Rate & Review: "My Mother the Carjacker" (EABF18)

[Cole]

Glenn Close returns as Homer's mother, this time on her way to jail - at least she was before Homer decides to hijack the prison bus she's on
Thread will open after the episode airs.

Mods: feel free to edit the poll with clever voting options.

[Mr.Bunny]

Ok, I dont want to get into a big long speech. I just thought it was a great episode. It had great jokes, a good story, emotions, good characterization, and it didnt ruin a classic episode. I think it deserves a 5/5
It seemed to me like a classic episode. From the good years.

[SpongeBob No Pants]

great episode

the ending was a little uneven (as i felt it should have been more emotional then funny as it was)

its good to see an episode with a developed story

jokes were great, i'll have to watch it again to catch them all

overall i grade the episode

4/5


P.S. was that glenn close playing mona because it sounded different from the last time we saw her

[Charmy]

Act I
The plot moves fast and things are given questionable explanations to get them out of the way quick (Homer accidentally finding the message is pretty unbelievable, the macaroni pencil holder). It didn’t quite flow from scene to scene properly either. People were worried Bart came along as a straight-man, but in fact there’s really no reason for him to be there at all. It’s pretty pointless. Homer also has a bit of jerkishness in a few bits but nothing major. I loved the Tokyo Rose thing.

Act II
There’s some questionable Burns characterization. The courtroom scenes were tedious and unfunny. The fact that Mona Simpson is busted twice is stupid and really only slows down the episode. Cut it down to one bust, on the germ charges and not the national park thing, and it would be better. The montage of bonding moments was pretty good but should have taken place before the bust on Mona. What really bugs me is the last scene: it started emotionally but the ‘stop n’ go’ gag ruined the moment.

Act III
The only really emotional moment comes early here with the One-Hour Photo/Picture Montage. I enjoyed this quite a bit. Mona’s death and the funeral scene are pretty pathetic, and only slightly redeemed by the fact that Mona isn’t dead. The ending was okay, but still pretty lackluster: it looked like they were trying to have an ending similar to Mother Simpson, with Homer not knowing if he’d ever see his mom again, but it just didn’t work on the same level as the original.

Overall I give it an 8/10; it improved just enough on the second viewing to earn that.

[kevin]

Good, they didn't ruin "Mother Simpson"
Pretty good stuff 4/5
Lenny's last name is "Leonard"

"I hope this bus ride never ends.....Because I'm getting executed when I get off."

[Andy]

The ending? Probably one of the better ones, considering the fact they decided to do that right turn at the end. Not as good as Mother Simpson, but still a decent follow-up. Good, funny, and that montage at the third act was pretty cool. Very impressed.

[Clarence]

Did you break your apostrophie key Charmy?

By the way , 7/10.

[IdRathaHavaBeer]

Was pretty funny, weird ending as usual but I guess I'll give it a 7/10.

[The General]

The episode started out good with jokes like Maggie playing with the rat, and the line "This counts as a bath". I didnt like the strt of the Homer hugging a bum loke, but it was saved when Homer sotle his wine. I liked all the jokes in this episode. I thaught it was sad when Homer lost his mom again and whwn he didnt get to read the last hidden message she sent to him. I was expecting not to like this episode because I absolutely HATED THOH XIV, but I loved this episode. 5/5.

[Voodoo Monkey]

2/5

Terrible, terrible, terrible.
How could anyone consider this good?
I thought it was really bad.
Sure, it didn't completely ruin Mother Simspon, but

Some people will say it did.
U liked it more than I did.
Crap, this was crap.
Kent Brockman had the only funny parts.
Erection instead of election was low, even for FOX in 2003
Disappointing.

[Glavin]

This episode was alright, not great. As far as the jokes go it was like most recent episodes (which is saying very little). But one thing that i thought was bad was that there was no sub-plot of secondary story. This has been the case in many recent episodes and i think is the main reason i have not been as into it as i was in the good ol days.

2/5

[Stackhouse]

I thought it was fairly good... some parts didn't flow very well (seems Tomacco's source was right) but I did enjoy seeing Mother "Mona" Simpson again, and I felt it definetly did not ruin 'Mother Simpson'. Most of the time it was funny, and I was glad that it did succeed in being emotional at most times. It could've been better... but it was pretty fine as is.

And, the "A Beautiful Mind" parody was wonderful.

B+ (Better than last week)

[Sorrydude]

Awful. This episode was like the 1960s...shrill and pointless.

[Moose of Doom!]

Multiple occasions of scenes going off on wild tangents, bad one-liners, a terrible ending that went no where, and (a current trend that's REALLY bothering me) sitcom-esque delivery.

2/5

[Tomacco]

I thought it was great, personally.
Starting backwards, my only problem was the final lines of the episode. Having her talk about clam chowder wasn't really how I would like to have ended the episode, but it didn't really change the story. I think it would have worked better if they had just showed the message and ended it. But this is a minor problem.
I laughed a lot at many jokes, such as Homer writing to TV shows, all the Beautiful Mind stuff, some of the courtroom stuff, 60's references, etc etc. I also thought it had some good emotion in it, and the chaotic scenes really never got overly chaotic. Sweet episode.

5/5

PS: Why'd they cut the bedtime scene (Mona kissing Homer to sleep).
PPS: We know her name's Mona now.

[The General]

Originally posted by Voodoo Monkey
2/5

Terrible, terrible, terrible.
How could anyone consider this good?
I thought it was really bad.
Sure, it didn't completely ruin Mother Simspon, but

Some people will say it did.
U liked it more than I did.
Crap, this was crap.
Kent Brockman had the only funny parts.
Erection instead of election was low, even for FOX in 2003
Disappointing.

OMG! Did you even see this episode? It was awesome! And FYI the erection instead of election thing is parodying Jay Leno's "Headlines" segment. And hey! You stole my wine!

[Eddie]

:-O What the--?! Did I really just witness that? Huh? What was going on? That was probably the worst editing and plot pacing of any episode ever. There were only a handful of laughs, and everything else was mostly just weak smiles. Glenn Close sure didn't sound like she wanted to be there, and the ending was terrible. A completely nonsensical, run-of-the-mill, and utterly bland episode. 5/10

[newhook_1]

4/5 I thought they did a good job. My only gripe like many others, is how poorly the ending was handled. I wish they had ended it at the point where we see "Homer Your Mother Loves You" in the paper.

Judge Snider had me laughing out loud with his lines, "Give me a break, my wife divorced me this morning!"

Oh and the shot at Leno when Homer had his crappy headlines on the black bristol board was classic stuff.

[ShadowBun]

Act 1: Started off a little iffy, with some mediocre writing in spots. I really liked Homer's attempts at finding a good headline, but the stuff before that involving Marge's T-shirt kinda dragged and didn't really have many funny gags. The table scene where Homer is showing the various headlines was good. I liked how they showed throughout the episode how much Mona meant to her son, and that Homer would do everything in his power to protect her. The first act, however, wasn't terribly funny overall. Nice idea with the first-letter thing. 3/5

Act 2: It picks up a bit here...for some inexplicable reason, I loved that section of the courtroom scene where Homer and the rest of the people are just staring at each other. Is Gil still their lawyer? Mel was pretty funny, but I think it went on for a bit too long (like many things in the episode)...I kinda liked the fact that it was Mel, though. Burns and the ether wasn't too good, but he went back to his classic evil self by the time he arrested Mona at the steps. I could actually empathize with Homer by the end of the episode, but one less stop and go gag would've ended it better (AGAIN, something going on for too long!). Good montage scenes. 4/5

Act 3: As opposed to many new episodes, the THIRD act of this episode was actually the best! The writing was smoother, the plot flow was good, and a chase scene actually WORKED. Again, I thought they did a really good job with Homer's emotions when Mona's bus went off the cliff. The funeral was just too short for my liking, but...by the time Homer was speaking to his mom's casket, something about it all made me feel really depressed. I thought they actually killed her, and the show suddenly had a dark overtone. I may be alone in this, but I loved the last scene (IMOK), with the family's reactions (funny Grimey grave). The entire death thing made me sad, really, and that was quite impressive (the last episode to do that was the last act of The Frying Game). The episode ended sweetly though, with Mona's "Homer, your mom loves you" message...it could've been a little warmer, but good ending overall. 5/5

Overall: The last act saves this episode with some good emotion and good lines. 4/5 or maybe even 4.5/5...somewhere between B+ and A-. It doesn't ruin the first Mother Simpson episode, but it's not as good as it. Good premiere, just a little uneven in quality throughout.

EDIT: Yeah, it would've ended better with just "Homer, your mother loves you" --CREDITS-- Oh well, at least they put that line in.

[Wavy Gravy]

No post-Scully episode can ever top 3F06 "Mother Simpson".


BUT THIS EPISODE CAME DAMN CLOSE! This is undoubtedly the best thing I've seen since EABF17 "Moe Baby Blues" last season. The episode started great - I expected Marge's T-shirt bit to get tedious, but it worked fine. Some superb animation when Homer searches for headlines, and a very funny bit with Bart in the car. Very touching reunion, and more funny stuff at the diner. Trial was good (though it'll probably be a prime target for syndication cuts), and Sideshow Mel will undoubtedly become the episode bio for this one when we see Season 15 in a guide book. The montage of Homer and Mona together was hilarious, and I really felt sad for Homer when Mona got arrested again. I din't think they'd be able to pull off real emotion in this one like they did last time, but the scene at the kitchen table nearly moved me to tears. Homer hijacking the bus was handled well, and Mona faking her death is exactly the way I expected this episode to play out. The ending was as close to perfect as it could get without ripping off 3F06 at all.

Overall, an absolutely superb start to the 2003-2004 season. To paraphrase myself a year ago tomorrow, "It's the start of Round 15, and the champ is comin' out swinging!"

5/5

[doyle]

Well, I got what I expected. It wasn't a Mother Simpson by any stretch, but it was a solid, above average episode. The episode's beginning left me skeptical as there was a lack of creativity with Homer and Marge fighting over a meaningless t-shirt. Nevertheless, the Beautiful Mind homage was done very well and Homer's meeting with his mother was also well done. The first act was well developed and got the episode going and the plot moving, while providing plenty of laughs. As it went to commercial, I was still a bit concerned about where it would go from there.

The second half started out well, though. The courtroom scene was good, providing amusing appearances by several minor characters. The scenes with Homer and his mother were touching, and that aspect was done every bit as well as it was done in Mother Simpson, IMO. Mona's capture saw some good, old fashioned, evil Burns, which is what everyone had been hoping for.

The third act brought it down a bit, but just a tiny bit. The parts everyone had bene worried about such as the actual carjacking, weren't particularly wacky and didn't subtract from the episode. The other prisoners were hilarious and helped the scene work. The "death" was a bit lame, but once again, it didn't bother me. The ending closed the book well, and while a tad abrupt, ended with a touching moment rather than a failed gag, which would have been much more detrimental.

Overall, the humor was excellent. The characterization was good as well, with the exception of Marge at the very beginning. But Homer was never in Jerkass mode, Mona was the same person she was in Mother Simpson, and Burns was a tyrant again. The pacing was about as good as it could be. A couple issues bogged it down (Mother's reason for returning, Homer taking Bart to the overpass with him, Homer's reaction upon seeing his mother) weren't significant, and that equation adds up to a good result. Not as good as Mother Simpson, but damn good.

Grade: B+

[Milhouse Van Houten]

It was a fairly average episode especialy for a premier. It could have been really great but it had some terrible jokes. Homers peeing under the overpass and the whole thing with his moms casket was just awfull. There where some great jokes to make up for it though. The 60's montage rocked my socks and Homer kicking frank Grimes headstone was great. The ending seemed a little off, I dont know why. Im glad they didnt kill her off..very glad, the ending just had a wierd feal to it. All and all I give it a 7/10 or a B-.

[NoOneFamous]

Right now, I'm not quite sure what to think of this episode. I really loved the premise and story. This is the best season premier in a few years (not that thats saying much), and it was great seeing Homer's mother again. However, there were still flaws...

This episode suffored from the same problems many episodes these days do: the plot going a million miles an hour, too much shock humor and "zing!" -type jokes, general annoying attitude of Homer, etc.

There were also a lot of childish, out of place jokes that I thought spoiled several spots of the episode, such as the two cops teasing Homer by stopping the car as his mother was being taken away again, and Homer losing his own mother's casket (even though she wasn't in it). It all further supports the theory that they can no longer do a serious moment on the show without spoiling it with a stupid joke, because heaven forbid there not be a joke every 5 seconds, yadda yadda yadda.

The pacing of the end was a little awkward and quick. I think the ending would have worked better if Homer had found that 2nd message from his mom in the newspaper, although I guess its safe to assume that he will later on. Also, Tomacco is right, the last few lines of Mother Simpson were lame and out of place - clam chowder? It would have worked much better if she had just said something similar to what she did in "Mother Simpson."

Ok, my complaints aside, it was overall a good episode. 4/5

On a side note, can you believe "Mother Simpson" first aired EIGHT years ago??

[thecapecoddah]

3/5, nothing special. I personally didn't care for Mother Simpson's rushed explanation at the end... and I saw that coming anyway since finishing the episode with her death would've been way too depressing. Didn't think the episode would wrap up with an explanation like that though... meh.

Many chuckles and a couple LOL moments in the episode however, such as the 19th century wood etching of Burns and Homer going down the highway exit ramp on his bike.

also, a nice nod to "a beautiful mind" with homer going through the papers

[Spooner]

Well, I never remember anything. The beginning? I don't remember it. The end? Distant memory. But I remember laughing. Not all the time. But a lot. B+

[Mafia]

5/5

I probably enjoyed the first act the most with the Beautiful Mind parody, Homer writing to movies, Mona meeting Homer and Bart... For second act, I liked the 60's montage, Gil as lawyer again, Judge's comment about his wife, Sideshow Mel, Mona and Homer spending time together, Homer chasing after the car (it got old the last time though). Third act was probably the weakest. Mona's "death" was not done well at all. They shouldn't have had any jokes about it. I liked Homer kicking over Grimey's grave. I agree with Tomacco on how it should have ended with the HOMER instead of talking about her unbelievable escape and clam chowder.

[Cole]

The pacing of the episode was pretty insane. I feel exhausted from just watching it. Nothing could sink in and I often felt as if I couldn't enjoy a moment because another plot twist was about to be introduced. The pace could have been slowed down by cutting out some of the unnecessary t-shirt scenes at the beginning and overused jokes about the sixties. Glenn Close was decent, but gave nothing close to her performance in "Mother Simpson." Not a bad episode, but not a memorable one either. I didn’t think the erection joke was in that poor taste. You act as if you’ve never heard the word used before. These are the types of headline jokes you see on television, so it wasn’t that absurd. Some good use of music to set up the 60’s vibe and some pretty good jokes and gags spread throughout. There was so much going on that I need to watch it several more times before giving it a final grade. I'd give it a 3.5 or a 4 out of 5 right now.

[bmac]

Very meh episode indeed. Had a pretty clever plot, gets credit for that but other than that meh. Really wasn't all that funny, only laughed out loud a couple of times (Homer writing to Die Hard, Gil's appearance, a few one liners). Wasn't impressed in the least, 6.5/10.

[Mr. Plow]

An average episode with some good laughs and very little groans. The Beautiful Mind-esque parody was done fairly well at the beginning and at the end. 3/5

[Kefka]

That episode was fucking lame.

[ShadowBun]

You know, this episode would've REALLY benefitted if they just took a few things out...it had all the makings of a great ep, but it was bogged down with enough low points to make it only a very good ep. I think Homer putting garbage in his mom's casket, for one, completely takes away from the emotion in the scene, and is pretty disrespectful. Take out the last stop-and-go with the cops in the car, take out a couple lines from Mel, take out the out-of-place Lou and Eddie kiss joke, and trim the T-shirt stuff. If they did that, they'd have one of the best episodes in years.

Ah, even so it was really quite good...I notice I'm one of the few that really liked the ending. Poor Homer.

[Moleman...Hans]

Great episode especially compared the episodes of the past 5 seasons or so. 4/5. It lost a point for the crappy jokes like the errection bit and the t-shirt thing. The ending was a great Futurama-like ending.

[Tomacco]

I thought the episode's pacing was fine actually.
I thought bringing back the newspapers at the end tied it up really well too. The only time I found it went even slightly off track was when she was free and hanging out with the family. But that ended fast and went back to the jail element of the plot.

I thought "Brake My Wife, Please", "Dude, Where's My Ranch", "Strong Arms of the Ma", and "Helter Shelter" from last year were all more awkwardly paced.

[squishee lady]

Not a bad episode. It was one of the more heartarming episodes, and it did have some funny moments (maggie and the rat, maggie at the bathroom door, the clip with bart and marge shown in the preview,, lisa and Bart's courtroom spat to name a few) but there wasn't anything that particularly had me in stiches. Last night I laughed alot at She of Little faith which I have seen many times alot more than at the Fresh jokes in this ep. Ofcourse, that could be because I was watching that with people and I saw MMTCJ solo, and stuff is always funnier when watched in groups. All in all a solid B+.

[Tomacco]

Originally posted by Kefka
That episode was fucking lame.

Hmm. I agree with your first argument, but your second one seems a little one-sided. Maybe if you altered your thesis, it might make a little more sense. But overall, that's a pretty well-constructed argument.

[Mafia]

i take it that Wiggum seems to have had a change of heart on Mona from the last time they met.

[Toxic Monkey]

no. just no. it was horrible, all over the place. the first act sucked completely (the whole tshirt thing?). the ending was way out there, though it was funny. no sir i did not like it. only two memorbale points in this ep: the ladies singing clash and homer kicking over grimey's tombstone.

voting 2/5.

[Firewalker]

I loved it. I had my doubts that they could pull a story like this off, but to my surprise, they did it very well. There were good laughs ("This is America! Justice should favor the rich!"). There was great emotion. But...the emotion is somewhat lessened by inane jokes (the end of the second act just ruins the whole scene). The ending itself should have been more like Mother Simpson, but it does well. Very good, let's hope for more of the same this season.
4/5.

[Tibor]

Pretty good. Pacing problems in the first act, and both the way Homer found out about his Mother and the way she was arrested (the second time) felt contrived. It should have ended with just the freeze on the newspaper article, would have been far more effective and intriguing. But it had humor and heart, and I quite enjoyed it. Homer chasing the after his mom and the Feds stopping and teasing him was one of those really classic lump-in-your-throat/hilarious moments. B/B+

[SpongeBob No Pants]

Originally posted by Mafia
i take it that Wiggum seems to have had a change of heart on Mona from the last time they met.

Ha, i thought the same thing

it would have been better had just Lou and Eddie found her

[FlamingMeaux]

It was ok. Certainly, it wasn't a laugh out loud kind of episode, but I appreciated another visit with Mother Simpson. It's odd, while I always think I want more intelligent episodes, I laugh at the "erection" and "Anita Bonghit" jokes. Characterization of Burns was awful.

3.5/5

[Jolly Bengali]

Phew. And there I thought this season would be bad. Shrugging off last week's disastrous TOH ep, this season's official premiere came as a wonderful relief. I was doubtful about whether the show was still firing on all cylinders, but it's clear after this one that "The Simpsons" is still capable of being utterly fantastic. The story is quite simple - Homer's mother coming back, and the results of this. It's the perfect set-up for a tight, focused plot and serves up opportunities for a bunch of great laughs, which are fully exploited. The first act alone had more laughs in it than more than half of the newer episodes, and the barrage barely let up in the rest of the episode. There weren't any of the awkward failed gags that pop up too frequently, and there was even room for some extra satire and parody. "A Beautiful Mind" is excellently mocked with Homer looking at the news articles, which was a treat. The jokes skewering the 60's were also well-done. Minor characters were even managed to be worked in to this mostly family-centered episode, to great effect. Glenn Close, as well, deserves a lot of praise for successfully making Homer's mother as funny and sympathetic a character as she was in this episode's predecessor, "Mother Simpson". All in all, there was barely a thing wrong with this episode. There were times when some jokes went on a tad too long, and a few scenes that could have been cut or lengthened, but those are the tiniest of nitpicks. The only major flaw was the ending - it should have gone to credits with the touching ending of Homer believing his mom was still alive. Glenn Close's quickly delivered epilogue was rushed, pointless, and unfunny, but ironically it's hastily-thrown-together quality means it goes by too quickly to scar the episode too badly. As you can tell, I'm quite happy with this episode, and I hope that the rest of the season stays up to its standards. Grade: A-

Pasted in, whatever. I never seem to agree with anybody.

[tim]

that was one of the best episodes i've seen in a long time. sure, a few bad jokes here and there, but it nearly measured up with mother simpson.

Overall, i give it an A-

[doyle]

I am surprised to see all the negative reviews so far. The only good point that's been made towards the episode being weak was the pacing, which I'll admit was a little awry at some points. But look at the positives. I find it hard to believe that people watched this episode without laughing. There were several times I laughed aloud while there were maybe one or two jokes I groaned at, those being the Chief Wiggum line about Eddie and Lou kissing and the feds starting and stopping the car. I saw some of the emotion sacrificed for jokes, but I certainly don't think it was ever forced and there was indeed a good amount of humor. I still think characterization was top notch for the most part, and I will continue to praise the use of minor characters. I will rewatch this one in a couple minutes. Who knows. Maybe the "fucking lame" is present, and I'm just not looking hard enough. ;-/

[Maddog53]

Click here for my complete review. (http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/EpisodeReviewPage/showid-146/epid-205582/blockid-97961/) Like I say in there, good but not great. There were a few things they could have changed to make it run smoother, but it was good. I give it a 3.5/5 but I always round down, so it is a 3.

Maddog.

[Radioactive Man]

It was pretty good. I think the ending was a little rushed. The highway off ramp joke was the one I laughed the hardest at and they gave it away during the 4th quarter of the Vikings game. And Glenn Close did sound much different.

[HomertheGreat]

I enjoyed it. There were some gags that were unneeded but I don't want to nitpick. Funny jokes, (especially involving the 60's references, A Beautiful Mind, and some other good one-liners). Emotion was pretty good also. Though a few scenes the emotion was ruined (the car stopping and going comes to mind). But overall I liked the episode and it's a solid follow-up to "Mother Simpson". I personally didn't mind the ending the way it was. Sure it may have been better if they left the newspaper letters, but the way they ended it didn't really bother me too much. B

[Tibor]

Worth discussing is what this episode did with the Mother Simpson character and her relationship with Homer. The episode on the whole was fairly lighthearted (though touching) but the dynamic between Homer and Mona remained interesting. Particularly Homer trying to catch up with his childhood, and trying to cope with losing his mother again. Probably the best moment was Homer's "the last thing she did was make me a better father."

[HomertheGreat]

I thought the bonding moments were excellent. Especially the ones that took place during the 2nd act. Nearly all of them were hilarious. (Homer trying to ride a bike, Homer in the play, Homer in the bathtub). And what really made the bathtub scene was Maggie, very lighthearted, funny bit.

[huh?]

Very good, I thought they couldn't pull it off, but they did. Episode flow was the best in quite some time and the emotion and humor was done nicely. The courtroom scene with Judge Snyder was great. Only complaint though would be parts of the 2nd act with Homer-Mom bonding extended a little bit too much and the whole national park arrest thing. But that was only a minor blemish and I'll give it a 4/5.

[Tibor]

Expect DtB to complain about the coffin scene and Homer chasing the car as 'apologizing for the emotion' despite how they nicely blended humor and heart. ;)

The Hippie-English dictionary was hi-larious.

[SpongeBob No Pants]

what did judge schnieder say his sister used to call him

i missed that one

[skittlebrau]

Was a decent episode. Nothing special. Can't top "Mother Simpson".

19th century wood etching of Burns was hilarious.

John Lennon's "Mother" was a superb choice for Homer perusing through the pictures.

3/5

[nowhere]

I thought it was pretty solid. Funny at times, though I wasn't a big fan of the third act, still it wasn't bad.
4/5

[Al-barto]

WOW,
that was simply great.
I wouldnt change a thing, many here shocked me with there 2/5 rating, this is a definite 5 out 5

GREAT ending, would have been bad if mother were killed, the fact shes ALIVE and well, makes it great and can set up a future reunion.

A++++++++

[newhook_1]

Originally posted by SpongeBob No Pants
what did judge schnieder say his sister used to call him

i missed that one

I think it was "Fatty Fatty Boom Batty".

[InputSelect]

Can anybody transcript the whole giant taco article at the end. Well... just the first part since the other is just gibberish...

[Tomacco]

Originally posted by newhook_1
I think it was "Fatty Fatty Boom Batty".

Or Fatty Fatty Boom-be-latty or somethin.

[used]

i type as i watch it.

act one: erection joke is stupid, I don't like it. HOmer trying to wear Marges shirt is classic. Homer becoming obsessed with trying to get a t-shirt was nice. I liked him trying to find headlines a la beautiful mind. I liked Homers brain bit. Homer hugging the bum was actually funny. Homers letter to die hard was hilarious. This episode is awesome so for. The pencils all over the place joke was stupid, but forgivable. Nice act. 4.5/5

act two: The stock montage of the sixties was awesome. Oh, how I wish lionel hutz was the lawyer and not gil, theres one thing from the classic days they can never re-capture. Bart being knowledgeful of the law was good. Homer is not being a jerkass, at all. this is great. it would have been better if they had left homers speech without the bloodbank remark. Mel going on about the hotel is funny. Ether joke not funny, a bad joke in what would have been a perfect act. Maggie in the towel was awesome. If this had been made during the scully era, im almost sure they would have shown homer getting run over by all those cars, over and over. props to them for not doing so. Stevie joke was stupid. Homer stealing the room from flanders was awesome. Anita Bonghit! Awesome. The car teasing Homer was awesome. 4.5/5

act three: Execution joke ok. Sign joke was ok, nothing special. California adventure joke was stupid. Not another Homer getting shocked joke, couldn't she just have punched him or something. They redeemed themselves with Cheif Wiggum trying to talk like a hippie though. good stuff. Mother Simpsons grave was nice. I wish they had done them thinking she was dead a little more emotionally. Bart with the bottle was funny, and Homer trying to find a message was good. Her message was nice, hope she returns sometime.
4/5


overall: great episode, best in a long time. better then anything season 14 had to offer. 4.5/5 rounded up to 5 on the poll.

[MacGyver 666]

"My Mother the Carjacker" was a solid "official" start to season 15. It effectively combined comedy with a little bit of emotion. I have a feeling this is one of those episodes that may get even better on further viewings. (Similar to Three Gays of the Condo, which aired after this episode) One of my favorite gags was Homer with the "Man is Missing" Article. Overall I would give "My Mother the Carjacker" a B+, after my first viewing.

[Spartan]

I thought it was pretty good, but the Sideshow Mel gag and the entire court scene in general was horrible. The ending was weird, but not a bad ending.

The Spartan's Rating: 8.2/10

[DotheBartman]

Heh, a couple things before my review:

Score one for Tomacco. Kefka, write more then one sentence if you're going to say anything at all. Seriously.

Tibor: you actually expected wrong this week. ;) I'll explain soon...

Anyways, here's my review. First off, let's just get the negatives out of the way first:

Some awkward pacing here and there (no big deal though)
The dancing cartoon animal in Homer's head. Amusing, but done before and I could see it coming a mile away.
Repeating the bash at Disney's California Adventure (funny the first time, not as funny here)
The ending could have been a tad more poignant. But I'll get to that.

So what was good? Well, pretty much everything else! The first two acts in particular were remarkably funny. The beautiful mind bit, all of the scenes of Homer bonding with his mother, Kent Brockman....I don't think there were any gags at all that weren't amusing on some level, and I laughed out loud numerous times. Plus, there was good use of side characters, and even the relief of seeing Judge Snyder in place of Judge Harm again. Awesome. Again, the pacing was a tad off at points, but no big deal. Homer also seemed a little dumb at points, but in this case it was done so lovably (especcially in the mentioned bonding sequences) that I didn't really care. Going back to what Tibor predicted I'd hate, I actually was laughing at the "driving away" bit. As he said, both amusing, and yet somehow combining a little heart into it. I did care about Homer's loss despite the gag, so it worked well for me. It was a hightlight if anything.

As for the third act, it pretty much kept up the same momentum. Lots of great gags (again none that failed), many of which had me laughing out loud. "Will you marry me? What do you mean no! I hope your car blows up" on the sign was one of the highligts. On top of that though, I was also suprised how well some of the serious moments worked. The casket scene was remarkably touching, again blending humor into it well also. The casket rolling away might've been a bit much, but I didn't really mind it. In fact in retrospect I think it might have added to the scene, and to Homer's despair (and the fact that it wasn't actually her body saves it). The scene in which she "died" in particular was very moving though. Even though I thought she would die ahead of time I was very suprised and did really find myself caring. That's no small feat, and though they ended with a Wiggum joke (which I thought was funny anyway), they didn't have Nelson say "Haw haw" or any similar joke that would have ruined the moment. Finally, the scene at the dinner table with the family was remarkably good and very sweet. The ending would have worked better, certainly, if it stopped on the newspaper message (as others have said), instead of adding her talking about clam chowder. But even that somehow was no big deal to me and didn't really ruin an otherwise sweet moment, and intriguing ending.

Final: Was it as good as "Mother Simpson"? No, not really. Even in the classic era I very much doubt that a sequel could match it. But it was still very good and, though it didn't touch me as much as Mother Simpson, still was very touching (a season premiere with an emotional side? Has Fox lost thier minds?) and also very funny. Maybe as the months go by we'll find ways to pick it apart, but for now all I can give it really is an:

A

[used]

wow, i just read through the thread and have to say Im surprised. I was thinking this one would be liked as much as half-decent proposal, or moe baby blues. It was excellent. Many of the jokes I see people complaining about are classic simpsons stuff. But oh well, some people will never be happy.

[Tibor]

I also saw Three Gays for the first time to night- great stuff. It was a pretty good hour.

[DotheBartman]

Jesus, mary and glayvin, I completely neglected to mention one thing: the direction. It was very good tonight, especcially that shot of Homer watching the bus speed away and then over the cliff.

[Tomacco]

Originally posted by DotheBartman
Heh, a couple things before my review:

Score one for Tomacco. Kefka, write more then one sentence if you're going to say anything at all. Seriously.

Tibor: you actually expected wrong this week. ;) I'll explain soon...

Anyways, here's my review. First off, let's just get the negatives out of the way first:

Some awkward pacing here and there (no big deal though)
The dancing cartoon animal in Homer's head. Amusing, but done before and I could see it coming a mile away.
Repeating the bash at Disney's California Adventure (funny the first time, not as funny here)
The ending could have been a tad more poignant. But I'll get to that.

So what was good? Well, pretty much everything else! The first two acts in particular were remarkably funny. The beautiful mind bit, all of the scenes of Homer bonding with his mother, Kent Brockman....I don't think there were any gags at all that weren't amusing on some level, and I laughed out loud numerous times. Plus, there was good use of side characters, and even the relief of seeing Judge Snyder in place of Judge Harm again. Awesome. Again, the pacing was a tad off at points, but no big deal. Homer also seemed a little dumb at points, but in this case it was done so lovably (especcially in the mentioned bonding sequences) that I didn't really care. Going back to what Tibor predicted I'd hate, I actually was laughing at the "driving away" bit. As he said, both amusing, and yet somehow combining a little heart into it. I did care about Homer's loss despite the gag, so it worked well for me. It was a hightlight if anything.

As for the third act, it pretty much kept up the same momentum. Lots of great gags (again none that failed), many of which had me laughing out loud. "Will you marry me? What do you mean no! I hope your car blows up" on the sign was one of the highligts. On top of that though, I was also suprised how well some of the serious moments worked. The casket scene was remarkably touching, again blending humor into it well also. The casket rolling away might've been a bit much, but I didn't really mind it. In fact in retrospect I think it might have added to the scene, and to Homer's despair (and the fact that it wasn't actually her body saves it). The scene in which she "died" in particular was very moving though. Even though I thought she would die ahead of time I was very suprised and did really find myself caring. That's no small feat, and though they ended with a Wiggum joke (which I thought was funny anyway), they didn't have Nelson say "Haw haw" or any similar joke that would have ruined the moment. Finally, the scene at the dinner table with the family was remarkably good and very sweet. The ending would have worked better, certainly, if it stopped on the newspaper message (as others have said), instead of adding her talking about clam chowder. But even that somehow was no big deal to me and didn't really ruin an otherwise sweet moment, and intriguing ending.

Final: Was it as good as "Mother Simpson"? No, not really. Even in the classic era I very much doubt that a sequel could match it. But it was still very good and, though it didn't touch me as much as Mother Simpson, still was very touching (a season premiere with an emotional side? Has Fox lost thier minds?) and also very funny. Maybe as the months go by we'll find ways to pick it apart, but for now all I can give it really is an:

A

Bravo, DTBM. Nice review.
That's two weeks in a row that we're on the same level.
Pretty funny since last season we contradicted eachother so much. ;)

[Sam]

Again this week, not a detailed review.

BUT:

For this season so far: 5/5
For whole show: 4.5 out of fucking 5.

-Great art direction
-Great use of a guest star
-Good twist ending
-Solid plot
-Scenes had some wild tangents, but the plot stayed true the whole episode
-Very few annoying post-scully pop culture references
-Characterization spot on, save for Homer in some bits

(Beep)

[Mayor Quimby]

5/5 Tremendous epsiode.

The color and animation looked beautiful, and I loved the plot, but it took alittle for it to develop. Other then that well timed jokes, I personally loved the Sideshow Mel rant, one of the funnier parts of the episode for me.

[Andy]

I'm surprised people are concerned about the chowder moment. Although I did think the chowder moment actually made the ending a little more clever. It kinda separates the two episodes-- MS has the moving ending that's one of the best non-humor-driven endings ever. But MMtC's ending goes in the completely opposite direction, and succeeds by doing that. So instead of a carbon-copy of MS's ending (like if it had ended when Homer left the room), we get a complete 180 and it ends on a more upbeat, humorous note. I actually thought that would be a better call than going down a route they already went down with the first episode. Chalk one up for the writers on that one.

[jesle]

What can I say? I agree with what most people have said already. Although I for one thought THOH XIV was great, I think that this ep solidifies the fact that The Simpsons can still make a classic ep and maintain the humor that so many of us have found lacking in recent years. The jokes in this episode were almost perfect (there were a few that weren't hilarious, but they weren't too distracting). Some of my favorites were the excellent A Beautiful Mind parody, the misspelled "election" gag (I'm a huge fan of proofreading and, like Marge, have received a t-shirt for my meticulous eye) and the wood etching of Burns (was he supposed to be Dracula? Just great!). My favorite joke, tho, was Homer knocking down Frank Grimes' grave...so classic and perfect. Although the ending was a bit odd, it didn't detract from the entire ep and...in a way, gave the ending a more positive spin than just the letters on the newspaper that everyone suggests should have finished the ep. Had it ended with just the Your mother loves you...or w/e, we wouldn't know if she had died or not. Sure, it would have been a mysterious ending, but would we have wanted it that way? I don't know. Anyway, all in all I give this 5/5. A definite A and a fantastic season premiere!!

[Eggy]

That was GOLD!

The episode did an excellent job at blending emotion with humour.

I'm tempted to give it a 5/5.. so I think I will.

[ShadowBun]

After reading through this thread, I'm bumping up my act 1 grade to a 4/5 and the episode as a whole is bumped to a 4.5/5 A-. There really were some great LOL moments in act one (I LOVED the "dessert" dialogue...something like "I want whip cream on my Arizona!" Does anyone know the exact lines between Homer and Lisa?), and the only part I didn't really like was Homer becoming obsessed with Marge's shirt.

This episode had some of the best Homer characterization in years. He was lovably dumb, with strong feelings. I loved the "mood" some scenes had, where there was little dialogue and the episode just moved the emotion with music and visuals. I'm talking about the opening of act 3 with the pictures, and the ending of the episode where Homer is sitting in the dining room. Really good effort all-around; the writers are trying their best this season.

[Maddog53]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the part where Homer kicked over Frank Grimes' tombstone. I would have thought the haters of that episode would be up in arms of having to be reminded of that. Guess I was wrong. Also, my review does not mention many of the really funny scenes that happened, which I guess I forgot about. Maggie in the towel, the letters to Die Hard, etc... were very good. If my review seems harsh, or too low (3.5) all I can say is that it wasn't that I didn't enjoy it. I did very much. It was a really good episode. It's just a feeling I have with new episodes that something is wrong and I can never put my finger on it. I'm waiting to be able to give a 5 to the episode that blows my socks off. Oh, and the direction was good, very good in fact. Can anyone tell me who it was that directed this episode?

Maddog.

[Tomacco]

Originally posted by Maddog53
I'm surprised no one has mentioned the part where Homer kicked over Frank Grimes' tombstone. I would have thought the haters of that episode would be up in arms of having to be reminded of that. Guess I was wrong. Also, my review does not mention many of the really funny scenes that happened, which I guess I forgot about. Maggie in the towel, the letters to Die Hard, etc... were very good. If my review seems harsh, or too low (3.5) all I can say is that it wasn't that I didn't enjoy it. I did very much. It was a really good episode. It's just a feeling I have with new episodes that something is wrong and I can never put my finger on it. I'm waiting to be able to give a 5 to the episode that blows my socks off. Oh, and the direction was good, very good in fact. Can anyone tell me who it was that directed this episode?

Maddog.

Nancy Kruse.
I attribute the successful look to the episode in part to the digital animation.

[robb]

This episode rocked, 4/5...would have been 5/5 if they played more of "All Along the Watchtower":).

[Jake]

Well, aside from a few retarded moments (mainly S. Mel's diatribe and the Mom/Car Tease/chase) this episode was really well done! As for the ending, the fact they went with the non-MS ending was good, but it just seemed too rushed like Mona was reading her letter to the Clock Game on the Price is right, but oh well, you can't have it all...

Grade: A- (4.5/5)

Also, this episode gets bonus points for not being a Musical Guest Star / Crazy Homer adventure like the last few seasons.

[Cook]

Very good episode. I agree with just about everything Tomacco And DTBM said.....mainly because I'm too lazy to type a review.
One question though...When the family members are around Mona's casket and are saying things about her, what the hell does Abe mean?
He says something about a raspberry or something. Sorry i don't have a direct quote. Anyone remember this?

[Handsome Pete]

This episode, though not spectacular, did have some good qualities: Grandma Simpsons (and Glenn Close) returned, it had a nice overall feel to it (kinda warm, sorta like how "Mother Simpson" came off as), and the jokes never did disgust or frustrate me in any way. That ending was approached a bit differently, but in retrospect, it seemed to fit well. This was a decent follow up to "Mother Simpson", so I'd rate it 3/5. I'd say more, but I've got some other more important things to do now.

[Magnum]

1.With this episode all Beatles have had their voices on the show :D
2.First person to say this episode was ruined by having someone fake their own death dies.
3.I think There was a joke about the long clam chowder ending in that Mona was able to fit all that in the news paper subliminally.

I'll review it later (as if anyone cares)

[Eddie]

Why is everyone commenting on the Mona/Homer angles being convincing? It was totally fake, forced, and unrealistic. Where "Mother Simpson" had real heart and emotion, this was stale and tedious.

[Citizen Kang]

Pretty Good episode - 4/5.

Sideshow Mel's speech was not necessary at all slowed down the pace of the ep and homer''s "I'm not good with words" bit has been kinda of done before.

But I still laughed many times which is good.

"Anita Bonghit."

[Tomacco]

Originally posted by ComixFan
Why is everyone commenting on the Mona/Homer angles being convincing? It was totally fake, forced, and unrealistic. Where "Mother Simpson" had real heart and emotion, this was stale and tedious.

Explain.

I wanna, for once, hear an explanation to why the emotion was forced or fake.

[Channel Surfer]

Building upon what Tibor has already brought up, and what I mentioned in the Speculation thread, the most important thing about the return of a former character is why the writers choose to bring them back. Or rather, what can be done here that wasn't already done in "Mother Simpson"? Part of the reason "Half-Decent Proposal" is, IMO, in the top 3 of season's 13 and 14 is that it was able to answer this question successfully, by further developing Artie Ziff from "The Way We Was" while still remaining true to his already established character.

This episode succeeds enough in doing that. Not perfectly necessarily, the reasoning for Mona's return wasn't as well constructed here as it was in "Mother Simpson", even if it worked for all practical purposes. Also, there wasn't as much revealed about Homer here as in "Mother Simpson". "Mother Simpson" was more about Homer learning more about himself through his mom, how Homer is very much aware of his faults and imperfections, and it also had the bonus of Lisa sharing similarities with her grandmother. The ending was exceptionally poignant, even for the classic era, and it deserves even more credit for fleshing out Mona Simpson. This episode had less to offer in that respect, but it was hardly a sequel for the sake of it. Here, it's more about Homer trying to relive his childhood he missed, as well as connecting Homer and his family's own life to that of Mona's, most notably at the ending when she points out to Homer that he was about to become a fugitive just like herself. It was a cleverly done parallel I thought.

Humor was fine for the most part. The "Beautiful Mind" sequence at the beginning and end, Kent Brockman's mini-bio of Mona Simpson, some of the court sequence, some of the ways Homer tries to relive his childhood, and the "Hippie-English" dictionary quickly come to mind, though I could think of more if necessary. Also nice to see Cora (sp?) again, the highlight of "The Parent Rap", as sad as that might sound.

There were problems, yes. There was less reasoning or necessity to return Mona in this episode, and settles a little too quickly into a "Homer must protect his mom because he loves her" story angle. Also, the second act in particular has a skit show feel to it. Not literally, but the various sequences of Homer reliving his childhood had that kind of feel. And while most were funny, some of the "skits" didn't quite work (Marge imitating the birth of Bart comes to mind). The funeral was neither funny nor heartfelt to me, even if the stuff afterwards make up for it. And yes, there were pacing problems, but sometimes even blatant mistakes. I mean, when Homer hijacks the prison bus, he leaves Bart alone by the sign? Yeah, it's a nitpick, but still.

BTW, I think some people might have missed the point about the ending. It was cleverer than just a sweet, but silly conclusion. It was a nod to the original "Mother Simpson", setting everything back to the way it was before. Homer thinking his mother is dead, but in reality, she's still alive and well. Having her die or even leaving her death ambiguous wouldn't have been enough to make that point. Revealing that she's still alive successfully makes that connection. And talking about clam chowder was a working ending for me. It's such an down-to-earth, almost arbitrary thing to talk about, but says so much about a person who'd actually discuss something like that. I think it was great really, better than a more typical feeling "Is she really dead?" ending, or just killing her off.

Grade: B+

[Steve McGoiter]

I thought this episode was pretty good. The laugh-out-loud parts were Homer riding his bike into a semi, Homer taking Flanders whole room out of his house (How the hell does that work?) and Batman dancing. Did anyone actually read the whole news paper artical about the giant taco? it was pretty funny. I'm not going to write the whole thing, but it said that it was about 400,000 tons, and the second biggest taco was owned and eaten by Dom Deluise. ahh, good stuff.

[Tman]

I love this episode

5/5

[Joey1138]

I really enjoyed this episode and the music used was a nice touch. 4/5.

[DaSimpsons]

i enjoyed it, except for the fact that the plot pacing was really fast, like i feared it would. Some of the lines felt rushed, especially in the 1st act. Still good.

4/5

[phil]

I'll admit something here and now; out of frustration I didn't watch The Simpsons last season because I felt the show had become too formulaic, and the characters too tired.

I gave this episode a shot and I wasn't blown away by anything. Once again I was shown another typical latter-day Simpsons episode that safely goes through the motions and doesn't offer anything new or takes any risks.

I felt no chemistry between Mona and Homer this time around and a lack of any depth to any of the characters at all. In 'Mother Simpson' Homer had a sort of charm, innocence and wonder in his character, in tonight's episode Homer is just compulsive and needy.

All in all the show was boring. Lifeless.

The only thing I enjoyed was the typical 60's stock footage montage and Mr Burns (seen here in a 19th century wood engraving). And for that I give this episode 2 out of 5.

I don't think I'll be watching many episodes this season either. Seriously, the show needs to end.

[Stackhouse]

Seeing this episode a 2nd and 3rd time, I'm upping my grade to a A-... possibly a A. For now, A-, could go up later. Great Episode.

"Dear Die Hard: You rock! I especially like the part with the guy on the roof. - Homer P.S. do you know mad max?"

[joe h]

For the last two seasons Homers voice has been changing into a permanent high, whiny voice, regardless of the situation. I even started believing that the writers were compensating for this problem by putting Homer in these types of situations. But after this episode it finally hit me, Dan has lost his seasons 3 thru 10 Homer voice.

So for the rest of the simpsons run, I guess it is something that both fans and writers will have to accept.

[Max Power]

3/5

Felt too much like the whole plot was thrown together in 15 minutes.
Plus, Close didn't sound the same as in "Mother Simpson"...but that one is just my opinion.

[bovine_university]

3/5. The prequel to this episode was a classic, but my expectations were a little lower for this episode, and they weren’t too far off either. This episode wasn’t great as far as the humor went, but the plot was fine, Glenn Close did a good job once again, and I was glad that the writers decided to include several moments that had me feeling for Homer. However, there were problems with this episode, mostly in the form of several jokes that fell flat or ran too long (a good deal of them from the scene in the courtroom, and the joke where the car kept stopping felt very cold). Overall the episode seemed a little below average, but not so bad that it ruins the storyline created by the first episode.

[Glumplich]

Good episode, but of course not as good as "Mother Simpson." It was nice to see Gil again as the pathetic lawyer, Snyder as the judge, and Sideshow Mel in the jury. And as I watched "A Beautiful Mind," I enjoyed seeing the subliminal messages. It was good how Homer's mother used the messages in both the first and last acts. Grade: B+.

[MaxPlow]

Pasted in, whatever. I never seem to agree with anybody.


Same with me. Most of the people I've talked to thought last week's episode was great and this one sucked, and I think the exact opposite. :(

[kuumuus]

The first two acts were pretty solid. The funniest moments were Homer's letter to Die Hard, Homer stealing Flanders's room, and Homer being scared by the Zip Boys. I also enjoyed Homer's bonding clips with Mona. 5/5

Third act was good on the bus, but I hated the way the family handled Mona's "death." They treated it like a joke. Homer crying at the table was pretty sweet, but that scene was ruined by Mona's final clam chowder message. 3/5

Overall this episode was enjoyable. 4/5

[brancely]

Really good. Read Channel Surfer's review again rather than something I could throw together here. 4.5/5, 9/10, A.

[Sorrydude]

Originally posted by Mafia
Third act was probably the weakest. Mona's "death" was not done well at all. They shouldn't have had any jokes about it. I liked Homer kicking over Grimey's grave. I agree with Tomacco on how it should have ended with the HOMER instead of talking about her unbelievable escape and clam chowder.

Umm, why did you give it a perfect mark if a third of the episode wasn't all that great?

[SpongeBob No Pants]

Originally posted by Maggie's Magnum
1.With this episode all Beatles have had their voices on the show :D


very good point out!

i was amazed when i heared lennon's excellent "mother" as we came back from commercial break

i'm glad Fox actually got the song and didn't just rip it off in a sound alike tune (a la the Rockey theme in the one with body building marge)

also i just wanted to point out that after viewing three gays of the condo again (i haven't seen it since it first aired) i must say that that is one hell of a good episode

i just goes to show you that simpsons episode sometimes take multiple viewing to fully get them

[gravymaster]

I found this episode to be very funny, although the ending did feel a bit rushed. I thought the first act was probably the best. 4/5

[|RABiD|]

A solid, down to earth episode tonight. Very little to complain about. Yes, i agree with everyone on the pacing in the first act. Quite sloppy but it didn't bother me to much because I was busy laughing so much. Homer's headlines were priceless and Homer riding the bike made my whole family burst out laughing. All in all, its no "Mother Simpson" but its certainly up there in the comedy department. Bravo, writers, bravo. 5/5

[EvilHomer01]

Originally posted by Number One
3/5, nothing special. I personally didn't care for Mother Simpson's rushed explanation at the end... and I saw that coming anyway since finishing the episode with her death would've been way too depressing. Didn't think the episode would wrap up with an explanation like that though... meh.

Many chuckles and a couple LOL moments in the episode however, such as the 19th century wood etching of Burns and Homer going down the highway exit ramp on his bike.

also, a nice nod to "a beautiful mind" with homer going through the papers

Basically what I thought. Although I really dont like the Beautiful Mind bit. Perhaps if it was a bit more explained but suddenly Homer sees messages in papers? A bit streched for me. Maybe take that crayon out first ;).

Just too rushed to fully enjoy. 3.5/5

[SpongeBob No Pants]

i just re-watched the ep, and here's something i noticed:

did anyone else think the animation looked a little off, i can't explain what looked different, but it just looked different compared to THOH 14 and the last few eps of last season

maybe it's just me?

[|RABiD|]

LOL...did anyone actually read the ending article about the Giant Taco? it's great and before that scene ends where it shows Mother Simpson jumping out of the vehicle the article just reads like this: "jhdkausdhasdasdjn" but the first letter of each line reads I ESCAPED. It's hilarious! :LOL:

[DAntae]

after just watching it a few mins ago i have to say it was just an average episode. it would get a C. i like a little continuity every now and then and a return of homer's mom just didnt do it for me. it had some quality jokes as always but the story seemed lacking in so many ways. i cant put my finger on all of it, but it somehow just seemed forced. when gil cant make me laugh then things arent that good. not a bad episode but i am a little surprised with all the people praising it.

[George Cauldron]

I know these details aren't important, but what were the blackboard gags and couch gags like, and were they any good?

[doyle]

No chalkboard gag. Couch gag was decent I guess. It showed the family sitting down, and againg, withinginto nothing, becoming skeletons before finally just turning to dust.

[HomertheGreat]

Thinking about this last night. I compared this episode to "Three Gays of the Condo". I know "Carjacker" didn't have the annoying, pointless guest star, but I think everything else is simular. Both episodes had some types of pacing problems in the plot. Both episodes had some gags that didn't work. But both episodes are lighthearted, emotional, funny episodes. And both got a B grade from myself.

[Homer908]

I really liked it I give it an A.

[squishee lady]

Originally posted by Jake
Well, aside from a few retarded moments (mainly S. Mel's diatribe and the Mom/Car Tease/chase)

I think I now dispise sideshow Mel. That was pointless and boring. I want those 2 minutes of my life back.

[HoyvinGlavin64]

My Mother the Carjacker: It was a great episode! Better than all of Season 14 minus Moe Baby Blues and possibly Special Edna and Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington. I'll judge the episode by 3 things: comedy, emotion, and characterization.

Comedy: It was there, and there was a lot of it! Homer writing to the movies, the messages in the newspaper, Sideshow Mel's lines, and the prisoners were all hillarious! Some things weren't as funny, but they can be ignored.

Emotion: One thing I like about Season 14 is that there has been a rise in emotional episodes. Watch A Star is Born Again or Moe Baby Blues to see what I mean. This episode outwieghs those in emotion and does a good job. The only minor flaw were that some jokes interupted the emotion. Not as emotional as, say, Lisa's Substitute, but about as emotional Bart Sells His Soul.

Good Characterization: Everyone was in their place. Homer wasn't mean, Burns was evil, and Moe wasn't that freaky as he was in some appearances last season.

And so, by the power invested in me, I declare this episode to be a solid A!

[or_smth]

This episode had an awful lot of filler when it didn't need to have any. Was it really neccesary to get Mona pardoned and then in jail again? It seemed awfully stupid, because it made her end up back in square one. The stretch-out of the second act shortened the third and made us miss opportunity for some emotion.

I gave it a 4/5, grading it in comparison to THOH 14 (just like I think most of you are). On the grand scale, in comparison to last season it was about the same, to 13 about a 3/5.

I noticed the animation was off too, especially at the start. I know the simpsons are yellow, but they aren't that colour yellow. I thought digital animation was supposed to make the Simpsons more colour-acurate. The starting looked almost Tennis the Menace-style

[Alpha]

This was a great episode. Simply great. :D

Okay, Homer finds a subliminal message. A little far fetched (although I loved the needlessly long message at the end. LOL). I thought this episode had some funny moments.

Mona: Bart, are you still the little hellraiser?

Bart: (sweetly) Yes'm.

Although I'm glad that grandma Simpson didn't die, I thought her escape was a little strange (although not much stranger than Skinner's escape from "Bart the murderer"). Say, is this next part just me?

"WOO HOO! Mom finally stoped caring!"

Sounds like Nancy stopped caring. What was up with that freaky sounding Bart voice??

Edit: Oops. Forgot some stuff. I seriously felt sad when the bus went over the cliff :( I really just :( :( I was so happy when Homer's mom was alive. :D :D even if it was a bit strange. I didn't care. I was happy!

A+

[lolpenis_taco]

Now this is more like it. Great episode. Didn't expect alot from this, but it delivered alot. Terrific writing. Hopefully the rest of the season will follow in its footsteps.

[MaxpowerAK79]

There were definitely some strong points. The courtroom up until 1/2 of Mel's speech was very funny.
Snyder: I'll permit an indian burn

And The 60's montage was pretty funny. What a shirll and pointless decade

The news article of Burns was REALLY funny. "Local Villain Montgomery Burns.." and the woodcarving of burns chasing children. That was really good.

Ending was WAY rushed though, not great.

Wiggum was funny at the end "Okay, take some time off and we'll see you tomorrow at 10".

[mohammed jafar]

Originally posted by Toxic Monkey
the ladies singing clash

that's not a Clash song. bobby fuller. hippie classic. the Clash just covered it.

Originally posted by or_smth
Was it really neccesary to get Mona pardoned and then in jail again? It seemed awfully stupid, because it made her end up back in square one.

uh, yeah. that was the theme that the whole plot revolved around, Homer continuing to lose his mother. so i'd say it was necessary, yes, otherwise the entire episode would fall apart. sigh.

Originally posted by Comrade
In 'Mother Simpson' Homer had a sort of charm, innocence and wonder in his character, in tonight's episode Homer is just compulsive and needy.

that's fairly obvious character development and a fairly logical difference in behaviour. in Mother Simpson he had innocence and wonder because before that he thought his mother was dead, and her return was something of a huge revelation. Here he also had that wonder and childlike quality, but it was coupled with frustration at fate constantly trying to take his mother away from him. So naturally he would be compulsive, and needy. He wasn't compulsive in Mother Simpson because there was no need for him to be, he behaved as his character logically would. He behaved as his character logically would here too, so he's frustrated and compulsive. For the writers to merely make Homer act exactly as he did in Mother Simpson would hardly be clever or insightful writing, would it? in fact, it would be very lazy.

Channel Surfer and DoTheBartman (DTB, you don't know how pleased I am to know that you loved this one) pretty much covered everything that was right with this episode. It was a very similar tone to Mother Simpson, albeit a little more light-hearted (though Mother Simpsons was hardly "heavy" until the ending). It opted for lots of charm and warmth, with plenty of awesome gags blended in. The fleshing out of Homer's mom was wonderfully done, expanding her character nicely beyond the mere doting mother she was in Mother Simpson, with a pleasant streak of heroism and vigilance. A very minor gripe with Mother Simpson was that she was almost characterised as almost too charming and unassuming to be a particularly convincing hippie radical, but here, that's rectified. And it's pulled off with no loss to her original warmth and simple charm - the ending, as Channel Surfer mentioned, was a masterstroke IMO. It was much better than simply ending it with Homer looking at the newspapers, and going for a carbon copy ending of Mother Simpson, with a quirky, charming and actually quite original tone. The remarks about clam chowder and such say so much about her character in so little time. Homer was also characterised very well - I mentioned in my first paragraph/reply mostly why. The clever parallel in the third act (Homer would have to abandon his family) was the icing on the cake. All in all, the characterisation was just fantastic writing all round, and was very touching. I loved them simulataneously saying "do'h". It makes me so happy to continue to see episodes which have meaning, intelligence, and which clearly had actual effort and thought put into them.

The first act on-ramp went on a bit long, IMO, but no more so than the Homer's dead tangent did in the original Mother Simpson. If they had left out more of that, they could have kept that wonderful deleted sce....oops, wrong episode. And anyway, like the Homer's dead tangent, the newspaper thing was funny, with the hilarious Beautiful Mind homage being the highlight. Its recurrence for the conclusion was also well-done. The (thankfully not numerous) comments about the newspaper thing being "weird" just baffle me. It seems whenever the writers choose to do something recycled from the past, it's complained about as being recycled, but whenever they try to do something original and fresh, it gets squinted at and called "weird" (this happened to Three Gays' jigsaw thing too). Stop being so goddamn desperate to find faults.

The pacing was really the only major fault with this episode, and it has already been explained why, but it's not a major problem in terms of enjoyment really, as episodes which have dodgy pacing but great characterisation and great humor tend to work very well regardless (Last Exit To Springfield anyone?). And yeah, it was a skit show in the second act. But so were 8 out of 10 season 5 episodes, and this was a charming and totally hilarious skit show anyway. In fact, the entire episode was really excellent and very clever humorwise, and has probably the best hit/miss joke ratio of the Jean era. Even its wacky cutaways worked! The rat in Maggie's room, "this counts as a bath", the hilarious scene in the kitchen with Homer's attempted funny headlines, Homer's brain (no matter how many times they do this it always kills me), "A Burger And Squalor For Under A Dollar", Homer's letter to Die Hard, "first food he choked on", police union rules, "I swear on your eventual grave", Homer driving into the police station, "menace to decent people and germ warriors everywhere", "I'm not a man who's good with words", Gil's legal licence, "this is America - justice should favor the rich!", Homer stealing an entire room from Flanders, "you're right - people should only get OUT of jail on technicalities!", the highway sign, the hippie-english dictionary....and there were many more.
Very, very little failed - the laboured scene on the courthouse steps with Snake and Seymour and Sideshow Mel's overdone monologue (though I loved seeing him get center stage for once!) were probably the only parts I didn't like.

I also thought the casket rolling away was a nice touch. It was not by any means played for laughs, as some of you are implying it was, and it was quite affecting in Homer's frustrated reaction. It added very nicely to his overall feeling of hopelessness.

A really excellent episode, probably tied for my second favorite Jean era episode ever with Little Girl In The Big Ten. Extremely encouraging for the rest of the season. A-/A

[SpongeBob No Pants]

here's some jokes that i just remembered and that no one has mentioned yet

-The highway traffic sign (i hope your car blows up!)
-Mr. Burns: "man thats good E" (clasic burns line if i ever saw one)
-Eddie and lou and the kissing joke
-the car stoping and then going again when homer caught up.
-i forget the exact line, but homer's goof up on candle light vigil

i was surprised at the amount of jokes in this episode, if the ending had been a little stronger (take out her cofin roling away, and just end it on "Homer your mother loves you" [make us wonder if she is still alive]) then this would have been one of the all time best, but it still ranks up there

lets hope they can produce all season 15 episodes this great

[kupomog]

Hmm, well, I laughed very little, but there were some very well done jokes scattered throughout each act. I was focused more on Homer and his mother. I really loved the scenes between Homer and Mona. I just thought they were sweet. The only scene that got a slight rise out of me would be where Homer is crying out after the feds take her away at the germ warfare building. Didn't care for feds teasing Homer with the car, though. And I really didn't care for Mona's death... maybe for 4 seconds I felt like bawling until they blew the bus up and dropped the mountain on her. I do like how her casket rolled off after. I kind of agree that it should've ended right after "Homer your mother loves you", but I'm very pleased with the way it ended. I gave it a 3/5.

[Hans Barber]

4\5.
Good follow up from last season. If all episodes are this good, or better, it is going to be a very solid season.

[Warren]

4/5

Better than THOH XIV

[NukeTheWhales]

3.5 out of 5

Burns's woodcut was classic
Bart's rebirth was hillarious...I had no idea what was going on until Homer said it

After the THOH XIV garbage ( worst episode ever), this is great news.

[Icedragon]

5/5 Bring it on season 15.

Great ep. I was releived that Homer did not say "D'oh" when the casket rolled away. Added a little more emotion to that scene.

[Magnum]

Complete overviews of the show have already been done so I'll just say a few things.

That was the best parody since season 13, me and Al aparently share a common ground in that we can't get enough of those Maggie jokes :D, getting to the plot in the first act is always a plus, three count'em THREE songs put to great use with a reference to an oldie and some of the best Burns humor in years. (but very little as always)

Now a couple of things I didn't like were that compared to Mother Simpson it almost looked like they were trying to put in as little Burns as possible, Glen Close sounded off, and the ending didn't sit quite right with me in that it was too fast paced and it looked like it would have been a little too easy to come up with but like Jafar said the Homer would have to leave his children like Mona did him thing was wonderful.

One last thing I didn't really mind the Erection joke as much as some people since it was just like the headlines on Leno, it used a legitimate term and wasn't anywhere near as pointless or stupid as the Anita Bonehit joke. Because of this I found it to be a little funny

A-/A

[caffolote]

This episode had its moments. It had a few laughs and some great innuedo. I give it a 4/5

[Tibor]

I watched it again today, and I enjoyed it even more (A-). Loved how they continued to develop Mona Simpson's character- Brockman's history of her on the lam, other little things like her singing with the prisoners. Channel Surfer and Jafar's take on the ending as further development is also interesting. This is also probably the funniest episode of the Jean era.

My top 5 Al Jean episodes (so far) go:

1. Moe Baby Blues
2. My Mother the Carjacker
3. Little Girl in the Big Ten
4. Three Gays of the Condo
5. Half-Decent Proposal

[pat]

Fantastic episode, and a great season premiere! Good moments include the reinactment of Bart's birth and the beginning with the Oops! T-shirt thing. Tibor said it, this is the funniest episode of the Jean era, and it had some great emotion to boot. I have high hopes for this season, and so far I haven't been disappointed. Grade: 9/10, I took one point off for the Sideshow Mel thing, I didn't really care for that, but the rest of the episode was gold.

EDIT: I left out the return of Judge Snyder. Maybe this will mean the end of Judge Harm. 'Cause if it's not.....*shakes fist*

[SpongeBob No Pants]

does anybody know how last nights episode fared in the ratings, because i imagine it did quite well (although for the first time in a while i felt FOX didn't advertise the episode that much)

[Furious D]

this is the best premiere i've seen since Wizard of Evergreen Terrace (which most people didn't even like anyhow). i was very impressed w/the episode and am now looking forward to great season.

[simplysimpsons]

EDIT: Can't delete this post, sorry, I was saying about OFF's ratings for sunday - Click here (http://www.nohomers.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=34370)

[SpongeBob No Pants]

man that is wiered

maybe many people missed "3 gays..." last year and thought they'd watch it last night but why "My mother the..." got fewer viewers is beyond me

hey, just when we get a really great episode, thats when people decide not to watch

Go figure? :(

[magus7000]

pure awesomeness!! I was a little scared from the preview, but I think they did a Mother Simpson sequel justice. While I was a little confused with Mel in the courthouse (maybe they should have had a couple other characters in there so he didnt stand out). It didnt detract from the episode. Fantastic start to the season, much, MUCH better than the last couple season premiers. Booya to My Mother The Carjacker

9/10 (based on THoH XIV and S14)

oh yeah, the erection joke was kinda meh... but because it was in headlines, it was fine (BUT CUT OUT THE PENIS JOKES PLEASE!!!)

[mohammed jafar]

come on...the erection gag was hardly in-your-face. it was less in-your-face and less likely to initiate confused questions from a kid as the washington monument gag in Mr. Lisa Goes To Washington. Anyone complaining about that? No? OK then.

[caribou]

I'll have a review later, but one quick question:

What on earth did this episode have to do with carjacking?

[Cole]

police bus, i guess.

and i agree with jafar on the erection joke. as i stated earlier, these are the types of headlines you would see on such a show. erection should not be an offensive word ... lighten up.

[NoOneFamous]

Originally posted by Mohammed Jafar
come on...the erection gag was hardly in-your-face. it was less in-your-face and less likely to initiate confused questions from a kid as the washington monument gag in Mr. Lisa Goes To Washington. Anyone complaining about that? No? OK then. If Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington were made today, Homer would have probably proclaimed "Hey Marge! Look! Washington Monument my ass! It looks like a giant wang!!"

Although the erection headline did not bother me.

[mohammed jafar]

Originally posted by NoOneFamous
If Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington were made today, Homer would have probably proclaimed "Hey Marge! Look! Washington Monument my ass! It looks like a giant wang!!"


oh, yeah, sure. because every episode made these days is just packed with tons of gags like that, isn't it

[caribou]

Originally posted by Cole
police bus, i guess.

Yeah, but Homer was doing the jacking there...

Ah well.

[Cole]

good point. yea, i don't get the title, either. =/

"mr. lisa goes to washington" is a good example of a subtle "penis joke." it doesn't have to even be subtle to be both clever and hilarious. watch the king of the hill episode "square peg" where peggy battles with her complex over saying the word "penis" to her sex ed class.

[MacGyver 666]

I think the episode was called "My Mother the Carjacker" because the title is suppose to be a takeoff of the name of the short lived 60's sitcom: “My Mother the Car”, but I could be wrong.

[SpongeBob No Pants]

Originally posted by Homerpalooza
I'll have a review later, but one quick question:

What on earth did this episode have to do with carjacking?

well it was a play on the title of a 1960's TV show called "my mother the car"

i guess in this case "carjacker" doesn't actually refer to what she does, but as to what she is (carjacker is a criminal, so is mona simpson)

[Rowdy]

Rock! Us on the West Coast won't have our opinions read by anyone! :)

Anyway, I loved the episode. Nearly as good as "Mother Simpson". I figured the reviews would have a lot of threes though as the episode is too leisurely paced for the many twelve year olds here.

[DotheBartman]

A few more notes:

Watching again, I nearly cried when the bus went over and Homer looked so sad. :( Very well done. After Three Gays, Moe Baby Blues, and this, I'm completely convinced that they know how do to emotion again.

Also watching again, Homer stealing part of the Flanders' house had me in stitches. I don't think we've had a "hating Flanders" gag that good in a long time.

People, the erection joke is no big deal. I'm not a fan of the blatant sick stuff (crotch dot, etc) but this was just a parody of what you would see on those shows as others said. And anyway, it wasn't really any different then, say, Bart's crank calls to Moe (same goes with the "Anita Bonghit" name).

Finally, I'm unfortunately disapointed with reaction from friends. At least, one of my friends told me how disapointed he was with it, and when I pressed him all I could get out of it was "yeah, it was pretty good for a new one". *Sigh* Even I'm beginning to wonder if certain fans just aren't open minded enough for it to even be worth them watching the show.

[lolpenis_taco]

Was the scene with the photos coming out the printer a parody of anything? It seems familiar for some reason. Now to finish my review.

I didnt see the point in a couple of jokes, like Mels long speech. This episode had plenty of strong points though. The first minute or two fell tact on, but when Homer started going through his research for a funny headline, I started laughing out loud. Great episode. Reminds me of something I would see right before season 11.

[SpongeBob No Pants]

Originally posted by DotheBartman

Finally, I'm unfortunately disapointed with reaction from friends. At least, one of my friends told me how disapointed he was with it, and when I pressed him all I could get out of it was "yeah, it was pretty good for a new one". *Sigh* Even I'm beginning to wonder if certain fans just aren't open minded enough for it to even be worth them watching the show.


you said it, i don't expect people to say it was the best ever or to have loved everything about it, but to say it was a bad episode or that they didn't like it perhaps shows that they have grown out of the simpsons

[ShadowBun]

Watching again, I nearly cried when the bus went over and Homer looked so sad. Very well done. After Three Gays, Moe Baby Blues, and this, I'm completely convinced that they know how do to emotion again.

Yes, the animators added a little line under each of his eyes; it was a subtle detail but it made all the difference...this section of the episode made me feel very empty and cold (in a good way of course, as I'm betting that was the intention). Heck, the rest of the episode from this point had a melancholy feel to it...I never felt convinced that Homer REALLY thought his mom was still alive, and you gotta sympathize with him for that (poor guy, not ten minutes ago we saw him reliving his childhood and he believed he'd never lose his mom again).

One request though...could someone type the conversation with Homer's newspaper headlines ("What'd he lose...HIS PANTS!?")? I really loved that part, especially his loud laughter.

[Stackhouse]

One thing that surprised me happened while watching this episode with a couple of my friends (avid simpsons watchers). When the car was stopping and starting with the cops driving away, and Homer kept sobbing and chasing after it, one of my friends made the comment, "Poor Homer..". Even emotion like this, shrouded by a joke, can reach the average joe once in a while... or maybe they were just recognizing how cruel that would be. Judge for yourselves.

[Bartman3010]

I think this episode doesnt deserve to be a follow up to Mother Simpson. This episode went by too fast, a lot of the jokes were lame and 90% of the time it didnt even make me laugh.

Act 1 - Blah, I started to hate the episode by then. All the jokes that came up were pretty bad. Mostly Homer's cheesy forced jokes. Also it seems that they didnt have a lot of time to execute the episode,the whole T shirt thing was pretty dumb. The Beautiful Mind thing was a good idea. But when they meet his mom, I'm not emotionally attached for soe reason. It just didnt grab my attention. But somehow the police force was actually able to reckonize Homer's mother immediatley. THen shortly, she winds up in jail. Terrible timing.

Act 2 - It picked up a bit here, I thought it was cute how Homer and his mother tried to catch up, but again, more lame jokes and too quick timing make it fall a little flat.

Act 3 - Bah, I'm just going to skip straight to the whole chase scene. I think it was apropriate for his mom to tazer him and push her out. Having him go through the thorns and stuff...it might've been funny. But the whole part where the car explodes and rocks pile into the water makes me think that the writers tried to make us laugh at that scene. I was disgusted myself.

I give this a 2/5, I hope theres better episodes than this one in the comming season.

[Charmy]

Damnation, I lost my skillfully worded post. The jist of it:

-Complained about very minor lapses in Burns and Homer characterization. Very minor.
-Complained about not getting the 'mother keeps getting taken away from him' thing until Jafar pointed it out, even with Homer's oh so obvious line about it in the first act.
-Talked about how my review was too negative when I really liked the episode.
-Said the ending grew on me.
-Gave it a letter grade of A-.
-Declared it one of the best of the Jean Era.

[HomertheGreat]

Is there any place I can download the episode? Kazaa one isn't downloading for some reason.

[Eggy]

I once again have to compliment this episode on how well it was able to mix humour with emotion (but not sacrafise emotion for humour), which was very welcome.

I was sad when the bus flew off the cliff, yet I was laughing at Wiggum's comments. Also the part where the guys in the car teased Homer.

There was no forced emotion in this episode (which is what I was afraid of), everything I felt while watching was real.

Ever since the second half of season 14, the show's been going in the right direction. Lets hope they can keep this up.

[Eggy]

Originally posted by Bartman3010
Act 3 - Bah, I'm just going to skip straight to the whole chase scene. I think it was apropriate for his mom to tazer him and push her out. Having him go through the thorns and stuff...it might've been funny. But the whole part where the car explodes and rocks pile into the water makes me think that the writers tried to make us laugh at that scene. I was disgusted myself.

First, she tazered him because she loved him, and wanted to protect him. The thorns were just a quick add-on, but it worked. (I'm assuming you meant to say "innapropriate", if not, disregard what I just said).

The writer's were not trying to make us laugh, I don't know how you were inturpreting that scene. Homer's crying should have been enough to make you realize is was all serious.

[Jerry P.]

Homer: Okay, get geady to laugh! "Cranford Man Missing"! What's he missing, his pants? a train? Gimme a break! [silence] Too soon, huh? Alright... "Drought Threatens to Turn West Into Dessert"! Yum, yum! I think I'd like some whipped cream on my Wyoming.
Lisa: Dad, the word's "desert", and those farmers are suffering.
Homer: From what? Too much hot fudge?! Huh? Yee-hee. Come on, Bart, show me some love.
Bart: Don't drag me down with you, old man.

Home sweet home, that's [...] is to
One pizza that's making its claim as the
Most sizable pizza in the
Every state wants to hold it
Rhode Island is our smallest state so far,
Montana boasts the biggest sky in the land;
Even Idaho brags about itspotatoes [sic]. Iowa
Eventually wanted to make is [sic] mark, too.
To many in Ames, Iowa, where the college
Men and women who dreamed up this stunt
Eat pizza like LA students eat pills, this
4th attempt at doing something magnificent
Saved the state. "There was a precious little
To brag about," said Dale Faulken,
Recently moved to Nebraska "to find
Entertainment, if you can believe it."
Eating a slice of a big pizza pie was
To draw him back "for good

Others in the state seemed to
Very enormous pizza was bei[ng]
Eaten, and when informed of [the pizza]
Responded, "Who Cares? I do[n't eat]
Pizza, or any un-American food
Asparagus, or something grow
Sure, I'll give it a whirl. It can
Smallish food, I don't care. Th
Mean it won't taste good
It won't make the evening ne
Don't quite a lot of things we
Neglected by you liberal repo[rters]
Intensely anti-U.S focus on w
The uneaten portion of the 3
Eventually be turned into luxu

How about those amazing, marvelous Mexicans?
One day they're attacking our best Alamos, or
Manufacturing nice leather belts to sell to
Eager U.S. tourists with uneventful trousers.
Recently, though some students in northern
Yucatan tried to make something to wear under
One's belt. They ended up making... history.
Until yesterday, the largest taco ever built
Resided in LA, home of Dom Deluise, who
Moved it from room to room to view it as he
Oversaw the operation of his bustling career.
That taco is now among the world's smallest.
He was unavailable for comment at press time.
Earlier this month, in attention-starved Iowa,
Residents made what they believed would be the
Largest food ever prepared: a 378-ton pizza.
Once the Yucatan Taco tipped the scales at a
Very impressive 413,845 tons, Iowa's feat was
Eclipsed, and the state was, again, forgotten.
Some in Iowa vowed revenge on the citizens of
Yucatan saying, "If they want war, bring it
On. The people of Iowa are prepared. We've
Used this week bulking up on American pizza."

[J.Re*]

amazing. 5/5. I'm so glad they did this episode well, I ways really hoping they wouldn't screw up the return of grandma simpson.

[ShadowBun]

Hahahah, thanks Jerry! That's currently the funniest Season 15 moment to me! "Too much hot fudge?" :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:

[newhook_1]

Originally posted by SpongeBob No Pants
you said it, i don't expect people to say it was the best ever or to have loved everything about it, but to say it was a bad episode or that they didn't like it perhaps shows that they have grown out of the simpsons

Your average Joe is a dumbass who cares more about things blowing up and jokes then genuine emotion in TV show, Books or anything else really. I love comedy but you have to have some emotion in some of the episodes (Not all of them either, some have to be light hearted gag fests) or it just detracts from you caring about the characters, there are a few exceptions though (Southpark being a perfect example) .

Anyways, to get back on the topic, the best reaction any of my friends gave it was, "It was OK".

[Jake]

I watched it again without being interupted, and I do still give it a 4.5/5, but I changed my mind regarding the ending. It SHOULD'VE ended with the newspapers in kitchen. Then, IMO, Mona's dialog should've been played during the END CREDITS (ala U2 in 'Trash of the Titans') that way the preceeding escape story could've had a bit more time to come across relaxed and fulfilling.

Jake

[East Rd]

I'd give it 4/5. I thought it was very good except for the general pacing problem and the overuse of musical montages. I counted at least 3. Keep em coming!

[NoOneFamous]

Originally posted by Mohammed Jafar
oh, yeah, sure. because every episode made these days is just packed with tons of gags like that, isn't it Um, well, yeah, kind of. Especially considering that nearly every episode has at least one crotch joke or some other needlessly blatant vulgar joke in it these days. Face it, today, Homer would have said something similar to what I just wrote, rather than being the one whispering "Oh Marge, grow up!" if Mr. Lisa Goes To Washington had aired today.

[mohammed jafar]

Originally posted by NoOneFamous
Um, well, yeah, kind of. Especially considering that nearly every episode has at least one crotch joke or some other needlessly blatant vulgar joke in it these days. Face it, today, Homer would have said something similar to what I just wrote, rather than being the one whispering "Oh Marge, grow up!" if Mr. Lisa Goes To Washington had aired today.

no. there may have been more jokes involving the word penis or whatever, but none of them (save perhaps Jaws Wired Shut, and it was a parody) derive their humor directly from the obscenity of the word itself. Brockman saying penis was a joke on his unprofessionalism. Frink saying penis was supposed to contradict "you're no less of a man". "crotch dot" was just a standard farcical gag. and so forth.

[TheSimpsonsFreak]

Well, I thought it was a good episode. One of the best this season ;) I was expecting it to be more emotional, but it was still good. I thought that some of the jokes were good, but some of them were just stupid and unfunny... kinda like a lot of the episodes in the newer episodes. Oh well, 3.93456355343223/5

[Gunstar]

Jesus tap dancing christ did this episode suck. I'm quite surprised at how many of you guys thought it was like "the good old days". That couldn't be further from the truth. I can honestly say that I did not laugh once. Even my younger brother said at the end "Um...was that supposed to be funny?". Between this and the horrid Halloween episode, I have no hopes for the new season. Please, just let the Simpsons die already... :(

[DaSimpsons]

the montages were great. I just love when the animation gets a bit 'older'. Sometimes the smooth design of the computer animation makes the characters seem stiff to me. Oh, and Wiggum was hilarious in this episode, more so than any other character. Vintage Wiggum.

[mohammed jafar]

Originally posted by Voodoo Monkey
2/5

Terrible, terrible, terrible.
How could anyone consider this good?
I thought it was really bad.
Sure, it didn't completely ruin Mother Simspon, but

Some people will say it did.
U liked it more than I did.
Crap, this was crap.
Erection instead of election was low, even for FOX

I don't want to ruin your otherwise well-thought-out, concise and thorough dissection of the episode (I especially loved how you stated your argument with "terrible, terrible, terrible" and expanded on this point with "How could anyone consider this good?", before launching into a detailed thesis and discussion of said argument with such insightful observations as "I thought it was really bad" and "crap, this was crap"), but....

e-rec-tion
noun

1. Something erected; a construction.
2. The firm and enlarged condition of a body organ or part when the erectile tissue surrounding it becomes filled with blood, especially such a condition of the penis or clitoris.

that's the joke. since when do people "unveil" elections? if you can't even understand such a simple and unsubtle (HE WAS STANDING IN FRONT OF A BUILDING!) joke as that, you shouldn't be watching The Simpsons in the first place.

Originally posted by DTB
Finally, I'm unfortunately disapointed with reaction from friends. At least, one of my friends told me how disapointed he was with it, and when I pressed him all I could get out of it was "yeah, it was pretty good for a new one". *Sigh* Even I'm beginning to wonder if certain fans just aren't open minded enough for it to even be worth them watching the show.

Well as I've said before, I fear the scully era has ruined people's perceptions of new episodes irrevocably. Even Chris Pfeiler, hardly the most friendly of critics, agrees on this, and tells me he's becoming quite irritated with the negativity and close-mindedness that people have in regards to the Jean era on the German-language Simpsons newsgroup.

[Tibor]

Also, the reemergence of that "abundance of A, lack of B" nagging found in S7 reviews (such as the complaining about the puzzle/newspaper openings and time tested "family goes someplace" openings)

Improvements are wasted on you people. :(

[magus7000]

I really like your thoughts an post Scully episodes Jafar. I too feel that there is a biased towards current episodes based on the fact that we had a couple bad seasons. I myself try to picture the episodes as if they were shown with season 4 or 5 episodes so i can get a good feel for them. .... or i just say fudge you haters, you can go be miserable, im going to watch my awesome simpsons episodes.....

either way works

[Tibor]

I'm fine if reviews consist of constructive criticism- of which there is plenty to be had -but I keep seeing the same vague nitpicks and disproportionate complaining over one or two jokes (which everyone would have loved if they were Mirkin era anyway).

[mohammed jafar]

well there have been no negative constructive criticisms yet. everyone who is capable of backing up their opinions and providing sound, detailed arguments has liked the episode. there has been no real criticism of the episode other than the pacing, which as I've pointed out was no worse than certain "classic" episodes. ComixFan, usually an intelligent poster, said something about it being "forced" or "tedious" or some other such vague buzzword, but so far has not responded to Tomacco's request to actually back this up with anything. the only remotely negative (B-/B) intelligent view was from our Mr. Scully, who for some reason doesn't seem to be reviewing episodes in these threads this year, but said in some other thread - "(It) was a bit of a rehash. It had the same plot device: Homer losing his mom to the law, then losing her to the law...again. The dynamic between Homer and his mom felt sort of rehashed as well. " Which even though it's only three sentences, he's still managed to provide far more reasoning and intelligent criticism than the entire lesser half of this thread put together, and his points are fair and understandable, even though i don't necessarily agree.

[Gunstar]

Well, I forgot to state earlier that the ending was ridiculous. It didn't really feel like it ended, but just stopped. It also felt sort of tacked on to ensure that there would be another Mother Simpson episode down the line. The whole newspaper thing at the end was, in a word, stupid. I can't for the life of me think of one memorable line or a sight gag in the whole damned episode. I'd go into things in a bit more detail, but unfortunately, 30 hours without sleep has taken its toll on me. Maybe later...Gunstar sleep now...

[mohammed jafar]

Originally posted by Gunstar Hero
Well, I forgot to state earlier that the ending was ridiculous. It didn't really feel like it ended, but just stopped. It also felt sort of tacked on to ensure th