#now all i gotta do is actually make an animatic ToT

[chocogoblin]

adadfasdf EPIC adfasdfadsfasdf screaming, crying, throwing up. it's over, it's overasdfasdf great musical, favourite one atp. adfasdfasdf RAAAAAHHH-

[adultswim2021]

Home Movies #23: “History” | March 10, 2002 - 10:00 PM | S02E10

Oh good lord, that was TERRIBLE. Sorry, but that's my least favorite HM episode ever. It was the first to actually dedicate more screen time to Brendan's movie than the real world (about a 3:1 ratio or so), which isn't a bad idea, but the movie wasn't funny enough to hold up that much time. Brendan's films work best when they're short segments that hold up the rest of the episode, not the other way around. There wasn't much plot, no screen time for the regulars (though McGuirk and Paula did get in a good line or two), and Brendan's movie was jarringly overproduced. Did anybody else here notice that it was full of studio caliber special effects? There were enormous backdrops and laser effects and editing which is damn near well impossible without professional equipment. It didn't jive with the under budget crappy look of most of Brendan's films. Anyway, just a way boring episode overall, with a paper-thin premise and sub-par humor. I don't know if it was just that I was watching Denis Leary's "The Job" beforehand (which happens to be the best and funniest show on television right now), but this episode just didn't seem up to HM standards. I give it a D.

-RandomGuy, Toonzone message boards

It’s important, I guess, to remember just how much certain Home Movies fans hated this episode. In fact, if you listen to the commentary the animators do over the animatics for this episode, they actually shout out a few specific Toonzone members. Personally, I remember always loving this one, and I consider this to be an all-time classic on the level of The Party. History is mostly devoted to Brendan’s film Starboy and the Captain of Outer Space, which we saw glimpses of in the episode Impressions. The real-life drama of Brendan’s life has far less screentime than the actual movie, ironically making what’s actually important (Brendan failing school) the B-story and what’s less important (Brendan’s stupid movies) the A-story. This episode is basically like living in Brendan’s head. Also, Brendon not paying attention in school legitimately makes his movie worse: It’s full of distracting historical inaccuracies. It’s wonderful. The ending that seems like it’s going to lead up tot he Bart Gets an F finale where the lil guy pulls it out at the very end is subverted here, with Mr. Lynch gleefully assigning Brendan his 0% F grade on the test.

This episode is also notable for the use of the insane-sounding but also weirdly catchy compliment song, the music for which you can hear softly in the background of a couple scenes earlier in the season. It’s birthday music in The Party, and I think it’s coming out of a TV in one of the scenes where Brendan and Paula are on the couch together. It’s a song about how you can get people to do what you want by complimenting them. This is how Brendan defeats the kitty-cat man played by Duane, who also has his own bitchin’ song. Goddamn, the music in this show easily laps it’s musical-in-nature contemporary Brak Show. Hell, I’d argue that the music on this show is better than anything The Simpsons ever did. You absolutely gotta hand it to ‘em. You simply must.

MAIL BAG

Kon writes:

One thing that always bothered me about the Class Trip episode of Home Movies is that it seemed beyond suspension of disbelief that a school would go to a hotel for a field trip. Like too much of a plot convenience of a good shooting location for the kids. Then I eventually met someone who did actually go on a school field trip to a hotel. In high school no less! So I gotta give it to Brendon and co on this one.

Yeah, I had this same thought! But I figured that lame field trips like this must exist. I myself can only remember a very small number of field trips I ever had, and I’m guessing that’s at the expense of several insanely forgettable ones. But getting kids used to the idea of boring places where adults work does seem like a sorta valuable lesson. I guess.

Anonymous writes:

I could read the adult swim blog all day.

thanks :(

Anonymous writes:

The premise of Brenden wanting to film in a real location when the show makes you accept that Brenden has to ability to create insanely elaborate and detailed sets for his movies at home is certainly a trip and a half. I wonder if they talk about that in a commentary track.

Yeah, how boring can you get? All the kid had to do was clean up his mom’s bedroom and that’d pass for a hotel room easily. This episode has tiny flourishes that seem impossible for the kids to replicate; the backgrounds and stuff all seem handmade, and the titles seem a tad elaborate for what they could pull off. I guess Brendan got a macbook from his rich dad.

There is one bit where Duane is flying off in a space ship and it speeds off in warp speed, which causes the ship to stretch unnaturally in a way that I have no idea how the kids would do that. It’s kinda blink-and-you-miss-it, and happens just as the scene is ending. I guess they just like the dramatic flourish as the scene ends. I guess as long as you don’t cut to the kids behind the camera calling “cut” it’s relatively easy to just let stuff like that pass you by. Maybe RandomGuy has a point.