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twh-news · 3 years ago

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"Loki" Director Kate Herron Talks The Epic Season 1 Finale And The Easter Egg Fans Should Go Back And Listen For | Buzzfeed

Warning: There are MASSIVE spoilers ahead for Season 1 of Loki!

Welp, Loki Season 1 just came to an end and I think it's safe to say that the Marvel Cinematic Universe will never be the same. Following the Season 1 finale, we sat down with director Kate Herron to talk about everything — like how it felt introducing the multiverse and Jonathan Majors to the MCU, casting this incredible ensemble cast, Loki's bisexuality, and so much more. Here's everything we learned:

1. First, Kate has always loved Loki, so she knew she wanted to be involved in the "character's next step" in some way.

"Basically, I love Loki, and I found out they were making a show about him. As a fan, I was like, 'I need to know where he's gone.' Then, I just wanted to know what the story was going to be. I loved the character. I think Tom Hiddleston's performance is amazing. I really wanted to be part of whatever this character's next step was because I think Loki's had one of the best arcs in the MCU."

2. Directing all six episodes of the first season felt like filming a six-hour movie.

"Directing all six episodes was a really unique experience, right? Because normally TV is run through the showrunner system, and Marvel didn't do that on Loki. It was incredible. It was quite an undertaking to do six hours and run it like a giant film. I'm so grateful for the opportunity, and I'm really proud of what we made."

3. When Kate signed on to Loki, only the first few scripts had been written, the "rough shape of the show" was in place, and they knew Loki would be arrested by the TVA.

"When I started, Michael [Waldron] had written the pilot. Then, there was a second episode written by Elissa [Karasik], and Bisha's [Ali] episode was written. So, there was a rough shape of the show. It was already fixed in that Loki was gonna be arrested by the TVA and then it had this twist that he was going to try and solve the mystery of who this other Loki was, but then it pivots and becomes this love story about him falling in love with himself. I just thought that was so inspired and the message that had about self-love. I just really wanted to be part of that."

4. And they always knew the show would end at The Citadel at the End of Time and the multiverse would be born.

"As we dug into it with Kevin Wright, our producer, the studio, Michael, Tom, and also our whole team, I think it was always thinking like what was the best story, in particular during the second half of the show. We always knew they were going to The Citadel, something would happen, and the multiverse would be born, but we didn't necessarily know it would come out of Loki and Sylvie fighting. That idea came out of discussions with me, the writers, and the studio."

5. It was "always the plan" to introduce Jonathan Majors to the MCU during the Loki Season 1 finale.

"I think me and the writers were just like, 'Well, they haven't told us we can't introduce that character. I guess we're doing it.' It was really exciting and I felt really honored that I got to be part of it."

6. Kate was involved with Jonathan's casting for He Who Remains/Kang alongside Peyton Reed, who will direct Ant-Man: Quantumania, and Marvel Studios.

"Being part of the casting discussion with Marvel and Peyton was amazing. It was massive. I was just like, 'Wow, I can't believe I get to be part of this conversation.' Everyone was just so excited about Jonathan. He's one of the best actors. I just couldn't believe we got him."

7. Jonathan brought a lot of "cool ideas to the table" once he was cast, and Kate gave him "space to play."

"He just brought so many cool ideas to the table. I think when you're working with an actor like Jonathan, it's really just about giving him space to play, and let him find the character and give him a cool way to do that. I really enjoyed working with him. We finished the shoot filming in The Citadel, so it was really interesting that we finished filming with Jonathan. I just felt very lucky I got to direct him."

8. Jonathan actually voiced the Time-Keepers in Episode 4, which added to the Wizard of Oz homage.

"Obviously, the Time-Keepers were being made in post, and we hadn't cast anyone [for the voices] yet, and I thought, 'Well, Wizard of Oz. Like it should be the wizard, right?' So I thought it would be cool if it was Jonathan, and I think the key thing then was just working with him in a way that we could disguise his voice. I think the fun thing was, Jonathan is an amazing character actor. So we just sent him the art and he was sending audio clips to me and Kevin Wright and being like, 'What about this voice?' It was just so much fun to do that with him. I think that was just joyful."

9. Kate's favorite Easter egg from Episode 5 was Throg — in fact, Chris Hemsworth recorded new lines and sounds for that small part.

"That one I was very proud of and it was very fun. I had that shot designed for a while. I think I'd seen it in Futurama, and a lot of animation does it, but I love the idea of going through the dirt and it reveals something. I always felt like that shot would be the place to insert an Easter egg. When we had Throg in there, it was so much fun and it was perfect. We also recorded Chris [Hemsworth] for that. It was just so much fun."

10. She also loved the Thanos Copter and said it was a "funny" detail the producers loved from the comics, so they had to include it.

"The Thanos Copter was great. Kevin Wright, our executive producer, was really obsessed with that copter, I was like, 'We have to put the helicopter,' and it was so funny. Episode 5 is our best Easter egg episode. There's so much deliberately because of the nature of The Void as a place where deleted things are sent."

11. There's one Easter egg/detail Kate hasn't seen fans catch onto yet, and it involves a "familiar" voice at the very end of the Season 1 finale.

"The one I would say is — it's less Easter egg and more cool story-wise. So, at the very end of the finale, when Loki is in this alternate TVA, there's a character that runs behind him and is going to the armory and people should listen to the voice. It's very quick, but it's someone familiar."

12. Loki was inspired by numerous iconic sci-fi movies, like Children of Men, Alien, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Metropolis, Starship Troopers, and more.

"Bisha, in the episode [she wrote], she spoke about Children of Men and also Before Sunrise as a reference, so I was really inspired by that and the idea of bringing these sci-fi things together. Across all the TVA, I wanted it to just be a big love letter to sci-fi movies, like Metropolis, Brazil, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, [and] Alien. A reference I could never talk about early was Starship Troopers just because, obviously, the TVA are bad guys and in that movie they also use a lot of propaganda film and we had our Miss Minutes film. So, that movie played a hand. There was so much across the show. We had references from everywhere."

13. And the inspiration for how The Void would look in Episode 5 actually came from Teletubbies.

"I never really spoke much about it, but basically in Episode 5, The Void was originally written like a desert, but when I pitched, I said I thought it would be cool if rather than like a Mad Max desert apocalypse, it's more like an overgrown garden. Like, this is the place where the TVA throw their rubbish in. I just loved the idea of that. I think I realized as it started to unravel that I'd basically pitched the British countryside. As we were building it, I was like, 'Am I just homesick?' I remember trying to explain it to the visual effects artists who were making it, and I was like, 'You know, it's like the Teletubbies. You know, rolling hills just one after another.' So, yeah, the Teletubbies became a useful reference when describing The Void. So, that's how they played a hand in it."

14. Kate was the one who suggested Sophia Di Martino audition for the role of Sylvie.

"Sophia was in a short film of mine called Smear. I was very happy to pay her, finally, for her talent. When we were reading for the role, I was like, 'There's this actor I know and I think we should ask if she wants to read.' Everyone was like, 'Yeah, sure.' So, she read in these audition tapes, and we were all watching the tapes back and I remember everyone at the studio was like, 'Wait, who's that?' And I was like, 'Oh, that's my friend Sophia.' They thought she was amazing."

15. Sophia's audition tape was so good that she was immediately cast.

"Basically, everyone was really excited by her tape and I think she got cast in the room, which is incredible. I was excited because I got to bring my friend along. She's such a good actor. She's fantastic in Flowers and I was just so happy that she was coming along for the ride. I think she's done such a beautiful job with Sylvie."

16. One of the most important things when crafting Sylvie and the other Loki Variants was making sure they were their own characters, and not just Loki copies.

"I think the most important thing, minus just tiny little gestures, was really making it important that Sylvie was her own character and that all the Lokis weren't just 'faded photocopies.' They were all their own Loki. It wasn't even that they stood in a similar way or looked similar, but what in their soul made them a Loki. I love that line, 'Lokis always survive.' That idea goes across all our characters who are Lokis."

17. Casting Sylvie was one of the hardest things, and Sophia was able to bring her own spin to the character and she was the perfect "sparring partner" for Tom.

"Sophia has this talent — and I think Tom has it as well — where she's so funny and naturally so witty and charismatic that you can't take your eyes off her. She's also really good at playing characters with a lot of anger, pain, and vulnerability. I just felt that those qualities were so Loki to me. She brought her own spin on it too. Tom's performance is so iconic, so Sylvie was a tough role to cast because you need to give him a good sparring partner, but also, it's another Loki and people love Loki. So, it was really making sure that she felt distinctive enough that she was different, but also that we gave Tom a really fun actor to play alongside. It was really fun watching them. It was really fun seeing their chemistry grow."

18. Sylvie's fighting style was actually crafted to have similar movements to Loki's, thus showing that they are basically two sides of the same coin.

"I know Tom and Sophia spent a lot of time together. I think the fun thing with Sophia was the little things, like the fighting styles. She has a very different life to our Loki. Loki is very balletic in his fighting style, because he grew up in the palace, whereas Sylvie grew up in apocalypses. So, she was going to fight a bit more like a feral cat. I thought that was fun to play with. We worked with Mo [Ganderton], our stunt coordinator, and it was really fun to find little mirror image stuff they would do when they fight. We did a little bit of that on Lamentis and there's little bits here and there where we've done that. There's also little gestures that they do that are quite similar."

19. Kate had a "four hour" phone call with Owen Wilson before he was cast. They talked about Marvel, Mobius, and Loki.

"Everyone was so excited to cast him. I remember, they were like, 'Kate, just call him and see if he's up for it.' That was a lot of pressure. But then, I spoke to him on the phone and we spoke about Marvel and Loki in Marvel. Also, we talked about what our show was doing, who Mobius was, and then just getting his take on it. It was a very detailed conversation. I think we spoke for like four hours. At the end, he was like, 'I'm in.'"

20. Wunmi Mosaku's role was originally supposed to be a male character, but Kate suggested having an "open casting" because she thought Hunter B-15 would be really great as a female character.

"When I spoke to the studio, I was like, 'This character is cool, but I just think it could be really interesting if this was a female character. So, could we do open casting? We'll have men and women read, and we'll just see who's the best person for the role.' So, Wunmi read for it and just blew everyone away. We were like, 'We have to cast this person!' So, we kind of remade the role, really, around her."

21. Kate loves the idea that Hunter B-15 joins this club of sci-fi female characters who were originally supposed to be men.

"It was cool because I love Ripley in Alien and I love Kara Thrace in Battlestar Galactica. In the original Battlestar, Kara Thrace's character was played by a man, and Ripley in Alien was originally written as a man, so I liked that Hunter B-15 was joining these badass women in sci-fi. That was really cool to me."

22. When Kate pitched her ideas to the studio, she include Gugu Mbatha-Raw as the actor she wanted to play Ravonna.

"Gugu was in my pitch when I spoke to the studio. I was like, 'I think she'll be really great.' I love her work as an actor. From Belle to the episode of Black Mirror she's in, everything she's in is so different. I think that's so interesting with Ravonna because in the comics, Ravonna's been good and bad, and she's such a big character. I was like, 'I'd love to see Gugu's take on that character.' The studio was really excited by that and so was Gugu."

23. Kate said it was "important" to recognize Loki's bisexuality in the show, and she loved how it was naturally worked into a conversation between him and Sylvie.

"It was just important for us to do it in a way that made it canon, acknowledged it, and also done in a way where like, if someone asked me, I would just be matter of fact about it, like, 'Yeah, I'm bi.' I think that was the important thing for it and building it into the conversation. It was important to the whole team and the way that it was written was really beautiful. It felt like the right place to do it because these two characters are starting to open up to each other and are being a bit more honest about who they are. So it felt like the right place to have that moment."

24. The TVA weren't always going to be Variants/humans. That idea was born out of conversations with Kate, the writers, and the rest of the Loki team.

"When I started, I think it was a bit more up in the air with like, who are the Variants who work for the TVA? Are they Variants? They actually weren't Variants when I first joined. Casey was an alien, for example. I think something we all locked onto was it was more effective to make them more human. It was already in there that the Time-Keepers wouldn't be real and that would be a big Wizard of Oz rug pull. But the extra rug pull we added was that, on top of all of that, the TVA don't realize that they're actually Variants."

25. One of the things Kate enjoyed the most was figuring out the "inner workings of the TVA," like how the Minutemen would operate.

"I think it was really fun, in terms of the bigger structural stuff, to work with everyone. Also, figuring out the inner workings of the TVA, like every squad of Minutemen would have a hunter and they'll be little details sprinkled across all the world building in the show. Generally, we always looked at the characters and what was the best story and how to get to the end goal in the most effective way."

26. The season finale intro — which included seeing space, the sacred timeline, and hearing quotes from the MCU and history — was an homage to Contact.

"Basically, Eric Martin, our writer, he'd written in this amazing idea that for the opening we do an homage to Contact, and kind of move through space to the end of time. Then, we'd see the physical timeline, and then we see The Citadel. I love Contact, and I was like, 'Oh, that's so cool.' We took that idea to Darrin [Denlinger], our storyboard artist, and me and him just nerded out about space and about how we wanted to pay homage to Contact but not be completely the same.

So we played with the idea of time and he was bringing in so many cool ideas. But then, the amazing pitch he had as well was like, 'What if when we pull out at the very end, the timeline isn't a straight line like how you guys have been showing it in the show? What if it's actually circular?' I thought it was such a good idea."

27. Kevin Feige helped come up with the idea to include Marvel quotes over the Marvel logo because it was something the MCU had never done before.

"I had this weird idea where I remember saying to my editor, Emma McCleave, I was like, 'Oh, can we add a baby crying or the sounds of the city? And it's like we just hear life.' So her, me, and Kevin Wright got really into that. So we were adding all of these different sounds into the timeline. We also had quotes from just life, not Marvel. Then, we showed that cut to Kevin Feige and the rest of the team.

They all thought it was cool, and then Kevin Feige was like, 'Oh, do you know what? We've never done quotes on the Marvel logo before.' So, we thought that was cool and we added the quotes to the Marvel logo intro. Then, me, Kevin Wright, Emma, and Sarah Bennett, Emma's assistant, decided to just put the MCU quotes across the whole thing."

28. Going from hearing all of the voices in the season finale opening to utter silence in The Citadel was also a way of learning something about He Who Remains.

"I loved the idea of all the noise and this Greek chorus building because when you finally pull out and see The Citadel and how isolated it is, it tells you so much about He Who Remains' psychology because he's surrounded by all this brimming life, but he's completely isolated and alone. I thought it tells you a little bit about his character and who he might be before we see him."29. Kate loves that the season finale opening is a "beautiful handover" from the previous phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe into this one with the multiverse.

"It was a real group effort, and we were just really excited at the idea of it being this really beautiful handover from the previous phase of Marvel. Also, we get to encapsulate a little bit of our world as well, which was really fun. The editing team put so much time into that. I really want to watch it in a planetarium or something."

29. Kate loves that the season finale opening is a "beautiful handover" from the previous phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe into this one with the multiverse.

30. And finally, even though Loki sets up a lot of upcoming MCU projects — namely, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Ant-Man: Quantumania — Kate didn't have a lot of conversations with other MCU directors and writers.

"Kevin Wright and Stephen Broussard from Marvel were our producers on Loki, and they worked with Kevin Feige, Louis [D'Esposito], and Victoria [Alonso]. They always steered us in terms of the Marvel big picture and let us know if anything was off base. It's so secretive at Marvel, so I only spoke to Peyton just because our timelines crossed [with Jonathan]. Generally, Marvel manages everything internally and keeps us all in check."

#loki #loki series #kate herron #interview #article #buzzfeed #loki spoilers #spoilers #loki series spoilers

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central-finite-curve · 3 years ago

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O r you rewatching or watching for the first time? Bc Futurama is SO GOOD YEA \o/

i tried to watch futurama once when i was like...... 17? 16? but i didn't get past season 1. i was using random episodes as background noise for a bit like two months ago so i decided abt a week ago to rewatch all of it! season 6 is not as good so far but like i'll take what i can get. i know it's silly but i wish it was still in 4:3 and the colors were still dark and warm

like we dont get jewel tones like this anymore

#not rnm #ask #seasons 1-5 had this very specific aesthetic and i miss them sm rn

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theladyragnell · 4 years ago

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5 and 16 tv show asks

5. what’s your comfort show?

Xena and Futurama are both pretty far up the list! I’m far more likely to do comfort movies than shows, though. A lot of animated shows, though! Even if they’re not rewatches, I use them as cleansers from more intense Shows For Adults (when I watch The Handmaid’s Tale, I need on average 2-3 episodes of something soothing and animated per episode of HT). I haven’t watched season 3 of The Dragon Prince yet because I am saving it for a moment of Greatest Need, but I really like that one.

16. do you feel like there are any underrated TV show formats?

I answered this with mockumentaries earlier, but also, I’d like, in the wake of a post I reblogged the other day, to pay tribute to the Monster of the Week. Shows with them never seem to stick with this beautiful and surefire format, which is baffling to me because it’s one of the most satisfying ones there is. A TV show designed to give you a dopamine hit! Why are people so afraid of them? Baffling.

#huntforachievements #answered asks

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mysterylover123 · 5 years ago

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My Top 10 Christmas Episodes

mysterylover123

Everyone has a favorite Christmas Episode. That time of year from your favorite shows where the characters celebrate the holidays along with you, usually accompanied by big changes in their lives, gaudy decorations, and creative traditions. I’ve included my top 10 here, along with some honorable mentions. I’ve excluded Christmases I liked from book/film/comic book series, thought I think in 2 years time there will be a grand new edition to the list (aka My Hero Academia). Hope you all like them and have a Merry Christmas!

#10. Futurama “Xmas Story” Airdate: 12/19/1999

I don’t broadcast it much, but I love classic Futurama. This little gem of a Christmas episode - sorry, X-mas episode - is a common staple of “Best Christmas Episode” lists, and for good reason. It’s one of those “dark” Christmas stories, featuring a murderous Santa Claus robot, Fry dealing with being 1000 years in the future where his old traditions have died, and some good bonding moments among the cast of Planet Express. I particularly like the “gift of the Magi” joke with Amy and Hermes, and the Harold Lloyd reference with Fry on the clock tower.

#9. X-Men Evolution “On Angel’s Wings” Airdate: 12/15/2001

X-Men Evolution is a nostalgic favorite of mine - my introduction to the X-men in high school, the first show I ever read fanfiction for, etc. It’s Christmas episode has a very warm feeling to it, a rare dip into sentimentality for the show. It deals with Scott and Rogue going to recruit Angel for the X-Men while the others are home for the holidays, and clashing with Magneto in their attempts to do so. I’m always down for an episode focused on Rogue, and her bond with Scott over being the X-Men without families to go home to is great. The little montage that ends the episode always puts a smile on my face.

#8. The Simpsons “Holidays of Future Passed” Airdate: 12/11/2011

I heard this one was thought of as a potential series finale for The Simpsons, as a bit of closure for their premiere (another christmas Episode, “Simpsons Roasting on an Open fire”, which I like but find a little too ‘early Simpsons’ to make the list.). Honestly, I wish it had been. Modern Simpsons is generally such a mess, it would’ve been nice to see it get such a dignified end in Season 23. This one is a great little trip to the future of the family, and it really feels like a nice vision of what could become of them somewhere down the line. I like that this one gives Homer a chance to be a good grandad, and a bonding moment between Lisa and Bart. I hope this is where they really do end up.

#7. Frasier “Frasier Grinch” Airdate: 12/19/1995

Frasier is the only show that ended up landing 2 Christmas episodes in my Top 10. And I felt I still had to cut a few of them that could’ve made the list easily. This series really had a knack for the Christmas episode. My 2nd favorite, obviously, is this little offering from Season 3, which deals with Frasier trying to get Freddy gifts in time for the holiday when the ones he ordered got misdirected. It ends up touching on an aspect of the holidays I wish would get covered a little more often: when you buy others Christmas gifts, are you getting them what they actually want, or just what you think they should want? Overbearing Frasier has made this blunder, and the episode helps him learn that lesson. Though as usual Niles steals the show. Niles in a toy store trying out a doofy hat is more than worth the #7 spot.

#6. Friends “The One with the Christmas in Tulsa” Airdate: 12/12/2002

Friends has a lot of Christmastime episodes, but most of them are just kinda coincidentally set around the holidays. Only a few stand out as actual “Christmas Episodes”. While I enjoy “Holiday Armadillo”’s comedy and “Creepy Holiday card”’s sentimentality, my standout favorite is this one, the last Christmas episode they did, perhaps because Chandler and Monica are my favorites on the show and their romance is the OTP. This one deals with Chandler away from home, working on Christmas at a job he hates and being separated from Monica. Through some clips and a bit of soul searching, he decides to finally quit the job he hates and pursue something he wants to do. It’s a great example of how to do a clip show/Christmas episode well, move characters forward, and remind us of why we love these two together.

#5. Buffy “Amends” Airdate: 12/15/1998

This one would probably be higher if there wasn’t so much Bangel melodrama in the last 10 minutes (sorry fans, I really hate Bangel). But the rest of it is more than good enough to put Buffy’s sole Christmas episode at #5 for me. What I love the most about this one is, well, the ‘amends’ of the title. Xander starts making up for 3 seasons of douchebaggery by being a good friend. Willow makes up with Oz. Buffy makes up with Faith. That latter one puts the biggest smile on my face of the bunch; it’s bittersweet, given what happens, but when Faith shows up on Buffy’s doorstep with presents for her and Joyce, my small Grinch heart grows three sizes each time. Definitely a must-watch.

#4. Parks and Recreation “Christmas Scandal” Airdate: 12/10/2009

Parks and Rec has 3 Christmas episodes and they’re all pretty good. I debated between this one and “Ron and Diane”, but since that one is more about Ron’s award ceremony, I decided to go with Season 2′s. This one is a very “Parks and Rec” kinda Christmas, dealing with Leslie getting involved in a dumb sex scandal, the Parks department putting on a “Winter wonderland” on Lot 48, some dating drama about Ann and Leslie and their boyfriends (At this point, since Ben and Chris weren’t around yet, Mark and Dave), and a very cute hug between a pre-marriage April and Andy. The biggest win in this one is the sheer Christmas atmosphere. It practically glows off the screen.

#3. How I Met Your Mother “False Positive” Airdate: 12/13/2010

HIMYM is another one with a lot of candidates, but “False Positive” really stands out to me as something special. It’s essentially an “It’s a wonderful life”-style story (as they’re going to see the movie) where Lily’s false positive pregnancy test inspires the friend group to each choose the more responsible path in life of their two choices, only to chicken out when the false part of the title is revealed. The way the episode ends is absolutely spectacular, a standout moment to me among the series’ many strong character moments, and leads to strong development for all around going forward. Definitely a highlight of HIMYM’s 6th season, and an episode full of Christmas imagery, soul-searching, and classic plotlines.

#2. Frasier “The Fight Before Christmas” Airdate: 12/16/1999

My favorite Frasier Christmas episode feels like it combines a little bit of everything that makes the other ones good: a KACL office Christmas party with a whacky theme (we finally see it instead of having it going on in the background!), Frasier being pompous about Christmas celebrations and ending up karmically punished for it, a comedic scenario which crafts a comedy of errors, Martin’s decorating. In many ways though, the highlight of this one is how deftly it handles the romance reveal from the previous episode between Niles and Daphne. in the midst of all the crappy Christmas rom coms, it’s easy to forget how strong a good Christmas set romance can be, and the moment of tension as Daphne tries to reject Niles but just can’t quite do it is a standout for me. Definitely my favorite of Frasier’s 8 xmas episodes.

Hon. Mentions: Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire, Batman Christmas with the Joker and Holiday Knights, Frasier Perspectives on Christmas, Parks and Rec Ron and Diane, HIMYM How Lily Stole Christmas.

#1. Smallville “Lexmas” Airdate: 12/8/2005

This one isn’t just a Christmas episode. It’s pretty much the Ultimate Christmas episode. Where to begin? A fancy Christmas party jam-packed with colorful decor. Superman - Clark - delivering presents as Santa for the Daily Planet. Clark talking/saving a depressed mall Santa (or is he real?) from committing suicide with an emotional heart to heart. Sweet family Christmas celebrations (right before tragedy strike in the next episode). But of course, the real highlight of this one is Lex’s Alternate Reality fantasy. After getting shot, the titular Luthor has a vision of what his life could be like if he did the right thing, essentially an “It’s a Wonderful Life” style alternate reality. However, that reality ends in tragedy, and the tragic twist of the episode is that instead of leading the Grinch’s heart to grow, the Christmas dream only serves to help solidify Luthor’s fall to the dark side. It is certainly juxtaposed with enough holiday magic and hope to offset that depressing ending, but I will admit to liking a bit of subversion in my stories now and then. Everything Christmas episodes could have is jam-packed into this episode.

#futurama #smallville #x-men evolution #the simpsons #frasier #friends #Buffy The Vampire Slayer #how i met your mother #Parks and Recreation #xmas story #on angel's wings #holidays of future passed #frasier grinch #the one with the christmas in tulsa #amends #christmas scandal #false positive #the fight before christmas #lexmas

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simpsonsnight · 5 years ago

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Episode #336

WHAT THIS?

Treehouse of Horror XV Season 16 - Episode 1 | November 7, 2004 Hey hey it’s a treehouse show. In this one they do a Dead Zone one, a From Hell one, and a Fantastic Voyage one. It starts off with an opening where Kang and Kodos are imagined as an insipid sitcom. It’s not particularly inspired. It uses the Perfect Strangers theme song and I recall somebody on a message board I posted on giving it a glowing review based on that, but I think he was just pandering to us because everyone else on that board were big TGIF-heads growing up. They also lampoon the Mark VII production logo, which they shoulda done with Treehouse of Horror VII if you think about it. Damn. In the Dead Zone one, Ned can see the future and sees that he’s gonna ice Homer. This one might be the only truly decent one and it’s not even that good. Then there’s a Jack the Ripper one that I guess is a parody of From Hell. I saw that online. I never read or saw From Hell. I remember being very charmed by a small video store in my city that had a cool seating area where you could presumably watch a film and they had the graphic novel of FROM HELL just sitting out. I used to think to myself “wouldn’t it be fun to just read FROM HELL at the little video store”. Anyway, this one is bad, and for some reason even though there’s murders and stuff, I can’t shake that this one shouldn’t actually be in the halloween show. I don’t like this segment really at all. Then the Fantastic Voyage one is alright. Not that good, though. They have to get Maggie out of Mr. Burn’s stomach cuz she was mistakenly shrunken down inside a capsule he swallowed, so they shrink down and do that. The ending kinda evokes the halloween one from years ago that ends with Mr. Burns’ head being stitched to Homer’s body, and the one where they do a dance number after being turned inside out. This is a poor showing for Treehouse of Horror, honestly. THE B-SODE(S):

Aqua Teen Hunger Force: “The Meat Zone” Season 2 - Episode 9 | September 14, 2003

This one has Meatwad seeing the future in the manner of Dead Zone but maybe not. This isn’t that good of an episode but it has nice moments. This is from an era of ATHF where the show was on fucking fire but if they strayed from the formula of having a weirdo monster guy just show up for no reason then the show would suffer for it. This one has no monster and is a lesser episode. But this show is still great so whatever.

Family Guy: “Peter’s Progress” Season 7 - Episode 16 | May 17, 2009 This one is pretty fun. The period spoof is a bit of a lost art. Like remember when Judd Apatow tried to make one it was like “bitch this is corny”. Anyway, I kinda made a mistake because I came up with this by searching keywords and such but it turns out the jack-the-ripper connection was just one little tossed-off gag. But this is uh historical and stuff so I guess it works.

Futurama: “Parasites Lost” Season 3 - Episode 4 | January 21, 2001 This is a real nice one. Fry eats some worms and they start controlling his body in only beneficial ways (making him smarter, stronger, causing him to heal faster, etc). The crew shrinks/avatars down to go inside his body to fight the parasites, but Leela starts falling for the new improved Fry. A pretty great episode, and the ending made me go “aww”.

#simpsons #treehouse of horror #season 16 #aqua teen hunger force #family guy #futurama

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jennyfair7 · 5 years ago

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TV Show Tag Game

Thanks for the tag @inmypheelings!

My shows! (No particular order!)

(Except I just stole them from my answers to the TV gif game from a couple weeks ago 😆)

1) Scrubs

2) Futurama

3) Gravity Falls

4) Twilight Zone

5) Batman: The Animated Series

——————————————-

Questions!

1) who is your favorite character in 2?

Zoidberg (cue: “Why not Zoidberg?”)

2) who is your least favorite character in 1?

Hmmm...I guess Keith? If I HAVE to choose.

3) what is your favorite episode in 4?

I can’t pick just one, but my tops are: Eye of the Beholder, The Masks, Miniature, The Lonely, The Howling Man, The Obsolete Man

4) what is your favorite season for 5?

Season 1 for sure

5) who is your favorite couple in 3?

Soos/Melody

6) who is your favorite couple in 2?

Fry/Leela - they are my Futurama OTP

7) what is your favorite episode in 1?

Gah I can’t choose! I’ll cop out and say “My Finale” (Season 8, Episode 18) because it wrapped the show up so well.

8) what is your favorite episode in 5?

Heart of Ice followed by Feat of Clay Parts 1 & 2

9) what is your favorite season in 2?

3 & 4

10) how long have you watched 1?

I watched it when it was first on and used to watch the reruns ALL THE TIME.

11) how did you become interested in 3?

I think my husband started watching it first? Or it happened to be on TV and I left it on and kept watching and loved it.

12) favorite actor in 4?

Rod Serling, if he counts. If not, Burgess Meredith.

13) which do you prefer 1,2 or 5?

Too hard to choose!

14) which have you seen more episode of, 1 or 3?

1 because it has more than 3

15) if you could be anyone from 4 who would you be?

Hmmm...one of the characters who gets a happy ending 😂

16) would a crossover between 3 and 4 work?

FOR SURE.

17) pair two characters in 1 that would make an unlikely but strangely okay couple

Umm...they spoofed it a bit in one episode, but I’ll say the Janitor/Elliot.

18) overall, which story has the better storyline, 3 or 5?

I really like that 3 had a short run on purpose, and that there’s an ongoing story throughout the show in addition to the mini-story in each episode. 5 has great individual episodes but there’s not really an ongoing story arc.

19) which has the better theme music, 2 or 4?

4 is iconic, but I’ll say 2

Enjoy!

I’ll tag @and-wakes-imagination, @a-phantom-fool, @sfiddy, @madphantom, @batherik, anyone else who wants to do this!

#about me #ask game #tv shows #not poto gasp

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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Christmas TV Comedy Episodes List: Where to Stream Friends, The Office and More!

https://ift.tt/2JyI3t4

In a perfect world, TV streaming services would offer a playlist feature – imagine the joyful nerdery of shareable Top 10 episode lists. When it came time for a Christmas binge-watch while you’re wrapping gifts, or spraying pine cones silver, or gently weeping and glugging Advocaat from the bottle (whatever your festive tradition is, delete as appropriate), you could fire up hours of comedy specials without having to expend a single calorie of energy on touching the remote.

Until that glorious day comes, this is your next best thing. It’s a directory of the major US and UK 1990s-2010s sitcoms’ Christmas episodes, and where they’re available to stream. If you feel like grabbing your Frasier box set and going from Christmas 1993 to Christmas 2002, stopping at every feel-good Outlaw Laser Robo-Geek moment along the way, here’s the info you need.

Episodes are listed in chronological order, and we’ve tried to stick to Christmas-set stories only, so non-seasonal instalments that aired in December mostly weren’t included. And though not strictly a comedy, Doctor Who and a couple of others are in there too for good measure. Fill your festive boots!

3rd ROCK FROM THE SUN Stream on: Peacock (US)

Jolly Old St. Dick (1996) Season 2, Episode 12

30 ROCK Stream on: NOW TV (UK), Amazon Prime (US), Hulu (US)

Ludachristmas (2007) Season 2, Episode 9 Christmas Special (2009) Season 3, Episode 6 Secret Santa (2009) Season 4, Episode 8 Christmas Attack Zone (2010) Season 5, Episode 10

AMERICAN DAD* Stream on: Hulu (US)

*Season numbers below are listed as per Wikipedia (they’re different on IMDb) The Best Christmas Story Never Told (2006) Season 3, Episode 9 The Most Adequate Christmas Ever (2007) Season 4, Episode 8 Rapture’s Delight (2009) Season 6, Episode 9 For Whom the Sleigh Bell Tolls (2010) Season 7, Episode 8 Season’s Beatings (2011) Season 8, Episode 7 Minstrel Krampus (2012) Season 10, Episode 6 Dreaming of a White Porsche Christmas (2014) Season 12, Episode 6 Gifted Me Liberty (2016) Season 13, Episode 20 Ninety North, Zero West (2016) Season 14, Episode 7 Santa, Schmanta (2017) Season 15, Episode 1

BOTTOM Stream on: Netflix (UK)

Holy (1992) Series 2, Episode 5

BROOKLYN 99 Stream on: Netflix (UK), Hulu (US)

Christmas (2013) Season 1, Episode 11 The Pontiac Bandit Returns (2014) Season 2, Episode 10 Yippie Kayak (2015) Season 3, Episode 10 Captain Latvia (2016) Season 4, Episode 10 Game Night (2017) Season 5, Episode 10

CHEERS Stream on: Peacock (US)

The Spy Who Came In for a Cold One (1982) Season 1, Episode 12 Where There’s a Will (1983) Season 2, Episode 12 A House is Not a Home (1987) Season 5, Episode 25 Christmas Cheers (1987) Season 6, Episode 12 Love Me, Love My Car (1992) Season 11, Episode 11

COMMUNITY Stream on: Netflix (UK), Amazon Prime (US), Hulu (US)

Comparative Religion (2009) Season 1, Episode 12 Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas (2010) Season 2, Episode 1 Regional Holiday Music (2011) Season 3, Episode 10 Intro to Knots (2013) Season 4, Episode 10

CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM Stream on: NOW TV (UK), HBO Max (US)

Mary, Joseph, and Larry (2002) Season 3, Episode 9

DOCTOR WHO Stream on: BBC iPlayer (UK), HBO Max (US)

The Christmas Invasion (2005) The Runaway Bride (2006) Voyage of the Damned (2007) The Next Doctor (2008) The End of Time Parts One & Two (2009-10) A Christmas Carol (2010) The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe (2011) The Snowmen (2012) The Time of the Doctor (2013) Last Christmas (2014) The Husbands of River Song (2015) The Return of Doctor Mysterio (2016) Twice Upon a Time (2017)

FAMILY GUY Stream on: NOW TV (UK), Hulu (US)

A Very Special Family Guy Freakin’ Christmas (2001) Season 3, Episode 16 Road to the North Pole (2010) Season 9, Episode 7 Jesus, Mary and Joseph! (2012) Season 11, Episode 8 Christmas Guy (2013) Season 12, Episode 8 The 2000-Year-Old Virgin (2014) Season 13, Episode 6 How the Griffin Stole Christmas (2016) Season 15, Episode 9 Don’t Be a Dickens at Christmas (2017) Season 16, Episode 9 Christmas is Coming (2019) Season 18, Episode 9 The First No L (2020) Season 19, Episode 9 – (Hasn’t aired at time of writing)

FATHER TED Stream on: All4 (UK)

A Christmassy Ted (1996)

FRASIER Stream on: Peacock (US)

Miracle on Third or Fourth Street (1993) Season 1, Episode 12 Frasier Grinch (1995) Season 3, Episode 9 Perspectives on Christmas (1997) Season 5, Episode 9 Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz (1998) Season 6, Episode 10 The Flight Before Christmas (1999) Season 7, Episode 11 Mary Christmas (2000) Season 8, Episode 8 We Two Kings (2002) Season 10, Episode 10

FRIENDS Stream on: Netflix (UK), HBO Max (US)

The One With Phoebe’s Dad (1995) Season 2, Episode 9 The One Where Rachel Quits (1996) Season 3, Episode 10 The One With the Girl from Poughkeepsie (1997) Season 4, Episode 10 The One With the Inappropriate Sister (1998) Season 5, Episode 10 The One With the Routine (1999) Season 6 Episode 10 The One With the Holiday Armadillo (2000) Season 7, Episode 10 The One With the Creepy Holiday Card (2001) Season 8, Episode 11 The One With Christmas in Tulsa (2002) Season 9, Episode 10

FUTURAMA Stream on: Amazon Prime Video (UK), Hulu (US)

Xmas Story (1999) Season 2, Episode 17 A Tale of Two Santas (2001) Season 3, Episode 3 The Futurama Holiday Spectacular (2010) Season 6, Episode 13

GILMORE GIRLS Stream on: Netflix (UK & US)

Forgiveness and Stuff (2000) Season 1, Episode 10 The Bracebridge Dinner (2001) Season 2, Episode 10 That’ll Do, Pig (2002) Season 3, Episode 10 In the Clamor and the Clangor (2004) Season 4, Episode 11 Women of Questionable Morals (2005) Season 5, Episode 11 Santa’s Secret Stuff (2007) Season 7, Episode 11

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER Stream on: Netflix (UK), Hulu (US)

How Lily Stole Christmas (2006) Season 2, Episode 11 Little Minnesota (2008) Season 4, Episode 11 False Positive (2010) Season 6, Episode 12 Symphony of Illumination (2011) Season 7, Episode 12 The Over-Correction (2012) Season 8, Episode 10 The Final Page Parts 1 & 2 (2012) Season 8, Episodes 11 & 12

INSIDE NO. 9 Stream on: BBC iPlayer (UK), HBO Max (US), Hulu (US)

The Devil of Christmas (2016) Season 3, Episode 1

IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA Stream on: Netflix (UK), Hulu (US)

A Very Sunny Christmas (2010) Season 6, Episodes 13 & 14

JONATHAN CREEK Stream on: BBC iPlayer (UK)

Black Canary (1998) Satan’s Chimney (2001) Daemons’ Roost (2016)

MODERN FAMILY Stream on: Netflix (UK), DirecTV (US)

Undeck the Halls (2009) Season 1, Episode 10 Express Christmas (2011) Season 3, Episode 10 The Old Man & the Tree (2013) Season 5, Episode 10 White Christmas (2015) Season 7, Episode 9

NEW GIRL Stream on: Netflix (UK & US)

The 23rd (2011) Season 1, Episode 9 Santa (2012) Season 2, Episode 11 LAXmas (2014) Season 4, Episode 11 Christmas Eve Eve (2016) Season 6, Episode 10

THE BIG BANG THEORY Stream on: Netflix (UK), HBO Max (US)

The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis (2008) Season 2, Episode 11 The Maternal Congruence (2009) Season 3, Episode 11 The Santa Simulation (2012) Season 6, Episode 11 The Cooper Extraction (2013) Season 7, Episode 11 The Holiday Summation (2017) Season 10, Episode 12 The Celebration Reverberation (2017) Season 11, Episode 11

Den Of Geek’s Christmas viewing traditions!

By Den of Geek Staff

Doctor Who: The Weird Anomaly of the 1965 ‘Christmas Special’

By Andrew Blair

THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR Stream on: Netflix (UK), HBO Max (US)

Deck the Halls (1990) Season 1, Episode 15 Will’s Christmas Show (1991) Season 2, Episode 13 ‘Twas the Night Before Christening (1993) Season 4, Episode 13 I, Ooh, Baby Baby (1995) Season 6, Episode 11

THE OFFICE Stream on: Netflix (UK) , Hulu (US), Amazon Prime (US)

Christmas Special Parts 1 & 2 (2003)

THE OFFICE: AN AMERICAN WORKPLACE Stream on: Amazon Prime Video (UK), Netflix (US)

Christmas Party (2005) Season 2, Episode 10 A Benihana Christmas (2006) Season 3, Episodes 10 & 11 Moroccan Christmas (2008) Season 5, Episode 11 Secret Santa (2009) Season 6 Episode 13 Classy Christmas (2010) Season 7, Episodes 11 & 12 Christmas Wishes (2011) Season 8, Episode 10 Dwight Christmas (2012) Season 9, Episode 9

ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES Stream on: Britbox, Netflix (UK)

Christmas Crackers (1981) Diamonds are for Heather (1982) Thicker than Water (1983) To Hull and Back (1984)

OUTNUMBERED Stream on: Netflix (UK), Amazon Prime (US)

The Robbers (2009) The Broken Santa (2011) The Sick Party (2012) Christmas Special (2016)

PARKS AND RECREATION Stream on: Amazon Prime Video (UK), Peacock (US)

Christmas Scandal (2009) Season 2, Episode 12 Citizen Knope (2011) Season 4, Episode 10 Ron and Diane (2012) Season 5, Episode 9

RICK AND MORTY Stream on: Netflix (UK), All4 (UK), Hulu (US), HBO Max (US)

Anatomy Park (2013) Season 1, Episode 3 Rattlestar Ricklactica (2019) Season 4, Episode 5

SCHITT’S CREEK Stream on: Netflix (UK), FuboTV (US)

Merry Christmas, Johnny Rose (2018) Season 4, Episode 13

ROSEANNE Stream on: Peacock (US)

The Courtship of Eddie, Dan’s Father (1991) Season 3, Episode 13 Santa Claus (1991) Season 4, Episode 12 It’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays (1992) Season 5, Episode 12 White Trash Christmas (1993) Season 6, Episode 12

THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN Stream on: BBC iPlayer (UK)

Christmas Special (2000)

THE ROYLE FAMILY Stream on: BBC iPlayer (UK)

Christmas with the Royle Family (1999) Series 2, Episode 7 The Royle Family at Christmas (2000) Series 3, Episode 7 The New Sofa (2008) Joe’s Crackers (2010) Barbara’s Old Ring (2012)

THE SIMPSONS Stream on: Disney+ (UK & US), Hulu (US)

Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire (1989) Season 1, Episode 1 Marge Be Not Proud (1995) Season 7, Episode 11 Miracle on Evergreen Terrace (1997) Season 9, Episode 10 Grift of the Magi (1999) Season 11, Episode 9 Skinner’s Sense of Snow (2000) Season 12, Episode 8 She of Little Faith (2001) Season 13, Episode 6 Tis the Fifteenth Season (2003) Season 15, Episode 7 Simpson Christmas Stories (2005) Season 17, Episode 9 Kill Gil, Volumes I & II (2006) Season 18, Episode 9 The Burns and the Bees (2008) Season 10, Episode 8 The Fight Before Christmas (2010) Season 22, Episode 8 Holidays of Future Passed (2011) Season 23, Episode 9 White Christmas Blues (2013) Season 25, Episode 8 I Won’t Be Home For Christmas (2014) Season 26, Episode 9 The Nightmare after Krustmas (2016) Season 28, Episode 10 Tis the 30th Season (2018) Season 30, Episode 10 A Springfield Summer Christmas for Christmas (2020) Season 32, Episode 10

THE VICAR OF DIBLEY Stream on: BBC iPlayer (UK)

The Christmas Lunch Incident (1996) Merry Christmas/Happy New Year (2004) The Handsome Stranger/The Vicar in White (2006)

SCRUBS Stream on: All4 (UK), Amazon Prime (US), Hulu (US)

My Own Personal Jesus (2001) Season 1, Episode 11 My Monster (2002) Season 2, Episode 10 My Best Moment (2004) Season 4, Episode 12

SEINFELD Stream on: Amazon Prime Video (UK), Hulu (US)

The Red Dot (1991) Season 3, Episode The Pick (1992) Season 4, Episode 13 The Race (1994) Season 6, Episode 10 The Andrea Doria (1996) Season 8, Episode 10 The Strike (1997) Season 9, Episode 10

SOUTH PARK Stream on: Amazon Prime Video (UK), HBO Max (US)

Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo (1997) Season 1, Episode 9 Mr. Hankey’s Christmas Classics (1999) Season 3, Episode 15 Merry Christmas Charlie Manson! (1999) Season 2, Episode 16 A Very Crappy Christmas (2000) Season 4, Episode 17 Red Sleigh Down (2002) Season 6, Episode 17 It’s Christmas in Canada (2003) Season 7, Episode 15 Woodland Critter Christmas (2004) Season 8, Episode 14 #HappyHolograms (2014) Season 18, Episode 10 Bike Parade (2018) Season 22, Episode 10 Christmas Snow (2019) Season 23, Episode 10

VEEP Stream on: HBO Max (US)

Camp David (2016) Season 5, Episode 8

WILL & GRACE Stream on: Peacock (US)

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Homo for the Holidays (1999) Season 2, Episode 7 Lows in the Mid-Eighties (2000) Season 3, Episodes 8 & 9 Jingle Balls (2001) Season 4, Episode 12 All About Christmas Eve (2002) Season 5, Episode 11 Fanilow (2003) Season 6, Episode 10 Queens for a Day (2004) Season 7, Episodes 10 & 11 Christmas Break (2004) Season 7, Episode 12 A Little Christmas Queer (2005) Season 8, Episode 9 A Gay Olde Christmas (2017) Season 9, Episode 7

The post Christmas TV Comedy Episodes List: Where to Stream Friends, The Office and More! appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3oaTKVI

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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junker-town · 5 years ago

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These are the best and worst sports in fiction, according to us

What is your favorite fictional sport and why is it Calvinball?

Inventing a sport is hard. The best fictional sports from movies/books/shows/etc. seem to fall into two categories: Either exceedingly clever games you have always wished you could play (and sometimes can!), or senseless, broken dreck that no one could possibly find fun, no matter what a story’s canon would lead you to believe.

Here are the best and worst fictional sports, as selected by SB Nation staff. There are a lot of other options out there, however, and plenty of discussion to be had about what sports even count as “fictional.” Does a sport you can “play” in a video game count? What about, uh, murder-based sports?

Let us know in the comments. Or just yell at us about our decisions. That’s fine, too.

Best: Jumanji

I wanted to consider the board game oeuvre of fictional sports, and considered Cones of Dunshire for the top spot. But Jumanji is it to me for the way it captured my imagination as a kid. Will it inflict untold damage, and potential death, upon you and everyone around for miles? Sure. It may also turn you into a cool monkey boy with a prehensile tail. Just roll the dice, dingus, it’s your turn.

Worst: Star Wars holochess (I guess it’s called Dejarik)

It’s kinda like Magic: The Gathering crossed with chess. The board looks too cramped for much strategy to take place, though. Plus you have to let the Wookiee win.

— Louis Bien

Best: Blernsball

Blernsball is the 30th-century version of baseball, which took place in Futurama (Season 3, episode 16, “A Leela of Her Own”).

The reasoning behind this being the best fictional sport, is that baseball in the future undoubtedly has to be better than baseball in its current form. It’s that simple. Baseball is good now, and assuming they were to actually evolve over nine more centuries, it could be great.

But that’s also a big if.

Worst: Poohsticks

The objective of Poohsticks (from Winnie-the-Pooh, obv) is to stand over some running water, drop a stick, and see whose stick gets down to the end first.

Go play Fortnite or Call of Duty instead.

— Harry Lyles Jr.

Best: BASEketball

A sport that combines all the fun of basketball with none of the running, jumping, or otherwise-needed athletic traits one needs to typically be good at basketball. Any game you can play with a beer in hand is a good one. Especially if all you have to do to play defense is remind opponents how their sister’s GOING OUT WITH SQUEAK.

Worst (but not really): Bouillabaseball

It’s just baseball with fish parts. I expected better from the ALF writer’s room, but I still stan the Equinox Weenies.

— Christian D’Andrea

Best/Worst: Vampire Baseball

Though I’m loathe to admit I’ve read “Twilight,” I would like to make fun of “Twilight,” so here we are. Basically, in the book, a real treat for our heroine was getting to watch Edward and his vampire family play vampire baseball. Wow, sounds fun, they have superhuman abilities I wonder what their sports will be like?!

Get your hopes down, it’s just regular baseball that’s louder. Because they hit the ball so hard. Great date idea Edward, Bella gets to watch your family game of regular baseball. She doesn’t even get to play. I can’t believe she likes Edward more than Jaco— I mean I don’t care, Twilight’s for children.

— Clara Morris

Best: The Running Man

I’m sure there are some prudes out there saying “but Jaaaames, murder isn’t a sport!” To which I would reply “it is the REALEST sport, even when fictionalized.”

The Running Man is unquestionably one of the greatest action movies of all time, which game us the best fictional sport of all time. It’s professional wrestling, with all its pomp and circumstance mixed American Gladiators with a healthy sprinkling of pure, unadulterated murder.

In case you’re not familiar with the plot, the basic concept is simple: Dangerous convicted felons are given a chance to fight for their freedom in gladiatorial battles against armed, themed enforcers on a dystopian game show. It probably says something about me that I like this so much, but here we are.

Worst: Taking the Stone

This is from the show Farscape and is the dumbest thing of all time. Rather than try to explain in my own words let me just share the entry from Wikipedia, which does a great job detailing how dumb this is.

“The game consists of jumping into a deep well, and chanting while falling. A sonic net at the bottom of the well, sustained by the participants’ voices, cushions their fall. When the youth reach the age of 22 cycles, rather than grow old and be deformed by the planet’s radiation, they stop chanting part way into the leap and die against the rocks. This death is called Taking the Stone.”

Jumping into a well. Maybe killing yourself. Bad sport.

— James Dator

Best: Cricket

Or, more specifically, the good Dr. Stephen Maturin’s take on cricket. At the beginning of Patrick O’Brian’s The Fortune of War, what can only be described as the hulk of the HMS Leopard drifts into the Indonesian bay of Pulo Batang. The crew, exhausted by their recent ordeal in the Southern Ocean, relaxes with a game of cricket against that of the HMS Cumberland. Or they try to, before Maturin, equipped with a bizarre, home-made bat, makes his appearance on the behalf of the Leopards.

A rapacious grin ran round the Cumberlands: they moved much closer in, crouching, their huge crab-like hands spread wide. The Admiral held the ball to his nose for a long moment, fixing his adversary, and then delivered a lob that hummed as it flew. Stephen watched its course, danced out to take it as it touched the ground, checked its bounce, dribbled the ball towards the astonished cover-point and running still he scooped it into the hollow of his hurley, raced on with twinkling steps to mid-off, there checked his run amidst the silent stark amazement, flicked the ball into his hand, tossed it high, and with a screech drove it straight at Jack’s wicket, shattering the near stump and sending its upper half into a long, graceful trajectory that reached the ground just as the first of La Flèche’s guns, saluting the flag, echoed across the field.

As far as rebukes towards English pretensions go, deliberate or not, it’s pretty hard to beat Dr. Maturin’s efforts. This is cricket as it really ought to be played: nonsensically and with maximum force.

NB: My favourite part of the above passage, incidentally, is the confusion it created amongst O’Brian’s significant American audience over whether Dr. Maturin was any good at cricket or not.

Worst: Quidditch

Take a perfectly good magical sport, with three goals, multiple balls, rogue and malevolent magical items designed to hurt you, and flying. The bones of quidditch are close to perfect, giving scope for brilliant tactical and individual play in three dimensions.

And then the Golden Snitch ruins it. There’s absolutely no need for the damn thing. The chasers, beaters and keepers are playing an interesting, well-constructed sport. The seekers, meanwhile, are playing a ridiculous version of hide-and-seek which almost inevitably overrides what everyone else on both teams are trying to achieve.

Not only does the hunt for the Snitch render the actually good part of the sport irrelevant, it also destroys quidditch as a spectator sport. Since the Snitch is so small as to be untrackable, the audience in the stands has no idea what’s going on at any given time, making this a sport that’s both nonsensical and impossible to follow.

Kill the Snitch, and then we’ll talk.

— Graham MacAree

Best: Crunchball 3000

Now I know what you’re all thinking. What the hell is CrunchBall 3000. Well it’s a computer game that has LORE.

The game has elements of rugby, soccer and football and is an excellent time waster at wo— I mean it’s a really underrated way to pass the time.

Worst: Quidditch ... but in real life.

*It’s not really the worst, I just wanted to talk about it.*

Don’t get me wrong, IRL quidditch is fun. I’m just mad that the one time I played, I was the seeker and the snitch could go anywhere. We were in a park and there were no boundaries. I stopped chasing them after three minutes. I have asthma, man. I was off it.

— Kofie Yeboah

Best: Calvinball

When I was a kid in my hometown, there were a few boys on my street who were around the same age as me. In the summer, we would all spend our hard earned pop-bottle deposit returns on buying used baseballs at rummage sales and then use them to play in an open field down the road from our houses. Baseball is actually a very loose term for what we played, especially once the ball was lost or the cover tore off. Then it was a free for all. Little did I know until later in my development that such games as those we played were already mastered by the titular characters in Calvin and Hobbes. Calvinball, you see, is a game with no rules, other than the rules you make up as you go along. No two games are allowed to be the same, and no rules made up on the fly are allowed to be duplicated. Throw on some masks, hit a baseball with a mop and go score some points by running seven times around the sprinkler. Wait! The sprinkler is now the loser zone, so you have to use a croquet mallet to hit a tennis ball over the driveway without it touching any dirt or concrete. If it does, you lose 10 points.

“Other kids’ games are all such a bore!

They’ve gotta have rules and they gotta keep score!

Calvinball is better by far!

It’s never the same! It’s always bizarre!

You don’t need a team or a referee!

You know that it’s great, ‘cause it’s named after me!”

As Calvin opined in the final Calvinball strip when a football game turned into one of the crazy contests, “Sooner or later, all our games turn into Calvinball.”

There really isn’t a better sport out there, real or fictional.

Worst: Star Trek’s parrises squares

Let’s keep this portion short and sweet: They never gave any rules to parrises squares on the show, but it clearly is dumb because there is no way the folks who made Star Trek: The Next Generation were able to come up with a cool sport. That’s probably why they didn’t bother showing viewers much of the game, which is played with an “ion mallet” on a padded playing field.

I know no other details. But it’s is clearly dumber than real-life quidditch, which is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever watched in my entire life.

— Sam Eggleston

Best: Rocket League

Video games are murky territory, and I’m not sure if most of them can be classified as fictional sports. Is Counter-Strike a fictional sport, or a simulation of a military operation? I’m not really sure. But Rocket League is unquestionably a game about a fake sport, and it is by far the best fake sport anyone’s ever invented.

Soccer is the most popular sport ever invented by humans. The coolest iteration of soccer ever invented is from Nike’s 3v3 Secret Tournament ad, which was played in a metal cage. Rocket League iterates on this concept further by replacing the human competitors with freaking rocket powered cars. If it was possible to create Rocket League in real life, it would be the world’s most popular spectator sport.

Worst: Professional wrestling

Oh no, I’ve exposed the business! It’s difficult to classify wrestling as a type of sports or entertainment, hence the term “sports entertainment,” but essentially it’s a TV show about a fake sports league. There’s no non-fixed sport that bears a strong resemblance to pro wrestling, so I think it’s fair to classify pro wrestling as a fictional sport.

Wrestling Twitter, don’t scream at me. I am not here to talk shit about the entertainment you love. I’ve watched thousands of hours of pro wrestling and I love it. But as an actual sport, it’s kind of a mess. There are no published rules, and the referees seem utterly incapable of enforcing the ones that broadcasters tell us about. Competitors are not punished for repeatedly assaulting referees. Any sensible sport would have introduced additional referees or an instant replay system after 100 years of consistent shenanigans, but the major pro wrestling organizations simply refuse. No fictional sport has less competitive integrity.

— Kim McCauley

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simpsonsnight · 5 years ago

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Episode #242

Pygmoelian Season 11 - Episode 16 | February 27, 2000 Two cop-out endings in a row, good going season 11. This episode. Is it good? Eh! It’s not terrible. There’s funny jokes. There are jokes that if they occurred in more beloved seasons no one would bat an eye. Moe becomes beautiful after doing plastic surgery, eventually becoming a soap opera actor, which is decent continuity seeing as how he WAS a child actor (it’s an honest-to-good pet peeve when sitcom characters tumble backwards into an acting career despite not exhibiting an acting talent). One memorable scene: Moe is getting revenge on those who treated him rotten when he was ugly, so he tells some woman off for cruelly rejecting him. When she responds with a sincere apology Moe is befuddled and simply runs away. Really funny! The ending cops out with a lame resolution and a scene where the characters ponder the illogical nature of it. I was annoyed when they copped out of the previous episode but twice in a row? Jeez, guys, pull it together. THE B-SODE:

Futurama: “Bender Should Not Be Allowed on TV” Season 5 - Episode 15 | August 3, 2003 This is the one where Bender becomes a soap opera star and is mean to the children! HE IS MEAN TO THE CHILDREN. By that I mean he does mean stuff and it makes kids be mean. My favorite scene is the audition scene, where Calculon is easily swayed by Bender (and later Bender’s friends) torpedo other people’s auditions by loudly booing for people who aren’t Bender and later cheering for Bender. That’s the thing I liked. Oh yeah, there’s also a part where they use TV Party by Black Flag and I thought wow that’s so cool! and then at the end the cast sings their own version of it and I was like “woah that’s even cooler!!!!” Okay I’m done

#simpsons #season 11 #futurama

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theclash · 7 years ago

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OKAY... I said I was sleeping but actually I felt like filling out one of these because I haven't in a while. So, I looked up a random one to fill out:

1. Nickname: Uhhh I don't really have a particular nickname I like. Just whatever people call me I guess! (except for Madi, I don't like it hsbfgn) 2. Gender: Female 3. Star Sign: Leo 4. Height: 5ft 7in :-( 5. Time: 1:48am on Sept 8th 6. Birthday: Aug 17th 7. Favourite Bands: The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Doors... y'all know 8. Favourite Solo Artist: Elvis Costello 9. Song Stuck In My Head: Waiting for the Worms by Pink Floyd 10. Last movie watched: The Great Gatsby (1974) 11. Last show watched: That 70s Show, watched around uhh 3 episodes a few hours ago 12. When did I create my blog: 5 years ago as of yesterday (I've been on Tumblr for 7 years though) 13. What do I post: YALL KNOW.... 14. Last thing I googled: LMAOOOO it was "sleep calculator" cuz I'm sleeping earlier than normal tonight so I wanted to set an alarm for a good time 15. Do you have other blogs: god so many... mainly just use this tho 16. Do you get asks: ya, & ur all wildin out, too 17. Why did you choose your url: SIR JAMES PAUL MCCARTNEY is the love of my life!!! 18. Following: 250 exactly 19. Followers: 666 exactly lfjfgng as of a few hours ago 20. Favourite colors: blue and red 21. Average hours of sleep: 10 LMAOOO god 22. Lucky number: 9! 23. Instruments: guitar, bass, keyboard (kinda), clarinet, and cello maybe cuz I used to play it LMAO. I also have a tiny harmonica 24. What are you wearing: i uhhhhhhh.... a t-shirt I got from volunteering a few years ago lmao. And uh djfjgngn I WAS wearing pajama shorts but they were uncomfortable soooooo 25. How many blankets I sleep with: two sheets, no blankets 26. Dream Job: something art or design related. Or... yenno. Musician 27. Dream trip: GOD so many places. Mostly places in Europe (Japan too cuz I can speak Japanese and it'd be nice to apply it) 28. Favourite food: oh man uhh I love pasta... 29. Nationality: American 30. Favourite song now: i suck at picking favorites!!!! Really loving Hey You by Pink Floyd, and it's funny because my favorite song of all time is Hey Jude by the Beatles 🤔 hey hey 31. Favourite fruit: strawberries 32. Favourite season: summer 33. Favourite flower: sunflower or forget me not 34. Favourite animal: OKAY I like multiple - raccoons, squirrels, seagulls, cockatiels, Congo peafowls, and all other birds except pelicans 35. Favourite fictional character: i don't have a favorite so here are a few I love: Bender from Futurama, Hyde from That 70s Show, Moe from The Simpsons, Anakin from Star Wars (leave me alone fffjnfgmhn) and umm CHIEF BLUE MEANIE.

#i literally got on my computer to format this #about me #ok good night LMAO

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morganbelarus · 5 years ago

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28 Times Cartoons Guessed What Will Happen In The Future

You never really know what the future holds, so there is really no need to worry since none of us can really tell what will happen next. Unless, you are one of the creators of Inspector Gadget, The Simpsons, Family Guy, or Futurama. Because if that’s the case, you know exactly what will happen next, and you probably can’t wait to illustrate it and put in on your show. This list compiled by Bored Panda, shares all of the times the creators of these iconic shows have accidentally predicted how the future will look like, and some are surprisingly accurate.

#1 Donald Trump’s Presidency

In 2000, 16 years before the actual announcement, The Simpsons had already predicted that Donald Trump will run for president and they even managed to predict that he will win. We still have time to see if Lisa’s words hold true once Trump’s presidency is over.

#2 Faulty Voting Machine

This one surprised many as The Simpsons managed to almost identically predict the future. Back in 2008, Homer was illustrated voting for Obama during the election but the vote automatically changing for Mitt Romney. 4 years later, the exact same thing happened in Pennsylvania where a faulty machine had to be removed because of changing people’s votes for Mitt Romney.

#3 The Prediction Of Higgs Boson Or “God Particle”

Back in 2012, physicists confirmed the existence of the Higgs Boson also known as the “God particle”. This scientific breakthrough helped explain how everything in the universe has mass. The discovery itself is amazing but what is even better is the fact that 14 years before this happened, Homer was illustrated in front of a blackboard with an equation that actually predicted the mass of the yet-to-be-discovered particle which basically means Homer was the first scientist to share any info on Higgs Boson.

#4 Caitlyn Jenner’s Transition

Many years before the actual transition, Family Guy already illustrated Bruce Jenner in a rather feminine manner. In one of the series, Stewie describes Bruce as a “beautiful Dutch woman”. In another episode, the yet-to-transition Bruce is illustrated dancing on stage for men in the navy. When these episodes were released, nobody thought they would soon call him Caitlyn. Creators of the show denied any further comment on why they decided to portray Bruce the way they did.

#5 Nobel Prize Winner

In one of their episodes, The Simpsons showed Milhouse betting on MIT professor Bengt Holmström to win the Nobel Prize. Surprisingly, he did win after 6 years.

#6 Disney Buying 20th Century Fox

Back in 1998, the creators of The Simpsons showed Homer creating the script. This script was produced by 20th Century Fox but in the episode, you can notice that there’s a sign in front of the studio’s headquarters that says “a division of Walt Disney Co.” In fact, Disney did actually purchase 20th Century Fox for $52.4 billion 19 years later.

#7 Got Season 8 Plot Twist

Many were surprised that the unimaginable Game of Thrones Season 8 plot twist was actually already predicted by The Simpsons. I guess we should thank The Simpsons for the spoiler or you can thank us if you still didn’t watch the last season and came to read this list.

#8 Three-Eyed Fish

The iconic three-eyed fish was a symbol throughout The Simpsons of the massive pollution the town was facing and how badly it affects nature. Funnily (or sadly) enough, a similar fish was found in Argentina near a nuclear power plant.

#9 White Tiger Attack

Back in 1993, The Simpsons mocked Siegfried & Roy by showing them getting mauled by their white tiger. The same thing happened in real life 10 years later.

#10 The Censorship Of Michelangelo’s David

Residents of St. Petersburg were very unhappy when a replica of Michelangelo’s David was placed in St. Anne’s Lutheran Church in central St. Petersburg. One woman has even written a letter asking for the sculpture to be censored. “How could you put this bloke without any trousers in the center of St Petersburg next to a school and church?” the woman wrote in a letter. In order to turn something negative into a positive, local authorities then started an initiative called “Dress David” where people voted on how the replica could be censored. There was an option “leave it as it is” and since this story happened back in 2016 and nobody talked about it ever since, there is a big chance that the sculpture remained uncensored although during the voting period, David was just covered in black tape. How rude!

#11 Smartwatches

Back in 1995, The Simpsons showed one of their characters wearing a watch that you can also use as a phone. It took 20 years for the actual Apple Watch to be released.

#12 Virtual Reality

Although many tried to illustrate what our future entertainment would look like, Futurama’s creators were the ones who perfectly predicted how virtual reality would look and what we will use it for.

#13 First Laptop

Inspector Gadget already has a reputation for predicting the future of technology and some of the devices they used in the show are unbelievably similar to what major companies created many years later. For example, one of the characters from the show named Penny was using her “computer book” that looks strikingly similar to the first Toshiba laptop that was released a couple of years after the show.

#14 Horse Meat Scandal

In the 1994 episode of the “Simpsons”, the lunch lady known as Doris was using “assorted horse parts” while preparing meals for high school students of Springfield Elementary. Then nine years after the episode aired, a huge scandal happened when Ireland’s Food Safety Authority found horse DNA in over one-third of the beefburger samples from supermarkets and ready meals, and pork in 85% of them.

#15 Lady Gaga’s Performance At The Super Bowl

The iconic Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl performance was actually first performed 5 years earlier in Springfield where Lady Gaga, just like in the Super Bowl, was flying through the air while singing.

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