CyanideFishbone reviews Cartoons (Currently: Simpsons Season 12)

[CyanideFishbone]

"Trilogy Of Error"*

Written by: Matt Selman

First aired: April 29th, 2001

 

Synopsis: The events of an extremely chaotic day are told through three different perspectives; Homer rushes to the hospital after cutting off his thumb while Lisa, after missing the bus, has to get to school for the Science Fair, and Bart and Milhouse come across illegal fireworks.

 

So, this is technically a trilogy episode. However, it doesn't really work in the way the other trilogy episodes have worked, so I'm just going to review this episode individually. Yeah, there are 3 7-minute segments, but they all have plot elements that connect to the other segments, unlike a TOH episode or other "trilogy" episodes. Anyway, this episode, which is somewhat of a fan favorite, is..... fantastic! The idea is really great and feels fresh, has tons of great gags, and what makes this episode is great is it just such a tornado. It's a crazy episode, but you know what makes it work? It's craziness is grounded in reality and there's no supernatural bullshit, and it's all very coherent. It's very much a Murphy's Law kind of episode; everything that can go wrong here goes wrong, resulting in some damn great jokes. And the use of characters here is fantastic; it feels natural for Fat Tony to be here unlike some of his more recent appearances, and I know I haven't seen Barney since last season, and I don't think I've seen Dr. Nick in a long time. Of course, the scene with Dr. Nick is really funny. Thinking "inflammable" means not flammable feels like a classic Dr. Nick gag. The rest of this episode is very funny, too. Linguo is a lot of fun, I love the "West Springfield Elementary" scene (After taking two years of French, "la grenouille mange la pamplemousse", which literally translates to "The frog eats the grapefruit" is such an out there quote), the breakfast opening with Homer and Linguo is funny, Moe's always fun to watch and so is Cletus, Ned reading Todd Harry Potter is an actually funny Ned Flanders religious joke, and I do like how the fake address Marge made just turns out to be a real place in Springfield. That's really what this episode excels at is character cameos. This episode is full of them and they don't feel tacked on or lame, they all have something to do with the plot for the most part and it really makes Springfield feel like a community in the way 22 Short Films About Springfield does (this episode's not as good as that one, but this one is damn good), and I feel like every character here is in character and has at least one or two great lines. Fat Tony, a character who almost always feels forced to me, is here and he feels natural for this plot! Oh yeah, and there's Thelonius, this episode's one time character as a small love interest for Lisa to motivate her in this insane, whirlwind of a day, and he leaves an impression. It's always nice to see Lisa connect with someone her age. Enough about Lisa and Homer's bits, Bart's is pretty great too. I really like "This is where I come to cry." "Cool.", and the chase scene and the scene with Chief Wiggum trying to record Fat Tony (which was foreshadowed in Lisa's plot) is a lot of fun. That's another major element of this episode; the episode foreshadows something in another one of the perspectives, keeping you excited to know what happened there, and you find out later, and it really doesn't disappoint. And of course it all gets rounded out with a kind of sweet ending where Lisa has Fat Tony's mafia doctor reattach Homer's thumb while Lisa explains to the class about what happened. It's not super original, but it's a very nice way to round this all out. If I had to nitpick on some things, I don't get why Marge isn't super committed to getting Lisa to school. Marge always wants things to go as planned, so it just doesn't make sense. Also, she finds out Bart and Milhouse are cutting class and she doesn't get angry at either of them, which is just weird. I mean, Marge isn't Milhouse's parent of course, but still, it's really weird, but I don't have much else wrong with this and I can let those slide for a plot this funny and solid, and that's why it deserves a 10/10 from me. It's got a fantastic idea and executes it extremely well, it's funny, has some really great character cameos, it's just great.

[CyanideFishbone]

"I'm Goin' To Praiseland"

Written by: Julie Thacker

First aired: May 6th, 2001

 

Synopsis: When Ned realizes he can't get over Maude's death, he gets the Simpsons to help clean out his house of Maude's possessions, and end up finding a sketchbook of her's that contains an idea for a Christian-based amusement park named Praiseland. After the idea of suggested by his children and the Simpsons, he decides to build the amusement park in his wife's memory.

 

Here's the sequel to Alone Again, Natura-Diddily that I'm sure no one in the world wanted. I gave that episode a free pass when I first reviewed it, but looking back, that episode's..... pretty fucking terrible. Yeah, it's got the funny dating video, but holy hell, looking back is that episode nasty. Homer is just a complete cunt to Ned after Maude dies where if he was in character he would put his rivalry aside and help support him, it's bland, boring and predictable, but had some good gags, but it's just not enough to salvage that episode. And yeah Maude's death scene is hilarious to me, so I guess..... it's got that going for it? Except it's really not, because that scene was meant to be emotional! Enough about that episode, how's it's sequel? I think it's just as terrible, if not worse. Holy fucking HELL is this episode cheesy and corny. And jokes like the dating video? Completely goddamn nonexistent. The most this episode ever got out of me was a chuckle, and it speaks volumes that I can't even really remember at all what made me chuckle. That's how forgettable, of course corny, and bland and boring this episode is! This episode just feels like such a waste of time, it's one of those "okay, that happened" kind of episodes. None of it was funny, none of it was interesting, this episode barely kept my attention, and this episode is just so goddamn stupid, honestly. Anyway, the episode starts with this ice cream social set up. It's below average, it's filled with lame gags, but none of it is that terrible and of course, it's got little to no bearing on the rest of this episode beside the fact that the Christian singer woman is back and will be a.... plot element? They introduce her as one, but she's pretty much at the start and shows up at the end to give Ned a token happy ending, and she just kind of feels.... there, but there's worse things here. The voice performance for her is alright too, as it was a season ago. Anyway, here we get to the episode's lame ass running gag; Homer talks like a middle schooler, scratch that, like an elementary schooler to Ned about her, which Ned obviously has a crush on her. It's just painfully unfunny and drawn out. And oh yeah Homer, like in Alone Again, Natura-Diddily, is a complete cunt here with zero empathy for a man who he doesn't like, but is clearly going through a tough time. Remember how a vital element of Homer's character is that we're supposed to believe he's a good to decent guy in the end despite some of the stuff he does? I mean, that's why Marge married him! Enough about character studies, Ned takes the Christian singer back to his place, and of course, Ned is obsessed with Maude still. I've seen some people say this feels creepy, but, ehh, Ned's like 60 and Maude seemed like the main love of his life. Anyway, this gets really dragged out with Ned trying to cut the singer's hair.... to look like Maude, which does cross into creepy, anyway, she leaves, The Simpsons clean out her house and find Maude's sketchbook,  with no effective jokes inbetween. Now one criticism of this episode is starting to come prevalent; that goddamn music they always play in emotional scenes, which was used during some of the show's most emotional moments years before is played to fucking death in this episode. Almost every goddamn scene with Ned reflecting on Maude plays that scene and does it all, and it's so blatantly obvious that the show is trying to pull your heartstrings. Ned buys a broken down amusement park, rebuilds it into Praiseland, and of course, the amusement park blows. Again, not really anything funny at all, but we'll get to some of the lamest jokes I've ever seen from this show in a bit. Everyone starts to leave and in Ned's desperation, a Maude mask he made starts to hover over the statue he built of her (seen in the photo I posted for this episode). Everyone starts to believe that this is a miracle, and goes up to the statue to see their own version of Heaven. Get ready for one of the worst parts of any episode of this season. This episode literally just drops it's plot to see these personal Heavens, which are all gags. And these are painfully unfunny gags. Anyway, if all the sap with Ned and Maude wasn't enough, we all get everyone realizing just how "miracles like this can bring people together!", with no sense of satire, or irony or anything like that in this, and of course, the show tries to pull your heartstrings. This is supposed to be, or was, a satirical TV comedy at one point, right? This is exactly the kind of thing a piece of media would do that The Simpsons would mock in the past! Hell, I can even see them mocking something like this in this period in the show's history, I mean, they don't poke fun at things as often but they still do fairly frequently. Anyway, as it turns out, people have been hallucinating because of a gas leak in front of the Maude statue and there's no "miracle", and Ned and Homer go to close it when some orphans with candles are near it. They stop the orphans, everyone takes it the wrong way, park closes, Ned goes to coffee with Christian singer lady, really basic shit. 

 

Yeah this episode is just all sorts of terrible. I think this one might even be worse than Alone Again, Natura-Diddily. Both of them are dull, but at least that episode tries to pull your heartstrings only sometimes where this episode constantly does it without giving up, any subtlety, and really nothing to juxtapose any of it, and it just reeks of sappiness. Why do the townsfolk need to have an emotional moment? It adds literally nothing! I don't want to sound like I'm saying "The show shouldn't be emotional anymore", it should try every now and then because it worked in HOMR, but this episode just reeks of trying to be emotional as I've said a million times, but I just can't emphasize enough how stupid and corny this was! Oh yeah and this episode isn't funny at all. I can't really say anything about the gags failing besides that they're just.... lame and cliched. And yeah, doesn't really feel like much happens. It's really fucking boring because it's so predictable, and thus ruins my investment of knowing what wants to happen. Yeah, a decent amount of episodes at this point in the show's history are predictable, but the ones that work make up for it with good jokes and good character interactions, and sometimes even clever plot elements. I'm Goin' To Praiseland has none of that, and it comes off as dull. I've said enough, I'm sure you know why I hate this episode, and that's why I give it a 2/10. Maybe I'm a little harsh with it, but there is pretty much nothing salvageable in this plot. This episode infuriated me in the way some of the other episodes I've reviewed haven't, and this episode irked me just by how boring, bland, sappy, and unfunny it was. Fuck this episode.

[CyanideFishbone]

"Children Of A Lesser Clod"

Written by: Al Jean

First aired: May 13th, 2001

 

Synopsis: When Homer injures his leg, he finds solace in taking care of Springfield's children, and becomes praised by the people of Springfield. However, Bart and Lisa team up to expose Homer, believing he is giving the other children the attention they never got.

 

This is a really tough episode to talk about. This episode has an interesting concept that I think could work, although writing it is a complete tightrope act, especially in this period in the show's history. This episode makes Homer so extremely wretched, unsympathetic, and terrible and gives him an antagonist role. However, they don't put Homer in that much of an antagonist role, and of course, Homer is supposed to be an alright guy in the end. Homer does realize the error of his ways luckily, but it is pretty much in the last seconds of the episode and I wish they could've spent at most a minute longer redeeming him, and of course we get the townsfolk turning on him. A character shouldn't always be bound by karma when they do something bad, although in an episode like this it works well with the plot. However, Homer's character has one problem in this episode; they really don't put him in too much of an antagonist role. It's never clear at all he's even slightly an antagonist, he's just..... a guy that does bad things and is a complete fraud. Of course, not every story has to have an antagonist but putting Homer in a little bit more of an antagonist role would've been better and made the episode feel a little more believable. Considering how hard this concept is to do, especially considering the show was going downhill at this point, I think they handled it just alright. If not, they could've made one of the worst episodes of the series. I can see people not liking this concept where Homer is such an asshole because it might feel like the end does not justify the means, so this episode I guess is kind of an acquired taste. Enough about Homer's role in the episode and how meticulous you have to be with this concept, how's the rest of this episode? This episode is just above average. There's some good jokes in this episode; like Missionary: Impossible a season ago, we've got another line used a lot on the Internet back in the day (the Bill Cosby Pokemon scene). Considering, umm, recent events, the scene doesn't get a laugh out of me really at all and feels awkward, but it was funny back in the day. The Chris Rock joke is definitely the best joke in the entire episode, that got a huge laugh out of me and is a decently clever joke. I also like the scene where Homer breaks the basketball hoop and a few other smaller gags. On the note of the basketball part of the episode, I think the episode also spends way too long on the YMCA part with Homer injuring his leg. Some more of that could've been used to redeem Homer in this episode, and the whole part gets drawn out really quickly. Execution of the idea, which is another 'I've seen worse" plot ideas, was just alright. Also, apparently the scene with Homer's exposed scab was negatively received by fans, which was said in the episode's DVD commentary. The scene honestly doesn't gross me out at all, but I can see why it would to others. Not really much else to say about this episode, it's just..... okay, really, and that's why it gets a 6/10 from me.

[CyanideFishbone]

"Simpsons Tall Tales"

Written by: John Frink, Don Payne, Bob Bendetson, Matt Selman

First aired: May 20th, 2001

 

Synopsis: The Simpsons win a trip to Delaware, but decide to travel there by train after refusing to pay an airport tax. They end up staying with a singing hobo on the train who tells them three stories: Homer as Paul Bunyan, Lisa as a female version of Johnny Appleseed and Bart as Tom Sawyer and Nelson as Huckleberry Finn.

 

Remember in Season 11's season finale they mentioned an episode where The Simpsons go to Delaware? Well, here we are. It's not really a vacation episode or anything, Delaware isn't even shown but only mentioned. Is it wrong to admit I kind of want to see a vacation episode where the Simpsons go to Delaware to see how bad it would probably turn out? But if you want to go ruthless, do The Simpsons go to North Dakota. Enough state jokes, this is a trilogy episode. You know the drill, so let's go straight in.... but I want to talk about some of the wrap around segments. I actually like the opening part at the airport with the show acknowledging just how dumb of an idea "The Simpsons go to Delaware!' is, and of course you get the trademark "Nothing is in Delaware" jokes. And Hank Azaria plays the hobo, who's okay. Some of the gags, like Homer washing him go on for a little too long. Jim Carrey was also supposed to play him, but Carrey was busy. Anyway, the wrap around segments are okay, nothing special. So how are the shorts?

"Paul Bunyan" (written by John Frink and Don Payne)- First things first, I don't even think any of these shorts have names, so I'm just gonna go with what Wikipedia and Simpsons Wiki tells me. This short is very self-explanatory. Homer's Paul Bunyan, causes havoc, falls in love with a farmer girl played by Marge, tries to block an asteroid which.... goes down his pants, makes a rock sculpture that becomes Babe after being hit by lightning, pretty basic stuff. And that's the bulk of what's wrong with this. Homer as Paul Bunyan feels like a good role, and while I do like the super out there part of Homer fighting goddamn Rodan and Lisa acknowledging how dumb that is, there's not a lot here. A lot of the gags fail and are unmemorable, but besides that, there's not really much here. I'm better versed on American tall tales than bible stories, and I didn't even find this that funny. Like Simpsons Bible Stories, it feels more like portraying instead of really parodying. I'm all for fitting the citizens of Springfield in character roles in famous stories every now and then, but it just feels like there's no twists to help keep it interesting. Of course there's the argument which I do kind of agree with where it feels like an excuse for the writers to not come up with new stories but whatever. I bet if you're a huge Paul Bunyan fan/expert/what have you you'd get a better kick out of this, but it's just okay to me. It's another "you could do a lot worse" deal, and that's why it gets a 5/10 from me.

"Connie Appleseed" (written by Bob Bendetson)- I just took my first year of American History last year so I can immediately enjoy some of these gags. This short actually does what I want these sort of "adaptations" to do; parody instead of portray. Of course this short does portray a bit, which it should, but there should be some parody in these, and that's what this one does. Pioneers killed so many goddamn buffalo almost to the point of extinction, and I just love how over the top everyone is with killing buffalo. Homer, Marge, Maggie and Bart changing their last name to "Buffakill" is pretty funny, and I also really do like the cannibalism scene. It's just funny, and it never gets awkward or creepy. Of course it's a reference to the Donner Party, I think? I haven't heard the story of Johnny Appleseed in full since like 1st grade, but I loosely know the idea, and for someone who doesn't know the concept super well, there was stuff for me to enjoy here. You don't really have to know much to enjoy this. Only thing besides some good gags and also the fact Lisa is enjoyable as Connie Appleseed, there's just nothing amazing about this, and it's not super memorable, but it's good for what it is. This one gets a 7/10 from me.

"Tom and Huck" (written by Matt Selman)- If i'm not super well versed on Johnny Appleseed, then I don't know shit about Tom Sawyer. And for someone who's never read any of the Tom Sawyer books, I enjoyed this alright. I like the southern atmosphere, the roles fit well, and there's some gags I like here. I like how the shotgun wedding scene has a ton of literal shotguns in it, some of Tom and Huck's antics are slightly enjoyable, and it is kind of fun to see some of these roles in general. Like the rest of these, it's okay for what it is and I understood it well without prior knowledge. The scene where they get caught in the boat's turbine and fly up after being in it looks and feels a bit awkward, but it isn't super jarring. I also do like the ending gag alright. That's all I got to say, it's a 6/10 for me.

 

Season 10 and 11, for all their problems, had very strong season finales that ranked highly among the best episodes of both seasons. Not really here. It's better than Simpsons Bible Stories, but that's not saying too much. This episode is just very safe, inoffensive, and is just like the definition of middle of the road. Not really any fun trivia with this episode, nothing super memorable, it's just kind of there. I will say, the few laughs it did get were light, but were enjoyable. I hate to cut to the chase, especially for a season finale, but this one gets a 6/10 from me. It's just an okay selection of shorts.

 

And that's Season 12! The full season ranked should come out tomorrow or early this coming week. I'm a bit busy on Monday and super busy on Tuesday. 

[CyanideFishbone]

Full Season Rankings

1. Trilogy Of Error (10/10)- I know it's a fan favorite, but this is just the best episode of the season. It has tons of great jokes, takes the absurdity route and makes it work by making it feel coherent as well as keeping it grounded by not adding any dumb supernatural elements or biting off more than they can chew. The characterization is great as well, and it actually uses the trilogy format really cleverly. It's a fantastic episode.

2. HOMR (10/10)- The Simpsons managing to be heartwarming post Season 9? I couldn't believe it either. Anyway, this episode is fantastic, and while it has a plot inspired by a movie, the plot is so natural for Homer and you don't need to know anything about Charly to get this plot because of how natural it feels for Homer. Everyone is in character, it's pretty damn funny, and yeah, that heartwarming ending is really sweet. Not much else to this one.

3. Worst Episode Ever (10/10)- This episode is just a personal favorite of mine. Comic Book Guy is one of my, if not my favorite Simpsons side characters and his role in this episode ranks among his best. Him and Agnes Skinner are such an out there pair up that work so well off of each other, but the Bart and Milhouse A-plot is a lot of fun too. And both have great jokes, but I think the B-plot is funnier, but the A-plot's got it's jokes. 

4. A Tale Of Two Springfields (10/10)- This plot just feels classic, and it gets how silly and absurd The Simpsons should be. There should be no supernatural elements and the craziness should feel coherent for the most part. The plot is also well executed, everyone is fairly in character, the jokes are great, and The Who are awesome and memorable guest stars. It's an extremely solid episode.

5. Bye Bye Nerdie (10/10)- I tend to enjoy Lisa shows more than others and this one does not disappoint at all. The concept is interesting and executed well, Francine is a great one-time character, and the jokes are rampant and work well. And we've also got a B-plot with Homer entering the babyproofing business that proves to be a decent amount of fun. It's just an all around great episode.

6. Day Of The Jackanapes (9/10)- Hey, remember Sideshow Bob? He's back, and to me at least, his return doesn't disappoint. He's got the same mannerisms and while this episode is no Cape Feare or Sideshow Bob Roberts, this show does very well for itself, providing good jokes and having a pretty coherent and well paced story. Unfortunately, the whole "hypnotism" stuff doesn't add much at all here, but it doesn't really take away from my enjoyment of this episode.

7. Lisa The Tree Hugger (9/10)- This is a different kind of episode. It's not super funny, but it has a few good gags, but it mainly does well for itself with an engaging story, the characters being mostly in character, and being well paced. I wouldn't want these constantly, but more plot-driven, less funny episodes are good every once in a blue moon if the plot is well structured, and this one is.

8. The Computer Wore Menace Shoes (8/10)- I was really digging the first half of this episode. The first half was really funny, had good characterization, and was a fun sort of satire on the early days of the internet and the dotcom bubble with The Simpsons characters. However, when The Prisoner twist happens, the episode loses a bit of it's mojo, but still has good jokes sprinkled in and is nowhere as bad as some other second and third acts in Scully-era Simpsons. And yeah, this episode's ending is pretty terrible, but hey, the rest of the episode is one of Season 12's funniest.

9. Treehouse Of Horror XI (7/10)- Probably the first average Halloween show for me. One pretty good segment but two pretty lackluster ones make it just okay in my book. Nothing memorable about really any of them though.

10. Hungry, Hungry Homer (7/10)- Like a lot of other Season 12 episodes, this episode is very much a "you could do a whole lot worse" episode. Some of the gags work, but the ones that work are very far and in between, and the plot is executed well, but it fails to keep me engaged really at all.

11. Skinner's Sense Of Snow (7/10)- Most of this episode is just wasted potential, honestly. The concept is okay and it's execution is pretty alright, but a plot like this needs some good jokes and that's the episode's weakness. Also, the less said about Ned and Homer trying to get to Springfield Elementary the better.

12. Children Of A Lesser Clod (6/10)- I honestly have some respect for this episode to handle a writing concept that is a complete tightrope act and pulling it off better than expected. However, it never really feels like Homer is truly redeemed and a lot of the jokes just fail for me.

13. Tennis The Menace (6/10)- Good guest stars aside, this episode is very middle of the road. The jokes are very hit or miss, mostly miss, and the plot is just okay although it uses a concept with some potential. I'd much rather see The Simpsons deciding to hold a tournament and having to work into overdrive when it turns out more successful than expected than Homer and Marge fighting for the millionth time, but it's mostly an alright show.

14. Simpsons Tall Tales (6/10)- I do kind of like the meta comedy with the show acknowledging how dumb it is for the family to visit Delaware, and while most of the segments are alright, none of them are amazing and like I've probably said a million times at this before, it's just very middle of the road.

15. The Great Money Caper (6/10)- Yet another "okay plot, not really that funny at all" episode. Also, this episode's ending is among the worst in not just Season 12 or Scully Simpsons, but would rank near the worst endings of any episode in the show's history. Like most of the meh's, there is nothing memorable about this episode that helps it stick out in my mind, and that hurts my enjoyment of it.

16. Insane Clown Poppy (5/10)- I was honestly really expecting to hate this one, but it turned out just okay. It's a little sappy but nothing too grating. Some jokes work but the majority of them don't, and the plot's pretty dull, but there's worse this season.

17. Pokey Mom (4/10)- This episode's guest star does a pretty good performance and while the idea isn't terrible, the show is just so drawn out and gets dull pretty goddamn fast, and it doesn't make it that worth it watching for the pretty good guest star. And it's not very funny either.

18. New Kids On The Blecch (3/10)- In all honesty, I really want to like this episode. I've seen worse episode ideas and the episode has a lot of potential for some good jokes and even some good satire, which it does a bit of the latter and does that okay, this episode's final act just spirals out of control so loosely and quickly that it really tarnishes my enjoyment of this episode. Not really any memorable jokes from this one too, although fuck the Party Posse music video is among the season's most memorable scenes, and it's pretty funny on it's own merits. Maybe I should lighten up.

19. Simpson Safari (2/10)- This episode is just stupid. This is one of the absolute stupidest episodes of this show I've ever seen. The reason for The Simpsons to go to Africa is so ridiculously contrived and stupid I had a hard time trying to explain it in my episode synopsis. And there's little to no jokes here that work, Homer is obnoxious, and if the opening wasn't stupid enough, this ending is just..... so goddamn stupid, and it all is wrapped up so flimsily. 

20. I'm Goin' To Praiseland (2/10)- This episode is just so goddamn sappy. It feels like a lame faith based movie with some dumb jokes sprinkled in that feel stupid and some of them even deter from the episode's narrative, which while I'm not interested in the episode's narrative the show shouldn't deter it's own plot for some jokes that have no bearing on the plot for this long. And the whole "miracle" twist is just so extremely stupid. And holy hell is this episode boring and dull.

21. Homer vs. Dignity (1/10)- This episode has pretty much everything people think of when they think of reasons why The Simpsons has fallen from glory. Weird characterization, lame jokes, badly paced plots, and especially the recycling of ideas, it's just the whole package. And there's the panda rape scene, which doesn't offend me, but just..... why? Yeah, it ranks high on the show's worst.

 

And that's Season 12! I will do Season 13 sometime soon but will probably end up migrating to a blog for that. Also it's gonna take a while; I go on a two week vacation at the end of this month and things get a little cluttered for me when I get back.

[CyanideFishbone]

I'm definitely migrating to a blog at this point and will drop the link when it is ready. I just wanted to say, that, strangely enough there are some episode's I've kind of warmed up to here. I rewatched New Kids On The Blecch with some of my cousins over vacation and had a complete blast watching it. If I tried to capture what made the episode work, I really doubt I could capture it because it's just so off the wall silly that it makes it work. And yeah, YVAN EHT NIOJ is fucking hysterical. One of the last super memorable things The Simpsons gave us. The characterization is complete garbage, and while it's not amazing or anything (besides the absolutely brilliant "Drop Da Bomb") something about it just...... works. I remember I was kind of tired when I watched it to review it, so there's that.

 

I've also warmed up to Pygmoelian as well. Season 11 is bar none the weakest Scully season in my opinion, and Pygmoelian stands out as one of the best of the season. It's crazy that in a season where the crew struggles to write a structured and complete story ("Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder", "Kill The Alligator And Run", "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge" and a couple others), they manage to write a good story in only 20 minutes...... except the conclusion is very obviously rushed and pretty disastrous, it definitely stands as Season 11's better shows with it's good jokes and characterization. Not a big fan of it being only 20 minutes, because I believe they could have pulled off the same ending joke as effectively it was only 22 minutes, but hey, what we're given is a pretty alright episode. I don't really think the Bart and Lisa "subplot" is that necessary, but hey, it gave us "That's my little dude!" and "A gay president in 2084?" "We're realistic."

Edited July 15, 2018 by CyanideFishbone