Simpsons Histories - Janey
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- čas přidán 5. 09. 2024
- What is up with Janey? Is she really Lisa's friend? Also, why are the writers allergic to using her in their scripts?
Music Credits:
0:26 "Fiddlesticks Rag" (Final Fantasy VI) by diotrans
• 2-13 diotrans - Fiddle...
1:20 "Village from Your Past" (A Link to the Past) by MisfitChris
• 11 MisfitChris - Villa...
4:23 "Mercenary Boxing" (Street Fighter II) by Malcos
• Blood on the Asphalt: ...
7:27 "Dan's Ice Cream Truck" (Street Fighter Alpha 2) by Joshua Morse and posu yan
• OC ReMix #1429: Street...
10:52 "Chasing Waterfalls" (Donkey Kong Country 3) by Blue Magic
• OC ReMix #3199: Donkey...
13:47 "Soothing Rain" (Animal Crossing) by Jamphibious
• Animal Crossing ReMix ...
#thesimpsons
More than any other character covered thus far, I think Janey is the biggest missed opportunity by the writers. They did a great job developing the kids who act as Bart's supporting characters at Springfield Elementary. But they never wondered about that other girl in Lisa's class that she talks to. It's like they decided all they needed was Lisa, Ralph, and Miss Hoover, and Janey got thrown by the wayside. It's just very strange to me, the more I think about it. The Springfield Elementary cast of girls is way less developed (characterization-wise) than the Springfield Elementary boys, and I think the writers missed out on a lot of interesting story dynamics over the years.
They don't need to be more developed since they are supposed to be a sort of background to Lisas loneliness. They could of course play up Janey's conformism even more, as that typical false friend, but if they should give any real attention to any girls it is the twins. The show need a clearer girly meanie. Like a feminine version of Nelson. the social bullies instead of Nelsons more hands-on bullying.
Maybe even explore the class divide between her and Lisa. We can see in "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge" that her family owns a big screen TV back in the days when those were a luxury.
Do Disco Stu please
I personally find it very odd how these child characters like Janey, Richard and Lewis, The superfriends, Wendell, The Mackleberry Twins and the Weasels are introduced to the series... and then the writers don't do anything with them. And more odd, unlike characters like Marvin Monroe and Dr. Pryor, who fulfilled little niches like the kids, but never got anywhere, The kids still consistently appear as background chorus, with full class charts made. Hell, Freakin CHUCK was a named character by season four, and had consistently appeared for small jokes in the earlier seasons, AND has appeared in Lisa'a class since the start and to this day...And he's still just a background character. I would argue that in addition to the Female cast and relationships, the writers had no clue what to do with children characters if they don't have a quirk like "Kooky kid" or "Nerdy loser". and it's a shame, because those niches the kids fulfill could have the potential to create a richer environment for stories.
I believe moe would be a good choice because hes been around a long time and has done so much
According to the Simpsons mobile game, Tapped Out. The reason on why Janey has so many names and surnames is because one of her parents is a known pyramid schemer, and are on the constant run of the police, so they have to change names every once in a while.
Why did the writers used this interesting piece of her character for a mobile game and not for a potential spotlight episode? I'll never know.
Like, seriously baffling.
That's a pretty great set up for an episode lol
I suspect that the writers on the show just don't care about Janey or what her name is, and one of the mobile "game"'s writers was obsessively trying to make it make sense.
I get that it's the Simpons and wouldn't be overly realistic but even that feels like a stretch with the Springfield Police's incompetence. Even Wiggum would catch on to them quick with never changing school systems/address, or any part of the physical appearance at all. Not even a different hairdo.
Plus most places make you put out a statement in the newspaper when you legally change a name. Something about a public statement on it that's required. Specifically to avoid situations like that (hiding from a crime or obligations)
Really? What game?
My reading of Janey is of a girl who desperately wants to be cool - but isn't. This is very much evidenced by the fact that she is the best friend of the school dork not named Martin. And thus, whilst she on some level does like Lisa, she is very willing to abandon or bully her if it means that it'll allow her to fit in with an ''upgraded'' social group. Her efforts always fail eventually however and she ends up crawling back to Lisa, the latter being someone so starved for companionship that she'll always end up taking her back like some abused wife.
You put it that way she sounds a bit like a Bart, hanging out with a Milhouse but ditching them and trying to fit in as a cool kid whenever they possibly can.
Bro quit attacking me with that first sentence 💀
@@e-122psi3 ...I was waffling on whether they could salvage that Bart/Janey story idea Jims dug up, and when you put it like that, I can almost see it working more than not.
Was that last part really nessasary?
@@mattgroening8872 Yes.
The writers can't make up their minds on whether or not they want to give Lisa a school-friend or make her that tragic loner so unfortunately Janey comes off as a two-faced social climber. I think that they should do a bit of both and make her a bit of a friendly rival. She seems pretty smart and can play more than one instrument while Lisa is good at just the one. Make her a friend-enemy for Lisa.
the status quo is to have lisa be a loner, but they can't always have Lisa talking to herself so sometimes when they need to give Lisa some dialogue to carry the story in a school-based plot, they bring Janey in - that's all she's really there for - if it wasn't for that utility she probably would've been another richard and lewis
@@randomname285 Lisa already has a friendly rival, Allison Taylor, as there's an episode focused on it
@@kuro515 Yeah but she was voiced by a celebrity, so she was meant to be a once off.
That kind of personality is very common among kids, teens. It's not strange for a girl to be this inconsistent in her behaviour. She's trying to figure it out because she's only a lil guy after all. That's something I saw a lot as a kid.
whenever you wrap up these Simpsons Histories and suggest future contenders, my mind always goes to "there's a lot of buzz around Lenny"
Me too!
Don't count out Inanimate Carbon Rod. He's going places.
Not Lenny!
Both Cletus and Super Nintendo Chalmers definitely deserve their own episodes
Im learnding!
"Hi, Lisa! Hi, Super Nintendo Chalmers!"
Chalmers: 🤨
😂😂😂
Utica, New York’s own
Chambers was Springfield’s Frank Grimes before Frank Grimes
@@Slenderslayer351 C_T
CAT
*meow*
I think honestly, given the complex and ever-changing web of friendships among kids, it feels quite realistic for Janey to alternate between friend and enemy.
Yup. Janey and Lisa's relationship is actually pretty realistic for these kinds of friends/frenemies kids may have at school. You're friends when it's convenient, but kids that age have no loyalty and are not above turning on you for a quick hit of superiority.
The london train man
you're so right though, i think the lack of friends for both lisa and marge is so frustrating, especially when there have been really great characters for them to be best friends with over the years (lisa with alison, marge with ruth, etc.)
Unfortunately both Ruth and Alison were voiced by guest stars and since they were both popular characters people might not have liked it if one of the main cast tried to do their voices in future.
Now that the show is in season 30 and new voice actors have joined the cast for more long term roles I could definitely see the characters making another appearance with new VAs and if they come back for a feature episode there's no reason they would start to make it into the regular roster of side characters.
I wanted this one sooo bad but I never thought you'd do it. I'm so happy.
I love how you give the spotlight to underused characters like Janey here, Just Stamp The Ticket Man and of course Richard and Lewis.
Fun fact: One of the writers said the Just Stamp the Ticket Man's name is Alfred.
Richard Lewis is in the Simpsons?
You've got to do Sam and Larry next.
Justice for Janey
I still think you could do an excellent entry in this series on Disco Stu. He's a great example of how Springfield grew organically out of a need for jokes into a community of believable characters (we know his religion) and the a tragicomic existential crisis ("Normal Stu likes normal things!") playing out on the fringes of the family's social orbit is surely more interesting than the Moe suicide jokes. It might not be a long episode but I'd be keen to see it.
Disco Stu got hooked on "sugar" in the 70s.
He's probably my least favorite character that isn't Sideshow Mel.
I'm more of a Dico Stud guy. NOT THAT DICO STU DIDN'T GET ANY OF THE ACTION!
Great analysis as usual Jims! One character I'd like to recommend for a Histories who doesn't get enough attention is Marge's mother Jacqueline Bouvier, we rarely see anything about her and her relationship with Marge and It would be interesting to see a history seeing if there's more to her and her relationship with her daughters and any missed storytelling potential the writers have missed with her.
Well, they were never going to top "it hurts to talk, so I'll just say one thing - you never do anything right". But it's still weird that even after killing off Homer's mom, there was a long run where they were able to bring in Glenn Close more often to play her than they could entice Julie to play Marge's mom.
@@gersonkphone I think it might literally hurt Kavner to do Marge's mom's voice, as the last episode I saw with her (I haven't watched it in years) she was voiced by a different actress. (I think it was some sort of non-canon medieval fantasy episode.)
@@KasumiKenshirou That's the explanation I've heard too, but you'd think if they could keep luring Glenn Close back to try and milk more pathos out of Mona they could've come up with one story good enough to get a couple of minutes of dialogue from Julie while anybody still remembered how write for the character. I think she did get some forgettable flashback lines after they killed her in the fantasy ep (and I don't think anybody else has voiced her yet). That was in the ep where Kristen Bell did Marge's singing voice, which kind of highlights that Marge is sounding more like her mom with every new season.
seconded. We got a lot of 'why homer is homer' episodes w/ Mona and Grandpa, but only snippets of things like the smile in Moaning Lisa for Marge that make me rlly interested in her history
It's weird because the most recent Jacqueline spotlight episode wasn't even canon, it was the fantasy parody episode.
Now that you mention Shauna, it'd actually be cool to see her get her own Simpsons Histories, especially as a character from the new seasons
I remember watching some random episodes from season 28-onwards and being surprised at how oddly common Shauna was in them (even before her spotlight episode with Lisa), there's definitely something interesting going on with her in later seasons
At first she was Jimbo's girl, but then it was revealed her father is none other than Super Nintendo Chalmers, and they have an episode focusing on their distant relationship.
It's worth noting that her mother apparently died during the course of the show, with Chalmers stating that his wife was very and needed money in The Pranksta Rap
Janey's at the heart of the big issue with later Simpsons writing for Lisa. In earlier seasons, she's very much an eight year old girl, a precocious one, but still prone to crushes, wild ideas, and a love of cartoons. Later seasons, though, she's basically a full adult in a kids body. I noticed that the scenes of Lisa interacting with Janey, particularly the friendly ones, are mostly when Lisa's doing ordinary 8 year old girl things like hopscotch, pattycake, and reading Babysitter's Club books. The less that becomes part of Lisa's character and more her "aesthetic," just there to contrast with her intellect and maturity, the less of a role for Janey.
Though this video did make me realize it's kind of weird that Sherri and Terri are both usually depicted in Bart's class, so they're both presumably 10 years old, but they mostly hang out with 8 year old Janey and Lisa. Another issue of not having that many developed female characters in the kid scene, I suppose, but it does seem weird they don't have friends their own age.
I'll say I think you'd like the lisa of the last two newest seasons, they've really made her a kid again a lot of the time. One of my favourite moments was how excited her and bart were when homer snuck them off to the extremely dangerous waterslide, it's cute seeing her being a kid again.
While Lisa's class and Bart's class are supposed to be two years apart (and at an age where two years should be a big difference) they tend to be treated interchangeably. Like, they had the 2nd Graders and 4th Graders all on the same Pee Wee Football team, which should lead to the 2nd Graders being, just, slaughtered.
@@ParasolhyenaConsidering how divisive and unlikable Lisa has been for a few years, I think the writers finally realised that they had to go back to her earlier characterisation or they thought Self-Righteous Lisa’s so difficult to root for that they had to change course with her.
In conclusion, Janey is a land of contrasts.
Jacqueline Jones could be a stage name/alias she has while auditioning so she isnt found out straight away or mocked in case she got the part. Its smart especially for a kid who is a little insecure of herself. I feel like Janey does want to fit in and leaves her real friends behind to be part of the group like how she abandons Lisa for the popular girl. She could be a little unsure of herself and just wants to be accepted by the popular girls/others that she will change her personality. Shes talented for music and perhaps acting too but feels like she might be teased and mocked for it cause it aint cool which does happen. Perhaps im looking too much into it :D
It’s definitely a stage name!
Janey is 1 of those characters that so rarely speaks that I’m always excited when she does. I agree with everything you said in this video, it’s crazy that everyone knows her as Lisa’s friend, and yet she has so little roles. She’s gotta be the biggest missed opportunity for the writers.
Janey has so much potential in the earlier seasons. Wish she'd been included more, and hope she does get more of a role in the future. Her character kinda reminds me of Jodie from Daria, if you were to think of Lisa as Daria.
It’s funny that you mentioned Daria, because I was getting some Fashion Club vibes (minus Quinn) from Janey. Like Sandy is with Quinn, Janey mocks Lisa for having a different opinion and excludes her from some activities with the other girls. Like Tiffany, Janey will side with whoever is “winning,” or in this case, whichever girl is the coolest at the moment. And like Stacy, who is the friendliest to Quinn, Janey enjoys hanging out with Lisa, but won’t stick up for Lisa when someone picks on her and will side with the popular group to avoid rejection.
I had friends like this in elementary school. Heck pretty sure I was a friend like this as a kid too. Kids are jerks sometimes and I feel like we forget that as we get older
0:25 was really hoping the intro would've ended with "Janey likes Milhouse. No one likes Milhouse. This is the history of Janey."
My favourite Janey moment is when Lisa is pouring her heart out about something and Janey just sits there disintrested blowing bubblgum. But I don't actually remember what episode that's from lol.
Lisa The Vegetarian. She's complaining about her family not understanding, then Ms Hoover brings out the worms for them to dissect
@@Eidlones Ah of course
That was the same episode, she was Lisa's friend in one scene and then her bully in the next scene
I feel like Gil is an inherantly interesting character to explore for a Simpsons History -- he really bookends the two eras in most peoples minds. The progression of the writers room's approach to such a new, pseudo-phil hartman replacement is surely an interesting ride!
He marks an era, but i wouldnt call him interesting
... or even a character. As you said, he is kinda a lionel hutz stand-in but without the jokes
I agree. Ol' Gil deserves to be analyzed.
The wolfs at Gil’s door!
I'd love to see a Simpsons History of Jasper Beardsley. He has so many bit pieces over the years, and is one of the few supporting characters you regularly see with Abe.
OK, more than 15 minutes of Janey? I'm now shocked, thought i share the sentiment that there's so much hidden potential with her, and how always left her behind so they can milk the whole "Lisa has no friends" schtick that has now become frustating to endure.
Also, i nominate Lindsay Naegle and Superintendent Chalmers for the next histories vid!
I keep asking for Lindsay Nagle, but to no avail
I think I’ve said this before, but I’d really love if you did one for Ruth Powers. She only had a few speaking appearances, but I always felt that character had a lot of potential that was never fully realised.
Marge and Lisa both feel very isolated, though Lisa is more blatantly isolated with two out of three major girl characters being consistently antagonistic towards her. However, she has two boys fighting over her with a long list of guest star boyfriends while Bart doesn't have a regular in the cast to have that sort of love triangle with. Feels like they're stuck in the mindset that girls are more interested in dating than friends while boys are more interested in friends than dating. Kinda odd to apply to an eight year old, but The Simpsons writers don't seem to care about their ages anymore.
I vote for Lindsey Naegle!
You've covered countless old favorites, characters that have been here since the very start, but there are a select few who cropped up in early 10's seasons that have stuck around for 20+ years despite not being originals. Lindsey has a new job every time we see her, by her words because she's an alcoholic, she's also played the key villain in several notable episodes, and yet Marge seems to be on good terms with her for some reason, in fact one episode reveals her to be one of the very few women Marge is okay with Homer remarrying in the event of her death.
Her design changed a ton in the early days as well, sometimes brown hair, sometimes blonde, one time she was revealed to be a T-1000 of all things! There's a mystery to be solved with this history and I want to see you analyze it!
Thank you for your time!
I second this, I have a bile fascination with Lindsey Naegle. She's probably my least favourite character, but it's not like she's written poorly. I'll admit she's a very accurate depiction of the hypocrisy and ruthlessness of corporate execs, she's very relevant with the age of "girlbosses", but that doesn't necessarily make her entertaining. She's probably the least human character in the whole series, something about her creeps me out, but she's the only character that manages to unsettle me, so that at least makes her unique.
hell yea! lets get this jack of trades under the microscope!
I third this.
She's been around for so long I hadn't even realised she debuted post-Season 9 until you pointed it out, because she *feels* like a classic recurring character just like Lenny & Carl, Groundskeeper Willy, Troy McClure, Dr. Hibbert, etc. when in fact she actually missed the "golden" years of the show. That's how iconic she is.
On the lack of female character relationships, I never understood why they brought Allison back for a few episodes without her guest voice (Skinner's Sense of Snow, Lard of the Dance) but never kept going with it. I feel there's lots of potential for Lisa/Allison stories that's unexplored.
I'd also like to second Santa's Little Helper, but I'd love to see a Snowball history too. Maybe a history of Simpsons pets, given how "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot" went.
I think Lard of the Dance kinda shows the problem, they just conformed her to another Janey, another amorphous character who just conforms to whatever is going on and will ditch Lisa should she conflict it. Alison's whole deal in her spotlight episode was that she was remarkable and even more infuratingly for Lisa, a perfectly likeable and genuine friend. There's more character to destroy with her just flip flopping her like they do Janey.
Also she only BARELY talked in those episodes, as in those grunts and small quotes that they likely think they can get away with no one quite noticing her actress changed. I wouldn't say it's seeing if they can work with a new VA there but more just her filling a support character role they don't have anyone else for, due to aforementioned lack of female friends. It was a stretch having Sherri and Terri hanging out with Lisa.
They also keep bringing back Krusty's daughter and act like shes part of Bart's friend group in the recent seasons
Also Jessica Lovejoy too but she doesnt speak that much
@@e-122psi3 Allison only really spoke in Lard of the Dance (voiced by Maggie Roswell). However, she doesn't even speak in her other appearances, its just grunts and in unison with other kids in Bart Star & The Last Tap Dance of Springfield
I think I speak for everyone when I say that we need a Simpson’s History for Moe’s Bar Rag. Even the writers knew how much we wanted to know more about it that they gave it a spotlight in Season 23
Careful now, you might trigger the angry comic book guys who hate any episode aired past 1997
Yes
I can't tell if this is real
@@bobkerr2755 somehow those people still exist in Jims' comments, which is weird because his whole retrospective series is the opposite of the garbage they spew.
Justice for Moe’s bar rag
I've always wished the writers had done more with Janey; like you said, considering that we're in season 34, it's criminal that there's not more well-developed female supporting characters (I'm still annoyed Ruth Powers didn't become a more consistent presence on the show - Marge deserves a friend like her).
I actually think Janey's inconsistency over the years has unintentionally laid the ground for a potentially very interesting spotlight episode. Janey's fickleness is obviously the result of the writers not caring about her as a character and changing her role to suit the needs of specific episodes, but it does reflect a very really phenomenon in childhood friendships - how fickle they can be. I knew a few Janeys at school - girls who I would sometimes hang out with, but who would also sometimes be mean to me. Maybe you could do an episode about the on-again off-again nature of their friendship, interspersed with flashbacks to Lisa and Janey's younger days, showing that they used to be much closer, before Janey became worried about following the crowd, began to be embarrassed about being friends with an unpopular girl like Lisa and started joining in when people teased Lisa in order to fit in. At the episode's climax, Janey could realise that she doesn't *want* to follow mean girls like Sherri and Terri anymore, and stand up for Lisa in front of the whole school, before apologising for all the times she made fun of her, an apology which Lisa gladly accepts. The episode could then end with them hanging out together, maybe playing music together to highlight that common interest of their's that the series has somehow never picked up on, and could lead to Janey becoming a more regular, fleshed out supporting character with a much more well-defined relationship with Lisa. But that's just me spitballing off the cuff.
I agree with you on those female relationships. It's very disappointing that female friendships don't last, and that most female characters are satellite characters... and that somehow hasn't been mined for satire OR commentary, besides one episode pathos.
I kinda like the angle that Janey has a crush on Milhouse and that's what makes her get mean sometimes. It's pretty dumb but I always thought that Milhouse needed to get over his crush on Lisa so he can move on with his character arc. Obviously that kind of development rarely happens in the current timeline so I hope we get a flash forward episode that spotlights the two. They'd be pretty cute together.
Totally agree on the Ruth Powers thing.
Possibly a long shot, but I would love to see a Simpsons history on Jasper. He’s one of those characters who seems to occupy a very strange space on the show- he is either used for punchlines or bizarre physical jokes. But then he’ll be responsible for some of the most iconic Jokes in Simpsons history.
Ah yes, the girl who either hangs out with or hates Lisa for some reason.
Sherry and Terry would be super fun to do a commentary about. They are super common in school stories and the some gags in fastforwards episodes so it would be fun to see if they are a well used resource for the writers or if they are hiding something, like their third sister
I won't lie I'm more interested in a Janey episode than for Apu to talk again
I’d really love to see a histories on Disco Stu, what started off as a pun in the first couple minutes of the Bush episode went on to become one of the most endearing one note characters on the show, and I like how the characters in universe seem to feel similarly about him
I think Janey is one of those characters that gets used more in the comics and other assorted media. I remember when I was a kid I had a book called something like "Simpsons guide to summer vacation" or something, it was full of all sorts of like, games you could play with the neighborhood kids (assuming you had any) and I feel like Janey definitely had a few pages of her own. It'd be interesting to see a video contrasting these background characters roles on the show compared to what's done with them in the comics and other books. But that would be a pretty big project, lol!
As far as Janey is concerned, I think she’s just your run-of-the-mill supporting character. I am impressed by the quality of your research, however, I was not surprised by your findings. I’m a professional writer and I can tell you that sometimes characters are just tools: tools to move the plot forward, tools used to prove a point, etc. I wish all characters could be fascinating, dynamic, and 3-dimensional, but some are just…Janey. Janey is a tool for the writers. End of story lol 😂 Great video! Please make more! I’d love to see one about Santa’s Little Helper!
Janey is such a viking at being Lisa's friend!
I think we need a simpsons mysteries on those reoccurring background characters who who we never learn anything about, despite them appearing in every crowd shot, my favorite is the blue haired girl with glasses just because of how much she sticks out, and those sick green glasses, however she certainly isn't the only one worth talking about. I just feel like some of these unnamed characters really help the world building and are in serious need of some praise.
I like the sunglasses kid in Bart's class a lot
This is great! I've always thought Janey should be used more because I think there is so much that we could get from a "Lisa's best friend" episode delving into their relationship Just the "lighten up Lisa" moment alone shows that there could be a real funny episode.
I would also love to see Old Jewish Man or Jasper Beardly done next since I think they are quite interesting and mysterious senior characters that are Grandpa's friend.
I realized in my latest rewatch how few female characters this show actually has in its supporting cast. They aren't interested in women in the workforce as every adult character is a teacher or a housewife. And you had a great way of putting it - they aren't interested in female friendship either. One of those bummer things I wish I could unsee
You're mostly right but there's one supporting female character who isn't a teacher or house wife, Lindsay Naegle
@@usermcskull4713 Too bad she's literally evil incarnate. 😅
PLEASE do Santa’s Little Helper next! The episode where he bites Marge and is taken to a vet who tries to have him euthanized (not gonna spoil the ending here) was actually speculated to be a possible series finale at one point. It was the last episode of season 31 and it even showed flashbacks from S1E1. I teared up watching it.
I'm going to repeat my nomination of Superintendent Chalmers (it's interesting to see whether the writers' claim that he's the sane man in Springfield actually holds up), but I'd like to throw another nomination for Simpson's Mysteries: Disco Stu. He's ascended from VERY specific one-off joke to being one of the most iconic Simpsons minor characters. It would be neat to see how his jokes evolved, and what made him stand out.
You know what I'd like a video on? Eddie and Lou. Specifically, how Lou came to overshadow Eddie over the years because of his snappy banter with Chief Wiggum. And what do Eddie and Lou have to tell us about The Simpsons' portrayal of policemen?
Yeah, Lou has that whole bizarre relationship with Wiggum going on, but Eddie's been reduced to just basically existing.
Looking back on Janey, it is kinda sad that Lisa never got a Milhouse with her. Lisa deserves at least 1 consistent friend.
I think it would be really interesting to do a history on Radioactive Man. It'll interesting to see how the Simpsons have used Radioactive Man over the years and to see how hes utilized/referenced in different episodes.
A major issue with the Simpsons- both Golden Years and now- has mostly been that the writing team tend to be men. So they have ideas on what to do with male friendships both in the realms of childhood and adult lives, but I think the experience of female relationships tends to be a bit lost on them. You get things like sleepovers with the girls pranking on the friend's brother- likely because the writers once *were* that brother- but not the detail characterisations that lead to character relationships like Bart and Milhouse.
It's a bit better with adult women- as the writers will have far more direct experience with adult women generally- but the female character relationships still tend to fall short in development compared to incidental but strong dynamics like Lenny and Carl. If they exist, they're more likely to be central to the plot of the particular episode, and then forgotten
I still love early Simpsons as much as I ever did, but as I get older and more critically aware, it becomes more obvious. I just don't think the writers could really ever sense who Janey was really supposed to be
Girls being friends and then not being friends and then being friends and then not being friends and then being friends again is honestly pretty realistic.
Thank you for actually putting music credits in the description.
It was while watching Step Brother from the Same Planet that I realized Janey sounded different (The result of the POC voice actor shift in season 32) but then I realized I couldn't immediately remember what her original voice sounded like because of how infrequently she speaks and how generic of a character she is.
I think the other big thing that contributes to the lack of female elementary school supporting characters is that all of the potentially interesting girl characters they've introduced were celebrity guest characters that end up being relegated to nonspeaking extras after their debut. Allison Taylor had the potential to be a really good recurring character, but because of her being voiced by Winona Ryder she was relegated to just being a crowd-filler for Springfield Elementary scenes. Similarly, both Jessica Lovejoy and Laura Powers had the potential to become proper recurring characters, but vanished completely after their initial appearances.
In Lisa's date with density, when it's revealed that Janey likes Milhouse, I think they should have made more moments dedicated to that. Like ya know how in the Peanuts specials how Lucy's always crushing on Schroeder? Well I think it would have been interesting if we saw Janey do the same thing to Milhouse. I just think that would have been nice.
I've been hoping for a while that you'd do a video on Janey and I wasn't disappointed. I also fully agree with your criticism of how Janey has (or hasn't) been used in the show. She's the ultimate example of a Simpsons character who technically has a lot of in-universe importance but has got almost no character development at all through the years. As Lisa's best friend (or at least the closest thing to a friend Lisa has) Janey should logically be as prominent character as Milhouse but instead she barely exists. Another character with similar problem is Marge's mom Jacqueline Bouvier (a Simpsons history video on her when?) but Janey might be an even more extreme case of underdevelopment. I wouldn't call her a great character but I think she would have deserved to be one.
I guess Janey was doomed by the combination of: 1) Lack of meaningful friendships being cemented as one of Lisa's main character traits; 2) The writers being less interested in the female supporting characters in general (especially the child ones); and possibly 3) The writers being a bit wary on how to write their black characters.
The Sqeaky voiced teen is another random nobody this channel should celebrate !!!🎉🎉🎉 please do a video on him, im begging!!
I'm always ready for a video on the gag characters, looking at you Sea Captain. But, out of the ones you mentioned the bully trio would be a good one as they serve often serve the role of B plot antagonist
In an alternate timeline where the show focused more on the kid characters I could see Janey being more developed. She kinda reminds me of those weird legacy characters like Wendell and Richard/Louis
Also I would love an episode on the bully trio, they’re some of my favorite side characters. I always found it funny how much spotlight Jimbo and Kernie get, but Dolph (i don’t even remember if that’s his name!) is always ignored
It's just dawned on me... the real reason why the trees used to be purple.. it's so that they don't blend in with the wooden fence at the Simpson's house.
0:25 or thereabouts: the clarinet/sousaphone thing has an explanation: you often need more sousaphones in marching band than you have tuba players, so people have to be brought over from other instruments. I'm not sure how common clarinet transfer is specifically, but I know it's done with oboe players. Doesn't explain the flute thing later though.
Band need here. Generally the tuba/sousaphone crew come from the trombone/baritone group. Easier to transfer over. Similar music and playing a brass instrument is different from playing a woodwind instrument.
@@bmstylee Makes sense. I was on trumpet so I didn't change. I knew some of the woodwind players went to other things, though. At least one went to percussion, but I think one went to a sousaphone, though that may have been a rare case or I could have misrememberd. Google says double reed instruments aren't good to march with.
Janey is an interesting case because the writers complete lack of intent on giving her a personality is ironically enough what gave her a personality. By which I mean that it is on the one hand obvious that the writers merely have her act in accordance with what serves the plot or a joke, hench why she is sometimes Lisa's friend and sometimes her bully. But with this dynamic having gone on for so long, it's impossible for us longtime viewers not to start seeing this back-and-fourth friend-bully dynamic as being what marks her in-universe personality. Like, her personality IS that she goes with the flow and have no strong loyalty to her supposed friends. I know that offical Simpsons media have indeed dubbed her a "fair weather friend", which implies that this is how the writers see her as well, but I'm quite sure that this personality of hers is something that was probably accidental. As in, the writers eventually realized how inconsistently they had written her and her relation to Lisa and they eventually rolled with what they had unintentionally created.
I would love to see a Disco Stu episode. He's a really intriguing guy, actually.
The more I think about it the more I'd like a Disco Stu video. It's fascinating to me that a character could get such a cult following while being introduced so late in the series.
Is season 7 out of 34 (and more, probably) late though?
@@lhfirex it's relative
Love these character spotlights on random nobody's in the Simpsons. They are always interesting to me.
Hi, could you possibly do a video about Blue Haired lawyer? He was such a good character for Lionel Hutz to work off, and in recent seasons it feels like the writers tried to give him more to do/kept him involved which they definitely should. He’s a fun character.
I also have to add, after my most recent marathon on the Simpsons, I think it’s pretty astounding that this character is in every single season of the Simpsons at least twice. I feel like BHL doesn’t even get enough recognition for that.
I would love to see a Simpsons Histories on the Sea Captain!
Never clicked on a new video so fast. I don't know what this says about me.
Another minor character who doesn't get development and might be interesting to look at is Charlie, the employee at the Power Plant. He first appeared in season 1, appeared as recently as season 33, but since Lenny and Carl already work there he's rarely needed as a character unless they want a 4th employee in a scene, so I'm curious if there are any significant roles.
He got kidnapped by the government in 'Trouble With Trillions'
Been binging your content lately, love your Simpsons histories!
Would really love to see an episode on the barflies Sam & Larry. I think they've always fallen into the same niche as Richard & Lewis but for Homer instead of Bart, especially since they both debuted in the very first episode and have like 8 speaking lines each. Also for some reason Sam has shown up in like 6 episodes without Larry in the last couple of seasons, including a rare hatless and suited look in Star of the Backstage that really caught me off-guard. Ramping up to a spotlight mayhaps?
It's so weird that Lenny and Carl had never even been seen at Moe's Tavern until Season 6.
@@Nahasapasa Oh, god, I hadn't even realized that. I assumed they were there by Series 3.
I appreciate Lisa's lonely storylines bc relatable, but I also agree that the depths of female relationships have a lot of conflict and material without being boring old catty stuff. Let Lisa live her best Yellowjackets life a little!
Still rooting for Superintendent Chalmers! I think it's interesting how a character made to serve a very specific type of school plot managed to have so many appearences over the year (and sometimes even *outside* Springfield Elementary). Not to mention getting to take a look at his relationship with Skinner or just the fact that Shauna is his daughter, I wonder why the writters went with that?
Overall fun episode on Janey! Didn't think getting to take a look at such a background character like her would turn into a deep look into the writting of the Simpsons. If you ever want to take a look at Richard and Lewis level background characters again maybe Charlie (The power plant worker) would be interesting? He's kind of this odd third friend of Homer that never really catched on compared to Lenny and Carl
"A while back, I knew a guy who was a big Janey booster." is an amazing sentence I thought I'd never hear. Never change, Jims. Never change.
Please do Captain McAllister next. All the businesses he has run would make for a fun breakdown. I also seem to remember him being in a lot of weird relationships. Plus he's just so generally loud and eccentric. It'd make for a very interesting video I think.
Please do Wiggum. He's a character that went through many changes and as an authority figure has always been important to the plot.
I had an idea years ago of writing a surrealist novel set in Springfield, where the cartoony, sitcomy nature of events and characters are looked at by the most minor of named characters. Your Richard and Lewis, your Sam and Larry. Maybe Herb. Janey would be a prime candidate for this, I think.
Also, I am all for a Chalmers history video. He seems due for one, honestly, with the more recent seasons doing more with him.
That's a neat concept. Phineas and Ferb did something sort of like that--having an episode following around the package delivery man we always see.
"Janey Dark Age" is up there with "Big Lenny Energy" as iconic RealJims phrases
I'd like to see Lisa call out Janey in the same way Martin called out Bart in season 33.
Oh yeah definitely one of those fair weather friends. As in when the weather is fair there there. But even if there's slight cloudiness. They Fade to Black.
we stan a bipolar queen 💜
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LMAOOOOOOOO
This was a particularly good one, and the issues raised in this video have bugged me for years. I just chalked up the "Jaqueline Jones" thing to Janey trying to adopt a stage name to seem more sophisticated.
Groundskeeper Willie next!
Janey always seemed like she got sacrificed because somewhere the writers wanted Lisa to be a loner as well as gifted.
Janey being a follower but still Lisa friend could have been an interesting episode and a conflict I think could have been done well since childhood hierarchy and wanting to fit in is a common experience. But I would guess the writers don't know how to write girl's childhood friendships the way they could write for Bart.
When I think about it, I’m surprised Alison exists and episodes like Lisa’s Rival use her instead of Janey. I think she would have fit the bill perfectly for the role in that episode…strange. Again just seems like the writers kept forgetting her existence.
I've always shipped Janey and Milhouse ever since that one line in Date with Density. I thought it made a lot more sense for Milhouse's character arc to finally get over his oneitis and find someone who's actually interested in him for his personality. As weird as it is, I always wanted to see a Simpson's Future episode that focuses mainly on Milhouse because as a side character, he's the person who has the most growing up to do. Janey as a love interest for that episode would be pretty cool.
every time the sleeping Brawl Yoshi cutscene is acknowledged or referred to in any capacity, I will clap
Great video, Janey is such a little known character, I wish the writers would someday make a story about her in one new episode of The Simpsons! Please make a video about the characters Lou and Eddie, Chief Wiggum, Santa's Little Helper, Charlmez, Jimbo, Kearney and Dolph!
Don’t know why it warms my heart you did the history of Janey
2:55 I had this on the background and I heard that as "Saw a Graggle" and had to replay it.
I'm kind of interested in a Santa's Little Helper history just to get a list of the season 1 episodes in which he appeared. There were two major status quo-breaking events in season 1 of The Simpsons; the adoption of SLH and Homer being made safety inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant (which we would see in later episodes would mostly consist of manning the T-437 safety command console,) however we also know that this season was shown at least somewhat out-of-order. We can be pretty sure that any episode with SLH in it occurs after Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire, but we also see scenes of Homer performing his pre-safety-inspector duties after Homer's Odyssey, which would imply that those episodes took place before. A list of Santa's Little Helper appearances combined with an examination of the type of work Homer does at the power plant would help to establish a definitive chronology for that season.
I'd really love an episode about one of the newer characters. Cookie Kwan and Lindsey Nagle come to mind first, but the oft requested Gil is also a good choice!
LETS GOOOOOO!!!! I was asking for Janey for a while and I'm so glad she's finally getting her time in the spotlight!!! Since we've just got a histories on Janey the next one I'm rooting for is Ruth Powers!
When you mentioned that Janey was spotted in barts class sometimes, that's nothing, sometimes I spotted Ralph in barts class, when we all know he's supposed to be in lisas.
I love this channel for its examinations of random nobodies among other aspects
I love your histories of the obscure characters, and this one was no exception! I hadn't really thought about how little the writers have explored female friendships because, well, the show's been on forever and I assumed it must've been addressed to some extent by now. Apparently my assumptions were wrong.
As for future Simpsons Histories, I second the Santa's Little Helper suggestion mentioned at the end, but I'd also love to see one on Wendell.
I do like her mall hat a lot. That made a good statement. I appreciate when smaller characters get a rare chance to shine. I’m super eager to see either a mayor Quimby discussion or Lindsey Nagel! Please do them soon!
I’m probably the only person asking for this but please do a Simpsons histories on Wendell
I'm happy you do deep dives on background characters I always wonder about them
You've done Richard and Lewis, and you've done Janey. So there's just one more irrelevant Springfield elementary kid you need to cover to round out this trilogy:
Wendel.
Honestly, Janey seems like the "friends" I had at secondary school. Some days, they treated me alright; or they'd ignore me completely and think I was stupid.
You cannot imagine how much I’ve been wanting this episode. Janey has always fascinated me as you never know where Lisa and her stand and I agree she is underutilized
Love the subtitles on your videos, very helpful
The inconsistency with the character seems to be a product of the "Lisa doesn't have friends unless it's important to the gag" problem. I do like the idea of the "why are we friends again?" aspect, Janey sometimes being very friendly towards Lisa and sometimes being annoyed by her Lisa-ness, but it seems that anything that could be explored winds up just being a victim of gags over logic. There's a good commentary about how girls that say they're friends treat each other and how maybe they're school friends and not hanging out on a regular basis friends. But it all comes down to making Lisa the subject of a "why me?" plotline, making her the smart loser in a family of losers. In itself, a massive inconsistency.
I agree with a lot but never perceived them as losers?
@@TVVENCH There's not a good term for it. Underdogs, maybe. They somehow have to be the underdog family of the town so they're always behind the 8-ball. It's a weird problem I have with the series. The family is prominent in Springfield, and at the very least Bart and Homer should be town celebrities. As far as Lisa goes, the writers just love to make her the Charlie Brown of the group. She has friends, she doesn't have friends, she has a group to hang out with, she's a loner, she meets someone that's a kindred spirit, said kindred spirit never is seen again. I know storytelling beats logic a large chunk of the time, but I think Lisa deserves someone besides Bart to rely on.
Always liked to know more about Raphael or Gale. They seems so be present in so many shop scenes and they get allot of aperances though we know so little. Two suggestions for a Future episode.
You should do a Sherri and Terri breakdown like the one you did on Rod and Todd.