Classic Coverage looks back on the episodes of past shows from a modern perspective.
We begin, like so many of these do, at a train station, where whistles are blowing, steam is fssssh-ing, brown-becoated men are walking about, suitcases are being loaded, and the ubiquitous ABC Railway Guide is prominently on display. A familiar … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S04E01 “The ABC Murders”
I often say that this show’s most underrated virtue is its worldbuilding. Not only in the sense that so few sitcoms go out of their way to develop the feel of a specific place that Springfield does, but in the … Continue reading The Simpsons, Season Seven, Episode Fifteen, “Bart The Fink”
Oof, a tough one to close out an otherwise mostly brilliant third series. On a cold Friday morning, on the northern England estate of Harrington Pace, a hunting party consisting of Our Man Hastings, Poirot, and six or seven Identically … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S03E11 “The Mystery of Hunter’s Lodge”
I think there are very few Simpsons episodes where my reaction has so radically evolved over the years the way it has with this one. That’s the strange thing about art – you get older and change and it stays … Continue reading The Simpsons, Season Seven, Episode Fourteen, “Scenes From The Class Struggle In Springfield”
SPOILER WARNING: I’m assuming in these reviews that readers have seen the show. NBC initially refused to air this episode, saying it was too dark for the series. Watching it today, I completely understand this decision even if I don’t … Continue reading Freaks And Geeks: S01E04 “Kim Kelly Is My Friend”
As much as I’d love to get deep into this one, it’s been a hell of a week, mes amis, and your faithful chronicler has some outstanding commitments which preclude the usual nonsense. Let’s hit the high points and the … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S03E10 “The Affair at the Victory Ball”
We’ve talked about the increasingly sitcommy nature of the show this season, and much like Bob Dylan going full country on Nashville Skyline in 1969, this episode consciously brings that to the fore. It’s that old cliche of a popular … Continue reading The Simpsons, Season Seven, Episode Thirteen, “Two Bad Neighbours”
I mean, come on: it’s a Christmas episode, which makes it pretty firmly review-proof for lots of folks, and why not? I’ve always cut holiday-themed episodes a little slack, because the priority is usually to evoke a specific feeling or … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S03E09 “The Theft of the Royal Ruby”
As regular readers will know, I generally divide episodes of The Simpsons into one of three loosely defined and even more loosely named categories: heartwarming, satirical, and just funny. This feels like the first episode all season where the A … Continue reading The Simpsons, Season Seven, Episode Twelve, “Team Homer”
With a stylish cold open on a sepia-toned flashback sequence of two men in fencing gear dueling over what one claims was “merely a joke”, this episode announces itself as yet another in what’s rapidly becoming a long line of … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S03E08 “The Mystery of the Spanish Chest”
This is one of a small handful of Simpsons episodes that has been collectively filed under Too Real, alongside “$pringfield”, “Scenes From The Class Struggle In Springfield”, and “Miracle On Evergreen Terrace”, where people genuinely find the emotional pain presented … Continue reading The Simpsons, Season Seven, Episode Eleven, “Marge Be Not Proud”
Chief Inspector Japp is in a pickle: over the last three weeks there have been three jewel theft at high-society events, and the pressure is on to prevent another – so much so that our dear Japp of the Yard … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S03E07 “The Double Clue”
I would argue that this is the episode that has aged the most dramatically out of all classic Simpsons. Sure, the collective response to some aspects – like Apu – has shifted, but I think you’d have to work very … Continue reading The Simpsons, Season Seven, Episode Ten, “The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular”
Alas, I feel the shame, non? Real life intrudes most agresivement and your faithful chronicler has but a few wee minutes to jot down some items around this week’s episode, with further thoughts in the comments below post-publication. The Good: … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S03E06 “The Tragedy At Marsdon Manor”
This is a very rare Golden Age Simpsons episode that I’m not a big fan of. Bob’s episodes suffer a little bit of diminishing returns after a point; “Cape Fear” is a rollicking comedy adventure and “Sideshow Bob Roberts” is … Continue reading The Simpsons, Season Seven, Episode Nine, “Sideshow Bob’s Last Gleaming”
As we’ve been enjoying the series together, one of Mrs. Marlowespade’s constant refrains is that for all his intellect, thus far in the show M. Poirot is far better at not preventing murders than he is in preventing them, and … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S03E05 “Wasps’ Nest”
You know, I never actually thought about how the Sixties hang over The Simpsons before now. In fact, a lot of the imagery and ideas it riffs on are hangovers from the Fifties – the house in the suburbs with … Continue reading The Simpsons, Season Seven, Episode XX, “Mother Simpson”
SPOILER WARNING: I’m assuming in these reviews that readers have seen the show. What makes Tricks And Treats such a great installment of Freaks And Geeks is not just the setting, which works because Halloween is such an iconic American … Continue reading Freaks And Geeks: S1E03 “Tricks And Treats”
Mon Dieu! I’m super sorry about this, but Ye Olde Work Crunch (not a fun breakfast cereal) has gotten the better of your faithful chronicler this week (serves me right for taking a vacation), and I’m going to have to … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S03E04 “The Plymouth Express”
What makes Homer generally likable and sympathetic even through his childishness and destructiveness is the genuine joy he gets out of what he does, and I think this episode is a great example of that. No matter your feelings on … Continue reading The Simpsons, Season Seven, Episode Seven, “King-Size Homer”
Sacre bleu! Your Man Marlowespade is taking a vacation this week, but didn’t want to go without posting a few thoughts on this episode, the third in what is rapidly becoming the Season of Strychnine. Short version: a bank sends … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S03E03 “The Million Dollar Bond Robbery”
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