[7.1/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale] I think it’s best to think of this episode as an extended Treehouse of Horror episode. It’s not just because the episode goes to some pretty bonkers places, but because it has that tone, where the characters are a little thinner and cartoonier, the plot is a little more rapid-fire and weightless, and the project rises or falls on the strength of its gags.
There is some social commentary here: on the state of the internet, on new and old media, on conspiracy theories. In some ways, it’s hopelessly dated (the specific gags about Homer’s website and even the look of his computer places this one very clearly in the year 2000). But in others, its bit about made-up conspiracies spreading like wildfire and people questioning what sources they can trust to have journalistic integrity amid the muck-raking are all too applicable in an age with dangerous nonsense like “pizzagate” and frequent declarations of “fake news.”
The episode is also just kind of frantic. Homer goes from screwing around on the internet to being an accidental but still legitimate muckraker, to being a Drudge-style conspiracy perpetuator, to being at the center of an act-long homage to The Prisoner. The whole thing is pretty manic, with no part of the episode resting long enough to really breathe.
Still, as loony as this one is, a lot of the individual gags are good. I’ve only seen bits and pieces of The Prisoner, but it feels like a good match for writer John Swartzwelder particular brand of absurdity. There’s also some really dark gags in this one, between Homer’s “they’re with god now” line about the orphans, to a flu-ridden Todd’s plea for mommy, which feels like it became more of a thing during showrunner Mike Scully’s tenure. Swartzwelder humor style is basically fully unadulterated here, meaning there’s a solid number of good laughs, but not much that they’re built around.
To the point, this episode goes pretty far off the rails in the third act, the point where the installment feels at its most THoH-esque. It doesn't really have an ending or resolution, just kind of rolling everything into the parody and letting that be that.
Still, overall, this one is enjoyable for its not necessarily connected constituent parts, its weird spoof, and the bits of commentary baked in. They don’t all work together to make a complete episode necessarily, but there’s plenty of enjoyable individual moment.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2019-05-29T16:05:47Z
[7.1/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale] I think it’s best to think of this episode as an extended Treehouse of Horror episode. It’s not just because the episode goes to some pretty bonkers places, but because it has that tone, where the characters are a little thinner and cartoonier, the plot is a little more rapid-fire and weightless, and the project rises or falls on the strength of its gags.
There is some social commentary here: on the state of the internet, on new and old media, on conspiracy theories. In some ways, it’s hopelessly dated (the specific gags about Homer’s website and even the look of his computer places this one very clearly in the year 2000). But in others, its bit about made-up conspiracies spreading like wildfire and people questioning what sources they can trust to have journalistic integrity amid the muck-raking are all too applicable in an age with dangerous nonsense like “pizzagate” and frequent declarations of “fake news.”
The episode is also just kind of frantic. Homer goes from screwing around on the internet to being an accidental but still legitimate muckraker, to being a Drudge-style conspiracy perpetuator, to being at the center of an act-long homage to The Prisoner. The whole thing is pretty manic, with no part of the episode resting long enough to really breathe.
Still, as loony as this one is, a lot of the individual gags are good. I’ve only seen bits and pieces of The Prisoner, but it feels like a good match for writer John Swartzwelder particular brand of absurdity. There’s also some really dark gags in this one, between Homer’s “they’re with god now” line about the orphans, to a flu-ridden Todd’s plea for mommy, which feels like it became more of a thing during showrunner Mike Scully’s tenure. Swartzwelder humor style is basically fully unadulterated here, meaning there’s a solid number of good laughs, but not much that they’re built around.
To the point, this episode goes pretty far off the rails in the third act, the point where the installment feels at its most THoH-esque. It doesn't really have an ending or resolution, just kind of rolling everything into the parody and letting that be that.
Still, overall, this one is enjoyable for its not necessarily connected constituent parts, its weird spoof, and the bits of commentary baked in. They don’t all work together to make a complete episode necessarily, but there’s plenty of enjoyable individual moment.