Comments on: Geeks love lists

By: SmR

SmR — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:04:50 +0000

While reading through this, I was waiting to see where “Nightmare Cafeteria” would turn up. That’s the one I think of when I hear “Treehouse of Horror”- last time I saw it was probably about 11-12 years ago, and the thought of it still creeps me out. Which is why I’m glad to see you rank it as the creepiest story of all (all this time I’ve been feeling kinda wimpy).

But when I could be persuaded to watch any more TOH episodes after that, I LOVED the Xena bit in episode X. (But then, I remember it being funny and not creepy at all.)

By: Will Entrekin

Will Entrekin — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:01:29 +0000

I can’t believe the series debut ranked so low. “Classy” but “isn’t really all that great”? It was Darth Vader reading “The Raven.”

Genius. Rarely has the paranoiac madness by way of grief played so well.

By: mds

mds — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:29:08 +0000

“I HEAR ALL!”

By: jayman101

jayman101 — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:52:57 +0000

Good list, though I think you’ve undervalued “The Raven” from Treehouse I. It was clever and it showed, pretty early on in the series, that this show was no ordinary cartoon.

By: zurn

zurn — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:41:58 +0000

Excellent number one pick (and number two); season 5 was just incredible all round, possibly the best one.

However, the dolphins invading placing so high? I have to say, I was mightily unimpressed when I saw it. I was already only barely watching The Simpsons at that point, given the decline in quality, but I totally gave up after that. I don’t know what it was, it’s been too long ago, but maybe I should give it a second chance. It’s possible my disappointment in The Simpsons at that point coloured my receptiveness.

Requisite reminiscing quote: “I’ve created Lutherans!”

By: Candlejack

Candlejack — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:43:00 +0000

>>“Homer was referring to Carlos Castaneda…”

>That… is pretty darn obscure. I always thought the line referred to the movie Brazil, which didn’t make sense either, but my mind somehow linked the chain of Brazil/Terry Gilliam/Time Bandits and it stuck.

Consider yourself lucky–my mind immediately went to bikini waxing when I puzzled over the line!

By: Rob Brown

Rob Brown — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:18:48 +0000

It’s possible I am. Fox News is definitely be a deserving target. As for the Fox Network, when they’d make fun of Fox it didn’t seem like the same thing to me. The worst they ever had to say about Fox was that they appealed to the lowest common denominator or that they had a lineup full of crap, and some of the sting was taken out of that because they were ON Fox so it could be seen as self-deprecating to a certain degree. With Family Guy, though, it always seemed to me like they meant it. There’s this Treehouse episode and then the one where Sideshow Bob turns up in Italy, in which they flat out say that Family Guy’s guilty of plagiarism. That’s more an accusation than a joke.

That FG gag about raping and murdering the Simpson family is pretty indefensible, though.

Agreed. I’m not even sure it can be properly called a gag.

By: drmedula

drmedula — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:42:59 +0000

Rob, I think you’re taking that shot at FG too seriously.Most of the shots THE SIMPSONS have taken at McFarlane have been no more mean spirited than their shots at the Fox network in general (and definitely less pointed than their shots at Fox NEWS!)That gag in particular is pretty harmless; I think they were just looking for SOMEBODY to put in among the Homer clones, and went with the most obvious choice. That FG gag about raping and murdering the Simpson family is pretty indefensible, though.

By: Rob Brown

Rob Brown — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:08:35 +0000

even with a well-deserved jab at Family Guy

Well-deserved for what? If they took a jab at Family Guy right after that show aired an episode where Quagmire either slept with or raped Marge and then killed every member of the Simpson family (which I thought was really crossing a line), then I’d say it was well-deserved. But the episode you’re talking about aired before the two shows began trashing one another regularly, and whoever started the whole thing was being petty as hell IMO. After they really got going I thought they were both being idiotic. I’ve never laughed at a single joke on either show at the expense of the other.

You don’t like most of Seth McFarlane’s work and have never made any secret of that fact, and that’s fine. Mileage may vary and all that. But back when I first saw the episode with Peter as one of the Homer clones, I thought that the people who wrote that were being dicks and still do. It was just “Fuck Family Guy, they ripped us off because they made a show with a fat and stupid guy when our show had a fat and stupid guy! How dare they rip us off!” Groening–or whoever it was–should have just chilled.

By: clay

clay — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:53:20 +0000

“Homer was referring to Carlos Castaneda…”

That… is pretty darn obscure. I always thought the line referred to the movie Brazil, which didn’t make sense either, but my mind somehow linked the chain of Brazil/Terry Gilliam/Time Bandits and it stuck.

By: John Seavey

John Seavey — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:27:07 +0000

I have no particular problems with the list, although I’d have rated III as my number one (and bumped the top five down a notch each to compensate.) But I do have a soft spot for zombies.

And for the record, the best Treehouse line is, “Your superior intellect is no match for our puny weapons!” (Followed, narrowly, by “Um, Dad? That’s his crotch.”)

By: Gloria

Gloria — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:19:26 +0000

warm glowing warming glow

By: Stig

Stig — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:11:11 +0000

BlackMage, as I saw it on the DVD commentary, the original line was “The First Non-Fictional Character”, but apparently that line was too simplistic and obvious.

By: BlackMage

BlackMage — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:33:42 +0000

“You know, I’ve always been confused by this line, even to this day. What does it mean?

Help my internet; you’re my only hope!”

Wiki, as ever, saves us — by linking to SNPP.

“Homer was referring to Carlos Castaneda, “a Brazilian who wrote about his chemical-induced `adventures’ about twenty years ago. A rather trendy (for the college crowd) set of books from the late-60′s, early 70′s.”"

All credit to http://www.snpp.com/episodes/2F03.html

By: Mary Warner

Mary Warner — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 03:34:35 +0000

I can’t believe you picked ‘Enslave humanity, willya’ from ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ as one of the greatest lines ever, when the same story has ‘Your superior intellects are no match for our puny weapons’.