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Difference between revisions of "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular"

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{{Noncanon Episode|reason=The episode is from the point of view of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' being a real show.}}
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|image = 138thSpectacular.JPG
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{{Episode
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|Episode Number = 138
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|image= 138th Episode Spectacular (Simpsons Now and Then).png
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|productionCode = 3F31
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|number= 138
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|originalAirdate = December 3, [[1995]]
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|season=7
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|blackboardText = "I will only do this once a year"
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|snumber=10
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|couchGag = A montage of various couch gags.
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|prodcode= 3F31
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|specialGuestVoices = [[Phil Hartman]] as [[Troy McClure]] and [[Lionel Hutz]]<br/>[[Buzz Aldrin]] as [[Buzz Aldrin (character)|himself]]<br/>[[Glenn Close]] as [[Mona Simpson]]
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|airdate= December 3, [[1995]]
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|Written By = [[Jon Vitti]] (credited as Penny Wise)
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|blackboard= "I will only do this once a year"
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|Directed By = [[David Silverman]] (credited as Pound Foolish)
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|couchgag= A montage of various couch gags.
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|guests= [[Phil Hartman]] as [[Troy McClure]] and [[Lionel Hutz]]<br>[[Buzz Aldrin]] as {{Ch|Buzz Aldrin|himself}}<br>[[Glenn Close]] as [[Mona Simpson]]
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|showrunner1= Bill Oakley
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|showrunner2= Josh Weinstein
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|writer= [[Jon Vitti]]
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|director= [[David Silverman]]
 
|DVD features=yes
 
|DVD features=yes
 
}}
 
}}
  
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"'''The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular'''" is the tenth episode of [[season 7]]. The episode marks the first time [[Matt Groening]] has appeared in the show, however being depicted as a Texan drugger who will shoot anyone he sees, so his attorneys speak for him.
+
"'''The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular'''" is the tenth episode of [[season 7]] of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' and the one-hundred and thirty-eighth episode overall. It originally aired on December 3, [[1995]]. The episode was written by [[Jon Vitti]] and directed by [[David Silverman]]. It guest stars [[Phil Hartman]] as [[Troy McClure]] and [[Lionel Hutz]], [[Buzz Aldrin]] as {{Ch|Buzz Aldrin|himself}} and [[Glenn Close]] as [[Mona Simpson]], with Aldrin and Close only appearing in clips.
 
   
 
   
 
== Synopsis ==
 
== Synopsis ==
−
Troy McClure hosts this behind the scenes style show. We start with a brief history, showing some classic Tracey Ullman clips, and then Troy goes on to answer viewers' questions about Smithers sexuality and Homer's stupidity. We then see never-before-seen deleted scenes from various episodes up to this point, and we are shown an alternate ending to 'Who Shot Mr Burns?' where Smithers actually ''is'' the culprit.
+
{{Desc|[[Troy McClure]] hosts "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular", where we take a look at the show's history answer viewer questions, and take a look at some never before seen deleted scenes.}}
  
 
== Plot ==
 
== Plot ==
−
In honor of the 138th episode of "The Simpsons", [[Troy McClure]] hosts a Simpsons TV special looking back at the history of the show. The opening has "I Will Only Do This Once A Year" as an chalkboard gag and the couch gags from "[[A Streetcar Named Marge]]", "[[Lisa the Beauty Queen]]", "[[Marge vs. the Monorail]], "[[Homer's Triple Bypass]]", "[[Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk]]", "[[Homer Goes to College]]", "[[A Star Is Burns]]", "[[Homer the Great]]", "[[Homer Badman]]", "[[Lisa's Rival]]", "[[Bart's Comet]]" and "[[Lisa's First Word]]". The first act is composed of various [[The Simpsons shorts|Tracey Ullman shorts]], "[[Good Night]]", "[[The Perfect Crime]]", "[[Space Patrol]]", "[[World War III]]" and "[[Bathtime]]". Troy also has a "talk" with the "real" [[Matt Groening]]. Mr. Groening declines the interview by shooting out the camera with a revolver. Matt's attorneys instead give Troy a note, supposedly written by Groening, stating that ''The Simpsons'' is possible only through the continueing effort and hard work from the shows staff.
+
At the [[Springfield Civic Auditorium]], [[Troy McClure]] hosts "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" to honor America's favorite non-prehistoric family. He tells the viewers about how the show was created when {{Ch|Matt Groening}} teamed up with award-winning producers {{Ch|James L. Brooks}} and {{Ch|Sam Simon}} to make the show. McClure then shows the original short, "[[Good Night]]". After that short is finished, scenes from "[[The Perfect Crime]]", "[[Space Patrol]]", "[[World War III]]" and "[[Bathtime]]" are also shown.
  
−
Next, Troy answers some viewer mail. One person asks whats the deal with Smithers, refering to his apparent homosexuality. Troy responds by spouting lots of general information about Smithers, and completely dodging the actual question. Someone else asks if Homer is getting dumber each season from [[season 2]] to [[season 6]], to which Troy responds with "Yes".
+
The first commercial break then happens, asking the audience what the cash register says when [[Maggie]] is scanned in the [[opening sequence]]. After the break, the answer is revealed to be "NRA4EVER", one of the many radical right-wing messages inserted into the show. After the break, McClure answers viewer questions. The first one, from Professor Lawrence Pierce, simply states "I think Homer gets stupider every year.". Troy points out that it's not a question, but then goes on to show clips of Homer's stupidity from various episodes.
  
−
The final act is made up of a deleted scenes reel, in episodes such as "[[Krusty Gets Kancelled]]", "[[$pringfield]]", "[[Homer and Apu]]" and "[[Burns' Heir]]". The alternate ending to "[[Who Shot Mr. Burns]]" is also shown, which reveals [[Waylon Smithers, Jr.]] as the shooter. There are also unaired scenes involving [[Barney]], [[Tito Puente]], [[Moe]], [[Apu]] and [[Santa's Little Helper]] shooting [[Mr. Burns]] each with different guns.
+
The next viewer question, from Dr. Linus Irvin, asks how Matt Groening can write and animate an entire episode every week. The crew go to Groening to ask him just that question. However, Groening yells at them to get out of his office and shoots at the crew. Troy then tells the viewers that, according to Groening's lawyers, what he meant to say was that he couldn't possibly do it alone. A list of people who work on ''The Simpsons'' then scrolls down the screen. The final question is from Ambassador Henry Mwabwetumba of the [[Ivory Coast]], who asks "What is the real deal with Mr. Burns' assistant, [[Smithers]]". Several scenes of Smithers romanticizing [[Mr. Burns]] are then shown off. Troy summarizes the clips by saying that the "real deal" with Waylon Smithers is that he's Mr. Burns' assistant, he's in his early 40s, is unmarried, and currently resides in [[Springfield]].
  
−
Troy then mentions two new possible episodes for the next season, neither of which were ever actually made. To end off the episode, Troy shows everyone "what they all wanted to see: hardcore nudity!" Numerous clips depicting nudity from the other episodes are then played (mostly from the front and censored in a way) as well as clips showing people (mostly Bart) pulling down their pants to "moon" somebody.
+
The next commercial break asks what popular ''Simpsons'' characters had died in the past year. After the break, the announcer says that if you answered [[Marvin Monroe]] and [[Bleeding Gums Murphy]] that you were wrong, as those characters were never popular. The next segment of the show has Troy McClure showing off deleted scenes from episodes. The first scenes are from "[[Krusty Gets Kancelled]]" and has Krusty trying to get people to watch his show by offering free copies of his book, ''[[Sex]]'', and being told that his show is being replaced by a hemorrhoids infomercial. The next scenes are from "[[$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)]]" where Homer is the dealer for a poker game involving [[James Bont]], [[Ernst Stavro Blofeld]], [[Jaws]], and [[Oddjob]]. The scenes after that are from "[[Mother Simpson]]", where Homer retrieves the care packages that were sent to him by [[Mona Simpson|his mother]], and proceeds to eat everything from them. The next scenes are from "[[Treehouse of Horror IV]]", where [[Lionel Hutz]] tells Marge that if they don't win the court case in 30 minutes, the pizza is free. Bart also says that he would sell his soul for a racing car, causing [[Flanders the Devil]] to appear, before Bart changes his mind, The next scene is from "[[Homer and Apu]]", where [[Apu]] and the Simpsons watch an Indian movie. Finally, a deleted scene from "[[Burns' Heir]]" featuring the [[Robotic Richard Simmons]] is shown off.
 +
 
 +
The next part of the special looks at "[[Who Shot Mr. Burns?]]" and the different outcomes for the end that were written and animated. A montage of different characters shooting Burns is shown off, followed by the alternate ending where it is revealed that Smithers shot Burns. Mr. Burns then gives Smithers a five percent pay cut for shooting him. Troy McClure then ends the special by showing what everyone came to see, a montage of hardcore nudity.
 +
 
 +
== Production ==
 +
The episode happened because the network forced them to have clip shows.<ref name="Oakley">{{Com|Oakley, Bill|The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular|Seventh|(2005).|link=Bill Oakley}}</ref> The idea of this clip show was to just be up front with the viewers that this was a clip show.<ref name="Vitti">{{Com|Vitti, Jon|The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular|Seventh|(2005).|link=Jon Vitti}}</ref> The producers also wanted to use footage that hadn't been seen, or hadn't been seen in a while. This is why deleted scenes and ''[[The Simpsons shorts]]'' were used in the clip show as opposed to already seen episodes.<ref name="Weinstein">{{Com|Weinstein, Josh|The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular|Seventh|(2005).|link=Josh Weinstein}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
The image of {{Ch|Sam Simon}} was drawn by [[Sam Simon]] himself who didn't like the original joke about him.<ref name="Oakley"/> The original joke was that it said "no photo available".<ref name="Vitti"/> The crude drawings of [[Grampa]] and [[Krusty]] were a satirical jab at the early drawings of the Simpsons characters. Director [[David Silverman]] got defensive over the joke, saying that they didn't have a lot of time to do the drawings back then.<ref name="Oakley"/>
 +
 
 +
The jokes about [[Matt Groening]] being right-wing and inserting right-wing messages into every episode were made as a subversion to the beliefs of the staff because most of the show's staff are very left-wing.<ref name="Oakley"/>
  
 
== Reception ==
 
== Reception ==
−
The episode ranked among the ten most heavily viewed episodes of the seventh season. After its initial American airing, the episode received a Nielsen rating of 9.5, and a Nielsen rank of 48. The episode has become study material for sociology courses at University of California, Berkeley, where it is used to "examine issues of the production and reception of cultural objects, in this case, a satirical cartoon show", and to figure out what it is "trying to tell audiences about aspects primarily of American society, and, to a lesser extent, about other societies."
+
Erik Adams of ''{{W|The A.V. Club}}'' calls the episode "a relic of a bygone era" since deleted scenes are available on the DVD boxsets. He ends his review by saying that "The staff deserves kudos for taking such an undesirable assignment so seriously; they get further props for not papering over the really embarrassing stuff."<ref>[https://www.avclub.com/the-simpsons-the-simpsons-138th-episode-spectacular-1798180102 The A.V. Club - "The Simpsons: "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular""]</ref>
 +
 
 +
In the DVD commentary for the episode, showrunner [[Bill Oakley]] calls the episode "the best clip show" of ''The Simpsons'' because it had more original and interesting material than the others.<ref name="Oakley"/>
 +
 
 +
As of July [[2022]], the episode has a 7.4 rating on {{W|IMDb}}.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701261/ IMDb - "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular"]</ref>
  
−
The episode received positive reviews from critics. The authors of the book ''I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide'', Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, thought "the out-takes are up to standard" and contains "a number of great self-referential moments". Simone Knox praised its visual style in her article Reading the Ungraspable Double-Codedness of "The Simpsons". DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson said even though the episode is a clip show, it "gussies up the concept with some interesting elements, and keeps repetitive material to a minimum. Instead, it offers lots of then-unseen footage as well as old snippets from The Tracey Ullman Show. It still feels like a cheap way to crank out a new episode, but it’s one of the better clip shows you’ll see."
+
== References ==
 +
{{Reflist}}
  
 
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Latest revision as of 11:23, April 14, 2024

Season 7 Episode
← 137 "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming"
138
"The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular"
"Marge Be Not Proud" 139 →
Clip show.png This episode is a Clip Show.
It features clips from previous episodes.
Donut Homer.png This episode is considered non-canon and the events featured do not relate to the series and therefore may not have actually happened/existed.

The reason behind this decision is: The episode is from the point of view of The Simpsons being a real show..

If you dispute this, please bring it up on the episode's talk page.

"The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular"
138th Episode Spectacular (Simpsons Now and Then).png
Episode Information
Episode number: 138
Season number: S7 E10
Production code: 3F31
Original airdate: December 3, 1995
Chalkboard gag: "I will only do this once a year"
Couch gag: A montage of various couch gags.
Guest star(s): Phil Hartman as Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz
Buzz Aldrin as himself
Glenn Close as Mona Simpson
Showrunners: Bill Oakley
Josh Weinstein
Written by: Jon Vitti
Directed by: David Silverman
DVD features


"The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" is the tenth episode of season 7 of The Simpsons and the one-hundred and thirty-eighth episode overall. It originally aired on December 3, 1995. The episode was written by Jon Vitti and directed by David Silverman. It guest stars Phil Hartman as Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz, Buzz Aldrin as himself and Glenn Close as Mona Simpson, with Aldrin and Close only appearing in clips.

Synopsis[edit]

"Troy McClure hosts "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular", where we take a look at the show's history answer viewer questions, and take a look at some never before seen deleted scenes."


Plot[edit]

At the Springfield Civic Auditorium, Troy McClure hosts "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" to honor America's favorite non-prehistoric family. He tells the viewers about how the show was created when Matt Groening teamed up with award-winning producers James L. Brooks and Sam Simon to make the show. McClure then shows the original short, "Good Night". After that short is finished, scenes from "The Perfect Crime", "Space Patrol", "World War III" and "Bathtime" are also shown.

The first commercial break then happens, asking the audience what the cash register says when Maggie is scanned in the opening sequence. After the break, the answer is revealed to be "NRA4EVER", one of the many radical right-wing messages inserted into the show. After the break, McClure answers viewer questions. The first one, from Professor Lawrence Pierce, simply states "I think Homer gets stupider every year.". Troy points out that it's not a question, but then goes on to show clips of Homer's stupidity from various episodes.

The next viewer question, from Dr. Linus Irvin, asks how Matt Groening can write and animate an entire episode every week. The crew go to Groening to ask him just that question. However, Groening yells at them to get out of his office and shoots at the crew. Troy then tells the viewers that, according to Groening's lawyers, what he meant to say was that he couldn't possibly do it alone. A list of people who work on The Simpsons then scrolls down the screen. The final question is from Ambassador Henry Mwabwetumba of the Ivory Coast, who asks "What is the real deal with Mr. Burns' assistant, Smithers". Several scenes of Smithers romanticizing Mr. Burns are then shown off. Troy summarizes the clips by saying that the "real deal" with Waylon Smithers is that he's Mr. Burns' assistant, he's in his early 40s, is unmarried, and currently resides in Springfield.

The next commercial break asks what popular Simpsons characters had died in the past year. After the break, the announcer says that if you answered Marvin Monroe and Bleeding Gums Murphy that you were wrong, as those characters were never popular. The next segment of the show has Troy McClure showing off deleted scenes from episodes. The first scenes are from "Krusty Gets Kancelled" and has Krusty trying to get people to watch his show by offering free copies of his book, Sex, and being told that his show is being replaced by a hemorrhoids infomercial. The next scenes are from "$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)" where Homer is the dealer for a poker game involving James Bont, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Jaws, and Oddjob. The scenes after that are from "Mother Simpson", where Homer retrieves the care packages that were sent to him by his mother, and proceeds to eat everything from them. The next scenes are from "Treehouse of Horror IV", where Lionel Hutz tells Marge that if they don't win the court case in 30 minutes, the pizza is free. Bart also says that he would sell his soul for a racing car, causing Flanders the Devil to appear, before Bart changes his mind, The next scene is from "Homer and Apu", where Apu and the Simpsons watch an Indian movie. Finally, a deleted scene from "Burns' Heir" featuring the Robotic Richard Simmons is shown off.

The next part of the special looks at "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" and the different outcomes for the end that were written and animated. A montage of different characters shooting Burns is shown off, followed by the alternate ending where it is revealed that Smithers shot Burns. Mr. Burns then gives Smithers a five percent pay cut for shooting him. Troy McClure then ends the special by showing what everyone came to see, a montage of hardcore nudity.

Production[edit]

The episode happened because the network forced them to have clip shows.[1] The idea of this clip show was to just be up front with the viewers that this was a clip show.[2] The producers also wanted to use footage that hadn't been seen, or hadn't been seen in a while. This is why deleted scenes and The Simpsons shorts were used in the clip show as opposed to already seen episodes.[3]

The image of Sam Simon was drawn by Sam Simon himself who didn't like the original joke about him.[1] The original joke was that it said "no photo available".[2] The crude drawings of Grampa and Krusty were a satirical jab at the early drawings of the Simpsons characters. Director David Silverman got defensive over the joke, saying that they didn't have a lot of time to do the drawings back then.[1]

The jokes about Matt Groening being right-wing and inserting right-wing messages into every episode were made as a subversion to the beliefs of the staff because most of the show's staff are very left-wing.[1]

Reception[edit]

Erik Adams of The A.V. Club calls the episode "a relic of a bygone era" since deleted scenes are available on the DVD boxsets. He ends his review by saying that "The staff deserves kudos for taking such an undesirable assignment so seriously; they get further props for not papering over the really embarrassing stuff."[4]

In the DVD commentary for the episode, showrunner Bill Oakley calls the episode "the best clip show" of The Simpsons because it had more original and interesting material than the others.[1]

As of July 2022, the episode has a 7.4 rating on IMDb.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Oakley, Bill (2005). Commentary for "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular", in The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Vitti, Jon (2005). Commentary for "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular", in The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season.
  3. ↑ Weinstein, Josh (2005). Commentary for "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular", in The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season.
  4. ↑ The A.V. Club - "The Simpsons: "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular""
  5. ↑ IMDb - "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular"


The Saga of Carl - title screen.png Wikisimpsons has a collection of images related to "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular".
Season 7 Episodes
Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two) • Radioactive Man • Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily • Bart Sells His Soul • Lisa the Vegetarian • Treehouse of Horror VI • King-Size Homer • Mother Simpson • Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming • The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular • Marge Be Not Proud • Team Homer • Two Bad Neighbors • Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield • Bart the Fink • Lisa the Iconoclast • Homer the Smithers • The Day the Violence Died • A Fish Called Selma • Bart on the Road • 22 Short Films About Springfield • Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in "The Curse of the Flying Hellfish" • Much Apu About Nothing • Homerpalooza • Summer of 4 Ft. 2
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