Rate & Review: "Lisa the Boy Scout" (UABF21)

How would you rate this episode?


  • Total voters
    73

While I don't necessarily agree that the show needs to fully embrace some of the wackier introduced concepts from episode's like Lisa the Boy Scout and run with them beyond the confines of a 22-minute episode... I have been actively expressing apathy towards them not adequately following up on what has been sold to us as a "change in the canon" and then consequently dropped without explanation.
I like the video, but I think Lisa the Boy Scout was the wrong episode to use as the springboard for it, which does make the video fall a bit flat. I'd also say that the mixed reaction here to changing Sarah Wiggum or Brandine recently shows that the idea the remaining fanbase would accept everything isnt necessarily true. That being said, that's just here, I dont really know what people thought of it on say, reddit. And everyone has loved what Boyz in the Highlandz did to Martin and are just waiting for the follow up (to your point.)

Also while I do feel too many format benders could tire people out in theory, Lisa the Boy Scout kind of works off the surprise of seeing it and its conversation directly with the audience, two things My Life as a Vlog didnt have since we knew what it was in the first place. I dont think it would have been as popular in isolation anyways
 
Hold on a minute, I think I've seen this episode title for UABF21 before (since somewhere around early December of 2021, I believe). You know, before it was changed somewhere last year. Although I guess we probably already saw why this episode was originally called 'Love, Hacktually'

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It was almost hipnotic to watch. I like the surreality of it all and I wish they would break from norm more often like this.

Prof. Frink on Mars was my favorite gag!
 
Wait for cleaning tears after act 3.😂

The concept and the way the episode had been developed was genius. Going from accurate and "clever" shorts in act 1, where it felt they are really not sure what're doing (and we as viewers - what we're watching) to more out-of-context, crazy, hit-or-miss, random act 2 and all great act 3 of the string of hardcore stupidness.

Speaking of act 3 a bit, great the old long "ban' on clip shows was ruined (in further there also were other 2 eps with past clips in season 34). And also funny, how the fake wraparound wasn't left behind. Like there was some kind of "standard" story (weird to say, but I've just thought it was would be rehash of "Bart vs. Lisa vs. 3rd Grade") with a note of self-satire "While you were missing we with mom almost divorced" :lol: .

As for hackers they were funny. Even their love story was told. Super! Like also satire on the Simpsons football boost (ironically the episode just aired after it).

Favorite clips: Bart and predictions, Martin the adult, Homer's apologies, Skinner and Agnes' one secret (emotionally, in fact), nice CBG, Raphael, Santa's Little Helper and all the act 3 (the biggest cry came after Homer's comma theory🤣🤣🤣)

plot 20/25
absurdity level (the possibility of what is happening and whether I liked it) 24/25 (if I wouldn't like here obviously was 2 points)
comedy 21/25
originality (level of references and whether I liked them) 24/25 (minus for that montage of fake episode titles)

TOTAL 89/100 (5/5, rounded up from 4,5, or B+). GREAT!
 
An episode I wish I'd liked more.

Let's face it: the idea is genius. A series like The Simpsons, with its longevity, and its fanbase, is ideal for exploring this kind of concept. The episode is full of great self-references and self-deprecation. Never before the show addressed its fans so directly. It's clear the writers had a good time.

My problem? It's terribly uneven. Some segments are genius. Others are... totally insignificant for me.

The one with Frink, or the one with Willie and McCallister, seemed rather irrelevant to me (this is what's supposed to "destroy the value of the intellectual property" of the Simpsons? it's pretty not big of a deal, though). And it doesn't make me laugh, anyway.
But there is others I really liked. The one with the Skinners is funny. So is the little series of revelations. I particularly liked Homer waking up from his coma ... a bit depressing, but that's precisely what I liked! Excellent false twist.
My biggest laugh was during the Santa's Little Helper scene, really great joke.

Appart from that: I don't care much about the hackers' love story. It breaks the atmosphere, because it's too light, and it's not funny anyway.

Finally, I don't find the direction very immersive. It doesn't feel like a live hack. Why are the extracts titled? Why are there several camera angles during the dialogues between the two hackers? It's a detail, I know, but it's a shame.

Great conclusion, though. Marge and Homer saying they "almost got divorced over something insignificant" as the family rides off into the sunset is kind of the icing on the cake. That, and the line "The only people still watching that show are football fans who passed out with the TV on."

An uneven episode, but well worth seeing.
 
I'm very confused with this one. On the one hand, I can see its many merits. I can see why it's a triumph for most fans. This is an original and truly innovative episode, totally different to what we are used to watch. It's even special as a format-bender episode. It's the most self-aware episode ever produced by this show, also the most experimental, or one or them at least. It makes fun of everything and of everyone, including clips where they are harsh with some of the most hated scenes of all-time. Also, it's arguably the most viral episode of The Simpsons in quite some time, which I guess it was the main objective. The segment of Martin as an adult has been widely commented across the internet. The same goes to the one that brings to life the fan theory that Eedie is Ralph's. They both have been highly relevant. I am away from this show and even so I knew a lot about this episode. And some other stories were also successful in that aspect, like Bart going back to the pilot of the show or the crazy backstory of Raphael. And at the end of the day, it's quite entertaining and truly worth-watching.

BUT... at the end of the day, this is nothing but 22 minutes of bizarre shitty clips. And maybe I'm alone, but I grow tired of that rapidly. I don't know, I wish I'd like it more, but I can't appreciate that much a piece of content that constantly had me with a comptent, disconcerted face, and repeating once and again what the hell am I watching. That's the purpose, I know, but it didn't work that well for me. Also, quite a few clips were just out-of-tone and just random. Not provocatively random like, say, the one where Santa's Little Helper speaks, but mediocrely random: the one where Lisa speaks French remains as the worst, but just to mention some of them: Homer's apology to Finland, Homer getting a football team, or that story of Willie and the Captain were just plain and simple. And, in a mark where they can do literally whatever they wanted, it felt flat. Also, I wasn't a fan of the wraparound story of the British lovers, though I have to say, I really liked how they managed the fake-ou story of Lisa and Bart in the Boy Scout camp. Gotta say, the line of Homer implying he had marital problems with Marge was genius.

I'd be unfair and unreasonable if I rate it with less than a 3. But I'd be lying to my feelings if I rate it with more than a 3. So...

3/5
 
at the end of the day, this is nothing but 22 minutes of bizarre shitty clips. And maybe I'm alone, but I grow tired of that rapidly
Nah, you're not alone. It's like watching a bad episode of Robot Chicken in which all but one or two of the skits are awful, and the best you're able to get from that skit or two that isn't trash is a small chuckle, but also with some crappy unfunny framing material that does nothing but stop the episode dead every time we cut back to it. There's a reason why I refer this as 22 Shitposts About Springfield, and also gives the vibe of misusing the word "Satire" as a shield.

Homer getting a football team
I thought this was one of the two skits that weren't total duds. The other was Selma throwing the glass at Homer, though they ruined it by repeating the joke two more times.
 
BUT... at the end of the day, this is nothing but 22 minutes of bizarre shitty clips. And maybe I'm alone, but I grow tired of that rapidly. I don't know, I wish I'd like it more, but I can't appreciate that much a piece of content that constantly had me with a comptent, disconcerted face, and repeating once and again what the hell am I watching. That's the purpose, I know, but it didn't work that well for me.

If I thought the episode was nothing but shitty clips, I wouldn't rate it 3/5 :lol:

But seriously though, I think that the risk with doing a 'Robot' Chicken-type skit show episode is that there will obviously be a an uneven quality among the clips, but I do think this worked out as a really interesting experiment for the show (that has never done anything liek this before and maybe not since either), though I can see why a few, such as yourself, are completely underwhelmed by it.

I think some will definitely think the show doing something really outside the box like this will be offputting and not feeling like a good fit for the show at all and cannot get intro the odd and bizarre tone and feel of the episode (and sounds like you've overdosed on shows that rely on skits, as you said you've rapidly grown tired of bizarre clips. Also as you said you constantly watched it with a contemptful (suppose that what you meant with "compent") & disconcerted face, I assume you went into it being skeptical, knowing the premise). I guess it could be considered one of those episodes that require a certain mindset when watching it (kinda).

At the very least, even if one doesn't like it, I think the show and the producers should at least be appreciated here for trying something completely new with this one instead of doing things like rehashing old ideas and concepts.
 
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If I thought the episode was nothing but shitty clips, I wouldn't rate it 3/5 :lol:
Haha, maybe "shitty" was not the best word to use. But wacky and bizarre stuff like this will never be among my favorite stuff to watch. And this episode is 22 minutes of that. I don't think it's a kind of content that really fits in The Simpsons, not even a single time only for an experiment. While I am always in favor of new kind of content in a show of this longevity, this one in particular is not for me and I couldn't enjoy it that much. It's a style of episode I'd enjoy much more in Rick and Morty (Total Rickall or Morty's Mind Blowers come to mind), but not that much in The Simpsons, where I wouldn't expect something like this.
At the very least, even if one doesn't like it, I think the show and the producers should at least be appreciated here for trying something completely new with this one instead of doing things like rehashing old ideas and concepts.
Fair enough! Actually, the first part of my review is praising the writers and producers for trying out new and different things. This one didn't work for me, but thumbs up for them for doing something different, and for doing it properly... Well, quite a few clips didn't fit in the concept "if it airs it would destroy The Simpsons" but despite that, they achieved what they wanted, so great for them and great for fans who had a really good time watching it... I was entertained, but I don't think it's my cup of tea.
 
But wacky and bizarre stuff like this will never be among my favorite stuff to watch. And this episode is 22 minutes of that. I don't think it's a kind of content that really fits in The Simpsons, not even a single time only for an experiment. While I am always in favor of new kind of content in a show of this longevity, this one in particular is not for me and I couldn't enjoy it that much. It's a style of episode I'd enjoy much more in Rick and Morty (Total Rickall or Morty's Mind Blowers come to mind), but not that much in The Simpsons, where I wouldn't expect something like this.

Ah I see. Then it is most definitely a personal taste thing rather than about the episode's style of mostly being a series of skits with a very meta wraparound story tissues holding them together being objectively bad or anything. Some (or most around here in this case) are in favor of them doing something really crazy and different like this, but some are certainly not personally on board with it.

And I guess some shows do it better. I think those Rick And Morty examples are definitely good ones, especially Total Rickall, but that episode was more about scenarios that were they were woven into the plot and part of it, so I guess MIndblowers' would be more of an apt comparison to 'Boy Scout' as it shares a similar approach of jokey skits that has a fairly simple, straightforward premise holding them tohether. In any case, I still didn't mind 'The Simpsons' doing something similar here, even if it took a bit to get used to, but sure, I get why some are actually quite averse to it., if not rather uncomfortable about the whole thing.

Fair enough! Actually, the first part of my review is praising the writers and producers for trying out new and different things. This one didn't work for me, but thumbs up for them for doing something different, and for doing it properly... Well, quite a few clips didn't fit in the concept "if it airs it would destroy The Simpsons" but despite that, they achieved what they wanted, so great for them and great for fans who had a really good time watching it... I was entertained, but I don't think it's my cup of tea.

Yeah, you did at least sing them some praise for doing something completely new and doing it fairly well, even though it fell mostly flat with you (sans seemingly a few of the skits and some other things, at least). Nice to get a bit of explanation on that (and that you didn't hate it all or anything, but just didn't think this was one for you). And you certainly do seem to understand why it is liked.
 
“We almost divorced over something insignificant…but luckily your father knows how to apologize.”

Because God forbid you ever admit that you might be the problem, Marge. 🙄🙄🙄🙄
 
“We almost divorced over something insignificant…but luckily your father knows how to apologize.”

Because God forbid you ever admit that you might be the problem, Marge. 🙄🙄🙄🙄
I agree! Marge can be very unsympathetic when she makes Homer apologize for everything. Sometimes she’s the problematic one in the relationship and she needs to admit it.
 
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