Homer Invents Grunge; Time Suffers Concussion

Topic: The Steve & Fernie Fanworks Central

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[Stretch Dude]

http://www.nohomers.net/showpost.php?p=1809069&postcount=1409

MARGE AND HOMER RECOUNT HOW HOMER SINGLEHANDEDLY
STARTED THE GRUNGE MOVEMENT DURING THE 90’S
ON “THE SIMPSONS” SUNDAY, JANUARY 27, ON FOX

Weird Al Yankovic and Kurt Loder Make Guest-Voice Appearances


When Bart and Lisa discover Marge’s diploma from Springfield University, Marge reveals that she had attended the university back when she and Homer had first started dating. In a flash back, Homer gives up his dreams of becoming a musician and takes a job at his father’s laser tag warehouse to support Marge attending Springfield University. However, when Marge finds herself attracted to an offbeat professor named Professor August, Homer decides he has had enough of Marge’s wandering eye. Homer instead focuses his emotions on his music, inventing a new sound called “grunge.” As Marge continues to date the pretentious professor, Homer becomes the hottest grunge artist around, as evidenced by Weird Al’s parody of his music. But when Marge sees a special news report on MTV with Kurt Loder announcing that Homer’s band, Sadgasm, has broken up and that Homer is holed-up in a mansion hopelessly addicted to drugs, Marge must choose between her new life and her old love in the “That 90’s Show” episode of THE SIMPSONS Sunday, Jan. 27 (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (SI-1904) (TV-PG D, L, V)

I suppose something like this had to happen eventually... Seems to have a bit of potential, though. Plus: WEIRD AL!

[Archonix]

So now their flashbacks take them to the 90s? Good grief!

[A Spy in Mancunia]

Songs the Beegees used to sing...

Doesn't sound bad! Also, I'm glad to hear Marge went to university. 

[Molloy the Catburglar]

I don't like this one bit.  Is it really necessary?  The show's been around a while, so we need to retcon the first few seasons and random other episodes away?  People understand how old the show is, and can appreciate things without having to change it all the time to "make sense" and be cool and modern.

What else will they retcon, I wonder?  Krusty didn't have his show back in the '60s?  Homer's mom never took part in any hippie protests and never had to run away from home?  Skinner went to the Gulf War instead?

SKINNER:  This reminds me of that time I was in 'Nam.
MOE:  What?  No way, you were like six at the time!
SKINNER:  I didn't say during the War.

[Stretch Dude]

Hopefully, there'll be some tongue-in-cheek comments about the chronological conundrums.

[A Spy in Mancunia]

Sheana pretty much says it all.

If it were down to me, the show would take place in a perpetual "sort-of 90s" continuum, with modern things, celebrities etc. turning up when the plot or comedy requires them, yet keeping the basic timeline. If you're not going to age the characters, the price you pay is not to tie the "present" too hard to any specific year.

Skinner went to the Gulf War instead?

For some reason, I suddenly started thinking about that SG-1 episode where O'Neill was stuck in a kid's body and accidentally let slip something about being in the Gulf War. And it fits with my topic, so good!

[Tyrannus]

So Marge basically cheats on Homer after he gives up his "dream" for her? What The Hell? That just completely pisses on the sweet note "The way we was" ended on. And the plot just looks like yet another "relationship crisis" episode with a fancy flashback wallpaper and a Weird Al appearance. I agree that it's nice that Marge went to university but ditching Homer for some random professor? *Sigh* At least her characterisation couldn't be any worse than in The Simpsons game.

[Kiyosuki]

I don't think it's really retconning so much, since it'd have to have a straightforward continuity for that and the one in this show is really really loose.

A friend of mine and I had a talk about this sort of thing because of the One More Day story in the Spider-man comics (I haven't read it, but it was and still is all over the place. For those that don't know, it was a recent event that basically erased that past 10-20 years of the comic's continuity supposedly.) and that's really the problem with these kind of timeless characters and stories, we can get very attached to characters and what they go through but since we age...and new generations spring up...but they don't, it makes this kind of thing unavoidable really.

Its a bit bittersweet, but you can kind of take the point in time of the story/show/whatever's history that got you into it and treasure that, while just casually looking to what's coming out now. Take it with a grain of salt but if it works it works. If it doesn't you at least have your memory. And like said, with something like Spider-man the continuity actually tries to stay solid where as this show's is there but is as flexible as you kind of want it to personally be so I wouldn't worry too much about such things. It is pretty surreal though how it's having a flashback episode to a time period this show is credited as having been one of the things that jumpstarted it.

[fellranger]

I'm with Sheana and Chris on this one.   It's undoubtedly a bold move for them to advance the timeline like that but it completely buggers up the whole continuity of the show.   It's true that any contemporary refs are going to conflict with the original timeline but on balance, I'd rather have this than have them try and play catch-up with flashbacks...it could get very messy.   

[Molloy the Catburglar]

Another possibility would be to quit with the flashbacks already and just focus on the Now.  Constantly going back and forth with flashbacks and flashforwards all the time is kinda what got them into this.

[fellranger]

Well to be fair, they did get some good episodes out of it early on.   Perhaps they should have stopped after they got all the major events out of the way (Homer and Marge meeting, the birth of the kids etc.) they'd pretty much covered all those at a time when the dates still made reasonable sense... 

[Stretch Dude]

I don't think it's really retconning so much, since it'd have to have a straightforward continuity for that and the one in this show is really really loose.

A friend of mine and I had a talk about this sort of thing because of the One More Day story in the Spider-man comics (I haven't read it, but it was and still is all over the place. For those that don't know, it was a recent event that basically erased that past 10-20 years of the comic's continuity supposedly.) and that's really the problem with these kind of timeless characters and stories, we can get very attached to characters and what they go through but since we age...and new generations spring up...but they don't, it makes this kind of thing unavoidable really.

Its a bit bittersweet, but you can kind of take the point in time of the story/show/whatever's history that got you into it and treasure that, while just casually looking to what's coming out now. Take it with a grain of salt but if it works it works. If it doesn't you at least have your memory. And like said, with something like Spider-man the continuity actually tries to stay solid where as this show's is there but is as flexible as you kind of want it to personally be so I wouldn't worry too much about such things. It is pretty surreal though how it's having a flashback episode to a time period this show is credited as having been one of the things that jumpstarted it.

I think comparing this episode to that crapfest is a major stretch at this point.

[Don Cobra]

The show's staff is already too much on the side of "being COOL" for flipping the bird to the continuity, so cherished by fans. It's nihilistic and against-the-rules, so they certainly take that all as an advantage; or at least pretend to do, so they can keep the show running. What I know is that... what, are they trying to cash in on nostalgia?

I look forwards to the episode in which Marge has to rescue Homer from his ecstasy addiction (sic?!) after becoming a successful DJ of rave parties and meeting Fatboy Slim along the way...

[Fionn]

I look forwards to the episode in which Marge has to rescue Homer from his ecstasy addiction (sic?!) after becoming a successful DJ of rave parties and meeting Fatboy Slim along the way...

Oh God! Reminds me of one of those Family Guy cut-aways. 

[A Spy in Mancunia]

Another possibility would be to quit with the flashbacks already and just focus on the Now.  Constantly going back and forth with flashbacks and flashforwards all the time is kinda what got them into this.

Well to be fair, they did get some good episodes out of it early on.   Perhaps they should have stopped after they got all the major events out of the way (Homer and Marge meeting, the birth of the kids etc.) they'd pretty much covered all those at a time when the dates still made reasonable sense... 

I'm just going to copy Sheana's and Fellranger's statements.