Rate and Review: “Politically Inept, With Homer Simpson” (PABF03)

[Ruffles]

This episode was pretty bad. It seemed like Homer was screaming for the entire episode, and the entire plot seemed rushed with how fast it went.

1/5

[Alex_Of_Darkness]

Yes like Tubb!, Lisa really annoyed me in this episode. And did I'm the only one who think that the voice of Homer was very strange when he does is show. This is another thing that annoyed me.

[Zombies Rise from the Sea]

Politically Inept, With Homer Simpson

The First Episode of January has had some mixed views leading up to it's airing, most though it would suck (due to it being similar in premise to the horrid E. Plurbius Wiggum), most had hope it would be good, most didn't have an opinion. So, the day the episode airs, the people watched it and gave their opinions. I held the opinion that the episode would suck due to the writers inability to write decent satire; I watched it like all the others and guess what, my opinion stands; it sucks. Granted, it's not as bad as I thought but it still sucks...

For one, the plot feels all over the place; going back and forwarth between awkward political satire (while some of it may be true, alot of it just feels out of place and most of it has been done to death; you'll know what I'm talking about when you see it.), pleads from Marge and Lisa (that doesn't differentiate from the main point. "You don't have any idea what you're doing/this is a really bad idea.") and the best parts of the episode, Homer on stage. The idea of Homer Simpson as a political commentator is a good one and I thought that it would involve some form of decision and/or crisis going on or at least emotion mixed in there; I've always commented about how these episodes have good ideas that are ultimately wasted and this one is no exception. Homer's celebrity act felt like it was under construction and needed work, reason for this being as I was watching him; it didn't feel like Homer, it felt like a person pretending to be Homer, sprouting out funny stuff and looking awkward while doing it; I can understand that he's playing a character but it doesn't even fit in.

Even the way he gets to where he is feels awkward, with a really ineffective satire about the airport industry that would of been more appropriate like a year ago (there are laws that have been passed that prevent this from happening, well not exactly but you get the point.); and even then, it still wouldn't be effective. Mainly because they're not actually poking fun, they're just doing antics while stuff happens that resembles what we seen in real life. Satire pokes at something with wit and cleverness; The Simpsons just does antics and calls it satire. This does lead to Homer being on a viral video and it does advance the plot but there are just so many different ways this could of been done. And better at that too...

The conflict is never really there and any sort of tension that might of arised never does. Lisa and Marge both share the same theory but they say it slightly differently. In fact during the five times I've seen them both, they do the same routine while they say stuff slightly different. No progression, no worries about other stuff, not even a divination to a chart. Just this and this and this...

MARGE: Hey Homer, I think what your doing is wrong, you don't know what you have.
HOMER: Oh Homer relax, I think the people know that I'm just playing, they're not taking it seriously.
LISA: But they are, think about your audience; think about what they can get from you.
HOMER: I think my audience knows me more then you two.

Over and over again, it's like the writers have a sledgehammer to my head and they're trying to force this information in. Even when Ted Nuget enters the scene, it doesn't completely change; it just changes to "You can't endorse him, you can't!" while Ted Nuget tries to be crazy but manages to be just there, even though he's mentioned a lot in the dialog and the overall message. They do something different in terms of a fake dream sequence. I admit, the fake dream sequence is different but just because it's different doesn't mean I liked it (there were a ton of things wrong with it, tons. the congress thing for example...) and in fact it just seemed cheesy and cliche; leading up to a disappointing ending with barely any closure and a sense of amnesia and deja vu combined.

Now, let's go to my favorite part of the episode, the parts where Homer is on his show. Even though it's not as great as it could of been, it's still pretty good. Homer's antics are pretty enjoyable, despite a few cringeworthy moments and I think it actually hits the nail for a political show like this, though it's not exactly what a political show would be. The antics are what somebody would do on their own show on the Fox News Channel and the Simpsons twist are as enjoyable as their counterparts, and it's always fun to see Homer so passionate. I will note that Dan Castanella did feel the need to break out the vocal impressions for a few scenes and that brought them mainly down, and I'm tired of having Simpsons characters imposed on everything. That is all...

Even though it's my favorite part, those scenes aren't enough to save the episode. Don't get me wrong, it's not terrible but it's not good. It's somewhere in between... Much of the political satire does not land, the plot and humor is all over the place and the only enjoyable scenes are Homer's show, which would be good had this been presented as a concept episode. I can understand their need to do the episode but seriously, it's just so inconsistent that it doesn't matter. John Frink has written some good episodes but he is the most inconsistent writer on The Simpsons, and this proves why.

3.5/10

NOTE: Seems like we've got our ticker back. (there was an interview that implied Fox banned tickers from The Simpsons due to reasons beyond our comprehension.)

[That Don Guy]

Written by John Frink
Directed by Mark Kirkland
Billboard: REELECT QUIMBY / THE DEVIL YOU KNOW FOR 18 YEARS
Chalkboard: TINTIN DID NOT SUCKSUCK
Couch: in a Victorian-era setting, the lights go out, there is a gunshot, and Homer is discovered dead; as Chief Wiggum has Bart taken away,
Marge tucks a gun into her hair
Special Guest Voice: Dana Gould, Ted Nugent
Also Starring: Chris Edgerly, Pamela Hayden, Tress MacNeille, Russi Taylor
Overseas Animation: Rough Draft
TV Rating: TV-PG-DLV

There appeared to be some serious dialogue replacement in the scene with Homer and Lisa following Homer's "gravy speech":
"Just an innocuous little symbol, like a smiley face, or, uh, like an IOU
"You know, symbols can often rile people up - the swastika, the New York Yankees logo"

When Lisa leaves the kitchen table, she goes into the TV room, where (a) the TV is now underneath the window, and (b) she turns right, where there should be a wall.

Homer did vote Democrat once - well, he tried, and okay, it was in a Treehouse of Horror episode (the voting machine kept changing his Obama votes to McCain)

What's wrong with the People's Republic of Berkeley? (Besides the fact that most of the stores near the campus aren't there any more - it's just not the same without Cody's, and when did that international newspaper place on the ground floor of the parking lot between Durant and Channing get abandoned?)
Don't blame me for having to buy 100 Grand bars off-campus just because somebody filibustered a vote that would have ended the boycott on Nestle (which includes keeping Nestle products out of the campus vending machines)...

Are there any $5000 bills still in circulation?

The picture of Homer on the "Gut Check" logo looks like "Angry Dad" Homer.

"Network that looks a lot like Fox News" ticker:
Gingrich looks forward to win, fourth wife
Rick Perry mistakenly signs order to execute himself
Obama calls mulligan on first term
Europe puts Greece on eBay
Satan tweets support for Santorum
Romney changes position on phoniness
Steve Jobs unveils iGhost
Congress postpones end of world to 2013
Derek Jeter, George Clooney divide up world's women
Biden to Republican candidates: "Compared to you, me am smart"

LYRICS
Hail to me, I'm the presidential gonzo
Hunt with the bow 'cause it's silent like the knife
Eat mooses raw so the souls go into my soul
I'll move the White House to Kalamazoo

There is a new national anthem that is sweepin' the land
And it was written by me
And it popped into my head while I was washin' my dog
Suck on that, Francis Scott Key
Now, I got a good song fever
[Homer] Something something fever
I got hit song fever
[both] We got America fever
We got America fever
U S of A!

[Cuckoo Super-King]

Worst Episode Ever

I've never used this line about a Simpsons episode before because I never thought I could put an absolute bottom on the recent quality decline (excluding Holidays of Future Passed of course)... but there is no way a worse episode has ever been made or ever will be made. If you found yourself enjoying this episode I urge you to step back and ask yourself a question: Is your political bias allowing allowing you to enjoy episodes that you know are terribly done?

my face while watching this episode

[Wooster]

Perhaps I'm just not getting those USA political jokes, but nonetheless I very much disliked Homer's depiction (and Dan Castellaneta's voice acting to be frank) in this thoroughly horrible episode.
1/5, yet again....

[alex_on_ice]

4/20

This episode was absolutely horrible! Easily in my Top 10 worst episodes. There is one main problem with this episode (that is just huge) : Homer's personality. I've never seen him like this in any episode (out of the 496). I mean, I just got so fed up and tired of his whining. I don't think there's one part in the episode where he spoke with his normal voice that he normally uses in all the other episodes.

Watch this episode, and you'll just see Homer at his worst. And the only voice you really get to hear in this episode is Homer's. Nobody else is very important.

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

That was potential for worst of the season if not for THOH. F.

[Blobulle]

Very bad plot, but I had some laughs.
Lisa is very annoying in this episode.
The end "I'm full of crap" is totally out of the Simpsons.
2/5.

[Captain Squid]

I'm a fan of the series, and have yet to slip into the "Zombie Simpsons OMFG classic era or nothing" mentality, but this episode...

... this episode was awful.

And not awful in the Jockey Elf sense. After watching it, I actually had a very hard time figuring out WHY I disliked this episode. But thanks to the comments here I think I now have a better idea of why:

The episode moved too fast and Homer was yelling for about 75% of the episode.

I also think the episode spent FAR too much time outside of recognizable environments. It was mostly airport and TV studio, with the occasional return to home. Where were these national TV studios? In Springfield? I find that hard to believe, but at the same time Homer was able to tape his show AND get back to the house.

Also, the political humor was so poorly done. As others have said, Al Jean needs to stop it with the political satire episodes. He does a horrible job at it. Homer was just not himself in this episode, all of a sudden he has a pretty solid grasp on the workings of politics and the republican party? When Homer appears to know more than I do, I know the writers have screwed up. I'd have preferred it if Homer's rants just happened to coincide with radical conservative beliefs. As though he was literally talking about gravy but viewers took it as a metaphor and Homer just rolled with it. Yeah, it would have been unoriginal and lazy, but at least it would be believable.

While I think it would have been better if this episode had just never happened, if I had to tweak it to make it a little better (and perhaps watchable) I would have done the following:

• Episode kicks off at airport, give a better idea that Homer's rage is growing and growing and have him lose it on the plane. Make the cell phone video more believable, like having Homer ranting in a single shot (the actual episode made it look like the characters where watching the episode itself on Hulu)

• Homer's rant catches the attention of Channel 6 execs and Homer is given a LOCAL show, not a national show.

• Homer gives the gravy rant, inspiring recognizable conservative Springfield characters to put gravy boats on their heads. I did find this amusing in the episode itself, but didn't like how a bunch of no-name stock characters were shown in the montage. Why not show Burns, the Texan, Flanders, etc?

• The movement spreads and catches the attention of the Republican party as well as Glenn Beck (as himself or a look-a-like). Beck invites Homer on his show and tries to get Homer to join him in endorsing Nugent. Cue emotional moment with Lisa, Homer says no to Beck and Nugent, episode ends.

It's not great, but it's a bit better and more believable.

1/5

Best moment:

[altoids30]

This was even worse than "Greatest Story Ever Doh'd". At least I managed to watch that entire episode, whereas I couldn't endure more than about 12 minutes of this week's episode before having to turn it off. 0 stars.

[HMS pinafore]

Fake satire, annoying characterizations, shitty plot

Zombie simpsons have done it again

[Boris Johnson]

Why can't they just go back to jokes that everyone can enjoy? That, even with just a small amount of prior knowledge, you can laugh at, without a stupid, nonsensical background to the joke?
That said, I'm bracing myself for watching this episode.
I know I'm gonna hate it.

It's hard to believe a show still being produced by David Mirkin is failing so badly.

[Alex_Of_Darkness]

Sorry, my english is not perfect ! Can some want can explain me watch they want to say in this sentence : Tintin did not "sucksuck" ?

[thewalkindude]

The turning point of this episode, where it went from okay/good, to intolerable was Ted Nugent. I never minded when the Simpsons did political satire, and actually kind of enjoyed it. However, because Ted Nugent played himself, in a celebrity cameo that made no sense whatsoever, it was easily one of the worst episode they've made. Everything was crass and out of character, and was genuinely unpleasant to watch. I even bought that Homer could get a national TV show, on not-Fox News. However, having him pick the candidate was just awful. Also, all they meant to say was "Tintin did not suck". Suck is a common perjorative in English Slang.

[Alex_Of_Darkness]

thanks man

[cloneasaurus]

Awful. Does the show even know how to structure itself these days? Or make me care about the characters? Because nothing in this episode felt.. significant. Nothing mattered, nothing made sense. One moment Homer's ranting on a plane, weird enough as it is, the next he has 150 million views on YouTube. Then this "Gravyboat" movement comes in out of the blue; I'm still not sure how it even came to become so, it all happened so quickly. Then suddenly Ted Nugent (?!!) stays at the Simpsons household, but we barely ever see him. Suddenly Homer admits he is full of crap after some paper, paper thin conflict with Lisa and Marge. So much of the episode consisted of Homer blabbering on to no one.

The reason for my dislike could just be that I'm not exactly in the know when it comes to US politics (I know the basics, and I know some Republican candidates, but not all of them or know much about them), or how these US political right-wing shows are, but even looking past that this episode was just so lazily put together and as a result was completely boring. Whilst there was a conflict, it almost felt non existent due to its minimal role in the episode. The show's best previous political satires had at least woven it in to some kind of plot and utilised certain characters in order to carry it (Mr.Burns in Two Cars, Bob in Sideshow Bob Roberts). This episode just pretty much shoved it in our face so much so that plot and characters were left behind to form this terrible mess.

I will admit I chuckled a couple of times (the cardboard cut-outs because they were random, the boom mic stroking Homer), but that is pretty much all this episode had going for it. Pretty much on par with the THOH in terms of quality (or lack thereof). slightly harsh 1/5 (perhaps) and a:

D-

[Mr. Krikt]

Homer acts like a real jackass in this episode at the beginning. Then he turns into Peter Griffin's "Grinds My Gears" personality except no wait, now he's Glenn Beck.
Honestly, if you're not aware of the man, the episode doesn't really have a chance. It's not strong enough at all without parody status, it's already utterly flat with it.

Then it's not Glenn Beck, it's about the Tea Party. Spoke too soon, now it's Ted Nugent.

Geez, it was so bad. Honestly this must be one of the worst.

[Captain Squid]

I seem to be home when the bad episodes air, and am away from home when the good episodes air. I missed Homer the Father, Holidays of Future Passed and Homer Scissorhands when they aired, but caught this and The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed. So the reason this episode sucked was my fault, sorry everybody.

[Boris Johnson]

Mm, I watched the episode. It's...
Well, the story is pretty shoddy. It kind of got worse as it went through. The best jokes were in the earlier segments. The story was absolutely horrible, every minute was packed with some kind of inane reference to American politics that either I couldn't understand or was not funny in the slightest.

It was watchable, don't get me wrong... but it felt all over the place. None of the jokes were given any timing for effect, they were just tacked on now and again, randomly. I liked listening to the Homer rants after the airplane one, but as soon as the whole gravy thing kicked in I lost all interest. I started to really hate listening to Homer because he just went on and on and on, and his voice was starting to bore me. There was no sub-plot, no real drive to the story. But, well...
I'm kind of split here. I award this episode...

2.5 OUT OF 5 GOLDEN BARRELS

P.S Who the hell is this Ted Nugent guy? His appearance just made no sense. He's an ass anyway, probably one of the worst celebrity cameos in Simpsons ever. I LOATHE HIM. It felt like he just jumped out of a Family Guy episode.

[D DEBBS]

F: Worst. Angry Homer Episode. Ever!

[jonnymack]

It was filled with lots of those wacky but implausible and unfunny scenes have tended to dot the Simpsons landscape in recent years. The fake dream was a clever idea unless you put any thought at all in how it would be executed in real life. Ted Nugent firing little kids from his bow was just ridiculous.

But this episode was certainly not without value.

Though the situations were amplified to absurd levels, I felt for Homer and his family when they had to go through the highly inconvenient security system and suffer through unneeded delays on the plane. They deserved it when Homer bitched at them.

The satire on political talking heads, while sledge-hammery at times, hit the target pretty closely. I used to have a roommate that would watch channels like Fox, CNBC, Comedy Central, and CNN just to watch the pundits debate. Fox was the worst, but they were all guilty. Reasoned discourse had no place in such shows. The ones who talked the loudest and most forceful "won". Convincingly displaying "emotion" was a sure way to score some points. And, like Homer, many could later fall back on the "I'm just playing a character" defense if they went too far over the top.

I know that many people don't like Lisa, but I'm glad she's there to occasionally provide a moral compass.

I give it a C+.

[jonnymack]

By the way, when I was watching, the station was putting a constant severe weather warnings on the screen. Shortly after the airline admonished the passengers for consuming fluids that the body vitally needs, there was a fake disclaimer from the airlines. I couldn't read it because of the weather warnings. Can anyone post what it said? Thanks.

[Sniper Squirrel]

watched football and had dinner with my family last night, glad I missed this

[lolcats]

You know what?

[Tubbb!]

I know that many people don't like Lisa, but I'm glad she's there to occasionally provide a moral compass.

It was just too much, and frankly, just too obvious this time around. Everything in this episode was.

I couldn't read it because of the weather warnings. Can anyone post what it said? Thanks.

Here 'ya go! (I hate weather warnings. Not like I can't just look out the damn window.)

You know what?

Chicken squat?

[lolcats]

I think this might be the BLUNDER OF THE SEASON!

[Tubbb!]

@Captain Squid:

I like your plot line better!
I also thought the re-painted Shrek mask was funny... but I thought Maggie's reaction to a mask that essentially looks just like her father was funnier.

I think this might be the BLUNDER OF THE SEASON!

There's still quite a few episodes to go yet in this season, but you may be right. (God, I hope you're right!)
Next week we get a J. Stewart Burns episode, so I have high hopes.

[jonnymack]

Cool. Thanks Tubb!

[Swoony]

3/5 - Mildly funny but nothing special. Better than some newer episodes i've seen, so i'll give it that. I also appreciated some of the smarter humour that can be found here. Overall it entertained me and that's all that I really ask for.