[9.5/10] What a brilliant, lovely episode. For one thing, this one is just hilarious. Homer’s tomfoolery in the courtroom, in his parenting class, and just around the house leads to no end of knee-slappers. The juxtaposition between Homer and Marge’s relaxation at a local spa and the perfect storm of unfortunate events happening at home each add up to hilarity. And the glimpse we get inside the “Pat Boone-ish” confines of the Flanders home offers no end of laughs. This one is as funny as the day is long.
But it’s also sweet and heartfelt. Beneath all the ridiculousness is here is a story of two kids who miss their parents and two parents who miss their kids. That’s what keeps this one grounded and even touching. As goofy as the proceedings get in places, writer Jon Vitti takes Bart and Lisa’s discomfort in a new environment and wistfulness about their parents seriously, at the same time he takes Homer and Marge’s plight at not having their kids just as seriously. He and the writers’ room mine the situation for great comedy, but grounds it in real emotion to make this one hit just as hard.
There’s also the genius Maggie subplot. I love the idea of Maggie not having been a Simpson as long and Bart and Lisa have, thus making her more susceptible to Flanderization (the non-TV Tropes kind). At the same time, the episode includes lots of little gags about Homer only being vaguely aware of his youngest daughter’s existence, making it all the more likely that she’d drift over to doting Ned and Maude. But that just makes it all the sweeter when Marge arrives, Maggie reaches for her mother, and the two twirl in the glory of reunion (with a chuckle-worthy burp to seal the deal). Not even the county can keep the Simpsons apart forever, and their coming back together is one of the show’s all time sweetest moments.
This is an all-timer, one that has wall-to-wall laughs, a great setup in Bart and Lisa’s removal by the state and the closing baptism set piece, and which packs in the melancholy and heart of separation and reunion. One of the show’s best.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-02-18T03:12:58Z
[9.5/10] What a brilliant, lovely episode. For one thing, this one is just hilarious. Homer’s tomfoolery in the courtroom, in his parenting class, and just around the house leads to no end of knee-slappers. The juxtaposition between Homer and Marge’s relaxation at a local spa and the perfect storm of unfortunate events happening at home each add up to hilarity. And the glimpse we get inside the “Pat Boone-ish” confines of the Flanders home offers no end of laughs. This one is as funny as the day is long.
But it’s also sweet and heartfelt. Beneath all the ridiculousness is here is a story of two kids who miss their parents and two parents who miss their kids. That’s what keeps this one grounded and even touching. As goofy as the proceedings get in places, writer Jon Vitti takes Bart and Lisa’s discomfort in a new environment and wistfulness about their parents seriously, at the same time he takes Homer and Marge’s plight at not having their kids just as seriously. He and the writers’ room mine the situation for great comedy, but grounds it in real emotion to make this one hit just as hard.
There’s also the genius Maggie subplot. I love the idea of Maggie not having been a Simpson as long and Bart and Lisa have, thus making her more susceptible to Flanderization (the non-TV Tropes kind). At the same time, the episode includes lots of little gags about Homer only being vaguely aware of his youngest daughter’s existence, making it all the more likely that she’d drift over to doting Ned and Maude. But that just makes it all the sweeter when Marge arrives, Maggie reaches for her mother, and the two twirl in the glory of reunion (with a chuckle-worthy burp to seal the deal). Not even the county can keep the Simpsons apart forever, and their coming back together is one of the show’s all time sweetest moments.
This is an all-timer, one that has wall-to-wall laughs, a great setup in Bart and Lisa’s removal by the state and the closing baptism set piece, and which packs in the melancholy and heart of separation and reunion. One of the show’s best.