Episode 8 - The Fight Before Christmas
9 May 2011
Synopsis: Bart, Lisa, Marge and Maggie all have strange dreams on the night before Christmas.
The Good: The parody of the Muppet's Christmas Special was fairly interesting to watch. The change of animation and the addition of Katy Perry filmed live was unusual.
The Bad: Otherwise this was another of those episodes where the writers wish it was Halloween every week and indulge in fantasy and parody. I would have no problem with this if the stories had a purpose or any good jokes.
Bart's story was the best because at least it involved an interesting idea and attempts at humour (see Best Joke). The gags about Santa being hit by a recession and Bart's determination to confront him over the present he never got were passable but the story had no conclusion.
We then got an odd war story which seemed to be about Lisa not losing faith in Christmas but then finished with Marge acting out the closing scenes of Inglourious Basterds. Again this wasn't a parody; it was just a reconstruction of the movie but with Marge handling all the allied roles. What is the point of that?
We then moved on to a strange Martha Stewart story which mocked her and complimented her at the same time. Presumably she wouldn't have been involved if the parody had been too offensive but it left the story confused. After that came the Muppets parody which closed on a risqué joke from Katy Perry which shouldn't really be in a cartoon which will be watched by children.
Best Joke: Krusty playing Santa in Bart's dream has fallen on hard times. He points out that giving presents in exchange for cookies isn't a "sustainable business model." Krusty explains that things are so bad he is even eating his own reindeer now as he ladles some more reindeer stew into a bowl. Now that's parody.
The Bottom Line: Another episode with lots of ideas and no purpose.
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