Rate/Review: The Bart of War (Season Finale Part 1, EABF16)

[mathias1979]

Meh. 3/5. I don't know...seems that everything good people have said about this episode I don't agree with. The whole Beatles thing was just wierd...although Bart's hallucination was defnitely a highlight of the episode. I wasn't amused by Ralph's antics, in face one of the gags made me cringe, although I forget which it was. I think the whole idea of the wolf carrying him off into the wild. Nelson's fatherhood issues, eh, somewhat amusing at first. Could've done without it the second time. But Homer's leadership abilities, classic. Loved his drum solo. I may give it another look in a day or two, perhaps I'll be more amused the second time. But as for now, it sits among the bottom half of my rankings for this season.

-Matt

[Simpson Purist]

I'm curious, did anyone think that Bart was slightly out-of-character when he said that something was "gay"?

[NoOneFamous]

Originally posted by Simpson Purist
I'm curious, did anyone think that Bart was slightly out-of-character when he said that something was "gay"?

Nope.

Moe: Have you ever been hunting before, Bart?
Bart: No, but I've heard about it. Something about a bunch of guys, alone, in the woods... sounds kinda gay.

[Simpson Purist]

Hmm...I asked this because this (along with the whole Canada thing) is causing an uproar at the ATS forums, I didn't really cringe at the line as those people did. Some people thought that Bart said "gay" as in "stupid," while the quote from Homer's Phobia is meant to say that Bart thinks hunting is a homosexual activity since it almost always involves men.

[DotheBartman]

It was using it as "stupid", but I don't think it was out of character. Sadly, a lot of kids nowadays find it perfectly acceptable to say that and use it often (equally disturbing: my mom, a middle school teacher, started hearing kids using "jewish" in the same vein). Plus, Bart had just been watching "South Park", which is somewhat infamous for using the term casually, so perhaps it was another hint at him being "influenced".

[Tibor]

Yeah, with young'uns these days, 'gay' and 'stupid' are interchangeable.

And besides that, the gag itself (with Flanders having a picture of OFF- 'God Bless Our Neighbors!') was hi-larious.

[Urath28]

it was good, not great, but good

as for the end it would have been funny if they did not have the newspaper in the store saying "President Shots Wife" That was funny but then mixing in real world problems...

[Sorrydude]

Originally posted by DotheBartman
It was using it as "stupid", but I don't think it was out of character. Sadly, a lot of kids nowadays find it perfectly acceptable to say that and use it often ...

I'm only 31 but I remember as a kid saying "That's gay" to mean "That's stupid" without any reference to sexual preferences. It goes back quite a way...

[kuje]

Moe: Have you ever been hunting before, Bart?
Bart: No, but I've heard about it. Something about a bunch of guys, alone, in the woods... sounds kinda gay.

That 'gay' is supposed to mean homosexual, as Homer wants to take Bart hunting because he thinks it will make him 'not gay', but Bart thinks that spending time in the woods with a bunch of guys IS gay.

[Sorrydude]

Originally posted by davidshirt
this was an okay episode. flanders saying the beatles are bigger than jesus is funny for all the reasons, well two. lennon said it on the radio when the beatles first came to america, and then there is the obvious reason why it's funny.

John Lennon didn't say that on the radio, he said it during an interview in March 1966 with an English newspaper. The quote was reprinted in an American magazine later that year but out of context.

[Sorrydude]

It actually provoked controversy across the United States, not simply the so-called Bible belt. Some people don't like their religious figures disparaged...I hear people in another figurative Bible belt overseas share that opinion.

[George Cauldron]

Saw this episode for the first time. The first act was very good, with Bart and Milhouse in a classic prank-goes-wrong situation. Loved the Beatles references. The second and third acts were decidedly mediocre, and I felt that the whole cowboys/Indians thing had been loosely explored already in The Lastest Gun In The West and The Fright To Creep And Scare Harms, and Dude Where's My Ranch, without needing to be done here. And Marge's sobbing was one of the worst examples of forced emotion that I've seen in a long time.

[Glumplich]

I watched this episode again last night. I give it a solid B.

[Tamaki Suoh]

A mediocre episode, not of season 14's finest, but still a decent offering. Flanders was slightly overdone in his overbearingly Christian persona, not many of the jokes were very memorable, the Bart/Milhouse angle could have been developed more, and the ending was a bit abrupt, but it still produced a few good jokes and mostly accurate characterizations. 3/5

[Jesse Pinkman]

i saw it when it aired, and it seemed pretty good, even though i was like 10. i liked South Park, and Ralph was pretty funny. 4/5 seems right

[Moe Nopoly]

it's my favorite episode from season 1 and one of my favorite Bart episodes.

B+

[Bella Drape 'er]

One of my least favourite episodes, it's incredibly boring and messed up (especially in the third act - that line at the end made me cringe of its poor satirical comment)

The immaturity of the storytelling is painful to watch, from Marge creating a smoke signal to the whole montage of the two tribes competeing against one another.

I did like Moe's pairing with the boxer though.

D+

[qwertyuio]

I actually liked it. The episode was not a classic but it was a solid entertainment. The plot, though thin and simple, had the right elements to be enjoyable at least, with a great Homer (I love when he goes watching American Football with the kids) and a nice and funny fight between the two groups of children, specially for the Bart against Milhouse thing.

Not great, but good and a quite acceptable enjoyment. Also, I have a soft spot for the ending. 8/10

[Nauru-1]

The setpiece didn't really seem to fit the main story, which didn't seem to merit the kind of ending it did. However, it was relatively entertaining so I'll give it a 3/5.

[Granto]

A nice beginning does nothing to save this episode. Ralph is still funny by this stage but the rivalry didn't really interest me and the ending is all a bit tacked on.

2/5

[amr diab]

south park rules

[Granto]

shut up

[Jesse Pinkman]

south park rules

your reviews are almost always a sentence or two, which leads me to ask: have you even seen all the episode you are reviewing, or are you just acting like it?

[Kayasith]

I actually kinda hate this episode, besides some entertainment around beginning, the whole story of the preteen braves was kinda boring, with some gags thrown here and their, particularly Nelsons hallucinations, ugh.

Anyway, while this episode is mediocre at best, what made me hate this episode, was that this episode was often aired repeatedly, I never understood why this episode was loved so much.

Anyway, 2/5, the best line in the episode, was, Homer: I was, giving it, back to the earth, *runs*.

[alex_on_ice]

The Bart Of War (2.75/5):

In my opinion, this episode has some good things about it and some bad things about it.

Let me start out with the things that pleased me. I found the beginning to be quite entertaining (but didn't really like the thing with the fly on a string) and It was nice to find out Ned Flanders was interested in something other than God: the beatles. Chief Wiggum, Eddie and Lou are good as usual. I've always been fond of those three characters. However I didn't really understand why Homer pretends to be Micheal Jackson at one point. That small part didn't make me laugh and it looked like it was supposed to ba a joke.

I didn't find it was a bad idea to have groups of kids with parents in charge throughout the episode. Homer as a chief was pretty good but I find they should have kept him as chief (and not make Marge chief) they probably could've done a little bit more with the story. Nelson's hallucinations made me laugh quite a bit and Marge's comment on his hallucinations was even better. The whole rivalry between Kirk's group of boys and Marge's group of boys was okay (but nothing that special).

I really disliked the ending of the episode (even though I really like the Canadian anthem). I don't know why they decided to play the canadian anthem and I didn't really like the fact the story ends in a stadium.

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

Season 14 continues when Bart joins the Pre Teen Braves! He is forced to when he is caught in Flanders' house, destroying his massive Beatles collection. Homer leads the tribe initially, but gives in to laziness so Marge takes over. Unfortunately Milhouse has joined the Cavalry Kids and the two groups duel over a candy competition that leads to a climactic showdown at an Isotopes game.

This remains a fun and funny episode from start to finish. The South Park opening was very good in that it was a funny nod and the material seemed in line with actual South Park material. I also enjoyed the Flanders revelation even if it isn't ever referenced again. In my review for The Dad Who Knew Too Little I mentioned my dad's last two remembered moments from the show both come from Season 14(he had already stopped watching consistently but found me watching in syndication, he isn't dead or anything....), and the other comes here during the initial Pre Teen Braves meeting. It is a simple one liner I'm sure most would ignore, but Bart calling Homer Lazy-Horse had him in stitches and to this day he still addresses some of his kids, myself included, as Lazy-Horse, not often or anything but still notable. I think he also laughed at Nelson embracing the tree but I'm not sure about that one.

Just two episodes ago I thought I saw the last of Dave Shutton but here he was again to my surprise. The conflict between Bart and Milhouse's groups provide several funny moment. I enjoyed seeing Homer in the line of bums waiting for alcohol. The Isotopes game had me laughing several times from the Rich Texan's complaint about his beer(random I know) to poor Moe's beating at the hands of Drederick Tatum. The episode even ended on a strong last line by Bart. Other things of note, I noticed two small aspects of this episode would have a much greater impact in The Simpsons Movie: Homer dumping the treadmill in the water and Bart's gang in the steel ball on motorcycles entertaining Grampa at the Retirement Castle.

Pretty good episode then overall which according to the poll choices means a 4/5 so I'll go with that.

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

The South Park opening was very good in that it was a funny nod and the material seemed in line with actual South Park material.

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

2 things Handsome, first: I'm genuinely surprised you responded so quickly, and second you're telling me that OJ stuff didn't scream South Park? really?

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

It's like all the damn Simpsons parodies. They push all the little things like fart, crippled and OJ Simpson jokes to the extreme, and make it seem like that's what it's all about.

Goddamn it, sorry if this is worded so badly. It's 3 am.

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

Well I mean it wasn't supposed to be more of a full blown dissection of South Park or anything, the clip lasts all of 30 seconds, probably not even. I liked it