Talking Simpsons - Talking Simpsons - Dead Putting Society

Episode Date: November 18, 2015

Flanders really comes into his own this week, as he and Homer battle over whose kid is the best at putting, while Bart learns all about zen…

Ahoy, ahoy, everybody. Welcome to Talking Simpsons, where we feel a great sadness in our bosoms at all times. That's a reference coming up. This is Bob Mackie, your host, and who else is here today? Your name one more time. My name is Bob Mackie. Wow, Bob Mackie. Oh, that feels so good in my ears. Who else is here today? Your name one more time. My name is Bob Mackie. Wow, Bob Mackie. Oh, that feels so good in my ears. Who else is here today? Christopher Anteaston.

And H-E-N-E-R-E-Y-G on Twitter, Henry. And I have a handicap of eight on putting. I don't know what mine is, but we're going to be talking about Dead Putting Society today. By the way, this is Later Time Podcast Network's Chronological Simpsons Exploration. And this episode aired on November 15, 1990. Chris, what happened on this magical day in history 25 years ago almost? Oh boy, Bobby.

Oh my God. This week in Simpsons news, the Iraqi government announces it will start releasing American hostages starting on Christmas Day. Pop group Milli Vanilli are revealed to be a pair of lip-syncing frauds. And Time Warner announces an all-new cable station

called the American Lawyer Media Channel. What the hell? Which was shortened to Court TV and eventually turned into True TV. And once again, we do this to showcase how long The Simpsons has been on the air. I want to say R.I.P. Rob or Fab, whichever one of those guys took their own life. I think it was Rob. It was the guy who went, But there were basically two German white guys doing the vocals for that, right?

Or something like older men. Two models. Oh, the people. No, no. They were German models of varying ethnicity. It was hard to pin down what they were. It was, really, yeah. Well, you put a zoot suit on somebody.

It's crazy. But they were the pretty face who sang over ugly people with good voices. Well, they were like 40-year-old studio singers. That's true. And I think it's understood now that no pop singer actually sings their own music or writes it. I think we're much less innocent now.

Where it's like, if you pay to see Miley Cyrus, you're paying to see her lip sync to something from a thousand feet away, right? I keep pimping, if you haven't seen her on Netflix, it's a great documentary, The Wrecking Crew. And it is about the most unfamous studio musicians who wrote every song, and they only fell out of fashion because the people decided they only wanted authentic music written in song.

So I do think you have to sing on your albums. You cannot have a stand-in. I see. But lip-syncing in shows, that's just a... And I went to, a long time ago, I went to a No Limit Soulja concert, and everybody there unanimously agreed it was the worst shit we've ever paid money to see because they put on the album and just

talked over it wow and like and just yeah just kind of did the same just lip sync over their own album did the Simpsons ever have a Milli Vanilli joke I just remember them being on Super Mario Brothers the Mario 3 show but really yeah it's a lost episode because they did put it on the DVDs,

but they had to replace the music because they weren't paying for the Milli Vanilli music they played on ABC. I think there was a Simpsons parody called Funky See, Funky Do. Funky See, Funky Do. But I don't know what the joke was, but I don't think it was about lip syncing. No. But it was clearly a Milli Vanilli. It was beyond lip syncing. It's fascinating. They weren't the singers. No. I don't think it was about lip syncing. But it was clearly a Milli Vanilli. It was beyond lip syncing. It's fascinating. They weren't the singers.

I don't think we ever... It's a Blues Traveler video come to life. They won a Grammy. Later Ashley Simpson relived the same nightmare 20 years later. I point that out because last season that was one of the news I pointed out that they had not been revealed as fraud yet and now they have. Yes, that is this week

in Simpsons history. I love this. I love how colorful this episode is. I did not get the reference in the title, though. I still have not seen Dead Poets Society. Have you seen it? I have. I thought I had, and then I saw, like, you know, one of those awful Facebook meme-y quote things, and like, I don't remember that. Maybe I haven't seen this.

I remember the community parody of Dead Poets Society, where it's the guy that's like, seize the day, stand on top of your desk. It is very true. Like, maybe it's not cool to make fun of Dead Poets Society because it stars the late Robin Williams. But, yeah, it is cornball and cliche and overly earnest of just, like, this teacher that inspires his students. Who I'd like to point out, I have a comprehensive article on LasertimePodcast.com called Every Dead Simpsons Guest Star Ever. That's great.

And I constantly pointed out, what about Robin Williams? I'm like, bro, he's never on the show. He's never on the show. That's a real misstep, I think. It's weird. Really? 25 years, not the most prominent comedian of my lifetime? You never had him on?

What was this episode? This episode was all about a miniature golf contest. But it is really like... It seems so quaint. The first real Flanders episode, I think. Where it's like Flanders is not just in the background. He's a prominent character. And he's really just a foil to Homer.

He and his family are the perfect family set up as opposed to Homer's bad family. Well, just setting up beyond a minor annoyance in Homer's life a rivalry starts to emerge and then like that continues to this well to this day if Harry Shearer is willing to participate

he wasn't just a two minute joke guy who showed up like I have something that's better than you Homer this was the introduction of Maude it was the introduction

of his obscene of Christianity and turn the other cheeks around like all that and it when you get

when you put him next to Flanders it juxtaposes The Simpsons to me read pretty normal not white trashy but I love whenever they're with the Flanders

they appear more blue collar than ever. Upper middle class Protestant family. Because the camping episode whatever it's called we did in the first season he says

Calls the Simpsons. I get your mail every once in a while you only make a couple bucks more than me a month. But then like his rumpus room shows he makes apsons. I get your mail every once in a while. You only make a couple bucks more than me a month. But then like.

His rumpus room shows he makes a lot more money. I love this joke. I don't want to kick off with the line of the show but I love Homer's response to

this. Here's a tasty little lager that came all the way from Holland. Well beggars can't be choosy. It's been so long. Ew Holland. Though the Ned wouldn't have. The Ned of today wouldn't have a beer tap. it's been so long ew Holland

the Ned of today wouldn't have a beer tap though they actually brought it back in later episodes like in the movementarian episode the joy of sect it's called him having a beer tap in his rumpus room is still referenced again he does yeah and I feel like it's so great

in that Ned is not a bad guy. No. He does not realize he's bragging, but he's like the ultimate nice neighbor. He will invite you into his very nice house and pour you a beer and serve you food. But Homer just feels very insecure about everything that's happening. I think at some point Homer snaps when he's invited over to Ned's

and he just goes off on this rant. Do you have any part of that? I do. I love what makes him snap, too, because it's Rod with the most innocuous past ever. And then Flanders says, children are a trial sometimes. Like, what? And so right after that. All right, knock it off.

Knock what off, Simpson? You've been rubbing my nose in it since I got here. Your family is better than my family. Your beer comes from farther away than my beer. You and your son like each other. Your wife's butt is higher than my wife's butt. You make me sick!

Simpson, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I hope you understand. I wouldn't stay on a bet! I think the thing about his wife's butt didn't really hit me until now. That's really personal. Is that really what I look for in a butt that's higher i guess that was homer's reasoning of like this butt is perkier it's a proud but according to everything else

marge is like the hottest person well i think that's because the artists like to draw yeah the artists sometimes take marge was in playboy but ma Maude Flanders was not. Yeah, Marge did by then. That's true. That's great in the commentaries that they reference. Like, Mike Reese just offhandedly says, I wish she wasn't dead. Oh, well, anyway. We've got three notes to rattle off before we get further into it. I think lamest couch gag ever.

Is that the one with Maggie and the hair? No, it's the dog and the cat. They're on the couch. Oh, yeah. That's it. If you go back to season one, I'm sure there was a lamer one. They all just jump on at once. dog and the cat are there on the couch. Oh, yeah. That's it. If you go back to season one, I'm sure there was a lamer one.

They all just jump on at once. It's just the dog jumping on the couch. There's nothing to it. They don't lick anybody. They just stare at the television. It's directed by Rich Moore, a wreck of Wreck-It Ralph fame. And I, to this day,

might be a territorial thing. I don't know what crabgrass is. You guys, we call it elfgrass. Well, we don't own yards. If we own yards, we might. I'm saying growing up in Florida, where grass will grow whether you want it to or not. It's a different kind of grass that's bad for some reason.

I guess. I don't know. I'm sure it's like... All apartment dwellers, yes. Big city. I believe it's uglier grass that will then replace your nice grass. Yeah. It's like patchier grass.

I love how ancient the Simpsons look. I know they're making a point about Homer's income with his lawnmower. But I have... No human owns that lawnmower. I think when I was five, my dad had one of those. And I barely have any context for a non-motorized lawnmower. And don't even believe it'll work.

It's very Call of the Simpsons because it starts off with Bart mowing the lawn. I think Ned on a riding lawnmower. So there are a lot of callbacks to that episode in particular. But sorry Henry, go ahead. So something that really colors my viewing on this episode was that when I first listened to the commentary track

I always remember this that the writers point out that Homer is angry the entire episode and never calms down. Like this is, Homer is probably never angrier ever in the series the entire episode. He really is. And never calms down. Like, this is, Homer is probably never angrier ever in the series in this episode. He's angry at Bart and Flanders. It is distracting. Like, he never lets it up.

It is. He's constantly just shouting at people. It's juxtaposed with our biggest look at Flanders. I love every Flanders gag in this. I don't think this is the introduction of Reverend Lovejoy, but I just love this line from him. Honey, honey, wake up. It sounds like Ned Flanders is having some sort of crisis. Oh, probably stepped on a worm.

Ned Flanders is the one who, after he kicks Homer out, is the one who develops the complex. He's the bigger man. I'm not perfect like Ned Flanders. And him calling Lovejoy is a running joke they use a few more times where he has him on speed dial and he will call him for the most trivial things. That's a very dated joke, speed dial.

He's got him on speed dial. I also like that Ned's sleepwear, this is the first time we've seen it, hasn't really changed. They keep that nice cap and green outfit. When Homer and Ned become friends in that episode, he says, I think I hate Homer Simpson. That's the same outfit he's wearing.

Oh, right, yeah. Speaking of green, that's the color of the Simpsons' master bedroom in this episode. I'm sure they're trying to make pink for night. Oh, right. But if you look at it closely, it's a completely different color. I also, now showing how much empathy I have now compared to as a kid. I now feel really bad for Ned that they're all laughing at his letter. Well, even Lisa is.

I mean, I'm so... Even Marge is. Even Marge. Just excuse herself. You are my brother. I love you. And yet, I feel a great sadness in my bosom. Wait, wait, there's more.

I think that's terrible. A man opens his heart and you make fun of him. What a sap. Read the bosom part again, Dad. Now just a minute, bosom. Marge. Ned tries to write an apology letter for getting Homer out, and that's the Simpsons' response to it. What happens was, like, Homer comes back home and complains to Marge about how Ned is treating him,

and he finds out, like, Ned is not really treating him the way he thinks he's being treated, so he goes out on a walk just to prove he's right and he runs into ned and then ned slips a note under his door and then they read it the next morning but you missed my favorite my favorite line is like it's homer reading neighbors forever oh no i did love that line yeah that's one of those rare jokes where it's like homer is trying to be funny and is funny it is funny when the family can have a moment together in these early episodes like they're all on the same page they're all laughing at the same thing, which is really cute. And Homer's being clever.

Neighbors forever. Oh, no. That's him. It's more cleverness than he's ever shown. Even Lisa is lacking in empathy at this point. She's like a true little kid. This is early Lisa. I mean, that's something I did love about the recent Halloween of Horrors episode,

is that Lisa acts like a real little kid. It's something they kind of lose. I really like her acting like a little kid. Though it is funny that in this you know, you say, oh, in this episode she acts like a little kid. In about five minutes she will not be a kid anymore. Oh, for sure. She's a guru. So what happens after they read the letter

is Marge gets upset even though she laughs at the letter and then Homer decides, let's do things as a family, like the Flanders. You can't sincerely use the word bosom. You haven't been able to do that for 50 years. Maybe in 1990 you were on like the breaking point of that. But still like I think Macaroni was talking about laughing

at church songs talking about being in the bosom of Abraham and laughing at those kind of things. That was the writer Jeff Martin. Oh Jeff Martin was okay yeah. I think he went to like Christian camp or something like that. We have something in common. Oh, go ahead. In the end, with the promise of frosty chocolate milkshakes.

I can't believe that. Is that a Tracy Ullman runner? Yeah, I feel like they hadn't said frosty chocolate milkshakes on the show. Yeah. Until then. Maybe in... We have a clip of it. Notice Grace Like Home, maybe?

Oh, yeah. The fake Simpsons family said that i think that became a thing in our family too that we would say we would say oh hey we just finished this hike together or we just did this thing let's go to dairy queen for some frosty chocolate milkshakes and that's my shout out to brett elson who does in my opinion the greatest season zero Homer and Marge impression ever. It is really good. I love it. Another of my favorite lines

was earlier when Homer, when Ned says, mow in the lawn and then Homer says, who told? That's such a great snide thing to say. I need to pull that into my thing. This all culminates in this sucks. but this is also something i felt as a kid i don't think people give kids credit before uh this escalates

to a situation where the kids are pitted against one another and i remember watching it as a kid and realized oh this isn't my family now like this is not my scenario i don't have to worry about this this is not everybody and i don't think people trust young people enough to think that not everything they see on tv is emblematic of reality this pressure is not on me yeah like i didn't feel that at all and i'm watching this now i'm like this is horrible and i had to remember how i felt like oh yeah nothing because my parents aren't like this and i do like that bart knows he's a loser he's looking at all of his trophies it's like participants like thanks for showing up and it does kind of defeat that whole millennial thing where it's like you think

you're so special because you got trophies like It's like, no, we all realized that these trophies were shit. And Bart does as well. He's like, no, these mean nothing. Like, I just showed up. There's literally a trophy displayed on his thing called Everybody Gets a Trophy Day. That's right, yeah. And it does feel like it's undercutting something that would be complained about 25 years later. Like, no, no, we know this is garbage.

I also remember how exciting it was to receive a trophy for nothing. I have a collection of trophies for nothing what did you get what i get this for yeah i won this for um not dying before the soccer season was over congrats so did you guys do miniature golf a lot as a kid like i i putt putt baby well same deal putt putt and miniature i know it's just a chain that doesn't exist anymore i don't think i did because this episode set me up for miniature golf that would never really exist where each hole is this magnificent display.

So when I played miniature golf maybe three or four years later, I'm like, this is all just flat green. Disappointing. I've been to a few that had some interesting flair to it,

but nothing like even one of the holes on there. In central Florida, this is huge. Entire tableaus of fallen societies, that's one hole. That does happen in the Orlando area. I fluctuate constantly with getting Simpsons tattoos on me. I'm glad I never have.

The first one, I was in line to get it before I had to leave. Homer Simpson popping out a beer keg. It felt very important when I was 21. But right now, alligator with boxing gloves. That is great. It made no sense. Like right now I would get an alligator with boxing gloves. Did the monkey have like a

mortar board or something? It was like graduate professor monkey. I did love the cute. It was a cheap visual gag with Homer dancing like the monkey getting angry. And again, still angry. I also did love the cute. It was a cheap visual gag. It was pretty cheap, yeah. Homer dancing like the monkey, getting angry. And again, still angry. I also did love the joke that one of the, Homer hits it into one of three holes

and it goes in the parking lot. That is such a cheap thing for the- That actually, that happened to me. There would be the final hole where you would either hit it into this thing that got you a free ball, but you could hit it into the thing that just put it into nowhere.

So yeah, it felt very true to life to me. At Putt-Putt, how it works is you didn't pay for the clubs or to be on the course. You paid for a ball. That's right, yeah. So if you lost a ball, you'd have to go back and buy another one. And also, I absolutely was the kid who got bored and just did a full-on eight-three-wood. You did a drive.

Yeah, a full-on follow-through. I think the other thing that wasn't realistic about this episode was that Bart should have been like, yeah, I'm going to the arcade. Like the arcade that's attached to this, I'm going there. The arcade inside of this place that's better. I was more interested in that, yeah. Filled with smoke and lovely.

But yeah, the guys go to a golf competition. Go to a miniature golf course and see, what was the miniature golf course called? Sir Putz a lot? Sir Putz a lot. Yeah, not the most inspired. They noticed there's a competition for money hey look wow first prize fifty dollars wow free balloons for everyone who enters so my little bartley thinking of entering the tournament yeah he's entering and once more he's going to win aren't you boy i guess it's possible hey i like

that confidence but i hope you're not putting too much pressure on the boy. My Todd's awfully good. Oh, yeah? Well, I think the fruit of my loins can beat the fruit of your loins any day of the week. When Homer says, like, it is not okay to lose, like, that's harsh. But, Dad, I've never won anything in my life.

Son, this is the only time I'm ever gonna say this. It is not okay to lose. This is classic bad advice, Homer. Yeah. From the first and second seasons where the joke is like he will say the worst thing at the worst time. But props again to Castellanet. I love his inflection on that.

There's a desperation in Homer's voice. Well, they note in the commentary that they thought that they remember Dan Castellanet getting very red in the face during many of the line readings of him shouting. I don't doubt it. Shouting at Ned. This is a long one, but it's him. It's Homer trying to teach Bart to appreciate his club. I love this bit.

What are you doing? That putter is to you what a bat is to a baseball player. What a violin is to the guy, the violin guy. Now, come on. Give your putter a name. What? Come on. Give it a name. Mr. Putter. You want to try a little harder, son? Come on. Give it a

girl's name. Mom. Your putter's name is Charlene. Why? It just is. That's why. Now, this is a picture of your enemy, Todd Flanders. Every day, I want you to spend 15 minutes staring at it and concentrating on how much you hate him and how glorious it will be when you and Charlene annihilate him.

Who's Charlene? I'll show you who Charlene is. Now start hating. Homer is an inch away from hitting him with a golf club. Yeah, of this punctuation. Hi, Bart. Now start hating Homer is an inch away from hitting him with a golf club Yeah Hi Bart So he waves at him from the window across So far we have a ball named Homer And a putter named Charlene

In this entire run so far I think Mr. Putter is a much better name It's a better name yeah Where did Charlene come from who knows I think things need to have feminine names Like cars and boats and putters It's a very dad feeling, like, hey, call these things

you own are women. That's why I'm gonna buy a boat and name it Batman's penis. I like it. It's appropriate. Oh, so then Lisa gets in on it. Bart turns to Lisa. I think Lisa recognizes Bart's plight, in which she doesn't know what it's like for anyone to take an interest in her. That's my line of the show.

I wish I got it. I'm thankful Dad has little to no interest in everything I do. Everything I do. That's a feeling I could more identify with. Not getting his dad too interested. I'm more interested. I more remember. Not me, but it's just like, like I said, I'm closer to being a father. There are no plans and I am not having any sex.

But it's going to happen sooner or later. And like, oh yeah remind yourself not to do that not to ignore your daughter's needs because they might not be similar to yours whereas i'll like anything my son does i do think like lisa understands it's better if they don't care because i remember a later line where it's like they miss his half-ass under parenting yeah where it's like he's caring too much and it's destroying their life fast over parenting is much worse than your half-assed under-parenting. Yeah.

I was using my whole ass. And, okay, then comes, like, the introduction to, like, I have since read a tiny bit of Lao Tzu. Actually, in this really good comic book that was, like, the teaching of Lao Tzu as a comic. But this was my introduction to it, though I didn't know it. Like, and that one-hand clapping joke was the best. I knew that. That's how I would have answered it. I was doing it at home, too. I was just like, oh, yeah I didn't know it. That one-hand clapping joke was the best. I knew that. That's how I would have answered it. I was doing it at home, too. I was just like, oh, yeah, it's really easy. I definitely

have that, but I love her interaction. I love the portrayal of Lisa as the lame intellectual. I never not laughed at her walking the library and saying hey, gang. The whole library gang. The whole library knows little Lisa. I laughed a little more when she,

the Dewey Decimal System, holy shit. I miss card catalogs. Card catalogs and her looking, and seeing what is related to putting. We need to say this is one of several card catalog jokes of the first three or four seasons, I believe. I mean, this is pre-internet, pre-computer system. Do you know what a card catalog is?

Let us know, please. I think the last card catalog joke they ever did was when they agreed card catalogs were out of date and no one goes to the library, and they opened the card catalog and bats fly out. I think that was like the Sideshow Bob runs for governor. So, wonderful quick cut on that.

I love this clip. Hi, Lisa. Hey, Ralph. Hi, Lisa. Hey, Ralph. Hi, Lisa. Hey, gang. Okay, Bart. This is the card catalog. Let's see. Golf.

Anecdotes. Eisenhower and. Fashion. Humor. Japanese obsession with. Ah, here it is. Putting. Eisenhower on.

Japanese obsession with. I didn't get that letter joke with the Japanese obsessed with golf at some point. Yeah, I didn't know that was a stereotype in the 90s. Me neither. I didn't research it. I've seen... Like, I know in Lost in Translation, there's a scene where Bill Murray goes golfing, but I just figured they have the same amount of golf courses as is average. There are a lot of Japanese golf games, especially from this time around. On the Famicom, you know, in like the Genesis.

Maybe it got popular just then I attribute it to something like the Brits love their racing games that is very true and it's because a car is a giant luxury as is the space to use it golf requires a dickload of wasted space yeah which Japan does not have yes which Japan does not have

that's the thing where we where I lived in Florida I can't speak for you Chris no for sure I lived in Florida there are golf courses have. That's the thing where I lived in Florida. I can't speak for you, Chris. No, for sure. I lived in Florida. The golf course is everywhere because that's the only shit people want to use that real estate for. Yeah, just like paved over swamps. But it's also like I love living in the city because I grew up in Florida.

And like, well, everything's a mile away. Everything. I need a car to drive everywhere. And there will be parking everywhere I go, too. And now if I want liquor, crack, or a hostess pie,'s just it's less than a block it's all in the same place did you think it was weird that crusty was at that pool hall it was weird it was like crusty pre the saint makeup crusty yeah you know he was he was in this like fleshy like flesh skin i i think it's much better once they decided like no he always wears makeup he is always a clown

that was an early choice too that was like season four i think yeah it's a makeup um i love i love the influence in game it's that we recently streamed the simpsons game when you really care about someone you shouted from the mountaintops so on behalf of dejardin insurance i'm standing 20 000 feet above sea level to tell our clients that we really care about you. Home and auto insurance personalized to your needs. Weird, I don't remember saying that part. Visit Desjardins.com slash care and get insurance that's really big on care. Did I mention that we care?

The second best Simpsons game, still terrible, from 2007. I'll call the third best, Chris. I'll challenge you. Which one? Which one's better? I would go arcade, hit and run, and then Simpsons game. You're right. Hit and run's fine.

We had some lag issues. That was our own setup. That was our problem with our setup. It's an ancient game at this point. If you played the Simpsons game, I love Zen Lisa, and I love that this is kind of where they establish Lisa's the most likely to get into eastern philosophy that's true and before you play your clip uh the arcade game you know it is the attract mode and all the characters have a quote this this embrace

nothingness is from this episode really it's not it's not lisa's quote but it's from this episode where like you see like lisa age eight, like blood type, whatever. It says embrace nothingness. That's what she's saying. Wow, I never noticed that. It's amazing. But I love, I call this clip Zen Lisa. I'll probably listen to it before I fall asleep. What's the sound of one hand clapping?

Piece of cake. No, Bart, it's a 3,000-year-old riddle with no answer. It's supposed to clear your mind of conscious thought. No answer. Lisa, listen up. Let's try another one. If a tree falls in the woods and no one's around, does it make a sound?

Absolutely. But Bart, how can sound exist if there's no one there to hear it? It's a very good riddle, but it is something that it hurt the riddle for me all my life when people would bring it up to be like, isn't this great and introspective?

Like, nah, hear that on Simpsons. It's the oldest cone in the book. Yeah. So Bart becomes awesome. He does, and I think we missed a little plot point here in that Homer tries to make the challenge more interesting by having a bet with Flanders where they agree to mow the lawn in their wife's Sunday dress. Flanders, I don't care what this looks like.

Bart's going to mop the floor with your son's ugly butt. That bouncer made the best man win. I made the best man win. The mating call of the loser. Now, just a minute, Simpson. I think my son has a very good chance. Oh, yeah? Want to bet? Ah, well, I'm not a betting man.

Oh, I'm a chicken, am I? That's right. All right. How's this for a wager? A batch of your wife's delicious blueberry muffins against one of my wife's homemade wind chimes. What, are you afraid to make a real bet? No, I just...

You know, Simpson, you're starting to annoy me. Oh, about this, Henny Penny, if Bart wins tomorrow, you have to mow my lawn. All right, and if Pod wins, you have to mow my lawn and do a decent job of it for a change. Better yet, you have to mow my lawn in your wife's Sunday dress. You have yourself a bet, you

jackananny. Love that after all this, Homer drags Ned to his level. And then Marge has to write the contract where it's rewritten, and this will eventually bite Ned in the ass a little bit, where it's like not the loser, the father of the loser, the father of the boy who doesn't win

has to mow the lawn. Separate who I was then and who I am now. I remember fucking Flanders, the boy who doesn't win. I'm like, yeah, loser is a pretty harsh word. You don't want to be branded with that in a legal context. I don't want to call my eight-year-old a loser. There's a big plot hole here for me that Bart is getting good at golf, which is what Homer wanted. But Homer seems unable to recognize that Bart is good at it.

Is it just because he didn't teach Bart to do it? I don't know if it's intentional, but I would assume it's to imply that Homer is so selfish he's blinded to the fact that he has a pretty good chance of winning this bet that he made. It's more about getting one over on Flanders than whatever Bart is doing, I think. And then I also thought when Bart gets mad at Homer and hits the ball wrong and it bounces off and nearly hits Homer in the head, I think at that point, Bart is so good at golf that he did that on purpose.

He was trying. This is a good theory because it doesn't make any sense considering the montage we just saw. Which, by the way, it's a matter of simple geometry. I'm going to lure and push my glasses up. That's not factoring in force, inertia, wind she didn't tell him how hard

to hit it but I also said that Lisa asked Bart to define Nirvana to which he associates a state of being and not the band this is the last time that will ever happen oh for sure this is on the brink of Nirvana popularity so these are two bits from the commentary I wanted to mention around now, too.

The first, that one-hand clapping joke they credited to George Meyer, who is like one of their best writers ever. Barely is credited as a writer on stuff. And then second, they point out that one, Marge has never worn those dresses. Any dress that even looks like the ones they're bringing up An example To the point that Mike Reese even brings up Did she get those from Clarabelle Cowell They're very matronly Turn of the century dresses

With petticoats and polka dots I just don't understand what context Kentucky Derby post-World War Marge has one Sunday dress And that's the one she wears When they go to church Every time It's very of the 90s I think

When Homer later, spoilers, he's wearing her dress He's like oh that's my good dress But it's like you've never worn that Marge That's like your great grandma's dress Just because I want to burn some clips before we get to the finale This is like the fourth episode in a row I have a clip just called praying aren't we beseech thee hey flanders it's no use praying i already did the same thing and we can't both win

i do like homer is stupid but he's really underlining the the like the fraud of religion well like how how useless praying to win a game is because it's like aren't we all like like if you believe in god aren't we all like you know under his under his, aren't we all like under his reign and playing by the same rules? Like, why would he favor you over us? It's just like, if I haven't given context, as a little kid growing up in Florida, I was going, my parents weren't super religious. Grandparents were, went to Christian camp though.

Joking about prayer and God was not cool in Florida. In public schools, you would be chastised. Like, giant prayer circles everywhere god was everywhere and the simpsons was the only like while i'm growing up and questioning aspects of religion which is not allowed the simpsons was the only place doing it via clips like this like slightly underhanded like what's god gonna do i did like right before they go there their breakfast before the big game i think it's the first time I've ever seen... The joke is that Marmaduke sucks and that anybody who laughs at Marmaduke is dumb.

Henry, you have inadvertently stumbled upon my line of show. That's the joke. Because the best line of the show to emphasize how truly dumb Homer is... It's crazy, Marmaduke. There would be at least... There would be like four more of these. Like, I think Rex Morgan, MD, you've got the care for the Daily Blues. No, Marmaduke. There would be at least, there would be like four more of these. Like, I think Rex Morgan, MD, you've got the care for the Daily Blues.

No, no, no. Oh, Andy Kapp, you wife-beating drunk. No, but it doesn't matter. If you're an adult who laughs out loud at a Marmaduke cartoon. And by the way, RIP, Marmaduke guy just died recently. Did he really?

Yeah, after being defamed on Rick and Morty. So, yeah, and I feel like that's, in 1990, that's so new of them saying, we're saying Marmaduke sucks by having an idiot like it. That was actually like saying Garfield is bullshit. Like, in 1991, it's like, Garfield's king of the world. How dare

you? And I was the biggest Sunday strip fan. Our city didn't have Marmaduke, so I had my grandparents save their newspaper so I could read it when I came over. Listen, Marmaduke only needed one panel. Everybody else needed three. Marmaduke was good with one. I'm trying to think of this stupid big dog cartoon parade. Howard Hughes.

I love you, Bob. So then comes the big putting game, which is where they also could shove in another Abraham Lincoln joke. That Lincoln machine, I love the Lincoln. This whole entire montage is really short on

gags. It's mainly served by these two like Masters Tournament announcers. Very British guys. Only that guy. Only one of them talks. I kept expecting the other one to quip like you're completely out of line and he never did. I forgot it's just Dan Castellaneta doing like a British accent. They point out that the

silent on the commentary they point out the silent guy sitting next to him is the father from the Princess Cashmere Bachelor Party. The one who says, we were in hell. That's Eugene Fisk's dad. That's Mr. Fisk. I also point out that this eloquent British man is a KBBL employee. That is who was doing the golf commentary. Marty, Spinner Marty the Marty. Bill and Marty. is a kbbl employee that is who is doing the golf commentary the uh marty spinner marty the morning what is it bill and marty it's one of those guys it no no but it works for kbbl

so they're the most diverse radio station i can imagine who are doing both morning zoos and uh child miniature golf competitions in case you didn't realize kbbl is actually a joke because bbl is babble so that's that's 1990 for you folks take it or leave it that's 1990 this miniature golf competitions. And in case you didn't realize, KBBL is actually a joke because BBL is Babel. So that's 1990 for you, folks. Take it or leave it. That's 1990. I love this character. If one were to look up courage in the Oxford English Dictionary,

one might very well come upon the photo of these two gladiators. They approach the final hole in the shadow of the great emancipator, deadlocked at eight strokes on the happy side of par. Soon, one man will emerge triumphant. He will drink champagne? I think they're implying that, yeah, the winner would drink champagne. I don't know, but it's a wonderful read and or a wonderful improv. So, Bob, can you explain that one joke to me that he says?

I can't explain it, but I can read it because I Googled it after this, and I was like, there's way too much reading that goes into me understanding this joke. But the final joke is basically Bart and Todd. It's Todd, not Rod, right? It is Todd. Yeah. Nobody knows. It is Todd. Well, whatever.

It's one of the Flanderses. I think they've joked on commentaries that they don't even remember. That Nancy has half the times played Rod and half the times played Todd. Yeah, even the voices change. But they agree that the competition is stupid. They're not doing it for them. They're doing it for their father so they just agree to have a draw and the announcer says this is the most stirring display of gallantry and sportsmanship since since mount batten gave india back to the punjabs which is a very british empire specific

joke about the exchange of territories between britain the british empire and india in like the 1930s i think wow um it is it is It is probably the most obscure joke I've heard, and it's said so fast that I needed to put on the subtitles to even understand what he was saying. Those are just syllables to me as a kid. I'm like, he just said those words. They're just going to move on to a new thing. This was the first time I looked up what he was actually saying,

and it was like, oh, this means something. It's not just like, I have no idea what I thought it meant before. I heard Matt Groening say it in the context of Futurama, but I don't think you understand how smart the people are writing for us. They went to college, got great degrees, and are completely wasting them on cartoons. Yeah, I think Futurama had three PhDs on the staff. Three PhDs.

And they're all like mathematicians. Yeah, and this is what they do. They over, yeah. Write grandma sex jokes. So that's why, yeah, same with those Yale, the sorry not yale harvard excuse me there's no yale lampoon all those harvard writers by the way the writers on the commentary made me feel extra old because they say a thing that makes it clear this was recorded over 10 years ago for sure wow the commentaries the commentaries on the ds that felt new, they're old now.

They're like 13 years old at this point, at least at this recording. Wow. And someday this will be old. Yes. Please, please, no. I don't want to age anymore. So what happens is even though there's a draw, Homer does not want to let Ned win, even though he would also lose. So they both have to mow the lawn on their wife's Sunday

best. But Flanders actually gets into it. He enjoys it. He's having fun with it. Because he doesn't get to have fun. By working together, we can both be winners. Thank heaven neither of us has to go through with that silly wager. Put her there, pal. Oh, so you're gonna welch on our

bet. What are you talking about? Neither boy lost. I got it right here in writing. The father of the boy who doesn't win has to mow the lawn in his white Sunday dress. But neither, I mean, we're both, I mean, you have to do it too. It's a small price to pay to see you humiliate yourself. That, I actually love that moment because it does feel like a parody of sitcoms. That on current sitcoms then, that would have been the end where Flanders says, Well, I guess our kids really taught us a lesson, didn't they?

Yeah. And then Homer would go, I guess they did. Let me buy you a beer. But instead, Homer's like, Oh, you're going to welch on our beer? Let me find one more moment to be petty with. He refuses to learn a lesson. And so the episode ends with the entire neighborhood laughing at them. Yes.

And Homer is very upset, but Flanders is just having fun with it. He's just like... Flanders got a better lawnmower. He's going to be done faster. I don't know if it was revealed in this episode or maybe a later one, but he went to an all-boys college where he regularly dressed in drag to do stuff. I forget. Was it this episode?

That was in Streetcar. Okay, yeah. I played Flanders. One of the benefits of going to an all-boys school. Nick Flanders may have the best backstory of any Simpsons cast member. He's the best. I love him in this era because he's just a really nice guy who's not aware that he's making people feel insecure.

Also, take into account that Nat is supposed to be 60 at this point, too. Oh, shit. I do not acknowledge that. I don't recognize that either. Because his parents couldn't be beatniks if he's 60. No, no. That was bullshit. He was like 60 in 1999 or whatever, right?

Yeah. The one where they go to Vegas is a good episode, but if it's on the fact that Flanders is the best looking 60 year old ever, like, I hate that. We'll get to that in like five years, I think. Nine years, man. That's a Scully show. The show's just going to be just all of us complaining. Or being like, we were wrong. We were so wrong. I miss these, and I miss being 30.

I can't get any interception onto my iGoogle iDevice. Oh, boy. So I guess that was Talking Simpsons for this week. Indeed it was. But thanks for joining us. I am Bob Servo on Twitter. I also host the podcast Retronauts, the classic gaming podcast. Every week we have a new episode.

Please go to usgamer.net or just search Retronauts on the podcast app or platform of your choice. Everybody else, please plug things. I host a show called Laser Time, which a bunch of these guys coming on to co-host with me. And we should be launching another, if you like the little news break we do in the beginning, maybe at this point we have a show all about that. 30, 20, 10, what life was like 30 years ago, 20 years ago, and 10 years ago. I really want to hear this. We hope we can do that.

LasertimePodcast.com. And you can help us get to that and make that a reality by going to Patreon.com slash Lasertime and supporting us that way. And I also do a comic book show, Cape Crisis, and appear on Vigigame Apocalypse, Sheep Podcast, all the great podcasts on the Lazer Time Network. Just go to LazerTimePodcast.com

and look them up. They're all great. You heard what they said. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next week with a brand new episode of Talking Simpsons. Until then,

we'll see you next time.