"The Simpsons" Sex, Pies and Idiot Scrapes (2008)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Lance Kramer

Writers:

Matt Groening (creator)
James L. Brooks (developer)

TV Series:

"The Simpsons" (1989)

Original Air Date:

28 September 2008 (Season 20, Episode 1)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy

Plot:

Homer and Ned go into business together as bounty hunters, and Marge takes a job at an erotic bakery.

Plot Keywords:

Twins | Punch In The Face | Gratitude | Bulletproof Glass | Parade Float

Cast

Dan Castellaneta	...	Homer Simpson (voice)
Julie Kavner	...	Marge Simpson / Patty Bouvier / Selma Bouvier (voice)
Nancy Cartwright	...	Bart Simpson (voice)
Yeardley Smith	...	Lisa Simpson (voice)
Harry Shearer	...	Mr. Burns / Principal Seymour Skinner / Ned Flanders (voice)
Hank Azaria	...	Moe Szyslak / Chief Wiggum / Mayor Quimby / Snake / Superintendent Chalmers (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert Forster	...	Lucky Jim (voice)
Pamela Hayden	...	Milhouse (voice)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus	...	Gloria (voice)
Tress MacNeille	...	Mrs. Skinner (voice)
Joe Mantegna	...	Fat Tony (voice)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Company:

Gracie Films

Movie Connections:

References Jackie Brown (1997)

Soundtrack:

Electic Avenue

Very good season premiere.

Homer Simpson and Ned Flanders become bounty hunters...can't get much better than that. Too bad there were so many missed opportunities, but even with that this was a funny episode. The Marge plot sounded as stupid as can be, and even that was an above average story. This episode was very worthy of being the Simpsons season 20 premiere.

The Simpsons show up to an Irish festival in Springfield, where a fight between two types of Irish get into a huge fight. Homer ends up getting arrested, and all he needs to do is show up in court to get it cleared. Homer is influenced by a bounty hunter he meets, and he tries to make a citizen's arrest on Snake, and is saved by Ned Flanders, ending in a bounty hunter partnership between the two. Meanwhile, Marge begins working at an erotic bakery with a man she met at the Irish festival, and she has to hide the truth from the family.

I really disliked the first act of this episode. It was too over the top to be funny, and just a really random way to lead to the A and B stories of Simpson/Flanders bounty hunting and Marge and the bakery. The Homer and Ned storyline was quite good, with Ned Flanders in his best role in seasons. A chase scene between Ned and Homer was also impressive and amusing. Marge's plot was random, and it seemed unfinished, but it was also good. Both plots merged together to form a sweet ending.

Overall, this isn't a great episode, but it is a good way to start the season.

My rating: *** out of ****. 30 mins. TV14DLSV