Rate & Review "Rednecks and Broomsticks" (LABF19) (now with polls!)

[Brad Lascelle]

Lack of responses in the R&R thread does not mean Joe Public didn't watch it hence bad ratings. Joe Public doesn't post in Simpsons-dedicated forums.

My rating for this episode = 3 out of 5 - was actually sitting at a 4/5 until the trial kicked off in acts 3 and 4. That's when... like the "plot and subplot" episode we had last week... the episode diverged into a blatantly obvious setup for a plotline swerve tied loosely together with some weak jokes. At least this time we got Moe... who is funnier than Krusty and would put on a much more entertaining variety show.

The animation in the HD-era continues to be gorgeous. This is just another victim of the poorly paced four-act structure and an uncharacteristic waste of a guest appearance (would anyone watching at home be able to pick out which of the witches Neve Campbell voiced... they were virtually indistinguishable in personality).

Rod had the best line of the ep. Loved the Wiccapedia. Pleased to see Lisa act her age throughout an episode frought with so much "acting up" potential.

[Friz]

Damn! With the exception of Homer the Whopper, all of Season 21's been pretty damn good so far. Didn't really enjoy this episode. The townfolk were far too dumb, and the reason for the town going blind was obvious as soon as it happened. I enjoyed Moe though. And Lisa blowing the saxophone into Bart's face. And the Dell/Hell gag. And the goat. 2/5 seems harsh.

2.5/5.

[Brad Lascelle]

btw, does anybody know the reference or the parody they were doing when they showed homer and cletus delivering the moonshine with teh 5-6 screens .

i've seen that somewhere... wondering where though.

That was an homage to the movie Sideways.
An excellent one at that.

They really should have split these two plots into their own separate episodes and taken a more interesting direction with them.

[Jesse Pinkman]

Damn! With the exception of Homer the Whopper, all of Season 21's been pretty damn good so far. Didn't really enjoy this episode. The townfolk were far too dumb, and the reason for the town going blind was obvious as soon as it happened. I enjoyed Moe though. And Lisa blowing the saxophone into Bart's face. And the Dell/Hell gag. And the goat. 2/5 seems harsh.

2.5/5.

I agree. This is probably the second worse of the season, slightly ahead of Homer the Whopper as I liked the plot more.

[lionelhutz123]

I thought the opening of this episode with the car ride home was fun with the bop-it parody, even if it did go on a bit long. It's nice to see somewhat decent family satire. Still, it might as well have been longer, because the rest of the episode was pretty "meh". I just feel both plots weren't strong at all, and because of this, we got an unfocused, lazily executed episode (with wacky results). I just wasn't buying alot of what was going on, and with that, didn't understand what motivated the story to progress. I mean first we get this random car crash, which forces Homer and Lisa into their seperate stories. The trial and mob mentality seemed forced as well. I think this season 21 episode is littered with the most missed gags so far. I particularly didn't care for Wiggum aiming a gun at his face, Homer using the dunk mechanism as a ride, the goat gag, or Bambi getting thrown 1000 feet. There were some good stuff added into the mix, but nothing memorable, except that moonshine montage with the different screens to look at. Otherwise, this really wasn't my type of episode, even if they're was snow in it. 2/5

EDIT: True couch gag.

[tom cody]

4/5. I really enjoyed this episode.

[Snaked]

Wow, that was an amazing S16 episode, especially if compared to this failure.

Pfft. This episode is miles away from being as horrid as that episode was, IMO. I actually found this very watchable and everything worked out properly as in a classic era episode. I could hardly find anything bad with it and mostly good. Stuff like Dr. Hibbert and the Scrub Nurse going blind during Moleman's surgery and him having to do it himself cracked me up, or the Wiccapedia site for that matter gave me a chuckle. Also, everyone seemed in character for the most part, and it was nice to see that they didn't forget about Homer when he drowned in the lake (and the couch gag, like the 9/11 bit, was unexpected and funny, too). In the end, the episode wasn't the greatest, but it was far more watchable then some and at least Homer said some sensible lines such as "Why do all my actions have consequences?" Which MAKE SENSE.

5/5 (A little too generous, no?)

[MunkeyBoxx]

Far from impressed. Season Twenty-One was having a pretty good streak until Pranks and Greens. Act I and Act II were terrible to me. The Bop-It joke was funny but from there it went downhill. Act III and Act IV were the only remotely enjoyable acts of the entire episode in my opinion.

Moe did have me laughing though. I know a lot of people dislike random/zany appearances and gags but Moe gave me a couple of chuckles.

This episode just had a lack of life for me. Lisa's storyline was ok. Wiccapedia, Bart talking about the Pentagram and Lisa coming to the darkside, and Flanders misinterpreting the Dell signature was pretty funny but besides that humor seemed dry.

Plot execution was poorer than I had hoped for. This review may seem more like a complaint than a review but its how I felt.

Solid 2/5.

Hopefully next week's is a return to form.

[Kiyosuki]

Eh, nothing elaborate this week from me. I thought it had its moments but it was kind of flimsy (judge put it best really) to me. The idea mostly. I don't think there was anything like...overtly wrong, but I just thought the overall idea wasn't very strong so it was hard for me to get into it. The yokels were pretty cool and the intro was funny, but otherwise it just sort of went from point A to point B and...that's that.
And I'm sorry but this thing is nothing like an equivalent classic episode. My two cents ends there.

edit: alright the bop-it scene was pretty classic I'll give it that.

[McClure]

Decent, not spectacular. I'd have liked to have seen more between Lisa and the Wiccans before they were arrested. It had some great gags, Iliked the bit about the goat evading taxes, Wiggum trying to shoot the fly off his nose, Moleman and surgery and most of Bart's antics. For once Cletus was used really well, I really enjoyed the sub-plot.

It was a great gag episode, but the plot was lacking. The ending with Lisa and the Wiccans also seemed rather weak. It seems like someone on the writing staff said "We still have 30 seconds, how do we end this thing... Well, the episode really had no message, so let's just have Lisa spouting the same stuff about being cool."

3/5.

[The Governor]

The only bits I thought were funny were "Wiccapedia" and the "Dell/Hell" joke, otherwise, I just was 'meh' through the whole thing.

Also, did anyone notice the end with Lisa skating on the lake/pond seemed like a parody of the ending to the movie "To Die For?"

2/5

[Tomacco]

I really enjoyed the first half of the episode, from the Bop It! stuff to the Sideways parody. The last two acts really lost me though.

[Dynamo]

I love it love it love it!

"Text your mom to pick us up"

5/5

[Semaj]

I like that they're still doing non-Christmas winter episodes, but there was nothing really special about this one. The Bop-It game was fun, but I'm already having a hard time remembering much else.

2.5/5

[Green Man]

why on earth didn't they switch the couch gag with last week's?

well, that was an interesting episode. first off I wish they hadn't focused on the subplot as much as they did because surprisingly I was a lot more interest in the main story. the wiccan thing didn't interesting me so much but I enjoyed the way Lisa was fascinated with them and what wanted to become of their group, the conversation between her and bart was also my favorite moment in the episode. it was just a nice scene between the two of them and still managed to be funny. the subplot was very poor, all the hillbilly stereotypes uninteresting and there were way too much. though I did like the way the two stories connect in the episode. the ending was really weird to me. there was so much filler stuff in it and yet they rushed with the ending, almost as if they didn't have enough time for a decent one. I couldn't believe the episode simply ended with that stupid Homer gag I mean what the hell.

all those things aside I must admit this episode was beautifully animated. all the snow sequences were great and when Lisa finds the wiccans was amazing.

the jokes were hit-or-miss for the most part but there wasn't anything too terrible. a joke that kinda bugged me was when the kids showed bart the grenades, I laughed at it because I thought it would be a throw away gag but then they kept going with it, and later had a call back to it which was just unnecessary. there were also some that I could see coming a mile away like Lisa high-fiveing jeanny and their hands getting stuck together or moe crying.

overall I'd give it a 2/5. an improvement over last week's if you ask me.

[jayleno]

Bop-It part at the very beginning was classic-era funny except a few Homer characterizations and jokes, but the rest of the episode was forgettable.

[Dave Shutton]

I actually really liked this episode, everything really seemed to flow well and i liked alot of the jokes and i kinda liked the design of that one extremely retarded/inbred hillbilly with the really fat head. And whats with all the snake tattoos? Cletus, Snake, and the one wiccan chick, eh whatever.

[EthanRunt]

Once again it's a Simpson episode that needed more polish and more time for story, there was something there this week, comedy that harkens back to the good old days, the Homer grenade joke, bambi being run over, bears chained and forced to play music, sadistic humour.

Add to that a genius Sideways parody and whilst the episode needed more story and some moments were dull, it had solid elements in it and is the best of the last few episodes.
4/5

[Sprocketeer]

Now that one wasn't so good. The sub-plot had its moments but the main story was a wreck. It wasn't interesting in the slightest. I noticed a fair bit of "dark" gags in this one, such as Homer hitting Bambi, the grenade sliding by Homer, Wiggum and the fly, Moleman cutting himself, and Homer nearly drowning at the end. The Bambi joke got an actual laugh from me, but other than that, I think I really only chuckled at the goat cutaway and Bart's explanation of the path to becoming a witch. Also, that ending was the worst in recent memory. This one skates a D+ (2/5)

[bovine_university]

This was slightly better than last week's, but not by much. It's funny how a number of you are saying the first half was better than the second, because I thought it improved as it went on (though the ending once again was pretty abrupt).

The Bonk It gag went on, and on, and on, then came the barrage of hillbilly jokes. It seemed to take forever for the plot to really get anywhere, Homer's moonshine expertise and Lisa's stumbling upon the Wiccans didn't come in until the end of the first act. Things got a little better from there, and even though I wasn't fully sold on Homer's decision to stick around with Cletus and the gang, I did like the Sideways jokes, and it was funny to see the alcohol tie back into the main plot. However, I had the same problem with Curran's other episode, Don't Fear the Roofer, the drawn-out explanation scene. I think it would have been much funnier for Lisa to just reveal the jug, instead of meticulously explaining what happened.

I did like the main plot with Lisa however, and like I said before, the further we got into the episode the more I enjoyed it. The scene with Lisa and Bart in her room actually made me laugh pretty hard, from Bart's sax prank backfiring, Wiccapedia, and Flanders spying through the window (I might have liked this episode more if it was more about just Ned going after the Wiccans rather than the whole town). The modern age jokes about the girls were very funny, and I really liked Kent Brockman's scene with Patty and Selma. Then came the climax which again had an abrupt conclusion, but I enjoyed how they tied it all together. As for Lisa herself, I kind of liked her characterization here of skeptic turned believer, or at the very least curious. Though I do feel there should have been more attention given to Lisa's feeling of being respected and together with her new friends which we get a little of in the court scene, but not enough.

This wasn't great, and it has a lot of rough patches in humor and story. But the highs are enough to give this episode a generous 3/5.

[bradbradford]

5 out of 5. I know a lot of you don't agree, but this one really worked for me. I actually thought it started out weak, and got better. (Which is the opposite of most episodes) The bop it thing actually seemed awkward to me, but then the episode got almost immediately better. The bambi animals were a funny touch too, with the deer getting booted. Brought back Simpsons movie memories. Also, some jokes I loved that no one mentioned. Moe had some great lines this episode, as did the fat redneck. When he said "So you think all of space is like Star War" I lost it. If you have it DVR'd re-watch that. Also when the dark haired witch said "We're just kids, my names not even Gwendylyn Nightmare, its Shannon DeathSatan." I'm paraphrasing crudely, but you know the joke I'm talking about. Also, bart and the snowmen/grenades were funny.

[Ryan]

Damn! With the exception of Homer the Whopper, all of Season 21's been pretty damn good so far. Didn't really enjoy this episode. The townfolk were far too dumb, and the reason for the town going blind was obvious as soon as it happened. I enjoyed Moe though. And Lisa blowing the saxophone into Bart's face. And the Dell/Hell gag. And the goat. 2/5 seems harsh.

2.5/5.

Whoa...it's like you're in my mind...well, except for the S21 comment...

[Toon~g@l!]

This episode started out great, the bop it joke, the Bambi reference and Homer hitting the poor deer with the car even the wiccapedia joke. But right when Ned decided to make a big deal out of this it went all downhill from there. The rest of the episode was just a mess and totally forgettable.

[Rowdy Roddy Peeper]

I thought it was the best non-THOH episode this season and better than most of last season. I liked it, at first i was a bit worried about how they'd make Lisa a 'witch', but watching the episode i felt they did well with Lisa's character. She was skeptical, but eventually the idea of spells etc. convinced her to like the idea a little, i think she acted like a child as well, rather than a grown up in a kids body which we've seen from Lisa before.

I laughed a lot at the Bop it section and the Bambi reference, however unfortunately after that the humour wasn't spot on. I feel with more laughs scattered around the episode, this could have been a great episode. I didn't like Moe in this episode (Crying because he wasn't raped by a male hillbillie) and i felt some of Chief Wiggum's lines and actions were a little too easy, you know a fly lands on your face so you go to hit it (This kind of gag was on 'Good Burger' for crying out loud). I liked the Blinky appearence, Ned's worrying and the whole Wiccapedia bit (I liked how after you saw wiccapedia, they didn't shove it in your face 'look what i found on....wiccapedia' etc.).

When the blind thing came along i was like 'oh here we go again, another wacky nonsensical plot device', but i was proved wrong as there was a logical explanation and a decent twist (for me anyway, surprisingly i didn't see it coming). The worst part was the very ending with Homer drowning in the water and Lisa ice skating, the best parodies work when if you haven't seen the film, you can still enjoy the show without being distracted by the parody too much. Also, they really need to realise that Homer pain gags aren't funny. No one's going 'ha ha ha Homer's drowning and no one's coming to save him, he's possibly going to die'. Homer pain gags are occasionally funny, but it'd be interesting to tally up how many times he gets hurt this season. It's a very cartoony element and it just comes across as lazy writing 'erm...how do i finish this episode with a laugh...oh yeah, Homer could hurt himself...some more....again'.

Anyway, all in all i enjoyed this episode for what it was and was a step in the right direction for me. Oddly enough we never saw the Simpsons house did we? Is that the first time that's happened in the history of the show?

[Cartoonnetwork]

I thought it was the best non-THOH episode this season and better than most of last season. I liked it, at first i was a bit worried about how they'd make Lisa a 'witch', but watching the episode i felt they did well with Lisa's character. She was skeptical, but eventually the idea of spells etc. convinced her to like the idea a little, i think she acted like a child as well, rather than a grown up in a kids body which we've seen from Lisa before.

I laughed a lot at the Bop it section and the Bambi reference, however unfortunately after that the humour wasn't spot on. I feel with more laughs scattered around the episode, this could have been a great episode. I didn't like Moe in this episode (Crying because he wasn't raped by a male hillbillie) and i felt some of Chief Wiggum's lines and actions were a little too easy, you know a fly lands on your face so you go to hit it (This kind of gag was on 'Good Burger' for crying out loud). I liked the Blinky appearence, Ned's worrying and the whole Wiccapedia bit (I liked how after you saw wiccapedia, they didn't shove it in your face 'look what i found on....wiccapedia' etc.).

When the blind thing came along i was like 'oh here we go again, another wacky nonsensical plot device', but i was proved wrong as there was a logical explanation and a decent twist (for me anyway, surprisingly i didn't see it coming). The worst part was the very ending with Homer drowning in the water and Lisa ice skating, the best parodies work when if you haven't seen the film, you can still enjoy the show without being distracted by the parody too much. Also, they really need to realise that Homer pain gags aren't funny. No one's going 'ha ha ha Homer's drowning and no one's coming to save him, he's possibly going to die'. Homer pain gags are occasionally funny, but it'd be interesting to tally up how many times he gets hurt this season. It's a very cartoony element and it just comes across as lazy writing 'erm...how do i finish this episode with a laugh...oh yeah, Homer could hurt himself...some more....again'.

I pretty much agree with you and bovine-university. The execution wasn't totally great, but I liked the 'witch' girls designs and the animation and atmosphere in the episode were fantastic. I loved Blinky's moment (I found it very cute when he has to use the stick) and the final explanation was pretty satisfactory, considering how nonsensical everything seemed at first.

It's one of the best of the season so far, along with the THOH and Devil Wears Nada. 4/5

Like bovine-university said I missed a little bit more of Lisa. Considering it was her plot they changed focus to the townspeople and forgot about her a little. With a shorter introduction they would have had more time to explore her feelings and her relationship with the girls. That way the episode could have actually been a 5/5 cause the scenes with Bart and Lisa, Lisa and the girls and Lisa's feelings about witchcraft were pretty interesting and funny.

[Captain Squid]

Once again it's a Simpson episode that needed more polish and more time for story, there was something there this week, comedy that harkens back to the good old days, the Homer grenade joke, bambi being run over, bears chained and forced to play music, sadistic humour.

HA! I forgot about the Country Bear Jamboree! Reminded me of The Critic episode in which Duke had the animatronic versions in his office. I loved how the hillbillies still found a beat to dance to. Also fat headed inbred guy is my favorite character of the season.



Rowdy Roddy Peeper: There was a scene in Lisa's room, but no establishing shot of the house itself.

Favorite scene:

Lisa, which craft?

Which craft?

Which craft?!

[Gatorgod]

This was a super episode. We have drove our folks nuts with a Bopit toy ourselves so that was a huge laugh. Good to see Cletus again, tho I noticed their wasn't much for Marge and Maggie to do,.. Seemed Homer & Lisa benefited most from that encounter.
I always laugh hardest when the Simpsons poke fun at Inbreed hillbilly's ..Hits close to home!
I gave this ep a 5/5

I missed the chalkboard gag, what was it?

[Quazie89]

I really don't know what to think about this episode. At the beginning it felt like there was too much Disney-bashing going on, and Lisa seemed a little bit out of character to me when she went running about her room dressed as a witch. Sure, it was nice to see her act more like a kid for once, but Lisa's behavior in this one just didn't do it for me. I did like the Bop-it gag and the Wikkapedia bit, however. That was nice and funny.

[IM A BRICK]

This episode just had a lack of life for me. Lisa's storyline was ok. Wiccapedia, Bart talking about the Pentagram and Lisa coming to the darkside, and Flanders misinterpreting the Dell signature was pretty funny but besides that humor seemed dry.

Solid 2/5.

Hopefully next week's is a return to form.

As I sit here writing this on the computer from D/HELL.
I agree this episode was just a train wreck just change Lisa's story line to Homer's for me in the quote above.
The Goat cut away was pure Family Guy garbage, although FG would have had it go on for as long as the annoying Bop-it Joke....

[Otaku X]

Anyone else notice that half the kids in Apu's car durring the traffic scene in the begining were whi-err, yellow? Or that when Wiggum was shooting the fly he had a revolver, but when the fly was on the nose, he had some sort of 9mm?