The Simpsons

The Simpsons has been on the air for so long that I believe its long-term health is in danger as long as they only try to come up with new Homer and Marge, Lisa and Bart, or Lisa and Homer stories. There is only so much you do with those characters, and since the show refuses actual character growth, having those character learn the same things over and over again is tiring.

So recently The Simpsons decided to see if centering episodes around minor or joke characters could possibly be interesting. This experiment has been a truly mixed bag. I want to slap Al Jean over the head for ever consenting to giving Cletus the Slack-Jawed Yokel his own episode. But the question remained: Could Carl Carlson, as a character famously devoid of a single personality trait outside of some vague homoeroticism with Lenny, carry an entire episode on his own? Frankly the idea probably wouldn't have worked before Alex Desert took over the character from Hank Azaria due to racial sensitivities (which is ironic because Carl was one of the few characters of color, along with Lou, that Azaria voiced with no offensive racial stereotyping whatsoever). But when Desert took over the role, maybe the fact that Carl is missing his own racial identity would be a good hook for an episode.

I am impressed and appreciate the show remembers that Carl was adopted and raised by white Icelandic parents. Not only had I forgotten that, nobody would have begrudged them for ignoring it. I don't just mean retconning. I mean totally pretending it never happened. But despite the show's continuity usually being shady, I like that they actually remembered one of the few unusual facts they already established about Carl's history. And regardless of whether you think the recasting of Carl was necessary or not, you have to understand they can't have a story about Carl exploring his black identity while he's voiced by a white guy. (The Cleveland Show did it with Mike Henry and it was just as appalling as you could imagine). Do I think the recasting was unnecessary myself? I think Carl is one of the few people of color Azaria voices without malice in his heart. But the fact that that malice exists for near everybody else means it best to move on from that specific actor. The good news is I think this episode is a turning point in that Desert is starting to sound a LOT more like Azaria than he did. And I was always annoyed that Family Guy went for a total unknown who sounded exactly like Mike Henry, and The Simpsons just opened the trusty voice actor rolodex and got "sort of, maybe, if he has a cold". In fairness I'll get used to Desert as Carl. I probably won't ever get used to Kevin Michael Richardson as Dr. Hibbert.

I like that Dr. Hibbert goes to the barbershop on Their Side Of Town, because it's been established in the past he's a Republican. Maybe Hibbert is due his own focus episode because just based on the contradictory things he does, and places we've seen him in, I still can't figure the guy out after 30 years.

I like that none of Carl's friends want to talk about his racial identity crisis. The entire selling point of Carl for them is that he never talks about his blackness and makes them uncomfortable and guilty. As such he is afforded the same privilege as the white guys in the group. For once, this not an exaggeration. He's not merely treated as an equal among the Moe's Patrons or Power Plant workers. He's considered an extremely respected member of that specific clique, probably second in deference to only Homer himself. Moe and Lenny might think they're Number Two material, but nobody really listens to or respects what they have to say. As far Carl goes, his opinions have gravitas. And the fact that his friends don't see his color makes them especially uncomfortable when he asks them to.

I like his new girlfriend for sure. She one of those characters like Superintendent Chalmers who actually talks like a real person. But there is still a cartoony archness behind Chalmers, particularly when dealing with Skinner. Carl's new girlfriend seem Earthy, real, and grounded. Totally refreshing. She yells at the TV for him to mention the name of the restaurant, and when he does, the place erupts in cheers. That felt authentic to me in a way Carl being surprised people in barbershops talk trash to each other did not.

Speaking of the barbershop, I not only like that Bart gets his hair cut on Their Side Of Town, but that he's on a first named basis with Clarence who likes the boy even though he's white. Why does Bart get his hair cut here? If you ever saw the cartoon in the Tracy Ullmann Show of him using Homer's elderly white barber, you might have an inkling. That was damn near 35 years ago, but having seen it makes me totally unsurprised Bart has searched elsewhere for his look. I don't like too much current Bart stuff but I liked this scene.

I think the thing I didn't like about the episode is that it never gave a good or plausible reason why Carl's parents abandoned him. On the tape they clearly loved him. So the doorstep thing makes even LESS sense. If I were Carl that would raise MORE questions and recriminations from me, not less. But The Simpsons is a 22 minute show, and they gotta wrap things up in the allotted time. I'm just pointing out they didn't wrap up this specific thing WELL. Because they didn't.

If the show wants to do an episode for Eddie and Lou next, that's a great idea. How about the Old Sea Captain? Or damn it, Dr. Hibbert? The show may have been on the air for 30 years, but it still has a TON of characters it still hasn't fully explored.

Just no more Otto, episodes, okay, Matt Selman? Those just plain suck, so don't bother trying.

But I liked this week and thought it was a worthy attempt of the show branching out. ****1 removed link

That hit the correct emotional beats and explored a genuine problem about the series that the audience sort of took for granted. But I still didn't like it. I guess because although I love it whenever Bart is taken down a few pegs and his behavior is treated as harmful instead of mischievous, I feel like this episode couldn't make up its mind about that, and the messages it did have weren't all that credible.

I understand it was a dream sequence. But while part of me understands and believes the idea that the Simpsons would be rich, successful, and happy if Bart didn't exist, it doesn't wash. Bart is responsible for a LOT of the family's hardships (and I'd argue most of its unhappiness), but Homer is problematic person on his own with or without Bart's help. Bart's nonexistence cannot change the fact that Homer is both stupid and harmful. I can lay down much of the family's unhappiness on Bart. I can. But the fact that the parents are unsuccessful? That's mostly down to Homer. The show is kidding itself if it thought I'd ever believe otherwise.

And the idea it was a dream sequence bothered me so much because it was had by the both of them. I could have accepted it if it were Marge's, and I could have accepted it (admittedly less) if it was Homer's. But making it BOTH of theirs makes no sense, especially since neither of them are spooked by that fact, and believe they just experienced a psychic experience for the first time ever. And that's not what the episode is about, and I get that, but it makes it feel unrealistic and poorly written.

I am of mixed feelings about the idea of Bart ruining 25 library books turning out to be a net positive. First of all, it's nice to see his new teacher again. Second of all, even if Homer and Marge were too hard on him, and saw the worst in him because they dislike him, the truth is whether or not that was an actual mistake or bad action on his end, I felt like everything they said about how damaging and frustrating he is was true, needed to be said at some point, and them being wrong undercut the necessity of them actually telling Bart how impossible he is to live with. I understand on some level the show cannot let Homer and Marge speaking to their son so harshly and cruelly simply stand. But I've watched this show for over 30 years, and have been more and more disgusted as the decades have worn on that Bart's sociopathic cruelty has been treated by the writers as supposedly cute. Hearing his parent lay into him was cathartic to me as a person who hates him, and to have them have to rethink the rant and their opinion about the little creep makes me unhappy. Whether Bart's actions were a net positive for the kids and the library or not, I agree with every foul thing Homer and Marge tag-teamed him with.

I'll tell you something I liked. And it's not something the show ever bothered to do before. But I betting I'm not the first fan to notice. Didn't the Itchy & Scratchy cartoon look great? They actually animated it in a more fluid and flailing style than the show itself is animated in. The characters in the cartoons previously have always had simpler designs and backgrounds. But the animation level to the show used to be truly identical, which frankly makes it feel less like an entirely different cartoon inside the world than it should. The show put up the money to make it look and feel different here, and like an actual big-budget cartoon. And Itchy & Scratchy cartoons on the show are a rarity now, so I doubt the show saw upping their game and potentially having to do that for every potential future Itchy & Scratchy appearance is as daunting as it would have been while the characters were still appearing several times per season.

I've rambled on in this review. I feel like the episode was well-made and properly explored a long-standing problem. But I disagreed with the conclusions it reached so strongly that I couldn't actually bring myself to, you know, actually ENJOY it. **.

I detested that. On every level.

Family Guy has improved its political episodes over the years. They used to be pure suck, but I find them tolerable now. This episode was The Simpsons at its absolute worst. 34 seasons and they still can't tell a good political episode. Mostly because they use allegory rather than debating the controversies that actually exist.

But the worst part of the allegories of these types of episodes is that they don't actually show the audience the moral they want to get across, which makes them absolutely worthless. The lesson here is basically listening to people wanting to ban critical race theory in school will lead to a fascist dictatorship. I don't exactly disagree with that notion. The problem is the show and the episode absolutely refuse to show cause and effect and expect the audience to simply accept that idea and take it for granted. And I suspect the show declined to show Kirk's actual rise to power and lawlessness because it knew there was no actual rational excuse for it in the set-up they showed. Which makes it the worst allegory ever.

Would it KILL the show to allow "Weird Al" Yankovic to guest star in an episode that isn't totally crappy? "Three Gays Of The Condo" may have won an Emmy, but it didn't deserve it, and was atrocious. But the Emmys has a long history of awarding atrocious television statues. I'm pointing out they did wrong by Weird Al in his first appearance too.

I might have been able to forgive the heavy-handedness of the moral. Am I really as a Democrat going to fault the show for attempting a liberal message? Well, first of all, YES. As a Democrat I have higher standards for that kind of messaging in fiction. But the truth is, even if I didn't, even if I was the kind of mindless Democrat who brayed in cheap laughter at the cringeiest Murphy Brown episodes, the episode is unforgivable by suggesting Rainer Wolfcastle, the show's stand-in for Arnold Schwarzeneggar, was sympathetic to the Nazis. Arnold last week released a video decrying fascism and explaining how moved he was by his recent trip to the Holocaust Museum, and trying to get people addicted to hatred to find another path. That doesn't just make this episode feel even more dated than the bartender who "looks like" John Travolta. It makes it outright disgusting.

I would very much like it if Simpsons fans let Al Jean and Matt Selman feel their rage on Arnie's behalf. He also did a couple of videos back after January 6 opening up about his abusive father and why he was drawn to those authoritarian movements to begin with. I sitting here shaking in rage and saying "How freaking DARE you!" It's is obscene on every level. I am currently furious.

Simpsons fans have had to weather critics hate-watching the show, and bashing it unmercifully, even when it doesn't deserve it. This episode was every bad thing the show's modern detractors say it is every week, but that it usually isn't. I am beyond pissed. 0.

Jacques?! Are you kidding me? Holy cow!

Normally, this is the kind of thing I'd chide the show for taking 35 years to get back to, but the truth is Jacques was one of the best and most memorable things about the first season, and one of the reasons A. Brooks became the show's best guest voice. So I'm glad they waited because I don't think either Mike Scully or Al Jean could have handled the character this well during their tenures as showrunners. I also love the fact that animation techniques have progressed so that they can take warped Klasky Csupo designs like Jacques from 1990, and do the kind of flailing animation it demands in 2023. The design is unusually expressive for that reason, even for a Season One design, and this episode took full advantage of that fact.

I was 14 when I saw Jacques on television for the first time. He was unlike any other TV character I had ever seen before, and The Simpsons was unlike every other show at the time. People don't remember that about the first season, but before The Simpsons was mainstream, it was underground as hell. And Jacques was one its weirdest and most amazing characters.

And can I just say how refreshing that the lesson isn't that Marge did wrong by being tempted by Jacques back in the day? It's that she did right by sticking with Homer after all of the crap he's pulled. Homer isn't angry at Marge at the end. He's grateful. That's another reason I'm glad they waited. I'm not sure another era of the show would have played that properly. I think Al Jean would have made it a genuine marriage crisis with hurt feelings between them both. Instead this episode shows how strong the marriage actually is and how much they love each other. And I freaking love that.

Brooks riffing on cheese and stuff in France is just amazing. You could argue Jacques is as offensive to French people as Apu is to Indians, but I think Jacques is genuinely funny. You heard Hank Azaria's recounting of how the writers were afraid Apu could be offensive, but the voice got a big laugh at the table read, and then the show's most offensive character was greenlit. The subtleties of the things Jacques says go beyond an accent, and I think my standards for something potentially offensive getting a laugh are much less cheap than the writers were back in the day for Apu. I might be wrong, and patting myself a little too hard on the back, but The Problem With Apu landed so badly with me because it boggled the mind that the writers actually thought Apu was funny. Apu was a character I barely tolerated for a couple of decades. I never liked him and he was rarely funny. I wonder how much of my opinion would be different if A Brooks had voiced him instead of Hank Azaria, and he wasn't made a series regular because of that fact. I'm pretty sure the reaction would be entirely different not just from me, but probably from Indian groups too. He wouldn't have had a bunch of catch-phrases that turned into schoolyard taunts against Indian kids from white bullies growing up for sure. Brooks does many things in his Simpsons roles. Repetition and catchphrases are not one of them.

I was disappointed in the week before last, and frankly furious at last week. I'm glad the show made a great episode this week. I was starting to worry a little. Silly me. Just hire A. Brooks and all the show's problems go away. That's how it works. *****.

I liked some of it but it fell apart by the end.

When the kid described the video as "cringe" he wasn't wrong. And just because he pointed it out didn't lessened the cringiness in my mind. If anything it made me feel I wasn't crazy. That's what most Billy Eichner rants do, by the way.

I love the fact that Bart of all people understood the rules and etiquette of raging teenage girl pop star fandom, and what a load of trouble Homer has bought for himself. Suffice it to say, this is not a show that lends itself to portraying Bart Simpson as The Sage. Even Lisa learning to prank from him later in the episode felt a bit less credible to that.

Part of me is disappointed Lisa is in the bullying fandom group but part of me respects the fact that the show actually remembered for once that Lisa is an 8 year old girl. All of the adult moral ethical views and philosophies the show gives her are great for being the voice of reason to Homer's chaos. But none of it feels credible to a real girl her age. The show actually showing Lisa being petty and sketchy is believable for a prepubescent girl. I don't love Lisa or the show for it. But it's important to make the distinction that Lisa is NOT in fact a miniature de facto adult, and is actually a kid, with the cruelty and senselessness a group of them possess when they get together. It's not something I love. But it's also something I think the show needs to do occasionally, and probably would have done better to have done it more often before this.

I dunno. Sort of a mixed bag for me. It didn't quite work even though it also didn't quite suck. ***.

I thought the jokes and dialogue were strong, but I felt the plot was a tired cliche in the vein of stuff the show has done a thousand times before. Except the episode ended well, and on a good note, which is not something you usually see when they tackle the subject of Lisa and charity. And even if the rest of the plot felt a bit overworn, a good ending makes me forgive a lot.

One thing greatly troubles me. Kevin Michael Richardson played one of the Asian monks. The recastings happened in the first place because the roles of characters of color by the white actors were taking jobs from people of color, and having then lazily do offensive, stereotypical accents to boot. In fairness to Richardson, the monk HAS no accent. And he also voices the white accountant I guess to balance things out. But while I guess it could be argued the show was playing within the LETTER of the laws it had set up, it was sort of violating the spirit of them. Richardson was cast because they didn't want to pay a second Asian actor. Taking shortcuts on the voices for budgetary reasons was the thing that got them in trouble in the first place. In an episode that suggests each little short-cut adds up to negative karmic points no matter what your good intentions, it's weird that I noticed that here.

Biggest role for Bernice Hibbert ever. Dawnn Lewis is her new voice. Dawnn Lewis is an amazing singer. A musical number with Hibbert's wife will seem awkward to long-term continuity buffs, but for fans of Lewis, we actually know it's kind of a no-brainer. The familiarity Bernice actually shares by already knowing Marge gives the number more cred than if Lewis voiced a new character to sing it too.

Mr. Burns monologue at the end was terrific, and the finest moment for that character in years, but truthfully, Harry Shearer's performance sounds totally different now. I almost wondered if somebody new voiced him if not for the fact that Skinner sounds the same as ever.

Speaking of Skinner: "You got ice cream." I love that. I don't find Agnes a particularly funny character. It's mostly Seymour's reactions to her that make me laugh. That got a chuckle out of me though.

When they introduced Gil as a quickie, joke Jack Lemmon-style character back during the Mike Scully years I wonder if they knew he would be around for THIS long. They've hung onto him longer than that jerk who says "YEEESSSS?" at any rate.

Favorable opinion for this week. ***1 removed link

They need to stop doing these. It's not good for the franchise.

Pretty much NOBODY likes the Disney+ shorts. They believe them to be badly written, badly conceived, with somewhat daggy pop culture references, and simply put, NOT funny. But you are pretty much just describing Seasons 11-19 to me.

No, the real reason I can't stand the shorts has nothing to do with their quality. If they were funny and biting I still wouldn't like them. In 1990, The Simpsons was the show raging against the establishment, and along with Twin Peaks, started a literal revolution in television. The Simpsons in 2023 as seen in the Disney+ shorts have totally sold out and now tow the company line in an obnoxious and obvious manner. Even if the shorts were GOOD I'd hate them for that. The fact that they suck is actually the least objectionable thing about them to me. 0.

Over the decades, whenever The Simpsons has done a topical episode it usually falls flat. Not just because the lag in animation time makes the topic no longer relevant, but the stands it takes and how it explores the issue are often toothless, or even wrongheaded. And The Simpsons IS a 22 minute sitcom and always feels the need to provide a measure of closure to the week's given crisis, and that's not possible with real-world problems. So I didn't have much hope for this week.

It was actually pretty great, so it was an outlier to that trend. What I think the episode did right is it decided to NOT make the drama or the story about the lockdown crisis itself. It's about personal issues like Bart feeling bad for Skinner, Skinner connecting with his mother, Marge growing a resentment towards Maggie, Lisa going slowly insane, and Homer bringing out Flanders' true colors. All of these stories occurred BECAUSE of the Lockdown. But other than the show portraying political moron Kirk Van Houten as a "caterpillar denier", the show wasn't really focused on the political problems the lockdown caused. But the personal ones instead.

Let's go through these stories. I suspect the story the longtime fans will hate the most is the Flanders one. It might even seem like Peak Flanderization to other people. Let me put a worrying thought in your head. If there really IS no political bottom to the kinds of people Flanders is meant to represent, there can be no bottom to Flanderization either. If this episode was written a couple of years ago, remember that the extremist toxic political situation and polarization in this country has gotten not just worse, but more violent in the meantime. Who knows what he will be like two seasons from now? Flanders could wind up an even more extreme and less sane Dale Gribble by then. Great. Now you won't be able to sleep tonight. You're welcome

Let me also offer an additional pointed critique for people who used to love the character of Ned Flanders. I never did. Back in 1990 my political compass was VERY close to 1990 Ned Flanders and I still didn't like him. The joke back then is that Homer's hatred of him was supposed to be irrational. Now, because of the contrasts the show has been forced to make, it's understandable. But just because Homer hated a fictional saint for no good reason, doesn't mean I didn't always find the fictional saint obnoxious on his own. You can laugh at the fact that Homer unjustly hated Ned. That doesn't mean you should automatically LIKE Ned. That's not the message I got there, and if it had been, I wouldn't have been able to comply.

A lot of people will be upset he turned violent and called himself an extremist, and that he's joyfully singing destructive and evil apocalypse songs with his small children. But this is the contrast they have been forced to make in 2023. Don't blame the producers for that. Blame the society that got us here.

I love that Homer tells Marge during the Big Fight, "Marge, if I don't make it, tell Maggie I blame her." The funny thing is, Marge has gotten so fed up with the Ranch thing, I imagine if he HADN'T made it, she'd be telling her daughter in ten years exactly that. Marge was not in a charitable mood during the episode. And it wasn't just Flanders driving her nuts. It was Maggie.

Speaking of nuts, Lisa's descent into madness is troubling because she is aware it's happening. That must be absolutely terrifying. And I hope this is a one-off never to be repeated, because if this is a deep character insight instead, we are in for some trouble. But I doubt that's the case. I'm betting this is a one-off. Unfortunately, I believe psychopath Flanders is now The New Normal and Here To Stay.

I can't tell if it's amazing parenting or the worst parenting ever that Homer and Marge keep a toy they both know their kid will love in the attic and plan to give it to them in desperate times, to take their mind off a crisis. I'm leaning towards amazing, honestly. It beats Homer buying her a pony so Lisa will forgive him for being a bad father at any rate.

If the Simpsons don't keep a list of passwords written down somewhere, I absolutely refuse to feel bad for them. If the episode wants us to find THAT crisis relatable, I do not. I think it's stupid instead.

I felt Skinner's arc in the episode was the best done and left off on a good place. It was also nice for Bart of all people to grow a conscience and try to help him out. I always love when the show wrings rare heartwarming family moments between Skinner and Agnes. And the kids have great empathy for him when they realize he's losing his blankie and he's crying. He's a person to them then. What a great moment. And damn Agnes for putting the poor guy through that.

Very good week. A rare topical episode done right. ****1 removed link

That didn't work. I feel like there is a decent premise hidden somewhere in the episode but the show simply isn't built to explore it.

Krusty doing a good job is not sustainable for the future. Ergo he must fail. But there is nothing WRONG with what he's doing so they have to bring in an outside element like Fat Tony to screw it up for him. I hate crap like that. And as great as the show is, it's the Godfather of crap like that. The fact that the show must ALWAYS hit The Total Reset Button means interesting episodes are invariably doomed to have either pedestrian or stupid endings. This was both, by the way.

Clowns as kids show hosts are SUCH an anachronism, and the concept was even outmoded in the late 1980's when Krusty debuted on The Tracey Ullman Show. It was sort of fun to hear the show poking at that non-credible aspect of itself.

Not great. And the problem is the weaknesses of the episode are only due to the weaknesses of the show. If the show were still as edgy as it was in the first 8 seasons, it's possible it could have managed it. Because of negative continuity and nothing EVER being allowed to be changed we get this instead. **1 removed link

I liked the special opening credits they did for the 750th episode.

Wait, Maggie just spoke and nobody made a federal case out of it?

I love the idea of Heaven and Hell exchange programs due to changing standards. It's probably a thing.

The end credits with Lizzo is the kind of fourth wall breaking stuff the Disney+ shorts do that I don't like, but I was actually okay with it this time. It was cute, as was her performance as the Happy Little Elf.

Not perfect. But enjoyable nonetheless. That's all I need. ***1/2.

Honestly, that started off interesting. I loved Otto's fantasy sequence (where the heroes have no overbites), but the episode completely fell apart by the end.

By the third act I was like "Okay, this episode is about the controversy of defunding the police". Which is something you'd figure the allegory would have been clearer about before then.

I mentioned things fell apart. The If I Had A Hammer thing is one of the weakest endings the show has done in awhile. And this is a show that does nothing but weak endings. But they usually aren't enough to actually hurt the episode in question. This did.

It's supposed to be funny his actual name is Squeaky-Voiced Teen but I find it annoying instead.

Ugh. 2 stars.

What a NICE episode.

The bubble party dream was cute as hell. And Bart's teacher is super kind and wonderful.

I love Bart telling Marge she'll have to accept how he is now. And him being excited she liked the picture at the end. It was all pretty great.

I love that "Marge" works for the sign-in. NOT a common Scooter person name in 2023.

Granted, this is only the second episode of the year. But I still can't recall enjoying an episode this much in awhile. It's been even longer since we've gotten a good Marge episode. 5 stars.

I liked it? I guess? Although if you asked me to describe WHY I liked it I might come up empty. I couldn't tell the point of the episode. And it somehow was all right. It didn't even work. But it was all right. I don't how that can be either.

I thought the stuff with Nelson was unbelievably cruel. And then when this kid Hubert turns up out of nowhere suddenly it becomes totally weird which makes it all right. Bonus points for having the antagonist of the B story solve the problem of the A story. I could not tell what the "And Then He Kissed Me" Montage was spoofing. And I was still grinning. Why do I sort of like the episode despite it not working? I don't get it. Maybe it's the fact that I don't understand much of it which is why I like it. Maybe it's my love of high-falutin' mysteries and imponderables. Or maybe I'm just super dumb and the show speaks to me on my own level. It's probably the second thing, don't you think?

Speaking of narrative oddities, I wasn't even sure the opening scene was a Couch Gag until it was. But Homer actually mentions having this dream, which essentially makes this the first canon Couch Gag in series history. I mentioned the episode was weird? That! That!

Jerk Who Says "YEESSS" comin' back into style. P.S. Gil, you will NEVER find a pen.

I love that Chalmers just tells Skinner to leave him alone. I kind of wish he'd just say that exact thing instead of all their back and forths from now on. It makes the back and forths unnecessary. Which is probably why they will never repeat that joke ever again. Same deal as the time Chris asked a whistling Herbert if he was a pedophile.

Is that baby at the end Mr. Burns? LOTTA canon liberties being taken there including making Bart To The Future's idea of President Lisa Simpson a thing again. I actually don't hate Bart To The Future, but so many people do, it's brave for the series to go there. Also that episode warned us about Trump, and was the biggest and most famous example of the show predicting the future. I'll keep it. And you would have too back then. You used to be cool. What happened to you?

Dear Simpsons. Let's come to an understanding. I will give that episode a positive grade if you stop doing episodes like it in the future. Okay? I know that sound counterintuitive, but there isn't a better system than what I've described. Sigh. 3 1/2 stars.

It's not like I don't ever give modern Simpsons episodes five star grades. But even as far as great episodes go that was unusually successful. I'm sure it wasn't perfect, but I can't think of anything to complain about off the top of my head. And here's the kicker that tells me they did something right: The episode is legit funny. Like there are a TON of great jokes. The whole thing of Peter Jackson's found footage of the Beatles was a pure comedy riot. Both times. The Simpsons doesn't do great comedy runners like Moe's lie detector test from Who Shot Mr. Burns anymore. Those sequences here made it seem like they never stopped. It felt SO effortless.

But even if the episode weren't funny, or hadn't contained a genuine surprise (like that Homer was the whistleblower) I still would have liked it. I usually don't like fictional projects using a mockumentary as a framing device for a single episode. As a rule, they will cheat the hell out of it. This is almost always 10 times worse on cartoons, and this has been true for previous Simpsons Mockumentary episodes too. But I think society has gotten used to mockumentaries enough that the show doesn't really have to hand-hold them throughout the episode anymore. There were a couple of cheats. But there are cheats in mockumentaries as well. I totally called foul on the first season cliffhanger of Reno 911 being resolved by saying it was dream sequence. I'll live with the shortcuts The Simpsons made here in comparison.

I love the face Homer made upon discovering Burns and the CEO lady were married. Again, people are used to mockumentaries at this point, and the half-smirk / half-frown. Five years ago, Homer would have made a quip to put a hat on the joke. But that's not how mockumentaries work, and the show trusted viewers to get what they were referencing.

Elon Musk does not get a direct hit taken at him here. He is not mentioned by name. But you can tell the writers are super pissed at him. They venerated him as the next coming thing a few years ago, and he turned out to be a huge fraud and real-life troll. I would as reticent as the show to name him for their disdain, simply because of what it says about Lisa's previous admiration (and now foolishness) in hindsight. It's amazing this is the episode where Lisa says her mind was changed for the first time ever. I'm sure if she met the Elon Musk from 2023 her opinion would be entirely different too.

It's very on-brand the CEO still absolutely refused to admit any fault or wrongdoing. Even in prison she's spinning tales. That level of business sociopathy is very real-world familiar and scary.

I'm not sure why the writers didn't allow Burns to sleep with her. Is it because it's creepy? It already is anyways. That's not something you ever need to water down or walk back. I think it's gross and creepy and I would have thought that ten times that if they were actual lovers. Lessening my disgust at the situation works against the episode. Also, Monty gets SO few rare good things, you know? A sick part of me is rooting for his happiness, creepy or not. It is also not lost on me that he was the one who took her down because her plan was even too monstrous for HIM. Lisa again admires the wrong CEO's.

Mr. Burns on the bouncy castle at the end? Tell me if I'm crazy, but is it just me or is that an actual good ending? The extra Beatles comedy tag is icing on the cake, but another reason this excellent episode is even better than most other excellent episodes is it has a good and decent ending. And outside of maybe Season 8, The Simpsons is famously a show with bad endings. I don't mean bad as in sad or tragic. I mean bad as in unsatisfying and poorly written. For some reason, the premise and the types of stories the show tells more often than not leads to the story simply running out of gas and randomly stopping at the 22 minute point rather than on a good and satisfying ending. That right there felt RIGHT in a way little of the show's endings ever do. Well played.

I seem to recall in a relatively recent (by this show's standards anyways) season, I thought there were enough excellent episodes in it that it could have held up in quality to one of the Golden Years. Don't ask me what season that was. It's been a few years and there are SO many seasons now. I don't remember. But I'm not exaggerating. Here, it's the fourth episode this year, and the second five star episode. Granted the premiere sucked and last week was a mess, but Season 8 had its share of misses too, and in my opinion it's the best season period. Are we in for another unusually great year? It's possible. We'll see. Don't wanna get my hopes up. But then again, I really do.

That worked far better than most Simpsons five stars episodes. Usually you'd have to go to Season 8 to find a pitch-perfect five star episode. But they really nailed it here. 5 stars.

No real opening this year. It feels like something is missing.

Wild Barts Can't Be Token

Is this Snowpiercer of Infinity Train? I have to admit I understood almost none of the jokes. Very rare that a Simpsons episode uses ideas too modern for me. I'm not saying I'm not a fogey. I'm saying the writers are usually actually a couple of generations behind my pop culture knowledge.

Marge killing all those cats was fun though. 3 stars.

Ei8ht

Oh, God, that was dark.

You know, the Treehouse episodes used to be pretty scary, and I guess they've gotten back to that somewhat for these past couple of times. But yeah, that was pretty legit horrifying.

Interestingly enough, I don't think that would have flown during The Golden Years. The show had a LOT more leeway during the Halloween Specials. But I think that episode, especially the dark ending, would have been considered too far back then. 3 1/2 stars.

Lout Break

That wasn't just nasty, I thought it was kind of mean. 1 star.

Not a great year. Episode Overall: 2 1/2 stars.