This one was on my mind recently because of recent vids this year (Shelbyville, Uter, Chalmers) and then the writer's strike stuff. When re-watching it, I was enjoying it so much but also wondering, "Why isn't this as popular as Last Exit to Springfield" (their other strike episode)? So the review kinda shifted around me wondering about that
actually the part that actually kills me is where the lock skinner and krabapell in skinners office, and they literally do nothing but shouting and knocking at the close door for hours (they show the time in a convenient clock) and it was show by bart and milhouse (and for some reason marge) POV since it was nothig but noice, there even a part that they stop doing that like they finally gona put shit together only to keep doing that for the next hour.
Probably one of the most underrated bits of voice acting on a character who isn’t one of the Simpsons or even one of the Springfield regulars. Just the delivery on “Missus Pommelhorst” makes me laugh.
Completely agree. 'It's highly irregular, but alright' is my favourite part of that bit. It's one of those lines my friends and I stick into as many conversational situations as possible. We're insufferable.
A key difference between this and "Last Exit to Springfield" is that Skinner and Mr. Burns are VERY different characters. I don't just mean that they're very different as people, but they fulfill very different roles in such a workers' strike story. Burns is the supreme autocrat of the nuclear powerplant - they COULD give back the dental plan anytime they wished, so Homer needs to use the union to force them to do so. But Skinner is simply a school administrator - if the school is underfunded, nothing Skinner does can change that. And even if you passed the buck up to Superintendent Chalmers, they couldn't change the situation, either. As pointed out at the PTA meeting, the only solution is to raise taxes, and the only people who can decide to make such a tax increase are the townspeople as a whole. As such, you don't get the sort of personal conflict, where Homer and Burns represent each side of the labor dispute - Krabappel represents the workers' side, but while Skinner serves as the enforcer of management's side, there is no leader to face off against. Lacking such a personal conflict, I think it makes sense to just focus on how the situation impacts various characters, and give it a totally abrupt and bizarre resolution at the end.
That's a great take. With Skinner's lack of agency (relatively), it makes any kind of battle with Krabappel a little less compelling to watch. Everyone's hands are kinda tied
I actually like how this episode treats Bart as this chaos being that, without the school there to contain him, will destroy society itself. Bart learns of his ability to manipulate people and immediately spreads chaos all over the town.
It may sound dumb, but "purple monkey dishwasher" is one of the most iconic simpsons bits to me. Like when I think of simpsons lines, purple monkey dishwasher is always somewhere in my brain. That's a paddlin' is super iconic too. This episode definitely has some memorable bits.
That joke was iconic enough to spoil pretty much any game of "Chinese whispers" (what we called "the telephone game" back in the day) since every kid knew this joke and tried to put their own spin on it whenever we played at school.
Üter's "death scene" is from Von Ryan's Express. A film from 1964, about allied POWs escaping on a train to Switzerland when Italy surrenders. The scene is when Von Ryan, played by Frank Sinatra, is running after the train and is shot and collapses. Good movie, highly recommend.
The Laws of Thermodynamics joke, as well as Lisa's exclamation about her perspiacity and Homer's response are 2 of my favorites from the whole series, not to mention the cannon joke
I think you hit the nail on the head in your Top 10 Season 6 Episodes video: "Some of these (runner-up) episodes would have made my Season 5 list. They just live in a very competitive neighborhood."
I have a vague memory as a child watching this episode and seeing the cannon joke for the first time. It was practically my first introduction to "screw the audience" jokes . i think my brain expanded upon seeing that joke for the first time
Also, if you missed it, 60 Second Simpsons has returned! But it is in RUclips Shorts form! I am taking the format back! ruclips.net/user/shortsm-FHGZLtohk
The guy jumping out and then back IN the window is so disorientating. Not because of the joke, but because on second viewings I noticed it's NEW ANIMATION. I always thought they just ran the cartoon in reverse for that joke.
You will always be the best Simpsontuber to me. Tho you seem to have inspired some others to show up and actually talk about the show past the ever-changing "Golden Era".
I think that aimless structureless feeling of the episode is really important, it helps emphasize the feeling created when kids don't need to go to school anymore, when an institution that creates a schedule that creates structure in your life to disappears. How every individual family and kid deals with the time that suddenly needs to be filled and the structure that is just gone. You could continue to show it from the teacher's perspective, but thats less relatable than the experience of the kids and families, we already have Last Exit to Springfield, for the perspective of a worker's strike and conflict. How it affects everyone else, is a more unique perspective to tell a story from, but its also the one more people have experienced. This episode is joke after joke after joke, and it never stops. Its one of the all time greats, and absolutely deserves to be on any top 10 simpson's episode lists, especially if you've lived through a teachers strike as either a kid or an adult. It almost feels like every single character kills every single line. "I'm losing my perspicacity!" is an all time great, but shout out to Homer's follow up of "its always in the last place you look" which takes that joke from a 9/10 to like a 15 "Theres very little meat in these gym bags"
2:23 the Fort Springfield set piece must be a reference to Fort Courage from the 60s American sitcom F Troop. A running gag in that show is the cannon shooting down the guard house.
Just wanted to comment thanking you for sharing your love of The Simpsons. Your Top 10's and Season Retrospectives are some of my favorite things to listen while eating breakfast before work. Just positive vibes on my favorite show.
The cannon is definitely *my* favourite screw the audience joke, they’re not always my thing, but even knowing through and through what the joke is it still fills me with glee.
Just looking through the comments sections, this might be one the most quotable episodes in the entire series. "HEY, THEY'RE TRYING TO LEARN FOR FREE!"
One of my favorite lines in series history is “In this house, we obey the laws of thermodynamics!” It’s such an un-Homer thing to say that it kills me every time. I’ll have to click on the fingers thing to like the video!
Hey I saw ur tweet and wanted to know that we all appreciate you a lot man. The content is great, but there is more important stuff also. But yeah man we love ya
Great video, loved all the points you made. This episode is a classic while also being obscure. Its all about the comedy, not the story. You wouldn't want it every week, but the odd episode like this is really funny and i think great for the balance of the show.
This is one of those episodes that would make a great two parter imo. Then, they would really have time to do all those gags plus more character arcs and storytelling.
I like how in the middle-Classic years they were letting Homer sit out some episodes, beyond making a few oblivious observations (Bart's Girlfriend or Marge Be Not Proud also comes to mind for this phenomenon). It just makes for a more balanced show if he isn't always driving everything, in my opinion.
The cannon scene is probably my favorite screw-the-audience joke, too. It's either that or the UFO book, with lemon-shaped rock in third place. "The finger thing means the taxes," along with the bear patrol tax, is some of the best political humor in The Simpsons, encapsulating the tension between citizens wanting things from their government and not wanting to pay for them. Idea for an episode: Top Ten Simpsons Songs. Strictly songs from episodes (sorry, Bartman), but can include parodies as well as original ones. My list would definitely include "Monorail," "We Do," and "Mediocre Presidents."
This episode really has magic. I was giggling almost on each joke mentioned in this video. Especially the perpetual motion machine. Somehow that is just the joke that usually gives one of the biggest laughs on my case.
Thank you for the return to extra seconds! I saw ur tweet and I want to say that I think ur content and format is super engaging and could apply to anything u want to talk abt! I’d watch vids from you abt other topics too, don’t feel like ur trapped in a box and can only make Simpsons content - I think ur fans would wholeheartedly enjoy any content you put out ❤
I agree that it's underrated but understandably so. This one is a special mix of grouded subject with zany comedy. It's a bonafide laugh fest but the subject matter isn't high concept enough to help it jump off the page as one scrolls through a classic episodes list. I love your point about the family being focused on even while the story isn't actively "about" them. It's refreshingly true to life, as we're so often not the driving force behind our own situations.
i always felt like Marge teaching Barts class could have been its own episode or a strong B plot. as i havent seen most episodes post movie for all i know theyve done it
I think this episode has one of the most underrated jokes in the entire series. "There's very little meat in these gym mats." She didn't say there's no meat in the gym mats, she said that there's only a little meat in the mats. My mind just goes wild wondering what it means to have only a little meat in the gym mats.
I always thought it was the third act that kinda held it back. Once Marge becomes Bart's teacher, it really struggles from there. The first 15 minutes are pure gold and there are some funny bits near the end (the Canada bit is always good for a laugh) but it does struggle by comparison.
This has always been one of my all-time favorites. I see what you're saying, but I also find the plot good satire too. The point about underfunded schools really resonates with me and I'm glad they pointed out how harmful that can be.
I think the lack of a tight plot is the reason the PTA Disbands kinda slips under the cracks. It's less the episode and more the individual jokes that everyone remembers. So much so I bet a lot of people forget which episode some of these jokes come from. I do wonder if they could have actually made a proper two parter out of this if they wanted something more cohesive within the indespensible gags.
I feel like this episodes premise had a lot more potential than it was given. I see a scenario where Bart and Lisa's reaction to the teacher strike is the same, but Lisa's attempts to continue her education, lead her to discover that there are ways to learn outside of school and the letter system. So for the episodes climax, she uses something she learned during the strike to save Bart from doom caused by his own reckless no rules lifestyle
Though the plot itself may not be the most fleshed out, for me the momentum from one joke vignette to the next is what carries the day. It just doesn't relent, playing every angle with each step of this process all the way to that prison end. The absurdity really gets to shine, and it feels like absolutely everything is where it needs to be (I never noticed just how little time is left when Marge subs until it was mentioned here). The "pop goes the weasel" bit is the only thing I'd think to cut, and syndication did that for me. "The PTA Disbands" might just be my comedic peak for "Springfield as an unruly mob" stories.
Yeah, the fact that this one came in at number 13 in season 6 says more about season 6 than it does about the episode or about your judgement. I think it's the best season in this history of the show.
Look at the competition. It’s another season where the worst you could say about it is that there was a clip show in it. But oh, what clips they were! They get a lot of hate now because of repetitive content, but before the advent of DVD, they were an easy way to catch up with key moments from the episodes you missed if you didn’t watch the show from the get-go.
Please do a Simpsons Histories on Buisnesses in Springfield! Would love to see one on Moes Tavern for example, including how the layout of the physical building has changed over the show and also how important of a role Moes Tavern plays in terms of the plot and character devolpment! The Androids Dungeon would be another good one 😉
love this ep, one of my all time funniest simpsons moments is when it casually cuts to krabappel and skinner talking right before uter stands getting beaten
This episode is something that could only be created in the simpsons style of writers room. Even though the basic plot was written by a few, unlike most other shows, the jokes were written by the whole writing team. Everyone would try to come up with the best gags and the others would punch up the joke, that’s how you get so many layered comedic scenes.
Jasper was my favourite as a kid. Also, the girl at 0:34, could you do a Simpsons Mysteries on her? She is so distinctly detailed yet she has never been made a character.
I've never really sat down and thought about a structured 'top 5' list of my favorite Simpsons episodes ever, but if I was just quickly racking my brain on the spot because someone asked me out of curiosity, I think this episode would be in there. Because there's very little continuity in The Simpsons I ultimately watch it for the gags, and as you pointed out this episode is just so full of all-timers that I can't not rate it super highly. This may even be my second favorite episode after 'Bart on the Road'.
Jims, I love your videos so much, they've been keeping me company pretty much every lunchtime for the past few months. PTA Disbands is probably one of my all-time fave eps of The Simpsons, and I think it's purely for its gags. Sooo many classics. The re-enactment guys beating the shit out of Uter cracks me up every time, and hearing you say it in this video even had me laughing out loud XD Thank you for being an endless source of entertaining Simpsons accompaniment. (P.S - I love the way you say koo koo bananas)
I appreciate that you do Extra Seconds videos on episodes that you had on your candidate lists for the season top 10 videos but which did not make the actual top 10s. Not just because you didn't have the opportunity to talk more about them in those videos, but also because I find it most interesting when you talk about stuff that you like but still consider flawed or imperfect. I wish that you'll eventually do a review of every episode that you had as a leftover candidate on those lists, or at least all the ones from the golden era seasons.
I honestly never realized how much of my favorite Simpsons moments were crammed into one episode, and that it would be THIS episode to boot! gonna have to move this one up in my own personal rankings! otherwise, that's a paddlin'!
This one was on my mind recently because of recent vids this year (Shelbyville, Uter, Chalmers) and then the writer's strike stuff. When re-watching it, I was enjoying it so much but also wondering, "Why isn't this as popular as Last Exit to Springfield" (their other strike episode)? So the review kinda shifted around me wondering about that
Extra seconds - whacking day. Please!
Do Jaques you know that he was one of those guys who are dangerously entitled to Marge?
It's absolutely a spiritual "strike episode" successor, and I do believe it should come up in the conversation more.
Extra seconds - "Homer the Great" an all time classic
@@poopsweats5043 I believe he already has an extra seconds of that or maybe a 60 second review
It took the children 45 minutes to locate Canada on the map. Oh, Marge. Anyone can miss Canada, all tucked away down there.
Honestly I do sometimes have to remind myself that Canada is in North America 😂
"Hello, mother, dear" and "In this house we obey the laws of THERMODYNAMICS!!!" are the most iconic moments of the whole show, IMHO.
"i've had just about enough of your vassar bashing young lady" is my go to line for the episode for some weird reason.
Personally I find it hilarious that üter got what he deserved.
I agree.
Not liking the video, you better believe that’s a paddling
Not subscribing, you better believe that's a paddling
Not making this joke that's a paddling
Not leaving a comment to boost this video in the algorithm. You better believe that’s a paddling.
Lol
Leaving a dislike. That's also a paddling.
You left out one of the best jokes!
“Helooooooo? MRS. POMMELHOOOORRRST! …. I’d like to get down now!”
Kills me every time.
My sister and I _adore_ this one. One of us can randomly shout it out and the other will finish it without missing a beat.
best voice acting bit in the simpsons
actually the part that actually kills me is where the lock skinner and krabapell in skinners office, and they literally do nothing but shouting and knocking at the close door for hours (they show the time in a convenient clock) and it was show by bart and milhouse (and for some reason marge) POV since it was nothig but noice, there even a part that they stop doing that like they finally gona put shit together only to keep doing that for the next hour.
Probably one of the most underrated bits of voice acting on a character who isn’t one of the Simpsons or even one of the Springfield regulars. Just the delivery on “Missus Pommelhorst” makes me laugh.
@@DasNordlicht91 ...and the despairing "I'd like to get down now."
I swear to god, “the finger thing means the taxes” was engraved in my brain when I first heard it, I can’t believe how funny such a simple line is.
I know right it’s that realization🤌🏾
That, or "It'll cost you."
@@SeoulMan “come ooooooon”
@@SpiralSine6 🤌🤌🤌🤌🤌
One of my all-time favorite jokes in the show.
People remember every single gag from this episode, but they never remember which episode they're from
An underrated joke from this episode has to be Skinner saying in a flattered tone of voice
"Me? Go to my office?"
Completely agree. 'It's highly irregular, but alright' is my favourite part of that bit. It's one of those lines my friends and I stick into as many conversational situations as possible. We're insufferable.
A key difference between this and "Last Exit to Springfield" is that Skinner and Mr. Burns are VERY different characters. I don't just mean that they're very different as people, but they fulfill very different roles in such a workers' strike story.
Burns is the supreme autocrat of the nuclear powerplant - they COULD give back the dental plan anytime they wished, so Homer needs to use the union to force them to do so. But Skinner is simply a school administrator - if the school is underfunded, nothing Skinner does can change that. And even if you passed the buck up to Superintendent Chalmers, they couldn't change the situation, either. As pointed out at the PTA meeting, the only solution is to raise taxes, and the only people who can decide to make such a tax increase are the townspeople as a whole.
As such, you don't get the sort of personal conflict, where Homer and Burns represent each side of the labor dispute - Krabappel represents the workers' side, but while Skinner serves as the enforcer of management's side, there is no leader to face off against. Lacking such a personal conflict, I think it makes sense to just focus on how the situation impacts various characters, and give it a totally abrupt and bizarre resolution at the end.
That's a great take. With Skinner's lack of agency (relatively), it makes any kind of battle with Krabappel a little less compelling to watch. Everyone's hands are kinda tied
I actually like how this episode treats Bart as this chaos being that, without the school there to contain him, will destroy society itself. Bart learns of his ability to manipulate people and immediately spreads chaos all over the town.
Now I want them to do a What If miniseries and have "What If The Teacher's Strike Didn't Get Resolved" be an episode.
the perpetual motion machine gag may actually be one of my favourites from the entire series
That perpetual motion machine was indeed a joke, well observed Homer
It may sound dumb, but "purple monkey dishwasher" is one of the most iconic simpsons bits to me. Like when I think of simpsons lines, purple monkey dishwasher is always somewhere in my brain. That's a paddlin' is super iconic too. This episode definitely has some memorable bits.
That joke was iconic enough to spoil pretty much any game of "Chinese whispers" (what we called "the telephone game" back in the day) since every kid knew this joke and tried to put their own spin on it whenever we played at school.
@@SineN0mine3here in new zealand we also called it by the more hilarious slash and or racist name chinese whispers.
"In this house, we obey the laws of thermodynamics" is one of my favourite Simpsons lines of all time
easily my favourite Homer line
Üter's "death scene" is from Von Ryan's Express. A film from 1964, about allied POWs escaping on a train to Switzerland when Italy surrenders. The scene is when Von Ryan, played by Frank Sinatra, is running after the train and is shot and collapses. Good movie, highly recommend.
The delivery of, "I'd like to get down now," always got me, don't know why.
The Laws of Thermodynamics joke, as well as Lisa's exclamation about her perspiacity and Homer's response are 2 of my favorites from the whole series, not to mention the cannon joke
I think you hit the nail on the head in your Top 10 Season 6 Episodes video:
"Some of these (runner-up) episodes would have made my Season 5 list. They just live in a very competitive neighborhood."
"The finger thing means the taxes" quote lives in my head around tax season
Come on.........
My favorite Simpsons tax joke is "I did my taxes over a year ago." I say it whenever someone talks about doing their taxes around April.
It pays for kids who just don't feel like learnin', God bless 'em
“If you don’t like this episode. That’s a paddlin’.”
This episode I would say is actually really underrated! I enjoy it :)
Love the videos Jim :)
I have a vague memory as a child watching this episode and seeing the cannon joke for the first time. It was practically my first introduction to "screw the audience" jokes . i think my brain expanded upon seeing that joke for the first time
Also, if you missed it, 60 Second Simpsons has returned! But it is in RUclips Shorts form! I am taking the format back!
ruclips.net/user/shortsm-FHGZLtohk
Oh I didn't know that. Thanks TheRealJims purple monkey dishwasher
The guy jumping out and then back IN the window is so disorientating. Not because of the joke, but because on second viewings I noticed it's NEW ANIMATION. I always thought they just ran the cartoon in reverse for that joke.
The fact that even one of the weakest episodes of the season can still be a brilliant classic shows how great 90s Simpsons was.
You say Bart doesnt get enough time with Marge teacher awkwardness but I say that 5 seconds of my mom as a teacher would need IMMEDIATE FIXING
I always thank this episode for giving me my daily grind mantra "You just go in every day and do it really half assed. That's the American way!"
You will always be the best Simpsontuber to me. Tho you seem to have inspired some others to show up and actually talk about the show past the ever-changing "Golden Era".
I think that aimless structureless feeling of the episode is really important, it helps emphasize the feeling created when kids don't need to go to school anymore, when an institution that creates a schedule that creates structure in your life to disappears. How every individual family and kid deals with the time that suddenly needs to be filled and the structure that is just gone. You could continue to show it from the teacher's perspective, but thats less relatable than the experience of the kids and families, we already have Last Exit to Springfield, for the perspective of a worker's strike and conflict. How it affects everyone else, is a more unique perspective to tell a story from, but its also the one more people have experienced.
This episode is joke after joke after joke, and it never stops. Its one of the all time greats, and absolutely deserves to be on any top 10 simpson's episode lists, especially if you've lived through a teachers strike as either a kid or an adult.
It almost feels like every single character kills every single line. "I'm losing my perspicacity!" is an all time great, but shout out to Homer's follow up of "its always in the last place you look" which takes that joke from a 9/10 to like a 15
"Theres very little meat in these gym bags"
The best Otto line: Damn I shouldn't have eaten the mint first!
2:23 the Fort Springfield set piece must be a reference to Fort Courage from the 60s American sitcom F Troop. A running gag in that show is the cannon shooting down the guard house.
This episode has one of my all time favorite Krabappel lines.
"It's alright, children, just ignore the murderer."
Kearney's jig pushes this episode to a 10.
Yeah, a new video from my favorite Simpsonstuber! Nice!
Yay! Recess!
Also this ending is peak "It's an ending. That's enough."
Just wanted to comment thanking you for sharing your love of The Simpsons. Your Top 10's and Season Retrospectives are some of my favorite things to listen while eating breakfast before work. Just positive vibes on my favorite show.
Thanks!
“Whaddaya mean the bank is outta money?”
Insolvent!?
Funniest thing about this episode is near the end when the school is converted into a jail, you can see Groundskeeper Wilie in the tower with a rifle
The cannon is definitely *my* favourite screw the audience joke, they’re not always my thing, but even knowing through and through what the joke is it still fills me with glee.
Disobeying the laws of thermodynamics?
That's a paddlin'.
Just looking through the comments sections, this might be one the most quotable episodes in the entire series. "HEY, THEY'RE TRYING TO LEARN FOR FREE!"
2:45 After all, isn't there a little "Uter" on all of us?
This is unironically my second fav episode of the show behind 22 Short Films about Springfield
One of my favorite lines in series history is “In this house, we obey the laws of thermodynamics!” It’s such an un-Homer thing to say that it kills me every time. I’ll have to click on the fingers thing to like the video!
He must’ve picked it up in the nuclear operator crash course :) “cold thing takes heat from hot thing, eh…?”
Hey I saw ur tweet and wanted to know that we all appreciate you a lot man. The content is great, but there is more important stuff also. But yeah man we love ya
Thanks! Appreciate you saying that! 😀
Great video, loved all the points you made. This episode is a classic while also being obscure. Its all about the comedy, not the story. You wouldn't want it every week, but the odd episode like this is really funny and i think great for the balance of the show.
This is one of those episodes that would make a great two parter imo. Then, they would really have time to do all those gags plus more character arcs and storytelling.
I like how in the middle-Classic years they were letting Homer sit out some episodes, beyond making a few oblivious observations (Bart's Girlfriend or Marge Be Not Proud also comes to mind for this phenomenon). It just makes for a more balanced show if he isn't always driving everything, in my opinion.
Hehe Get him Ma
My parents were both teachers and I remember as a kid how much my mum enjoyed this episode. She was definitely Team Krabappel!
The cannon scene is probably my favorite screw-the-audience joke, too. It's either that or the UFO book, with lemon-shaped rock in third place.
"The finger thing means the taxes," along with the bear patrol tax, is some of the best political humor in The Simpsons, encapsulating the tension between citizens wanting things from their government and not wanting to pay for them.
Idea for an episode: Top Ten Simpsons Songs. Strictly songs from episodes (sorry, Bartman), but can include parodies as well as original ones. My list would definitely include "Monorail," "We Do," and "Mediocre Presidents."
Probably showing my age here, but for anyone wondering, the cannon anti-gag is a direct reference to the intro sequence for the old show F Troop 😂
This episode really has magic. I was giggling almost on each joke mentioned in this video. Especially the perpetual motion machine. Somehow that is just the joke that usually gives one of the biggest laughs on my case.
Thank you for the return to extra seconds! I saw ur tweet and I want to say that I think ur content and format is super engaging and could apply to anything u want to talk abt! I’d watch vids from you abt other topics too, don’t feel like ur trapped in a box and can only make Simpsons content - I think ur fans would wholeheartedly enjoy any content you put out ❤
Agreed, I enjoy the structure and music choices. I could listen to Real Jims talk about other topics for sure!
Thanks Ben!
9:21 “ Prove me wrong, kids! Prove me wrong!”
I agree that it's underrated but understandably so. This one is a special mix of grouded subject with zany comedy. It's a bonafide laugh fest but the subject matter isn't high concept enough to help it jump off the page as one scrolls through a classic episodes list. I love your point about the family being focused on even while the story isn't actively "about" them. It's refreshingly true to life, as we're so often not the driving force behind our own situations.
This episode is already amazing for its 'flying a kite at night' joke. Definitely in my top ten Simpsons jokes personally.
''They're learning for free! Get them!'' - America
This is one of my all-time favorite episodes.
i always felt like Marge teaching Barts class could have been its own episode or a strong B plot. as i havent seen most episodes post movie for all i know theyve done it
@10:04
Immediately, and _without any more context required._ xD
"HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
MISSES POMMEL HORSE!!!!
... I'd like to get down now."
“if I hear the word slippage one more time I’m gonna”
“slippage slippage slippage!”
Referencing another show, that's a paddlin'.
Principal Wartz saying slippage will forever be somewhere in my brain
I think this episode has one of the most underrated jokes in the entire series.
"There's very little meat in these gym mats."
She didn't say there's no meat in the gym mats, she said that there's only a little meat in the mats.
My mind just goes wild wondering what it means to have only a little meat in the gym mats.
I always thought it was the third act that kinda held it back. Once Marge becomes Bart's teacher, it really struggles from there. The first 15 minutes are pure gold and there are some funny bits near the end (the Canada bit is always good for a laugh) but it does struggle by comparison.
This has always been one of my all-time favorites. I see what you're saying, but I also find the plot good satire too. The point about underfunded schools really resonates with me and I'm glad they pointed out how harmful that can be.
The ending rings especially true because it’s a commentary on the public school to prison pipeline.
I think the lack of a tight plot is the reason the PTA Disbands kinda slips under the cracks. It's less the episode and more the individual jokes that everyone remembers. So much so I bet a lot of people forget which episode some of these jokes come from. I do wonder if they could have actually made a proper two parter out of this if they wanted something more cohesive within the indespensible gags.
I feel like this episodes premise had a lot more potential than it was given.
I see a scenario where Bart and Lisa's reaction to the teacher strike is the same, but Lisa's attempts to continue her education, lead her to discover that there are ways to learn outside of school and the letter system. So for the episodes climax, she uses something she learned during the strike to save Bart from doom caused by his own reckless no rules lifestyle
Man, I wish there was a Seinfeld version of TheRealJims out there that did similarly high quality breakdowns like this for that show.
Feeling that, but for Frasier.
Though the plot itself may not be the most fleshed out, for me the momentum from one joke vignette to the next is what carries the day. It just doesn't relent, playing every angle with each step of this process all the way to that prison end. The absurdity really gets to shine, and it feels like absolutely everything is where it needs to be (I never noticed just how little time is left when Marge subs until it was mentioned here). The "pop goes the weasel" bit is the only thing I'd think to cut, and syndication did that for me. "The PTA Disbands" might just be my comedic peak for "Springfield as an unruly mob" stories.
I thought it was charming to see and hear them actually play well without Mr. Largo conducting them by playing a song he apparently hates.
I like how she says “the children are playing in the hole again.” Like they weren’t about to fall through it 😅😅
Yeah, the fact that this one came in at number 13 in season 6 says more about season 6 than it does about the episode or about your judgement. I think it's the best season in this history of the show.
Look at the competition. It’s another season where the worst you could say about it is that there was a clip show in it. But oh, what clips they were! They get a lot of hate now because of repetitive content, but before the advent of DVD, they were an easy way to catch up with key moments from the episodes you missed if you didn’t watch the show from the get-go.
Is that gum?
Is that gum?
Is that gum?
Is that gum?
The kids do need to learn about Tek War eventually.
Please do a Simpsons Histories on Buisnesses in Springfield! Would love to see one on Moes Tavern for example, including how the layout of the physical building has changed over the show and also how important of a role Moes Tavern plays in terms of the plot and character devolpment!
The Androids Dungeon would be another good one 😉
love this ep, one of my all time funniest simpsons moments is when it casually cuts to krabappel and skinner talking right before uter stands getting beaten
This is just wall to wall jokes and thats why I like it.
This episode is something that could only be created in the simpsons style of writers room. Even though the basic plot was written by a few, unlike most other shows, the jokes were written by the whole writing team. Everyone would try to come up with the best gags and the others would punch up the joke, that’s how you get so many layered comedic scenes.
oh I was SO invested in the Skinner/Edna romcom act 1 vibes while watching this episode for the first time
Dropping an eissode while I'm on the clock? That's a paddlin.
Nice Work as Always Jim.
Uploading a video? That’s a paddlin
Tracking viewership? That’s a paddlin
One of my favourite episodes.
Hello mother, the guy commentating the debate, and the guy jumping out the window are my favourite gags from it
Jasper was my favourite as a kid.
Also, the girl at 0:34, could you do a Simpsons Mysteries on her? She is so distinctly detailed yet she has never been made a character.
'Ahhh the taxes! The finger thing means the taxes!"
The PTA Disbands is actually my favourite episode of The Simpsons, glad to see it getting some love.
Oh you better believe that's a paddling🏏🏏🏏
I've never really sat down and thought about a structured 'top 5' list of my favorite Simpsons episodes ever, but if I was just quickly racking my brain on the spot because someone asked me out of curiosity, I think this episode would be in there. Because there's very little continuity in The Simpsons I ultimately watch it for the gags, and as you pointed out this episode is just so full of all-timers that I can't not rate it super highly. This may even be my second favorite episode after 'Bart on the Road'.
Of course, for safety reasons, we don't keep the cannon loaded.
It's just common sense.
Jims, I love your videos so much, they've been keeping me company pretty much every lunchtime for the past few months. PTA Disbands is probably one of my all-time fave eps of The Simpsons, and I think it's purely for its gags. Sooo many classics. The re-enactment guys beating the shit out of Uter cracks me up every time, and hearing you say it in this video even had me laughing out loud XD
Thank you for being an endless source of entertaining Simpsons accompaniment.
(P.S - I love the way you say koo koo bananas)
PTA has always been in my top 5.
And of course Bart had to get into the crawl space again.
The ending is positively Foucauldian
Oh, this is weird, I was digging for this episode just a few days ago, for some reason I thought you'd already covered it. Now you have, hooray!
This has long been my favourite Simpsons episode bar none. Thank you
That bit where Flanders is interceding between Skinner and Krabappel? That sure seems awkward now.
The Springfield Beard Regiment.
Not doing simpsons histories on Jasper? You better believe thats a paddlin
The way Doris says "There's very little meat in these gym mats" 😸
I've always maintained that this was the better episode, Last Exit is alright but this is the masterpiece.
Last Exit to Springfield is highly overrated
That episode also started the trend of one-line celebrity cameo baiting with Dr. Joyce Brothers leading the way.
And Marge almost got Ewoked.
I appreciate that you do Extra Seconds videos on episodes that you had on your candidate lists for the season top 10 videos but which did not make the actual top 10s. Not just because you didn't have the opportunity to talk more about them in those videos, but also because I find it most interesting when you talk about stuff that you like but still consider flawed or imperfect. I wish that you'll eventually do a review of every episode that you had as a leftover candidate on those lists, or at least all the ones from the golden era seasons.
I honestly never realized how much of my favorite Simpsons moments were crammed into one episode, and that it would be THIS episode to boot! gonna have to move this one up in my own personal rankings! otherwise, that's a paddlin'!
This episode is a gag goldmine.
I've been saying this for years. YEARS!