Can we reminisce about the old Simpsons? No judgement to those who may be able to laugh once or twice at a new episode, I just want to talk about old Simpsons.
Look at this guy. Homer's secretary, for his new position which he got thanks to a hair-grow product. What kind of genius came up with this guy? This is completely original, he fits a stereotype but in such a way that makes him extremely bizarre. I see a vague resemblance of the old Simpsons in newer episodes, but exaggerated and completely unrecognizable.
What about The Simpsons that was better in earlier episodes? I want to hear like specifics. Even if you have to describe it in a vague way and describe it as some kind of mystical feeling you felt in Season 9 or something like that, I want to hear it. Open your hearts to me brothers.
Reminisce?
>>82723462
Oh fuck this character reminds me of Brannigan.
He's in Episode 2 of Season 2. Fuck, he even gets himself fired and claims that HE was the one who used the company's insurance to buy the hair care product. Then whips up a check and writes $1000 to cover the cost.
Why I'm focused on this guy is because this is a character that is so completely out of the ordinary yet fits so seemingly well. The Simpsons had a lot of fun moments in the early seasons. This episode was a charming one.
“I want you to say to yourself 'I deserve this, I love it, I am Nature's greatest miracle!”
-- Karl
Strangely the ones that always pops up in my head is the episode when Bart orders a new fancy dog and when Krusty finds out he has a daughter.
>>82723419
when I don't have something specific to watch/hear in the background while I'm on the internet , I put simpsons and repeatedly go through all the seasons
it's sad
really sad
for every season before around 10, I watch 90% of the episodes, then for the next ones 1/2-1/3
>>82723742
I know that feel. Futurama works with that too.
There are competent people on this planet. Someone needs to take over The Simpsons. Give it a good season or two, at least. Let the show die with some dignity.
Simpson and Delilah is probably my favourite Simpsons episode.
>>82723419
I like how season 2 Simpsons was really serious and intense with its emotional scenes, to the point that I can remember finding episodes like Bart vs. Thanksgiving really uncomfortable to watch the first time around because they were just too real. Especially coming from a show that I usually expected to be funny above all else. When it deliberately got slightly more wacky and less serious by even the next season (and then way more in the seasons after), sometimes it felt like the emotional moments were only tacked on or immediately undercut by jokes. But 2 just had tons of outbursts of raw emotion, often from characters you wouldn't expect.
Season 2 feels so different from the rest of the show (1 and 3 feel more closely connected than 1-2 or 2-3), the way almost everything is treated seriously and the majority of humor is from the characters themselves. I love it and kind of wish the show had continued in that direction for a few seasons more.
It's the only season in which I can really imagine the kids growing older after its episodes occur and the world around them changing with time. So many episodes seem to have a "it won't be like this forever" feeling/theme that of course seems totally opposite to a cartoon in which no one ages.
>>82724234
It's not as if they were really "serious" or anything, but they had not latched yet to the wackiness overbalance that would define the Golden Age's most memorable moments, but would also make the show eventually lose its punch when delivering themes or even simple believable character moments
>>82724920
Serious by comparison is probably more accurate, yeah. Of course it was still a comedy, but tended to feel more character- than gag-based.
Emotion-wise I think I'd still call it serious though in that characters' feelings didn't seem to be trivialized for the sake of jokes or ignored to move plot along; don't think you'd get a scene like the family collectively laughing at Bart for being upset about getting a stamp collection stolen or whatever then.
Just feels like once you treat characters as joke machines one too many times it becomes difficult to care about them when the show asks you to again later.
2 as a whole reminds me a lot of the tone of King of the Hill's first few seasons, which also had wacky moments but tended to be grounded and focused more on characters as "real" people.and if I'm being honest I prefer peak King of the Hill to peak Simpsons so I think I just have a certain preference for writing/humor
My only problem with old Simpsons is that the delivery is really dry sometimes.
>>82723419
Season 9 is where I have to jump ship. People have told me there are good episodes in there and funny gags but it really seemed to nosedive pretty quick.
There are signs of the descent in 8 but its still more than tolerable.
>>82725085
Well that sounds a bit general, but if I know what you mean, you must be refering to the lines themselves being dry. The delivery is anything if, but today we've got such visual overload going that we're accustomed to consider the dialogue first, as a separated entity.
There's a very different comedy timing in the earlier seasons, with a lot more emphasis in staging/animation as not a mere complement or "frame device" for the actual dialogue (which is written more economically, as they knew both components have pretty much the same importance -or at least, comedy potential- in a cartoon). Therefore, WAY less self-awareness, or PCR, or the soundbitey/standup quality most writing in adult cartoons now has, as it's basically designed to stand on its own (sure enough, in most expositional scenes the characters usually simply stand around looking at each other while delivering their lines)
