Hey hey hey Addicterinos! No better way to spend a Sunday night than watching some Simpsons and then getting the opportunity to write about it for you epic readers. In addition to getting to watch a new episode of Walking Dead, I had a reason to commandeer the TV for an extra 30 minutes with FOX honoring the beautiful and talented Marcia Wallace with an episode prior to the new one. SOOOO happy they saw fit to plug this one in for her rather than the other option.
The Ned Liest Catch, S22, Ep 22… What a great episode to honor Edna Krabappel. In one of the best examples of a character finally gets their due, Edna smacks Bart (twice!) after he ruins a pep rally (In his defense, I blame Lisa for ruining the hour of free play)
AND she starts a relationship with one diddly-heck of a good man… Ned Flanders. Of course, Ned has his doubts about her after hearing how many men Edna has been with…
“My e-mail address is Ednalover172, it was the lowest number I could get.” ~ CBG
Just seeing so many of her former “flames” appear instead of her face when she tries to kiss Ned made this Wookiee laugh for quite a while. After a long talk with Homer (this is also where Ned’s power walking task comes from btw), Ned forgives her for her promiscuity.
My favorite thing about this is that Edna stands up for herself and her choices she’s mostly proud of (CBG wasn’t the high point of her dating apparently). While we mourn the loss of Marcia Wallace and her amazing character, this episode is a WIN for Miss Krabappel even if the Simpsons writers made everyone wait until the next season to see her become Mrs. Flanders. The original episode they weren’t able to program (Bart the Lover, S3 Ep 16) may have been a better tribute but I would recommend watching both to all you amazing readers.
Alright, the reason you may care about this post is the new episode of The Simpsons: Four Regrettings and a Funeral.
It all starts off with the Couch Gag, part 1 of 6. Really cool… a total Hobbit/Lord of the Rings homage. Favorite part for me? The map. Springfield, Shelbyville, Land of Chocolate, Critter Country, Funkytown, LAX Self Parking, The James L. Brook, The Comfy Couch. So many great jokes… at least if you’re from California. If you missed it prior to this, the chalkboard gag said “We miss you Ms. K.”
The episode starts off with the promised funeral… for one Chip Davis. According to Homer, people called him the 6th Simpson although he’s not sure why.
He appears to have had a big impact on Moleman and Bumblebee Man’s lives. Chip was the life of Sector 6F at the nuclear plant but he had regrets. Being aided by wind during his long jump record and never breaking par on hole 17 at Springfield Mini Golf among them.
Patty: Everyone has regrets.
Marge: Not me.
Patty: Your marriage is a dead fish floating in a tank of stale beer. Your baby’s addicted to pacifiers and your son is out of control.
Marge: Such a little Dickens although Dickens was pretty well behaved.
Patty: He’s been screwed up since the moment Homer’s DNA staggered into your womb.
Marge: Could Bart have been prenatally screwed up by the KISS music?
(NOTE: I omitted some of this dialogue but you get the idea)
Kent is next to discuss regrets as a local newshound….
Homer (indignantly): You have regrets Mr. I get to see the weather girl from the side…
Homer is next. He regrets selling all his Apple stock to buy the coolest bowling ball he’s ever seen.
“You heard me… technology is a fad. Heavy blue balls are the way of the future.”
Lastly, Burns regrets the love that got away… she broke his first heart.
Agnes Skinner has no regrets apparently…
Skinner: Really Mom?
Agnes: Oh… I didn’t see you there.
Marge thinks back to her pregnancy with Bart and realizes she may have listened to KISS a bit too much.
Burns continues to lament his lost love. In the flashback, I love watching him pull out random evil items while he looks for the right one. Tarantula, skull, monkey paw, test tube, Genie… finally he gets to the ring and asks if she’s ready to take the step from cousin to wife. All she asks in return is for Monty to set aside 5 minutes a day to think of others.
“When you say others, could they be bars of gold.”
Burns loses her to his selfishness but always meant to find a way to win her back.
Kent regrets that former co-anchor Rachel Maddow made it big and he didn’t… He could have gone with her but he was too busy suckling the dual teets of info-taining and celbri-fawning…
“I’m not a newsman any more, I’m a geologist. I keep discovering a new rock bottom.”
They both find that someone’s been dumping tires in the forest. Krusty informs them they are tires from the ill-fated Krusty Town Car. It would explode if people gripped the wheel too tightly. Rachel wants to break the news but Krusty has control of the Channel 6 news as the 4 PM clown. Rachel is off to make something of herself on cable news, Kent stays and keeps the secret. Nice reveal that Krusty started the tire fire with his cigar. “It’ll burn out in an hour or so.”
P.S. The tires were in the middle of a forest. I don’t know about you, but I have a couple decorating ideas.
Back to Burns… his former flame got over being mad at him a week ago and is now a Nun.
Burns: Married to Jesus, eh? Does he beat her?
Private Investigator: Jesus? No, He’s a real Eagle Scout that one. But your penguin’s not a Catholic, she’s a Buddhist Nun. Spends her life expressing her sexuality with a Zen garden.
Burns: Those raked rocks could have been me.
After trying out FOX news… Kent decides to go back to Springfield after discovering the key to making Republicans from Alabama look good is by faking that they are democratic Muslims from California.
“Sorry, but I just discovered I have some scruples. I’m going back to my sweet little town where I can decide what news is… like a god.”
Homer flashes back to great memories with his bowling ball. His bowling ball was there for him to sit on the gas pedal when his foot fell asleep so it deserves a good shining. Unfortunately the bowling alley just reminds him of his failure.
Meanwhile, Burns has reconnected with his former flame who saved herself for him. While he chooses between the rhino horn and the tiger tongue, she passes on.
Back to Kent who sees Bart floating in his balloon hamper (he took off in it earlier and nearly died at the Rich Texan Family Reunion) and sees his chance to be a real newsman.
Ned has some advice for Bart: “Pray for a miracle boy. God can hear you better up there.”
After seeing Bart in peril (like that is something new, right?) Marge continues to regret listening to those KISS albums when she was pregnant with Bart.
Wiggum tells her that’s ridiculous. His Sarah listened to Mozart and Churchill speeches when she was pregnant with Ralphie.
“Kid’s scared to flush… thinks it’s his brother.”
Professor Frink comes up with the solution to save Bart. Fire a 12 and a half pound ball from a cannon into his basket. Although all the towns cannonballs were used for a statue which ended up honoring Eugene levy, Homer saves the day by using his bowling ball.
Due to Homer selling valuable Apple stock, this episode is full of references to their products. As an ioS user I kept wondering about the product placement… then I saw this…. LMBO!
All in all, a cool episode that ties together four separate ideas very well. I always am in awe when the writers are at their finest. Marge sums up the whole episode with this definitive statement.
“You know what I think about regrets? As long as your family is together, every choice you’ve ever made is the right one.”
At the end of the episode, there is a quick shot of Edna K. punctuated with Marcia Wallace’s signature, “Ha”. I love that she was the bookends to this episode. We miss you Marcia/Edna.
Not wanting to end this post on a down note, I wanted to make sure this screenshot didn’t escape your notice.
“Milhouse… are you the bottom half of that mischief?”
Y’all stay classy Tapperinos. Wookiee out!
Quiet 😃