Rate & Review "The Great Wife Hope" (LABF16)

**hughes** · 10-12-2009, 01:58 PM

Very good episode, best of the season thus far actually. Although not quite perfect, it kept me entertained, no jokes really missed the mark (other than the Otto thing going on too long), and Barney being in two places was actually kind of an amusing mistake (and hell, at least they used him for once!) I agree with quite a bit of what Cartoonnetwork said about were this in the classic era, it would be one of the weaker entries, but I could definitely see it there with a few minor changes. Over all, 14/15, but the season is getting better by the week, and hopefully I'll be handing out a 15 soon!

Oh, and Homer imitating Marge had me in stitches, kudos to Dan for that

**Shaunbadia** · 10-12-2009, 02:18 PM

Much more awesome than the previous two episodes, I'll admit I'm being a little bias because I love watching UFC.

The first fight where the guy broke his own leg was great, very well animated.....as were the other fight scenes.
Marge flipping out when Bart was in danger was a pretty sweet moment, and Homer getting stuck in the chairs was funny.

Moe and Barney's little back and forth in the bar was hilarious, "Thank God! The pressure's off!". I also was amazed that Akira could bend Homer like that, I was expecting Homer to just flatten Akira with his own weight.

Mr. Burn's trying to fight Marge was priceless, Otto's hacky sack bit had me laughing pretty hard too.

Homer dressed as Marge didn't suprise me for some reason.....but I did enjoy Moe treating him as though he actually were Marge.

My favourite bit in the whole episode was Krusty telling Mel that he'd been dating his wife. Krusty was just so damn casual about it that Mel's dumbfounded reaction was all the more hilarious.

The ending with Bart and Lisa suprised me. I had a feeling the writers wern't going to just leave it to our imagination, but the one punch K.O from Lisa just wow'd me. I know she did the same thing to Bart in the movie, but for some reason I was actually hoping for it to be a double K.O. I guess I just wanted to seem both of 'em floor each other.

Also, I liked the fact that Carl mentioned Bleeding Gums Murphy. It was just sorta cool that they'd bring him up after so long.

My only gripe with this episode was the reuse of a long couch gag.

5/5 (I gave Cleveland a 5 too and I'm going to watch Family Guy next, let's see if it'll be a hattrick)

EDIT: Also, can't wait for THOH XX

**Roger Wilco** · 10-12-2009, 03:27 PM

I'm a bit surprised. The main idea of the episode seemed to me horrific, and while I was watching the ep' my impression was the same, but, WOW, there are a lot of decent jokes (S-K-ILL, Smack downs advertissement, left toe, !Surprising Move!, Homine...) and one first-rate line: "Of all the crazy things I ever done, this is the craziest ...!and you're doing it!"

Still I ask myself how this works well, 'cause I hate this kind of episode (like "the job of the week")

P.S: Please, no more jokes about (or with) phones in the rest of the season.

6,5 out of 10

**Thrillho** · 10-12-2009, 05:03 PM

The entire episode was 21 minutes, 39 seconds. Take away the intro and it's only 18 minutes, 41 seconds. Now divide that into 4 parts. By comparison, last season's "Gone Maggie Gone" was 20m, 13s. It looks as if they ran a bit short on this episode.

I said in the preview thread that this episode could go either way. But now, after watching, it doesn't seem as if it chose to go either way. It doesn't try anything outlandish, which is just as well, instead it roots itself in cliches and predictability. That line could summarize most of the episodes from recent seasons.

I thought that there'd be a lengthier introduction to the UPKCC, complete with a catchy musical number or two. I was surprised. The scene with Chuck Liddell was a little odd, mainly because he wasn't introduced. Doesn't it defeat the purpose of having a celebrity if his name isn't even mentioned? Marge's protest lasted for the better part of 15 seconds, and then was pushed back to make way for the "main plot". But by then almost half of the episode has passed. It doesn't help that so much time is reserved to unnecessarily long jokes.

Chet seemed an awful lot like Steve Mobs, from last season. Sure, they look and sound somewhat similar, but neither get much coverage in their respective episodes. Chet didn't seem to have much of an established persona, unlike, say, Lucius Sweet from "The Homer They Fall". I predict by the end of this season he'll be forgotten, along with Lyle McCarthy and Zachary Taylor. Who was the last interesting one-time character?

I thought they'd go through another music montage for Marge's training regimen. Akira's appearance was surprising, given that he hasn't appeared in some time. I liked Skinner removing the presidents due to budget restrictions. The fight itself is pretty anticlimactic, and not in an intentionally ironic way. Marge only beats Chet because of her protective maternal instincts, not because she was a good fighter, which seems cliched. However, I liked Marge's speech, and the reaction to it. And the conclusion with Bart and Lisa got a laugh out of me. There's no way they'd show Bart pummeling Lisa. I also liked the "Boola boola" over the credits.

Fairly mild episode. Would've benefited from 3 acts (and a musical number!) and an interesting opponent for Marge, plus it wasn't as funny as last week's episode, which itself wasn't that side-splitting. Still, solid, for what it is. B-

**Real Melvin** · 10-12-2009, 05:13 PM

Originally Posted by Thrillho

Doesn't it defeat the purpose of having a celebrity if his name isn't even mentioned?

I don't think so-- I respect it.

Also, I was gonna wait until I saw another graphic of the guy, but once I saw Chet I assumed it was simpsonized version of Jeff Goldblum. Dunno if anyone else thought that too.

**bartyboy** · 10-12-2009, 05:28 PM

Best of the season so far. 5/5

**The Sanest Fangirl** · 10-12-2009, 06:17 PM

What season is this from?

**The Sovereign** · 10-12-2009, 06:20 PM

the fuck are you talking about?

**The Sanest Fangirl** · 10-12-2009, 06:23 PM

The episode. What season is it from? 15, 16?

**WBadger** · 10-12-2009, 06:24 PM

uh, 21

**The Sanest Fangirl** · 10-12-2009, 06:27 PM

Oh ok, no wonder i havent seen it.

**SIR oinks alot** · 10-12-2009, 06:36 PM

Originally Posted by Simpuramafampark

Oh ok, no wonder i havent seen it.

**SIR oinks alot** · 10-12-2009, 06:37 PM

oh and the carl gag about him knowing black people reminds me of the "black people are good at basketball gag" in "children of a lesser clod"

**The Sanest Fangirl** · 10-12-2009, 06:38 PM

not the melty face again.

**The Sanest Fangirl** · 10-12-2009, 06:38 PM

Children lesser of clod. what season is that?

**Shaunbadia** · 10-12-2009, 06:48 PM

Originally Posted by Simpuramafampark

Children lesser of clod. what season is that?

Oh for the love of God, USE GOOGLE!

**jor2585** · 10-12-2009, 07:38 PM

I thought the episode was great. One silly, minor thing that I don't see anyone mentioning, though: Why does Sarah Wiggum turn into Helen Lovejoy half way through the episode?

**Thrillho** · 10-12-2009, 07:50 PM

Originally Posted by jor2585

I thought the episode was great. One silly, minor thing that I don't see anyone mentioning, though: Why does Sarah Wiggum turn into Helen Lovejoy half way through the episode?

Didn't notice that. It seems as if these HD episodes are rife with errors. Either that or they're much more apparent.

Another one was when Bart's leg twitches after Lisa knocks him out, there's an animation glitch and his part of his shorts stay up. Minor, but still.

**lionelhutz123** · 10-12-2009, 08:55 PM

Originally Posted by Simpuramafampark

The episode. What season is it from? 15, 16?

Quit playing stupid and stop trying to be funny by flooding the thread with questions that if you really don't know, it should be asked in a Q&A thread.

**The Sovereign** · 10-12-2009, 09:04 PM

again, the fuck you talking about? you go through GD, surely you see the predictions threads with the exact same episode name, not to mention the front page has it in big ass font

**Kang's Bastard Spore** · 10-13-2009, 12:41 AM

the first good episode this season.
Some lines that I liked:

'Pay the man, boy'
'After 11 years the thrill is gone'
'That's the first time I ever hit a woman I didn't love'

**Cartoonnetwork** · 10-13-2009, 12:56 AM

I thought Chet was a pretty decent character. He was not great, but I liked him quite a bit more than Lyle McCarthy and Zachary Taylor. We didn't need much introduction. They show these pictures with him fighting different people that was an indication of his competitive side. He was a proud, populist, competitive, without scruples, type of guy. He had some funny lines that said something about his character.

"That woman has natural breasts, this can't be good"
"This is the first time I hurt a woman I didn't love"
"I'll fight anybody except a man of my own size"

So he's competitive and maybe a little sexist too. His look was also interesting since he didn't seem the typical young, muscular guy, he seemed a little aged and that kinda makes the whole fight with Marge a little more believable, cause Marge fighting someone like Drederik Tatum would have been a little too much. Also the fact that he's mature makes more logical that he could have this kind of crazy manias like wanting to fight with a housewife just to make a show out of it and demonstrate that he's great. It seems that a younger guy wouldn't need to do that so much.

And the fact that he was the one who proposed the fight in the first place kinda says something about the type of guy he is.

No, he wasn't Hank Scorpio, but I thought he was a mildly interesting/funny character for once.

**Sideshow Blinky** · 10-13-2009, 01:48 AM

I never thought I would say this, but this episode was really good, even great, one might say, in comparison to the previous two failures this season. A lot of great gags (except for Homer's kill kill kill joke and Otto's "I messed up" gag, that were just annoying and too long) that got some laughs out of me.

Great family unity, with the whole family supporting Marge throughout the episode. I agree that Homer was a bit of wuss and could have probably been more of a man, but he was still there for Marge, supporting her all the way and that for me overshadows all the "could haves". The plot felt just a tiny bit forced and a bit too set-up at the beginning and I would have like a longer introduction of UPKCC 'cause that part felt somewhat rushed and incomplete.

I liked the fact that Marge amassed her strength from within her maternal instincts, tying to protect Bart rather than becoming a highly skilled fighter during the course of 2 minutes and kicking Chet's ass, with mere physical strength. She ended being a mother out there is the septagon, rather than a fighter and I truly enjoyed that portion of creativity, although I absolutely hated the Bart vs. Lisa ending. I guess you either like or not and I didn't. To sum up my ramblings, a good episode, with nice characterizations, a lot of great jokes and bodes well for the remainder of the season. 4/5

**Roger Wilco** · 10-13-2009, 04:52 AM

Originally Posted by Roger Wilco

I'm a bit surprised. The main idea of the episode seemed to me horrific, and while I was watching the ep' my impression was the same, but, WOW, there are a lot of decent jokes (S-K-ILL, Smack downs advertissement, left toe, !Surprising Move!, Homine...) and one first-rate line: "Of all the crazy things I ever done, this is the craziest ...!and you're doing it!"

Still I ask myself how this works well, 'cause I hate this kind of episode (like "the job of the week")

P.S: Please, no more jokes about (or with) phones in the rest of the season.

6,5 out of 10

2nd chance: This time I appreciate much more the the global quality-joke. But still,...a pontentially inane premise very well-made which I suppose may be preferable to a brilliant idea utterly botched. Honestly, I don't love this episode, but some jokes are schockingly good compared with the previous season.

If we compare Whopper with Wife in a quality-joke level the 2nd is better. But,...I find Whopper more solid and smart. So, I think Whopper is mildly better than Wife in some way. The good gags compensates the amount of flaws in Wife

**McClure** · 10-13-2009, 05:41 AM

If they can't do a 21 minute epidsode (minus 2 minutes of opening credits) without adding a lot of unfunny filler, perhaps they should shorten the episodes. So many of the jokes were run into the ground like Marge talking to Nelson, the bullies with the word "Kill", the crazy cat lady, Homer yelling "kill", Ottowith the hackey sack, etc.

It was an okay episode. Not particularily memorable, but better than the season premiere.

Worst line: "Whoop-tushy"

Best line: "That woman has natural breasts... This can't be good."

**Green Man** · 10-13-2009, 05:48 AM

Marge: "But in this sport no one puts anything into anything, and if they did I wouldn't want to see it"

after watching the episode again I realized how disturbing that is.

oh and it seems we're going to have a new running gag in the opening credits

**J Dog** · 10-13-2009, 08:48 AM

The first episode of the season I bother to watch, and I remember why I don't deal with the newer episodes. To be honest, I was hoping a lot out of this, since it delved into MMA, but the parody just fell flat. The gags weren't that impressive, and the lines delivered were wooden and unimpressive.

The "Ultimate Punch Kick Championship" guy was really uncompelling, and felt like a generic villain, when you could've incorporated another corporate entity, like the Rich Texan. It made me glad to see him get KOed and to be never seen again, but for the wrong reasons. And, I SO liked how it is explained how this interest was ended for the masses: people prefer drunk guys fighting to sober guys fighting.

The last joke where Bart and Lisa get ready to fight was extremely OOC on Lisa's part, and I hated that after we saw the "Al Jean" sign (directing the 9th straight season), we show the ending of that encounter (Lisa KOing Bart with one hit), when you could've just left it to the imagination. I know that's a swerve, but some things don't deserve a swerve.

The only joke that I did like was that Homer dressed up as Marge and Moe wanted him to go to a high school reunion because of that.

1/5

**Roger Wilco** · 10-13-2009, 09:08 AM

Originally Posted by J Dog

The "Ultimate Punch Kick Championship" guy was really uncompelling, and felt like a generic villain, when you could've incorporated another corporate entity, like the Rich Texan.

that's truth. I felt the same about the villian. A very uncharismatic one.

**qwertyuio** · 10-13-2009, 10:07 AM

^ Can't say I was too much fond of the villain, but I pretty much prefer Chet than Rich Texan.

Originally Posted by J Dog

The last joke where Bart and Lisa get ready to fight was extremely OOC on Lisa's part, and I hated that after we saw the "Al Jean" sign (directing the 9th straight season), we show the ending of that encounter (Lisa KOing Bart with one hit), when you could've just left it to the imagination. I know that's a swerve, but some things don't deserve a swerve.

It's a bit harsh to say this, since the scene wasn't meant to be canonical, but cartoony and a bit of parodic. If you say that Lisa is OOC here, you'll also despise Homer throwing the Buzz Cola to the crowd in Homer Bad Man, for example.
And it's a personal view and all but they got me with the continuity at this gag, because I was hoping it to be the typical "freeze frame of two boxers" scene. IMO, it worked better because Lisa knocking Bart out was the way to link with the rest of the episode (as long as Bart had been shown as a fighting star in the school), and left the kinda random and gratuitous tone to make sense in the plot, taking a hilarious point of view that contradicted what we had seen before (Lisa KOing Bart effortlessly).

The only joke that I did like was that Homer dressed up as Marge and Moe wanted him to go to a high school reunion because of that.

Thanks, God

.

**robu** · 10-13-2009, 10:59 AM

Hmm, was a decent episode. No side plot though which I like in Simpson's. Not
and episode which is going to be remembered but not bad. Home yelling "kill" made me laugh. Yea, and it was a short one.

And wasn't Barney watching the fight but instantly in the next scene he was at Moe's?

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