27x03 Puffless

9/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale. This was a lot of fun. One of the series's more enjoyable outings in recent year was "The Longest Daycare" short featuring a wordless, well-animated Maggie adventure. Maggie's slice of this episode was very much in that vein, and was all kinds of adorable and fun. I know that animals acting like people is one of Matt Groening's pet peeves, and the story was very cartoony. But it also gave the animators a chance to have some fun with creative animal-behavior sequences, and the unexpected return of Spider-Pig was a treat. The tone was pretty different from the standard Simpsons episode (though it had something in common with the sequence where Bart and Lisa defended their box fort), but the story coasted on the sheer enjoyable energy of Maggie's scenes, and the character in how she and her animal kingdom friends were animated.

The Bouvier Sisters' story also worked well. Having Patty and Selma try to quit smoking, with varying results, after learning that their father died of lung cancer, and having it be a wedge between them was a solid emotional throughline. The fact that they cared more about each other than their addiction, and their struggles in the meantime, gave the tale a lot of juice, even if the title "Puffless" like its predecessor "Duffless", portended that this respite from their main vice was destined to be temporary. There's even a sweet, if not totally earned moment between Patty and Homer.

Otherwise, the humor here was very pleasant. Disco Stu's Selma obsession was an odd but chuckle-worthy turn, the animal adventures had a certain Looney Tunes humor to it, and Homer's thought bubble was enjoyably absurd as well. All-in-all, this was a very enjoyable latter day SImpsons episode.