The Simpsons

I'm wondering after those solid musical numbers why the hell Bob's Burgers can't even do that. The show doesn't even have Alf Clausen or an orchestra anymore and their numbers are STILL 20 times better than Bob's Burgers.

Good to hear Megan Mullaly as Sarah Wiggum again. She's probably back because she's not an unaffordable get.

Couldn't tell who the Janitor was until the end credits revealed it was Hugh Jackman. Wolverine can sing.

Great episode. ****1/2.

Eh. Disney+ has done MUCH worse Simpsons shorts, but it still wasn't great.

Liked Tom Hiddleston's cameo though. **1/2.

"People on the internet think I'm smart!" -- Homer Simpson.

This will not end well.

Or will it? As far as spoofs of conspiracy internet sites go, it's pretty toothless. It's also not a freaking internet group if every person in the group lives in the same town and meet up together whenever they want. The Simpsons has always been lazy about stuff like that. And it pisses me off.

But you know what? The Simpsons CAN predict the future. Fact. Their ridiculous guesses inevitably become our miserable realities.

Miss Hoover and Gil get married? And it sticks? Good. Frankly, I saw no reason for the marriage to dissolve if the turtle group did in the first place.

Jay Pharaoh was a good casting choice as Drederick Tatum.

I love the animation on Marge massaging Homer's head.

The Couch Gag was funny for being low-tech. That's how the funniest Old-School Couch Gags used to be too.

After hearing the premise I believed the episode could go either way. In reality, it was in the middle. ***.

Will this be a long review or a short one? I didn't like the episode, so if it's long, I had a lot to criticize, if it's short, I'll have felt it wasn't worth my time to do so. We'll see soon enough.

I liked seeing Jane Kaczmarek as Judge Constance Harm. She used to be a fairly regularly-recurring character back when Malcolm In The Middle was on the air, and Kaczmarek was a bigger name. It's nice to see her again, if only to show the show remembers its vast history. Well, sometimes anyways.

Carl's rant in the bar was great. But I can't help feel it would have sounded better coming from Hank Azaria. I agree with the reasons Carl was recast. I would have done it in the producers' place too. But Alex Desert still sounds "wrong" to me, so to give Carl this big moment and a really "off" voice, makes it much less cooler than it should be.

I have never understood the appeal of Bill Plympton. Come and get me, animation fans. His works look sort of weird and eye-popping, but not a single thing he has ever done over the decades has actually made me laugh. No exaggeration there either. The animation is some bizarre type of humor that isn't actually remotely funny. It's not like Zippy The Pinhead either, where I simply don't get the joke. The jokes are told, hundreds of times over the dude's vast career, and they don't actually posses some deep underground subtlety I cannot grasp. Simply none of them are ever funny.

I felt Marge's plot didn't work because the episode couldn't properly focus on what part of the exercise craze to criticize. I very much liked the idea initially presented that exercise bikes tend to be gifts burdened on women by demanding husbands, but that doesn't work for Marge because Homer already thinks she looks perfect. And Marge is being SO damn sloppy and inconsiderate in her marriage here that I could read Homer's mind. He would not have the sophistication to think the following thought, but what he WAS thinking was almost certainly a cruder variation of it. Were I Homer I'd be like, "I really wish Marge didn't own the high ground so fully in our marriage. I would LOVE to be able to call her on her crap here, but considering all the bad stuff I've done she's forgiven and let go, I simply can't afford to do that." Which is a damn shame. Because she is treating him far shabbier than he usually treats her. And he can't say boo about it.

Lisa being called to jury duty was good and bad. Good because the show found a plausible explanation for a plot idea this stupid (which they don't always bother to do; and the actual answer is that Springfield is a stupid town) and bad because per usual when the show figures out a strong premise and decent execution, they can never come up with a good ending. Family Guy has gotten a lot of criticism since its inception for being badly written and cliched. And while that's true, it's rather rich that The Simpsons is the Emmy-gobbling, critic-proof powerhouse while in its vast 30 year history it's almost never delivered a satisfying ending (outside of season 8). I'm not saying critics should be nicer to Family Guy. I'm saying critics should be far less forgiving of The Simpsons. And yes, including the Golden Years.

I really wish Nancy Cartwright were not in the cast. The show could more easily and effortless going after cults and scams if Bart Simpson's actress weren't a particularly loathsome Scientologist. The cult jokes here are vague rather than specific. They have to go to Jonestown for the second most relatable example other than Scientology itself. And not only is Jonestown a thing far in the past, but there's really nothing similar between that and this. God, I really hate Nancy Cartwright as a person.

Oftentimes if I dislike an episode I will still admire the show for taking a risk, swinging for the fences, and missing regardless. This episode wasn't one of those risky, nearly-admirable failures. It was simply a bland, boring episode that didn't work. So the review was medium-length after all. **.

Holy crap. That was probably probably the most literally insane episode of The Simpsons in 34 seasons. "Oh, yeah?" you scoff. "Did it have singing elf jockeys?" Actually, yes! It did! That was part of the joke.

Really, Martin as a secret adult cop, The Dog Scene, everything was nuts. Do you know what's great? The episode description is for Lisa the Boy Scout. None of the insanity is remotely hinted at and it's entirely misleading. This is the first time I can think of a show making an episode description part of its actual joke.

I realize the episode isn't canon, but I loved the Wiseguy scene like nobody's business. He's always everywhere and nobody ever brings it up. He's an actual recurring character.

Predicting the future after Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire was brilliant, as was the notion that everything past Bart The Daredevil was a dream. "I never had a pet lobster? I never went to space?" You think it's bad Pinchy never existed? Trying explaining Lenny to Carl.

The Seduction of Seymour Skinner was the one bit of the episode that went too far. The subtext to that was more than a little bit revolting.

In 34 seasons this episode might have been a turning point. It might have been the point the producers just said "Frig it!" and realized they could do whatever they wanted to do and tell whatever stories they felt like. What's sort of funny to me is that this is apparently a new idea for them. Something this self-evident never occurred to them before this week. Let's just say elf jockeys could potentially just be the tip of the iceberg regarding insanity on this show from this point forward.

Best episode ever. Heaven gets two stars. *****.

I'm not going to say I liked the first half of the episode, but I also believed it was possible for the episode to turn out decent as I was watching it. Alas! I was sadly wrong.

The thing I liked initially were Marge's ideas for nice talk show segments. I thought that was brilliant comedy. Why? Not only were the ideas not actually funny, (and stupid), but on some level they were interesting, and sounded like they would actually sort of make compelling television. That sort of describes those awful segments in a nutshell, doesn't it? It was great observational comedy for that reason.

I also thought it was the show tempting fate to bring up the fact that it makes no sense to keep making new episodes once a show has 700+ episodes in the Streaming Can. There are two things I need to say about that joke (besides the fact that it's true). It tells me on some level the producers WANT Fox and Disney to just cancel the show. They are pretty clearly telegraphing that. And frankly, they are right that it's in Disney's best financial interest to do so. New episodes cost a LOT of money to produce, and essentially gain them nothing. The other thing I want to mention (which is really two things) is that The Simpsons is one of my favorite shows of all time. And if it were canceled tomorrow, I would be all right with that. There are some shows for me where one of those things is true, but this is the only show where BOTH of those things are true.

I also like that when Marge claims it's antifeminist for Lisa to complain about her career, that Lisa doesn't become sheepish and think Marge has a point. She instantly points out the segments themselves are sexist and antifeminist. I kind of wish that more feminists would do the same thing whenever Lena Dunham whines that people only talk smack about Girls because they hate powerful women. I think the truth is people like Dunham give feminism a bad name. I'm a dude so I can't state that for certain. (And I don't have a right to state that for certain either). But yeah, if you want to tell people they are criticizing you because they are against female empowerment, maybe not do as much anti-woman, disempowering stuff as Girls. But I have become ambivalent about Lisa's feminism in recent seasons. I think she just gained a large bit of credibility back with that.

I think where the episode fails is trying to find the why and how about why Daytime TV's atmosphere is toxic. And do you know why I can't get behind the show's moral there? Because the animation industry is toxic. Including behind the scenes at The Simpsons. I don't feel that this show has any business throwing stones about abusive business practices while airing on Fox and treating its animators so shabbily.

I do have to point out it's been a long time since we've gotten a Krusty episode, much less heard his trademark laugh. I wish Krusty had been more present in the last two acts. And if they were gonna get Drew Barrymore back, she should have played Sophie. I fully expect them to roundly ignore the fact that Krusty didn't go back to his kids show at the end of the episode in future episodes.

The Simpsons taking shots at The Establishment played better 30 years ago. Now? It IS the Establishment. That's not something I can just ignore. **1/2.

2 Halloween episodes this year! And the first one is a full-length story!

I like the show because it tries new things, even in its 34th season. That being said, the reason the Halloween segments are short is because a little of that kind of spoof goes a long way. For that reason this episode feels wrong in a lot of ways.

I liked the reverse Bart and Lisa, but the romance between Marge and Comic Book Guy was bad for obvious reasons.

I love Kang and Kodos making fun of how scary The Tommyknockers sound. They're making fun of it because the name DOESN'T actually sound scary and the book was one of Stephen King's legit failures. You can make fun of the haunted car all you want, The Tommyknockers is a grand failure for a lot of reasons. Christine is simply a disappointment.

Kudos to the show for breaking a long-standing rule about Halloween episodes. Demerits for the longer story being as thin as the joke short spoofs. ***1/2.

The Pookadook:

There's no opening this year. Because of this, it is unneeded.

One of the best Treehouse sequences the series has done in years. Frankly, I think it's one of the best ever. What about it absolutely wowed me? It's actually SCARY! The early Treehouses used to hype the fact that the Halloween episodes were unusually violent and scary, and I feel like over the years, they've gone harder into the spoof side of things. Not only did this story involve the actual family (instead of an outside of continuity scenario where they were playing different characters), but there were few actual jokes, and an unusual happy ending gotten to by Marge and Maggie realizing their love for each other.

Julie Kavner also brought her A-game in her performance. Can't forget to mention that.

I am floored and amazed by that. Don't ever let anyone tell you The Simpsons is no longer capable of greatness. I just saw it. 5 stars.

Death Tome:

That was... freaking something. I was underwhelmed by the ending, but kudos for another scary outing, amazing anime animation completely outside of the house style, and a villain in Steve as funny as he is frightening. Another segment that swung for the fences and hit a Homer. 4 1/2 stars.

Simpsons World

I think that Treehouse parodying Westworld is a no-brainer. It's just that they did the most genius version of it possible.

The Simpsons' recent negative continuity has ruffled the feathers of long-time fans like me. Because it suggests nothing in the show matters or will stick. That specific short says EVERYTHING matters, and whether or not the show can reference it again, it's something that occurred in that Universe.

What Universe is it? Five fingers and peach skin. Is it the future world of Disenchantment? That sounds about right to me.

When a lot of TV shows do episodes for Milestones (or just special episodes in general), the producers invariably call them "Loving Valentines to the fans". I often dispute whenever a producer calls an episode that. (If "These Are The Voyages..." was actually my Loving Valentine, I'm dumping Star Trek's cheap, easy ass). But The Simpsons, for whatever reason, doesn't really do that. At least not to this extent. I mean "I call the big one Bitey" isn't any fan's favorite joke, but it's Matt Groening's, which is why it's so great to see it called back. And the short just went nuts with every memorable Simpsons thing over the years they could think of. You wouldn't find much stuff from the last 15 seasons in Simpsons World, but it's amazing some of the stuff they DID use, like Lisa with the mayonnaise in her hair to get rid of gum and the angel skeleton. Deep cuts, both.

I feel like that is the second best Treehouse of Horror of all time. The only better one was Treehouse Of Horror VIII, because ALL of those segments were five stars (including the amazing Fox Censor opening). The first and last segment of this were five stars, but the middle segment is four and a half. But the episode is still amazing, one of the greatest things the show has ever done, and a reminder that a long-running show only needs to be underwhelming if the producers allow it to become so. Amazing episodes for shows that have been on the air for 30 seasons are possible, and should be no big deal. I am very glad the show got into its head a few seasons ago there was really no need to phone in the quality of every episode. Great episodes can still occur now. I think what makes it nice for me to see the producers recognizing that fact is that I believe everyone is aware that The Simpsons doesn't even need to be on the air anymore. Last week took a direct shot at that idea, and suggested the show might be more profitable for Disney if they stopped making new content. And that has been true for at least ten years (and maybe longer). It's in Disney's best financial interest to cancel the show, and shop around syndication contracts. It's only kept alive to keep Fox's branding in check. And while that's so, I doubly take notice and appreciate how Matt Selman and the current writers often put in the damn effort. And I think this episode might be their finest moment yet. It impressed the hell out of me. 5 stars.

Epilogue:

We didn't forget Kang and Kodos! We never do! 4 stars.

Episode Overall: 5 stars.

Current Simpsons episodes tend to be a bit hit-or-miss, and while this was sort of in-the-middle, I still think it was more of a miss than a hit.

That said, I thought the ending with Duffman making up with Amber was sweet, and I like the idea that Lisa likes K-Pop (that's a very kid thing). And the Couch gag was also creative.

Middling grade. ***.

Here's something: I suspect this episode went above and beyond what was necessary because it wanted people to like it. To actually enjoy a half-hour of The Simpsons. Like a LOT. It's not a perfectly constructed story (there was no need for Abe and the Mom to break up in the end credits) but I think the writers were probably really hoping the viewer would like everything else they did.

Suffice it to say, that's unusual. Most Simpsons episodes treat the viewer as if them loving the episode doesn't matter a jot. And to be fair, most television treats the viewer that way too.

Just watching Homer being so legit threatened by a little kid is just irresistible, and even if I don't recognize the situation from my own life, it's for some reason relatable, which is crazy to me. Comic Book Guy treats the kids like a peer too, but that's because Comic Book Guy sucks butt. Homer having to share a room and be a peer with a child is not of his choosing. Comic Book Guy chooses to be a loser. Homer being forced to be one is far easier for me to sympathize with him over.

The happy ending being that Grandpa is self-involved and flawed is another thing to say the writers REALLY wanted me to dig that. And you what? I did.

Man, Lisa and Janey have devolved, haven't they? I would have called the stuff with Lisa and Bart at the home the episode's weak point, but when Lisa tells Wiggum there's a freezer full of Snickers for him if he drives her home with the siren on, I see even the B plot was demanding to be liked. Very well. If you insist.

I mean the thing where the guy is complimenting the possum piece because one of the joeys is looking behind them is insane and totally funny, because it sounds like a real weirdo brag for people into taxidermy. The guy extolling how great it is to see a random stranger coming off the street with an unknown something under a cloth similarly speaks to the idea that these are a group of people who expect, enjoy, and live and breathe weirdness. Homer believing Calvin is weird is kind of appalling because Homer is actually right. About the ten-year-old he's jealous of, he really shouldn't be. But he is.

The stuff with the heavy breathing was a great visual gag and well-timed and animated. Often whenever the show attempts stuff like that it falls flat, usually due to poor animation timing. They animated that specific bit flawlessly instead, and it's hilarious. That's the kind of gag Family Guy can do in its sleep. It bothers me whenever The Simpsons tries stuff like that and fails more often than not. I am very happy for this particular comedic victory. They put in the work to make it funny, and I wish the show would always do that for jokes like that.

The bit where Homer showed Calvin how bad his dad made him feel was great stuff. Another reason the show shouldn't have been too quick to break Grandpa and the hippie lady up.

Do I have any complaints? Yes. A big one. And I knew before I saw the episode this complaint would likelier than not be in the review. Still, I'm unhappy. As of November 20, 2022, the show needed to do one of its infamous "up-to-the-minute" chalkboard gags. It needn't have said exactly "We apologize for the Elon Musk episode," but after THIS week, it should have gotten that across anyways. How about "I will do my research on Elon Musk before praising him"? Whatever, this was the week in the news for the show to do a rare Mea Culpa for a future prediction they actually got wrong. Or as Agent Scully told death psychic Clyde Bruckman on The X-Files: "Mr. Bruckman, there are hits and there are misses. And then there are misses..." Whoosh!

Do you know what bugs me? Family Guy would have leapt at the opportunity if it had done the same thing. The episode really did its best to make me like it, which is good, because The Simpsons the series is actually far less self-deprecating than a comedy show that has been on the air so long should be. Whenever it does meta humor, it's always done in a defensive manner. God help me, Poochie is brilliant. But Poochie also exists as a way for the writers to tell the fans they need to get over it. I prefer the fact that Family Guy will often point out its mistakes in hindsight. I would like The Simpsons more on a week-to-week basis if it ever did that.

But the omission of a three second chalkboard gag doesn't bring down the grade any. The writers wanted to deliver a feel-good episode the audience would enjoy. It felt GOOD and I enjoyed it. ****1/2.

It's a cute-seeming enough episode but really, this review won't be long. I HATE all Future Simpsons episodes. I'm the dude who hated Lisa's Wedding since the night it aired. You can throw "The Simpsons Predict The Future" in my face if you insist, but that doesn't stop the Future episodes from sucking. The problem with the Future episodes is, even if they are constantly retconned, they shouldn't exist because they are telling the viewer things about the potential future of the franchise we have no right knowing. And these are questions I want left to MY imagination, not the show's. And I don't think that's an unreasonable demand.

One last thing. I know Natasha Lyonne played her last, but you'd figure since they DID get Drew Barrymore back this season for a cameo as herself, they'd have her voice Sophie. You'd think, right?

On the surface it was all right. Deep down, I hated it. **.

The Simpsons has been doing a LOT of outright amazing episodes recently, so I probably need to stop being so surprised and impressed, and realize we're just going through a good period. Accept it. I recall being able to enjoy the middle and end of the Golden Years just fine. Just because there's been a couple of decades of off and on crap between them doesn't mean I can't adjust my expectations back up.

Haven't seen The Wire yet. Need to. I assume this episode was amazing for fans it. And it was amazing for me despite never having seen it.

Bart Simpson is one of my least favorite characters on the show, but when he tells Skinner he doesn't want to drive him crazy after all because he's a person, I thought it was a great moment. Why? Why was that great? For any other character and show it might be considered normal. The moment was great for me because they threaded the needle of believability based on the limitations of Bart's character. Bart isn't smart, so he can't say anything too insightful or wordy like "I finally recognize your humanity and worth." But his honesty instead impresses upon him something a dude doesn't need verbal skills to talk about. Him being a real person. And Bart using that specific phrase is how a boy of his intellect would put that specific insight. They had Bart believably have an adult realization using language that isn't over his head, and yet is plain enough that it states his feelings AND the situation perfectly and truthfully. I give the show a LOT of crap for Bart. I recognize making that specific moment perfect was probably not easy. But they put in the work to make it perfect anyways.

Josh Gad isn't real? Is Bart serious? Is Bart stupid or is that actually a true fact in this continuity? So many questions raised with such a funny, simple joke.

The Simpsons shots at the liberal arts over the years have been pretty heavy-handed and biased in favor of normal (read "stupid") people. The Simpsons has had guest stars like Stephens Jay Gould and Hawking before, but unlike Futurama, the show treats intellectuals with innate suspicion. Surprising for a show with Lisa Simpson in the main cast, but true. In point of fact the show goes out of its way to reset everything to the status quo at the end of most Lisa episodes where she tries to teach the town a new, good thing. The new, good thing must always be innately and secretly flawed / corrupt, and never sustained past the episode Lisa is first excited by it. I thought these liberal arts jokes were pretty good for once, especially the desperate and permissive teacher being relieved at being fired by the student.

I knew it was gonna be a good episode when Marge asks Bart if he likes the game. No. Does he want to stop? No. That's the videogame sweet spot for parents. That is a fabulous joke. Obviously not written by a gamer, but by a person who has successfully raised one.

I love when Marge is trying to figure out how to teach Maggie to play the game, the baby essentially swipes it from her and digs in immediately instead. That is another parent joke I like.

Almost forgot! I ADORE Astrid and French Fry! I want them to come back!

I need to stop being surprised this show is great. It's okay to look forward to and enjoy it, Matt. Remember that. ****1 removed link

It was nice.

I was tickled we finally saw King Toot and that he was voiced by Will Forte. He did a hilarious job.

And I like the central dilemma handed to Nelson. Bart Simpson is his primary. You must protect the primary. But the conundrum is you cannot hang around Bart Simpson without wanting to break his arm. His behavior begs for it. It's a bigger pickle than the eggs you huck at police horses.

I love Homer being upset that Bart is too talented for him to blow off the game. Gosh, Homer, how awful for you.

I did notice something. Homer DID genuinely seem happy seeing off Lisa at the end of soccer season. Maybe... MAYBE it's not the kids sports thing that's killing him. Maybe it's the company. The abrupt and permanent change of moods over the same damn thing with an entirely different kid says I'm right.

It was a weird cartoon joke when he blew a bubble into the pizza dough, and when it popped it yelled, "Whoo hoo!" Although I'm sure the writers did their research there and the science probably holds up.

Nelson's mom is another reminder that kid does NOT have a good home life.

Solid week and I loved King Toot. 4 stars.

I very much loved the joke of Willie giving a rake to Sideshow Bob for Christmas. But while I don't exactly agree with a lot of the internet criticism that the Simpsons Disney+ shorts are awful and indefensible. But the fact that this short is as sucky and gimmicky and I dunno, maybe TACKY as it is, is why those people think that. If I were Al Jean hearing those complaints, I'd up my game. I wouldn't be giving critics such easy fire as he does here. The short isn't actually indefensible. I just don't FEEL like defending it.

My biggest complaint about the shorts is something I don't think a ton of people have commented negatively on, but it's the reason the shorts do nothing for me. The Disney+ shorts break the fourth wall and are totally bonkers and meta (here the Bocellis simply show up in the Simpsons living room on Christmas Day for no reason). And the show itself has spent decades presenting itself as grounded. It scoffs at the meta humor of Family Guy and other similar shows. And the fact that the fourth wall is usual invisible on the show which is why the show can do heartwarming stories, and make you care about the characters. And The Simpsons, the series, has been having a great season and STILL does that (even though the show itself has broken those rules a couple of times so far this year). But these shorts aren't offering any selling points to either The Simpsons, or even Disney. I don't mind random nonsense. I also don't mind the fact that the show is crappy at pop-culture jokes and references (Spoiler alert: It always has been). But to treat the premise and the characters as Looney Tunes? That's not right. That's not okay. I think a lot of the criticism these shorts get is somewhat unfair. But I think if I heard more people complaining about how they break the reality and integrity of the franchise I'd agree with them. The Simpsons knowing jack squat about Star Wars and Marvel Studios is on-brand for Al Jean's inherent laziness and old fartedness. Turning Homer into Bugs Bunny is not. It's not remotely acceptable.

Failure of a short. 1 star.

The series has been swinging for the fences this season, and I love the chances it's been taking. I think this episode was a moderate success, rather than phenomenal. But not every out-there premise needs to be worth a five star grade. Just stretching the premise itself is valuable. And if the episode is actually pretty good, more the better. It doesn't need to be perfect.

With the exception of the traditional end credits, the thing I appreciated most about the episode is how it stuck to the format. If didn't cheat, and only broke it upon the reveal that it was George R.R. Martin farting around at the end instead of writing the entire time. Most shows can't either figure out a way to do that, or commit to it when they can. Frankly, The Simpsons hasn't been able to do it that great either in the past when attempting something similar. But I like how authentic it felt.

Wegman's cameo was hilarious. I don't like the character but I like that the writers sometimes randomly bring him back. For the record, he is probably the only person who in the world who hates Bart Simpson more than I do. It's that specific thing which is why although I don't find him likable, I at least find him sympathetic, and agree with him about that.

Really, even the Spuckler children think Bart is tired and lame, and are right to think so. It's NOT just Wegman who thinks the kid is a zero. The Spucklers are 100% right that the 'Gurt stuff doesn't remotely qualify as an actual prank.

I felt like the revelation of Lisa staging the stuff on the beach was an actual violation of her character and her ethics. And stuff like that is why the episode doesn't get five stars.

Let me offer a George R.R. Martin opinion. That jackass doesn't get crapped on enough. I think the best thing House Of The Dragon ever did was allow those of us sick of his crap to finally be allowed to call him on it without fear of backlash. I have always hated Game Of Thrones, but my critiques were always measured due to the rabid fanbase. MeToo-era pushback on House Of The Dragon makes it so I don't fear those fans anymore and feel perfectly comfortable calling that franchise as toxic as it is. And the fact that Martin is such a lazy writer who refuses to do his damn job which is why I loved the shots the episode took at him. I'm not actually looking forward to the sixth book, and probably won't even bother reading it. But the fact that so many people are desperate for it and he simply doesn't care is enraging. Neil Gaiman is an awesome dude. But he was 100% wrong in defending Martin's laziness. I'll concede maybe when Gaiman snidely told fans Martin wasn't their b-word, that was fair at the time. That was also over a decade ago. Really. This is not acceptable still. I feel bad for people who actually care about that crap franchise. They care more about it and its characters than Martin ever did.

Grey Griffin sounded WRONG when she started voicing Martin a couple of seasons ago, but she's a pro and now she sounds right. Alex Desert is still not quite there as Carl, but he's improved too.

The episode was sort of wild, and pretty decent too. ****.

Great couch gag. They didn't actually NEED to get Paul Fusco for Alf but it's funny that they did.

Rod and Todd's idea of mischief is blinking.

Ned discusses his teaching career using the actual episode number because we totally forgot about it.

I like Johnny Tight-Lips pointing out the mob had a lot of judgmental names. That's great.

Is Fat Tony in prison the new status quo a la Sideshow Bob or will it be easily forgotten and dropped when necessary? We'll see. Also waiting to see more of Moe and Maya and Bart's new teacher while we're talking about concepts the show has slacked off about.

Nice! ***1 removed link