Rate & Review "Eeny Teeny Maya, Moe" (LABF06)

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

Yeah I'm something of an insomniac and still bored so I decided to watch my 3rd episode of the same 24 hour period(less than that actually) so here goes:

Season 20 continues when Moe falls in love! But first we begin at the house where Homer is trying to watch a hockey game while Maggie tries to get his attention. Marge notices this and berates her husband for his neglectful behavior. She insists Maggie doesn't even know her dad, and this is proven to be true when Santa's Little Helper proves to be a superior guardian. Homer takes Maggie out for a play date of sorts which, of course, winds up with the two going to Moe's. We learn that Moe's happens to be next to a playground with a visible window into said playground so Homer decides to watch Maggie play outside from inside the bar. We learn Moe has met a woman over the internet and is supposed to meet her tonight at the bar for a first date. Maggie is in trouble on the playground however, as the other kids intend to bully her. Homer saves her without knowing what's really going on as the two head home. Moe awaits his date, a woman named Maya, and discovers she is in fact a little person as we end act 1.

Moe and Maya hit the town in act 2. We're given several cute Moe gags as he tries his best not to repulse her. At Maya's house she wonders why Moe won't introduce her to any of his friends. Moe is in fact scared that they'll make a bad impression. Marge meanwhile has become suspicious of Homer and Maggie's play dates and has decided to hide a mini camera inside Maggie's bow. Moe decides to introduce Maya to Homer and Marge as we end act 2. In act 3 we're given a nice little fake out of Homer seeming to make an ass out of himself, but actually not doing anything wrong at all. Marge gets the results from the camera and is about to watch when Homer calls her down for their double date. At a carnival Homer suggests to Moe that Maya might just be a keeper. He proposes to her, but unintentionally insults her and she kicks him out. Devastated, he plans to have an operation to make him the same height as Maya in an attempt to make up with her as we end act 3.

Maya stops Moe in act 4 saying she wants someone who sees her as beautiful and not little, and breaks up with him in tears. When Marge finally watches the footage she is first annoyed but eventually driven to tears of joy when she sees father and daughter bonding. Homer goes to Moe's the next day and gives him some advice about the potential for love. This cheers Moe up who thinks back on his time with Maya as we end the episode.

This is probably the best secondary character episode since Season 8, and probably the best use of emotion on the show since even earlier. The episode isn't really laugh-out-loud funny or anything, but it doesn't need to be as it relies heavily on the story for entertainment. There are some good gags though; I loved the Homer gag where his head expands as it fills with water, as well as the several misleads like Homer's nuclear power question or Moe with the car seat. As I've said many times before Moe, like Nelson, is one of those characters who hasn't really declined in quality as the years go by and this is an excellent Moe episode. I liked the Homer/Maggie sub plot and feel like it was probably needed for a more casual audience, but still wish we could have gotten more time with Moe and Maya. As it is, the reason they break up comes off as a bit forced and makes Maya seem somewhat unreasonable. I suspect this is because of the lack of time, which is a shame. Although it does help us feel more for Moe. As others have said this actually feels like a weird mix of very early and modern Simpsons. The animation and some gags are clearly more recent but the story seems like something which might have fit in Season 2, or at least somewhere before the Mirkin Era began. In that sense it sticks out as one of Season 20's(and the last 5-6 years at least) best episodes, to me at least. We got two nice Moe callbacks from the early years too: his snake religion and the Little Women book.

Grading this episode is actually pretty tough for me though. It's tough because this episode is very good, but its good for all the reasons that almost none of the other episodes from this era that I also genuinely love are. It tells a great, touching story and has heart and doesn't rely on wacky or dark humor(much anyway). It is episodes like this that differentiated the Simpsons from other shows of its type in the early years, and this could've been reborn here if the show would've only stayed in this direction. Nothing else on FOX is capable of making an episode like this and have it work so well(animated at least), nor South Park. In fact, the only other prime time animated sitcom which still exists that could would probably be Futurama, unless I'm forgetting one. Alas, the show didn't choose to stay in this vain with future episodes. That doesn't hurt this one though at all, at least not for me. 5/5 Somehow though I actually don't think this little review I have written actually does this episode justice.

[Diversity Pumpkin]

"Whoda thought a woman so small could make me feel so big."

Everyone thinks this line is so sweet, etc, but doesn't that mean Moe didn't learn anything? Like, the reason she broke up with him was because he kept seeing her as small.

[lionelhutz123]

Exactly why I don't like this episode and I never even realized how obvious it is in that overrated last line.

[qwertyuio]

"Whoda thought a woman so small could make me feel so big."

Everyone thinks this line is so sweet, etc, but doesn't that mean Moe didn't learn anything? Like, the reason she broke up with him was because he kept seeing her as small.

It's hard to not see her as small, I'd argue. And the reason was not that "he kept seeing her as small" (just as if she suddenly became six-feet tall or something when she left Moe) but that he still conceived this as a handicap, or a key condition for their relationship.

So the last line is still completely valid to me, as the trait is remembered in a benevolent way. And what the hell, I don't care if Moe learned something, he was just remembering a good experience.

[Alex_Of_Darkness]

This episode is in the top 3 of the 20 season ! I give 4/5 to it !

[SUPERFOX5]

5/5

Moe is an awesome person when it comes to women.
The story of him and Maya is just sweet and romantic in every way.

I also enjoyed the side story with Maggie, because I can't help but love these episodes where Homer bonds with Maggie.

[Chalmskinn]

A nice episode, but another underwhelming ending- the last time we/he sees her is when she leaves the hospital! Also the maggie subplot flopped inevitably, if you want another maggie and his da episode, look here.
The rest of the episode was good to excellent. This one's stayin' on the PVR!

Funny how they don't spend much time at Simpsons home- imagine Lisa or Bart standing next to maya!

[cloneasaurus]

this episode would be good if a) it was actually funny, b) homer wasn't so annoyingly written and c) it wasn't so sappy. i dunno, the "emotion" really grinds this episode to a halt, i feel. also the conclusion was hardly convincing. 2.5/5

[N]

Pretty good episode. It had a few good jokes, and Homer actually showed true emotion (for example, at the end of the episode we discover he really truly cares about Maggie). 9/10 A.

[Swoony]

"Whoda thought a woman so small could make me feel so big."

Everyone thinks this line is so sweet, etc, but doesn't that mean Moe didn't learn anything? Like, the reason she broke up with him was because he kept seeing her as small.

That's not discriminatory at all. It was a sweet pun.

Calling her small isn't offensive or mean in anyway, it's a fact. Like merely saying someone is tall or has blonde hair. A phisical description. You can't ignore how someone looks, it's part of their identity. yeah he saw her as small but who's to say that's worse than being average sized? He probably looked at her on the same way as her looked at any other girl. He just made a mistake in the end. I mean what couple doesn't at one point? I don't get this double standard crap.

Now if he called her a "midget" or a "dwarf" that'd be truely offensive. Like calling someone a fatass when they're bigger.

You guys gotta learn to stop taking the Simpsons so seriously to be completely honest.

[Diversity Pumpkin]

That's not discriminatory at all. It was a sweet pun.

Calling her small isn't offensive or mean in anyway, it's a fact. Like merely saying someone is tall or has blonde hair. A phisical description. You can't ignore how someone looks, it's part of their identity. yeah he saw her as small but who's to say that's worse than being average sized? He probably looked at her on the same way as her looked at any other girl. He just made a mistake in the end. I mean what couple doesn't at one point? I don't get this double standard crap.

Now if he called her a "midget" or a "dwarf" that'd be truely offensive. Like calling someone a fatass when they're bigger.

You guys gotta learn to stop taking the Simpsons so seriously to be completely honest.

I don't even disagree with what you're saying. But all that you're saying is what caused her to break up with him, hence why the final line doesn't make sense within the context of the story.

[qwertyuio]

It does. It was Maya who left Moe after all. Reasons? I think the story made clear that Maya just didn't feel comfortable with Moe because he -sort of unconsciously- reminded her of her condition. That is not even strange, she wants a normal relationship in which her size doesn't appear as a constant element of potential conflict and she doesn't find it with him. The fact Moe ends up recapitulating his experience as positive has absolutely nothing to do with this decision.

[Simpsons_Sweden]

Forgot how good this Episode was


9/10 or 4.5/5

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

Actually one of my least favorites of the season. 2/5.

[Blobulle]

I widely prefer the b-plot than the main plot.
The beginning is cute but Moe becomes crazy and annoying at the end :s
The little story with Maggie is excellent and funny.
Overall: 4/5