Talking Simpsons - Talking Simpsons - The Springfield Connection

Episode Date: January 3, 2018

Marge decides that's she's tired of the boring world of ham and celery soup, and joined the cops even as Wiggum laughs in her face. Even if it means arresting her husband or finding illegal smuggling in her carhole. Now get this before Gloria Vanderbilt gets after us for revenge!

this week's episode is brought to you by patreon at patreon.com slash talking simpsons not only you get access to every episode a week early and ad free but we have tons of extras including our two newest interviews we chat with mike scully about his time executive producing the show i ran it through seasons 9 through 12 which I always characterize as the four most consecutive seasons of the show. And we talked with writer Mimi Pond about what it was like to write the first episode of The Simpsons. You know, and I get to be the turd in the punch bowl every single time I tell this story,

because nobody wants to hear anything bad about The Simpsons. You can find all that and more exclusively on patreon.com slash talking Simpsons. I heartily endorse this event or product. Ahoy, ahoy, everybody. Welcome to Talking Simpsons, where we hope they have Us Magazine in heaven. I'm your host, Danger Liker Bob Mackie, and this is the Lazer Time Podcast Network's chronological exploration of The Simpsons. Who else is here with me today?

Henry Gilbert, and from this point on, no talking. Oh, it's going to ruin the podcast. Who else? Car hole Chris Santista. And today's episode is The Springfield Connection. I'm out of breath now. Today's episode aired on May 7, 1995 My 13th birthday And as always, Chris will tell us what happened on this mythical day in history

I turned 13 All the monkeys in the zoo Give their best regards to you, Bobby Happy birthday to you Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline come together for a French kiss This day, and dominating the top of the billboard charts For seven straight weeks Is how Montel Jordan does it and the

Sega Saturn stealth launches in North America. This is how we do it. This is how we do it. Sega should not have done that. And the one I deleted but I just wanted to talk about. I'll affect the voice. The Simpsons loses big time in the ratings because Jurassic Park makes its TV debut on NBC

and 65 million people tuned in making it the highest rated movie on television in almost a decade. That's insanity. It's two years old. You've watched it at this point. Think of your grandmother like, I've heard about this movie, but I refuse to go see it, and NBC is going to show it to me for free. That's when people will watch it. It was still a big deal to see movies this huge on broadcast TV,

like Terminator 2, I believe, was on Fox or something like that. It was like, wow, it's a novelty to see an expensive movie for free. It's almost the domain of TNT and cable now. It doesn't belong on networks. And if you're not a video game fan, you wouldn't know that the Sega Saturn was a cool system that was a giant failure but i liked playing it but they had the uh gutsy decision to at e3 the big video game

convention where they're up against the playstation uh sony announced that the playstation will be 2.99 which nobody thought it would be the price point because that's too cheap. They won't make any money. But then Sega to try to one-up them says the Saturn is $399 but it's out right now. Only at one store. Toys R Us. With two games that were barely done. The Virtua Fighters sucked.

Was Bug available? It was crazy and confusing because honestly, how did you learn about this? Through game magazines which have a two or three month lead time. It was crazy and confusing because, honestly, how did you learn about this? Through game magazines, which have like a two or three month lead time. So when they said this, there's no internet, there's no news articles, there's no Facebook feed. If they did that then, it might have gone a lot better for them. Yeah, there was no push notification telling me to buy a Saturn immediately. Yeah, if Apple told you right now that the iPhone X2 is coming out and they hadn't even shown it yet,

people would go nuts for it, no matter what it was. But I heard Sega Stealth launched early. What, months early? Because normally... Yeah, it was going to be September or October. It was out in Japan, but that's how it worked back in the day. You'd get a console in Japan, you'd wait and wait and wait, and the game magazines would write about it,

and you'd get it eventually. But by the time they wrote about it, the PlayStationstation was out that's yeah that's what print lead times were and it was a hundred dollars less and had cooler looking games because they saturn knew saturn wasn't ready to be a 3d game machine hindsight is 2020 because all the saturn's games hold up way better than those awful fucking origami you find in the playstation come about Ballerina Toshinden? Come on. I kid. I kid. That game's awful. No. But everything on the Saturn, I opted for the Saturn instead of an N64 or PlayStation. That's why you think it's better.

No, but I had never played things like Guardian Heroes or Dragon Force. And those games are objectively better than the first three years of Crash Bandicoot, Demolition Derby. What about Final Fantasy VII? I heard it's okay. I don't know anything about it. It's a small little game. I had a good time with Demolition Derby. What about Final Fantasy VII? I heard it's okay. I don't know anything about it. It's a small little game. I had a good time with Demolition Derby.

And Ridge Racer. That is the greatest joke of all time. But if I were to pop one of those in for you right now, one of them is unplayable. One you can barely look at. And the other one is Guardian Heroes. And it plays great, and you would love it. I'd play it right now.

I would play it right now. We turn on an Xbox One, and I think it's backwards compatible. Oh, yeah, the 360 release. So this episode, the Springfield Connection, the origins of this episode are, very briefly, Mike Reese, former showrunner, his wife, Denise Reese, I believe they're still married, briefly wanted to become an LAPD police officer. She was immediately talked out of it, I believe. She was later hired by Mike's agent

Gavin Pallone which I think is a name you hear on Seinfeld as well but there was a brief scare in which Denise a very petite woman I believe wanted to become an LAPD cop in the time where it was not great to be an LAPD cop I still think it's not a great idea

I think I have met her in person well by meet I mean stand near her because uh listeners if you're not on the patreon maybe you haven't heard this story I occupied the same space as Mike Reese at a uh comic-con event where I got to interview Dana Gould then Dana Gould was about to go off to have lunch with somebody and then when I look and see I was like that guy really looks like Mike Reese. And then he says two words. I'm like, that man is Mike Reese.

And then a very petite, like platinum blonde woman was there standing next to him, which is like, they're a funny looking couple because he has very Semitic features. Mike Reese does. And then meanwhile, you have like a hyper blonde petite woman. They made it work. 20 plus years together. Mike Reese tells the joke that he says that he posed

for anti-Semitic drawings to make money in college. And he always wears rugby shirts for some reason. In person he was wearing the rugby shirt that day too. He's been traveling around the globe, but he's always wearing

a rugby shirt. He's found his look. I'd love someday to interview him to ask him just about those rugby shirts. And I want to have both of you guys on a podcast because you both have very similar voices. What? I've always found that, yes. Prove me wrong, listeners.

Prove me wrong. This is a Marge Gets a Job episode, but they get a lot of fun out of it, and about how the cops suck, or just cop jokes are funny funny there's a lot of very relevant uh police brutality police overstepping their boundaries jokes in this episode that really echo more now than i think even then looking good damn right yes but uh as a kid i love any episode that starts with star wars music aren't you glad we got out of the house and came downtown for a little culture

they're butchering the classics could that bassoon have come in any more late oh come on homer there's lasers you like lasers laser effects mirrored falls john williams must be rolling around in his grave. Deviliciously satirical. I wonder if anyone else got that. We're out of here. I do like the word deviliciously. Deviliciously. And the Simpsons are at a very Hollywood Bowl-style event. Very much so.

It is my goal to go there. I've been there. What'd you see? I went there once in the year 1999 to see George Martin do a bunch of Beatles music without any of the Beatles. Whoa. That's neat. That was really fun as a 17-year-old who didn't know anything about the Beatles or their music. But when I was there, this is an anecdote I can only tell here in this context.

When I was there with my friend visiting him, his dad lived in L.A. and his mom lived in Ohio. We were there, and I see a credit card on the ground of the Hollywood Bowl. We were off to get soda and treats or whatever. And whose credit card would it be but Jess Harnell, the voice of Wacko Warner? What the fuck? And you waited until now to tell me? We found the credit card of Jess Harnell. I mean, he's a voice actor, of course, but we were like, of course he would be here.

He has to be a huge Beatles fan. We could have kept that card, but we turned it in as responsible teens. Or you could have just made him find you and, oh, let me be a voice in Animaniacs. Oh my god. I bet he remembers losing his credit card at that event. It sucks that we can't yet entirely comment, are

this music and The Simpsons owned by the same people again or not i don't know i don't know yet no i mean uh yeah recording in advance also the hollywood bowl setting is funny because in september 2014 the simpsons did three nights at the hollywood bowl monorail song uh yearly smith and kip lennon did Lisa's Birthday. Yeah, there's so many beautiful clips from it on the old YouTube. Did you guys see Leo Kapowski came back on The Simpsons recently? No, I missed that. I've only heard about it.

Future episode. Yeah. They are really mining old episodes lately on the show. It's not so much that it's that they're really, I think the lack of Futurama means once a season they have a flash forward episode of The Simpsons and it will scratch your Futurama itch. It's always fun.

It's not just like that. I mean, not just Lee and Kampowski, but like two episodes ago or a few episodes ago, they brought back the monorail for a joke. But Kip Lennon did his voice again and sang the song again. It was great. And also they had the sort of sequel episode to Camp Krusty that I talked about on here a month ago it wasn't a fan and i'd say uh as of this recording john williams is still alive at 85 miraculously still alive i'm knocking on wood still composing yeah i loved jj abrams told such a cool story about working with

him on the uh the force awakens that he said that john williams is just like this esoteric jazz guy who just happens to have written the most popular music of the last like 50 years not just star wars but also the superman theme the harry potter theme e.t jaws jurassic park every iconic uh in the theme like superman in there yeah superman okay i thought so superman in the star wars theme sounds so different they're not at all similar they're very different damn yeah 30 year old slam i also love that hibbert uh joke i've absolutely been hibberted things saying like i wonder if anybody else got that joke that i got like i didn't know i usually just laugh harder i'm like ha ha ha i get that joke i didn't even really hear it until without the just laugh harder. I'm like, ha, ha, ha. Ha, ha, ha. I get that joke.

Ha, ha, ha. I didn't even really hear it until without the picture that it's like Mary had a little lamb. Is that the big thing you're talking about? No, it's Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star to go with Star Wars. No one's going to believe I'm an audiophile now. There's several lambs in Star Wars. Don't worry. It all checks out either way.

So then they're heading home and actually in a very Batman thing of them walking home through a dangerous alley. Whoa, careful now. These are dangerous streets for us upper lower middle class types. So avoid eye contact. Watch your pocketbook and suspect everyone. Three card Monty. Woohoo, easy money.

Homer, these games are fixed. Then how come that guy's winning? Whoa, I like totally want to get it. Way to go, bro. He looks? Whoa, I like totally won again. Way to go, bro. He looks and acts just like the dealer. I think they're related, or at least in cahoots. Just pick the red card. It's totally not hard.

Twenty on this one, my good man. Sorry, dude. Black. Homer, he cheated you. You're giving three-car money a bad name. Surely you don't blame me. It's people like you who are ruining our downtown promenades and piazzas. How dare you prey on the greedy and stupid like this? Buh-bye.

Okay, so the taxes are bad, guys. I know. Right when I said they're giving three-car money a bad name. Right when I said they never did it again, they did it two episodes later. But that is important. Brett, this makes Round Springfield. This and PTA Disbands make Round Springfield seem like such a season one episode. It's a real low between the two episodes. And putting funny words in Marge's mouth like promenades and piazzas.

Yes. Also, that has stuck with me so long, that distinction of upper, lower, middle class is where the Simpsons are. That describes my upbringing, so I appreciate this descriptor. Which, as I deconstructed it, it means the Simpsons are in the broader middle class. They're in the lower section of the middle class, but in the upper section within that lower section. They're almost middle, middle class. I am almost that if I didn't live in the most expensive city in the country. No, man.

We would live like kings in Alabama. Like hell damn ass kings. All the CC's pizza we could eat. It would be amazing. It is. I did double check. Snake's Brothers one and only appearance. I know.

I'm surprised. I love when they create doubles for a character and so then a different actor has to do an impression of them. It's just like asking Dan to do an impression of Snake. I love when they create doubles for a character and so then a different actor has to do an impression of them. It's just like asking Dan to do an impression of Snake. I love that. Whoa, that's totally the right car. I think he died during a crime. I bet he died.

Doing crimes. We can't not acknowledge that Marge has on her formal Hollywood Bowl white pearls. Yeah. And Wiggum has on his formal Hollywood Bowl black hair. He's got black hair in like three scenes in this show. I his formal Hollywood bull black hair. That's every night shot. That's like three scenes in this show. I think they just

fucked up there. That's a mistake. I think he originated with black hair or they just got confused early on. When he's talking about El Barto in season one

he definitely has black hair. But it's always at night so it's either a mistake or something they thought they had to do to set his hair apart from the blue sky in a blue uniform.

Perhaps. Perhaps. So I love that Marge, everybody else is not doing anything and just has a blank look and so Marge starts chasing him. I love her, come on, come on! And that's where we got the opening sound of

Homer taking four steps and dying. Without the animation, I just realized that goes on for a long time, all those effects. He makes it maybe 12 feet. And that's just his trembling on the ground, too. It's like, whenever I'm tired from

only running slightly more than Homer, but I wouldn't say that much more. Or walking up to the studio from pizza. I think just of Homer. And when it's all over, he's still out of breath. They continue the joke. I love the animation of Marge's hair rising as she's getting up to Snake. And then a realization of like, oh, I've cornered Snake.

What do I do now? Marge is powerful. It's a real dark moment for Snake that he is going to stab Marge Simpson on the show. She fucking clocks him down. She smashes his head in. He is concussed. They can still hear things. So yes, Marge gets her man.

Marge, are you okay? I think I'm okay. It was scary, but in a weird way, it was also kind of exhilarating. Yes, it is exhilarating to see the police get their man and save a hysterical woman. Oh, for crying out loud. Easy now, sweetheart. Homie's here. Homer's very dismissive of her there.

Was he not around to see Marge, like, owning Snake completely? No, because he had to be driven by the cops there because he not around to see marge like owning snake no because he had to be driven by the cops there because he couldn't move anymore he had he was still tired but uh man homer was just that's really dismissive to marge you're just like a hysterical hysterical woman yeah yes and that also that i this entire episodeiggum is very comfortable with being terrible. Yeah. Just him going like, we'll try to make it 12. Just that he wants to make it very easy for all the police. Both of their jobs, he wants both of their jobs to be easy.

He'll be an easy criminal, he'll be an easy cop. And in this episode, I really like the, they give Marge so much more like emotion and drive in this episode. And her finally realizing how boring her life is hey mom is this how you caught him face at least you're too puny to lisa i'm here to brother yeah like that really hurt mom is catching that guy the most incredibly exciting thing you've ever done? Well, it was pretty

exciting, but celery soup's pretty exciting too. Extremely slow chopping. I couldn't tell if it was slow chopping or a poor frame rate in that sequence. They didn't want to make more drawings to convey the slow chopping. They're like,

yeah, we'll just make as many drawings as we need to. Four frames will work for this chopping. That was such a well-observed kid thing of saying like, that really hurt, and you're just trying to pretend like, don't cry. That didn't hurt at all. It didn't hurt at all.

That is perfect 80s kid sarcasm. Yeah, totally. And I like how we see what Marge does during the day, even though she's having a different experience than she normally does. She switches over to deviled ham. And she just goes shopping. I love the animation of the cheese just engulfing her shopping cart. And her rolling under the garage door and then coming out and saying,

Marge! Marge! It's so great. Also, the one-time appearance of Benevin Stanchiano. Hey, Mrs. Simpson, I just got the new issue of Sponge and Vacuum. Thanks, Benevin Stanchiano. Ooh. Death sports.

Hmm. Alright, get in there. You're going down. I want a piece of him. You think you're pretty hot, huh? Well, we got everything we need on you. Excuse me. What, what, what, what, what, what, what? This better be about pizza.

Actually, I'm interested in becoming a police officer Welcome aboard I love that joke It's fantastic That is such a David Merkin joke It's fantastic Can I lie on the show? Let's give it that for now's fantastic that is such a david murkin joke it's fantastic let's give it that for now i think that's the joke i do want to bring up benjamin stanchiano and that he is a very scruffy style character like from futurama as if of course you know who this guy is and you know him by name and marge knows him too but it's like this is the one time

he appeared and it's like five names. Ben of instantiata. Yeah, that he's treated as a regular that Marge always sees at the newsstand. And, yeah. Oh, God. I love that. Scruffy don't know you either. You're right. Very scruffy.

The very 90s joke of there being too many specialized magazines. So we have Bear Baiter, Rock Jumper, Mosh Pitter, Danger Liker, Cliff Biker, and Glass Eater. All the danger sports. Danger Liker. Danger Liker. That's great. Yeah, this gag just reminded me of like, magazines are dead. There are no more magazines.

But this is really the era of extreme sports and bungee jumping and the X Games and all that stuff. Like this mid-90s period, those things are really taking off. Yeah, that's true. And then the introduction of the cops into the scene. Big props to the animators for, it's obvious, the joke is they have somebody other than a perp, but they hide that it's a pizza so well. You don't know that they're holding something that's not even a person. And every line they deliver is specific to pizza.

Like, we got everything we need on you. You're going to go down easy. Give me a piece of him. they deliver is specific to pizza. Like, we got everything we need on you. You're gonna go down. Easy. Give me a piece of him. I want a piece of him. It's all just beautiful. That was almost my intro line, too. It's better be my pizza. That's great. Wiggum stammering.

Yes, and then we also get a great Another great mislead joke. You did what? I borrowed your nail clipper. What's the deal? Nothing. I'm just a little edgy since your mother told me she wants to be a cop. Cool. Will you bring me along when you do evictions? You got it, little buddy. Or you being a cop

makes you the man, which makes me the woman. And I have no interest in that, besides occasionally wearing the underwear, which, as we discussed, is strictly a comfort thing. Homer, there's no reason for you to feel threatened. You'll always be the man of this house. Aw, dang, sonny.

Yeah, the kiss in Homer's leg rises in a very feminine way. I've kissed plenty of girls, and their legs have never risen like that. Movies have lied to me. Or I'm just a bad, bad kisser, I uh yeah or maybe you're too into the kiss to notice that true or maybe or maybe you're kissing women of general height to you i should start taping these things figure it out secretly film them but yes the a great subversion of the you did what yeah i borrowed your nail clipper yeah and that bart of all the things bart wants to see he wants to see evictions which like that's the depressing part of being a cop.

Yeah, and Marge is on board with that. You got it. You got it. She's totally fine with that. And also, I love the implication that in the past, at some point, Homer and Marge have had a conversation about him wearing women's underwear. Like, well, why do you wear women's underwear? It's a comfort thing. I told you.

I mean, there's no room for the meat and vegetables in women's underwear. How's a comfort thing. I told you. I feel like, I mean, there's no room for the meat and vegetables in women's underwear. How can it be more comfortable? And when you have, let's just call it meat and tackle. Yes. Wedding tackle. I don't care how silky smooth that can be. Those underwears suck for men. It's the worst. Well, you need to get them

like three sizes bigger. And they don't breathe. Yeah. I don't get it. Make sure your sack stick to your leg the worst we're all weirdos with external genitalia gross yeah mixed in silhouette it looks like batman's cleaning my left leg i don't care for it uh so marge uses her big ropey muscles to do great at that obstacle course like yeah she's awesome in the beginning and she's crazy good with a gun because uh originally she was somebody who could barely shoot a precious antique can. Now she's blasting away everybody except for the baby and the blind man.

They constantly subvert making a sexist joke at the expense of her gender. They almost do. Every time. Even at the time, like, they're going to make this joke, ah, women and walls. They never look for the door. Always taking the harder route, which is a metaphor for women in the workplace what yeah when the joke too of them laughing at her and then saying welcome aboard yeah the joke is supposed to be a woman wouldn't be allowed to join the force but they want to laugh at her and then they're like dad we include everybody like join in

the sentence will be right back. 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. much like mcgriff the crime dog you can help us out and take a bite out of our rent checks by supporting us at patreon.com slash talking simpsons bob and me do this full-time thanks to your support and there's a ton of stuff there you get for just five dollars a month let's start off with some of the most recent stuff such as interviews with people who'd worked on the show including former executive producer mike scully and mimi pond the writer of the first ever episode of the simpsons simpsons roasting on an open fire plus we did some crazy good exclusives this month including the end of our talking critic run

so we have done every episode of the criticic, including the horrible webisodes. We did our holiday special as voted on by our patrons, meaning we did an episode of Futurama in the Talking Simpsons styles. If you have been dying to hear us talk about Futurama and the way we do The Simpsons, we did it for Xmas Story, the classic Bad Santa episode with John Goodman in it. And so many more things you can find at patreon.com slash talking simpsons so why not go over there today? If you've been burned by too many

counterfeit jeans purchases, I have a clothing purchase for you that's much better. A Talking Simpsons t-shirt. We're selling them over at shirtsicle.com like popsicle but with shirts or you can get it at tiny.cc slash talking shirt and it's a lovely image drawn in the style of the ion springfield logo i have one myself they are very high quality and you know a great place to wear that shirt to the talking simpsons live

show that's happening in san francisco california on january 28th at 5 30 p.m if you head over there you'll be able to watch me and chris and bob do a live episode of talking simpsons a special one not a regular episode walkthrough and we're really excited to do it as part of sf sketch fest so check it out january 28 2018 hey this is jerry cooney professional boxer and official greeter of mr burns casino welcome to mr burns casino if there's anything i can do to make your visit more enjoyable please just let me know yeah Yeah, great. See ya.

You're listening to the guys on Talking Simpsons. Hey, is that bug off? Do you like shows like Laser Time, Vigigame Apocalypse, and 302010? Then you should know

these shows are almost entirely listener supported through patreon.com slash laser time. For as little as five bucks a month, you can make sure all Laser Time shows

keep going and get weekly exclusive uncensored and commercial free bonus show, Bonus Time, in return. Here's a taste. The thing I asked you guys to notice about me, which you still have not. Last guess. Last guess. Oh, it's not the teeth thing?

It's not the teeth thing. Uh, shaving? It's why everything's different. I probably seem a little weird. Not shaving. Uh, eating less? It's not what you're looking at me. It's not something that's on me. It's not what you're looking at me. It's not something

that's on me. It's something that I haven't done. Eat? I didn't get to eat. Deodorant? Are you wearing a diaper? No. What am I not doing? What have I not done? Vaping!

Wait a minute. You were vaping yesterday. Through no noble means. I dropped it this morning at 6 a.m. Oh, I see it in pieces here. Every moment from here on out is the longest I've ever been without it. Boy, with the stress of a trip and these teething and then no vaping, this is not a time to quit vaping. I'm saying, well, I'm not.

I wouldn't. Get your weekly bonus podcast, over 100 movie commentaries, exclusive videos, gameplay days, and more by supporting Lazer Time at patreon.com slash Lazer Time. Continuity error. Well, first off, Marge does her old driving course, which includes a speed reference, her jump on the incomplete thing. You have not seen Speed again. That movie's fantastic.

It's so good. I love the bus that couldn't slow down. It's one of my favorites. Marge is so strong and just perfect for this job. It reminded me of the opening of Zootopia. Oh, yeah, you're right. It's totally her training, Hop's training. Also, yeah, you're right. It's totally her training, Hop's training.

Also, though, here's the continuity error. Marge begins her driving test wearing the white T-shirt and her training outfit. Right, you're totally right. I caught this. And she is wearing her cop outfit when she finishes the test.

Yeah, so that Hard Rock Cafe shirt, she didn't need it. Also, I really hate magic eyes. They drive me crazy. I'm happy I haven't seen a magic eye in 10 years, nor a Hard Rock Cafe shirt. Yes. This puts this episode squarely in 1995.

You know what else had a magic eye reference in 1995? Mallrats. A pony. A schooner. The schooner. The schooner is a sailboat. I don't know why I have good vision, but I can't do magic eye. I've never been able to.

Can you guys unlock the secret of magic eye? Instantly. No way. I can do it. I fucking can't do it. It takes a bit, but I can look at something Eye. I've never been able to. Do you guys, can you guys unlock the secret of Magic Eye? No way, I can't do it. I fucking can't do it. It takes a bit, but I can look at something in an instant and do it.

Man, those really fell out of fashion quick. Yeah, but same with Hard Rock Cafe, which I've been to a Hard Rock Cafe. Have you guys been to one? I thought it was for rich people. My dad always refused

to take us there and then I found out a $10 cheeseburger. Accidentally at E3, it's the worst food I've ever had in my entire life. It's like Applebee's scale eatery, I thinky do you have anything without ranch dressing okay no okay i've been to

it twice uh and that includes uh only at the universal studios florida that's where i wanted to go i felt like summer camp like it was like a tattoo people would get during war they would all come back with a hard rock Cafe shirt proving where they'd been. And my dad would never let us go to one. I bought a bootleg in Times Square. Yeah, that's what he bought me for $3 in 1994. It was pink, purple, and green instead of the brown and gold. Well, now Hard Rocks aren't cool

because the thing about them was is that you're supposed to be surrounded by legitimate rock and roll memorabilia. Like, this is the actual gold record of somebody. Yeah, this is the apple crate Billy Joel sits on when he has to have pictures taken of next to other humans. But now rock and roll is not as big anymore, so I think probably it hurt the popularity of hard rock. I went to a really expensive video game event in Vegas a few years ago, maybe three or four years ago, and I stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel.

And I was walking around and I was thinking, this is the fantasy of someone 40 years older than me. And then I saw a guy in sandals and an Atlas Shrug t-shirt and I was like, yep, that's where I am. I've been to the Hard Rock Hotel. It's across the street from San Diego Comic Con. Hard Rock is the coolest place. All the best parties are usually at Hard Rock.

Like Capcom had their party there one year, I think. I think IGN does it pretty consistently. IGN did it there. The one horrible year I worked at a bad place that was at Comic Con, they had one suite there that they were filming stuff out of. And so I got to go in and out of it. And the movie stars were there. And I got to be Brian Posehn in an elevator.

Wow. I did. When I was smoking, I was smoking. go in and out of it and the movie stars were there and i got to be brian posain in an elevator wow i did i did i was when i was smoking i was smoking i'm like dude i know you and we were just talking to this guy i'm like you're moist yeah like i'm moist from uh dr horrible i also had not seen big bang theory and that's the show he's actually that's the thing he normally i didn't i'd never heard of it so like I didn't know... I don't even know that guy's name, but yeah, having a cigarette with that dude. Wait, the Jewish guy from Big Bang Theory? He's moist.

I've never seen Big Bang Theory. I don't know what he's called. One of the best one-off characters that happens during Marge's police training is like, when do we get to the frickin' guns? Oh, yes, yeah. He seems so specific, but I don't know if he's... The wiki claims it's from Police Academy, and having had a really irresponsible coke night recently where we watched all of those, I don't know if he's The wiki claims it's from Police Academy and having had a really irresponsible coke night recently where we watched all of those

I don't know what that's talking about. You shouldn't drink Coca-Cola. That's what I was talking about. What do you think I meant? It's more of a Pepsi movie to me. What do you think I meant? I don't like that shit. Mr. Pibb at best. The only time I do that shit I waste it. Three Police Academy movies. Time for Mac and Me.

No, no, Bobcat Goldthwait's not in this one. Put it in. So yeah, everybody reacts to, everybody seems to be pretty happy that Marge is a cop at first. Wow, Mom, I never pictured you as any kind of authority figure before. Marge, I want you to take care of yourself out there. You've become very

dear to me. Of course I will. Mom, if someone shot at the mayor, would you have to throw yourself in front of him and take the bullet? I suppose I would. What if they shot at a cook machine? No. TV?

No. TV with a picture of the mayor on it? Whatever you do, Mom, we'll be proud of you. Well, thank you, honey. As long as it's constitutional. Oh, Marge, give me my pepper spray. Oh, Marge, one squirt and yourself at the border

incapacitated oh i love his eye transition that he blinks and he's and he has pink eye and the very subtle joke of lisa wanting march to be constitutional and march going yeah she's mad like i'll make my job harder or that or that she maybe is frustrated that that Lisa would think she would be unconstitutional. I'll have the nice reading on that. Again, police brutality was an issue in the 90s, but now that everyone is always filming everyone, it's come into light how really horrible it is. How often it happens. And how it's never changed.

Yeah, that it's always been the same, but it's just now everyone has their own phone cameras. But this did mark the first era of white people talking about it. Yeah. Yeah, we were finally faced with it only because... Cameras. Well, and because... And OJ. And Rodney King.

Oh, yeah. Bart also saying that he'd never seen her as an authority figure before. A nice, cute little line. Yeah. An adorable... If you miss it, you've become very dear to me is kind of an insult that I was realizing this after the third child. It's so great. Like, you've become very dear to me.

And then we get kind of our first Hill Street Blues thing, which I think I would have watched Hill Street Blues if it ever ran in reruns. Me too. It was a very, like, important show in terms of here's what we can do with TV now. It can be smarter. It can have continuing storylines. It can rely on knowledge from the viewer that we won't give them in this episode. It's very important for television. I think it was treated like The Sopranos of its time.

But now I wonder if you can't even go back and watch it and feel the same because all these other shows have been more artful and it pushed the envelope more. And I wonder if Hill Street Blues would feel backwards by comparison. The one quote is what? Let's be I wonder if like Hill Street Blues would feel like backwards by comparison. The one quote is what? Let's be careful out there from Hill Street Blues? And I have the themes which they weave into the Simpsons theme throughout this episode

and it actually plays up a lot more towards the end credits. So this is the Hill Street Blues theme. It's a happy little thing. Just the earnestness of this. Yeah. 80s are so weird. It's like a real piano and then your little brother's Casio. Yeah.

When you think about the 80s, again, this is the early Stranger Things 80s, not the hyper-color. I don't know. Not the Saved by about the 80s again this is the early stranger things 80s not the hyper color like i don't know that's a saved by the bell 80s it is that is such a became the 90s such a sweet theme for a tv show that you'll never see you never hear anything like that again it's very heartwarming i don't know anything about this show well it did start with the it was it was a police procedural and it started with the penis wolf the Penis Wolf Show? It was not a Dick Wolf Show. I think, actually, it was people who would go on to NYPD Blue, and also who then would employ David Milch. That's cool.

And also the Homicide people worked on Hill Street Blues as well. But the Wiggums address to the entire precinct, that was how most episodes of Hill Street Blues started. I love, too, that they gave, they hand-marged Junkieville and Bumtown. Yeah, and Bumtown will return in the day the violence died. Get out of Bumtown, you no-talent bums.

And briefly features the one-off, there's a lot of one-off characters in this, Fitz Garcia, Keneally, and Earhart. Oh, yeah, Fitz Garcia, Keneally, Earhart. And that's when we get the Simpsons version of the Hill Street Blues thing. I love the pride that Marge walks down the street with. She's really getting a lot of fulfillment of this.

And, okay, so. Season four McNulty. In the previous episode, Lionel Hutz made $999,000. Sorry, $99,000 scammed off Bart. Alan Dershman and. Robert Shaporo. Shaporo. And now, in that time,

he has blown all of it between episodes. Hello, Mr. Hutz. I'll have you know, the contents of that dumpster are private. You stick your nose in, you'll be violating attorney dumpster confidentiality. I just wanted to say hello.

Oh. Hello. Hello. What was in there? I wonder. I hope it wasn't a body. It was Alan Dershman. I think the money all went up his nose, like I said earlier.

This is the montage where Marge is walking around Springfield, because it is the second episode in a row where Burns appears only to do something with a wad of cash. Yeah, that's true. Yeah. And he, that was- With his cash, there's Burns. It was cute too that I didn't grab a B. Who wants her to take the bribe? She refuses the bribe.

And then Burns is the angel that say it. Anybody could have taken that money, but it's fitting that it's the most rich person, even though Burns would never be in the quickie mart. Is he drinking milk out of a carton in the quickie mart too? He does not do his own grocery shopping. We saw much later, like he was confused by grocery shopping. Ketchup? Ketchup. And I'm also surprised they only

limited themselves to one cop's joke in this episode. Okay, number one, this is the first time Agnes Skinner is given her modern, angry mom voice. She is not the nice Agnes of Sweet Seymour Skinner's badass song. And her one line is, we both did. Stop joking for one minute.

I got a report on a domestic disturbance at this address. Yes, indeed there is. There's an inflatable bath pillow that mother and I both enjoy. She claimed it was her day to use it. I maintain she was mistaken. We quarreled. Later, as I prepared to bathe, I noticed to my horror that

someone had slashed the pillow. Uh-huh. Who called the police? We both did. Why don't you two settle down? I'm sure you can get another pillow. Well, I could send it back to Taiwan for repair, but why should I have to? I've done nothing wrong. And I don't give permission for my for repair, but why should I have to? I've done nothing wrong.

And I don't give permission for my face to be on TV. I want it blurred. Let me blur it. I've never felt more sorry for animators than the mid-90s when they were asked to do cops parodies. Because they have to find a way to make it affordable. And I remember an episode of Duckman, which I think I mentioned before on this episode, on this series. It's called American Dicks, the episode of Duckman. And many segments are full animation, first-person perspective camera.

They're not panning across art. They're drawing a new image for every frame of animation of a camera moving in the first person following Duckman. Sweeps? What is the... Why? Why would they do that to themselves? It's also funny to me that Cops is cheap television, but to parody it in animation, it becomes very expensive. And I'm sure figuring out all the camera movements to make it look handheld is not easy either.

To make it look conceivably cheap. That's why it made for one of my favorite episodes of the X-Files. Ah. Oh, yes. X-Cops is one of the best episodes ever. I think every show did a cops parody. Mr. Show was not even, you know, they did their own too. The Tick did one with Pig Leg

and the Denouement is what they kept talking about and we forget just how big Cops was even Futurama did a Cops parody where the aliens could blur their own faces like unblur your face I forgot all about that and the joke of him demanding his face being blurred

after the fact of like that doesn't it would have been blurred the entire scene Skinner doesn't know that his face is blurred after the fact of like that doesn't it would have been blurred the entire scene Skinner doesn't know that his face is blurred or unblurred yes yeah that's actually live yeah it's beautiful yeah and and that's the only way to make if a domestic disturbance

scene could be very dark but instead they can make it funny by having it be the very low stakes of a argument between the Skinners. Yeah, but in every time before this in which Skinner was angry at his mom, she either wasn't there or she wasn't talking. Yeah, yeah. This time they give her the angry Agnes voice we'll hear later. That's true.

Instead of the, man, remember from that deleted scene from the B-sharps of the cackling? Dan Castellaneta playing her? That was a bit wacky. I'm glad they didn't go with that. So, like I said in the previous one, every I feel almost every episode that David Merkin oversaw had Bart getting punched by a bully.

And that's what happens here too, where he's forced to wear the safety gear and thus be a dork and be beaten up. It's beautiful. It makes it punching him so easy yes easy on the knuckles uh then we also see that the problem for marge is that she can't turn it off that she she goes to the beauty salon and uh everybody is threatened by her the the joke of ma dreaming of us magazine in heaven takes a different vibe yes i wonder if she's up there reading it now

does us magazine still exist? I think so. When I worked for US Gamer, the website, a lot of people assumed it was affiliated with the magazine Us. They would call it Us Gamer. Like, Us is around? I think it does because I didn't want to be pedantic, but I was just in New York, and all the subways still have newsstands. It's mostly candy bars, but inside behind glasses, people. All the magazines your grandmother would read

are still very much alive. And once your grandmother dies, then those magazines will die too. So yeah, Us has been weekly since 1977 and it's still in circulation. Wow. They even, it's called the B-sharp's Knot. It's basically the celebrities, they're just like us magazine. That means there's a people gamer out there somewhere.

I want that URL. So I wonder what the deal is with Moe. Moe having difficult hair, is that you think that's connected to him secretly being Moemar? Is this him like getting his hair straightened? My hair sucks. Well, I mean, I think the joke is Moe is doing a very feminine thing and that

like him reading My Friend Flicka or Little Women. He's at the beauty parlor, which you would not expect Moe to go to. very feminine thing and that like you like him reading my friend flicka or little women he's like he's at the beauty parlor which you would not expect mo to go but his hair is always gray it's never chestnut doesn't have chestnut hair and uh march pulling the revolver on the people is great but it's even better the slow button up of her of her sweater after pulling out the gun and pointing it at people and uh then we have one of the meanest things Homer's ever done in that film. Not as mean as him throwing him out of the shelterini. I love the interplay between both of them.

They have to be together, the actors in this one. Mom's police tape isn't a toy, Dad. Shush, dear. You'll wreck Daddy's fun. Ring-a-ling-a-ling the shoes. Ring-a-ling-a-ling the shoes. Ring-a-ling-a-ling the... Oh, my Lord. Something horrible has happened.

Fooled you, Flanders. Made you think your family was dead. Did you get it? They're not, though. But you thought they were. That's why it was so funny. But they're not though but you thought they were that's why it was so funny but they're not that's a good one yeah homer let that joke fly for about five seconds before he had to like jump in and start laughing but i love harry's little murmurings like yeah yeah yeah and though these what homer did those those are light youtube pranks now like those

have you seen those videos of the people who like makes them think someone murdered their roommate borderline torture yeah i can't believe people would watch that shit it's just like oh my god we're gonna bring someone to their worst moment and then laugh at them like somebody literally died this year from doing trying to make a YouTube prank with a gun. They did? Yeah, it was this YouTube prank couple. Why are there so many prank couples? They don't have jobs, Bob.

The family that pranks together stinks together. I've said it before, I'll say it again. At least they didn't have children. I mean, there's the other one that's been a ton of the news of like... The prank family. The prank family, which is basically like, oh, we're pretending to torture our children. Ha ha. Why just abuse your child when you can monetize it?

Exactly. But God damn. Then then we get I fucking love Lisa's social commentary here. It's really great. And that's the drunk tank. And this is mommy's desk. Mom, I know your intentions are good, but aren't the police a protective force that maintains the status quo for the wealthy elites?

Don't you think we ought to attack the roots of social problems instead of jamming people into overcrowded prisons? Look, Lisa, it's McGruff, the crime dog. Oh, Lisa, help me bite crime. Ruff, ruff. So let's talk about McGruff, the crime dog. I just love hearing Marge do a voice like she never gets to do voices oh we gotta hear it i don't have to do it growing up in the crime-ridden 80s mcgruff

was always there to tell you uh strange advice to scare you right yeah i'm actually confusing before we play the clip what would he like be sure to tattle it's all about stranger danger it's all about being a narc, basically. See something, say something. But here's his clip from 1984 about child abductions in the precious suburbs. That's Jenny. But that's not Jenny's dad. If she gets into that car, you may be looking at Jenny for the last time.

Jesus. I'm McGruff, the crime dog. Let me show you something. See that playground? A lot of kids there. Every day in this country, 60 kids disappear. Jesus.

Some run away, but a lot are kidnapped by strangers or even by people they know. Almost 20,000 kids a year. 20,000 kids a year. 20,000 kids. One kid at a time. Maybe your kid. On your street.

Just like Jenny. You know, your kids can learn to protect themselves against crime at home, at school, on the street. Hey, nice going, Jenny. She's gonna tell her folks about this. And you can light to McGruff. Learn how to keep your family and your community safe. And help take a bite out of crime.

Yeah, it's like, actually, it's most likely someone you know. So you're fucked. I am so glad we watched that because I remember that animation being way better. It got way better in the 90s. Well, in 84 they didn't have as big a budget. Yeah, I mean. And he sang more songs, too. That was very straightforward.

I was thinking of Captain O.G. Readmore. I mean, having been to school growing up in the 90s, I went through the D.A.R.E. program. Drugs are really expensive. It's what it stands for. And, yeah, we would see McGruff videos, and they're bringing back D.A.R.E. because the war on drugs works.

It always works. It wasn't used to favorite tweet genres now is seeing people respond to articles about like hey people are making a lot of money off weed and they're making a lot of money off marijuana now and then they reply with like there are hundreds of thousands of black people in jail because of they started a marijuana business like fuck you on a later note i would recommend to people go online and look up the entire mcgruff album there is a song about every drug wow there's a song about marijuana there's a song about crack and they're all fantastic you heard of this drug called glass me neither but if

you use it you got no class but please get high first i love that mcgruff in that video it was definitely scaremongering but he did have to admit, like, yeah, some run away, but others are kidnapped by somebody who's not a stranger. But be afraid of every stranger. But there's no call

to action. What do your kids do to be safe? I kept expecting, like, a leg bracelet for your child to be sold at the end of that.

Instead, it's just like, be scared. And nothing you can do about it. Well, I guess, I mean, it's that don't get in a stranger's car and then tell your parents. Like, those are the two things.

But yeah, good old McGruff. I believe there was a story recent, not too recently, but about how the voice actor for McGruff actually had a real life drug problem. Oh, no. He had to kick. I believe the Daily Show did a whole thing about it. Look it up, the voice actor McGruff, folks. But I should point out that David Merkin says they just wanted to use McGruff,

but they weren't allowed, and he didn't know why. They weren't making fun of McGruff, so they just changed it to McGriff. It's the same joke. I was just trying to look up and see who owned it. Like, the Ad Council and the National Crime Prevention Society? Like, I want to give myself a useless job. I thought I already did.

You could be an advisor for six figures a year. But when I was a kid, I did not get leases lines. But now I definitely do. Oh, for sure. There are well-intentioned cops, but they're really just protecting property in a system of things and not helping people so much. Anyway, then we get a very dated joke about the girls of the internet, which actually did mean something in 1995. Oh, I'd log on with them any day. Tila Tequila, Carmen Electra.

What are we talking about here? Wow. That would even be before them. Who was the most downloaded girl of all time? We did find out on 302010 talking about Lois and Clark that Terry Hatcher was the most downloaded woman on the internet in like 96. Yeah. Or 97. I believe it was the cutting

edge of fake nudes at the time was putting her head on people. Fake nudes. Oh, God. Sorry. Well, people were really turned on by Terry Hatcher not just because of Lois and Clark, but also because she was the fake boob lady or not fake boob lady on

Seinfeld. They were real and they were spectacular. Yeah, they were. Now we know. That's right, yes. So I also like they have to invite Herman to this thing because they have to have one worse person than Mo. Like Mo can't be guilty of this crime. So all right, Herman.

Herman is a guy who literally was selling Nazi memorabilia. That's true. At a swap meet. And I like how they're continuing the poker night from Secrets of a Successful Marriage. Yeah, that's true. Except it's at Homer's house instead of Lenny's. And this is another of my favorite lines ever in this section here. Being a cop husband is one mighty sweet deal.

This police radio entertains me with other people's miseries. We get a free funeral for Marge, God forbid. And I can run background checks on whomever I want. Momar. Please, please, get Snape on the Omar May. Hey, hurry it up with the cards, Lenny. I've got you clocked at two miles per hour. Come on, put that away.

Those radar guns give you cancer. All the more reason to hurry up. Hey, what could be going 100 miles per hour? That joke doesn't make any sense, but I love it. It doesn't make sense, but I just love the... I know I've said that multiple times to people who are saying, like, you're annoying me with this, like, all the more reason to hurry up. And I love that Homer correctly says, whomever I want.

Whomever, right. He does say whomever. And on his first poker night, Herman leaves to get some fresh air, and I love Mo, fresh air, huh? None of that for me. And then Homer is celebrating that free funeral, God forbid. Also, Mo Marr conflicts with him being called Morris.

And a little rascal. Well, she's using an Italian accent. Italian accent, and then Marge catches them doing illegal gambling, and she just can't turn it off she can't stop caring about the law which obviously is a lesson for cops like you don't have to care about the law just be a big man with your gun yeah push people around make yourself feel big and get a bag full of doorknobs uh so we find out that i guess horses in springfield have to wear diapers i like it's that one thing you you weren't expecting horse no diaper i feel like that's that's what's always running through

my mind when i go through the city like i see crimes happening in front of me at all times it's like well i can't stop this no i'm powerless yeah i also love that homer is being so bad and he is like without caring is buying children beer. Like he's buying alcohol for Dutch. With no incentive. We don't know what he's getting out of this. He's just a cool guy who wants to help Jimbo Dolphin. Did you do a lot of Hey Mister? Because I did.

No, no. I'm not big of a drinker. I could still beer for my parents. Hey Mister, when you try and ask a stranger to buy you beer, it usually worked. We had a homeless man named Bam Bam. It was pretty dependable. But asking people coming out of stores. And even now, I remember I was in college class.

This really hot girl, two years younger than me, asked me to buy her beer. And I'm like, no. No, why would I do that? But why did those strangers buy us beer? It suggests something terrible. Maybe they thought they were going to get a little something on the side. Yeah, you know what? Maybe this kid should get drunk i think they were i would like to think that they were

guys who just were wanted to capture the pay it forward and feel young again one person said you're old enough to die for your country you're old enough to have a beer that's only one person said that that sounds like a guy who has a concealed carry license there was a moment in in American history, and I hear this a lot on the Dana Gould podcast and from people of his age, where when there were a lot more alcoholic parents in the world, you could bring a note to the liquor store and bring them home liquor. Yeah, and cigarettes. Yes. And also take your dad home from the bar.

That's true. Dana Gould told a lot of stories like that. His cop father, by the way. His fucking dad is still alive. Unbelievable, right? It just proves be a mean drunk and you'll live forever. You'll be pickled and live forever. But yes, Marge kind of has had enough with Homer.

Hey, Marge. How's my little piglet? Homer, I'm on duty. That's okay. I'm supposed to be working too. You have to move your car. I'll just be a second, Marge. I'm going to get some beer for those kids over there. I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that, but you have to move your car now.

I'll be right back. Now keep your eyes peeled for a real cop. That's it. I'm going to write you a ticket. Come on. We're family. You're breaking the law. I'll make you a deal. You rip up that ticket, and I'll give you back your hat. Wow! Woo! Hee hee hee!

Ha ha! Huh? Hey! Homer! Taking an officer's cap is an arrestable offense. Oh, what are you going to do about it? What are you going to do? Oh, I'm Officer Marge.

I'm going to arrest you. Hey, whoa, what? Oh, Marge, not here. Hey, you're not really arresting me. You have the right to arrest you. Hey, whoa, what? Oh, Marge, not here. Hey, you're not really arresting me. You have the right to remain silent. I choose to waive that right. No! No!

No! I love any time Dan... Oh, Marge, not here. Any time Dan Castellaneta does Marge's voice, I'm Officer Marge. That's the best part of that and then homer thinks marge is up for kinky sex in the middle of the street in the clicky parking lot yes yeah it's so great but yeah and him waving his right to silence is also just

awesome but like this could potentially give homer a criminal record this is not his first arrest in the show for sure he's been arrested three times already. Like there was the he was arrested at demanding a ticket from them on the day he thought he was going to die from poisoning. Yeah. Let's see. He was arrested for DUI in in Duffless. True. 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. I was the only two that are coming to mind right now that we've seen so far. I'm sure there's been more, but... Yeah. In that this time, Homer gets to eat pretty well while he's in jail. This is one of the darkest jokes. All right, Simpson. You're free to go.

Let me just finish this last lobster tail and raspberry torte. All right, Hans. free to go. Let me just finish this last lobster tail and raspberry torte. All right, Hans. Time to go. But he ate my last meal. Well, if that's the worst thing that happens to you today, consider yourself lucky. Are you really allowed to execute people in a local jail?

From this point on, no talking. Actually, I want to give that line a chance. Let's do it. That's the joke. You know whatever he's there for, he's wrongly convicted. No. It's Hans Moldman. Hans Moldman doesn't do anything wrong.

It's Hans Moldman. Yeah, I mean, so in the next scene after that, the lights dim briefly in the Simpson house showing that they did kill Hans Moldman. He has been electrocuted. Not unlike Kenny, he's the only cast member in the Simpson house showing that they did kill Hans Mole Man. He has been electrocuted. Not unlike Kenny, he's the only cast member of the Simpsons that could be murdered in non-Halloween episodes.

Yeah, but I bet they wanted to kill him forever because they killed Uter in the last episode, correct? Yes, yeah. Well, two episodes ago. And Matt Groening hates Hans Mole Man because of his design. He looks like a mole man is what he said. He's like a mole man. But you can also go online to

find out the last meals of famous death row inmates like John Wayne Gacy who killed I think 33 men, boys, whatever. Pussy. His last meal was a bucket of original recipe KFC, french fries, and a pound of strawberries. That's a president. They always want

a lot of them want greasy garbage because they haven't eaten fast food in like 20 years. And Timothy McVeigh, two pints of mint chocolate ice cream. Pig Max and heroin. You know, when you kill a bunch of children, nothing gets your hunger up like a mass murder with a van. Well, that's funny because we just two episodes ago talked about his greatest crime. I mean, he might not have been arrested by this point. No,

but, but I, but I just love that love joy. It completely sells out of love. Joy's character, but that he is complicit in the murder of mole man. And he's just like, there must be something happening here.

It's like, like from this point on, no talking, meaning like you will die. Like you don't get to talk anymore. You're dead. Oh God. And that, actually, I am sad to admit that when I taped this on VHS, that dimming out,

I thought it was a problem with the broadcast for the longest time. Until I watched it again on DVD, did I realize, like, it wasn't my local broadcast. It's a joke. I thought it was my local broadcast. It could be conveyed a bit better. It's like an editing effect and not an animation effect, but I think it's really good. It's definitely a post effect.

Yeah, where they just dim the picture briefly. Just to make it extra clear, they have killed Don's mole man. He has gotten the chair. But just that line, from this point on, no talking. God damn it. And like Merkin loves to do, he undercuts another sitcom cliche with the drawing line down the middle of the apartment.

I love that. I tried to find the Isle of Loose episode where that happened, and I couldn't. I always thought it was Three's Company. It was pretty stock first. It's the pregnancy in the elevator of the cab. Yeah, yeah. cab yeah yeah i also remember this is a separate thing but they'd have uh they'd a couple that didn't want to have sex would cut the room in half or they'd be like they wanted to deny their sexual attention so that they put up a curtain between them but then the curtain would fall

and they'd realize they're in bed together gas gas but but yes then homer uh wishes that this was more like police academy oh Oh, I love this. Or less like Police Academy. Boy, when Marge first told me she was going to the Police Academy, I thought it'd be fun and exciting, you know, like that movie, Spaceballs. But instead, it's been painful and disturbing like that movie, Police Academy. Hi, Homer. I'm worried about the beer supply.

After this case and the other case, there's only one case left. Yeah, yeah. I'm Bernie's right. Yeah, let's get some case left. Yeah, yeah. I'm Bernie's right. Yeah, let's get some more beer. Yeah. Hey, what about some beer? Yeah, Bernie's right. All right, guys.

Pipe down. I got some more in the garage. Oh, I'll get it for you, Homer. Hmm. I wonder why he's so eager to go to the garage. The garage. Hey, fellas, the garage. Well, ou la dee da, de dam is the french man well what do

you call it a car haul god so much going on okay so space falls is fun and exciting i agree police academy is painful and disturbing it's just a great description of police academy it's really it's one of the on 30 2010 it's one of the few movies we've talked about multiple entries in the series because of how fast and fresh they come out. In 1980, and then you try and research them, there is no fan base for an eight-movie series on the entire internet. Nobody is a fan of these. No one chronicles any information about them.

It's just, it's crazy. Well, the real secret of the first Police Academy movie is that it was just popular as a boob movie. When you didn't have the internet, you'd watch a terrible comedy and you'd see like two minutes of nakedness. It's a training movie, so it's like an adult camp movie.

So you see the shower scenes and the mood situations. But then they weren't R-rated after the first one. You'd still get like Kim Cattrall in a wet t-shirt or something. There's a fucking cartoon based on the series too.

I had a toy of Mahoney from the cartoon. But Barney's concerned about the beer. That reminds me of recording Vigigame Apocalypse in this room. I know I've said it many times. After this case and the other case, there's only one case left. And I have to point out that Moe is saying Car-hole, not Car-hold with a D. Hank Azaria said on Twitter it's Car-hole. People have-hold with a D. Hank Azaria said on Twitter it's Car-hole.

People have been confused for a while. I've always heard of Car-hole. Car-hole is funnier anyway. Butthole, but Car-hole. Car-hole is also a perfect way to innocuously find Simpsons fans. Almost anywhere you go, call a garage a Car-hole.

You found one. I did not know there was this confusion over car hold. But I love that later Homer adapts it. He's like, oh, this is a word I know now. Out of my car hole. It's very Lebowski-esque. That's true. Oh, God.

I love in Big Lebowski how the dude just will repeat anything he heard somebody else say. It's beautiful. So I love the counterfeit jeans stuff because it reminds me of how, like, on so many police procedurals that want to be fun and not too dirty, they have to be like diamond thieves. Like in the Chipmunks movie, too. It's like, well, they're diamond thieves. It can't be like drugs or sex workers or any of these things. This is an era in which designer jeans the world was lousy with so many different brands, as Homer says. I read off

I went down the rabbit hole of those companies. Especially you, Bugle Boy, because I was like, there's no way that's not from the 20s. It was from the 70s. Are those Bugle Boy jeans you're wearing? I don't remember that. I saw that commercial. A woman pulls up in a Corvette, asks a guy if he's wearing Bugle Boy jeans.

He says yes, and she just drives away. Drives away, yeah. It's sort of like the Grey Poupon ad, but for jeans. Meanwhile, there's the basically child pornography ad of Brooke Shields. Oh, yeah. Nothing comes between me and my Calvin Klein's with her legs spread. It's like, you're 15. I don't know how I get in my Bugle Boy material after that.

But I couldn't know how I get in my Bugle Boy material after that. But I couldn't. Sadly, all the Bugle Boy jean stores closed down. The company went bankrupt in 2001. But if you were born in the 80s, you saw that logo everywhere. I'm like, that's the worst name ever. Can you still get guest jeans? Yes. These are fabulous.

Yeah. Who would suspect that they're counterfeit jeans? No. What better place to make the buy than a cop's garage where no one would suspect a thing? Herman, I had to come out here to see what's so funny. A counterfeit jeans ring operating out of my car hole. I'm going to tell everyone. Right here. Not so fast.

Okay. Maybe you should just stop entirely. Herman, how could you? We've all thought about counterfeiting jeans at one time or another. But what about the victims? Hardworking designers like Calvin Klein, Gloria Vanderbilt, or Antoine Bugle Boy. These are the people who saw an overcrowded marketplace and said, me too.

Advance on him, man. I don't think that's a very good idea. Oh, no. It's Gloria Vanderbilt out for revenge. No. It's Officer Simpson of the police. I love how Marge's typically nagging line is turned into an action movie tag. I don't think that's a very good idea. I never read it.

That's perfect. That's totally true. She said that eight million times. She says, I don't think that's a very good idea. Except this time it's a threat. Oh, that's beautiful. I love it. I love it.

How it's adapted to this new setting. And the animation of Homer slowly walking away is beautiful. And by the way, kids, if you don't know who Gloria Vanderbilt is, she's also the mother of Anderson Cooper.

No way. Yep, CNN's own Anderson Cooper. He is the moneyed rich boy of a designer jeans mom who was also, she was famous first as a socialite who was in

The Trial of the century which was a battle over her inheritance and just like in homer versus patty and selma homer cannot resist the lure of people laughing evilly at his expense he's got to join in yep he just can't stop himself funny uh and again herman gets so dark that he pulls a gun on marge and points it at her like he's like for the rest of this episode Herman intends to kill Marge Simpson that's true and for plotting to do it to remind our listeners Herman has the voice of George H.W. Bush and the head of John Schwarzwalder yes so and the body of I don't know but they thought it would be really funny when he first appeared that

he'd have a different story every time about how he lost his arm but they stopped caring about that i read that in recent years they definitively decided how there's like a an episode or like a flashback as to how he actually lost his arm really wow man and all the more reason to watch a new episode they shouldn't be friends ever again no well from this point on it's pretty dark i i saw the next time i looked it up the next time he appears is um an even darker joke in 22 short films. He's going to rape Kirk Van Houten. He at the very least is holding. No, he's holding.

It's not Kirk. It's Snake and Wiggum. He's holding them hostage for who knows his plans. You don't know what Herman's going to do, but he's holding them hostage for sure. I must point out in the 2012 episode To Cur With Love Black, it was revealed that he stuck it out on a street while trying to hail a car resulting in the arm being

torn off by a passing dog catcher truck driven by Chief Wiggum and that was actually the lowest viewed episode of all time because President Obama did a speech about the Sandy Hook Massacre that night so many people did not see the origin of Herman's lost arm. But Herman's fallen pretty far from the guy who helped Bart plan a water balloon war.

Yeah. He's really fallen. The Greeks knew it. The Carthaginians knew it. Now you know it. And I also love the recreation of Marge's gun training. The way Bill House just pops out behind that. Is Bart home?

And Homer, like, Ned, like, he has a lot of problems with people just shooting at him. He rolls with the punches with it, though. It's pretty normal, but yes, then Marge saves the day. Looks like your wife is embarking up the

wrong tree. Freeze! Every mother knows the secret entrance to her son's treehouse. Oh, Marge, you saved my life. I'm sorry I teased you. You're a really good cop. I'm proud of you.

So long. Gotta catch the 501. He's getting away! You blew it, Marge! I don't think so. I'm spoiled by my own shiny merchandise. I like how clever Herman is. So, embarking up the wrong tree and gotta catch the 501, referring to 501 jeans. That's true.

Pretty good wordplay from old Herman there. And again, he's muffling Homer's voice so he can shoot Marge when she gets in the doorway. Again, killing her. And is the way he escapes, like, using jeans to slide down a line, is that from Home Alone? Yes. What bandits do use jeans, right? No, well, he uses a bicycle handle, but he does slide from a rope to a treehouse. Yeah, and then he cuts it when they're on the line. Yes, and utters the one and only S in the whole film.

It's Christmas time as we're recording this. Why don't you give that a watch again? It's good. Well, we might be watching the third one. Patrons, pay attention. Macaulay Culkin's not even in that one. Oh, you don't know it's the superior one? The French Stewart one with the bird in it?

Maybe. I am talking way out of my ass here. All I know is you watch the first movie now, as a struggling adult, you will learn to hate the McAllisters and their unearned wealth. You fucking rich asshole. Oh, and Kevin sucks too. Yeah. He's a jerk.

Look what you did. Yes. I would rob them too of all their shit. They got too much stuff. That's what I'd say. Yeah, if I'm flying me and my 16 members of my extended family to Paris. Only half a drink first class. Don't worry about it.

Jesus. But anyway, yes. Then we get the resolution that finally gets Marge back to status quo by the end of the episode. And also, I love that Marge, she is stuck. She knows she's at the end of an episode of Murder, She Wrote or whatever, so she has to explain how something happened, even when nobody wants to know it. Yes.

That's my ambulance. I called for it four hours ago. Marge, how did you know? That the pants would rip? No. What I was wondering is... Here's a buying pants for two active children and a full-seated husband has given me a six cents for shoddy stitching, which these jeans have in spades.

That's some nice work, Simpson, but we can't hold them. There's no evidence. Yes, there is. There's a garage full of counterfeit jeans. They've mysteriously disappeared. Looking good, boys. That's it. There's too much corruption on this force. I quit.

Sorry to lose you, Simpson. I love the background of that scene. We see Eddie questioning Flanders about his shot Halloween decoration. It's very nice. It's nice. They pay that off a little bit. It's great. A May episode.

I guess it is too early. Yeah. And we get a cute little joke of Moe looking at Homer's cards and folding. They just were forgotten about in the room. But they have to steal the jeans. It's like, those are bad jeans. You don't even need these. Yeah, and what was Homer wanting to know from Marge?

I wonder what else he wanted to know. Like, no, what I wanted to know was... I think maybe he wanted to know how she knew about Herman, not how she knew the jeans would rip, maybe. Yeah, there's actually no reason for her to show up and open the garage. Like, yeah, she wouldn't know they're in there. There was no explanation of that, but oh well. I love that line. I don't think it's a very good idea.

Yeah. It's the perfect Marge line. Yeah. Recontextualized. But there'll be plenty of time for explanation later. Yes. What a great episode. I mean, sometimes the blankets a job episodes are not great.

But I love seeing Marge in this new context and seeing her be, like, very competent at being a cop. Like, she's got a strong sense of justice. She's frankly a strong woman with a great aim. I'm afraid of Marge. She's easily the best cop in Springfield. And it is a real bummer to lose her from the force. But it's just too corrupt and she can't get along with it. Which is nice that she would quit after that.

No, I think this is a great episode that also holds up really well over time, too. And only Hard Rock Cafe and the girls of the internet, really. Yes. Now there are too many girls on the internet, frankly. It's hard to choose. But any other comments on this episode, Chris? What do you think

about it? I mean, I don't hate Round Springfield, but it is too... It looks so much lesser in comparison to these two. Yeah, because I don't... The ones that surround it. I don't hate round springfield but it is too just it looks so much lesser in comparison to these two yeah because i don't the ones that surround it pta i don't hate season one episodes or at all but it just it now it sticks out like a sore thumb after watching this one it really does i prefer pta disbands of those that trio but well this has so many like meta jokes that undercut sitcom cliches well meanwhile round Springfield just has a few sitcom cliches. That they expect us to buy and cry about.

It's so weird that they made a deliberate joke about sitcom cliches multiple times in this episode. Anyway. It's a good one, but man. PTA disbands. Holy shit. I don't know. If I have to figure out the best one of this season, I'm really stuck. Really, really stuck.

We should have done it out of order so I could be... Man, I think it still might be Bart's comment for one of this season. I'm really stuck. Really, really stuck. It's going to be a tough start. We should have done it out of order so I could be... Man, I think that still might be Bart's comment for me in this season. I can't decide right now, but thanks for listening, folks. Hopefully you did not find this podcast painful and disturbing like Police Academy. I've been your host, Bob Mackie. You can find me on Twitter as Bob Servo. Please say hi to me. And my other podcast is Retro

Nods. Every Monday, occasionally a bonus episode on Friday. It's a classic gaming podcast. Go to retronods.com or look for RetroNots in your podcatcher. We've been going for 11 years now, so I suggest you look for a topic that interests you that's related to old video games and download the corresponding episode. We've done episodes about Bart vs. the Space Mutants, Blech, Bart's Nightmare, Blech, and the Simpsons arcade game. Hooray! So download one of those that should get you into the show. I recommend it. Who else wants to talk now?

Well, you know, I'm H-E-N-E-R-E-Y-G on Twitter and you can find me there. But also, you know, patreon.com slash Talking Simpsons is what supports us and we thank everybody for pledging there and helping me and Bob do this full time. It pays our bills, pays the rent on my

new apartment. And also I want to thank all of you guys for listening and to be sure to check out once more, January 28th, we'll be doing our live show at SF sketch fest. If you're in the, can get into the Bay area, head on down to piano fight bar on January 28th, 5 30 PM.

Oh, and of course, you know, you want to check out patreon.com slash TalkingSimpsons for some really cool new interviews we've got up on there, as well as a ton of other extras, and every episode a week early and ad-free,

so if you hated hearing ads on this one, you gave us five bucks, you wouldn't hear ads! But hopefully you like the ones for our shows! Like, Lazer Time, probably the funniest clip of the last couple months is diana's reaction to the one star citizen kane review find out where that's from i still love it and as we try and find the worst reviews for the most beloved things of all time who hates

star wars who hates indiana jones who hates back to the future what did the negative nancy say about back to the future really hard to hate that movie. 302010 is also a show we do. 3020 and 10 years ago to that week in history. We talk about The Simpsons whenever that topic comes up. I believe we cover the debut, the Trace Yeoman debut of The Simpsons in the 87 portion of last year's show. Oh, cool. But yes, look forward to 1988, 1998, and 2008, which means only one thing for me, only a year until Roger Rabbit. And I can watch it. I can talk about it even more.

Hooray! The Invasion Game Apocalypse, our weekly video game show. Not as retro as Retronauts, but mostly retro. Thank you so much for listening, folks. We'll see you next week with Lemon of Troy. See you then. I don't think they're coming back. Well, that does it. That does it. I'm looking at his cards. Ah, crap. I fold.