[8.1/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale] It’s funny, this episode has a number of things that I would normally damn a double-digit season episode for. It has some pop culture references that really date it, from the No Country For Old Men homage, to the Miley Cyrus pastiche, to even the presence of Ellen Page who was at her post-Juno peak. On top of that, the episode’s also a bit formless, drifting through different problems and storylines without much focus.
And yet, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable episode. Homer and Marge reliving their days as young twenty-somethings with a “love nest” via their Waverly Hills apartment delves into some hoary relationship tropes at times, but there’s also a kind of sweet/sad/cute vibe to the whole things that really clicks. (Maybe it’s just the slow motion and score).
The entire premise of buying a crappy apartment in a nice town in order to get into a better school is a solid one. I like the conflict that Lisa is still not cool enough to be popular, but at Waverly Elementary she’s also not smart enough to be a brain, giving her a loss of identity. The idea that Bart spreads rumors about her friendship with “Alaska Nebraska” to boost her social standing is a nice instance of him using his devious skills to help rather than hurt his sister and (at least temporarily) solve both problems. And his deal with Chief Wiggum to make himself into the school’s ultimate bad boy in exchange for attending Ralph’s party is a nice lark.
Plus, the damn thing’s just funny. Sure, some of the humor is reference-heavy, and there’s more cutaway gags than I like in The Simpsons, but the laughs are there, particularly in random bits like Lisa’s fellow Waverly Hills students wanting to kill her because she’s in last year’s shoes in a nice mini-swerve. This is funnier than the average post-classic episode, which goes a long way. Overall, a definite highlight of this era of the show.
Shout by KevibVIP 3BlockedParent2023-12-18T20:27:32Z
Quite a good episode,first time they mention the wii, I think.