34x07 From Beer to Paternity

[7.3/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale] I like the basic idea of this one. There’s some nice general spoofing of folks slow to recognize the changing norms in the treatment of women, and satire of the “father of daughters” dodge. I like the idea of turning Duffman into more of a character, since it’s good to find new depths in tertiary characters as we hit season 34. And I like the comic mismatch of Duffman thinking Homer’s a great dad because of how well Lisa turned out, with the irony being that Homer’s devotion to Duffman is a sign that he’s far from the world’s greatest father.

My beef is -- where is the ending to this? Duffman is estranged from his daughter, and never really makes up for the reason they ended up losing contact. He’s still a party hearty guy. Him saving her from a runaway keg with a literal “chick magnet” is all well and good, but does nothing to address the central problem between them. I guess Duffman hands over the crayon drawing his daughter did as a kid, showing that he always cared by him holding onto it, which is a start. I just wish they did more to show that Duffman genuinely changed his ways, at least a little, to earn his daughter’s trust again.

The same goes for the Homer/Lisa contingent of this one. I like the dispute between them. Homer shamelessly using Lisa as a prop to get close to Duffman, much as Duffman himself did, and Lisa getting fed up with it, is a strong conflict. But they never really resolve that either! There’s a pointed, coded conversation between them about Duffman’s relationship with his daughter that's actually about their relationship. I like that conversation! And I ike that it ends on a hopeful note! But they never really close the loop on Homer showing he’s learned something from this and likewise is ready to make it up to Lisa in some way. I guess the fact that we get a two-second post-credit scene of them at the Agatha CHristie museum is supposed to be him making it up to Lisa, but it’s pretty meager.

All that aside, the humor in this one is solid. Again, the satire about how older celebs put their foot in their mouths when it comes to women is sound. The gags about going to a mascot convention are cute. There’s some fun word play throughout. And despite the fact that I’m not much of a mystery buff, the Agatha Christie gags got some chuckles out of me.

All-in-all, this has the hallmarks of a good Matt Selman-run episode, including a timeliness, and emotional core, and a willingness to explore unheralded characters. But the inability to nail the landing brings this one down a bit.