[7.7/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale] I’ve said this before about Matt Selman episodes, but they tend to have good emotional throughlines, which helps strengthen the episode overall. “Portrait of a Lackey on Fire” anchors itself on Smithers feeling lonely and unloved. He tries to fill that space with a relationship and things inevitably go awry because the status quo must be maintained. But in the end, he finds a little bit of peace and, as the closing scene suggests, that alone helps make him luckier in love.
It’s a good concept! Waylon finding another billionaire to adore,none who appreciates him and admires him is a nice way to do a spin on Waylon’s “type”, while giving him a little wish fulfillment in the process. There's a touch of social commentary on “fast fashion” being even worse for the environment than nuclear power, and the sense of Smithers inexorably orbiting moneyed men who do ill for the world. I like how it connects to Smithers wanting to be with someone good for once, with the twist being that the famed Michael de Graaf turns out to be as bad for the world as Burns is.
Granted, I don’t love that after Waylon seemed so enamored with the idea of this guy as a do-gooder, he’s fine with the global pollution but draws the line at puppy kicking (Mr. Burns ain't so great in that department either). But there's a clear trajectory to all of this -- Waylon’s loneliness, his blissful courtship with Michael, his conflicted realization about his boyfriend’s effect on the world, and his final break-up and bounce back -- and it gives the episode a better spine than most episodes of this era.
Likewise, the humor here is pretty strong! The running gag of Homer wanting to find Smithers a “man Marge” and being invested in Waylon and Michael’s relationship as the one who fixed them up is a nice way to involve the Simpsons. Marge admiring Michael as the host of a Project Runway-type show is a fun beat. While a little out there, the episode has fun mashing up Chernobyl with fashion trends. And all of Michael’s wordplay and digs are a lot of fun. Hell, even Burns’ pathological inability to understand that his assistant is gay is a solid gag. I’m not crazy about the initial “guard dog puppies bite Homer” bits, but even that routine had some layers to it.
Overall, this is a solid Smithers story which focuses on him as a human being, his wants and needs and hopes and dreams. Moreso than the show depicting him kissing another man, which should be no big deal in 2021, it’s that newer approach to a character, who’d otherwise been the longstanding butt of lazy jokes, that deserves applause.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2021-12-11T02:24:59Z
[7.7/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale] I’ve said this before about Matt Selman episodes, but they tend to have good emotional throughlines, which helps strengthen the episode overall. “Portrait of a Lackey on Fire” anchors itself on Smithers feeling lonely and unloved. He tries to fill that space with a relationship and things inevitably go awry because the status quo must be maintained. But in the end, he finds a little bit of peace and, as the closing scene suggests, that alone helps make him luckier in love.
It’s a good concept! Waylon finding another billionaire to adore,none who appreciates him and admires him is a nice way to do a spin on Waylon’s “type”, while giving him a little wish fulfillment in the process. There's a touch of social commentary on “fast fashion” being even worse for the environment than nuclear power, and the sense of Smithers inexorably orbiting moneyed men who do ill for the world. I like how it connects to Smithers wanting to be with someone good for once, with the twist being that the famed Michael de Graaf turns out to be as bad for the world as Burns is.
Granted, I don’t love that after Waylon seemed so enamored with the idea of this guy as a do-gooder, he’s fine with the global pollution but draws the line at puppy kicking (Mr. Burns ain't so great in that department either). But there's a clear trajectory to all of this -- Waylon’s loneliness, his blissful courtship with Michael, his conflicted realization about his boyfriend’s effect on the world, and his final break-up and bounce back -- and it gives the episode a better spine than most episodes of this era.
Likewise, the humor here is pretty strong! The running gag of Homer wanting to find Smithers a “man Marge” and being invested in Waylon and Michael’s relationship as the one who fixed them up is a nice way to involve the Simpsons. Marge admiring Michael as the host of a Project Runway-type show is a fun beat. While a little out there, the episode has fun mashing up Chernobyl with fashion trends. And all of Michael’s wordplay and digs are a lot of fun. Hell, even Burns’ pathological inability to understand that his assistant is gay is a solid gag. I’m not crazy about the initial “guard dog puppies bite Homer” bits, but even that routine had some layers to it.
Overall, this is a solid Smithers story which focuses on him as a human being, his wants and needs and hopes and dreams. Moreso than the show depicting him kissing another man, which should be no big deal in 2021, it’s that newer approach to a character, who’d otherwise been the longstanding butt of lazy jokes, that deserves applause.