September 29, 2014

"'Simpsons' character's death, heavily publicized, leaves fans unmoved."

Sample fan tweets:
"So Krusty's dad is the major character to die on the #simpsons? I don't think so. What a letdown."

"Should the Simpsons be sued for false advertising over the major character being Krusty's dad?"

"Krusty's dad died. ... Um, Krusty had a dad? Never heard of him. Wasted anticipation."

16 comments:

Scott M said...

Don't know about Krusty's father dying, but I will say this. The Peter Griffin/Homer Simpson car wash scene last night was damned near one of the funniest things I've ever seen on either show.

Henry said...

Obama specifically blamed James Clapper, the current director of national intelligence: “Our head of the intelligence community, Jim Clapper, has acknowledged that, I think, they underestimated what had been taking place in Springfield,” he said.

Nonapod said...

I was promised the death of a prominent fictional character! What am I going to do with all this unsatisfied fictional rage? It's the death of Superman all over again.

KLDAVIS said...

I don't think the writers ever promised a 'major' character would die, but simply one that was 'established'. Krusty's dad played a significant role in a number of classic episodes as far back as season 3 (1991). Some people may have been tricked by the depiction of Ned Flanders as an angel in the opening credits, a deceptive red herring.

furious_a said...

Jackie Mason, reprising Laurence Olivier's role in the Jazz Singer, not a major character? That's verkochte!

Fernandinande said...

Wasn't Krusty's dad a rabbit?

tim in vermont said...

The Simpsons is still on?

Brando said...

I'm torn--on the one hand, it's true that Rabbi Krustofsky was not a major character (he had cameos in about three or four episodes, and a big part in one episode over 20 years ago), but on the other hand, who cares?

The problem with the Simpsons isn't so much that it's not funny anymore, it's that it's uneven. I still watch because every now and again it'll be really funny and clever, but a lot of episodes are just clunkers. Surely a legacy show like that can attract great scripts and talented writers--who wouldn't want a Simpsons credit?--it doesn't make sense that they'd phone it in so often.

Lucien said...

"When it comes to character deaths, the secret is to under-promise and over-deliver" -- George R.R. Martin (apocryphally).

Thorley Winston said...

The Simpsons isn’t a show that I regularly watch but I can’t remember the last time I watched an episode and didn’t at least feel entertained. Having said that though, I found myself enjoying the B-story of Lisa worrying about Homer’s health more than the Krusty story. One of the things that always gets me is how despite continually emphasizing that Homer and Lisa are almost complete opposites the writers always underscore how there is genuine love between father and daughter. IMO that’s been one of the core strengths of the show for a long time and why I still enjoy it.

gerry said...

People really worry about this shit?

effinayright said...

I was fearing the "major character" would be one Charles Montgomery Schicklgruber Burns.

William said...

Didn't they croak Ned Flanders's wife some years back. She wasn't a major character, but she appeared far more often than Krusty's father.....Does anyone still read Gasoline Alley? That cartoon had a thing where the characters aged in real time. The cartoon started in the thirties. If they stuck with that format, nearly all the characters would be dead by now. But if nobody reads the cartoon, who would even know?......Cartoon characters inhabit a world not governed by the rules of gravity and biology. In such a world, when a character dies, it demonstrates the implacability of mortality. It
has more impact than you'd expect.

gregwithtwogs said...

While I have not watched these cartoon characters since they were on The Traci Ullman show, it all sounds to me like a "jump the shark" moment for the Simpson's. FINALLY!

tomaig said...

"The Simpsons is still on?"

Well, aren't you precious. Are we supposed to be in awe of your discernment and erudition? Or should we feel sorry for you because Vermont only has one Fox affiliate?

bridgecross said...

The first episode with Krusty's rabbi father, voiced by Jackie Mason, was one of the best.