Simprovised

"Simprovised" is the twenty-first episode of the twenty-seventh season of the animated television series The Simpsons, and the 595th episode of the series overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on May 15, 2016, and includes a 3-minute live-animated segment in which viewers were able to ask Homer Simpson questions.

Plot

Homer is going to make an annual speech at the Nuclear Plant. His original plan is to repeat the comedy speech he did every year, but most of his punchlines were already used or they would be offensive, including jokes about Lenny's grandmother who is sick. This makes him so nervous that he passes out on the stage, leading to a trauma of public speaking. Trying to cheer Homer up, Marge takes him to a stand-up comedy show.

At the show, Homer is amazed by the actor's talent to improvise. He, Lenny, and Carl then decide to join an improvisation class, where Homer learns that he has a talent for improvising scenes. They decide to form their own stand-up comedy troupe at Moe's Tavern, where Homer's act is acclaimed by the public and the critics.

In a secondary plot, Bart and Lisa go to Ralph's birthday party, where Bart realizes that Ralph's new treehouse (built with money that Chief Wiggum took from the evidence locker) is much better than his old current treehouse. Feeling envious, he decides to destroy his treehouse. However, when he says that moms can't build a treehouse, Marge decides to work hard and build him the best treehouse she can.

At the new treehouse, Marge overhears Bart saying to Milhouse that there's no need to thank her, as she is only doing her job. She gets very angry at him, and storms off upset during dinner, where Homer learns he is invited to perform at the Springfield Fringe Festival. When Marge complains at him about Bart and learns about the fringe festival, she accidentally makes Homer insecure about his own act.

The next morning, Bart takes Marge's breakfast to her in her bedroom and apologizes (with Homer's help), and they both reconcile. Later at the festival, Moe advises a still insecure Homer that he should cheat on his improvisation act, letting Moe pick his premises. However, Lisa finds out about their plans and convinces Homer to make his show the proper way. He does so, and his on-the-spot act is well-received by the audience.

Homer is then seen taking questions from viewers as different characters (including Bender from Futurama picketing for another revival of his show) pass by him even when the credits roll.

In the international version of the final segment of the episode the characters and sight gags remain, however none of the audio of the live phone call questions or Homer's answers are aired. Instead Homer gives a three minute monologue chronicling his intentions to run for presidency, only to talk himself out of it by the end of his speech.

Reception

"Simprovised" scored a 1.2 rating and was watched by 2.80 million viewers, making it Fox's highest rated show of the night.^[1]

"Simprovised" received generally favorable reviews from critics with varying opinions on the story and humor. However, many reviewers noted the ambition of the live segment.

Dennis Perkins of The A.V. Club was positive on "Simprovised", giving it a B+. He explained "What’s so entertaining about Homer’s journey in 'Simprovised' is how it grows out of his character. Sure, the episode is pretty streamlined, since those last three minutes were set aside for the big ratings-grab, but lopping off the opening credits entirely helped. There’s even time for a truncated but effective B-story, with Marge getting pissed at Bart for not appreciating her building him a new treehouse. Honestly, underdeveloped, gag-happy storylines are a sad fact of life in modern-day 'Simpsons' but 'Simprovised' proves that—even when compressed—a simple story well told and rooted in the characters can be both funny and affecting."^[2]

IGN reviewer Jesse Schedeen gave the episode a 6.4/10. He criticized the episode itself, but enjoyed the improvised part, adding "For the most part, this episode was very textbook, late-era Simpsons fare. There were some humor to be had (mainly in the first act), but mostly a lot of missed opportunities and well-worn Simpson family drama. However, the live segment that closed out the episode was definitely a welcome change from the norm. That segment proved that this show still can take risks from time to time, and furthermore, that those risks can pay off."^[3]

Den of Geek's Tony Sokol was critical, giving the episode 2.5/5 stars, writing "The episode moved, but for a comedy show doing a show about comedy, the laughs were slim."^[4]

References