I'm kinda suprised to see so much negativity on this episode, I quite enjoyed it myself. And it doesn't happen often that my opinion on a modern episode differs that much from others. The thing that I like a lot in this episode is that Homer once again gets sidelined so all the other family members (even Maggie!) gets the most screentime. It seems that this has been a case in a lot of episodes this season. To start off, the couch gag started off fun with Skinner being the one doing the chalkboard gag, but I didn't get the joke with the scene in the spaceshuttle as I've no idea why Homer would be the one that died.
Continuing to the main plot, apparently Marge has never liked Jazz without Lisa knowing, yet we haven't seen her dislike towards it before. I don't think the plot was that rushed, but it could've been better at some places. Like why was she even really that mad, is it because Marge has pretended for so long to like jazz, or simply because of the fact that she doesn't like that musicstyle? It occured some funny and somewhat sweet scenes like Marge trying to hug Lisa, and how Marge gave Lisa new peals in a flashback. Having Marge wanting to spend a weekend with Lisa is relatable for that matter, having an angry Lisa around wasn't as bad as I expected. The scenes with the dream tour and Marge witnissing some broadway commercials took way to long and didn't do much to me, a common flaw in this episode is stretching out their joke scenes for to long while the emotional aspect is kept on a short leash. The hotel scene was good, but the emotion felt a bit forced at times. I like how they brought up the 17 seasons advertisement (while it is actually 18 seasons when you include season 20). The musical scene is meh and drags on a bit to long, I liked the jokes with Marge and Lisa in the audience more like leaning with their arms and Lisa pretending to mother herself. I didn't care much for the quest star and I just looked at him as some celebrity from their universe, and this plot just kinda ended when Lisa realised she was being annoying... and to finish it off yet another musical song. At that point I was pretty tired of all the songs.
The subplot is probably the more enjoyable one to me, its already unique that its the first time Bart and Maggie team up in the show. Only took them 27 seasons to do so. I thought the episode started out well with an outdated joke from Bart, Molemans joke was good, Cletus not so much, the Van Houtens were meh, but it was a nice suprise to see characters from another show step in and make fun at Barts outdated prank. The football commercial was pretty fun, apparently Shary Bobbins returns despite being killed off before. That one scene with Bart and Ralph at school happened and ended so sudden, it felt unnecesary as we already knew that everyone finds Barts jokes not that good at that point. But I guess they really wanted to show that not even Ralph can be fooled, oh and apparently Ralph is pretty strong to walk trough a wall. Then another sudden scene with Bart throwing some physical prankgear away, with a continuity error where Skinner likes peanuts. But once Bart gets to hold Maggie, thats when the jokes finally come. I can say I pretty much loved them all, using Maggie's pacifier as a swing, Maggie rpetending to be tall, the rollercoaster scene, the fighting scene with Gerald, Maggie pretending to be an angel, they were all good. But then the plot just ends with one last prank to make Maggie look like Bart, I thought it looked funny and how Homer almost strangled Maggie, and how he's not okay with it despite choking Bart so often. Its a very good subplot with some great jokes, but it felt way to short.
Overall I'm just suprised that this episode isn't well liked, when you look at all the flaws I'd call it average at worst. But I enjoyed it for what it was, 2 good plots where Homer atleast isn't involved in that much. I wish they asked Matt Selman to write this episode instead, feels like it would've been way better. What I liked the least about this episode is the ending for the main plot, as it felt rushed with to many musical scenes. And how short the subplot turned out to be, it feels like they spended way to long to make Barts prank fail to work, rather then giving some more screentime with the Bart/Maggie duo. For the rest some emotion missed, but for most of the part I liked Marge's and Lisa's chemistry.
4/5