[7.6/10] This isn’t the most focused episode in the world, but it’s still very funny and enjoyable. Despite the fact that it ostensibly tells one story -- of Bart needing, evading, and eventually receiving punishment, there’s a lot of detours. Homer’s misadventures at the parent-teacher conferences, a lot of the hoopla surrounding the Itchy & Scratchy movie, and even the fairly lengthy interlude about the history of the cat and mouse duo are little comedic cul-de-sacs that writer John Swartzwelder likes to go down rather than anything that moves the story along.
But they’re all pretty fun! Homer behaving like a kid and taking undue credit for Lisa’s success is dumb but oddly endearing. Fandom hype for new release has only grown in the (gulp) twenty-five years since this episode came out. And as silly a diversion as the Itchy & Scratchy retrospective is, it’s a nice series of jabs at good ol’ Disney, with some fun Simpsons riffs on both standard entertainment news pablum and classic cartoon characters like Mickey or Tom & Jerry.
But the main story is fun! While Bart’s initial antics are a little too crazy to be real, I like how random and outsized yet mundane his antics become as the episode goes on. Bart’s ability to completely sidestep Homer’s well-intentioned but utterly doomed attempts to punish his son is the comedic gift that keeps on giving, and Marge’s exasperation anchors things emotionally. It all builds to a nice climax with Homer finally laying down the law, by keeping Bart from the titular film, something he’s desperate to see. Homer’s new-found steadfastness and Bart’s efforts to compensate are all worth a laugh.
It’s also a sweet note for the episode to end on, with Bart having somehow become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (an office which Homer as a surprising amount of knowledge about, albeit some of it rather off...). I don’t know if I quite see that in Bart’s future, but the closing flash forward, where Homer’s discipline pointed his now-appreciative son in that direction, is still a pleasant way to close things out.
Overall, this is a great Bart and Homer episode, with a few extended tangents that feel like padding at times (although amusing padding), but a lot of nice material too!
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2019-06-07T01:20:47Z
[7.6/10] This isn’t the most focused episode in the world, but it’s still very funny and enjoyable. Despite the fact that it ostensibly tells one story -- of Bart needing, evading, and eventually receiving punishment, there’s a lot of detours. Homer’s misadventures at the parent-teacher conferences, a lot of the hoopla surrounding the Itchy & Scratchy movie, and even the fairly lengthy interlude about the history of the cat and mouse duo are little comedic cul-de-sacs that writer John Swartzwelder likes to go down rather than anything that moves the story along.
But they’re all pretty fun! Homer behaving like a kid and taking undue credit for Lisa’s success is dumb but oddly endearing. Fandom hype for new release has only grown in the (gulp) twenty-five years since this episode came out. And as silly a diversion as the Itchy & Scratchy retrospective is, it’s a nice series of jabs at good ol’ Disney, with some fun Simpsons riffs on both standard entertainment news pablum and classic cartoon characters like Mickey or Tom & Jerry.
But the main story is fun! While Bart’s initial antics are a little too crazy to be real, I like how random and outsized yet mundane his antics become as the episode goes on. Bart’s ability to completely sidestep Homer’s well-intentioned but utterly doomed attempts to punish his son is the comedic gift that keeps on giving, and Marge’s exasperation anchors things emotionally. It all builds to a nice climax with Homer finally laying down the law, by keeping Bart from the titular film, something he’s desperate to see. Homer’s new-found steadfastness and Bart’s efforts to compensate are all worth a laugh.
It’s also a sweet note for the episode to end on, with Bart having somehow become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (an office which Homer as a surprising amount of knowledge about, albeit some of it rather off...). I don’t know if I quite see that in Bart’s future, but the closing flash forward, where Homer’s discipline pointed his now-appreciative son in that direction, is still a pleasant way to close things out.
Overall, this is a great Bart and Homer episode, with a few extended tangents that feel like padding at times (although amusing padding), but a lot of nice material too!