[5.6/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale] Thank god for Albert Brooks. If it weren’t for his free association-style stream of consciousness comedy, this one would just be a dull twenty-two minutes. The bad news is that Mr. Brooks doesn't show up to play off-kilter fat camp head honcho Tad Spangler until the third act of the episode.
Before then, all we get are a series of uninspired “junk food is marketed to kids” material and a lot of stale fat jokes at Bart’s expense which are done better with Homer. There’s a critique of commercialism directed at schoolchildren in there somewhere, but Daria did it much better, and it’s just window dressing for the fat jokes. Bart cheating on his diet and then seeing his parents plight is done as presto change-o nonsense without ever really arriving at a point.
The episode is also practically laughless outside of Albert Brooks’s material. Bart’s pudgy recreation of the opening scene is more Looney Tunes nonsense,and his scheming to cheat on his diet is dull as dishwater.
Overall, this episode is worth watching for Brooks completionist, who want to see a return engagement from the voice of Hank Scorpio, but doesn't have much to offer beyond that.
Shout by KevibVIP 3BlockedParent2023-11-01T14:07:27Z
Fun episode, especially the fat Bart intro.