[7.5/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale] I’ve beat this point into the ground by now, but these anthology episodes are often latter day Simpsons at its best. You don’t have to worry about trifling things like plot or characterization, because you’re only working for about seven minutes per segment. So episodes like these can basically be a loose series of sketches, full of gags and light on story. And even when the jokes are hit or miss, the show can coast on the novelty of seeing Our Favorite Family and the residents of Springfield deposited into various bits of history and classic literature. So even when it’s not perfect, it’s solid, which fits “Tales from the Public Domain” to a tee.
The Homer’s Odyssey segment is the loosest and weakest of the three stories here, deposit the advantage of the naming convention. I mostly enjoy the representations of the gods and some of the cheap gags like the River Styx. But this is a format that thrives on humor, and despite the charm of seeing the SImpsons as part of ancient Greece, the gags here are mixed at best.
The Joan of Arc segment is fun because it has the clearest throughline. A lot of the jokes are pretty silly, but Lisa as the spiritual crusader makes for a good setup. The show ably okes fun at the conceit of divine intervention in the story. And there’s even some good lines, from Lisa-as-Joan remarking that her people must defeat the British because their ideas of individual rights could undermine the power of “our beloved tyrants” to Marge swallowing the last page of the book and declaring that it’s easier to chew than the Bambi videotape.
The Hamlet segment is a lot of fun. I’m a sucker for that play and for The Simpsons, so a mash-up of the two leaves me easy to please. The segment pokes fun at the tropes of Elizabethan theater, and bits like turning the players’ production into an improv show find ways to squeeze the laughs out of the hallowed tale. Despite that, there’s a few lazy gags, but the “casting” is right, and there’s enough solid chuckles to carry the day.
Overall, the frame story is the weakest part of this one, with Homer’s jokes being the worst of the bunch. But once the show jumps into its three stories, there’s still a lot to enjoy in this lark of an episode.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2024-07-06T21:14:07Z
[7.5/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale] I’ve beat this point into the ground by now, but these anthology episodes are often latter day Simpsons at its best. You don’t have to worry about trifling things like plot or characterization, because you’re only working for about seven minutes per segment. So episodes like these can basically be a loose series of sketches, full of gags and light on story. And even when the jokes are hit or miss, the show can coast on the novelty of seeing Our Favorite Family and the residents of Springfield deposited into various bits of history and classic literature. So even when it’s not perfect, it’s solid, which fits “Tales from the Public Domain” to a tee.
The Homer’s Odyssey segment is the loosest and weakest of the three stories here, deposit the advantage of the naming convention. I mostly enjoy the representations of the gods and some of the cheap gags like the River Styx. But this is a format that thrives on humor, and despite the charm of seeing the SImpsons as part of ancient Greece, the gags here are mixed at best.
The Joan of Arc segment is fun because it has the clearest throughline. A lot of the jokes are pretty silly, but Lisa as the spiritual crusader makes for a good setup. The show ably okes fun at the conceit of divine intervention in the story. And there’s even some good lines, from Lisa-as-Joan remarking that her people must defeat the British because their ideas of individual rights could undermine the power of “our beloved tyrants” to Marge swallowing the last page of the book and declaring that it’s easier to chew than the Bambi videotape.
The Hamlet segment is a lot of fun. I’m a sucker for that play and for The Simpsons, so a mash-up of the two leaves me easy to please. The segment pokes fun at the tropes of Elizabethan theater, and bits like turning the players’ production into an improv show find ways to squeeze the laughs out of the hallowed tale. Despite that, there’s a few lazy gags, but the “casting” is right, and there’s enough solid chuckles to carry the day.
Overall, the frame story is the weakest part of this one, with Homer’s jokes being the worst of the bunch. But once the show jumps into its three stories, there’s still a lot to enjoy in this lark of an episode.