This is the best episode so far! Just finished watching few minutes ago and unlike other episodes it was different and humorous. All I can say is this is the god damn episode and perfect way to end the season 9.
[7.8/10] The Simpsons doesn't normally go for the humor of the awkward. And yet there’s something about Marge and Homer’s humdrum anniversary, and sparkless attempts at romance, that evoke a sense of funny but mildly uncomfortable realism the show hadn’t really gone for since its earliest seasons. When we see Homer and Marge humorously fumbling around in the bedroom, or gamely going through the motions at a bed and breakfast, it’s still funny as hell, but it’s a different brand of humor than the more outsized show usually goes for.
The episode spends a surprising amount of time on that material. That’s not a knock. Between the unfortunate misadventures at the wonderfully-imagined “Up, Up, and Buffet”, the failed attempts to “rock the kasbah”, and the strained enthusiasm in a doily-filled love nest are all amusing, but also help motivate why Homer and Marge would go to such lengths to rekindle the flame.
In fairness, some of that material still gets pretty out there. The notion that the prospect getting caught in flagrante is strangely exciting for the long-married couple is a solid, if semi-exaggerated premise. The two of them sneaking around a B&B or otherwise finding surreptitious ways to snuggle is a fun, silly bit. But by the time it gets to them being caught in a mini-golf windmill and going on a grand naked escape through Springfield, the realism slips away quickly.
Still, as zany as some of that material gets, most of it is fun and entertainingly absurd. (Homer and the crystal cathedral is a ridiculous but hilarious bit.) It’s unrealistic, but a fun “be careful what you wish for” third act for Homer and Marge, even if it feels designed for the then-envelope-pushing FOX network to try to throw a little sizzle into its season finale.
The B-story is a trifle, but an entertaining one, as Bart and Lisa’s metal detector quest ends with a sappy, action movie-inspired alternate ending to Casablanca. It’s barely a story, but as an excuse for a little Bart and Lisa antics, and to riff on an old movie, it’s a lot of fun. The humor in this one is also on point, with little gags and packed in jokes that are worth a good laugh even apart from the larger story. Everything from Old Jewish Man mistaking Bart and Lisa for fellow seniors, to the dark gag of Marge’s awkward laugh when Homer recounts worrying that Bart would be a dimwit given how drunk his parents were during his conception, is quite chuckle-worthy.
Overall, this is a different sort of Simpsons episode, one that marries some awkward realism with a really out there bunch of sequences in its final act, but which finds a lot of good comedy and well-observed bits about long-term relationships in both.
This is the best episode so far! Just finished watching few minutes ago and unlike other episodes it was different and humorous. All I can say is this is the god damn episode and perfect way to end the season 9.
This is the best episode so far! Just finished watching few minutes ago and unlike other episodes it was different and humorous. All I can say is this is the god damn episode and perfect way to end the season 9.
Shout by TheLazyReviewerBlockedParent2022-01-12T10:35:34Z
Another pretty good episode, and one of those ones that as a kid, that stood out as special, as the network advertised this heaps because of the "raunchy nature" of the episode (other special episodes were, "who shot mr. burns", "Simpsons in NYC", "the 3D Treehouse of Horror", etc.)
The joke of the tracking dog sniffing Homer's underpants to identify his scent and running off, and Wiggum revealing he only had 1 day left until retirement, is amazing.
Also, side note and a bit weird, but Marge looks infinitely better with her hair down. To save money on hair product and stuff, surely she would just wear her hair down.