[8.0/10] This episode does a really nice job of making Ralph the object of fun while still having tons of empathy for the special little guy, which is a tough trick to pull off. I’ll admit that I’m a sucker for Ralph’s little non sequiturs and bizarre statements, if only because he’s so completely and utterly guileless. When the show makes him out to just be a dummy, it’s not great, but when they stick with him maintaining the complete innocence and, at times, obliviousness of a child, it’s a lot of fun, and this is a great (arguably the best) episode for harnessing that from our favorite pumpkin-headed little second grader.
It’s also a good Bart episode. As Nelson points out with his “I hope the irony’s not lost on you” comment, there’s a nice arc for Bart here, of wanting nothing to do with Ralph, of seeing how he can use his new “friend” for mercenary gain, and then, after having the same done to him, grows up a little and comes to genuinely like and support Ralph. I never verges into Very Special Episode territory, but it gives “This Little Wiggy” an emotional force beyond its gags, which helps make the whole thing feel more substantive.
So does the fact that this isn’t a half-bad Marge episode either! While she’s basically a non-factor after the first act, she’s the one who kickstarts the empathy-for-Ralph ball rolling. The brief line about her not having many friends as a kid, and her desire to see the best in her son by showing kindness to a well-meaning but misunderstood little boy is a good note for her. At the same time, we rarely get to see Marge be as crafty as using Bart’s own sense of coolness against him to get him to play with Ralph and then vacuuming and dustbusting so she can’t hear him protest.
Otherwise, the humor in the episode is very good. Again, I am a complete and total mark for Ralph’s schtick, so hearing him guilelessly talk about a “play chair” that “smells like hot dogs”, or get all of Bart’s toys stuck to him, or nab Bart in a Chinese finger trap while saying that fighting only makes it latch on tighter is all aces in my book. (I have to admit, the leprechaun gag has some really unfortunate implications, but the absurdity of it can’t help but keep me laughing.) Things get a little cartoony in places (mostly in the “police master key” montage and the ending), but it’s well within the realm of acceptable reality stretching for the show. Plus there’s some really nice bits of animation, like when Chief WIggum tweaks his back and flails like an upturned turtle on the floor.
The one big knock against this episode is its ending. Quimby’s using the electric chair to prove a point as a political stunt is already pretty convenient as is, but the constant repetition of how he assumes that the electric chair is deactivated and hasn’t checked, and how none of his staff should interrupt his “performance” is a bridge too far. At the same time, the solution of how Team Ralph stops Quimby from getting friend is really contrived.
On the other hand, the episode at least nicely sets everything up, between Ralph trying to touch the rocket early in the proceedings, and Bart demonstrating the power of the chair using the wedding cake topper. There’s a similar care with Bart’s trajectory here, where he’s patronizing Ralph but also being nudged himself by the bullies, to where the final turn in the narrative has groundwork laid for it.
Overall, this one is a gem. It’s the only Ralph-focused episode besides the even-better “I Love Lisa” in the show (excepting, maybe, the one where he runs for President), and it manages to wring all the humor it can out of the little guy, while still treating him as someone who deserves love and friendship, and shows growth in Bart when he realizes that.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2019-06-01T14:49:11Z
[8.0/10] This episode does a really nice job of making Ralph the object of fun while still having tons of empathy for the special little guy, which is a tough trick to pull off. I’ll admit that I’m a sucker for Ralph’s little non sequiturs and bizarre statements, if only because he’s so completely and utterly guileless. When the show makes him out to just be a dummy, it’s not great, but when they stick with him maintaining the complete innocence and, at times, obliviousness of a child, it’s a lot of fun, and this is a great (arguably the best) episode for harnessing that from our favorite pumpkin-headed little second grader.
It’s also a good Bart episode. As Nelson points out with his “I hope the irony’s not lost on you” comment, there’s a nice arc for Bart here, of wanting nothing to do with Ralph, of seeing how he can use his new “friend” for mercenary gain, and then, after having the same done to him, grows up a little and comes to genuinely like and support Ralph. I never verges into Very Special Episode territory, but it gives “This Little Wiggy” an emotional force beyond its gags, which helps make the whole thing feel more substantive.
So does the fact that this isn’t a half-bad Marge episode either! While she’s basically a non-factor after the first act, she’s the one who kickstarts the empathy-for-Ralph ball rolling. The brief line about her not having many friends as a kid, and her desire to see the best in her son by showing kindness to a well-meaning but misunderstood little boy is a good note for her. At the same time, we rarely get to see Marge be as crafty as using Bart’s own sense of coolness against him to get him to play with Ralph and then vacuuming and dustbusting so she can’t hear him protest.
Otherwise, the humor in the episode is very good. Again, I am a complete and total mark for Ralph’s schtick, so hearing him guilelessly talk about a “play chair” that “smells like hot dogs”, or get all of Bart’s toys stuck to him, or nab Bart in a Chinese finger trap while saying that fighting only makes it latch on tighter is all aces in my book. (I have to admit, the leprechaun gag has some really unfortunate implications, but the absurdity of it can’t help but keep me laughing.) Things get a little cartoony in places (mostly in the “police master key” montage and the ending), but it’s well within the realm of acceptable reality stretching for the show. Plus there’s some really nice bits of animation, like when Chief WIggum tweaks his back and flails like an upturned turtle on the floor.
The one big knock against this episode is its ending. Quimby’s using the electric chair to prove a point as a political stunt is already pretty convenient as is, but the constant repetition of how he assumes that the electric chair is deactivated and hasn’t checked, and how none of his staff should interrupt his “performance” is a bridge too far. At the same time, the solution of how Team Ralph stops Quimby from getting friend is really contrived.
On the other hand, the episode at least nicely sets everything up, between Ralph trying to touch the rocket early in the proceedings, and Bart demonstrating the power of the chair using the wedding cake topper. There’s a similar care with Bart’s trajectory here, where he’s patronizing Ralph but also being nudged himself by the bullies, to where the final turn in the narrative has groundwork laid for it.
Overall, this one is a gem. It’s the only Ralph-focused episode besides the even-better “I Love Lisa” in the show (excepting, maybe, the one where he runs for President), and it manages to wring all the humor it can out of the little guy, while still treating him as someone who deserves love and friendship, and shows growth in Bart when he realizes that.