![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matt_zimmerAlso reviews for the latest episodes of The Simpsons, Family Guy, and The Great North, and the novel A Million Ways To Die In The West.
Star Wars: Tales Of The Underworld "A Way Forward"
That was way cool.
And that was a pretty big moment for Ventress at the end. ****1/2.
Star Wars: Tales Of The Underworld "Friends"
It turns out Ventress isn't the one who can't be trusted.
Another good episode. ****.
Star Wars: Tales Of The Underworld "One Warrior To Another"
I loved it. What a great redemption story for Ventress.
The messed up thing about Count Dooku is he wasn't actually wrong about the corruption of the Republic. He just didn't know the guy he was following was behind it.
Amazing. *****.
Star Wars: Tales Of The Underworld "The Good Life"
All in on an origin story for Cad Bane. ****.
Star Wars: Tales Of The Underworld "A Good Turn"
Cad Bane is the baddest-assed bounty hunter Star Wars ever created. He makes Boba Fett look like an Ewok. Specifically Nubs from Young Jedi Adventures.
But if you do an origin story it's impossible to make me sympathize with him. Just because he's such a bastard. It also does not feel fulfilling to get the impression Bane's entire problem is that he's an unloved kid playing dress-up. The Ventress episodes built that character up. I feel like the Bane episodes are tearing him down a little. ***.
Star Wars: Tales Of The Underworld "One Good Deed"
Torpid and predictable. Calling the Bane arc a dud.
If anyone deserves a cool origin story, it's Cad Bane. But the story refuses to be cool. Missed opportunity. **.
The Simpsons "Stew Lies"
I liked the episode. But it has a major problem.
The tag helps a LITTLE. But the tag is also nonsense, so you can't take it seriously.
The best part of the episode is the Bart and Lisa stuff. The rest of the episode is good, but that's amazing.
And it lasts maybe five minutes.
The show now has a problem. It's an amazing runner, but it doesn't take up a whole act break by itself, much less its own episode. Do they get rid of it or shoehorn into an episode with less going on?
It doesn't gel perfectly for that reason. Worse, I feel the conclusion felt a little too pat because they NEEDED to move on. No easy place to fit an amazing five minute scene.
Other stuff to talk about: "What the hell just happened?" Ska, Bart. Ska.
I love when the Prussian dude dies, his last words are to point out how filthy it is under the stove.
Would the episode felt less clumsy without the Bart and Lisa repeating runner? Yes. Would the show be better off if it didn't exist at all? Not on your life. It exists here because it needs to somewhere, and NOTHING is a good fit. Sort of a narrative problem right there.
Loved the theme song variation and Couch Gag.
John DiMaggio and Maurice La Marche are "Special Guest Voices". Makes sense.
Great episode. ****.
Family Guy "China Doll"
Richard Gere's middle name is Tiffany? Why are we so focused on the gerbil jokes? They might not even be true. Why the HELL aren't people dragging him for THAT?
Yellowstone is an incredibly popular show that I don't give two shits about. I learned more about it via Family Guy's cursory search of Wikipedia than I ever cared to.
One of the most shameful things about Family Guy is the racist jokes against Asians. I would argue in the earlier episodes, Black people get JUST as raw a deal, but the Asian shit went on for at least fifteen years. What's amazing to me, is they were essentially telling the exact same jokes (with the exact same racist intent) as the banned Looney Tunes shorts from the 1930's. It's amazing Bugs Bunny N--- The N--- is unforgivable while Family Guy was engaging in that level of toxicity week after week. Only a few years ago!
Despite Stewie's chalkboard, it was kind of an interesting episode because the writers were trying to figure out ways of making fun of China WITHOUT being racist. They weren't entirely successful, but hey, it's only the first attempt. I found the American sounding Chinese officials kind of funny.
Tiffany. I can't get over that. Keep your gerbils, comedy lowbrows. This is WAY better fodder against him. ****.
The Great North "Dungeons Aunt Dragon Adventure"
When she's ranting about commies I remembered why I don't like Aunt Dirt.
Man, she makes everything SO fucking hard. Not just with Moon and his friends. But the guy who had a crush on her. She's an ordeal. I like the Tobins because they are chill. She wrecks their entire vibe.
Speaking of which, the bead shit is obnoxious. For real. Bob's Burgers would have rejected it wholesale.
I did like the animation for the Dungeons and Dragons fantasies. Felt very old-school cartoon.
But I don't like Aunt Dirt and I didn't like the episode. *.
Seth MacFarlane's A Million Ways To Die In The West by Seth MacFarlane
So how's that novel you've been working on? The novel you've been working on for years? Hmmm?
This is an indulgence for Seth MacFarlane. It's also utterly unnecessary as the underrated movie is funnier and has more going on.
But Seth wants to write a NOVEL by God, so the publishers shall indulge him.
The other bit of prose fiction of MacFarlane's I've read is an Orville novella called "Sympathy For The Devil". That was actually a DAMN good read. Mostly because it was played completely straight with actual stakes and pathos, that even the Orville TV show never displayed. It's something for him to have been proud of.
Would he have written that without this? I'm guessing not.
It's a humor book, but prose humor stories don't often work for me. I know they can be popular, but outside of Douglas Adams, I find most of 'em too broad, and not overly concerned with being clever. This one is a mixed bag. It's got the dumb jokes of the worst humor novels, but the prose isn't entirely incompetently written.
Gary K Wolf's Roger Rabbit book made an amazing movie. The novel itself was not great. And as the book series wore on it became clear Wolf was simply not a good prose writer. You got Douglas Adams and... Yeah, not too many humor writers I have read are good prose writers.
Have you ever read Piers Anthony? Holy fucking God. I don't know what's more tortured, the shitty prose of the double-entendre puns, or that that asshole actually thinks it constitutes humor.
So MacFarlane doing Just Okay is half a victory on that level.
But really the entire book is an indulgence for Seth MacFarlane. What's good is I know he can do better. His first attempt at the written word is only so-so. **1/2.
Star Wars: Tales Of The Underworld "A Way Forward"
That was way cool.
And that was a pretty big moment for Ventress at the end. ****1/2.
Star Wars: Tales Of The Underworld "Friends"
It turns out Ventress isn't the one who can't be trusted.
Another good episode. ****.
Star Wars: Tales Of The Underworld "One Warrior To Another"
I loved it. What a great redemption story for Ventress.
The messed up thing about Count Dooku is he wasn't actually wrong about the corruption of the Republic. He just didn't know the guy he was following was behind it.
Amazing. *****.
Star Wars: Tales Of The Underworld "The Good Life"
All in on an origin story for Cad Bane. ****.
Star Wars: Tales Of The Underworld "A Good Turn"
Cad Bane is the baddest-assed bounty hunter Star Wars ever created. He makes Boba Fett look like an Ewok. Specifically Nubs from Young Jedi Adventures.
But if you do an origin story it's impossible to make me sympathize with him. Just because he's such a bastard. It also does not feel fulfilling to get the impression Bane's entire problem is that he's an unloved kid playing dress-up. The Ventress episodes built that character up. I feel like the Bane episodes are tearing him down a little. ***.
Star Wars: Tales Of The Underworld "One Good Deed"
Torpid and predictable. Calling the Bane arc a dud.
If anyone deserves a cool origin story, it's Cad Bane. But the story refuses to be cool. Missed opportunity. **.
The Simpsons "Stew Lies"
I liked the episode. But it has a major problem.
The tag helps a LITTLE. But the tag is also nonsense, so you can't take it seriously.
The best part of the episode is the Bart and Lisa stuff. The rest of the episode is good, but that's amazing.
And it lasts maybe five minutes.
The show now has a problem. It's an amazing runner, but it doesn't take up a whole act break by itself, much less its own episode. Do they get rid of it or shoehorn into an episode with less going on?
It doesn't gel perfectly for that reason. Worse, I feel the conclusion felt a little too pat because they NEEDED to move on. No easy place to fit an amazing five minute scene.
Other stuff to talk about: "What the hell just happened?" Ska, Bart. Ska.
I love when the Prussian dude dies, his last words are to point out how filthy it is under the stove.
Would the episode felt less clumsy without the Bart and Lisa repeating runner? Yes. Would the show be better off if it didn't exist at all? Not on your life. It exists here because it needs to somewhere, and NOTHING is a good fit. Sort of a narrative problem right there.
Loved the theme song variation and Couch Gag.
John DiMaggio and Maurice La Marche are "Special Guest Voices". Makes sense.
Great episode. ****.
Family Guy "China Doll"
Richard Gere's middle name is Tiffany? Why are we so focused on the gerbil jokes? They might not even be true. Why the HELL aren't people dragging him for THAT?
Yellowstone is an incredibly popular show that I don't give two shits about. I learned more about it via Family Guy's cursory search of Wikipedia than I ever cared to.
One of the most shameful things about Family Guy is the racist jokes against Asians. I would argue in the earlier episodes, Black people get JUST as raw a deal, but the Asian shit went on for at least fifteen years. What's amazing to me, is they were essentially telling the exact same jokes (with the exact same racist intent) as the banned Looney Tunes shorts from the 1930's. It's amazing Bugs Bunny N--- The N--- is unforgivable while Family Guy was engaging in that level of toxicity week after week. Only a few years ago!
Despite Stewie's chalkboard, it was kind of an interesting episode because the writers were trying to figure out ways of making fun of China WITHOUT being racist. They weren't entirely successful, but hey, it's only the first attempt. I found the American sounding Chinese officials kind of funny.
Tiffany. I can't get over that. Keep your gerbils, comedy lowbrows. This is WAY better fodder against him. ****.
The Great North "Dungeons Aunt Dragon Adventure"
When she's ranting about commies I remembered why I don't like Aunt Dirt.
Man, she makes everything SO fucking hard. Not just with Moon and his friends. But the guy who had a crush on her. She's an ordeal. I like the Tobins because they are chill. She wrecks their entire vibe.
Speaking of which, the bead shit is obnoxious. For real. Bob's Burgers would have rejected it wholesale.
I did like the animation for the Dungeons and Dragons fantasies. Felt very old-school cartoon.
But I don't like Aunt Dirt and I didn't like the episode. *.
Seth MacFarlane's A Million Ways To Die In The West by Seth MacFarlane
So how's that novel you've been working on? The novel you've been working on for years? Hmmm?
This is an indulgence for Seth MacFarlane. It's also utterly unnecessary as the underrated movie is funnier and has more going on.
But Seth wants to write a NOVEL by God, so the publishers shall indulge him.
The other bit of prose fiction of MacFarlane's I've read is an Orville novella called "Sympathy For The Devil". That was actually a DAMN good read. Mostly because it was played completely straight with actual stakes and pathos, that even the Orville TV show never displayed. It's something for him to have been proud of.
Would he have written that without this? I'm guessing not.
It's a humor book, but prose humor stories don't often work for me. I know they can be popular, but outside of Douglas Adams, I find most of 'em too broad, and not overly concerned with being clever. This one is a mixed bag. It's got the dumb jokes of the worst humor novels, but the prose isn't entirely incompetently written.
Gary K Wolf's Roger Rabbit book made an amazing movie. The novel itself was not great. And as the book series wore on it became clear Wolf was simply not a good prose writer. You got Douglas Adams and... Yeah, not too many humor writers I have read are good prose writers.
Have you ever read Piers Anthony? Holy fucking God. I don't know what's more tortured, the shitty prose of the double-entendre puns, or that that asshole actually thinks it constitutes humor.
So MacFarlane doing Just Okay is half a victory on that level.
But really the entire book is an indulgence for Seth MacFarlane. What's good is I know he can do better. His first attempt at the written word is only so-so. **1/2.
no subject
Date: 2025-05-05 05:57 pm (UTC)- I mean let's face this is an issue that has been a part of the Simpsons for DECADES. Like even back in the classic era you had those "5 minute opening scenes" that had very roundabout relations to what came before just there because they had an idea for funny opening bits before getting to the main meat of the plot. Seriously stuff like the Osaka Flu from "Marge In Chains" or even Burns trying to hide nuclear waste in "Marge Vs The Monorail" show these were issues there in the classic era. Now granted in the Scully years they became really apparent to the point sometimes they even had to be meta about them like the badger in "Tale of Two Springfields" or shopping for Abe's casket in "Tennis the Menace." Even sometimes when they got out there like that whole Bart digging in "Homer The Moe" was clear this is how a lot of episodes opearated and honestly I feel that was the case for like so many of the 2000s and early 2010s. The last few years they have been a lot better at that like seriously last week even if it wasn't a favorite of mine perfectly go "okay this is a Grandpa and Moe baseball episode that's how it starts as well" but yeah sometimes you still get ones that have these odd openers that have nothing to do with what's going on. Like honestly the story of this one itself isn't exactly held up well either from how we get Homer helping out Thad leading to that whole Fat Tony story feels pretty haphazard. I feel that does come from the writer of this Broti Gupta having that in a lot of her scripts. Sans "Fanily Feud" all the others do seem they like starting off in odd places compared to the rest of how the story goes.
"What's amazing to me, is they were essentially telling the exact same jokes (with the exact same racist intent) as the banned Looney Tunes shorts from the 1930's. It's amazing Bugs Bunny N--- The N--- is unforgivable while Family Guy was engaging in that level of toxicity week after week. Only a few years ago!"
- Well the difference is that Looney Tunes has shifted into being seen as general family friendly icons whose appeal is meant for kids when that was not their original intentions and yeah not how a fair amount of the original cartons played out but it's how they wound up being marketted years upon years to be like that thus when you show massive evidence against that it's NOW treated like the black sheep. Family Guy won't ever have that because they always marketed themselves as being sort of tasteless "will take shots at everyone and not really care about it because we're that sort of adult cartoon" so even if they are sort of forced to not really be as abrasive now can easily still come across that way in the episodes.
no subject
Date: 2025-05-06 09:27 am (UTC)As for Family Guy I don't remotely agree racism is somehow more appropriate for adults than it is for children.
no subject
Date: 2025-05-08 09:06 pm (UTC)Again sometimes you do get those like again the Bart digging a hole opener from "Homer The Moe." However here's another thought I had about this plot; was this meant to originally be a subplot THROUGHOUT the episode? Like the first few minutes weren't supposed to be spent on this but rather have this cut randomly throughout the Homer and Thad and Fat Tony stuff? Cause like sometimes the point of subplots besides just being there to fill for time in an episode and to give more attention to other characters is also to break the flow of a scene. You know the reason "homer's Enemy" had such a wacky "Bart buys a factory" subplot was because they knew the main plot was so dark they wanted something much lighter to balance it out. But then when breaking it down realized "okay this emotional beat actually plays much better with all the scenes together so maybe we can have that all be in the first plot then just do the main plot after?" I don't know we have seen odder things in the editing bay from the Simpsons before.
"As for Family Guy I don't remotely agree racism is somehow more appropriate for adults than it is for children."
- I feel that the societal idea is "okay well adults have more full life experiences and can understand when something's more supposed to a joke we're not supposed to take seriously compared to a kid who may get the wrong morale and point from what this means" which yeah I do feel is bull crap. I remember watching Looney Tunes or hell even South Park when I was a kid and when there was a reference to some famous old actor or wording or like term I didn't know I just asked my mom about it to get a better understanding. So you would think that's how it would go but yeah sadly society in general doesn't work like that and doesn't want kids to be aware of some of the harsher truths till much later feeling they won't be equipped to deal with it. Though there is an irony with that ideal being put in Family Guy considering even FG has admitted their biggest audience at points especially when they were being their edgiest is teenagers not even adults.
no subject
Date: 2025-05-08 09:49 pm (UTC)