Lisa: "No, Dad, it's a rhetorical question." Homer: "Rhetorical, eh? Eight!", 3F06
Here comes a new review by me, this time about 3F06 "Mother Simpson" which is another one of the brilliant season 7 episodes (maybe I praise the season too much but I think it was a great one.)
It�s again a very funny but also very deep character episode and I�d say season 7 had several of such almost "quintessential" character episodes that gave us new and even deeper insights into characters. I�d even go so far to say 3F06 is for Homer what 3F02 was for Bart. It�s defining with an excellently deep character handling and with a good sense for suitable humour.
The episode gives us an interesting view on Homer�s truly innocent child-like character.
Homer is rude, irresponsible, even strange and bizarre in his own lovable way and he does lots of crazy stuff without thinking but he also shows his real depth, his positive and sensible side and his various facets of character in the same episode. He is a big child, innocent in his special way and even aware of his own frailties (great the scene when he sadly says "Ma, there's something you should know about me: I almost always spoil the moment" and a pelican lands on his head but his mother replies "That's OK, darling: it wasn't your fault." It�s funny but it�s also a defining moment of deep understanding between two characters.)
There are some good examples of well-done balance. First the balance in Homer�s character. He isn�t just a flat and completely one-dimensional idiot (as so often in recent episodes) but he�s able to show real depth and many facets of his fascinating character. The second balance is the balance between simple fun and serious character content. The episode has lots of timeless comedy stuff like the entire Dragnet parody, Homer and the rethorical question, Burns and ABBA and so on but there�s also serious and thoughtful character material in a subtle way behind all the fun. 3F02 "Bart Sells His Soul" shows its depth more with symbolic images while 3F06 shows its depth more with words and voices.
Most important: the fun is never too loud to spoil the depth and the depth is never too serious to spoil the fun. There�s a great balance of story elements and a lot of respect for the characters. The episode is of course more light-hearted than "Bart Sells His Soul" where much of the humour was rather dark and symbolic but there are also some interesting similarities between 3F02 and 3F06.
"Mother Simpson" is written in another and more funny style but the main idea - the idea of deep character definition - is nearly the same. Bart may have lost his soul in 3F02, he may have lost and found back something very important to him and during his soul search we see various facets of his character in a new way. We can say the same about 3F06: Homer had lost an important part of himself (his mother) in his childhood and now he found it back and we see new facets and even new depth in his character. Similarly to Bart, Homer has found something that shows us "everything that is fine inside" him - his mother, his childhood, his sensible side.
There is a great voice performance when Homer says "Maybe I was a terrible child and no mother would want me" and Marge tells him that he�s a wonderful son but Homer asks "Then why did she leave me?" There�s so much sadness in his voice and it sounds half like Homer and half like a lonely child. The voice reflects all the fears of a lonely childhood and also the deep fears of adult Homer. He is afraid to ask his mother where she was and he is afraid to hear the truth. He pretends to be happy but then Marge asks the "forbidden" question (namely the reason why his mother left him) and all the sadness in the voice comes through. One of the most outstanding lines Dan Castellaneta ever spoke.
Another important element of the episode is the bonding between Grandma Simpson and Lisa when they talk about intelligence. There�s another moment of deep understanding between characters. Lisa never understood how she fits into the family but now she does and her grandmother even accepts her as equal (says Lisa "You didn't dumb it down! You said rapport.") Defining stuff not only for Homer but also for Lisa. Very positive and uplifting.
The most outstanding moment of the entire episode is certainly the rather sad but again very uplifting ending when Mother Simpson has to leave Homer for the second time. Her final line "Don't worry, Homer: you'll always be a part of me" would be a little sappy but then her head hits the doorframe and she says "D'oh" and that�s at least for Homer more deep and meaningful than anything else she could ever say to him. She really is and always was a very deep part of him. The ending shows great respect for the characters and the scene of Homer sitting on the hood of his car, sadly watching the stars with a very slow music played by a flute is one of the true classic character moments none of the current slapstick episodes will ever reach. Great ending for another outstanding 3F episode.
Whoever says that all the "superfunny" new episodes (season 10 and past) are better because Homer is now much more funny as stupid flat emotionless dumbass should probably watch 3F06. Maybe it would help to understand what�s wrong today, help to understand what the show has lost. Maybe it wouldn�t. Maybe some of the writers should watch 3F06 more often.
There are over 50 seconds cut in syndication, including some of the best scenes like Hans Moleman in the coffin or an absurdly emotionless dialogue between Bill Gannon and Joe Friday about the war in southeast Asia and about Joe�s son who went crazy in Vietnam. Great dark and satirical stuff but cut in syndication. Bad thing. I strongly recommend the uncut version of the episode.
As I said - 3F06 is a very funny episode with lots of classic humour but the fun is never too loud to spoil the depth and the depth is never too serious to spoil the fun. It�s not easy to write an episode like that which can please so many people. It�s clearly an episode made for both, the fun lovers and the depth lovers and I doubt there are many people who don�t like. I was glad to see lots of straight A�s in the capsule reviews. As Dale Abersold said in his review "We're in a golden age, my friends". Indeed we were back then. Grade A+
Chris