[7.3/10] Solid outing for the show. There’s a nice structure to this one, with Homer’s status of being hopelessly out of shape in comparison to Bart’s T.V. idol being established in the first act, Homer secretly becoming buff (or, buff-ish) with help from that idol in the second act, and him struggling to climb The Murderhorn to impress his son in the third act. It also has a nice emotional arc in that sense, with Homer not just working out to feel better but to regain the respect of his son. It creates stakes and a spine that help give the jokes a direction and purpose.
And it’s good humor! Between ragging on generic action movie bad guys via McBain (I love the “commie-nazis” as villains, Homer not understanding what a “giyme” is, and the gag about Homer’s “health bar” of choice being made of apple cores and chinese newspapers, there’s plenty to laugh at her. Brendan Fraser has a great outing as one of the Power Sauce execs, and the pair’s constant shilling is a great source of laughs in the episode. Plus, Grampa is in rare form, with his warning about Homer not dying “the way I did” and his dentures falling out and fitting perfectly in his deceased pal’s bite wound.
Overall, a little out there as premises go, but a very soundly-built episode with plenty of good jokes to keep things moving.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2017-08-14T00:54:10Z
[7.3/10] Solid outing for the show. There’s a nice structure to this one, with Homer’s status of being hopelessly out of shape in comparison to Bart’s T.V. idol being established in the first act, Homer secretly becoming buff (or, buff-ish) with help from that idol in the second act, and him struggling to climb The Murderhorn to impress his son in the third act. It also has a nice emotional arc in that sense, with Homer not just working out to feel better but to regain the respect of his son. It creates stakes and a spine that help give the jokes a direction and purpose.
And it’s good humor! Between ragging on generic action movie bad guys via McBain (I love the “commie-nazis” as villains, Homer not understanding what a “giyme” is, and the gag about Homer’s “health bar” of choice being made of apple cores and chinese newspapers, there’s plenty to laugh at her. Brendan Fraser has a great outing as one of the Power Sauce execs, and the pair’s constant shilling is a great source of laughs in the episode. Plus, Grampa is in rare form, with his warning about Homer not dying “the way I did” and his dentures falling out and fitting perfectly in his deceased pal’s bite wound.
Overall, a little out there as premises go, but a very soundly-built episode with plenty of good jokes to keep things moving.