Carry-over aspects of The Simpsons Movie: A Bettor's Guide

Matt Groening has said in interviews that several aspects of the recently-released Simpsons movie will carry over into the television series. I thought it was my holy duty, then, to present all the possible elements of the film that I think could theoretically make it into the world of the television show, and present the odds of such a carry-over occurring.

I figured I'd wait to post this until everyone who wanted to see the film fresh had the chance to do so, but I'll still make the obvious point that this article is rife with spoilerinos.

Possible carry-over #1: Springfield was covered by a massive dome.

Is it feasible?: Simpsons episodes have a habit of recounting things that have happened in the past in order to make a point about the present. Consider the way in which Sideshow Bob is reintroduced each time by some character recounting the various schemes he's hatched in the past.

Is it unlikely, therefore, that someone will make reference to the fact that Springfield was once isolated from the rest of civilization by means of a gigantic dome? It's possible that somebody will mention it when recounting a list of all the things Homer's done to wrong the town (or, though less likely, a list of all the things Homer's done to save the town).

I'd really doubt we'll see physical evidence of the dome (shards throughout the town, or a giant circular rut around Springfield) but it's full-well possible we'll hear it referred to again.

Odds against carry-over: 10:1

Possible carry-over #2: Homer's enlightenment

Is it feasible?: In The Simpsons Movie Homer is enlightened by an Inuit medicine woman and, as a result, becomes less selfish and more receptive to the needs of others, especially his family. This facilitates the ending of the film more than it does any real work toward character development, however, especially when you take into account the dozens of times Homer's been enlightened over the course of the series only to return to his mindless selfishness the very next week.

Odds against carry-over: 200:1

Hard, soft, soft, soft, soft, hard, hard, soft...

Possible carry-over #3: Russ Cargill will reappear

Is it feasible?: Well, he's incapacitated by the film's end, though not necessarily dead. Which means that, in Simpsons-land, he's probably still around. But the odds of him resurfacing are pretty low, I'd say. First of all, what would be his real motivation? His scheme has been foiled, Springfield is back on the map...and there was much rejoicing.

However, having a character representing the EPA could actually be pretty helpful to the writers, assuming they'd like to stay topical. The environment is a bigger, more visible issue now than it ever has been. Would a Cargill be helpful to keep around? Sure. But none of Albert Brooks' characters have appeared more than once in the history of the show, and if that streak is going to be broken, I doubt it'd be for Cargill's sake.

That said, there's no reason the role can't be re-cast for regular appearances. They did it with Akira (who was originally played by George Takai), Ms. Glick (who was originally played by Cloris Leachman) and probably others. I wouldn't say it's likely, but I also wouldn't say it's impossible.

Odds against carry-over: 50:1

Possible carry-over #4: Arnold Schwarzenegger is President of the United States of America

Is it feasible?: It's tough to say. On the one hand, I don't believe The Simpsons has made reference to George W. Bush as president at all (despite their past references to Bush Sr. and Bill Clinton as president), which means they might well be receptive to a "fantasy" president.

However, considering the character's strong physical and vocal resemblance to Rainier Wolfecastle, I'd have to say it's unlikely. It's easy enough to conceive of a world in which Professor Frink and Jerry Lewis both reside, or Gil and Jack Lemmon, but that's because there's very little overlap other than demeanor, and it's acceptable that Springfielders don't notice the similarities that we as an audience do.

But for Wolfecastle to be identical in every way to the most powerful politician in the free world? There's no way even the dullards of Springfield would be blind to that coincidence. For that reason, I doubt we'll be seeing any more of President Schwarzenegger.

Odds against carry-over: 500:1

Possible carry-over #5: The Simpsons' house is destroyed

Is it feasible?: Nah. If Ned's house can get utterly destroyed and then magically reappear the next week, there's no reason the Simpson family can't share that same luxury. Especially as Bart and Homer are seen rebuilding it toward the end of the film. The fact that Homer can't build a spice-rack isn't going to bring us any surprises the next time we see the Simpson home.

Odds against carry-over: 5000:1

Possible carry-over #6: The Simpsons own a pig

Is it feasible?: The only show-changing pet-ownership came in the very first episode of the show, and that was Santa's Little Helper. Since then pets have come and gone, but status-quo has always been restored on that front.

While it's not impossible that the pig will re-appear, it's doubtful, as there's no precedent for it in the show's history. Also, consider the fact that the pig doesn't even have a steady name. Both times he's named in the film it's done for the purposes of a gag, and I'd be really disappointed to have to put up with a regular character called "Harry Plopper."

To play devil's advocate, however, the pig doesn't reappear (and isn't referred to) in the film after the family escapes the dome, so who knows? It's fully possible that the pig was killed when the house was destroyed, but without it being confirmed there's no way to know. What happened to the little guy? Time (or some restored deleted scenes on the eventual DVD) will tell.

Odds against carry-over: 100:1

Possible carry-over #7: The death of Dr. Nick Riviera ("Bye, everybody!")

Is it feasible?: First of all, it's important to note that his death wasn't confirmed in the film. It was very strongly implied, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything in Springfield unless you actually see someone chiseling the epitaph on his tomb-stone. After all, we all saw Groundskeeper Willie on the boat back to Scotland after his deportation...but he was back the next time the writers needed him.

Also, death means almost nothing on The Simpsons even when it is confirmed. Maude Flanders and Bleeding Gums Murphy have both appeared again as ghosts and hallucinations, Dr. Marvin Monroe revealed that he wasn't dead but only feeling very much under the weather (I didn't see the episode in which this happened so clarification is welcome) and Frank Grimes had an identical son.

However, in the "it may carry over" camp, how recently has Dr. Nick been featured in the show? I didn't catch many of the recent episodes, but I can't even remember the last time I've seen him. Killing him off might not be an unbelievable move, if they hadn't been using him anyway.

Still, I'd say it's pretty unlikely. He's one of the most iconic minor characters on the show, whether he's been active lately or not, and I see no benefit in keeping him dead.

Odds against carry-over: 50:1

Possible carry-over #8: Colin

Is it feasible?: It would change the dynamic of the show, but giving Lisa a consistent character to team up with could well be a possibility. Of course, this could also reek of a non-ironic use of Roy from The Itchy and Scratchy and Poochie Show. Are they doing it because the formula is tired? Is it just going to turn Lisa into an annoying little brat now that somebody's actually hanging around to agree with her and lend support to her previously one-woman crusades?

The fact that the role of Colin was given to one of the regular voice actors really lends credence to the possibility that Colin will be returning. If he were played by a celebrity we could pretty much write him off...but with Tress MacNeille returning to the voice-booth week after week anyway, it's not unlikely that she'll be reprising the role of Colin.

So let's just hope they do something interesting with him. Which--sweet though his scenes with Lisa were--they did not do in the film.

Odds against carry-over: 2:1

About this entry

By Phil Reed
Posted on Sunday, August 05 2007 @ 8:58 pm
Categorised in Film
50 comments

Comments

Maybe he means the series will actually be funny again, which I thought the film was (at least to an extent).

By performingmonkey
August 06, 2007 @ 3:37 am