| "Saddlesore Galactica"
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| Episode Information
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Criticism
Some Simpsons fans have an extremely low opinion of "Saddlesore Galactica". The episode contains numerous meta-humor and self-referential jokes centered on how outlandish the show's plots and characters have become, how the newer stories borrow heavily from the older stories, and how the Simpsons fans (particularly those on alt.tv.simpsons) complain of these flaws. Examples of this include the blatant recycling of themes and ideas from earlier episodes (which is pointed out repeatedly by Comic Book Guy, who incidentally is also wearing a "worst episode ever" t-shirt), the plot twists (such as the jockeys being magical elf creatures), and the over-the-top caricaturing of the main characters (such as Lisa being overly activistic after losing the band competition). This has led some to believe that the episode was made outlandish and derivative on purpose, which many fans considered to be an insult towards them (particularly true when the Comic Book Guy pointed out that the Simpsons adpoting a horse for a pet was done before, and Homer asking the crowd of people at the fair if anyone cared what The Comic Book Guy thought, to which the crowd yells, "No!").
