Breaking Bad has ended but don’t be too disappointed because The Simpsons’ ”Treehouse of Horror XXIV,” is airing insanely early this year. FOX must have planned this air-date with the ending of Breaking Bad in mind, so keep those Sunday night watch parties going one more week. “Treehouse of Horror XXIV” delivers all the violence and weirdness any Simpsons fan should expect.
Let’s start with the couch gag. I think it should stay a surprise, but it’s directed by Guillermo Del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy, Pacific Rim), so it’s epic. Don’t blink during the opening because if you do you’ll miss at least one horror movie allusion.
The first story is titled, “Oh, The Places You’ll D’Oh,” and for some reason it’s strangely unsettling to me to see the Simpsons parody Dr. Seuss. Although I enjoyed the sing-songy dialogue, the story ultimately gave off more of a Christmas than Halloween vibe, alluding particularly to ‘Twas the night before Christmas. Seeing as how school has only just begun, I’m not ready for that. This twisted, violent Dr. Suess/Simpsons world made me feel weird, but I think that’s the goal of most Treehouse tales.
The writers must have been taking a hint from the success of Game of Thrones when they wrote the second story, “Dead & Shoulders,” which features several beheadings. Bart gets decapitated after innocently tying a kite string around his neck but survives when his head is attached to Lisa’s body to create the first two-headed Simpson. The story had some very nice brother and sister moments between Bart and Lisa. But fortunately, these moments were never long enough to forget that this is a “Treehouse of Horror” episode and in these episodes, absolutely anything can happen.
The third story, “Freaks No Geeks,” was my favorite. The Simpsons’ famous yellow skin turned sepia for this story, set in a 1930s circus. Based on the 1932 horror move, Freaks, this episode aligns the most with classic Simpsons humor and intertextuality. Marge is a trapeze artist and Homer is a strongman. A muscular Homer is a bit eerie, but he still has his belly. The funniest moments of this story come from the short dialogue of the Springfield residents as circus freaks. This story also includes the song “Super Freak,” making it a hit in my book.
That’s all I can say. Kang and Kodos are watching. The Simpsons: “Treehouse of Horror XXIV” airs Sunday on FOX at 8 p.m.