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popculturebuffet · 17 days ago

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Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire 35th Anniversary Review!

Merry Christmas Eve Everyone! Yes Christmas Eve, a time to relax, sit with loved ones, open presents, normally for me, and bask all before the wonder of christmas day. It's been a rough year.. but Christmas is a time to relax and relfect so before I take a christmas break to recharge, it's nice to end on a truly special special and something that means a lot to me: The Simpsons

My love of the simpsons is clear to anyone who spends a moment on this blog. While I haven't reviewed it a ton the refrences are thick like a frosty chocolate milkshake. Yet it's 35th anniversary... nearly snuck by me. It was only Disney promoting it's new christmas specail, come on all ye faithful, that made me realize a big milestone was coming

Thankfully Kev volunteered to give up one of his slots for this instead, and we both agreed there was only one choice: the FIRST simpsons episode and one I had not revisited in probably a decade: Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire. As an aside Cmon All Ye Faithful is pretty great and i'll probably cover it some other year.

Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire wasn't intended to be the premire, something that genuinely suprised me. I found out via youtuber, simpsons maestro and truly kind soul therealjims review of Some Enchanted Evening that that was the intended pilot... but the rough animatoin was so choppy and horendous it nearly killed the show, as both James L Brooks and Matt Groening hated it. Thankfully they gave the show another shot and liked the animation for Bart the Genius better, but this still got the show pushed back from it's september premerie so instead they bumped up the christmas episode to the premire.

Yet Simpsons Roasting.. ends up being an effective premire. It introduces our faviorite family well, each getting moments to shine while introducing a LOT of the supporting cast. While Homer, Marge, Lisa, Maggie, and my faviorite simpson of all

Were all introduced in the Tracey Ulman Shorts that aired pre series, it serves as a good reintorduction to our faviorite family and introduces a LOT of other characters. And I mean a lot as it was shocking just how many characters were there from the jump. Moe, Ned Flanders, Barney, Patty and Selma, Milhouse, Lewis, Skinnnnnneeeerrrrr, Sheri and/or Terri, Wendell, the voice of Mr Snrub, Mr Nobody Likes Milhouse, Some form of Ralph, Snowball II and of course, Santa's Little Helper. While Wendell and Lewis would fade into the background and nobody likes mr largo, everyone else mentinoed is part of the series core and has at least one meme attached. Except maybe Snowball II but she's a very good kitty so she dosen't get lumped in with nobody likes milhouse and the background boys.

So while the episode is clearly important as the first and the source of a lot of your faviorite characters it still good? Season 1 has some bangers but it still had a slower pace to it. Does it hold up after all the nonsense of 35 years of laughs, lackluster deaths and memes? join me under the cut to find out

Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire has a fantastic opening: we open at the school play and it really highlights who all the simpsons are at this point beautifully: Homer shoves his way through the crowd after arriving late and grumbles, Marge apologizes for his jackassery and is adoring at the kids performances, Bart does osme shenanigans during his classes performance and Lisa shows off her skills by doing a complicated dance for a made up island santa in a display that was multcultural at the time and is now just plain cultural apporation. It's also

As for some reason the animators missed the cue to draw on her stockings so she looks unaked under he grass skirt making this way more horrifying than they intended. But it's a solid introduction to the cast.

And that's something that can be said about most of the cast: Burns is intorduced cutting bonuses over a loud speaker, Patty and Selma's first interaction is asking for marge 80 times over the phone intstead of talking to or even acknowledging homer, Moe hears Homer's Troubles, barney is half drunk in a santa outfit working a low rent santa gig at the mall he helps homer score, Ned is cheery with homer but one ups him with his lights display and gifts (still in his more consumerist phase of his character), Snowball exists. The only ones who don't really get to make a splash who aren't background, still slowly piecing themselves together (ralph) are Skinner and Abe. Skinner is just introducing the acts and Abe is just kinda there, but since Skinner gets a proper introduction next episode and Abe gets a heck of a showcase with Bart the General we'll let it pass.

While a lot of these characters grow into the fully formed shapes we love more over time it's stillr emarkable how much they feel like themselves this early. Even ignoring this not being intended as episode one 8 episodes in and already they either know where most of these guys are going, or have them down.

The show is still learning though and it shows in the plot: it's one of the most stock of all christmas plots "we can't afford the presents" which like a lot of stock plots I run into can be used well and unlike some hasn't been beaten to death because there's a lot of varation..a nd it's VERY relatable. I had to plan in advance to get my familes presents, slowly buying them up to the start of december. It's a plot that's used a lot.. but is so flexible. Hell Bob's Burgers has used it at LEAST twice: the latest episode has the kids all ask together for a way too expensive present and get disapointed by not getting it (though trying to be greatful) while a previous christmas episode i've heard of but badly need to watch has Bob agree to compete in an underground ginger bread contest with mr fishoder to get the money. It's such a simple premise it can go in any bonkers direction you want. Hell the comic giant days had one of i'ts main cast needing money to spend the holidays in australia with his new girlfriend and her family turn into "working at a shady holiday job that uses cult tactics" which concludes iwth the owner bricking himself into his apartment. You can get really fucking bonkers

Here it's just "homer's bonus gets revoked" nad he feels too proud to tell marge who used the rest of their money to remove a tatoo from bart.. which you know could've waited. I'm not super hard on marge here as while it's a dumb decision, it's somehow consitant with later dumb self righteous decisions she makes like her hostility towards lisa becoming a budist or her crusaide against the maison darire. Marge does have a habit of putting

Over thought. It's when she's irritating instead of charming and loveable but every simpson has that setting. Jerkass Homer, Self Righteous Lisa.... er... something something bart. It happens when you write characters at this hightned level. It's why I tend to ignore the more jerky episode of sitcoms as long as it's not a plot point: sometimes a writer just stretch's a characters assholery too far. Here it's just right as Marge maens well and assumed they had the saftey net to do this NOW, while Bart did something reckless and selfish.

SO Homer has to get a job. The first of thousands. I didn't exactly count but it's probably still a lot. It's also weird this starts so early as the classic era wasn't really full of these. There's still some standouts like mr plow, his stint as the beer baron, his time as a monorail conductor, his sugar empire, his grease empire, and of course his drunken posse. It's also more down to earth here.. instead of being a zany side hustle he just takes a pretty average part time job.

While he's doing this we do get a little at home: the family watching happy little elves, marge worrying, patty and selma being passive agressive. Standard stuff. But there is one standout scene I can't help but mention, possibly the best of the episode: Patty and Selma disparagge homer.. and Lisa gives a long eloquent rant as to why they should shut the fuck up, which I"ll give ya bellow

" Well, I wish you wouldn't because, aside from the fact that he has the same frailties as all human beings, he's the only father I have. Therefore, he is my model of manhood, and my estimation of him will govern the prospects of my adult relationships. So I hope you bear in mind that any knock at him is a knock at me, and I am far too young to defend myself against such onslaughts."

Patty.. has no actual response and my take is Lisa part belives this.. but mostly said it because hse knew it'd get patty to stop trashing her dad. And in a noticable but awesome bit of continuity... Patty and Selma tend to avoid out and out bashing homer around the kids. I mean they still do on occasion if their all in a big group and homer's around, but after this scene I thought back and realized most of thier homer bashing is when it's just them and marge. Lisa got into Patty's head THAT bad and that's awesome. She deserves it. It's where LIsa goes from being a slightly less rambunctious bart to the depressed child progidy we know and love.

The episodes pretty joke light, mostly pretty light down to earth humor but there are a few standouts besides lisa's tirumph: the santa lessons are great with Homer getting ho ho ho wrong and the teacher sitting in his lap and being an unruly child. There's also how bart links up to it, pulling home'rs beard on a dare

Bart is a great addition to the plot, as he gets a sweet moment of shockingly.. NOT razzing homer after finding out he's him. He's both apologetic and despite finding out WHY he's doing it is PROUD of him for degrading himself like this and when the santa check is barley anything, gladly goads him into it. I do love when these two scheme together as it's when they seem closest.

Bart does make a mistake, but it's a fun one assumign christmas movies are real like a kid would. This ep gets the ballance of bart that can be tenious right: childish naivite with what little he knows of the adult world. He's experinced enough to get betting, but still enough of a kid to assume tv is right. Granted so is homer and they loose it all.

But what they win... is one of the most heartwarming moments of the series and a great additon to it: Santa's Little Helper. The whole dog track thing is thankly outdated as those don't happen but his owner letting the dog go and him running up to homer is so sweet as is homer giving in at first mad he lost their money.. but then as he says "he's a looser he's pathetic" then the dog licks his face and... "he's a simpson" and it provides the perfect ending. While Homer tries to fess up... he instead found the perfect present with everyone even grandpa being delighted. I mean .. he'll regret that entusasim eventually

But it's a truly sweet moment. At his lowest Homer finds someone just as down as him who just as much needs a miracle.. and in doing so finds the perfect gift. It's a sweet ending to an episode that is just... sweet. It's melancholy, relatable (We've all had to work extra for present money) , and sweet. It may not stack up with the sheer joke factories of just a few seasons later.. but damn if it isn't still a great start to one of the greatest series ever made. And an episode that's free on youtube right now! So go check it out, have a happy holiday and remember: i'm pulling for ya we're all in this together.

#the simpsons #christmas #simpsons roasting on an open fire #homer simpson #bart simpson #lisa simpson #marge simpson #barney gumble #moe syzlak #abe simpson #patty bouvier #selma bouvier #animation #fox

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