Rate & Review: "Goo Goo Gai Pan" (GABF06)

How would you rate this episode?

  • 5/5

    Votes: 55 19.6%

  • 4/5

    Votes: 106 37.9%

  • 3/5

    Votes: 68 24.3%

  • 2/5

    Votes: 32 11.4%

  • 1/5

    Votes: 19 6.8%
  • Total voters
    280
Cole

Cole

where is everyone
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From SNPP

Shame that Selma didn't stay married longer to Disco Stu when she discovers that single women are not allowed to adopt Chinese babies, so she decides to pretend that she's married...to Homer.

You can view the preview/speculation thread for more details on this episode.

The thread and poll will open once the episode airs.

Also, could an admin or mod check on this thread at the episode's end to make sure it's open? I might be cutting it close. Thanks.
 
A nice episode ,3.5 out of 5. I loved the end credits with David Silverman ,that was amazing.
 
it was a pretty good episode... the end was alright with the learning on how to draw bart .. but we all pretty knew how to already... 4/5
 
good story, decent laughs, and a nice ending for once too. not a waste of time, unlike some of the previous episodes this season in which I forgot the next day what happened.

B
 
I really liked this one.

Did anyone notice that Mao was draped in a Soviet flag with the hammer and sickle, not the stars.
 
i gotta say i really enjoyed it. i thought the first act was really really funny. the robert wagner video, while much like the gary busey vid, was hilarious. Homer wasnt annoying at all and i think every character was used well. The method of getting the baby back was a little out there, but still... it wasnt that bad.

A solid 4/5 (but not much higher)

great couch gag, innovative bonus 'scene'
 
Here we go...a decent episode. Liked the "How to draw Bart" segment at the end (finally learned that his hair has 9 spikes!).

4/5
 
Heh, nice end bit by David Silverman.

I felt the plot carried along nicely. Funny how in the course of a couple of episodes they've changed the complete dynamic of Patty and Selma--now one's a lesbian and the other has a child. Not as bad as the Scully character changes, though. Killing off Maude was the worst thing the show did to change a character, and the Apu/Manjula octuplets thing was just silly.

Unfortunately, this episode wasn't as funny as I'd want. Most of the jokes were still the same old 'hey look how different they are' jokes from previous wacky-vacation episodes.

Weak, but not horriffic, like other character-change episodes.
 
I'd say this is one of the best this season. Nice surprise with David Silverman at the end there too. He's an amazing artist.
 
Not gread but not bad either. A solid 3/5 for me. I didnt find myself lauging much at all, but it was a really well put together episode otherwise, its nice to see a heartfelt episode once in awhile.
 
The biggest thing I look for in Simpsons episodes is the laugh-out-loud humor, and this episode was full of it.
Best of the season, barely beating Mommie Beerest

5/5
 
Very solid episode, and better than There's Something About Marrying. They got the plot moving along in the first two minutes, and wanting a child aside, it didn't rip off Selma's Choice. They actually had a reason for an international adventure, and it remained focused. Everyone was in character, and the jabs at China were amusing and good natured. I'm also happy that Moe didn't make another appear, though the cat lady did. :( They really need to cut back on Homer injuries though, as with gags about Mr. Burns' organs. The ending was sweet, yet weird, and I hope Ling stays. It should be an interesting angle to Selma, granted they do something with it. Lucy Liu did a good job as Madame Fu. No classic, but a very solid episode.


PS: Glad the panda only choked Homer. ;)


Season rankings:
-Sleeping With the Enemy: A
-Mommy Beerest: A/A-
-Goo Goo Gai Pan: A-
-Fat Man And Little Boy: A-
-There's Something About Marrying: B+
-Midnight Rx: B+
-THOH XV: B+
-Pranksta Rap: B
-Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass: B
-All's Fair in Oven War: B/B-
-She Used To Be My Girl: B-
-On A Clear Day, I Can't See My Sister: C/C+
 
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Well, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't sensational either. My main gripe is that Homer hijacked the plot too often, and when he did, we got all manner of Scully-esque injuries and physical gags (the chair stunt, the hook in the nose, Ling grabbing his eyes, the porcupine/acupuncture thing, and the monk ripping his heart out). A few other gags fell flat too, such as Mr. Burns' lungs popping out, the dragons singing at the end, and the Bart impostor's second appearance. But that's not to say the episode wasn't a total waste - Selma was well-characterized, and some of the China satire was pretty good (the Tiananmen Square gag in particular). I suppose this means that Ling's adoption is a permanent change to the show, and I'll just have to see how it develops. Overall, a very middle-of-the-road episode. 3.5/5

P.S. They'll do ANYTHING to stop the network from compressing the credits, won't they?
 
A very nice episode. I think many will be happy with the fact that the story was focused on Selma's pending adoption, and not on Homer causing mischief around the world. (Has anybody noticed that Homer doesn't say "D'oh!" that much anymore?)

I also liked the ending credits, although I was expecting them to tell us what happened to the REAL Bart Simpson. That Chinese fake Bart was funny though.

"Feast on my pants, you stupid father Man!"

And once again, The Simpsons continue with their line of Troy McClure substitutes. This time, it was Robert Wagner, which was a pretty funny video.

I think things from here on in are going to be a little different for Patty and Selma.

5/5
 
I wasn't expecting much from this episode, and I got just enough to make me say I liked it. I didn't like Mr. Burns' lungs as airbags, or Homer's heart taken out of him, and the dragon thing was kinda stupid (was that real or imaginary?) But I wanted a lot of China, and that's what I got, with all 5 Simpsons, Selma, and little Ling touring China in the final 2 acts. Lucy Liu makes my favourite guest spot this season to date. Favourite line: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on Wu."

BTW, I hope the closing credits commentary stays through to syndication (it probably will, as the credits aired over it) - there were some season 9 episodes featuring the drawings of Simpsons characters over a split screen that didn't make the cut, and it will be cool to see one that does. Now, Silverman, can you tell me how to draw the Chinese spy disguised as Bart? "Don't have a cattle, dude."

My grade: 3/5. Not horrible, not outstanding, just average.
 
I hadn't entirely expected it, but this episode was in fact the usual Simpsons travel episode, although what made this one far less stereotypical and annoying than previous vacation episodes is how plot-driven this one was. The vacation was entirely just a backdrop setting for the storyline to unfold in. In the first act, it seemed as though the episode was treading "Selma's Choice" territory hugely, and the China setting did make this feel entirely different. All in all, I very much enjoyed the unfolding scheme, having Homer continuously play up the role as Selma's husband, as well as the rest of the family going along (aside from Maggie, who I assume stayed with Patty at home).

In terms of humor, there were definitely more hits than misses, but there were still some that didn't work. I didn't care for the recurring singing dragon joke (especially at the end, which I would have prefered ending with the spy Bart joke). The only other joke that really comes to mind was Burns' lungs, which was just a bit too cartoony for me. The good stuff was mainly Wagner's video (so they're getting celebs these days to do Troy's old job, I guess), Selma's interview with the chinese baby adoption agency in act one, the Chinese version of "Death of a Salesman" and a few of the slip-ups relating to the family's scheme. Homer as a Buddha statue was something that has been waiting to be done for 16 years as well, which was a very enjoyable visual.

I guess Patty and Selma are getting a total position make-over in the show now that Patty's a lesbian and Selma now has an adopted baby. I don't think either will have an influence on the show itself, since both characters havn't had much screentime or story involvement in the last few seasons.

4/5

PS: Honestly, what on earth was the point of David Silverman showing how to draw Bart at the end? I guess the deleted scenes from this episode must have been too terrible to even show in the end credits. Still, very weird and unnecessary.
 
5/5- Because first Lucy Lid diden't star as herself and Robert Wagner did a good job being a usefull guest star unlike 50 cent 3 weeks ago. And the ending was a good solid ending because it was not predictable and they diden't screw it up. The jokes about China were good and funny like Krusty Fried Chicken or the chinese dancers. The one gross thing was when Mr. Burns crashed hir car and his lungs came flying out.
 
This was the best vacation episode since the classic era and is better than average for the season, it would have been better if Selma hadn’t gotten the baby at the end.

The opening scene with Mr. Burns and Selma ok, but the airbag/lung joke was disgusting. Giving Selma menopause was a good way to kick off the main plot and created more empathy for her. The video was ok, but it really makes me miss Troy McClure. Why did we not know that Robert Wagner was guest starring until the episode aired? Giving Jubjub a small roll early in the episode was a nice touch.

At first, I thought it would have been better if the whole family didn’t have to go to China, but it turned out to make the episode all the funnier. The dragon jokes weren’t funny. Homer getting beat up was funny in spite of being a typical Homer pain joke, in part because we all knew what was going to happen. Homer falling on the chairs on the other hand was not funny. The Mao and Tibet jokes were great.

Dressing Homer as Buddha to get Ling back was one of the better uses of his weight in the past few years, but the hook joke was another stupid Homer pain joke. Selma and Homer’s speech to the Liu character was effective and emotional. But they should have gotten back to the status quo. The Panda joke at the end was the biggest letdown in the episode.

This is the second vacation episode in a row that forgot about Maggie.

David Silverman showing people how to draw Bart was a great way to avoid having Fox run commercials over the end credit.

A-
 
Tomacco said:
PS: Honestly, what on earth was the point of David Silverman showing how to draw Bart at the end? I guess the deleted scenes from this episode must have been too terrible to even show in the end credits. Still, very weird and unnecessary.
Click to expand...
there was no point. but it still beats seeing the credits in a two inch box on the bottom of the screen while we're informed what's going to happen on the next installment of "super popular reality tv show!"
 
Pat said:
there was no point. but it still beats seeing the credits in a two inch box on the bottom of the screen while we're informed what's going to happen on the next installment of "super popular reality tv show!"
Click to expand...

I would have prefered nothing, to be honest, since this had absolutely nothing to do with the episode and just kinda threw focus away from it very quickly.
 
the couch gag & first act had the makings of a classic episode, but unfortunately it went downhill after that. Other than a moment here & there, the 2nd & 3rd acts felt uninspired, like the writers were simply fufilling a quota for "international" episodes...

A "weak" 3/5...
 
Tomacco said:
PS: Honestly, what on earth was the point of David Silverman showing how to draw Bart at the end? I guess the deleted scenes from this episode must have been too terrible to even show in the end credits. Still, very weird and unnecessary.
Click to expand...
I thought it was great, and it would be nice if they'd do more of these. Perhaps one of the writers could say something at the end. It's better than FOX replacing the real credits sequence with commercials and roll the credits by quickly on the bottom.
 
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