Before we leave this Celtic month, a nod to The Simpsons, of which I am a declared dissenter. But as few tv shows have St. Patrick’s Day episodes, attention must be paid to the spirit behind its “In the Name of the Grandfather,” if not the execution.
And so I put on my shamrock top and watched the episode on hulu, shortly after its premiere in Ireland/the UK before the US.
The clan flies over to Ireland on Derry Air so that Grandpa can have a drink one last time in O’Flanagan’s pub, where he had grand times in his youth. The ban on smoking inside has changed Ireland’s pub culture, and that sets things in motion.
My favorite part was the verbal bit at the end, when the Garda come in:
“It’s a smoke-easy you’re running then”
“So it’s escaping you’re thinking of then”
Homer: “I can’t tell if those are questions or statements”
Garda: "So it’s our syntax you’re criticizing then”
Between this and the swipe at Bloomsday celebrations, I think Joyce would have smiled, and that’s what’s important.
2 comments:
While I too do not watch The Simpson, I did enjoy reading many of the items in the "fifth annual Simpson's linguistic joke collection" at http://heideas.blogspot.com/2009/03/beyond-beyond-beyond-beyond-beyond.html
Perhaps you will too? Or not.
Hi Kathy, thanks so much for the link. The verbal wit of The Simpsons redeems it alot.
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