From Newsgroup: alt.tv.simpsons

Is a parody of a bad episode not still sometimes a bad episode? Is
piling together a bunch of hacky ideas and saying you know they're hacky
any better? This episode manages to show what one terrible series finale
would be, and I admit the pressure is going to be high, but that's all
it did, as it wasn't really much good otherwise. It's like a sister
episode to Lisa the Boy Scout (UABF21), complete with misleading
description in guides, and I hated it only a little less. I wasn't a fan
yet when The Simpsons Spinoff Showcase (4F20), which I do like, came
along; I like to think I'd have enjoyed it more. Right? One thing that
would have helped a lot, I bet, would be to start it off as a normal
episode, and gradually show the things that aren't quite right, let
people figure it out around the second act and then come along for the
ride. Or maybe I'd complain about that "it was all fake" sort of idea too.

And it may be the 36th (air) season premiere, but if the joke is that
the finale really is tonight, it would hardly be "36 years in the making"...


Select previous episode references
7F06, BABF04, 3F05: Episodes "meant" to be series finales (yet not in
order, as the dates clearly show)
1F07: Big hand guy at SNPP was an enjoyable subtle cameo
4F04: Kirk's demo tape
4F20: Curiously, Wiggum gets a new job in another town, but NOT New Orleans 9F13: The AI machine stutters and says "I choo-choo-choose...", without necessarily making a conscious reference
DABF12: End credits slideshow of finale parodies goes over a new
instrumental rendition of "They'll Never Stop The Simpsons" (have no
fears, we've got stories for years)


Summer of death
This entire summer (between season finale and season premiere), there
were only four Simpsons reruns (each the second airing of its episode),
and each one added a new one-time dedication. The first three of these
people had died before any of the repeats!
1. 35ABF05, 7/21: Donald Sutherland (still from 3F13)*
2. 35ABF06, 8/25: Martin Mull (AABF02)
3. 35ABF07, 9/1: Bob Newhart (3F12)
4. 35ABF09, 9/15 (7:30): James Earl Jones (7F04, an image of the Bart
raven only), with eerie credits music tracked into logos afterward
rather than normal logo sounds
*This rerun did not air in the Eastern/Central time zones because of a long-running race; thanks to Don Del Grande for confirming the dedication!


Summer of research
If you or a loved one has been mystified over the years by all the
cryptic episode codes, how they've evolved, how other 20th Century Fox
shows have used them, etc., you might like to know that I finally made
some big updates to my document about them. There's still more to do,
but it's been greatly expanded and clarified since the previous version
over 15 years ago. https://simpsonsarchive.com/guides/pcodes.html



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