Talking Simpsons - Talking Simpsons - Mother Simpson

Episode Date: March 14, 2018

After years and years of unanswered questions, we finally find out about Homer's mom and it's a doozy of an episode. We've seen this episode, or that is to say we saw this episode, and we haven't been this excited since Up With People! Is this the most heartwarming Simpsons ever? What's the deal with all the 1960s references? Learn it all in this radical episode!

exciting news at the top of the podcast here folks talking simpsons is doing another live show in san francisco march 17th st patrick's day 5 30 at the piano fight bar we are going to be doing it again the same place we did our second live show back in january march 17th 5 30 p.m the piano fight bar on St. Patrick's Day Bob and me Going to be chatting it up, talking Simpson style Admission is free, so Come and have some fun with us

On St. Patrick's Day I heartily endorse this event or product it. podcast network's chronological exploration of the simpsons who else is here with me today henry gilbert some people say i look like dan ackroyd and who else and chris antista and you will be richer for having lost me oh what a cry for help today's episode is mother simpson when i asked you if that dummy was to fake your own death you told me no today's episode aired on november 19th 1995 and as always chris will tell us what happened on this mythical day in real world history Put on your holy shithats because this is the biggest release week of all time The Nintendo Ultra 64 debuts at Space World Playable The Beatles Anthology Volume 1 is released along with the first new Beatles song in years

And clearly made in a four week fury after the success of Homer cubed Pixar's first movie debuts in theaters, Toy Story. So shortly after having Paul McCartney on, Anthology launches. Yeah. That's when I really first became aware of the Beatles. Despite being a big Beatlehead, my mother never forced it upon me

like so many modern parents do today. Like, you have to like Star Wars to watch it now. Yeah, I had that too. My mom was a fan of the beatles as a kid but didn't really put it on me but when i was ready to embrace the beatles i got warmed up to it by watching like yellow submarine a few years before this then i saw when the anthology came out they advertised the beatles so fucking hard everywhere it wasn't the escape it wasn't the first album I saw a commercial

for, but during Home Improvement and The Simpsons, you're seeing a commercial for a record? A CD. Books, too. Some network gave up an entire night of programming. Multiple nights. Yeah, it wasn't just one. Celebrating the Beatles

and also celebrating George, Ringo, and Paul are in the same place to record a new Beatles song. Because that was insane. An existing John Lennon song that you could have gotten for free. Yes. Oh, well, sure. But then it wouldn't have been Free as a Bird. No, but like why do you break up with a group only if two years later in the grave learn that they've all sang a song with you?

And that's everyone's favorite Beatles song now, right? Yeah. We all know it by heart, right? Free as a bird. I also the Alt 364 at Space World was quite a big deal. I thought saying the word Space World would excite you both a little more.

Or Shoshinkai. Actually, now I'm such a weeb, I would spit on the word Space World and I'd be like, no, it's Shoshinkai. Actually, now I'm such a weeb, I would spit on the word space world. I'd be like, no, it's Shoshinkai. But yeah, for gaming people out there, there was a time when Nintendo shirked everybody else's shows. We're like, we're going to run our own show in Tokyo

that will show off all our cool new stuff and just our stuff. And if you want to play the new Mario game a year in advance, you come here. And this is what made me want to become a Games Press person. And then that stopped happening right around when I became a Games Press person. Yeah, I believe Space World ended in 2001 was the last one, right? Yes.

Coincidentally, the reveal of Wind Waker that made everyone so angry. Look up the Wind Waker episode of Retronauts for that, more on that. And I bet that is why they're like, fuck this. We spent all that money to give people the shit on our game? You were supposed to clap. Please clap. So this is David Silverman's last real episode as director. Before 2002's Treehouse of Horror 13.

So after he comes back from Pixar. Wow. He is gone for like seven years. But he did direct, in big big scare quotes the 138th episode of Spectacular. No, that was Pound Foolish. Don't be fooled by Pound Foolish. It's actually David Silverman. Also written by Richard Appel.

You might know him best as the co-creator of The Cleveland Show. I kid, of course. He did that, but he also co-show ran some of the greatest years of King of the Hill in the beginning with Greg Daniels. Richard Appel, another Harvard jerk. But I just like calling people from Harvard Harvard jerks on this show now. And his wife was named Mona Simpson before they divorced in 2012.

Tsk, tsk. It's now more humorous on the commentary it was recorded when they were married. Yes, seven years before they divorced. And Mona Simpson is also the sister of Steve Jobs. That's right. Oh, my God. She didn't find out until she was 25. Oh, my God.

Because Steve Jobs was giving up for adoption, and so he never knew he had a sister. I bet those parents feel stupid now. So, yeah, this is a David Silverman episode. I will say it's not full of the amazing flourishes you'd expect, but the acting is what really shines in this episode. Very specific mouth movements that aren't seen ever

again. Just like facial expressions you never see again. Just very Silver Mini but not over the top like you expect. And emotions dancing around. It's something I said on the community episode we did about the fall of the Simpsons where I said one thing that that video overlooked

and I think a lot of people overlook when they say like why did the Simpsons fall from grace? What they don't talk about is the animation and how with a lowered budget or a change in staff that animation can get worse and you see in this episode there are good jokes

sold very well through good animation. Yeah yeah i'm thinking uh specifically of ned flander saying passing away into death and his tongue sticks out in a way you never see before it just like there's more attention paid to this very specific kind of acting in this episode or the way abe goes a little from column a a little from column b those hand flourishes didn't need to happen at all. He could have just said that and shrugged or done something more boring, but that wouldn't have been as funny. I will say that

this was Richard Appel's pitch for the series. This was not created by Oakley and Weinstein, but it's very much of this era, of the season 7 and 8 era, because they are asking the questions that are sort of floating around out there, like, who is Homer's mother? It's a very lore-centric episode, like the Itchy and Scratchy the Day of Violence died

and where we find out that Jebediah Springfield is not who he says he is. It's like exploring the lore of the series. Conversely, it is fucking odd. It's been seven seasons.

We've never heard or seen this woman. We have. Well, we have, but... But no one talks about her. No. What happened to her? It was a card unplayed.

Yes. That is for sure. But is that something in the Bible? Like Homer's not to have a mother ever? And they like find, like you figured it would have come up a hundred episodes in. So for example,

you do see her in flashbacks such as Look at me or Mom, I am Teddy Kenny or Oh Brother, We're Out There. Oh Brother, We're Out There when she is seen on screen and voiced by I believe Pamela Hayden. Both times Maggie Roswell

before getting close. But in Grandpa vs. Sexual Inadequacy, they purposely don't show her face, unlike in season two when they did. But it's something that you see on shows when they're in their first season of like, well, we could answer this question, but wouldn't it be cooler to save it for season four

and a big guest star? That's what I figured it was, but then this is season seven. Well, here's my theory on that. You make a casting choice that means like, this is going to be real hard to do again. And we didn't,

they didn't kill her the first time. No, it took two more episodes of Mona to kill her. No, it was four more. No, wait,

no, she appeared more after that. But yes, you're, but she is dead. I watched that death episode not knowing she was dying in it and it was like,

what the fuck? I have never seen it. It's a bubber. So she is cleared of all charges and comes back, and Homer's like, I still don't forgive you. You come in and out of my life all the time. I don't forgive you. Then he decides he's going to forgive her. He goes downstairs like, hey, Mom, why are you sleeping so quietly with your eyes open?

And she's dead. You see her corpse on screen go back through the dead homer society archives on the message boards there's a very angry review for me written in about 2008 when that episode aired i didn't like that yeah but the other episode she reappeared in the first one in 2003 was like i think it was beautiful mind parody oh yeah that's right yeah they would show her in flashbacks but my theory on why they didn't play this card before is like i bet if gene and reese had stuck around they would have done this pitch in season five but they then left and i think david merkin had just no interest in that like he he it's not that he didn't do touching

episodes but those questions i think were kind of meaningless to merkin he he wanted to have fun in the springfield playground he didn't want to answer questions He had more fun breaking the show than developing the universe. Breaking the show in a good way, I think. Just playing with it. And in a way, as creators, I think it was good for them internally to not answer this question and save it for a rainy day. And save it for a good... When they had a good answer for it. And because of that, I think it is the most emotionally touching episode of The Simpsons ever period i can't think of a better one than this i think so maybe i don't cry at

least a substitute though like i do every time with this episode i mean the mom stuff in this does get me i'm very close with my mom me too and so we'll get more into that later it does get me a little more on the history of mona simpson though so she was never named by somebody on the show but in supplemental materials such as the uncensored simpson family album okay she is named penelope olsen yeah i was such a fan i had gone over that family tree that's on the first page a billion times as a kid so when this episode came around and her name was not penelope olsen i was like what the fuck though they kind of make up for a little later in the episode bart was also not born in 1980 so there's several things wrong with that yeah

sure fine but also getting glenn close was a big deal that they apparently pulled the strings with uh with james l brooks but obviously she must have enjoyed it so much she kept coming back it surprises me that i couldn't really think of any big Glenn Close movies outside of Fatal Attraction and 101 Dalmatians. I really don't know any other big ones. Albert Knobbs? Never met him.

He does. Albert Knobbs, he does. Is that a real movie? Damages? Yes. Yeah, it's a more recent movie. These are all movies for grown-ups. She was primarily a movie person.

She was the heavy on season four of The Shield, and Barry's good on that. But yeah, getting Meryl Streep and Glenn Close for The Simpsons, wow. The Shield season four gave you the showdown you never thought you wanted to see. A taut, dramatic interrogation scene of Glenn Close versus Anthony Anderson.

It's really good. It's really great. I. It's really great. I still can't get over Richard Peltz, the co-creator of The Cleveland Show. It's like Mike Henry created that character. That's true. And it's his show. I'm not saying... Cleveland Show is the fucking worst.

And yet I have watched probably 20 episodes. I think I watched one episode in a hotel room and I'm like, this is not terrible. But I also don't want to actively go watch this. I mean, look, I'd watch every episode. It's incredibly not bad. No, it's fine. But I mean, I'd watch it before any episode of Drawn Together. That's my real bottom.

American Dad is a secret gem of that whole world. It's the greatest. From a guy who just did a whole episode celebrating Norm Macdonald and didn't once mention Mike Tyson Mysteries. I hate that show. That show's not good. I'd rather watch a Cleveland show. That's like an opposite Sophie's Choice.

I want to kill both children. Yet it's Adult Swim every Sunday night. I look forward to someday when we can talk about American Dad. Coming soon. Dangle that carrot in front of your patrons like that? Oh, yeah. Also, Richard Pell wrote The Lampoon, which reminds me, I still haven't watched that Lampoon movie. I heard it's not good. Well, it's not a good movie. It's just a fascinating time in comedy. the lampoon which reminds me like i still haven't watched that uh lampoon movie stupid gesture well

it's not a good movie it's just a fat it's a fascinating time in comedy you will like that aspect of it well i love will forte and they do a couple of really interesting things while trying like trying to like point out the rules that make biopics suck but it also completely obeys those rules at the same time and makes a cheesy biopic but it's interesting oh you know what actually that's why i'm saying harvard jerks because trying to research richard powell the wiki page sends you to an official harvard article about the simpsons connection to the harvard lampoon which is very deep it is such an article to suck off harvard because it was published in harvard's own thing the thing that drove me the most crazy in it was like,

Bill Oakley, class of 88, said that, it's like Richard Pell, class of whatever, and it's just like, Jesus Christ. It's the most expensive, therefore best college ever. There is. I'd rather go to Brown any day, man. I've had enough Brown bashing for one day. All right, but this episode starts out with

an underrated side joke. Burns are dying. The profits. That is so fucking funny to me. And I want to say, I want to speculate once again that it's because Cyberdyne in Terminator 2. The previous Trias of Horror leads me to believe somebody had a VHS copy of T2 Judgment Day. That's true. So Burns formed a for-profit nonprofit. The profit deal.

And he's maintaining a mile of highway, as businesses sometimes do, just to really get advertising out via charity. It's no miracle mile. And I do love that Burns immediately litters as soon as the photo op is done. A local hero shuns spotlight and pitches in. And then we also get to see the new bedlam asylum which is the one homer was committed to oh more deep cuts from oakley and weinstein i know they they paid attention to the and that's a season well it was broadcast season three which i guess is yeah

would count in what oakley and weinstein think is great season three in first viewing of this i mentally knew homer is not dead obviously homer's not dead at the beginning of this episode but they go so long and i was like is he dead and they go so far to make it not look like a dummy yeah it just looks like a human being dying it's even better than the gorge fall i love how well animated this is hey where's homer how'd he get out of this? Hey, everybody! Up here! Simpson, stop frolicking and get to work. Right away, Mr. Smithers. I'll just walk across these slippery rocks.

Oh, no! He's going over the falls! Oh, good! He snagged that tree branch. Oh, no! The branch broke off! Really good for audio. Oh, good! He can grabged that tree branch. Oh no! The branch broke off! Really good for audio. How good! He can grab onto them pointy rocks. Oh no! Them rocks broke his arms and legs. How good! Those helpful beavers are swimming out to save him. Oh no! They're biting him! Stealing his pants!

Good lord! He'll be sucked into the turbine Smithies, who was that corpse? Homer Simpson, sir One of the finest, bravest men ever to grace Sector 17 I'll cross him off the list If that was the last Sector 7G joke, that's a really good finale to Sector 7G. I like how they're all narrating that for the sake of no one. Oh, no, this thing is happening. Oh, no.

Oh, no, somebody's going to podcast about this 20 years from now. Bite, I love. Bite him. Steal his pants. Also, the breaking of his arms and legs is so painful looking. The dummy's arms are all bent in the wrong direction. Did Homer fill that thing full of cow bones or something? He's making bone-snapping sounds.

And he spent $600 to miss an afternoon of work. I've had my eye on an Xbox One X, but I'm getting a physical dummy of myself for $600 instead. I'll buy that a thousand times over. I love how badly it works out for Barty, just sitting there on the patio hammering at it while Homer counts. That's his plan. That was what he was

going to do with his full day. I love the delivery of Homer like, I'll just walk across these slippery roads. Stop frolicking, get back to work. In season four, Homer would have just said that and fallen off something. Homer is setting up his fall perfectly in season four, Homer would have just said that and fallen off something. Yeah. So, Homer is setting up his fall perfectly to trick people.

And, I also just love when Homer calls him Mr. Smithers. Like, it's just, it's a cute interaction he has with him. Just like inside Joe Bob Roberts when he's like,

hello, Mr. Smithers. That's right. It's so cute. But, the boring day of destroying a patio slowly. Bart is so bored.

Yes. The news of his death is already getting around. Marge, we can't tell you how sorry we are. You have our deepest condolences. I'm sorry. I'm just nervous. I didn't mean any disrespect. What are you talking about?

You know, Homer's passing away into death. What? That's ridiculous. Homer's not dead. He's right out back in the hammock. Oh, that's great. Oh, Marge, of course Homer's alive. He's alive in all our hearts.

Yes, Marge. I can see him. Hi, everybody. Marge, I'm going to give you the card of our juvenile counselor. A tombstone? It came with the burial plot, but that's not important. The important thing is, Homer's dead. We've been saving for this since your wedding day. Get out of here, you ghouls!

Yes, we are richer for having lost him. It's a great tombstone thing, but what I love about this, too, is that this all will pay off for plot purposes. It actually kind of reminds me of Who Shot Mr. Burns? Because Homer's death has to be printed in a newspaper for his mother to find it. He needs to have a burial plot, which if Homer faked his own death, he's not going to actually pay for a burial plot, so Patty and Selma have to.

Yes, that joke really pays off plot-wise, you're right. Yeah, quite a lot. Like, it is... We're used to a typical Simpsons thing of having an opening bit that doesn't really connect to it, which you might think this does, but all of this pays off later. This all has a reason to happen.

There is a freshly dug grave for Homer Simpson in the graveyard. After this, we get a cute little scene of eyeball acting, which perhaps this is just because we've been watching those shorts a lot, but there are like three different shorts of we're going to just draw eyeballs this week. Yes, Silverman points that out in the commentary.

It's a good break when you can just do eyeballs. But the eyeballs are very well animated, I gotta say. I wondered if Silverman partially enjoyed doing that as a callback to the shorts, too. But yeah, when Marge says, you told me no, the way the eyes kind of zig and it's like a zig formation

is just beautiful. Like, you told me no. And you can almost see in the eyes, Homer going like, that's my name, or like, it's like no. And you can almost see in the eyes Homer going like, that's my name, or like, it's like shrug. You can just see it in it. It's beautiful. Then Homer has quite a funny interaction

with a bureaucrat, the most helpful bureaucrat of all time. That's right. Listen here. My name is Homer J. Simpson. You guys think I'm dead, but I'm not. Now, I want you to straighten this out

without a lot of your bureaucratic red tape and mumbo jumbo. Okay, Mr. Simpson, I'll just make the change here. And you're all set. I don't like your attitude, you water cooler dictator. What do you have in that secret government file anyway? I have a right to read it. You sure do. Wife, Marjorie, children, Bartholomew, Lisa.

Aha! See? This thing is all screwed up. Who the heck is Margaret Simpsonaret simpson uh your youngest daughter yeah you can get that well how about this this thing says my mother's still alive she died when i was a kid you see that stone angel up there that's my mother's grave my dad points it out every time we drive by mr simpson, maybe you should actually go up there. Yeah, when Homer's mocking the guy, you see more of that great weird tongue animation that you never see before. Yeah, you get better. Does that mean I can go in and do this with Steve Jobs?

I'm not dead. I just look different. Well, no, this is the nicest bureaucrat of all time, which is a great joke. He's just like, you sure do? Instead of every bureaucrat in a movie, at least, who doesn't help anybody. And this is at the Springfield Hall of Records, which they go right past the sign joke, but I know why. Because it's the same sign joke they did in Sideshow Bob Roberts when Lisa visits the Springfield Hall of Records. So not the fun kind of records.

Historical ones. I hope when I'm dead they don't actually immediately shut off your electricity. That seems like a real pain. Not so nice. You either get a job or a generator. Job or generator. All right. So this bit here with, like, he didn't know his mom was dead, and he never visited her grave ever?

I guess Abe just pointed it out every time they drove by. And I guess the lie was she died when I was at the movies. Homer, is that incurious that he's just like, well, no, that's a grave. You don't got to visit. And I guess the lie was she died when I was at the movies. Homer is that incurious that he's just like, well, no, that's a grave. You don't gotta visit it. I guess not. Having just heard a rant from my father

who had to pay for a place of rest for his parents, which were in my hometown where they never lived until they were invalids. But his sisters demanded they have a place of rest. And he's like, and nobody goes.

And nobody goes. Why would you? It's like they're a dead body. We made a video of rest. And he's like, and nobody goes. And nobody goes. Why would you? It's like they're a dead body. We made a video of all the fun stuff he did. You can watch that anytime you want. Or you can look at a rock. Well, I think it's the pressure the industry, like the death industry gives to you.

It's like, well, I guess if you didn't love them, just chuck them in a ditch. Because when you lose your spirituality, your religiousness, why would you go visit a grave? You can celebrate someone's life from anywhere. Because when you lose your spirituality, your religiousness, why would you go visit a grave? You can celebrate someone's life from anywhere. But if you throw enough money at it, you'll feel better about your family. That's true.

You can look good in front of all the other grieving people. I spent the most money. Thus, I grieved the most. But Walt Whitman is buried in Camden, New Jersey. Oh, not Springfield. One of my favorite jokes I never got from the great movie L.A. Story is Steve Martin visiting the grave of Edgar Allan Poe. I was hoping it was the same thing,

like someone who couldn't possibly have died in America. I love that. Oh, Mom, I'm sorry I never come to see you. I'm just not a cemetery person. You're a liar. Walt Whitman! My damn you, Walt Whitman! i hate you walt freaking whitman leaves of grass my ass wait a minute maybe it's that other grave the one that says simpson

oh why does my death keep coming back to haunt me? You awful, awful man! Get out of my son's grave! I hate to rain on your parade, lady, but this is my grave. Hey, wait a minute. Mom? Homer? I thought you were dead! I thought you were dead. I thought you were dead. No dang blaster didn't anybody in this dadgummed cemetery dead?

I didn't want to cause a fuss, but now that you mention it... He's extra brown in that scene. Yeah, it's odd. It's very potato-like. Homer didn't know what books were two episodes ago. That's true. And now he is quoting specifically the name of Walt Whitman's poetry collection,

Leaves of Grass. And not only is his grave in Springfield, it's also unkempt to the point where you don't even know which grave it is. You figure someone would be taking care of it. But if you'd like to hear, this is Henry's Poetry Corner again on this podcast, but if you'd like to hear a selection from the book Leaves of Grass,

here is Darthth vader himself reading from a song of all women's song of myself i wish i could translate the hints about the dead young men and women and the hints about old men and mothers and the offspring taken soon out of the laps what do you think has become of the young and old men. What do you think has become of the young and old men? And what do you think has become of the women and children? Spellbinding stuff.

Pablo Naruto. Man, I wish I was smart enough to appreciate that stuff. You know, listen enough, you'll put it on the background during Monster Hunter. But I just love that James Earl Jones sat down, like this was from i think the 80s or 70s when he recorded he just was like yeah it'd be awesome hearing my voice read these great old poems so but also poems are just songs without music like that's what they are i don't like them

oh but you're a you see this here guy with a master's degree in English doesn't like poems. I had to write like 30 page papers about poems. It's fine. I do the same thing. But is truth beauty and beauty truth Bob? Debate me about it. For charity. I choose the charity and the judges.

The Sentence will be right back. When you really care about someone, you shout it from the mountaintops. So on behalf of Desjardins 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? you don't have to object to the war in southeast asia to enjoy this podcast but one thing that would really help us is if you went to patreon.com slash talking simpsons for just five dollars a

month you can support us and help make this show run great not just that but you'll get every episode a week early and ad free you'll get access to the entire first season of talking simpsons only available there and as well as all of our season wrap-ups and most importantly coming very soon our new patreon exclusive series talking futurama where we go through every episode of the first season of futurama just for our wonderful patrons as well as what a cartoon is going to be starting up and that'll be a week early and ad free that is our new podcast we're going through a different animated series each week talking about its history and detailing a specific episode in

the wonderful talking simpsons style you'll find out information on that and so much more at patreon.com slash Talking Simpsons. As you may have heard, we've got a live show coming up March 17th, St. Patrick's Day in San Francisco. 5.30 at the Piano Fight Bar. And you know what's a really cool thing to wear to a live Simpsons show? Your very own Talking Simpsons t-shirt which you can get at

shirtsickle.com, that's popsickle but with shirt, or at tiny.cc slash talking shirt just starting in 1999 you can get one for yourself with shipping and tax included designed by the wonderful friend of the show Nina Matsumoto. It's a great way to support the show beyond just the Patreon.

And you can get a cool shirt in a beautiful sky blue. So check it out at tiny.cc slash talking shirt. Hey, this is Hank Azaria. You're listening to Talking Simpsons on Laser Time. I didn't know that was a thing. So it's a really cute reconnecting scene between Mona and Homer. And this, I think, was the first time I really noticed the Homer design they put onto Mona's face. Like, it's kind of subtle, but she has obviously no facial hair. But she has the kind of rounded muzzle and the nose in the same way.

And her eyes are placed the same. And still found a way to make her like a not unattractive person while still making her a woman drawn like in Homer's style. And this Mike Grant has like exact hair. Yeah. There she is. She had it the whole time. Oh, wow. Hey, Chris, is she seeing anybody?

Yes. Dirt and worms? Oh, no thanks. But yeah, like I said, it's just perfect how they all come together. It was in the news that he was dead. He finds out from looking at the bureaucrat thing that she is still alive. She comes to town to see him. They have a gag with the groundskeeper there who will be back as a witness.

That's right. In the background, you see a taxi which will explain why a taxi driver also talks to the fbi i did notice that wow yeah yeah it's it's a lot denser designed of a story than you would think it's uh or then on first look it's the work they wouldn't put into that much plotting later i think yeah yeah you know the thing yeah it's still even when the gags are still great, it's like, well, he didn't put that much work into this story as compared to other ones. But this might be one of the meanest lines ever,

the idea of Grandpa's excuse to Homer. I can't believe you're here. Dad always told me you died while I was at the movie. Oh, my poor baby. You must have been so upset. But I suppose Abe had his reasons. Yeah. Well, where have you been all this time?

Oh, it's a very complicated story. Let's just enjoy this moment. Mom, there's something you should know about me. I almost always spoil the moment. I'm sorry. That's okay, darling. It wasn't your fault. I'm sorry. That's okay, darling. It wasn't your fault.

Man, yeah. If that wasn't so visual, that would be my line of the show. It's my favorite thing that happens in this episode. It's so sweet how Mona comforts him. She knows these things happen to Homer. She's been cleaning up his messes from when he was born. I mean, yeah. Did you hear there's the Barney burp in the seagull

when it spits up? Oh, wow. When it spits up. That's great. I think I missed that. Sorry, the pelican. Yeah. But I think this episode, including later scenes,

will really underline, like, Abe kind of deserves to be mistreated and neglected. He's such an asshole. He's awful. I mean, that he told him that, like, it sounds like, I wish we'd have seen that scene but the way abe just feels like abe tossed it off to homer like where's your mom where's mom he's like she died away around the movies go to bed yeah like just and just that homer has been

this answers a question about homer i was just like he's a very damaged individual like he's he had to be told his mother died while he was at the movies and never really got to mourn her and just accepted like well i guess i don't have a mother oh well and just dealt with it especially he was so close to his mom she was so good to him as opposed to seeing abe in the flashback when we see is like jesus you're the worst so detached from his family oh he's so terrible and i think they kind of let it go because mona mona didn't intend for him to tell her tell homer she was dead but she accepts it like fine i ran away because i'm a criminal i don't have a

place to talk but homer should have had some moment with abe of like how dare you tell me yeah well how dare you he assumed that he would never see her again exactly yeah especially if those care packages had actually been delivered all right he would have been he would have found out like within a month of like hey she's not dead she sent me a package you know what some of this is starting to make very little sense hey look he didn't tip the letter carrier that's what happens but hom Homer then, I love, Homer thinks he's in a sitcom when really this is not how you should reintroduce a dead, thought dead relative to your family again. Where have you been, granny? They freeze you or something?

Oh, my, such clever grandchildren. So full of questions and bright, shiny eyes. I don't know what to say. I finally have a mother-in-law. No more living vicariously through my girlfriends. Hey, since you were a no-show at all the big moments of my life, you owe me years of back presents.

Christmases, birthdays, Easters, Kwanzaas, good report cards. 75 bucks a pop plus interest and penalties. You owe me $22, yes. Right in the drawers you remembered sweet little moment that joke really gets me because it is like how many times you share a joke that you only could with your mom or not even a joke of just like ah this one word that we know has all this backstory to it and you can laugh with your mom about it.

Like what we do with The Simpsons? Yeah, like what we do with The Simpsons. Because we're not close to our family at all. But just that Homer could immediately reconnect with his mom. That he could have just said, you remember that trip to Disneyland or whatever. Or even just say, if I said to my mom, this is like the teacups, she'd be like, yeah, yeah. But it's a little language you have here with the parent. It's another little moment that feels real.

And it kind of shows how sheltered her life was before her awakening. Just like she didn't have a lot of experience with Homer or anything outside the house, really. Well, she seemed expected to be a housewife. Yeah. And that was it. Which, incidentally, is not married to a house. And incidentally mirrors the 90s show episode that Marge is, she has a kid, married to Homer, goes to college.

It's radicalized. Yeah, that's true. Those leftist campuses. Somebody tell me who burns his hair, his mate styled after. That shit is awesome. It is so 70s and gone. I don't know.

Maybe like Merv Griffin-y. Though when I was a kid, I also absolutely identified with Bart's selfishness of like, hey, yeah, grandparents owe me a lot now. They come back into my life. Which roughly translates to like four grand a year just to be a grandma. I have a deadbeat dad.

I'm keeping track. And if he ever shows up again, I'm invoicing him. Oh, he's doing the dollar thing. He's up to 40k right now He's going to come asking you for money And you'll have the bill to him He'll just slink away Out of frame

But also it's weird that Mona is so Nonchalant with Homer strangling Bart Which makes me think that she Just didn't have a problem with her With probably Abe strangling Homer As well He's just like yeah that's what a father does A bit old fashioned just didn't have a problem with her with probably Abe strangling Homer as well. He's just like, yeah, that's what a father does with their son. A bit old-fashioned.

Another thing they say in the commentary you can totally see in the episode that they wanted to explain, well, how is Lisa at all smart? And this lets you see her connection to Mona. Ooh, I love one of these lines in here. I saw all your rewards, Lisa. They're mighty impressive. I just one of these lines in here. I saw all your awards, Lisa. They're mighty impressive.

I just keep them out to bug Bart. Don't be bashful. When I was your age, kids made fun of me because I read at the ninth grade level. Me too. Hey, Mom, look at me. Look at what I can do. I see you, Homer. That's very nice.

Although I hardly consider a separate piece the ninth grade level. Yeah, more like preschool I hate John Knowles Mom, you're not looking You know, Lisa, I feel like I have an instant rapport with you You didn't dumb it down You said rapport Gotta run, grandma's stuff you didn't dumb it down you said rapport gotta run grandma stuff

yes that is uh i love that line i hate john knolls so i guess grandma stuff we're all three of us made to read a separate piece i was not i did i had to read it in eighth grade and when i was reading it in eighth grade i kept thinking of this line. I was like it should have been 9th grade. A separate piece is not very good I would say. It's like kids should be reading books and there's worse books to force them to read but a separate piece

kind of sucks. Like it's my biggest problem with a separate piece is that the main character is a jerk and I guess they're supposed to it's meant to teach kids to be less selfish maybe but in my mind the lead character in a separate piece basically is jealous of another kid and shits on him until he's dead and it's just like damn this sucks they should call that book johnny deformed sorry to spoil the end of separate piece for you guys oh my god but then he intentionally

breaks that kid's leg and just lets him die out. I much preferred in my ninth grade reading level, I hate to sound like a total snob, but I was reading Kafka, and I was a big fan of it. In the Simpsons family album, apparently. That was at age eight, no, ten. Kafka and Spawn. A Tale of Two Cities and Greek Plays, but also every comic book I can get my hands on, for sure. Fair enough.

But yeah, if I were to tell anybody to read a Kafka novel, probably The Trial. The Trial, I like a lot. Well, start with his short story collections. He's always better at short stories. Yeah, Metamorphosis. Also the, what's it called? The Trial on the collections. He's always better at short stories. Yeah, Metamorphosis. Yeah, Metamorphosis. Also, what's it called?

The trial on the bridge. It's the one where the guy's dad yells at him until he kills himself. I recommend the episode of Home Movies where they make a song out of Metamorphosis. He's fun. He'll smite you with Metamorphosis. This episode could have taken another turn when they suggest she's a con artist. There's enough proof of that. She keeps dodging questions i forgot that beat it's sort of like a mystery because we all know this is

homer's mom because it's 25 years later but at this point you're like could this be a con artist would they would they not show us homer's mom it's been a cop-out in a million sitcoms to be like oh this missing mother shows up this missing relative shows up you've never seen it before oh it's not really their dad it's just some con artist just a faker but i i also my favorite dodge of hers is uh full of questions and bright shiny eyes just like they're full of bright shiny eyes uh but yeah this okay so this is when penelope olsen comes back into things they at least give a little tip of the hat to the character to that one former name of Mona Simpson. Oh, you're right. There, now no one should be able

to hear us. What? Alright, we don't need the dryer. What? Just shut up and listen. There's something fishy about Grandma. Whenever we ask her where she's been all this time, she changes the subject. And just now when a police car drove by, she ran into the house.

Yeah, I don't trust her either when i was going through her purse look what i found mona simpson mona stevens martha stewart penelope olsen muddy may suggins these are the calling cards of a con artist muddy may suggins is like her mini pearl cosplay and actually speaking of mini pearl i was at hen Henry's wedding, and his parents, who are much older than me, were like, you kids don't know who mini-pearl is. I was like, I do.

I know what her slogan is. I know what show she was on. I'm a fucking freak. And I'm at your son's wedding. You impressed my mom with that. Now, yeah, by the way, folks, if you didn't know, I got married. Oh, sorry, I spoiled everything. No, I mean, if you follow me on Twitter at H-E-N-E-R-E-Y-G, you would have known.

Those are great pictures. But yeah, we took photos. We, I mean, if you follow me on Twitter at H-E-N-E-R-E-Y-G, you would have known. Those are great pictures. But yeah, we took photos. We wanted to take photos with Top Hats. But me and my husband were both like, you're not spending $100 on Top Hats. So we ordered them on Amazon and did not take the tags off so we could return them. And so we, of course, my mom jumped like, oh, you guys have the tags still on your hat, just like Minnie Pearl. And then Eddie, my stepdad, said, you kids don't even know who Minnie Pearl is. I said, Eddie, you can fuck off right now.

I will ruin this wedding. I wish I didn't know this. I've cursed this information. My brain's out of room because the people like Minnie Pearl. But yeah, Penelope Olsen, one of her names. And it's also a great little gag of like what though only in hearing it now just the audio you could so

clearly tell Yardley was at a different time when she's like she changes a subject it's the voice tone the room tone on the voice sounds totally different I guess if we could get a line of the show for a line that made me like cry then this is the line that I would give it to.

Oh, it's really good. This made me cry more than the ending in this rewatch. Other than that, it's mine's grandfather asking to have sex. I'm so glad to have my mom back. I never realized how much I missed her. She's nice. But? I just don't think you should get too excited about the woman who abandoned you for 25 years

You could get hurt again First, it wasn't 25 years It was 27 years And second, she had a very good reason Which was? I don't know I guess I was just a horrible son and no mother would want me Oh, homie.

Come on, you're a sweet, kind, loving man. I'm sure you were a wonderful son. Then why did she leave me? Let's find out. Ugh. Ugh. Still gets me. It's right up there with the Fresh Prince.

How come you don't want me? How come you don't want me? And then executive producer. I have to say that, yeah, that scene is great. Also because they play that, why did she leave me with their faces away from the camera? They're like, Marge is holding him, they're looking out the window. It's really well played. A very clear choice by David Silverman that he knows withholding their faces makes it even more painful than if the animators drew a sad face.

And 27 years is very observant math because Homer presumably was born in 1956 still. He was 11 in 1967 when the first Super Bowl took place where we see them interacting. It's the third Super Bowl. It's actually the third? It is. Joe Namath was in, right?

Yes, it's the one where the Colts played the Blobby Blooks. My math does not check out, though. I thought by saying I've got to watch this thing or it won't stick around, it was actually taking place in 1967. I assume it was. Not 1970. I assume it was the first one.

Because I want this thing to take off, but it's the third one, so technically the second year you would have seen it. That shows how much I know about sports. Exactly. The math is pretty close, though. That's your one Achilles heel

on this math thing. But let's go back to the math thing. So 60, 70 would be 11, making him 38 in this episode. Right, right. So 27 years ago would be 1968. I'm younger than Homer again! For like two months.

But I also, well, now this would put Homer's age in his mid-50s. Like, Homer would be in his mid-50s. God, just the way, I think it shows some real deep hurt that Homer never talks about. He's like, what did you do? Yeah, I mean, in the Lisa Substitute episode, like, five years ago, they didn't know about Mona.

But Homer says, I don't know what it's like to have someone leave me. It's like, well, you're burying a lot of stuff now, Homer. It's pretty great on the commentary where Mike Reese is just like, well, your mother abandoned you. Like, I think you do know what it's like to lose somebody. But you can retcon that and be like, Homer not want to admit this these horrible feelings he has and and that also shows like it it gets me in a way because like a bad thing happened to homer and he blames himself and it's just like damn homer like don't don't take the blame for yourself on this one like uh and just the way march comforts him is great and speaking of the direction you see the back of their heads. But then when Marge gets the resolve to confront Mona, then she turns around to the camera like, let's find out.

The acting is so subtle and great. And on the, I wouldn't call it subtle acting, but it was fun acting of Homer like, oh, I'm so glad to have my mom back. He's like, his arms are flailing around. He's so happy. It was a real David Silverman-y dance, too. I like that Like you said, those moments of acting It's not the constant comedy of Krusty

Or Homie the Clown It's not like the sugar speech We're finally going to get some answers Out of Mona here Spill it, Muddy Mayor, we're calling the cops Please don't Alright, then we'll call your husband. Grandpa. No! I'll talk. I'll tell you everything.

I've wanted to tell you. It all started in the 60s. Take out Wrench Denko. Mom! Mom! Mom! Oh, my little homie bear. Time for bed. Sing me my bedtime homie bear. Time for bed. Sing me my bedtime song, Mom. Ooey gooey rich and cheery inside.

Golden flaky tender cakey outside. Wrap the inside in the outside, is it good? Doing a big, big new day. Here's the tricky part. Immediately falls asleep. It's so sweet. And then again, it's all based around food, which is a very Homer thing. Yeah, it, new geek. Here's the tricky part. Immediately falls asleep. It's so sweet. And then again, it's all based around Foo, which is a very Homer thing. Yeah, it's so cute.

Before we get to that reference, right before that scene, she's reading Abby Hoffman's Steal This Book, which is an early clue that she was a 60s radical. And that was one of the books banned from other schools in the PTA disbands. That's right. Right there with Tech War. Eventually made into a movie, Steal This Movie. Vincent and Off-Rayray and janine grothlo that can't be good it's impossible uh and and also i forgot to get in the clip there but the camera is now sleeping like that was a homer delivery of can't talk now eating yeah we see a bit of homer leaking through and i love those

cute things and and yeah that she's just used to like, Homer is electrocuting himself. I have to stop it. Okay, got the broom. That was not new to her. She's just like, oh yeah, I got to stop it. It's happening again. But okay, that song, Bob, you had gotten the clip here. Yes, it's the Fig Newton theme from the 60s, which I never heard in my life until now.

Hi, gang. Big Fig here with that great new dance, the Newton. Hit it, Hal. It's ooey-gooey rich and gooey inside. Golden flaky, tender cakey outside. Wrap the inside in the outside. Is it good? John Tootin' showin' the Big Fig Newton.

Here's the tricky part. The Big Fig Newton. One more time. The Big Fig Newton. I don't know what it was. Him calling himself a big fig off the bat immediately threw me for a loop. He's rather effeminate, I would say. I'm his pal Flamin' Fig. We didn't even know what is the tricky part. He just sort of extends his leg. That was the answer I'd always been looking for because the way she says, what is the tricky part he just sort of extends his leg that was the answer I'd always been looking for

because the way she says here's the tricky part I was like what's the tricky part because until the advent of YouTube I cannot watch this unless they like played it on some VH1 special like classic commercials and I never had seen it until the advent of YouTube I didn't just watch it for the first time here

but it was a long time after the first airing. Out of all the classic commercials that got a lot of replay, I never saw that until YouTube. I was more of an Apple Newton guy. Apple Newtons are way better. My dad's big on nutrition. These were kind of the only cookies we were allowed to have, so I hate them. I can't stomach them. Because there's a picture of fruit

on the cover. I was just looking at old packages. It's just like, it's cake and a cookie and like fuck you dad you're an idiot and i think that they took the word fig out of the name now it's just they're just called newton yeah well i see the apple ones are better the newton ads i knew as a kid were cookie is just a cookie but newton's are fruit and cake those are the ads of like some fancy lady saying like okay you can't have cookies. That's right.

And also, as a kid, I didn't even know what a fig was. There's not like a bowl of figs on the table. Oh, figs, yummy. The Bible can't shut up about figs. I'm like, guys, I'm sure they're fine. Figs are fine. They're the most Baptist. Oh, you said figs.

Oh, no. Back to that. But I also love all the little details in Homer's room are exactly a child of the 60s. The little feet stickers on the wall. There's a light bright. So I'm just imagining it's one of the writers rooms. All of their rooms together they remember having like the kiddie record player,

light bright, the peace sign on the wall too. And I would buy a Simpsons version of that operation game. It's just a dude with purple hair that I wanted. In all the history, there must have been a Homer operation game. Of all the things they've licensed. There's been like Simpsons Battleship

at this point. Simpsons Clue. Smithers is the French maid. If you make it now, we get a check. It definitely exists. It totally exists. But also, just the way Homer passes out is so cute. It does remind you, or reminds me of being a kid

and falling asleep, like your mom tucking you in and putting you to sleep. It's very nice. You get regular Operation for $17, or Operation Simpsons for $62. Guess that one might be out of print, at least? Maybe.

I'm sorry, I have to know. I have to know. You take out short ribs, but they're just ribs. Pot belly. It's just the pot. This is awful. I never liked playing Operation. It was not my favorite.

It's all about anxiety. Exactly, yeah. Uno for me. None of that Operation. Also, if you're playing Operation at, like, a daycare or at a summer camp or whatever, every piece was gone oh for sure it was just the electrocute yourself game like it was not again uno you could lose a couple cards you could still play you know same with uh scrabble sorry yeah guess who you couldn't do too good with

that yeah but uh anyway then we also get to see abe and like abe is definitely more aged than her which has to work because like I know he says he's aged terribly from raising him alone but it's also like he's a World War II veteran and she's in her early 30s so he has to be like late 40s at this time. Yeah he looks much older than her in the flashback

because he's also like an alcoholic and a slob and a white beater. It's it's real depressing. When you see Abe, you're like, fuck, poor Homer. You're going to be left with this guy. No more Mona. His wild, untamed facial hair revealed a new world of rebellion, of change. A world where doors

were open for women like me. But Abe was stuck in his buttoned down plastic fantastic Madison Avenue scene. Look at them side burns. He looks like a girl. Now, Johnny Unitas, there's a haircut you could set your watch to. So, Mother Simpson, where did your newfound

sense of irresponsibility take you? I soon found people who shared my views at the State College. Anthrax, angry swimmers here! Get your germ lab out of here! Now! How could I not become a radical when we were fighting a force of pure evil? Hey, hey, Mr. Burns, enough already with the germs! Oh, their're flower powers?

No match for my glower power. That's some nice glowering, Mr. Burns. I like how they pitch up with him a bit. It's beautiful. Hey, so, it's so, it's obviously such a beautiful, thing of like well what radicalized her joe namath's on kemp tear like an nfl quarterback and joe namath would be a guest in season nine's bart star when his car breaks down to the vapor lock vapor lock yeah it's a beautiful guest shot on there and and also johnny united said previously been on the show in the last david silverman

directed episode before this hom Homing the Clown. Johnny Unites, probably. Oh yeah, the mustache trimmer thingy, right? Lady Krusty. And also, this episode is so expensive with the music. It really is. Correct me if I'm wrong,

but that music was the Jimi Hendrix all along the Watchtower cover. And there was no lyrics there, so it could have, it might not have been the master, but it really sounded like the master to me. Yeah, it sounded like Smoke in the Water to me, too. We couldn't, we're not there yet, but they couldn't afford Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go in a future scene. They spent it on all the other songs here.

Not that I would think ABBA is particularly cheap. So I want to talk about the counterculture roots of this episode. In that Mona Simpson is based on Bernardine Dorn, a member of the Weather Underground. Now, Henry made a good point. People are worried about leftists on college campus because they're going to make a dumbass not speak here. But it's like, there were

far leftist groups blowing up government buildings, stockpiling weapons, stuff like that. It was serious shit. The radical left then were not people who had blogs. Yeah, they did not have blogs. They weren't people who rightly protected gender neutral bathrooms, all that stuff. They said, well, we have to blow up a government building because this war in Vietnam is atrocious. And to be fair

they try to uh limit the amount of fatalities they would like warn people before they blew up the buildings but they did kill people uh they killed some of themselves on accident through explosions things like that but bernie dorn she uh didn't kill anybody so i think they wanted to base mono after the mo the person whose hands were the cleanest yes who would only end up so she went on the run along with the other weather underground folks would only end up... So she went on the run, along with the other Weather Underground folks, turned herself in in 1980. So she was on the run for a decade. On the FBI's most wanted list, too.

But then she only... She got off on some technicalities and only did a year. And when she got out, she became a lawyer and a big-time lefty lawyer in Illinois. And she made the news in 2008 because John McCain can make a connection to her to Obama like she worked with Obama on something and so then they tried to gin up outrage over like Obama's working with this far-left criminal you know like yeah she's a lawyer in Illinois he was a lawyer in Illinois big fucking deal I think I think, too, though, in this episode, they had to make it about chemical warfare. Like, they had to be choosy of the things she'd be against instead of, like, police violence or Vietnam.

Or she joined the Black Panthers or any of those things. Whatever the fuck was happening in Selma. Bad stuff. Not good. Burns at age, well, 27 years ago from a 104-year-old man would make him 74. No, sorry, 77. So 77-year-old Burns is the perfect enemy for a bunch of hippies, for sure. Also, yeah, the Weathermen were kind of in the news recently.

I think others got dug up not too long ago. They were classic terrorists before terrorism brought you visions of a person who isn't white. That's true. But anyway, yes, nice claramist to me. You've talked about this before, Bob, that it's good that Wiggum should be seen as older than Homer, not the same age. He's about 10 years older than Homer. And then in future flashbacks where it's kind of like Little Archie's where everyone is the same age and coexisting in the same sphere. I don't care about that as much. I like the show Gotham.

Oh, right. I love Mona's radical costume, like her gray sweater, black pants, and French cap. She's pretty cute. French. Her French cap. And also the way, another great animation bit, the way Abe drinks his beer completely upside down, just sucking out of it.

He couldn't be sunk down further in his chair. He's just all the way in his chair. His head is nearly against where the ass of the chair is. We call that doing the gerbil when you turn your bottle completely upside down. And if you find yourself drinking like that, you might have a problem. It shouldn't have to enter your stomach that fast. Oh, sorry. Yes, Chris. You were saying that was Deep Purple.'s all along the watchtower for the bomb part that's my bad how we use electricity can be smarter cleaner and greener

at electric ireland we can help guide you there you see our new net Zero Hub has all you need to know about smart meter plans, EV tariffs, solar panels, and much more. Making your usage clearer, your trips greener, your home cozier, and your world brighter. Find our Net Zero Hub at electricireland.ie. And that Spiro Agnew clock is real. It's a real item. Whoa! I didn't know that. Yes, it was a parody of the famous Mickey Mouse clock,

but Spiro Agnew was a comical figure in the vice president. Well, Bob, who was Spiro Agnew? He was the vice president of Nixon, and he resigned. Out of shame, but not even Watergate shame. Like, he had his own shame. Yeah. Of bribery in Maryland. Lots of bribery, yeah.

And he resigned, allowing Gerald Ford to take his space, who he was the House Majority Leader. And that's why Gerald Ford is the only president who was never actually elected, other than George Bush. Do you like pardons? He loved pardons quite a lot.

And yeah, Spiro Agnew, there's a funny story, I think, on the commentary where Groening says he'd seen Spiro Agnew when he was a kid. And he was like, eh, he's been made fun of enough. I think when he moved to L.A., he saw him eating at a pizza restaurant and was like, he has suffered enough. But has he really? I don't think so. No.

No way. It's such an awesome misdirect that you think, until you see the word antibiotics on the thing, you are led to believe they have done what the weatherman weather underground did i never thought of a bomb you are supposed to think they are going to blow up this building and so it's it's it's a really cool misdirect and use of the screen to not show that antibiotics until the last minute though i don't know about the science of if you released a ton of antibiotics it would kill all germs in a room. I don't know about that. Or cure asthma. I don't know. That's true. It must be every antibiotic. I would think it would be more likely you would be overdosed

on antibiotics and go into some sort of toxic shock. I think that's more true, but it's alright. And it killed rocket pneumonia and the boogie woogie. Yeah. The boogie woogie influenza. Which I think a lot of our friends are suffering from right now. All right, so then Mona is ruined by her kindness.

You poor man. Let me help you up. You just made a very big mistake. You'll spend the rest of your life in prison. My asthma's gone. Listen to me breathe. From that moment on, my life as I knew it was over. Only one member of the Springfield Seven was identified.

She's been described as a woman in her early 30s, yellow complexion, and may be extremely helpful. For Channel 6 News, I'm Kenny Brocklestein. Forgot about that joke. Yeah, see? He was secretly Jewish. At the start of his career, he had a different name.

Kenny Brocklestein. Kenny Brocklestein. That's such a terrible name. He would have changed his name then. That doesn't make sense. It's fine. Maybe when he moved up to higher on the Channel 6 News. I can't put a guy front and center named Kenny Brockles. And yeah, Wiggum is so pitched up there.

But it works. It works for it. They normally don't do that, though, with their characters. I have a flashback like that. But I also just love that Mona didn't have to help Mr. Burns and honestly shouldn't have. Let him die. Let him wait.

They try to make her as sympathetic as possible. She didn't kill anyone, and she also tried to help Mr. Burns. She planned no violence. She was a good terrorist and on the run. I like that. It's a cute fix for her. And then also just the heartbreak of, like, she's ruined. Like, if she stays in town, she will be caught.

They don't know her name, but that's all they don't know. We're talking about pitching up Wiggum's voice. I think Dan Castaneda did a great job of doing another middle-aged Abe. It's like he still sounds way too old, but it's not quite grandpa old. Yes, that's true. And that's how checked out he is, too, that he's just like, yeah, whatever. He didn't care. care uh checking out soon oh and here's a funny story though about a personal story about that moment all right so when burns wakes up and sees her face and then there's the

dramatic sting in my area there was a local news alert that popped up on screen of like local news alert, person missing or something like that. I forget what it was. So forever on my Simpsons VHS tape I recorded off it whenever it comes to that dramatic sting it looks like it is accompanied by text on the bottom. Amber alert.

It reminds me of when I recorded the Critic pilot, the first episode to air, it was just full of blizzard alerts. Obscuring like 5% of the wonderful animation. I've got to tell you, I'd rather watch that than the DVD version. You can find it. Then Mona says goodbye in a very sad scene. Homer.

I'll miss you, Homer. I thought I dreamed that kiss. I'm so sorry I misjudged you, Mom. You had to leave to protect your family. How did you survive? Oh, I had help from my friends in the underground. Jerry Rubin gave me a job marketing his line of health shakes. I proofread Bobby Seale's cookbook.

And I ran credit checks at Tom Hayden's Porsche dealership. I did look all these up, by the way. Me too. I can't believe how specific they are. I never paid attention to this. Yeah, these are all accurate jokes except for the third one, which is the joke. The third one is the joke. Thomas Hayden is a real person.

Yeah, it's a comment on how every counterculture figure eventually sells out because of capitalism and because you have to survive. Yeah, well, what are they going to do? Live on the outside of society poor and start to make a cookbook without selling out? Can't you? By the way, like Jerry Rubin, I think Elise Mona's lines fictionally justify them selling out to a

degree because that gave them money that they could funnel to friends in the underground i didn't find out about this until the movie the weather underground which i just blind watched uh back in college but yeah there's a documentary called the weather underground so more about these folks i believe jerry rubin's the only one who is dead now he was an anti-war activist bobby seal was a co-founder with huey p new Newton of the Black Panthers right out of Oakland, California. Woo! East Bay.

And Thomas Hayden was a radical left intellectual once married to Jane Fonda. I forgot about that. Yeah, so Rubin did market health shakes, like nutritional supplements. Yeah. And Bobby Seale's cookbook came out in 1987. It's called Barbecue with Bobby Seale,

Hickory and Mesquite Recipes. So get that out of your library. It really is. I figured there'd be some mention about his past. I mean, he doesn't hide from his past, and he'd also went to jail for his Black Panther stuff, which

obviously he was trying to feed poor kids in Oakland. How dare he? But also, when he got out, he ran for mayor in Oakland in the 70s and came in second. Oh, you're right. That was a nice way of saying you lost. He came in second. There's no losers in that. Hillary Clinton came in second. That was a nice way of saying you lost. There's no losers in that. Hillary Clinton came in second.

Why did they come just to boo her? Okay, so find out about those space food sticks. Well, Homer's care packages. I love that deleted scenes with the space food sticks. It's just too bad that they obviously had no time. This was a tight episode.

It really was, but that will show up in a few weeks for the clip show. Oh, man, I can't wait to get to 138. But they go to the post office for some cute post office jokes, but really it's to move along the plot. Wait a minute. There's one thing I don't understand. In all those years, why didn't you ever try to contact me? But I did. I sent you a care package every week. In all those years, why didn't you ever try to contact me?

But I did. I sent you a care package every week. Oh, come on, Mom. We use that same line on the kids when they're at camp. But I did. I really did. I'll prove it to you. Any undelivered mail for Homer J. Simpson? No.

I'll wait this. That's what happens when you don't tip your letter carrier at Christmas. Yes, I'd like to send this letter to the Prussian consulate in Siam by aeromail. Am I too late for the 4.30 autogyro? Oh, I better look in the manual. Ignorance. Wait a minute. I know that woman.

But from when and in what capacity it's her at last this book must be out of date I don't see Prussia, Siam or AutoGyro keep looking so there's been a picture of Mona Simpson in the post office for I don't know 30 years 27 years

that Homer never noticed but yeah it's a great scene even though the candy never pays off it's the catalyst that will send Mr. Burns after Mona again. He can never remember Homer's name. Someone he encounters every day. One second. And it's involved in most of the most important moments of his life. But he remembers Mona, which is, I think, a secret joke to all of this.

I love that gag. And also, autogyros still technically exist. They're not used all that much. But it's just a different type of helicopter basically. But, uh, obviously Prussia no longer exists. I am became Thailand.

Yes. Yeah. Though we'll always have Siamese twins. That wonderful, uh, uh, good lady in the tramp zone. Politically correct.

Yes. So join twins, but I, I do hate it that the squeaky voice team, like that's the joke that these don't exist yeah well and he thinks auto gyro is a country why couldn't he even said one thing something other than that when he came back well i do like i it is obviously like a that's the joke moment but that he thinks that his books are out of date because these things

are new i guess that is an extra gag yeah i didn't i didn't see that he thinks his stuff is out of date because these things are new. I guess. That is an extra gag. Yeah, I didn't see that. I didn't notice that. He thinks his stuff is out of date, not Burns' terminology. So, you know, there's a little extra gag there. But speaking of Burns being out of date, I'd say... Oh, boy. Only his interest in dead baseball players is more old-timey than this. Are you sure this is the woman you saw in the post office?

Absolutely. Who could forget such a monstrous visage? She has the sloping brow and cranial bumpage of the career criminal. Ah, sir. Her analogy was dismissed as quackery 160 years ago. Of course you'd say that. You have the brain pan of a stagecoach tilter. At any rate, the FBI will track

down this mystery woman and put her behind bars. How does it happen, Joe? How does what happen? How does a sweet young lady mortgage your future for a bunch of scraggly ideals and greasy haired promises maybe she thought the war in southeast asia was so immoral her end justified the means gee joe you haven't been the same since your son went crazy in vietnam it's a pain that never ends so this is this joke This is so bizarre I always forget about this part of the episode

Where the characters from Dragnet show up to help Mr. Burns Literally the characters from Dragnet It's the second Dragnet cast member To play themselves Joe Friday and Bill Gannon are there That's who they are Except they're FBI agents now Not LAPD officers

We have the Dragnet clothes from what episode of that? Marge gets arrested Oh yeah, my ATK is Marge gets arrested. Oh yeah, the my canes, my AT canes, Marge on the land. Marge on the land. Right, that's right. But yeah, the joke is that Joe Friday is sympathizing with hippies because his son went crazy

in Vietnam. In the series, he is the squarest of squares who just will look down and spit upon any sort of leftist ideals. In the 60s and 70s, he brought back Dragnet to mainly complain to hippies on a show. Multiple episodes of the show was like, you kids today take these things for granted. Look, we're all for the First Amendment, but you kids need to settle down.

A clip from one of those episodes circulates pretty frequently. What, the Rob Reiner clip? Is that, was he Little Boy Blue? Yes. Classic Little Boy Blue. I tell you what, growing up in our time, it was during World War II under a hit that was pretty heavy too, man. But we did what we had to do.

Jack Webb died in 1982. He could not voice Joe Friday. Bill Gannon, Death Jingle Time. It's Death Jingle Time. Oh, God, we haven't done it in a while. Death stalks you at every turn. Stop. There it is. Death. death we have done in a while please don't tell me the oldest looking guy in track is dead he died in 2011 at age 96 wow lived a full life yes harry morgan lived a long time i i knew him not from

watching dragnet reruns of nick and knight but from watching Dragnet, the 80s film, which is very bad and not good, but it was on HBO. Freedom of rights! Dad rap. In the film, Dan Aykroyd plays, I believe, the son of Joe Friday. It's like the next generation. Joe Friday has to be dead in that

world because he didn't want to recast him. It's just Bill Gannon is his boss in it. So many characters are a Jack Webb impression, including corn fed from duckman he's a jack webb impression also the design for joe friday uh is set on the commentary bill oakley got an issue of mad magazine from the 50s with the parody dragged net and they chose the drawing of joe friday done by will elder he's like this is what he should look like. So he looks exactly like that. I looked it up. I think my favorite Jack Webb parody is Jack, I believe his character is called

Jack Webby, and on Mr. Show, him apologizing for his hard right views with a calendar, a page a day calendar. Back then, I blamed the communists for my wife leaving me. I was very angry, but that's not who I am anymore.

And they joke on the commentary of, like, this is so clearly Jack Webb, but we call him Jack Webby, so it's totally fine. No one will ever know. Bob Odenkirk was born to play Jack Webb, because he is that angry and square in his heart. But also, the phrenology scene feels different after seeing Django Unchained, which has a very horrifying phrenology scene. Though I also think that that phrenology head is the exact one that is used on the album

cover for The Roots' phrenology album. Okay. Phrenology is like this pseudoscience of measuring how smart you are. Yeah. The size of your head. The size of your skull. Like, that was the entire speech in Django Unchained by Candy was just like, look at her brain. This means that this slave is stupider than me.

She's my property. I'll crack it open. That was this belief of dumb old science that was popular because it told people they were lesser than you. They spent a ton on song rights in this one. Also for the Dragnet theme, too, just to play it. There's three. But, yeah, we get. I love this.

I do love this. Nobody told Grandpa his wife was back in town. Quick, Grandma, hide! No door is going to keep me from my meddling! Stand up straight, Bart. Abe? What the hejip? Now here's a piece of bad news.

Oh, Abe. You've aged terribly. What do you expect? You left me to raise the boy on my own. I had to leave, but you didn't have to tell Homer I was dead. It was either that or tell him his mother was a wanted criminal.

You were a rotten wife and I'll never, ever forgive you. Can we have sex, please? Oh, eh. Well, I tried. What's for supper? I love the way you've aged terribly. That's a mean thing to say.

He has. Well, he already was older than her, but I did need an explanation of like, she looks like she's in her soft early 60s. He looks 90, or God only knows knows, as Marge puts it. We've seen him originally as a brown-haired person, not a turnip skulled, whatever that thing is. That's horrible. He's a horrifying old man.

But his implication that he was aged by raising Homer alone, I like that idea. And that's the closest you're going to get to an excuse for why he lied and told Homer his mom died while he was at the movies. He's like, well, just justify the means. It was too, I think I'd rather know my mom is alive than not know she's a criminal. Yeah. I'd kind of go with that. Ava's made some mistakes. uh so i cut out a scene between these two but i just love these these two gags on the witness conversation scenes that you'll see in any police procedural show it's just uh it's so great

yeah i might have seen that it's hard to tell from this old picture you know well according to our computer aging program she should look about 25 years older. Yeah, I seen her. That is to say, I saw her. Yep, I saw her. That is to say, I seen her. She seemed like a nice lady. Well, that nice lady set the cause of biological warfare back 30 years. We're only now finally caught up. Two more ladies come by earlier that day. One was real pretty. The other, sort of plain. That's a Patty and Selma,

which is really funny. Yeah. And I don't think we've ever had a scene with Patty and Selma in Mr. Burns before or since. I'm like,

what an odd pairing. Yeah, you're right. I don't think so. Mr. Burns kind of hates being in a scene with them, even, it seems like. Yeah. I just love that both the taxi driver and the gravedigger think that they're being clever.

Like, I saw her. That is to say, I seen her. And we can't show you the visual joke, but I love when he turns around the computer to show the number 25. 25. And it's shock. I'm like, I have seen her. Just the number 25 helps him. So good. even though 24

is the highest number I'm trying to get the most Mr. Show references possible on this episode I'll deal with you in a minute but the

then there is the little I'm a hippie thing have you guys ever tie dyed clothes I did it a couple times I think I did it once in the late 80s

that was fun born in the 80s it's a puff paint puff paint on a shirt oh yeah I mean it's coming back I think we tie that with Kool-Aid too

but the gag here is that these are not the things hippies said no it's the opposite look at me grandma I'm a hippie peace man

groovy bomb Vietnam four more years up with people you know grandma I used to think maybe I was adopted. I couldn't understand how I fit into this family.

Now that I met you, I suddenly make a lot of sense. I'm so glad to see the spirit of the 60s is still alive in you, kid. Then we get a reference to Laugh-In, which I was very confused by as a child, but I have to say, if you want

people to pay attention to your political messages paint them on a young Goldie Hawn. It's the best billboard. There's plenty of clips you can find on YouTube. I did. Did you watch this on Nick at Night? I did.

I was like what the fuck is this? I did. It had just enough in there for a kid to latch on to it because there's a bunch of catchphrases and repetitive shit. Clownish things will happen like water will splash on somebody.

You can't do that on television for adults. Of course, sock it to me. Sock it to me. I'm meeting you hippies halfway. I remember going to school and we would say very interesting but stupid. That's from laughing. Or Ruth Buzzy smacking people with her purse

or the guy falling off his tricycle. But then when I would watch it, there would be moments where I was like, what? The Vietnam was what now? The people popping out of doors. I was like, what's behind those doors? Oh, you're right, Chris. People popping out of doors is like people popping out of lockers.

You can't do that on television. It's all the same. Wow. Oh, my God. I was laughing. There are just more barf jokes on You Can't Do That on television. What do you think's in the burgers? What do you think's in the air?

That's how they do it. Oh, and when I now got that as, I believe, a joke when Smithers says, we're just now starting to catch up, as in saying, like, this pushes back 30 years. It was 27 years ago. Oh, you're right. That is a joke. They are just starting to catch up with being pushed back 30 years. I do like much earlier when Burns

is saying, he's like, those germs never hurt anyone. They never had a chance. The investigation comes to a point here which I, this is my line of the episode. I don't know about you guys. That's the joke. Man, we're going to need your assistance in locating this individual.

Oh, you're fresh. Don't you want to play good cop, bad cop? Man, we're all good cops. I had no intention of playing the good cop. Look, we know you bought the tombstone. We know the fugitive visited that tombstone. Whose tombstone was it? Just lift up your coffee cups and see.

Good Lord! Put out an APB on a useless R-D-WO? Better start with Greektown. That's all I'll do, Simpson Chief. You're reading it upside down. Cancel that APB. But bring back some of them gyros. Chief,

you're talking into your wallet. Thank Josh Weinstein for Eustwis Ardiwo. I love it. He was obsessed with. When you see it from that angle in that typeface, it does look a little like Eustwis Ardiwo, but it's just so perfect is i just love

used with sardino so much and greek town yeah greek town it's a really nice added touch that patty and selma want the death of homer so bad they're using that as a coffee table they're like we want to think about homer dying every second we're in our apartment uh and also that he's talking into his wallets yeah how we use electricity can be smarter cleaner and greener at electric ireland we can help guide you there you see our new net zero hub has all you need to know about smart meter plans ev tariffs solar panels and much more making your usage clearer your trips greener your home cozier and your world brighter find our net zero hub at electricireland.ie though if you know that wigum this entire time does not want her caught that's right how much is i'm sure it's a little from call me andby, but how much is Wiggum doing it bad on purpose

or trying to prevent them from catching her? You know, looking back on it, I think the Eustace Ardiwo thing is him being stupid, but I think the Wall thing is him faking a call in. I think you're just right. Damn. Also, another thing I caught for the first time in this is when they lift up the coffee cups to see the name Homer J. Simpson,

the only one who audibly reacts to the name is Smithers, because obviously the two FBI agents aren't going to know, and Homer Simpson is a name that is meaningless to Burns, so only Smithers is like, whoa, Homer Simpson, oh no! I really love, hearing it in the clip, I love Mr. Burns being repulsed by Selma, like, ugh. He can't stand that he's having to be in their apartment and hear them talk. So, yeah, so we get the gag.

Like you said earlier, Bob, they couldn't get Wham's Wake Me Up Before You Go Go too expensive. I've just read somewhere that it was not in time for the episode to air. They say expensive. They said they wanted $25,000, and they said, no thanks. Which makes me think the other 60 songs might have been cheaper, more realistic. I don't know.

They spent so much on songs. It's also like ABBA isn't cheap. ABBA's very famous, too. Worldwide. Waterloo is not the biggest ABBA song, though. No, it's probably on the low end, but a little history on Waterloo, folks. The place.

Napoleon invaded. No, no. So Waterloo was their debut hit song. Okay. At Eurovision, the reason why anybody gives a shit about Eurovision is because the competition of Eurovision is where ABBA made their, at least, Europe-wide debut. Eurovision is, I guess, like American Idol, but for dumb European countries.

But no, it's where they have a competition of like, England has this group, France has this group, and Sweden in 1974 had ABBA, who were, if you can watch the video on YouTube of their Eurovision performance,

it's very toned down compared to what you'll see Eurovision performances are today. But it blew people's minds in 74 hearing them sing Waterloo. It made them megastars in Europe, and then it came over to America, too. And ABBA famously broke up in the 70s never got back together yeah it still happens I think there's like a standing offer of like 900 billion dollars if they reunite and they won't do it it seriously was a billion dollars yeah they were offered and I think uh actually Chuck Klosterman in one of his books has a really good thing on the history of ABBA and he talks about a billion dollar I think he's just like that's too high to say yes like no whatever they do however good they are to perform together

everyone will just be thinking well this is a billion dollar reunion this isn't good enough yeah i mean i do like abba but i will say wake me up before you go go would have been a funnier and gayer choice yes it is look abba isn't not gay it's true it's true i like my conservative my parents conservative parent of my friends conservative parents, my friend's conservative parents like ABBA. Brett Elston likes ABBA. I just, I don't know. No, Wham is much more gay, right? Well, ABBA. In 1995.

ABBA are a bunch of straight people. It's two couples. That's another reason they haven't reunited because they are all divorced. And they're not Nazis like Ace of Base. Exactly, yeah. Ace of Base tried to be the new ABBA, but they're Nazis. it up guys it's true joke like uh all that she wants is a fucked up song about welfare queens yeah but in scare quotes i don't actually believe that yes the it's what they believe yes anyway let's hear some music i've been waiting 25 years for this moment.

I'm sorry, sir. I must have taped over that. Freeze. FBI. The jig is up. All right, I admit it. I am the Lindbergh baby. Wah, wah, goo-goo. I missed my fly-fly, da-da. Are you trying to stall us, or are you just senile? A little from column A, a little from column B. Sir, she's gone.

Great. So, of course, Burns in the tank, obviously a reference to Dukakis in the 88 election. I will say the biggest problem Democrats have is like, you think Republicans are tough? I'll be tough. I'll put people in jail. I'll get into a tank and it never works out. We vote for us and we put black people in jail too. We'll do it twice as hard. We don't like welfare queens either.

We'll do it. It's like, fucking Democrats. That's exactly why the government is shut down right now. At the time of this recording. Anytime you're listening. Gridlock! You know, actually,

hearing that again, if that instead cut to J. Interbug, J. Interbug, it would have been funnier. It would have been funnier. But that visual sequence of them raiding the house

to that song is just a wonderfully understated joke. I really like it. It is pretty great. And that Harry Morgan or the Dragnet guys are pointing guns at the Simpsons family, which is pretty weird when you think about it. That is true, yeah. And I just love all the acting on Grandpa.

I said it before when he does his hand motions for a little bit of column A and B. But also he says, I miss my fly, fly, dada. He moves his hand like in a plane and the limber baby was killed yes that's why he couldn't find it dead yes that's not a fun mystery it's just a but also the the impotent rage on burns was like yeah he lifts his fists up to his face it's i kept expecting him to pull his helmet off and throw it to the ground. Oh, I forgot he still has it on. That's almost a little too vigorous for Burns. But how did they get away? We made it, Homer.

It's all thanks to our anonymous tipster. But who are you? And why did you tip us off? Well, it's because of your old lady that I got rid of the asthma that was keeping me out of the economy. Thanks. Sure, just think of me as an anonymous friend who rose to the ranks of the Springfield Police to become Chief Clancy Wigg. Yank, yank, yank, yank, yank.

That was a really nice favor, even though Homer kicked him out of the B-sharps. Yeah, that's true. Wow. Again, I can't acknowledge that history. I brought it up during the live show, but that history does not exist between any of these characters. Yeah, again, those are questions for another time.

But, yeah, he's also so stupid that he's like, you're an anonymous tipster and just says his full name, but Homer is extra stupid by hanging up on him. Though this is, it's usually a competition when Wiggum and Homer are in scenes together. Like, who's the dumber one in this? They kind of shift from scene to scene. And then we get the heartfelt farewell, which before I play it,

listen for the dough because it is not Glenn Close's dough. That's true. Well, there's my ride. The underground awaits. At least this time I'm awake for your goodbye. Oh, Homer. Remember, whatever happens, you have a mother and she's truly proud of you.

Oh, hurry up, man. This electric van only has 20 minutes of juice left. Don't forget me. Don't worry, Homer. You'll always be a part of me. Ow! Don't forget me. Don't worry, Homer. You'll always be a part of me. No! Oh, the sound of the van. I can only hear it in audio form.

So, sad story time. Like I said, I have a deadbeat dad. And this scene really means a lot to me because I remember, as a little kid, if your dad leaves and you're like four or five, you're like, what are the rules? Can any parent just leave whenever they want? My single mom would go to class or to work. I would just stand in the window and wave until she was way too far away from me to see

her or her to see me. And people like adults around me would comment like, that's very sad. That's an extremely sad thing Bobby's doing. Just having that feeling, it's like my mom might not come back. I think that's why this episode really hits home with me, because it's just like, I had those feelings.

Yeah, no, I... My mom won't leave me alone. You stable family children. How dare you have too much love. Oh, she's the worst. No, I definitely have these feelings of just like, a love from a mother, but not

having to say goodbye to her. Both my parents are still with us today, but it feelings of just like a love from a mother but not not having to say goodbye to her my both my parents are still with us uh today but it's it definitely gets you just like well you'll have to say goodbye to your mom someday but just those those words too of like you have a mother and she's very proud of you just like what more do you want to hear from a parent like it's just so and i did i guess maybe this also got me more too because i had some as i said i got married recently and had some heartfelt conversations with my mom on that day and so uh it touched me too in that way but oh man i'm avoiding talking to my parents so i don't

have to tell them my girl left me they can find out next christmas let's see how long i can go this last scene this last basically drawing is, it fucking wrecks me every time. I was watching this in public. I usually do a lot of my work in the pizza pub that's by my house because it's fun to hang out there. And I'm like, am I going to break down in public? Oh, that you should lens. Like, here comes the waterworks

whenever this, whenever the song is perfect and this beautiful shot of Homer, you never feel more sympathy for this stupid, mean man when it's like it humanizes him more than any other shot like he wants to be alone to process things and even when i so i was listening to the commentary this morning while playing monster hunter and just playing monster and i'm like fuck this scene is getting to me while i'm playing monster hunter and listening to comedy writers talk about it it's like almost pavloving at this

point like let me know out there this scene wrecks me and i was talking about it on twitter like or more than the futurama episode by jurassic bark yes i was like i don't like jurassic park i feel like it's too manipulative this is so simple and beautiful luck of the fryish gets me more than jurassic yeah it's better well it's also yes everybody's had a dog and it gets me on a dead dog way but i actually i have a complicated relationship with my brother too so seeing an episode about brother problems and luck of the fryish gets me on a dead dog way, but I actually, I have a complicated relationship with my brother too. So seeing an episode about brother problems and luck of the fry ish gets me more so.

Yeah. And I mean, I love animals, but I feel like a montage of a dog slowly dying is too much. Having a, a sad man like peer into the, into the, like the sky is beautiful.

And the song is so great. Homer, who's never been introspective once on the show, he's now alone with his thoughts just staring at the sky for hours. Yeah. Like, hours and hours.

He could go home, but he decides, I'm going to stay here all night and just stare at the sky. Especially after, like, you know, after an episode with a lot of movement. I'm thinking, sadly, as a person who... All this on-the-run stuff, and here's Homer sitting still.

Not on the run, but in terms of the animation. Everybody's moving around at a lot more fluid level. For the last minute, two minutes of the show, because they didn't allow them to squeeze the endings or do anything. This has to be shown at the end of this episode. It goes right to the credits. It's just two minutes of catharsis.

Yeah, and I believe David Silverman said he was drawing that scene at the table read because he just loved it so much. That's why that shot is so beautiful, too. David Silverman believed in that. No, this is the strong ending to this. I think, too, for a show that's as writer-driven as The Simpsons, that all depends on the art that's shot.

That doesn't work without a beautiful art. As someone who likes to hunt cheap animation cells, there's no movement. So the person who owns this kind of owns the only moment from this sequence people find moving. One of the five richest kings of Europe. I have to imagine it didn't leave the studio.

Somebody involved with the production kept this, as they should have. You're right, Henry. This just proves how important the artist of the show and how important David Silverman is. Yes. I'd say if we were to rank most important people to The Simpsons, I would say Groening has to be first. Probably. Dan.

Well, no, no, no. I'd say James. No, it would be David Silverman, Jim James L. Brooks. That's what I would say. In terms of writers, I guess voice actors would be different. Well, yeah, no voice actors. Just writers or animators. David Silverman was there from day one of the shorts.

He defined so many looks and characters in the whole world. And when Brad Bird wasn't the series director anymore, Silverman took over and he was more than up to the task to match it i hope we get to talk to him one day i really want to talk to him about pixar it seems strange that he was just there so briefly and then came back i mean i think they just needed help to finish monsters inc and so they brought in a ringer like who wouldn't get david silverman and i don't like that movie very much it's fine i love david silverman though and the art is fine the most touching part of monster inc is just a shot they stole from the Chuck Jones classic cartoon with the dog and the cat.

Oh, you're right. When Sully thinks Boo is dead, it's the exact gag. I guess I did make that connection 17 years ago. They say it on the commentary, which if you want to hear more David Silverman talking, you can hear him on the Monsters, Inc. commentary. Oh, but I forgot to say that, yes, the doe is not Glenn Close. They didn't think she did it exactly right. But they already had the temp track from Pamela Hayden, I believe. That's right.

Yeah, she did the entire temp track for Mona before Glenn Close came in. So they just kept her doe. So the last word you hear in this episode, the doe, is not Glenn Close. It's Pamela Hayden. And you wouldn't know unless someone told you. Yeah. It's very good. I mean, yeah, Pamela Hayden matched her voice very well or did a Glenn Close type very well,

but also like, doe! It's a scream, yeah. You say it in a weird... Though what kind of bugged me in first viewing of this episode was the commercials for this use that shot in it. Because they're like, well, we ought to have her say doe. It's a funny moment. It's like, you blew this moment a little bit in the commercials in it. Because they're like, well, we ought to have her say, Doe, it's a funny moment.

It's like, you blew this moment a little bit in the commercials for it. I guess you don't really have the context for that, Doe, though. But, yeah, you're right. It's kind of a waste of like, oh, how are we going to advertise this? Show the last scene of the episode. But for the first airing, they forced Fox to not put, like, coming up next on Martin. Yep, didn't squish it to the side, didn't do ads. Martin is feeling rather Randy.

On an all new rock it just lets you sit with it for a whole minute like a whole minute, it's beautiful but yeah, an amazing episode, the most emotional episode in my opinion, and again, Oakley and Weinstein regret not nominating this or submitting this for the Emmy, and I agree this should have been the show they submitted

it's just as touching as Lisa's Wedding and it's beautiful, and it's even better than having 3D animation on TV. I would say so, yeah. I think I'd also say in this episode, Homer had recovered from his liposuction really fast. That is true. Wow. But no, this is one of the most touching to me, too, for the reasons I said before.

I'm a real mommy's boy. Me, too. Me, too. And seeing all this stuff about a mother along with a father who's cruel to you. Like, yeah, this gets me. This gets me. I, my mom is not a radical leftist and didn't leave me for 27 years, but in a way, don't all mothers become radical leftists

and leave you for 27 years? Metaphorically, I don't know. So yeah, this has been great, everybody. Thanks for listening to Talking Simpsons. I've been your host, Bob Mackie. You can find me on Twitter as Bob Servo. My other podcast is Retronauts. That is a classic gaming podcast every Monday at retronauts.com or look for Retronauts in your

podcast catcher, if that's what they're called. We've been around since 2006, so we've probably done something you care about, and I recommend you look up one of those subjects and download the episode. I think it's good. Thank you. It is very good, and I'm H-E-N-E-R-E-Y-G on Twitter. You can find out all my updates on the show there. I retweet fun Simpsons stuff.

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