Episode 11 - The Crepes of Wrath
27 March 2012
Synopsis: Bart’s behaviour gets so bad that Principal Skinner suggests deportation. Or at least a student exchange programme. Bart heads off to France where he is mistreated by two unscrupulous farmers. While the Simpsons receive Adil, an Albanian student. Homer takes to the polite Adil who is actually an Albanian spy gathering intelligence.
The Good: Skinner and Homer discussing what to do with Bart is pretty fun (see Best Joke). And the writing set up plausible reasons for both men to be at the end of their tethers.
Adil and Bart’s stories both play out as you would expect. Bart’s discomfort allows him to appreciate how good he had it. While Homer’s complete ignorance over Adil’s true motives was fairly amusing. At one point concluding that “maybe Adil has a point about the machinery of capitalism being oiled by the blood of the workers.” Certainly the idea of children spies was a fun one, as Adil concluded “Sometimes I think I am getting too old for this game.”
The Bad: But in general this is more of a childish cartoon episode that doesn’t draw the viewer in. The French farmers are classic cartoon bad guys without much depth. While Homer’s “paper thin commitment” to Bart is almost sad.
Best Joke: Principal Skinner is trying to sell Homer and Marge on Bart’s trip to France. Marge points out that Bart doesn’t speak French.
PS: “Oh when he’s totally immersed in a foreign language, the average child can become fluent in weeks.”
H: “Yeah but what about Bart?”
PS: (Quickly) “I’m sure he’ll pick up enough to get by.”
The Bottom Line: A simple story without much to engage the viewer.
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