May 14th, 2004
Worst Episode Ever
As I mentioned in my reaction to Movable Type 3.0D, many bloggers responded in much the same manner as Comic Book Guy after he had seen the Poochie Episode of Itchy & Scratchy.
Comic Book Guy: Last night's Itchy & Scratchy was, without a doubt, the worst episode ever. Rest assured I was on the Internet within minutes registering my disgust throughout the world.
Bart: Hey, I know it wasn't great, but what right do you have to complain?
Comic Book Guy: As a loyal viewer, I feel they owe me.
Bart: What? They're giving you thousands of hours of entertainment for free. What could they possibly owe you? I mean, if anything, you owe them.
Comic Book Guy: Worst episode ever.
That episode aired before blogging was widely known (or even known as blogging), and it was a none-too-subtle dig at the nitpickers at alt.tv.simpsons. (As far as nitpickers go, I always prefered alt.usage.english.) There have been more references to the Internet since then, but for me, that remains the best.