The Simpsons Season 30 Episode 14 Review

This season of The Simpsons has been one of the most disappointing seasons of any show that I can remember. While I still enjoy the show and occasionally love the episodes, most of this season has been a terrible bore, and it's been one of my least favorite shows that I continue to watch. There have been strong episodes, but not on the level of the last few seasons. Last week's episode was another snooze, but this week's episode brings Krusty, one of my favorite characters, into the starring role. The last time the show did this, it resulted in one of the strongest episodes of the season, so hopefully that happens again this week.

The school bus is stuck in traffic, and Bart is stuck without a phone. However, he gets ahold of Lisa's phone and listens to Krusty on a podcast. Krusty is talking about his early career in the 1980s, after starring in Good Cop Dog Cop, a huge hit film. The studio wanted a sequel to the film, but Krusty would rather star in a sci-fi book adaptation, The Sands of Space, that the studio isn't fond of. They ultimately agree to make a cheap version, hoping it will bomb so they can lure Krusty for Good Cop Dog Cop sequels. Homer and Marge (and most of Springfield) are production assistants on this film, which will be filmed in Mexico. The filming begins, and it's a disaster from the start. Krusty gets in an argument with the director, and he fires him. Krusty takes up the role of director, though he doesn't know anything about making films and he admits as much.

The film is falling apart rapidly, but Marge tries to cheer Krusty up. Krusty asks her to be his assistant, and she really helps him. Thanks to Marge, the movie might not even be a disaster! Homer's upset about how much time Marge has spent with Krusty, since they don't get any time together. She promises him some time together, and even ignores Krusty when he beeps for her. The next day, Krusty is very upset that she ignored him, because he had to review footage by himself. Krusty tells her that, despite wanting her to himself, he's okay with Homer and Marge being together. However, he is actually planning to get rid of Homer by driving him so crazy that he'll have to quit.

Homer gets all of the dangerous jobs on set, and Homer starts suspecting that Krusty wants him gone. Marge assures him that Krusty loves them together. Homer decides to go out on his next assignment, to a remote location to capture a lizard, and he ends up falling into a ravine However, talking cactuses in the form of Lisa and Bart, his future children, convince him to get up. He then immediately gets kidnapped. Back on set, Lenny and Carl tell them about the ransom note for Homer that they found. Krusty refuses to pay the ransom, but the crew tries to save Homer themselves using film props. Marge diffuses the situation by offering the rights to the film to Homer's captors. Krusty rushes in to take them back, but Marge is able to convince Krusty to let the captors take the film. In present day, Krusty explains that this ended his film career. When they get home, Bart and Lisa ask Homer and Marge about their own experiences on the film.

Wrap-Up:

This Krusty-centric episode wasn't on the level of the one earlier this season, but it was still an enjoyable episode that was better than the wide majority of this season's episodes. It had some solid jokes, a somewhat-original plot (at least, more original than the last two episodes), and most of it made sense (the cactus scene was a little weird, but was also easily the funniest part of the episode, so I can't take points off for that). It was nice to see a bit of Krusty's past, even if the podcast format was a bit strange at first. That format did lead to some funny moments between Krusty and guest star Marc Maron, though. Unlike many episodes from this season, I was interested through the whole episode and wanted to see how it ended, while I was so bored by other episodes that I just didn’t care what happened. This episode was far from perfect though. Many of the jokes worked very well, but a lot didn’t. There were long periods of time that I wasn’t laughing at all. So while the episode itself was interesting, the content of it wasn’t really that funny. But it was hilarious compared to what we’ve gotten from the show for much of the season. The conclusion to the episode also felt very abrupt. It would have been better if they spent less time on the exposition and more time on the resolution. Marge storming in and immediately stopping the fighting after about ten seconds of actual fighting between the captors and crew just felt off and hurt an otherwise-decent episode. So all in all, while an improvement over some recent episodes, it was a far cry from a classic and it just ends up somewhere in the middle.
Score: 7.5/10
Grade: B-

The Simpsons Season 30 Episode 10 Review

It's the holiday episode (and midseason finale) of The Simpsons! This season's been a real disappointment so far, but maybe my favorite animated TV family can still deliver some Christmas magic!

It's right after Thanksgiving, and the kids are already ready for Christmas. The only thing they want for Christmas is a new Smart TV. Marge and Homer see an ad on TV for a Black Friday sale, noting a  huge sale on the (incredibly) expensive Smart TV. Marge goes out on Black Friday morning to get the TV. She ends up giving most of her warm clothing to Gil, who is freezing. She's not worried though, because Homer's coming to relieve her any moment now. Unfortunately, Homer does not show up on time. When the store is about to open, the entire town rushes into the store. She runs towards the electronics but has to stop in order to save Gil and help him get a present for his granddaughter. In that time, the final Smart TV is taken off the shelves. And then, Gil gives up his granddaughter's present for $100. Homer finally arrives to pick up Marge, and he immediately crashes the car. And then the other car.

Marge tells the kids they aren't getting the Smart TV, and they are disappointed. Homer tells them that they have to make this Christmas special for Marge, because she's been trying so hard to make it special for them. They decide to take them on a trip to Florida, and they settle on a place they really know nothing about, because everything else is way too expensive. Marge mentions that she wants to stay home for Christmas, so they end up drugging her and knocking her out to get her on the road. They arrive at their destination, which turns out to be run-down and disgusting, with a tiny room to boot. It's also raining outside, making this Christmas trip a true disaster.

Lisa and Bart complain to the manager about the misleading advertising, but she does nothing to help. Marge tells them what an awful time she's having, and they decide to go home. Bart is able to help them get a refund by scaring the manager, and they rush off to Springfield. The car breaks down 5 miles from town, but they can walk to Moe's, where they discover that he's serving dinner to the needy and the elderly. They get to eat a nice Christmas meal, and appreciate the holiday for the first time in forever. Later on, the family gets a new Smart TV with some of the money from the hotel manager.

Wrap-Up:
I usually enjoy Simpsons holiday specials, and this one wasn't different. It was a really fun episode that felt really different from any other Christmas episode that I've seen this year. It wasn't perfect, but it was perfectly enjoyable and a big improvement on most of the episodes this season. The plot of the episode was really sweet and heartwarming, and, despite it not going as-planned, I'm glad the rest of the Simpsons wanted to give Marge a special Christmas after all that she's done for them. In addition to just being more entertaining all-around than most of this season, I thought this was the funniest episode of the season by far, especially during the scenes at the hotel. I also have to add that the opening sequence was very fun and festive, and I really loved it.

Score: 9/10
Grade: A-

The Simpsons Season 30 Episode 8 Review

Homer gets a new job that's very similar to mine, and Krusty tries his hand at the circus while on the lam. All this and more on an episode of The Simpsons that will hopefully be better than some of the recent editions.

The elementary school paper is losing money, and Skinner is bringing in a new editor: Billy. He makes a lot of changes, none of which make sense. Lisa is told that she has to be a TV recapper (like me!) and she's not happy (don't knock it 'til you try it, Lisa!). She makes Homer do it instead, because she thinks he's better suited for the position. He'll be recapping The Krusty Show, which catches the attention of Krusty himself. Homer gives bad grades to multiple episodes, so Krusty decides to do what all sane people do when their show gets bad reviews: kill Homer. The ensuing car chase ends with both of them getting injured. Before Wiggum can arrest Krusty for the attempted murder, Bart helps him escape to a circus.

Krusty goes undercover at the circus as a new clown, Soggy. Meanwhile, some fans greet Homer and offer him a job, which he accepts. Krusty/Soggy has his first show with the circus, and he fails miserably. Homer starts recapping everything his life, and Marge gets angry and gives him an ultimatum: her or the job. Krusty/Soggy gets fired from the circus, but he gets to do one last show before going. That last show goes better than the last one, and it leads to him getting his job back.

Krusty/Soggy gets an offer to be a part of a Japanese game show, but he declines because he loves him life as a circus clown. Then, the ringleader announces that the circus will be shutting down. Homer announces his resignation as a recapper, and a businessman threatens him over it. Krusty/Soggy saves the circus by allowing the circus to turn him in for the reward money. However, Krusty is later found to be not guilty, because his crime was in self-defense. The members of the circus still don't accept Krusty, because he just doesn't fit in being a TV clown. He returns to his old job, where he's ecstatic to learn his recent episode has gotten an A grade. Little does he know that it's actually from Ralph, who is just too dumb to actually give it a grade.

Wrap-Up:

I enjoyed this episode more than I've enjoyed any episode of The Simpsons so far this season. While it wasn't perfect, I did find both plots to be very entertaining and both had some thoroughly funny moments. While the conclusion to the Homer plot was a little strange, it gave for some of the most comical and memorable moments in the episode. It was a pleasant surprise to see Krusty get a substantial plot this time around, as he's been somewhat neglected as of late. His plot was also pretty strong, and I thought the conclusion to it was clever. The show taking on online reviewers was pretty interesting for being, being an online reviewer and all, and I must say: it's not quite as glamorous as the show made it out to be. Still though, it was a pretty cool thing to see.

Score: 8.5/10
Grade: B+

The Simpsons Season 30 Episode 4 Review - Treehouse of Horror

This week's Simpsons is a very special episode: the annual Treehouse of Horror. It's a tradition as old as time. Or, as old as the first Bush administration. But in this day and age, that actually does feel like forever. It's been a staple of the Simpsons since the second season, and for good reason. The episodes are a celebration of Halloween and all things spooky, which is just what we all need at this time of year.

In the first story, a major software company is being led by an alien, who helps start an alien spore invasion in Springfield. The Springfieldians don't even realize the invasion until it's too late. However, the Simpson kids are able to escape just in time. Lou helps them escape, but they crash and are all absorbed by the aliens. The Simpsons are sent off to an alien planet, which Lisa is pretty happy about.

In the second story, Bart wakes up to the sight of Nelson and Milhouse. All three have been kidnapped by Lisa, who has multiple personalities. Homer notices Bart's absence, and Lisa brushes off his concerns and tells him that Bart is at Milhouse's. The boys try to escape, but are unsuccessful. Lisa gives them a pair of keys, and they escape from the room. Milhouse gets turned into a newspaper bundle and Nelson is killed, and Lisa tells Bart the reason she's turned into a crazy murderer (he changed her spelling test answers and she failed it). A heartfelt speech from Bart is enough to save him from death.

In the third and final story, the Simpsons tour Burns' new park for geriatrics, where they're dumping Grandpa. Lisa has concerns about the park, but nobody else seems to spot the problems. That is, until the residents turn into actual dinosaurs when Homer turns up the temperature. The dinosaurs attack everyone in sight, but the Simpsons are able to make it to an escape pod. However, they get stuck and come across dinosaur Grandpa. Lisa saves them by talking to him and showing him respect, and the other dinosaurs are tamed in a similar manner.

Wrap-Up:

Oof. I don't even want to talk about this one but here we go.

While this season of The Simpsons has been weak (to say the least) so far, this was definitely the biggest disappointment so far. It was probably the second-best episode (or really, third-worst) so far, but that's not even close to a good thing when you look at the rest of the episodes they've given us. I always love these episodes and I rewatch them all, even the ones that aren't spectacular, every single year. I have absolutely no desire to ever watch this again. It was just weak from start to finish.

The Geriatric Park story was definitely my favorite of the episode, and it's the only one that I actually liked at all. It was pretty much on par with some of the weaker, yet still entertaining, stories from Treehouses past. The first story was absolutely abysmal and the second wasn't that much better. However, my biggest problem with all three episodes in this story is that all three stories had happy endings for pretty much all of the characters in them. It's just way too Disney-like and not what anyone wants from these specials. Stop this, Simpsons, before you ruin a good thing.

Score: 5/10
Grade: D

The Simpsons Season 30 Episode 3 Review

Last week's episode of The Simpsons was a delight that saw Marge and Homer's marriage once again on the rocks. This week, the Simpsons gets religious with three short stories told by three very different people.

At Sunday school, Ned is explaining the importance of religion to some of Springfield's youngest. He uses his own godless upbringing as an example. He was down on his luck, with various terrible jobs, until he got a job as a trampoline salesman. It gave him incredible success, thanks to the Apollo 13 landing. Unfortunately, the trampolines are discovered to be incredibly dangerous, and will be fatal sue to static electricity after 500 bounces. Ned then notices a story about a local kid who's trying to break the trampoline bounce record, and races to stop him. He doesn't get there quite in time, but he ends up getting zapped instead. This leads to a near-death experience that sets him on the path of god, because he got a second chance at life.

Now, Marge is telling a story about her grandmother, who was an atheist. Marge's grandmother is married to a Nazi collaborator, but she comes across US troops and decides to help them. Grandma Marge's husband hosts Nazis for dinner, but the Nazis discover the American troops and retreat. A Nazi tries to kidnap Marge's grandmother, and that leads to a brawl that leads to Marge's grandmother, her husband and Americans taking out all of the Nazis.

Lisa is now up to speak, talking about Buddhism. A princess, known as Siddmartha, is unhappy despite her life of excess. She just wants less, and she runs off the find enlightenment. She sits silently waiting to find enlightenment, and she finally does.

Wrap-Up:

I was incredibly bored for the entirety of this episode. Except for Treehouse of Horrors, I'm not a fan of episodes that are broken into parts like this one was. The episode wasn't that horrible, it just wasn't anything exciting, either. Ned's story was actually kinda okay, and I did think it was mildy amusing. The episode went off the rails after that though, and Marge's story was absolutely pointless and abysmal. Lisa's was mildly better, yet I still didn't really like it. I'm so disappointed in this episode, because last week was a big improvement on the premiere and this was just a complete regression back into snoozeville. The only thing that saved it from being a total wash was the ending, where Burn was let into heaven and then immediately thrown out after asking to be admitted on his own merit. Other than that, this was not pleasant to watch.

The couch gag was fantastic though, and now I want a full-fledged Bob's Burgers crossover episode. C'mon Fox, make this happen!

Score: 4.5/10
Grade: D-