[7.7/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale] I’ve said this before about Matt Selman episodes, but they tend to have good emotional throughlines, which helps strengthen the episode overall. “Portrait of a Lackey on Fire” anchors itself on Smithers feeling lonely and unloved. He tries to fill that space with a relationship and things inevitably go awry because the status quo must be maintained. But in the end, he finds a little bit of peace and, as the closing scene suggests, that alone helps make him luckier in love.
It’s a good concept! Waylon finding another billionaire to adore,none who appreciates him and admires him is a nice way to do a spin on Waylon’s “type”, while giving him a little wish fulfillment in the process. There's a touch of social commentary on “fast fashion” being even worse for the environment than nuclear power, and the sense of Smithers inexorably orbiting moneyed men who do ill for the world. I like how it connects to Smithers wanting to be with someone good for once, with the twist being that the famed Michael de Graaf turns out to be as bad for the world as Burns is.
Granted, I don’t love that after Waylon seemed so enamored with the idea of this guy as a do-gooder, he’s fine with the global pollution but draws the line at puppy kicking (Mr. Burns ain't so great in that department either). But there's a clear trajectory to all of this -- Waylon’s loneliness, his blissful courtship with Michael, his conflicted realization about his boyfriend’s effect on the world, and his final break-up and bounce back -- and it gives the episode a better spine than most episodes of this era.
Likewise, the humor here is pretty strong! The running gag of Homer wanting to find Smithers a “man Marge” and being invested in Waylon and Michael’s relationship as the one who fixed them up is a nice way to involve the Simpsons. Marge admiring Michael as the host of a Project Runway-type show is a fun beat. While a little out there, the episode has fun mashing up Chernobyl with fashion trends. And all of Michael’s wordplay and digs are a lot of fun. Hell, even Burns’ pathological inability to understand that his assistant is gay is a solid gag. I’m not crazy about the initial “guard dog puppies bite Homer” bits, but even that routine had some layers to it.
Overall, this is a solid Smithers story which focuses on him as a human being, his wants and needs and hopes and dreams. Moreso than the show depicting him kissing another man, which should be no big deal in 2021, it’s that newer approach to a character, who’d otherwise been the longstanding butt of lazy jokes, that deserves applause.
[8.3/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale] I feel like I start every episode showrrun by Matt Selman by talking about how the episodes he showruns are different. But they are! There’s usually an emotional core to the eps he shepherds, and this is no exception. The premise of this one is a little outlandish (though fairly mild by Simpsons standards). Lisa and Marge collaborate on a graphic novel called “Sad Girl” that turns into a big success and inevitably causes friction.
As much as the show has gone to this well before (Bart’s created two successful comics, Marge had a best-selling romance novel, etc. etc.), the collaborative nature of “Sad Girl” gives us some good mother-daughter material. There’s a nice flip in perspective with Lisa initially getting all the credit as the writer of the book and Marge then getting all the notoriety for the stage adaptation. The way their bonding experience turns into a wedge between them but then they remember why they started doing this in the first place makes for a satisfying arc.
There’s also tons of guest stars in this one (including a blink and you’ll miss it cameo from Dan Harmon. Rachel Bloom does well with what she’s given but is kind of wasted as Lisa’s Community College therapist. It’s amusing to get a Bechdel test joke with Allison Bechdel herself. And having Martin Short ham it up as a Darren Nichols-esque whimsical theater director is enjoyable.
Plus, there’s some really neat art direction here. The design elements of the “Sad Girl” segment create some visual diversity to the show’s standard setting. The dream sequence in the opener has some cool instances of playing around with perspective. And even the giant puppet setup of “Sad Girl” on Broadway gives the animators some room for creative designs.
Overall, this is a great followup to the underwhelming season premiere to help get Season 29 off on the right foot.
[6.3/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale] This was basically a Treehouse of Horror segment extended to full-episode length, and it felt like it. This was basically reference stew, with Game of Thrones making for the biggest ingredient, and bits of Lord of the Rings and The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and even World of Warcraft and The Smurfs thrown in for good measure. That gives it the fleeting fun of recognition, but the show rarely had much of a take on any of this material, coasting on the charm of the setting and the ephemeral thrills of the audience getting what’s been parodied.
The episode was pretty thin all around. There were a few good throughlines, like Our Favorite Family being serfs, with Homer grateful for serfdom and Lisa true to her usual agitating ways, only for Homer to change his tune when Lisa is captured. And there’s some solid emotional material with Marge having to come to terms with her mother’s death (though ironically Julie Kavner has trouble doing Jacquie Bouvier’s voice these days) and different ideas about the afterlife.
But everything feels underdeveloped and shaggy. The main story ends and then there’s another three minutes of riffing and rambling, and the guest appearances are quick and pointless. There’s some good background gags here, and a lot of creativity in the animation and design (Aslan in particular had a distinct fluidity to him) but in terms of writing and humor, this was a feeble way to start the new season.
