner's secretary, and the whole scene at the Oregon
diner. When Homer gets caught on a highway cloverleaf, he panics yet
still has the presence of mind to say, "I'll bet this looks cool from
overhead." Even so, too many of the jokes are just average. A scene
where Bart must rescue Homer, whose car is tottering on the edge of a
cliff, goes on too long (and isn't that funny to begin with).
"The Road to D'ohwhere" isn't bad, but plays more like a promising
first or second draft than a fully polished episode. Maybe in the
next revision, Bart can have a look at that dancing video.
[The short of it]
This episode has its charms, like Bart's schmoozing with Skinner's
secretary or the scene in the Oregon diner, but its potential goodness
isn't tapped. As it's written, it's not a coherent story so much as
a collection of (mostly average) jokes that more or less relate to a
theme. The yard sale subplot, where Marge unwittingly becomes a drug
dealer, is funny even if it's not quite in keeping with Marge and
Lisa's characters. This show isn't bad, but plays more like a
promising first or second draft than a fully polished episode. (C+)
[DYNs]
.... Lisa pulls a Groening-style rabbit doll from underneath Bart's
bed?
[References]
"Bonanza" (TV series)
- couch gag opening mimics the opening credits to this series
Outward Bound (self-improvement camp)
- Bart is sentenced to Upward Bound
tough love
- Upward Bound has a philosophy of "tough hate"
"Land of Lincoln" (Illinois state slogan)
- Springfield billed as, "Land of Milhouse"
"Kojak" (TV series)
- Bart calls the cook at the diner, "Stavros," possibly referring
to Detective Stavros from this show
percodan (prescription drug)
Dulcolax (over-the-counter laxative)
- Otto buys Homer's expired "percolax" medicine (maybe it makes
you feel relaxed about pooping?)
"Ma & Pa Kettle" (series of movies)
- Wiggum calls Marge, "Ma Peddle"
(It couldn't have been *that* bad a reference; I got it even
before Wiggum's explanation)
The Bellagio (casino)
- I think that's the one with the fancy row of fountains in front
of it
[Previous Episode References]
[4F03] "Bonanza" opening parodied
[AABF03] Comptroller Atkins appears
[9F03] Origin of beloved Mr. Plow jacket
[AABF06] The show goes to Las Vegas
[DABF06] Wolfcastle says, "Laughing time is over" (cf. "Talking time
is over")
[FFF]
Items in Skinner's desk:
Seymour's DANCE CONTEST STEAM
Diary SUBMISSION TAPE TUNNELS
Pizza box on loading dock:
GRADE
"D"
PIZZAS
On blackboard in biology class:
TODAY:
DISSECTION
Party bus banner:
VEGAS OR BUST
Partially risqué banner:
VEGAS FOR BUSTS
Ticket agent's screen:
Display All Flights
Display Flights +-----------------------------+
Schedule Flight | * SIMPSON, Bartholomew J. |
Modify Flight | |
Cancel Flight | N O F L Y |
Display Reservation | |
Make Reservation | |
Cancel Reservation +-----------------------------+
Display Client Info
O K
Springfield city limits sign:
Y O U A R E N O W
L E A V I N G
S P R I N G F I E L D
LAND OF [Milhouse]
MILHOUSE
Dying words of "intellectual Homer":
OTOGENY
RECAPITULATES PHYLOGENY
Lisa's yard sale sign:
YARD
SALE\
VENTA
DE
GARAJE
Homer's book report covers:
Book Report My
Stuart Little Book Report
of
by Stuart Little
Homer
Simpson by
Homer Simpson
Homer's presentation slide:
MICE IN CARS:
HOW BIG A THREAT?
Sign at Mt. Rushmore:
MOUNT [Mt. Rushmore]
RUSHMORE [ monument ]
TWENTY FEET OUT
OF YOUR WAY
Another yard-sale sign:
YARD
SALE
------
NO
LOOKY-LOOS
Bart's hitchhiking sign:
MARINE
HOME FOR
CHRISTMAS
Homer's dashboard light:
SERVICE
ENGINE SOON
Sign by log cabin:
[Binky] BIRTHPLACE [Binky]
OF
MATT GROENING
Highway sign:
LAS VEGAS
1151 MILES
Sign in Homer's daydream:
(Before transformation)
BURT
BACHARACH
(After transformation)
Bart
BARTABART
[Personal Comments & Observations]
>> Meta-reference Corner
The characters know that Oregon is the birthplace of Matt Groening,
the cartoonist who created, among other things, "The Simpsons." By
the way, Homer pronounces it "Groaning," a common mistake. The name
really sounds like, "Graining." (Groening likes to say it rhymes with
"complaining.")
>> Musical References
The school band was playing "Louie, Louie," when the steam
interrupted.
>> Those never-ending threads
- Where is Springfield?
Bart raises havoc on a flight from Minneapolis to Atlanta. If we
assume the flight originated in Minneapolis, we can assume Springfield
is within a convenient driving distance to the airport there. Even if
the flight merely stopped in Minneapolis on its way to Atlanta, we can
assume Springfield is in the Northern part of the country. A flight
going from, say, Los Angeles to Atlanta probably wouldn't go by way of
Minneapolis. Even in the hub-and-spoke era, an airline won't go
*that* far out of its way to make a connection.
>> Lake Car Watch
As Principal Skinner points out, his "new" car is a 1995 Toyota Camry.
I'm surprised the dealer let on that it had been submerged in a lake
for three months. Normally, an insurance company will consider a car
a total loss due to flood damage when water gets above the tailpipe or
floorboard level, let alone when a car is completely submerged.
(By the way, there's at least one minor goof with the way Skinner's
car is drawn. The paint color was applied between the headlights,
making the Camry look as if it has no grille.)
We don't see it, but the father and son that Homer and Bart mock drive
a Toyota Prius. One of the first successful hybrid-engined cars, the
Prius has a reputation for appealing to upscale liberal people, so it
would be a good fit for Justin and his father.
--
Benjamin Robinson bjr7 [at] freenet.tlh.fl.us
This message may or may not contain sarcastic content; your burden to decide
"I'm naked, clueless, and f-e-e-e-ling good!" -- Ratbert
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| Re: (long) A review of "We're On the Road to D'ohwhere (HABF04)" [message #208356 ] |
Mo, 30 Januar 2006 10:56 |
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"Benjamin Robinson" wrote
> "Kojak" (TV series)
> - Bart calls the cook at the diner, "Stavros," possibly referring
> to Detective Stavros from this show
I realise that this is probably a bit parochial as a reference.
During the mid-1980s UK comedian Harry Enfield regularly performed as a
Greek fast food chef called Stavros, principally on the late-night sketch
show 'Saturday Live'' (no points for guessing what that was a UK version
of). On the basis that all Greek chefs are called 'Stavros'...
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