Techtite's TV Reviews!

Note : This is NOT a review of the series; just one of many typical gripes at the 1999-2000 season. FYI, Techtite's review of the series is HERE...

Once upon a time, I loved The Simpsons; never missed a single episode! (I think I said enough in my review of the series itself, so allow me to cut to the chase...) Nearly a decade later, much has changed. Recent 1999-2000 episodes have been absolutely abysmal! Among them are when Bart becomes a horse race jockey, to the chagrin of a secret society of jockeys, who are in fact little elves. They even live near a tree that resembles the setting for Keebler cookie commercials. Rumor has it that even the top brass behind Simpsons itself, admit this was by far the worst episode in the history of the series. How sad!

Many people apparently feel that when someone says they didn't like the last season, or wish for the series to end gracefully, that the show will just vanish. Far from it! The show has been on longer than The Flintstones' original run in the '60s. Quite possibly, in the years to come, it will replace that older cartoon, as the most watched prime-time cartoon repeats in syndication (presuming it hasn't already). It's already shown twice a weekday where I live, in addition to twice on Saturdays. Fine salutes to many of the great, great years The Simpsons had on the air.

However, perhaps that's part of the problem. By the time the new Simpsons episode would air on Sunday nights, the typical fan had seen up to a full dozen of the best episodes, throughout the prior week. Past episodes often include the hilarious crimes of Side Show Bob, the evilness of Mr. Burns, the many get-rich-quick schemes of Homer, and on and on. Then Sunday rears its ugly head, and the feeling is often, "What is this piece of @#$%, pretending to be worthy of the Simpsons name?" Sure, you can overlook one bad episode, though forgiveness can only hold on so long. Every two bad episodes means, eventually, one whole day of bad repeats in syndication...and they just released a whole season of bad episodes! Isn't it best to pull the plug...?

Perhaps; especially if the writers have lost their steam completely. Most recent Simpson stories are cheap rip-offs of former episodes, which is beyond stupid : one, the original episodes are viewable in syndication ad nauseum...and two, the copycat shows aren't even done right! One moment played for shock-value was when local drunk Barney quits drinking, and looks normal; a shock only to those who haven't seen this joke used on the show before, nearly a dozen times. In a different episode, Lisa Simpson is once again given a glimpse of her future, and sees basically the exact same thing...except she's now President of the United States. What does she do with this powerful position? Nothing. Gee...Funny.

It's the episode I personally hated most --when Homer and Bart go to a Lepers Colony-- that the need to complain has become imperative. The episode in question has this as its "story" : Lisa gets a visit from the ghost of Lucille Ball (?!?), telling her to pull a prank on Bart and Homer, by making them think that they are Lepers. Yes, you read that right. How long must eps like this be aired, before fanboys accept the truth, and let the show die gracefully? Memories of the last seasons of The Facts of Life, Dif'rent Strokes, and Married With Children come to mind...and that is not good! It's time to let go, fans, before the show becomes its own joke.

There's always the pipe-dream that never pans out; maybe next season will be a whole new ballgame, of new writers and new script ideas! However, this is beyond unlikely, and reality beckons: it's time to put Old Yeller out of his misery, kids. Don't worry, though; it's not as if Simpsons will never be seen again! If anything, this is to better preserve the integrity of the classic episodes, before their integrity is smeared to the point of no repair. So enjoyable are these former memories, I even rated the current season separately from the series itself (as shown in my other review, of the series as a whole). The only thing that can tarnish the memories of these classic moments in Simpson history, is if the series isn't given a sympathetic axe, and soon. Even Bart Simpson himself would look at the past season, and shout..."Aye, caramba!"

	Final Rating, Recent Season: Burnout. Please, put Old Yeller out of his misery, now, before it ruins the reputation the series worked so hard for!
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