[6.2/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale] This was a big dose of meh. The idea of Chief Wiggum being despondent at not being very good at his job and looking for a win was done much better in “Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment” (i.e. the Beer Baron episode), and even in season 16’s “Pranksta” rap. I try not to be hard on the show for repeating itself after three decades on the air, but this was just uninspired. We barely see Wiggum doing any police work or anything. He just talks to Fat Tony and that’s it, after a largely laughless setup.
The same goes for Fat Tony’s side of things. I like the idea that he’s been set up and is innocent for once, but the show doesn't really set up a compelling mystery or answer for who framed him. This is an episode where stuff just kind of happens rather than there being any sort of cause and effect.
Humor-wise, this is just one big grab bag of Italian humor, with very few of the jokes having any particularly incisive take or clever bits. There’s some reasonably amusing wordplay, and of all things, I got a kick out of Homer’s “Bootylicious” montage, but that’s meager sustenance over the course of twenty-two minutes. We’re also back to lame celebrity cameos, with Jason Momao putting in a pointless appearance, and the great Bob Odenkirk playing his umpteenth lawyer character for sixty seconds in a waste of his talents.
Overall, this one is watchable enough, with very little that’s outright bad, but with a lot that’s just dull.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2019-10-15T02:36:08Z
[6.2/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale] This was a big dose of meh. The idea of Chief Wiggum being despondent at not being very good at his job and looking for a win was done much better in “Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment” (i.e. the Beer Baron episode), and even in season 16’s “Pranksta” rap. I try not to be hard on the show for repeating itself after three decades on the air, but this was just uninspired. We barely see Wiggum doing any police work or anything. He just talks to Fat Tony and that’s it, after a largely laughless setup.
The same goes for Fat Tony’s side of things. I like the idea that he’s been set up and is innocent for once, but the show doesn't really set up a compelling mystery or answer for who framed him. This is an episode where stuff just kind of happens rather than there being any sort of cause and effect.
Humor-wise, this is just one big grab bag of Italian humor, with very few of the jokes having any particularly incisive take or clever bits. There’s some reasonably amusing wordplay, and of all things, I got a kick out of Homer’s “Bootylicious” montage, but that’s meager sustenance over the course of twenty-two minutes. We’re also back to lame celebrity cameos, with Jason Momao putting in a pointless appearance, and the great Bob Odenkirk playing his umpteenth lawyer character for sixty seconds in a waste of his talents.
Overall, this one is watchable enough, with very little that’s outright bad, but with a lot that’s just dull.