I was kinda surprised that this review of a random Season 25 episode ended up being one of the longer Extra Seconds reviews. But it's these offbeat episodes that require more of a methodical breakdown. I'm pretty critical of this episode in this review, but there is something about it that I find really fascinating.
It might be worth checking out the British film Kes 1970. About a school boy suffering from abuse training a falcon. Haven't seen this episode so not 100% if they are referring to it but it sounds like it might.
I like your middle ground approach, that one can either make a funny simpsons episode, or a very special episode, or a funny simpsons very special episode, but that this is none of those things. :D
I really liked you pointing out a different 20's season episode for an alternative of one that does a similar idea better. Would have been easier and nire crowd pleasing to go for a golden years one, but no you instead highlighted one I agree really did deserve to be highlighted. Hope you do an extra seconds on that one too sometime.
There was a reason why I really dislike this episode, but couldn;t put my finger on it as to why. But that makes sense. I can't stand Lisa and Lisa-type episodes.
It really does. That and it feels like there's parts of the script that are just... missing. Like I see the through line, but some small, important story beats were cut out somehow.
@@nickrustyson8124 The thing is that episode was made to be like that, as it was made of multiple views of different characters. This episode is one around Bart and does not jumpt to another perspective.
@@falsefortuneteller She wouldn't. That's one of the things they added to make it a Bart plot. I personally interpreted this comment more to mean that as much as Lisa loves animals, she wouldn't be quite interested in keeping a predatory bird that needs to kill to live. Granted, she has the cat and cats also need to eat meat, but... is it really *her* cat or *the family's* cat? I'd say the latter.
At least it wasn't another "Celebrity, playing him or herself, comes to Springfield and is treated like a god the whole episode". At least Radcliffe was playing a character.
The premise reminds me a little bit of the 1969 Ken Loach film, Kes, about a working class 15-year old British school kid named Billy, who lives with a dysfunctional family, is struggling at school and has limited future prospects, and who finds an escape by stealing a Kestrel that he finds on a farm one day and training it in falconry. Billy is trapped because he lives in a mining town in Britain in the 1960's; his future is working down in the pits like his older brother, and Ken Loach said that he wanted there to be a contrast between: "The bird that flies free and the boy who is trapped"...I feel like the writers of Diggs might have been inspired by Kes but realised it wasn't a well-known enough film in the United States to parody it, and sort of wanted to do something similarly laced with social commentary. I dunno, there aren't many films about Falconry though, so Kes kind of stands out in that regard.
Went looking in the comments to see if someone said this! I saw it on Channel 4 once and with my barest recollections I figured they were trying to make Bart a bit more like him. I think a more direct homage like Cape Fear might’ve worked better, even if they’d have had to add a title card or something. But then I’m not watching anymore anyway so the studio doesn’t care about what I think!
To be fair, Bart has been shown to have an affinity for animals in the past, so falconry isn't a huge stretch. They could've done a little more to show that though, rather than relying on people just knowing that about him.
I feel like this episode could’ve been a lot smoother and impactful if there were just a few things tweaked. For instance, have Bart meet diggs when he’s in the hospital rather than at school so that they can initiate a bond/set up that somethings wrong with diggs, then when the falconry stuff happens, they can move into the mental illness subplot a bit earlier to dive into that a bit deeper, allowing Bart to have time to reconcile with his new friends, leaving with a more impactful feeling at the end of the episode. Just an idea though, would kill 2 birds with 1 stone, pun intended.
I understand the idea, but it takes away from the big impact point of the plot. The shock that something is very wrong with Diggs and what he does is almost like a statement piece in an outfit. You can move and change all the other parts around it, even overhall everything, but it'll never have the same impact or focus without that scene presenting as it does. I think a different meeting is a good idea and not being falconry at first is fine, even never being super into it just understanding and portraying that Diggs loves it or is mesmerized by it. However, I think meeting after that accident would really destroy the part that really works about Diggs, as a plot element and point of discussion for the issue of mental illness.
I kinda wish they went more in that angle then, but it's all left as subtext. At least it would have been more interesting but the writers are too cowardly to try something really different.
@@Enkelados35 I would have loved that. I mean, I like how subtle it is, but I wanted it to be at least alluded to, that Bart might have developed feelings for Diggs. With the way Bart described him, there was potential.
The show frames lot of relationships in that pseudo-romance light, all way to classic seasons. ("We still have laundromat" from "...Skinner's Sweet Badass Song") Seems to be just convenient way to summarize personal connections for writers, nothing deeper (otherwise in some of these cases it can become too creepy).
I always got the impression this episode was meant to be a reference to the classic book, 'A Kestral For A Knave' and the film that was inspired by it 'Kes' but the writers decided to try and make it more their own thing and lost sight of what the whole point of doing this at all was.
They wrote a BartXHarryPotter slashfic and changed Harry's name to Diggs. There's no other explanation for, "I don't think other people get him, but I just wanna hang out with him all the time". C'mon.
Hi my name is Bartholomew Yellow Darkness Dementia Simpson and I have short yellow hair (that's how i got my name) with spikes all across my head and an overbite and large white eyes. I'm also a falaconer...
I haven't seen the episode, but I'm assuming this connection isn't made since if it were, I'm sure you would give the episode credit for it: Bart has a history with birds, specifically with them bringing out his softer side, and I think the episode might have worked slightly better if they had brought attention to it. Three seasons prior, in "How Munched Is That Birdie In The Window," Bart adopts a carrier pigeon after if crashes through his window and breaks its wing, developing a bond with it. That episode also establishes that Lisa has a fear of birds, which would explain why she wouldn't want anything to do with Diggs, although there could be an interesting episode about him helping her get over that fear if they wanted to keep that continuity. And of course, back in Season 10 we had "Bart the Mother," (which you mentioned in this video, albeit for unrelated reasons,) in which Bart kills a bird and takes care of what he thinks are its eggs. I might like to watch the episode myself and see if there are any subtle allusions to those previous episodes, but I doubt it. I expect this to only add to the sense of frustration you describe.
Why didn't they have them met in the hospital? That would imply something was up with Diggs, and at first bart is all annoyed by him but when his friends don't visit him he only has Diggs to talk to so they get kinda close despite their differences. Maybe set up that Diggs doesn't get many visitors either and have him drop a few concerning comments about how he gets hurt a lot but "it's usually my own fault/hubris" which bart is a bit concerned about but ultimately rights off. Then maybe when he gets back home hiss friends won't talk to him because hes contagious or something so he's left with Diggs who seems to understand his pain and that sometimes people avoid you or treat you different when "they know you went to the hospital" Then you could have some falcon stuff and around the midpoint have Diggs jump and bart discover he's not mentally well. That way you could have more interesting self reflection, bart doesn't want to treat him any differently since he now knows the pain and Diggs was there for him when no one else was and he doesn't really have anyone else but this whole thing did throw him. So, he could try to visit him at the hospital but it scares him too much. Then bart joining him for that contest at the end would hold more weight and freeing the birds would be more bittersweet with say lisa or maybe bart suggesting that they're mostly domesticated so they might not survive on their own and some might just find their way back anyway as Diggs rides off Just a stupid melodramatic way to tell the story.. because if you can't fit in the humor then just don't
You know, if it weren’t for the fact this was, you know, The Simpsons, Bart’s attitude feels like in another show would be the start of some kinda of budding interest in guys. He is absolutely in love with Diggs, and can’t explain why or how or what because he’s still a kid.
He said it in the review but this really feels like a lisa episode. Like you said, even down to a budding potential romance. Feels like last minute they turned it into a bart episode and tried to rewrite the first part of the episode to get bart into this situation.
It has a "The Great Gatsby" vibe where this is supposed to be a platonic friendship but there are so many romantic undertones for some reason. I wouldn't have minded that direction tbh.
I Digg this episode but i just kinda like modern Simpsons. I honestly dont think modern Simpsons deserves all the hate it gets i dont think modern Simpsons is like top tier or anything i just dont thinl its nearly as bad as everyone says it is
@@yaalikejazz3960 Alot of old fans are super obsessed with "classic" Simpsons that now every episode has to be damn near perfect or it'll get hate, so instead of not watching they force themselves to sit through something they already have in their minds to not enjoy.... but if you don't have that mindset then modern Simpsons is enjoyable af lol
I don’t know why it’s so weird Bart would crush on Diggs; Diggs is extremely crushworthy. Major “he’s a misunderstood loner but I and I alone understand him”/“I can fix his heart” vibes. Plus, falcons love him. Even the Barts of the world are not immune.
This episode is so strange. I almost kinda admire it, for doing stuff that a lot of other Simpsons episodes don’t do, but the more I think about it, the more flaws I see in it. The comedy feels very out of place with this serious story, Bart is written way too similarly to Lisa, act 1 takes up way too much time and ultimately isn’t very interesting, act 3 doesn’t pay off anything, and the jokes really don’t land. It’s an interesting episode for sure, but not one I can really call good.
Points for reviewing a Season 25 episode I had no memory of besides its premise & guest star. I got it mixed up with “Luca$”, a Lisa episode from the same season that’s also about a Simpsons kid meeting a friend with a health issue. It’s interesting to see you talk more in depth about how a poorly handled tone or lack of direction can impact all of an episode’s comedy. I only disagree with your recommendation of “Looking for Mr Goodbart”. The Bart plot is indeed good, but I will forever remember it as the Pokémon Go episode released half a year after the game lost its relevancy.
When he mentioned "Looking for Mr Goodbart" I wondered why I don't rewatch it since it was a a certainly unique but in character plotline for Bart without any major problems with its execution. This reminds me why, it's like finding out the "A little late for Lenny" joke is in "Saddlesore Galactica"
Pokemon Go is still alive, well and going just FYI. Even though it's not being talked about in every news outlet ever doesn't mean the game isn't still quite popular.
With the ending of this episode, I get what the episode is trying to get across, it's just not executed very well. The whole idea in letting the falcons free is letting Diggs himself be free in this world and not inhibited by his mental illness. A noble goal, but I think the whole falconry thing is tacked on for the sake of the free bird allegory.
Interestingly, this whole concept of using falconry as a metaphor for human freedom, was explored much more effectively in the music video for the song 'Free' by British electronic music group Rudimental.
Simpsons Showdown: Diggs vs. Stark raving Dad? No that I think it a fair contest, but it's nice to prop that episode back up after the show runners disowned it.
I felt like Bart was intrigued by Diggs not because of the falconry or his personality, but the combination of both. The idea of a kid, about his age, who’s interested in him AND has a falcon.
I think Bart being interested in Falconry is pretty in-character. Falcons are cool animals and Bart is a kid who likes cool things. And him becoming friends with Diggs feels a lot like him becoming friends with that old lady in one that one episode: A little strange for him, but it shows he's a nuanced character, I think.
I wish they had leaned into the "cool" angle a little more when they introduced it to Bart. Maybe move the pranking montage to the front, or have the bird mess with Skinner or something.
@@TheRealJims This seems to lean in the same direction as Bart and Stampy friendship: Stampy's kind of pariah of animal (just like Bart in human society) *and* the animal, something Bart seems to be fond of, so getting friend in cool outcast who's into part of animal world seems to be naturally fitting for him, in fact.
I watched a lot of HD Simpsons when I was a kid around the time this episode aired and I barely remember it. Might just be because I didn’t rewatch it due to the lack of jokes
I like to think Marge being nervous about Bart going to mental hospital comes from her childhood experiences visiting her Uncle Arthur who Marge swore to Bart not mention again just my headcanon anyway.
Ha, I like Diggs's cast, other patients signed it, I guess? Good to know shout-outs to Swartzwelder are still around. Clare Quilty? ':/ I watched the episode times ago, but that's how I understand it: Bart's aware he's a pariah, but tries to keep it cool, until he meets other pariah who's kinda actually cool despite being 'weird', and immediately bonds, nothing exceptionally far-fetched about it. And let's not forget, Bart's initially quite a genuine animal lover: SLH, Stampy, his frog from "Bart vs. Australia", whole "Bart The Mother" plot, and he also had a pigeon and cow few seasons ago, so his sudden enthusiasm at falconry isn't out-of-character at all. Although him being placed in "Lisa-model" episode was on my mind too, but there are reasons for him to be the protagonist, so in this regard experiment works. At least, makes Bart to have *friend* for once, and not another girlfriend on the day. I got reminded of cop-out ending with Milhouse which is played like one of these "Homer-Marge marriage crisis" episode, with one of them reconnecting with other despite their discrepancies staying intact... Pretty lazy approach, and maybe could go another way, more open, but less cliche and tacky.
Dang, hearing what you have to say about this episode really proved eye-opening, and it really does make me want to check it out. Frankly, it seems to me like the core problem is them wanting to fit in more than the runtime and format could allow. All these plot points could've worked if they had more time to flesh them out or split them across multiple episodes. I can tell they were trying so hard to do something very different, but couldn't quite pull it off. Shame.
There was one episode where it was even *highlighted* by Lisa while providing moral of the story: time to wrap it up because time is over. Sadly it happens when it seems show actually tries to say something.
It's a flawed episode for a lot of reasons, but for me the characterizations click much better if you read their dynamic as a first real love for Bart. Sure, you could argue making it more explicit would improve the script, but personally I love the way it's done because of how authentic it feels - Bart is a 10-year old boy who doesn't have the life experience or self-knowledge to understand the feelings he's having, and that weaves perfectly with how he struggles to understand Diggs' mental illness. I find myself relating more strongly to Bart in this episode than I usually do, so that's definitely my bias, but for me it's one of the sweetest and most tender Bart episodes they've ever done, and definitely in my personal top 10 from the past several seasons.
Oh yeah now I remembered this episode it was when I was physical ill and literally puked when Bart ate the frog because the smelled of dead frogs brought me back from my high school days of dissecting a frog.
I think that I like the idea of Bart in a plot about having to deal with a friend having a mental illness rather than Lisa, because I think someone like barts reaction and the way he would deal with it would make a more interesting story
For about a year whenever I watched the Simpsons on TV this episode was on. I was always so baffled by it and wondered why no one ever brought it up. So I admire your perspective
Was a great episode on itself, even if clashes a little bit with the characterization of Bart. "You own me money, bart" set piece was funny, but the scene when homer tried to tell santa's little helper to sit felt like a cheap family guy cut away gag.
I haven’t watched this episode but I did watch 1969’s 'Kes' and as far as I can see, I’d say that there’s indeed an influence and not only due to character design and the bird. In the film (because I haven’t read the book), the kid was very troubled, abused and well, an outsider, and finds inspiration and a direction in life in Kes, a young kestrel he adopts and starts training. He basically finds a passion he wants to invest himself in. It’s a beautiful and very emotional film about friendship and passion that I think they tried to reinterpret here with a Simpsons twist… but I’d have to watch it to confirm I’m not talking out of my arse. Anyway, if you haven’t seen the film I suggest you do it. But get some tissues, ninjas chop onions by the end and it might get a little rainy.
The writers wanted to write an episode about stigmatized illnesses that wasn't stigmatic, and they were halfway there. They managed to not have stigmatic jokes, but they didn't replace them with other jokes.
I could see Bart thinking a falcon was cool. (and being the master of one) He did protect bird eggs once....and there were those times he had the elephant and the horse. So I don't think the general idea of this as a bart episode is that unusual at least.
Considering how falconry is a popular sport in the Middle East I think it was a missed opportunity to make this episode have Bashir from the episode Mypods and Broomsticks
I definitely agree with some people in the comments that this plot feels like it mightve made more sense if it was a Lisa story. Although perhaps Bart was made the protagonist because the writers felt Lisa made more sense as a supportive character for Bart in that kind of a serious situation than he would for her, since shes generally more knowledgeable about various topics, so her knowing enough about mental illness to comfort Bart about his friend makes sense. Also, maybe they just felt there were too many plots about Lisa being ostracized and meeting someone she has a confection with. Either way I think it’s likely this was written as a Lisa plot and they changed her to Bart
An episode that fumbles a great concept is sadder than an episode that is just dull. There’s a few things I think that could’ve been done to make this episode better, or springboard it more easily into something greater. First, an actually related 1st act. The theme of Bart being on the rebound would work better of he was ostracized for something more substantial. Maybe have him do a stunt that doesn’t pay off, or something. Maybe have Lisa drive the plot a bit since she’s often in the same situation that Bart isn’t as familiar with. Diggs saving Bart from the teens would feel more organic from there. From there, maybe have Diggs also relate to Bart’s situation and show Bart how cool falconry is, but also gave an undercurrent of Diggs being someone the rest of the school typically avoids for one reason or another, like have a scene during lunch where Lisa can see Bart and Diggs outside, and then have some kids wondering why Bart’s hanging out with that weird kid. From there, we can get mischief so we can still tell that Bart’s rubbing off on Diggs, and vice versa. Then, when Diggs falls off and we see him in the hospital, we get the reveal of his mental illness and it doesn’t feel like as shocking of swerve. The third act I’ll admit I gave no idea what to do for. But at the very least having act 1 and 2 be more related would’ve made the story more coherent.
It feels like ONE writer was really into falcons (randomly) and was pitching some kind of falcon-related story for months or years. Finally, the rest of the producers got sick of the pitches and just said, “Okay, go ahead, do your dumb falcon story, we’ve got nothing else this week”. Almost like they gave the story away to one writer just to shut them up.
Great and unexpected video. I hadnt thought about this episode in forever, it was around the time my simpsons watching had gotten less consistent, but i do remember having watched it lol.
I wish i could get into the later episodes but like anything post season 13-14 is just unwatchable imo. I've seen a few, ive tried but they just like not only does it not feel like the same show i just notice the voice actors have completely checked out and are phoning in their lines and shit. and the new writers are awful..
@@KingNexusMOCs i mean I dont think that anything after 9 is particularly good but the 10-14 seasons are like tolerable because its what aired when i was still a kid
On the topic of addressing mental illness in media, its very difficult to walk a middle ground between being overly serious or just going for straight up comedy. Making fun of "crazy" people one minute and then having deep serious conversations will result in mood whiplash. Also portraying mental illness is a dangerous game because if you're not 100% fair & accurate, then it will look poor, as a portrayal. One idea is to make a new mental illness, which has traits in common with what a lot of them have. The show Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency has a fictional disease called "Pararibulitus". Its a genetic disease which gives people episodes that cause them to interrupt reality as some hallucinations which are felt as real. For instance suddenly imagining that your hand is on fire and feeling it actually burn or that you underwater and so you start drowning. It carries the spirit of mental illnesses, without actually being one. It never feels as if you're being preached to about mental illnesses because it is treated with some levity but it also comes across as a legit condition which you could relate to the understanding of people who have conditions which are extreme, like that.
Hello Jims. I would like you to do Moe Baby Blues next. It’s one of those episodes you shun for being a “later in between” but it hits you hard when you’re intoxicated. It’s a little earlier before the big “modern status quo” so it CAN have that classic feeling if you want it to.
If I had a personal request list, this would've been on it. Along with the weird episode where Homer and Marge are divorced and the whole time it's just a Homer Coma.
I think the major thing that could have helped the episode would have been removing the third act overall. Make the sending to the asylum the climax of episode and MAYBE put the fraction of meeting Diggs at school the final sequence with him saying thanks for being my friend and end it there. That way you can add more time to the part of Bart put in the 20 dollar situation, as well as developing the relationship with Diggs with the minutes that remain after cutting the pointless third act.
I think that with some of the scenes of Bart getting the worst of him like eating a dead frog, it seems like a low for the modern Simpsons episodes have and I admit I hate doing disgusting stuff and I would never will, not to mention that the episode aired in march of 2014, and before it aired the Simpsons went on a month long hiatus in February, mainly do to the super bowl, the winter Olympics, the Daytona 500, and the Oscars, it’s a similar problem with Season 32’s Diary Queen, as it was supposed to air on Valentine’s Day, but it got delayed to February 21st because of the Daytona 500, and another example is Treehouse Of Horror XXXI where it was supposed to air October 18, but it didn’t so instead they moved it to November 1
I think it was wrote like this : "Ok.i found this copy of kes to copy off and bought the book if we need quotes. However its not coming in the mail for a while, oh wait the DVD player doesn't take blue ray. I think we may just invite some celeb and caricature the entire thing"
I wondered if the falcons being set free was an attempt at a comedic nod to 'One flew over the Cukoo's Nest' due to the idealism being presented in both and the linear running focus on mental instability and societies views on it being portrayed in both as you mentioned with Marge's scene.
I used to be really into falconry until I became vegetarian and training a bird to hunt something I can't eat was relatively pointless. Maybe that's why they chose Bart instead of Lisa; if she's still a vegetarian, that is.
This was clearly written as a Lisa episode until the writers realized falconry would conflict with Lisa's tree hugging bs, so instead of rewritting Diggs and the rest of the episode they just inserted Bart into Lisa's place, which explains the weird setup with Bart of all people being ostracized whereas he is otherwise always portrayed as a popular kid whose only social enemies are Nelson and the other bullies.
If I had to take a stab at explaining the ending of an episode I haven't watched, I'd say freeing the falcons demonstrates how Bart sees and respects Diggs' perspective regardless of his mental illness. They make a point of showing how Bart learns that, sure, not everything Diggs believes is true, but then they show how Bart can still learn from him and understand and even share in and act on his perspective, even when it's sort of a radical perspective that could so easily be written off as Diggs just being mentally ill and not respecting or understanding the cultural norm of animal ownership. It even ties back to Bart's feelings ostracized. He's so willing to free those birds that it doesn't matter so much what people think of him for it
Hey I've got a suggestion for a video. The History of Springfield. You've got the Jebediah Springfield episodes and myths, but also the Civil War re-enactments, and of course flashbacks to Grandpa. Springfield has had a rather colourful history even before the Simpsons started fucking around.
The more you describe Diggs and the falconry situation, the more I think that maybe it would've made more sense for Lisa to gravitate towards him. She often feels like an outcast and would appreciate how interesting and insightful Diggs and his falcon are.
I had to look up who wrote this episode. Dan Greaney is someone who's written for episodes in the classic era, he's credited as a co-writer for this one. It may sound like I'm trying to put the blame on someone, that's because I am. Looking up who directed the episode, Michael Polcino, his rap sheet reads like a list of my least favourite simpsons episodes. I'm very curious how an episode lives and dies during production and how much input a director has on animated series like The Simpsons.
Hey, love your videos and the format they are in. Yeah I agree with you about this episode. It seems like there are a lot that are just for watching for dumb fun to pass the time.
Even though I see the issues therealjims has with the episode I still kind of like it. It somehow has a mysterious aura. I can't explain it very well😅 *be careful. Mention of attempted su*ci*e* It reminds me of a film that came on TV when I was pretty young. Sadly I don't know the name of it (let me know if you know the story) I think there was a scene with a very nice man who chattet with a construction worker. He even gave the construction worker a lot of money so he could afford something for his kids. Overall a very nice and cheerful guy. He seemed happy to me. Moments later he tried to jump off a high place only to be stopped by the same construction worker. The scene really stuck with me throughout the years.
I was kinda surprised that this review of a random Season 25 episode ended up being one of the longer Extra Seconds reviews. But it's these offbeat episodes that require more of a methodical breakdown. I'm pretty critical of this episode in this review, but there is something about it that I find really fascinating.
Good Jim's
I mean good video Jim's
It might be worth checking out the British film Kes 1970. About a school boy suffering from abuse training a falcon. Haven't seen this episode so not 100% if they are referring to it but it sounds like it might.
I like your middle ground approach, that one can either make a funny simpsons episode, or a very special episode, or a funny simpsons very special episode, but that this is none of those things. :D
I really liked you pointing out a different 20's season episode for an alternative of one that does a similar idea better. Would have been easier and nire crowd pleasing to go for a golden years one, but no you instead highlighted one I agree really did deserve to be highlighted. Hope you do an extra seconds on that one too sometime.
"Bart is starring in a Lisa episode." I think you nailed it perfectly.
There was a reason why I really dislike this episode, but couldn;t put my finger on it as to why. But that makes sense. I can't stand Lisa and Lisa-type episodes.
This episode feels like they passed the script around a table with each person writing apart of it.
It really does. That and it feels like there's parts of the script that are just... missing. Like I see the through line, but some small, important story beats were cut out somehow.
"with each person writing separated from it"
The funny thing is, some great episodes are made like that, such as 22 short films
@@nickrustyson8124 The thing is that episode was made to be like that, as it was made of multiple views of different characters. This episode is one around Bart and does not jumpt to another perspective.
That’s right, diggs was actually shot by Mr. Burns
underated
Woah
Every time I see a Simpsons character with detailed cheekbones, hair, and clothing I get another hour taken off my life
It's almost like they remembered Lisa doesn't eat animals and changed it to Bart
That's... a really good point.
... why would lisa try to make money by eating weird stuff in the playground?
@@falsefortuneteller She wouldn't. That's one of the things they added to make it a Bart plot.
I personally interpreted this comment more to mean that as much as Lisa loves animals, she wouldn't be quite interested in keeping a predatory bird that needs to kill to live. Granted, she has the cat and cats also need to eat meat, but... is it really *her* cat or *the family's* cat? I'd say the latter.
@@Mentally_Will lisa knows what a carnivore is, i think.
@@Mentally_Will accurate i was just lazy and went with "eat animals" as it was 4am
Bart falls in love with diggs because hes a celebrity and this is modern simpsons
Oh you know the fangirls are gonna take it waaaaaaaaaay too serious
Bart SIMPson
At least it wasn't another "Celebrity, playing him or herself, comes to Springfield and is treated like a god the whole episode". At least Radcliffe was playing a character.
@@noahedwards3090 he had crushes on girls before so he's probably bi or pansexual
So right
*It’s as if it were written by aliens*
“As a boy I dreamed of being a baseball”
Upward, not forward!
And always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom!
"Abortions for some, miniature American flags for others!"
The premise reminds me a little bit of the 1969 Ken Loach film, Kes, about a working class 15-year old British school kid named Billy, who lives with a dysfunctional family, is struggling at school and has limited future prospects, and who finds an escape by stealing a Kestrel that he finds on a farm one day and training it in falconry. Billy is trapped because he lives in a mining town in Britain in the 1960's; his future is working down in the pits like his older brother, and Ken Loach said that he wanted there to be a contrast between: "The bird that flies free and the boy who is trapped"...I feel like the writers of Diggs might have been inspired by Kes but realised it wasn't a well-known enough film in the United States to parody it, and sort of wanted to do something similarly laced with social commentary. I dunno, there aren't many films about Falconry though, so Kes kind of stands out in that regard.
Went looking in the comments to see if someone said this! I saw it on Channel 4 once and with my barest recollections I figured they were trying to make Bart a bit more like him. I think a more direct homage like Cape Fear might’ve worked better, even if they’d have had to add a title card or something. But then I’m not watching anymore anyway so the studio doesn’t care about what I think!
i'm seeing double here, FOUR reviews of Diggs
To be fair, Bart has been shown to have an affinity for animals in the past, so falconry isn't a huge stretch. They could've done a little more to show that though, rather than relying on people just knowing that about him.
Considering throughout the season alot of call backs to older episodes
I feel like this episode could’ve been a lot smoother and impactful if there were just a few things tweaked. For instance, have Bart meet diggs when he’s in the hospital rather than at school so that they can initiate a bond/set up that somethings wrong with diggs, then when the falconry stuff happens, they can move into the mental illness subplot a bit earlier to dive into that a bit deeper, allowing Bart to have time to reconcile with his new friends, leaving with a more impactful feeling at the end of the episode. Just an idea though, would kill 2 birds with 1 stone, pun intended.
I understand the idea, but it takes away from the big impact point of the plot.
The shock that something is very wrong with Diggs and what he does is almost like a statement piece in an outfit. You can move and change all the other parts around it, even overhall everything, but it'll never have the same impact or focus without that scene presenting as it does.
I think a different meeting is a good idea and not being falconry at first is fine, even never being super into it just understanding and portraying that Diggs loves it or is mesmerized by it. However, I think meeting after that accident would really destroy the part that really works about Diggs, as a plot element and point of discussion for the issue of mental illness.
Act three makes "Moaning Lisa" look like "Last Exit to Springfield"
LMAO awesome
"Lisa needs therapy." "Mental Plan"
@@AnonymousDuckLover BAHAHAHA 😂
I don't get why Daniel Radcliffe's character look like the old kid from invader zim
"How's it goin'?"
Diggs is probably my favorite modern simpsons episodes and i have 0 idea why
I honestly wonder if it was framed as Bart literally falling in love with Diggs, because it really comes off that way.
It pays to tease that kind of stuff, because a certain audience will eat it up.
@@shorewall I guess? But it's done in such a weirdly subtle way that I can't tell if it was intentional.
I kinda wish they went more in that angle then, but it's all left as subtext. At least it would have been more interesting but the writers are too cowardly to try something really different.
@@Enkelados35 I would have loved that. I mean, I like how subtle it is, but I wanted it to be at least alluded to, that Bart might have developed feelings for Diggs.
With the way Bart described him, there was potential.
The show frames lot of relationships in that pseudo-romance light, all way to classic seasons. ("We still have laundromat" from "...Skinner's Sweet Badass Song") Seems to be just convenient way to summarize personal connections for writers, nothing deeper (otherwise in some of these cases it can become too creepy).
I always got the impression this episode was meant to be a reference to the classic book, 'A Kestral For A Knave' and the film that was inspired by it 'Kes' but the writers decided to try and make it more their own thing and lost sight of what the whole point of doing this at all was.
I wonder if it might’ve somehow been a suggestion from Radcliffe they felt compelled to fulfill, but didn’t really know how to?
@@kaitlyn__L quite likely, its a required read in most uk schools so radcliffe will be aware of it
They wrote a BartXHarryPotter slashfic and changed Harry's name to Diggs. There's no other explanation for, "I don't think other people get him, but I just wanna hang out with him all the time". C'mon.
Hi my name is Bartholomew Yellow Darkness Dementia Simpson and I have short yellow hair (that's how i got my name) with spikes all across my head and an overbite and large white eyes. I'm also a falaconer...
It's more like an Imagine prompt about Daniel Radcliffe enrolling at your school so that he can teach you about falconry and mental illness
Lisa got it all wrong, Bart isn't gay for Moleman, he's gay for Diggs.
No bc after this episode I’m starting to think Lisa’s not the only bi one in the family 🤔
I haven't seen the episode, but I'm assuming this connection isn't made since if it were, I'm sure you would give the episode credit for it: Bart has a history with birds, specifically with them bringing out his softer side, and I think the episode might have worked slightly better if they had brought attention to it. Three seasons prior, in "How Munched Is That Birdie In The Window," Bart adopts a carrier pigeon after if crashes through his window and breaks its wing, developing a bond with it. That episode also establishes that Lisa has a fear of birds, which would explain why she wouldn't want anything to do with Diggs, although there could be an interesting episode about him helping her get over that fear if they wanted to keep that continuity. And of course, back in Season 10 we had "Bart the Mother," (which you mentioned in this video, albeit for unrelated reasons,) in which Bart kills a bird and takes care of what he thinks are its eggs. I might like to watch the episode myself and see if there are any subtle allusions to those previous episodes, but I doubt it. I expect this to only add to the sense of frustration you describe.
Why didn't they have them met in the hospital? That would imply something was up with Diggs, and at first bart is all annoyed by him but when his friends don't visit him he only has Diggs to talk to so they get kinda close despite their differences. Maybe set up that Diggs doesn't get many visitors either and have him drop a few concerning comments about how he gets hurt a lot but "it's usually my own fault/hubris" which bart is a bit concerned about but ultimately rights off. Then maybe when he gets back home hiss friends won't talk to him because hes contagious or something so he's left with Diggs who seems to understand his pain and that sometimes people avoid you or treat you different when "they know you went to the hospital"
Then you could have some falcon stuff and around the midpoint have Diggs jump and bart discover he's not mentally well. That way you could have more interesting self reflection, bart doesn't want to treat him any differently since he now knows the pain and Diggs was there for him when no one else was and he doesn't really have anyone else but this whole thing did throw him.
So, he could try to visit him at the hospital but it scares him too much.
Then bart joining him for that contest at the end would hold more weight and freeing the birds would be more bittersweet with say lisa or maybe bart suggesting that they're mostly domesticated so they might not survive on their own and some might just find their way back anyway as Diggs rides off
Just a stupid melodramatic way to tell the story.. because if you can't fit in the humor then just don't
You know, if it weren’t for the fact this was, you know, The Simpsons, Bart’s attitude feels like in another show would be the start of some kinda of budding interest in guys. He is absolutely in love with Diggs, and can’t explain why or how or what because he’s still a kid.
He said it in the review but this really feels like a lisa episode. Like you said, even down to a budding potential romance. Feels like last minute they turned it into a bart episode and tried to rewrite the first part of the episode to get bart into this situation.
It has a "The Great Gatsby" vibe where this is supposed to be a platonic friendship but there are so many romantic undertones for some reason.
I wouldn't have minded that direction tbh.
@@Zekana0 I agree.
@@matti.8465 The Great Gatsby is a great comparison. The way Bart admires Diggs is very similar to how Nick talks about Gatsby
Gotta say, haven't heard of anybody that *diggs* this episode.
I'll see myself out.
You should digg yourself a grave for that joke.
(Just kidding have a nice day)
You're not wrong it's a terrible episode.
I Digg this episode but i just kinda like modern Simpsons. I honestly dont think modern Simpsons deserves all the hate it gets i dont think modern Simpsons is like top tier or anything i just dont thinl its nearly as bad as everyone says it is
@@yaalikejazz3960 Alot of old fans are super obsessed with "classic" Simpsons that now every episode has to be damn near perfect or it'll get hate, so instead of not watching they force themselves to sit through something they already have in their minds to not enjoy.... but if you don't have that mindset then modern Simpsons is enjoyable af lol
I don’t know why it’s so weird Bart would crush on Diggs; Diggs is extremely crushworthy. Major “he’s a misunderstood loner but I and I alone understand him”/“I can fix his heart” vibes. Plus, falcons love him. Even the Barts of the world are not immune.
This episode is so strange. I almost kinda admire it, for doing stuff that a lot of other Simpsons episodes don’t do, but the more I think about it, the more flaws I see in it. The comedy feels very out of place with this serious story, Bart is written way too similarly to Lisa, act 1 takes up way too much time and ultimately isn’t very interesting, act 3 doesn’t pay off anything, and the jokes really don’t land. It’s an interesting episode for sure, but not one I can really call good.
6:05 If he thought he could fly, why didn’t he take off on the ground first? - Bill Hicks
I think Jims said Diggs "suddenly" had the idea he could fly, getting inspired to fly from being in the tree
Psychosis ideas usually have a very tenuous link to logic, so I didn’t really question that part tbh
Points for reviewing a Season 25 episode I had no memory of besides its premise & guest star. I got it mixed up with “Luca$”, a Lisa episode from the same season that’s also about a Simpsons kid meeting a friend with a health issue. It’s interesting to see you talk more in depth about how a poorly handled tone or lack of direction can impact all of an episode’s comedy.
I only disagree with your recommendation of “Looking for Mr Goodbart”. The Bart plot is indeed good, but I will forever remember it as the Pokémon Go episode released half a year after the game lost its relevancy.
Funny that I had it mixed up with another HD episode "How Munched Is That Birdie in the Window?", probably because there is Bart and a bird.
When he mentioned "Looking for Mr Goodbart" I wondered why I don't rewatch it since it was a a certainly unique but in character plotline for Bart without any major problems with its execution. This reminds me why, it's like finding out the "A little late for Lenny" joke is in "Saddlesore Galactica"
Pokemon Go is still alive, well and going just FYI. Even though it's not being talked about in every news outlet ever doesn't mean the game isn't still quite popular.
Dude luca$ fucking freaked me out when i was younger.
@@toganium4175 Which episode is that?
5:33 glad you brought up Lisa the drama queen, Diggs really reminded me of that episode too
like, shut up
TheRealJims, is ever a chance we'd see a list of your worst Simpsons episodes?
I would love to see this too.
He made one, not in video form but you can see it in his "Kill the Alligator and Run vs. Simpsons Safari" showdown
@@alexanderprahauser1261 the alligator was alive the entire time!
@@alexanderprahauser1261 Both episodes are masterpieces compared to 'Diggs'.
watch his kill the aligator and run vs Simpson safari video
With the ending of this episode, I get what the episode is trying to get across, it's just not executed very well.
The whole idea in letting the falcons free is letting Diggs himself be free in this world and not inhibited by his mental illness. A noble goal, but I think the whole falconry thing is tacked on for the sake of the free bird allegory.
Interestingly, this whole concept of using falconry as a metaphor for human freedom, was explored much more effectively in the music video for the song 'Free' by British electronic music group Rudimental.
I love how you use funny or die's "very special episode" thumbnails to show what a very special episode is. I love those videos.
Those videos are so great! When I google image searched the term, a bunch of their thumbnails came up, lol
Simpsons Showdown: Diggs vs. Stark raving Dad? No that I think it a fair contest, but it's nice to prop that episode back up after the show runners disowned it.
I felt like Bart was intrigued by Diggs not because of the falconry or his personality, but the combination of both. The idea of a kid, about his age, who’s interested in him AND has a falcon.
I think Bart being interested in Falconry is pretty in-character. Falcons are cool animals and Bart is a kid who likes cool things. And him becoming friends with Diggs feels a lot like him becoming friends with that old lady in one that one episode: A little strange for him, but it shows he's a nuanced character, I think.
Not the first time Bart is interested in something you wouldn't expect. This is the same guy who's true passion will turn out to be art.
I wish they had leaned into the "cool" angle a little more when they introduced it to Bart. Maybe move the pranking montage to the front, or have the bird mess with Skinner or something.
@@TheRealJims This seems to lean in the same direction as Bart and Stampy friendship: Stampy's kind of pariah of animal (just like Bart in human society) *and* the animal, something Bart seems to be fond of, so getting friend in cool outcast who's into part of animal world seems to be naturally fitting for him, in fact.
I watched a lot of HD Simpsons when I was a kid around the time this episode aired and I barely remember it. Might just be because I didn’t rewatch it due to the lack of jokes
It's a shame that such an oddball yet intriguing plot doesn't end up meeting its full potential, but, then again, most modern Simpsons attempts don't.
You still haven't done Das Bus? Either way, great video!
You're right, Bart really does act like he has a crush on Diggs.
I like to think Marge being nervous about Bart going to mental hospital comes from her childhood experiences visiting her Uncle Arthur who Marge swore to Bart not mention again just my headcanon anyway.
Ha, I like Diggs's cast, other patients signed it, I guess? Good to know shout-outs to Swartzwelder are still around. Clare Quilty? ':/
I watched the episode times ago, but that's how I understand it: Bart's aware he's a pariah, but tries to keep it cool, until he meets other pariah who's kinda actually cool despite being 'weird', and immediately bonds, nothing exceptionally far-fetched about it. And let's not forget, Bart's initially quite a genuine animal lover: SLH, Stampy, his frog from "Bart vs. Australia", whole "Bart The Mother" plot, and he also had a pigeon and cow few seasons ago, so his sudden enthusiasm at falconry isn't out-of-character at all. Although him being placed in "Lisa-model" episode was on my mind too, but there are reasons for him to be the protagonist, so in this regard experiment works. At least, makes Bart to have *friend* for once, and not another girlfriend on the day.
I got reminded of cop-out ending with Milhouse which is played like one of these "Homer-Marge marriage crisis" episode, with one of them reconnecting with other despite their discrepancies staying intact... Pretty lazy approach, and maybe could go another way, more open, but less cliche and tacky.
Marge's line at the dinner table is easily among the weirdest things she's ever said.
It's the same kind of logic that Marge has when she tells Lisa to smile in Moaning Lisa, but she never sees the error of her ways.
@@de132 you're entirely right
We tend to forget that, together with all her lovable traits, there's also kind of a narrow minded jerk in Marge that shows up on occasions.
Dang, hearing what you have to say about this episode really proved eye-opening, and it really does make me want to check it out.
Frankly, it seems to me like the core problem is them wanting to fit in more than the runtime and format could allow. All these plot points could've worked if they had more time to flesh them out or split them across multiple episodes. I can tell they were trying so hard to do something very different, but couldn't quite pull it off. Shame.
There was one episode where it was even *highlighted* by Lisa while providing moral of the story: time to wrap it up because time is over. Sadly it happens when it seems show actually tries to say something.
Which especially stinks because The Simpsons has recently started doing multi part episodes again
It's a flawed episode for a lot of reasons, but for me the characterizations click much better if you read their dynamic as a first real love for Bart. Sure, you could argue making it more explicit would improve the script, but personally I love the way it's done because of how authentic it feels - Bart is a 10-year old boy who doesn't have the life experience or self-knowledge to understand the feelings he's having, and that weaves perfectly with how he struggles to understand Diggs' mental illness.
I find myself relating more strongly to Bart in this episode than I usually do, so that's definitely my bias, but for me it's one of the sweetest and most tender Bart episodes they've ever done, and definitely in my personal top 10 from the past several seasons.
It's funny how the posibility of a Bart and Diggs romance works better than most of Bart's one-off love interests.
Great take!
Oh yeah now I remembered this episode it was when I was physical ill and literally puked when Bart ate the frog because the smelled of dead frogs brought me back from my high school days of dissecting a frog.
It's a late era Al Jean episode. Of course its baffling.
Well this was out of left field, did you throw a dart at a board and it landed on this episode?
Yeah but it’s still interesting
"Diggs is the most baffling, incomprehensible simpsons episode of all time" literally the first thing he said in the video
pp checks out
I think that I like the idea of Bart in a plot about having to deal with a friend having a mental illness rather than Lisa, because I think someone like barts reaction and the way he would deal with it would make a more interesting story
Maybe the real Diggs, was the friends we made along the way
"Just kidding, this is the finger he bit off"
That picture of the "Crazy Boy" on the cover of that magazine at 6:35 had me LMAO. It was the funniest thing in this episode.
For about a year whenever I watched the Simpsons on TV this episode was on. I was always so baffled by it and wondered why no one ever brought it up. So I admire your perspective
Was a great episode on itself, even if clashes a little bit with the characterization of Bart.
"You own me money, bart" set piece was funny, but the scene when homer tried to tell santa's little helper to sit felt like a cheap family guy cut away gag.
Ha, the only thing I remembered about this episode was that couch gag.
When fox used to put this episode all the time I just changed the channel... It ain't that bad it's just more deppresive than funny...
The Homer bit feels like a less violent take on the Stewie/Brian "Where's my money" bit.
I haven’t watched this episode but I did watch 1969’s 'Kes' and as far as I can see, I’d say that there’s indeed an influence and not only due to character design and the bird. In the film (because I haven’t read the book), the kid was very troubled, abused and well, an outsider, and finds inspiration and a direction in life in Kes, a young kestrel he adopts and starts training. He basically finds a passion he wants to invest himself in. It’s a beautiful and very emotional film about friendship and passion that I think they tried to reinterpret here with a Simpsons twist… but I’d have to watch it to confirm I’m not talking out of my arse.
Anyway, if you haven’t seen the film I suggest you do it. But get some tissues, ninjas chop onions by the end and it might get a little rainy.
I love the way you wrote that warning at the end hahah
The writers wanted to write an episode about stigmatized illnesses that wasn't stigmatic, and they were halfway there. They managed to not have stigmatic jokes, but they didn't replace them with other jokes.
Really did not like the line "It's not funny when a crazy guy pretends to be crazy."
Yeah, I agree. I didn't call it out in the video specifically, but that was a line they probably should have reworked
muh ableism
I could see Bart thinking a falcon was cool. (and being the master of one) He did protect bird eggs once....and there were those times he had the elephant and the horse. So I don't think the general idea of this as a bart episode is that unusual at least.
I like the Neatposting reference there.
Considering how falconry is a popular sport in the Middle East I think it was a missed opportunity to make this episode have Bashir from the episode Mypods and Broomsticks
I definitely agree with some people in the comments that this plot feels like it mightve made more sense if it was a Lisa story. Although perhaps Bart was made the protagonist because the writers felt Lisa made more sense as a supportive character for Bart in that kind of a serious situation than he would for her, since shes generally more knowledgeable about various topics, so her knowing enough about mental illness to comfort Bart about his friend makes sense. Also, maybe they just felt there were too many plots about Lisa being ostracized and meeting someone she has a confection with. Either way I think it’s likely this was written as a Lisa plot and they changed her to Bart
This episode, I liked the couch gag and when Homer got a taste of his own medicine from Dr. Hibbert.
An episode that fumbles a great concept is sadder than an episode that is just dull. There’s a few things I think that could’ve been done to make this episode better, or springboard it more easily into something greater.
First, an actually related 1st act. The theme of Bart being on the rebound would work better of he was ostracized for something more substantial. Maybe have him do a stunt that doesn’t pay off, or something. Maybe have Lisa drive the plot a bit since she’s often in the same situation that Bart isn’t as familiar with. Diggs saving Bart from the teens would feel more organic from there. From there, maybe have Diggs also relate to Bart’s situation and show Bart how cool falconry is, but also gave an undercurrent of Diggs being someone the rest of the school typically avoids for one reason or another, like have a scene during lunch where Lisa can see Bart and Diggs outside, and then have some kids wondering why Bart’s hanging out with that weird kid. From there, we can get mischief so we can still tell that Bart’s rubbing off on Diggs, and vice versa. Then, when Diggs falls off and we see him in the hospital, we get the reveal of his mental illness and it doesn’t feel like as shocking of swerve.
The third act I’ll admit I gave no idea what to do for. But at the very least having act 1 and 2 be more related would’ve made the story more coherent.
You should do a review on season 29s Flanders ladder. I feel its a rather underrated episode that doesn't get the attention it deserves.
More in-comprehensive than Kamp Krustier or Moes Rag to Riches? Those eps made zero freakin sense.
I remember the weird rag episode but not the other one
@@ronanhavern1980 it’s a later ep like season 30, total clusterfuck of a plot
It feels like ONE writer was really into falcons (randomly) and was pitching some kind of falcon-related story for months or years. Finally, the rest of the producers got sick of the pitches and just said, “Okay, go ahead, do your dumb falcon story, we’ve got nothing else this week”. Almost like they gave the story away to one writer just to shut them up.
I remember liking this episode while realising it could be definitely not a fan-favourite one, so I am pleasantly surprised you did a review
Great and unexpected video. I hadnt thought about this episode in forever, it was around the time my simpsons watching had gotten less consistent, but i do remember having watched it lol.
I wish i could get into the later episodes but like anything post season 13-14 is just unwatchable imo. I've seen a few, ive tried but they just like not only does it not feel like the same show i just notice the voice actors have completely checked out and are phoning in their lines and shit. and the new writers are awful..
Try the Book Job. Absolutely peak post that period Simpsons.
"Post season 13-14"
Okay poser.
@@KingNexusMOCs i mean I dont think that anything after 9 is particularly good but the 10-14 seasons are like tolerable because its what aired when i was still a kid
On the topic of addressing mental illness in media, its very difficult to walk a middle ground between being overly serious or just going for straight up comedy. Making fun of "crazy" people one minute and then having deep serious conversations will result in mood whiplash. Also portraying mental illness is a dangerous game because if you're not 100% fair & accurate, then it will look poor, as a portrayal.
One idea is to make a new mental illness, which has traits in common with what a lot of them have. The show Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency has a fictional disease called "Pararibulitus". Its a genetic disease which gives people episodes that cause them to interrupt reality as some hallucinations which are felt as real. For instance suddenly imagining that your hand is on fire and feeling it actually burn or that you underwater and so you start drowning. It carries the spirit of mental illnesses, without actually being one. It never feels as if you're being preached to about mental illnesses because it is treated with some levity but it also comes across as a legit condition which you could relate to the understanding of people who have conditions which are extreme, like that.
Hello Jims.
I would like you to do Moe Baby Blues next. It’s one of those episodes you shun for being a “later in between” but it hits you hard when you’re intoxicated. It’s a little earlier before the big “modern status quo” so it CAN have that classic feeling if you want it to.
The end of act 1 MADE ME WEEP. Which is why I’ve only watched this episode like 2 times since it aired.
If I had a personal request list, this would've been on it. Along with the weird episode where Homer and Marge are divorced and the whole time it's just a Homer Coma.
You reminded me that the frog eating episode and the falcon episode are the same
I think the major thing that could have helped the episode would have been removing the third act overall. Make the sending to the asylum the climax of episode and MAYBE put the fraction of meeting Diggs at school the final sequence with him saying thanks for being my friend and end it there. That way you can add more time to the part of Bart put in the 20 dollar situation, as well as developing the relationship with Diggs with the minutes that remain after cutting the pointless third act.
About to name my band Random Janey Violence
I think that with some of the scenes of Bart getting the worst of him like eating a dead frog, it seems like a low for the modern Simpsons episodes have and I admit I hate doing disgusting stuff and I would never will, not to mention that the episode aired in march of 2014, and before it aired the Simpsons went on a month long hiatus in February, mainly do to the super bowl, the winter Olympics, the Daytona 500, and the Oscars, it’s a similar problem with Season 32’s Diary Queen, as it was supposed to air on Valentine’s Day, but it got delayed to February 21st because of the Daytona 500, and another example is Treehouse Of Horror XXXI where it was supposed to air October 18, but it didn’t so instead they moved it to November 1
I think it was wrote like this : "Ok.i found this copy of kes to copy off and bought the book if we need quotes. However its not coming in the mail for a while, oh wait the DVD player doesn't take blue ray. I think we may just invite some celeb and caricature the entire thing"
Exactly. It's just a bunch of stuff that happened.
Kudos to the show for putting "Kilgore Trout" on Bart's cast.
And John Swartzwelder.
We need a "Modern Simpsons episodes that are actually good" video so bad.
Its sad that there's quite a few good episodes that are legitimately good, even great, yet they get lumped in with how mediocre the rest of it is.
idk why but i hate how almost every celebrity character has a weird more lifelike skin tone
The Episode is definitely a "What The What" moment. It does one thing then goes in a completely different direction.
I wondered if the falcons being set free was an attempt at a comedic nod to 'One flew over the Cukoo's Nest' due to the idealism being presented in both and the linear running focus on mental instability and societies views on it being portrayed in both as you mentioned with Marge's scene.
Even a RealJims review can't make this episode interesting. It's just bad.
So this episode would work better with Lisa in the lead than Bart.
This premise would be SO much more coherent as a Lisa episode. It probably wouldn't be as memorable though.
I don't like when the weird cheak bones they gave digs
I used to be really into falconry until I became vegetarian and training a bird to hunt something I can't eat was relatively pointless. Maybe that's why they chose Bart instead of Lisa; if she's still a vegetarian, that is.
Please do a Simpson histories about Moe Szyslak and Willie the Groundskeeper😊
Thank you! Another person holding the Moe banner
This was clearly written as a Lisa episode until the writers realized falconry would conflict with Lisa's tree hugging bs, so instead of rewritting Diggs and the rest of the episode they just inserted Bart into Lisa's place, which explains the weird setup with Bart of all people being ostracized whereas he is otherwise always portrayed as a popular kid whose only social enemies are Nelson and the other bullies.
I'm more excited for the disenchanted season 3 review than watching the show itself, lol.
Bart's room is at the top of the stairs now?
Yep, that railing behind Lisa gives it away. I'm really starting to regret doing that research, now I can't stop noticing stuff like that, lol
If I had to take a stab at explaining the ending of an episode I haven't watched, I'd say freeing the falcons demonstrates how Bart sees and respects Diggs' perspective regardless of his mental illness. They make a point of showing how Bart learns that, sure, not everything Diggs believes is true, but then they show how Bart can still learn from him and understand and even share in and act on his perspective, even when it's sort of a radical perspective that could so easily be written off as Diggs just being mentally ill and not respecting or understanding the cultural norm of animal ownership. It even ties back to Bart's feelings ostracized. He's so willing to free those birds that it doesn't matter so much what people think of him for it
I just watched this yesterday!
Hey I've got a suggestion for a video.
The History of Springfield.
You've got the Jebediah Springfield episodes and myths, but also the Civil War re-enactments, and of course flashbacks to Grandpa.
Springfield has had a rather colourful history even before the Simpsons started fucking around.
DIGGS! SIDELINE! TOUCHDOWN!!!!
The more you describe Diggs and the falconry situation, the more I think that maybe it would've made more sense for Lisa to gravitate towards him. She often feels like an outcast and would appreciate how interesting and insightful Diggs and his falcon are.
I had to look up who wrote this episode. Dan Greaney is someone who's written for episodes in the classic era, he's credited as a co-writer for this one. It may sound like I'm trying to put the blame on someone, that's because I am. Looking up who directed the episode, Michael Polcino, his rap sheet reads like a list of my least favourite simpsons episodes. I'm very curious how an episode lives and dies during production and how much input a director has on animated series like The Simpsons.
Hey, love your videos and the format they are in.
Yeah I agree with you about this episode. It seems like there are a lot that are just for watching for dumb fun to pass the time.
Even though I see the issues therealjims has with the episode I still kind of like it. It somehow has a mysterious aura. I can't explain it very well😅
*be careful. Mention of attempted su*ci*e*
It reminds me of a film that came on TV when I was pretty young. Sadly I don't know the name of it (let me know if you know the story) I think there was a scene with a very nice man who chattet with a construction worker. He even gave the construction worker a lot of money so he could afford something for his kids. Overall a very nice and cheerful guy. He seemed happy to me. Moments later he tried to jump off a high place only to be stopped by the same construction worker. The scene really stuck with me throughout the years.