Hi!! Obviously there’s been some drama on the wiki for the past few days but now it’s all clear I thought it would be nice to share some light hearted opinions! Of course if you disagree with any that’s totally valid, I’d love to hear your opinions (as long as you keep it respectful. Last time one particular episode got a bit controversial haha /nm)
Also I haven’t been able to rewatch most of these episodes so I’m probably missing out some major things to discuss, although knowing me some of these will be really long anyway, but either way these are my opinions on the episodes & this is an open discussion!! 🧡
A Serious Flanders (1 & 2) - I am aware that this episode is one of the highest rated episodes ever, at first I wasn’t super drawn to it since action isn’t my thing at all, but after seeing some other reviews & reading about why people love it my opinion has changed! I love this two part episode & I think it’s a really great way for the writers to show their love for Fargo! After considering it a lot I think this is something I would like to see more of in the show, I usually find live action shows too serious for me to be interested, but having the exact same story animated really draws me into it & keeps me hooked just the right amount to enjoy the seriousness while still having something more visually lighthearted. Maybe that’s why I enjoy live action fantasy such as Harry Potter; it’s something that would make sense to be animated haha! Anyways I loved this take on Flanders & them acknowledging that he’s not a perfect man but that he is a good person at heart, also him going to lengths as far as having an affair with a married woman & stealing back money from charity just so he could return it to the rightful owner. I loved that, & Homer being portrayed as a hero but only Marge & the viewers can see what he truly meant by his actions was pretty cool, normally we’re not given perspectives like that in The Simpsons (unless my mind has just gone blank haha). I liked the flash forward a lot. Also I loved the introduction to Sideshow Mel’s wife who turned out to really not be that great (also I found it very interesting that she was dressed like a mix between Maude & Helen, but with entirely Maude’s colour scheme, almost as if to symbolise that Ned finds comfort in her & is going to fall for her at some point in the episode even if he changes his mind later).
Portrait Of A Lackey On Fire - After reading the description, I was worried it was going to be exactly the same as The Burns Cage which don’t get me wrong is an AMAZING episode, genuinely one of my favourites, but I didn’t want a copy of that episode & my hopes weren’t too high since that’s what I was expecting. Boy was I wrong. This episode was amazing in my opinion, & it really REALLY showed just how good of a person Smithers is (& even Mr. Burns to some degree). I loved the beginning when Smithers was with the hounds & the puppies, it was super sweet & then it showed him being pretty upset at how lonely he was, & how it has started to become a burden on him. Homer trying to find him a boyfriend was also incredibly sweet & it shows that Homer has empathy & actually really cares about his boss, since it didn’t seem like his motives were about money this time. When Michael De Graaf showed up & bonded with Smithers only for Smithers to reveal later than he didn’t even care about fashion it was so nice & it was great to see WHY Smithers loves who he loves. He loves them because he can see the best in them as people, not because of fame of fortune. Also Homer’s reaction with the little hand hearts my goodness he was adorable. The date was super sweet & Luigi being so supportive was as well & then his mum showed up- lol. Marge being super excited & invested in Smithers’ love life was really charming & reminded me of the episode about the Christmas movie in Springfield (I can’t remember the name) where she was gleefully self aware of being the “quirky best friend” & I think that’s always such a cute trait for Marge, she fits the role so well imo. The party was cute & the “top” joke was- it was awful but it was glorious, it actually made me scream if I’m being completely honest, both out of genuine laughter & discomfort HAHA. Also Luigi’s mum coming out as a lesbian, explaining that her homophobia was because of self hatred, that was such a welcome surprise in my opinion & I know she’s only fictional, but I’m proud of her anyway, because that is something I have seen first hand in real life. Anyways cut to later when it is revealed that Michael is a horrible person & Smithers TRIES to brush it off because of course he can only really see the best in people (same, bro), & he goes to Mr. Burns & asks for advice only to be met with “she”, “her”, “woman”, “Michelle”, & then all of a sudden “Smithers, marry that man right now!! So you have to pretend to be gay, who cares?” Like the constant oblivion but full on support was SO funny, I think that was my favourite scene lol. Smithers goes back to Michael but then he kicks a puppy & Smithers then IMMEDIATELY breaks up with him 👏👏 great choice. That scene disgusted me in terms of Michael’s actions but I genuinely loved it, I’m so glad that scene was in the episode. The end of the episode was bittersweet, I’m glad he got to discuss his feelings with Homer & Marge, & ofc he got to keep that puppy, but ofc he is possibly back to the burden he felt at the beginning. The post credits scene was pretty wholesome, I loved seeing Smithers yet again seeing the best in a man he loves, but this time being met with compliance. Mr. Burns is obviously power hungry & kinda likes making people miserable because he finds it fun, but he is capable of recognising his bad actions & he listened to Smithers when he asked him to do something less selfish (& he clearly enjoyed the jigsaw puzzle). I think that scene was supposed to show that Mr. Burns is capable of good & that he IS a good person deep down, whereas all of Michael’s goodness was just on the surface. I truly love this episode, it’s my second favourite of the season :))
Mothers & Other Strangers - This episode I have only seen once (as with the rest after this) but oh my god okay first off, the way it started was so cute but sad with Homer reliving trauma he had from Mona leaving & not really remembering her as well as he wished. The rest of the episode being a flashback immediately added to the emotions & I may have cried at this one hehe. I love Mona episodes because it always shows Homer’s relationship with his parents & each one paints a new picture with each of them. As we have seen from past episodes, Homer & Abe’s relationship is far from perfect & at times can be extremely toxic but this episodes highlights that despite their differences, they do truly love & care about each other & they both have the same wants & desires. The scene on the car is what I remember best, it was so incredibly sweet & I felt truly immersed in the moment. It was lovely. I loved the Mona scenes as well although in all honesty I only vaguely remember two, one of them being a bit too vague to review (the rock scene where Homer was running towards Mona & Abe got stuck & Homer had to choose between the sweet one who traumatised him by leaving or the toxic/traumatised one who still does love & look after him). The other one was when she saw teenage Homer from the window of the diner she was in aka the scene before what I just mentioned where she got excited & was ready to reunite with him, but had been tracked down & had to leave before they could properly meet. That was really powerful in my opinion & showed that their entire relationship is love & longing that is just beyond their reach, especially considering how in the present she came back & saw Homer a few times before dying & being forced to permanently leave him yet again, making their love & longing even stronger. I did genuinely love this episode, I wish it was clearer in my head still.
A Made Maggie - I saw the beginning of this episode on TV twice on Christmas despite the fact that it’s still not even out in my region but oh well. The beginning was pretty fun, I liked the Harry Potter world & the jokes to do with that but it wasn’t that relevant to the episode so moving on! Now I don’t remember too much of this episode other than it shows that (Fit) Fat Tony is actually really kind towards small children & has a good side to him. I am never really a fan of Fat Tony episodes & I’m not totally sure why, I think they just have a different vibe to the episodes I usually gravitate towards, but this one was pretty good. I love that he genuinely did love Maggie & that he tried to love her like his own child, but he recognised that the mafia was no place for her & that he probably wasn’t the best person to be her godfather. I liked seeing the good side to Fat Tony, it reminded me a little bit of his relationship with Ralph in Uncut Femmes which is an episode I REALLY enjoyed. Overall this episode wasn’t my favourite but I didn’t dislike it at all! It’s just personally not my kind of episode however I can appreciate it because it was very well written & still very sweet.
The Longest Marge - To be honest I may have missed the point of this episode but it felt quite out of place & I don’t really know why it was made..? But I’m not a sports person at all & so I may just not understand the significance. The guest star was pretty wholesome & although I’m not sure who he actually is, he was a very fun character & I loved his relationship with Marge. One scene from this episode that I really liked was actually at the VERY beginning where they were at the plant & they were watching the game & then their team won & Lenny & Carl held each other like proud parents, that scene was adorable haha. I don’t have much else to say about this one to be honest. I don’t think this was a bad episode, I don’t think bad episodes even exist to be honest, I think this just personally isn’t my cup of tea, which is what I think “bad episodes” are to be honest. I have no problems with the writing or the characters, I’m just really not a sports person but the characters were adorable in this episode & I wouldn’t hate to watch it again, I’ll certainly rewatch it when it airs on Sky TV :))
Sorry for how long this was!! I clearly had a lot to say about the first two haha! This actually took me a whole hour to write lol. Like I said before, by all means feel free to share your own opinions, but please keep it respectful, this is just meant to be some fun, lighthearted commentary, I enjoy episode reviews hehe!! 🧡
