25 years of Simpsons and this is what bothers you about the continuity?
This is the show that openly contradicts itself in every other episode, hangs a lantern on it and asks what you're going to do about it.
Simpsons/Family Guy crossover
- Thread starter erastus25
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25 years of Simpsons and this is what bothers you about the continuity?
This is the show that openly contradicts itself in every other episode, hangs a lantern on it and asks what you're going to do about it.
I did chuckle at Bart telling Stewie Griffin that Nelson had been bullying him for 25 years. Even the Simpsons characters seem to realize their own internal continuity makes no sense.
25 years of Simpsons and this is what bothers you about the continuity?
I haven't been a regular Simpsons viewer for years. I'm approaching it more from the perspective of a Futurama viewer. That show's played somewhat fast and loose with continuity, but it's maintained a tighter, more cohesive universe than TS.
Yeah, time at least passes normally on Futurama, as opposed to the weird limbo Simpsons is in where the years change and the world has undergone the same technical advancements, but no one ages at all. Yeah, I know at this point it would accomplish nothing to change The Simpsons that dramatically, but I think instead of doing those episodes set in the future where everyone is older and all the child characters have grown, it might be interesting to have an episode set in the current year in which everyone is the age they should be had they been consistently aging since the first season.
Except that in the revival series, Cubert and Dwight were both still preteen boys even though it was nominally years later. So Futurama has had its own problems with characters not aging; it's just not as evident because it doesn't have any child characters as regulars.
It's remarkable that we're now several years past the "future" setting of "Lisa's Wedding" and Lisa is still eight years old.
Well, if you want closure, the Bart gremlins destroyed most of New New York (note the sign at the end saying "New New New York" was under construction) and killed Scruffy. Although I'm sure the crossover will be non-canonical in the event that Futurama gets revived yet again.
Shoot, in Scruffy's first appearance, the episode when Frye ate the worm infested snawich and they upgraded his biology, I got the impression he was killed in that boiler explosion. Later, "POP", he there as though nothing had happened.
Besides, didn't we see a headless Cruffy sweeping the street in that aftermath sequence. Farnsworth can employ his "stem cell" growth vat to resurrect Scruffy if more independent episodes or "cross-overs" are produced.
Sincerely,
Bill
Besides, didn't we see a headless Cruffy sweeping the street in that aftermath sequence. Farnsworth can employ his "stem cell" growth vat to resurrect Scruffy if more independent episodes or "cross-overs" are produced.
Sincerely,
Bill
They also killed the news lady.
"Morbo will now be the solo anchor and ratings will skyrocket!!
I will destroy the puny competition!!!"
I will destroy the puny competition!!!"
^Yeah, I always wanted to see if Morbo could put his money where his mouth was. Or if the whole thing was just a big bluff to cover for his insecurities.
But as the Professor points out in Law and Oracle, Scruffy is a zombie.
One more thing I appreciated about the episode:
"There are butterfingers in the stadium, and people are about to lay fingers on them!"
"There are butterfingers in the stadium, and people are about to lay fingers on them!"
I stopped watching The Simpsons eight years ago and recently have started again. They're not thaaat bad. I think they have even become a little better again in the last years.
I didn't find the Futurama-crossover very funny. The episode before was better. Sorry, I forgot what that episode was about but I liked it more. But I'm not a big Futurama fan.
I didn't find the Futurama-crossover very funny. The episode before was better. Sorry, I forgot what that episode was about but I liked it more. But I'm not a big Futurama fan.
I haven't watched the show a lot recently either mostly because it used to be against Amazing Race, but now it's on before Brooklyn Nine Nine which is awesome and still in the 'Finding itself' phase, so I've been watching it this season.
It just hasn't made much of an impression at all. There've been a handful of 'Kinda funny' moments, and I think the sandwich shop episode was accurate satire. I get the distinct impression though the writers are shooting for a C. I feel like the Simpsons has two 'Funny zones'.
One, the 'Exaggerated realism' zone where the story is just a few steps past believable and makes some kind of satirical statement about culture. A good example of this from the early seasons is 'Homer Badman' where Homer is accused of sexual harassment.
One, the 'Committed ridiculousness' zone where the story fully commits to a theme and just has fun with it. A perfect example of this from early seasons is the Hank Scorpio episode.
Most new Simpsons isn't in either of those zones. Not believable enough to be in the first zone and not committed enough to a theme to be in the second. It's ridiculous in ways that are random and all over the place, filled with awkward non-sequiturs and strained excuses to have an ancillary character do their regular joke.
The writers just aren't trying.
That's why I liked the Futurama episode. They committed to a ridiculous theme and went all out with it. And also why Community is so great, they are comfortable in both zones and know the more ridiculous they try to be the greater a theme they need to justify it.
It just hasn't made much of an impression at all. There've been a handful of 'Kinda funny' moments, and I think the sandwich shop episode was accurate satire. I get the distinct impression though the writers are shooting for a C. I feel like the Simpsons has two 'Funny zones'.
One, the 'Exaggerated realism' zone where the story is just a few steps past believable and makes some kind of satirical statement about culture. A good example of this from the early seasons is 'Homer Badman' where Homer is accused of sexual harassment.
One, the 'Committed ridiculousness' zone where the story fully commits to a theme and just has fun with it. A perfect example of this from early seasons is the Hank Scorpio episode.
Most new Simpsons isn't in either of those zones. Not believable enough to be in the first zone and not committed enough to a theme to be in the second. It's ridiculous in ways that are random and all over the place, filled with awkward non-sequiturs and strained excuses to have an ancillary character do their regular joke.
The writers just aren't trying.
That's why I liked the Futurama episode. They committed to a ridiculous theme and went all out with it. And also why Community is so great, they are comfortable in both zones and know the more ridiculous they try to be the greater a theme they need to justify it.
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