CyanideFishbone reviews Cartoons (Currently: Simpsons Season 12)

[CyanideFishbone]

"Little Big Mom"*

Written by: Carolyn Omine

First aired: January 9th, 2000

 

Synopsis: When Marge has to stay in the hospital after breaking her leg, she reluctantly puts Lisa in charge of Bart and Homer. Quickly becoming outraged at their behavior, Lisa retaliates by tricking them into thinking they have leprosy to motivate them to clean up the house.

 

If anyone's ever seen RebelTaxi's review of Danny Phantom, he says the show combines several elements of other shows to make it's own mostly original thing. This episode is very much like that, obviously combining several elements form past episodes to make it's own thing, and that's not a bad thing. Nothing here is a brand new concept, and as long as it's not played exactly like it was before, that's okay. We've seen the family go to shit without Marge, we've seen Lisa be put in charge of her family in Season 8, and we've seen Lisa get enraged with Homer and Bart's behavior several times, but they combine several of these elements to make it's own thing. Also, while it's not consistently funny, there's a great number of chuckle-worthy gags throughout, and yeah, this is the episode with "Stupid Sexy Flanders!" which never fails to make me laugh, and I like the high energy opening with the episode's Itchy and Scratchy short (and Poochie makes a cameo in it!). Is the leprosy twist out there? Definitely, but it's never too crazy, and the episode does a great job in making it seem like Lisa's motivation behind her prank is justified, but then realizing the error of her ways. Unfortunately, it's one of those Scully episodes that's pretty good, but you can't say much about it besides the fact it's got good jokes, a good plot, and it's very solid. But hey, at least it's not like the last couple duds! And oh yeah, this was the second Simpsons episode to never air in Japan, with the first being Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo from Season 10. As far as I can tell, leprosy is a very controversial and touchy subject in Japan, so it makes sense. It doesn't really impress me much at all, but it's an episode that doesn't have much wrong with it, and that's why it deserves an 8/10. It's not amazing, but it's definitely one of the better episodes I've this season. Also, I just realized that we're about halfway through Season 11 and my only 10/10 was a Treehouse of Horror short when at this point in Season 10 we already had 2 10/10's that weren't Treehouse Of Horror shorts......

[CyanideFishbone]

"Faith Off"

Written by: Frank Mula

First aired: January 16th, 2000

 

Synopsis: Inspired by a faith healer, Bart begins to believe he has the powers to help other through faith, his luck goes away when people need it the most. Meanwhile, Homer designs a homecoming float for Springfield University's homecoming game.

 

This is another "solid, but with some problems" episode. The episode's plot only starts about 8 minutes in. It seems weird that Bart would get really into a performance like Brother Faith's, and the episode literally has to explain to you why the bucket super glued to Homer's head came off when Bart used faith to help get it off. This episode contains two ideas that would be okay on their own episodes, and I'm sure they are at this point; Bart becoming strangely interested in religion and Bart starting his own "church" to respond to church being boring. Getting Bart into religion seems weird with his intentionally lame faith healing event though, and even though it's seen that his interest in it rises, he still sleeps during church, but ehh. There's a lot to be done with Bart getting into religion; dynamics with the Flanders and their kids, trying to hide it from his peers, etc, could be similar to the ballet subplot from Homer vs. Patty and Selma five seasons ago. But I do like the latter idea a decent amount; it's only given around 3 minutes though, but whatever. Also, there's some good gags with Homer with the bucket on his head, I like the start with the nerds from Homer Goes To College (a nice callback, also the writer for this episode last wrote for the show 7 years ago in 2000 as this was his final episode, so that's probably why but it's still nice to see). Oh yeah, there's a subplot that feels pretty nonexistent and feels more like an excuse for both of the episode's subplots to converge in the final act, but it's okay. I do like Homer's cruddy float, I like how the one nerd brags to Homer with Marge next to him about how much porno he can download, and it has a semi-memorable musical number. Also, I feel like Fat Tony in the episode just feels out of place; I don't really like Fat Tony honestly but I don't mind him too much, but man, does he feel forced here. It's whatever though, and while there's some problems, it's not terrible, but like many Season 11 "good" episodes, it's not that great, and that's why it deserves a 7/10. It's far from perfect, has some problems, but there's not a ton wrong with it and it's got some alright gags.

[CyanideFishbone]

"The Mansion Family"

Written by: John Swartzwelder

First aired: January 23rd, 2000

 

Synopsis: When Mr. Burns is given an award for being the oldest person in Springfield, he decides to go to the Mayo Clinic for a checkup, and lets the Simpsons house sit for him. After Moe tells Homer that there are no laws in international waters, Homer takes Mr. Burns' yacht out for a party.

 

I think I'm gonna break from the crowd on this one; I've seen mixed to negative reception for this episode. I don't think this episode is amazing, but I definitely think it's decently good. The biggest plus of this episode is it is one of the only episodes so far this season to have me consistently laughing, and man, Moe's quote "We're gonna die, and I never tasted cantaloupe!" is probably the single funniest line of the entire season so far. It's just such an out there quote and when it comes out of nowhere when the boat is invaded by Chinese pirates and it's just funny because of how out there it is. Oh yeah, this episode has Chinese pirates in it.... and honestly I don't really mind them. I certainly don't like the plot point as it just feels kind of lame, but it's barely touched upon and it's over shortly, so it's okay in my eyes. Anyways, back to the jokes, this episode is consistently funny. In a lot of the past Season 11 episodes I've seen, the jokes were very hit or miss and good jokes are usually far from each other. Here, there's a good string of gags that may not be amazing or super clever, but keep me chuckling and smiling. I like Homer's behavior and Marge wondering where Lenny's award is at the award show, I like the short scene showing off some of Mr. Burns's super high tech technology (especially the switch that burns an unmade bed and replaces it with a made one). Homer kind of slips into Jerkass Homer with being so into being at a rich person's house and being obnoxious about it, but I also don't mind it because it's kept to a minimum and it's never to jarring. Oh yeah, Britney Spears guest stars at the start of this episode too, and she's okay honestly. Are there negatives, though? Yeah, but they're decently minute. The episode's ending is flimsy, and as I said, the Chinese pirate stuff is.... really stupid and lame honestly, but it's never too jarring and the episode is just a solid 22 minutes. It's in that league of Season 11 episodes where it's not great, but it's not terrible and provides enough gags and jokes to keep me invested the entire time, and that's why it deserves an 8/10 from me. It was a decent surprise of an episode; consistently funny, has a good concept, and it's negatives are never too annoying.

Edited October 10, 2018 by jjsthekid

[CyanideFishbone]

"Saddlesore Galactica"

Written by: Tim Long

First aired: February 6th, 2000

 

Synopsis: When the Simpsons rescue a diving horse named Duncan, they find that keeping Duncan is expensive and Homer and Bart decide to train Duncan to be a race horse, only for Homer and Bart to be targeted by jockey elves. Meanwhile, Lisa writes a letter to Bill Clinton after unfairly losing a band contest.

 

Oh my fucking god. This is gonna be a long review. First things first, this episode is the first of what I call the "Season 11 Trio". What the Season 11 Trio is are three episode from Season 11 that are infamous among Simpsons fans for their poor quality, and rank highly on several "Worst Episodes Of The Simpsons" lists. A few days ago, I decided to poke around some online forums and Simpsons websites/forums like NoHomers to see if anyone has a specific episode that made them quit watching the show. I wanted to look mostly at episodes from Season 11; and the most answers I saw were for the next episode (Alone Again, Natura-Diddily which I've never seen), the two other episodes of the Season 11 Trio, and this episode. I even saw some episodes I like, such as E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt) and Little Big Mom, and also saw the episode after the next a few times (Missionary: Impossible, which I've never seen but I already know it has laser-shooting Teletubbies and Big Bird trying to chase Homer so I'm fucking ecstatic for that). Anyway, enough with the reception from fans toward this episode and future episodes this season, how about the actual episode?

 

This episode just..... where do I start. This episode accomplished a feat Homer Simpson In: Kidney Trouble and Make Room For Lisa failed to accomplish. This episode blew my fucking mind. It is that goddamn awful. If I tried my hardest to try to describe how I feel after watching this festering piece of elephant shit, I doubt I'd get even half of my feelings across. It has to be seen to believed, and it's gonna be hard to try to get all of my feelings across, but I'll try, unlike this damn episode. But let's start it off with; there is not a single joke in this episode that made me laugh. Yeah, I like Bill Clinton calling himself a lousy president alright, but that's not enough to make up for fucking jockey elves, a lame fourth wall joke from Comic Book Guy (acknowledging you are running out of ideas does not justify it!), the episode's actual plot starting at 9 minutes, Homer being obnoxious, my god. Anyway, this episode's jokes are lame. Like, fucking painfully lame. I was eating Chex Mix while watching this and the evil elf jockeys have a musical number with Homer and I legit just physically felt ashamed, embarassed, with a mix of sadness in between. The show that majorly inspired me to want to pursue film and animation which once told satire roped into mostly realistic stories with characters with tons of emotions and would explore their emotions through out the episode and would pull on your heartstrings while making you laugh like a motherfucker is now trying to get me to enjoy it by having a character which turned from "dimwitted, lazy man with a lot of heart" to "idiotic, loud, rude idiot" singing a duet with fucking jockey elves. It feels like an ex-girlfriend/friend you used to love a lot trying to be friends with you again after years of ignoring you. I know it sounds extreme, but I can't really explain it in any other way then that. Am I going to get over the fact that jockey elves are a major plot element? No, because anyone over the age of at least 7 should've said "Jockey elves? What the fuck?". Of course it's way too outlandish for the Simpsons, but just.... as I said, what the fuck? Anyway, enough from this duet, what about the rest of this shitfest? It's just as bad. These jokes are lame as fuck, as I've said before. Ha ha, Homer and Bart change Duncan's appearance ridiculously and make him look stupid. So fucking funny. Comic Book Guy says the Simpsons have done this before. Homer is angry at Bachman Turner Overdrive at the state fair (in a really lame musical guest that just feels.... there). Homer tells the guy who he gets tickets from at the fair that he's a Vietnam vet in a joke that goes on for way too long. Moe meets a girl he finds attractive and his heart beats out of his body like in an old cartoon and says it's a "serious medical issue". Also, I can't tell if it's genius or terrible that Comic Book Guy wears a shirt that says "Worst Episode Ever". Anyway, how about the pacing? The first 9 minutes or so is meant to set up the two "plots" (Lisa's B-plot feels nonexistent, and I'll get to that later). About 3-4 minutes of this time period is actually used to construct the episode's plot, the rest of it is lame jokes at a state fair, Bachman Turner Overdrive, or Lisa's classmates recommending songs and singing in a way that feels like the writer wanted it to be funny, but it's fucking unfunny as hell.  Why is Bart wearing pajamas when he first brings Duncan to the derby? It's a nitpick, but it's weird. The episode goes to Lisa's B-plot like twice in 1 minute increments, which I actually think if given enough time or a whole episode, Lisa writing to President Clinton could be decently interesting. We've seen Lisa explore politics before, and while it wouldn't be super original, nothing at this point in the show's history really is. But no, fuck an alright idea. We've got to focus on elf jockeys trying to kill Homer and Bart! I can't get over that, and the whole part with them is constantly lame, unfunny, and aggravating. And how about the way this episode ends? They trap the elf jockeys who chase them out of the derby in a..... trash bag, and it's another ending that feels like it kind of "ends". The trash bag thing is kind of dumb, but anything to get them off the screen. President Clinton shows up, hands Lisa the award, episode ends, and the reason for making Duncan a racehorse is never mentioned again.

 

And you want to know the final kick in the balls? Tim Long, this episode's writer, wrote Desperately Xeexing Xena, which was easily my favorite thing from this entire season! Eh, anyways.....

 

This episode..... I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole. No, fuck that, a 50 foot pole. That's how bad this episode is. There's no "so bad it's good" enjoyment from it, it's just constantly aggravating. I just feel empty after watching it. Is it because of how into The Simpsons I am? I guess, but it's just.... it's just so god awful. It needs to be seen to be believed, as I said. Simpsons fans, I won't stop you from watching this episode or liking it. But I just..... this episode makes me feel empty unlike Season 10's worst episodes, and that's why it deserves a 1/10 from me. Yeah, this episode is worse than anything Season 10 gave us. It's that fucking bad in my eyes. I'm gonna go watch some classic Simpsons, but I'm still going to finish Season 11 because I still enjoy doing so. But just, if you can, avoid this episode. 

[CyanideFishbone]

"Alone Again, Natura-Diddily"

Written by: Ian Maxtone-Graham

First aired: February 13th, 2000

 

Synopsis: When Maude Flanders is killed in a freak accident, Ned begins to doubt his faith in God after a few unsuccessful dates at the urge of Homer.

 

This episode is a ratings trap. Like, no, Mike Scully apparently said in a 2000 issue of TV Guide that they killed of Maude to increase ratings, which is a terrible idea (and this season changes an even MORE major character like this! But we'll get to that later), especially considering that after 11 years on the air, you don't have as many ideas for stories as you did in any of the years past. I know Maude Flanders is a secondary character at best, but isn't a vital part of the show's DNA making episodes that revolve around secondary characters? Anyway, how's the episode? It's not great, but honestly, I don't think it's as bad as it could've been. First off, I know I'm probably going to Hell for this, but I think the scene where Maude dies is unintentionally really funny to me. Maybe it's all the shitposts I've seen about it, but the scene is just done so unsubtle. So the Flanders and the Simpsons are sitting at the top of the seating in a raceway and these girls come firing t-shirts through t-shirt cannons, Homer asks for some (really loudly, takes off his shirt, draws a bullseye on his stomach with ketchup), they fire 5 T-shirts in a cannon as Maude gets up to get some hotdogs and it hits Maude and she flies off and hits the ground. The pacing literally stops for like 2 seconds as Ned says "Maude?" in the least convincing way ever and looks over the top to see her dead on the ground as Dr. Hibbert says "Good heavens! She's dead!". It's just so.... unsubtle and badly done. It's almost up there with "Our dog, Brian Griffin, is dead!" in terms of being unsubtle, but I kind of take offense to it on another note, because I expect way more from The Simpsons then fucking Family Guy. Anyway, Homer makes Ned Flanders a dating video in what I think is probably the single funniest scene in all of Season 11. It's so badly made and out there, but hey, at least Homer has good intentions..... or is this episode making me seem like a terrible person? Because honestly, I think her death is handled pretty poorly. It just feels very by the numbers; she dies, Ned is sad as well as his kids are, Homer motivates him while still subtly being a dick to him even though Marge tells him not to, there's the dating stuff, none of it works out, begins to lose his faith in God, intentionally says he's not going to church (if he decides to go to church after Rod and Todd go how did Rod and Todd end up there? Eh, whatever), ends up going, meets a woman making a performance there, talks to her outside of church, she goes away and they decide to keep in touch. It's predictable and it takes out most of the suspense. Oh yeah, how's the dating stuff? It's not super long, and his date with Edna is honestly pretty funny, but it's okay. The plot being predictable isn't also the only wrong thing about this whole episode; this episode shifts tones drastically and it's just.... uncomfortable because it does so. Literally there's about a minute gap between Homer shirtless with a bullseye on his stomach screaming to Marge and Homer in clothes about to go to Maude's funeral. It's just weird. And also, this episode has this segment where they go to this park and discover that there's a raceway built in it (the one that Maude ends up dying at) and this part doesn't really add anything to the episode. Seriously, they could've just started it with them at the raceway, but no, they wanted to tell lame jokes about bear poop really bad apparently.

 

Yeah, this episode's pretty meh, but it made me laugh enough and has the season's funniest scene so far. It's better than Saddlesore Galactica, so it has that going for it. It's just kind of a boring plot that gets uncomfortably somber in some points and can't really find a focus between it wanting to tell jokes and trying to evoke emotions out of you, but it's weird because the jokes that work are pretty decent (I also quite like the Billy Graham video game). It's the same problem with 'Round Springfield from Season 6; it feels like the episode can't decide if it wants to be funny or not, but at least that episode's emotions were a lot stronger than this one, and at least that wasn't a blatant rating trap (and 'Round Springfield's a pretty alright episode). Still, it's got some positives that it gets a 5/10 from me. It's really just okay, but I don't think I'd ever come back to it. I can't come to give it a bad rating (Scumsons; but I'm more migrating to Shitsons honestly, so I guess I'll call it that from now on) but it's not really a great episode, but hey, it gets a free pass from me because it's got some decent jokes.

 

And guess what time it is? Simpsons controversy time! Yeah, this episode had some controversy. I love talking about controversy, so what happened here? A commercial for the episode that aired before it aired said "One of Springfield's most beloved will die!" (another huge indicator of a ratings trap but enough about that) and it shows a short little snippet from the episode where Lenny is hit by a car tire. Speedway Motorsports Inc. who owned the Charlotte Motor Speedway (formerly Lowe's Motor Speedway) in Charlotte, North Carolina (hey, look, the state I live in!) thought the show was making fun of an actual incident at the speedway 9 months before the commercial aired where debris killed 3 spectators. WCCB, the then-Fox affiliate of Charlotte refused to air the commercial. In response, on February 9th, 2000, Fox edited the commercial to remove Lenny and sent the edited version to WCCB. A Fox spokeswoman told The Charlotte Observer (the biggest newspaper in North Carolina) that the scene was not a reference to the incident. When WCCB saw the actual episode, they decided to air it because they thought the tire was from a crash on the race track and that Lenny would die or something like that. Anyway, they aired the episode with a warning sign because of it. 

[CyanideFishbone]

"Missionary: Impossible"

Written by: Ron Hauge

First aired: February 20th, 2000

 

Synopsis: When Homer pledges 10 thousand to PBS's pledge drive to end a telethon but does not have the money, the chase from PBS lands him in the town's church and Reverend Lovejoy ships him off to a remote island to become a missionary to evade PBS. Meanwhile, Homer lets Bart become the man of the house while he's gone.

 

What a surprise of an episode. This is the first full length episode so far of season 11 that I REALLY like. This episode is awesome, through and through. Does it have the Teletubbies, Mr. Rogers, Big Bird, Elmo and Oscar The Grouch trying to catch Homer? Yeah, but I really don't mind because it's such a minimal part of the episode. I wouldn't put it in personally if I wrote this episode, but I really don't mind it. And the stuff with PBS is funny. Any Simpsons episode that plays the Sex Pistols is okay with me, the stuff with the telethon is really funny, and when PBS shows up, the stuff with the bank, while it's all a simple joke is really funny. A joke doesn't need to be complicated or super funny to be funny. I also love how when Homer sees the church he says "Bingo!" and it shows that "Bingo" is on the church's event board. That got a laugh out of me; it feels very Season 5/6-ish. And Betty White hosts the PBS telethon, and she does a good job, and of course, shows up right after Homer pledges 10 thousand to get the money. Anyway, when we get to the island (after Reverend Lovejoy ships him off and tells him what he' doing, and "Jebus" is one of the best jokes of the episode), it becomes a "Homer gets X job", but here I like it because I think there's enough subversion to help keep it interesting. I like how Homer being stupid is kind of justified in the fact he knows jackshit about being a missionary (of course Homer is always going to act stupid, but putting him in a position of power like a missionary with knowing jackshit about it feels like a classic setup), and they do a good job with it. It's interesting seeing Homer banter with the island's inhabitants, and there's a lot of good stuff on the island (I particularly like Homer licking toads, finding that there's nothing he likes on this island, congratulating the inhabitants but sees a plane and screams at it to pick him up), and it's nice to see Homer make sort of a positive impact on these people's lives, while still providing enough Simpsons-esque gags, dialogue and plot elements to not make it feel sappy or lame. After Homer builds a failed casino for them, he rallies them to build a chapel which turns successful. I actually like how the problem with the casino is not directly caused by Homer (the fact the island gets flooded with lava), and everything speeds up so fast and then there's this episode's ending. Right as Homer and an island inhabitant dubbed "Lisa Jr." (which that name just makes me laugh) seem like they're about to die, it switches to a fictional FOX telethon. Why am i okay with doing this? I'm okay with doing this because I don't think much else could've been done with the rest of this episode, even before the lava part and I like how they don't pull an expected "everything goes back to the status quo", and they poke fun at Family Guy during the fictional telethon, which of course I like and considering this episode's airdate it feels appropriate, and still kind of would today. Remember when The Simpsons, you know, used to poke fun at FOX and popular media and not make ultra-absurd, badly paced episodes about fucking elf jockeys? Alright, I'll shut up about Saddlesore Galactica, and they were poking fun at popular media still at this time, but it got a little lame. Here, it feels fun and it's funny. And it ends with Bart pranking Rupert Murdoch who is in the telethon, which is alright. And there's a subplot with Bart becoming the man of the house which gets some decent jokes (Like Mr. Burns trying to lash out at him for Homer's previous record and failing due to how weak he is physically), and it provides some nice diversion from the episode's main plot. Another thing is when I was younger, I always used to hear the sound clip "Elmo knows where you live!" whether it was on Flipnote, in a YouTube poop, etc, I heard it all the time back like 9/8 years ago. That sound clip is from this episode. I had to pause the episode because I kind of got that sense of "Holy shit, I always wondered where this is from, and it's from here!". The joke's a little lame, but it doesn't divert from this episode's great jokes and good plot.

 

I really like this episode. It's plot feels focused unlike a lot of other Scully episodes, has a memorable ending, is genuinely really funny, subverts a overused trope at this period of the show's history to help the episode feel fresh, and it's just a really good episode. Is it amazing or does it stand up in quality with the show's first couple of seasons? No, and that's okay. Does it get a little zany at parts? Yeah, definitely, but it's never too bad and at least this episode is funny unlike Saddlesore Galactica. This episode's awesome. It's got a lot to like, and that's why I'm glad to give it this season's first 10/10 for a normal episode. 

[CyanideFishbone]

"Pygmoelian"

Written by: Larry Doyle

First aired: February 27th, 2000

 

Synopsis: When Moe's face is censored out of a Duff Beer catalog for being unattractive, he undergoes plastic surgery to make himself look attractive, and ends up as the star on a popular soap opera, as well as the heartthrob of the women of Springfield.

 

After the hilarious Missionary: Impossible that dished out some of the show's best jokes in a long time, this episode brought everything down a peg. It's still a good episode, but first I have to address the obvious being that this is a Spongebob forum; this episode is pretty similar to The Two Faces of Squidward. Like, this episode, which came out 7 years earlier has a lot of the same plot elements. I mean, Moe and Squidward are pretty similar characters; characters that are often seen as not super lucky, and both of them come out on top in this episode. Them becoming beautiful is reversed by something smashing their face. We don't see Moe becoming ultra handsome though or anything like that, it's mostly smaller things. Now for this episode's central problem; because of the ending (which is decently funny) the episode is about 2 minutes short, which contributes to the major problem of this episode; this episode's plot... leaves a ton to be desired. It feels sloppy, it really does. So much more could have been done with this concept, and it's a good one. Yeah, it's refreshing to see a man, to be frank, that usually has suicidal tendencies be handsome and come out on top, and the soap opera concept isn't bad, but it never feels like a ton is done with it. First things first wrong with this; Moe doesn't get plastic surgery until like halfway through the episode, and the soap opera stuff doesn't start until the third act. Yeah, it's funny seeing Moe retaliate against people who called him ugly in the past with Homer along, but is it needed that long? Was the opening of Homer forcing his family to go to Duff Days that necessary? They spend too long on stuff like this and the segments before Moe actually undergoes surgery that the episode's latter half suffers hard because of this, and the episode's conclusion right before the last minute or so feels extremely sloppy. We've seen a show a character's in try to kill of the character's in-show character before (The Itchy and Scratchy and Poochie Show) but that was done so comedically and was given a lot of time to add a lot to that plot element to make it damn hilarious and help that episode be even more hilarious. It's funny here, but it just feels like a weak ending. A lot could have been done with Moe being a heartthrob mainly; how about Moe getting into a relationship with some of Springfield's women, like Patty and Selma, Ms. Krabappel, etc? I mean, Ned Flanders did it, why can't Moe? Ehh..... I want to like this episode a lot. I love Moe, he's one of my favorite characters, and I like Duff-centric episodes usually (Duffman is in here and he's a blast to watch as usual) but as I said, there's just no breathing room for anything to really be accomplished and the story seriously suffers because of it. Anyway, besides this episode's poor jokes, it kept me laughing pretty consistently. Of course it won't be constantly hilarious like Missionary: Impossible, but most of the Duff Days stuff is funny (it goes on a little long, which of course is a problem because the plot suffers), I like the reveal of Moe's face, Duffman's a delight, and most of the stuff with Moe being famous is funny. It's funny, but a badly paced plot hurts the viewing experience and keeps this an episode I probably won't go back to much. Also, another small thing; has anyone who's seen this episode noticed that when Homer sets the fire alarm and forces his family to go into their car, Marge and Lisa enter in their pajamas, but when they arrive at Duff Days they're in their normal clothes? It's just a little weird thing.

 

I really wanted to like this episode, and while it's still good, it's plot takes so damn long to get started, and because of the fact the episode is only 20 minutes long, everything is sloppily wrapped up and the episode's concept isn't given it's full potential from this. It's not terrible as I said and while it's funny, this episode's pacing really ruins a lot of the viewing experience, and that's why it's around a light 7/10. Not terrible, but definitely flawed.

[CyanideFishbone]

"Bart To The Future"

Written by: Dan Greaney

First aired: March 19th, 2000

 

Synopsis: After trying and failing to sneak into a Native American casino the Simpsons stop at, one of the casino's guards gives Bart a vision of his future as a washed up wannabe rock star while his sister is the President of The United States and tries to intervene in her administration.

 

Yes, this is the "President Trump" episode, so I want to get that out of the way first. Did the Simpsons "predict" it like everyone at BuzzFeed wants to tell you? No, not really. I don't know the time interval in which this episode was produced, but Trump actually ran for the Reform Party's nomination in the 2000 presidential election, so maybe they got the idea from that? I don't know, I wasn't even born when this episode was produced. Also, Trump is literally mentioned in just one line. I don't think they "predicted" it, but of course, a small gag turns into reality....... and man, is it ugly here 18 years later. But I don't want to get political talk, how's the episode? Interestingly, this episode has pretty much the exact inverse problem of Pygmoelian; I feel like everything in this episode overstays it's welcome, and it all gets very drawn out. Bart trying to intervene in Lisa's presidency is mildly interesting but gets old fast, and from it getting old so fast it gets aggravating. Yeah, it's a "not really that good, but could've been worse" episode like Alone Again, Natura-Diddily, but I definitely think this episode is poorer. There's not really any memorable jokes here, but some like Bill Clinton's porno-stash, Homer and Marge's banter when they break the ceiling in the Oval Office trying to find Lincoln's gold is entertaining enough and Ralph Wiggum's performance as Bart's roommate is mildly entertaining, and hey, the "guest room" from Lisa's Wedding is in this episode! That's.... cool, I guess? Just reminds me of the way better future episode. Yeah, this episode's not very great, but there's just not a lot to talk about this one, either. Some of the technology in the future is mildly interesting, but of course it doesn't hold a candle to Futurama which had been airing for about a year by this point. And Bart just gets obnoxious, honestly! Like, I was praying for him to just fuck off for all of the time he tried to impress Lisa! It's done like he's still a 9 year old, which could be done alright, but it's just annoying. Lisa being the President is a good idea; I want to see more of her! I want to see more of her cabinet picks (such as Milhouse, who also has a good performance)! I want to learn more about the mentioned Trump presidency! So much can be done with this concept, and we give it up, for.... what? Bart being annoying to Lisa which has been a concept pretty much nailed into our heads by this point and every joke they can really do with this set up? It's just not a good trade off. Of course you get your typical semi-"sweet" ending, which never plays that damn music for those moments or gets too sweet, and of course it doesn't really hit me on any emotional level but is just okay.

 

Fun fact: In 2003 Entertainment Weekly named this the worst episode of the series, and while I think Saddlesore Galactica is way worse, I can completely understand. This episode's pretty poor, and I'm giving it a 4/10 and a light Scumsons because of it. It's just so..... drawn out and unmemorable, and it's positives are barely positives because they're so minor. Of course it's nowhere as bad as episodes like Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder or of course Saddlesore Galactica but I really don't see a reason to ever watch this episode again, and that's why it has this score. Just go watch Lisa's Wedding, man.

[CyanideFishbone]

"Days Of Wine And D'oh'ses"

Written by: Deb Lacusta and Dan Castellaneta 

First aired: April 9th, 2000

 

Synopsis: After realizing how much of a pathetic drunk he is after watching a tape from his birthday party, Barney decides to give up drinking, which Homer disapproves. Meanwhile, Bart and Lisa try to take a new photo to enter in a contest for the new cover of Springfield's phone book. 

 

This episode is weird. I've got a lot of mixed feelings on this episode; it's got it's pros and cons. Remember in my review of Alone Again, Natura-Diddily how I said that later this season the show would change another major character? Here's the episode. Yeah, Barney sobering up is a permanent choice, and I HATE this choice. What is left of Barney after you take out "pathetic drunk"? It'd be an interesting experiment to make Barney sober for a one-off episode, but no, they made it permanent. I mean, Barney is Homer's best friend, but that's not really a personality trait. There's just not really anything left when you get rid of "pathetic drunk". Did they think that Barney's whole joke was getting old or something? Because I never really thought so, honestly. Of course it's been funnier at certain times than others, but honestly my sort of "theory" is that they did think Barney's whole joke was getting old. I mean, Barney definitely has seemed to be used less and less around this point in the show's history as opposed to previously, so they could try to use characters like fucking Gil (sorry, I just really hate Gil, his joke was never funny and will never be). The thing is I never thought it got old because Barney is usually used in short intervals, thus causing the joke to never get really old. And as I said for killing Maude Flanders off, a show that's losing ideas as it's on it's 11th season, there's not much to be gained from bending an established character like this. Maybe they wanted to use new plots for this, but I really don't think that's true because it doesn't seem like anything is really done about Barney in Seasons 12 or 13. 

 

How's the episode? It's pretty middle of the road, but it's not terrible. I like how Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Barney and Homer, wrote this episode because I feel he understands these characters very well, and that's probably the biggest plus of this episode. As an episode centered around Barney and Homer, watching their friendship be put at odds is interesting and I think it's handled well, and it's nice to see Barney in good shape save Bart and Lisa's lives in the same way it's sort of pleasant to see Moe succeed in Pygmoelian. Some of the gags are good; I especially like Barney's tape, and I thought until the bear tried to climb the latter to the helicopter, the episode's climax near the end was handled well, and I like the outcome of what the picture for the new Springfield phone book's cover turns out to be. However, yeah this episode has some problem. I feel like right after Barney decides to sober up to the episode's climax near the end, the majority of it is.... pretty dull and unfunny. The episode doesn't really have any good jokes after Barney's birthday tape to the ending with the reveal of the new cover, and yeah it really suffers because of it. We see Barney take helicopter lessons because Moe suggested to him as a joke (which leads into my next criticism), Homer and Barney argue and display their friendship through some of the only non dull scenes, and a subplot that kind of feels there. Anyways, my next criticism is that for some reason, everyone is so nasty to Barney in this episode and it feels weird. Like, Moe gets a free pass, so does Homer and they make up and everything in the end, but I really don't see this behavior coming from Lenny and Carl. It's just weird. I kind of hate to end the review abruptly, but I don't have much else to say; it's got some good gags, good character dynamics between Homer and Barney, but the majority of it is pretty dull, and I hate the decision of Barney turning sober a lot, and that's why it gets a middle of the road 5/10 from me.

 

[CyanideFishbone]

"Kill The Alligator And Run"*

Written by: John Swartzwelder

First aired: April 30th, 2000

 

Synopsis: After suffering a mental breakdown, the family goes to Florida for vacation, only to be caught in the midst of a loud Spring Break,  and have to run from the law after supposedly killing the state's mascot, an alligator named Captain Jack.

 

And here we are at the second episode of "The Season 11 Trio", and the only episode of the three I saw before I started reviewing Season 11. I remember watching this episode once when I was really bored with the mindset "You know, how BAD is this episode?". It's infamous among fans, was rated #1 on both 2003 and 2006's Top 50 Worst Simpsons Episodes by NoHomers.net (a semi-well known Simpsons fansite/forum). I remember hating this episode for it's poorly executed plot that's all over the place but not really remembering it at all. Now, upon rewatching it, I can say there are some positives with this episode. It's bad, but it's definitely not as bad as Saddlesore Galactica; I never felt ashamed as I did after watching Saddlesore Galactica and it doesn't ignite that feeling of rage Saddlesore does, and I think..... a couple jokes work. I like "Can't sleep. Gonna die.", "Marge, guess how many boobs I saw? 15!", Homer calling Florida "America's wang", and the "I like that!" woman, but a few jokes do not make up for a miserable viewing experience. This episode can not focus on what it wants to be for it's life. Unlike Monty Can't Buy Me Love from Season 10, I can tell the episode's intent; a vacation episode with The Simpsons going to Florida but having to run from the law. They go to Florida around 16 minutes in and actually start to run from the law 10 or so minutes in. This 6 minutes is largely eaten up by one of the worst things about this episode; Homer being really goddamn obnoxious, and two of this episode's FIVE guest stars: Joe C and Kid Rock. Hooo boy. I'm not even going to go into how much I hate Kid Rock's "redneck ultra conservative" real life persona, but these two rank high on Worst Simpsons Guest Stars lists, and they're fucking terrible. There's like no joke attempt at all with these too; Homer goes on stage with them, they just kind of mess with him in a scene that goes on so damn long and isn't even funny in the first place, only to end with Homer being taken back to the family's hotel, as... the episode establishes Captain Jack's existence with Bart, Lisa, and Marge. Anyway, they go out sailing and run over Captain Jack, supposedly killing him and being apprehended by the same police officer that took Homer back from the Kid Rock concert. Most of the episode was okay to this point; this is when it goes to shit. They're arrested after accidentally running over Captain Jack in their airboat, blah blah, lame jokes, uncuff themselves and run away in Homer's car, only for them to be hit by a train sending them into the boonies where they find a diner, and there's the "I like that" woman who's pretty entertaining and work there for a short bit. Now we lead into probably the most confusing scene in the entire episode. The Simpsons become.... hillbillies, make lame incest jokes as well as redneck jokes, and the trailer they're staying at is caught by the same police officer. The episode wants you to forget that the redneck stuff never happened. It's never referenced again, the family wears different clothes when they're rednecks/hillbillies (it's kind of the same thing, at least I think?). If they wanted to tell lame incest jokes so bad like they wanted to tell bear shit jokes, why couldn't they just create some one time redneck characters at the diner and have a scene with them bantering? I still wouldn't like it, but no, they had to make them becoming rednecks in the plot, for some reason? It's just dropped and it's jarring because it's a part in this episode's sequential action, which the sequence is all over the place. Did you really have to have the Simpsons become outlaws? Why couldn't Homer try to relax in Florida and be caught in all of the Spring Break chaos and try to hide from them? How about The Simpsons go on a tour of the Everglades and the episode plays around with that? No, we have the family be convicts! Anyway, the Simpsons become part in a chain gang in a lame scene and then have to help out at this party for the sheriff. Get prepared for one of the worst endings in the show's history. Basically, the family tries to escape again during this party, and fail and it seems like they are about to die from being in the middle of a ring of fire.... which doesn't really do anything for the plot. Oh yeah, this is one of those "lol let's make it so absurd!" episodes. It's way tamer than Saddlesore, but it's still one of them and it's just lame in every instance. Anyway, while being in the ring, Captain Jack walks out of the building next to the party (which is outside). Yup. The episode pulls a "but he was alive the whole time". And if that couldn't be any worse, get ready. The sheriff and all of the partygoers are all like "He was just stunned!". Now here's the icing on top of the shit cake; Homer's like "Yeah, I know. That's what I was trying to tell you the whole time!". What the hell? It makes no goddamn sense, and feels like "We can't end this episode right, fuck it!". I'm not even going to go with "cartoon logic" here, how the hell could he tell it was alive? The boat gets bumpy after running over it, and Captain Jack is seen overturned in the water when the police airboat finds the Simpson's airboat. And right after when the family is arrested after running over Captain Jack earlier in the episode, Homer doesn't say a damn thing! Did he want to get arrested or something? It makes no sense and it pisses me off! It makes the entire episode feel pointless! And then we get a lame joke with The Simpsons being banned from Florida and every other state beside North Dakota and Arizona, which they rule out Arizona because it "smells bad", and Bart says he wants to go to North Dakota to see Mount Rushmore. Ha ha, get it? Because Mount Rushmore is in South Dakota! Ugh. 

 

This episode is fucking terrible, and I usually live vacation episodes. The plot is all over the place, very few of the jokes work, the idea of the family running from the law is lame and the show could've done so many different things with the family going to Florida, and the ending makes the entire episode feel pointless and just reeks of "This script is due tomorrow, fuck it.". It's not as bad as Saddlesore Galactica, but that's not really a positive because it's still through and through goddamn terrible, and that's why it deserves a 3/10 and a Shitsons rating. 

[CyanideFishbone]

"Last Tap Dance In Springfield"*

Written by: Julie Thacker

First aired: May 7th, 2000

 

Synopsis: Inspired by a movie, Lisa decides to take dance lessons but quickly discovers it isn't her cup of tea. Meanwhile, Bart and Milhouse hide out at the mall to avoid summer camp after Nelson pledges to beat them up there.

 

This episode is..... okay. There's not much else to say about it. The plot's alright, the pacing isn't terrible, it's got some good gags, but there isn't a ton else to say. Both plots are alright, but the Bart and Milhouse B-plot gets the most laughs and is definitely the better of the two plots, but the Lisa plot's not terrible either. Bart and Milhouse's plot is just fun, and it's fun to see them stay in the mall and the crazy things they do overnight. I think the "staying in a store overnight" trope is pretty overused, but it's pretty alright here and they do a good job with it, and the twist with the police thinking a giant rat is in the mall is funny and decently interesting. I especially like the line "We can't shut down the mall! President's Day weekend is right around the corner!", and the fact they think it's a giant rat is the cause of the mess in the mall is decently funny, and the scene where the cougar they release to find the mouse chases after Milhouse and Bart isn't amazing, but it's amusing enough. Now let's talk about the A-plot; Lisa taking dance lessons. It's as I said, the lesser of the two plots, but it's not awful. The antagonist, Vicki Valentine, Lisa's dance mentor and this washed-up snobby grown up Shirley Temple-esque character is a good antagonist, and of course, Tress MacNeille does a great job voicing her and pulling off that Mom-esque snobbiness, (obviously referring to Mom from Futurama), however there's not too much to it. It's just okay. Ralph Wiggum does a good performance, I like the "COMMUNISM!" line, but seeing Lisa fall out of favor and the twist with Professor Frink's rigged tap shoes is just... okay, and it's wrapped up just okay too. There's not much wrong with this story, but it's not terrible and this season has done way worse. Another thing and while it's nitpicky, it really bugs me. Please never show me Lisa's underwear again. Did they think I wouldn't notice? Because I did. It's briefly (no pun intended) seen in the couch gag (which this is the only episode with this couch gag), and when she trips over with the rigged shoes. It doesn't hurt my enjoyment of this episode, but just..... why? No other episode does this, and it just makes me feel dirty while watching.

 

This episode is just another "good, but not great" Scully episode, and it deserves a 7/10 from me. It's got some good gags, but both of it's plots aren't super engaging but aren't super terrible. It's not straight middle of the road, it's slightly above average, but it's not really memorable at all.

Edited December 13, 2018 by MLG Vanilluxe

[Wumbo]

Damn, finally caught up with these. Great job so far. I will say that I like "Grift of the Magi" and "Days of Wine and D'ohses" a fair bit more than you do. I think that with the latter, the decision to make Barney a permanently sober character was beyond idiotic, but in a vacuum the episode works, I think. I honestly liked the way it explored Barney's relationship with alcohol, and alcoholism in general, while still keeping it funny ("..making sweet love to your pool table... which I then befouled").

Your assessment of Saddlesore Galactica is spot-on, and yet it\s still not my least favourite of the season. That "honour" goes to an episode you still have yet to cover...

[OWM]

Is it Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge? It has to be.

[CyanideFishbone]

18 hours ago, Wumbo said:

Damn, finally caught up with these. Great job so far. I will say that I like "Grift of the Magi" and "Days of Wine and D'ohses" a fair bit more than you do. I think that with the latter, the decision to make Barney a permanently sober character was beyond idiotic, but in a vacuum the episode works, I think. I honestly liked the way it explored Barney's relationship with alcohol, and alcoholism in general, while still keeping it funny ("..making sweet love to your pool table... which I then befouled").

Your assessment of Saddlesore Galactica is spot-on, and yet it\s still not my least favourite of the season. That "honour" goes to an episode you still have yet to cover...

Thanks! About Grift Of The Magi, I think it's on the light side of Shitsons. It's a very divisive episode for both critics and fans; I've seen people praise the episode while others consider it among the worst. I'm a little bit in the middle. The episode has it's positives, but something about it seems so... un-Simpsons, amongst other things. I can't tell if it's the crazy plotline, Funzo, or what, but yeah, it's got positives. Some of the gags really do work, and Gary Coleman is hilarious. It's nowhere as bad as Saddlesore Galactica or Kill The Alligator and Run, but I still don't like it.

Days Of Wine and D'oh'ses is an okay episode at best. I think the theme of alcoholism was handled very well, as well as the relationship between Barney and Homer in the episode, but I find the majority of the episode pretty dull. The subplot feels tacked on like Faith Off's subplot with both existing only so both plots can converge in the end, and while some gags work and the episode's got a decent opening and a strong finish, the space between Point A and Point B is only okay. And yeah, making Barney sober was a beyond idiotic move by the writing staff, but without it, the episode's okay enough. I really didn't want that to be the majority of my review, so I addressed my feelings first things first.

[CyanideFishbone]

"It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge"

Written by: Larry Doyle

First aired: May 14th, 2000

 

Synopsis: When Otto's fiancee, Becky (played by Parker Posey), decides not to marry him at their wedding, she decides to stay with The Simpsons, where Marge starts to believe that Becky wants to kill Marge and is seducing Homer.

 

"What the actual fuck did I just watch?"- me, literally exclaiming out loud after watching this episode. Yeah, this is the final episode of The Season 11 Trio. This episode is fucking abysmal. Is it worse than Saddlesore Galactica? I..... I don't even know, but it's damn close. Surprisingly, the episode starts out... okay, with the students of Springfield Elementary having a project involving make a video with a video camera (which is pretty much forgotten, but comes back in probably the worst ending in the series history but we'll get to that later). It's not until Becky stays at the Simpsons abode and Marge begins to hate her when this episode goes south. I like Milhouse teasing Otto by chanting "Otto's got a girlfriend!" after telling Bart about Becky and Otto just kind of being like "Yeah. I do.". It seems weird that Otto would propose to Becky in front of all the kids on the bus, but that's a minimal problem in this mess of an episode. The stuff with the wedding is okay, as I said it's not until Becky stays with The Simpsons when everything takes a nosedive south. I particularly like Homer's secret case of straws for having cake samples. The scene with Becky breaking up with Otto is pretty terrible. So Marge basically talks to Becky before she marries Otto after putting on her wedding dress and she's just like "I'm having second thoughts. The thing is that I just can't stand heavy metal music!" and Marge is like "That's okay, but couples work through things like this." and she's like "Ok.". It just feels like a..... weird scene that's not super necessary. Otto hiring a shitty Poison cover band to play the wedding(who is named Cyanide in another small thing I like about this episode) would've been enough, probably. Anyway, this pushes Becky to break up with Otto, and Otto leaves, and Becky doesn't have anywhere to stay. Bart is then like "You know, you can stay here!". Get ready for one of the worst episodes of this show I've ever seen.

 

As it turns out, Becky is perfect. Yeah, she's one of those characters. She's really nice, does everything super well, and she's not even "fake nice", she's just generally a pleasant human being, as the episode portrays. She does everything Marge would normally do, and really quickly starts to hate Becky. Like, really quickly. And here's where the first major problem of this piece of donkey shit comes into play; this episode does a terrific job in convincing me that Marge is a terrible human being. And it's not like it's supposed to be a "Marge becomes drenched in jealousy and redeems herself at the end of the episode", no it's not one of those, and if it was, I don't think I'd hate it as much. After talking to Patty and Selma about how much Marge hates Becky, they say Becky will kill Marge and steal Homer, which of course, Marge believes. Then we get a scene where Marge believes she is trying to kill her through a reflection of her holding a knife but she just comes in with a hairdryer. This was way funnier way back in Cape Feare. Now get ready, because compared to everything down the line, although things have taken a turn for the south, they're about to get way worse. Marge goes on a drive and her breaks break. Of course on a steep road because this is Scully Simpsons, meanwhile Bart, Homer, Lisa, and Becky (who is Maggie with? Was she there? I don't think I saw her. Who would she be with? Ned? Sorry, it's nitpicky but come on, she IS a baby but she is one of the main characters that's pretty much always with the family) are at an ice cream shop where Becky announces she is going to buy an apartment, obviously to the disappointment of the others. Anyway, after seeing the police about her breaks (OF COURSE, she believes Becky destroyed her breaks). Homer orders a giant sushi-boat-esque thing of ice cream, slams his face in the ice cream, does not respond, leading Becky to think he's dead, and gets his face up to perform CPR on Homer. Marge walks in. Here we go, get ready for quite possibly the worst third act in the history of this show. Marge breaks like a glass ice cream decoration and goes after Becky, trying to murder her. Yes, Marge is trying to murder her, while screaming and throwing sprinkles at everyone. I am not shitting you, but that's not the craziest thing about this episode! Ehh..... anyway, Marge is arrested, and is deemed insane. She runs away from court, on the run.

 

Marge then becomes the town's pariah, and all the other characters start to talk about her as if she's some sort of evil supernatural force. Want to know how I know this? This point is FUCKING DRILLED INTO OUR HEADS. We get a Krusty show about how Marge is insane, we get Marge trying to run away as Chief Wiggum near her teaches Ralph how to shoot someone (The only good thing about the latter part of this episode, Ralph's always a delight). Anyway, it's revealed the Simpsons and Becky are watching this Krusty show, all bantering about how Marge is evil and shit like they don't know her. The only one to ask "Where's Mom?" is Lisa. Yeah, her own goddamn husband, who WAS portrayed as not the best person but still had a heart of gold on the inside and still does time and time even in this period in the show's history, does not give two shits that his own wife is on the run. Her son doesn't, neither does Becky. I don't think Becky says a word. Anyway, Marge gets into the library.... how the hell was she not found at the library? I know it's kind of nitpicky, but come on. Anyway, she starts to look up info on Becky, only to find she's perfect, says "you know, maybe I was wrong about Becky." and decides to go home. Get ready for the worst fucking ending ever.

Marge comes home, and opens the door, and looks into the Simpsons living room. I'll give you five guesses for what is in the family living room.

.

.

.

.

.

 

You ready? Okay, good.

THE ROOM IS COMPLETELY FUCKING REDESIGNED TO LOOK LIKE A CHAMBER IN A PORNO, HOMER IS IN BONDAGE GEAR, MAGGIE IS IN A CAGE, LISA IS CHAINED TO THE WALL, THERE IS THE ANARCHY "A" IN RED PAINT ON THE WALL. BECKY IS ABOUT TO FUCKING KILL HOMER WITH A KNIFE. TORCHES ON THE WALL. BECKY IS DRESSED IN A RED DRESS THAT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF SOME BAD TORTURE SATANIC PORNO.  I AM NOT SHITTING YOU.

..... okay, can I go on? Just let me take a breather.

Marge strangles Becky. Of course, this whole thing was the movie filmed by Bart. What the fuck? Of course, Becky's evil. Maybe the episode could've subtly foreshadowed it? All foreshadowing doesn't have to be super unsubtle, in fact, foreshadowing needs to be subtle to be effective! But after Maude Flanders' death, nothing in this fucking show is subtle anymore. Becky intended to steal the family and kill Marge. Then why was she trying to kill Homer? Oh yeah, film. You know, Bart's in elementary school...... I mean, he doesn't abide by rules, but filming something like this to turn in as a project is something that sounds like something Eric Cartman would do, not Bart. Bart's pranks are very playful and light hearted and can tend to go a little extreme, most of the time, but when the latter happens it's an episode where Bart learns the wrongdoing of what he did. Anyway, the two apologize because of fucking course even though Becky is insane, Becky says she couldn't kill the family because she couldn't find "the right shovel" (if you're that insane wouldn't you just kill them and figure that out later?). The people from the mental asylum find Marge, and shoot tranquilizers in her neck, not acknowledge the backdrop of what looks like a bad porno movie, and the episode just.... kind of ends.

 

This episode is a fucking abomination. Is it worse than Saddlesore Galactica? It's hard to say. It really is. This episode just has the whole package. Pointless absurdity, lame jokes, unlikeable characters, awful plot elements, it's just fucking abysmal through and through. Yeah, one or two of the jokes are funny, but they aren't even enjoyable in the slightest when you take everything about this heaping pile of elephant shit into account, and with everything in this episode, I just fucking can't. Fuck this episode so much. And that's why it deserves a 1/10 from me. It is truly fucking abysmal.

[CyanideFishbone]

"Behind The Laughter"*

Written by: Tim Long, George Meyer, Mike Scully and Matt Selman

First aired: May 21st, 2000

 

Synopsis: In a mockumentary episode treating The Simpsons as actors in a sitcom, a fictional story of how the family began is told, as well as their multiple conflicts and scandals.

 

And as Season 11 comes to a halt, here's a goddamn clever episode that was intended as a series finale, and for me at least, would've been a perfect series finale. I think the best thing to do around this point in the series' history is to do genre parody episodes like this one; not constantly, but once a season like this would be fine. This episode is just interesting, through and through. It's entertaining as hell to hear the fictional story they create for the family, and they do a fantastic job with it. It's even narrated by Jim Forbes! It got me invested instantly and until the point the episode ended, and I love these mock interviews with the Simpsons characters. Yeah, I like how they don't just use the family; they use Apu, Moe (in one of the funniest scenes), Chief Wiggum, and Willie Nelson in this episode's guest star! And the good jokes don't end there. I like how they pretty much call The Principal and The Pauper trash (Springfield Gorge also makes a cameo!), I love the side projects, I love the interviews ("I thought the cop was a prostitute!"), Bart as kind of the "child star", the narration is great, it's just through and through great. I really wish I had more to talk about with this one and I feel terrible not being able to talk about this much, but it's just another episode that's solid, but it's way better than most of this season's good episodes. It's insanely clever from the show going out of it's comfort zone and taking a risk as making a mocumentary episode like this and it just flat out works. As I said, the jokes work and the fictional narrative they create is damn interesting. I really don't have much wrong with this episode, aside from the fact the ending gag with Huckleberry Hound is honestly pretty lame. Also, it's funny how in the last scene they show a clip of an episode where the Simpsons go to Delaware and Homer says it's the last season, as the Simpsons go to Delaware next season. I don't know it was an intentional jab at the episode, but apparently the reuse the scene in the episode. I can't tell if that's genius or not. Back on why I think it would be a great series finale; it's such a genre bending episode that parodies the show itself, and of course, treats the Simpsons as it was something of the past. And also, I like how the show makes jabs at squeaky clean "everything's fine at the end" 80's sitcoms, something the Simpsons subverted. It's just fantastic through and through, insanely clever, really funny, and proves how damn good the show can be at self parody, and that's why it gets a 10/10 from me. Another note, in one of the episode's funniest jokes, when The Simpsons get in a conflict at the Iowa State Fair and break up and their show is being put on hiatus, the show is replaced with "Peepin' It Real", which is dressing room footage from Ann Taylor (obviously animated and not in live action). According to Mike Scully, Ann Taylor was not happy about the joke. I just think that's funny. But yeah, fantastic episode, one of the only ones worth checking out in Season 11. Highly recommend, it's a must watch for any Simpsons fan. Check it out.

[CyanideFishbone]

Full Season Rankings

 

1. Behind The Laughter (10/10)- This is just the best episode of the season. It's an extremely clever and witty piece of self-parody, as well as funny. It's a strong finish for a meh season. It was a theoretical series finale, and while it should've been, alas.... it's still an amazing episode that should've been the series finale.

2. Missionary: Impossible (10/10)- I definitely think this is the funniest episode of the entire season, and it's definitely my favorite of the season. While there were candidates of the season that were constantly funny, Missionary: Impossible is constantly hysterical, provides some fresh and interesting twists to a trope that was starting to be overused by this point, and has a very clever ending that I would've preferred way over a deus ex machina or a "back to the status quo" ending. Jebus does not need to save me from this episode. Sorry, couldn't resist.

3. E-I-E-I-D'oh (9/10)- Tomacco is awesome. Also, this episode's plot isn't terrible, and it's jokes are very consistent. It does have a poor ending, but it doesn't really tarnish my enjoyment of a pretty good episode.

4. Treehouse Of Horror X (9/10)- This TOH collection has 3 great shorts that are all very funny and decently creative, especially Desperately Xeexing Xena which definitely stands out as the best of the trio, but the other three aren't bad at all.

5. Little Big Mom (8/10)- To be honest, for most of the 8/10 entries I could put whichever ones I wanted to in order, but I think I like this one the best out of this season's 8/10's. While it's plot is nothing new, it's handled well and has enough twists and turns to keep it interesting, and it's decently funny throughout. Also Stupid Sexy Flanders.

6. Brother's Little Helper (8/10)- This episode's pretty alright with it's good gags and the plot itself is definitely amongst the season's most engaging; the idea of Bart being put on experimental medication is a good one. If I had to complain a little bit, I think the Major League Baseball stuff is a little out there, but it really doesn't tarnish my enjoyment of this episode too much.

7. The Mansion Family (8/10)- While the Chinese pirates plot point is honestly really lame, it doesn't completely steal the show and isn't around for long, and this episode is pretty consistently mildly funny with some great gags thrown in. 

8. Last Tap Dance In Springfield (7/10)- This episode has some decent gags and has a pretty good B plot with a pretty alright A plot, but there's nothing really bad with either of them. It's all just okay.

9. Faith Off (7/10)- It's another "both plots are just okay" plot, but I think a little more could've been done with both of them and there's some things wrong with them. Fat Tony was really unnecessary and I hate how the episode literally explains to you how the bucket came off Homer's head. And there's nothing super funny through out each plot, but this episode is just okay throughout.

10. Pygmoelian (7/10)- This episode being two minutes shorter than normal and it's slow as hell pacing really hurts it. So much could've been done with Moe becoming handsome and it's all barely discovered and leaves me wanting to know more. What they do with him is alright though, and the episode's got some funny jokes.

11. Guess Who's Coming To Criticize Dinner? (6/10)- Another episode that isn't super amazing, but it's funny enough but I think it's plot derails from it's lame third act.

12. Days Of Wine And D'oh'ses (5/10)- As much as I hate the decision of making Barney sober, the episode's dynamic between Barney and Homer is great and it addresses alcoholism well, has some good jokes and a funny ending, but unfortunately the episode's side plot feels very shoehorned in and while the episode's got a good start and a good finish, the stuff inbetween is pretty dull.

13. Beyond Blunderdome (5/10)- As much as I like the shifty-eyed dog and some of the episode's gags, the majority of it is in that same "celebrities!" camp as Season 10's When You Dish Upon A Star but it's way less bad here, and Mel Gibson has an alright role if you take out all of the.... uh... stuff he's done after The Passion Of The Christ. And the plot isn't terrible; it's just very middle of the road Simpsons.

14. Alone Again, Natura-Diddily (5/10)- Maude's death is handled horribly and is of course, unintentionally hilarious to me but her death just feels pointless in general if you take out the fact the episode is a blatant ratings trap, but it's got some good jokes such as the really funny dating video. However, the plot is so by the numbers that it takes out pretty much all of the suspense and that really hurts the episode for me.

15. Take My Wife, Sleaze (5/10)- This episode is just so incredibly middle of the road. It's very dull, the gags that work aren't that funny, and while the plot isn't terrible it's not super interesting. There's worse this season, however.

16. Grift Of The Magi (4/10)- Gary Coleman is fucking hilarious and the episode's got some good gags but there's just something so..... un-Simpsons about this episode, and I don't really know what it is. Also, Funzo being hell bent on killing all other toys is just another idea that just feels lame. Unfortunately, Coleman isn't enough to save me from this just uncomfortably strange, surreal plotline. 

17. Bart To The Future (4/10)- This episode's plot is so goddamn drawn out it's painful. Why do we have to follow Bart around? I want to know more about Lisa's presidency! And Bart just gets quickly really obnoxious in this episode. It's just a weak episode.

18. Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder (3/10)- The front part of this episode is okay, but man, does it go downhill fast in the second half. Homer tries to kill himself and the episode wants you to laugh right after his failed attempt and expects you to forget it ever happened, and there's literally no time at all to explore Homer and Maggie's relationship. And the ending is just a complete deus ex machina that's a dose of bad Scully surrealist Simpsons. Also, for all of the episodes The End by The Doors has to be in, why this one? That song is awesome, unlike this episode.

19. Eight Misbehavin' (3/10)- This episode is just extremely unpleasant, probably the most unpleasant episode of this show I've ever seen. And the episode, save for some gags that are few and very far between, isn't really funny at all and the idea of putting Apu's quintuplets in a circus show is such a beyond stupid plot point.

20. Kill The Alligator And Run (3/10)- There's a couple jokes I like but for the most part this episode is just terrible. The plot is so all over the place and horribly paced, and why do we need the Simpsons to run from the law? A lot of different stuff could've been done with them! And the ending is pretty terrible.

21. Saddlesore Galactica (1/10)- Yeah, this episode isn't the worst in my opinion. This episode.... honestly, see my review for everything because I could be here all day listing everything wrong with this episode. It's not funny at all, it's terribly paced, fucking elf jockeys, has a terrible ending, I could go on. It legitimately kind of hurt to watch with how much I love The Simpsons.

22. It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge (1/10)- As terrible as Saddlesore Galactica is, I think this episode is slightly worse. There are some jokes that work but they do not save a plot this bad at all. It has abysmal characterization, awful plot elements, lame jokes and of course, to quote me again, pointless absurdity that does not feel coherent with the episode's narrative at all. It's supposed to be a parody of The Hand That Rocks The Cradel, I get it, but that does not excuse twisting your own characters and having a plot execution as terrible as this one.

 

I'm going to write some more wrapping everything up probably tomorrow.

Edited May 4, 2018 by CyanideFishbone

[CyanideFishbone]

Update: I'm definitely tackling Season 12, but I think it'll be a short while. I honestly thought I overworked myself toward the end of Season 11; I still had a lot of fun doing it, but I definitely overworked myself a little. May is a little crazy for me; final exams and I'm going to a convention I always go to at the end of the month and whenever I come home from that I'm always exhausted beyond belief. My guess is I'll start first week of June or second week; when things clear a bit and I'm given some time, but things could change. 

[Wumbo]

Season 12 is definitely an interesting one. It's probably got one of the best episodes of the Scully era, honestly (don't think I need to say which one).

[CyanideFishbone]

I'm probably gonna start Season 12 tomorrow because I think I've got the time and I want to jump in, but if not, it's coming on June 1st. I can not do it on the 25th or that weekend because I'm going to a convention and I'll probably want to spend Monday resting up and relaxing, but it depends. Even if I start tomorrow, nothing's coming out that weekend.