[5.2/10] What a boring episode. As I’ve taken to saying this season, I think I only laughed once (at the reenactment gag where a cat plays a dog). Far be it from me to praise the Mike Scully era, but The Simpsons already did the cable mockumentary spoof bit much better in “Behind the Laughter” and even did better than this in “Springfield Up.” Trying to be topical and tackle the same sort of thing from the de rigueur true crime angle isn’t the worst idea in the world, but the results are just so dull and flavorless.
The mystery of who stole Lisa’s college fund is at least a solid enough mystery. And the reveal that it was Marge, who poured it into a snap-on coaster idea to try to be somebody, is a decent enough resolution, with the sweetness of Homer covering for her. But all the red herrings bring neither laughs nor intrigue, and the documentary-based gags aren’t novel or clever.
Also, a lot of the characters were strangely off-model and off vocally in this one, with several characters’ heads seeming too big and Lou sounding like Cletus at one point. It’s the sort of sloppiness I don’t really expect from the show’s visuals, which are so sharp so as to seem almost robotic at this stage.
Overall, this is a clunker of a season finale, that is fine as filler, but isn’t good enough or bad enough to be truly entertaining.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2019-05-07T03:12:43Z
[5.2/10] What a boring episode. As I’ve taken to saying this season, I think I only laughed once (at the reenactment gag where a cat plays a dog). Far be it from me to praise the Mike Scully era, but The Simpsons already did the cable mockumentary spoof bit much better in “Behind the Laughter” and even did better than this in “Springfield Up.” Trying to be topical and tackle the same sort of thing from the de rigueur true crime angle isn’t the worst idea in the world, but the results are just so dull and flavorless.
The mystery of who stole Lisa’s college fund is at least a solid enough mystery. And the reveal that it was Marge, who poured it into a snap-on coaster idea to try to be somebody, is a decent enough resolution, with the sweetness of Homer covering for her. But all the red herrings bring neither laughs nor intrigue, and the documentary-based gags aren’t novel or clever.
Also, a lot of the characters were strangely off-model and off vocally in this one, with several characters’ heads seeming too big and Lou sounding like Cletus at one point. It’s the sort of sloppiness I don’t really expect from the show’s visuals, which are so sharp so as to seem almost robotic at this stage.
Overall, this is a clunker of a season finale, that is fine as filler, but isn’t good enough or bad enough to be truly entertaining.