Fandom may earn an affiliate commission on sales made from links on this page. The worst is Homer’s aggressive joking with the robots that spills over into anger, which has too little payoff for all that setup. Click here for your invite! A big hit with my kids. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 18, 2012. Closing song: “Robot Parade” by They Might Be Giants. We’ll be safely cornered in this glass room with one door.”.
From 1989 to 1994, they have their design as seen in the Season 1 and 2 couch gags, and from 1995 to 2012, they have their current design.
The characters that appear every other year are references to the episodes they originally appear in: Leon Kompowsky moonwalking is a reference to, Stampy with Ralph in his mouth is a reference to, O'Reilly the Leprechaun is a reference to, The ghost of Maude Flanders is a reference to. They are also said to be able to climb stairs with great difficulty, which could again be a reference to ASIMO. A robot saves his life by walking in front of the truck, then several more robots walk onto the road in front of oncoming cars and trucks. The Simpson family run in and sit on the couch as usual, but above the couch is a banner that says "America: Most powerful country in the world".
The satire of the failing town is the best part of the whole episode, while the segment with Homer and the robots is, sadly, rather predictable. The Simpsons sit on the couch in 1989 with a banner above it that reads "America: Most Powerful Country in the World". The 1989 - 2012 couch gag is the tenth couch gag of Season 23. The robots burst in, but Homer and Mr. Burns are saved by the unemployed citizens of Springfield. https://simpsons.fandom.com/wiki/1989_-_2012_couch_gag?oldid=856718. Heres a fun place to make your own pre-episode Couch Gag! In 1993, Stampy is seen with Ralph Wiggum (who is giggling) in his mouth. It's easy, free, and your work on the wiki can be attributed to you. But one robot states that the Three Laws of Robotics demands that robots must protect humans; because alcohol is bad for human health, the robot takes away Homer's beer. On the satirical side, Homer and his co-workers at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant are meant to represent the American workforce in the central theme of this episode, but the show can’t make up its mind how to parody them. A trope throughout a series by which a part of the opening or ending credits is interchangeably switched, and the content can be different every show.
Thank you for your concern. 23 years pass and the banner now reads, "Too Big to Fail — We Hope!"
Annoyed by this, Homer borrows Flanders' drill and gives them "robot lobotomies", but this reprograms the robots to "eliminate all impediments to the plant" by killing Homer. Duration: 0:23 A banner hangs saying: "America: Most Powerful Country in the World". They chase Burns and Homer, who hide inside Mr. Burns' greenhouse. Roxanne64. All Rights Reserved. Guest star Brent Spiner provides the voice of all the robots; Spiner had famously portrayed the android Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation and its four feature films. While both ramp up the gags to an absurd conclusion, there’s a certain meanness to Gil being crushed that sucks the air out of the first, and the disconnect from reality in the second where people applaud a man spitting fiery cherries into their dessert is too weird to overcome. Former reality TV host tests positive for COVID-19, Marine Layer Diver Dave Button Down Shirt, YouTube TV Is Losing Regional Sports Channels Because Cordcutting Is No Better Than Cable, U-Haul's Motorcycle Trailer Is Really Good But You Can't Ever Own One. With unemployment at an all-time high and mechanical arms operating the workplace, Springfield becomes a dismal and humorless place. In the last act, Homer leads the robots to Burns’ mansion, but they are saved at the last minute by the unemployed townspeople, whom Burns re-hires on the spot as temps. [1] The title of the episode is a reference to Isaac Asimov's collection of short stories, I, Robot. Wikisimpsons has a Discord server! joke. However, after this nod to the economic theme, the act switches to Homer taking the robots out of the plant for a baseball game, which leads to him attempting to modify them with a power drill, which leads to them attempting to murder him. Neo-newbie ... teleporting them to an area of Green Hill Zone with all the stuff from the living room. The episode wants to say no, but it also wants to give Burns a reason to fire them. One robot easily flings one of the hounds a great distance. In 2007, Homer is holding Plopper and is tickling him, who squeals in response. The economic satire in this section has Moe realizing that his bar is full of depressed unemployed people, which he finds so grim that he pours himself one of his own awful beers and winds up taking a shot at himself. In 1993, Stampy is seen with Ralph Wiggum (who is giggling) in … The combination of silly and serious that leads to the workforce being fired en masse reveals a tonal problem with the episode. Homer leaves Mr. Burns's office, then a few seconds later, Burns turns around to the CCTV monitor and sees Homer in Sector 7-G putting his stuff back on his desk. From 2001 to 2004, the letters start to fade along with the background, the rips get bigger, and the hole gets bigger, and from 2005 to 2010 (before Homer and Bart change the sign), the letters and background are almost halfway faded, and the rips and hole are much bigger. In 1999, the ghost of Maude Flanders haunts the family. by They Might Be Giants is played at the end. From 1993 to 1996, it barely starts to fade and has only a couple of rips on the left. Apr 2, 2015 - Did you catch the couch gag animated in stop motion by the Robot Chicken team? The first was ", This is the second episode where a robot commits suicide due to discomfort around a human. Some of the same shows also have couch gags at the end as a Credits Gag. ... "Them, Robot" is the seventeenth episode of the 23rd season … They then go through a time warp, starting with 1989, the year the show premiered, to 2012, the year this episode aired in. However, in ". Couch Gag Information. The first featured the five band members standing side by side, singing the song, in black suits. and that "the episode offers enough good-natured humor to keep itself afloat. In 2009, Princess Penelope rides across the room on a unicorn prop. ... Couch gag: The Simpsons sit on the couch in 1989 with a banner above it that reads "America: Most Powerful Country in the World". If the writing staff had found a way to better integrate the main story with the satire, especially in this act, this episode would have been much better. one band member wearing a different-colored tie), as a visual Running Gag. "Them, Robot" The Simpsons episode: Episode no. However, the episode offers enough good-natured humor to keep itself afloat. 23 years pass and the banner now reads, "Too Big to Fail — We Hope!" Join to talk about the wiki, Simpsons and Tapped Out news, or just to talk to other users. But when Homer's machine-programmed peers start to turn on the community and … In 2003, Goose Gladwell is in the room. Homer runs backwards into the street to catch it, not noticing that there is a truck approaching. The Atomical Fabmagical World of Monty Burns: Bow Down To Your Future. Illogical.”, Burns: “Ah, the solarium. 23 years pass … In 1991, Leon Kompowsky moonwalks from the middle to the left of the room. Homer becomes increasingly bored with work until he figures out how to make the robots, who are all voiced by Brent Spiner, talk with him. In a Couch Gag that encompassed the entire work, the band Yes shot 17 versions of their video for 1983's "Leave It". At the robot funeral, Homer tries to propose a toast. In the first act, Homer struggles to stay sober through the weekend because of an upcoming company physical that equates alcohol with drug abuse. On the church: “We’ve run out of consoling phrases.”. Watch it here! ... but it starts advertising "Free Beer" right below them, provoking Bender to grab the wheel and crash into the screen like always before jumping ship. This is a rare moment where the opening sequence directly connects to the plot. Couch gag: The Simpsons sit on the couch in 1989 with a banner above it that reads "America: Most Powerful Country in the World". In 1995, Poochie is seen in the room gesturing. Fandom may earn an affiliate commission on sales made from links on this page. Make an account! After Mr. Burns' lawyer tells him that drug tests for the plant workers are costing him money, Smithers proposes to replace the employees with robots in order to cut costs. Alternatively, this gag may occur at the end of The Teaser, just before the credits start. Every other year, something interesting happens: In 1989, the Simpson family holds up American flags. While there are a number of good jokes in this installment, the satire is far too gentle, if not feeble, for its subject matter, and the episode is far too willing to bury the satire to further the plot. Mr. Burns fires all of his employees, but Smithers insists that Burns retain one human worker to perform maintenance and to serve as a possible scapegoat. The Simpsons® is a registered trademark of 20th Century Fox. Eventually, Homer and Bart take down the banner and hang up a new one saying "Too Big to Fail. Finally, in 2012, Maggie holds up a flag for China. Starting with a couch gag in which the Simpsons sit under a banner reading “America: Most Powerful Country In The World” from 1989 until 2010, when they replace it with “Too Big To Fail, We Hope,” this episode takes a mild swipe at the country’s current economic issues. Season 23: Directed by: Michael Polcino: Written by: Michael Price: Original air date: March 18, 2012: Episode features; Couch gag: The Simpsons sit on the couch in 1989 with a banner above it that reads "America: Most Powerful Country in the World". Homer runs to Mr. Burns' mansion for help, but Mr. Burns makes things worse by releasing his hounds on the robots. Maggie flies across the screen on a large paper airplane. In 2010, Homer and Bart change the America banner to a sign that says "TOO BIG TO FAIL WE HOPE".