[The long of it]
This is a good episode. I'm not sure there should be more like it.
I come to this apparently contradictory conclusion because "The Dad Who Knew Too Little" is a Homer-Lisa bonding episode. This sturdy theme has produced some of "The Simpsons" finest moments, from "Lisa's Substituted (7F19)" to "Lisa's Wedding (2F15)," so it doesn't surprise me that the writers would want to revisit it. But there are only so many times you can go to the same well, and the producers were starting to push it a bit. "HOMR (BABF22)" and "Make Room Lisa (AABF12)" were both good shows, but they didn't bowl me over in the same way the earlier Homer-Lisa show did. Would tonight's episode be the one that proved the formula has run out of gas?
The lead writer for this one is Matt Selman, and I saw his name flash on the screen, I thought, "Well, this is promising." As it turns out, this instinct was right; Mr. Selman has a knack for writing episodes centered around the Simpson children, and his talent is faithful to him here.
Lisa has a birthday coming up, and what she really wants is one of those electronic diaries with a security lock that keeps nosy brothers out of it. Alas, when Homer tries to buy one he discovers they're sold out. Desperate for a substitute gift, Homer chances on a kiosk that sells personalized videos. The idea is that you supply your child's name, some information about her, like hobbies, and a photograph. These are integrated, sort of, into the video for a one-of-a-kind present. Under the best of circumstances, it's easy to see that this is a boilerplate story, but things go really awry when Homer is involved. The only photo he had of Lisa was one with her tongue sticking out, making a face. He even falls asleep while voicing over facts about Lisa. The cheesy video was a genuinely laugh-out-loud moment.
Well, for me, anyway. Lisa is crushed by how little her father knows about here, setting up the estrangement phase of the show, where Homer and Lisa realize they are drifting out of touch. It's a necessary part of Homer-Lisa bonding shows, and this episode handles it well. In "Make Room for Lisa," the distance between Homer and Lisa stems from his obnoxious self- centeredness. (Many people who watched that episode felt it was *Homer* who needed to apologize to *Lisa*, not the other way around.) Here, Homer cares about his daughter and honestly tries to do the right thing by her. He just fails because of humorous incompetence. Setting things up this way helps the rest of the episode, because when Homer tries to make amends we get the feeling it's because he's really sorry, and not just because he's trying to get himself out of trouble.
Realizing that Lisa has become a virtual stranger, Homer hires a private eye to tail his daughter and summarize his findings in a report Homer can study. Scenes where Dexter Colt, the P.I., interrogates Springfield Elementary students are quite funny. After a spectacularly non-productive session with Ralph, he concludes, "Somebody must've already worked this kid over." There's another good moment when Colt blackmails Nelson for one of Lisa's book reports.
The rest of the story doesn't sustain the comic momentum, although it comes close. Homer uses Dexter's report to have a pleasant afternoon with Lisa, but nothing in the outing is all that exciting. (On the other hand, this and other plot elements from the beginning of the story have a role to play in the end, which I appreciate.) Later, Homer stiffs the detective in a billing dispute, so he frames Lisa for a crime. The rest of the story devolves into a chase adventure, albeit one with some good moments, such as a short scene with Ralph at the end of the second act, and Lisa's and Homer's disguises in the third.
I don't want to sound like I disliked this episode. I really did, and I like it a little better after reflecting on it. I'm just concerned that the writers may be over-examining the Homer-Lisa relationship, wearing out one good theme, while overlooking other interesting possibilities. I'm sure that between now, and the time of "Lisa's Wedding," Homer and Lisa will have plenty of times where they reconcile their seeming irreconcilable differences. But must they have all those moments when she's eight? How about a Marge-Lisa bonding episode? Lisa and Marge, by this point, are almost as different as Lisa and Homer -- she's repudiated her Mom's diet, societal outlook, and religion, after all.
This is a good episode. Let's hope it isn't a victim of its own success.
[The short of it]
A good Homer-Lisa bonding show, although I think the writers may be sounding this note a little too often. The set-up is good, with Homer trying to do the right thing for Lisa but bungling it -- much better than estranging her with boorishness. There are witty moments throughout the show, like the ultra-cheesy "personalized" video and some of Dexter Colt's P.I. work, although some of the comic momentum is lost halfway through. Overall, Matt Selman shows he still has his knack for writing good shows for the Simpson kids. (A-)
[DYNs]
... the Clown College diploma on Krusty's wall? ... the Turbo Diary costs US$29.99? ... Lisa actually says, "friggin'"? That's pretty daring for her. ... despite this being a birthday episode, we never learn Lisa's age? ... Homer evidently confuses "phonies" with "ponies"? ... Homer has the presence of mind to shove Lisa out of the way of Guiseppe?
[References]
"Cribs" (TV show) - like "Padz" it's shows the sumptuous homes of hip celebrities
"Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice" (movie) - Eliot Gould nicknames his hands and feet after the titular characters when he attacks Krusty
Elvis Presley (singer) - pretzel stall at the food court called, "Elvis Pretzel"
Tickle Me Elmo (toy) - apparently inspired the "Tickle Me Krusty" doll - Krusty's doll is anatomically correct (or claims to be). The Elmo doll involved in a minor controversy because some thought his tickle spot was in an anatomically sensitive place
"Top O' the Morning!" (expression) - Flanders greets Homer with, "Shop O' the Morning!"
"Moll Flanders" (movie) - Flanders calls himself "Mall Flanders"
PETA (animal-rights group) - Lisa a member of the similarly-named "PTETA" [PETA stands for "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals," by the way]
The Four Seasons (upscale hotel chain) - Homer and Lisa hide out at the Three Seasons
[Previous Episode References]
[BABF22] Screaming Monkey medical research lab seen [3F21] Homer intercepts a cannonball (cf. human cannonball, here)
[FFF]
Girl writes in Turbo Diary:
Me
+
Turbo Diary [This is surrounded by a heart]Bart's reading material:
Lisa's
DiaryBanner at Springfield Mall:
NOW Disney STORE-FREE!
["Disney" is in their trademark font]
Signs at the mall's food court:
FOOD COURT TASTE
OF
Elvis CHINA
PRETZEL[The other signs just said, "FREE SAMPLE" and the like]
Kiosks at the mall:
MUG ON A MUG ANOTHER DAMN
CANDLE CART PUT A KUMBERSOME
SWEAR KEY CHAINS
ON A HAT
MAKE YOUR
HELL DAMN CHILD A
^ ^ MOVIE STAR
| |
red blue
hat hatTitle card for Rod's movie:
THE ADVENTURES OF
SPACEMAN [ringed]
ROD [planet]Label on Lisa's videocassette:
LISA SIMPSON:
THE MOTION PICTURETitle card for Lisa's movie:
THE ADVENTURES OF
LISA SIMPSON,
GIRL COWBOYColt's business card:
DEXTER COLT
PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR
KL5-5141Neon signs in Colt's neighborhood:
EASY Hard Luck P N
H CAFE A E
O W O
T HANGOVER N N
E HAMLET SIGNS
LColt's door:
DEXTER COLT
PRIVATE
INVESTIGATORPLEASE, NO SET-UPS
Newspaper in Colt's office:
DRUNK COP
FIRED FROM FORCE PRIVATE EYE [Colt's ]
WINS BAKE-OFF [picture]Lisa's protest sign:
P.T.E.T.A.
----------
Pre-Teens
for the
Ethical
Treatment
of AnimalsLisa's book report:
The Secret Garden
A Lisa Simpson
Book Report[flowers and butterfly]
Colt's dossier on Lisa:
Political Causes: Animal Rights
Favorite Album: Miles Davis
"Birth of the Cool"Pet Peeve: Phonies
Favorite Parent: Mother
Signs at lab protest:
STOP
P.T.E.T.A. ANIMAL
TESTINGFamily T-shirts:
HOMER'S LISA'S BART
DAUGHTER FATHERLou's ex-wife's name:
AMY
Sign near bridge:
"BRIDGE OUTSTANDING!"
-- OVERPASS MONTHLYHotel sign:
THE
THREE SEASONS
HOTELCircus signs:
SEE THE SULTRY
AMAZING <- red ink OF
SMOKING MONKEYS SOWS THE SOUTH SEAS[Oops!]
= How can Lisa show us what's in the lab? It's drawn as though we're in the room with the animals, rather than looking through a window.
- How did the monkeys get the cigarette butts in the un-peeled banana?
[Personal Comments & Observations]
I did a quick search on Imdb.com, and got the following information.
* Don Adams -- Actor most famous for playing the gadget-happy, semi- feckless Maxwell Smart, the secret agent from the 60s spy spoof series, "Get Smart." Adams went on to play a similar character on "Inspector Gadget."
* Shelly Winters -- Actress who appeared in "The Diary of Anne Frank," "A Place in the Sun," and "The Great Gatsby." If you watched "Roseanne," you might remember her as Roseanne's grandma.
* Eliot Gould -- Actor who was in (surprise!) "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice," "M*A*S*H," "The Long Goodbye," and "Bugsy." More recently, he's had a recurring role as Ross and Monica's dad on "Friends."
* The Kingston Trio -- An innocuous folk/pop group from the early 60s. The joke is that only Burns would be irritated enough by them to give them a spot on his enemies list.
* The Travelling Wilburys -- This was a group of prominent musicians from the 60s and 70s; among them were George Harrison, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne. They got together almost as a lark and recorded an album, using "the Travelling Wilburys" as a cutsey pen name. Lynne is (I believe) a member of ELO, one of those 70s bands which, like BTO and ELP, had a three-letter acronym as a name. Homer's affinity for those bands might be the reason why Lynne's name came to mind when he guessed Lisa's favorite Wilbury.
- *That* was the best fake name Lisa could come up with?
* Hmmm, this is the second episode in a row where we've gotten a final "bonus" scene under the end credits, and the second time where Fox has largely left it alone. I hope it's the start of a trend.