9x19 Simpson Tide

[7.4/10] This is a bonkers frickin’ episode. The plot races from absurd thing to absurd thing, and it’s basically just joke after joke with little concern for logic or reality. But, dear reader, it is very funny, so I’m apt to forgive that it neglects those minor trifles like story and sense.

The A-story sees Homer getting fired from the plant, joining the Naval reserve, and accidentally causing an international incident during war games after he stumbles his way into command. It’s mainly an excuse to do a bunch of loopy at-sea jokes, from an impromptu rendition of “In the Navy” with a grim Village People kicker, to officers being fired out of torpedo chutes, to Homer’s navigation officer turning out to be Sulu from Star Trek. They mix in a few silly basic training bits, but this episode moves at such a fast clip that there’s not much to do but laugh and move on.

The B-story sees Bart get an earring to try to imitate Milhouse and capture his newfound social standing, only to anger Homer. Here too, there’s not much to it, but the meta gag about Bart offering a rendition of “Do the Bartman” to his nonplussed classmates is a big laugh and Ralph gets some particularly good lines here.

There are, at least, touches of continuity and setups and payoffs in the episode, which is something! The same “It’s my first day” line that gets Homer fired is what keeps him from being fired upon at the end of the episode. And Bart’s earring comes in handy to plug a leak at just the right time. There’s also some (thankfully) very dated humor about Starbucks taking over the world and the old “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

For the most part though, this episode is just one big cartoony gag fest, and I’m hard-pressed to resist its charms. Homer famously correcting his superior officer that it’s pronounced “nuke-ular”, or Lenin rising from the grave to “crush capitalism”, or even a donut managing to destroy the planet are all silly but hilarious bits that make this one work.