7.6/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale. This had the usual fun and kind of disjointed plotting of a "The Simpsons are going to ____!" episode, for better and for worse. The better was that it was quite a funny episode, with Cuban life and culture providing some good fodder for the comedy. The sign gags were particularly on point, with the VA Hospital's "Making the war the 2nd worst thing that happened to you" and Marge and Homer looking through "Elian Gonzales's Travel Guide to Cuban Escapes" being especially amusing. And the rampant anger at the ticket master guy is a strain of humor I'll always appreciate. (Though the company does help ensure a nice mix of "the rich and the ignorant" on Smithers's account.)
The logic of the episode didn't make much sense. You can see the seed of the idea, with Grampa being invigorated by things from his youth, but it doesn't really add up. Still, there's a small but secure bit of emotional stakes to it, with Grampa wanting to stay in Cuba and Homer wanting to keep his dad around, despite the "stinky bag of anvils" way he sees him most of the time. The whole twist involving the plot to get criminals back to the US was silly and again, implausible, but worked well enough for the story's purposes. For the most part, it was just an excuse to do some Cuba-based comedy after the recent easing of relations, and the story puttered along well enough to let the comedy flourish. Not a must-see episode or anything, but eminently watchable and even consistently amusing.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2016-11-15T21:44:41Z
7.6/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale. This had the usual fun and kind of disjointed plotting of a "The Simpsons are going to ____!" episode, for better and for worse. The better was that it was quite a funny episode, with Cuban life and culture providing some good fodder for the comedy. The sign gags were particularly on point, with the VA Hospital's "Making the war the 2nd worst thing that happened to you" and Marge and Homer looking through "Elian Gonzales's Travel Guide to Cuban Escapes" being especially amusing. And the rampant anger at the ticket master guy is a strain of humor I'll always appreciate. (Though the company does help ensure a nice mix of "the rich and the ignorant" on Smithers's account.)
The logic of the episode didn't make much sense. You can see the seed of the idea, with Grampa being invigorated by things from his youth, but it doesn't really add up. Still, there's a small but secure bit of emotional stakes to it, with Grampa wanting to stay in Cuba and Homer wanting to keep his dad around, despite the "stinky bag of anvils" way he sees him most of the time. The whole twist involving the plot to get criminals back to the US was silly and again, implausible, but worked well enough for the story's purposes. For the most part, it was just an excuse to do some Cuba-based comedy after the recent easing of relations, and the story puttered along well enough to let the comedy flourish. Not a must-see episode or anything, but eminently watchable and even consistently amusing.