Rate/Review Milhouse of Sand and Fog (GABF19)

[Drunk Barney]

Pretty good.

It started off a bit meh, not sure on the Hibbert thing though, seemed a little racist too me. The chicken pox thing was OK, perhaps a tad boring though and seeing Homer have it was a bit ew. It also needed a conclusion. Then we had the pizza and stomach joke, uggg that was horrible. I think that's the first time i've hated a joke that isn't a pain gag in ages. Despite this the first act was pretty funny. I thought Marge was characterized well. the second act was mixed, the whole Kirk and Lunanne getting back together was majorly undevolped. The whole Bart and Milhouse thing was nice, both in excellent character. The third act for me was probably the best. yes anouther Homer and Marge break up, but quite fun. The whole Bart falling into the river was really well done, and the trust me line from Marge was done well, seeing the whole thing was about trust. Not sure about Milhouse falling into the river. And yes he can swim (Bart of Darkness!)

Overall, It was mixed. the plot was a bit messed, the whole Kirk and Luanne thing was poorly done and could of done with some more time. Though the Bart and Milhouse parts were done really really well. A few bad jokes, though some good ones. B-/B(3/5). Though by mistake voted 4/5.

[California Prunes]

Nice episode. Very weird and different but entertaining and humourous. This episode was by no means perfect, but the good hugely outweighed the bad and just as it was last week the story was very focused which has really given a positive effect on the last two eps and how they've played out.

One of the most quotable episodes of the last few years - "its a natural thing like a hurricane or going to war" being my favourite.

Characterisation pretty steady all round, Homer in particular was the strongest he'd been in a long time, his all pizza in stomach thing and his excuse was like one of those weird yet hilarious gags they used frequently in season 4.

Didn't really have a problem with the Homer-Marge dynamic here as it didn't attempt to be emotional or really meaningful at all and was just really good enough filler to set up the final scene which concluded both storylines nicely.

B+/A-

[Keith Whitener]

This was just like last week's! Set up to Marge and Homer splitting up, Marge and Homer split up, and then Marge and Homer get back together.

[Nifty Gibbon]

Nothing of the sort happened in last week's episode, you... moron.

[Keith Whitener]

You're right, I completly forgot last week's because it was not worth remembering. I was reffering to the season premiere.

[Veryjammy]

Three mediocre episodes in a row, although this one is slightly better than the past two due to a higher abundance of good jokes/dialogue, even if the plot was utterly unsatisfying and the ending straight from Scully-land. Meh, disappointing start to the season, the only plus being the writers seem to have got Bart's character somewhat back on track.

B-

[Izzy315]

I can't really rate it since I missed it! Well when it re-airs I'll gladly write back. :mexican:

[Aristotle Amadopolis]

I have to say that it was good. Not great, but very good. The Milhouse moment at the end ("can he swim?" "what do you think", then cut) had me falling off my ottoman. Also, the Hibbert joke was classic (go Sideshow Raheem!). Truly an excellent start. Hell, if you go 2 for 3 in baseball, you're in the Hall of Fame...

[Joey Jo-Jo Junior Shabado]

I must say I´m a little surprised of the quality of the last two episodes. They´re better than the beginning of the 16th season. Last season was a big disappointment according to me. And Milhouse continues to be an entertaining character.

[simplysimpsons]

Another good episode, marred only by the uninteresting setup in the churches, the way-too-long OC parody and the third act which was yet more Homer and Marge marriage problems. The Kirk and Luanne plot was a big loose end because of this - did Luanne break up with Kirk again? We'll never know because the plot focused on the same old Homer and Marge story, which although provided laughs, leaves me thinking "enough, already!". Also, how did Marge save the family in the end? I don't think there's really any easy way Marge and the family could have got back to the riverbank - this smacks a little of lazy writing.

Still, though, I did enjoy the episode. The whole idea of a pox party - beginning with interesting dialogue between Homer and Ned was well executed. I loved Maggie trying to find things to scratch, Homer doing ANOTHER moneymaking scheme, all big laughs. The plot then flowed pretty well into the next scene, although Luanne liking Kirk again just because of the drink was a bit of a stretch.

Act 2 was my favourite. We had a ton of funny Milhouse moments in this one, and Bart and Milhouse's attempts to break up his parents were very funny. They were both very much in character, Bart being a lot funnier than in recent seasons too. The Homer subplot also provided laughs, but the Homer getting fired running gag has not been funny for a long time now. Luanne discovering the bra (With great voice acting from Maggie Roswell - glad she's back!) and the conversation with Homer were great - but the plot then focuses on Homer and Marge instead of Luanne and Kirk. Maybe if they didn't make that OC parody so drearily long they could have spent some time on the other plot.

Despite this, I liked the suspense in the last act, and it was nice to see Homer caring for Bart for once (The canoe sequence was pretty funny.) The ending felt a little rushed but it was conclusive to a point.

Overall, a good episode that went the wrong way, but still raised a lot of laughs and was another good entry into season 17. Grade: B. I think I'll give this a 4/5, too.

EDIT: Characterisations were very strong all round in this one and there were no terrible gags, to this episode's benefit. Animation and voice acting were also excellent all round.

[Snowball13]

You know...I love Simpsons to death but the last episode was a little...old. I mean how many times can Marge throw Homer out? I mean in the first 3 episodes she's thrown him out twice for being...Homer. I think they are needing to work a different angle. You can only see it so many times before you get tired of watching it...Either get a divorce or come to grips with that you've married a selfish idiot lol.

[Radiation Dude]

I liked the story, and the jokes were funny. This episode is a return to form, I thought.

Until that OC "parody."

What the heck was that about? Can someone please explain that bit to me? Becuase I have seen every episode of the OC, and it seemed to me like they were spoofing some other show entirely. I don't get it.

[grissom]

Well I figured since I right these huge long reviews for my site anyway I might as well post them here too:

"Milhouse Of Sand And Fog"

Well I might as well just come right out and say it before I really get into this review, there were problems here. As much as we were all hoping it would, tonight's episode just couldn't live up to last week's. The plot was sounding pretty shaky from the beginning though. Milhouse based episodes, even in recent years, have mostly turned out good, so when the title was released people were already talking about possible storylines and anticipating a good episode. The description that got released later was sounding fairly promising as well, mentioning that Milhouse's parents might be getting back together. But then skepticism started to spread when the word got out that Homer and Marge would end up having another fight in this episode, which, as we know from this year's mediocre premiere, is usually not a good sign. But we waited, and watched, and the episode didn't quite turn out to be as bad as everyone was expecting, but like I said before, there were problems. My first thought was that getting Kirk and Luanne back together would be a good thing, maybe it's just me, but I think Kirk as a pathetic bachelor was getting extremely old, especially in last season's worst episode "Pranksta Rap", which featured Kirk in one of his worst ever roles. Yeah, it was funny for a few seasons, but enough is enough. So generally, the Milhouse plot worked out fairly well. There weren't a lot of real laugh out loud jokes, but it was solid. The worst problem in this episode was, go ahead and take a wild guess, yep, Homer and Marge getting into a fight over nothing. Again. At least in "Bonfire Of The Manatees" Marge had a good reason to start a fight, but here, she was just being ridiculous. Homer had evidence that she really was having an affair and he wanted to find the truth, like anyone else would have. What was he supposed to do? It's not like he should just completely ignore what's right in front of him. But Marge apparently doesn't bother to think that through and throws him out of the house. Sorry, but that's just getting desperate for filler material. The only funny thing I recall throughout the whole scene with the fight is Homer leaving and shoving everything in the fridge into his suitcase, and I practically could've written that. Maybe I'm being a little to critical, but I'm just so tired of watching these stupid fights unfold and bring down a perfectly good episode. The one good thing about this though was that it didn't last too long, had it been dragged out any more though it definitely would've ruined the entire episode for me. All boils down to the writers running out of ideas I guess. Moving on, like I mentioned earlier, there weren't a huge amount of stand out jokes here, most of them were just short little two second lines that offered a mild chuckle. The only part I recall actually cracking up laughing about was the parody of "The O.C.", which I might add was made a lot funnier by Fox running an add for it right after the act ended. But since this review is probably the longest I've ever written, I should probably get around to wrapping this up now. All in all, it was an okay episode, saved mainly by Milhouse's plot, but also dragged down a pretty good amount by the insanely stupid Homer/Marge feud of the week. B-

[Greased Scotsman]

Really good. A great story, didn't feel rushed like I expected. Not that many jokes, but the plot flowed smoothly and the animation was top-notch. A 5/5

Bad things - Marge kicked Homer out of the house over an ARGUMENT?! And I've never seen the OC, so that part went straight over my head. And Maggie scratching herself with the cheese grater and teddy spike...eew.

Favourite jokes: Homer scratching his chicken pox with Bart and Lisa's hair was hilarious. As was Homer feeding his stomach pizza - "I have to do this for work". And then Homer getting fired from work. And keeping the phone and newspaper in the oatmeal bath. (Actually, Homer had almost all the good jokes in this episode.) Also Milhouse's dream (Kirk trying to hang himself and the rope snapping I liked best).

I liked how the story is primarily Milhouse-based, but veers away for most of the third act, just like Milhouse Doesn't Live Her Anymore, one of my favourite episodes. The waterfall thing near the end didn't seem as ludicrous as people have said (it was like the volcano in She Used To Be My Girl - unlikely but believeable).

Ocerall, 5/5 A

[Semaj]

Well, after all these years, the van Houttens finally reunite. Life goes on.

This episode was down a little from the previous week, but it was still fairly good. Never mind that Luann was supposed to have moved away to Capital City (the explanation probably lies in an untold story, like how Dr. Monroe wasn't really dead after all). The way the handled the reconciliation was beautiful. We see more of Milhouse and his domestic problems. I figure being a third wheel in a nine-year divorce would've tortured Mil in many ways...

Some excellent jokes as well, which outweighs the few bad ones. The stuff about Maggie's pox party could've been less of a show-off act. It would've been nice to hear a story of how Homer DIDN'T get chicken pox as a child. And the joke about Dr. Hibbert attending a Baptist church was sheer genius; at least now we can cross-off Baptism as the Simpsons' faith, too.

Act III, however, was a bit of a drag. Why would Homer INSIST that Marge was cheating on him? You'd think by now, these guys would learn.

Overall, nice episode. The half-resolved ending does give a hint that the van Houttens' reconciliation is for real.

4/5

[Postmaster]

Well I guess I'm some sort of odd combination of DTB and Mike Scully's review,
Weak story that moved too fast with key parts being under developed, the time that could have been spent making these things belivable could have replaced the ridiculous Homer and Marge angle. But it was suprisingly funny with some witty jokes and character dialouge which made the episode acceptable.
C+

[Veryjammy]

Has anyone ever figured out what the hell the OC 'parody' is all about. It goes on forever and I have no idea what the hell is meant to be so funny

[Adam R]

Kirk trying to hang himself and the rope snapping I liked best

Was this cut? Anyhoo I thought it was great, I'm going to start rating episodes now and I say this gets 4/5, great plot and a lot of funny moments which is really rare now. Particularly liked Homer with the pizza. My only complaint is the OC parody as mentioned above, it was waaay to long.

[Butters]

my god, watching this was sort of like... not watching it.

[729]

Good episode until the stupid scene with the waterfall at the end. The chicken pox bit was decent and as always Kirk was amusing but there was nothing stand out about this episode.

Has anyone ever figured out what the hell the OC 'parody' is all about. It goes on forever and I have no idea what the hell is meant to be so funny

I agree. That dragged on when it wasn't even funny in the first place.

Milhouse calling his