Rate & Review: "The Wandering Juvie" (FABF11)

[Tomacco]

Okay, here we go:

This episode had all the makings of an excellent episode, including great characterization, use of new and old secondary characters, and good pacing. I think everyone's pointed out the most obvious bright parts of the episode, so I'd like to draw on what hasn't been mentioned so much.

Pardon my poorly-chronologically ordered review, but I think my favorite part of the episode was the little subplot involving who to blame for Bart's misconduct. Marge feeling sorry for herself and calling herself a bad parent was something I thought would have gone ignored (although in early seasons it wouldn't have, but this shows proof that the show has improved again). The decision to realize the blame on Homer was an even nicer unexpected turn, and for yet another twist, I thought his scheme resolution to compensating for raising Bart badly was the best and most inventive part of the episode. I thought this moment where Homer actually realizes his mistake (not being there for Bart) and trying to fix it by becoming a guard to watch over him was heartwarming and funny at the same time. It was a nice attempt on Homer's part, but as shown, he really is only designated to his shift, and weekdays. A good Homer blunder.

The Itchy & Scratchy cartoon's prison-edit was a great gag too, despite its similarity to the seniors-edit one in "The Old Man and the C Student". It also worked to advance the plot, taking yet another thing away from Bart. I enjoyed Bart's walk through the prison yard, where we really get a feel for his lonesomeness. The slide beatings for one was a comical visual gag in the midst of a more serious scene. The Cletus scene was also great, with the wood-carving psychic being a new aspect to his weirdly hick character.

The Bart/Gina relationship was a different sort of love interest we've seen from Bart in the past, but far more short-lived, and therefore not really my personal focus of the episode. To me, she was there to advance the juvie story more than anything, and the love aspect was just on the side. It was a good way to create a conflict in the episode, where Bart wasn't at fault, and therefore could be excused later and sent back home. The family visiting Gina was just another nice touch to let us feel that Gina isn't completely ignored, since she did help Bart out of jail. I admit this relationship was weak overall, but since it wasn't my focus, it didn't bring the episode down for me. I also thought the Warden was a well-used character, nicely voiced by our friend Charles Napier. Judge Harm wasn't unwanted either. Her explanation for Bart's file was a chuckle.

All in all, I just found it to be a fresh-feeling enjoyable episode with no real cons, and lots of pros. Good stuff, and great addition to the season.

5/5

PS: I laughed at Homer's mistaken toilet stall joke. It was all in the delivery.

[Gorky]

I enjoyed this one, and I think it was one of the best Bart episodes in awhile. I'll break my review down into acts.

Act one: Meh. The basic idea of Bart faking a wedding was uh,... interesting. I don't think that it was the best way to land him in the juvie, but it worked.
Anyway, things I liked: Lauren MacMullan's name as director, Edna Krabappel and Seymour Skinner arguing (I consider it a bit of foreshadowing for next week, but that's probably unlikely), and Marge's scene.
Things that were so-so: The use of the 'Yesss' Guy, the crime that landed Bart in juvenile hall, and Wiggum's badge ("Cash Bribes Only", or something to that effect).
Things I hated: Homer confusing the dressing room for a bathroom stall.

Act two: Much better than the first. Bart was an enjoyable character and so were the rest.
Liked: Sarah Michelle Gellar as Gina, Bart melting after Gina's kiss, Charles Napier, and Bart's innocence in the face of the other kids (more later).
So-so: Nothing
Hated: Nothing

Act Three: Great. I can't put it any other way.
Liked: Bart and Gina's friendship, Bart's innocence (the cooties thing, etc.), developing Gina into a likable character with some type of depth, Gina getting Bart off the hook.
So-So: Napier's character breaking down in the end.
Hated: Nothing.

Okay, I love character-driven stories, and this is one of them. Bart and Gina had some kind of chemistry (by which I mean Nancy Cartwright and Sarah Michelle Gellar did a great job), were both likeable and well-represented, and had depth.

On the subject of Bart's innocence, which I mentioned earlier, he seemed like an innocent 10 year old kid, not only a prankster. I loved that he was slow in realizing that Gina had no family, and couldn't believe that there's no such thing as cooties. I think that Bart's innocence is something that you can really buy, even though I'm pretty sure that very few 10 year-olds are that innocent.

Anyway, definitely A material.

[pat]

This episode had what the last three this season: solid plot structure. The episode's main plot was introduced in the first act for once, instead of the first act just being a time-filler. I enjoyed this episode story-wise, it was easy to follow and didn't jump all over the place, and didn't have a massive subplot, which enabled the story to stay on Bart instead of shifting to another character without any real reason.

The portrayal of the juvie hall was well done, Charles Napier was great as the warden, and the relationship between Bart and Gina was developed right and, as I already stated, flowed well. I also enjoyed the Do the Bartman reference, but not as much as DotheBartman, for no one but DotheBartman can like the Do the Bartman reference more than DotheBartman. The ending scene with Gina accepting the Simpsons as her family was beautiful and well done, and a great line by the warden to end the episode.

If I graded the episode based solely on plot and direction, this would easily be an A. But humor plays a big factor in my rating of episodes as well, and this one didn't deliver humor-wise as it possibly could have, but I can stand to not laugh as much if the story is interesting, which this one was, so I'll be fair and give this one a B+, 4/5. #5 of the season, therefore breaking the rankings in my sig.

Season 15 Rankings:
1. 'Tis the Fifteenth Season A
2. My Mother, the Carjacker A-
3. The President Wore Pearls A-
4. Today, I Am a Klown A-
5. The Wandering Juvie B+
6. Margical History Tour B
7. Diatribe of a Mad Housewife B
8. Treehouse of Horror XIV B
9. Milhouse Doesn't Live Here Anymore B-
10. Marge vs. Many, Many People B-
11. The Ziff Who Came to Dinner C
12. Smart and Smarter C
13. The Regina Monologues C
14. Co-Dependant's Day C
15. I, D'oh-bot C-
16. The Fat and the Furriest D
Average: C+ (but inching closer back to a B-)

[MacGyver 666]

"The Wandering Juvie" was a terrific episode; the best since "Milhouse Doesn't Live Here Anymore". I feared that the whole Juvenal hall aspect of the episode would be handled in a more "Wacky" fashion, but thankfully it was more down to earth. Bart and Gina's relationship was also down to earth & it arose naturally, which I liked. The only real negative about this episode was it was a little lacking in the humor department, although it did have its moments such as Cletus's woodcarvings. (especially the Pillsbury Doughboy in a bear trap)After my first viewing I'd give "The Wandering Juvie" an A-/B+.

Season 15

Treehouse Of Horror XIV: B
My Mother The Carjacker: B+
The President Wore Pearls: A
The Regina Monologues: B-
The Fat and the Furriest: B-
Today, I am a Klown: A
'Tis The Fifteenth Season: A
Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens and Gays: B
I, D'oh-bot: B+
Diatribe of a Housewife: B+
Margical History Tour: C+
Milhouse Doesn't Live Here Anymore: A
Smart and Smarter: B+/B
The Ziff Who Came to Dinner: B
Co-Dependent's Day: B-
The Wandering Juvie: A-/B+

[chris]

So was this episode written by both Frink and Payne, or was it just Frink solo? I thought I read on SNPP's upcoming episodes page some time ago that it was just Frink, but now it says Frink and Payne...anyway.

This is the type of episode that can certainly sit up there with "Moe Baby Blues" and "Special Edna" and the like of recent seasons. My biggest problem was that when Gina kissed Bart it pretty much, in a wholly uninteresting way, rehashed past Bart kisses, and also opened the door for some irritating cootie jokes that really seemed out of character for a guy who had no cootie-related problem with his first couple of girlfriends. That's my only major complaint, though.

I was surprisingly impressed with Marge in this one, both in dialogue and voice work; Julie Kavner actually sounded like she was trying again, which I suppose could be attributed to the fact that Marge wasn't a behaving like a dimwit for once (although the skin mite joke could count, I guess...still). I especially noticed an improvement in her crying, which didn't grate as awful as it did in, say, "The Bart of War."

And of course the direction was phenomenal; that blacksmith was among the best pieces of animation the show has ever done.

4/5 (a point deducted for the crappy romance angle)

Too bad that next week's episode has been yanked away from us.

[vox]

Originally posted by DotheBartman
Captain McCallister showed up for the first time in a long while? (I think) He used to be in the show all the time but seems to be used more sparingly lately?

He was in rehab last week, giving Marge the (literally) bootleg liquor at the end. I'm not sure if he had a line though.

[HomertheGreat]

Humor

I think I agree with other people in saying that this episode was a constantly funny episode, with many laugh out loud gags. There were a couple that didn't work for me (Homer's alien dream), though his line and the family's reactions after that were funny.

Plot

Here is where the episode got a little iffy for me. The plot pacing was overall pretty good. I didn't find that it was rushed like many of the plots have been this season. My only complaint was Gina. First, let me say that SMG did an excellent job playing her, unlike other girl guest stars she actually sounded like a girl. But she wasn't developed very well, and was really an odd character to try and figure out. I don't know if this was intentional or just poor writing. I think that I'm leaning towards the latter. And the little love relationship between Bart/Gina felt awkward and out of place. Other than these complaints about Gina, the plot was paced and played out fine.

Direction

Well... what can I say. She did a great job, once again. Why isn't she Executive Director? While this directing performance wasn't as impressive as "Moe Baby Blues" it was still above average and offered up many great scenes. Probably the two that stick out in my mind were the scene with Bart scanning all the Wedding gifts and the Blacksmith scene.

OVERALL: Solid episode. It had some minor flaws in it, but it's definately a step up from the past few episodes. B

[Maddog53]

3.75/5 (I really wanted to give it a 4). Voted for a 3 on the poll.

I'm agreeing more with Tibor and DTB on this one. While I don't see this as a bad episode at all, there were still some sour moments. I really didn't like Bart almost suffocating the people (yes, I know he didn't acutally seal the doors or anything, but his laughing just seemed out of character to me). There weren't any real big laughs for me in this episode. Homer's job was dumb too.

That being said, I thought Bart was extremely in character for the rest of the show. Gina was a great character introduce, and their dialogue was funny, and sweet at the same time. Here is the link to my complete review. A bit different format this week, hope you like it.

While I think this episode will definitely be remembered, I don't think it was great, even though it could have been.

Maddog.

[Ranadok]

There was a lot to like in this episode, and not too much to dislike. The animation was top-notch (the blacksmith and the scanning scene as two notable examples, as well as a lot of smaller things animated in the background that I normally don't see), the humour was great (Cletus's wood sculptures, most of Chief Wiggum's stuff, much of the juvie scenes, and so on), the plot was solid, but not too complex. Most of the characters were well written, especially Marge and Bart (Marge's response was exactly as it should have been, in my opinion, and it made perfect sense for Bart to be completely out of his league in juvie as he was).

The only problems were the lack of character on Gina beyond the basic tough girl thing, but that isn't a big problem, as she wasn't really introduced until about half-way through the episode. There were a few annoying gags at the store, (the sign and the escalator) but two bad jokes aren't bad. The changeroom joke normally would have annoyed me, but the delivery made it funny. One minor gripe: Bart's prison-worthy prank was pretty lame, but it didn't really negatively impact the rest of the episode. As a whole, I'm giving it an A- 4.5/5, a very solid showing.

[Tman]

5/5

Cletus had the funniest line ever,

[OldCootAbe]

3/5 Not too much funny that I can remember 3 hours later. Not a good sign. I remember I laughed about 4 times in all. Bart was very annyoing in this episode to me.

[Rowdy]

Perfect perfect episode. I love the character driven storylines that have been coming out lately (The Ziff Who Came to Dinner, etc...) They did a splendid job humorwise as well, with every gag and joke making me laugh. This was a very impressive package overall , arguably the best of the season.

[Jitb]

4.5/5
Excellent episode, one of the best 2nd acts this season. Great use of secondary characters like Chief Wiggum (hilarious) and Cletus.

[Ryan]

3.7/5 (gave it a 4)

The worst thing about the writing is, they did NOT know the direction of Gina's character. Why did she kiss Bart? Does she like him as a friend? Something else? And what's up with the "no family" shit at freaking LAST SECOND?! Oh, booo, hooo...oh, look. Two minutes left in the episode. I wonder how they're gonna tie this end.

And the entire "Family Guy" shout could be a coindindence...maybe a reference...probably an ode (though it IS coming back)...but is this really a shout that it's crap?!

I bet you when FG comes back, if it is a success, this'll be the parody...

(The Simpsons are watching TV)
Homer: Let's see what's on.
(FG is on)
Peter: Hey, Stewie, how's it going?
Stewie: I'm gonna to KILL YOU ALL!!!! Now cut to an unrelated scene.
(Cutaway to...the Simpsons?)
TV Homer: D'ohhhhhhhhhh.
(Angle on real Simpsons)
Homer: Jeez, if I was doing a parody of us, I'd make Bart say on of his hilarious catchphrases!
Bart: Eat my shorts!
Homer: There we go!


Something stupid like that...

[Glumplich]

For those who are wondering, the "anyone who beats you up isn't really your friend" joke comes from Season 3's "Lisa the Greek."

In the first act, when Moe and Willie "kissed" (breathed each other's air) I was expecting a reference to gay marriage (i.e., the others would think that Moe and Willie were the ones getting married, not Simpson and Cooties).

Notice that, as I predicted, Skinner and Krabapple appeared, probably to prepare us for "My Big Fat Geek Wedding."

I agree the Bart was well characterized, and so was Gina.

There were too many jokes taken from other eps. Grade: B+.

[bovine_university]

A decent effort, mostly because of many highs and lows that balance out to an average grade. This episode had a disappointing first half, but a very good second half. This episode began very slowly and didn’t really pick up or become all that interesting until Bart and Gina broke out. There wasn’t a whole lot of memorable humor in the first act, and there was that complete red herring of a plot point when Homer decided to become a guard (I’m glad they changed direction, but still I was upset that the writers would lead us all over the place like that). I also had a problem with Bart’s prank; I thought it was enough for him to steal the presents, but when he watches the tent deflate and hears everyone collapse to the floor while laughing maliciously, I just couldn’t help but feel he was being too sadistic. The real meat of this episode came when Gina finally showed up, and I thought Sarah Michelle Gellar did a very good job with her role (I could barely recognize her voice). The back and forth rivalry/relationship between Bart and Gina felt believable and enjoyable, and the resolution and ending were done well. Overall, I also liked Lauren MacMullen’s direction of the episode. This episode took a while to get going, but when it did, it was quite good. 3/5