OTH: The Simpsons- "Lard of the Dance" / "The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace"
Season 10 starts off kind of familiar, but still kind of strong.
Season 10, Episode 1
Aired August 23, 1998
Directed by Dominic Polcino
Written by Jane O’Brien
Synopsis: It’s the first day of school and Principal Skinner asks Lisa to show the new girl around, Alex Whitney (Lisa Kudrow). Despite being the same age, Alex acts older and more posh, wearing designer brands and rejecting Lisa’s more time-honored interests like dolls and ponies. She soon becomes a hit among the other girls in Lisa’s circle, who look up to Alex’s style and big city charm. After discovering that Springfield Elementary starts the year with an apple festival, she scoffs and suggests that they throw a dance instead, which Principal Skinner gives Lisa, who will be in charge of either, final say, who relents when she sees how excited her friends are. While going out for their committee meeting, Alex takes Lisa and the girls shopping for dresses, and while the other girls are happy with their choices, Lisa finds hers a little inappropriate. When she discovers that Alex and the other girls have dates that they want to impress, though, Lisa gives in, but soon finds out that practically every boy in school, even Milhouse, is already spoken for. She almost sits the dance out, but Marge talks her going.
Bart doesn’t get to go to school or the dance, though, since Homer forces him to join in his new discovery- lard. Homer tries to corner the big grease market in town, but discovers that there’s already a big grease industry. He almost gives up, but Bart convinces Homer to aim for one last score at the school cafeteria. They’re able to score a good amount until Groundskeeper Willie arrives and puts a stop to their stealing by beating the crap out of Homer, then by strangling him with the hose used for sucking up grease.
Lisa is outside of the dance hall, ticketing the event when Skinner comes out and asks her to chaperone the dance while he needs to leave on the fly. While Lisa isn’t looking forward to seeing her classmates having fun with their fancy dates, she enters and is surprised to see the boys and girls segregated by opposite corners, like kids who aren’t ready to date. Alex is upset with her classmates, but Lisa doesn’t see a problem here, since they’re all just kids and childhood doesn’t last forever. Their chance to act like kids once again comes when the hose full of grease leaks and starts spraying grease through the air filters and lands down into the dance floor. The episode ends with the kids playing with the grease like it’s snow.
While we’re far removed from the summer drop-off period of the show, where an episode or two would be saved for the generally empty summer schedule, “Lard of the Dance” aired a little early, as Fox wanted to use one of its top shows to prep up their upcoming new series, That ‘70s Show and Holding the Baby. One of these would only air half of its finished episodes, while the other not only beat The Simpsons that evening, but would a reliable hit well into the upcoming 21st century. Guess which!
That, alongside Lisa Kudrow’s exceptional voice work, is the most interesting part of “Lard of the Dance”, a decently entertaining, if overly familiar episode.
We’ve seen Lisa compete for the affection of her classmates with a new girl in season 6’s “Lisa’s Rival”, which is even written by current (current as in the season we’re currently talking about) showrunner Scully. While the circumstances and opponent are different here, I do think that “Lard of the Dance” is missing the subtlety that made “Lisa’s Rival” soar, although part of me thinks that’s a good thing, given how sentimental Lisa episodes tend to be compared to Homer or Bart’s. This is a little wackier, and that helps to make “Lard of the Dance” stand out on its own.
Still, as much fun as Kudrow is as Alex (supposedly she improvised a fair share of her dialogue), I don’t think her spat with Lisa is as interesting as the one Lisa had with Allison in “Lisa’s Rival”. For one thing, Allison never really wanted to one-up Lisa, she just had a few advantages Lisa didn’t (some environmental, some natural) and considered Lisa an equal that she’d like to be friends with (and given how she’s in the background here, that seems to have worked). Alex doesn’t seem particularly smart, at least not on the level of Lisa or Allison, but at the same time, she doesn’t seem to express any jealousy or resentment to Lisa, at most a little disappointment that Lisa and her friends still adheres to traditionally juvenile girlhood activities.
While that makes for a different kind of conflict, one that’s still interesting, I did prefer the challenge of intellects that Lisa had with Allison, which had the possibility that she may not be the most gifted kid in school anymore creep in. Given this is what Lisa’s entire reputation and livelihood has depended on, that’s a bit of a shock. Considering Lisa’s eternal pettiness, I think that made for the more challenging, and ultimately entertaining conflict.
There are two other major similarities between the episodes, but I want to address the more superficial one first- “Lisa’s Rival” was initially conceived by Conan O’Brien and finished after he left the writer’s room to run his talk show, while “Lard of the Dance” was handled by his sister Jane in her one teleplay for the show. There’s a definite woman’s touch to the script, which helps to make the turn of events maybe not stand out, but stand up on its own.
Also worth noting is how similar the b-plot in both episodes is, with Homer trying to market from different kinds of edible solvents, this time replacing sugar with grease. It almost feels cynical to return to this well, as the show sticks to its ethos of sticking a main Lisa story with a Homer sideplot, to not alienate fans who want to see our favorite oaf. Maybe this is true for more casual fans, who prefer the broader antics of Homer and Bart, but I still insist that the best way to make a Lisa episode palatable to audiences it make her stories a little more fun.
And to be fair, “Lard of the Dance” tries! Jane O’Brian isn’t quite her brother, but her sense of humor isn’t as far off, and she gets some good gags in. It doesn’t hurt that Lisa Kudrow kills it as Alex, even adding in a little well-earned improv to go with her material.
I wasn’t very hot on “Lard of the Dance” on principal, but writing about its strengths has warmed it up to me. This is a fun episode, and I always applaud an attempt to give a Lisa episode more varied humor. But I’ll concede that it’s a weird premiere. And that’s because it’s not technically one.
Season 10, Episode 2
Aired September 20, 1998
Directed by Mark Kirkland
Written by John Swartzwelder
Synopsis: On his way to work, Homer has a morning zoo show on which drops a newsflash that he was not prepared or looking forward to, that he's halfway through the average life expectancy of a man. This sends Homer into a crisis, realizing that he’s never accomplished anything and that he has nothing to show for himself. Noticing how down he is, Marge and the family put together a “this is your life” showcase for Homer, reminding him of some of the great moments of his life, including his trip to space and nearly becoming the heavyweight champion, complete with a message from Knight Rider’s KITT (William Daniels). He’s still not convinced and laments that he didn’t get to invent anything. Lisa brings up Thomas Edison by comparison, who seems to be a new discovery to Homer. He then goes to the school’s library after being banned from the real library downtown and discovers Edison’s great achievements, which inspires him. To become totally obsessed with Edison and bore everyone about his achievements. Marge suggests that instead of going on and on about the late inventor, Homer should try to come up with something of his own, and he tries. The problem is that Homer is a moron and can’t conceive anything, at least until he meets Professor Frink and probes his brain. He finally comes up with a few ideas- an electric hammer, a smoke detector that lets you know everything’s “fine”, a shotgun loaded with makeup, and a recliner that doubles as a toilet- but they’re all terrible. Homer’s initially despondent, but there’s one idea he had that actually works- an extra pair of legs behind a chair to prevent someone who tips said chair from falling over. The family gives him the thumbs up, and Homer is proud to revel in his invention, until he notices a poster of Edison on a chair with the same extra legs. He realizes that Edison beat him to this idea, but Bart notices that it’s not mentioned in Edison’s list of great inventions, which means that it’s possible that he didn’t reveal and patent the idea. So now Homer takes Bart out of the state to the Edison Museum to smash what may be the only example of this idea. Just before he does the deed, though, Homer notices a poster comparing Edison’s goals to Leonardo da Vinci’s stack of innovations, and realizes that he and his idol are closer alike than he thought and decides to leave well enough alone. When they head home, Homer and Bart see on TV that two lost inventions of Edison have been discovered at his museum- the six-legged chair, and the electric hammer, as Homer left his prototype behind. This time, it looks like the hammer will actually be profitable, but Homer has no proof of his concept and will receive no money or credit. Booo.
First, let’s address the elephant in the room- is Thomas Edison a hack? From everything I can gather, including various articles, it’s not so black and white, but it’s clear that Edison took more credit than he deserved compared to other inventors like Nikola Tesla. But as life will teach us and even The Simpsons will confirm, history isn’t always so clean cut and sensationalism sells. History also likes assertive types like Edison, which is why his name is likely to stand tall years from now, for better or worse. Still, if this episode was made today, I do think it would go in a different direction.
Anyway, while “Lard of the Dance” aired first and is featured as the first episode of the tenth season, “The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace” is considered the true season 10 premiere, airing during the actual fall 1998 season instead of being a summer release like the previous episode. And I’m fine with that, since this is a stronger and more original episode, the kind you want to use to remind fans that you’re back.
While “The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace” was a Swartzwelder script, the concept was Dan Greaney’s idea, as he had a similar obsession with Edison that Homer did. The story went to Swartzwelder, who promised to deliver five scripts for the tenth season. This was even saved from the previous season’s production to ensure that he delivered. All in all, it’s a good call and ultimately a best of both worlds scenario, with Greaney delivering familiar pieces of the puzzle to Swartzwelder, like his similar six-legged chair invention, while it has the latter’s traditionally brilliant ear for comedic timing.
This makes for a clever and likable episode that does something a little different with Homer- making him think about someone else other than himself- while staying true to the character and bringing it back to him. Homer’s desire to do something great and to be remembered is relatable, almost admirable, but The Simpsons has its structure that it can’t avoid, which in this case involves him being a dope who’s only able to do right without proper acknowledgement. And it also conveniently fits into Edison’s narrative by placing a great new invention in his (dead) lap.
Still, I wouldn’t call “The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace” top-form Simpsons, even if I’m largely in favor of the episode. The pacing feels a little sluggish, like it knows that the show is still funny and has no reason to prove it to you anymore. It’s still a good time, but I don’t think it quite has the replay value of an average episode from even two years earlier, which is probably why I only see the episode brought up as a highlight from the season, not the series at large.
If the best we can look forward to for season 10 is good enough for the season, that’s not very promising. Sure, I had a good time with “The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace”, but let’s hope that we do better, and soon.
Homer’s Bar Tab:
Only one chalkboard gag this week, “I will not file frivolous lawsuits”. Good thinking, Bart.
Couch Gag Wars: Nelson pulls the couch back vs. the citizens of Springfield treating the Simpson’s living room like a movie theater. The latter is new, so points to it.
Personally, I liked Marge’s emu farm idea, but at the same time, it’s funny to see how quickly Homer rejects it. We’ve already had one crazy idea this episode, and we’re not even done with the second act!
Huckleberry tip from Nelson- if they’re too tart, sprinkle them with confectionary sugar.
“Dear Lord, I know you’re busy seeing as how you can watch women changing clothes and all that.”
That Heckle and Jeckle cameo may be the last time they were ever relevant.
“Dad, women won’t like being shot in the face.” “Women will like what I tell them to like.”
Bart’s attempt at cursing reminds me of one of my favorite Curb Your Enthusiasm scenes.
In case you’re wondering where Springfield is located. it’s a small world: Lisa Kudrow has a lot to be proud of in her career, from Romy & Michelle’s High School Reunion to two entertain seasons of The Comeback. But she’s going to be forever known for playing Phoebe Buffay, the ditzy wannabe singer-songwriter who haunted many a Central Perk open mic nights with tales of a smelly cat. She’s one of only two of the six Friends to win Emmys for their roles, and even as someone who isn’t a big fan of the show, I think her win was well-deserved. Also, Alex tells Lisa to not be a such a Phoebe, but she’s acting more like one of the Gellars here.
Next (Two) Weeks: I’m about to be very busy over the next few days. In fact, if you’re reading this right as it’s published on Sunday, I will probably be readying myself for my sister’s wedding. But when we do come back, Bart watches over the eggs of a bird that he killed, and that’s followed by our annual Halloween special. Enjoy!
