Rate/Review Brother's Little Helper

5 is good, 1 is bad ...like me, babe

  • 5/5 Orgasm!

    Votes: 34 20.1%

  • 4 Great

    Votes: 55 32.5%

  • 3 Meh

    Votes: 51 30.2%

  • 2 Crappy

    Votes: 20 11.8%

  • 1/5 Oh-so-gay

    Votes: 9 5.3%
  • Total voters
    169
Dr Zaius

Dr Zaius

Sorry to dissapoint
Joined
Apr 11, 2002
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I don't think this episode has ever been mentioned or reviewed before. It probably has, I dunno, can't be bothered to check.
Anyway, I'd says it's a "Meh" by least.
 
It started off somewhat funny and the first effects of Bart's medicine are interesting to watch, but when he gets paranoid the episode pretty much falls to pieces. Like many other episodes of the Scully era, the third act is a wacky, rambling seven minutes that wraps up things in a very poor fashion. Add in an unnecessary and unfunny guest star, and you've got yourself a 5.5/10 episode (3/5, C-).
 
3/5, Great first act, 'meh' second act, TERRIBLE third act.
 
Worth watching mainly too see Bart acting attentive, which I thought was fairly well-written. Good enough, despite some major flaws in the end. Grade: C+
 
This had pretty much any elements of an episode I hate. You name it, this episode has it. Poor characterization, and I'm being generous by saying poor. I don't know what it is, but while watching episodes from season 7 when they first aired, I never envisioned Bart wrapping himself in aluminum foil and putting a garbage can lid on his head. Of course, the concept of Major League Baseball spying on citizens was ridiculous to begin with. Progression was terrible. I must say that some of the Bart we saw in the first act was classic Bart behaviour, which while being a bit extreme, still had him doing things he should be doing. By the end of this one, he had aimed a tank towards the sky and shot down a satellite, which brings us to the guest role. The dingers line was a stupid way for the writers to avoid coming up with reasons to explain the crap they had created, and he did nothing to contribute to the episode otherwise. This plot also seemed promising to begin with. You would think some nice satire could be done on what happens to people on medication, as in side effects. Of course, any attempts at this were pathetic, obvious, in-your-face jokes too common during the Scully years. During any time where any emotion was attempted, Bart would respond with some perplexing cynical remark. The episode closed with a strange Popeye parody having nothing to do with anything, an action paralleled in Jaws Wired Shut. D+
 
I agree with everyone, the 3rd act spoiled what could of been a pretty good episode - C-
 
slightly less generous version of what Mike Scully said. I felt Bart's bad behaviour in the first act was far too crass, unfunny and, to quote the great man himself, "just senseless destruction, with none of (his) usual social commentary". Plenty of Scully hallmarks - immensely irritating Homer, IV druggings (what the hell was it with Scully and IV druggings?). However, Bart becoming "good" in the second act is well-written. However the episode bombs horribly in the third act for reasons which I don't think need reiterating. C
 
Terrible. Just terrible. OK, well from the third act onwards, terrible. The first two acts were quite decent themselves, with some classic Bart, and it was intriguing to see him in "clever" mode, with Lisa being slightly irritated. Then it all bombs, with Bart thinking up crazy conspiracy theories, therefore stealing a tank in order to shoot down a satellite. Major League Baseball spying on people? WHY? To add insult to injury, no reason is given, and Mark McGuire's cameo is nothing short of useless. The little sing-song by Bart at the end was pathetic and embarrassing to watch. End transmission.
 
If the whole third act (and maybe portions of the first and second act) was rewritten, this episode would be so much better. As it stands though, the first act is pretty good. Semi-tasteful jokes, including the Flanders fire safety thing which was one of the funniest parts of this ep. The second act was alright, especially the beginning - Homer trying to fire the pills into Bart's mouth was a small glimpse of classic Homer, imo. The third act crashed at 200mph - tanks, wacky baseball plots, stupid ending - the hallmarks of Mr. Scully! Overall, C, and that's being generous!
 
I actually thought this was quite a good episode, at least for season 11 standards, a wacky plot, but with some funny parts.
The 3rd act seemed to let it down a little, but it won't stop me from giving it a 4/5, or B
 
I just watched this episode like 20 minutes ago---
I liked the whole Idea of bart going crazy on drugs. crazy and drugs are funnnny. I liked most of the episode but what I didnt like was homer trying to shoot the focusin into barts mouth while he was playing video gamed and when he did all the dancing around after he took the focusin. homer wasnt very good in this episode.
 
Some of my favorite lines come from the 3rd act, e.g. "The frames store! You monster!" First two acts are solid as well. I've always taken a liking to this episode. One of my personal favorites from an overly-maligned season 11. This and Grift of the Magi are probably the only 5/5s from this season.
 
I haven't seen this probably since it first reran, but I remember liking it okay. Despite the ridiculous third act, it was still one of only about 5 episodes in the AABF run that I enjoyed. The potential of Bart being put on ADD meds was squandered, but at least it wasn't another Homer gets a new hobby episode. I'd probably give it a B-, which just barely rounds up to 4/5.
 
Just watched the whole episode.

Actually, I was heard a lot of people saying Season 11 is the worst. Now let me say that act 1 and act 2 was great with Bart showing effects of drugs. Then the third act was a disaster. Why would Major League Baseball inspect on our lives??? I know that was the time (1999) when the baseball was getting alive again (Mark McGwire and his corked biceps was the factor), but this is just a thought that's worse than sunday funnys.

The good:

+The first 2 acts
+It's good to see Maude again in clean animation
+The characterization was good until the third act

The bad:

-the orange/testicle joke, ugh
-disastrous third act that made no sense.

Grade: C+

Conclusion: In the future when I become a major leaguer, I'm going to stalk on some famous... girl celebrities with my amazing abilities! Haha
 
The whole thing is rather unfunny, maybe with a standout joke here or there (most notably "The frames store! You monster!"), but I really hate the way Bart is portrayed throughout the episode. His line "Sure, I can do something destructive" said to Skinner shows how Scully turned him from a mischevious under-achiever with an occassional meaningful side (Bart Gets An F, Bart Sells His Soul), into a one-dimensional obnoxious and malevolent ten year old. The turn at the end of the second act is awful as well, but seeing Bart acting studious was mildly entertaining - D
 
Dr. Bartley said:
Unlike some people I think this is a great Simpsons episode. The 3rd Act is so bad, it's hilarious. I always get a laugh out at Mark McGwire, when he tucks the satellite's records under his hat and looks around. Most of the other jokes are great too. One of the best. 5/5
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But...that's a stupid reason! If the 3rd act is bad, then it's bad. Even if you think it's funny due to it's badness...it's still bad. If you can actually confess that you know part of this episode is awful, then there's no reasonable way you can seriously give it a 5/5.

I agree that the third act ruined what seemed to be an incredibly promising episode. The first two acts were really well done, and I thought that it was really quite funny seeing Bart acting the way he did once he was taking the Focusyn.

C+
 
This really kicked off the modern Simpson guest star appearances.

More or less.. "Hi Simpson fans. My name is Mark Mcgwire. I am a baseball player"

UGgghhhhh
 
2/5
yech

EDIT: oops, I posted on the wrong thread. I thought this was another R&R thread.
Meh, it still get's a 2.5/5 from me.
 
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It was a good episode until Bart shoots down the baseball spying satellite from the sky. This is just personal opinion but I have a feeling it would've been funnier to have Bart's mission fail, have everyone convince him that the pills were making him think crazy thoughts, and then we learn that there actually IS a spy satellite. But for Bart to actually shoot it down, have Mark McGwire show up out of nowhere and take the secret info right in front of everyone without so much as a protest... makes no sense. It was funny when he sloppily stuck the paper under his cap, but it was so stupid it was funny.

Either that, or abandon the conspiracy plot entirely and offer a potentially interesting plot of Bart trying to quit the pills entirely, and show the side-effects of being Focusyn-less. They only -briefly- touched on that at the end, when they ease him onto Ritalin, and even then we don't see any withdrawal symptoms, just a Popeye parody.

Up until act three, I'd actually say it was "A" range. But act three dropped it to "B" range.
 
4/5-
I do like this episode, and have never really disliked it. But it seems a bit far fetched and crazy towards the end. I can't remember the episode too much, but it had some good jokes and a fun plot. Not too bad, but not the best episode of the season. Good-A-
 
Ivan P said:
But...that's a stupid reason! If the 3rd act is bad, then it's bad. Even if you think it's funny due to it's badness...it's still bad. If you can actually confess that you know part of this episode is awful, then there's no reasonable way you can seriously give it a 5/5.
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You're right. And it's definitely not one of the best episodes in the entire series either. I retract my review.
 
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