Even casual observers of the NBA have probably noticed that Portland Trail Blazers center Robin Lopez looks an awful lot like someone else, and Im not talking about his twin brother Brook. With his typically off-kilter sense of humor, Robin has even denied he looks like his twin, but the comparison he has publicly embraced is his outward similarity to Robert Terwilliger, a.k.a. Sideshow Bob from The Simpsons, which turned 25 years old this week.
When Robins Blazers came away with victory over his brothers Brooklyn Nets in mid-November, he tweeted out a GIF from Lisa on Ice an episode where Lisa and Bart play out their sibling rivalry on their pee-wee hockey teams and I began to suspect his dedication to the show was more than (yellow) skin-deep. This was clearly a man whod spent his formative years at 742 Evergreen Terrace, so I asked him to come up with his top five (or actually six or seven) episodes.
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Ive been thinking about this and its tough, he says by phone. That Golden Age is so good. Theres not really a bad episode in my opinion in seasons one to eight. Cant find a bad episode.
Unfortunately, soon after our interview, Lopez fractured his hand, meaning hell miss at least a month of action on the court. Though, if there is a silver lining here, hell have more time to watch Simpsons episodes. Here are his picks for the best of the best.
Lemon of Troy
When I was younger, Lopez says, the first one that appealed to me was Lemon of Troy. My favorite thing about that episode was seeing the world of Shelbyville for the first time, and then seeing the kids world. It was kind of what it was like to be a kid, but in Springfield.
Barts big lesson in civic pride is awash in subtle visual gags (the slightly different shade of grass in Shelbyville) and literary references (Springfields Trojan Horse plot to get their stolen lemon tree back). But as is the case with most episodes from the shows generally acknowledged peak, the humor in Lemon is not limited to individual jokes or one-liners, but rather enmeshed in the DNA of every line. Lopez fires off the ones he remembers best: Stupid like a fox, Rocky VII: Adrians Revenge, You Shelbyville kids cant wear your backpack over one shoulder, us Springfield kids invented that.
Homer Badman
The one with the Gummi de Milo where Homer grabs it off the babysitters butt, Lopez says. I think my favorite scene in that episode is the made-for-TV movie starring Dennis Franz. Mr. Simpson, a cat is a living creature. I dont care! I love that.
Aside from one-liners, the episode works as a critique of both tabloid news shows from the 80s like Hard Copy and our obsession with them. Springfield had its own Hard Copy Rock Bottom which featured a hefty dose of manipulative editing.
The whole episode is such a brilliant satire of the media with the Rock Bottom episode, the 24-hour news coverage, Lopez says. Homer sleeps nude in an oxygen tent which he believes gives him sexual powers. Hey, thats a half-truth!'
Lisas Substitute
Quite possibly the first cohesively brilliant episode of the show, Lisas Substitute featured Dustin Hoffman (credited as Sam Etic itself a play on Semitic, since Hoffman is Jewish) as the voice of Lisas inspirational substitute teacher, Mr. Bergstrom. It stands out both for the way it developed the characters of Lisa and Homer, and how it did so in an earnest, pragmatic manner. The ending where a departing Mr. Bergstrom tells Lisa, Whenever you feel like youre alone and theres nobody you can rely on, this is all you need to know, and hands her a note that reads, You are Lisa Simpson is one of the all-time greats. It was always the best episode to show to anyone who strangely seemed to believe The Simpsons was immoral.
Thats totally throwing stones from the outside without having seen it, Lopez says. Because once you watch it, you realize its all heart. Its hard to describe. There are strong values in it, but you have to dig, you have to work for it a little bit.
Homie the Clown
Going in a more lighthearted direction, Lopez next taps the episode where Homer goes to clown college to become a franchised Krusty lookalike. This is the episode that gave us Stop, stop! Hes already dead!
Thats the episode I show to my friends when Im just looking for the straight-up funniest episode, Lopez says. It is indeed jam-packed with both visual gags and one-liners, but its sadly lacking a defining musical number, which leads us directly to Lopezs favorite musical moment.
A Fish Called Selma
My favorite musical number is Stop the Planet of the Apes, I Want to Get Off, Lopez says, referencing the stage production starring Troy McClure you might remember him from such automated information kiosks as Welcome to Springfield Airport and Wheres Nordstrom? that was the highlight of his brief marriage to Marges sister, Selma.
That line is brilliant: I hate every ape I see, from chimpan-A to chimpanzee,' Lopez laughs. Its unbelievable how many ideas they were throwing out within the confines of 22 minutes.
You Only Move Twice
Amazing, Lopez says about the one where Homer takes a job with the Globex Corporation and moves his family to Cypress Creek, unaware that his new boss, Hank Scorpio, is an evil mastermind.
Thats one of the first episodes I was able to watch and my mom was OK with it, Lopez says. Because before that, I was kind of bumming it off my older brother. Whats not to love about that episode? The James Bond parody, Albert Brooks as Hank Scorpio, the Hammock District?
Many other episodes came up in our discussion, including Mr. Plow Lopez recited Adam Wests cameo word-for-word and various bits from the Treehouse of Horror episodes (Homer was the first non-Brazilian to travel through time, Lopez laughs. Which is a joke I dont even get! But its hilarious.) But conspicuously absent was Sideshow Bob, who didnt make an appearance until a day after the interview, when I received an email from Blazers PR with a request:
Robin asked that I pass along to you to add the Cape Feare episode to his Simpsons list.
Fortunately, the Trail Blazers were about to arrive in Minneapolis to face the Timberwolves, so I got to follow up with Sideshow Rob on Sideshow Bob.
Thats as iconic an episode of the series as youre going to get right there, he says. Its amazing how its a parody but it kind of surpasses everything its parodying, at least in my mind. I really think its made such an impression on shows, especially that Sideshow Bob rake scene. I mean; thats Family Guy before Family Guy essentially. Playing a joke off until its no longer funny and then it becomes funny again.
And as for the similarity between Sideshow Bob and himself? You know, people make that comparison as if its an insult, but its very flattering, he says. Sideshow Bobs a very intelligent guy, hes well-spoken, good looking. Mellifluous voice.