Reviews WesternAnimation / The Simpsons

Steal this episode

Steal this episode, a modern classic It’s often repeated that The Simpsons underwent an irreversible Seasonal Rot in its later years. However some of my favorites come from the latter years, such as the angry dad duo (seasons 14-22), the creative medium blending of brick like me (season 25) and the poignant and mature Lisa’s belly (season 33). One particular favorite of mine is this season 25 chestnut. When Homer sees a radioactive man themed spoof of The Dark Knight Trilogy he becomes irritated by the pitfalls of modern theaters and decides to become a movie pirate, pirating the blockbuster and other upcoming films. When this gets on the FBI’s radar, he is pursued by a dogged agent voiced by a perfectly cast Will Arnett, bringing much the same deadpan comically serious he brought to LEGO Batman. Hoping to “Capture and hopefully stage the prison suicide” of Homer, he arrests him, with Marge reluctant to admit she is the snitch. This results in an amusing subplot at the Swedish Consulate, featuring a cameo by the legendary Rob Halford of Judas Priest, despite the Artistic License Music of calling the famous heavy metal band “death metal”. Arnett’s straight delivery provides much of the laughs, with some great gags involving fake stinkers like “Neptune needs Nephews” and an of its time cameo by Channing Tatum as a beefcake incarnation of Homer. The Skewed Priorities and Serious Business of the FBI brass, who consider pirating movies much worse than robbing a bank or drug trafficking, also provide some great gags. If you’ve given up on The Simpsons, watch this one and see if you like it.