7.7/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale. There's a lot to knock this episode for. Homer's perspective and advice on how to deal with women is pretty retrograde (as is the whole nodding routine) and even though it doesn't quite work as planned, it's given far more credence with far too little resistance or consequences. The Mars One guys were pretty bland, laughless characters who couldn't hold up as new age Silicon Valley corporate types when compared to Hank Scorpio, or even the Powersauce guys. There's a basic idea of them as shysters, but the performances were flat, and their characterization was minimal. Finally, the opening bit about Homer and Bart getting extra jollies (and flavor) from eggs that had been purloined from Flanders was mean-spirited (even for the usual Homer vs. Flanders antagonism) and half-baked, if you'll pardon the pun.
But on the other hand, there's a solid emotional undercurrent to the main story about Lisa wanting to blast off and Marge playing a (thematically consistent) game of chicken with her over it. The twist that Marge's life as homemaker had been unexpectedly great training for space travel was superb, and it led to some solid material that delved into the relationship between Lisa and Marge, with Lisa balancing her jealousy with a patronizing view of her mother that prompts Marge to double down on her commitment to the space program. There's good character beats for both of them, and it makes the episode better than its weaker parts portended on that account, particularly their final moment of reconciliation inside the rocketship.
It wasn't surprising to me that this was a Matt Selman showrun episode, because his episodes on the show tend to air on the side of a character-focused story, even when there's a lot of other fluff packed in. The quality of the Lisa/Marge material definitely helped to balance out the rest of the less-than-successful elements of the episode here.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2016-03-21T19:59:59Z
7.7/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale. There's a lot to knock this episode for. Homer's perspective and advice on how to deal with women is pretty retrograde (as is the whole nodding routine) and even though it doesn't quite work as planned, it's given far more credence with far too little resistance or consequences. The Mars One guys were pretty bland, laughless characters who couldn't hold up as new age Silicon Valley corporate types when compared to Hank Scorpio, or even the Powersauce guys. There's a basic idea of them as shysters, but the performances were flat, and their characterization was minimal. Finally, the opening bit about Homer and Bart getting extra jollies (and flavor) from eggs that had been purloined from Flanders was mean-spirited (even for the usual Homer vs. Flanders antagonism) and half-baked, if you'll pardon the pun.
But on the other hand, there's a solid emotional undercurrent to the main story about Lisa wanting to blast off and Marge playing a (thematically consistent) game of chicken with her over it. The twist that Marge's life as homemaker had been unexpectedly great training for space travel was superb, and it led to some solid material that delved into the relationship between Lisa and Marge, with Lisa balancing her jealousy with a patronizing view of her mother that prompts Marge to double down on her commitment to the space program. There's good character beats for both of them, and it makes the episode better than its weaker parts portended on that account, particularly their final moment of reconciliation inside the rocketship.
It wasn't surprising to me that this was a Matt Selman showrun episode, because his episodes on the show tend to air on the side of a character-focused story, even when there's a lot of other fluff packed in. The quality of the Lisa/Marge material definitely helped to balance out the rest of the less-than-successful elements of the episode here.