The Simpsons: Kiss Kiss Bang Bangalore

(S17E17) I thought Family Guy's recent reference to the Great Space Coaster was esoteric, but I think The Simpson's reference to Mac Tonight, a short-lived mascot created for McDonald's in the late 80s, may have topped that.

It's been awhile since I've seen this show running on all cylinders as it did last night. When I watch these shows for review I usually have a pen and paper sitting next to me so I can jot down lines of dialog and other things to write about, but the jokes kept coming so fast I finally gave up and, you know, just watched the show. The opening gag with Lenny having his skeleton exposed by nuclear waste was somewhat of a letdown, since that gag has been used numerous times already, but it was quickly followed by a short film about the joys of outsourcing, which pretty much made up for the lackluster opening gag and set the stage for the rest of the show, which was almost pitch perfect. I loved the reference to those old Calgon commercials when one of the workers in the film, lamenting his job, pleads, "Outsourcing, take them away!"

Homer is forced to move to India or lose his job. He doesn't think this is such a big deal until he realizes he's in India and not Indiana. Knowing nothing about running a nuclear plant, he consults a book Marge gave him about the cereal business titled The Prize is the Cereal. Somehow, all of his references to pancakes and bacon seem to work, and eventually he decides he's a god, setting up a Kurtz-like compound in a double reference to both Apocalypse Now and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Before any of that, there's a great scene in which Homer's Indian friend takes a series of calls, changing to a different accent depending on which region of the world is calling.

I haven't quite made up my mind on this, but I think the "B story" featuring Patty and Selma finally meeting MacGyver may have been better than the main story. Richard Dean Anderson comes to town for a Stargate convention, but is kidnapped by Patty and Selma, who tie him up for a permanent MacGyver convention. Using his inexplicable skills, he manages to burn through his ropes by refracting sunlight through a contact lens balanced on his tongue. This thrills him so much he asks them to tie him up again, but not to make it so easy this time. Eventually his lust for escape wears thin on his two biggest fans.

I love how guest stars are made a part of the show's universe, even if it means making them appear annoying or even stupid, and it's even more refreshing to see (well, hear, I suppose) the actors give themselves up to the role. Richard Dean Anderson quickly turns from a rugged actor to a needy child in the space of about one day. It reminded me of when Stan Lee was on the program, starting as a comic book god and ending up as an eccentric wacko who refuses to leave the comic book store.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say this was the best episode of the season so far. What do you guys think?