"The Simpsons" One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish (1991)

User Rating:

8.5/10   

Director:

Wesley Archer

Writers:

Matt Groening (creator)
James L. Brooks (developer) ...

TV Series:

"The Simpsons" (1989)

Original Air Date:

24 January 1991 (Season 2, Episode 11)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy

Plot:

What would you do if you were told you had only 24 hours to live? That's what this episode explores when Homer is told just that. |

Plot Keywords:

24 Hours To Live | To Do List | Japanese Restaurant | Things To Do Before You Die | Puffer Fish

Cast

Dan Castellaneta	...	Homer Simpson (voice)
Julie Kavner	...	Marge Simpson (voice)
Nancy Cartwright	...	Bart Simpson (voice)
Yeardley Smith	...	Lisa Simpson (voice)
Harry Shearer	...	Mr. Burns / Smithers / Ned Flanders / Dr. Hibbert / Eddie (voice)
Hank Azaria	...	Moe Szyslak / Chief Wiggum / Lou / Others (voice)
Joey Miyashima	...	Toshiro (voice)
Diana Tanaka	...	Hostess (voice)
Larry King	...	Himself (voice)
Sab Shimono	...	Master Chef (voice)
George Takei	...	Akira (voice)

Runtime:

Argentina:30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Argentina:Atp

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

In the early seasons of the show, Homer sports some chest hair.

Goofs:

Continuity: The clock reads 7:00 when the kids enter for dinner, but switches to 5:00 after Marge mentions sushi.

Quotes:

[Marge suggests they go out for sushi]
Bart: Sushi? Maybe this is just something one hears on the playground, but isn't that raw fish?
Lisa: As usual, the playground has the facts right, but misses the point entirely.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Skull & Bones (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves

A Ragged Death

A good friend illustrated a clever writing technique to me by quoting this episode. It had to do with the economy of stating a threat. The example was marvelous, stellar. So I sought his out and guess what? Its not there. This talented writer and analyst had remembered something into this.

In fact, this episode is rather typical: the jokes are few and mild, the story linked to simple morals. The jokes are all in the characters, as James Brooks would always have it. But they are like those old Peanuts comic strips. We project things onto it. For that to happen, it needs to present a consistent, strong framework where the characters all illuminate a cosmology that we understand well enough to people with our imaginations.

Then it has to be effectively empty. The story is thin, the moral obvious and not worth absorbing. The drawing style needs to be sparse. This gives us something to visit each week that we can fill with whatever we bring to it. And afterward, we can remember is as being more clever than it was, because we define cleverness into it.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.