This episode feels like a notable step down for me from the past few episodes of this season. Mostly, it feels particularly manipulative as far as its emotional core is concerned. The moment that really makes a fair bit of this episode manipulative and maybe even contrived for me is when Bart closes the door on Santa's Little Helper after Laddie shows up at the Simpsons' doorstep. It's not intended to be a savage move on Bart's part but it really manipulates the audience into feeling sympathy for SLH. Not that The Simpsons isn't manipulative in this regard at other times but here it bothered me somewhat. It happens too early in the plotting of this episode to feel plausible for me and much of this episode is then concerned with Bart's shunning of SLH and the subsequent guilt of it.
There's other SLH episodes that are more fun and more emotionally affecting to me and while this doesn't get a particularly high rating from me, it's still an episode with great moments. I love Homer trying to impress Laddie by wearing a tie to breakfast. Homer's comment that Laddie is the sort of dog that needs to be fed everyday is hilarious in its absurdity and works as a moment of pathos for SLH, who is often mistreated by his family. I enjoy the sheer absurdity of Bart coming home one day to find the credit card company seizing all his recent purchases (barring Laddie) and Lisa reassuring her brother that Homer and Marge went for a walk with the Flanders'. Just the idea itself is a hoot! There's also the fun use of Bob Marley's "Jamming" over the end credits of this episode and Chief Wiggum's (attempted) singalong!
Overall, this episode doesn't quite hit where a lot of great Simpsons episodes do and it's in the emotional core and overall heart. It still has enough moments of clever humour that will stay with me.
Review by SLionsCricketBlockedParent2020-04-20T04:46:25Z
This episode feels like a notable step down for me from the past few episodes of this season. Mostly, it feels particularly manipulative as far as its emotional core is concerned. The moment that really makes a fair bit of this episode manipulative and maybe even contrived for me is when Bart closes the door on Santa's Little Helper after Laddie shows up at the Simpsons' doorstep. It's not intended to be a savage move on Bart's part but it really manipulates the audience into feeling sympathy for SLH. Not that The Simpsons isn't manipulative in this regard at other times but here it bothered me somewhat. It happens too early in the plotting of this episode to feel plausible for me and much of this episode is then concerned with Bart's shunning of SLH and the subsequent guilt of it.
There's other SLH episodes that are more fun and more emotionally affecting to me and while this doesn't get a particularly high rating from me, it's still an episode with great moments. I love Homer trying to impress Laddie by wearing a tie to breakfast. Homer's comment that Laddie is the sort of dog that needs to be fed everyday is hilarious in its absurdity and works as a moment of pathos for SLH, who is often mistreated by his family. I enjoy the sheer absurdity of Bart coming home one day to find the credit card company seizing all his recent purchases (barring Laddie) and Lisa reassuring her brother that Homer and Marge went for a walk with the Flanders'. Just the idea itself is a hoot! There's also the fun use of Bob Marley's "Jamming" over the end credits of this episode and Chief Wiggum's (attempted) singalong!
Overall, this episode doesn't quite hit where a lot of great Simpsons episodes do and it's in the emotional core and overall heart. It still has enough moments of clever humour that will stay with me.