The Cad and the Hat

I'd like to start off by congratulating former Simpsons guest star Ellen Page (Waverly Hills 9021-D'oh)who recently became a 30-something. Welcome to the club.

Pro

1. A Beach Boys song is always welcome. I also like the Mozart composition. I recognize it from Amadeus when Salieri leaves Mozart's apartment after commissioning the requiem.

2. It was funny when everybody talks about Sunny being missing and it takes Homer a minute to realize Sunny isn't the name of his youngest child.

3. Great sight gag when Moe says he doesn't like to see that in his bar and we see it's just Homer simultaneously playing 3 chess games against Barney, Carl & Lenny. Moe said it best: people drink less when they are having fun. I'm a big fan of Barney Gumble and was delighted to see he has a history with Chess as much as Homer.

4. I did see a fair amount of Madeline cartoons my childhood and was amused by the reference to her and Pepe.

5. Best Line: Homer: Just to be clear, I want 5 of everything I order. I want 5 Krusty Burgers. Squeaky Voiced Teen: Gotcha, 5 Krusty Burgers. Homer: Did you not listen to me? I want 5 of everything I order: 25 Krusty Burgers Squeaky Voiced Teen: Understood, 125 Krusty Burgers Homer: No, I... Okay

Con

1. To put it plainly: I thought both plots sucked. I saw potential in both plots for real heartwarming sentiment and laughter but the plots don't really warm my heart and they certainly don't tickle my funny bone. Most of the jokes just make me say "uhh... okay, whatever".

2. The Simpson writers really need to watch more South Park. Their animation quality has drastically increased in quality since the early cut-out animation days of 1997. The humor in South Park is a lot more than just swearing. Frankly I feel The Simpsons have been out-matched in comedy by South Park for years.

3. Some of the gross-out jokes were a bit too much for me, like Bart making it look like a booger was falling on Homer and the "Guilt" creature crapping out Bart. As for the joke about the syringes on Lenny, well, drugs aren't funny, mm'kay?

4. The pointless and completely random moment of Lenny proving he can fit in carry-on luggage is a big hairy-lipped alligator moment I could have done without.

5. More on the couch gag: somebody should tell Marge that swearing for the sake of swearing isn't funny. That's one of the signs of South Park's genius: they never have characters swear for comedy, they jut swear because that's how they talk.

The Cad and the Hat is a great Simpsons episode with a well written plot and plenty of very funny scenes. It is a very sweet episode as we follow Bart struggling with his guilt after letting Lisa down. These two characters relationship has always been one of the shows most vital aspects, and any episode that focuses on it is always a strong one. I love the concept of having Bart's guilt as a character, the dialogue between them was a highlight for me, Patton Oswalt was terrific in the part.

I did feel like the episode could have gone a little further in the conflict between Bart and Lisa. It all focuses around Bart losing her hat, and never stretches beyond that very bland set up. I would like to have seen something a bit more substantial happen as it continued.

The side story in this episode is very strong, I am happy to say that I was equally pleased with both plots. It was great to see Homer shock Springfield with his skillfulness at chess, and we were able to see this story being developed further, going a lot deeper than any other side story has in a long time.

Heartwarming fun. Well worth the watch, The Cad and the Hat is a very pleasing Simpsons.

Bart's guilt gets the better of him when he betrays Lisa. Meanwhile, Springfield is astonished when Homer turns out to be a master chess player.