The Simpsons: The Complete Sixteenth Season Review (Spoilers)

[mattzimmer]

Also reviews for the latest episodes of The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, Community, Family Guy, American Dad, Dads, Dracula, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Parks And Recreation, The Following, The Greatest Event In Television History, and the finale of American Horror Story: Coven.

Upcoming reviews include Justice League: War, Beware The Batman: Shadows Of Gotham, The Wolverine: Extended Edition, Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United, Monsters University (Blu-Ray), Planes (Blu-Ray), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Extended Edition, Much Ado About Nothing, and Power Rangers Zeo: Volume 1.

Simpsons review spoiler: the internet joker from Toon Zone I am making fun of in my Seven Beer Snitch review is actually Martianinvader.



The Simpsons "Specs And The City"

I cannot think of a more insane invention than Google Goggles. Not a one. I liked Homer's plot though especially once he realized therapy was good for Marge. That is not a conclusion Peter Griffin would have come to.

Bart's stuff with Nelson was great. Bart has been so scummy in the past few seasons that it was refreshing to see the kid show some principles. But the writers are super old. Even when I was a kid it was customary to give everyone in your class a Valentine. This is NOT a new phenomenon and has been going on at least since the early 80's (that I know of).

I loved Bart's Jesus impression. Mmm. Sacrilicious.

I liked this episode. Best Animation Domination cartoon of the night. ****.

Bob's Burgers "Easy Commercial, Easy Gommercial"

I am REALLY starting to understand why Bob hates Jimmy Pesto so much. I've noticed that pretty much every character outside of the family (not counting Teddy, Mort, Gail, Andy or Ollie) are pretty much monsters interested in causing people the most amount of pain possible. The adults seem to be suffering from a severe case of arrested development and are trying to turn real life into high school. The adults in Bob's Burgers are BULLIES and it's easy to share a good, decent guy like Bob's outrage at them. ***1/2.

Community “Analysis Of Cork-Based Networking”

I feel like I’ve seen the stuff that happened between Annie and Hickey happen a lot with Annie and Jeff so this was kind of old hat, but I want to give a shout-out for the episode hooking Abed back up with Coat Check Girl. It was SO surprising, but once it was pointed out that Abed’s quirky girlfriends only stuck around for an episode, I realized that I didn’t want him with the deaf woman at all. I MISSED Coat Check girl. So she makes a surprise reappearance and she and Abed get together for real. I give Dan Harmon a lot of credit. A lesser showrunner would have ignored all plotlines that didn’t occur during his tenure (I’m looking at you, Steven Moffat) but Harmon is cool enough to acknowledge that there WERE some things that worked last season even if there was a gas leak. Coat Check Girl was one of them.

Best joke was Dean Pelton calling David Bowie a “macho” rock star. The line was funny enough on its own, but made doubly so because he unknowingly called Bowie that after a character pointed out his bisexuality in an earlier scene. This show is the best.

I loved the stuff with Chang. Even when he’s trying NOT to be crazy and horrible, he’s crazy and horrible. The scenario was so ludicrous it was funny.

Pretty good, if not great. ***1/2.

Family Guy "Brian's A Bad Father"

I'll go one further: Brian is simply a bad person, period. With no redeeming qualities. You've done it Brian. It's January and you've already made my list for the ten most annoying characters on television. Possibly in the top five (we'll see how Thea Queen, Joe Carroll, and Councilman Jamm fare this year).

Do you know what I do NOT understand? Why the writers chose to make Brian such a terrible writer. You could almost forgive how he used Dylan if he was truly using the oppotunity to get writing experience, and do solid work to get to the point where he COULD create his own TV show (again). But he turned a Disney Channel tween show into an "edgy" vanity project. That is SO fricking stupid.

The heartwarming ending was completely false and unearned. Do you know what kind of person first comes to the "realization" that they are failing their children and then procede to steal an entire craft services table? A sociopath.

Something with Peter and Quagmire happened this episode too. Frankly, I think both Quagmire and Joe should have turned on Peter YEARS ago. Being shot in the head is too good for him.

Any good things? The return of Zack Sawyer. THAT is a persona I've missed.

But boy, I REALLY hate the characters on this show. 0.

American Dad "Cock Of The Sleepwalk"

It was a very interesting storytelling choice not to let us see "Good Stan" until the end of the episode, but I kind of felt we were missing out on some great jokes. And Stan's reactions to the fall-out of what good Stan did weren't funny enough to justify skipping them.

Only passable. **1/2.

Dads "Sperms Of Endearment"

Weekly random Dads observation that has nothing to do with the episode itself:

Can you imagine the DVD release for this show? If there is any TV show less suited for the DVD format, it's Dads. Can you imagine anyone actually saying to themselves "Boy, I'd sure like to own 19 episodes of Dads." That is NOT 35 dollars well-spent. Secondly, the DVD format is so bad because after you die people will see you actually owned that show. When I die my will is going to stipulate that my friend has to clean out my Playboys and Cinemax tapes before my family sees them. I'd be just as embarrased that I was a big enough fan of this show to spend money on it. That's hard evidence, man. I can complain about the show on the internet but there is not a single person in Meatspace I would admit I watch this show to. I'm not kidding.

Weekly NOT so random observation about the episode:

People have complained that Dads is unfunny and racist, but what surprises me so much is how badly written it is. It's a sitcom. It doesn't need to have an outlandishly cartoonish plot to be funny. Put the characters in standard situations and see what happens. Ray Barone taping over his wedding video was a simple concept that the audience would accept no matter HOW unlikely it was in real life. Because it's a sitcom plot. And those are allowed on sitcoms. After seeing what Brian Griffin did with a Disney Channel tween show on this week's episode of Family Guy I kind of think the writers are as incompetent as he is. This isn't rocket science or even high art. Make a funny scenario and fill it with good jokes.

Does the idea of a woman on Facebook traveling cross country to get one of the main character's sperm, and the character thinking of doing it because the Spanish maid's chicken soup bones told him to, sound anything other than stupid? Okay, it's also insane, I'll give you that. But its SO needlessly convoluted and complicated that you're like "Just have Warner tape over his wedding video!" Brian Griffin thinks making Selena Gomez self-abort is "edgy" and "high art". Brian Griffin would do VERY well on this show.

I think they even lost the braying studio audience with this one. I noticed several laugh lines weren't reacted to and jokes landing with thuds. Even Married...With Children's vulgar audience usually knew when to laugh at the jokes (unless they were uncharacteristically highbrow). I've said before that Married...With Children was the stupidest show ever written by smart people (usually National Lampoon writers and sitcom pros). I think Dads may have usurped Married's place in TV history. After all, it could be argued that Married gave us two or three solid and funny seasons before it became lowbrow trash. Dads can't even say that much.

Usually at this point in their runs even the worst of shows start to improve a bit. Most shows are not Dads. 1/2.

Dad's "Warner's Got It Made"

You know, there is a difference between making observations about racial stereotypes and engaging in them, right, Dads? Family Guy has always walked this fine line (much moreso than American Dad) but on the rare occasion Family Guy DOES use actual racial slurs there isn't a studio audience roaring along their approval. If Borat proved ANYTHING, it's to never tell an outright racist joke using slurs in front of a crowd. Their reaction just might enbarrass you.

The other thing I want to address is that the episode also botched the main plotline. Do you know what would have been interesting instead of Warner losing the company to the Mob in a poker game? What if he had freaking won and took the Mob to the cleaners? That would have created ALL sorts of hilarious problems including questioning Mob etiquette and when it is and isn't okay to walk away from millions of dollars for fear for your life. But if they had done that, they couldn't have had any strippers in the office (which was ridiculous by the way). Subtle, awkward humor isn't how Dads rolls.

Terrible episode even by this show's standards. 0.

Dracula "Let There Be Light"

Pretty good, but not perfect. Did Van Helsing seem a little bit insane to you here? Rocking the Peer Gynt and In The Hall Of The Moutain King? The stuff he did in this episode is worse than ANYTHING Drac has ever done. Wasn't what he did to Browning and his kids just plain hideous? I wouldn't be surprised if Van Helsing winds up being the Big Bad of the entire series. But I'm calling it: Renfeld will survive his attack. He's the best character on the show and I'm betting the producers know that. They aren't going to kill him off this early in the show's run.

Good for Grayson in showing restraint by not turning Lady Jayne. It must have been difficult to resist but she was right that he owed her that much.

I don't see HOW Harker can escape the fall-out from that explosion. Mina KNOWS it was him and I'm betting is going to go to the police. Harker is now going to have to go underground. His life as a free man is over.

I look forward to next season (assuming there is one). ****.

Brookyn Nine-Nine “Operation: Broken Feather”

I can tell that having Brooklyn Nine-Nine follow the Superbowl was a last minute decision, probably because it won the Golden Globe. I can tell because usually Superbowl episodes are BIG and this was just a normal episode. But normal for this show is REALLY great so it was a perfectly fine episode for non-fans to sample.

Loved Holt crying during Moneyball. That was SO funny.

I have a hard time accepting Adam Sandler playing himself in a show starring Andy Samberg. Are we just supposed to pretend Samberg didn’t play his son in that awful movie? Jeepers!

Still, I really liked the episode and I hope it encourages more people to watch the show. ****.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine "The Party"

Five star episode. They should put this one up for Emmy consideration.

Weren't Holt and Kevin adorable with each other? I friggin' LOVED Holt pointing out that Kevin was the one acting embarrassing and being rude to their guests. It totally unexpected yet made complete sense. And I love Kevin getting off the snark that even when Holt is being angry he is still the funny one. Sometimes I think they should do an entire spin-off of Holt's life off-duty. He has a LOT more going on than we ever see.

I'm calling it: Marilu Henner is still hot. Smart is sexy.

I wonder how Holt will try to rationalize Gina stealing his silverware? He's been able to justify a LOT of her horrible behavior, but I got the impression that shocked even him.

Speaking of Gina, I loved how Rosa took Terry's advice VERY seriously and found a way to make Gina "work" in that environment. She was the only one besides Boyles who did exactly what Terry said and both of them were rewarded for their behavior (Boyles got Marilu Henner and Rosa got bragging rights to being the biggest hit at the party).

I won't say this is the best episode so far. There have been a LOT of great ones. But for individual character moments, I expect this to be on many of the supporting actor's Emmy reels. *****.

Parks And Recreation "Ann And Chris"

Very good relationship episode that gave me a lot of food for thought. I think April giving Ann such a hard time was less about her hating Ann, or even being jealous of her, and more about her defending Andy who Ann treated horribly the year Andy and April hooked up. Ann didn't just hurt April by trying to kiss Andy. She hurt HIM badly too by wrecking the one romantic relationship that he was GOOD in. It was salvaged but I think April knows very well the damage Ann did, because she KNOWS she was really good for him and that Ann wasn't. April is VERY perceptive. She was defending Andy's honor as much as her own. Notice it wasn't until Ann said that she loved Andy that April chilled out. Her entire body posture completely changed once Ann said the words "love" and "Andy" in the same sentence. I think that meant more to her than Ann saying she loved April.

I also loved Andy's goodbye to Ann because it pretty much mirrored the thoughtless way she treated him in season two. She was SHOCKED that it wasn't a big deal to him and he just didn't really care. He put as much energy into that goodbye as he would have for Jerry/Larry. Do you know what I think? It wasn't done out of malice at all. It didn't even occur to him that them parting was a big deal. They were just aqaintances now and nothing more. If Ann was looking for one last bit drama with him she was out of luck. TOM is the one who was there for her in that regard.

Honestly, as crummy as Andy faking his injury was in season one, her throwing him out and making him homeless for a few months and living in a pit was MUCH worse. By far. She didn’t even seem to care she did that. Why SHOULD Andy act like they shared something special at some point? She never gave that impression to him. Frankly, I think it showed real character growth on Andy’s part since he was so hung up on her in season two. I think poor, dumb, Andy didn’t realize that year that he didn’t HAVE to be, and that Ann was not the dream women she presented herself as. He could actually do BETTER. And I think that fact coming true drove Ann up the wall in some ways.

I was afraid they were going to make Leslie obsessing about the Park be a character flaw (they've been doing that a lot these past two seasons) and saying she should have spent that time saying goodbye to Ann, but the show surprised me by making it one last adventure for the both of them. You think Ann wanting "The Douche's" sperm was bad? Girl actually went on a date with Perd Hapley. I just get squicked out even thinking about it.

Chris' goodbye to Ben was very sweet too. I also loved Donna squeezing his butt.

A very solid episode and a great goodbye for both a character I liked and one I didn't. ****1/2.

The Following "For Joe"

I think Ryan got the measure of those twins pretty quickly. He's good at this stuff. And Connie Nielson is a MUCH more age appropriate "love interest" for Ryan than Natalia Zea. Zea could have been Kevin Bacon's daughter.

Joe Carroll sucks and always has sucked. I'll do a post on that later.

All right. ***.

The Following "Trust Me"

I actually think Lily being a Follower was fine. I had guessed it earlier in the episode but the series has always made clear that ANYONE could be a Follower. Anyone. What I think was garbage was the idea that she was the twins' mother. I'm pretty sure if I rewatched the first two episodes of the season that that won't track at all.

I AM a bit bummed Lily is evil though just because I couldn't STAND Connie Nielson on Law And Order: Special Victims Unit (and I go out of my way to avoid reruns of her episodes) and this is the first Connie Nielson character I've actually liked. Let's just say it will NOT be difficult for me going back to hating her.

For the first time in his sorry life Joe gave his family a GREAT piece of advice. Keep their mouths shut and don't tell ANYBODY they had been harboring him. And the mother foolishly tried to kill him anyways. I am 100% positive he wouldn't have killed her had she not pulled the gun no matter what he said in anger. I don't think Joe told either Mandy or her mother any information that could lead the police to him and did so for a reason. In the very last episode he was begging off Mandy's questions about killing and I'm guessing NOT for the sole reason of not upsetting her mother. I'm betting Joe also didn't want to share any information with that family that they could use against him. Because I genuinely believe he didn't want to have to kill them when his time invariably ran out and he'd have to ditch.

I think the twins are playing with fire with Emma. They clearly only lured her out to screw with her and that is a mistake. Emma is so dangerous because NOBODY realizes how dangerous she is until it is too late. I'm betting even Joe underestimates her.

Loved Lily stabbing the guard in the skull. THAT has to be tough to do, to break through a skull to the point where the knife goes in all that way. That was an "Oh, s***!" moment that let us know at the same time that Lily is fiercer than she looks and physically stronger than she looks too.

Any missteps this episode? If ever there was an episode that didn't call for a music montage at the end it was this one. Dramas (ESPECIALLY serialized dramas) use this as as big of a crutch as laugh tracks, voice over narration, talking to the camera, and cutaways are for comedies. The Following, despite being created by the same guy who created Dawson's Creek, is NOT a show that should really be doing them and if so super rarely. But I DID kind of like the creepy remix of Stand By Me. But this is not a show where they are appropriate.

Good episode otherwise. ****.

The Following "Family Affair"

A rare great episode. A couple of things REALLY surprised me tonight like the woman whose house Joe broke into being a Follower and THEN being a sister/girlfriend to the Captain. I can't wait to see the story behind that. Is the Captain a Follower too or is she unaware of her friend's allies and how deep Joe's connections go?

I think Emma was on the verge of just up and killing several people at various points throughout the episode. Ironically, I think the only person who was completely safe from her was Joe himself. But I kept getting the feeling that the only reason she didn't kill any of the family members when she was alone with them one on one is because she correctly deduced that they would be the ones who would draw Joe's attention. But I could see her struggling not to snap Lily's neck.

The cliffhanger was unusually strong too. Usually a show like The Following will simply kill off the supporting character in the final moments (The Following itself has done this many times) for shock value but I think suspenseful cliffhangers with open-ended fates are MUCH cooler. My prediction: Ryan's niece WON'T get killed next week. But we'll see. This IS a pretty blood-thirty show. About the only two shows with more indiscriminent killings are Law and Order and 24. This show's better than 24 and makes you care a bit more about the characters than Law and Order does (SVU sometimes excepted). I hope Ryan's niece survives. they are good together.

You know, at this point you might be thinking it is a bit DUMB for Ryan to be refusing Mike's help and all of the resource's that come with it (he sure could have used a police detail at the end) but part of me thinks it's kind of awesome. He would almost rather have random people in danger of being killed than give Mike even the slightest bit of sympathy. Part of it is so awesome because it makes no sense. Mike is pretty much the only person besides his niece he can trust but he isn't going to risk it. That's dumb. And yet awesome.

The was a really great outing tonight and perfect counterprogramming for those of us boycotting the Sochi Olympics. *****.

The Greatest Event In Television History #4

I think they may have done it. They actually got both Tom Hanks and Billy Joel to appear (including having Joel sing the actual Bosom Buddies theme song for the first time ever). And face it, Bosom Buddies always had a MUCH better opening than Simon And Simon, Hart To Hart, or Too Close For Comfort. I'd suggest Charles in Charge next but that may have become a little TOO well-known thanks to Family Guy. They are really hitting the mix of successful yet obscure pretty brilliantly.

The end with Adam Scott's wife and Paul Rudd was hysterical. Never have I so regretted a TV bleep.

The best one of these so far. If it IS the last one they picked a great one to go out on. *****.

American Horror Story: Coven "The Seven Wonders"

This was the season I would least be willing to buy a happy ending but even if it felt KIND of unearned (Cordelia? Really?) it still sort of worked. Madison dying was a LONG time coming and she would have been a disaster as a Supreme. Just as bad Fiona, without Fiona's sense of civic pride or responsibility. But I am seriously unhappy it is Cordelia. Why? Because the series basically was telling us ALL season long that Cordelia was the one person who was NOT a suspect in being the Supreme and then, oh wait, it's Cordelia after all. To quote Bob's Burgers from the dinner theater episode: "A lie isn't a twist."

I also have a hard time buying that Cordelia's decision to out the Coven led to a resurgence in the power of witches. It's not that I don't think that would have happened if the Coven was outed, its just that that was totally out of character for Delia to be the one to do it. Delia is weak. She was barely holding the Coven together in the previous 11 episodes and now she is leading all witchdom into a Golden Age? Don't buy it. Outing the Coven is something MADISON would have done for good or ill. Delia doing it completelty went against how the character was presented in every episode before this one.

Speaking of unearned endings, Fiona faking her death last episode was SUCH an anti-climax. I realize they probably wanted to shoehorn the scene-stealing Jessica Lange into the episode (and give her a goodbye scene with Delia) but I REALLY liked how she went out last episode and thought the idea of her faking her death quite unlikely. Why would she need to wait for all of the Coven to undergo the Seven Wonders trials to discover which one was the Supreme so she could kill her? Didn't this episode JUST say that the old Supreme is in charge of recognizing the new one? So why fake her death at all? Couldn't she just have "seen" it was Delia on her own?

Misty's death was VERY upsetting to me. She was probably the most innocent character on the show and to have her stuck in Hell seems VERY wrong to me. Speaking of very wrong things in Hell, I get that living a life of mediocrity with the Axman is Fiona's Hell. But the episode hinted that she was with the actual Axman. Why on EARTH would he get to spend eternity in his version of Heaven but Misty won't? The universe isn't fair and doesn't make much sense either.

Mea Culpa: I did not expect Queenie to be one of the survivors of the season. I expected her to be this season's Violet or whatever the girl Chloe Sevengy played in Asylum was and the year's cautionary tale. This year's cautionary tale was Marie LaVeux. I called it BADLY. I normally wouldn't mention a botched prediction, but I basically said it in every single review, so my mea culpa is necessary and in fact its absence would have been glaring. She also turned out MUCH cleverer than I gave her credit for and I think was one of the reasons Madison failed the Divination test. Her withering put-downs could NOT have helped Madison concentrate and I think threw her off her game. And I thought the fact that she kept a picture of Nan by her table was very sweet. So I totally misjudged Queenie.

I kind of feel like they could have given us a darker ending than they did, and I would have been fine with it. But it's been kind of weird how every season finale of Horror Story so far has been kind of uplifting, and having the good guys "win". I'd figure the good triumphing over evil scoreboard would be MUCH less one-sided since this is an anthology, but so far the series has had every single finale have a "happy" ending. That's kind of weird. Especially since I think this was the first season where it wasn't necessary. I didn't actually "buy” the feel-good ending here. This season has been a black comedy. Having a happy ending would kind of be like the bomb not going off in Dr. Strangelove or the Roses reconciling at the end of The War Of The Roses. Kind of not in the spirit of the entire enterprise. The episode wasn’t BAD per se, but it didn’t feel like the completely “right” ending to the show either. **1/2.

The Simpsons: The Complete Sixteenth Season

I am gobsmacked about how great this season of The Simpsons is. Going by internet criticism on message boards you'd think this season killed somebody's dog. But outside of a few noisy stinkers the season is WAAAAAYYYY above average for an Al Jean season. It's about as good as a Mike Scully one (who has always been sorely underrated). I really enjoyed rewatching these. Some of these episodes being so great actually shocked me. I never hated Midnight RX or anything but it is actually as great as a Golden Years episode and I didn't realize that until now.

I am bouncing with joy after watching these. SO much fun.

Best episode are the underrated Halloween Special with a special tribute to one of those 80''s sitcom theme songs with completely nonsensical lyrics (Treehouse Of Horror XV), the Nelson spotlight (Sleeping With The Enemy), the now incredibly timely critique on affordable healthcare (Midnight RX), an episode with a premise that SHOULDN'T work and yet does (On a Clear Day I Can't See My Sister), the 350th episode guest starring Ray Romano (Don't Fear The Roofer), Albert Brooks as a fat camp counselor (The Heartbroke Kid), the parody of Left Behind (Thank God It's Doomsday), and the Flanders episode whose commentary proves that Flanderization doesn't actually exist (Home Away From Homer). Worst episodes are the yearly Marge and Homer drama (Mobile Homer), the especially appalling future outing (Future-Drama), and the troubling "Pranksta Rap". Season Overall: ****1/2.

Greetings, Junior Scienteers!:

Matt Groening Season intro. Let the commencement beginulate! ****.

Treehouse Of Horror XV:

I will personally wipe my fanny on anyone who badmouths this sorely underrated Halloween outing.

Opening: One of the best Treehouse openings of all time with the actual Perfect Strangers theme (which returns in the awesome end credits sequence). I think only the Fox News Censor is better. *****.
The Ned Zone: Homer’s tongue flapping out of his mouth and pressing the button makes me laugh every dang time. ****1/2.
Four Regrettings And A Funeral: That talking stool was a thing of genius. Not much else about the segment was although I did like Bart mistaking Selma being dead for hours. ***1/2.
In The Belly Of The Boss: Isn’t it great that the microbes dissolving Marge’s outfit knew EXACTLY where to stop? A good one. ****.

Episode Overall: ****1/2.

All Fair In Oven War:

Blood for cream! Blood for cream! Apu is just the worst. Really funny episode. Best line goes to James Caan “Some people LIKE a challenge. Not me.” ****.

Sleeping With The Enemy:

Duck! Duck! Duck! Duck! Duck! Duck! Duck! Duck! Duck! Duck! Duck! Duck! Duck! Duck! Duck! Duck! Duck! Duck! Duck! Duck! Duck! Duck! Duck! Duck! Nelson was my hero this episode. I love that for once we are completely on his side against Bart and realized exactly how much Bart has taken Marge for granted. Nelson eats tadpoles for brunch and has never tasted a hot dog. You cheer when you see him make Bart clean his plate. As for Lisa’s weight problem plotline, normally I cringe at making the kids have struggles that aren’t supposed to be problems until they’re teenagers (for instance dating woes) but I think people trying to get little kids to be super thin is a VERY real problem. Just look at the Bratz dolls. Best line of the episode goes to Lisa: “I know society’s obsession with skinniness is unhealthy and anti-feminist...but that’s what a fat girl would say!” I just wanted to hug her after that. Poor Lisa. *****.

She Used To Be My Girl:

Looking back on this episode I realize it had a REALLY great ending. I mean, superb. The ending would have worked better thematically with Marge saving the day, but Barney being sober in his helicopter was the bigger crowdpleaser. A lesser show would have chosen one or the other, but The Simpsons found a believable way to do both. Marge saving Lisa was the perfect end to their story, as was Barney saving Chloe. But I MUST point out that Lisa was unusually oblivious to Marge’s feelings this episode. I know, she’s only eight, but I think it was a bit out of character. ****.

Fat Man And Little Boy:

Puppy Goo-Goo lives! Pretty much a "nothing" episode but it admittedly gets better as it goes on. One thing I want to give props to: licensing the REAL Pink Panther Theme must have cost them a pretty penny since it happens so rarely nowadays (even back in 2004 when this aired). There is not a soundalike to that tune that exists that doesn't hit the ear wrong. Usually with soundalikes you can fake it without too much trouble, but I have NEVER heard a soundalike to that song worth anything. To Paraphrase the Capital City Goofball: Henry Mancini is a cartoon character's best friend. And I always like seeing Homer and Lisa enjoying each other's company. ***1/2.

Midnight RX:

I'm cuckoo for contraband! I cannot get over what a great episode this is. It is serious five star quality which shocks me because I didn't think too much of it back in the day. Don't get me wrong, I LIKED it and thought the usual savage internet bashing was undeserved, but if you would have told me I'd consider it a classic eight years down the road, I probably wouldn't have believed you. But the health care crisis in this country has SO dominated the news cycle for the past five years that seeing this episode aired in 2004, it's like the writers saw into the future. I frankly think the episode isn't cynical ENOUGH. In real life Homer and Granpa wouldn't be hailed as heroes. Mr. Burns would start a media fear campaign (aided and abetted by Fox News) blaming Homer and Grandpa themselves for not only THIS crisis, but everything else wrong in Springfield, spawning an insane rightwing movement (secretly funded by Burns) where people wear food dangling from their heads. Seriously. I think other countries must think we are insane when they learn that all of the country's hysteria about Obama happened once he tried to give Americans affordable healthcare. We are truly a nation of lunatics. Did I mention the episode is mad-funny too? I can't remember an episode from this era with this many quotable lines and hilarious jokes. Some of my favorites are the idea of Moe orderering a backless suit for his coffin. I can't tell if that is stupid or genius. I loved Dr. Hibbert decked out in drug company reggalia while rapping to "classical music". And Homer confusing Mr. Burns for Katherine Hepburn. Homer getting Apu to agree to no cameras on him and the Squishee machine. Wiggum being astounded Homer is able to make a beer bottle vanish by placing it in a paper bag. Sidehow Mel's one word review of Krusty Shakes ("Terrible!"). Homer as drunken Irish "Friend" Seamus. And Homer deciding to sand down his fingerprints because his gloves were upstairs. And the Couch (non) Gag was particularly clever. Honestly? This was as good as a Golden Years episode. Maybe not a GREAT one, but a decent one. It was certainly better than The Simpsons Movie. And I can't believe they hadn't paired up Flanders and Apu before this (or to my recollection, since). They are HILARIOUS together! Apu has rarely been funnier, especially outside of the Golden Years, but his desperation extending to the fact that he could no longer make good punny jokes was spot-on. The one thing wrong the episode did I think only happened due to the limits of animation at that point in time: all of the capsules falling out of the plane would have been funnier had they been timed better. Modern Family Guy could have KILLED that joke. But that's quibbling. The episode is fantastic. *****.

Mommie Beerest:

You know, Marge having an emotional affair would have been a pretty good premise for an episode with Flanders or Apu, but Moe is the LAST character I could believe it would happen with. Moe is the one character on the entire series that Marge outright dislikes. And she dislikes him quite strongly if past episodes are any indication. He's been slowly poisoning her husband for decades, and encouraging him to spend time away from her and their family. I guess they were trying to find a character where they could believably make it someone who wanted to take it to the next level, but that is totally unnecessary for the idea to work. I also think the song "Welcome To Moe's" was a rare misfire. Julie Kavner has always been a terrible singer as Marge because Marge is even more gravelly than her natural voice, and the same problem affects Hank Azaria as Moe. There were a few things I liked. I liked "Jerk@$$ Homer" getting name-checked, which was the single best slam at picky Simpsons fans since Comic Book Guy first said "Worst episode ever" back in season eight. I love that they referenced it again in the next episode too. I also love Wiggum's reaction to seeing the dead body. I always find it hilarious whenever Wiggum forgets he's a cop. "Cards" was hilarious too (Dreamworks sucks). But I think the entire premise was faulty from the get-go and really didn't work at all. Best line goes to Homer (to Lisa): "He's your emotional uncle! I'm your real uncle!" **.

Homer And Ned's Hail Mary Pass:

The ending to this was stupid. There is NO way anyone would complain about (much less boo at) a religious themed Superbowl. In fact anyone who objected afterwards would be labeled anti-Christian. People would LOVE it if Ned Flanders got to do the Superbowl halftime show. How can you do a parody of The Passion Of The Christ while being unaware of the conditions in America that made such an awful movie a monster success in the first place? They were trying to make a statement on the ridiculousness of the Janet Jackson kerfuffle and used the worst example possible to make their point. It's a shame because the rest of the episode isn't half bad. Even if the Passion satire was flawed, the show still did an admirable job pointing out the many ways the Bible is violent and logically inconsistant. The Pac-Man wedding at the Superbowl and Homer as Donkey Kong brought back warm memories. Seriously. How many Mario cartoon tributes actually use him for Donkey Kong? Fun fact: Comic Book Guy's real name is Jeff Albertson. I love that they revealed it in a random episode with no warning or fanfare. I also thought the idea that Marge has a closet full of sailboat paintings was hilarious. Best line goes to Flanders: "Your mouth is hopin' for a soapin'." **.

Pranksa Rap:

This episode was VERY problematic messagewise even though the quality itself wasn't terrible. Good things first: I loved Lisa and Marge making fun of Bart's dated rap references and the fact that Bart calls 50 Cent "Fiddy". Loved El Barto getting a shout-out and Wiggum's line of "We don't need an Eddie". I also really liked the idea that Wiggum took his job seriously for once. Unfortunately they bought back all of that character growth by saying he was more interested in covering up the lie than doing his job. And it's been shown MANY times that Bart is a bad friend. But Kirk is a truly terrible father. How are his actions here even slightly defensible? Leaving Milhouse so he can get laid in prison is appalling. And I hate to say it, but this episode proves that in this era of the show's run the cast completely lacks diversity. They've remedied this in recent seasons by hiring Kevin Michael Richardson but I am very aware that all of the black characters are being played by white actors here. They don't even sound SLIGHTLY convincing. The ending sucked too. They couldn't write their way out of that awful scenario so they didn't even try. Maybe they should have sent this episode back to the drawing board until they could. *.

There's Something About Marrying:

Unlike Midnight RX and healthcare, this episode doesn't have anything insightful to say about marriage equality. In fact, by implying that Cletus incestuously marrying Brandine is its equivalent, its message is actually quite regressive. Patty's "I like girls!" is the worst female or gay empowerment line ever, and as delivered by Kavner, landed with a thud. The episode is also anti-transgender but in that specific case, I believe inadvertently so. Any good jokes? Yeah, some. I liked Homer chasing the fly with a knife ("Uh oh") and helping people with the freeze frame gag by holding the map up extra long. And the veil he made for Patty was funny too. And I also like it when the show references its own merchandise (see Lisa calling their Church clothes "Sunday Best Simpsons"). But this episode sends a bad message. **1/2.

On A Clear Day I Can't See My Sister:

That was hilarious! Dear Lord, I cannot get over how funny that was. Gary Busey was easily the most hysterical guest star of the year (he's too real!) and all of the Sprawl-Mart signs were genius, as was the idea that shoppers there are helpless without the greeter. Loved feral Bart running with dogs to classical music and the Simpsons playing that catchy song with musical instruments. Willie threatening Bart with a pitchfork to get him to teach HIM was a scream too. Any bad things? Yeah, a big one. I HATE how pathetic they made Skinner in this episode and think splitting him up with Edna was one of the worst mistakes the series ever made. And unlike Apu's marriage problems with Manjula, they never fixed it. On a commentary last year Al Jean said he broke Skinner and Krabappel up because she was too good for him, and she would not be the kind of person to settle for him. But Jean is completely misreading the situation: Yes, Krabappel is too good for him, but she is also just plain good FOR him. We've seen interesting facets of Seymour and geniune drama with the "love triangle" with his mother and Edna, and their sweet affair brought out some really cool things about Skinner that are literally gone now, and HAVE been gone since "My Big Fat Geek Wedding". Now Skinner makes out with corpses. By trying to do right by Edna, Al Jean did wrong by Seymour. But despite this, the episode was a big bucket of funny otherwise. ****1/2.

Goo Goo Gai Pan:

What struck me most upon seeing this again years later is how unabashedly political it is. Usually in "The Simpsons are going to ________!" episodes customs and pop culture are roundly mocked. But this is the first Simpsons vacation episode I can recall actually commenting unfavorably about an entire country's power structure. China IS a communist dictatorship, even though as Homer points out it uses rudimentary free markets. Homer says insightful stuff like that ALL the time, which leads me to believe he isn't exactly stupid in the way most people think of the word. Why DOESN'T Pearl Jam ever play there? Why ARE there so many unwanted female babies up for adoption? Why IS Mao's Tomb still enshrined by the government despite him being responsible for the deaths of 50 million people? And the image of Selma and the tank in Tien Am En Square was unmistakable. So you're thinking I loved the episode, right? I really didn't. It's good satire, don't get me wrong, but I am the kind of person who doesn't really watch The Daily Show anymore because it is too depressing. It's too REAL to be funny, you know? Yeah, the satire hits its mark, but the entire scenario is just so unpleasant to watch a comedy dissect. That's not why I watch The Simpsons. But, whatever. It's just one episode. The writers probably needed to get it off their chests. Best line goes to Homer: "Ow! My thingies!" And before I forget, one of the things I love most about the 16th season is the fact that many episodes use the time in the end credits for "extras". You know, deleted scenes, and in this case a tutorial on how to draw Bart. They were broadcasting DVD bonus features live on TV every week! Also, listen to the commentary track at least once. ***.

Mobile Homer:

Only good thing about this flaming bag of dog turd is Johnny Cash over the end credits. And you have to suffer 22 minutes of hell to get there. This is Al Jean's annual cynical attempt to tell the audience that the Simpsons are in an unhappy marriage and are always a heartbeat away from divorce. Jean does this every year because he is not only a hack writer, he also seems to be a terrible person. Bonus demerits for having the audacity to bring back classic character RV Bob and not have Albert Brooks voice him. From now on I'll just be giving these yearly garbage episodes zeroes with little or no further explanation. Al Jean says in commentaries that the reason he gives the Simpsons so many marriage problems is because they make good stories. I think Jean has a very charitable impression of his own storytelling ability. 0.

The Seven-Beer Snitch:

This particular episode received the most idiotic internet criticism of any Simpsons episode I have ever heard. I'm not exaggerating. I kid you not: people complained that the humor was too high-brow and that only a Harvard elite would be able to understand it. Yes, that's the biggest problem with television today: it's just too darn smart! It hurts my tiny pea-sized brain to think about culture! We should demand LESS from TV writers! I want more Family Guy jokes making fun of rape victims! That is clearly the superior show! Peter Griffin don't cotton to none of that thar book learnin'! Part of the reason I left Simpsons message boards and talkbacks is it wasn't good for my blood pressure. In fact, even the "smart" jokes are easy enough for a "stupid" person like me to understand. The Simpsons establishes that Frank Gehry is a sophisticated modern architect. I know nothing else about Gehry but just stating that fact makes it super funny when he is impressed by Marge's Snoopy stationary. I am also not very familiar with Philip Glass, except to say the few times I've heard his music I didn't like it, and it is so bland I couldn't hum a melody from one of his pieces if I tried, because the music made no impression on me, and I can't remember a single note. How stupid to do you have to be to not understand the implication of the orchestra joining the crowd running out of the concert hall once Marge said one of his pieces was going to be played next? You have to be pretty darn stupid not to get that. And yes, The Simpsons is WAAAYYY too smart for you, as is Barney and Friends. You. YOU! YOU are the problem with America and why television sucks so much. That is NOT on The Simpsons so don't even try to flip that around. I disgress. They had some really nice character animation in this episode with Santa's Little Helper in the biplane and Homer mimicking the movements of a rat. It was definitely a cool episode which I'd normally give a solid three or three and a half stars for. But I'm bumping my grade up to four just to cheese off the haters and morons. ****.

Future-Drama:

Stupid Flounders. I hate the future episodes. I admit it. But this? This is the worst future episode of all time. The much despised Bart To The Future is 50 times the episode this is. This is garbage. The idea that Marge and Homer seperated and slept with other people is obscene. OBSCENE. They love each other and are the only people who are right for each other and neither of them see it any other way. And Edna hitting on Bart? Even for a cheap gag that was low. Edna is NOT a creep. She's sexually adventurous but she would NEVER do that to Bart. She actually cares about him. There is another show that exists that make cheap sex jokes at the expense of the characters, no matter how out of character or obscene they are. That show is called Family Guy. For someone who claims to hate it so much, Al Jean has really tended to crib some of its worst qualities. And did you hear Harry Shearer's "I love boobies!". He sounded embarrassed to deliver that line and I have NEVER heard a Shearer performance before that didn't give 100% to even the shakiest of material. That is how badly written this was. The only thing I laughed at is the photo of Lisa in band camp with braces. Even when it's sucking this show does funny, still photograph poses better than any other TV show or movie, live-action OR animated. So out of a 22 minute episode five seconds were funny. That's got to be some kind of record. 0.

Don't Fear The Roofer:

"That seems...feasable." I've always loved this ridiculous episode because it has so many funny jokes. Like Homer asking Marge to remember the recipe of rubber and Vaseline. Or Bart asking Homer to reanimate the dead turtle he found. Or Stephen Hawking owning a Little Ceasar's in Springfield. The animation as Homer was getting electroshock was really great and funny too. Homer's zinger about trying to find a roofer at a poetry slam or a yoga studio was the shiznit. Ooooo, Marge, Burn! The fact that he was left hanging borders on the criminal. I must cry foul on one thing: the DVD leaves out the end credit runner between Homer and Ray Romano of Homer not understanding what time Everybody Loves Raymond was on. That is pretty much unforgivable since it only aired once. ****1/2.

The Hearthbroke Kid:

A gem. SO many quotable lines. It's no surprise, since it's an Albert Brooks one, but Homer got some too. Best Homer lines were "So that's where my soot went!" and "Time to take out the Eurotrash!". Best Spangler lines were "I HATE it when they guess over! Even on-the-nose hurts!" and "Every sign is wrong!" Skinner playing with army guys and office supplies at the beginning was a gas too, and I love that Lisa owns a "Lil' Agitator" brand megaphone. I also laughed at Marge pointing out Hibbert was a pediatrician when he said he wasn't going to lose any more patients. His head has just been somewhere else this year. The "Three Weeks Later" opening title sequence was hilarious too, especially the melody repeating itself while it waits for Bart to exit the school. Homer and Spangler's cheeseburger run over the end credits was perfect as well. Honestly, I've always liked this episode, but it is even better than I remembered. Frankly, I'm pleasantly shocked it is this great. Bonus points for having Brooks voice Jacque's grunts in the revised title sequence. *****.

A Star Is Torn:

That "Whitney Houston back from the dead" joke REALLY made me cringe. That won't ever be funny again. The Paul Simon joke still was though. I love it whenever this show remembers Homer's innate talent as a songwriter. I didn't care much for most of them but "I'm A Priveleged Boy" was actually excellent. I also love Lisa saying she couldn't believe she and Ralph used to date and Homer commenting that "Everyone's good for something". The end (outside of Priveleged Boy) was kind of weak though. The episode was funny but it was also really predictably written. ***1/2.

Thank God It's Doomsday:

Spot-on critique of those awful Left Behind books and movies. They didn't just spoof them, they knocked them down point by accurate point. It had some great observations about religion too like that Jesus probably has PTSD from the Crucifiction. Comic Book Guy's "Nostrodumb@$$" was one of his best insults ever and I liked Lisa complaining that she and Bart wanted "people haircuts". Ralph showing the barber a picture of Charlie Brown was funny too. And Moe actually said the line "You did me a solid!" nearly a decade before Regular Show did. I loved Homer being so cheap in Heaven he wouldn't even wish money for a tip. But my favorite observation was Homer telling Marge what he had that those others wackos who wrongly predicted the Rapture didn't: "A good feeling!" I've said before that I am shocked at how well this season holds up to scrutiny, and I mean it. ****1/2.

Home Away From Homer:

Another surprisingly great episode. You need to listen to the commentary to this. In it, Al Jean basically defends Ned Flanders against what Simpsons haters call "Flanderization". Imagine Henry Winkler demolishing the idea of Jump The Shark and you can start to picture how great it is. I'm usually no fan of Jean, but his explanation how the Trope named after Flanders isn't accurate to Ned himself is flawless. Basically what he says is that current Flanders is different from Flanders from 25 years ago by necessity. He correctly points out that in the ensuing decades since the character first appeared, the political polarization in the country became MUCH starker than it was before George W. Bush. Even people we disagreed with we could be friendly with as neighbors 25 years ago. Even I can't do that anymore. I can't stand being around Republicans, and Jean points out this is a REALLY recent phenomenon, and started within the last fifteen years. So Flanders' differences with the Simpsons needed to be MUCH more pronounced than they were when the series first started for it to make any sort of sense in the current climate. He also correctly points out that NOTHING "Jerk@$$ Homer" has done in the last 20 seasons has been as mean-spirited as the way he acted in "When Flanders Failed". People saying that Homer has gotten too unlikable simply seem to have completely forgotten how he was portrayed in the first three seasons. He was almost at Peter Griffin levels of loathesomeness. Modern Homer is about a thousand times more lovable than season two Homer. The episode itself was really great too. I love that Ned was such a bad@$$ with the Coach at the end and that they finally created a town too square for Flanders. Some funny jokes like the Richard Roeper slam (here's a hint, Roeper, Gene Siskel didn't care that Robert Ebert didn't like him) and the Jimmy Fallon one. The Jimmy Fallon one isn't actually very timely. Fallon is pretty funny now but when this episode first aired, outside of Weekend Update, he was a disaster on SNL. Full stop. Worst cast member since Adam Sandler or Chris Farley. But he rehabilitated himself somewhat since he became a talk show host. Now he isn't blowing otherwise decent sketches by laughing at inappropriate times. My favorite bit was the Humble figurine that said "You're On Thin Ice". That was a perfect joke. And the episode was near-perfect, so it fit. ****1/2.

The Father, The Son And The Holy Guest Star:

I get that Marge is the hardest character on the show to write for but when they screw her up, they REALLY screw her up. Badly. Bad episodes for Bart, Homer, and Lisa are common too, but when those characters are written "wrong" you can still basically recognize them. That is never true of badly written Marge. And between you and me, I didn't really need to hear about Homer's masturbation habits either. Any things I liked? I thought Ned actually having an accurate reading of the mundanities of religious history was fabulous. Flanders is often shown to STUPID about his religion, which makes NO sense considering how much he loves it. He SHOULD be portrayed as expert on the subject like he was here, instead of as an ignorant hick. Flanderization may have just been proven to be a bogus concept in the previous episode's commentary, but that doesn't mean rightwing fundamentalist Ned has to be written as stupid either. Also, "General Cuckoo Bananas" is a WAY better Bush insult than people gave it credit for at the time. I still see people using it. But the episode is mostly a wash and the moral was beyond lame so it's mediocre. ***.

Bonus Episode - Season 23 "Holidays Of Future Passed"

I didn't care for this much when it aired but I like it a LITTLE bit better now. I am just not a fan of Future Simpsons episodes. I think Lisa's Wedding is one of the most overrated Golden Years episodes of all time and I don't like the character's futures mapped out. And the stuff I DO like (like Lisa becoming President of the United States) they always retcon in future installments. But I kind of liked this episode because unlike Future Drama it portrayed Homer and Marge's marriage as completely healthy. They are startlingly happy and Homer has grown to the point where he is an excellent grandfather and able to nudge the kids in their dad's direction. In this future Homer gave up DRINKING for God's sake. That's huge. So even if I dislike Bart not being Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, or Lisa marrying Milhouse, at least I can say they finally did an episode with Homer and Marge in a very happy and healthy place. ***1/2.

Deleted Scenes:

Ironically, the best deleted scenes tended to be Easter Eggs and not in the "Official" batch. So people getting the Blu-Rays (where I believe the eggs are absent) are poop outta luck. Al Jean does a tribute to the late Don Payne in the introduction. Overall: ****.

Treehouse Of Horror XV: Two scenes including an alternate opening. The Perfect Strangers ending is WAAAYYY funnier than this and it was a wise cut, as was the second scene of Flanders hooking up with Marge, which was too cynical even for a Halloween outing. **.

All’s Fair In Oven War: I love the idea of a trash compactor DVD Rom. ****1/2.

Sleeping With The Enemy: A scene of Homer being terrified of a watermark and a scene of Mrs. Muntz actually performing Lady MacBeth. ***1/2.

Fat Man And Little Boy: This was stupid. *.

Midnight RX: Both scenes explain things not answered in the episode itself. It turns out it was Lenny in the giant Burns head and that Mr. Burns rejected the idea to simply reinstate the drug plan because he had already put on his goggles. ****1/2.

Mommie Beerest: This scene would have made a merely mediocre episode outright terrible. I am glad it's gone. *.

Homer And Ned's Hail Mary Pass: Oooh, spicy. Had to be a censor note. ***.

Pranksta Rap: I hate this scene. 1/2.

On A Clear Day I Can't See My Sister: This scene was all right but it wasn't TOO funny and the episode didn't need it. ***.

The Seven Beer Snitch: Homer acting like a rat some more (chewing an extension cord) and Lisa trying and failing to win back Snowball II. ****.

Future-Drama: Okay, admittedly this scene is terrible. Yet somehow it is actually LESS terrible than the episode they cut it out of. Would it have improved the episode even a little had it stayed in? I wouldn't go that far. *.

Don't Fear The Roofer: The first scene between Homer and Ray bonding is okay by me. The second scene, with Dr. Hibbert having an affair with a nurse wouldn't have been had it stayed in the episode. **1/2.

The Heartbroke Kid: A deleted Brooks scene. Frankly, I thought there'd be more of these. ***1/2.

A Star Is Torn: I didn't like the first scene but I LOVED the second. Maybe it's because I find it harder to believe that Jeff Foxworthy, a notorious Republican, would be a good tipper, than that a classy, euridite, paino salesman would know how to immediately rhyme "chimichangas" with "big bazongas". ***1/2.

Thank God It's Doomsday: Great scene of Ned being VERY prepared for the Rapture. *****.

Home Away From Homer: The alternate take of Ned throwing out the co-eds was WAY too mean-spirited at Ned's expense. He's basically cuckolded here and the entire scenario is beyond cruel especially since Flanders hadn't actually done anything annoying in the episode. They were right to soften this scene in the episode. *.

Sketch Gallery I:

Pretty cool animated gallery. I liked the music too. ****.

Sketch Gallery II:

Another animated gallery. ****.

Living In The Moment:

Two pieces of promotional stuff. Warning: The Longest Daycare segment isn't the actual short, but just ads and stuff for it. I was sorely disappointed. Overall: ***1/2.

The Longest Daycare: Bummed that this isn't the short. I don't even see the point of including this on the 16th season set because it didn't come out until a couple of years ago. *1/2.

Tapped Out: These promos and commercials however were hilarious. ****1/2.

Animation Showcase
Future-Drama
Picture-In Picture:

Another one of those animation storyboard comparisons. I would rather it wasn't for an episode I hated but the ep DID have more character design changes than a normal non-Halloween episode. Overall: **1/2.

Storyboards: They were originally going to give Bart a muzzle like he had in Lisa's Wedding. I'm glad they changed their mind. That thing looked awful. **.
Animatic: This had many alternate animated takes that weren't in the deleted scenes. I would have liked to have heard the original audio. **1/2.

Live! It's The Simpsons:

A table read (a first for the DVDs, I believe). Nearly worthless. Because of Julie's Kavner's insane rule of never wanting to be filmed while performing Marge, it's audio only. Does Kavner have to make a truly unattractive face to play Marge or what? Because I do NOT get what she'd be embarrassed about unless it was O-face. Hearing the cast enjoying the script was fun though (the laugh lines make it even funnier). But it would have been nice to SEE it. ***.

Easter Eggs:

Treehouse Of Horror Easter Egg #1: A deleted scene from Four Regrettings And A Funeral. ***.
Treehouse Of Horror Easter Egg #2: Deleted scene. This explains the withered white blood cell Maggie is dancing with in the last shot of the episode. ****.
All’s Fair In Oven War Easter Egg #1: More Blackula and Black Dracula! ****.
All’s Fair In Oven War Easter Egg #2: Deleted scene. Marge admires 70’s nude models' relative modesty. She was in a Playboy spread herself a couple of years ago so she should know. ***1/2.
She Used To Be My Girl Easter Egg: I actually like this alternate take of Bart pushing Lisa out the window more than the gag they used in the episode itself. ****.
Fat Man And Little Boy Easter Egg: This smoking monkey gag was so funny, I think they should have put IT in the deleted scenes and had the extra Otto line as an Easter Egg. I'm bummed at the idea of the people getting the Blu-Rays not seeing it. ****1/2.
Disc 1 Extras Menu Easter Egg #1: A note to Matt Groening begging him to attend more commentaries. This was appreciated by me because he DID attend quite a few this year and the recent DVD seasons haven't been the same without him. ****1/2.
Disc 1 Extras Menu Easter Egg #2: Promotional art. ****.
Mommie Beerest Easter Egg: Less Lindsay Naegle is ALWAYS a good thing. Good cut. *1/2.
Homer And Ned's Hail Mary Pass Easter Egg: An unfunny deleted scene. **.
Pranksta Rap Easter Egg #1: No clue why they cut this. It was two seconds long and also true. ****.
Pranksta Rap Easter Egg #2: This however was a good cut and with it gone Alcatrazz looks like a truly decent person instead of an image obsessed idiot. *.
There's Something About Marrying Easter Egg: A deleted scene showing more signs of Springfield becoming a ghost town due to lack of tourism. ***.
Goo Goo Gai Pan Easter Egg #1: Deleted scene of Bart gratuitously insulting Homer and Homer admirably resisting the urge to strangle him. ****.
Goo Goo Gai Pan Easter Egg #2: This extended scene in Tian Am En Square is really funny and SUPER creepy if you think too hard on it. ****.
Goo Goo Gai Pan Easter Egg #3: On the commentary track there is a beaker than flashes on-screen and when you press enter you see a still photo of a Homer as Buddha toy. ****.
The Seven-Beer Snitch Easter Egg #1: Hilarious scene of Homer covering up his farts with pistachio shells, which Marge points out, only mask the sound. *****.
The Seven-Beer Snitch Easter Egg #2: In which Homer has spilled ketchup on his pubes. I wish I were joking. Remember when people had pubes? What was wrong with us? ****.
Don't Fear The Roofer Easter Egg: Joke about a "honeydo" list and Erma Bombeck. I swear, this show finds the most random and obscure stuff from the 70's. ****1/2.
The Heartbroke Kid Easter Egg #1: Some publicity photos of Russ Cargill from The Simpsons Movie. ****1/2.
The Heartbroke Kid Easter Egg #2: Deleted scene. More of Bart's intervention including REALLY bad advice from Patty and Selma (hint: it involves taking up smoking to lose weight). ****1/2.
The Heartbroke Kid Easter Egg #3: Like the second Easter Egg for this episode, this was so great that I'm miffed it's a DVD egg, and not in the deleted scenes. People getting the Blu-Ray will miss it entirely. It is probably the funniest deleted scene of the year. It involves Homer setting up a Lucy Van Pelt style stand where he offers to tell the exact time for $5. When Moleman shows up Homer robs him using a shotgun. BIG laugh. *****.
A Star Is Torn Easter Egg: Good cut. Cucumbers ALWAYS look phallic, no matter WHAT the circumstance, and I don't think they should have had Lisa holding one. *1/2.
Thank God It's Doomsday Easter Egg: Alternate ending. The scene plays better without the Lenny and Moe stuff. **1/2.

DVD Menus: These are the first DVD menus since Season Five's that don't involved the casts of the various episodes standing in a line or a line-up. I guess they figured they couldn't believably come up with that scenario in Frink's lab. Now when is Mr. Burn's getting a DVD head? Overall: ****1/2.

Disc 1 DVD Menu: Love Frink Frinking about with C.H.U.M.. ****.
Disc 2 DVD Menu: A matter transporter lends itself better to DVD menus than the premise of Disc 1. ****1/2.
Disc 3 DVD Menu: Using Frink's teleporter from Treehouse Of Horror VIII, which remains the best Simpsons Halloween Special of all time. ****1/2.
Disc 4 DVD Menu: In Frink's laboratory with his lab mice. ****1/2.