Rate and Review: "Love Is a Many Strangled Thing" (NABF10)

[lionelhutz123]

There seems to be a new trend where Homer and Bart are like cartoon cat and mouse to the point where characterization is thrown out the fucking window. Honestly, this episode is trash and it's a shame because the ongoing nature of Homer choking Bart that has been iconic throughout the series has never really had a full episode to tackle the subject before. They blew it though.

Everything that was done right like the Burns intro and some of the build-up was just your ordinary Jean era averageness, and everything else was just absolute garbage. First off, the ending of the first act might be one of the most disturbing moments in a while (a short while). Admittedly, I thought the "Make an ass out of yourself" jumbotron was great satire, but then I realized this was going to be like provoking a humping dog. Maybe it was some kind of commentary that there are more disturbing things than a beloved choking gag, but even if that's the message, I did not need to see Homer tickling Bart until he wet himself. It was such a long, awkward, and unnecessary moment that would make even Michael Scott cringe.

From what I remember Homer was more concerned with starting a wave than feeling sorry for what he put Bart through. He says he's sorry, but it's in that "I'm seperate from reality and trying to be funny" tone. After that there is no justification for Bart, and Homer feels no remorse, but goes to group therapy only to make a joke out of it. Why doesn't he talk to his son?

Anyway, nothing is discussed or touched upon in therapy in regards to delving into Homer and Bart's relationship other than bring the choking gag to the forefront. Nothing real is focused on though, and they just let Homer get a taste of his own medicine for a pretty lengthy montage. Of course when Homer is cured from pursuing the urges to strangle his son, this means that his authority as a parent is completely vanquished.

You would think even with the unrealistic nature of this plot point, that they would use it as a way of Homer realizing that the dynamic between him and his son is pathetic and if he wants to escape being the punching bag of Bart, then he's going to have to bring himself back down to reality and make some serious changes in his parenting techniques, but of course the writers don't fucking know how to connect themes or realize what the hell the point is of their own story. I mean, that's why I figured they made Homer act so unaware and annoying, so that they can call attention to it. It was just a lousy setup though for Bart to be in prank-heaven, which ends with Bart saving Homer's life only when his own life was in trouble. Bart ignoring his dying dad was just disgraceful, but it's a comedy right? Yes, a character-driven comedy. Learn the characters writers.

So the moral of the story is that even the cowardly, pathetic dad can become allies with a shithead son as long as they have a common enemy like a murderous therapist. It's a plot like this that makes an out of nowhere Marge and Lisa scene feel welcomed. Nothing was learned, and this episode just created problems and did nothing to solve them. 1/5

[Neptune]

Matt Groening doesn't care because as long as he doesn't complain, he still gets lots of money for doing essentially nothing.

I don't that's the case, I wouldn't be surprised if he really thought the show is still great.

[Snaked]

It's like I keep saying about Al and how he's deliberately making the series worse. What reasons there are for doing such things, I haven't a clue, but it's obvious he's out to make the series as shitty as possible.

[Neptune]

Probably because the show has been on for 22 years. The show is just naturally losing it's quality. I don't think it's intentional

[Mr. Krikt]

if i recall two of matt groening's cardinal rules for this show were

a) animals aren't people (re: that stupid dolphin slapping another animal at the arena gag [though this shit has been recklessly trotted out since season 10])
b) nothing should ever be made out of homer strangling bart because of how disturbing that would be

The second rule was dead as soon as Bart said "it hurts when I swallow". That's when it went from inconsequential joke to actual child abuse, in my opinion.

That's one (and I do stress one) of the reasons I found this episode so terrible. Not only do they make a huge issue of it (twenty years later), but they don't handle it properly; at the end it seems to be acceptable again. It needs to be pointed out that Homer stops strangling Bart because he fears his son, not because he recognises anything wrong with the behaviour. Homer is shown to be unable to enforce authority without resorting to strangling, so Bart runs wild.
Then at the end, everything is OK again because...? Homer's not afraid of Bart because he nearly suffocated? Even the therapist who clearly found it so abhorrent strangled Bart so is it fine for Homer to do it because he's Bart's father?

So what now? Are we supposed to be disturbed when Bart gets strangled in the earlier episodes? Can Homer be a better parent because he can strangle Bart once more? Did anyone actually learn anything?

[Tomacco]

This is another instance like "How Munched Is that Birdie.." where I don't think they even knew what they were even trying to say anymore by the end of it.

[Little Nellie Kelly]

This episode, as so many others -- had a a shaky plot and was overall boring. The opening scene with Futurama was a nice touch; albeit only for a few seconds. The premise of Homer stopping his strangling of Bart and causing him to become a door mat for his son's desires was not really needed because the episode took the route of nearly every single other in recent years - changed its original pace for something entirely different.

I did laugh at the Precious reference, along with Bart suddenly peeing his pants. The episode, I'll admit, did seem okay in the beginning but after it took the route of changing its pace I was completely lost on it and I didn't like it very much from there on out. Nothing else was funny but the two things I mentioned above; the episode was intended to be funny but it just wasn't {--a common problem with new episodes--} Something I didn't enjoy was the texting of the prank calls that we're used to at Moe's Tavern, it was basically the writers telling us that this isn't The Simpsons anymore but a new modern splash that uses anything and everything going on as a fad in the world to make the episode more and more dated as the months come. And, personally, that makes me pretty sad.

The sudden homelessness of the therapist and his desire to kill Bart was a bit unneeded; they could have just had the therapist appear suddenly and disappear the same way and it would have made sense. But, eh, you give and take a little.

B- - 3/5

i was actually a little shocked that they had bart simply not care whether or not his dad died. i mean, what the hell. bart may be a brat but he has a heart. that made him seem like a little heartless bastard, and that is definitely NOT the bart we're used to. i may not have cared if it was funny, but i doubt that the writers could have made such a thing funny. that's probably my least favorite bart moment right there

^ this is exactly what I was thinking. I hope you don't mind if I add it to my site's review of this episode; as it's perfect for what I was trying to say but didn't have the words for. The entire last scene, Homer almost being hanged, the therapist's sudden drive to murder Bart, and Bart just ignoring his fathers cries of anguish, was disturbing to say the least. It was just another example of the writers completely giving up with the storyline before the first fifteen minutes are over with.

[Kiyosuki]

The second rule was dead as soon as Bart said "it hurts when I swallow". That's when it went from inconsequential joke to actual child abuse, in my opinion.

Yeah but even that was treated as sort of a throwaway, it's never been made the full blown deal that it was here, and a badly full blown deal at that.

Originally I just wanted to leave it at my last post but might as well drop some two cents. I'll level here...it's not a terrible episode, show's done much worse. Some of the jokes as...lazy as they were, were okay and it did stick to its narrative which is a plus. However as that shitty little picture I made in two minutes illustrates, the whole episode was so black and white that it felt awkward by the end. Like...it's only purpose was to basically justify the choking gag with finality.

And because of that, as strange as this sounds, even if it's not the worst this show's done, by a decent margin; I feel like this is the final nail in the coffin of any even remote connection this show had to its roots, and what it once was. I know it's so stupid bringing this up and I'm not getting melodramatic about it in actuality like I'm swearing off of it forever or something, but for me there's pretty much absolutely no connection this show has to its former incarnation aside from aesthetics. Maybe the choking gag was like a last line, like Chris pointed out the oldest rule there was...and for a show that used to revel in reality checks, drawing that much attention to the oldest "dirty" throwaway gag in its history as if it's trying to "canonize" it being okay just makes it sound like they have no direction whatsoever. It's not the disturbing nature of it that gets to me, I couldn't care less about that; it's that it feels so flimsy and self gratifying. So like I said, it's not a terrible episode per se. Shallow and lazy a bit maybe, but even AV Club had some praise for it on its own merits which I can sort of understand...but for me there was just something about it that's made this episode the absolute point of no return. Which is amazing because I thought we crossed that line eons ago, but this for me is really it. It's not the same show anymore except in name and look, and it's said it with finality.

And that's fine and all, but barring some crazy extreme return to form...for me even if some of these episodes are decent on their own merits, it might as well be a bizzare spinoff. I know, melodramatic rant but I had to get it out. That's all.

[Semaj]

They could've done a clever commentary on modern day child discipline, but it just didn't turn out that way. Too much shit jokes in an even shittier story made for an ultimately shitty episode.

1.0/5

[TriforceBun]

I thought the humor was a little above-average for the show these days, actually. But it couldn't shake its rather unnatural and somewhat disturbing plotline. The characters were quite flat and simplified, like the writers took the premise of "Itchy and Scratchy: The Movie" and made everyone one-dimensional. Bart going wild while Homer reins in his discipline is a decent idea, but it got pushed to ridiculous levels when he doesn't care that his dad is dying in front of his eyes. The whole hanging sequence was just pretty grotesque all-around.

I could see the strangling thing actually working in the hands of better writing, but it ended up being pretty slapdash and not really making any sort of point outside of maybe "Bart is bad and deserves to be strangled by dad every now and then," which, aside from being a pretty lousy lesson Mr. President, is more or less glossed-over anyway.

But I did like the first half well enough, and young Homer choking Grampa is one of the best bait-and-switch jokes they've done in a long time. I was generous and voted a 3 on the poll, but it's really more of a 2.5 mostly due to a remarkably stupid ending that fails to complete the story in a reasonable way.

[The Law-Talkin' Guy]

4/5, loved it. It had a very down-to-earth, more plausible plot and in a way felt like it could have been a S1 or S2 episode. Good stuff.

[NoOneFamous]

What?? No way. Not at all.

[ehhxcellent]

I'll be honest people, I don't usually post in the R&R threads, but since this episode finds a comfortable spot in my Worst 5 Episodes Of All-Time, I had to post about it. Wow, just wow. I don't know really know what to say about this episode, other than it was terrible by every possible measure. I did not laugh once. I almost turned it off midway, and I've never done that with a Simpsons episode before. S22 has some decent episodes, but with just 1 left to air, I am now convinced this season ranks below S11 overall.

[Kiyosuki]

4/5, loved it. It had a very down-to-earth, more plausible plot and in a way felt like it could have been a S1 or S2 episode. Good stuff.

I'm sorry I have to bite.

It's...fine if you like it, but how on earth is a plot about a therapist getting professional basketball players to choke a guy who admitted to choking his son, without flat out going to jail, and ending with the same therapist trying to choke the same kid to death because he cared more about texting than his father hanging in a noose behind him (who in turn was okay with it after) a down to earth, plausible plot?

I know they've done crazier fundamentally but...seriously I have to know.

[hughes]

i actually really enjoyed the episode, but...no. just, no.

[The Governor]

I'm sorry I have to bite.

It's...fine if you like it, but how on earth is a plot about a therapist getting professional basketball players to choke a guy who admitted to choking his son, without flat out going to jail, and ending with the same therapist trying to choke the same kid to death because he cared more about texting than his father hanging in a noose behind him (who in turn was okay with it after) a down to earth, plausible plot?

I know they've done crazier fundamentally but...seriously I have to know.

It's completely down to earth---FOR A CARTOON!

[The Governor]

I'm not going to write a review for this, but the Tracy Ullman Short: "Family Therapy" was considerably funnier than this and that short was only a minute long.

[Üter]

This really was a poor episode that could have been so much better.
2/5

PS. I'm now convinced that the new Homer is actually an alcoholic

[laurso99]

This really was a poor episode that could have been so much better.
2/5

PS. I'm now convinced that the new Homer is actually an alcoholic

Wasn't the old Homer an alcoholic?

Not a great episode to be fair, for a comedy about child abuse this neither as funny or as disturbing as it should have been. But not the worst of the season and not nearly as bad as everyone else seem to think when compared to other episodes this season

2.5/5
I'll round down to 2

[The Wiggs]

Very weak and forgetable episode. I have nothing to say about it. 2/5

[Mr.]

Nothing terrible but nothnig special at the same time.
The best joke was the last one...

[Blobulle]

Mmmmh, 2.5/5, an average episode...

[The Governor]

i was actually a little shocked that they had bart simply not care whether or not his dad died. i mean, what the hell. bart may be a brat but he has a heart. that made him seem like a little heartless bastard, and that is definitely NOT the bart we're used to. i may not have cared if it was funny, but i doubt that the writers could have made such a thing funny. that's probably my least favorite bart moment right there

Homer tried hanging himself in front of Bart and Lisa in "No Loan Again..." while bart AND lisa showed no emotion whatsoever, yet no one seemed bothered by that joke.

[Jesse Pinkman]

i actually forgot that joke. when i saw it, i wasn't that bothered, but looking back, that too was a dumb moment/joke (if it counts as that)

[TriforceBun]

Homer tried hanging himself in front of Bart and Lisa in "No Loan Again..." while bart AND lisa showed no emotion whatsoever, yet no one seemed bothered by that joke.

I think the difference is that that wasn't a major plot point like in Love is a Many-Strangled Thing. In No Loan Again, Naturally, it's played as a quick (albeit overly dark and out-of-character) joke that shows up, does its thing, and is forgotten. But last week's climax revolved around Bart being given the opportunity to let his father hang to death on a tree branch, and he didn't care.

It's the same reason scenes like the troll jockeys or the panda "rape" stick out for people. The show's had plenty of cartoony and/or over-the-top moments, but they're usually not part of the plot (or at least a significant part). When they are, they're made that much more ridiculous and unbelievable.

[Denis Dufek]

Bart is just caricature of himself in this episode

[Dr. Fishopolis]

I'm sure The Law Talkin' Guy was being sarcastic...

[Agent Polar]

Pretty terrible. Most of the jokes were terrible or bland, though there were some I enjoyed, and the Bart I hated from Million Dollar Maybe made a return. And all the other stuff.

I know some of you guys dislike both 20 and 22, but even in those two years it seems the effort, which most likely came with the HD switch, has dropped significantly.

[Marge-Fan]

I think it was a terrible episode. Worst of the season, I guess.
He has some good moments but still....
The Main Plot was okay but it's ruined in the end. Homer tried to win his anger and Bart decide to took advantage of this. It could be amazing plot but Bart's not such a jerk to let his father die.
Dr. Zanders's therapy was fun but not so impressive to me.

1.0/5

[Jesse Pinkman]

i just rewatched this. after so many years, they do an episode about one of the most prevalent running gags, of homer strangling bart. too bad it was handled in such a poor way. the first act was probably my favorite, and even that was not great. i liked the 'skilled mr. burns' thing, and 'make an ass of yourself.' why does homer need to tickle bart until he pees? obviously it was done to show ways to embarrass bart. did the writers try to embarrass the viewer also? there's just something about homer continuously tickling bart until he pees that just embarrasses me. why couldn't homer have just stopped? and then to top it off, we get a half-assed apology in which homer is more busy with trying to start the wave. what the hell. why couldn't they have ended this act with homer apologizing (either an actual apology or a half-assed one) and end it with bart being mad at homer. why did they need the stupid joke of homer trying to start the wave? i know almost every act ends with a joke, but this was just lazy and not funny.

then, in the second act, we have a horrible montage of homer being strangled by kareem abdul jabbar. we get it; it was to show homer that he should not strangle bart. but it was still a really poorly done montage. the worst part is that this montage takes up so much of the second act. are we supposed to be laughing at the fact that homer is getting strangled, such as he has done to bart all these years? The only thing i liked in this act (or was it in the third?) is homer strangling grampa when he was a kid. That's like the only joke. I fail to see how Homer being strangled for almost an entire act is a joke.

Then, Bart becomes a bully at school, and that just raises another point i brought up in my original review of this episode; why does he become a bully? OK, so obviously Homer is scared because he does not want to strangle Bart, because he is scared he himself will be strangled again, but... hello, has anyone ever heard of a simple word that starts with "p"? Punishment? I mean naturally Homer would not be an ideal punisher of the kids, but Marge could help him think of something. It's not like Bart's punishments when he did something bad were stranglings from his dad. In Itchy and Scratchy The Movie, Homer actually punishes Bart... in here, he could punish Bart, and rightfully so, but the writers acted like Homer is powerless without his strangling. Which may be true, but still.

As if all this wasn't enough, we are 'treated' to one of the worst Bart characterizations ever. Actually, no, the worst Bart moment. As if randomly putting a snake in Homer's pants wasn't enough, and then having Homer walk into cactus after cactus, Bart just stands there, texting on a phone, when his father is about to die. We all know Bart is not the most caring son in the world, but this scene makes him look like a heartless bastard. I refuse to believe anyone finds Bart texting, rather than helping his dad, funny. We're treated to a Moe scene, and that would have been funny, if it was anywhere else in the episode. But not when Homer is about to die. Obviously they wouldn't kill Homer, but the point is, this is just not funny, to have Bart not even care if his dad did die. It's just... so unfunny and such a poor characterization. Worst characterization of Bart ever.

So yea. The first act is probably my favorite, and that itself was weak. "Make an ass of yourself", "Skilled Mr. Burns", and later on homer strangling grampa were things i laughed at. the rest was pretty awful. 2/5 for the laughs i mentioned