leolinsimp

King Leer is a really great episode, one of the best this season. I really liked that they went more in-depth with Moe's family and that we finally get to see his father.

The first act was very much unrelated to Moe's plot and it was just about a single act thing that hasn't even been brought up further into the episode, something Selman usually does though. Its not an interesting plot and I don't like the thought of Marge imagening Bart doing horrible things using instruments. A single good joke where Bart says that music is only being made by computers, and I guess when Large comments that kids will suck at playing instruments anyway so it doesn't matter which they pick. Homer being tortured by Bart really seemed out of place, considering Homer can just punish Bart when he damages the violin or Marge could've stepped in when she sees what Bart has been doing. For some reason Homer has had no spine at all. The ''torturing'' scenes weren't so bad and I liked how this act ended with Homer being very upset that the violin caused his beer glass to break, and the way he reacts when he is finally ''free'' from the violins grip. I really liked Homer telling Marge that be's going to do to his brains what he just did to her dreams for Bart, which leaves a sad expression for Marge. So now this story is over and we don't get to see the results of the broken violin..

At least the real plot kicks in where it gets good. Its actually a bit unusual that the first act is the weakest. I liked Moe's talk and reaction on the phone and everyone thinking its one of Bart's prank calls. The drunk dog was also very funny and probably one of the episodes best gags. We finally see Moe's dad after a bit of tracking and he turns out to be a decent character, where for some reason the Szyslak family likes to hit each other with their shoes. I don't think they showed why Morty would call Moe, especially after them being disconnected for so long. Fun gag with the drunken dog returning. We get to see some backstory of Morty's mattress shops, really liked how they made these ads look old and how the kids are involved as actors. Good to see Moe holding honor after deciding not to release the bed bugs, with the little twist that the happily looking family is actually doing the exact same. Would've been fun to see how this same family is doing in the current time. Some good gags during the car ride with the kids asking about all the matress stores , and noticing that these shops are all over the palce when you really need one. The Marv and Minnie siblings brought in some extra dynamic for the Szyslak family, adding some some extra rivalry for Moe.

I like how Homer is holding his ''I told you so'' for so long in several scenes. Marge having bad ideas is not actually that uncommon in the show. A good gag with Homer not being able to tell anything good about Bart and wants to tell about Lisa instead. The Szyslak get back together with rewatching another ad which is apparently good enough for them. Then the final act has Moe beginning his own matress store after his dad retired, yet after the opening its all just about the rivalry with his siblings. I do like how they edited the footage of Moe's ad with badly edited corpses piled on each other. Loved the ending of Homer's own little ''I told you so'' arc. For some reason they added a quick scene of Homer throwing paint to Patty and Selma during the rivalry montage. Marge continues playing the voice of reason and gets Morty back to deal with his kids, I'd say the finals cenes were really good where Morty is actually proud of Moe almost releasing the bed bugs. And then having Moe hold his honor yet again, reminding himself that he doesn't want to go the Szyslak way.

The ending felt very abrupt though. Moe accidently releases the bed bugs, everyone runs out of the building and it just ends there. I would've liked to see an extra gag where Bart is working in the mattress store as punishment for breaking the violin, so that the first act plot kind of has an ending aswell. I'm not sure if Moe still owns a mattress store but I guess he gave it back since he's no longer interest to work with his family.

This episode did a really good job establishing Moe's family. The chemistry between the father and siblings is generally done really well. The story as a whole is alright with Moe trying to connect back to his family and taking over a store, but finding himself rivaling with his brother and sister. The jokes are on the lower side though, there were not so many good jokes to speak off. My favorites were the drunken dog and Homer holding himself from saying ''I told you so''. The first act is the weakest part of the episode and felt very disconnected from the main story, kinda reminiscent to a lot of Scully episodes where the main plot always starts in the 2nd act. I'm used to much better pacing from Selman episodes where he tries to cut stuff that would hold the episodes running time back for to long, most notably the absence of couch gags. Nonetheless its a good episode and one of the better in this season. A proper portrayal of Moe without him acting to sad or even suicidal.

Quite a solid episode for the show to return with after a long hiatus. I'm not sure if they parodied a specific show or movie but the detective theme they went for worked really well. The detective also managed to be an enjoyable character, despite having so many scenes to himself. The mystery kept me hooked the whole time which had a good ending to it.

The beginning felt to quick where Homer out of nowhere is interested to buy a painting for millions of dollars. I guess it works because halfway in its being explained how Homer has gotten so interested, but left me thinking for to long. I think I missed Mr Burns's interest in the painting, it might be that he ddin't want to be bid out by a woman after all. I liked the intro with Manacek going to Springfield, and most of the jokes that came with it like the long silences with Wiggum. The rich woman mentioned her girlfriend and they didn't try to make fun of it... that must've taken some will power. I liked most of the scenes where Manacek investigated Homer's case and the flashback to the museum school trip. My favorite jokes being the kids playing around and Homer being so invested in the painting. Manacek hitting on Marge dragged on a bit in my opinion. A bit surprised that Marge didn't play a bigger role with Homer's interest in the painting, while she considers herself to be an artist. Kinda laughed at how Homer imagined Bart's behind as an artwork. Also laughed at Lou being fired due to budget cops where he is apparently 1/3 of Springfields police, and Homer who keeps betting with a ping pong bat.

The ending result was actually surprising where everyone turned out to be a part of the theft, with Lisa being the one that took the actual painting. It did seem out of character for her to just steal an expensive painting, I could give it a pass because of her reasonings where Homer shares a healthier bond with her interests. And she didn't get punished? I do like how they did the outro that has shown moments mentioned before, like Homer becoming a DJ and Marge teaching Homer that art needs to be representational.

Its a good ride of an episode that kept my attention. The guest star played his role well, I got into the story and the characters were well developed. While not a lot of jokes it did have some good ones that gave me a couple of good laughs. This may be one of the better episodes this season, doing a lot of things well and barely any flaws.

Another very solid episode after a little drought of mediocrity. Its a good mixture of a seasoned version of "Radio Bart" with Sideshow Bob playing a role as well. There are only a few slight complaints I have but overall it did a lot of things well: the jokes, characters, pacing and the plot. The couch gag had a nice Christmas theme to it.

I like how they introduced Sideshow Bob where Homer is the one responsible for accidentally knocking over the garbage back on the ground. And while not much of a fan of the episode where the religious inmate came from, he was pretty fun when talking with Bob. Also liked how Homer wanted to take full advantage of the rental car before returning. They brought back Bart's lucky hat, that deserves a mention. Surprised to see Marge's rage towards Quimby which is actually unusual for her, but at least its more of a realistic reaction. They actually made her sad enough to make a whole shrine out of Bart's bedroom which isn't something they often portray with their emotions. It was fun to see Bart using the old phone to first make a prank call before actually calling for help. The poll on Bart's fate was also pretty funny.

Good to see Millhouse being used who eventually pairs up with Bob, something that should've been done quite some time ago. I found it a rather poor attempt from him to keep Bart's whereabouts a secret from Lisa, I think he could've also impressed Lisa if he had just told her. Funny joke with Homer being pulled over the snow by Abe. Also liked how Bob tricked Millhouse into the hole, and that Santa's Little Helper brought Homer and Abe all the way back to Bart's sock drawers and eventually encountering O'Neill. Third act was also fun but I didn't fully believe that Bob would let Bart go that easily, but it had some good moments with Bob imagining a better life without killing for him. Fun way to end the episode with the missed posing as an artwork that eventually blows up, and Bob living as a hermit in a lighthouse.

Its nice to have 2 solid episodes in a row. My only complaints are that I felt there wasn't enough convincing for Bob to call off Bart's death, also a little complaint with the overuse of the Wilhelm Scream. But for the rest its been very solid and one of the better episodes of the season. I think the one thing they did best were the jokes, which were a lot of them that were actually pretty funny. Also the plot was mostly coherent without using extra sub plots, with a single and fun story going. They did the portrayal of Bart really well, also with the rest of the characters like Homers antics and Marge being so concerned for her son. And as always a great performance by Kelsey Grammar.