Holidays of Future Passed

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"Holidays of Future Passed"
Couch gag
The Simpson family, as gingerbread people, jumps on a plate for Santa Claus, and Homer eats his own arm.
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"Holidays of Future Passed" is the ninth episode of the

Jenda, and is struggling to become a better father for his two boys, while Lisa has trouble connecting with her rebellious teenage daughter, Zia. The Simpsons creator Matt Groening made a minor uncredited cameo appearance as a sports commentator shouting "goal!" during a soccer
game.

Originally written as a potential

treehouse
and talk about how difficult parenting is.

During the original broadcast, "Holidays of Future Passed" was watched by about 6.43 million people.

Plot

After stuffing themselves with turkey on

Springfield Elementary, Bart is visited by his sons, who inform him that their mother, Jenda
, teleported them to his place because she wants him to act like a proper father by having him spend time with them. However, he plans on dropping them off at his parents' house instead, which his boys can hear. Meanwhile, Lisa fears that Zia is spending too much of her time going into the "Ultranet", a digital world that people enter with their consciousness by plugging themselves into a laptop. Milhouse suggests to Lisa that she spend time with Zia in order for them to have a better connection, so Lisa decides to take Zia to her parents' house, too. Meanwhile, Maggie flies home from London to Springfield to also celebrate Christmas with her parents.

When Bart and Lisa arrive at their parents' home, they stay there with their children. Unfortunately for Lisa, she only gets unhelpful advice from Marge on how to be a better mother, and Zia continues to go into the Ultranet. Meanwhile, Bart is heartbroken to find out that Jenda has remarried, while he has not found anyone new. Feeling depressed, he tells Homer to take his grandsons out. The boys become angry with their father for not spending time with them, but the two have a great time with their grandfather. Bart and Lisa then encounter each other in their old treehouse, where they become slightly drunk and talk about how difficult parenting is. After exchanging inspirational advice, they realize that they need to try harder to connect with their children. Meanwhile, upon arriving in Springfield, Maggie starts experiencing contractions and Kearney, now a taxi driver, drives her to the hospital.

Homer takes Bart's sons to a cryonics facility where Grampa has been frozen alive to prevent a disease from killing him. Although a cure has now been discovered, he is kept frozen by Homer because it is cheaper than paying for a nursing home and because Grampa has constantly been rude to him. Homer says to the boys that they should give their father another chance, since he knows Bart loves them. At that point, Bart arrives and apologizes to his sons, admitting how much he treasures them. Touched, the two boys forgive him for not having included them in his life much, while an inspired Homer decides to unfreeze Grampa and forgive him, as well. Meanwhile, Lisa goes into the Ultranet to find Zia and discovers a door leading into Zia's private world. Entering it, Lisa is overjoyed to find that Zia has hung a poster of her next to a series of posters depicting historical women who have made a difference in the world. When Zia arrives, Lisa thanks her for looking up to her and the two reconcile at last, but secretly hides her life as a party poser. With the conflicts resolved, Bart and Lisa gather their children in preparation for a new Christmas family photo. Marge arrives with Maggie, who has given birth to a baby girl. The Simpsons gather into a group just as the family pets (who have evolved greatly over the past thirty years) take the new photo.

Production

The episode features a minor uncredited cameo from The Simpsons creator Matt Groening.

The episode, titled "Holidays of Future Passed", was written by

several nuclear accidents in Japan.[6]

The Simpsons creator Matt Groening made a minor cameo in the episode, though his appearance is not mentioned in the closing credits.[7] In the episode, a robot examines the health of Maggie's fetus. Maggie's band is present, and one of the band members presses a button on the robot's "face", which is a screen showing its facial expressions, and a soccer game comes on instead.[8] A sports commentator, voiced by Groening, gives a long "goal!" shout that is heard over the game. According to The Simpsons music editor Chris Ledesma, as the episode was being recorded, "there were only sounds of crowd cheering during that shot and Matt said we needed to spice it up somehow."[7] After going through some different ideas, the staff settled on a commentator shouting "goal!". The staff members wanted Groening to provide the voice and he finished the recording in two takes.[7]

In a 2013 interview with former show writer Conan O'Brien, showrunner Al Jean stated that this episode was intended to serve as a series finale in the case that cast negotiations earlier in the year forced the show to end.[9]

Reception

"Holidays of Future Passed" originally aired on the

share.[12][13][14][15]

"Holidays of Future Passed" became the most-watched broadcast in Fox's Animation Domination lineup for the night in terms of total viewers.[12] For the week of December 5–11, 2011, the episode placed twentieth in the ratings among all prime-time network broadcasts in the 18–49 demographic.[16]

It was also famous for predicting the Metaverse, which was called the ultranet in the episode.[17]

Critical reception

Since airing, "Holidays of Future Passed" has received highly positive reviews from television critics, particularly for its humor and emotional scenes.

In his list of "The 50 Best TV Episodes of 2011", BuddyTV's John Kubicek placed the episode at number forty-nine, writing that the "various glimpses of how all the other characters have changed during the time jump was a cavalcade of comedy moments."[18]

Rex Huffman of The Times-Reporter cited it as "an amusing episode",[19] and Ology's Josh Harrison described it as "legitimately funny".[20] Harrison noted that "seeing so many futuristic versions of familiar characters put an interesting spin on the holiday season."[20] He also commented: "The whole episode hinges on a surprisingly heartfelt scene that sees Bart and Lisa—both a bit sloshed—meeting up in the treehouse to discuss the challenges of parenting."[20]

Similarly, Hayden Childs of The A.V. Club wrote that "Holidays of Future Passed" found "a sweet spot that combined a barrage of non-stop jokes with a tenderness often lacking in latter-day Simpsons episodes. There is even a conversation between the adult Bart and Lisa that rings surprisingly true for adult siblings wrestling with their shared familial past."[5]

Writing for HitFix, Alan Sepinwall cited "Holidays of Future Passed" as the best future-set episode of The Simpsons since the first one, "Lisa's Wedding". He noted that it was "the emotional side of things" that made the episode successful, such as the dissatisfaction Bart and Lisa feel because of their disconnection with the children, and also Homer's transformation into a "very wise, sweet guy after somehow surviving into old age."[21] Sepinwall particularly praised the scene at the cryonics facility where Homer encourages the children to give Bart another chance as "really sweet", and he described the idea of a frozen Grampa as "a clever variation on the very familiar joke of how Homer and the family neglect [Grampa] because he's such a pain in the ass."[21] Sepinwall also commended the episode for its jokes about the future, highlighting the scenes revolving around air travel as well as the scenes showing Krusty as "the Andy Rooney of 2041" and Ralph Wiggum as "an endless series of stupid clones who keep killing one another."[21]

In February 2012, "Holidays of Future Passed" was listed by Matt Zoller Seitz of New York magazine as one of "Nine Latter-Day Simpsons Episodes That Match Up to the Early Classics". He noted that the "reconciliations between Bart and Lisa and their kids are moving."[22] Screen Rant called it the best episode of the 23rd season.[23]

At the

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour).[24]

Additionally,

65th Writers Guild of America Awards for his script to this episode.[25]

Response to Islamic references

sharia law
received a mixed reception in the city

A segment of "Holidays of Future Passed" was inspired by a controversy over the growing Islamic influence in the city of

sharia law".[27] Milhouse agrees to do this but complains that they always make him wear a veil there, pointing to a photo on the wall in which he is standing outside of the University of Michigan–Dearborn dressed in a burqa.[27][28][29]

In a news report about this segment that aired on WJBK, Gallagher noted that it "poked fun at the untrue and unfounded notion that somehow Muslim sharia law prevails in Dearborn."

Council on American-Islamic Relations, commented in the report that The Simpsons "is a very prolific show. Now [it] is addressing this anti-sharia fear mongering issue, and perhaps it may gain some currency and ... more people will make fun of it."[26]

Home media

"Holidays of Future Passed" was included in the Season 16 DVD Box Set as a bonus episode, but has not received any other DVD release.

References

  1. ^ "Season 23E9 · Holidays Of Future Passed Soundtrack". tunefind.com. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  2. ^ Ledesma, Chris (music editor for The Simpsons) (November 23, 2011). "'The Ten-Per-Cent Solution' and 'Holidays of Future Passed'". Simpsons Music 500. Retrieved December 9, 2011. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  3. ^ "Holidays of Future Passed". The Simpsons. Season 23. Episode 9. December 11, 2011. 04:04–04:13 minutes in. Fox.
  4. ^ Snierson, Dan (July 23, 2011). "10 things we learned about 'The Simpsons' at Comic-Con". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
  5. ^ a b Childs, Hayden (December 12, 2011). "Holidays Of Future Passed". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
  6. ^ Fowler, Matt (July 27, 2011). "The Simpsons to Parody Dexter/Inception". IGN. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  7. ^ a b c Ledesma, Chris (December 13, 2011). "Wrapping Up 2011". Simpsons Music 500. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
  8. ^ "Holidays of Future Passed". The Simpsons. Season 23. Episode 9. December 11, 2011. 04:57–05:20 minutes in. Fox.
  9. Today. NBC
    .
  10. ^ Toby, Mekeisha Madden (December 1, 2011). "It's the most wonderful (TV) time of the year". CNN. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
  11. ^ Roush, Matt (December 9, 2011). "The Guide to Weekend TV: Sundance's Appropriate Adult, A Bag of Bones, and More!". TV Guide. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  12. ^ a b Seidman, Robert (December 13, 2011). "Sunday Final Ratings: No Adjustments for 'Once Upon A Time' + Giants/Cowboys & Unscrambled CBS". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 7, 2012. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
  13. ^ Seidman, Robert (December 12, 2011). "TV Ratings Sunday: 'Once Upon a Time' Continues To Fall; Fox Animations Down + Scrambled CBS". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 7, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
  14. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (December 12, 2011). "Ratings Rat Race: 'Once Upon A Time' Hits New Low, 'Amazing Race' Finale Down". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
  15. ^ Eames, Tom (December 12, 2011). "'Once Upon a Time', 'The Simpsons' fall in Sunday ratings". Digital Spy. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
  16. ^ Seidman, Robert (December 13, 2011). "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: 'Sunday Night Football,' 'Modern Family,' 'Two and a Half Men' Top Week 12". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 7, 2012. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
  17. ^ metro.co.uk/2022/01/11/the-simpsons-fans-convinced-cartoon-predicted-the-metaverse-10-years-ago-15896939
  18. ^ Kubicek, John (December 19, 2011). "The 50 Best TV Episodes of 2011". BuddyTV. Archived from the original on January 7, 2012. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  19. ^ Huffman, Rex (December 16, 2011). "'Christmas in Connecticut,' 'Battle of the Bulbs' on tap tonight". The Times-Reporter. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
  20. ^ a b c Harrison, Josh (December 12, 2011). "'The Simpsons' Recap: 'Holidays Of Future Passed'". Ology. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
  21. ^ a b c Sepinwall, Alan (December 12, 2011). "Review: 'The Simpsons' - 'Holidays of Future Passed': The darkest timeline?". HitFix. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
  22. ^ Seitz, Matt Zoller (February 10, 2012). "Nine Latter-Day Simpsons Episodes That Match Up to the Early Classics". New York. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
  23. ^ Sim, Bernardo (September 22, 2019). "The Simpsons: The Best Episode In Every Season, Ranked". Screen Rant. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  24. ^ "The Simpsons". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
  25. ^ Kim, Wook (February 18, 2013). "2013 WGA Awards: The Complete List Of Winners". Time. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  26. ^ a b c d Gallagher, Bill (December 12, 2011). "'Simpsons' Episode References Dearborn". WJBK. Archived from the original on April 10, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2011.
  27. ^ a b "Holidays of Future Passed". The Simpsons. Season 23. Episode 9. December 11, 2011. 03:46–04:48 minutes in. Fox.
  28. ^ Heraty, Daniel (December 17, 2011). "'Simpsons' episode spoofs fear of Sharia law". Dearborn Times-Herald. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
  29. ^ Shellnutt, Kate (December 12, 2011). "The Simpsons holiday episode mocks shariah law in the U.S." Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 17, 2011.

External links

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