A Father's Watch

A Father's Watch is a terrific Simpsons episode with a very well written plot and plenty of very funny scenes. It is really sweet, albeit also a little heartbreaking, as we follow Bart realising how much his parents acceptance means to him, which goes deeper as we see Homer feeling the same mutual sadness towards Grandpa. It is an honest, relatable episode as we all want our parents to accept us for our individuality, cause if the people who raised us do not, then we do feel a little incapable of captivating others.

I did feel like the Lisa and Marge subplot got a little bit convoluted. While it did serve as a nice break away from the far more serious main plot, after a while it became ludicrous to see just how far Lisa was getting by in belittling parents.

The episode does a very impressive job of balancing three separate stories, each one has a beginning, middle and end, with none of the three merely feeling like filler. It all comes together nicely, with a sweet moment between Bart and Homer at the end.

One of this seasons highlights. Sweet and funny, A Father's Watch is a stellar Simpsons.

Marge's concern force her to go to a parenting expert, while Grampa gives Bart a gift that Homer would love to get his hands on.

Pros: 1. I enjoyed the all-animal couch gag. It was wild and crazy and I loved it.

2. Even though The Simpsons already joked about kids receiving unnecessary trophies in Season 24's "Gorgeous Grandpa", it was expanded to a satisfying story here. I especially liked the running gag about how parents sheepishly follow whatever spokesperson recently lectured in Springfield.

3. Any episode with Milhouse getting pelted by 6 rocks can't be all that bad.

4. Homer guzzling down a container of cookie dough was no less funny the second time.

5. When Sideshow Mel gets a little too persnickety about grammar, Clancy Wiggum pulls off a terrific putdown by mentioned his kids live with their mom in Nebraska. You may recall that at the end of Season 19's "All About Lisa", Sideshow Mel begged Krusty to let him out of a skit because Mel's wife was due to give birth any minute.

6. These days, the Simpsons seem to prize Zaniness over heart, but the scene with Homer comforting Bart shows the Simpsons still have just as much heart as the old days.

7. Marge telling Bart she can't put up his bad grades on the fridge is funny because Bart's grade (no matter how bad) was put on the fridge in the SNES / Genesis game "Bart's Virtual Nightmare".

8. Best Line Moe: (Speaking after the Van Houtens and the Wiggums) and Moe will say a 3rd thing to feel part of the group

Cons 1. Camp Lazlo did a funnier "last-place trophy bigger than the first-place trophy" joke. Also, South Park's "That Losing Edge" episode had a funnier montage with that "Best Around" song from Karate Kid.

2. Abe suggesting that people grow hair long to protect their head? Can you get any more out-of-character that Abe Simpson suggesting a man grow his hair long?

3. Is it true that Springfield missed out on the "Time Out" parental craze? I recall Bart getting a lot of timeouts in the episode about Lisa's first word.

4. Ralph Wiggum joining the 76er's is the lowest point in the history of Philadelphia, besides Rocky V of course.