www.snpp.com/episodes/CABF14
Trilogy of Error Written by Matt Selman Directed by Mike B. Anderson ============================================================================== Production code: CABF14 Original Airdate on FOX: 29-Apr-2001 Capsule revision Ba (1-May-2004) ============================================================================== > "TV Guide" Synopsis ============================================================================== From the Simpsons Archive Episode Guide In a "Run, Lola, Run" and "Go" parody, a breakfast accident involving Marge's kitchen knife and Homer's thumb is seen through the eyes of individual family members. While Homer & Marge make a mad dash for the hospital, Lisa takes her linguistic robot to the Springfield science fair, and Bart runs afoul of Fat Tony's illegal fireworks ring. Homer falls off the edge of the ramp, landing on his bottom. Adding both insult and injury, his skateboard bounces off the top of his head. Linguo's arms are made of Tinkertoy (TM) wheels and horseshoe magnets? Lisa apparently does aerobics to the Macintosh start-up sound? Hoover speaks for the first time since Maggie Roswell left the show? Lisa and Thelonious can spin "for hours" without getting dizzy? Homer's severed thumb has a thumbnail (cos according to Dr. Homer put his severed thumb in his right front pocket as he went to retrieve Linguo's head? Nick, Legs, Lou) - Harry Shearer (Ned, Ranier, Hibbert, Louie, Scratchy, Cap'n) - Special Guest Voice - Joe Mantegna (Fat Tony) - Frankie Muniz (Thelonious) - Also Starring - Marcia Mitzman-Gaven (Ms. Stubbs {hl} - Toronto doctor who specializes in lengthening (but not widening) men's' penises ============================================================================== > Previous episode references ============================================================================== - 7G08 Smurfs are mentioned {dj} - 8F17 Ned (cf. Homer) throws a book onto a fireplace {jg2} - 1F08 Homer knows how to weld {bjr} - 1F18 Tick sucking on the back of Bart's head {hl} - 1F22 So does Marge. It must run in the family {bjr} - 2F15 Homer does the pull-my-finger gag {hl} - 4F01 Bart (cf. Nelson) gets in trouble with the police for vandalizing Skinner's house {jg2} - 5F02 French class laughing like French cabinet in THOHVIII? NICK'S ENTRANCE IN BACK <--------- - Highway sign {bjr} SHELBYVILLE 20 miles - Lisa's torch {bjr} THE ITTY-BITTY ACETYLENE TORCH - "Stupid" Italian gas gauge {bjr} NOTSOBADDA MAMMAMIA ABBONDANZA - Highway sign for Dr. NICK'S CLINIC NEXT 7 EXITS - Blackboard at Lisa's science fair presentation {bjr} SEVERED DIGIT RE-ATTACHMENT ============================================================================== > Animation, continuity, and other goofs ============================================================================== = When Homer bled after his thumb was severed, there was no blood on the kitchen floor. Later, when Marge accidentally severs Homer's thumb, and they drive off, Maggie is nowhere to be seen. When they stop, the crossbar magically goes to the bottom again. Thanks to shows like this and "Brothers Little Helper", I'd *really* like to see George Meyer get back to writing more often. All right, but Matt Selman was the lead writer for this episode -- Ed. Frankie Muniz's appearance was much smaller than I thought it would be which, in this Malcolm in the Middle hater's mind, is a plus. Milner: I've been down on OFF for the past season, so in the interest of fairness I have to say that tonite's episode was excellent. Good laughs, good payoffs, excellent quotes -- an episode you obviously had to watch closely to appreciate. All three stories were really good, with lots of laughs throughout. I especially liked the scene with the mobsters overloading the grammar-robot (whose name eludes me at the moment). As well, it was neat to see the three stories intermingle. Add to this a non-gratuitous celebrity guest-voice, and you've got a pretty damn good episode. Mike Nuss: This episode was definitely weird, but one of the most memorable of the season. I didn't think the current writers had it in them to make a story that fit together so well from three separate angles, but they did a fairly good job, and I was pleasantly surprised that they actually managed to wrap up all three storylines at once. The parallels to "Run Lola Run" were obvious, and I appreciated Lisa's running sequences with the techno background as an obvious homage to the film. There were some nice jokes in there too, like Wiggum ratting out his own informant, and good old-fashioned Bart playing a prank on Seymour Skinner. Never thought I'd say this again, but that was one of the best episodes ever! The main idea for the episode was excellent, as was the story itself. Frankie Muniz's cameo was outstanding, as short as it was. Probably one of the best written episodes in the history of the series, and without a doubt the best in the last four seasons (along with the hailed "E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)"). The only sad thing is that I don't think there will ever be a better episode than this one. While not perfect (but then, characters act out of character from time to time to keep the show fresh, I suppose), it's one of the funniest episodes to boot. Events that are unexplained, or just seem insignificant, in one act take on new meaning and are resolved in the next so that, in the end, nothing is wasted. It was nice to see Homer's thumb injury treated in a semi-plausible, yet funny, way. This episode was obviously an exercise in nonlinear storytelling, but if its notions of story-telling economy and plot resolution rub off on the regular episodes, well, then so much the better. He started with "Natural Born Kissers", one of Matt Groening's favorites. He also wrote "They Saved Lisa's Brain", "Eight Misbehaivin'" and "Lisa The Treehugger". I believe that Matt Selman has a personal talent for writing episodes where the whole family is the star, as "Trilogy of Error" proves that fact indisputably .
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