Treehouse of Horror X: He Was a Werewolf?
Treehouse of Horror X was a pleasant surprise. Turns out I’ve been quoting this one for years. I get my Treehouse of Horrors mixed up sometimes, understandably I think. I couldn’t tell you which specific year most of the shorts appeared in. They all just jumble together into a lovely nostalgic brain lump. Maybe I need a CAT scan. Regardless, what I’m trying to say is that I had no idea that these jokes I’ve loved for years were Season 11 jokes. I just sort of assumed they happened earlier, in one of the show’s “classic seasons.” But nope, turns out I’m a prejudiced monster who hasn’t been giving Treehouse of Horror X its due. Let’s change that.
The first bit is called I Know What You Diddily-Iddily-Did, clearly a parody of the recently released I Know What You Did Last Summer. I’ve never seen that movie, so I might be missing out on some references. That doesn’t make the Simpsons murdering and/or manslaughtering Flanders in yet another Halloween special any less enjoyable. This is probably my second favorite Halloween Flanders murder. Everybody knows the GOAT is Zombie Flanders, I don’t even need to say that, so I won’t. Anyway, this one feels a little rushed, but in a way that’s generally amusing. It’s self-aware, and for once that doesn’t really bother me. And, for some reason, that little song Homer sings about forgetting to put the fog lights in makes me laugh every single time. Can’t get enough of that Sugar Crisp.
The second short is my personal favorite: Desperately Xeeking Xena. This one involves Lisa and Bart getting superpowers and thusly becoming Stretch Dude and Clobber Girl. Good enough, though if they’d also had Marge turning invisible and Homer bursting into flames that would have been a nice touch. Maybe someday. Probably not. Regardless, they have to save Lucy Lawless (aka Xena the Warrior Princess) from Comic Book Guy, who wants to imprison her in a mylar pouch (to keep her in near-mint condition) and make her his bride. This part of the episode is just a blast, due largely to Lawless’s wonderful performance.
She delivers the two most classic moments on the show: The first comes when Professor Frink is complaining about continuity problems on Xena the Warrior Princess and Lawless tells him that a wizard did it. Delightfully, “a wizard did it” has gone on to be a common fan response when anybody complains about continuity problems on The Simpsons itself. Why anybody would complain about such issues on a show where the characters have been the same age for 30 years is beyond me, but some people are weird that way. My favorite joke happens at the end, when Lawless flies away after defeating Comic Book Guy. Lisa complains that Xena can’t fly, and then Xena says “I’m not Xena, I’m Lucy Lawless.” Good shit.
Every Treehouse of Horror has a segment that’s weaker than the rest, and this time around that’s Life’s a Glitch, Then You Die. Basically, Homer causes Y2K and dooms humanity. Dated, but a fun concept nonetheless. I have a soft spot for Y2K jokes because I lived through that insanity. I remember how much it was built up, and how anti-climactic it was when life just went on as normal. Not that I wanted living on this planet to no longer be a viable option, but… I don’t know, it could have been interesting. My family had enough beans to last for a while, that’s for sure. I do find it quaint to see the show joking about how everything had a computer chip in it… in 1999. If they could only see us now, what with our Internet of Things and our Amazon.com robot companions. When the singularity happens we’re going down FAST.
The episode ends with a mean joke. Lisa and Marge end up on a rocket heading off to Mars to rebuild civilization. Homer and Bart are stuck on a different rocket, one full of annoying celebrities that’s heading directly for the sun. While I understand why some of these celebrities are here, just in terms of personal preference, others give me pause. For example, would Spike Lee really be on this rocket? Some people might find his personality annoying, sure, but he’s a brilliant filmmaker who had a huge impact on his medium and made a real difference for black artists in Hollywood. And why is Al Sharpton here? Does he really deserve to be killed along with the likes of Rosie O’Donnell and Pauly Shore? I hate to say this, but it kinda seems like they have something against outspoken black people… Prove me wrong, The Simpsons writers from 20 years ago. I’m not saying you’re racist, but I am saying that I don’t know how to end this sentence.
The Simpsons had trouble finding a celebrity guest voice for the rocket headed toward the sun. I can’t imagine why. Finally, Tom Arnold volunteered. That makes a lot of sense to me. I’m not saying he’s some forgotten genius or comedy pioneer, but if there’s one thing you can say about Tom Arnold it's that he’s always had a good sense of humor about himself. He seems like a humble and friendly sort, and that comes across in his participation here. He did supposedly make fun of the crew, in particular the writer of the segment, in between takes, but I think that’s wholly justified. Give em hell, Tom Arnold. You never did nothin to nobody.
In conclusion: not bad. Some classic jokes, but plenty of mediocre moments as well. Still, the highs of this one are so high that I don’t have the heart to complain all that much. While it doesn’t compare to the absolute best that previous Treehouse of Horrors had to offer, X is more than clever enough to get a pass from me. The second segment just might end up on my currently non-existent list of top 10 ToH shorts, so that’s gotta count for something. Overall, I think that Treehouse of Horror X is the best episode of Season 11 so far. It feels the closest to classic Simpsons, even if it’s a little rushed or obvious or meanspirited at times. What I want to know is how Homer’s fog lights song never made it onto any of their albums. Just add a couple of rap verses to that thing and we’d all be doing the Bartman again in no time.
