Decided to refresh and start out the new year with a Season 1 review. Given how notable Some Enchanted Evening is, it is kinda weird how little I have discussed it. So hopefully this will help rectify that issue. Also, I gotta warn you in advance, there are some weird looking screenshots in this video. I know, from screenshotting, that awkward poses always show up randomly, but things kinda snowballed with the general roughness of the animation.
I suspect your indifference to the episode is rooted in the unaired failed first version of it. The final episode is a strong one. Don’t ever watch the sausage being made.
so how did they go from the last simpsons short looking pretty okay, to what happened here? were they developed alongside season 1? was time crunch purely to blame? I forget if that john ortved book explained any of this...
Some Enchanted Evening always stood out to me even as a kid, not even because of the animation, but because of the plot. The idea of the Simpsons being in real danger always felt like a very season 9-12 type of conflict, whereas the early seasons were very focused on character conflict. You make a good point about how this does let all the Simpsons show off what makes them fun.
I really like the radio psychiatrist bit, specifically the way the receptionist addresses Marge when she calls in ("Hey, lady, save your whining for when you're on the air, okay?"). When you consider this was intended to be the first episode of the show, and this is an early scene within the episode, it sort of lays the groundwork for the type of mood the show was going for (kinda cynical, but realistic in depicting that "professionals" don't always have it together and that everything is rife with opportunities for parody and criticism) Also, the line "Garcon! Another bottle of your second least-expensive champagne" is hilarious and very in-character with early Homer. Again, grounded in reality.
I have to admit I actually quite liked the more fluid animation they first used. In the grand scope of the show it made more sense to have a more realistic animation style but it's a shame some of the fluidity wasn't able to be adapted with the more realistic animation
The scene of Lisa riding her bike in the season 1 opening credits really struck me as unique when I did my recent complete series rewatch. I really missed it when I hit season 2.
@@tinkerer3399 Also compare the trolley scene with Marge and Maggie in the credits to the HD one. The original is really fluid and emotive, the HD one you can almost count the frames on your hand.
The animation just completely died when they went away from that style. Aside from a few extremely rare exceptions every moment since is animated painfully boring
Once I watched S1 in production order I developed a whole new appreciation for it. It’s a much more organic evolutionary bridge between the Tracy short and S2. For one, the first handful of episodes tend to end their episodes with a kind of “Ta-Da!” punchline reminiscent of the shorts. It’s a great alternate experience that I highly recommend.
I did that at one point with Star Trek the original Series. This also makes a lot more sense regarding uniform style of Uhura. Production Order > Broadcast order.
The most rewarding thing about being a long time viewer of therealjims is knowing EXACTLY when he's being sarcastically enthusiastic, i.e. "Hey! It's that scene that gets shared around Twitter every 3 months!"
4:38 I see a lot of people complain about Bart's animation being too stiff, more so than usual, compared to the animation of Lucille. I think Bart's stiff animation in that one scene was completely intentional. I think Bart was just so utterly shocked about what the babysitter had said, that he reacted that way out of fear. Running over to shove the tape in while still looking over in the direction of Lucille.
It’s so funny if you watch the Simpson in production order it kind is chronological with the kids at school, then they go camping, Christmas happens and then we have out big finale with sideshow Bob.
I wish they'd make the entire initial version public (you can tell there's more to it as there are scenes with gradient BG's in the final ep that weren't featured in what we were given). I get the disappointment of the producers as that's not what they paid money for... but that take is still bizarrely fascinating. Plus we get to hear Chris Latta (a.k.a Cobra Commander) in it so that's a plus.
I'm pretty sure that's all that there is IMO, the other bits missing are in the finished episode untouched, that's why the episode goes from looking fine one minute to looking rough the next.
I can no longer unsee the weird shiny plain backgrounds. You can see them in scenes that weren’t reanimated for the final version. I wonder how the artists did that effect because I love it.
Just looks like a fairly standard gradient, which you’d do the old fashioned way with a wide, often rubber brush. Of course nowadays you can generate digital gradients very easily, and could probably match the effect pretty closely with a pastel yellow gradient to white at a 45° angle for instance
The Mrs. Botz reveal was one of the most terrifying moments ever in the series. Maybe it's just because of the rougher animation and artstyle, but a lot of scary/disturbing moments in season 1&2 feel much more impactful than later on in the series
It also makes me think why PS1 graphics (Think Resident Evil 1) capture a sense of threat and scare that modern graphics lack. Those sharp edges, the lack of definition, the jerky, robotic movements, gives you some major uncanny valley.
i LOVE the rougher animation style. Especially compared to todays sterile and lifeless flash-animation style Simpsons. The early seasons also had amazing works done by Eric Stefani in many episodes.
@@KRAFTWERK2K6 Same here, the art style may be less polished but the animation is MUCH more fluid and shows WAY more personality. It also adds a layer of grit and the newer seasons lack. Same is true for Family Guy, go back and watch Seasons 1-4 and notice how they used to actually TRY with the animation. Hand-drawn animation just allows for so much more depth and heart.
I’m really glad that they chose the Christmas episode as the first episode to air. I was 12 years old when it first came on and it has been a permanent part of my Christmas season every year since.
i will say i absolutely love the visual humor with the character designs and how they emote that's so prevalent even just in the still screencaps you got of this episode - i completely forgot how inherently funny even just bart's over-the-top reaction to the happy little elves or marge growling is, but even just seeing a still image of bart's "The elves, the elves!" brought it back to my mind after over a decade, and i found myself laughing just paused on the image of marge's demonic anger face. and there's so much charm to how barney really looks like a muk in human form here, things like that just feel so over-the-top in a way later episodes' visual comedy doesn't tend to be and i think i adore it! it's not as funny as the simpsons can be at its peak and i love what it became _(at its best)_ more than this, but i do find that so deeply charming and unique even if it's more of a general season 1 thing _(which it probably is, i've honestly not rewatched these episodes in a long time)_ and it just really stood out to me watching this. it actually sort of reminds me of shrek 1 compared to shrek 2, honestly, to compare it to something i'm probably way more informed on since i think i'm really pretty casual regarding the simpsons - i feel like shrek 1 has a lot more reliance on just the kinds of visual comedy or funny, strange little things it could do with the characters _(shrek's entire delivery of "BYE BYE! _*_*leaning towards Donkey and whispering*_*_ See you later.", that one still of his funny, vertically stretched questioning face he does when he turns to donkey at one point after fiona says something funny)_ whereas shrek 2 would go on to be much snappier with its sense of humor and a lot more bitingly satire-heavy and is a lot more widely acclaimed today as a result. though ultimately i think simpsons had to grow its beard a lot more from the early content, whereas i think shrek 1 still had enough heart and funny writing _(the entire muffin man sequence is probably the FUNNIEST joke to me in any shrek movie)_ that while most people would vote shrek 2 as their favorite online, i think it'd be much less of a wash than if, say, there'd been four season 1s and four season 6s and you asked fans to vote i just find it really neat anyhow, and i do really love that form of comedy in its own right! sorry this got a little long, it just got me thinking, albeit more than it probably had any need to! ,,;^ ^,,,
I personally love this episode, it's been a while since I've rewatched it, but it sticks in my mind for some reason. I always feel the same love toward it as The Crepes of wrath. The simpsons kids facing some adults that they shouldn't be around is a creepy vibe. like these are dangerous people and the kids are left alone with them. It's just an interesting concept for the simpsons to face in my opinion.
I quite agree! That’s also why I love Herman as a character. In TheRealJims’ video about him, he mentions what a tonally dissonant character he is, but like you mentioned, it’s great seeing the Simpsons play off of creepy people. In my mind, it’s like, no matter how dysfunctional they are, put any one of the Simpsons (especially the bratty kids) next to a total creepo, and you root for them!
This episode almost being the pilot is kind of ironic to me. I always thought it had a sense of finality to it like the writers were saying "You know all those characters we introduced and fleshed out? Here they are in one big ensemble piece."
I always loved the bit with Marge and Homer dancing. With all the Simpsons history retcons we’ve gotten over the years it seems alien to imagine them going out dancing to music like that in the 70s.
I liked this episode mainly for the babysitter plot. The episode released around the height of the "stranger danger" movement and tried to scared kids from talking to unfamiliar people. I know my mom did practically every week.
I really enjoy the wit and humor you bring to your critique, you find appropriate points to improve upon or dismiss entirely but it really hits home when you always find something enjoyable about the thing you have viewed for the 100th time. It showcases your love of the show and it's admirable from somebody who is just looking to have fun and not bring everything down. I always love your new content and it's videos like this that are why. It helps that your style of comedy fits very well with this timeless show too hahaha
The Larry Davis Experience, the band that plays during Homer and Marge's dancing scene, re-appear several times throughout the series, most notably backing up Kirk Van Houten for "Can I Borrow A Feeling?"
i would love to see a extra seconds on burns heir. it always seemed like an underrated episode with amazing jokes like the falklands and had great atmosphere and overall feels like a really good episode.
I've noticed that at 6:08 they used to do that upper right pose alot with marge (and maybe some other characters too?) in the first season: neck bended a little bit with the face pointing slightly down, but not in a "bed eyes" kind of way. I think it looks nice and wish they kept doing it from time to time, even if it looks a little cartoony
Yeah they were trying more different camera angles. The downward tilt is just what happens when you look to your side like that, but they don’t normally do those kinds of semi-profile angles anymore, where the camera is 3/4 coming from one of her shoulders, and her face is turned to meet the camera angle.
This episode stood out to me as a kid as well, but it was actually just because of Homer’s voice. His voice evolved a lot of the course of the first season, and it always confused me as to why in some scenes, he sounded normal, but in others he would almost sounds like an alternate version of Garfield (I now know it was a Walter Matthau impression, but that was just how I interpreted it back then). His line “Marge, I love ya baby” always stood out to me as not sounding at all like the Homer I thought I knew
Man, I had no idea just how rough that first draft animation was until watching this video. The rest of Season 1 looks like the Mona Lisa in comparison.
Personally, the production problems the episode had notwithstanding, I liked Some Enchanted Evening (specifically the demo version) for not just the bouncy animation, but also it's visuals. I felt it gave the episode and the early seasons of the Simpsons it's charm. Also the Babysitter is one of my favorite Simpsons antagonist for how intimidating she presents herself.
Great to see you give 'Some Enchanted Evening' the spotlight Jims; when people rave on about 'Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire' being the "first" 'Simpsons' episode, I always feel SEE deserves a bit more recognition. I agree that coming at the end of the first season it can feel a bit 'off' in some ways, but when viewed in islolation and of "face value", it's not a bad episode and one that in it's own way, I've always quite liked. As I've mentioned before, when the series finally hit "proper" TV here in the UK, on BBC One in 1996, early episodes shown jumped all across the first few seasons anyway ('No Disgrace Like Home' being their pick of the first shown), episodes shown in a seemingly random order, so getting a "feel" for the series and seasons was very jumpy; so I guess I was already used to gaping differences of feel and animation so somehow was already more forgiving to that sorta thing. But for the "proper pilot", I do feel it kinda does it's job. Although having a fairly basic-ish plot, It does have some decent dialogue and amusing moments, introduces the family fairly well, and I do think if shown first as intended, would be recognised for it's the strengths of what, technically, it was getting started, far more. As it is, dare I say it, I've always enjoyed it more than 'Open Fire! By the way, it's funny, where the series took it's sweet ol' time to reach terrestrial TV in the UK, I always assumed going by featuring in various early promo shots, arcade game appearanc, etc, that the Babysitter Bandit from this story would be a regular background cameo sorta character in the series... I think it was only slightly later that I actually conciously realised that is actually her one lone appearance ever.
Season one Simpsons always gets a pass from me because of how much of a fever dream it can be. The mix of the off model characters, surprisingly smooth animation, simple backgrounds and unorthodox perspectives juxtapose with the dry humour and down to earth elements in a way that fires my neurons. I love the roughness of it, how raw it was back in the day.
i have a weird resentment of this episode, because years and years ago, when Who Shot Mr Burns aired on VT4 in Belgium, i ended up missing the second part due to a family emergency. Then when part one came around again a year later, I was excited to watch part 2 the next day, but instead.... this episode turned up. As a result I had always at least assumed it was the first episode of season 1. Now I'm just baffled at the decisions that were made
Even when I was a kid this was one of my favorite episodes for whatever reason, just had more of a unique feeling or something. Definitely my favorite season 1 episode still 😃
Some Enchanted Evening is definitely weird, and rough looking at some points, but I think it's pretty memorable, in a good way. I agree that Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire makes a better first episode, I honestly can't imagine a world where this episode aired first. I'd like to see the full original version of Some Enchanted Evening, just out of morbid curiosity.
what i like about this episode airing as the last episode is that it comes after there's no disgrace like home, and so it gives some reason as to why the simpsons would be banned from the babysitter service. (although it would be rather fun to leave it up to the audiences imagination as to why they were banned in the first place).
Fun fact: over here in the UK, millions of people had their first exposure to The Simpsons on terrestrial (that is to say, free) TV in November 1996, and the show they picked as the debut on BBC2 was There’s No Disgrace Like Home, apparently to push the whole “dysfunctional family” angle. I remember Some Enchanted Evening coming on much later and thinking that it did seem much more rudimentary and basic in comparison to the other S1 episodes, but Lucile Botz was just a fun and bizarre character that it became one of my favourites!
9:37 This also applies to South Park's first 8 seasons. I honestly can't follow the airdate order knowing that certain episodes were made before/after specific others. Season 5 especially, the Scott Tennorman episode will always be the premiere to me
I'm slightly too young to have seen this first time round (born March 1996) but saw all these Season 1 episodes when TV2 (or maybe it was once they went to TV3) aired Season 1 for a brief time in the early 2000's (Maybe like one fortnight and that's it, I never saw them again til i got the DVD's), and I think they started with this one too. Do you know of the order of them here in NZ? It sounds like they maybe went with the production order if they started with this one 7G01.
This episode is so much deeper than the frivolous animation, it's a comedy upon a tragedy of the most horrific figure that would rise out of the late 19th central and their relationship to the babysitter in this episode. She shows up at least twice after this episode, she is pacing her way back and forth in her room during the Micheal Jackson episode in the mental hospital (2nd season) and then does not show up again I far as I can tell until an opening sequence where it shows her escaping the hospital during the 20th season. The voice actor has since passed and as far as we know never recorded anything that would allow this character back into the storyline. But her character is the reason this episode has been buried as much as possible.
I love Some Enchanted Evening. Particularly because of how awkward it is. It's pretty much indicative of the crust I adore about season 1. Also, it was the very first episode I ever saw on air.
It feels so ODD to me that this is in the same series as Bart the General and Krusty gets Busted, two episodes that look like they could have been in Series 2 or even 3.
I agree with almost everything in the video. Shocking, I know 😂 “Some Enchanted Evening” is very rough, but therein lies a lot of its charm. I don’t really rush to rewatch it, but when I’m feeling nostalgic or particularly sad about one of my own rough drafts in life, I go and watch this diamond in the rough. ❤
It's kind of mind-blowing how one of my favorite pieces of animation (the one that gets passed around every 3 months) from this show is from the very first episode. There are other highlights throughout the show's history of course, like Homer's heart attack, but this one really sticks out for me.
I like this episode, many because of it's simplicity, and I like Ms. Botz. Always kinda bummed be out that besides that sight gag appearance in Hurricane Neddy, and a few minor background cameos, she (Botz) never shows up again. But I guess when you have Sideshow Bob and Burns, you really don't need another reoccurring villain.
Fun fact: When The Simpsons was first launched in my home country, Finland, season 1 episodes were initially aired in the order of the production codes, so Some Enchanted Evening ended up being the pilot episode. And that definitely didn't prevent The Simpsons from becoming a huge success here anyway. I think someone mentioned in this comment section that the same thing occured in some other country as well.
Love your content as always! I know that asking for this is not the most opportune thing for the future, but please never stop using "Abstractions of Rain" as the soundtrack of these videos, they have such a comfortable and nice nostalgic vibe, I just love it.
Love this episode AND it’s the first one I’ve ever seen! I was just a kid and a lot of parents weren’t letting their kids watch it because of some bogus news or article. Including mine. My babysitter was a huge fan and she said there’s no way I’m missing this so oh well. Lol. I loved it and laughed my ass off. I even remember being scared a little too when Bart was hiding in the basement. Eventually my Uncle laughed at and knocked some sense into my parents and my little bro and I were allowed to watch. Along with alot of other kids I knew too.
Despite its few flaws (specifically Marge's expressions when she's doing makeup for example), this episode is a classic. I personally enjoy season 1 (my third favorite season only behind seasons 6 and 2), so of course I like the great plot, but other episodes just execute certain jokes better (like you said) and that's why I'd rank it in the middle of season 1 (rank wise).
I like this episode. It’s got a lot of classic moments, and it has the weirdest animation of season 1 even from being an extended version of the pilot and all. There’s also the lipstick left on the door from in the pilot, the cut the scene where it happens in this episode, but kept the little lip mark on the door, which I always thought was a heart.
Decided to refresh and start out the new year with a Season 1 review. Given how notable Some Enchanted Evening is, it is kinda weird how little I have discussed it. So hopefully this will help rectify that issue. Also, I gotta warn you in advance, there are some weird looking screenshots in this video. I know, from screenshotting, that awkward poses always show up randomly, but things kinda snowballed with the general roughness of the animation.
OK
@@scrowfunk8109 that's all you have to say? :(
I suspect your indifference to the episode is rooted in the unaired failed first version of it. The final episode is a strong one. Don’t ever watch the sausage being made.
so how did they go from the last simpsons short looking pretty okay, to what happened here? were they developed alongside season 1? was time crunch purely to blame? I forget if that john ortved book explained any of this...
It’s a shame June Foray didn’t appear in more episodes of The Simpsons, as she was quite active up until her death a few years ago.
"Smithers, what is that off brand, off colour, quirky episode?"
"Some Enchanted Evening sir, section 7G... 01"
Homer’s five-o-clock shadow reappearing a few seconds after he shaved has always been one of my all-time favorite subtle visual gags from the show.
Pa pa pa papapapapapapa
Cheers!:
ruclips.net/video/patcLKr1rN8/видео.html
@@jvictor3104 Vince Russo!? You like the Simpsons too. ?!!?, Alright Mambo king...
Same, loved it ever since I was little
I like how it fits right between "meta" cartoon humor and just portraying how something IRL actually feels like
Some Enchanted Evening always stood out to me even as a kid, not even because of the animation, but because of the plot. The idea of the Simpsons being in real danger always felt like a very season 9-12 type of conflict, whereas the early seasons were very focused on character conflict.
You make a good point about how this does let all the Simpsons show off what makes them fun.
Simpsons mysteries;
How much of Homer's furniture is borrowed from Ned Flanders?
Not everything. Only the little foldable tray as well as many tools.
At least two barbecues.
All of it
4:53 rare early look at Prof Farnsworth when he was still an elf
I really like the radio psychiatrist bit, specifically the way the receptionist addresses Marge when she calls in ("Hey, lady, save your whining for when you're on the air, okay?"). When you consider this was intended to be the first episode of the show, and this is an early scene within the episode, it sort of lays the groundwork for the type of mood the show was going for (kinda cynical, but realistic in depicting that "professionals" don't always have it together and that everything is rife with opportunities for parody and criticism)
Also, the line "Garcon! Another bottle of your second least-expensive champagne" is hilarious and very in-character with early Homer. Again, grounded in reality.
That one really smooth animation of the babysitter followed immediately by one fps Bart going to the TV
Ms. Botz was so fluid in that scene because she stole all of Bart's frames.
@@PlanetZoidstar Babysitter Frame Bandit
I’m pretty sure it was to make a point with Bart’s fear. That stiff movement really emphasizes it
I have to admit I actually quite liked the more fluid animation they first used. In the grand scope of the show it made more sense to have a more realistic animation style but it's a shame some of the fluidity wasn't able to be adapted with the more realistic animation
The scene of Lisa riding her bike in the season 1 opening credits really struck me as unique when I did my recent complete series rewatch. I really missed it when I hit season 2.
Same. Especially compared to recent eps
@@tinkerer3399 mhm, never realized they removed it already at season 2
@@tinkerer3399 Also compare the trolley scene with Marge and Maggie in the credits to the HD one. The original is really fluid and emotive, the HD one you can almost count the frames on your hand.
The animation just completely died when they went away from that style. Aside from a few extremely rare exceptions every moment since is animated painfully boring
“Marge’s blue thing with the things” I love your commentary so much
Thing's thingy thing with the thing
"Blue and blue on de ting"
not those things;
the things at the bottom
drooooooooool
I appreciate the callout to people who still treat the VHS scene as this brand new discovery and somehow blow up.
Once I watched S1 in production order I developed a whole new appreciation for it. It’s a much more organic evolutionary bridge between the Tracy short and S2. For one, the first handful of episodes tend to end their episodes with a kind of “Ta-Da!” punchline reminiscent of the shorts. It’s a great alternate experience that I highly recommend.
I did that at one point with Star Trek the original Series. This also makes a lot more sense regarding uniform style of Uhura. Production Order > Broadcast order.
Why are we seeing the soles of Homer's feet in this shot on the left? He must have had a visit with Doctor Nick.
Poor guy will never walk the same again
@@mrmentalbean HI Dr. Nick!
The most rewarding thing about being a long time viewer of therealjims is knowing EXACTLY when he's being sarcastically enthusiastic, i.e. "Hey! It's that scene that gets shared around Twitter every 3 months!"
Don't think you need to be a long time viewer to understand that that's literally the joke...
4:38 I see a lot of people complain about Bart's animation being too stiff, more so than usual, compared to the animation of Lucille.
I think Bart's stiff animation in that one scene was completely intentional. I think Bart was just so utterly shocked about what the babysitter had said, that he reacted that way out of fear. Running over to shove the tape in while still looking over in the direction of Lucille.
It’s so funny if you watch the Simpson in production order it kind is chronological with the kids at school, then they go camping, Christmas happens and then we have out big finale with sideshow Bob.
I love this episode because it's half creepy liminal animation and half slasher movie.
The crude animation was part of the charm of the show. I remember reviews. It's why all adult cartoons have that style for the last 30 years.
I wish they'd make the entire initial version public (you can tell there's more to it as there are scenes with gradient BG's in the final ep that weren't featured in what we were given). I get the disappointment of the producers as that's not what they paid money for... but that take is still bizarrely fascinating. Plus we get to hear Chris Latta (a.k.a Cobra Commander) in it so that's a plus.
Are their places you can find scenes from it?
Star scream also.
I'm pretty sure that's all that there is IMO, the other bits missing are in the finished episode untouched, that's why the episode goes from looking fine one minute to looking rough the next.
I can no longer unsee the weird shiny plain backgrounds. You can see them in scenes that weren’t reanimated for the final version. I wonder how the artists did that effect because I love it.
Just looks like a fairly standard gradient, which you’d do the old fashioned way with a wide, often rubber brush. Of course nowadays you can generate digital gradients very easily, and could probably match the effect pretty closely with a pastel yellow gradient to white at a 45° angle for instance
The Mrs. Botz reveal was one of the most terrifying moments ever in the series. Maybe it's just because of the rougher animation and artstyle, but a lot of scary/disturbing moments in season 1&2 feel much more impactful than later on in the series
I think it was legitimately serious situation without much goofing around which made it pretty scary indeed
Felt more candid and less, well, scripted. Matt Groening has always excelled at that verisimilitude imo.
It also makes me think why PS1 graphics (Think Resident Evil 1) capture a sense of threat and scare that modern graphics lack. Those sharp edges, the lack of definition, the jerky, robotic movements, gives you some major uncanny valley.
i LOVE the rougher animation style. Especially compared to todays sterile and lifeless flash-animation style Simpsons. The early seasons also had amazing works done by Eric Stefani in many episodes.
@@KRAFTWERK2K6 Same here, the art style may be less polished but the animation is MUCH more fluid and shows WAY more personality. It also adds a layer of grit and the newer seasons lack. Same is true for Family Guy, go back and watch Seasons 1-4 and notice how they used to actually TRY with the animation. Hand-drawn animation just allows for so much more depth and heart.
I’m really glad that they chose the Christmas episode as the first episode to air. I was 12 years old when it first came on and it has been a permanent part of my Christmas season every year since.
I had to Google what Cal Art Style meant.. but after doing so it's a very solid joke. You're so SMRT
i will say i absolutely love the visual humor with the character designs and how they emote that's so prevalent even just in the still screencaps you got of this episode - i completely forgot how inherently funny even just bart's over-the-top reaction to the happy little elves or marge growling is, but even just seeing a still image of bart's "The elves, the elves!" brought it back to my mind after over a decade, and i found myself laughing just paused on the image of marge's demonic anger face. and there's so much charm to how barney really looks like a muk in human form here, things like that just feel so over-the-top in a way later episodes' visual comedy doesn't tend to be and i think i adore it!
it's not as funny as the simpsons can be at its peak and i love what it became _(at its best)_ more than this, but i do find that so deeply charming and unique even if it's more of a general season 1 thing _(which it probably is, i've honestly not rewatched these episodes in a long time)_ and it just really stood out to me watching this.
it actually sort of reminds me of shrek 1 compared to shrek 2, honestly, to compare it to something i'm probably way more informed on since i think i'm really pretty casual regarding the simpsons - i feel like shrek 1 has a lot more reliance on just the kinds of visual comedy or funny, strange little things it could do with the characters _(shrek's entire delivery of "BYE BYE! _*_*leaning towards Donkey and whispering*_*_ See you later.", that one still of his funny, vertically stretched questioning face he does when he turns to donkey at one point after fiona says something funny)_ whereas shrek 2 would go on to be much snappier with its sense of humor and a lot more bitingly satire-heavy and is a lot more widely acclaimed today as a result.
though ultimately i think simpsons had to grow its beard a lot more from the early content, whereas i think shrek 1 still had enough heart and funny writing _(the entire muffin man sequence is probably the FUNNIEST joke to me in any shrek movie)_ that while most people would vote shrek 2 as their favorite online, i think it'd be much less of a wash than if, say, there'd been four season 1s and four season 6s and you asked fans to vote
i just find it really neat anyhow, and i do really love that form of comedy in its own right! sorry this got a little long, it just got me thinking, albeit more than it probably had any need to! ,,;^ ^,,,
I personally love this episode, it's been a while since I've rewatched it, but it sticks in my mind for some reason. I always feel the same love toward it as The Crepes of wrath. The simpsons kids facing some adults that they shouldn't be around is a creepy vibe. like these are dangerous people and the kids are left alone with them. It's just an interesting concept for the simpsons to face in my opinion.
I quite agree! That’s also why I love Herman as a character. In TheRealJims’ video about him, he mentions what a tonally dissonant character he is, but like you mentioned, it’s great seeing the Simpsons play off of creepy people. In my mind, it’s like, no matter how dysfunctional they are, put any one of the Simpsons (especially the bratty kids) next to a total creepo, and you root for them!
@@ChestersonJack exactly! That's a great take
@@changotv5847 Thanks!
The Crepes of Wrath is probably the best season one episode by a mile.
@@celeryjelly1231 its so great
This episode almost being the pilot is kind of ironic to me. I always thought it had a sense of finality to it like the writers were saying "You know all those characters we introduced and fleshed out? Here they are in one big ensemble piece."
I like the original opening scene of Marge talking to Maggie, I wish they had kept that dialogue.
I always loved the bit with Marge and Homer dancing. With all the Simpsons history retcons we’ve gotten over the years it seems alien to imagine them going out dancing to music like that in the 70s.
I liked this episode mainly for the babysitter plot. The episode released around the height of the "stranger danger" movement and tried to scared kids from talking to unfamiliar people.
I know my mom did practically every week.
I really enjoy the wit and humor you bring to your critique, you find appropriate points to improve upon or dismiss entirely but it really hits home when you always find something enjoyable about the thing you have viewed for the 100th time. It showcases your love of the show and it's admirable from somebody who is just looking to have fun and not bring everything down. I always love your new content and it's videos like this that are why. It helps that your style of comedy fits very well with this timeless show too hahaha
Couldn't agree more
The fluid animation of the babysitter bandit blew my mind when I first saw it as a 10 year old. Wonderful and terrifying at the same time.
Maybe it's just me but I've always liked this episode. Sure the animation has some issues but the story is there. It feels real to me
One my favorite episode of the early season of The Simpsons.
Hands down, the greatest Simpson channel on the tube
The Larry Davis Experience, the band that plays during Homer and Marge's dancing scene, re-appear several times throughout the series, most notably backing up Kirk Van Houten for "Can I Borrow A Feeling?"
i would love to see a extra seconds on burns heir. it always seemed like an underrated episode with amazing jokes like the falklands and had great atmosphere and overall feels like a really good episode.
Like many others here, this ep really stood out to me as a kid! Had to click on this video as soon as I saw the topic, thanks for another great one :)
I've noticed that at 6:08 they used to do that upper right pose alot with marge (and maybe some other characters too?) in the first season: neck bended a little bit with the face pointing slightly down, but not in a "bed eyes" kind of way. I think it looks nice and wish they kept doing it from time to time, even if it looks a little cartoony
Yeah they were trying more different camera angles. The downward tilt is just what happens when you look to your side like that, but they don’t normally do those kinds of semi-profile angles anymore, where the camera is 3/4 coming from one of her shoulders, and her face is turned to meet the camera angle.
This episode stood out to me as a kid as well, but it was actually just because of Homer’s voice. His voice evolved a lot of the course of the first season, and it always confused me as to why in some scenes, he sounded normal, but in others he would almost sounds like an alternate version of Garfield (I now know it was a Walter Matthau impression, but that was just how I interpreted it back then). His line “Marge, I love ya baby” always stood out to me as not sounding at all like the Homer I thought I knew
Man, I had no idea just how rough that first draft animation was until watching this video.
The rest of Season 1 looks like the Mona Lisa in comparison.
Honestly one of only a handful of channels where i'll watch every single video posted because they are all just bangers.
Personally, the production problems the episode had notwithstanding, I liked Some Enchanted Evening (specifically the demo version) for not just the bouncy animation, but also it's visuals. I felt it gave the episode and the early seasons of the Simpsons it's charm. Also the Babysitter is one of my favorite Simpsons antagonist for how intimidating she presents herself.
Thank you for posting on my birthday
Great to see you give 'Some Enchanted Evening' the spotlight Jims; when people rave on about 'Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire' being the "first" 'Simpsons' episode, I always feel SEE deserves a bit more recognition. I agree that coming at the end of the first season it can feel a bit 'off' in some ways, but when viewed in islolation and of "face value", it's not a bad episode and one that in it's own way, I've always quite liked.
As I've mentioned before, when the series finally hit "proper" TV here in the UK, on BBC One in 1996, early episodes shown jumped all across the first few seasons anyway ('No Disgrace Like Home' being their pick of the first shown), episodes shown in a seemingly random order, so getting a "feel" for the series and seasons was very jumpy; so I guess I was already used to gaping differences of feel and animation so somehow was already more forgiving to that sorta thing. But for the "proper pilot", I do feel it kinda does it's job. Although having a fairly basic-ish plot, It does have some decent dialogue and amusing moments, introduces the family fairly well, and I do think if shown first as intended, would be recognised for it's the strengths of what, technically, it was getting started, far more. As it is, dare I say it, I've always enjoyed it more than 'Open Fire!
By the way, it's funny, where the series took it's sweet ol' time to reach terrestrial TV in the UK, I always assumed going by featuring in various early promo shots, arcade game appearanc, etc, that the Babysitter Bandit from this story would be a regular background cameo sorta character in the series... I think it was only slightly later that I actually conciously realised that is actually her one lone appearance ever.
That animation piece keeps showing up in my recommended and I have to watch it every time
Season one Simpsons always gets a pass from me because of how much of a fever dream it can be. The mix of the off model characters, surprisingly smooth animation, simple backgrounds and unorthodox perspectives juxtapose with the dry humour and down to earth elements in a way that fires my neurons. I love the roughness of it, how raw it was back in the day.
i have a weird resentment of this episode, because years and years ago, when Who Shot Mr Burns aired on VT4 in Belgium, i ended up missing the second part due to a family emergency. Then when part one came around again a year later, I was excited to watch part 2 the next day, but instead.... this episode turned up. As a result I had always at least assumed it was the first episode of season 1. Now I'm just baffled at the decisions that were made
I actually really like the crude animation in season 1. It has a kind of character that modern computer animation commonly lacks.
Man, this channel is good!
I remember watching that broadcast with my son, it was quite the scandal the nation hadn’t seen since Watergate
I enjoy the more down to earth episodes now and then. This one especially holds quite a bit of nostalgia for me.
Even when I was a kid this was one of my favorite episodes for whatever reason, just had more of a unique feeling or something. Definitely my favorite season 1 episode still 😃
Get such a buzz whenever I see you release a new video man, for these classic ep reviews/showdowns I'll always go back and watch the ep(s) first
Best joke is definitely that the band at the restaurant is playing the same wierd tune that homer was humming while getting ready at home
I actually loved this episode!
Why is the most cursed thing I find about the unaired pilot is the fact they call Arnie Pye, "Bill Pye".
Some Enchanted Evening is definitely weird, and rough looking at some points, but I think it's pretty memorable, in a good way. I agree that Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire makes a better first episode, I honestly can't imagine a world where this episode aired first. I'd like to see the full original version of Some Enchanted Evening, just out of morbid curiosity.
Great video man! Hope you have an excellent 2022!!
i LOVE this episode!! It's one of the very few season one episodes that i don't mind watching when i do a "season 1 to season 10" marathon.
I appreciate the frustration that bleeds through your voice in the 'smooth animation' comment.
My opinion is simmilar.
what i like about this episode airing as the last episode is that it comes after there's no disgrace like home, and so it gives some reason as to why the simpsons would be banned from the babysitter service. (although it would be rather fun to leave it up to the audiences imagination as to why they were banned in the first place).
1:54 that guy in the crowd scene loves Homer's Odyssey
01:01 At least they drew their nails, you don’t see that on the Simpsons…ever.
I legit never noticed Santa’s little helper missing in the episode as a result…
The older Simpsons style was soooo pleasing to watch. I miss it.
Really love these Extra Seconds videos. You do a great job going into the episodes and it’s always entertaining. Keep up the great work Jim.
I got this when I searched up for "sounding tutorial urethra" I'm not complaining, it's a good video
Fun fact: over here in the UK, millions of people had their first exposure to The Simpsons on terrestrial (that is to say, free) TV in November 1996, and the show they picked as the debut on BBC2 was There’s No Disgrace Like Home, apparently to push the whole “dysfunctional family” angle.
I remember Some Enchanted Evening coming on much later and thinking that it did seem much more rudimentary and basic in comparison to the other S1 episodes, but Lucile Botz was just a fun and bizarre character that it became one of my favourites!
9:37 This also applies to South Park's first 8 seasons. I honestly can't follow the airdate order knowing that certain episodes were made before/after specific others. Season 5 especially, the Scott Tennorman episode will always be the premiere to me
You can also apply that to say Star Trek TOS first season
This was the first episode aired in my country, New Zealand. It's so strange to think that it was otherwise for most of the world.
I'm slightly too young to have seen this first time round (born March 1996) but saw all these Season 1 episodes when TV2 (or maybe it was once they went to TV3) aired Season 1 for a brief time in the early 2000's (Maybe like one fortnight and that's it, I never saw them again til i got the DVD's), and I think they started with this one too.
Do you know of the order of them here in NZ? It sounds like they maybe went with the production order if they started with this one 7G01.
It's definitely fun to watch the three Simpson kids do something together. Doesn't happen often since Maggie is a toddler, but I loved it
It’s the evening here in Britain right now so thanks for enchanting it mr Jim
I’ve seen this episode when it was 1st released and to this day seeing a image of Lucille Botzcowski still gives me the creeps to this day lol
4:36
I was waiting for you to mention this bit.
This episode is so much deeper than the frivolous animation, it's a comedy upon a tragedy of the most horrific figure that would rise out of the late 19th central and their relationship to the babysitter in this episode. She shows up at least twice after this episode, she is pacing her way back and forth in her room during the Micheal Jackson episode in the mental hospital (2nd season) and then does not show up again I far as I can tell until an opening sequence where it shows her escaping the hospital during the 20th season. The voice actor has since passed and as far as we know never recorded anything that would allow this character back into the storyline.
But her character is the reason this episode has been buried as much as possible.
I love Some Enchanted Evening. Particularly because of how awkward it is. It's pretty much indicative of the crust I adore about season 1. Also, it was the very first episode I ever saw on air.
Yes, he mentioned the animation.
The serotonin has been permitted.
It feels so ODD to me that this is in the same series as Bart the General and Krusty gets Busted, two episodes that look like they could have been in Series 2 or even 3.
I agree with almost everything in the video. Shocking, I know 😂 “Some Enchanted Evening” is very rough, but therein lies a lot of its charm. I don’t really rush to rewatch it, but when I’m feeling nostalgic or particularly sad about one of my own rough drafts in life, I go and watch this diamond in the rough. ❤
Last time i was this early homer still wanted frosty chocolate milkshakes.
It's kind of mind-blowing how one of my favorite pieces of animation (the one that gets passed around every 3 months) from this show is from the very first episode. There are other highlights throughout the show's history of course, like Homer's heart attack, but this one really sticks out for me.
Its the first episode I remember watching, and i've always loved it, remember watching it alot with the first full season DVD, nostalgia man ;)
04:53 Professor Farnsworth? Also, Marge is apparently Pingu in the original animation.
I like this episode, many because of it's simplicity, and I like Ms. Botz.
Always kinda bummed be out that besides that sight gag appearance in Hurricane Neddy, and a few minor background cameos, she (Botz) never shows up again.
But I guess when you have Sideshow Bob and Burns, you really don't need another reoccurring villain.
You are absolutely right! I’m glad that the Christmas episode came first too! I will always like this episode but it would’ve been weird as a pilot!
Fun fact: When The Simpsons was first launched in my home country, Finland, season 1 episodes were initially aired in the order of the production codes, so Some Enchanted Evening ended up being the pilot episode. And that definitely didn't prevent The Simpsons from becoming a huge success here anyway. I think someone mentioned in this comment section that the same thing occured in some other country as well.
Love your content as always! I know that asking for this is not the most opportune thing for the future, but please never stop using "Abstractions of Rain" as the soundtrack of these videos, they have such a comfortable and nice nostalgic vibe, I just love it.
This episode used to give me bad dreams when I was a kid.
Love this episode AND it’s the first one I’ve ever seen! I was just a kid and a lot of parents weren’t letting their kids watch it because of some bogus news or article. Including mine. My babysitter was a huge fan and she said there’s no way I’m missing this so oh well. Lol. I loved it and laughed my ass off. I even remember being scared a little too when Bart was hiding in the basement. Eventually my Uncle laughed at and knocked some sense into my parents and my little bro and I were allowed to watch. Along with alot of other kids I knew too.
The artistic inconsistencies and odd animation movement is somehow charming. I still miss it
Great review Jim! What an amazing backstory for such a meh episode.
June Foray guest starring in this episode talk about getting off to a strong start with a voice-acting legend and its cool that she is Homer's hero.
Marge with elongated lips reminds me of Birdo from the Mario games
Despite its few flaws (specifically Marge's expressions when she's doing makeup for example), this episode is a classic. I personally enjoy season 1 (my third favorite season only behind seasons 6 and 2), so of course I like the great plot, but other episodes just execute certain jokes better (like you said) and that's why I'd rank it in the middle of season 1 (rank wise).
I like this episode. It’s got a lot of classic moments, and it has the weirdest animation of season 1 even from being an extended version of the pilot and all. There’s also the lipstick left on the door from in the pilot, the cut the scene where it happens in this episode, but kept the little lip mark on the door, which I always thought was a heart.
Christopher Collins the voice behind Starscream voiced Moe in these early episodes
This has always been one of my all time favourite episodes, despite the animation issues.
Dang, so The Simpsons was supposed to premier the same month I made my first appearance, way back in 1989.
I’ll always remember this episode as that one episode with one scene that has really smooth animation, even if the rest of it looks like crap.
Now I'm going to have "Ba ba!" stuck in my head for the next few days.