R&R: "Orange is The New Yellow"

How was the season finale?

  • 5/5: A welcome break from the rest of the season.

    Votes: 13 19.1%

  • 4/5: Prison wasn't as bad as it seemed!

    Votes: 16 23.5%

  • 3/5: I guess it was OK.

    Votes: 16 23.5%

  • 2/5: Well... It wasn't the worst.

    Votes: 16 23.5%

  • 1/5: The writer of this should have been arrested

    Votes: 7 10.3%
  • Total voters
    68
Egg

Egg

insert usertitle here
Joined
Jul 30, 2014
Messages
3,012
Location
Should've got off at Crackton
the-simpsons-2.jpg

May 22, 2016
Season 27 Episode 22
Previous R&R
Next R&R
When Marge gets arrested for letting Bart go to the park unsupervised, she serves time only to realize that prison is a welcome break from the demands of her life as a mom and wife. In her absence, Homer struggles to manage all of the parenting responsibilities that Marge usually handles.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The episode hasn't come out yet, but I think it'll just be like a normal episode, some funny parts, but that's about it. Maybe a 3/5 or a 2/5. Can't rate it 'til I see it, though.
 
First comes the Toyota commercial, and then the 10-second FOX 25 News promo! Let the show begin!

At least Lisa playing that fancy theramyn wasn't Flash-animated like the rest of the intro!

Oooh, this episode is written by the writer of my favorite Futurama episode, "A Flight to Remember." Hopefully it'll be good!

I liked seeing Ned Flanders getting hit by the police car.

Eh, unfortunately, it's not very funny. That seems to be a major problem when a Simpsons episode is written by a new writer during the Jean/HD era...
 
Last edited:
OK, I fixed it. Now for the number of FOX show commercials that ends with a Bob's Burgers promo, and then the ending of the episode.

Man, what a weak season finale..
 
Here we go!
*/-: Bland couch gag, but like the music.
* Montgomery Bird
Lame overly long gag.
** Starts stupid, ends stupid
--- Bart OOC. Why is he so eager to help?
** Car running over Flanders
End of act 1, blah. 5/10
** Marge's mother
* Weighs 240, smells like onions.
*** I Do, yeah
* Dad eating Teddy bear
** Marge with Flanders mustache
* Woman getting hit with shovel
** Shiv with blood
** Bart isn't legally your son
End of act 2, this is AMAZING! 10/10!
* Do you like me?
** Homer drinking gin
*** Hi Mr. BobCat
** Prison break
* Where's me Scrum?
* You pompous snow monkey!
** She uses too much product!
Closing Thoughts
Woo! That was good!
The plot was good, even if it was a rip-off of Marge In Chains. It also had decent social commentary on safety-consciousness, like how Marge gets arrested for 90 days just for letting Bart play unsupervised, and another 2 months for just shooting a gun. A rarity for modern Simpsons.
Of course, the plot isn't the main draw, like always. The main draw was that the humor was GREAT! The first act was a bit weak, but the rest, tons of jokes hit hard, and almost none were really bad! Scenes like Ralph and the Bob-cat were some of the best in some time, and others were strong. An incredible breath of fresh air.
8/10, overall, best of the year!
 
It was all right. I didn't care for Marge not wanting out of jail because she wasn't ready to face her family again, but it didn't turn into a marriage crisis like I feared. There were a few scenes that went on too long and some jokes that flopped, but nothing too bad. The subplot with the kids was short, but I kind of liked how it ended with the tornado. An unremarkable end to an unremarkable season.
 
Last edited:
I had a great time tonight! .. Once again I was taken on a animated Sunday Fun Ride! 5/5
..Made bitter sweet by the sad fact all the while I was saying goodbye to a good friend going off to Summer camp..
I eagerly await your Fall return, counting the days!
:gatorbang:

The REAL Montgomery Bird
220px-Robertmontgomerybird.jpg
 
Last edited:
That was pretty good. Not amazing or anything but way better than the last few episodes. It also kinda helps that I had really low expectations for this one and it turned out okay.
 
At least there's something to argue about until the new season starts - "were Marge's cellmates characters from Orange is the New Black, or not?"

Couch Gag directed by Michael Socha (animation direction by Jakob & Bartek Socha) and made by Acme Filmworks

When Maggie is scanned on the cash register in the opening, it changes to "READ AGAIN"

The billboard says "Wilted Mother's Day Flowers" - was somebody under the impression that the season would end last week?

Springfield Park is "single dutch only"

The police car license plate is #1DOOFUS

It's not exactly good for Marge's defense at her trial that Maggie is nowhere to be seen

The "Homer the Perfect Housewife" scenes appear to be based on the opening to The Donna Reed Show, although I'm pretty sure Reed never had a drinking problem

On the rugby pitch, the far set of goalposts are on what would be called the "end line" in football; they need to be on what is the "goal line" (and, in fact, the near posts are on the correct line)

There's another appearance of the "30-day month starting on Thursday" calendar page on the refrigerator

Why isn't Snowball II in the climactic "group hug"? Just like on CatDog - everybody loves the dog; nobody likes the cat
 
I liked this one a lot more than I expected. For one, they actually fleshed out why Marge likes being in prison. And, I have seen a few Orange is the New Black episodes, but I don't think there were too many references. (The only guest star credited was KMR, who was obviously the guard.) In fact, there may have been none outside the title (SImpsonsArchive did say that).

Even the super slow joke with Burns' machine worked. Probably because the jokes were about it being super slow.

It is nice to see Kirk and Luanne getting along again. It's also nice to see that the gift baskets weren't the solution to everything (loved Homer's talk about the muffins).

I give it a 4.5 out of 5. Third best episode this season to me.

I would say "I wish they'd done more with Homer keeping the house together", but that would be too much like "Marge in Chains". I liked the Donna Reed parody.
 
I was hoping they would go more in depth with Marge's relationship with the other inmates but whatever. Fairly decent ep that had the opportunity for good emotion that ultimately got wasted. I couldn't really sympathise with either Homer or Marge here. Would've preferred it if they had ended the season with the family hug, rather than that dumb '50s joke just to fill some time. 3/5
 
Orange is the New Yellow is probably better than Mathletes Feat last season, granted that this one had more jokes which I kind of chuckled at (Homer's daydream as a househusband for example.) However, for me the premieres of this show were better than the episode itself in a whole.

I know this is not something they can help due to commercial time cutting into the program, but man the pacing on this was pretty bad, especially the last act. Like, for instance suddenly there was a tornado, Homer broke into the prison during the riot, afterwards we have a convenient weather change when Marge and Homer reconcile, then suddenly everyone is at home and they hug all within the span of probably five minutes. It's a lot to get together within a short span, and it kind of seems shallow to me.

Interesting thing to note and because my club are a bunch of huge Burnsmithers geeks is how Burns is behaving more 'gleeful' post Burns Cage; both within the show and on Tapped Out. His peculiar behavior is still present and I am wondering if they are leading up to something for next season. In a recent interview Al Jean mentioned that Burns is going to try to create a family in season 28, practically "buying one" by using an artificial virtual reality. Yeah, yeah I know what most of you are thinking about him and family especially how it is practically an obstacle towards making more money and even he mentioned it was a demon which needed to be slayed, but with his recent peculiar behavior I think Burns is mellowing down just a bit on the solitary side. At least what I have pieced together it seems to be like that?

But enough about that. Uh, other things which come to mind about this episode. I wanted to see more of how Homer fared at home with the kids? Like a glimpse into half-assed parenting then see him really try hard much like what we got in $pringfield. It was actually noble to see the rest of the neighbors chip in for a bit, though to be fair with them being the town's nuisance family, wouldn't the others ignore them (except Flanders?)
 
Couch gag was WAY funnier than last year's season finale. The jokes were pretty funny and the ending was sweet. 10/10
 
Last edited:
Surprisingly solid episode. Jokes and animation were spot on, story was believable and easy to follow, and I liked the sweet resolution at the end with the whole family. Bart and Flanders were especially funny. I was also glad that the Orange is the New Black references were really toned down (unlike the abysmal Girls parody).

The black and white TV intro was a bit odd at the end, took a moment for me to get that they meant it was season 6 of Homer's imaginary sitcom.

4.5/5 from me
 
wiley207 said:
First comes the Toyota commercial, and then the 10-second FOX 25 News promo! Let the show begin!
Click to expand...

I've noticed you've mentioned Fox 25 news promos in the last few rate/review threads. Are you referring to WFXT out of Boston? If so, you have the same affiliate as me. Are you also seeing 7:59 start times for new episodes? It happened AGAIN last night, cutting off the chalkboard gag...

As far as last night's episode goes, it felt an awful lot like Marge in Chains. Not terrible, but definitely forgettable. 3/5
 
Yes Ramier, it IS the same affiliate. But it started right at 8:00 for me last night, and the entire opening played after the news promo. They've gotten better at it, unlike last season where they WOULD frequently start at 7:59.
 
I don't know about this one, probably 3.2/5. I really liked the scenes with Homer and Flanders though.

When Lisa yelled out "Kafkaesque!" I couldn't help but think of Jesse Pinkman saying "Yeah...Totally Kafkaesque...Majorly."
 
This episode was a lot better than the ones we got recently, and the best season finale since Dangers On A Train from season 24. It felt like a good watch with a lot of good jokes and a simple plot to follow. The couch gag is fun, maybe it dragged on for a bit to long. It had a catchy song that never got boring though. I liked that new instrument of Lisa to make music, voicing the Simpsons tune over it.

The main plot starts off well with that old device from Mr Burns, accompanied by a fun song with an impatient Homer. Atleast the episode didn't get to the point of Marge getting angry at Homer for being late, we've been there already. Bart wanting to help his mom may feel out of place for his character, but he's actually done that before in Bart of Darkness. In both cases, he wasn't actually helping but rather annoying Marge. I liked most of the peoples overreaction of Bart being in the park alone, some good Wiggum moments and I like how Marge's mom got arrested when she told of her same history. Marge's cellmates lacked proper characterisation and they never stood out as interesting independants. While I never watched the show thats being supposed to be the parody for this episode, I fail to see any traits of it being parodied in any way. It was somewhat believeable for Marge wanting to remain in prison, being the more resty place compared to home. Not sure what to think of Marge randomly shooting with a gun to get arrested. Also it felt like a very weird reaction for Marge to start attacking a giant prisoner, but I liked the way she reacted so angry and just attacked her. At first it just felt dumb that she's able to knock down a woman with that size with her hair, but later in the episode its shown that she uses a lot of products to make it that hard.

This little subplot with the rest of the family holding up has its moments. I like how Flanders want to take care of the family, reminding himself how difficult it is to lose your wife, despite in a different context. Millhouse and later the rest of the kids being leashed is pretty funny. The ending was rather good with Marge returning home, I feel like they could've done a bit more with the tornados presence. I like how Homer tried to win Marge back while whacking on other people. The joke with Wiggum calling himself is probably the funniest of the episode. A cute ending with the family stuffing themselves in the storage closet, never wanting to lose eye on Marge. The black & white parody was fun the first time, but just confusing at the second time.

Its a decent Simpson episode, maybe not material enough to call it a good finale but it managed to be an enjoyable watch. Its premise is very comparable to Marge In Chains, but I never got the impression to think back of that episode and it felt like this had plenty of new stuff to call it different enough. There were a lot of good jokes, the plot is okay and for the rest nothing cringeworthy.

4/5
 
Orange Is The New Yellow 3/10

# Like I've said before, I care zero about the cloud gags. But this one is worth mentioning as they actually point out it's the season finale, which is the first time that kind of thing has happened.
+ Couch gag is fine.
½- The "Homer says it's a certain day but it's actually not that day" joke done again. Meh.
+ Mr. Burns keeps Homer at work with plumbing. This is a pretty funny bit.
? How did Maggie get a hand of the garage opener?

Nothing of note happens for 2 minutes, not worth reporting.

- Sigh, a smartphone joke. Great.
+ Wiggum's pun "Sylvester Alone" elicited a smile from me.
+ I like how they parody the cliché of cops drawing their guns.
-- But seriously, Marge is arrested just for leaving her 10-year-old son alone at the park? When he's not even hurt or anything? This is ridiculous!
+ Wiggum winking at the family from the car window was amusing at least.
? Don't really get what Kent Brockman means when he says neglience is boring.
- Jacqueline is arrested so they can make a really bad Hannibal Lecter joke.
-- Helen Lovejoy claims Marge is a bad mother. God, I've always hated Helen, she's so annoying.
--- Look, I know what kind of town this is. But even for Springfield, giving someone 90 days for letting their 10-year-old off at the park for a few minutes is FUCKING STUPID!
- The bad jokes start immediately with Marge in prison.
+/- Some townspeople help Homer out with food which is sweet I guess, although Helen's presence is pretty weird since she for some reason always has hated Marge.
- Poor joke with Kirk being pathetic. I mean, I think Kirk can be hilarious, he's one of the most underrated characters. But the way they misuse him nowadays is so cringeworthy, I really want to see his character utilized better.
+/- Marge is kicking someone down when she's having enough of being put down, but I mean... There's just something about the execution which bothers me. Perhaps it's the bland direction of the scene which is at fault.
+? -? Ned reveals he helps Homer and his family out so much because he knows how it's like to lose a wife himself. Okay, what the fuck man! That is just dark :(
-- Marge hangs up on her family because she thinks they get too talky. Wow. Just wow.
-- She later also mocks Homer when he was worried she would go to the chair. GOD!
+ (after someone who was beaten gets into her cell) "Everyone falls asleep here so easily!"
+ Prisoners move in a body when Marge goes away because she has a visitor.
--- If the plot wasn't already awful, it sure got a lot worse now! Marge is somehow sad Homer managed to make her free, so she shoots with a gun in the air to make sure she can stay?! WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?!?!?!
--- This also makes the joke where Homer wants Marge to help him with something even worse.
+ Homer says "Somebody up there must like me". Jesus says to God that he doesn't. Heh.
+ Homer has a vision of himself as the perfect homemaker, which is funny. I also like how it fails due to him being a "secret alcoholic", as well as Moe's tongue-in-cheek comment: "Thank God it's only your imagination."
- Homer has a lot of kids on a leach, which is... not a very good joke.
- Oh, NOW you miss your family, Marge? SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THAT BEFORE YOU USED A GUN, YOU STUPID SON OF A...!
+ When was the last time we saw Arnie Pye? Nice to see him again anyway.
-- Kavner's voice is terrible for the first 2 lines when Marge sees Homer dressed as a prison guard.
- Homer doing his "guard routine" isn't funny.
+/- Bart and Lisa being clingy was cute I guess, but I mean... The emotional ending with the family hugging in the closet doesn't work because of how poorly characterized Marge has been in this episode.
# I was expecting Abraham to be kicked out when he entered the closet, but he wasn't. Good, that would've been a predictable joke.

Holy crap, talk about going out with a storm, eh? Just kidding, this episode is terrible! I couldn't care about the story at all, since it was such a blatant rehash of Marge In Chains. Even how Homer treats the whole situation was pretty familiar. Let me talk about how garbage the writing here is. In Marge In Chains, we felt sorry for Marge because she had pushed to the breaking point and then shoplifted. It was a crime for sure, but we rooted for her since she did something she didn't mean to and got crap for it. But here? She gets 90 days in prison for a absolutely retarded reason (which almost makes me hate Wiggum) and as if that wasn't bad enough, she would rather spend TWO MORE MONTHS in prison than see her family! Okay, if you really fucking hate your family that much, maybe you should see a therapist instead????? Because anyone willing to spend more time in prison over seeing their family has some serious mental issues. Isn't Marge supposed to be the loving and caring mother? And doesn't she love her kids no matter what? Apparently not! Look at Homer Alone. She just needed a break, then she went back and felt like normal again. But this was not about a break. SHE WOULD RATHER SPEND TIME IN PRISON THAN FUCKING SEE HER FUCKING FAMILY!
The jokes were just horrible as well, I didn't even react sometimes. That part with Flanders sad over his wife was also so fucking weird I didn't even know what to say. What was that all about???
Dreadful season finale, a real stinker.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top