[8.3/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale] It’s so hard to parse out my feelings about any Marge/Homer relationship episode these days. The show has just played that note so many times that it’s hard not to roll your eyes the instant it comes up again. And in truth, “MoHo House” isn’t the best version of it, with weird wagers and other odd things to keep the story going that weaken it. But it does the one thing that so few latter-day episodes do that makes it more worthwhile than the typical latter day approach to Marge and Homer’s marriage -- it treats them as real people.
That’s not to say this is the most down-to-earth episode The Simpsons has ever done. There’s still insta-clubs and preternaturally manipulative English chums (we’ve gotten a surprising amount of Michael York on The Simpsons) and certain story developments that make no sense. Still, the episode is fairly grounded emotionally, with Marge feeling dejected and resigned to the fact that inconsiderate Homer will never change, and Homer feeling tied down. They’ve done those sorts of stories a million times, but there was a commitment to it here, beyond fodder for wacky hijinx, that stands out.
Still, there’s problems with it. For one thing, it’s pretty difficult to make the notion of Marge or Homer cheating on one another unpleasant. It worked very early on with Jacques in “Life in the Fast Lane”, partly because the early tone of the show fits that sort of story better, and it worked well with Mindy in “The Last Temptation of Homer”, partly because how we were always reminded that Homer didn’t want it to happen. But the other times the show has attempted this sort of thing, with suave strangers, Ned Flanders, and even Moe, the results have been poor, for a multitude of reasons, but mainly because the show is, in many ways, founded on the relationship between Homer and Marge. That doesn’t mean the relationship can’t be tested (and lord knows it has), but cheating, or the contemplation of it, feels like too much of a violation.
By the same token, the whole “Billionaire Wager” angle isn’t a particularly winning one, and the attempts to make Moe a legitimate suitor are more than a bit rushed. Still, the episode has some pretty solid humor, a few really funny lines, and approaches Homer and Marge’s feelings, uncomfortable though they may be, in an empathetic and understandable way. (And the jazziness floating in the background doesn’t hurt either.) The resolution of the story, where Moe realizes he can’t hurt his friend and turns it into a warning for Homer not to be complacent, is pretty convenient (and the fake out preceding it is dumb) but it’s a move where the writers’ hearts are in the right place.
Overall, it’s a mixed bag of a Homer and Marge on the rocks episode, which most post-classic eps are, but it gets many of the important things right, enough to give it a pass and make it, at a minimum, an interesting installment on this seemingly inexhaustible topic for the show.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2017-05-12T14:11:10Z
[8.3/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale] It’s so hard to parse out my feelings about any Marge/Homer relationship episode these days. The show has just played that note so many times that it’s hard not to roll your eyes the instant it comes up again. And in truth, “MoHo House” isn’t the best version of it, with weird wagers and other odd things to keep the story going that weaken it. But it does the one thing that so few latter-day episodes do that makes it more worthwhile than the typical latter day approach to Marge and Homer’s marriage -- it treats them as real people.
That’s not to say this is the most down-to-earth episode The Simpsons has ever done. There’s still insta-clubs and preternaturally manipulative English chums (we’ve gotten a surprising amount of Michael York on The Simpsons) and certain story developments that make no sense. Still, the episode is fairly grounded emotionally, with Marge feeling dejected and resigned to the fact that inconsiderate Homer will never change, and Homer feeling tied down. They’ve done those sorts of stories a million times, but there was a commitment to it here, beyond fodder for wacky hijinx, that stands out.
Still, there’s problems with it. For one thing, it’s pretty difficult to make the notion of Marge or Homer cheating on one another unpleasant. It worked very early on with Jacques in “Life in the Fast Lane”, partly because the early tone of the show fits that sort of story better, and it worked well with Mindy in “The Last Temptation of Homer”, partly because how we were always reminded that Homer didn’t want it to happen. But the other times the show has attempted this sort of thing, with suave strangers, Ned Flanders, and even Moe, the results have been poor, for a multitude of reasons, but mainly because the show is, in many ways, founded on the relationship between Homer and Marge. That doesn’t mean the relationship can’t be tested (and lord knows it has), but cheating, or the contemplation of it, feels like too much of a violation.
By the same token, the whole “Billionaire Wager” angle isn’t a particularly winning one, and the attempts to make Moe a legitimate suitor are more than a bit rushed. Still, the episode has some pretty solid humor, a few really funny lines, and approaches Homer and Marge’s feelings, uncomfortable though they may be, in an empathetic and understandable way. (And the jazziness floating in the background doesn’t hurt either.) The resolution of the story, where Moe realizes he can’t hurt his friend and turns it into a warning for Homer not to be complacent, is pretty convenient (and the fake out preceding it is dumb) but it’s a move where the writers’ hearts are in the right place.
Overall, it’s a mixed bag of a Homer and Marge on the rocks episode, which most post-classic eps are, but it gets many of the important things right, enough to give it a pass and make it, at a minimum, an interesting installment on this seemingly inexhaustible topic for the show.