Rate/Review Milhouse of Sand and Fog (GABF19)

[jwbph]

they had been relying on less funny TV parodies as filler in previous episodes (a rut Jean has fallen into).

I wouldn't say its something he's fallen into, he used TV parodies as fillers in Season 3.

Anyway, the episode started out really strong, but Homer and Marge breaking up in the last act was a bit weak. Plus, wasn't the pox sublot the plot of a South Park episode?
C+

[SSBOB]

Plus, wasn't the pox sublot the plot of a South Park episode?
C+

As said before, this isn't a ripoff of South Park. This happens around the world, and it was handeled completley diffrently than SP.

[Flimpson Tide]

The bad:
Bart has a cellphone???

That's a bad thing???

Wow, this is underrated. I thought it was great and I laughed a lot. Does anyone think The Milhouse File will be updated now?

[SSBOB]

I agree. Its very underrated IMO.

[Jolly Bengali]

A point must be made clear before proceeding: "Milhouse Of Sand And Fog" shouldn't have aired. This isn't as terrible a declaration as one might think; if I could choose to unmake the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy, I would probably do so, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the heck out of "Revenge of the Sith". That being said, "Milhouse Of Sand And Fog" was a mistake. Its airing did irreperable harm in three distinct ways to the series. It also failed to offer anything of any value, comedic or otherwise, to offset the damage. The first offense came with what may have been the worst joke in the history of the series: Dr. Hibbert and the "black" church. For a joke so astoundingly limited in its potential for humor, it managed to be a monolith of bad taste. The writers managed to tear down a legacy of years of avoiding stupid, racist stereotypes for the sake of... what, exactly? Seeing Dr. Hibbert say "Amen"? With similarly limited regard for cost vs. reward, the writers flagrantly ignored "Milhouse Doesn't Live Here Anymore" and reunited Luann and Kirk. In doing so, they killed off the chance of future jokes involving Kirk's bachelorhood and Milhouse's divorced-child trauma, both of which have provided many laughs. In return, we get one of the show's worst characters permanently restored. Luann Van Houten is never going to make up for the laughs leeched from future episodes by this plot point. Again, I have to wonder whether the writers thought this one though. Finally, in an episode fundamentally changing a comedic dynamic that has lasted for eight seasons, the writers didn't even spend a full episode on it. The third bit of permanent damage came with the jaw-droppingly stupid feud between Homer and Marge, and its daytime soap opera conclusion. Hearing Marge yell about trust over a god-damned waterfall marked the point at which the show officially killed any credibility of "Homer & Marge fight" plotlines. It's a useful narrative device that has made for a lot of great episodes over the years, but this stupid an iteration of it, coming just two weeks after another silly version, spent the last bit of capital the writers had with their audience. New ideas have to start coming for the show to still be worth airing. After those three hits, it's almost besides the point to review the episode. The writers cut away a large part of the show's integrity, cut off for good two sources of solid jokes, and made such a stupefyingly bad Homer & Marge plotline as to make any further use of the plotline a knock against any future episode; it doesn't really matter if they had good jokes (which they didn't) or a reasonably good plot (which they did). What matters is that an episode like this, like none since "The Principal And The Pauper", is indicative of a very real lack of foresight and caring somewhere amidst the production staff. I can only hope that this episode was a one-time lapse. It wasn't that it was awful; I just wish it had never existed.

Grade: D

[Handsome Peter]

I hear very underrated - this could be a positive sign, as most episodes I hear with this description improve on repeated viewings.

I once again missed parts of the episode - the opening sequence and starts of the first and third acts - but I got more than I thought I would (I was finishing homework immediately before turning on the TV, and this was done just before 8:00). I didn't find a lot of it all that funny (Homer's behaviour at the pox party may have worked for some, but it didn't make me laugh). The O.C. parody was the best part (and even it could have been better; for starters, the "kids" should have had more mature voices), and I wish I could've heard "California" over the end credits. (Global cut it, but it was obviously over the end credits, especially since Canadians could still hear the final chord over the first part of the Gracie Films logo.) So far, this is starting out to be a mediocre season - but then again, so have the previous three. 2/5 from me.

[Thrillhouse24]

3/5

it was a decent episode almost a 4/5

[Flimpson Tide]

For all we know, Kirk and Luanne may not be together in the next episode, since most episodes "return to normal."

[Jolly Bengali]

Marital situations are constant from episode to episode.

[Wavy Gravy]

So, are they back together now or what?

Basically, the episode had promise and it made me laugh a lot ("Ha ha, you read books!", etc.), but it really collapsed in the third act. There's a thin line between parodying overblown climaxes in TV shows and actually doing them, and "The Simpsons" has been pushing that line a lot. And I'm beginning to think that the writers might be doing this many Homer and Marge marriage stories just to see how long we'll put up with them. In fact, I didn't have a problem with those plotlines until tonight, given that we just had "Bonfire of the Manatees" two weeks ago (and I missed "The Girl Who Slept Too Little", so this seems even more superfluous to me) and this version was just so bad. Not only that, but they just left Milhouse's plot hanging, likely not to be resolved unless they devote another episode to it. I dunno, I just expected more. Al Jean's wanted to reunite the Van Houtens for years, but if this was his attempt to do so, he didn't really pull it off all that well.

3/5

[TriforceBun]

What was with the "sterile" line? I know this show isn't strong on continuity at all, but little things like this bother me. Same with Milhouse showing up at the pox party despite already having chicken pox. I sure hope somebody got fired for that blunder.

Well, at least it wasn't as ridiculous as tonight's Family Guy, where Meg DIES at the end for the sake of a lame throwaway joke. Talk about not factoring in the cost/reward system...

[DotheBartman]

A weird episode to say the least, and one that probably would have been slightly better with a different third act (sorry Jonah). I really have no inherit problem with the Homer and Marge fights, but it's just getting so repetitious now. They once again split up and get back together abruptly? AND via another "Simpsons in danger" plot device? Aside from actually being funny in this case, almost the exact same ending could have been aired in the premiere two weeks ago and made about the same amount of sense.

Despite this, the whole episode (third act and Marge/Homer fight included) was thoroughly funny and entertaining. Just too many funny moments to mention, with a generally clever and funny plot (even the Homer/Marge thing was handled in a "light" way, which kept it from being a problem in the same way was, say, "Manatees", and the Bart and Milhouse involvement helped keep it funny and fresh). Once again good animation, along with some good callbacks (anyone else notice Sideshow Raheem in the black church?). So....yeah. Generally really funny and entertaining despite the cliche elements towards the end.

B+

P.S.: Anyone think Bart's line about "it's a natural thing, like a hurricane, or going to war!" might have been a late addition? It could be coincidence, but it seemed like something they would have deleted if that was the case (due to sensitivity reasons), and furthermore seemed like a very clear slam at the current administration's mantra about the hurricane being something they couldn't prepare for (and the contrast that they use almost the exact same argument with the Iraq war-that it was "inevitable" and that there wasn't anything they could have done to at least better prepare for it). Great line either way.

[ppoi307]

So The Parents really are together?

Loved the Homer eating pizza with his stomach.

"I already Feel like a chicken" "I laid an egg in my pants"

100/100 Best Ralph Quote Ever

[Tomacco]

P.S.: Anyone think Bart's line about "it's a natural thing, like a hurricane, or going to war!" might have been a late addition? It could be coincidence, but it seemed like something they would have deleted if that was the case (due to sensitivity reasons), and furthermore seemed like a very clear slam at the current administration's mantra about the hurricane being something they couldn't prepare for (and the contrast that they use almost the exact same argument with the Iraq war-that it was "inevitable" and that there wasn't anything they could have done to at least better prepare for it). Great line either way.

I noticed it too, but I think the line was old, and the real joke was in the "going to war" part, a similar joke to Homer's "it doesn't have to make sense, like 'rama-lama-dingdong' or 'give peace a chance'".

[Jims]

Average episode. I still don't really dig the "Marge and Homer fight" episodes, but it was considerably better than the season opener.

First of all, I loved the couch gag. I don't have TiVo at college, but I do when I go home, so it really, really messed with me when that menu popped up. Nice sequences too, particularly Milhouse's dream sequence, the OC parody, and Hibbert's church. Also, Bart paddling Homer like a canoe... Sweet.

The plot was pretty good up until Homer moved out of the house. I liked seeing the show address the Van Houten's marital problems. To me, the chicken pox lead-in and Milhouse's story seemed more interesting. It's too bad they tossed it aside and reshifted it as another Marge & Homer situation.

Homer moving out was the worst part. I am sooooo tired of seeing Homer move out of the house. Heck, I would've rather seen Homer kick Marge out of the house. Let her move in with Patty and Selma, or something.

Other than that petty tirade, I was thoroughly OK with the episode. 3/5.

[Dr. Wily]

I'm really surprised people liked this episode this much. The humor was on a very "meh" level, especially the OC parody which made no sense to me and felt like it lasted five minutes, and the Milhouse hillbilly fantasy thing. I can't remember most of the other jokes because everything fell flat. The Homer pizza belly thing almost made me chuckle, that's about it. As far as plot is concerned, this episode could've had potetnial, but the writers forgot it was about the Van Houtens about halfway through, and remembered it had been a full two episodes since Homer and Marge fought. Seriously, enough is enough, although complaining about that is just about as overdone, hehe. The whole "suspenseful" third act with the waterfall was just tacked on, and how did they magically go from hanging onto Marge's hair to laying on the ground? I sure hope someone got fired for that blunder! (said in the voice of that nerd from I&S&P) Also this is a minor nitpciking thing, but I really don't like some of the new facial expressions the characters have sometimes, where they have lines under their eyes, like when Bart smiles, I find it just looks really strange and unnatural.

On the plus side, it was nice to have focus on non Simspon family characters for a change. I guess that's it.

2/5

[barts friend]

4/5 it was better than I thought it would be if they do get back together they should keep Kirk still depressed though.

[Devon]

Not impressed.

I laughed maybe... once. Maybe it will get better with another watch (which is often the case with me), but for now:

2/5

[Larson Something]

Some funny moments, but nothing spectacular. As marriage crisis episodes go, it's about equal in quality to, say, My Big Fat Geek Wedding. I might like it a little better after another watch, but for now, it gets my default Jean grade of C+ (3/5 for the poll).

[Jeremy]

Hot damn, another great episode. This is the first one that I noticed having Patric Verrone as the writer, and I loved the episode throughout. The first half was fantastic, with a strong rooting in reality. Everything in it could have happened, with the only real stretch being the Bart-Homer stuff in the water. I liked that they quickly resolved the Homer-Marge problems. It was interesting to see Mark Ervin's name in the layout credits, haven't seen them there in a while. Yet another one with Susie Dietter as the retake director. 4/5 episode, easily.

[Charmy]

Well, Crickey. This episode was quite good up until a point... but when that point was passed, it sunk the quality quite a bit. I think you know what I'm refering to.

The Van Houtens reuniting was handled quite well and humourously, as was Milhouse's reaction to the whole thing. I even liked the Marge/Homer relationship troubles- tying Milhouse's problem to the Simpsons, and having it break up the wrong family, was actually quite clever. Up until this point, I really enjoyed the episode- there weren't really any major problems.

But the ending... the ending was a real disapointment. I liked the nod to Homer and the cliff with Bart, but the climax (and especially the resolution) where over the top, not to mention a little non-sensical (where exactly did Marge get that rope?). Even that would have been forgiveable, except for one thing; they never resolved the Milhouse plot. It was really the focus of the episode, but by the end they forgot it completely. Not good.

So... the episode gets points for being funny, well written, and generally good, but loses a few for the poor ending. Overall, I'd say this earns about a B+. Still quite entertaining, but it leaves you feeling cheated in the end.

[Tomacco]

Despite the negative reviews, the last two episodes, especially tonight's, have fixed my concerns (based on the premiere) that the show lost its high calibre season 16 established.

[The Governor]

This one felt very season 16-ish to me.

Could be because this might be a Season 16 holdover?

Anyway, it wasn't a knee slapper, but the story kept me interested and that's more important than some desperate attempt at being funny. Last week's was much, much better.

Grade: B (or 4/5)

[BartLisa35]

horrible, just horrible

0/5

[Ihaveblink]

4/5

[The "Urban" Lenny]

I thought the episode was funny but I hated the Homer and Marge Subplot, every fucking week it seems that Homer and Marge are having marital problems, and Marge throws Homer out for some stupid shit and they get back together at the end. Didn't we just see this same premise, in the "Bonfire of the Manatees" 2 weeks ago. Also Homer lost his job for the 100th time because he did something stupid, big suprise there. Actually I didn't hate the episode, like I said before I thought it was funny and there were tons of jokes that had me busting out laughing, however I am just getting sick and tired on how repetetive this show has gotten. I missed most of the O.C. preview because I was on the phone, but the part I saw seemed pretty funny. Anyway if I was just going to grade this episode on how funny it was I would probably give it a 5/5, but because I thought the Marge and Homer subplot, was absolutely terrible, I'm giving it a 4/5.

[Sloppy Jimbo XOX]

A point must be made clear before proceeding: "Milhouse Of Sand And Fog" shouldn't have aired. This isn't as terrible a declaration as one might think; if I could choose to unmake the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy, I would probably do so, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the heck out of "Revenge of the Sith". That being said, "Milhouse Of Sand And Fog" was a mistake. Its airing did irreperable harm in three distinct ways to the series. It also failed to offer anything of any value, comedic or otherwise, to offset the damage. The first offense came with what may have been the worst joke in the history of the series: Dr. Hibbert and the "black" church. For a joke so astoundingly limited in its potential for humor, it managed to be a monolith of bad taste. The writers managed to tear down a legacy of years of avoiding stupid, racist stereotypes for the sake of... what, exactly? Seeing Dr. Hibbert say "Amen"? With similarly limited regard for cost vs. reward, the writers flagrantly ignored "Milhouse Doesn't Live Here Anymore" and reunited Luann and Kirk. In doing so, they killed off the chance of future jokes involving Kirk's bachelorhood and Milhouse's divorced-child trauma, both of which have provided many laughs. In return, we get one of the show's worst characters permanently restored. Luann Van Houten is never going to make up for the laughs leeched from future episodes by this plot point. Again, I have to wonder whether the writers thought this one though. Finally, in an episode fundamentally changing a comedic dynamic that has lasted for eight seasons, the writers didn't even spend a full episode on it. The third bit of permanent damage came with the jaw-droppingly stupid feud between Homer and Marge, and its daytime soap opera conclusion. Hearing Marge yell about trust over a god-damned waterfall marked the point at which the show officially killed any credibility of "Homer & Marge fight" plotlines. It's a useful narrative device that has made for a lot of great episodes over the years, but this stupid an iteration of it, coming just two weeks after another silly version, spent the last bit of capital the writers had with their audience. New ideas have to start coming for the show to still be worth airing. After those three hits, it's almost besides the point to review the episode. The writers cut away a large part of the show's integrity, cut off for good two sources of solid jokes, and made such a stupefyingly bad Homer & Marge plotline as to make any further use of the plotline a knock against any future episode; it doesn't really matter if they had good jokes (which they didn't) or a reasonably good plot (which they did). What matters is that an episode like this, like none since "The Principal And The Pauper", is indicative of a very real lack of foresight and caring somewhere amidst the production staff. I can only hope that this episode was a one-time lapse. It wasn't that it was awful; I just wish it had never existed.

Grade: D

i don't like how you review and i don't like how you write. you are far too negative. in fact a lot of the time it seems like you're looking for excuses to complain. and on the odd occassion when you actually have a valid point to make, it's buried in a sea of adjectives, excessive analogies and crackpot insight.

and i know if i don't like how you write, i should just ignore your reviews, but i honestly believe you talk a lot of shit, and i'm assuming the reason you post reviews is for people to read and have opinions of them. so this is just me expressing mine

The writers put forth a cavalcade of irrefutibility by juxtaposing this nature with the condescending charms of earlier Simpsons act 1's and by approximation did irrefutible damage to Moleman's character.

Grade: Z/Z-

[reyontoyeny]

I'm surprised by all the average and positive reviews. As someone who has been generous to uneventful and even a few "whacky" episodes, this episode was horrible. I agree with most of Jolly Bengali's points, although I could have forgiven these flaws if the jokes didn't fall flat, and the tiring marriage problem felt didn't rushed. The Bonfire Of The Manatees wasn't great, but at least it had a few decent jokes in between the increasingly apparent formula. (It was only in Milhouse of Sand and Fog that it bloomed into something real obvious.) Unlike Manatees, the marriage problem was squeezed into barely one act. The Van Houtan subplot never felt resolved. The fantasy sequences and incredibly long OC reference made me cringe. And on top of that, today's episode aired two weeks after Manatees. The Girl Who Slept Too Little was refreshing, original, and decorated with jokes that didn't fall flat. Today's episode crushed my hope of getting consecutive above average episodes. Hopefully, the quality of the rest of the season can't be jedged by these three episodes. Otherwise, this season will be a lot less consistent than the last 2 or 3 seasons.

[leela24]

Well, its not an episode that will go down one day as Classic Simpsons episodes. But it is nice to see Milhouses parents got back together. They should of spent more time on them than the bust up of Marge and Homer.
Marge and Homers fight wasnt even believeable. It was face paced and the episode had little humor. But I gave it a B because its nice to see two old couples get back together.

[Number 10767]

THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS.

The episode was going so well up until the Homer and Marge fight. I actually love episodes that focus on the supporting characters - there are so many wonderful character creations in this show, it's great to see them fleshed out. It's a lot better than when the episode focuses on some guest star who’ll never appear again.

Then the Kirk/Luann subplot comes to a completely unresolved halt in order to focus on Homer and Marge splitting up. Again. Yes, the majority of episodes this season involve Homer and Marge being separated. And I missed The Girl Who Slept Too Little. Damn, damn, damn. Anyway, parts of this element were actually handled better than other times, but the ending with the cliff was really quite lame. Partly because Milhouse suddenly started occupying some bizarro world completely disconnected from reality. I realize that was sorta the joke, but it didn't work for me. Instead of having his glasses making things blurrier (?), not realizing he was running (??), and having him crash into a tree that didn’t exist a few seconds earlier (???), why not just have Milhouse lose his glasses for some reason and accidentally knock the real Bart off the cliff? But correcting the logistics would have only made things slightly better. I mean, come on, Homer and Bart about to go over a waterfall? Homer having to trust Marge enough to let go? Why couldn’t Marge have just reached to the rock instead of telling Homer to let go? Besides, didn’t they already do this in an episode of Futurama (and about a million other TV shows)?

Anyway, I’m harping on plot logistics despite the fact that the show had a really great first two acts and had a lot of very well-written and funny jokes. I laughed hard at Milhouse’s fantasy; the hip punishments; Luann telling Milhouse that unlike the divorce, this was not his fault; and Milhouse trying to make Kirk think Luann insulted him but it backfiring, among other things. I also loved the Oklahoma parody and conversation about Rodgers and Hammerstein/Hart afterwards (but if you’re not a theater geek who has been in the chorus of Oklahoma and actually seen a musical by Rodgers and Hart, I’ll understand if you didn’t like that joke).

I’d give it a 3.5/5, but since that’s impossible here, I’ll flip a coin as to the vote. Heads – 3, Tails – 4.