Worst Episode Ever #17: Crazy Make 'Em Up Playland

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Worst Episode Ever #17: Crazy Make 'Em Up Playland

S26E10 - The Man Who Came to Be Dinner

Not a "what if?," not a Halloween episode, not a dream, but a real-life fictional cartoon show where The Simpsons go to SPAAACE! Yes, they "break reality" (but really it's long broken, thank you "Saddlesore Galactica") as the family goes to Dizneeland only to wind up taken away to Rigel 7 by Kang and Kodos in an extended rehashing of other episodes. Remember Kang and Kodos' first appearance in Season 2? Remember Itchy & Scratchy Land? Remember Homer eating potato chips in space? Well, get ready for them AGAIN, only slightly different and now in HD! And how does "Star Trek" factor into the ending? It just does! Don't ask questions! All that, plus our Jokes 101 course for preschoolers, terrible Dalek impressions, and those hot rodding teenagers from Dimension X. This was our most requested episode, but is it as good as those Brian Setzer Orchestra parody films? Our answer may surprise you... 

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Worst Episode Ever #16: The Glass Balloon Ceiling

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Worst Episode Ever #16: The Glass Balloon Ceiling

S14E04 - Large Marge

Things get serious (well, not that serious) as WEE, and returning guest Brice Canedo-Pullan, discuss Season 14's problematic "Large Marge". Marge accidentally gets breast implants, the citizens of Springfield sing a song about how they make her better, and lazy gay jokes get made in a muddled episode that makes no larger social commentary and has no moral. Remember, this show tackled homosexuality in a thoughtful progressive episode just six years prior! We weigh the heavy issues of sexism, feminism, and body shaming as three white heterosexual men (and we welcome listener input on it, male, female, or otherwise). Plus, Batman! Who is the worst Jack ever? Who will literally blush themselves to death? And who left the milk out?

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Worst Episode Ever #15: Mom & Joe America

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Worst Episode Ever #15: Mom & Joe America

S23E02 - Bart Stops to Smell the Roosevelts

Everyone's favorite tertiary school official gets his moment in the spotlight in Season 23's "Bart Stops to Smell the Roosevelts," Super Duper Intendent Chalmers. Can Chalmers succeed where a string of teachers, parents, and parental figures failed by making Bart love learning? Or will Bart just turn into a terrorist? (Or both?) Dan and Jack are joined by special guest Brice Canedo-Pullan, assistant editor of the CBS show "Blue Bloods," who helps suss out this episode's strange pacing issues, dig into these guest animator couch sequences the HD era is so fond of, and analyze jokes about operating systems. Why does the news have a children's drawing of Bart's death by hanging? Why are we deprived of a long-winded Grampa story? And what's the deal with lateness fees, guys? Also, this episode features Nelson's mother, have we seen her before? All this, plus Jack can't say "anthropomorphic," Dan makes a terrible beets pun, and deep conversation about the opening credits to "Boy Meets World."

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Worst Episode Ever #14: Violence Here!

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Worst Episode Ever #14: Violence Here!

S17E01 - Bonfire of the Manatees

It's the cold, dark, depressing month of January, a perfect time for Season 17's "Bonfire of the Manatees." Didn't this episode open with a St. Patrick's Day parade? No? It actually opens with Homer shooting a porno? And it gets worse from there...? Well. This should be a fun one. Join us, with Alec Baldwin as a manatee enthusiast, as we dig deep into the excessive violence in this episode, debate what makes a good couch gag, and question why an episode so clearly focused on Marge is really all about Homer. Why is this episode's plot a Voltron-like combination of lesser plots? Why is Homer so over-the-top unlikeable here? And what other episodes did this episode's writer pen? (The answer MAY shock you, much like a car cigarette lighter). All that, plus, hard-hitting philosophical questions about manatees, more loose analogies to Spider-Man, and our new show sponsor: Vlassic pickles (not really). 

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Worst Episode Ever #13: Unwanted Bestiality

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Worst Episode Ever #13: Unwanted Bestiality

S12E05 - Homer Vs. Dignity

What better way to break in the new year than panda-on-man sexual assault? Yes, WEE've sobered up since New Years, and are ready for Season 12's "Homer Vs. Dignity," one of our most requested episodes. Homer needs money, Mr. Burns hires him as his "prank monkey," and nothing is resolved in an episode that just kind of ends. Maybe we do need another drink... We debate the existence/goodness of Lindsay Naegle, illuminate the weird sexual undercurrent in the episode, and discuss Mr. Burns' misunderstanding of what a prank is. When did Moe become so creepy? Why does no one in Springfield mourn the great hobo genocide? And why is a Simpsons podcast in 2015 talking about hit 80s sitcom "Empty Nest?" All that, plus, Jack forgets the planets, Dan nerds out about Spider-Man, and much, much more. (And if anyone from Marvel is out there, we are available to write that "Spider-Man/Vulture: The Empty Nest" limited series...)

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Worst Episode Ever #12: Bourbon, Please

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Worst Episode Ever #12: Bourbon, Please

S23E16 - How I Wet Your Mother

It's New Year's Eve and we've put out our least new listener friendly episode yet! Yes, as promised (threatened?) we watch Season 23's "How I Wet Your Mother" but only after we knock back a few cocktails. You'd need a drink too if you watched an episode where Homer wets the bed, so the family goes inside his dreams to figure out why. Oh and also they are chased by the specter of Death for some reason. And yes, we go way off the rails talking about "The Terminator" and Jack's junior high adventures, but if you skip to 25 minutes in, we do talk about the actual episode. How did Homer become garbage made flesh? Which character voices have changed the least in 25 years? And should we ever do another drunken podcast? Plus, a new game where Dan guesses which Simpsons episode titles are real and which ones Jack made up. We expect some hate-filled emails, but we like this episode and hope you do too. If you actually listen and enjoy it, let us know! Business as usual in 2015, and thanks everyone for a great 2014!

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Worst Episode Ever #11: Over-Explainy Angry Whisper

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Worst Episode Ever #11: Over-Explainy Angry Whisper

S18E09 - Kill Gil, Volumes 1 & 2

Happy Holidays, WEE listeners! Let's ruin them by talking about this episode. Widely regarded as the worst Christmas episode, we're watching Season 18's "Kill Gil, Volumes 1 & 2," an episode that manages to include senseless violence, animal abuse, and tired gay jokes on top of its loose Christmas plot. But it's not all bad! This is also the debut episode of the Grumple. Ok, so it is all bad... We perform a deep psychoanalysis of said Grumple, dig into whether Gil works in large doses, and ponder why this episode was so intent on making jokes about Scottsdale, Arizona. Why does the show insist on beating gags to death, especially with Homer's aggressive whisper? Why can WEE not stop talking about Marge? And why aren't you spending your holiday watching "The Stand" miniseries from 1994? All that, plus, an extensive discussion about Jerry Van Dyke and the 1997 TGIF line-up, our hatred for leprechauns, and another of Dan's delightful and violent Simpsons stories from the late 90s. Enjoy our gift to you, our faithful listeners (and apologies to Al Jean, who apparently created "Teen Angel"...). 

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Worst Episode Ever #10: The Skinner Labyrinth

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Worst Episode Ever #10: The Skinner Labyrinth

S09E02 – The Principal and the Pauper

Our 10th anniversary episode! No? Ok, just our tenth episode…ery. We bend our rules to watch an infamous 90’s episode, Season 9’s “The Principal and the Pauper.” Many think this began the end of an era, an era that continues for 17 more years (and a movie) with no signs of stopping. It’s a strange story with secret impostors, shocking revelations, and America balls. But is it as bad as its reputation? We overanalyze this episode’s symbolism, speculate how badly this plot would be done in the HD era, and wonder if it would be better with a B-plot where Marge goes to space camp. Is this the start of shoehorning in the Simpsons at every possible point in a story they have no stakes in? Did they miss out by not making the real “fake” Skinner more different from the fake “real” Skinner? Does anyone named Tamzarian listen to this show? Who cares? Do any of you care? Hopefully the answer is yes, yes you do. Plus, Quantum Leap talk because we are not nerds! (Though you probably are…) Enjoy!

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Worst Episode Ever #9: Lady Gaga Like Iron Man

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Worst Episode Ever #9: Lady Gaga Like Iron Man

S23E22 – Lisa Goes Gaga

The rumors are true, we are a NEW and NOTEWORTHY podcast on iTunes. Suck it, Mr. and Mrs. Money Cast! Today, Lady Gags comes to Springfield?! Is it true?? AND special guest Dan Ozzi from the VICE music blog “Noisey?” That must mean it’s time for season 23’s finale, “Lisa Goes Gaga.” And boy does she, in a “joke” filled episode where there’s no time to feel anything. Because, damnit, we must reference every outfit Lady Gaga has ever worn, then cram in a few musical numbers. We discuss the evolution of celebrity appearances on The Simpsons, wonder what the show might look like if it started today, and extensively compare this episode to its much better predecessor, “Stark Raving Dad.” Do you really need to have Flanders meet Gaga? Why wasn’t this episode just a remake of the seminal Chuck Norris classic, “Sidekicks?” And how come no one has seen Michael Jackson’s body lately (#wheresthatbody)? All that, plus fetal moonshine, the many deaths of Moe, and (ugh) “Homer Face.” Enjoy “Worst Episode Ever” although maybe we should have cut all of this…

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Worst Episode Ever #8: Bang Clunk

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Worst Episode Ever #8: Bang Clunk

S18E15 – Rome-Old and Juli-Eh

This week on what some have called “the ‘Serial’ of Simpsons podcasts” we expect a horrible trainwreck and instead find a slightly less worse one. Must mean it’s time for Season 18’s “Rome-Old and Juli-Eh,” an infamous episode where Grampa marries Selma, his son’s sister-in-law. Took 18 years, but finally that sexual tension gets addressed. We examine scaling back freeze-frame gags in newer episodes, perform “episode alchemy” to see what older episodes combined to get this one, and talk Jane Kaczmarek with Jack, our resident Kaczmarekspert. Is Gandalf better than all of “Star Wars?” Are you sick of us talking about the over-sexualization of Marge? Do you also create fantasy sound design jokes in your head? All that, plus Popeye’s chicken, dark jokes about senility, and a literal dragon. If you read all of this without listening first, you are very confused. Enjoy!

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