The password to enter the latest edition of our best TV roundup is Fidelio, because that’s only fitting when Stanley Kubrick takes the top line spot by proxy. The Simpsons returned to the LED throne this week with a fantastic 25th edition of its annual “Treehouse of Horror” variety show, but perennial bestie John Oliver follows close on their heels with a damning indictment (as usual) of how the United States government treats translators working in its service. To lighten that load we’ve got some silly science popping off and some even sillier Keanu Reeves—much preferred to his Sad counterpart—as part of a Jimmy Kimmel twofer. Oh, and another thing you guys, Selfie is happening, so you best get on board before you get left behind. Just like we told you it would. The prophecy is fulfilled with the following clips from this past week in television.
The Simpsons—Treehouse of Horror XXV
The granddaddy of Sunday’s animation block is really stepping up its game this season. In the first episode of the season, they turned the iconic opening credits into a futuristic freakshow from the mind of Don Hertzfeldt. Sure, they’ve done couch gags before, but this one was truly nuts—and amazing. Then this week, we got to walk back into the Halloween Treehouse of Horror for the 25th time. This is the complete second act of the show, and it’s an outstanding tribute to Stanley Kubrick. The only thing harder than fluidly adapting Anthony Burgess’ Nadsat parlance to screen, as Kubrick so masterfully did with A Clockwork Orange, might be fluidly imitating it in a way that feels at once like parody and tribute, as The Simpsons did on Sunday with A Clockwork Yellow. Moe takes on the role of Alex, leading his droogs on a spree of ultra hijinks through Springfield. Fortunately, it’s a lot less murdery and rapey than the source material, and the whole bit is just stacks on stacks on stacks of nods to the ultra-weird auteur. Keep your eyes wide open for this one so you don’t miss anything!
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver—Translators
“Are you ready for this shit? Let’s do it!”
Jimmy Kimmel Live!—Exploding Paint Cans & Lightning Guns With Science Bob Pflugfelder
It’s pretty entry-level stuff, but 10 minutes of fun with science on late night TV? We’ll take it!
Brooklyn Nine-Nine—Halloween Bet
It’s Halloween, and that means Detective Peralta (Andy Samberg) and Captain Holt (Andre Braugher) have their annual holiday wager to make! Last year, Peralta bet Holt he could steal his Medal of Valor, which was child’s play compared to this year’s challenge: the watch right off his wrist. So the con is on, and Peralta will once again need the services of his squad room to pull this one off. See their deft execution of the caper above.
Selfie—Nugget of Wisdom
File under: John Cho is our secret dream best friend. Uh-oh. Secret’s out!
Jimmy Kimmel Live!—Jimmy Kimmel Asks Keanu Reeves Random Questions
Is Keanu Reeves America’s best kept secret? Yes, we all know his name, but it’s clear we have no idea who he really is. More random questions with Keanu. And more ghost stories, please!
Modern Family—Won’t You Be Our Neighbor?
The Dunphys’ neighbors are moving out, and Phil is handling the sale, which means they’ve got a prime position to cherry pick the ideal new family next door. So when the perfect candidates show up, Phil and Claire are hell bent on “seducing” them into the sale by advertising the house’s number one feature: its “Dunphy Adjacency.” But in the whirlwind of their hard sales pitch, signals get a little mixed, and the pageant frontrunners for Best New Neighbor drop out. See how it fell apart, and see Sarah Hyland’s excellent face be the MVP of this scene.
Bonus Track: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon—Bradley Cooper and Jimmy Fallon Can’t Stop Laughing (Uncut)
We are not even kidding when we say this is 11 minutes of Bradley Cooper and Jimmy Fallon falling apart on the Tonight Show. Is this peak laughter? In a career filled with scene-killing character breaks, Fallon may have finally passed the laughter event horizon, never to be seen or heard from again (until the next night, obviously, when he has to do another show).
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