Rate and Review: 500th Episode "At Long Last Leave" (PABF07)

[Zombies Rise from the Sea]

At Long Last Leave

So it finally comes down to this. After 9 milestone episodes and 499 episodes; we have finally reached the 500th episode! With this, the series has finally matched Gunsmoke in longevity (the show feels the need to celebrate this with the opening scenes which showcases past couch gags and a sequence where it pulls out to reveal even more past couch gags that reveal the number 500, talk about not celebrating meaningless milestones.) but is longevity all it's cracked up to be, especially with an episode as bad as this one; I'm aware of the title screen at the end that told people to get some fresh air (which I have more of), they must of got wind of my comments/criticisms.

*sigh* Let's get this over with.

From the moment I've heard the plot for the 500th episode, I've dreaded it. I mean The Simpsons weren't exactly a bad family, from the first few seasons; they were just a family living in the town of Springfield. It wasn't until Season 9 that they finally became somewhat of a menace (thanks to Scully) and the further they got along, the more exaggerated the family's antics became. This is one of the problems the premise suffers from, the reason why they don't want the Simpsons around is solely because of the exaggerated antics that cause Springfield trouble; stuff like trying to set the moon on fire or forcing a tital surge of water all throughout the city; all stuff that's exaggerated, cartoonish and just plain bullshit. Not only that, but after all those years, why hate them now? I mean surely we've had some people hate them but most of them have been able to deal with them, hell; some even like them. You telling me that they now hate them, and that they hate them for reasons that are totally contrived? I thought this was going to be about the subtle things but instead it's like the things that confound me, even The Simpsons don't do much to prove their status as people as they feel like cartoon characters with barely any sense of personality; the scenes in the city hall exemplifying this.

We've seen the Simpsons move out of Springfield before and in the movie it's used as a good point but even with the expulsion; there was nothing they could do to make their situation interesting. Even when they movie to the outland where everything is under the radar; the characters aren't there, the connections aren't there and everything feels out of place; as I said before, these aren't the same character's we come to know and love; these are different characters. (I do appreciate the attempt to have them act like a close family in the beginning, that was nice.) The outlands themselves and the way the outlands is revealed is sudden, and abrupt; they do look interesting but we barely get any sense of the community at hand, the only shots we get is when Homer goofs off and the fake opening which was poorly produced and lacked the impact that the Thompson opening had; there was something that could of been done with the community, something that would of shown the differences between the two towns and shown how The Simpsons ultimately feel better in Springfield but it never comes to that; instead it's only featured in a small number of scenes, and that alone is a complete waste of potential.

The moments of Springfield are the ones that are going to be well remembered, mainly due to the emotional content of it. Those scenes are well positioned, well intentioned and despite the terribleness of the episode, the moments that have heart; of course it doesn't matter much if it's placed in the most awkward of positions, I mean we've had The Simpsons basically liking the outland community (except Marge) and to see Homer and Marge have emotional moments in the places where they used to be is headscratching. I guess it was better then having them see whether or not life without The Simpsons is better but still; to have emotional content to make up for wasted potential is fucking disgraceful. Again, these moments are done well, these moments are emotional, they're also the best executed but it does nothing but cover up the flaws, which are exposed when the behavior of Springfield in those scenes are exposed.

Let's not forget about how the plot goes from various points very abruptly. It's like at one point they're at point A then they're at point X then they're at point B and they're at point X and then point X somehow becomes point Y. The Fox-forced four act structure ruins anything the episode have and instead of having ample time to include the stuff they want, they're forced to sequence stuff in a way that somehow forms an episode. Additionally, there is stuff that is also undeserved; we've had Springfield hate The Simpsons but after a speech from Marge, they decide to move in with the Simpsons and rebuild their community and add internet? (which leads to a painful Lisa moment.) Why not ask them to move back into Springfield? Their actions aren't making sense; it's like an attempt at having the episode end in a sweet moment but that moment fails because none of it is deserved, none of it works and all of it is just lazy. Really, really lazy.

This also translates into the humor material of the episode; gone is the delivery style that actually mattered and in it's place is attempts to do what Family Guy is doing, (that cringeworthy Lisa and Homer dialog in the beginning is an example.) in terms of the plot, the fakeout is okay but it barely does anything for the plot; it just exists as something that the writer had in mind for the plot but forgot what. Additionally it's just tiring that they have the characters explain stuff instead of letting the jokes do their thing; we are intelligent people, we don't need stuff flashed in our face like we're idiots; we can understand what you're trying to do just fine. The guest appearance from the WikiLeaks guy is a total waste; it isn't satirical, it literally sounds phoned-in and it's not even edgy; that spreads to the Simpsons themselves who sound as phoned-in as the guest star.

Additionally; with this episode Michael Price is officially the worst writer on the Simpsons. This is just an example of what happens when you rest on laurels you never even had in the first place; the writing is just an attempt to capture various magical moment but the problem is those moments aren't sticking and it feels forced as a result. There is also a large showing of "convenience" everywhere we look, as if he couldn't find a way to segue into those segments naturally. It's like "we're driving, oh look; there's something important.", that is just bad writing. I've read his interview and while he does seem like a nice guy, he just represents everything that is wrong with the Simpsons; everything. The 500th episode should of been given to a guy who was more capable, more experienced and more determined.

That's not to say the 500th episode isn't worthless as a whole but it does suck balls. The jokes suck, the plotting sucks (with the exception of one good moment), the characters sucks, it has no impact whatsoever and it makes Michael Price, a guy who's studied theater look like a hack. It is appreciable that they wanted to do something special with the family but the 500th episode is all hype; there is barley any reason you should see this.

2.5/10

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

You're being a little harsh on this episode, man.

I swear, I think some people just want to give it either a 1/5 or a 5/5 just because it's the 500th episode.

[Tubbb!]

Let's not forget about how the plot goes from various points very abruptly. It's like at one point they're at point A then they're at point X then they're at point B and they're at point X and then point X somehow becomes point Y.

The "classic Simpsons" side of me wanted to point that out, but the "it's 2012, season 23, and I know the plot is going to jump from point to point" side of me said "Fuck it." It really felt odd to me, but they had to do away with (what I'm sure would have been) the crazy antics of Marge and Homer as they made their way back into town for classic gems such as "Drunk on Lard Lad" and "Bowling Hi-jinks."

Additionally; with this episode Michael Price is officially the worst writer on the Simpsons. This is just an example of what happens when you rest on laurels you never even had in the first place; the writing is just an attempt to capture various magical moment but the problem is those moments aren't sticking and it feels forced as a result.

I had this thought the other day: "I wonder if some people are writing for this show now just because they want it on their resume, and not because they actually want to do it." It sure feels that way sometimes.

[Bleedin' Gums Murphy]

Zombies, I cannot criticise your review at all due to the remarkable detail but as someone that usually agrees with your ratings, I honestly find that this episode - Despite its obvious limitations and cringeworthy moments, as you mentioned with the Lisa/Homer conversation - is still worth much more than 0.5/5. I'm not saying it's a classic by any stretch of the imagination but I think that most of the jokes, dialogue was pretty amusing, if not laugh out loud worthy, and well there are not enough clear examples that I can think of in terms of what was great about the plot or storyline but yeah I think you're being harsh, respect your opinion as always tho.

[Captain Squid]

1.0/10? Man, that is HARSH! Especially when you think Politically Inept, With Homer Simpson, The D'oh-cial Network and Moe Goes From Rags to Riches are all better episodes.

[Dobbie]

No surprises that this episode earned itself some mixed reviews. I personally didn't enjoy it much. Some good references from past episodes and the couch gag would have been fantastic had they not ruined it with the needless 'bonus' of Homer choking Bart after the slideshow.

First of all: The 4-act structure doesn't work and surely someone has to realise this eventually?

A mixed bag of content in there with a few good dialogues/scenes followed by a cringeworthy moment was pretty much the 'core' of this episode. The Outlands was boring (bar Maggie who made it interesting) and Assange probably had the most useless guest role I've seen in a while.

Focusing more on the plot: Why was Grandpa excluded from the banishment? I can't say I actually saw him after the first two acts so where did he go? The ending moved too fast and there was zero development for the conclusion of the episode. Why did everyone become jealous of the Simpsons' new lifestyle? Surely it would have been better had Marge's speech changed their opinion towards them?

This probably would have been better had it been given more time. It probably had potential but it couldn't be realised within a 20-minute time limit. Everything felt so rushed but it had some decent moments and dialogues to make it alright but still lacking in depth and quality overall. 2.5/5.

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

First of all: The 4-act structure doesn't work and surely someone has to realise this eventually?

Seriously, this has come up in every single thread since it started.

[zartok-35]

I'm amazed so many people think this epsiode is "decent", because it isn't. I watched it again, and it still isn't working for me.

[Xt'Tapalatakettle]

Started strong, but sputtered halfway through and eventually came to a screeching halt.

Plot reminded me of the Movie and Trash of the Titans, but those were done much better. This gets a C/C+, or 2.75/5

[The Governor]

I'm amazed so many people think this epsiode is "decent", because it isn't. I watched it again, and it still isn't working for me.

Take away the 500th episode hype and the couch gag, and the majority of votes would be 2 or 3 outta 5. (Or, the good votes could be attributed to the three or four still frames from the classic era.)

[Zombies Rise from the Sea]

Zombies, I cannot criticise your review at all due to the remarkable detail but as someone that usually agrees with your ratings, I honestly find that this episode - Despite its obvious limitations and cringeworthy moments, as you mentioned with the Lisa/Homer conversation - is still worth much more than 0.5/5. I'm not saying it's a classic by any stretch of the imagination but I think that most of the jokes, dialogue was pretty amusing, if not laugh out loud worthy, and well there are not enough clear examples that I can think of in terms of what was great about the plot or storyline but yeah I think you're being harsh, respect your opinion as always tho.

I respect your opinion as well; but I honestly didn't find anything that was funny; had heart or had anything appealing. I might of been somewhat insulted by the way The Simspons were portrayed but we shouldn't let loads of history pass by Springfield as a whole; that may have been a bit bias but I didn't find anything that counteracted that, there were barely any emotional moments that connected with the viewer and the best one in the episode seems designed to grab people; a well designed episode would have moments that don't stand out, that aren't out to convince viewers (due to a lot of bad scenes) this was not a well designed episode and as a result it suffers. I didn't find anything in the dialog that was decent but to all his own, there are some okayish stuff in the dialog but most of it felt disconnected.

You may be right that I was a bit harsh on it but then again, a critics job is to review an episode and point out any flaws or any positive points; however, I will rethink the rating. I still think the episode sucks though but you do have some good points. I'm not rating it 1/5 because it's the 500th episode (as evident by the milestone episode reviews I've been doing) but because I didn't think there was anything in the episode that was worth watching, even without the 500th episode moniker; the rating would mostly be the same.