Apart from one thing, I really liked this episode. The whole Lisa story was fun and touching - it seems just up her alley - and the betrayal, the forgiveness, redemption just worked. The final scene (with the ether dream - not sure if it was inspired by anything) was a little moving, and it helped that it wasn't played goofily. There were also many decent jokes and gags. The part I didn't really like was the abundance of "real" magic as opposed to stage magic - conjuring things without having it well planned and controlled, and the celebrity parade near the end (but Penn and Teller's schtick was funny enough). Interestingly, Teller acted as magic consultant - I guess he didn't approve it *all*.
DYN: ...no opening of any sort again? (see MABF22 mostly - the episode was long enough to rule out a one-time excision of an opening) ...Flanders calls himself "a stupid Flanders" in Homer's imagination? ...the audience, presumably, is just waiting patiently for the entire 4th act? (the Criss Angel character, on the other hand, seems appropriately almost dead, given the amount of time it took to get around to rescuing him) ...Bart plays what looks like an ooooooooooooold Game Boy at the end?
Previous episode stuff BABF02: Penn and Teller (both with speaking roles) HABF22: Milkman costume with snappy music Tress MacNeille as Lunchlady Doris (boooo): HABF15, JABF02, KABF06, LABF08, MABF12, NABF11
Also Tonight's Fox lineup is hosted by characters from the new 20thCF movie Rio. Before The Simpsons, one said the movie is a fish-out-of-water story, much like OFF when they went to Rio. Another said that was 9 years ago (which is true - and also close on the calendar - DABF10 first ran 3/31/02). Nice to put in the effort for a show-specific joke.