Rate/Review The Wife Aquatic

[You Bent My Wookiee]

After a silent movie incident where our favorite bullies trash a film protesting suicide from (who can it be?) Ned Flanders, Patty and Selma put in home movies that feature Marge's favorite childhood place, Barnacle Bay. Already overwhelmed by the memories, Marge insists that the whole family go to Barnacle Bay. No, it isn't a horror film when they arrive; but lets say its trashed because people wasted a lot of fish there. Eventually Homer goes with a fishing vessel to find the "Yum-yum fish" during a really nasty storm.

Lets be honest, the spoofs on "The Perfect Storm" were pretty hysterical, as with its beginning. Its a wonder this is considered one of the worst; but, its not a jokey-jokey episode and if you like those type of episodes, you won't really like this one. The beginning with the silent movie was a classic from the writers as we all hear Lenny and Carl wondering what happened to the sound and color.

There is infact an interesting question with Milhouse's parents. At the beginning I saw they were together as if they weren't divorced. What HAPPENED? Perhaps a mistake? We may never know.

I give this an 4/5

[Swartzweldian]

Like all new episodes. Couple quick laughs. Other than that, crappy.

1/5

[Swartzweldian]

Wow, what a ridiculously bad excuse for an episode. The jokes were terrible and cringeworthy, the characterisation was horrible and the plot was all over the place. This will surely be a contender for worst episode of all time, at least in my eyes.

I am very depressed with the state the show is in at the moment, definitely the worst it has ever been. I watched some Scully era episodes on the weekend, and, while the characterisations were a little off and the plots were over the top, they were actually funny. Given, not classic era funny, but they still made me laugh. And there were very few truly terrible jokes, like we find today. Al Jean, it is truly time to step down, along with much of the current writing staff. This is the only way The Simpsons can get out of the substantial rut it is in at the moment. For a truly great show is now being ruined in many people's eyes, due to the tripe we have had to endure recently.

0/5, and may we never see anything like this crap again.

I agree. Going back and watching Scully era episodes..It amazes me how good they are when compared to the new ones. We looked at them as pure crap at the time (because we could only compare them to the best)..Now they're not looking so bad. Heck..Id rather see Scully back in charge. But Mirkin would probaly be the best choice.

[BoingoBongo]

I'm surprised how much everyone loved the computer animation. It wasn't bad or anything, but I've never been able to get comfortable with CG animation on The Simpsons (at least in big doses like this). I guess I haven't seen too many of the later seasons, so it's more of a shock to me. It just felt so out of place. Although strangley enough I'm looking forward to the animation in the movie knowing full well it's going to be a lot of CG.

Overall, I thought it was ok. I will also say that I had trouble with the seperate/undeveloped/unresolved plots.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Pretty dissapointing. It seemed like a strong plot, but the execution was terrible. 2/5

[Van]

This was one of the boring episodes in recent memory. The only positive I can find out of it was that to me the story moved quickly. By the time I realised it had turned into another Homer gets a job episode, 2/3 of the story was over. All that filler material helped too (silent movie, scene at Moe's, visit to the institute). I would have liked a rushed ending where there was no effort to try and explain how they made it out. Lisa was annoying as fuck when arguing with that fisherman and I was kind of glad the end of the episode turned out the way it did (take that, Lisa's beliefs!).
1.5/5

[dapper dan]

When I first saw it, it didn't grab me, I suppose because it's a little light on jokes. Or at least in-your-face jokes. But I found it really grew on me and would put it in the top five of its season.

[Fox Executive]

I think it's an average s18 episode. 2/5

[Moe Nopoly]

storywise it wasn't bad imo, it kept me at least interested.
But it could have used some more gags on the way, so it was more or less
an average episode. But not a bad one for me and when i have the opportunity
to see it again, i definitely will.

3/5

[Roger Wilco]

Animation was absolutely fantastic, and I (not)enjoyed most of the episode, although nothing really stood out as particularly funny.

[Jesse Pinkman]

4/5, i liked the humor, like when Homer is in the ocean, praying, and Comic Book Guy falling off the chair, but the ending is a tad depressing. Still, one of the best season 18 episodes

[Rest your giant head]

Although there were some plot holes and odd resolution at the end, the episode was pretty strong in terms of humour, and overall it made me laugh more than most of the episodes in this season. Also, the animation was outstanding.

The beginning at the open cinema was great, with Simpsons and Van Houtens racing for a free spot being the best joke. There were some excellent gags on the island as well, such as the fisherman knowing about Milhouse. However, for some reason, I knew Homer’s experiments with fireworks would result in chaos.

I don’t know about the rest of the people, but the scene with Homer hanging on the hook made me laugh, especially because of him smiling every time someone takes a picture of him. The highlights during the fishing plot were the whole oposite day thing, ‘’Shiiiipwreeeck!’’, and Homer not wanting to live in the surface world again. The scene with Homer killing the fish felt dragged, though.

The fact that Marge and Lisa didn’t realize Bart was missing was ridiculous, and I wasn’t too crazy about Lisa having problems with fishing at the end.

B

[Nauru-1]

I'm surprised how I don't mind this episode. Compared to a lot of modern Jean junk I'd gladly take this one. For some reason I really liked the thing with the guy and his knife. C-, or a 3/5.

[Quazie89]

I thought this was an okay episode. I didn't like seeing Homer kill the fish but I was happy to see Maurice LaMarche's name in the credits. I'll have to give this episode a 4/5.

[lionelhutz123]

"Bart was on the boat?" - Marge. What a terribly executed scene...

[amr diab]

terrible episode, couldn't finish it

[Jesse Pinkman]

looking back i think 4/5 is too generous. whilst i did like it somewhat, i didn't like the last act, or the ending for that matter. i think a 3/5 or so is better

[D'ohmer]

I liked this episode. It's very fun to watch (IMO) and I think it's filled with some good jokes. I also think the plot is interesting and well executed. Lisa arguing with the man sucked, but other than that, 4/5

[Bella Drape 'er]

Great jokes, story and visuals...for a post classic episode, the only thing I didn't like was the un-neccessary last scene which came off a-bit preachy.

4/5

[Jesse Pinkman]

Lisa arguing with the man sucked

was this the episode with the "Maybe you should marry Milhouse! That's right, I know about Milhouse!" line? If so, god, i hate that line. I'm not gonna go all "It's a cartoon, obviously this stranger has never met Milhouse" junk because maybe sometime they did meet... but come on, a total stranger referencing a "Popular" simpsons character? what's next, do all the people the simpsons meet know of everyone else in springfield? cheap, very cheap joke IMO, and not even funny

[D'ohmer]

was this the episode with the "Maybe you should marry Milhouse! That's right, I know about Milhouse!" line? If so, god, i hate that line. I'm not gonna go all "It's a cartoon, obviously this stranger has never met Milhouse" junk because maybe sometime they did meet... but come on, a total stranger referencing a "Popular" simpsons character? what's next, do all the people the simpsons meet know of everyone else in springfield? cheap, very cheap joke IMO, and not even funny

Yeah, I hate that line. Ugh!

[Krustyburger]

This episode is why I love the new seasons. The animation and the orchestra/music is excellent. Also, I like most Simpons episodes that are out of the usual Springfield location.

[Denis Dufek]

3/5...

PS
What is the name of the song,or music in the episode, kinda scary and sad at the same time...

[Snaked]

7.5/10 should do it.

[Financial Panther]

Well, I don't review much, because I'm not very good at it, but I'll review this one.

Garbage. Utter garbage. The Homer-clubbing-fish joke was awful in itself, but then they have to drag it out for half a minute. It made me want to vomit. And even though I agree with Lisa's beliefs, she just seemed annoying to me in this one. And there were a ton of jokes that I could see coming from a mile away, like the "I know three people who could fix it up for you!" Or something like that. And it's not them. HAHAHA!!!!

Anyway, I hope nobody was introduced to the Simpsons with this episode, because it reeked.

[Rowdy Roddy Peeper]

Just watched it. Terrible episode. Marge and Lisa not realising Bart was missing? Homer being rescued and then wanting to commit suicide?

The only joke i liked was the opposite day scene, but even then it's not a fantastic scene.

Jake you rated this 4/5? Is this episode really one mark away from perfection? :P

[cloneasaurus]

Few light laughs early on, but it sorta lost my interest as it went on. Didn't like the computer animation of the boat, but I guess it was still nice to look at. High 2/5 or:

C/C-

EDIT: Channel 4 here in the UK cut the Falsto (or whatever his name was) scene with him playing with his knife. Not only was it a stupid thing to cut, but it was actually funny too, I thought...

[Toomanygrandmas]

I'd like to write a long review about 'The Wife Aquatic' but I can't. Why? - because there really isn't much to say about it. It's just so very bland. It's not terrible, but it's not good either. By half way through, I was just waiting for the episode to end. Firstly, it isn't funny. I don't remember laughing at a single joke. It's not like the episode was 'anti-funny' like some episodes, by having cringeworthy humour, but it just didn't have any strong jokes. The plot was okay. However, it had problems. You would think that an episode where Homer and Bart are trapped in a storm would be exciting. This episode wasn't that exciting, to be perfectly honest. I'll agree with SpeedwaySquad though, and say that the ship in the waves was at least interesting to look at. The episode tried to have an emotional scene near the end, where the crew on the ship are thought to be dead. However, you know they obviously survived, and it was hard to take Homer and Bart's 'last moments' seriously, when the former was strangling the latter. The tree ending was .... odd. It was neither an ending that was a quick final gag, nor was it an ending that was touching, nor was it an ending that really reflected on the episode as a whole. I guess the writer's wanted Lisa to do some standard complaining about environmental issues in the episode. Homer and Bart go on a wacky adventure (sort of), whilst Marge and Lisa stay behind. Lisa complains about something she sees as wrong. Meh.

2/5

[Zombies Rise from the Sea]

The Wife Aquatic

When Season 18 episodes were in syndication (and probably still are), this episode would come up a lot; whether it was because the episode was cheap to play or people genuinely loved this episode, I don't know but during the many times that I've watched it, I thought of it as nothing special; yet I still manage to remember most of the episode... How is that possible? Do I have some sort of special power that helps me remember obscure stuff like this, did I actually forget that I watched it alot of times? No matter what the reason, I remember it despite it not being anything special.

It's obvious that this is going to be a parody of something; and you're somewhat right but through most of the first and second acts, this is an episode relating to Marge and a childhood place of hers. I must say, the opening scenes are good and it sets up an appropriate way for her childhood memories to be projected onto us; unfortunately that's where the episode gets iffy. The surprises varies on viewer perception. If you haven't seen it; good, you'll be surprised but if you have seen it then you'll know what happens every. single. time. You'll also know when major events will happen, major events that progress the plot; some of them may be expected, some of them may not. Most important part is you shouldn't be expecting these moments to come, you should just let them come naturally and then be surprised that they came.

There are moments in the plot that don't depend on surprises; while the city itself may obviously be a dump and wasn't explored or made consistent enough later on in the episode (exploring the city gives it character, it also makes us care more about the people in it and the settings surrounding it.), it works as a decent contrast to Marge's obvious childhood memories and serves to provide some decent Marge/Homer moments; some moments which may have existed to progress the plot but regardless, they're decent enough; it does feel like these scenes were given some cinematic wonder to make up for the shortcomings of the plot and that's something that's hard to ignore, mainly because it showcases that there are faults within the plot and they're trying their best to cover it up. I dislike how the scenes progressed the plot because even though they needed to progress the plot, there were so many ways that could of been done better. I mean did we really need Homer burning up the pier just so he can get on that boat?

The way it switches to a parody of all those fisherman movies is decent enough but the actual parody is underwhelming. All of these guys play their roles well but they could of been so much more; the main star Homer could of been used a whole lot better as the jokes that he sprouts out aren't really all that special. Furthermore there aren't alot of unique scenes to make the parody stand out, it's just a bunch of scenes where fisherman do their things while Homer screws up and inadvertently succeeds. The only thing memorable about these scenes is when they're in danger, which means that the only moment you will remember is the danger itself; not because it's epic but because it's obvious, meaning you'll only remember it because you knew it was going to happen.

The episode does have a tacked on message of environmentalism that appears near the end; though there are some hints in the episode that suggests that it was something that vitalized the town, it's inconsequential as the only true environmentalism stuff is introduced near the end of the episode; and even then it's not as deep as you expect it to be. It's obvious that they're bashing fish and it's obvious that they're reliant in this stuff, even the citizens of the town act like people willing to destroy something. There's a message to be had in environmentalism, like how a town could rely on one thing or how they should worry about the ocean and not their little town; that's why the power of media exists, so messages like this can get out, if they can't get their messages out properly then what's the point?

Not withstanding there are moments that try to give the impression that this is a loose time. Homer and Bart were okay and their antics on the ship gave some entertainment value to scenes which were ultimately lacking; the various gags relating to environmentalism were okay and some of Homer was even funny... These things aimed to give the episode a loose vibe which would translate through the rest of the episode but with every attempt comes something that derails that. The candy men were okay but the attempt to exemplify the situation (that of a run-down town) by having them be crack addicts just ruins whatever potential they had. The attempts to show the rundownness of the city and combine that with humor fails mainly because there is barely anything that works; everything just seems so cheap and inconsistent that it showcases the flaws rather then make anybody laugh; I mean I get that you want to make fun of run down island cities but do it with a bit of effort.

So ultimately; their efforts to make a sweet/environmental episode falls on death ears. It's message of environmentalism doesn't pan out, a lot of the plot relies on surprise and cinematic moments to make up for the shortfalls of the plot and a lot of it ends up as nothing special. I admire that they tried to make a sweet episode and include an environmental message in it but seriously, what good is the message if the episode's nothing special? Don't get me wrong, it's not terrible but it is underwhelming for what it wants to be.

4.5/10

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

Season 18 continues with a Perfect Storm parody! When Marge is reminded of Barnacle Bay, a vacation spot from her youth, the family decide to visit but the place has run down quite a bit since Marge was a girl. Homer attempts to make his wife happy with some public displays that backfire and make things worse off than before. He is punished by being forced to become a fisherman, where his bumbling actually pays off....until a certain storm threatens not only his life, but Bart's as well!

Yeah I know it's been God only knows how long since my last review but I had the strange and sudden desire to finally watch this so I figured eh, why not? Anyway I didn't think this one was that good unfortunately. Not outright terrible, but maybe a little under par. I felt that the first and second act were weakest with the first being noticeably lite on good jokes. The silent movie felt like padding and had one good joke....maybe two. I noticed we had the overly-zealous Ned here and I mean the bad kind where he's just a douche about it for no real reason. I tend to think criticism regarding this Flanders gets overblown but he was here, even if only for a quick gag. Lisa's environmentalism was kinda obnoxious here too. I don't really know why I mean it was in character, but again she just felt naggy and not in a good way. It ultimately led to a rather weak and rushed ending too....which is strange when combined with the several repeated gags we had here.

This episode had plenty of jokes that were groan worthy, or good initially but drug on too long. Homer tied up with the hook in his nose was a funny visual, but his crazy speak was awful, but his smiling along with the pictures the tourists took with him was another funny little sight gag. His opposite day runner on the boat was dumb. I think the best thing in the first two acts of the episode combined was probably the Brazil slam. I noticed Ling was actually in this episode too. The third act did have some additional nice visuals. The scene of Marge at the lighthouse looked beautiful, and her thought Homer scene was sweet. Much of the Homer and Bart material here was fun like Homer asking when to bash Bart to save him the pain of drowning. Which now that I think of it was a very Scully-esque joke. Much of this episode felt Scully-esque, mostly to its benefit. Marge only finding out that Bart was on board, and thus dead, after seeing his picture at the memorial was a VERY Scully-esque joke, but it definitely worked for me. The Jean problems of dragging something on too long or just dumb stuff were here too though as I alluded to earlier. The funniest sight gag in the episode by far was the reveal of Homer drowning in the seaweed just after the mermaid rant(which was dumb and unnecessary,) but then they had to go back to it with Homer effectively attempting suicide. They did this joke much better in Treehouse of Horror XIX's Charlie Brown spoof, imo at least.

So yeah I kinda feel all over the place with this one to which the above assortment of random thoughts can attest. It was mostly laugh-less through two acts, had some poor or perhaps just annoying characterizations, but had nice animation and some wackier jokes actually worked pretty good. Still, nothing that screams to be re-watched. 2.5/5 rounded down for the poll.

PS: Someone could probably make an awesome animated gif of that initial image of drowned Homer in the seaweed.

PPS: Oh yeah I forgot until reading it again in Panther's review just now but I laughed pretty good at the "At Last" scene with Homer clubbing the fish despite the fact that it went on too long. Again, almost felt like something you'd expect from Scully, but the dark humor just really worked for me. I see that one lionelhutz hated that Marge line I really enjoyed too. Opinions, huh?