So… yeah, after doing two episodes about “The Simpsons” still being funny, I realized I hadn’t actually watched this year’s Xmas episode, so I did. Fox made it available HERE on their website, though I watched it On Demand.
It’s another “possible future” episode, this one set in a timeline where Bart and Lisa both grow up to be parents themselves. To my mind, it’s easily one of the best episodes I’ve seen in awhile – good enough to have been a Season 5 or 6 episode (or at least a current installment of Futurama.) Seriously, give it a watch. (SPOILERS after the jump.)
SPOILERS:
This is the first “future” episode where Homer and Marge actually seem to have personality changes beyond “older” – Marge has a shorter temper and seems a touch jaded, while Homer is sober(!!!) and seemingly more intelligent and good-natured as result. I like that.
Running joke about Dearborn, Michigan is edgy as hell by Simpsons standards, to the point where it verged on being out of place. But yeah, I laughed.
So, at least according to this timeline, Lisa Simpson is bisexual as a grownup. I like that the “reveal” passes without comment, but it runs one extra beat so you can tell they wanted you to catch it. I know a few BIG fans of Lisa who I can picture turning cartwheels at this… and also a few desperate continuity-obsessives who’ll be furious that this contradicts the character in the “President Lisa” timeline’s claim to being “the first straight female president.
This is the first “Simpsons Future” I can say I’d be legitimately interested in seeing them revisit. In particular, I’d LOVE to know the story behind the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it detail as to the fate of a certain ex-Krusty Sidekick – I feel like it must have been either Bart or Homer who finally did the deed, but I can’t decide which would be more awesome (leaning toward Homer.)
MOVIEBOB CENTRAL 
Yeah it was a pretty good episode and iv'e heard the show has been starting to resemble the old days more and more. Since the show is old enough by now I wonder if their are any people working on it now who watched it as a kid.
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Oh…dear…god….. you are so right.
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Yeah this was a good episode. As someone who is part of the “it hasn't been as good since season 9” crowd (and about 10 years younger than you, Bob), this and the Neil Gaiman episode are the only episodes I've seen this season due to recommendation. Enjoyed them both. I would rank the future episodes as follows
Lisa's Wedding > Holidays Of Future Passed > Future Drama > Bart to the Future
And I don't think the opening montage necessarily meant that Lisa is bisexual, Bob. I thought she just experimented in college.
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I've been in your camp on this for awhile, Bob. Granted that's because I got to watch so little of the show back when I was a kid and also because my age I hit it's prime of the show at about the season 9/10 transitional time. I've been catching the eps on Hulu, as well as Family Guy, Cleveland Show and American Dad, for about as long as I've been able too.
I didn't give Bob's Burgers a chance though. That show didn't look good from the moment I saw the first commercial and from the sounds of it I was right.
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Did anybody else think that Fry should have been there in the cryogenic chamber scene?
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Homer having done the deed would have lead to his going to prison and actually staying there for once, where he would've had time to reflect on his life and how it is and decide to quit drinking and educate himself, causing him to eventually be let out for good behavior. Bart on the other-hand, only seems to go through his future character development during this episode, meaning it was obviously Homer who did the deed, yes.
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The problem with the “Told you so”:
I'm sure the last few comments from your vid will find its way over here, and disagree.
That said, I enjoyed it. I think I enjoyed it most b/c it did seem like the olden days. You know, when there wasn't so much emphasis on the unfunny members….
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The link doesn't appear to work outside of the US.
Damn
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Lisa as a bisexual?
I find that to be very…conflicting.
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Wow, this episode was really good.
Thanks bob.
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FYI the new seasons of Futurama suck too.
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I agree, Bob!
This episode, written by J. Stewart Burns, aka the guy who wrote the Roswell episode of Futurama (which won an Emmy) is amazingly funny and amazingly good. This episode and “The Book Job” from this season help me prove my inner theory that the Simpsons Movie helped the show's crew remember what it's like to be at the top of their game.
Thanks for bringing this episode up; here's hoping it reruns on my Fox station around Christmas for years to come!
Also, since this is the first or second time I've ever commented, let me just say you are a highlight of my Internet surfing. So thanks and keep up the good work.
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that was probably the worst episode yet… People always b!tch about the prequel trilogy and how GL raped their childhood, well this was much much worse.
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This was a pretty ok episode. The Lisa and her daughter subplot could've just not been there and the conflict felt somewhat forced, but I'll agree that Homer's character development felt incredibly natural and was even insightful.
It was admittedly funny, which I suppose was your hypothesis. It skirts the edges of feeling substantial though, which I think is what I need for the show to be “good”.
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Yea… This was pretty terrible. Episodes like this make me glad I stopped watching around season 11. Seasons 1-8 (season 9 was pretty good, but it was on its way downhill already) are still the only seasons that matter imo. The rest is just Family Guy humor and garbage writing. As far as I'm concerned the show ended 10 years ago. Call me a “hater” or whatever, I just find it completely heart breaking to see what they have done to the Simpsons history and characters just for new story possibilities. The worst offender has to be how they changed the story of how Marge and Homer met. I thought the original story was great… It was funny as all hell and really sweet at the same time. Then they decide to just scrap that I guess and all of a sudden Homer is in a Grunge band resembling Nirvana… (facepalm) -__- I don't even wanna talk about this anymore.
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Yeah, the thing with the Simpsons is, by the point, it constantly contradicts itself with each new episode. The “future” episodes in particular have a nasty habit of doing this.
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But I guess that's what happens when the show's been around for 20 years and everyone's still the same age as when things started.
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Yeah, that was pretty good. Honestly, I'd be more interested in watching a show that was a spin-off of this episode, than I would be in continuing to watch the current Simpsons. Of course, then it would just be a strange hybrid of Simpsons and Futurama… not much originality there, at least in premise.
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