The Simpsons (TV Series) You Won't Believe What This Episode Is About - Act Three Will Shock You! (2022) User Reviews

Homer as the voice of reason and Lisa as the voice of conformity

[karlconga · 6/10 · 16 March 2022]

...what strange times we live in.

Lisa used to be the rebel of the family, bowing to noone and doing what's right. Now her advice is to admit guilt (she calls it "accepting responsibility"), although Homer did nothing wrong. That felt really off.

Overall, it feels super numb after the first act, BUT

[dragonwarriorxtreme · 7/10 · 16 March 2022]

Remember that this is the very first time that a cast of females have directed, written, laid out and produced an episode in Simpsons history. If we evaluate the episode from that sole perspective, then the episode becomes very appreciable. Here's why:

A typical "female cast takes the role of making the show" episode usually has me in pieces because of how god awful they are. Sunny under Megan Ganz is glaringly problematic, for one. However, for The Simpsons, they managed to nail down the core basics of the family right away and managed to do so in a way that isn't mean spirited, isn't superliberal, and isn't one-sided.

Homer isn't a jerkass here, but rather he's a well meaning person that unfortunately goes overboard and lands himself in uncanny situations. Lisa in this episode is a fairly well kid rather than a know-it-all psych. Marge understands Homer's perspective as much as he does with her, making their situation fair-minded.

It is for this reason I bump my 6 to a 8 for this, solely because this is the first "female cast makes an episode" experiment in a show where I didn't attempt to gouge my eyes out. It's not mediocre to the point I somehow hate it... I don't hate this episode at all; I just dislike how weak it turns out to be in the last parts, as it really had potential to be the next Homer Badman.

But instead, it feels a bit like a Mike Scully episode from Season 11-12, especially where the third act falls off the cliffs; the only differences are the wit being partly dry (the first act was perfect in terms of humorous bits, but while the second and third acts do have some here and there, there wasn't enough layering of humor to pull things off), the actual presence of a well-intended ending, and the lack of Jerkass Homer. The Institute parody is too cartoony and simple.

Nevertheless, the female staff managed to make an effort that is very, very decent for current Simpsons. It it personally more watchable than "Bart's in Jail!," which was mediocre at best, and at the same time surpassing the god awful Tunnelcraft episode that was from four seasons back.

Some more things I like about this episode: The celebrity guest isn't all pushy in your face, I didn't even recognize that Drederick Tatum had a different voice, and the female staff recognized that Homer is supposed to be best friends with Santa's Little Helper now. There is some nice subtlety to what they are doing here.

Enjoyable episode but enough off the Dem Bias

[joeyhenno · 7/10 · 17 March 2022]

Good fun story funny episode I enjoyed it but sick off the writers shoving there political bias family guy do the same thing ok we get it the writers are Democrats we get it dont need to shove it in our faces all the time out off the millions off people that like the Simpsons some are gonna like trump and be reps but whatever just a insult to your fans who have watched for years only reason not given higher score keep your politics out off the show.

You won't believe what my review is!

[smithzed · 9/10 · 21 March 2022]

Overall, this was a pretty good episode to me, but the concept brought it up higher than I'd usually give it. The Simpsons has done this before with "Homer Badman", but I think that it was a good enough twist on the subject to keep it up to date without feeling too contrived or poorly planned.

Overall, Season 33 is currently looking like a bit of a resurgence in the Simpsons - there have been much more solidly good episodes than usual.

Might've been better as a two-parter, then again

[printsofdarkness · 4/10 · 14 March 2022]

...unlike A Serious Flanders, the story doesn't feel dense enough to merit 44 minutes. That highlights how rushed, simplistic and unsatisfying the resolution of the plot feels. It was also lacking in the layering of humor and references that are hallmarks of the series' quintessential seasons. For instance, I appreciated the assembling of the clients seeking to salvage their online reputations in a movie theater. The episode would have benefited from more of that. Then they spoil that sly reference, when Kirk spells it out by confirming with Theo (Kumail Nanjiani), "Kind of like a suicide squad?".

Promised a lot, delivered nothing.

[gabriel_bassotto · 5/10 · 19 May 2022]

So far I don't know if the episode is a political critique, a social critique.

They didn't know how to lead the plot, everything was rushing. A golden opportunity for the show to play with cancel culture was missed.

I understand that audiences may have changed over time, but it hurts to see Lisa transform into the voice of conformism.

It will be an episode to fill the season, but it had the potential to be historic. In the end, it became clear that producers either support or fear cancel culture.

You Won't Believe What This Episode Is About - Act Three Will Shock You!

[studioAT · 3/10 · 3 October 2023]

See the problem when you promise a lot is that you have to then deliver.

While all this episode starts well it built the third act up to be something fantastic and then...it doesn't deliver.

There are moments, but this does mirror my review of the previous episode in that it doesn't quite tick all of my boxes so that I can say that this is a good/great 'Simpsons' episode.

I can't fault the show or those involved in it for their attempts at trying to keep the standard high and to keep trying new things at this stage of its run. It certainly can't be easy for them, especially when so called fans jump on anything they put out.