SEASON 12
A Tale of Two Springfields (D+) I must give some credit; the premise is a really good idea for the season premiere, and it's executed fairly well. Aside from that, I have no other compliments. The characters are mean-spirited and the jokes are obnoxious. Stuff like Homer being disemboweled and Marge being chloroformed and being hit by a microphone made me want to scream.
Treehouse of Horror XI (B) Second best episode of the season, a clever, original, and somewhat creepy Halloween episode that's a big improvement from THOHX. A lot of people hated the dolphin segment, but I didn't think it was that bad. it spoofed the idiocy of every cliched "animal attack" film (Congo, Deep Blue Sea, Jurassic Park 2, you name it) where stangely anthropomorphic animals attack humans in implausible ways. (B)
Insane Clown Poppy (C-) I didn't really like what this episode did for Krusty. Krusty as a caring man who wanted to be a better father, it wasn't very funny or characteristic of Krusty; he was fleshed out too much. The story was somewhat charming, and the mafia was a nice touch, but rather boring over all.
Lisa the Treehugger (C) There were a lot of good plot ideas here (lisa falling in love with the eco-hunk, Lisa faking her death, Bart becoming a menu-boy, Lisa living in a tree, jokes about rich Texans and environmentalists, hippie-culture humor), but the writers can't seem to fit them all into a logical episode. There wasn't much of a story, much of a sense of conflict, and thus, not much satire or a point. For example, Lisa fakes her death, but comes back when the Texan changes his mind. Why did the plot have to be written that way, forcing Lisa to show she's alive? Why coudn't she have eventually decided herself that faking her death was a bad decision? Come to think of it, the whole storyline was a mess, and the episode wasn't that funny.
Homer vs Dignity (C+) None of Homer's pranks were funny; Homer in a diaper was downright pathetic. But the other stuff was fairly humorous (financial panther, the computerized aging, the bench scene), and the plot flows well with a buildup, conflict, and resolution. I love Lisa's role in the plot, as moral guidance to Homer.
The Computer Wore Menace Shoes (C-) Here, it's the 3rd act that ruins this episode. The rest of the episode consists of down-to-earth comedy about Homer being a computer newbie, and learning to spy on his friends. It's a creative idea. But Homer being kidnapped and taken to the Island has almost nothing to do with the rest of the episode. The parody of The Prisoner may be amusing for fans of the show, but the vast majority of the audience was left cold. I think it's selfish of writer John Swartzwelder to ruin a perfectly good story just for the sake of a parody that he and a few Prisoner fans might enjoy.
The Great Money Caper (C+) Another potentially great episode which is washed away by too many problems. I liked the storyline, and how the plot keeps adding to itself in the 3rd act. A lot of people hated that the trial was a big setup, but I didn't mind. In an episode about conning, it makes sense to end the episode with a big con on the audience (and Homer and Bart). The plot would have been great with a solid explanation, but the ultra-annoying "surf's up" ending ruins the opportunity. Bart and Homer's scams are more clever than funny. But the writer Carolyn Omine uses too many cheap laughs (like the Russians fighting in the spaceship, the sturgeon falling on the car, Marge being strangled by monkeys, Homer abandoning Bart). These jokes aren't funny, and have no punchline, and are just desperate attempts for laughs. A mixed bag.
Skinner's Sense of Snow (D) One of the most overrated episodes of the series. A nonsense episode about Skinner acting mean to he kids, and (surprise!) the kids acting mean to Skinner. The jokes are mean-spirited and mostly consist of lame sight gags. Mean-spiritedness isn't necessarily bad. I managed to like My Sister, My Sitter and Mountain of madness, but the characters and plot were actually somewhat believable in those episodes, whereas this episode made no sense.
HOMR (C+) A pretty funny and creative episode, but kind of a letdown. The episode does a pretty good job lampooning the anti-intellectual culture and pointing out the stereotypes associated with intelligence, and also making Homer a funny and sympathetic character, but it wasn't enough!!. Much less time with the animation festival and money problems and more scenes about Lisa's relationship with the new Homer or Homer's alienation from society would have been really nice. But this is season 12; no room to tell an actual story.
Pokey Mom (D+) In the tradition of season 12, this episode is written in sitcom style, with a tagged-on silly conflict at the end. It could have been much better; there could have been more suspense involving the prison inmate, whether or not he had really reformed. Black Widower did the idea much, much, much better. It was nice to see Marge's art talent again, and an appearance by Sideshow Bob, but overall, unfunny, slow, and forgettble.
Tennis the Menace (C) One of the only season 12 episodes that actually had any form of family conflict, but it was very forcd and loony. Some good jokes, but little else to like. Lisa's Sax had the same basic plot, but in that episode, I actually cared what was going on
Worst Episode Ever (B-) Better than most of season 12. Who would've thought the CBG could carry an entire episode through? His interaction with Dr. Hibbert was some of the best writing in a while. His efforts to find friends and his romantic experiences were funny without becoming too absurd or fleshing out the CBG too much.
Day of the Jackanapes (C) Worst Sideshow Bob episode ever! This episode just didn't have the level of intensity or suspense that the other SSB episodes had. Sideshow Bob's evil scheme was a good one, and well-thought out, and some of his lines were funny. The rest of the family should have been more involved in the plot, and I was rather disappointed that the kids never foiled SSB this time. At least SSB didn't really die, he'll be back in next season's Great Louse Detective.
New Kids on the Blecch (D) The episode tries to make fun of the boyband craze, and some of the songs in this episode were slightly amusing and exaggerated compared to the real thing. I do think, however, that by having NSync guest-star, the episode wasn't as satirical as it could have been. NSync basically got the same treatment and light mocking that far more respectable guest stars on the show have received. Having Ralph, Nelson, and Milhouse working together could have been a really funny opportunity, but it was wasted. Still, the episode was entertaining enough for the first half, but once the navy conspiracy comes up, I was subjected to some of the worst material I've ever seen on any TV show.
Hungry Hungry Homer (B-) Decent episode about Homer taking on the corporate sports market. The premise itself, that Homer would actually starve himself over something silly like the team moving, was a tad ridiculous, but it was written well enough to be believable. Not great.
Bye Bye Nerdie (C) I had really high hopes coming into this episode; Lisa's problems with bullies was a way overdue idea, and the other two episodes about bullies (Lisa's Date With Density and Bart the General) were both insightful, down-to-earth, and hilarious episodes. Seeing this episode then reminded me of what a horrible, horrible season this was in. There were at least some decent jokes (Marge trying to catch up with the schoolbus was a funny, exciting sequence). The whole nerd sweat thing is a good satirical concept about how we blame external factors (video games, music) for making kids into bullys, but it was too drawn-out and unrealistic. The new girl was boring. Lisa's emotional pliht with being picked on at school was completely ignored. Overall, a fairly tasteless, boring episode with some good jokes.
Simpson Safari (D) Yuck, horrible! Not a trace of actual satire on African cultre, just a tastless stereotype of the continent, with filler, circus animals, annoying Lisa, and wacky gags.
Trilogy of Error (A) A flower that grew out of a pot of dirt. A fast-paced, exciting, zany (in a good way), interesting episode with perfect use of the characters (Dr. Nick, McBain, Cletus, Wiggum) and great visual gags (Martin laughing at Lisa as he becomes shocked with static electricity). Better than 22 Short Films. Near perfection!
I'm Going to Praiseland (D+) Another one of season 12's sitcom-style, pointless, random episodes. Homer was annoying, Ned acted strange, the Christian rock singer was useless in the episode, and the emotion was laughable.
Children of a Lesser Clod (C+) Hard to tell whether I liked the episode or not. Certainly, it was one one the funniest in a while (McBain hunting Lenny down, Homer running from the bear in the hospital, Bill Cosby impersonation, Hans Moleman dying again, Arnie Pie's lack of professionalism) but Homer's treatment of his own kids and their revenge on him was a real TURNOFF. The jokes were well-timed, like in the earlier seasons, but the standard season 12 plot sucked.
Simpson Tall Tales (D+) Unlike the other short-story episodes, there's little satire to speak of, and it was mostly just an excuse for even wackier stories than usual.
SEASON 13
The Parent Rap (C) Was this an episode of The Simpsons or some lame slapstick WB comedy? Homer and Bart being tied together? That got old very fast. As well as Marge and Homer in stockades. The judge played by Jane Kakzmaryk wasn't particularly funny; it's a year later, does anyone even remember anything about her? The ending was all right, and the plot was decent, but overall, a meh.
Treehouse of Horror XII (B-) Hex in the City was rambling and uninteresting, but had some good jokes (Yoda, the leprachaun making moves on the gypsy). House of Whacks was really impressive for a CABF; it was a great and creepy storyline, and did a nice job of conveying the sterility of the computer-house and setting up a conflict. Reminded me of the very first Halloween story Bad Dream House. WizKids was OK, but could have been a little more horror-based. Overall, an amusing and creative Halloween episode. IMO, the Halloween episodes are the one aspect of the show that never declined under the Scully era; they continue to be as good as ever.
Homer the Moe (D+) I consider this episode to be the end of the dark ages, which began since the end of season 10. It showcases everything that was messed up about seasons 11-12, but had some funny moments, like the sendup of post-modern bars and the twist on Bart's crank calls. Pretty lousy overalll, no explanation needed.
Hunka Hunka Burns in Love (B-) This episode seemed like the product of market research. It offered everything that most Simpsons fans crave, and provided laughs, but wasn't particularly satisfying or interesting in the end. Gay jokes about Smithers, Burns thinking he's living in the early 1900's, an MMM line (pistol whip), a romantic plot, satire about police incompetence, one-liners by Snake, and news media satire. A pretty funny episode, but it's all been done before.
The Blunder Years (B-) An interesting idea with great use of meta-humor. Self-referencing has been done ad-nauseum during the Scully era, but in this episode, it was done really well. Barney's "I was just a prop in a cruel prank" and Mesmerino telling Frink "why did you come here?" and Moe's "want to look anyway, just for ha-ha's?", just filler lines or commentary on The Simpsons' storytelling conventions? The flashbacks were enjoyable, with good use of movie references. Once the Simpsons got into the mystery of the dead body, I knew the episode would go two ways. Either try to tell an honest adventure story, like Flying Hellfish or mock the genre, like Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming. The latter path is chosen, and we get a good parody of the murder mystery form, which makes mockery of every cliche involved, with exaggerated melodrama and a purposefully contrived storyline, as the Simpsons set out to the old quarry and find out about Smithers' dad. Very good! On the whole, the episode is interesting, and funny more for its irreverent feel than for individual gags and one-liners. The first act is pretty weak (Homer scireaming) and keeps the episode from a higher grade. A lot of people thought Marge was acting terribly out-of-character, but I didn't think it was that bad; just look at her behavior in Bart on the Road or Some Enchanted Evening when left all alone in the house all day; fantasizing about the Sexington guy was reasonable. There was a certain intelligence, subtlety, and irreverence to this episode that was SORELY LACKING in most of the CABF episodes.
She Of Little Faith (C+) Sure, it was about religion, but this episode could have done so much more with its subject. Lisa searching for a new religion, that could have been worth a whole episode, but here, we just get a few minutes, and then just a few minutes of Lisa actually being a Buddhist, most of that time taken up by an annoying cameo from Richard Gere. Was the rocket storyline necessary? That was just a tangent to the church being destroed, which as a tangent to the church being rebuilt, which was a tangent to Lisa quitting church. I don't mind plot tangents, as long as they don't detract from the main story like they did here. The satire of over commercialization of religion, when the church is rebuilt, was too obvious to be funny. I didn't really feel for Lisa when she ran away from home, the conflict between her and Marge was just too rushed and forced with the time allowed. But, before sounding too ungrateful, I'll say that I didn't hate this episode. It was pretty funny throughout (Homer singing while flossing, the barking angel, "my Satan's sense is tingling"). And I liked the rich characterizations of Marge, who wants the best for her daughter but holds too tightly and blindly to her own beliefs, and Lisa, whose conflict with Marge is easy to relate to. The episode is realistic, with good satire (as well as a moral at the end) about religious intolerance. Really, a mixed bag of an episode.
Brawl in the Family (B-) The first 2 acts were pretty goofy but a lot of fun: the Republican headquarters, Willlie singing in the rain, the Simpsons playing Monpoly, the fight music playing while Maggie dials the police, "you're going to Stanford", Homer thinking Gabriel was an angel, wolves and cougars huddling. Things were going fine until the 3rd act. The "serious" storyline of Amber and Ginger showing up just felt to empty and disappointing. After watching other episodes about marriage, lines like "This is the worst thing you've ever done" and "I don't want to even talk to you - leave me alone." just feel really hollow. But the ending is fine, and overall, it was an entertaining episode with a decent plot.
Sweets and Sour Marge (B+) Woohoo! A completely zany anything-goes episode that actually worked! A lot of people felt this was a bad episode, because banning sugar was such a silly idea for a plot. But I thought it worked; the episode makes fun of the legalization issue in general, using sugar as an absurd example. It could have been anything addictive: nicotine, marijuana, coffee, and the social commentary about legalization would have been the same. The secondary characters were used remarkably. And there were just many entertaining touches to the episode: Homer climbing the human pyramid, Gil as the lawyer, Count Fudgula, the Miani Vice parody, Garth Motherloving's conversation with Marge. Notable also for the excellent use of music throughout. It felt a lot like Homer vs the 18th Amendment, but IMO, was even better. HV18A was a bit too cynical and sarcastic towards the end, with a lawmaker being catapulted to his death, while this episode had a refreshingly sweet (but still cynical) ending.
Jaws Wired Shut (B) Any Simpson fan who's been yearning for the past 2-3 seasons for the show to return to more character-driven humor and depth should be pleasantly surprised by this episode. Homer is funny throughout, and his character changes and the family's reactions to him are very well-written. His reckless behavior at the cinema borders on "jerkass Homer" but it's a pretty funny slam on the modern movie experience. Homer bonding with his kids was brilliant. His bonding with his family members is realistic and touching, but also very funny, as Homer maintains his goofy side (laughing at the googly-eyed man and the name of Bart's teacher). It hearkens back to the Homer from the earliest seasons. Eventually, Homer becomes too gentle, and Marge decides to search for excitement at the demolition derby. A lot of people complained about this, but I didn't mind; Marge has always had a thirst for danger (see Springfield Connection or Screaming Yellow Honkers) and it fit in the context of the storyline. The icing of the cake was Homer's turning into his old self, in a hilarious and thrilling parody of Popeye. Overall, this was a great episode that demonstrated Homer's place in the family, and his need to find a balance. Unlike Make Room For Lisa, it wasn't just written to justify Homer being a jerkass. The episode would have gotten a B+/A- but there were some unnecessary and terrible jokes thrown in: the gay reference to Smithers and Patty, boner, orgasmville. As it stands, the epsode gets a B.
Half-Decent Proposal (A) Amazing! This episode does an awesome job of developing Artie Ziff's character; he's rich but lonely, fixated on broken dreams of marrying Marge, unable to control himself, hilarious and really someone you sympathize with. The episode is hilarious throughout, with all characters used perfectly: the CBG, Millhouse, the gruesome twosome, Principal Dondelinger. Add to that the wonderful animation/directing, use of movie references ("if Marge marries Artie..."), the video Homer makes for Marge, inspired slapstick (ants jumping into the fire, Marge jumping out of the car), and lots of other good stuff, and you have a winner. Best of the season! After HDP aired, I felt we had entered a golden age.
The Bart Wants What it Wants (C+) And then this episode aired. Well, it wasn't really bad, plenty of funny moments (everything McBain said and did, the cheap shots at Canada, Skinner's mom telling Skinner that he sucks). But after the genius of the past few episodes, I was a little disappointed. I didn't feel any connection to Bart's plight, didn't care what was going on; the story just runs through the motions, with most of the jokes having nothing to do with the plot. Some of the boring filler stuff included Homer running off with the Olympic torch, the whole private school fair, the basketball game, Skinner's comedy act. Not that The Simpsons should be a drama. but it should be able to tell a humorous and somewhat interesting story instead of a story with jokes tacked on to it, like this episode.
Lastest Gun in the West (C) This is an unusual case, similiar Last Temptation of Krust. Here is an episode that provides almost no laughs, yet, I couldn't label it a bad episode. The episode has a good concept, making fun of the absurdity of cowboys and westerns in modern times. It was very original and well-done, and Dennis Weaver does a great job voicing Buck's idiosyncrasies. It was unfunny to me, not because it was a "bad" episode, but because the western humor wasn't really my taste.
The Old Man And The Key (B) What I don't like about the current seasons is that the writers lost the ablity to integrate the jokes with the storyline. Instead of writing humor that's driven by the plot, instead of telling a funny story with real characters inolved in amusing situations, the writers write a bunch of jokes and connect them loosely with some random storyline. Well, this episode featured a return to the plot-driven humor that was lost during seasons 11-12. It was just a very simple and funny story about Grampa trying to impress a shallow woman, against his son's wishes. Grampa was great; funny somewhat senile but not to the point of being ridiculous. Particularly funny was Grampa yelling at clouds, the Remember the Stars song, and Bronson, Missouri. Great episode!
Tales From the Public Domain (B-) Here we go again, another "cast the Simpsons in famous stories" episode. But it was pretty funny and pointed. The problem with Bible Stories was that, while it was a decent parody of the Bible, didn't have much of a satiric edge or point to it; that episode was too tame, too wary about being offensive. Tales From the Public Domain, however, made fun of the stories: how "inappropriate" the ending to Joan of Arc was, the absurdity of killing off everyone in Hamlet. Homer's Oddysey was just a really funny storyline with great castiing (Patty and Selma as the sirens, sea captain as Poisedon). These stories were a little boring, but in the end, I was satisfied.
Blame it On Lisa (C) Another trip episode, with a strong whiff of the Scully era. It was a little better that Simpson Safari; this episode at least made fun of some of the stereotypes associated with Brazil, and mocked Brazilian culture intelligentlt, while Simpson Safari was just pure wackiness and stereotypes. But Homer's bathing suit getting absorbed into his butt, the large amount of sex jokes, the family's complete apathy towards Homer being kidnapped (stirring up bad memories of season 11' s It's a Mad Mad Mad Marge), and Homer being shocked made me groan. It was just your typical vaction episode; not as smart as Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo but not as pointless as Simpson Safari.
Weekend at Burnsies (C+) Originally, I was kind of peeved at how the writers ignored the isssue of legalization of marijuana, but when I think about it, it would have been redundant, considering that Sweets and Sour Marge aired just a few months ago. Instead, this episode just makes fun of the stereotype of marijuana: Homer hanging out with Otto, Homer looking at his fingers "fing", Lisa's "smells like the art teacher's office", Lisa being confused about whether she liked her dad high or not. The best moment was Homer's acid trip, seeing all the colors and his razor smiling at him. A lot of people pointed out that medicinal marijuana doesn't achieve that effect, but they're missing the point. The writers are smart people; they were fully unaware of the incaauracy and that was the point of the joke; it plays on people's biased perceptions about illegal drugs, that they automatically get you high, even with medicated drugs. The scene at Moe's where Carl mentions suffering alcohol poisoning is funny, because it's treated so lightly compared to Homer's much less serious problem with illegal drugs. I'd really like to call this a great episode, but there was too much that detracted from my enjoyement. Mainly the ending. The stuff with Burns dying and being played like a puppet was just wacky and beyond retarded. The writers could have easily had a more satisfying conclusion about Homer getting off his addiction, I was expecting another Duffless. Oh well.
Gump Roast (no grade) Ehh another clip clip show. Well, it was entertaining for what it was worth, most of the cliips selected were fine. Better than All Singing All Dancing or Another Simpsons Clip Show, but not as good as So It Comes to This or 138th Episode Spectacular. Kang and Kodos show up in a non-THOH, but I didn't really care.
I Am Furious Yellow (B+) It didn't really feel like a Simpsons episode, but more like something from the comic strip FoxTrot, in terms of satire and characterization. A thoroughly entertaining episode, with a well-structured plot, hysterical performance by Stan Lee along with the comic book guy, Hulk parody, Homer-Bart moments, decent slapstick, and satire on idiotic net toons and how much the mass media craves them. Angry Dad was a really creative and funny angle to the reality of The Simpsons. The only thing I didn't like was the joke where Bart gets to keep rools of internet stocks, really obvious and unfunny satire. The bumps on Homer's head being pented-up rage was kind of far-out, but for such a farcical plot, I didn't mind.
The Sweetest Apu (C) This episode showed off the biggest problem with season 13: forced emotion. Here we have a pretty serious storyline, but not once did I care about Apu and Manjua's situation. The story just runs throught the motions rapidly without anything exciting happening or any character moments: unrelated first act, then Homer catches the affair, backs up, breaks it to Apu, then Manjula finds out, kicks Apu out, etc, etc. The funniest moments included pretty much everything from the civil war reenactnment (especially Frink's spider) and the wedding tape, and there were good jokes about Apu's cultural background. Pretty forgettable episode. Life on the Fast Lane is superior, and irnoically, it's written by the same guy, John Swartzwelder.
Little Girl in the Big Ten (A-) The first GOOD Lisa episode since Lisa Gets an A. It was nice to see another episode about Lisa's loneliness and her need to belong. Not a terribly funny episode, but a good display of animation/direction, satire of the college world (by presenting Springfield U as an overly idealized view as college as an intellectual utopia), empathy towards Lisa, and realism. Particularly noteworthy was the ending. A lot of people thought it was out of character for Lisa, but I loved the ending. Lisa isn't always a goody-goody, she cares very much about popularity and acceptance, and the ending is twisted like it always used to be in the classic episodes. Just the outstanding animation of it, seeing Lisa's gesture of appreciation to her brother, and the use of the 2001 parody was truly outstanding. This has been a great season!
The Frying Game (C-) A pretty lousy uninspired season-11/12-styled episode. I've seen this kind of plot so many times on TV; someone gets murdered, the main characters are accused, but it was all a setup. The Simpsons didn't do anything new and interesting with the storyline, or even parody it like Blunder Years. The screamapillar was downright horrible. The cheap shot at reality TV was lame and pointless. And the yesss guy? He was only funny in Mayored to the Mob where the writers made fun of the comedy cliche (he had a stroke), but now, they just give in to the cliche. The emotion in the 3rd act was...fine, but wasn't enough to make me like the episode. Not very funny, the humor was too sitcomish. Swartzwelder has become senile, for the past 3 years.
Poppa's Got a Brand New Badge (B) The first 2 acts were nothing special, kind of funny, but mostly derivative from other episodes. But that 3rd act! Wow! Johnny tightlips, the Sopranos parody, Homer asking for the townspeople's help in church, the surprise ending with Maggie, that was all A+ material.