This episode was written by two people who are the main people in bringing the Simpsons to what it was. It is written by Sam Simon and Matt Groening and although I don't feel this episode is particularly well done it is still a decent way to cap off the first season of the show that would define a generation. It's the third marriage conflict episode of the series and features one of the more infamous guest stars of the first season in the baby sitter bandit i.e Ms. Lucille Botz.The marital crisis in this episode is somewhat unusual. It's a pretty sitcom conflict in that Marge think s Homer takes her for granted which he does lots of the time. Since Homer refuses to deal with the problem Marge speaks with Marvin Monroe a radio psychologist. Homer is of course listening to this radio program at work at the chance he can laugh at some failing marriage. When it turns out to be his own marriage falling apart and everyone at the plant laughing at him he decides to fix this problem. He brings Marge a wilted rose and some chocolates. Surprisingly she forgives him within seconds. I find it weird just because how fast the conflict which some episodes would drag out over the course of the episode was resolved with the first few minutes. Marge and Homer then go out on Homer's promised night out on the town and this is where the episode gets good in some ways but also pretty boring and stereotypical.
So The Simpsons parents have to find a babysitter for their children so they can have a much needed break. They of course have to hide their identity to get a baby sitter from Rubber Baby Buggy Bumper Baby Sitting Service. The name change of calling in as The Samsons is probably my favourite gag from this episode. But the baby sitter they get isn't the sitter the children had in mind. It isn't some teenager but rather this sharp and somewhat bitter seeming old woman. She is of course later revealed to be the baby sitter bandit when the children are watching a spoof of America's Most Wanted. They of course become extremely frightened and what remains of the episode is what makes this episode memorable. The scenes of Ms Botz chasing bart especailly the scene in the cellar is of course a very well done parody/homage of the classic movie "The Night of the Hunter". What makes this episode really nice is the really short scenes with Homer and Marge. All the jokes are short and sweet they're usually sight gags(next exit 34 miles etc) but they work well to counter the rather frantic main plot.
The ending of this episode is one that I find weird. overall this episode is a very strange one. It's mostly humourless but there isn't a glaring conflict that really needs to be solved. Of course you know that the Simpsons kids will eventually get the better of Ms. Botz and when they do they of course call the 1-800-you-squeal line they saw on their TV show. Homer and Marge return from their night out early because there is no answer at home and of course Homer is redeemed from the doghouse. It's a rather simple ending with Botz getting away and Homer being the one who freed her seeming like the oafish man he is. It is a weird Simpsons ending in that Marge says Homer is a good father for his children being able to hog tie a baby sitter. A simple touching Marge moment.
Grade: B Season 1 is finished!
Observations
ReplyDeleteBill Pye in the Sky.
I’m as sure of it as I’m sure my voice is annoying.
Al Coholic is one of the worst prank calls of all time, but black-haired Moe’s straight-forward “yellow-bellied rat jackass” makes up for it.
Paul Willson’s voicing of the florist is weird. Penny Marshall however, does an amazng job.
Marge’s scary face was a missed opportunity, especially in an episode where Ms. Botz is so creepy-looking.
Homer can afford a fancy restaurant and the finest motel in town, but only one rose?
“I think you’re right, dumpling. Bart! Get the door!”
“A tape from our video library.”
Why does the animation when they’re watching the Happy Little Elves get so bad? It looks like they recycled a Tracey Ullman short.
“Relax, this is Cinema Verité. When the brutal slow-motion killing starts I’ll tell you to close your eyes.”
“Garcon, nother bottle of your second-least expensive champagne!”
“The bandit roamed through the house at will, stealing the valuable objects it took the family a lifetime to shop for.”
“Stupid Samsons”
There’s a primitive precursor to Maggie’s daring Great Escape-inspired escapades at the Ayn Rand School for Tots in A Streetcar Named Marge.
Bart with the pacifier is a great gag.
“Have you ever seen a kung fu movie? It was just like that.” Local Boob.
For the amount of filler in this episode, it was still really funny, well-paced, and satisfying.
Season One generally used pedestrian premises. They went weird places with them, and did a great job, but it wasn’t sustainable. It wasn’t King of the Hill style realism, but nothing strays too far from (strong) sitcom fare in the first ten episodes, possibly excluding the out-of-character suicide attempt in Homer’s Odyssey and the last act of The Call of the Simpsons.
Although they aren’t the best of the season, the last three episodes are where the series really takes off. Crepes of Wrath has a more outlandish story that works especially well because of Adil’s interactions with the family. Krusty Gets Busted might be the most influential episode of the season, dictating where the show would go over the next several seasons. Some Enchanted Evening, with the first act marriage troubles decoy, is another small, steady step away from the relatively domestic themes of earlier in the season. I’m not dismissing those episodes and themes, but certainly there’s a shift in the show that goes from Bart waging water-balloon war against his bully to Bart bartending for the mafia two years later.
Looking forward to season two!