9/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale. Of the surprisingly large number of unrequited crushes on The Simpsons, two of the biggest are Smithers's for Burns and Milhouse's for Lisa, and "Burns Cage" takes a shot at both. And it works surprisingly well! The show is fairly gentle with each, and sans a very strange ending, has empathy for the two young gentleman who seem destined to be forever longing for their sweethearts.
I was particularly impressed with how they handled Smithers's story. There's genuine pathos in his quickly-brushed off, near-profession of love for Mr. Burns. His musical lament isn't the sharpest number the show's ever done, but it's clever and cute, and it works. I liked the story motivation that his being unlucky in love prompted him to take out his frustrations on Homer and his pals, who set him up in order to lighten his mood. Bringing back Julio to become Smithers's boyfriend was a nice touch, and there was real joy in how happy Smithers was to finally be in a fulfilling romantic relationship. Of course, the status quo demands of a sitcom means it's not meant to last, but it's still nice while it does.
And despite that inevitable reversion to the status quo, I liked the idea that Smithers still couldn't get Burns out of his head, but that it took Burns showing him some appreciation, making some kind of personal appeal, that brought him back. It's not perfect, but it's an attention to character and good emotional beat to end the plot on.
The Casablanca school play bit is a little less successful, but still sweet. Milhouse's attempts to woo Lisa are almost always amusing, and his initial disappointment with the new Humphrey Bogart-like kid, and her frustration at his poor acting and eventual support, were a nice direction to go with it. I kind of hated the fakeout ending where it was the new kid pretending to be Milhouse the whole time -- it was a hokey reveal that made little sense and robbed the close of the story of emotional punch, but it was still a pleasant journey up to that point.
And the humor was on point too! From classic sign gags (like the kindergarten's production of Equus), to Bart's bully scheme backfiring, to the endlessly delightful George Takei, there were several good laughs and clever gags here. One big misfire at the end of Milhouse's story, but otherwise a damn fine episode for the show in its late years.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2016-04-09T02:21:43Z
9/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale. Of the surprisingly large number of unrequited crushes on The Simpsons, two of the biggest are Smithers's for Burns and Milhouse's for Lisa, and "Burns Cage" takes a shot at both. And it works surprisingly well! The show is fairly gentle with each, and sans a very strange ending, has empathy for the two young gentleman who seem destined to be forever longing for their sweethearts.
I was particularly impressed with how they handled Smithers's story. There's genuine pathos in his quickly-brushed off, near-profession of love for Mr. Burns. His musical lament isn't the sharpest number the show's ever done, but it's clever and cute, and it works. I liked the story motivation that his being unlucky in love prompted him to take out his frustrations on Homer and his pals, who set him up in order to lighten his mood. Bringing back Julio to become Smithers's boyfriend was a nice touch, and there was real joy in how happy Smithers was to finally be in a fulfilling romantic relationship. Of course, the status quo demands of a sitcom means it's not meant to last, but it's still nice while it does.
And despite that inevitable reversion to the status quo, I liked the idea that Smithers still couldn't get Burns out of his head, but that it took Burns showing him some appreciation, making some kind of personal appeal, that brought him back. It's not perfect, but it's an attention to character and good emotional beat to end the plot on.
The Casablanca school play bit is a little less successful, but still sweet. Milhouse's attempts to woo Lisa are almost always amusing, and his initial disappointment with the new Humphrey Bogart-like kid, and her frustration at his poor acting and eventual support, were a nice direction to go with it. I kind of hated the fakeout ending where it was the new kid pretending to be Milhouse the whole time -- it was a hokey reveal that made little sense and robbed the close of the story of emotional punch, but it was still a pleasant journey up to that point.
And the humor was on point too! From classic sign gags (like the kindergarten's production of Equus), to Bart's bully scheme backfiring, to the endlessly delightful George Takei, there were several good laughs and clever gags here. One big misfire at the end of Milhouse's story, but otherwise a damn fine episode for the show in its late years.