[2.5/10 on a Selman era Simpsons scale] Woof. This is pretty easily the worst Simpsons episode I can recall coming from showrunner Matt Selman, which is an ignominious achievement to be sure. This episode is actively unfunny; it doesn’t have much, if anything to say; its mystery isn’t clever; its heart is barely there, and its guest character is annoying and ubiquitous.
Let’s start there. I like Taika Waititi! His directorial works have been a blast and are often moving, from Thor: Ragnarok to Jojo Rabbit. I’ve enjoyed his turns as an actor, from his retiring character in the What We Do in the Shadows film to his amiable matter-of-fact turns as Korg in the MCU. If there’s somebody in the tank for an extended Waititi guest starring role, it’s me.
But my god, he’s annoying here. I’ll give the episode this much credit -- Waititi is willing to be self-deprecating, which is a must for a celebrity appearing as themselves, and the animators make him expressive and distinctive in his movements. But the constant motormouth styles and interjection of him into everything in the story, and feeble showbiz gags, and cheaper New Zealand jokes make so many of his scenes an absolute chore.
His presence contributes to what I’d argue is the other most significant problem in this episode -- it is painfully unfunny. Multiple episodes this season haven't really brought the laughs, but still manage to bottom out around “mild” rather than actively bad. But my god, the extended Love Boat parody, the Wacky Racers/Fury Road mash-up, the shallowest and most low-hanging fruit nerd-bashing jokes are all just the pits here. There were multiple times when gags made me legitimately roll my eyes or let out a deep sigh. If there’s a bright side to it, “Murder, She Boat” gave me a new appreciation for episodes that are simply a “meh” in the humor department.
The main plot is pretty bad as well. I don’t mind the premise, where a valuable figurine is damaged on a nerd cruise and it’s up to Lisa to clear Bart of the crime. But Knives Out, this isn’t. None of the suspects or their motives are interesting, and there’s not enough interstitial events involving them for any of the setup for Milhouse, Mel, or others to really matter.
The solution is no better. Honestly, I would have preferred the “Comic Book Guy did it for the insurance money” answer, which would have been a cliche, but at least mildly clever. Instead, Waititi being the culprit, to replace his own broken figure, comes out of nowhere. Lisa observing the different spelling of “color/colour” on the box is something, but details like there being vegemite on the captain america shield are so random and cheap. And Bart’s mini-scratch coming from a shrimp fork is no better. This isn’t a clever, tightly-plotted mystery. It’s a bunch of screwing around for fifteen minutes followed by five straight minutes of unconvincing exposition.
The result is a piss poor Murder on the Orient Express-style whodunnit that ought to be left out at sea. The only saving grace is that there’s some sweet Bart/Lisa stuff in there, with Lisa going to bat for her brother and Bart being genuinely touched by her loyalty. But that's a meager balm after twenty minutes that tries your comedy patience and practically insults your intelligence with its mystery.
There’s nothing actively offensive or wrong-headed about this episode. It’s just really and truly bad on the merits, which is worse, in a way, because it speaks to pure quality rather than something well-made that has its heart in the wrong place. The clear low-light of Selman’s tenure to date.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2023-12-19T02:44:59Z
[2.5/10 on a Selman era Simpsons scale] Woof. This is pretty easily the worst Simpsons episode I can recall coming from showrunner Matt Selman, which is an ignominious achievement to be sure. This episode is actively unfunny; it doesn’t have much, if anything to say; its mystery isn’t clever; its heart is barely there, and its guest character is annoying and ubiquitous.
Let’s start there. I like Taika Waititi! His directorial works have been a blast and are often moving, from Thor: Ragnarok to Jojo Rabbit. I’ve enjoyed his turns as an actor, from his retiring character in the What We Do in the Shadows film to his amiable matter-of-fact turns as Korg in the MCU. If there’s somebody in the tank for an extended Waititi guest starring role, it’s me.
But my god, he’s annoying here. I’ll give the episode this much credit -- Waititi is willing to be self-deprecating, which is a must for a celebrity appearing as themselves, and the animators make him expressive and distinctive in his movements. But the constant motormouth styles and interjection of him into everything in the story, and feeble showbiz gags, and cheaper New Zealand jokes make so many of his scenes an absolute chore.
His presence contributes to what I’d argue is the other most significant problem in this episode -- it is painfully unfunny. Multiple episodes this season haven't really brought the laughs, but still manage to bottom out around “mild” rather than actively bad. But my god, the extended Love Boat parody, the Wacky Racers/Fury Road mash-up, the shallowest and most low-hanging fruit nerd-bashing jokes are all just the pits here. There were multiple times when gags made me legitimately roll my eyes or let out a deep sigh. If there’s a bright side to it, “Murder, She Boat” gave me a new appreciation for episodes that are simply a “meh” in the humor department.
The main plot is pretty bad as well. I don’t mind the premise, where a valuable figurine is damaged on a nerd cruise and it’s up to Lisa to clear Bart of the crime. But Knives Out, this isn’t. None of the suspects or their motives are interesting, and there’s not enough interstitial events involving them for any of the setup for Milhouse, Mel, or others to really matter.
The solution is no better. Honestly, I would have preferred the “Comic Book Guy did it for the insurance money” answer, which would have been a cliche, but at least mildly clever. Instead, Waititi being the culprit, to replace his own broken figure, comes out of nowhere. Lisa observing the different spelling of “color/colour” on the box is something, but details like there being vegemite on the captain america shield are so random and cheap. And Bart’s mini-scratch coming from a shrimp fork is no better. This isn’t a clever, tightly-plotted mystery. It’s a bunch of screwing around for fifteen minutes followed by five straight minutes of unconvincing exposition.
The result is a piss poor Murder on the Orient Express-style whodunnit that ought to be left out at sea. The only saving grace is that there’s some sweet Bart/Lisa stuff in there, with Lisa going to bat for her brother and Bart being genuinely touched by her loyalty. But that's a meager balm after twenty minutes that tries your comedy patience and practically insults your intelligence with its mystery.
There’s nothing actively offensive or wrong-headed about this episode. It’s just really and truly bad on the merits, which is worse, in a way, because it speaks to pure quality rather than something well-made that has its heart in the wrong place. The clear low-light of Selman’s tenure to date.