Blogging hiatus

Much like the Simpsons did in the eponymous Simpsons Movie, I moved to Alaska recently. As such, this blog will be on hiatus (as if that wasn't obvious) until I move back to Texas in August and can watch and comment regularly.

The Fat and the Furriest

In the Season 15 episode, "The Fat and the Furriest," Homer encounters a bear that tries to attack him at the city dump. He develops a fear known as Arctophobia, the fear of bears, that plagues him until he decides to build a bear-proof suit and face the bear again like a man. He then discovers that the bear is only menacing due to an irritating tracking tag, which Homer removes and later helps the bear to safety away from the hunters of Springfield. I don't have much to say about this episode, I just thought it was an appropriate cross-post with my recent blog post about Arctophobia over at my other blog, Needs Improvement.

Episode Review: You Only Move Twice

In the second episode of Season 8, Homer and his family move to Cypress Creek to work for the Globex Corporation. Hank Scorpio, Homer's new boss (played by Simpsons long-time guest star Albert Brooks), is a generous and welcoming person who also happens to be a maniac hell-bent on world domination. This doesn't deter Homer, however, mostly because he's too oblivious to notice, and he takes a shine to Hank, excelling at his job performance. His family, however, isn't as happy in their new utopian paradise; Marge is so bored with all her housework being done by machines that she starts drinking "a glass of wine a day." Bart is placed in the remedial class at this school due to his inability to read cursive, and Lisa enjoys the new wildlife in this part of the state but finds that she's allergic to everything. Eventually, the Simpsons have enough and move back to Springfield, where Mr. Scorpio surprises Homer with a thank-you gift of the Denver Broncos.

Favorite Lines:

Homer: Yes Mr. Scorpion
Hank: Don't call me Mr. Scorpion. It's Mr. Scorpio, but don't call me that either.

Marge: I've been so bored I've started drinking a glass of wine a day. I know doctors say you're supposed to drink a glass and a half a day, but I just can't drink that much wine.

Bart's Teacher: Sounds like somebody's got a case of the supposed-to's!

Things I Noticed:

- When the Simpsons return to Springfield, they find Otto and his girlfriend crashing at their abandoned house. This shows up again when the Simpsons leave Springfield again, but I can't remember off the top of my head which episode that is.

- Homer's biggest accomplishment at work occurs while he's trying to get the vending machine to take his dollar. Homer has had some big moments with vending machines, most notably trying to feed a trillion dollar bill into one in "The Trouble With Trillions."

Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus, M.D.

Homer: Lisa, I can't believe you're smoking! Don't you know the sturgeon general says you shouldn't?
Lisa: A sturgeon is a fish.
Homer: And a very wise fish he is.

From the Season 19 episode, "Smoke on the Daughter."

Guest Star: Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking has been in the news recently, having gone to the hospital with a pretty serious illness. CNN reports that he's going to be ok though, and is expected to make a full recovery.



I'm glad to hear this. In addition to being a brillian astrophysicist, Hawking is an avid Simpsons fan and has been featured on the show 3 different times. In the Season 10 episode "They Saved Lisa's Brain," Hawking shows up at the end in his signature helicopter wheelchair to settle the differences in the MENSA chapter. He's also featured in the Season 16 episode "Don't Fear The Roofer" as a friend of Lenny's and the owner of the Little Caesar's Pizza down the street from Moe's Tavern. He made his most recent appearance in the Season 18 episode "Stop or my Dog Will Shoot" as a fellow patron of the corn maze where Homer got lost, where Hawking has to helicopter out because he claims the maze is too difficult for him. He's also briefly mentioned in a few episodes, most notably in the Season 7 Treehouse of Horror where Homer is transported to the 3D world, where he claims that he "wished I would've read that book by that wheelchair guy."

I hope Dr. Hawking makes a full recovery and continues to pop up in the Simpsons' lives for many years to come. The following is my favorite Stephen Hawking appearance in the show, from the Season 10 episode "They Saved Lisa's Brain":

For Diana

Another Simpsons blog? Really?

So I decided to start a Simpsons blog. It's my favorite show, I've seen every episode numerous times, and I have a lot of thoughts and commentary that no one I know really wants to (or can) discuss. So what better way to vent my unrelenting Simpsons love than via the internet? I'm not sure exactly what form this blog will take, but it's definitely going to be enjoyable to write. Here are some ideas I've got so far:

• Character analysis
• Recurring themes
• Favorite episodes
• Season analyses
• Simpsons in pop culture
• Pop culture in The Simpsons
• Obscure trivia
• Episode breakdowns
• Guest star info
• Recurring references/jokes

Any other ideas you'd like to see? Let me know.