[6.7/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale] The bones of this one are fine. We’ve done “Marge gets an entrepreneurial interest” before, but what bit hasn’t The Simpsons done before? The same goes for the emotional contingent of the episode, with Bart’s confession about lying to his mom, and Marge having the boost of feeling like she’s helping people and being financially successful. There’s no core complaint here -- the episode checks enough boxes on progressing the story and grounding it in the characters -- it’s all just a little flat and less than compelling in execution.
Some of that is the pacing. The progress from Marge’s initial interest in crystal-sales to turf war to giving up the whole thing is a little fast. But even then, it’s not bad, with the semi-subplot of Lisa trying to figure out Bart’s cheating secret working as a solid change of pace. That said, the reveal of Bart’s actual scheme is pretty lame and implausible.
And the humor is just “okay” as well. For an industry as ripe for satire as “natural healing crystals”, The Simpsons’s blows are pretty soft. There’s tons of good crystal puns, and the standard but still amusing fantasy sequence that includes some visual puns, but not a lot of true knee-slappers or incisive/comedic observations. Homer playacting as retired/a homemaker was a running gag without much teeth, some bits were overly cartoony and overextended like Bart’s symptoms, and the guest stars were mostly wasted (save for Werner Herzog who is a treat wherever he pops up).
Overall, this one isn’t bad by any stretch. It’s a perfectly respectable post-classic outing, but there’s not much that distinguishes it or makes it memorable either.
Shout by RothSothyBlockedParent2019-05-13T05:49:16Z
I've always wondered whether birth stones and such really work as a luck charm :gem:, so it was interesting to see how The Simpsons handled that topic.. and oooh that Sharpie sisters cult would be an interesting premise for a horror flick :older_woman:
See you guys next season!:wave: