The Best Simpsons Intro Is About Losing Everything You Love

[@JacobGeller]

I'll be talking through the process of creating this video and answering all sorts of questions on my patreon. all aboard! www.patreon.com/JacobGeller

[@Fraser-Gosden]

I'm aware that this is a common question but, is there a way to support you that doesnt cost money, sadly I currently dont have a source of income but I'd still like to support you in some way

[@privateemail9755]

aye, a few comments were deleted. But they weren't even problematic nor did they have any typically flagged buzzwords. very weird.

[@jacobjohnson7122]

Please play Before Your Eyes

[@terbentur2943]

@@Fraser-Gosden Like and share his stuff I guess

[@a.bdioro5302]

Please tell me the name of the orchestra playing in the beginning

[@MrPooleish]

"Adults suck and then you are one" is not a truth I was willing to grapple with today.

[@ToastedZergling]

The memory of grandpa simpson saying this, which I distinctly remember from my youth, will always stick with me: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHjVl5uprd2gmqc

[@slimylimes]

@@ToastedZergling Ha! Oh man that brought me back. Thanks for that. Some of those old Simpson scenes are like technicolor genetic material zippin around inside me.

[@fuzzybuzzy3159]

That's why I contemplated suicide around my 18th birthday and almost went through with it. Almost 21 and I am still the same way with my other birthdays. Funny, how the fear of death generates a response of craving it.

[@WhaleManMan]

Edgy Bart Simpsonswave remix

[@deltarose936]

HE SAID THAT AS I READ THIS WHAT THE FUCK

[@oldscoolest]

My favorite couch gag is the one where Homer evolves from a bacteria, goes through all of history, until the moment he is sitting on the couch. And then Marge asks him "what took you so long"

[@thatgaming1940]

It's only been 4 billion years

[@widget787]

Yeah that is the best one, Evolution Couch Gag.

[@randomlesbian28]

Aren't there two versions of that couch gag? I think that in the other One marge says: did you get the milk?

[@icantcomeupwithagoodusername]

"Kept you waiting huh?"

[@rih6856]

That’s my favorite one too lol

[@TKBadMoon]

"This opening was made by Don Hertzfeldt" Everything instantly made sense.

[@catastoph2939]

I was watching it and thought, "Man, it really looks like something he would make.... Oh, because it is."

[@khunt5336]

First time I saw it I just knew it had to be Hertzfeld, his style is just so distinctive

[@K-Anator]

I wasn't paying attention, scrolling memes on the other monitor. I look over at the video around 2:23. When it cut to Bart and Lisa shortly after, I was asking "Who the fuck drew this? Hertzfeldt?". And holy shit did he ever. Love the dude.

[@pyroguy1104]

He’s my favorite animator of all time. It’s Such a Beautiful Day never fails to bring me to tears. The first time I watched it was in 2014. I was peaking on a pretty high dose of LSD, and a friend suggested it because he liked the animator. We put it on. We laughed. We cried. After it ended, we all sat there speechless for over half an hour processing everything we had just experienced. Finally we broke the silence and spent an more than an hour discussing everything about it. It wraps the entire human condition into an hour long bite of surreal, absurd, heartbreaking poignancy. I revisit it often still. And it never fails to make me cry like the first time. I think it’s quite possibly the best animated film ever created.

[@patricktsao9630]

@@khunt5336 For me its the way their mouths formed vowels. Hertzfeldt has a distinctive way of doing his mouth shapes that you can see as far back as Rejected. Once that stuck out, the weirdness connected - and then seeing the cloud-shape Marge, which looked like the dancing "MY ANUS IS BLEEDING" clouds practically sealed the deal.

[@leephillips4402]

I thought they were being so self-aware making that couch gag, then I found out it was made by a guest animator with practically no supervision.

[@Lunalite]

And now realize that the Simpsons staff found the couch gag funny when they saw it

[@ralek592]

@@Lunalite Jesus christ they're stupid. Thank god it gave us this though.

[@nemou4985]

@@Lunalite "funny"

[@Pizza_kid_Dizzy]

Don't have cow man

[@randomfactsthatdontmatter3466]

@@Pizza_kid_Dizzy did somebody say cow man? kzbin.info/www/bejne/a2i8oIaqgbOpqKM

[@Cuiasodo]

I watched a breakdown on a Simpson's couch gag and now I am suddenly, deeply, existentially sad.

[@Purpleturtlehurtler]

Same bro. Same. Hug a loved one.

[@gsd4104]

I did not expect to wake up and have my daily existential crisis driven by an analysis of a Simpson's couch gag that I have not watched. Christ.

[@anarchyinba]

I almost cried. What the hell.

[@jamesabestos2800]

@@Purpleturtlehurtler smog

[@sirvalhart7464]

This hit way harder than I expected it to

[@arforafro5523]

This is why Alzheimer's is so horrible, quoting an old man from a story saw posted somewhere: "I had a long life; I had memories of it, its unfair that I cannot remember anything"

[@tiffanielafleur6597]

Oh boy, now I'm crying

[@SwizzleDrizzl]

Aw- thats really sad

[@Dzugashvili]

Tryptamines help prevent alzheimers/dimentia and expand consciousness. They also show you that you do not want to exist/remember forever because eternity is absolutely horrifying.

[@dandywaysofliving]

This is why it's important to keep a captains log. If for no one else do it for yourself. That's why I kinda horde items. I don't have a massive collection but I do have things that others might see as trash.(i pick up rocks) I've already began accepting that one day what I know will be forgotten. But what I've done will carry on. Or maybe it won't. Live each day as if it were your first there is no tomorrow. Only right now. Find happiness in what you can do today. I like to pick up trash and walk long distances. The amount of cars that have passed me by in my life and the people in it. It hasn't been long but I remeber being young and seeing the town I grew up in and wondering what was in this dark desert full of lights and unknown landscape as I drove past it between 1 city to the other when I was young. Imagine going from town A to town C barely understanding what reality and life is like. You pass by this in between town. A place uve seen but have no understanding of. Eventually town B Is where you're from. I've seen a place of darkness and as I saw it in the light I become part of it. Idk where my life will lead me but I enjoy what I can now and will try and record what I can. Recording isn't important but knowing you might forget someday hurts. So make some notes for what your day used to be like. Eventually we become the shadows of the life we lived but the light you leave behind rest in others. It's less about you but more about your intentions. I don't wanna be remebered. I wanna see more people walking, cleaning, and having fun, but you have to be part of the change you see in this world. Good luck 🤟💫

[@seanwilson5753]

@@dandywaysofliving You, sir. You have made me experience the largest epiphany of my life.

[@mwkcope]

"What is a man but the sum of his memories? We are the stories we live! The tales we tell ourselves!" - Clay Kaczmarek

[@IsuiGtz]

And all of Clay's memories lived in Desmond. Which were... a lot. Centuries and centuries of memories...

[@zoushaomenohu]

"What is a man?" A MISERABLE LITTLE PILE OF SECRETS!

[@wartybix5038]

Revelations was painfully underrated

[@Hjaws69]

Breadstick

[@peterprime2140]

@@zoushaomenohu Goddamn it, you beat me to it. *"BUT ENOUGH TALK, HAVE AT YOU!"*

[@Fexxis_]

One thing I remember for an earlier season, Lisa tells Bart that “every week Homer goes on some other wacky adventure. It’ll be back to normal by next Thursday.”

[@annoyedbipolar7424]

there was a joke like that in the 09' (S20 E11) where they made a compilation of 33 times Homer was hurt in a cartoonish manor from over the course of the series. (Basically Wile E. Coyote- roadrunner type slapstick) The response from Homer after that was "what a week!" (the only version on YT is dubbed in another language.)

[@thecreator3145]

In another episode, Bart and Lisa realize how their hair blends with their skin.

[@AM19925]

that thing about homer being a teenager in the 90s snapped a bit of my brain off

[@hankriseshill1898]

Yea holy shit, that’s so fucked

[@davidteachout1888]

I mean with the way the simpsons timeline works thats just how it is. Time and tech move forward but people do not. So 30 years after the show aired homers still the same age right? Well that means his teenage years are now 30 years in advance because time and people are separate. Is it a good explanation? No but it works.

[@shadowcween7890]

@@davidteachout1888 that makes sense

[@EdSchroedinger]

by colliding coincidence I read along this comment the very same moment it's mentioned in the video... now imagine my brain (°.° )

[@99batran]

Time sliding I think

[@giveluminacat10nobles21]

Theres a sad beauty in how it goes from "You are Lisa Simpson" All the way to "I am Simpson"

[@nazsiwagemelas9359]

Especially in the context that Lisa never truly feels like she is cut from the same cloth that her family is, and feels that she is different from them by being smarter. In the end (at least in this interpretation) it seems like, for better or worse, she accepts that she is in fact “Simpson”.

[@porcuspine2368]

@@nazsiwagemelas9359 Or she's still trying to convince herself of that

[@sighduck9789]

worth pointing out that just before that moment the show labeled itself as The Sampsans too, yet she says Simpson

[@safe-keeper1042]

@@sighduck9789 Wow. I didn't catch that.

[@lorefox201]

she still clings too the poor dear

[@aputridpileofb-movies6542]

I think perhaps the 'I will never forget you' sequence is meant to be near the end of the universe, perhaps only minutes away from it.

[@Thetarget1]

If you look at the episode number, it seems to be closer to 100,000, meaning that it takes place before the main part.

[@aputridpileofb-movies6542]

@@Thetarget1 I had the thought that it was near the end because of how distorted everything was and how the screen blanks out in the transition, but if it takes place before the main part, it's probably not the final end of the universe, unless it's shown out of order.

[@DogsRNice]

@@aputridpileofb-movies6542 maybe the main EPASODE takes place in some hellish existence after the end of the universe in some totalitarian fragment of reality

[@drunkensailor5771]

@@DogsRNice I believe it takes place in marges last moments of ture sentience, much like in 2001 a space oddity when HAL is geting shut down After this marge is just a hollow husk, like dementia but as if it had went on for 1000 years

[@beautifulnova6088]

@@aputridpileofb-movies6542 It might just be fuzzy because Homer is having trouble remembering that far back.

[@lucienr514]

I would love if they did a "Treehouse Of Horror" episode where everyone remembers all the past episodes and realizes they're trapped in some endless time bubble. They'd quickly spiral into madness and, depending on how dark Disney is willing to go, do some really dark and disturbing things.

[@weirdLEXbutok]

underrated comment right here

[@ketchupwater06]

and they did it, somewhat

[@alchemistofsteel8099]

It would be funny if there we a futurama episode where the characters go to sprindale in the future and the exact same as it is in our time.

[@anarmadillowithagun]

some writers have expressed that the series finale (if it ever comes) will take us back to the first episode, implying that their lives are just looping

[@spooky6703]

@@anarmadillowithagun So a depressing version of the third ending of Futurama?

[@PhantamSam]

I was genuinely expecting this video to end with the Simpson’s credits

[@shweetnectar]

like a perfect mirror of the original couch gag; a deep dive into memory and the purpose of the simpsons, and then getting immediately snapped out of it!

[@theresasassthetician8935]

Fun fact. at 4.10 it says 100.411.2

[@caveiradacaverna6713]

a good thing it didn't

[@spoony8485]

It’s a bit off topic and a bit on topic, but the line “You are alive and living now. Now is the envy of all of the dead” from world of tomorrow is such a good way to say live in the present not the future or the past. And a perspective to see yourself as fortunate despite your circumstances.

[@constantreader1422]

i know that's supposed to have a positive effect, but honestly it weirdly makes me feel worse? not to dive into trauma dumping, but enough has happened to make this kind of statement more depressing than helpful, and i've never quite been able to put into words why. this is not to knock on your comment, just thinking out loud for the engagement.

[@nazsiwagemelas9359]

@@constantreader1422 I can understand your sentiment. The fact that if the best thing we have is the present, and if the present isn’t truly satisfying, then it seems like nothing will ever beat your current present. I will say though that the present is mutable and ever-changing, so it does not have to be something specific all the time. The power of memory can still exist and haunt your present, but if you are truly living in the present, you are not necessarily focusing on your past, if that makes sense? I, too, am just simply thinking aloud lol

[@christopherrapczynski204]

@@constantreader1422 probably because you yearn for more and don't like living as much as you think you should, so being told this is the peak of existing isn't exactly comforting.

[@haydensutherland4405]

One of my all time favorite quotes

[@moosesues8887]

@@nazsiwagemelas9359 chills

[@Silver-Arrow]

Imagine if the Simpsons pulled a space dandy where homer actually remembers everything that happened in the past quadrillion episodes but just chooses to live with it

[@Sentient_Blob]

The concept of Simpson remembering his past could be a great idea for a mega episode or movie

[@celestialowl8865]

Imagine the plot twist that he's an idiot because compared to the infinite past the now feels distant and fuzzy

[@dandywaysofliving]

Ha they said the thing 🤟💫

[@Noperare]

Plot twist: Homer didn't intentionally put a cryin on his brain because "being smart is lonely and hard" he did it because he couldnt handle all the rebooted memories.

[@servidig483]

Chances are, they'll get to do it eventually

[@nachoijp]

"we are happy family", "I wil never forget you", "Still love you Homar"... The simple but eternal values for which we loved The Simpsons. In a way, it's nice to think that they still milk the series because those values still resonate with us. It shines a hopeful light in the audience, even if the series is a fiery mountain of tires.

[@stephanhart1802]

And does that fire not still warm us?

[@tyraoqvist350]

@@stephanhart1802 ik this is only three weeks old atp but dude. underrated comment holy hell

[@SeveralRatsEachWithArcanePower]

​@@stephanhart1802plin plin plon

[@tortis6342]

@@stephanhart1802 I love this comment.

[@sonicthehedgegod]

i never fail to lose it at “i will read one of his letters to you now: Oh God. Oh God. Oh. Oh holy mother of God.” that’s like one of the funniest fucking lines

[@the1stwing]

The best parts are the absolute deadpan delivery and how it's not clear on what it's about

[@DoctorWhoNow01]

@@the1stwing I feel like it's showing how that character can't keep up with all of the information he's received over time, unable to keep track of everything and being overwhelmed of what life is without death. Just constant info you will never really understand. If you live forever, you eventually reach a breaking point. His family member shares books and movies with him thinking that it will make him happy during his eternal existence, yet they don't know how to interpret his suffering as such. They just feed him more and more thinking it will make him happy when in actuality he's long been overwhelmed and losing his sense of self. "Oh God" is used so nonchalantly in modern society but it has a lot of power behind it- crying out for a deity to save you or give you some sort of direction when you exist just to exist. What is existence without purpose but confusing, scary, and unenjoyable?

[@RaynmanPlays]

@@DoctorWhoNow01 He's essentially in solitary confinement... only worse, because his consciousness is not connected to any senses or any body. Solitary confinement is psychological torture. The effect it has on people is horrifying. It's something that is an understandable necessity for criminals who are too dangerous to be allowed around others. Without going into specifics, it's been used recently to torture confessions out of certain people that those in power did not like. In America. Anyway, that's a bit of a tangent. What is relevant is that this man has spent _four years_ is the worst psychological torture imaginable. And he likely cannot even sleep to gain some temporary respite.

[@the1stwing]

@@DoctorWhoNow01 that's actually a good way to look at it

[@Proud_Knight]

@@RaynmanPlays I disagree that it's a necessity, as someone who has spent a considerable amount of time alone I'd rather be given the death sentence than be put into solitary confinement. I wouldn't wish that suffering on the worst human being to have ever lived.. We can find other ways to handle unruly prisoners, and if there are some people that are truly too dangerous to deal with in other ways and the only way to keep them alive without harming others is to put them into a box and make them suffer than we should honestly consider ending their life. Sorry if this is too hot of a take for some people but anyone who thinks SC is acceptable should spend 3 days in total isolation and see if they still feel the same afterwards.

[@Hocotatium111]

Don Hertzfeldt did an interview about this and if I recall correctly, this couch gag was so long that it originally put the episode over the allotted time limit, but the writers loved it so much, they cut some of the runtime to accommodate it. I found it funny that the writers found a pretty blatant critique of their own product to be worth cutting out some of that product for. I've been a huge fan of Hertzfeldt's work since I saw World of Tomorrow along with other Oscar nominated short films for a humanities class. Thanks for highlighting it here. I always thought it could use some more eyes on it.

[@gorak9000]

I've been a fan of Hertzfeldt since seeing Rejected way way back in the land before time (aka, back when the internet was just starting to become something). I had seen some of his other works too, and they're all amazing. Somehow, I randomly happened to watch the simpson's episode where his couch gag ran (on the original air date actually), which is really bizarre, as I haven't really watched any episodes in years before that, and haven't watched too many of them since either. It's almost like the memory of needing to watch that particular episode was implanted into my head by a future clone of mine! Everything Hertzfeldt does is so simple on the surface, but so deep and touching that it really sticks with you, and stands out among all the other crap "daily trivialities" you've injested along the way. I have a oddly strong emotional reaction to almost everything he does! This analysis was also really well done!

[@subzu2733]

Maybe because deep down thats how the writers feel about the show

[@J3Puffin]

I see it as a critique of the human experience, as reflected by one of America's longest-running ongoing creative works (seriously, it's in the top five of longest-running American Primetime TV shows for a reason). It's like being given a pulpit as one of a dozen political candidates for an election race and, instead of talking about that election, talking about the fundamental instabilities and issues with the system that allowed you to be a candidate, not offering any kind of "how to fix it" answer but just saying "Hey. This is how things are, as I see them. Doesn't that feel wrong?" At least, that's what I get from it.

[@SaltpeterTaffy]

That's honestly an impressive display of humility from modern writers.

[@beetlebob4675]

Billy's Balloon and The Animation Show are my favorite works of his lol

[@RinLockhart]

"Now is the envy of all of the dead." "Okay." oh my god

[@ekathe85]

"It smells like dust and moonlight" is my favorite quote from any Hertzfeldt film. Doesn't seem like much on itself, but in context... it is devastating.

[@EpsteinKilla69]

you noticed that too? How she's trying to tell her all she can/ wishes she knew in a sentence, and the child, just being a child, is just accepting what she's saying in order to not get caught up on almost trivial sayings like "live deeply". In a way, she's already taking the advice, but because the former emily is not experiencing it herself, she doesn't know to just leave her to live. Her own fear forces her to try and educate, sapping the life from new emily, almost paradoxically.

[@renatal.129]

@@ekathe85 which movie is it?

[@plastic4872]

@@renatal.129 that quote is from it's such a beautiful day, i think. its been a while since i last saw it.

[@SanctuaryReintegrate]

Such a raw line. I love it.

[@purplehaze2358]

I interpreted the intro as a critique of the series’ direction. It displaying the show in tens of thousands of years might have been in reference to the refusal to let it die. It’s literally the show that gave name to the phenomenon of Flanderization, so the slow degradation of the characters down to their base elements could be in reference to that.

[@autumnaxiom]

The grandfather bit was honestly terrifying, especially with the details about how differently time passes in the cube. Being completely alone, without a body or any sensory experiences, unable to properly communicate or end your existence, for hundreds and thousands of years... God that's scary. Reminds me of certain Black Mirror episodes, too.

[@mushmush4980]

If an hour is 4 years for him, 1 week for new movies would mean 672 years between new stimulants for his consciousness. His world is dark, bleak, and hellish deprived of any new sensations and an inability to stop thinking.

[@UwasaWaya]

Monkey loves you.

[@matheusm.santana6527]

God i noth loved the episode and hated it. That last scene where it just shows how much time is passing for him, that scene broke me

[@EuMilo]

I have no mouth and I must scream

[@matheusm.santana6527]

@@EuMilo don't maje me remember that awful thing. Those wrre 12 pages of pure ahony in written form

[@ladymari1]

I think that what stuck with me the most about this couch gag is that even after thousands of years have passed and how the family has become something almost unrecognizable to their original forms, they still love each other like we see when they say "we are a happy family" as amoeba-like things and when Marge says "I will never forget you" to Homer when they are just deformed heads with legs

[@subprogram32]

And even when the rest of the family's minds have finally succumbed to time, Homer still remembers the times when love remained in his family. Or at least, we assume they succumbed. We've only seen the start of episode 164.775.7, after all. Maybe this episode is about Homer remembering the good old days, and trying to rekindle that love in his family again. He might even succeed. We never see the end of the episode.

[@rarebeeph1783]

@@subprogram32 The implication of decimal days and episodes, to me, is that the delineation between one and the next is so faded that it's not even worth considering them distinct on that time scale.

[@professorhaystacks6606]

@@subprogram32 While probably not the intent, I like your interpretation.

[@likira111]

@@professorhaystacks6606 Or we all just become real ugly and they're all happy

[@naffiethenaff]

@@subprogram32 in the end of the episode the squidlike homer and hair Marge help formless Smithers and Fishlike Mr. Burns save the Nuclear Plant from Lizardlike Lenny, who became evil in episode 70,876.9

[@geoffreyprecht2410]

"Live well, and live broadly. You are alive and living now. Now is the envy of all of the dead." This sent shivers down my spine. Words to live by, for real.

[@somegoodsoup7008]

ogey

[@Superabound2]

Ever notice how living people constantly choose to die, but dead people never choose to come back to life? Maybe being dead is better

[@TheRealMycanthrope]

Jesus fuck Damn man

[@randomjunkohyeah1]

@@mattb4640 Do uhh… do you need to talk to somebody?

[@QIncarnate]

don't die bro that shit kills you

[@limbokidthedank8746]

I vaguely remember seeing this Simpsons cold open back when I was a kid, I remember I was unsettled at the start when Homer turned into a head with tentacles because I already sensed it was slightly outside of the Simpsons usual style of humor, even though I was by no means a regular viewer of the show. As a kid, I wore my emotions more on my sleeves, and a big part of who I am is that I have a bit of a soft spot for genuine love and for innocent old people for some reason (probably how I was raised) so when I saw them rapidly flashing through the ages and saw Marge say "I still love you" I actually started crying because I managed to make the connection that they were traveling through time, and even though at the time I didn't know why they were decaying like this, the fact that Marge continued to love Homer throughout this physical and mental decay was so beautiful and sad to me that I started to cry, not uncontrollably or anything, but I did cry for a bit and then carried on watching the show, a bit shocked from how it carried on as usual after that

[@Penroseapostle]

“My Spoon is too big” the predecessor for comically large spoon

[@Randomguy-sn1yz]

yes

[@LauTartaros]

Indeed

[@yazi3824]

Only a spoonful

[@radio6524]

ik this mans trying to be all deep talking about losing everything that made you yourself, but over here still sobbing over the way ‘marge’ says “still love you homar” even after being reduced to just an image of who she once was

[@chrisrockett5897]

Exactly this.

[@abbynufer5296]

Same! That line gutted me so hard

[@JHall86]

“I’ll never forget you” or whatever she said at the end was like… woah 🤯 honestly it’s a couch gag that just makes you sit there and think life! 🧐 lol fr

[@-tera-3345]

@@JHall86 But then in the "current date" she's been reduced entirely to stating marketing line, and Homer is the only one with any memories remaining. It makes his final, dejected "D'oh" hit really hard.

[@doctorwholover1012]

That bit hit like the ending of Everything Everywhere all at once, it's a absolutely banger film that's tangentially related to the videos overall topic but 1000% on topic of "still love you homar" 😭 Unexplained spoilers - what if even in a universe where sentient life didn't develop, love did? And it does, and it will, and it has, and it must.

[@satyasyasatyasya5746]

"'Now' is the envy of all of the dead." my god... that hits

[@yoya.]

Okay

[@og.K7]

Okay

[@fillingsauce7130]

I am 2 months old young and this is veryily deep

[@helix2331]

i love how it doesn't state if you're using it well or not. because there is no right or wrong, there is only now.

[@theshockinglyeloquentdog9945]

@@yoya. such a valid comment ruined by a bunch of retarded replies

[@PhoenixFires]

The idea of immortality is often depicted in a nihilistic way. Always showing the further corruption of memories until we lose ourselves completely and analyzing such a negative inevitability. But even in the completely hellish opening gag for the Simpsons, Marge says "I still love you Homar", remembering in some primal and existential way what their love is in its purest form, regardless of their deteriorated mental and physical faculties. Some would simplify this to being a shadow of Marge's self, repeating past phrases. But Marge says "I STILL love you" and "I will never forget you", meaning at this current time she is saying she still loves Homer after all these millenia of their changes and transmutations into totally corrupted entities past their natural lifespan. Mayhaps its not correct in the theoretical "grand truth" of life and the universe, but there's something beautiful in the spiritual, existential belief in the Power of Love, exemplified in phrases like "Love conquers all, let us all yield to love" and "Three things will last forever: faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is love". Even as our minds and bodies decay: whether our worldly selves live on for all eternity or we die and turn to dust, forgotten by the unfeeling winds of time. Our purest essence will be retained in our love and bonds with each other, forever.

[@SuperFlashDriver]

Even after ten to twenty millenniums, she's still there with Homer eternally, whether they live or die.

[@TheNemesis432]

All ideas of immortality boil down to this: If you're good - you're screwed. If you're evil - you never lose a purpose in life.

[@octavioneitorgamer]

Sorry for the dumb example but the thing about love reminded me to invincibles fight against his dad, because they are aliens that live much longer than humans to the point that they compare them to "pets" -Everyone and everything you will know will be gone. What will you have after 500 years? -You, dad. Id still have you

[@abhmmh8892]

Do you remember being born, or anything, clearly, from your childhood? Immortality is not bad, you make new memories.

[@sameoldsatellite]

"This is me... and mommy... this is me and mommy walking... this is me and mommy walking..." That line always destroys me - and Hertzfeldt didn't even write it. He recorded his niece and recontextualised it masterfully.

[@okayalright6882]

i am very proud of my sadness because it means i am more alive

[@404_nowheresnotfound3]

Where was that?

[@1pieceisdareasoniliv]

@@404_nowheresnotfound3 Haven't watched the video yet, but I can tell you the line's from Don Hertzfeldt's short film World of Tomorrow.

[@rams6702]

what a happy day it is

[@jimsalter9580]

1k likes lmao

[@harbl99]

"Each character become a walking shell of itself over time." You know there's a term for this. It's called 'Flanderization'. Named after Ned Flanders, the Simpson's next door neighbor.

[@Zthewise]

For the longest time I wondered if the term was named after him or was he named after the term.

[@bonanlin4972]

@@Zthewise Fun fact, Flanders is named after a street named "Flanders street" in Matt Groening's hometown

[@o_o............]

I don't really understand why, but your comment caused me a big breakthrough into my consciousness... thank you, i guess.

[@TheRealNormanBates]

..... I think I’ve become flanderized...

[@nomnomgoblin8901]

@@bonanlin4972 also Lovejoy and Terwilliger, all in Portland, OR.

[@herothecrow994]

“The only character that is without despair is Emily Prime.” “She’s *five”* That hurt

[@theunwelcome]

yeah, this was bleak AF and I'm not sure how to process it all...

[@RedLordOfAlagadda]

@@JazzyJacksJokeShack But it still gives a real enough message to be impactful on people's perception of life.

[@Anyo92]

It hurt even more when all she could say to clone emily’s speech was “okay”

[@silentzebra7797]

​@@JazzyJacksJokeShack you can not tell me just because someone is questioning what makes are experiences and memories worth anything trough the lens of sci-fi and animation it suddenly has no barring on reality. also, fake deep is when something masquerades as if it starts a conversation or is thought-provoking when in reality it isn't. please don't use terms when you don't know what they mean. (what is cartoona? I'm not a grammar Nazi or anything but that's such a basic spelling error. i mean come on, just read over your comment and check for that shit, it's just one sentence.)

[@sluttyMapleSyrup]

@@JazzyJacksJokeShack Yeah, animation's never been used to discuss or convey difficult topics or complex ideas before! /s

[@spookyskid7544]

The fact that Homer seems sad and traumatized when he makes his last d’oh makes this more sad,as he literally remembered all the moments he had with his family before they turned into an one-word marketing machine

[@jimh781]

The Simpson’s is such fertile ground for discussions of those themes of eternal life and deterioration. There is a play currently showing in Philadelphia called Mr Burns, a Post-Electric Play. Its three acts depict a world in which all electricity is taken out, and the survivors which begin the play imperfectly recalling simpsons episodes in order to take their mind off the apocalypse begin to deify and worship the myths of the simpsons. Absolutely wild show.

[@MissAmy929728]

Omg? Is there video of it? I am not American so i can't see it with my own eyes

[@batmandalorian5504]

Saw it at Theatre Wit back home in Chicago during the 2015 run. It was mind blowing. Where is it playing in Philly ? I’d like to send a friend there to see it.

[@jimh781]

@@batmandalorian5504 I saw it 2018, so your friend will have to wait.

[@batmandalorian5504]

@@jimh781 Oh, your comment is only a month old and it said "currently playing" so I thought it was currently playing.

[@Champiness]

Not to blow up their spot or anything (like, if you find it maybe don’t leave a comment) but I found a pretty good high-school production of the show on this very website

[@sam.7983]

Too bad you didnt talk about the fact that Homer and Marge, knowing that they will transform into a soulless marketing image, share their last moments by saying "I will never forget you".

[@subprogram32]

And Homer never forgot.

[@naffiethenaff]

This is what the Simpsons will be like eventually. Soon, there will be so many episodes that watching episode 1 would be like a time capsule. It would take a LOT to completely kill the Simpsons off of the TV

[@theAztecfalcon]

@@naffiethenaff it already is

[@alvarovinicius8571]

I think the "dark lord of the twin moons" is a clearly reference to Mickey mouse, even with the voice saying in the back too

[@EtamirTheDemiDeer]

@@alvarovinicius8571 oh wow, didn’t even think of that

[@shottysteve]

you know how in the future, homer, marge, and bart repeated things that were sorta their known catchphrases, (except maggie), but lisa saying “i am simpson”… i couldnt figure out. i didnt understand if this was a comment on something or why lisa was saying this, and then moments later you flashed the scene of lisa reading the note from her teacher that read “you are lisa simpson”, and it all came together. that lisa’s thing… was her identity, and that had been whittled down to “i am simpson”… and that hit me like a rock. like her character was clinging onto the last thing that made her her. unless the two are not connected and im reading this wrong but tht would suck cause i typed this out on my phone. anyway, really like how you presented this. a++++

[@papirabi]

Bro please upload

[@randomlesbian28]

Maybe lisa's "I am Simpson" line is refering to the classic "You are Lisa Simpson" moment.

[@PikaBolaChan]

it’s ya boy shottysteve, let’s start this comment off, slow

[@somecrappyedits]

It could also be that Lisa is pretty much the awkward Simpson in terms of breaking her down to her core. Bart is the brat Homer is the dumb fat dad Marge is the level headed mom plus a funny voice (which is why she's the propaganda) Maggie is the baby Of course, Lisa is more of a complicated character than her family which is why she can't be reduced to a catchphrase, but with that the only thing she has left after centuries of being broken down is being a Simpson and having spiky hair Her most basic trait is being a liberal hippie. However, in a distant future where the United States isn't even remembered and its beliefs are irrelevant, those don't matter anymore.

[@tylerbeaumont]

Yep. Lisa’s whole character has been her struggling with her identity and her family. “What does it mean to be a Simpson?” “Can I be smart whilst simultaneously being a part of this family?” A lot of existential questions and a lot of mystery about the future. But eventually, Lisa would surely either become fine with this or become consumed by it. The “I am Simpson” line is Lisa boiled down to a single 3 word sentence. All of her struggles, her privileges, and her very existence, condensed to the point of pure meaningless nonsense. It’s weirdly deep, yet it means nothing. “I am Simpson” has been Lisa’s struggle for the entire run of the show. It IS Lisa. Because Lisa is a Simpson, and can never be anything more. So in a world where every struggle has been overcome, and every idea has been had, it’s all she has left. Creepy

[@thisisthelukas]

NOW I KNOW WHO WAS BEHIND "My anus is bleeding!" Thank you, Jacob, for giving me closure on this chapter of my childhood.

[@peter-william]

I love that this is your takeaway

[@36melodyproduction]

I want to like your comment but also there's a perfect 333 likes it's stressing me out

[@TheEternalClown]

Randy Sandy

[@isaiahromero9861]

You gotta watch "it's such a beautiful day" literally the most beautiful animated film I've ever seen

[@moapchan1905]

After you put it into context, Marge saying "I will never forget you" makes me genuinely cry. Really hard.

[@sleep_is_awesome2838]

That's because it's so important to us. I listened to a radio show about a palliative doctor caring for children, and their biggest fear was not dying, but being forgotten. She had them make a ritual for their parents to promise, like eating their favorite food and wearing their favorite colour on their birthday. Being remembered means our life mattered.

[@SignalRaptor_]

@@sleep_is_awesome2838 and this is why memory deterioration illness is my all time biggest fear. What if one day I forget, and I never even know I knew? Terrifying

[@sleep_is_awesome2838]

@@SignalRaptor_ Yeah so many terrors with memory loss

[@Person-co3gr]

@@SignalRaptor_ Have you heard of Everywhere at the end of time? Great depiction of dementia.

[@SignalRaptor_]

@@Person-co3gr I want you to think about what you just said, and what you know about me. >Man greatest fear is memory deterioration, I know, hey go see this thing that is a representation that I have heard of it and I hate it. I hate it a lot, especially since there was a period where all the memes where EatEoT clips. I hate it so damn much

[@jrodificator1]

"This video was brought to you by audible" MAKE PURCHASE OF THE MERCHANDISE

[@rickrolld1367]

PRAISE THE DARK LORD OF THE TWIN MOONS

[@MrFleshyMan]

I AM SIMPSON I AM SIMPSON

[@Stoopid0708]

THA SAMPASONS APASODE NUMBAR 162.182 18

[@runforestrun5537]

DON'T DON'T HAVE COW, MAN

[@MrFleshyMan]

I AM SIMPSON I AM SIMPSON I AM SIMPSON

[@the1stwing]

This reminds me of a Greek tale of a man who was in love with a goddess, who pleaded to Zeus to grant him eternal life so they could live together forever, however what he actually wanted was eternal YOUTH, because; even though he couldn't die; he still aged, and thus he grew older and older until he shriveled up to no more than the size of a grape.

[@Steven-xz5xt]

He also turned Into a cricket, I think. Yes, I vaguely remember him turning Into a cricket by the end of It.

[@kohrakthehorriblebionicle6187]

Tithonus

[@the1stwing]

@@kohrakthehorriblebionicle6187 that's the one!

[@XxEmpty_EscapexX693]

That sounds...awful ........spending forever like that.....

[@expressnumber]

@@Steven-xz5xt a cicada, according to Wikipedia

[@NoriMori1992]

The way Homer changed when he went back in time versus forward in time - and the way he seemed to lose control of his body in both scenarios - reminds me of something I saw on the worldbuilding subreddit recently, where magic ability is a function of how real you are compared to your surroundings. Being more than 100% real gives you magical abilities and euphoria, but it can also make you megalomaniacal and paranoid, cause irreversible brain damage, and at a certain level disintegrate your soul. Being less than 100% real can make you lucky and confident, but it can also make you less substantial, less visible, and less memorable. Treatment includes keeping the subject in a brightly lit room surrounded by self-portraits and descriptions. The second-lowest reality level on the chart says that the subject is functionally nonexistent - because it's impossible to perceive them or even think about them - and they are "likely braindead". The _lowest_ level just says "please. please, I'm still here. don't look away, no, please. I do exist. I DO exist! Just keep looking at me… please…" The Future Simpsons world reminds me of that.

[@AlfredvanKuik]

This couch gag has stayed with me for a single sentence that's not mentioned in this video. Near the end future Marge says "All Animals Can Scream". I'm not entirely sure why, but this single sentence just gives me goosebumps. It's such a dark statement, basically saying that every living being is made to endure suffering in some way. I never thought of that before this intro, and it has stuck with me ever since. I still watch this couch gag every now and then and it still gives me that uncomfortable feeling of existential dread that you just don't expect to find in a Simpsons ep. It's beautiful in a dark way.

[@doctorwholover1012]

Marge: "I have no mouth, and I must scream"

[@desperoflamenco5950]

All animals can scream but the sampsans are no longer animals, they are just a idea in the mind of the dark lord of the twin moons, they can't express suffering anymore, but they still feel it

[@sp4c1ng_0ut8]

Fits in with the themes of existentialism very well. Humans are so determined to be more, to better, to do things we didnt think were possible and to answer all the unknown questions. But the thing is... no one was asking those questions. We fight and we love and we ponder and create. We build civilizations, we make society and laws. We crown kings and elect presidents. We reconstruct our own bodies to defy nature's mistakes and we tinker with genomes like we're gods. We try so hard to make ourselves different; we regard other animals as lesser than and we try to tame the forces around us, playing with things we dont understand. We kick and scream and yell into the blackhole that is life, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter. Empires fall, kings die, nations are conquered, and it will all turn to dust. At the end of the day, humans are animals. All animals can scream. All animals can die. And we are no exception

[@Miners666]

Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

[@sp4c1ng_0ut8]

@@Miners666 Wouldiwas Shookspeared

[@antuanyammine1537]

I didn't expect to feel this much cathartic sadness and melancholy by watching a breakdown of a couch gag from The Simpsons; thank you Jacob for helping me experience all this emotions.

[@ahobimo732]

You must not be familiar with Jacob's videos. His content is always pretty much the opposite of casual.

[@GameScoreFanfare]

Jacob: poetically describes the feelings of being stuck in life with no purpose, perpetually living in place with no direction or way out as it washes over me, in that exact same position, while talking about a Simpsons couch gag. Me: (extremely Emily Prime voice) Okay.

[@BradenBest]

Sir, this is a Wendy's.

[@motifity3416]

@@BradenBest Oh in that case I'll have a Jr. Cheeseburger meal and a soda

[@cliftut]

"Hear me out... could you put the chili... in the burger?"

[@theninjamaster67]

@@BradenBest I'll take some chicken nuggies thankssssss

[@zRhid]

@Retr0 Sorry, frosty machine broke

[@Direfloof]

I was in my late 20’s when I saw Finding Dory in the theater. It’s the only movie to give me a panic attack in my entire life. The subject of memory and its dominion over our identity is one of the most daunting I know of.

[@weirdLEXbutok]

that last sentence is the one reason i haven’t gotten around to watching it & probably never will

[@jesustovar2549]

Speaking as someone who grew up with Finding Nemo and loved Finding Dory (but coudln't watch it in theatres), I wonder how you might feel feel watching Memento? in case you haven't, it's not an ordinary movie but I recommend it, it speakes about the "subject of memory and it's dominion over our identity" that you referred.

[@Direfloof]

@@jesustovar2549 I did watch Memento, and it honestly didn’t give me remotely the same sensation. I think it has a lot to do with basically every main character in Memento being damaged and/or mean spirited. There’s nothing relatable about the main character’s experience. It’s designed to be a head****. Finding Dory is the story of a character whose entire community and support system are robbed from her-and the despair and isolation that leaves her with-through no fault of anyone. The trauma is the isolation, rather than its inciting incident.

[@mayjhoncicadafrickersmith8883]

the simpson blobs that say "i will never forget you" remind me of some francis bacon paintings

[@thrill127]

Beautiful horror

[@bellautopia818]

Thank you I got my homework cut out for me now the name rings about but like I guess every anti-stabby somewhat Stone age individual would do is Google Mr Francis or Mrs Francis I don't know I'm excited to find out though take care of there whoever you be... cool beans 💜

[@bellautopia818]

Omgawd... Autocorrect strikes again!.... Anti-technology!... That's too funny okay 10-4 Roger dodger over and out

[@bellautopia818]

@@mayjhoncicadafrickersmith8883 yeah I'm one of those weirdo talk texters so I'm not sure if the technical term is autocorrect.. it's just whatever my phone hears and interprets me saying.. LOL....although it would be a lot cooler the way you put it... Actually yeah.. let's just go with your version from here on out if anybody asks for some reason my vocabulary includes the word anti-stabby way too much...lol... Okay cool beans over and up for now... See? That was supposed to say over and out.... There we go autocorrect strikes again or whatever it is.... Cool beans and stay you 💜😋😉😂😹😊😽🤔👍🤗😘💋💜❤️💚🎵🎶👯‍♂️💃🕺🏼🦙🕊️🧚☠️🎶🎵💤💤💤💤

[@FeyPax]

“All animals can scream” and yet I can’t. I just was thinking of the short story “I have no mouth yet I must scream” where in the end the protagonist can not escape his fate as a living blob of what once was a man who made a sacrifice to save his companions. He is stuck with this consciousness and no way to express himself. I think that is in some way what Don was going for in the end.

[@EfaEfaBanefa]

Yes I also couldn't help but think of the same thing!

[@NGRevenant]

I know the line "I have no mouth and I must scream" is said by ted the blob monster but it actually refers to AM himself. He's a sentient supercomputer trapped alone underground for eternity and while he has the powers of a god they are limited by the programming humans gave him. He cannot create anything only destroy it. It's this hellish existence that drives him mad with hatred to the point of exterminating humanity. Ted's fate at the end is a parallel to AM's own suffering.

[@HayleighPaige]

@@NGRevenant I read the story a few years ago, and this perspective hadn’t crossed my mind, but how fascinatingly horrible! I mean it’s made clear that AM is nothing without the last humans that it can torture but I hadn’t really considered that it could be possible that AM itself was in perpetual torture. I need to go back and reread now!

[@ralek592]

I've actually read this line on a recent MeatCanyon sheldon vid.. I thought it was original lol.

[@trancandy1]

the greatest revenge that ted had against AM, and the greatest atrocity that AM committed against ted, is that they now share the same fate.

[@sketchywav7741]

Dementia is probably my greatest fear because of how depressing and sad it is.

[@rebelgaming1.5.14]

I fear Dementia for the reason that my grandparents are at the age Dementia begins to set in, and unfortunately, I think only one of my Grandparents have kept their mind sharp enough to avoid it. I fear that my parents will have Dementia, especially my mother, who has let herself go as of late, and I fear for her mental health. I wish when I become old, I will have kept my mind sharp enough to remember my Grandparents, my parents, my most memorable moments, and my children and grandchildren. If I cannot do that, I wish that my life end quickly after Dementia sets in, so I at least remember part of who and what I am in my final moments.

[@df71091]

I just moved into my grandmothers house, she has severe dementia and its really sad, one day it will strike me aswell. She remembered parts from her youth and now i think shes in some kind of existing state withouth any past or future.

[@Zin1Xx]

@EMMANUEL OBIOZOR everywhere at the end of time makes me so depressed, i had to stop at stage 2 cause it made me break out in tears

[@sketchywav7741]

@@df71091 I’m so sorry for that. I lived with my grandmother as well for 6 years, and while there she took care of my great grandmother who had dementia. And seeing it evolve over time was just the worst. I hope your grandmother finds her way.

[@sketchywav7741]

@@firsttimegod802 I looked into it actually when it was pretty unknown to the public. And it just ruined my soul for the next week

[@floridaman2620]

Man, I'm all depressed and crap and then I get hit by an Audible ad and I just forgot why I was all sad and questioning reality and existence. Thanks Audible.

[@DyingPharaoh]

I watched “its such a beautiful day” when I was like 14 and depressed. It’s something that stuck with me over the years, that helps me in my lowest times. I think I almost cried on my first watch. It helped me realize that most days are beautiful days. That you have you have to be there to appreciate the beauty.

[@astrobstrd]

Same! I think I was about 16 or 17, I watched it and I think I realized then and there what being truly affected by a piece of media felt like. The haunting way it depicts mental degeneration, a slow drift from everyday reality, and god, the ending, they all stuck with me.

[@Abu_ATC]

\\TW: sum past depression and s*icidal thoughts// Fr. I was so depressed a few years ago, even having suicidal thoughts. But I notice how much I appreciate each day now, I notice the sky, the people I love, even the paint on my walls. After seeing everything through a dull colorless filter, everything is so much more colorful now. Every day I'm so thankful that I'm here today :]

[@blackburn-ud9dm]

@@Abu_ATC i hate trigger warnings

[@Abu_ATC]

@@blackburn-ud9dm sorry ab that! I just wanted to add them in case it would be harmful to anyone

[@bearplaysstuff580]

@@blackburn-ud9dm I’m glad you don’t need them then. Some people really do.

[@AnAverageGoblin]

"there's going to be more text like this" *Never brings it up again*

[@ultimadum7785]

:'(

[@Hocotatium111]

To be fair, I'm pretty sure Hertzfeldt said that it was there for absurdist comedy, along with "All hail the dark lord of the twin moons," and "All animals can scream."

[@thedukeofnothing6421]

@CrazyMiles what?

[@LiveFreeOrDieDH]

@Keyan Halfacre mumble mumble stupid Flanders.

[@boopdoop3667]

@@thedukeofnothing6421 its a jesus bot

[@handysandy5753]

“Lemme take 20 minutes if your life and let you deal with thoughts of immortality and decay, leading your mind to existentialistic dread and make you truly feel, more than you’re willing to admit yourself, that you are mortal. You will die and if anything is left behind, it will die too or be alerted to a point of barely being recognisable, just like the memories of you.” “This video is brought to you by Audible! “

[@55MrRockets55]

Here's how I cope with it, I just tell myself: "ah well we all have our time on this earth, some have more than others, we all go away eventually, why cry over the inevitable, imma just keep doing me, and I'll die one day, at least I got to live"

[@icyleamon]

I laught so hard at the end when Jacob started to talk about Audible

[@LeonBelmont1000]

From space dust wandering a vast emptiness to sitting here watching a video about our purpose here, we sure have come a long way.

[@Xahnel]

And this is why you must learn how to let such ideals wash away with the tide, because otherwise they will haunt and possess and change you irrevokably, and such change is rarely for the better.

[@cheechunlimited]

@@55MrRockets55 then happens after? Literally nothing. You are nothing. You will never wake up. You will never be aware of anything ever again for an infinite amount of time, there is absolutely no more goals for you. I don't know how to deal with this knowledge.

[@LostSoul340]

What makes it hit harder is the fact it seems in the end Marge has forgotten Homer, or at least her memories, and now Homer in his own way is truly alone, the people he loved are gone at least the version he knew.

[@NoSTs123]

I was a kid when I first saw this intro, it disturbed me. This is a memory that I will not forget anytime soon. I understood that they were degrading and homer was the last sane character that could remember and comprehend their hellish existence. Although I didn't understand the full meaning behind it, it left a strong emotional impact on me.

[@CreepyboomGamer]

The first time I saw this was in a top ten couch gags compilation. It scared me so much back then.

[@mariacargille1396]

I actually just saw it for the first time today, to understand this video. I've never watched the Simpsons, so my knowledge is more the vague, cultural osmosis type, and I don't have a personal connection to any of the characters. And yet this intro still had a lot of emotional impact for me, more than I expected. I sat for a moment, trying to identify what I was feeling, and failing. Maybe that resistance to being pinned down added to the effect, but whatever the case, the experience was surprisingly poignant.

[@RandallStephens397]

As soon as I saw that all-hair marge, I was like: "Hey! It's the 'my spoon is too big' animator!" and I knew I was in for a treat. I haven't watched The Simpsons in at least a decade I think, but its memory is a cherished fragment of my childhood and it makes up a not insignificant portion of my memetic lexicon.

[@emanuelavalos4294]

Haha you said memetic

[@gavindillon1486]

They made a movie too, called "It's such a beautiful day" That movie is about a man slowly dying of dementia, basically. It's fucking sad, with a bunch of humor mixed in.

[@FoxtrotYouniform]

F**K!

[@SoicAngellis]

As soon as I saw tentacle Homer I recognized the style

[@cameroncorp]

You have to watch "it's such a beautiful day" too, you'll love it!

[@gwfranklin1]

The most hilarious thing to me is we consider Homer unskilled when he literally works in the control room of a nuclear power plant. One of the most important and well paying jobs in nuclear lol

[@nob2243]

Yes, this is one of the core elements of the show, congrats on figuring it out. This premise is supposed to be so ridiculous that it's funny, but also unsettling and grim to the audience at the same time.

[@Apjooz]

Well it's a little dissonant because the show was so grounded at the beginning.

[@Fredfredbug4]

It’s been well established that Homer is actually extremely intelligent and talented at many things, but works a dead end job for a man who can’t even remember his name because he just wants to support his family

[@jettisonantics]

yes that's the joke enjoy your 150+ likes

[@gwfranklin1]

@@jettisonantics rofl, I don't care about likes. Go outside and enjoy life instead of caring about arbitrary numbers or what strangers say on the internet.

[@moonlander9012]

I've been following Don Hertzfeldt's work for close to 15 years now, and to this day, "It's such a beautiful day" is one of the most beautiful and moving pieces of art I've ever seen. I highly recommend anyone who enjoys unique art to check it out.

[@josemiguelmaciasvocar2690]

don't forget that while both being a middle aged powerplant worker and a teenage DJ, Homer was a succesfull grunge band (formerly RnB boyband) frontman

[@DingoWalley01]

And that was _after_ he had been a flavor of the month Barbershop Quartet as a balding adult with 2 young kids. _Then_ he went on to working at a Bowling alley before Maggie's conception forced him back to the Nuclear Power Plant. Then and only then, did he revert to back to being a young adult, 0 child, leading musician.

[@katherinewinters5674]

This reminds me of the irony of Ashildr, living so long that she forgot everybody i.e. friends, lovers, children. She was forced to rely on her volumes upon volumes of journals written throughout the centuries. Such an anachronistic existence. I would not want that form of immortality if it meant forgetting who I am again and again...it is not worth it at all.

[@Cyfrik]

For context, in case anyone reading through this is wondering what this is referring to - This is about a character from Doctor Who. A girl who becomes immortal, but whose memories still deteriorate at a normal human rate.

[@ihvdrm]

@@Cyfrik tq kind sir

[@nickolias7292]

No that's Me

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

@@PondScummer But then you'll forget it

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

@@PondScummer Some are still buried

[@Jumping_Electric]

In the “I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU” clip, the episode number, when paused at the right time, reads that this is episode number 100,411.2.

[@Matikz007]

It actually seems like it says 108,411.2 when going frame by frame.

[@d5kenn]

Fascinating. I remember I went to elementary school with Don Herzfeldt. Dude was making these cartoons back when he was 6-7 years old.

[@shawncarney9657]

These animations struck me as the kind of thoughts that linger and build from a young age. I'd bet he was cooking up the beginning of the concept for world of tomorrow a long time ago, and built upon it over many years to the complex world it is now.

[@WarFoxThunder]

WOAH

[@realkingofantarctica]

An analytical and thought-provoking interpretation on a random couch gag from The Simpsons is not something I ever expected from this channel, but at that point it fits surprisingly well.

[@dani-ud1fr]

This is the only channel I would expect an analytical and thought-provoking interpretation on a random couch gag from The Simpsons from.

[@anthonybernero9720]

There is nothing random about it.

[@RaveNinja1401]

You'd be giving it too little credit for calling it "random couch gag" in fact, I bet that was the real deal and the whole "Krusty's dad dies" deal was the padding to reach the 22min mark lol

[@nob2243]

@@dani-ud1fr I mean, there's Jacob's channel and maybe also Emplemon and Entertain the Elk, if we're talking about places I'd expect this type of stuff from, but that's about it.

[@some1purple]

The moon cult bit could also be a reference to Bart's VA using his voice to recruit for Scientology

[@CyberLink70]

WHAT

[@knightscroftsquire-muldoon]

Please elaborate!

[@pleaseno7555]

Barts voice actor isn’t even a boy lol

[@TeaLobster]

@@pleaseno7555 his = Bart's

[@fredfred1112]

@@TeaLobster it's referring to the voice actors voice. Her

[@ashlilly3071]

I have no idea why this episode hit me as hard as it did, but at the end of it I was genuinely in tears.

[@apeanders]

Kinda like seeing a Rothko painting in person. It's just THAT GOOD.

[@KnightlyVan]

Probably the existential dread and not wanting to be an immortal and empty being but realizing that means accepting death and a finite end to you.

[@sonicthehedgegod]

anything don hertzfeldt does is like that for me. i started crying just remembering “it’s such a beautiful day” when he showed those clips

[@dinonuggies5551]

it’s good to know I’m not the only one

[@DoofXMachina]

I'm gonna take a moment to vent about something that this reminds me of. My mother. My sweet mother was taken from me when I was twelve, a confused hormone filled kid with something to prove to people who hated him. I find it difficult at times to remember her face without a picture. Or her voice without really thinking. But I remember every petty nasty thing I did that could have pissed her off. Every small to large regret I had over how I treated her, even if, in her eyes, I was quite tame. I will never truly forget my mom. But I'm scared of the day that she will go from Nancy Jean Maurer, to just.. my mom.

[@kreiskhaos8516]

I'm losing my dad as I type this. He's in the hospital, slowly fading away from life and barely even conscious anymore. His hands were cold today. I know he doesn't have long left. I was thinking the other day that... I can barely remember how he used to be. I can barely remember what he looked like. I remember these tiny... glimpses, and that's it. That's what my dad will be for me soon. A glimpse, then gone forever...

[@zacharynguyen7286]

Hope everyone is doing good

[@gabeprusha-xh7sn]

@@zacharynguyen7286 You doing good man? Im sorry if your father has passed away and I'm sorry if you are still struggling, but I hope that you're doing good as well :).

[@kalebdeleskieofficial]

@@kreiskhaos8516 I can't pretend to understand your situation because... we are strangers on the internet. But I've lost a lot of family members in the last few years, and while there are terrible times, sometimes long periods of time, where I can't see them clearly, there eventually comes these moments, a scent, a sight, a memory where they spring back into breath taking realness. Often just for a moment, often with it's own bit of bittersweet pain, but they do come back in the mind's eye. I believe, and hope you get to the point where you can experience those moments. It's not the same, but with enough time a person does learn to live with it. Even though we'll never meet, we'll get through grief together. O man was made to mourn.

[@hlhlhlhlhl8064]

Same with my dad

[@CuteFuzzyWeasel]

KZbin is trying to send me down this hole of "death, decay, death, decay" and i'm like "man, i'm just looking for cpus made in minecraft, but you got me wondering if its YOU that needs help. KZbin, did you become self aware in the last five minutes and are communicating your existential issues to me through video recommendations? Because if you are, we can watch something else"

[@mastermaniac1911]

Exposure = conditioning, and yes, Google is well aware of this.

[@Ben-jl2rh]

KZbin is dying. Not in a business or a viewership kind of way, but in a cultural and creativity way. Tik Tok and all the echo chambers of media/mainstream is ruining KZbin. KZbin use to be a site where you were free to upload almost anything you wanted to ( you can't post nudity/p@rn or snuff ) but once advertisers got in controller, KZbin became a shell of its self

[@TheBlarggle]

@@Ben-jl2rh KZbin is going the same way every artistic medium has gone. From stage, to books, to radio, to tv, to movies, to internet. It all gets corporatized and commodified. There are no "artists" creating anything here. It's all people trying to figure out the best way to please a robot brain into putting in front of people's eyes.

[@maltardraco9555]

KZbin is very self-aware of it's own impending annihilation but just like Unnus Annus - KZbin will accept and even embrace it's own death with all the passion in the world because there is nothing more it can do or become. The king is dead, long live the king. Google and Alphabet will not like this because they only see a cash cow.

[@itsinugami]

This was reccomended to me after I watched a, MONSTER HUNTER RISE video.

[@55MrRockets55]

I was thinking that the Simpsons would end when one of the main characters' voice actors passes away. Then I remembered we can simulate people's voices now, given we have enough recordings of their voices, and that technology is only going to get better and the Simpsons has over 500 episodes, and Disney owns the Simpsons now and they won't let it die and now I'm really sad that the Simpsons will make it to 3000AC

[@Hok7a]

that's a very sad thought

[@IAMSTRINDOM]

if those ai-generated "Pregnant Elsa Spiderman Finger Family Beach Doctor Civil War" MKULTRA nightmares are any indication of the future, youre probs right

[@benkaczmarek6127]

i doubt an ai could recycle its own samples * forever * so the simpsons does have to end at SOME POINT i wonder what the final episode will be? oh but if they find new voice actors we're fucked

[@andrelunaisatuna]

Don't... Don't have cow man.

[@benkaczmarek6127]

@@andrelunaisatuna thats a quote id love to have under my photo in the year book

[@UncleFester84]

The dark lord of the twin moons is Mickey Mouse, it's referencing the shape of the two ears, and owning all the animation industry

[@WhaleManMan]

Disney didnt own the Simpsons at this time.

[@ScotchyFur]

@@WhaleManMan but they did in the future which is where that reality takes place

[@michaelgraham9774]

Even if they weren't owned by them at the time, I'm sure they knew that they would be soon

[@stm7810]

That's clever!

[@biker3982]

I hope you’re not serious

[@FlameJackstar]

This video gave me a new perspective on dementia. On how truly terrifying it is. Who are you without your memories? Your memories are your experiences. And your experiences shape who you are. Without them... you become nobody. Truly losing yourself into a husk.

[@cara-seyun]

I hate comments like this Dementia isn’t the only way to lose memories. Car accidents, traumas, even consistent poor sleep can cause you to lose memories, even large chunks permanently. Yet it’s always the scary unknown old person disease that people bring up.

[@FlameJackstar]

​@@cara-seyun Okay. Bit of a strong reaction there... But you're right, there are other ways to lose your memory and they all equally suck. Dementia was simply the first thing that came to mind when I was watching this video.

[@albertamalachi3560]

I guess it's about how Homer, losing his memories, but the only constant he remembers is his family. And the thing that he remembers the most are that moment in time when they were happy as a family, when Lisa felt she belonged, when Bart was being Bart, when he was providing for Maggie. And also the words of his wife Marge, that she loves him and that she will remember him forever. Even if he could only remember some of their features, or even not.

[@EtamirTheDemiDeer]

“You are alive and living now. Now is the envy of all the dead.” Memento mori, friends

[@caveiradacaverna6713]

Memento mori, therefore Carpe diem

[@wolthigamezmc1496]

AH! I see you are a person of culture!

[@axell15thewispmaster51]

Memento mori. Unus Annus

[@dandywaysofliving]

Sometimes when I wanna get sleepy or I'm bored. I like every single comment on a KZbin video. I've liked at least 10k+ comments Possibly 30k but less than 70k

[@darlantro]

"Now is the envy of all of the dead"... The real theme to his work seems to be a fear of death. He has a deep attachment to memories and fear of there being nothing after death and therefore what even matters. This can be driven by a traumatic event early in life (loss of someone close) that can be hard to process, which can drive what I suspect would be a frustrating obsession with loss and with not making the most of the day and with not remembering all things. Solutions are to work with a therapist to grieve this early loss and slowly work towards acceptance that it's actually rad that time stops for nobody, and indeed living forever could be a prison as joked about in the video.

[@9Tensai9]

I read this manga once. There was an eternal living princess and one of her servant/friends. They spent time together and really loved each other. One day the servant ask the princess to talk about her parents. She tells vague memories of them but she points out the "process" of her forgetting everyone eventually. "The first thing I forget is their voice..." she says. The servant realizes that even tho the princess loves being with her there's a tint of sadness and indifference from her. It's unavoidable, she's been through that countless of times as an eternal being being born thousands of years ago. Thus the servant devices a plan to stay with her forever. Even beyond her own death; pictures. So she starts taking lots of pictures of them together and makes an album "the first thing I forget is their voices..." the servant suddenly hears inside of her head "Even if she remembers my face, she will forget my voice" she realizes. Then she goes to a wizard and ask for a spell to "make pictures talk". "A weird request" the wizard thinks "but sure is doable". Some time later the servant makes a gift to her princess. She's delighted because she now has a memento from her beloved servant as she browses the pictures one of them start to talk. "Hey princess, do you remember when we went out to see the flowers?" The princess is in shock. It's the first time she's seen something like that, pictures that talk. She's in tears as she now have a way to remember her beloved servant both face and voice. Just a little story I read once. I wrote it as I remember it. The name of the manga is: Eien (eternal) photography. Circle: turuvege. Artist: mana/remana. Touhou Project.

[@Maurens1]

Once I heard in an interview, I believe it was a woman talking about her son kidnapped and killed during a dictatorship in my country. She said something very similar about her son, the first thing you forget is the voice... And it's painful. That stuck with me for years, and it was when I started losing people around me that I realized how true and scary it was. I'm not someone with a great memory, and sometimes it's hard to remember those voices even when it hasn't been that many years since I lost them. Every video of my loved ones saying something, even if it's short or hard to understand, is a blessing. They open a path to those now harder to access memories, at least for a while. It's not that I completely forget them, at least not yet, but there's a fear of... Distorting how they sounded like? I guess i'm just happy I have those videos.

[@LewdTuna]

There is a similar touhou doujin by "Alison Airlines", can't remember the name of it right now.

[@9Tensai9]

Yeh. We are pretty much blessed nowadays because we have access to full HD Cameras with quality mics in our pockets. Although I barely have any pictures of myself and I think I only have like three videos so a lot of times I find hard to remember myself. Worst part is that I always hated looking at myself in mirrors so that adds up too. There are some years that are pretty much gone from my brain so they may as well not have happened. I'm pretty sure nothing relevant happened anyway. What I'm getting to is that the memory thing works for ourselves too, not just with others.

[@dimensionalhero9183]

Man I gotta get a link to this, I love Touhou manga that deals with issues pertaining to the immortal characters.

[@graysongdl]

Very few things in life have caught me off guard quite like reading this whole comment and getting blindsided by "Touhou Project" at the very end, since I'd been imagining a stereotypical fantasy princess until that point. I ended up having to find and read the whole thing because I wanted to find out who you gave the title of "wizard" to, and I'm glad I did, because the story is very adorable, despite already knowing the whole premise.

[@freebooterluckless]

“I will never forget you” made me really sad and even sob and I’m not sure why. Something about it just resonated in my soul

[@multiverseclluster2785]

Same man

[@calypso2099]

18:58 somehow the most grim and depressive part of the video. thats not a joke, i genuinely felt a surge of complete despondency when this essay about the stagnant futility of life closed with the words "Audible, an Amazon company"

[@timberprospects]

I can't fucking believe they've done this

[@WhaleManMan]

Doesnt life being futile make Amazon futile?

[@TheGoodContent37]

You are seeing wrong. If nothing matters all matters. You are a god, you are the universe and you will always be right.

[@mariotheundying]

@@TheGoodContent37 nope, if a table is in the middle of the room then later was moved against the wall, if you say "the table has never been in the middle of this room" (this room is the same as the one I mentioned earlier) then you're wrong, you're not right, you told a lie not a truth, even if you believe in that truth it's still a lie and a lie is something that is wrong, the opposite of being right But still what you said it's just an "If", we know things matter, everything has a purpose, even if you see something that is useless then that thing just spent your time, if that thing hadn't spent your time then other things would change

[@TheGoodContent37]

@@mariotheundying Human truth is a set of created agreements. You said "middle" because you know what that word meant, BUT I can say middle for me is to the right for you, and who are you to say im not right or im not stating the truth? Just because im saying something outside the concensus? Think deeper before trying so easily to destroy someone else. Every single human is a god and everything they do and say is right. EVERYTHING.

[@TimdeVisser86]

Thank you, Jacob. Sometimes life feels so existentially overwhelming and lonely, but I tend to repress it without even noticing. Watching this video essay, I can feel that anxiety melting into a deep melancholy. But there's also hope. I feel seen. I'm not alone. I don't know how else to express it but it's beautiful and I love what you do, man.

[@thegrandnil764]

All there is is. The past is an illusion, the future is a prediction and a calculation, all we have is experence. There is no solid facts, no prickly sticky objective things to grasp onto in reality. So just go with it. Like water.

[@dopaminecloud]

@@thegrandnil764 pretty words until you drop an apple and notice it falls to the ground every single time

[@thegrandnil764]

@@dopaminecloud Yes but that too is an experence. Every observation you make is just that, an observation, an experience. You can notice patterns in experence, but that too is an experence. No matter what you cant escape the phenomenological nature of what is.

[@dopaminecloud]

@@thegrandnil764 Now that's a language game. You did not account for the gap between your experience and mine. To do this under raw experience you can devolve the world into some externally consistent globally shared illusion. But that's a concept identical to a reality beyond ourselves to begin with, you just switch all the words around a bit. It resurrects the pattern that is past and future. Its objecitvities stare you in the face once more. And the apple falls, with or without us being around for it to happen. The world beyond yourself ripples through you, as you are only a slice of it. It's all that you know. But you don't know all of it.

[@thegrandnil764]

@@dopaminecloud Both agree and disagree. I'm not commenting on the objective nature of reality, but pointing to something within your experience. It's less of a philosophical position, I have no commentary on the fundamental nature of things, I am simply pointing to the part of your perception that is offen overlooked or outside your awareness. The objective and the subjective fold into eachother.

[@jumponeverything]

Only you could give me an existential crisis over the meaning of a simpsons couch gag, I cannot understate how impressed I am at how you so eloquently transform media into your interpretation.

[@halg3625]

I'm 34 and I've already made peace with all of this. I've overcome addiction that literally killed me a few times. I've watched the people I love deteriorate into nothing. I've had loved ones wiped out without warning, young and old. My own body has turned against me and my mind may never recover. Purpose, like most things, is entirely relative. Nothing matters unless you believe it does. And when our sun begins to run out of fuel, it's core will collapse, and it will expand rapidly, and our home will be no more. Climate change is inevitable, land masses will change, tectonic plates will collide and rip apart, seas will form and evaporate, temperatures will fluctuate from one extreme to another. Even black holes, once thought to be immortal, will one day evaporate away, leaving behind nothing but radiation. I've made my peace with this and have come to the conclusion that life is short, so why not try to enjoy it while it's here. Being pessimistic gets you nowhere. Besides, you're all going to die too. We're all in the same boat here. No one's ever really alone.

[@RaiderCat12]

Epic

[@henryapplebottom7231]

I...are....are you okay?.... Am I okay?..... Is anyone okay... Maybe we can't be okay... Maybe.... Maybe we should try.

[@RaiderCat12]

@@henryapplebottom7231 Shut up, ye're not making no sense

[@macsnafu]

"Nothing matters unless you believe it does." This. This is free will. We shape our lives literally by what we believe our lives are about, and about what we believe is meaningful in life. But if nothing *truly* matters, then there is no life. It ends. Therefore it is essential to life and to living that we believe in something and give meaning to our lives. Or, you know, maybe I just *believe* that it's essential to have meaning in my life.

[@jorgeperez2872]

@@jimmybean420 maybe, that's why you must question yourself and what ideas come from the enviorment, discover your will through struggle

[@gravysandwich5010]

The problem with being immortal is not in terms of losing memory but actually having too much memory. After living around 300 years, the human brain theoretically could become full of memory, short term would stay but long term would be difficult to make and precious memories you have could just be suddenly forgotten for more space. And even if you put more neurons in for more memory, our brain would have more memory but for the cost of it specialising in memories therefore degrading various cognitive abilities like speaking.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

This from a study?

[@gravysandwich5010]

@@ChangedMyNameFinally69 "When will the brain of an immortal human run out of memory" by John Lo. Just randomly found it and thought it would be interesting to mention on this video.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

@@gravysandwich5010 But you said it like it was a proven fact lol

[@gravysandwich5010]

@@ChangedMyNameFinally69 my bad, I forgot it was mostly theoretical anyway because I read it a while ago.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

@@gravysandwich5010 If you lived for thousands of years there is a possibility you'd become a worse person over time because you'd still change personality wise, especially if you're perpetually young. And yeah, you might eventually forget core memories.

[@grey_f98]

It feels depressing, whenever I look at a liminal space image, the way it is frozen in time, a place I can never reach, that tugs at my memories but I can't quite remember from where, or when I hear an old song that I don't remember listening to, or when I'm exposed to the poignant aesthetics of vaporwave. There's always this strange feeling, that I'm remembering something that I have forgotten, and the feeling is strangely nostalgic and eerily sad at the same time. I get that same feeling when I think about the Simpsons, their memories erased and reset after every episode, their existence reduced into this forever stasis, where they don't grow and die, but live in existential denial. I don't know if I can explain this feeling now either, but this couch gag makes me think maybe I can, what I realize from this short is the plain simple truth about our existence: Death is more comforting than the idea of forgetting

[@moosesues8887]

Miles edgeworth from metal gear

[@belinalps]

Beautifully said. I don't think I'll forget that quote.

[@Matt_10203]

That's why Alzheimers scares me so much. It's "you" dieing while still being alive, your personality, past, memories, beliefs, all being chipped away until you're nothing but a husk of yourself. That is a fate worse than death. Living while you're dead.

[@subtleusername5475]

@@Matt_10203 have you heard of "everywhere at the end of time"? it's an album that's supposed to represent the stages of alzheimers. it's very, *very* depressing, but after seeing my grandma go through alzheimers it also made me value all the little moments with my loved ones even more.

[@pepperbytez8128]

@@subtleusername5475 I'm so tired of hearing that album now.

[@MechWarrior894]

6:25 the way the characters bang on the paper and it flexes in realistically is second to none, Herstfield’s technique surpasses so many others before the stories he weaves strike harder than before. Like, seriously, he’s a legend amongst people.

[@ToastedTater420]

The way I think of the Simpsons is every episode is it’s own universe, that’s why it can change so much so often while staying the same show.

[@skabbonica]

That was fantastic. While watching the intro (for the first time) towards the beginning of the video I said "Hey this looks like Don Hertzfeldt". Then it proceeded to get into an idea which has terrified me ever since I was introduced to it: eternal life. I've never been able to imagine eternal consciousness as anything but torture (from a young age, it made heaven and hell roughly equally scary to me). Applying this idea to The Simpsons is a stroke of genius. Also, I'm going to check out Friday Black. I loved Waksberg's "..damaged glory." Thanks for continuing to make amazing content.

[@jonesjones6279]

Never before has a KZbin comment launched me into an existential dread. Thank you SkabGaming.

[@shytendeakatamanoir9740]

There's a sentence that stayed with me, in an old Robert Cormier Book (paraphrased here. I don't remember it of the context perfectly) : "Heaven is dying and losing all consciousness. Hell is dying and keeping it." That passage with the cube grandpa is exactly that. It also contributed to this existential terror of an after life for me

[@SupahTrunks7]

oh gosh i thought i was the only one that thought heaven was terrifying as a kid. i remember laying in my bed imagining myself in my like 1500000th tennis game having played all the other sports in all their possible permutations and trying to suck the last bit of enjoyment out of this one before it all fell away into more monotony and had to go splash water on my face in the bathroom to stop thinking about it in the hopes of being able to sleep. i dont know if i slept. i was in elementary school. (im now an atheist but to this day im still equally afraid of both death and eternal life. i dont think that will ever stop no matter what i believe)

[@shytendeakatamanoir9740]

@@SupahTrunks7 Plus, imagine listening to Bach all days, since he's one id the few that wasn't send to hell (Bach is great, but after the 100th time, everything becomes really annoying.) Really, you would die of boredom if you weren't already dead. No progress, no development, nothing

[@leblebivent4614]

What? You can't just do logic with hell and heaven. They are not logical things, they are religous concepts. If you just look at things logically then you don't have a consciounes, you can't make a choice because you're made of atoms, physical thing, they are no different than rocks, they are destined, and even if how complex it gets, rocks can't make choices. Consciounes does not exist.

[@heidibarker9550]

This reminds me of quite a few things. Dealing with mortality and existentialism. I love it and hate it. There's an episode of the original Star Trek in which the wheelchair bound completely immobilized Captain Pike wishes to go back to a planet he once visited and live as an alien experiment with a woman there forever. In a flashback it's revealed that Pike wanted to save this beautiful woman from what he thought was a dangerous alien experiment, but once he took her out of the expeeiment zone her real body is revealed, she was in a devastating spaceship crash accident thing and she says in such an emotional voice that "the aliens did the best they could to repair me but without knowledge of human anatomy they couldn't fix her, they offered to let her live in a simulation they made where she appears and feels as if she's healthy, she can live forever as a sort of totally harmless alien psychological observation experiment. She's happy to have her health back and doesn't mind that it's technically an illusion. At the end of the episode, Pike asks to return to that planet and live as he was before with that woman, they just beautifully take each other's hand and they run off together healthy and in love knowing they can do that for eternity and not be bound by their previous disabilities. It was as disturbing as it was charming.

[@TheRunningLeopard]

What makes that episode even more fucked is the fact that what we saw of Pike on the planet was suppose to be Star Trek. It was the pilot. In another world, Pike succeeded in saving the girl and everything was okay, but now,,, now that is just a lie to make everything feel a little bit better.

[@elementgermanium]

That doesn’t seem so disturbing to me. Sure, it’s not “real,” but how do we know we are? Digitized immortality with my loved ones doesn’t disturb me, it’s a dream come true. Rather, I simply believe the forms of ‘immortality’ showed in the video are flawed. The Sampsons aren’t truly alive- they’re just bodies with speakers in them, endlessly repeating catchphrases. Their minds, the PEOPLE they were, are dead, replaced by these robotic impostors. Meanwhile, World of Tomorrow is more of a failed attempt at immortality. The cloning process slowly destroys your mind every time you transfer it. The grandfather’s cube was closest in terms of principle, but the difference was all too great from his perspective. While they did achieve digitized consciousness, they simply stopped at leaving him in a cube with a ridiculous amount of time-dilation. They never went further in that direction, never tried to fix it and rescue him. It seems like they just... abandoned it, and him with it. If they could give him a body with sensory experience instead of a cube, and fix his time perception, that would transform his existence from an unending hell of nothingness to the immortality they strived for. In the end, however, none of their attempts panned out- they could neither save Earth, nor evacuate it entirely. They failed to achieve real immortality. Pike’s simulation, on the other hand, has none of these downsides. His mind is wholly preserved, rather than being reduced to a mindless blob, and he still has proper sensory and temporal perception. Although he’s in a simulation rather than the physical world, there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. Who’s to say we’re not in a simulation right now? Would that suddenly make us “less real?” I interpret these works as the failures of these attempts and interpretations of immortality. The statement that immortality and its pursuit itself are not going to automatically solve all of your other problems. You still need to be able to change, to gain new memories and experiences- but you cannot let that change destroy the old memories, and in turn, overwrite your very being.

[@StasherDragon]

Reminds me of the Animatrix.

[@leephillips4402]

I haven't seen that one yet but I saw the original pilot and I'm glad they found a way to work it into canon.

[@ulfrick11]

Classic Star Trek.

[@od-vn9ws]

I spent a while trying to figure out where exactly marge being the voice of a moon cult fits into the whole thing and then I felt kinda silly when I realised she's literally just the voice of other people's thoughts, which is extremely fitting. And extremely miserable.

[@dootnootmcnootnoot9333]

Every once in a while I'll come back to this video, and it never fails to punch me in the gut. Thank you for making more people like myself aware of Hertzfeld's work.

[@pillgrimm]

the guy who made this intro made an animation that I cried very hard to. I think it was called "everything will be ok". I haven't seen it in years. I don't think I want to again yet. I'm comforted knowing that this comment will be buried and nobody will know I cried at a youtube video though.

[@jenelaina5665]

It's okay I'm not ready to see it again yet either

[@pillgrimm]

oh no I didn't get buried

[@jenelaina5665]

@@pillgrimm sorry ♥️

[@justaspectator9762]

Hi

[@puncass]

Your anonymity is at stake this time lol. That was a truly devastating video. You shouldn't feel bad about crying at it. I don't think I will return to it either.

[@DomTarason]

I've always thought that if I were to live forever, I would absolutely want to retain the fallibility of human memory. Over time, long-unthought-of memories would fall away, and I would change. Perfect recall is a horrifying thought - the weight of every loss and tragedy weighing down on the psyche is not something people are meant to bear. Sometimes, forgetting is important. Without it, we can't let go, or move on, or experience the future as it was meant to be.

[@subprogram32]

This all reminds me of the single-player RPG Journalling game called 1000-Year-Old Vampire, which is basically all about dealing with this concept!

[@CalvinWiersum]

I've never thought of forgetting this way, but I suppose it must have this usefulness. I am really afraid of forgetting, but this puts it in a new light, thank you.

[@henryfleischer404]

Part of the beauty of living is changing, and part of the beauty of changing is building off of and replacing the past.

[@АнандаФишер]

Thanks, you kinda solved the existantial crisis this video gave me.

[@pidgey6830]

Which is good, because any potentially workable means of life extension won't solve the fact that you can only hold so much in your brain. I don't remember most of the stuff that happened when I was five, and that's probably for the best.

[@ZumbieGuy]

I remember seeing a comment nearly 9 years ago about how the show and the characters are what Dan was trying to convey to the audience: shells of their former self. The wittiness isn’t what it use to be, the characters are devolving more and more into their own stereotypes of their personas rather than growing, and the merchandise and income seems to take more and more hold on their motivation. Hell, I’ve seen recent clips of their political satire gags and jokes and i have to say that it’s damn near insulting compared to what it use to be. It’s something even long time fans of the show roll their eyes at when it’s shown. It’s a really interesting take on what the Simpson’s will eventually become if it never stops airing. Thats why the sitcom stylization of the show will ultimately be the death of it.

[@TinyFoxTom]

It reminds me of how Doctor Who has (d)evolved. The Doctor recently learned that she forgot most of her past lives, when William Hartnel was originally her first incarnation. Even though she's always been the Doctor, not having those memories sent her through an existential crisis. Time destroys everything we love, and not even an immortal, time-traveling Mary-Sue is safe.

[@ano_nym]

@@TinyFoxTom Don't know if you have seen it, but Jay Exci recently did a 5 hour long video called _The Fall of Doctor Who_ might interest you. Personally I have never seen anything of it nor the show, so probably not content for me.

[@austincde]

I don't get why they just don't end the show instead of trying to garner sympathy

[@watermelongaming3698]

@@austincde Iirc, in the 4th Doctor it was mentioned that time-lords (including the Doctor himself), only have twelve lives. Guess money over canon eh?

[@NGRevenant]

The show has been failing for a looooooooong time now, it's been more than twenty years now since they killed off Maude Flanders as a joke just to claw some viewership back. I was only like 11 at the time and even then I just felt disgusted at how they were advertising that episode.

[@alexkehoepwj]

I saw "world of tomorrow" and "what a beautiful day" back to back a long time ago. It felt really special at the time and I could never find them again. Its really cathartic to hear you talk about them like this

[@hicknopunk]

I love how they ended the Simpsons gracefully, if not prematurely in 1999. We can always make "what ifs" like this fan made intro and wonder what could have been if they gave it a few more seasons.

[@externalpp7454]

Tbh,the Spin-off early 2001 was pretty good, if not Cursed

[@bluedragonfly5145]

@@externalpp7454 na further ramptah is a totally different game.

[@stevenyukabacera160]

I think it's kinda cool they brought it back once, briefly, for the movie. Was fun seeing all these classic characters in HD.

[@lunaplaysgames9824]

i wonder if theyll ever reboot it or continue it

[@tematomo]

...why is everyone in on the joke except me

[@nobodyburgen4594]

Something noteworthy you forgot to mention is the fact that all of this is especially pogniant on an episode advertised as "having an important character death". AKA actual change to the way the Simpsons, as well as springfield as a whole, operates. And then it turns out to be krustys father. Even when the show is trying to change, nothing does. It only slowly, painfully devolves.

[@qarsiseer]

I actually first watched “it’s such a beautiful day” years ago. I found it somewhat randomly on Netflix and it had a profound effect on me. Ironically, I forgot the name of the film. I spent some time on Netflix looking for it months later, but I couldn’t find it. So it sank beneath memory as a fragment of an image. Seeing just a glimpse of it at 6:48 immediately brought me to tears. It was like suddenly remembering a dog you had and loved as a small child. Except all these years you had claimed you never had a pet growing up. I don’t think there’s a better way to experience the film than this. It’s such a beautiful day.

[@prop3297]

its on vimeo for rent, i really recommend watching it again, it still hits just as hard

[@StoicBanana420]

The youtube algorithm works in mysterious ways. Im a 21 year old, and i feel like in this life im here to find what makes me whole...i study ancient text, mediate, i dont drink, and really want to leave my mark on this world. Its crazy like a couple hours before watching this essay, the algorithm showed me, "The world of tomorrow." I was really touched. Art is universal and i love seeinf humans leave their mark for the world to see and learn from and i promise myself i will do the same. Thanks for this breakdown, its a real tear jerker and thought-provoking!! Thank you and keep doing what you have been!!!

[@spicytuna62]

8:13 Don's point about memories is why Alzheimer's disease scares me as much as it does. Without our experiences and our memories, we aren't ourselves. It is the slowest form of death without actually dying. You spend months or years forgetting everyone and everything you knew, but your brain's switch is still flipped on. You don't recognize your friends. Your children become total strangers to you. From their perspective, they have already lost you. _You_ have already lost you. But your brain's switch is _still_ flipped on. I don't want to die like that. I don't want to leave this world without being able to tell those closest to me, "I love you. Do good," one last time. If I have lived 75 years and I found out that in the next eight months, I will have forgotten everything but will still be breathing, I would rather give up those eight months to be able to fall asleep, but not without one more, "I love you all. You are the world to me. Do good."

[@0Advocat0]

You want to know the scariest fucking bit of it? You get temporary breaks. You come back and remember things, meanings, other people, and *you*. But you know that it wont last, and that there's nothing that you can do about that.

[@RolyWestYT]

This just kinda left me with a strong feeling of dread 😅😅

[@chelsgo8675]

One must imagine Sisyphus happy

[@cancerwoman7669]

Sampson

[@sbraypaynt]

What should leave you with a strong feeling of dread is that your KZbin career is built on propagating blame and contempt by “calling out haters” and fuelling the fire of self-righteous here-say and disarray on the internet

[@umamifan]

@@sbraypaynt Well said

[@BubbleArcadia]

This is the kind of thinking that keeps me up at night. Not the slasher serial killer horror films of the early 20th century but stuff like this. Stuff that reminds me of Satoshi Kon's Perfect Blue. I don't want to live forever. Unless it's under perfect conditions and as long as everyone else in the world gets to live forever so it's not just only me that's immortal, and I continue to evolve and keep my memories perfectly in tact. But let's be real here one day I will die and one day so will you, as well as this whole comment section. And now death is comforting to me. I'll still live a long life as I possibly can. But once my conditions of living become much too unbearable (say I get dementia and my brain starts to deteriorate slowly into insanity) then I would hope that someone I know and love would kindly euthanize me.

[@Owesomasaurus]

As someone who has trouble forming and retaining memories for trauma/neurological reasons, this entire discussion is horrifying on an existential level.

[@thegreatdream8427]

I rely a lot on my journal. I used to despair over this, when I was a young teenager - this certainty that everything I am will die over and over again, the need to record every little detail while knowing that words cannot do it justice. Then over time I stopped caring. Anything important will happen again eventually, anyway, as long as I remain fundamentally myself. I've even "discovered" the same ideas numerous times.

[@rosesweetcharlotte]

We all have this, just to a much lesser extent than you. But all you can ultimately do is understand that even if the memory is gone, a memory of a memory is all you have left. And that’s OK.

[@WolfgangDoW]

Big mood We use a time log diary for everything we do too, really helps. Also handwriting encodes memory better

[@toolatetothestory]

As someone with the same issue, I, on the other hand, wouldn't have much of an issue with living longer, even without or with lesser memories. How could I enjoy things if I know everything already, after all?

[@jenniferchaulam]

/i hope yall are doi g well

[@hblackburn5580]

That "I will never forget you" just made me bawl; I miss my parents all the time.

[@multiverseclluster2785]

wait are your parents dead?

[@DMitr0]

the contrast between his final d'oh, and the blaring intro music ripped my mind into 2 pieces. like oof, this is how separation feels. my mind hurts... but you can't blame it on them, it's just tradition to continue into the name drops and the end of the theme, no matter how out there the couch gag was.

[@Bisonrulz16]

Hello sorry for replying to a year old comment But yeah when I watched it before it was the KZbin upload where the video just ends after that last d’oh, you get some time to sit and ruminate and reflect on what you just saw. Somehow when you jump from that straight into the opening it changes the feeling, from this existential point to what it was, a couch gag, and now we carry on like nothing happened. Maybe that’s why it went by as just a couch gag, people cut straight back to normal without thinking about it because that’s what the episode does. So very strange.

[@henryapplebottom7231]

The world moves on. The episode starts. And no one cares.

[@G.A.C_Preserve]

​@@henryapplebottom7231 the zombie Simpson

[@legoeggot]

“the person who animated this is don hertzfeldt” about time someone mentioned this guy. he is so underrated!

[@jeraldjoyce2995]

Don Hertzfeldt is temporary. "My spoon is too big" is forever

[@VideogamesAsArt]

My partner has death anxiety, and this video made me cry just out of the sheer empathy that I feel towards her, and Don Hertzfeldt at the same time. They seem to have the same fears, or at least his films make it seem so. And I really really want to help them. never thought simpsons could ever get this sad.

[@western-hunter8632]

I use to have death anxiety. Now it has turned into all but a burning memory.

[@kirbyjoe7484]

It's not death that is to be feared, but rather the degenerative process that is dying that is the true horror.