30x02 Heartbreak Hotel

[7.6/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale] I’ve stumped for Matt Selman episodes a lot in my write-ups for this show, and this episode captures at least some of why. There’s more of a focus on what the characters want, more attention to their emotional states, more narrative momentum from the different parts of the story.

“Heartbreak Hotel” still suffers from some of the usual afflictions of latter day Simpsons episodes, like the characters speaking as though they’re talking to the audience rather than to each other, or lame gags that feel shoehorned in, or mostly wasted guest stars. But even then, there’s clever and amusing bits throughout. The reality show/Survivor spoof isn’t exactly timely, but it’s well-observed with hashtags and ridiculous challenges and product placement. And Homer’s little “Heartbreak Hotel” parody about the benefits of chain hotels is very cute and pleasant, if not necessarily laugh out loud funny.

The episode also does a good job at centering the story on how Homer and Marge feel about everything. Going from Marge’s resignation over never making it onto her favorite show, to her excitement over the kids winning her a spot, to her sadness over being eliminated first, to her contentment after Homer shows her the good life at the hotel, to her anger at him for blowing their challenge, there’s an emotional and narrative progression to everything that most latter-day Simpsons episodes lack.

But man, this one gets dark and cynical. I kind of loved that Tennessee Williams homage that opens the third act, but I also kind of hate it. It’s a pitch perfect parody that gets the exact rhythms and look and feel of that sort of kitchen sink drama just right. But at the same time, it feels really ugly and harsh to map it onto Marge and Homer like that. Frankly, I would have been more okay with it if they’d shown it was some sort of exaggerated recollection after the two argued and fell asleep in front of the T.V. while “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” or something was playing, or a dream.

But they don’t, they treat it as real and just move on, with Marge ditching Homer for fellow contestant “Nick” in the final challenge. It feels out of character and a minor betrayal of one of the core relationships and dynamics of the show. And the episode also botches the landing, since the plot is resolved (with Marge losing thanks to her own mistake, which kind of wipes away Homer’s? I guess?) but the emotional betrayal is really only spackled over in the last minute with Homer taking joy in getting to be the one who’s pitied for being in this relationship for once. That’s an incredibly cynical note to go out on, and an unsatisfying end to the episode.

Overall, there’s plenty to like here, and plenty of the things that mark Selman’s episodes as distinct relative to the usual pile-up of double-digit season Simpsons. But it also gets the tone and tenor of Homer and Marge’s marriage wrong for the sake of homage and then plot at the end, which is something harder to forgive than a bad joke or a go-nowhere plot twist. Selman’s still my preferred showrunner, but this is an episode that can’t help but seem off, especially in the third act.