It was going to be really beautiful episode…
Ok, let's forget. Let Mother Simpson never was. Homer thought his mom was dead until
My Mother the Carjacker, where he for the first met her. Wait a minute… this doesn't make sense too.
The problem in the story itself. According to this episode, Homer DID know Mona's alive for all years. What-a hell?!
I understood there could be continuity drops in episodes, run by Matt Selman, who doesn't really bother about it, but from Al "never-forget" Jean?! To finally end this issue - this is just the biggest writer's retcon of icon story
(even if by that time - season 7 - Al Jean left the Simpsons for The Critic for a while).
Now, the good left.
Hypothetically, if you didn't see The Simpsons until this, 33rd, season or retcon any continuity, timeline at all
like Matt Selman ("
The Simpsons episode can be watched from random episode without bother about its history, just remember the basement"), this episode was fine for you. Really good, not portending trouble, act 1, good animation, sometimes funny gags, lines - that was OK.
Well, in all ways, acts 2 and 3 are much worse than the 1st. Useless lines (Bart's "joke"), dialogues, repeated for some reason Abe alcohol problem, silly "what actually happened AFTER?" scene, mediocre references to early flashbacks, the meh ending with unclear credit scene (I discovered what was that, but still didn't get why it needed).
There are really much emotions here, delivered… let's say, good, though. But the story basement and curving (
I even wrote apologies for missing them) ruined this episode to be bad criticized.
plot 14/25
absurdity (the possibility of what is happening and whether I liked it) 21/25
comedy 16/25
originality (level of references and whether I liked them) 19/25
TOTAL 70/100 (strong
3/5, with rounding, or
C+) DECENT!