SNAPSHOT
Springfield is inundated with holiday revelers after the nuclear power plant springs a radiation leak, causing snow to fall all over town. When the tourists drive up Christmas shopping prices, Marge (Julie Kavner) opens up the Simpsons’ house to boarders in the all-new “White Christmas Blues”.
If there is one thing you can count on from The Simpsons, it’s a clever, timely and wittily subversive couch gag to kick off an episode.
Whether it’s Hallowe’en, Hannukah or just plain the middle of August, the show, which began on The Tracy Ullman Show way back in 1987 as between-skits mini-episodes before being developed by creator Matt Groening into its fully-fledged show which just commenced its 25th season, always comes up with an inspired couch gag that may or may not make sense but is always entertaining.
And nothing has changed with the couch gag for this year’s festive episode, “White Christmas Blues”, which features so many pop culture references and sight gags, your brain could very well explode just trying to take it all in.
But an animated-triggered aneurism, if that should happen, would no doubt be worth as it as you watch every member of the family, bedecked in Christmas fare, desperately trying to make it home in the usual anarchic manner.
The highly entertaining sequence, which moves at blistering speed, features Granpa Simpson trying to find the silver lining in being buried in a snow drift, Bart spending time once again in chalkboard detention for calling his teachers Prancer and Vixen, the Comic Book Guy celebrating Festivus, and Mr Burns doing a more than passable impersonation of the Ice Queen from Narnia.
And most touchingly, the dearly departed Mrs Krabappel (voiced by the very much missed Marcia Wallace) is represented by an angel, a loving tribute to a much-valued cast member.
It’s all riotously colourful, decidedly festive and the perfect lead in to the very recently aired Christmas episode.