Episode 2 - Lost Verizon
29 March 2012
Synopsis: Bart steals Dennis Leary’s cell phone. Leary tells Marge to keep it but install a tracking chip to keep an eye on Bart. Lisa discovers what is going on and tells Bart. He attaches the tracking device to a bird which soon migrates to Peru. Bart is left alone at home while the family head to Machu Picchu.
The Good: The characters all follow their established traits and present a simple story. It makes sense to have cell phones become prevalent in Springfield and for Marge to be overprotective. Millhouse giving Bart up immediately also makes sense. Bart’s delight at the daytime and fear at night is a nice touch to show his emotions and the passage of time. He even gives a nice nod to the show’s continuity when Marge asks how he got the cell phone “The same way you got me. By accident – on a golf course.”
The Bad: Heading all the way to Peru without much thought is pretty silly. And how many times have we seen “Bart asserts his independence but ultimately needs his mother’s love” plots before?
One line seems to try and capture the classic ironic humour that made The Simpsons so good once. But it fails to hit its mark. Suddenly alone in the house Bart says he can do whatever he likes which happens to be: take a bath; eat some vegetables and go to bed early with no television. The point seems to be that without those things forced on him or perhaps with the alternatives no longer taboo, that’s what he would really enjoy. But there is no plausible reason given for why he would want those things, with a little more explanation that could have been funny.
Best Joke: Marge attempts to justify her actions by claiming that “Keeping track of someone because you love them is not wrong. It shows you care.” The shot pans out to reveal Moe secretly listening in plotting his conquest of Marge. Then another pan out to show the FBI watching Moe, preparing to arrest him.
The Bottom Line: A forgettable but not irritating episode.
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