And with that, we are out of money.”), as does the Simpsons’ country of origin (“Foreigners are no longer welcome”). If Canada took it hard, it only had to wait until season 14, when the entire show stopped to sincerely praise—and sing—the country’s national anthem, “O Canada.” [Kyle Ryan], Does Carl, of Lenny and Carl fame, need an origin story? Homer smuggles a snake into Paris (because he’s Homer), leading to the return of Bart’s French nemeses Cesar and Ugolin, whose criminal schemes and Simpson-pursuing skills remain wanting. The Futurama equivalent of this is the show's title card, which has a different title caption in every episode. [Dennis Perkins], What is it with foreign travel that makes Homer imagine himself as a god? [Danette Chavez], The episode that executive producer Al Jean referred to as an ode to Ireland, “In The Name Of The Grandfather” rides the line between send-up and loving homage better than most of the show’s global jaunts. Simpson, shush: Disparaging the boot is a bootable offense!” In failing to restore U.S.-Australian relations (to the chagrin of a slimy diplomat played by Phil Hartman), “Bart Vs. Australia” tweaked “ugly American” conventions and permanently established the show’s foreign policy. “The Italian Job” is ultimately as light on humor as it is Mafia references, but one thing writer John Frink and director Mark Kirkland get right is the pairing of character and place. This was because Mirkin was disappointed by complaints from Congress regarding the amount of violence in the show and their attempts for it to be censored. With Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith. © Watchr Media • All rights reserved, Proof The Simpsons Writers May Be Time Travelers, The Simpsons Will Finally Reveal Comic Book Guy's Origin Story, Disney+ Sets Up Simpsons Forever Themed Collections, Treehouse of Horror Streaming Now for Halloween, Treehouse of Horror XXXI Sneak Peek Images Give The Simpsons a Pixar Makeover, The Simpsons Season 31 Starts Streaming on Disney+, The Simpsons Introduces the New Voice of Carl Carlson, Ice-T Reflects on Going from Robbing Banks to Playing a Cop on SVU, Saved by the Bell Reboot Renewed for Season 2 at Peacock, Savannah Welch Is Barbara Gordon in Titans Season 3. Still, perhaps their greatest insult was boldly returning to Brazil some 12 seasons later for the tepid “You Don’t Have To Live Like A Referee,” an episode not even worth a minor international incident. In season 11, "The Simpsons" predicted a Donald Trump presidency in the 2000 episode "Bart to the Future." But after making the necessary Hamlet reference, “Throw Grampa From The Dane” wanders into the all-too-familiar territory of Marge and Homer’s ever-tenuous marriage, as she briefly chooses to remain in Copenhagen. But what really makes this particular Simpsons destination episode work so well is its lovely metaphor of “the third ball,” calling as it does on the uniquely New England sport of candlepin bowling. https://www.buzzfeed.com/ehisosifo1/the-simpsons-predicting-future-events But the most inspired bit is a seemingly throwaway conversation on the plane: “You liked Rashomon.” “That’s not how I remember it.” [Danette Chavez], Like “The Crepes Of Wrath,” “Homer And Apu” doesn’t send the entire Simpsons clan to India, just Homer and Apu—and even then just for one scene. among Simpsons fans, who deride it for its sloppy, frenetic storytelling and totally illogical premise. [Sean O’Neal], Lisa and Moe, writing poetry together? Time Travelling Toaster (also known as TTT, Triple T, Trippy T or simply Toaster) is an alter ego or persona of a currently unknown experimental multi-genre music producer, electronic musician, and visual artist whose stage name is possibly based on the episode Treehouse of Horror V from The Simpsons. [Sean O’Neal], As filled with endlessly quotable lines as Knoxville’s Sunsphere is with 16,000 boxes of unsold wigs, the season-seven classic “Bart On The Road” takes a freewheeling journey into the heart of America to see all the wonders and spring break-squandering disappointments it contains. In August 2015, a video claiming that episodes of the Fox animated series The Simpsons had made some eerily accurate predictions about future events began circulating via social media. [Danette Chavez], Although its plot hangs on the flimsiest of premises—Flanders is 60 years old, apparently, and regretful of his hyper-cautious life—“Viva Ned Flanders” gets a lot of mileage from Flanders seeking Homer’s help to live in “the Impulse Zone.” Homer takes him to Vegas for a lost weekend, which naturally segues to the duo drunkenly marrying a pair of waitresses. We saved your ass in Vietnam and shared our prostitutes with Hugh Grant!”—who causes an international incident. Meanwhile, Jasper freezes himself in the Kwik-E-Mart freezer. 2. Episode. Homer is Homer, decked out in all-USA jerkass-wear and brandishing his Carolina Panthers credit card while ordering cold cuts on his falafel and napping in Jesus’ preferred spot in the Church Of The Holy Sepulchre, while the episode takes a few solid jabs at Israel. Episode - 2F03 First Aired - 10/30/1994 In this year's collection of frights, Homer comes down with a nasty case of Stanley Kubrick-esque cabin fever in The Shinning, Homer goes back in time and causes a temporal butterfly effect for every … And, once Ned and Homer find themselves on a leaky raft full of life-saving junk food, all it recalls is the simple comic poetry of Ned’s long ago “Godspeed, little doodle.” [Dennis Perkins], Traveling to countries with universal healthcare in two separate episodes in consecutive seasons is as much a reflection of the dismal state of U.S. healthcare as it is the tapped creative well in The Simpsons’ writers’ room. Coincidence or time travel? Directed by Jim Reardon. “Eh, too many kids,” says the other. Another rumor suggests that Simpsons creator Matt Groening is the time traveler and that all of the ideas and predictions came from him. Comically exaggerated Canadian accents, check. 9/11, the terrorist attack of 2001. A fun reminder of how different the show use to be, while also a precursor of time travel episodes to come. “This is a knife,” it finishes, now brandishing a spoon. The Simpsons has a long history of satirizing the British, but “The Regina Monologues” unsurprisingly turns Homer into the ugly American—“We’re big-shot tourists from everyone’s favorite country, the USA. Sideshow Bob and Tuscany are a natural fit, even if Krusty and Pagliacci are not. Homer refuses a variety of illegal payments in an interchangeable picture-postcard locations, but one Simpson winds up enriched by the experience: Marge really gets to put her Portuguese lessons to work. But the D.C. setting affords a lot of good bits while the family goes sightseeing, like Thomas Jefferson getting defensive with Lisa at his memorial. Ever. It’s tough to riff on a location whose most famous renowned denizens zoom in and out of town every January, so “Any Given Sundance” makes the mountain retreat a physical stand-in for the independent film culture that had sold the last scraps of its soul by 2008, just as Lisa nearly does when she turns her family’s most humiliating and intimate moments into the documentary Capturing The Simpsons. The opening sequence, in which Marge states the episode could not be shown and plays some live action stock footage, was also in reaction to this. These are only two out of the many things that The Simpsons have accurately predicted over the years with alarming accuracy, which is now leading to claims of time travel amongst the writers of the massively popular cartoon. Yes, but Moe’s too distracted to notice. [Danette Chavez], The last Simpsons episode bearing a writing credit for the great John Swartzwelder, “The Regina Monologues” unsurprisingly captures some of the magic of the show’s heyday. Donald Trump becoming the President of the United States was predicted 16 years ahead of time and the writers claim that it was more of a warning than anything. Lisa fears she is losing her intelligence when she learns about the fabled Simpson gene. You can be the judge. Construction on the building started in 2009, 14 years later. This is the day when the Simpson family made their first official appearance on television, having appeared in the third episode of season one of The Tracey Ullman Show, in the short Good Night. Predicted in 1997, and it happened in 2001. Bush?) Some are so convinced they even took the time to edit ‘Osaka flu’ to ‘Coronavirus’ in Kent Brockman’s news report. Seventeen years ago, an episode of The Simpsons predicted that Donald Trump would one day become US president. It’s not the first time The Simpsons has seemingly predicted the future. Aurora borealis? And this wasn't the only time the writers had managed to predict the future. The Cuba outing actually stays the course, and resolves Grampa’s health issues, which stemmed from his loss of productivity. (“You gotta cover the mascot. Given the current debate around Apu, it’s a little cringe-inducing that the company’s president appears to be a Hindu pandit sitting cross-legged on a mountaintop. This being the show’s first trip up north, it had 11 seasons’ worth of jokes about what Homer calls “America Junior” to unload: Rush song in soundtrack, check. With Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith. More than ten years later, a three-eyed fish was discovered in a reservoir in Argentina. The fish has three eyes due to the nuclear waste of the Springfield Nuclear Plant where Homer works. As ever in a travelogue episode, the family tours the local hot spots, although there’s a delicately clever care taken in the animation and jokes here that bumps the episode up a notch, as when Homer, attempting to make things up to the affectingly neglected Marge, takes her on a silly, speckled tour of Paris’ “pointillism district.” [Dennis Perkins], The show’s second trip to Brazil is a twofer on top of a twofer: It’s a “Homer gets a new job” episode as well as a “The Simpsons are going to…,” and the running-of-the-bulls setup in the couch gag means twice the international travel. The only scenery he enjoys is a quick montage of famous paintings by French artists on his way to the vineyard that would soon become his prison. When Lisa discovers the surly bartender’s beautifully wounded soul and helps him channel it into a literary sensation, Moe and the family head to the Wordloaf conference in rustic New England, home of hayrides, duckpin bowling, and maple-syrup jokes. While everyone else enjoys a perfect day in New York—seeing Little Italy and Chinatown, taking in a Broadway musical, riding in a carriage through Central Park, visiting the offices of Mad Magazine—it’s Homer’s frustrating dealings with cops and khlav-kalash vendors and his desperate need to pee that really captures the soul of the city. ), and a surprisingly snippy Flanders family, considering that the story happens minus two entire years of bad neighborino behavior. One of the most known predictions of “The Simpsons” is predicting Trump’s presidency. The 2013 horse meat scandal. There are several other questionable choices, including the episode’s title, which refers to a World War II-era movie about American air strikes on Japan. Random takedown of Canadians’ inferior basketball skills, check. – New York Times – New York Times Read More As in Frank Capra’s classic Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, Lisa’s idealism is quickly crushed when she witnesses a congressman discussing bribes with a timber lobbyist at the fictitious Winifred Beecher Howe Memorial (“I will iron your sheets when you iron out the inequities in your labor laws”). The bulk of “Beyond Blunderdome” is about Hollywood as an idea, a dream factory where the Lethal Weapon star whisks the Simpsons away by private jet after Homer is the only member of a test-screening audience to speak his mind about Mr. Smith. The definition of a tossed-off outing (both the episode and the trip), “Fland Canyon” also short-changes its national-treasure setting with some indifferent animation and design (how hard is it to draw a scorpion fight, really? Over time, though, these travelogues expanded past the occasional family adventure to include business trips, diplomatic missions, ill-advised romantic gestures, and helping some secondary character find themselves. Travel episodes Episodes of the show in which either at least one member of the family travels to another country or the focus on the episode is on a trip to a different city. The standard for these travel episodes was set all the way back in season six, and ever since then, The Simpsons has only occasionally recreated that balance of cartoon shenanigans and regional humor. But in this season-27 episode, writer Bill Odenkirk strikes an admirable balance between the expected “rude French” and “ugly Americans” stereotypes and unassumingly sweet character comedy. And, like the show’s wobbly characterization of Apu, the episode alternates between pointing and laughing at those wacky Indian ways (Homer offends a literal sacred cow and dresses like Temple Of Doom’s Mola Ram in god mode), and making everyone in the country a whole lot smarter than the visiting Springfielders. I feel like the family, or members of the family, have traveled to far-flung destinations more often than they’ve celebrated Christmas on the show. no Itchy & Scratchy Land, no Little Pwagmattasquarmsettport, and Hollywood only barely counts. Another prediction is somewhat debated, but HOLY CHEESE is it crazy. 1992, Season 3, Episode 24: “Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?” … Typical of a year that also found Lisa paired off with Fat Tony and Cletus’ respective kids, season 18’s “Moe’N’a Lisa” still offers some bright spots amid its rather algorithmic premise—all of them located in Vermont. Nineteen years ago, they predicted that Disney would buy out Fox. At this time of year, in this part of the world, localized entirely outside of Homer, Moe, and Lenny’s rental car? 10 The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular 1995-12-03 ... 10 Once Upon a Time in Springfield 2010-01-10 . The episode, broadcast correctly made the prediction 17 years ago on March 19th, 2000, and saw Bart's vision of his future in which he is a beer drinking adult, while his sister Lisa has become president, following Trump's time in office. [Dennis Perkins], Calling on a writers’ room infamously stuffed with Harvard nerds, the Simpsons’ season-28 trip to Boston scores a lot of comic points for how lived-in and specific the Beantown-bashing is. (Neither does guest Sacha Baron Cohen, humorously rambling as the world’s rudest tour guide.) After predicting the Disney and Fox deal nearly 20 years ago, many believe that The Simpsons writers just might be time travelers. In 1995, Lisa's "future" fiancé could verbally communicate with his watch. “East Boston” and “Freckle Bog”) as both the “land of poetry and the land of bad poetry,” where U2 moves your belongings in mysterious ways and there’s boiled cabbage on tap. A 1999 episode of "The Simpsons" seems to foreshadow journalists reporting from home during the coronavirus epidemic, with anchor Kent Brockman delivering news from home. One minute-long stretch when the duo arrives in Vegas lands some funny sight gags (the sign for the Cirque Du Buffet at the Golddiggers Casino promises “Loosest craps in town!”), a random shot at Melissa Rivers, and some amusing Flanders overstimulation. Sixteen years ago, an episode of "The Simpsons" predicted that Donald Trump would one day become US president. Autocorrect was introduced in an episode of The Simpsons back when you couldn't even play Snake on an old brick cellphone. So, what's going on here? Mirkin said he thinks Halloween shows can be "scary as well … The Simpsons creators may have made a big blunder in one of their Christmas episodes or have one of the main characters discovered the art of time travel? The Simpsons could never make it in a place like Park City: partially because they’re quickly detested, then forgotten, by the festival crowd, but also because Marge can’t stop stumbling into provocative movies with ironic titles. The Simpsons, of course, is well known for their opening bit during the theme song where they do a different gag involving the Simpsons' couch in most every episode. Disillusioned, she pens a savagely cynical new essay, “Cesspool On The Potomac,” which fails to win the contest but quickly spreads through D.C. and costs the dirty congressman his job. In addition, the hit show predicted the three-eyed fish back in its second season, nearly 30 years ago. The Simpsons predicted the discovery a full 15 years ahead of time. [Erik Adams], Another Homer and Ned on-the-road episode sees Flanders shamed into bringing the Simpsons along to the Holy Land as a test of his Christian forbearance. Writer Matt Marshall envisions Ireland (a.k.a. Of course, that was 18 years and plenty of new contenders ago, and while the Simpsons’ Florida adventure hasn’t become any more linear—it stumbles drunkenly from Homer seeking a cure for insomnia-fueled insanity, to his becoming the “King Of Spring Break,” to the whole family living as fugitive hillbillies after accidentally murdering the state’s reptile mascot—there’s at least some classic John Swartzwelder absurdism buried beneath the gimmicky Kid Rock cameos. There’s not much barb to the regional humor (“Did you know that candles are made by losers?” is as pointed as it gets), but at least “Moe’N’a Lisa” abounds with classy literati guest voices, including Tom Wolfe, Gore Vidal, and a petty grudge match between Michael Chabon and Jonathan Franzen that’s worth the trip alone. Apps will translate babies’ cries. Club is ranking these episodes of a vacational nature, counting down from the Worst. “It’s so clean and bland,” Marge says as the family arrives in Toronto. But the shudder that runs through a Tanzanian tribesman when Homer exclaims that “the Simpsons are going to Africa” portends a whole slew of jokes ranging from nonsensical (“hippos don’t come from eggs”) to uncomfortable (cracks about frequent regime changes and “bloodless coups”). But the real destination is Japan—specifically, Tokyo—and all its advanced technology and mockery of American mediocrity. A side-by-side image of the episode and real life of Trump waving his hand while going down an escalator sparked the interest of social media. The Fox and Trump things are impressive, but the time that Homer predicted the mass of the Higgs boson particle on a chalkboard may be some of the most insane evidence yet. According to Simon Singh, the author of The Simpsons and their Mathematical Secrets, the equation predicts the mass of the Higgs boson particle, aka, the God Particle. Not necessarily, but there’s only so much unchartered territory left to a show in its 24th season, as The Simpsons was when “The Saga Of Carl” debuted. “Oh! The producer's self-acclaimed concept is that of an amorphous, anonymous, space-bound being that … It’s almost too economical, not only reusing its South American setting and the show’s Xuxa stand-in, Xoxchitla, but pinning Homer’s stint as a World Cup official to the prior soccer-themed installment “Marge Gamer.” Lisa’s improvised speech about Homer’s unsung heroism keeps him unflappable in the face of gamblers attempting to fix the tournament, but despite that emotional through-line, the episode is mostly memorable for presaging a real-world FIFA corruption scandal. A great family game is now a great family movie,” she exclaims before walking in on a scene of two people shooting up. Predicted: 2008. Gibson himself is more vacated eyesore than “Hot Star Maps” attraction these days, but his action-movie résumé made him an ideal entry point for Homer’s conception of Tinseltown, a place where he and Mad Max can stick a shootout at the end of a Frank Capra classic, then hijack the Road Warrior car to lead a high-speed chase past such Hollywood Boulevard landmarks like Mann’s Chinese Theater and its lesser-known neighbor, the Chinese Man’s Theater.