Rate & Review: "Smart and Smarter" (FABF09)

[OldCootAbe]

this one is a Meh for me, there were some good moments, I hated the Mr.Bergstrom reference, totally thrown in there, didn't like that thing with Barney and Moe at the end, just seemed thrown in there. My fvorite joke was Milhouse's about Lisa's goth look. "An Oakland Raiders fan?" that made me laugh very hard. I'll go with a 3/5 or a C grade for this one.

[Cole]

A very "meh" episode for me as well. Almost everything about this episode seemed forced. Lisa's search for a new identity was painful, especially when she attempted to become gothic. It was completely out of character for her. All of the jokes by Simon's character fell extremely flat and seemed out of place in the episode. I felt like the episode just rushed from scene to scene and never took time to develop any emotion, although they attempted to in several scenes with dramatic music. They get a point for effort there, since the episode did have some heart. There were some redeeming qualities to the episode, mainly being the excellent animation. Homer provided a few laughs this week with his talking frog jigger and a few clever lines that escape me now. I also found the "you are Lisa Simpson" gag to be extremely funny. Maggie spelling words with the blocks early in the episode was very humorous (like DTBM stated, after 15 seasons, they finally noticed). And the ending, while very forced, did make sense (Maggie looking for Lisa for the answers to the questions). There was not much to like, but there was not much to hate. C

[Ranadok]

This episode was good, but not great. Lots of funny parts (Nelson on the bus, the frog, the police in the museum... all great stuff humour-wise). The plot was lacking decent justification for Lisa's actions, and the various character changes, while amusing, didn't make sense. If she was supposed to be finding out who she is, then why was she caring if others liked her or not? It's like she changed reasons half-way through doing it. Unless the point all along was to find a persona that would get her liked, in which case... why does the fact that she is no longer the smart kid matter? Bah. Just bah.

Skinner's various passing lines were pretty funny once I realized they were connected... The digestion part was weird, but okay, I guess. I thought the wang joke was hilarious, it reminded me of a local controversy over an anatomically correct bigfoot sculpture that eventually had to be turned to face away from the highway and given a leaf skirt to avoid offending residents. The bit with Moe and Barney was odd, it seemed like they needed an excuse to let Simon/Henry and what's-her-name in the house, and decided to go the wacky route instead of think of something serious. Simon's voice-over of the credits could have been funny, but he sucked the life out of them... All in all, the episode was entertaining, but nothing special. 3.5/5

[DaSimpsons]

i thought it was ok but let me start with the worst things in tonights episode: #1 - Simon Cowell was just bad and #2 - Principal Skinners 3 or 4 Drive by comments were really stupid and forced, even if they were connected to each other.

i did like the mr. bergstrom reference although it would've been much better without the photo, but i felt it was still subtle enough. Barts "Welcome to the Others" at the end of act 1 is probably my favorite part of the whole season up to this point. Maggie was excellent in the episode. Lisa probably could have been done better (gothic lisa? wtf?). Didn't care for the ending too much. Frog part was nice, and the digestion thing started out a little wierd but i think they still pulled it off.

overall, since i was expecting worse, i'd say a 3/5.

[Goty]

Not great, but still a really nice episode. Most of the jokes worked, Homer was very well-used (specially with the frog) and i liked to see some Maggie/Lisa bonding. Lisa's search for a new identity was a little rushed in a Scuse Me While I Miss the Sky style, but gave me some chuckles. 4/5

[soopacake]

Loved it, my favorite episode of the year... this will be one I will look forward to in reruns.

The frog doll jokes were hilarious... anyone who has one of those for their toddlers can truly appreciate that.

I also liked the "Bart, you've been a worthy foe" line when they are about to die in the stomach.

[Sarcastic Guy]

A solid episode overall. The opening bathroom scene was pretty funny I thought, but I agree it went a bit too far. It seems the choking gag keeps getting more and more complex.

The Bergstrom bit was funny, and yes, we all did see it coming when Marge was writing on the tablet. Showing Bergstrom himself wasn't bad persay; I'm sure fans who aren't quite as avid enjoyed the joke due to the...visual aid.

I didn't like Lisa as a Goth. It just wasn't funny, and I personally liked it even less than the opening bathroom scene. Lisa has always stood up for her own personality; the fact that she would change her appearance due to Maggie's assumed superior intellect is ridiculous. Lisa would have entered a competition like a spelling bee or an essay writing contest...if they were going to be redundant, why choose to repeat the Summer of 4ft2 rather than Mr Lisa Goes to Washington?

The stomach gag was pretty funny, and I'm glad they did the...evacuation...as they did it. A graphic pooping of the Simpsons would have been dreadful, but it was done tastefully enough.

The ending was a bit of a copout though, showing us how Lisa blatantly helped Maggie cheat. It seemed like they needed something quick to finish it off, and took about two minutes to think it up.

Despite the episodes problems, I still laughed a good bit, even at the lesser parts.

4/5

[prince jafar allah]

A great premise let down by a very poor Lisa characterisation and uninspired storytelling. Very amateurish, half-assed fanscript-esque character handling here. The "new identity" part was complete nonsense, and made very little sense. Why would Maggie's usurping of her role in the family as "the smart one" cause her to suddenly become a stand-up comedian, or a goth, or whatever. She considers her only important personal characteristic to be her IQ? Or rather, the writers consider her only important personal characteristic to be her IQ? I'd like to think she is a far more complex character than that, whose intellect is not merely a schtick that when taken away causes her to find a new schtick. I wasn't even 100% comfortable with Lisa's strangely shallow attitude towards her own identity in Summer of 4ft 2, so you can imagine that I really didn't like her behaviour in this episode at all, which completely lacked the maturity or reason we have come to expect from her. Very shallow, very out-of-character, very contrived, and really quite nonsensical. Also, the malicious jealousy towards Maggie was again, very shallow character handling. Ironically there was little sign of her intelligence in her jealousy over Maggie's superior intelligence, with only negligible attempts to be rational (Lisa on the bus despairing over being jealous of a baby for example). In Lisa's Rival we saw a complex Lisa who had clear and understandable thought processes, who attempted to reason against her natural jealousy and uneasiness but with little success. Here she doesn't seem to think at all. And her running away from home on a whim for some reason was the pee-flavored icing on the shit-flavored cake. Not just because it's a totally jarring and incorrect character decision, because it's a lame, cliched plot device.

Agreed with Tibor about the ending explanation. And pretty much everything else, really.

It was good humorwise I suppose. Everything with the phonetic frog and the cops was gold. But still not anything like enough to push it into the thumbs up zone. Plus rather too many "oh, isn't that Homer crazy" moments for my liking, and Simon Cowell's self-parodying was horribly predictable.

C

[Tibor]

She considers her only important personal characteristic to be her IQ? Or rather, the writers consider her only important personal characteristic to be her IQ? I'd like to think she is a far more complex character than that, whose intellect is not merely a schtick that when taken away causes her to find a new schtick.

Well said. That's one of the pitfalls that Lisa characterization often drops into in latter era episodes, though hasn't been as big a deal post season 13. In ideal characterization she has a kind of innocent childish wisdom, not just a bookworm or know-it-all.

[bubbahomer]

i got a bad memory but someone correct me if im wrong......the couch gag had the whole house made up like a dry cleaner(clothes in bags on a conveyer belt) and the conveyer belt started up and when it stoped the whole family was in bags over the couch.

[bubbahomer]

the skinner line when she brings up the whole you are not realy skinner i thought was funny that and the only thing i liked about simon was the end credit gag.

[That Jerk]

One thing i forgot to add. The detail in the school cafeteria was very nice. It looked like they put extra efforts into making it look run down than just a simple room with benches and counters. Too bad all the focus was on Lisa hitting new lows...

[Radioactive Man]

I have to say I did like Barney dressed up as the maid because that seems like something the drunk barney would do.

[a1rickyg]

Best episode of the season so far. i give it a B+, or a 4/5.
This episode had Al Jean written all over it. The Lisa searching for her identity is an old idea, but it sure as hell beats some wacky pointless adventure to England or a lame trilogy episode. i loved the Mr Bergstrom reference. Overall the plot had a nice flow to it, and Simons guest appearance was one of the best in recent years. Hell, he could even be a regular character on the show, he would fit in nicely. Homer was a little wacky, but not enough to ruin the episode.

[Mike Scully]

This episode felt like a season 9 episode more than anything else. Contrived plot twists that show very little understanding of the characters and how they should act, a rather over-the-top climax, yet, carried the whole way through by good gags, of which few fall flat, an interesting story, and even some heart.

Lisa's jealousy of Maggie was a bit hard to get into. It was a stretch to believe she would become a goth, or run away from home. The scenes where Lisa tries to find different identities was amusing; a standard sitcom device that was exaggerated into absurdity, that it was funny. But it didn't seem quite right for Lisa. Better than in Lard of the Dance, where Lisa tries a new identity, and her possessiveness of Milhouse comes out of nowhere.

There should have been more scenes where we get to see how much better Maggie was being treated by her parents, and how Lisa was being ignored. It could have made for some classic cynical humor, on par with Lisa's Sax, about how children who are gifted are treated better. Plus, it would have developed the plot better.

Simon Cowell was used OK, but I wasn't crazy about his role. In a way, he seemed as out-of-place as Judge Harm from The Parent Rap.

Even though the plot could have been developed better, it was amusing and effective enough. I liked Lisa's dream, Nelson on the bus, the montage at the museum, the Lisa's Substitute reference, the ending with Maggie playing the saxophone. All funny character-driven scenes that also helped us to understand Lisa's feelings better.

Plus, there were other nice touches and working humor: Bart/Homer fighting, Homer's fascination with the phonics frog, Simon Cowell being beaten up and still insulting Homer, Wiggum getting a good rating.

Overall, an entertaining episode that could have been a classic with better character writing, and sharper more cynical humor.

Grade: B/B-

[whisman]

Originally posted by bubbahomer
the skinner line when she brings up the whole you are not realy skinner i thought was funny

Uh, that was in the episode that came on after this, "I D'oh-bot".

This was a great episode. I was not too fond of the first act, but the rest of the episode was very funny. I rarely find an ending as good as this one. Usually the writers slag off and end the episode at any random moment, but this one was well planned out. Very humorous and heart warming most of the times. By far, one of the best episodes this season, if not the. B+

[The Foot]

A funny and enjoyable episode. I thought the bathroom scene was very funny but was over used. I also liked the speaking frog and the Simpsons getting stuck in the human body. The I am Lisa Simpson was a nice reference to Mr. Bergstrom but was very predictable. The only parts I didn't like was Bart rolling on the floor of the bus and the explanation at the very end was unrealistic. Overall a good episode. Grade B+

[HoyvinGlavin64]

Wow. I was surprised by this episode. I thought it would fall in C-range, possibly D-range when it comes to grades. However, this episode was... Good! I'll look at what was good about it:

The Good:
--The couch gag. Best one since Tis the Fifteenth Season.
--Simon Cowell's preformance was limited, and the stuff he did say was actually funny. They didn't even say his name outside of promos and the credit-commentary.
--Maggie's intelligence. Her talent was amazingly humorous, and it proved my theory on Maggie's intelligence (well, almost).
--Lisa's delema was well done and seemed reminiscent of Little Girl in the Big 10.
--The Lisa's Sub refference. That is an episode just begging for a well-done sequel, and got a nice nod here.
--Lisa's different identities. Not so much the identities themselves, but everyone's reactions.
--"Bullies rule!"
--"Ha-oh-ma-er."
--Gyser: Nature's Boring Mirracle.
--Chief Wiggum in the museum. Comedic gold there.
--The Digestion Machine was the first good gross-out joke this season.
--Simon's commentary. Best ending since Three Gays of the Condo.

The meh:
--Not sure what to make of the opening scene. Funny, but wierd. I'd exect Bart to pull the prank, but Homer did it in a funny way.

The bad:
--Nothing I can think of.

Overall, nothing bad about this episode, and better than expected. Not the best, but worthy of a B+, and a 4/5.

[SpongeBob No Pants]

wow, i thought this episode would get a much more favorable review from the NHC members (you guys seem to hate the good episodes and like the horrible ones, at least compared to the other sites around the net)

i thought it had everything that a good episode needs
- funny jokes
- great emotion
- character development
- a suitable ending, not ruined by a lame joke
- no over the top penis jokes (yes there was a "wang" on a sign, but come on, it was not spoken, it was funny and "wang" is a much more tasteful word then "penis" is)

a second viewing really opened my eyes as to how great this episode was, i thought the homer, marge, bart being digested was really original and not gross (they just droped from the ass, there were no fart noises, or followed by a flush)

also, Cowell was used great, i hate the guy, but i gotta say he was defenetly one of the better used guest stars of the last 3 years

5/5

[NeverEverAfter]

It had a couple of slow jokes, but other than that it was okay. 4/5.
I almost fell off my chair when I saw Lisa "Goth".
Kill The Alligator And Run was also on. It wasn't that bad . . .

--Janjan.

[Cole]

Originally posted by SpongeBob No Pants
no over the top penis jokes (yes there was a "wang" on a sign, but come on, it was not spoken, it was funny and "wang" is a much more tasteful word then "penis" is)

Boy, people here despise the word "penis." Substituting it with the word "wang" really doesn't make much of a difference. In "Margical History Tour," if Homer had said "Grow a wang or get out," I think the line would have been even more childish and out of place.

You do make a good point about the families escape or evacuation from the model in the museum. I'm glad they avoided unnecessary fart jokes there.

Jafar makes a good point about Lisa losing her identity simply because her IQ is no longer the highest in the family. It really makes her appear to be a very shallow character.

[pocketfox]

I think they've said penis in 4 episodes:
Homer The Moe
The Sweetest Apu
Treehouse Of Horror XIV
Margical History Tour

Were there any others?

[SpongeBob No Pants]

Originally posted by pocketfox
I think they've said penis in 4 episodes:
Homer The Moe
The Sweetest Apu
Treehouse Of Horror XIV
Margical History Tour

Were there any others?

thats all i can remember but i have to add that the only one i laughed at was in "Homer the Moe"

Russian woman - "After Chernobyl, my Penis is falling off

Moe - "And penis is russian for...?"


I hate Penis jokes, but that is some good writing

[bubbahomer]

Originally posted by Robbie Whisman
Uh, that was in the episode that came on after this, "I D'oh-bot".

This was a great episode. I was not too fond of the first act, but the rest of the episode was very funny. I rarely find an ending as good as this one. Usually the writers slag off and end the episode at any random moment, but this one was well planned out. Very humorous and heart warming most of the times. By far, one of the best episodes this season, if not the. B+

oops

[Tomacco]

More thoughts on the episode by me:

Homer's characterization: I dunno, I detected just a little too much of that jerkass Homer in this one, moreso than maybe any other ep this year. Right from the start, he went a little nuts on Bart, then on Apu. Plus, of course on the Simon character in the end.

Lisa: Good characterization on the most part. The only point of suffering was her new persona stage. Mainly the goth part, which South Park did better (although they devoted more time and its a better outlet for a parody like that - although it was funny how both Lisa's and Stan's goth names were Raven).

The ending: I wasn't too fond of Lisa's cheating being the conclusion to Maggie's genius. Clearly, Maggie is a genius. No matter what. Besides, I didn't even notice Lisa helping her all that much in the interview (the wall shadow thing was a bit too much). And as I said before, the human digestion thing was a bit too wacky for me.

Everything else was good though, and the laughs were frequent enough. Even with all these problems (not huge), I would still give this episode a B.

[Rowdy]

My personal favorite of the season. Nothing too wacky or crazy, very funny, GREAT storyline. Helped me forget about some of the really poor recent episodes.

[Tomacco]

Can someone help me identify what the parody is in Lisa's dream of killing Maggie? I know it's definitely some old movie.

And can someone transcribe the Simon comments during the end credits? Global cut them all off.

[Tibor]

It's a parody of "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane," also ref'd in Worst Episode Ever.

[chiefdan]

Originally posted by pocketfox
I think they've said penis in 4 episodes:
Homer The Moe
The Sweetest Apu
Treehouse Of Horror XIV
Margical History Tour

Were there any others?

Kent Brockman said it in a Season 14 episode. "Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington", I think.

By the way, I really enjoyed last night's episode. Best of the season IMO. 4/5.

[DotheBartman]

Originally posted by Tomacco

And can someone transcribe the Simon comments during the end credits? Global cut them all off.

Over Brooks, Simon, Groening: Do we really need three of these people? (my note: ironically, they're all basically gone anyway)

(Over Dan C.): Too ethnic, change it.

Over Nancy C.: More like Cartwrong.

Over Azaria: Worst voicing ever.

Over Cowell: Finally, a real celebrity.

Animation Producers: Oh good, more producers, just what I need.

Matt Warburton: Him, I like.

Danny Elfman: Yes, but what's he done lately.

Bonita Pietela: Well done.

DPS Film Roman: I really don't care anymore.

Random names: All useless.
Continuing: Do the credits really have to go this long?

Gracie Films shush: Oh shush yourself.



Again, I didn't find it to be funny really. Partially because Cowell had a very monotone "I'm reading from cue cards" reading of all of those lines. He's no Dan C. or Hank Azaria.