@@starbreaker6017 I wonder how many years Skinner was in Vietnam for. While there, he spent 18 months forgotten about in a tiger cage, 2 years wearing that prisoner helmet in internment center, 3 years in a POW camp (living off the stew he mentioned), and was also fighting the battles (when his friend writing a Valentine was shot), and he drove an all terrain vehicle in Da Nang (when he then says he can handle driving the school bus after Otto crashed it)
@@alvexok5523 OK, the three seperate POW experiences were the same thing ,he spent 18months years in a tiger cage, wearing the helmet before being moved out for 6 months, and the stew ws what he was fed teh whole time because it would fit rhought the little bars, since it was his only source of nourishment, its not surprising he idealised it in his mind.
I love the little detail of after the weapons dealer says "small world, huh?", he has an expression of sadness on him. Seems like they both were victims of war. If we didn't know about his arm getting torn off from sticking his hand out a bus window, we would assume it was an injury from Vietnam.
@@nightmare674 The explanation comes from one of his first appearances but it's phrased in such a way that you could interpret it in many different ways. Bart asks him how he lost his arm and he replies in a "how do I explain this to a child" kind of way.
i heard that was a retcon and he was originally going to be a battle scarred vet. Even early on they tweaked the show in a few ways, one of the weirder things was Marge was originally going to be a giant rabbit and thats why her hair is like that (to hide her ears), and there was going to be an Itchy and Scratchy style side plot which is why there are classic cartoon mouse holes in some walls of the Simpsons home.
The problem is, that Vietnam Vets are 70 and up, basically. The Simpsons is too old. 30 years old. Bart Simpson would be in his mid 40's now. Skinner would be retired.
@@dynastyballer13 the problem isn't that, the problem is that she visited north vietnam forces while american soldiers were kept in captivity there and tortured (i'm not even american and i find it disgusting)
I still laugh at the valetine flashback just because of the emphasis of how the bullets went through his valentines paper heart and his own real one with extreme accuracy.
The real genius of the original skinner character was to show how much of a disconnect there was between people who were born 10 years apart. Early boomers vs late boomers. Marge and Homer were late boomers. They didn’t have a war to fight in. They were kids during the strife of the 60s. They are blissfully unaware of the greater world and true suffering. Truly lucky. Skinner is an early boomer. And like many men his age, he went to nam. And unlike now, society wanted to forget everything and move on but how can you? Even the old ww2 and Korea vets at the VFW and the legion halls weren’t on good terms with Nam vets for a long time. This strikes a chord for me because growing up in the 90s my dad was a Vietnam vet. Almost all of my friends parents and even my mother were late boomers. The disconnect is real.
You want to know the worst part? Most vets crimes was just being born in the wrong decade, and for that, they had to pay, either with life, or for life.
Yeah man. And look at the current horrible state of these new generations now. All these kids born after 2002 or so are just. Oh man, they have no clue as to how horrible shit used to be or how to respect... Well anyone really.
@@Puppy_Puppington You know, I read an article about a son joining his father in Afghanistan as a soldier. The US is still mired in a conflict that has become multi-generational, while in the middle of a poorly handled pandemic. What exactly are you talking about that leads you to the conclusion that the current generation is in such a horrible state?
I hope everyone got the Principal Kohoutek joke. The comet was discovered by and named after Luboš Kohoutek at the Hamburg Observatory on 18 March 1973.
I like that episode a lot but I like the absurdity of it, especially the ending, in that it's a big waste of time and they immediately use the reset button in front of the audience. But I also love how the characters in the show would rather live with the fake Principal Skinner they've known to love than have back the real deal that they dislike.
1:33 I miss this bad ass Skinner, the kind we got in the golden age. Yes, he was a teacher at an elementary school, but he also showed glimpses of his time in the armed forces, and it was honestly great to see. It's a shame in later series they really swerved hard into the Skinner and his Mother bit.
Skinner is one of the few Springfield characters I have genuine respect for. He's always made the best of difficult circumstances - a domineering mother, a perilously underfunded school, a brutal superintendent, and his Vietnam trauma. Despite all this, he remains a professional, he has a side hustle, maintains a good work/life balance with personal hobbies and interests, and he has moments of badassery, like when he tells the literal mafia to piss off out of his office. Serving in Vietnam AND the public school system and you've earned a lifetime achievement medal as far as I'm concerned
I just realized why Johnny was the only one attacked, look at Skinner and his PT Crew: The black one was behind the gun shield for the cannon, the other was leaning against the railing of the boat, and Skinner was behind that curved wall. They were all obscured from enemy fire.
I realized a while ago that the location makes no sense. Da Nang is right on the coast of Vietnam and several provinces from the Mekong Delta which was further south. It was also the most important city in the central lowlands so the Geography is off. Also on a related note is called a PBR. A PT was a US Navy operated WWII-era wooden boat built for use on the open ocean and armed with torpedoes. The PBR was a fiberglass boat made for patrolling the Mekong Delta and was operated by the Mobile Riverine Force, which was a joint Army-Navy unit along supporting Special Forces like the Green Berets, Navy SEALs and MACV-SOG.
I feel so bad for skinner, he lives with his mom, no one respects him, he has constant Vietnam flashbacks, everyone gives him shit, *and* he has to deal with bart...
@@vincentmalasawmkimajongte7489 It's first-world horseshit propaganda. I had my own space and plenty of freedom living at home well after 18 and paid about a 5th as much in rent and bills as I would have anywhere else here in Australia, and in doing so was able to save up a shit load of money to by all kinds of nice things with.
"We all had a good laugh, even though I didn't quite understand it.. " The way his eyes perk up in reflection like he still doesn't get the joke is bloody hilarious.
Skinner (Season 1-8): The perfect opposite to Bart who was for high authority and discipline. He would set out to do what ever he thought was right and had a darker side (seen in this video) Season 9-onwards: A wimp who shows up occasionally, who is normally whipped by his mother and can't get a hold on everything
Stfu. Just because they're considering the best seasons doesn't mean that his personality has changed. He was still a wimp in 1-8 and he was still disciplined in 9-onwards. His personality has stayed equal between both aspects in which you've stated so stop acting like it hasn't.
@@bullymaguire2988 Supposedly there was a bit of outrage (people wrote in to the show) about the portrayal of Skinner as a somewhat-unstable Nam vet, and in trying to keep the show PC, they dropped his Nam backstory. Real shame as I find this version much more amusing.
@@Vailnite Eh, isn't that the writer's excuse for everything? They can't come up with new impactful jokes so they can try different takes and annoy the fans, keep repeating older jokes or kill off the character/trope. If anyone complains they tell us that someone sent a letter or something. To me they receive letters either way but want a way out.
For a lawyer who works for Disney, he should have known better than to touch someone in a threatening manner. That was self defence 100% in Skinner's favour. Well, against the lawyer at least.
3:06, i could watch a whole show just about Skinner recounting his old war stories in exactly this sort of mood and setting...Looks and Sounds absolutely perfect.
Funny that Bart despite everything respects skinner, even helps him with his relationship with Edna. Shows that back then they cared enough to make their characters have arcs.
Jane Fonda is an actress who has been very politically active through her life. Her anti vietnam protests and ties with French communist movements lead to many accusations of her being a red herself.
@Mvader 71 my mom back when she was in high school had an edge lord Cotton Hill type teacher who served in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. He carried several swords with him at all times.
Skinner plays this amazing role as a Vietnam veteran he at first glance would be just seen as some principle but in reality he’s like everyone else that was drafted they fought and were treated horribly if they made it back alive so the fact Skinner isn’t some obvious jacked badass that’s actually just another person who fought and we’re screwed by the government but at the same time can completely obliterate anyone in his way is quite an interesting character role
@@operation1968Like WWI, it was seen as fun adventure and honorable to go to war and most of the baby boomers had their parents serve in WWII so that generation grew up w/ tales of their parents fighting evil and winning. And mind you they grew up in a black and white era during the early Cold War where the United States were the good guys and communists the villains, and it was explained that poor ‘democratic’ South Vietnam was under siege by communists so it was America’s obligation to defend freedom there. And before it devolved into the quagmire it was it looked like a winnable easy war for the most advanced military on the planet.
Something that I feel doesn't get enough credit in classic Simpsons: the sound effects are solid gold. The sound of impact from the briefcase Skinner hurls at the thug's head never fails to make me grin Also, the natural and smooth placement of references (24601 is also the prison number of Jean Valjean, protagonist of Victor Hugo's novel "Les Miserables" and its well-known musical adaptation)
Characters such as Skinner with their all too human failings and life experiences are what made "The Simpsons" great as it skillfully skirted the line between entertainment for children / adults. How many other animated series can you think of that even mentioned the Vietnam War?? You won't see this in Disney or the Flintstones.
I agree with you wholeheartedly about the Simpsons, but there is another animated series that mentioned Vietnam. American Dad had a Vietnam War reenactment episode. th-cam.com/video/BeMsJsTWr-s/w-d-xo.html
The torture helmet is my favorite bit of this compilation. Him being so comfortable putting it back on and the "small world" comment being a dual meaning that relates to the torture. I feel like the military supply salesman could have totally gotten the role for these jokes, but giving these bits to the high school principle is so much better to me.
If you watch it in order it makes sense like this 2:42 Skinners Vietnam Adventure Starts on the Mekong Delta 3:05 the Story of his Capture in Nam 4:23 his time as a POW 2:07 sees his Iron mask from the Vietcong ReEducation Center 0:44 talks about his treatment as a Pow 0:24 Saw his treatment from Society when he came home. 3:42 Shows Bart his old Unit from the War
So Skinner is a deadly killing machine yet gets always tricked by Bart's jokes against him? This just shows how kind-hearted Skinner is, it is evident that he would never harm a kid, regardless of how pestiferous the kid is.. Good boy Skinner!
Because there’s a strange respect between the 2. Skinner needs Bart doing what he dose as much as Bart needs Skinner to have someone to feel like he’s opposing
Because in the end, despite all this, Skinner is trying to help Bart and despite being seen as the antagonist, Skinner is really the good guy trying to help a problem child with attitude issues become successful. If Bart took half his energy and weird stunts and put it towards learning he could be incredibly smart. Skinner sees that in him and is trying to help him have a real future in life if he can get over his attitude issue. Skinner used to be a rebel himself and sees himself in Bart. He sees the untapped potential. He ultimately became a teacher and principle to help kids.
Here's my story on Skinner's time in Nam: Seymour Skinner served three tours of duty in Nam. His first tour was from 1964-1967, his second was from 1967-1971 and his third was from 1971-1975. After the Gulf of Tonkin incident he was part of the first wave of troops sent to South Vietnam in August of '64 and serve admirably until he was captured by Viet Cong troops in July of '65. He would spend the next eighteen months in a tiger cage until an attack on the camp allowed him to escape. Discharged upon his return, he would reenlist in June of '67 and be commissioned a sergeant and given command of the 2nd platoon of Company C of the 14th Regiment. He was not popular among the men, as one of them tried to assassinate him at a Bob Hope show, but he was an effective commander and showed great bravery during the Tet Offensive. That bravery was unable to save him when he and his company was captured by the NVA later in April of '68. For the next three years he would be in a POW camp, during which time his entire platoon and most of company C was eaten by an elephant. He and some of the few friends he had in the company did make an escape attempt using a beached river boat down the Da Nang in '69 but they were discovered and quickly overwhelmed. Skinner was finally released in a prisoner exchange in June of '71 and was again sent back to the states. He was unable to deal with the antiwar sentiment on his return and reenlisted in October, where in training he qualified to become a member of the Green Berets. Captured during the battle of An Loc in May of '72, he was forced to wear a barred helmet for two years in an internment camp before being returned to the U.S. Army in a prisoner exchange in June of '74. Rather than sending him home, the U.S. Army kept him there as a military advisor as the war turned rapidly against South Vietnam. Unable to do much but watch, Skinner witnessed the fall of Saigon and was the last man to board the last helicopter to leave Vietnam. He would be discharged in September and would spend the next few years wandering as a drifter before becoming a teacher at Springfield elementary in 1978. He would quickly rise up the ranks, becoming Vice Principal in 1984 and Principal in 1987, where he remains to this day.
If you use that logic Homer and Marge would be in their 60s, Lisa would be 37, Bart 39 and Maggie around 32. Simspons started in 1989 (practically 1990 since only one episode aired in 89) meaning Skinner is likely in his mid 40s.
this is the seymour skinner i know and love. he can go from being goofy and stiff to being dark and tortured in a heartbeat. then..........THAT episode happened.
The Tamzarian episode isn't what ruined his character. Granted, I never liked the idea of Skinner being someone else, but it was written with infinitely more tact than any episode of the last 15 years. What ruined Skinner's character is the same thing that ruined the rest of the show: franchise fatigue and a dearth of talented writers.
What’s sad is that while that is a terrible episode by the peak Simpson standards it’s a friggin masterpiece by comparison of the shows from really season 12 on..
So, if we go off of this, we can assume that Skinner got captured, held for 18 months, then possibily traded back to the states, got captured again, possibly escaped only to get captured a third time and held for three years...
@Iafiv Iv Considering we saw an elephant eat one of his squadmates (And, according to Skinner, the elephant devoured his entire unit) those flashbacks are not supossed to be accurate in the least.
Not really a Nam flashback but this video doesn't have this dark moment: Lisa: Principal Skinner, remember when I didn't sue when I found that scorpion in my applesauce? Well, I'm calling in a favor. Skinner: I knew this day would come.
@@ytbghost1233 There's no deeper meaning to it. It's just as it goes. Skinner knew Lisa wouldn't keep quiet about the scorpion unless it worked in her favor, so he waited until she brought it up to use him
I feel so bad for Skinner, going through so much for your country and then come out trying to integrate with a world outside of the war that takes its soldiers for granted.
@chandllerburse737Except it wasn’t just before. The US didn’t start sending troops until the USS Maddox was attacked in 1965. The Korean War ended with an Armistice in 1953. Also many liberals (i.e. the people who were anti-Vietnam) supported the Korean War because it was Sanctioned by the United Nations as a police action.
I love how everyone in the comments section has universally decided to ignore the existence of “The Principal and the Pauper.” Really does give me hope for the human race.
Heck even that episode can't Mar Skinner. Nowhere in any flashbacks was he referred to as "Skinner". Closest would be "Sarge" or "Sargent", but no "Skinner".
Principal and the Pauper is an intentionally non-canon episode. The main problem is the joke is partly how stupid fans apparently are for giving a crap about these cartoon characters. It’s an interesting statement for the show to be making though. Tearing down its own edifice for the sake of satire. Poking fun at the very idea of fiction.
My old principal back in school was an ex army sarge and he genuinely looked like Skinner. The nam scenes were always what I thought about whenever I spoke to him or seen him.
I sure miss watching the Simpson's in the early 90s, that was a great simple time and the humor was perfect for kids and adults. Dad would laugh his butt off at Skinmers Vietnam flashbacks and that episode when Skinner was chasing Bart and crossed that river like it was nothing my dad yelled SPECIAL FORCES! Miss ya dad
We forget that the only thing stopping Skinner from literally killing Bart is his professionalism
@jbiehlable: But Edna is dead. Does this mean Skinner will go Rambo? 🤔
@@hawkeye5955His memory of her is still alive, just like poor Johnny
A man of duty.
and... humanity?
It's Sideshow Bob's job man.
Skinner’s PTSD is both depressing and hilarious.
Johnny johnnnnnnnyy
@@starbreaker6017 Cooool I broke his brain
@@starbreaker6017 I wonder how many years Skinner was in Vietnam for. While there, he spent 18 months forgotten about in a tiger cage, 2 years wearing that prisoner helmet in internment center, 3 years in a POW camp (living off the stew he mentioned), and was also fighting the battles (when his friend writing a Valentine was shot), and he drove an all terrain vehicle in Da Nang (when he then says he can handle driving the school bus after Otto crashed it)
@@alvexok5523 all plausible the US was involved in Vietnam for about 8 years.
@@alvexok5523 OK, the three seperate POW experiences were the same thing ,he spent 18months years in a tiger cage, wearing the helmet before being moved out for 6 months, and the stew ws what he was fed teh whole time because it would fit rhought the little bars, since it was his only source of nourishment, its not surprising he idealised it in his mind.
I love it when he talks about his experience in the war the room gets dark and his voice is spot on 🤣
Haha and the Asian music
Elias Escobedo how about the elephant wearing the Asian boat hat? 😂
lol the contrast between the darkness/brooding he does and then him acting normal again is too funny
Swanscrossingfan I love the Asian flute in the background especially when he speaks about his war encounter/experience and it gets intense.
The very sad thing, it's that this kind of flashbacks are the reality of many veterans from war
I love the little detail of after the weapons dealer says "small world, huh?", he has an expression of sadness on him. Seems like they both were victims of war. If we didn't know about his arm getting torn off from sticking his hand out a bus window, we would assume it was an injury from Vietnam.
That's a terrible retcon. I hate when they throw away interesting background details for a joke.
@@nightmare674 The explanation comes from one of his first appearances but it's phrased in such a way that you could interpret it in many different ways. Bart asks him how he lost his arm and he replies in a "how do I explain this to a child" kind of way.
i never noticed herman’s expression until you mentioned it. the simpsons has amazing details.
i heard that was a retcon and he was originally going to be a battle scarred vet. Even early on they tweaked the show in a few ways, one of the weirder things was Marge was originally going to be a giant rabbit and thats why her hair is like that (to hide her ears), and there was going to be an Itchy and Scratchy style side plot which is why there are classic cartoon mouse holes in some walls of the Simpsons home.
@@arthas640when you play The Simpson arcade game you can see her rabbit ears when she gets electrocuted.
Love the bitterness with which he says, "Four kinds of rice".
I tried to find the recipe but went mad trying to get it right.
@@peternesbitt Ya blew it
@@peternesbitt “Uh, my punishment?”
- Bart
Well, since the chain's already fucked under _this_ comment, I might as well say it...
Dude _legit_ made it sound not half bad.
@@seand.g423 He had me at prawns and coconut milk. Letit sounds pretty good!
That "just can't get the spices right" line gets me every time. Love it.
nah it has to be get back to the candy bar, or that elephant ate my entire platoon
That stew did sound kinda tasty
@@RichardWFE the elephant ones a banger but the misdirection with the spices tops it
My dad is a Vietnam vet with some PTSD. I showed him that clip and he really got a good laugh at it.
The problem is, that Vietnam Vets are 70 and up, basically. The Simpsons is too old. 30 years old. Bart Simpson would be in his mid 40's now. Skinner would be retired.
"Oh, I'm used to the government betraying me. I was in NAM. *I SERVED FOR THRE-"*
No need to, skeet! His tone is so fucking funny! Oh my god so funny...
Uh, thank you, Skinner, we get the picture.
Hahaha 🤣 poor skinner
I felt sad for him.
E YEARS IN A POW CAMP!
"Dont worry they'll forget. Just like they forgot me in that tiger cage for 18 months"
Every night I wake up SCREAMING!
@@Phitsamay79 Well, let's meet your classmates!
I went what the f
18 agonizing months..
Thats the best one lol
“Let’s make a break for it while the guards party with Jane Fonda…”, hits the nail squarely on the head. Great line.
Facts basically
Had to google why, did not know she opposed the war openly LOL
@@dynastyballer13 the problem isn't that, the problem is that she visited north vietnam forces while american soldiers were kept in captivity there and tortured (i'm not even american and i find it disgusting)
@@Victor-jv1cn I read what I read
@@Victor-jv1cn Yeah! How dare she! Why didn't she just go in there John Rambo style and rescue our boys!?
I still laugh at the valetine flashback just because of the emphasis of how the bullets went through his valentines paper heart and his own real one with extreme accuracy.
This is why willy respects principal Skinner. He knows that skinner been through hell. And hell is nothing to this man.
And yet he still makes better mulch than a man.
"Willy hears ya'. Willy don't care."
@@scribejay
Do not touch Willy" .. Good advice"
*skinner's
And that's coming from Willy, a man who has wrestled wolves. He schooled a 300 pound timber wolf.
This is the Skinner I miss.
EE
What’s different now?
I miss when he was a badass dork, not just a dork.
This is the Simpsons I miss
@@mariahwhitneycelinejanetmadona Now he's a vet of the gulf war and grandpa is the nam vet.
The real genius of the original skinner character was to show how much of a disconnect there was between people who were born 10 years apart. Early boomers vs late boomers.
Marge and Homer were late boomers. They didn’t have a war to fight in. They were kids during the strife of the 60s. They are blissfully unaware of the greater world and true suffering. Truly lucky.
Skinner is an early boomer. And like many men his age, he went to nam. And unlike now, society wanted to forget everything and move on but how can you? Even the old ww2 and Korea vets at the VFW and the legion halls weren’t on good terms with Nam vets for a long time.
This strikes a chord for me because growing up in the 90s my dad was a Vietnam vet. Almost all of my friends parents and even my mother were late boomers. The disconnect is real.
Machine Head fuck you
You want to know the worst part? Most vets crimes was just being born in the wrong decade, and for that, they had to pay, either with life, or for life.
Yeah man. And look at the current horrible state of these new generations now. All these kids born after 2002 or so are just. Oh man, they have no clue as to how horrible shit used to be or how to respect... Well anyone really.
@@Puppy_Puppington You know, I read an article about a son joining his father in Afghanistan as a soldier. The US is still mired in a conflict that has become multi-generational, while in the middle of a poorly handled pandemic. What exactly are you talking about that leads you to the conclusion that the current generation is in such a horrible state?
*gasp* it’s rusty shackleford !
I hope everyone got the Principal Kohoutek joke. The comet was discovered by and named after Luboš Kohoutek at the Hamburg Observatory on 18 March 1973.
Steamed hams?
Skinner being an impostor is the most non-canon thing Matt wrote to shock Simpson’s fans.
Actually, he hated that episode. He probably didn't write it.
I like to pretend it never happened. Such a shit "twist."
I don't think he wrote many, if any episodes
A shame cause that épisode had some of my favorite Jokes in the entire show. "Why am i here? Why are the kids here? Why is grandpa here?"
I like that episode a lot but I like the absurdity of it, especially the ending, in that it's a big waste of time and they immediately use the reset button in front of the audience. But I also love how the characters in the show would rather live with the fake Principal Skinner they've known to love than have back the real deal that they dislike.
Everytime he mentions his time in a POW camp, his internment gets longer. 18months, 2yrs, 3yrs.
@A D LEL
He kept reenlisting and he kept getting captured that's what I been hearing 🇺🇸😂
Matthew Lee he spent a total of 6 years 6 months imprisoned if that’s the case
@@hoopsonwheels I mean maybe so. Some of those POWs were there for a damn long while...
MMBNMalternateaccoun that’s a possibility
To think on the intercom all they heard was Valentine's days was no joke then 4 minutes later he yells Johnny
Who is Johnny?
Johnny...Johnny?! JOHNNNYYYYYY!!
Weird that there aren't references to Jesus' corpse or Golden Ratio
@@jrnjvan1172 Thanks for the tip...
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.
I like to think he told them the story
Skinner has the most Depth as a character, ironically.
How is that Ironic?
Pelcogo because he’s often presented as a very surface level boring dude as the principal. In reality he’s lived a crazy life.
Same with apu, it’s a bait and switch.
@@destroyerblackdragon I figured it's cause his name was 'Skinner'. Skin. Skin deep? Maybe I'm looking too far into cutaneous word-play.
@@alexwhite3232 That would be Mr. Burns.
1:33 I miss this bad ass Skinner, the kind we got in the golden age. Yes, he was a teacher at an elementary school, but he also showed glimpses of his time in the armed forces, and it was honestly great to see. It's a shame in later series they really swerved hard into the Skinner and his Mother bit.
Not to mention that he was never such a skinflint, judging by the first clip.
90s Skinner would kick current Skinner's ass, no question about it.
They swing back to old skinner in the 3X seasons
Remember gents, season 9 episode 2 NEVER HAPPENED
What about season 9 episode 1?
@ oh yeah damn, forgot about that one, they love their symbolism don’t they…
Season 6, Episode 12.
@ ikr lmao
He grew up with an abusive mother and had to serve in the Vietnam war? No wonder Skinner is so screwed up.
Like mother, like son.
He didn’t grow up with an abusive mother Agnes isn’t even his Biological mother he grew up in the streets
The retcon of his life was one of the biggest mistake that Simpson has made.
I thought skinner took skinners place and wasn't really the son of Agnes plus he had a sweet chopper
TreeMovies We don’t mention that, unless we want to face the penalty of TORTURE.
Can we get skinner to deal with TH-cam's copyright strikes?
The ironic moment when Disney now owns the subsidiaries from Fox that actually produce and broadcast the Simpsons.....
He was in nam
Tumbleflop YES!!
;~;
“You just angered an ex green beret”
Venetian blinds seem to trigger Skinner's Vietnam flashbacks.
Reminds me of the start of Apocalypse now when he looks out the blinds " Saigon, I was still back in Saigon"
@@ianharrh Maybe that's the reference? Idk.
What's that mother? Well, I have the right to be here. It's school business.
Probably because the light pouring in from them look like the light pouring in from the POW helmet, as well as the bamboo/reed cages.
@@louistournas120 "That sailor suit doesn't fit anymore!"
Skinner is one of the few Springfield characters I have genuine respect for. He's always made the best of difficult circumstances - a domineering mother, a perilously underfunded school, a brutal superintendent, and his Vietnam trauma. Despite all this, he remains a professional, he has a side hustle, maintains a good work/life balance with personal hobbies and interests, and he has moments of badassery, like when he tells the literal mafia to piss off out of his office.
Serving in Vietnam AND the public school system and you've earned a lifetime achievement medal as far as I'm concerned
Haw haw!
You respect a fictional character!
But mother the sailor uniform doesn't fit me anymore!
I just realized why Johnny was the only one attacked, look at Skinner and his PT Crew: The black one was behind the gun shield for the cannon, the other was leaning against the railing of the boat, and Skinner was behind that curved wall. They were all obscured from enemy fire.
I realized a while ago that the location makes no sense. Da Nang is right on the coast of Vietnam and several provinces from the Mekong Delta which was further south. It was also the most important city in the central lowlands so the Geography is off. Also on a related note is called a PBR. A PT was a US Navy operated WWII-era wooden boat built for use on the open ocean and armed with torpedoes. The PBR was a fiberglass boat made for patrolling the Mekong Delta and was operated by the Mobile Riverine Force, which was a joint Army-Navy unit along supporting Special Forces like the Green Berets, Navy SEALs and MACV-SOG.
@@emberfist8347 ... it's a Apocalypse Now joke
And that nameless Viet Cong shooter just kept shooting at an insanely prolonged amount of time at just one target.
@@emberfist8347 Skinner might’ve been deployed in more than one part of Vietnam.
@@capncake8837 I am just pointing out it says in the flashback this is in Da Nang but it is clearly not.
I feel so bad for skinner, he lives with his mom, no one respects him, he has constant Vietnam flashbacks, everyone gives him shit, *and* he has to deal with bart...
I don't get why Americans view living with your parents as being a failure.
@@vincentmalasawmkimajongte7489 the point is that she’s abusive
@@vincentmalasawmkimajongte7489 A country whose heart is made of consumerism needs people moving out. More households, more stuff people have to buy
@@vincentmalasawmkimajongte7489 It's first-world horseshit propaganda. I had my own space and plenty of freedom living at home well after 18 and paid about a 5th as much in rent and bills as I would have anywhere else here in Australia, and in doing so was able to save up a shit load of money to by all kinds of nice things with.
And he was a virgin in his 40s
"We all had a good laugh, even though I didn't quite understand it.. "
The way his eyes perk up in reflection like he still doesn't get the joke is bloody hilarious.
I love how he says prawns probably just his American accent
I laugh so hard every time at that
In the latin american translation he says "I didn't get it, and I still don't"
@@nemou4985 garbage language
@@DavidWhite-n7v Keep your xenophobia to yourself and stick it where the Sun doesn't shine.
Skinner (Season 1-8): The perfect opposite to Bart who was for high authority and discipline. He would set out to do what ever he thought was right and had a darker side (seen in this video)
Season 9-onwards: A wimp who shows up occasionally, who is normally whipped by his mother and can't get a hold on everything
True but on the other hand you gotta sympathize with the guy due to his past. War ain't fun
Stfu. Just because they're considering the best seasons doesn't mean that his personality has changed. He was still a wimp in 1-8 and he was still disciplined in 9-onwards. His personality has stayed equal between both aspects in which you've stated so stop acting like it hasn't.
@@bullymaguire2988 Supposedly there was a bit of outrage (people wrote in to the show) about the portrayal of Skinner as a somewhat-unstable Nam vet, and in trying to keep the show PC, they dropped his Nam backstory. Real shame as I find this version much more amusing.
@@Vailnite Eh, isn't that the writer's excuse for everything? They can't come up with new impactful jokes so they can try different takes and annoy the fans, keep repeating older jokes or kill off the character/trope. If anyone complains they tell us that someone sent a letter or something. To me they receive letters either way but want a way out.
@@Vailnite the Nam backstory just doesn't make sense anymore. Skinner would long be at retirement age now if he actually had been in the Vietnam War
"Mother, that sailor suit doesn't fit me anymore!" always makes me laugh and then feel weird for some reason.
Also the scene is a reference to Alfred Hitchcocks "Psycho"and not a Vietnam scene.
2:06 - The prison helmet number is 24601, Jean Valjean's prisoner number from Les Miserables
For a lawyer who works for Disney, he should have known better than to touch someone in a threatening manner. That was self defence 100% in Skinner's favour. Well, against the lawyer at least.
The other two men there can be considered intimidation.
Skinner was a big threat to Disney that they decide to buy the entire company that own the Simpsons to shut him up
He also didn't do the "Disney Point." That guy is a complete phony.
He also doesn't know the difference between copyright and trademark
@faresfares-ultra every night disney owners wake up screaming
"That elephant ate my entire platoon"
Subsaibot2526 i just love that the elephant is wearing a boat hat hahah
Boatmurdered flashback
@@ioangogov2993 No dorfs allowed
Where’s your pfp from
@@Leminies corpse party I think?
"...him and that little boy of his"
So dark yet hilarious!
Anyway!
Bruh I was like "bro wtf!?" Classic dark Skinner though.....
3:06, i could watch a whole show just about Skinner recounting his old war stories in exactly this sort of mood and setting...Looks and Sounds absolutely perfect.
Funny that Bart despite everything respects skinner, even helps him with his relationship with Edna. Shows that back then they cared enough to make their characters have arcs.
“But they- JUST CANT GET THE SPICES RIGHT!” 💀
HOW CRUEL!
@@BPKPhoenix no no, it’s gruel….gruel
😂
@@FN_FAL_4_everIt sounds more like a curry
@@rosesweetcharlotte No, it was a thin stew made of fish, vegetables, prawns, coconut milk...and four kinds of rice.
"You made a big mistake, Skinner"
"Well, so did you. You got an ex-green beret mad..."
Ngl, that was high key badass
Copy right expired
If only there were more Skinners...
Skinner was so badass. Now he looks like a regular school principal
never mess with a vietnam veteran
*immediate throat chop*
4:42 How nice of the Vietnamese to give their elephant a hat.
VC bamboo hat
You are laughing, a man lost his entire platoon and you are laughing
@@hannibalburgers477 I was not laughing, merely noticing that the Vietnamese were being surprisingly empathetic to their animals.
Well yeah, that elephant was an officer
@@RamdomView of course they would, that’s their home 🤣
Which is why the whole "Skinner stole someone else's identity" bit was a huge indication that they had jumped the shark.
"Let's escape while the guards are partying with Jane Fonda!" You'll never hear a gag like that again.
Jane Fonda is a traitor to the nation.
I dont get it.
Jane Fonda is an actress who has been very politically active through her life. Her anti vietnam protests and ties with French communist movements lead to many accusations of her being a red herself.
@@DokturProfesur Turned out she was completely right.
@@bmsuperstar1 ? No, she was a filthy commie. Should have been tried for treason.
Easily the best-written side character in the show. His lore is better than any other character.
I had a elementary principal like skinner. Over the years, I discovered I was not the only one,..
@Mvader 71 my mom back when she was in high school had an edge lord Cotton Hill type teacher who served in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. He carried several swords with him at all times.
Hans Moleman says hi.
You mean Armin?
I like the mafiosos more iin the show
Skinner plays this amazing role as a Vietnam veteran he at first glance would be just seen as some principle but in reality he’s like everyone else that was drafted they fought and were treated horribly if they made it back alive so the fact Skinner isn’t some obvious jacked badass that’s actually just another person who fought and we’re screwed by the government but at the same time can completely obliterate anyone in his way is quite an interesting character role
He wasn’t drafted, he was an officer and a green beret.
@CGonzales033 He was a sergeant, not an officer. And besides that, only one third of men who fought in Vietnam were draftees.
@@konstantinosnikolakakis8125So you mean to tell me that two thirds of them went there volunteerily? Doesn't make much sense to me 🤔
@@operation1968Like WWI, it was seen as fun adventure and honorable to go to war and most of the baby boomers had their parents serve in WWII so that generation grew up w/ tales of their parents fighting evil and winning. And mind you they grew up in a black and white era during the early Cold War where the United States were the good guys and communists the villains, and it was explained that poor ‘democratic’ South Vietnam was under siege by communists so it was America’s obligation to defend freedom there. And before it devolved into the quagmire it was it looked like a winnable easy war for the most advanced military on the planet.
@@BarberJ95 Hmmm 🤔
1:35 this scene has now become ironic as fox is owned by disney.
*Copyright expired*
"That elephant ate my entire platoon" will always be one of the best
Something that I feel doesn't get enough credit in classic Simpsons: the sound effects are solid gold. The sound of impact from the briefcase Skinner hurls at the thug's head never fails to make me grin
Also, the natural and smooth placement of references (24601 is also the prison number of Jean Valjean, protagonist of Victor Hugo's novel "Les Miserables" and its well-known musical adaptation)
The crow squawking everytime you see a shot of the nuclear plant or something ominous 🐦⬛
Characters such as Skinner with their all too human failings and life experiences are what made "The Simpsons" great as it skillfully skirted the line between entertainment for children / adults. How many other animated series can you think of that even mentioned the Vietnam War?? You won't see this in Disney or the Flintstones.
I agree with you wholeheartedly about the Simpsons, but there is another animated series that mentioned Vietnam. American Dad had a Vietnam War reenactment episode. th-cam.com/video/BeMsJsTWr-s/w-d-xo.html
@@roselandpetals TBF, American Dad is aimed at a more teen/adult audience than the Simpsons typically is.
The Flintstones was around before we got involved with Vietnam.
@@thephantomoftheparadise5666 stone age flashbacks hit hard these days.
“Johnny? Johnny? JOHNNNNYYYY!”
Cool I broke his brain.
"cool I broke his brain"
What a flashback. 2:54-2:57
"Oh, there's mother now".
Watching me
What's that mother? I have a right to be here..
It's school business
"I.....Mother that sailor suit doesn't fit anymore!!!"
Whats that mother, but i don't want to wear that sailor suit, it does'nt fit anymore
0:59 I love the fall of Saigon being described as "unfettered hurley burley"
The torture helmet is my favorite bit of this compilation.
Him being so comfortable putting it back on and the "small world" comment being a dual meaning that relates to the torture.
I feel like the military supply salesman could have totally gotten the role for these jokes, but giving these bits to the high school principle is so much better to me.
24601 is also the prisoner number for the prisoner in Le miserables. The writers get in little odd connections.
2:41 photo of handsome squidward
LMAO
Is the prisoner 24601 a reference to Les Miserables?
That reference was lost on me lol
Yep.
"copyright expired" gonna love skinner badass moments
If you watch it in order it makes sense like this
2:42 Skinners Vietnam Adventure Starts on the Mekong Delta
3:05 the Story of his Capture in Nam
4:23 his time as a POW
2:07 sees his Iron mask from the Vietcong ReEducation Center
0:44 talks about his treatment as a Pow
0:24 Saw his treatment from Society when he came home.
3:42 Shows Bart his old Unit from the War
He was also present for the Fall of Saigon
Well the opening caption say it was Da Nang which fairly far away from the Mekong Delta.
So Skinner is a deadly killing machine yet gets always tricked by Bart's jokes against him? This just shows how kind-hearted Skinner is, it is evident that he would never harm a kid, regardless of how pestiferous the kid is.. Good boy Skinner!
Love how the cloud in the background naturally darkens the scene at 4:06
i love little details like that
That's what makes the scene so perfect.
"I got back at him though... him and that little boy of his."
genuinely genius move by the artists back there
PTSD SKINNER>>>>>>
Post traumatic skinner disorder
@@CornholioPuppetMaster yes
So Skinner is a cross between Rambo and Norman Bates. I still don’t get why Barts still alive
I mean if sideshow bob can't kill him then why would skinner.
Professionals have standards.
Because there’s a strange respect between the 2. Skinner needs Bart doing what he dose as much as Bart needs Skinner to have someone to feel like he’s opposing
Because he’s not a psychopath like Norman Bates? He’s a veteran turned teacher.
Because in the end, despite all this, Skinner is trying to help Bart and despite being seen as the antagonist, Skinner is really the good guy trying to help a problem child with attitude issues become successful. If Bart took half his energy and weird stunts and put it towards learning he could be incredibly smart. Skinner sees that in him and is trying to help him have a real future in life if he can get over his attitude issue. Skinner used to be a rebel himself and sees himself in Bart. He sees the untapped potential.
He ultimately became a teacher and principle to help kids.
This is why classic Simpsons is gold, the attention to detail in the secondary characters is what gave the show its essence.
The fake Skinner episode is regarded as where things started going off the rails
Here's my story on Skinner's time in Nam:
Seymour Skinner served three tours of duty in Nam. His first tour was from 1964-1967, his second was from 1967-1971 and his third was from 1971-1975. After the Gulf of Tonkin incident he was part of the first wave of troops sent to South Vietnam in August of '64 and serve admirably until he was captured by Viet Cong troops in July of '65. He would spend the next eighteen months in a tiger cage until an attack on the camp allowed him to escape. Discharged upon his return, he would reenlist in June of '67 and be commissioned a sergeant and given command of the 2nd platoon of Company C of the 14th Regiment. He was not popular among the men, as one of them tried to assassinate him at a Bob Hope show, but he was an effective commander and showed great bravery during the Tet Offensive. That bravery was unable to save him when he and his company was captured by the NVA later in April of '68. For the next three years he would be in a POW camp, during which time his entire platoon and most of company C was eaten by an elephant. He and some of the few friends he had in the company did make an escape attempt using a beached river boat down the Da Nang in '69 but they were discovered and quickly overwhelmed. Skinner was finally released in a prisoner exchange in June of '71 and was again sent back to the states. He was unable to deal with the antiwar sentiment on his return and reenlisted in October, where in training he qualified to become a member of the Green Berets. Captured during the battle of An Loc in May of '72, he was forced to wear a barred helmet for two years in an internment camp before being returned to the U.S. Army in a prisoner exchange in June of '74. Rather than sending him home, the U.S. Army kept him there as a military advisor as the war turned rapidly against South Vietnam. Unable to do much but watch, Skinner witnessed the fall of Saigon and was the last man to board the last helicopter to leave Vietnam. He would be discharged in September and would spend the next few years wandering as a drifter before becoming a teacher at Springfield elementary in 1978. He would quickly rise up the ranks, becoming Vice Principal in 1984 and Principal in 1987, where he remains to this day.
4:06 I love how the moon goes behind clouds right as he implies he did something very dark
The fact that Skinner has never gone mad and went on a killing-spree in Springfield. Speaks volumes about his character 😅
Frank Grimes has left the chat.
What about when he got revenge on the other Principal and his companion?
He beats the dog shit out of chalmers in later seasons
If Skinner served in nam, he must be at least 70
If you use that logic Homer and Marge would be in their 60s, Lisa would be 37, Bart 39 and Maggie around 32. Simspons started in 1989 (practically 1990 since only one episode aired in 89) meaning Skinner is likely in his mid 40s.
@@RandomDude-bo1lg wtf lol? theres no indian here, why you mad fam
@@RandomDude-bo1lg pewdiepie fan
At least 60 I would say (because the Vietnam War ended in 1975, 1975-16= 1959), but this episode doesn't play today.
my dad served the war during the end of it. He's just a little bit over 80 now
this is the seymour skinner i know and love. he can go from being goofy and stiff to being dark and tortured in a heartbeat.
then..........THAT episode happened.
The Tamzarian episode isn't what ruined his character. Granted, I never liked the idea of Skinner being someone else, but it was written with infinitely more tact than any episode of the last 15 years.
What ruined Skinner's character is the same thing that ruined the rest of the show: franchise fatigue and a dearth of talented writers.
@@johnhorne3052 we can agree to disagree.
He's right, the Tamzarian episode wasn't the one that turned Skinner into a colossal wimp, there's no such indication.
What’s sad is that while that is a terrible episode by the peak Simpson standards it’s a friggin masterpiece by comparison of the shows from really season 12 on..
"Mother, that sailor suit doesn't fit anymore!" hits too close to home.
I was hoping for the scene when the Army recruiter asked “how about re-enlisting?” “How about you bite me?”
he should have said "how about you eat my shorts"
So, if we go off of this, we can assume that Skinner got captured, held for 18 months, then possibily traded back to the states, got captured again, possibly escaped only to get captured a third time and held for three years...
His military track record may seem imoressively dark
Lmao wouldn't be surprised if he had bumbed into Mason and the gang
@Iafiv Iv
Considering we saw an elephant eat one of his squadmates (And, according to Skinner, the elephant devoured his entire unit) those flashbacks are not supossed to be accurate in the least.
@@user-unos111 BUT IT HAD A HAT AND EVERYTHING!
@@NIDELLANEUM funny enough this dude even ain't the real skinner
Back when the Simpsons was against disney 2:00
😂😂😂 až se zase probudíš, bez zase někomu nabourat auto, ty chcanko…
@vlachyna the what?
My Old Man was a Vietnam veteran. He did two tours as a Combat Engineer in the US Marine Corp.
"That elephant ate my entire platoon" LOL
How is that possible? Elephants don't eat people in real life!
JOHNNY!!!!!!!!!!!
Cool, I broke his brain
Johnny
JOHNNY
JOOOOOOHHHHHNNNYYYYYYYYY
who shot him?!!
@@LeftyPencil The Vietcong
"Cool I broke his brain!"
I got back at him though..
Man that is SPOT ON.
The voice, the dark clouds, eery music..
i love how it goes dark then light again.... so twisted
....just like they forgot about me in the tiger cage for 18 agonizing months...
2:40 the best scene. Where it cuts back and he’s screaming down the intercom 😂
“Copyright... Expired.” Badass!
" I got back at him though, him and that little boy of his"
Not really a Nam flashback but this video doesn't have this dark moment:
Lisa: Principal Skinner, remember when I didn't sue when I found that scorpion in my applesauce? Well, I'm calling in a favor.
Skinner: I knew this day would come.
Might someone explain me in what is this quote a dark moment??? I don’t get it
Which episode?
@@ytbghost1233 There's no deeper meaning to it. It's just as it goes. Skinner knew Lisa wouldn't keep quiet about the scorpion unless it worked in her favor, so he waited until she brought it up to use him
@@forthelasttime4005 thank you!
@@karlbenito9992 "Lisa the skeptic"
weird animation error with Willie's mouth at 1:06
Naw,he's just disgusted
Making Skinner be a whipped mama's boy and yet somehow a PTSD riddled Vietnam veteran with the skills of Rambo was genius.
I feel so bad for Skinner, going through so much for your country and then come out trying to integrate with a world outside of the war that takes its soldiers for granted.
That’s why we don’t win wars no more
Worse still, a word that wants nothing to do with you
* war criminals
@chandllerburse737Except it wasn’t just before. The US didn’t start sending troops until the USS Maddox was attacked in 1965. The Korean War ended with an Armistice in 1953. Also many liberals (i.e. the people who were anti-Vietnam) supported the Korean War because it was Sanctioned by the United Nations as a police action.
@chandllerburse737 It does because you used false claims to prove it,
“Johnny. 😳 JOHNNY. 😟 JOHNNYYYYYYYYYYYY! 😫”
The way he snaps out of his flashbacks at the blinds gets me every time. 😂
I miss this Skinner. I’ve always believed the Armin Tamzarian episode is when the Simpsons officially declined and never recovered.
I loved loved loved his flashbacks 😂
2:41 young Skinner is so handsome, even though his a cartoon character.
Dude I completely agree with you lmao, AT LEAST FOR A SIMPSONS CHARACTER PFFFTTT
I think all but few guys in Simpsons are handsome including Skinner.
Look at the photo though
@@d283jdsk2 colonel kurtz
He's also a Green Beret
4:02 I like how the cloud covered the moon during his monologue, and right when he finished the moon reappears.
2:18 seeing Herman showing sympathy towards Skinner just with his expression.. oof.
I always loved the fact that Herman had a nuclear bomb(for sale no less)...
Skinner's PTSD came from dealing with Bart Simpson. His Nam flashbacks are a retreat back to happier times.
For some reason, I completely forgot or never noticed those flashbacks. Skinner not only makes sense now, but also got my respect
I love how everyone in the comments section has universally decided to ignore the existence of “The Principal and the Pauper.” Really does give me hope for the human race.
Heck even that episode can't Mar Skinner. Nowhere in any flashbacks was he referred to as "Skinner". Closest would be "Sarge" or "Sargent", but no "Skinner".
We don't ever mention it under the penalty of torture
Not me. I actually love The Principal And The Pauper, I think it's a really well thought out subversive satire.
Principal and the Pauper is an intentionally non-canon episode. The main problem is the joke is partly how stupid fans apparently are for giving a crap about these cartoon characters. It’s an interesting statement for the show to be making though. Tearing down its own edifice for the sake of satire. Poking fun at the very idea of fiction.
@@kisbie you sound like you wrote episode
He probably had enough of Vietnam stealing his Steamed Hams
and Aurora Borealis, TOO.
Despite the fact that they are obviously grilled
@@charityproctor627 Well, it's just an expression. Originated in upstate New York.
@@DemonicAdj most wouldn't understand since they're from Albany.
My old principal back in school was an ex army sarge and he genuinely looked like Skinner. The nam scenes were always what I thought about whenever I spoke to him or seen him.
That's badass
I sure miss watching the Simpson's in the early 90s, that was a great simple time and the humor was perfect for kids and adults. Dad would laugh his butt off at Skinmers Vietnam flashbacks and that episode when Skinner was chasing Bart and crossed that river like it was nothing my dad yelled SPECIAL FORCES! Miss ya dad
Classic!👌
“Crude, off-color sentiments” god I love the way he talks
2:03 This man is a hero.
The things principal skinner has seen we will never know
Oh man thank you for uploading this. I forgot just how funny af classic Simpsons was.
Classic Skinner is the best Skinner!
4:46 "That elephant ate my entire platoon" made me laugh harder than I probably should have haha.
I like how his time in POW camp gradually gets longer every time he retells it.
I love how the adults in charge always share their darkest moments with the little kids.
Cause they know the kids won’t judge them
@@DylanDkoh What kids have you met? Kids judge adults all the time.