RATE AND REVIEW: "The Debarted" (KABF06)

[gonzo]

Probably my favorite of the season right after Eternal Moonshine. Great story with a good twist and good characterizations. Sub-plot was So-So, but still, a great episode overall.

4/5

[Green_Peaness]

This was just weird. Like most of the other kabf's, this one had what seemed like the seeds for a great episode, but the execution of everything was off, especially jokes. The fact that the writers are trying and that the show has much more depth than it did the previous two years makes me happy, but these episodes aren't nearly as effective as they should be. 2.5/5

[the simpsons brainiac]

4.5/5 I reallly enjoyed this episode.

[Green_Peaness]

By the way, that must've been the most blatantly obvious "technical difficulty" ever on the show when Lisa was animated as laughing while kicking Bart but you couldn't hear it.

[sacrelicious]

I feel much the same way as FuzzyWuzzy.

The episode had a great plot; it felt like something that could have been in season 4 or 5. However, execution at times was horrible, especially with Homer and the subplot.

Something I hate, and the show feels it has to do these days, is state the obvious. There were two or three examples where someone had to come out and state the obvious instead of letting the viewer figure it out. I think the last line with Ralph at the end was the most glaring example. Yeah, it made me laugh a little, but in the end they could have had a moment there, but instead substituted it for a cheap laugh.

Another trend that is episode proved is that the writers can't really make a good original story anymore. Yes, there was always inspiration and side-references, but the only good plots over the last few years (24 minutes, Springfield Up, The Debarted) have just been completely based on another successful show (24, 7 up, The Departed).

I sickens me some that such a wonderful episode was ruined by a few cringe-inducing moments, but what else is new? B+

[SilverEagle]

What am I supposed to do? Pretend its not there?! Besides one line ("Sorry, Maggie!"), I found the subplot to be utterly pointless. And I get why Homer was laughing, I just thought it wasn't...what's that word I'm searching for? Oh, yeah: funny. I really, really loved the main plot, but subplot took up nearly half the running time, so for that it drags the episode down. Maybe I'm in need for a rewatch, because the ending kinda was the last straw for me...

Agreed. It was passable before he started doing it again.

[StupidHippo]

I liked it. I really liked it. It felt a bit...forced (but only at one or two points) and the rest was fantastic. Second best this season behind......well, you know
4/5

[Wilsons926]

I think the last line with Ralph at the end was the most glaring example. Yeah, it made me laugh a little, but in the end they could have had a moment there

are you serious? that would of been a complete insult to our intelligence if they showed a rat, thinking that lame clues like that amaze us. "ohh its a rat!! dem writers is so smart by putting that there at the end of an episode about someone being a rat!!!" the joke WAS ralph pointing out how obvious it is here, and how obvious it was in the film.
i think people always complaining about how they explain jokes these days, are actully missing the big picture. like in the ep where apu(i think it was him) was talking to homer about the ice cream case(we can't see the case, only apu pointing down) and homer says "oh, i thought you were pointing at you crotch" that line was the joke, not the writers explaining how "it looked like he was pointing at himself, but he really wasn't".

[sacrelicious]

are you serious?

Yes I am always serious.

[BartSimpsonfan17]

Any one think the guest star could return? I really liked his character and think he could be a great part of Barts friends.

[BartSimpsonfan17]

SEE? This show is still capable of offering us some brilliant episodes. : DDDD

So true, it was one of the best episodes over the new episodes

[D'ohmer]

I thought it was great! They managed to have many twists, and I never got bored watching it. When Skinner said that Bart was going to juvie, I thought it would end like that and be like the Scully era, but then Donny came to the rescue! I wouldn't have minded, but many people would.
I also liked the subplot, but I think there could have been more funny Homer jokes. They were decent, though. I liked the winds fighting the best.
Overall: 4/5

[vriskatime]

5/5 Great episode!

Easily the best of season 19. I loved Ralph's "When he grows up, I want to be like me!" line, slightly better than his line at the end.

The only thing i had a problem with were the gags that went on too long.

[Laddie II]

Ok, before I say anything, it's I'm Shipping UP to Boston, not off, not to. As a proud Bostonian I feel the need to correct that.

Now, that song was the only reason that I feel this episode wasn't a 5. The song had absolutely nothing to do with the ep, and it didn't flow. Well, that and I thought Topher's voice didn't quite match. But the Homer Marge car thing was funny, and I liked how the kids were acting like kids.

[lionelhutz123]

Ok, before I say anything, it's I'm Shipping UP to Boston, not off, not to. As a proud Bostonian I feel the need to correct that.

Now, that song was the only reason that I feel this episode wasn't a 5. The song had absolutely nothing to do with the ep, and it didn't flow. Well, that and I thought Topher's voice didn't quite match. But the Homer Marge car thing was funny, and I liked how the kids were acting like kids.

Shipping Up To Boston was used in the movie, "The Departed" which this episode parodied. I thought the song went excellent with the scenes.

[G.K. Willington]

Still no vote for 1/5, not bad.

[TheSuperiorGerbil]

4.25/5-Nice and simple episode,strangely penned by Joel H. Cohen. No jokes really stood out,but only a couple made me grin (those being Willie's diary and Homer's long laugh). Parody was done right,not overdone.I actually thought Ralph's were pretty funny,which nowadays normally aren't.But Thoper Grace's voice did not fit a 4th graders' body well.

[Dave Shutton]

They should have used Ms. Phipps the original school nurse instead of Doris, I really wish they would bring that character back. They don't really have many jittery characters and she certainly was.

[Kiyosuki]

Well it did have one thing stacked against it originally, that it would be a total movie parody which I'm hoping they don't get too addicted to doing. It was also a bit childish in places but that can't be avoided. Generally I liked it a lot. It's definitely the best I've seen since Moonshine, which was maybe not so ironically another movie allusion. Thing is though is like with Moonshine it felt enough like itself to the point where it wasn't a parody as much as it was using things from a film as allusions much like Rosebud did with Citizen Kane.

It didn't have any real poignant point to it or anything but I like that they weren't forcing it to try to have one, it's just one of those chill episodes. Atmosphere is distinctively modern era but in a lot of ways it felt like something you'd see in the first three seasons. Hell I could say it had some similarities to Separate Vocations in style. It had a very clear narrative and it wasn't minute to minute high on laughs but it wasn't supposed to be. It did things in moderation, which I would take over an episode trying to force itself to be funny by any means necessary any day. The subplot I was expecting to be kind of awful but it was pleasantly un-insulting. It was a bit silly and the episode's uh...somewhat dumber moments came from it primarilly like the tornado in the car, but otherwise it was harmless and even somewhat entertaining which is more than I could ask for. It's funny how he calls them stupid then later in the episode gives up miracle car to get the old one back just like that, but I guess he's sentimental. lol

As for the ending, I think this was one of the times where a joke explaining itself actually worked. I'm really all for more subtle humor, I definitely think Lisa going to that length to explain that the car essentially wasn't really American was a bit overboard. With the ending to this though, explaining it is actually the joke itself. It wouldn't have worked if it was just the rat, that could have easilly been just a copied scene from the Departed. This is basically taking a big shot at the rat and the film itself. I guess it depends on whether you liked the film or not but I thought the rat was dumb as hell so I loved it. I don't think there was any relevance in Ralph pointing it out much, though I'm always for them treating him vague or even like an idiot-savant over just pointless stupidity. Whether he's smarter than people think and he's pointing it out, or whether it's an
"gawd even Ralph can get it" kind of deal it works either way...because the rat was dumb as hell.

4/5. The outhouse was fucking disgusting though. lol

"Do you ever do it with Relish?"

"Mmmm no, I'm kinda embarassed by it".

Whoa.

[Captain Yesterday]

3/5

A big improvement from previous episodes. I was entertained with the episode the entire time for a change. Even though Topher Grace's voice is pretty awesome his voice just didn't sound like a kid's. That kinda botherd me throughout the episode. My favorite quote of the episode would be "SKIN-NER!... Skinner?" "Yes, sir?" "Don't you ever scare me like that again". This episode was surprisingly better than the King of the Hill episode.

[chagopian]

The taxi cab joke was hilarious at the beginning, followed up with a pretty dumb kids fighting joke in the back. There was nothing even clever about that. The moleman joke was half decent, comedic timing could've been used pretty effectively there. It feels like Krabappel's voice has changed so much in 10 years, I just watched the episode with the one where her and Skinner break up, and she sounded nothing like Edna in that episode (albeit that was like 4 years ago).

The toilet seat with the desk wasn't very good. "When he grows up, I wanna be like me" - I'm sick of Ralph. He's not funny anymore. I don't mind the laughing at the sarcastic guy too much, it was half decent but it wasn't well provoked. "What song does the horn play?" "None." "Classsy" great dialogue. Homer bumping Bart was definitely fun. The weather changes in car were just plain goofy, but it was nice to see Bart and Homer having a good time doing something together.

Okay, the skinner and willie scene, was just awesome. The magnets was just... the lowest point of the episode in my opinion. It's not a funny or realistic prank, it's just lame. Doug the hip guidance counsellor was a fun cut away gag. Alot of the dialogue in the treehouse was cute... but it wasn't funny at all. Lisa's response back in the house was pretty decent about having fun. Homer and Marge getting it on was pretty funny. Shipping out to Boston montage was great, but man, runs WAAYYY too long (mainly because we have two different segments involving the song). "A child thanked me! I got to write this in me journal." Was great...until he started to scratch it in his arm. The dark room gag was great with Martin's photos being ruined. The Cletus joke was embarassingly bad. Homer calling Lisa Maggie was a nice throwback. Now SKinner asking Bart to hold up that banner was a nice touch between the two of them. "Get back to your knitting Seymour" was a great line with a terrible followup, why show it? That Shelbyville Orphanage flashback was scarier than the entire treehouse of horror episode in the last three years. The Skinner and Chalmers dialogue has always been great in my opinion, never lost its appeal. And I'm on the fence about the last line, I think it's a decent gag, but I hate Ralph now. There's nothing clever about the character anymore, it's all just shock appeal, what outrageous thing he can say this week.

[chagopian]

Okay just going through this thread, I'm reading alot of support for Ralph's line at the end of the episode, and I think it's crazy. It's a terrible terrible line devoid of ALL comedic timing, and it's not an insult to the film. The film was never meant to be deep or smart, the rat at the end of the film was deliberate humour. The rat is just that, the intention is meant for that scene to be obvious. What the hell is so funny about pointing out the intention of a scene from a movie that does it well? You can mimick and satire all you want, but at the end of the day, that stupid line could've come out of a scary/date/epic movie. And okay, I can't honestly be the only one who's sick of Ralph now a days, there isn't even a bit of effort into his character anymore.

[Mt. Doom]

Damn, I was really looking forward to this one and forgot I missed it, oh well even though the quality's crappy I can probably watch it on FOX's website.

[Theres Always a Bigger Fish]

Pretty good episode. There were some bad jokes, such as Skinner and the magnets, but overall it was funny and I liked the new character.

B+

[son of a wiggum]

"Do you ever do it with Relish?"

"Mmmm no, I'm kinda embarassed by it".



Somebdoy explain this joke?

[Jims]

"Do you ever do it with Relish?"

"Mmmm no, I'm kinda embarassed by it".



Somebdoy explain this joke?

From Dictionary.com...

rel·ish /ˈrɛlɪʃ/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[rel-ish] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1. liking or enjoyment of the taste of something.
2. pleasurable appreciation of anything; liking: He has no relish for obscene jokes.
3. Cookery.
a. something savory or appetizing added to a meal, as pickles or olives.
b. a sweet pickle made of various vegetables, usually chopped or minced.
c. an appetizer or hors d'oeuvre.
4. a pleasing or appetizing flavor.
5. a pleasing or enjoyable quality.
6. a taste or flavor.
7. a smack, trace, or touch of something.
–verb (used with object)
8. to take pleasure in; like; enjoy: I don't relish the long drive home.
9. to make pleasing to the taste.
10. to like the taste of.

It's a pun on the word "relish." One of the better ones the show has done, mostly because of the non-obvious/corny delivery.

[Kiyosuki]

Okay just going through this thread, I'm reading alot of support for Ralph's line at the end of the episode, and I think it's crazy. It's a terrible terrible line devoid of ALL comedic timing, and it's not an insult to the film. The film was never meant to be deep or smart, the rat at the end of the film was deliberate humour. The rat is just that, the intention is meant for that scene to be obvious. What the hell is so funny about pointing out the intention of a scene from a movie that does it well? You can mimick and satire all you want, but at the end of the day, that stupid line could've come out of a scary/date/epic movie. And okay, I can't honestly be the only one who's sick of Ralph now a days, there isn't even a bit of effort into his character anymore.

Hey I wanted some greatness out of Ralph for that political episode and all I got was 3 minutes so I can relate with that. However I don't think it's so crazy. Like I said I think it depends on whether one liked the original material or not. I get what you're saying about the rat and I thought about that when I saw the film but I still thought it was dumb as hell. Pointing out the intention itself could be that they got it but they just didn't like or, or maybe that they're pointing it out. It's not the first time the show has taken a distinct jab at another work even from earlier seasons.

I'm not gonna say it's the best thing they've ever done, and they could have gotten any kid to take Ralph's place and it would have been the same thing (though Ralph has the freedom to go a little more 4th wall than almost any of the other characters ideally) but I don't really see what all the fuss is about. I wasn't even thinking about it before I read this thread. I've seen the show do better but I've also seen it do far, far, far, faaaar worse.

[Cartoonnetwork]

I must be the only one who actually liked both Homer laughing and Willie scratching his skin. The laughing didn't seem an enlongated gag to me, it wasn't too long IMO, and I agree it was the whole point of the subplot. Yep, they didn't think on a good excuse to include the new car and they laugh at it, but this time kinda worked. Considering the random nature of the subplot that is only there for some scattered laugh it didn't need an elaborated premise.

Willie's part was kinda odd, but I liked the animation on it. He seemed to suffer a lot. Suffering is funny. His gestures kinda reminded me of Ren in Ren and Stimpy for some reason. And it was short enough.

I don't find anything remotely funny about Lisa kicking Bart, though. It's just long, boring and kinda mean on Lisa's part.

The outhouse was quite disgusting, but I find it acceptable cause there is always a minimum chance Milhouse convinced Cletus to stop, though the dialogue pretty much suggested the opposite...

[ppoi307]

"When he grows up, I want to be like me"

"The Rat symbolizes obviousness"

two of the best ralph quotes ever

[General Jack D. Ripper]

I didn't think it was too hilarious but the plot was good, the subplot wasn't bad, Topher Grace was great as Donny, a pretty interesting character, and good use of Bart, Skinner, Willy, and Milhouse. Milhouse being shoved into the porta potty, Willy's diary, Skinner playing basketball, Chalmer's line, and the final Ralph line were all good jokes. 4/5