['The Simpsons' - 'Treehouse of Horror XXI']

The nice thing about the annual Halloween special of 'The Simpsons' is that the creators are free to tell stories without worrying about such handicaps as continuity (not that it's ever got in the way of a good story). They can kill anybody in any of the Halloween stories. Since it doesn't "count" as a true 'Simpsons' story, it doesn't matter. The imagination runs free.

The Halloween episodes have always been an annual highlight of the show. This year's version, while not perfect, was the best in a while. Even after 21 years, when the concept has long been rendered cliché and predictable, the writers pull out a surprise or two.



The intro by Professor Frink was extremely well-done. They brought back the amusing tombstones from the original 'Treehouses' in a clever way (Homer was beating Bart with one of them). It even had scenes from the episode as if it were 'Space:1999' with a promo for 'Glee' thrown in for good measure. The 'Monster Mifflin' segment had me in stitches.

Each of tonight's vignettes focused on a particular member or members of the family. First it was Bart, then Marge and Homer, and finally Lisa.

Of the three vignettes, the first segment 'War and Pieces,' while not the best, was the most original despite being a variation of the plot of 'Jumanji.' Unlike that book/movie, instead of the game coming into the real world, the game brings other board games into the real world. The satire on this show remains sharp as none of the games had the same name as their real world counterparts to prevent toy company litigation against Fox. It was nice to see Kang and Kodos make their annual cameo as "mystery dudes." We even had Milhouse replicating a scene from 'Titanic.'

The second segment 'Master and Cadaver' was a parody of 'Dead Calm' (also a dated reference) and had the guest voice of Hugh Laurie as the Billy Zane character (so they have a British voice filling in for an American character and American voices filling in for Australian characters. How typical of 'The Simpsons'). Marge was extra-sexy in the Nicole Kidman role. The ending with Maggie was a bit unexpected as was the 'Clockwork Orange' reference.

The final segment 'Tweenlight' was an obvious 'Twilight' parody and was the best of the three. It felt a little less dated than the first two. Daniel Radcliffe (of the 'Harry Potter' films) provided the voice of "Edmund," which seemed appropriate since the actor behind Edward, Robbin Pattinson, actually is British. The grilled cheese opening was brilliant, and the vampires dying from Homer's cholesterol was hilarious. However, the best segment had to be Dracula-La Land, where we get to see where all the screen vampires hang out.

While tonight's 'Treehouse of Horror' isn't the best example in its long history, it does show a degree of inspiration not seen in the concept in a while. It gives me hope for the quality of future Halloween specials.


Episode Highlights:

- Monster Mifflin
- Reverend Lovejoy: "Slay the wounded!"
- "I'll be the demon. You be the thimble." "Aw, I'm always the thimble."
- "Mousecatch. A game so lame, no one's ever finished it."
- Grampa: "Sure is a hard way to catch a mouse."
- Homer's cell phone ringtones.
- "It was poisoned." "No it wasn't." "Well, it was rhubarb."
- "They should call this one recipe for murder." "What do you mean this one?" "Never mind."
- Edmund's multiple saves of Lisa.
- "You have beautiful eyes." "They're just dots in circles."
- The Yogi Bear cameo and what was in the picnic basket.
- Milhouse's metamorphosis.
- "Don't serve him garlic. Don't stab him in the heart with a wooden stake. Don't ask him if he knows Frankenstein. It's racist somehow."
- What, or rather who, was being served at the vampire dinner.
- "If a mosquito bites you, does it become a vampire too?" "Yes." "If you bite your tongue, does it become a vampire?"
- What the Count was doing to Big Bird.
- "I'm Dracula, not the Hulk."
- "Pretty ironic. A cross being used to kill someone."
- "Uh oh. HIs blood. It's full of cholesterol." "And not the good kind."

'The Simpsons' airs Sundays at 8PM ET on Fox