After the recent discussion on a.t.s about Al Jean's success in bringing the show back, I couldn't help but keep that in the back of my mind while watchign "Mommie Beerest." It's the first of the production season, and also a Marge episode - both among the things one would hope could indicate the success of the season to come. That said, and knowing the premises of the next dozen+ episodes, it looks like it will be a good year. The plot was rather human and explored the relationships between the pairs in {Homer, Marge, Moe}, with another twist on the idea of who's to blame...not that this is entirely new ground, but the basic plot could easily belong to a much earlier season. There were a few silly moments (the car radar and handy bedside trombone come to mind, along with the gravity-defying pepper mill and assorted bits at the restaurant), but in general things were fun, funny, or plot-serving. I'm not getting into many individual moments, but overall, it left me with a nice feeling of productivity, while still being more or less funny...within the scope of recent years, I'd say A-.
DYN: ...Barfly Sam without a hat? ...Homer's _digital_ clock made a "click" sound? ...the "Cards" trailer based its human characteristics on the Simpsons universe, instead of one of its own?
Previous episode references 3F02: It's dank inside; the animation effect of natural light; the idea of renovating the bar 8F08: A woman wants Moe to change a little; Homer sees Moe in object(s) when Moe turns on him CABF20: Renovating the bar again 8F19: One spouse fears an intimate relationship with the other's business partner; the other is strictly business, but the partner wants to make it more 1F02: Homer lights document on fire AABF05: Potential problems for health inspector 9F21: Barney's Irish singing 1F07: Homer writes notes on hand 1F08: Marge is oblivious of spending lots of time away from home 2F01: Itchy & Scratchy land, whose flume rides are still apparently not the safest DABF14, FABF05: Word used in a sequence in the mind of someone who doesn't consciously know the fact (eunuch, Nantucket=island, cuckold) 1F20 and others: Moe trying to win Marge 3F24: Homer's remark that he doesn't know Marge at all reminded me a little of his worries in this episode 9F19: Johnny Carson still is taken from this episode
Goofs: -Marge has been to Moe's several times... those that come to mind include 7G11, 3F02, CABF20, DABF14... -During Moe's closeup on the plane, his nostrils become just black outlines for a short time.
Other notes The Simpsons Curse has been affecting a lot of people lately; in recent years there have been a number of "this episode dedicated to..." mentions, but frankly, I would have been surprised if Johnny Carson were not honored (though it was kind of hidden at the end, for anyone who tuned out early!). Not only was he a great influence to comedy, but current executive producer Al Jean, along with long-time writing partner Mike Reiss, also wrote for Carson on the Tonight Show.
Meta-reference corner So quick you might have missed it (but at least not overdone) was Homer's comment after acting stupid of "that's me, Jerkass Homer!" Jerkass Homer has not actually made as many appearances in recent years, but for a while (seasons 9-11 mostly) his personality drifted quite a bit from the lovable - and loving - oaf the world had come to know. (The term came from "The Joy of Sect (5F23)," in the middle of season 9, when Homer shouted it to people somewhat at random; since then, it has become a standard by which to measure Homer's behavior.)