Episode 11 - That '90s Show
4 January 2009
Review
Synopsis: Homer didn’t pay the heating bill and as the heating gets fixed Marge and Homer tell the story of the 90s. The Simpsons’ back story is rewritten so that Marge goes to college and Homer pays for her tuition. She falls for her professor while Homer becomes the founder of grunge music. In the end they get back together and conceive Bart.
The Good: I don’t have a problem with the Simpsons rewriting the history of the show. As a cartoon which has constantly added to its own past, I don’t feel it invalidates episodes which have gone before.
The 90s are pretty well covered here with references to Melrose Place, Seinfeld, Laser Tag, Microsoft, Bill Clinton and Weird Al amongst many others. The Nirvana parody songs are very well written and Homer’s transition from inoffensive hip-hop to Grunge is fun and clever. The incidental music is good and uses very recognisable 90s tunes.
There are a few jokes which land, such as the reference to slow internet speeds and the Iraq war.
The Bad: Professor August is a well written character. He covers every anti-patriarchal base you could think of and it is his fault, rather than Homer’s, that the Simpsons break up. However this is the same story we have seen a staggering number of times now. Marge leaves Homer but his love for her convinces her to return. Some formulas don’t work forever.
There is nothing here which is very surprising or original; the 90s is parodied in a very simple way. Jokes about George Bush are hardly a sign of sharp writers using a clever premise to make you laugh. The Back to the Future joke is kind of funny but it is completely out of place here as it is an 80s reference.
Best Joke: Marge: “We wouldn’t be in this trouble if you’d just paid the heating bill.”
Homer: “I thought global warming would take care of it. Al Gore can’t do anything right.”
The Bottom Line: An episode which tries to do something a bit different but even rewriting history can’t change the quality of the show. Despite the story being focussed and logical, the jokes are dull and predictable and the story ends as you know it will now and forever.
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