34x15 Bartless

[8.0/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale] I’m going to make a bold statement here. I think the episodes showrun by Matt Selman are the spiritual successors to those showrun by Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein (roughly season 7 and 8). The comic sensibilities are a bit different, but I say that because they share an approach toward developing the show’s side characters (see: last week’s Carl-focused episodes), and one toward going with more experimental episodes that test the limits of the series.

That's this week! I love the idea of making this a “What If?” episodes that wonders what the Simpsons’ lives would be like without Bart, and taking the premise seriously. There’s a good emotional throughline to this one. Marge and Homer yell at Bart pretty badly for training a bunch of kindergarteners to deface library books, and it’s fairly uncomfortable. They call him “the destroyer” in a way that feels pretty harsh even for parents who are worn down by ten years raising a hellraiser. But they're chastened when Bart’s teacher and the Kindergarten educator both praise Bart for getting the younger kids excited about reading through his chaotic but interactive approach to books.

It leads to a real soul searching moment for the two partens. They know in their hearts that they love Bart. But they wonder if they like him, or if the unpredictable and difficult energy he’s projected into their lives since he first accidentally came into it has made them incapable of seeing his best qualities. It’s a pretty bold question to ask, and as tough as the early conversations are to watch, I appreciate the show going to somewhere real and touching on a never.

I also like the “What If?” section a lot, and the structure of it. The show initially suggests that the rest of the family would be much better off without Bart. While not rich, both Homer and Marge have enriching jobs that they love which allow them to engage in the type of careful planning that lets them live a better lifestyle. The Simpson home is, for once, well-appointed and more importantly, a well oiled machine as the opening montage lays out. It’s honestly a pretty devastating It’s a Wonderful Life-type moment.

That gets even worse when in this alternate universe, Bart stumbles upon the family and they take him in and have to endure his hellraising tendencies. He insults them, destroys things, and is in general the type of troublemaker that we know him to be. There’s a sense that not only does his absence make things better for Homer, Marge, Lisa, and Maggie, but that reintroducing him into their environment makes things worse.

And yet, in the end, his chaotic energy actually improves their lives. He helps Homer finds ultimate fulfillment at his job by playing the jumbotron controls in a more unpredictable way. He gives Marge the gumption she needs to tell off her Grey’s Anatomy-style colleagues. And in a bit of a stretch, he helps Llisa overcome her OCD, or more charitably, a certain uptight need for perfection, by helping her to cut loose and enjoy some silly cartoons.

It’s a nice feint, to suggest that Bart’s presence is a downgrade, while ultimately showing the way that however wild his methods may be, he’s a net good for the world and for the Simpson family. Marge and Homer waking from their dreams, worrying that they’d lost him, only to go into his room for a hug and the chance to declare how much they like him, is as sweet and heartwarming as all get out.

This is also a particularly well-animated episode. Director Rob Olivers comes up with some really cool expressions for Homer and Marge when they’re dressing down Bart tag team style. The Itchy and Scratchy spoof of Great British Bake-Off is one of the best we’ve had in years. And the montage of the Bartless Simpson family day has some nice stylistic choices as well.

Now I can already imagine naysayers complaining that the premise is unrealistic. But frankly, I don’t really care. It’s a vehicle to a neat story that tests but ultimately affirms the role Bart plays in his family’s lives. Plausibility be damned. An outing this daring and interesting is well worth the price of admission, and is another example of Matt Selman pushing the boundaries of the show, in keeping with the spirit of the showrunners who preceded him.