[8.2/10] It’s funny, I absolutely did not remember what an utterly loony gag fest this is. That’s a little expected from star scribe John Swartzwelder, but still, anybody who complains that modern day Simpsons is not sufficiently down to earth and gets too wild and wacky (a complaint I’ve registered myself) should watch this episode and see how out there the show could be in its classic years.
I think that’s the not-so-stunning truth that arises when going back and revisiting classic episodes like this one. There’s definitely episodes that are better at story and character (or at least more devoted to them) than this one is, but the thing that lets an episode like “Whacking Day” succeed and last in everyone’s memories is that it’s so damn funny. It’s easy to forgive the episode for having a loose plot and tons of cutaway gags and imagine spots and totally unrealistic things when it’s making you laugh your ass off. A lot of what The Simpsons does here is not all that different, at least on paper, from the stuff the show would do in its worst years; the show just manages to craft better and funnier jokes and so manages to get away with a lot.
There are, however, two solid stories that intersect in the third act. For Bart, the episode involves him pulling a major prank, getting expelled, and then having to be home-schooled by Marge. It’s a solid throughline for the little hellraiser here. His interactions with the bullies are amusing, as is his conversation with Willy's tractor (just the first of many out there gags in this one0. But even better are the home-school gags, where Bart having his mom as his teacher leads to the sort of usual Simpson foolishness like a rambling Grampa story and Bart plying his usual monkeyshines in class only to declare “I didn’t do it” despite the lack of other students.
Despite all that silliness, there’s a good emotional throughline for him. Bart’s interest in Johnny Tremain and his Skinner-recognized applied learning shows that with the right attention and subject matter, even a proud underachiever can become fascinated with books and learning. I don’t know if Swatzwelder and company meant to make any kind of grand statement with this storyline, but it fits with a number of episodes that show Bart as clever and resourceful and a sharp thinker when his talents are fostered in the right way and pointed in the right direction. It definitely speaks to a time when young men are falling behind their distaff counterparts in school a quarter-century after this episode aired.
There’s a great, characteristic Lisa story too, as she’s saddened and repulsed by titular town holiday that invites Springfield citizens to beat the hell out of snakes. It’s an episode with that trademark Swarzwelder perspective, where traditions done without thought are poked fun at by having a little girl acknowledge the inherent insanity and hypocrisy for them, while trusted authority figures just hem and haw and give her unsatisfying ressurances. Making Homer super into Whacking Day is a nice way to communicate the idiocy of that, as always, and Lisa leading her crusade to save the poor snakes feels very on brand.
This is also just a great springfield citizen episode. Again, the idea of a holiday whose supposedly storied history was invented to paper over some distasteful ethnic bashing feel right in The SImpsons’s wheelhouse. And the town’s excitement and “we’ll cheer for anything” attitude shows how hollow the whole exercise is. Once again, there’s commentary there, about the way people mindlessly follow traditions, and how those who recognize the absurdity of them are often brushed aside by the usual raft of “fickle mush heads.”
Bart and Lisa teaming up to save the day is always a winning recipe. But here comes more ridiculousness. I love the fact that this scheme involves getting Barry White to sing so that his large bass vibrations will lure the snakes to safety. It’s goofy, but it totally works in context, and Bart swaying the crowd using his newfound knowledge of history is a nice way to tie his and Lisa’s storylines together in a satisfying way.
Though man, this one is just off the wall. Everything from Lisa imagining her dad dancing around in a devil costume, to a wave of snakes washing over Mr. Largo, to the show’s inevitable Richard Nixon-based gags (he must work there or something), there’s far less plot than there is random humor here. But as outsized as the humor is (see also: Ninja Homer), it’s all so glorious that it's nigh-impossible to complain.
Overall, this is an episode with so much random goofiness that would normally warrant admonition from ubernerds like me. But that goofiness is so damn funny, and the Bart and Lisa plots that support it so solid, that you can’t help but declare this one great.
[7.4/10] I don't know if this was planned or intended to be the show's landmark 100th episode, but regardless, I like that this one focused on a bit of a deconstruction, or at least a deepening, of the relationship between Skinner and Bart. Their Roadrunner/Coyote dynamic through the show has been a continuing source of humor, so it's nice to see the show mine it to add new dimensions t both characters and make their connection a little more complex at the same time.
The episode is structured really well, with Bart bringing SLH to school snowballing into a school-wide crisis nicely in the first act, Bart's budding friendship with Skinner developed in the second act, and the plan to oust Flanders and get Skinner out of the army falling into place in the third act. But more than that, I really appreciate how well-observed the awkwardness and ensuing warmth between Bart and Skinner is. There's something so weird about seeing a teacher outside of school, and coupling that with Bart feeling guilty for what he did to even his worst enemy leads to some really nice material.
There's also so much great humor, which I more or less take for granted in this era of the show. The ironing is delicious in Bart declaring that it's unlikely that anyone will be laughing at something he's done in twenty years. Marge explaining her appreciation for potatoes as "I just think they're neat" is a quote that gets tossed around a lot in the Bloom household. And Ned as principal is just a font of comedy, between the crazy state of the school under his watch, the lame but uproariously received puns at the assembly, and his flashback to his beatnik-parented childhood.
Overall, it's a softer, sweeter sort of Simpsons episode, that takes a down-to-earth but really engrossing premise of school grounds enemies becoming friends, builds in backstory and shading to Skinner (the fact that the army is the only other place where square Seymour fit in is a really nice touch), and packs in the laughs all the while. I'm always amazed at how well even this show's less flashy or memorable episodes are so great.
(As a personal aside, I watched this one while flipping channels in a hotel room on a trip for a wedding, and there was a strange comfort to it. Traveling is nice, but there's always something that feels a little foreign about not sleeping in your own bed or being in unfamiliar surroundings. Seeing some old Simpsons episode on the television is this nice bit of yellow-tinged familiarity, a reminder that wherever in this country you go, you can channel surf and find the denizens of Springfield, always there to make you laugh. It's odd to take that sort of comfort in a TV show, but it's nice nonetheless.)
[8.0/10] This is an unusual but, at base, pretty simple story. Act 1: Bart plays hooky. Act 2: Bart justifies his decision not to come forward about what he witnessed while playing hooky. Act 3: Bart quells his internal turmoil and does come forward. It’s almost effortless.
That’s one of the things that impresses me so much revisiting this show as an adult. There’s real complexities to the story despite that basic structure. Bart struggling with doing the right thing when, as Principal Skinner puts it, doing so would “put his own head in a noose” is emotionally compelling. The added moral complexity of whether to come forward on behalf of a bad dude who is, nevertheless, innocent of the crime charged adds another dimension to it. The contrivance (but very acceptable one) of his no-nonsense principal being on the jury makes it an even more daunting proposition.
But it all just flows together, livened by John Swarzwelder and the Simpsons writers’ room’s nigh-unparalleled joke craftsmanship. This is a hilarious episode. From jabs at the Kennedy clan, to the excesses of the judicial system, to Skinner’s square-but-determined pursuit of a truant student, there’s so many big laughs in this one. Apart from telling the story of a little boy choosing to do the right thing even when it’s hard, the episode finds time to have Lisa poke fun at Skinner and Willie’s mish-mashed good cop/bad cop routine, or have Marge blithely but grimly recall a mentally disturbed uncle, or do a bit of Clousseau-style slapstick . Hell, there’s even the absurdity that this whole thing stems over the pronunciation of “chow-dah.”
But the piece de resistance is the quasi B-story involving Homer being picked for the jury. There’s barely a story there, really just Homer doing a mercenary rendition of 12 Angry Men to get a free hotel stay. But his mooching ways, his interactions with Skinner, and his utter duncery about the whole thing (not even knowing the word “if”) is a laugh riot. Plus, the running gag about his glasses is the gift that keeps on giving.
That’s the beauty of the show at this stage. Good stories and good emotional conflicts made the jokes better, because they emerged naturally from those situations, even when they were utterly loony. (See also: Bart being able to read Homer and Seymour’s thoughts.) When the storytelling feels as seamless but strong as it does here, the humor can really shine, and that makes this one a real winner.
[8.1/10] “Secrets of a Successful Mariiage” is, for my money at least, the best “Homer and Marge on the rocks” episode The Simpsons ever did. Lord knows the show went back to that well time and time again, but this episode both explains why that happened and why it didn’t need to. On the one hand, this episode was so effective at wringing pathos and heart and genuine strain out of the relationship between Homer and Marge that you can understand later writers wanting to use it as a blueprint. On the other hand, this show tackles that idea in such a definitive fashion, that it makes most of those latter-day attempts seem pale by comparison.
Like most of the episode’s from this time, “Secrets” has a good structure. The first act is about Homer’s journey to feeling better about himself after being called “slow” until he becomes a teacher. The second is about him spilling family secrets to keep the respect and attention of his class until it blows up in his face at home. And the third is about him wallowing in his own crapulence, as Mr. Burns might put it, until he remembers what he gives Marge that no one else can, and she takes him back.
But as a whole, “Secrets” is about what makes the Simpsons’ marriage work. There’s a legitimate question to be had of why Marge, who is provincial but also clever and level-headed, would put up with Homer. In some ways, the answer to that question is “The Way We Was”, which suggests that, as another Greg Daniels-penned character would say, “it’s...you know...the love.” But “Secrets” both answers the question of why Marge would trust Homer to keep their secrets again -- because he can’t afford not to, and why they work -- because Homer both loves her and needs her, and because Marge both loves her husband and likes being needed by him.
As Marge herself puts it, complete and utter dependence isn’t exactly a good thing, but it works as an answer to that immediate issue of why Marge would trust Homer to do better in the future, and also has a certain sweetness to their reconciliation that’s powered by five seasons of seeing the two of them living and loving together.
Even apart from the great work boring into the core of the Homer-Marge relationship, “Secrets” is also just a damn funny episode. Homer’s pitch to the learning annex administrator, his “teasing the order box”, Moe’s array of corny “heh heh heh” comments, Homer’s rapidly deteriorating clothing and hastily-constructed plant-wife substitutes are all big laughs. Hell, even a simple montage sequence can end in a viewing of “Painful Memories Party Supplies” with the incongruity being half of the hilarious joke. Even and especially when the show is being a little serious here, it doesn't skimp on the laughs.
This is also one of the best characterizations of Homer. As Greg Daniels would prove on his time running the American version of The Office, he knows how to write an inconsiderate dope in a way that lets you continue to like them, no small feat. Homer here is an obvious dunce, who violates Marge’s privacy in a terrible way and reacts really poorly, but remains so earnest and hopeful and, let’s be frank, pathetic through it all that it’s hard not to root for him, and them, when it all goes to pot.
Overall, this is the best The Simpsons ever did at exploring the foundations of Marge and Homer’s relationships, and it does with humor, pace, and sincerity that sees the whole thing through.
Rip that birds that flew into the gas
Ok, so let me see if I got it clear:
Writers took seasons (meaning years) to let Lena (Kara's best friend) gets into the "Super friends" circle, but it magically just took William A DAY to get in??? Literally he just had to ask for. ARE YOU SERIOUS?
A reporter gets full access and knowledge of the tower, resources, strategies and the people of the circle because they need the "approval of public opinion".
Please tell me that I am not the only one who think how ridiculous and reckless sounds that.
[8.0/10] This one isn’t necessarily one of The Simpsons’s deepest episodes ever, but boy is it funny. That’s one of the trademarks of this era, and the sheer amount of strong, off-the-wall comedy at play, not to mention the different shades of humor, makes it a really fun outing.
That starts, naturally, with Homer. This is a great episode for him as a laugh machine. The show finds a silly reason to get him kicked out of Moe’s and powers the first act through his quest to find another bar. The contrast between the severity of Lenny and Barney’s pranks versus the mild sugar gag that gets Homer kicked out is a laugh in and of itself. And Homer’s misadventures through different watering holes shows the writer’s room’s ability to riff. Jokes like the misdirect of Homer declaring “this lesbian bar doesn't have a fire exit!” are inspired, and the extra layer of “What was her problem?” is the icing on the cake.
(As an aside, it’s funny that the only Cheers character in the inter-show cameo who doesn't have any lines the one voiced by longtime Simpsons guest star Kelsey Grammer.)
The interlude at the pilot’s bar is a nice way to transition into the meat of the episode, and there’s lots of laughs from Homer’s efforts to get the family on a plane and Marge’s efforts to evade it.
The second act transitions to a lot of great bits for both Homer and Marge. On the Homer side of things, I love the conceit that he tries to play Father Knows Best through Marge’s unraveling, only to give the world’s worst advice. Him trying to enlist radio psychics, disaster movies, and announcing that it’s important his wife repress her feelings so that “she’ll never annoy us again” plays into the comedy of him as an utter dope who thinks he has all the answers.
Marge’s unraveled state is just as funny. Julie Kavner does a great job of adding a slight manic edge to Marge’s voice. And bits like her cooking everything imaginable and repairing the roof to keep herself busy and “avoid making waves” ends up being amusing. Marge keeping herself in a “state of cat-like readiness” is a big laugh, along with Lisa’s encouraging reply of “neat.” And the visual gag of her being so tense that she’s in a sitting position despite not actually being on the couch is a wonderful swerve.
The third act is arguably the best and funniest. The Simpsons patriarch does veer a little bit into “Jerkass Homer” territory here, but his frantic phobia of therapy pays real comic dividends. It’s not clear what exactly is motivating that phobia (for a while I kept waiting for an episode where a therapist recruited Mona to join a sixties radical group), but his over-the-top resistance to and fatalism about it got a lot of yuks out of me. (Plus, the window washer gag is just inspired.)
But the conversations with Marge and Dr. Zweig are even better. Anne Bancroft and the writers bring a dry wit to Dr. Zweig that pairs well with Marge’s chipper provincialism. The two have a really nice dynamic that works for both the comedy and drama of it. I particularly like Dr. Zweig doing what amounts to wry commentary on Marge’s responses in places, and her line reads of quips like “Let’s not go nuts” and “Yes, it’s all a rich tapestry” have entered my vernacular and stayed there.
The discovery that the source of Marge’s fear is the realization that her dad was a steward is a solid enough payoff. It works mostly as a parody of films and shows where characters discover some shocking repressed moment from their childhood that unlocks the core of their neuroses, when here, it’s something so gentle and normal, as befits Marge. It’s a little tidy, and the episode tries to go for a little emotional resonance when it’s been a joke-fest up to that point, but it’s still nice. Marge’s courageous trip on an airplane, which ends up with a spill in the lake and Homer’s misguided reassurances, is the perfect capper.
Overall, this is an episode to come to for the comedy of it. There’s different types of great humor here, from the dynamic between Marge and Dr. Zweig, to riffing on bar life, to Homer’s failed Father Knows Best efforts, to Marge’s tightly wound insanity. It’s a great half hour full of laughs and some superb Marge moments.
Well the show was declining but this final episode was actually a good send-off. my opinion
[8.4/10] This is one of the most bonkers episodes The Simpsons ever did. If you’re a continuity scold, you must cringe at the Simpsons’ backyard abutting the nuclear plant’s parking lot, or every male character in Springfield being affiliated with a secret powerful society despite their low stations in life, or the fact that nothing involving the Stonecutters/No Homers was ever mentioned before or will be mentioned again.
Homer falls five stories! (Albeit gradually.) Moe rubs elbows with Orville Redenbacher, Jack Nicholson, Mr. T, and President George H.W. Bush! The real emergency hotline number is 912! Homer has to march naked to the top of Mt. Springfield towing a giant rock! It’s utterly absurd, and by any and all standards of the Simpsons purists, should be excommunicated for these reasons alone.
But it works for two reasons. The first is that for all its off the wall lunacy, it’s rooted in Homer’s pain of feeling excluded and his joys in feeling accepted. For as nuts as the events of “Homer the Great” are, it takes its title character’s emotional journey oddly seriously.
We feel sympathy for Homer when he laments that no one likes him and recalls his childhood ostracization. We feel his excitement when, for all his boorishness, he’s welcomed into the communal brotherhood of the Stonecutters. We feel his devastation when, naturally, he screws up his membership and gets booted. We feel his exaltation when he’s lifted up as the chosen one. (Metaphorically of course.) We understand his spiritual emptiness when Lisa’s right and getting what he wants all the time leaves him bereft of happiness. We see his spiritual fulfillment when he uses his power and position for good. We get a hint of his sadness when it all crumbles back into the status quo when the rest of the Stonecutters would rather quit than be charitable (an amusingly cynical out). And we get some residual warmth when despite all that, Homer still enjoys the welcome of his family.
Are all of these the deepest emotions ever committed to on-screen storytelling? By no means. But there’s a recognizable emotional journey through all of this, with sentiments we the audience can relate to even as the situation is totally ridiculous, which helps the whole thing to feel real enough to work amid the insanity.
Oh and the second is that it’s really, really funny. Look, you can get away with a lot if you just make people laugh. Plenty of the gags here go beyond even the bounds of the show’s “waistband reality” that stretches to fit the jokes. But the audience is guffawing too much to care.
Homer yells at an strangely chittering “egg council creep.” Marge accepts with amusing resignation that her husband still “believes” he’s a chicken. The Stonecutters paint a building “sky blue” before a helicopter crashes directly into it.
These are all out there gags, but they’re just so damn funny. Under showrunner David Mirkin, legendary scribe John Swartzwelder had free reign to go wild with his trademark outrageous humor. The result is that the gags-per-minute ratio for an episode like “Homer the Great” is off the charts, and the yuks-per-joke ratio is even better.
The lesson is clear. You can be as crazy and reality-breaking as you want, so long as you make the character’s emotions real enough, and the resulting looniness funny enough to pass muster. It’s a standard The Simpsons met time and time again, and an approach which may very well have reached its apotheosis here.
piper's speech was truly inspirational
I died laughing when the girls are running to freedom and the guard comes out and is like "NOPE..." and walks back in lol
The last 15 minutes of the episode made me so happy. I fucking love this show -- you can realise the true happiness is on simple things. Remind us to be sensitive.
OMG!! I love the final scene.
That was solo awesome!!!
Poor Alex, I hope she's okay.
Dear Piper, that's Karma BITCH!!!
The "Blacksians" are my favorite group!
Poor Sophia & Daya.
This season was awesome.
Let's wait for season 4.
See you in a year!
Liv(Rose) looks gorgeous in this episode!honestly,just fantastic.
One of the best endings. We are all thinking about someone during watching it, aren't we?
I can't believe an episode from The Simpsons could hurt so bad.
"You kids should thank your mother. Now that she's a better person, we can see how awful we really are." Those words hurt!
[7.5/10] This one works best for the gags. The show finds tons of ways to poke fun at the financial world, from all the “trained professionals” in ape masks, to the guy in the Cayman Islands “oh crap”-ing his way through a customer’s secret illegal account, to Bart’s check-based hijinks.
Likewise, the show finds great humor with the government leaning on Krusty. I’m a big fan of all the IRS-based changes to Krusty’s show/restuarant/life. The auction sequence gets plenty of laughs. And even Krusty going “garnish my celery” is worth a chuckle. Hell, the show manages to wring humor out of Krusty’s apparent death. The “see ya real soon kids” gravestone leaves me in stitches. Troy McClure is the best host of anything ever. Plus, Homer crying at Bob Newhart’s rambling speech is the cherry on top. There’s so many laughs to be had here.
And yet, it’s a weirdly emotional episode for being such a goofy one. What really stood out to me on rewatch is what a good job Dan Castellaneta does as Krusty here. The show lets Krusty be genuinely bitter and angry when his life is taken away from him, allows him to be believably despondent and desperate while flying his plane, and both resentful and resigned to his new life when he’s Rory B. Bellows. Castellaneta goes hard in all phases of Krusty, making those emotions feel real in an episode that could have gotten away with them feeling cartoony. His performance adds a depth to a pretty strange and out there storyline for Krusty, giving it weight.
I also like Bart’s story here, where he feels guilty for accidentally upending Krusty’s life and becomes convinced that he’s the one to set things right. The mystery of this mysterious Krusty-like guy Bart keeps seeing happens way too quick, but is still solid in its construction, and again, manages to pack in a good amount of very funny nautical humor while they’re at it.
The ending is a little odd, but appropriately cynical for the show. Krusty resents his lower station and lack of “moolah”, but is eventually pulled back into his old life not because of a love of the game or the children he entertains, but for not letting those “eggheads” hog all the respect. There’s some salient commentary in the answer to Bart’s self-blame being that he needs to convince a TV Clown to seize back the undue esteem he enjoys over the hardworking but under-celebrated (and under-compensated) people in our society.
Overall, the plot here is out there and the episode moves through some of the beats at a herky-jerky pace, but the emotions feel legitimate which goes a long way toward making up for that, and the humor is top notch, which never hurts on a laugh out loud funny show like The Simpsons. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I sure could go for one-hundred tacos right about now...
"Let me in!"
It was weird from the start that "plastic surgery" was brought up as alibi, I thought it's very fishy. PS is not that good and quick these days. Glad it was resolved as it was. The weakest part were the scenes with Liv "normal" I must say. Best part perhaps the not-so-secret basement scenes and the follow up. Wow.
Did you notice, how Du Clark, after drinking that new SuperMax, got a little strain of hair that's white? It's too similar to freshly infected zombies to be normal and Major mentioned how that SuperMax stuff makes you aggressive. Du Clark seems to walk a very thin line between being human and becoming a zombie.
Overall a lot happened, Clive getting closer to the truth, Drake being the next "victim" of Major, Du Clark getting a bit heads on with Major, Blaine being morbidly hilarious, Liv discovering the, uhm, a truth about Drake...
I am eager to see where the Rita story will go now.
Ah, the writing in this show is simply stellar.
Missed that weekly dose of iZombie #Brainfood.
BTW: Season 3 confirmed!
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2016/03/11/the-flash-the-100-and-even-crazy-ex-girlfriend-renewed-all-11-cw-series-picked-up-for-2016-17/
The "let me in" part was surprisingly chilling, and it's notable how this show is able to change moods so skilfully. There is a LOT to keep track of now, and it's managing to keep me clear on what's what.
I agree with Ravi, normal-looking Liv was kind of weird!
I love the nod to the comic series with Liv's undercover name; 'Gwen Dylan'.
The narrative really isn't kind to Rita, is it? She was introduced as 'Gilda', Liv's new roomie and very soon after it was revealed to the audience she was a double agent - presenting her in a way that's not very flattering. I can't help but feel a bit bad for her, not only because her father is a complete tool but because from the moment she was revealed as a traitor she was set up to fail, or to die. And people would be happy when she did. I kinda hope if she survives to be in the remainder of the season they at least give her a decent ending - maybe have Liv give her a second chance when she finds out what's happened? Let Rita be Liv's new zombie buddy? I hope she doesn't end up a 'Romero Zombie'.
So far, the best episode of the season, full of revelations!!!
"I have a body, alright. Can't you just think of me as a sexual object?"
That ending was amazing. Top 3 episode candidate for season 2.
But the "rest" of the episode was great as well. I loved how they started the episode with the Friends topic.
Friends being my alltime favourite TV show, alongside X-Files and Stargate, was making that very enjoyable.
Liv being "clearly" a Rachel type, well. I disagree. She's perhaps rather a Pheobe type. Pheobe was always that crazy, weird person, that kinda fits Liv better with her brain antics. Although I might add a rather likeable Pheobe type, I hated that character in Friends.
But Ravi characterizing her has Rachel is a bit weird. Ravi could be a Ross type, the smart, geeky, nerdy guy. So, uhm.
He said Peyton is "Monica-esque", I'd say she is more Rachel than Liv. But knowing Ravi had sex with her would make him either Richard or Chandler then. Now, I do see a bit of a Chandler type in Ravi. Ah, well, he is kinda both, Ross and Chandler.
They are going an interesting route with Blaine and his henchman. Will he get his memories back at some point?
I really liked the quoted line above and the corresponding scene. Imagine Liv giving Major that awkward "lapdance" and saying it. Uhh. Nice to see good-for-nothing John Frost again. They are pretty consistent with the "mbie" street sign, great directing.
Liv finding out about Drake's graduation. That was sooo unexpected and just great!
And holy crap, Ravi cracking the safe, thinking Major is the Chao$ Killer. Whereas that isn't soo far away from the truth, though. But what actually happened at the end to him? Looked like he got into full zombie mode for a moment. Did he drink a MaxRager before (as in, was at "work"), so that triggered this as his "cure" is only temporary anyway? Or is that the first sign of him becoming a zombie again? What actually happens if you drink that aggressive making Rager stuff on a regular basis and you become a zombie again? Are you a more than normal aggressive zombie? I'm looking forward to next episode, seeing where this is going now.
So good! Glad Babs in the loop now!
Such a great episode! Amazing performance by Rahul Kohli at that one part.
Preparing an intense season finale
9.7/10. Just a brilliant, brilliant episode. There's a great laugh every ten seconds, from a newspaper headline that reads "Parade to Distract Joyless Citizenry" to a corporate sponsor saying "A pirate? That's hardly the image we want for Long John Silvers!" The story of the episode has a great mystery, with Lisa getting the bottom of the Jebediah Springfield story with plenty of twists and red herrings. Donald Sutherland is a great guest star, playing a bookish but devoted historian and giving him real character in just a few lines. And even the Homer and Lisa team-up element is very sweet and leads to a lot of great comedy.
And my god, Homer as the town crier is just nonstop hilarity. The way he steals the job in the first place (chooseth Homer, and he shall rock thy world), his general enthusiasm that leads to him criering on the phone, and his sad use of an old alarm clock when he looses the job are all just gold. This episode, as the series so often does, so perfectly captures all the little eccentricities of small town life, whether it be in the form of poorly done educational films about local films or the general jingoistic support of Jebediah in the town.
But what really sets this episode above is it's conclusion. I love Lisa being right and managing to prove it, but deciding that it's not worth bursting everyone's bubble. As much as I love Lisa as a character, she can often be a scold or right for the sake of being right, and in an episode where one intelligent person turns away from the truth for selfish reason, Lisa does the same thing for selfless reasons. It shows maturity, and her realizing that the message of Jebediah Springfield, whoever he really was, has value that transcends his personal history. It's an appropriately "great' resolution, and the way the episode ends with Homer returned to his criering job for the parade (he's not the official crier, but he's just "too damn good" according to Chief Wiggum) and Lisa on his shoulder is absolutely perfect.
It's a wonderful episode that manages to pack in a mystery, an interesting moral, well-observed details about these sorts of town celebrations, great character beats for Homer and Lisa, and oodles and oodles of laughs. This is an all-timer.
9.0/10 on a classic Simpsons scale. I don't know how much they were actually involved, but this episode feels like showrunners Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein's sensibilities in a nutshell. It was an out there adventure story with Bart, a more sweet, down-to-earth character story about Lisa and Homer, and even a mild bit of deconstruction with Marge hanging around at home by herself while everyone else is having adventures. It's all the kinds of stories they like and the sorts of things like to do.
What's especially nice is how it all fits together. A lot of the time, A-stories and B-stories feel like they're on separate tracks, with minimal to do with one another, even on The Simpsons. But here, the inciting incident of Go To Work With Your Parents Day kicks off all of the stories nicely, and little details like Lisa's concerns about secrecy with Homer eventually tying into the Bart story, or Homer and Lisa glaring at Bart when he lets out another fib while Marge beams with joy, make a diverse and varied episode feel like a unified whole.
The humor is on point, with the boys' travels providing the most consistent wacky laughs, Homer and Lisa providing the quieter but cute chuckles, and Marge offering the somewhat dark but undeniably amusing glumness. Overall, it's a stellar episode that does several things very well and even manages to make those things intersect in creative, enjoyable ways.
