Rate & Review MABF13-"Moe Letter Blues"

Rate tonight's episode


  • Total voters
    153

Peachy

This is my user title
Joined
May 8, 2010
Messages
18
Location
Las Vegas
As Mother’s Day approaches, Moe narrates an episode in which he writes a letter to Homer, Apu and Reverend Lovejoy, who are vacationing with their children, and threatens to run away with one of their wives. While the trio tries to determine whose wife Moe is referring to, Homer, Lovejoy and Apu flashback to the intimate moments they initially ignored between Moe and Marge, Manjula and Helen Lovejoy. But when the boys return from their trip, they’re in for the surprise of their lives.

Interesting plot. Let's just hope it doesn't dissapoint :-/
 
A lot of over-the-top Homer in this one (like I've said before, half of his lines these days are screamed; the other half are done in a whiny tone), and Apu's voice sounded way off. I think Homer provided most of the low points in the episode, especially his scene with Patty & Selma, which had some bad jokes, very off voice acting, and a horrible line in "penis curling she-devils".

Still, not bad for what it was. Using Moe's letter was an interesting way to put a new twist on the troubled marriage storyline. The weasel island stuff was fun, and it was interesting seeing interaction between Apu and Lovejoy, two characters that have rarely been paired together.

Is it just me, or where there an unusually large number of background gags in this one, like with Bart and the octuplets or Ralph getting launched off the spinny thing?

2.5/5 for the episode.

0/5 for the ratings options.
 
Last edited:
Very disappointed in tonight's episode.
& that line from Homer "penis curling she-devils" is a new low for the simpson's writers

D- & 2/5 for the poll
 
i liked it. had some good jokes and it was interesting to see what would have happened. I liked Moe's little "wake up call" to Homer, Apu, and Reverend. Also liked the return of the Parson. I actually thought for some reason Moe really would leave with someone ,but it wouldn't be one of their wives', just some random girl...

Overall, 4/5 or so. Felt kind of slow in places and kind of a short episode. I dunno why. But it was still pretty good
 
Yeah, not my favorite, pretty "meh" I was hoping for something more so close to the end of the season. 3 out of 5
 
tons of great gags in this one and while extremely predictable plot, it was still interesting. Funny message and all together pretty good. Probably one of my favorites this season.
 
i don't really know why I thought it dragged on, but to me it seemed like it did in the last couple acts. the line "We'll knows in 10 minutes" was the first instance for me
 
This episode was BORING. There was no suspense. Lets be honest here, everyone knew that Moe wasn't actually running away with one of their wives and that the letter was all a big misunderstanding. Not much humor either. At best this episode is "meh" so I'll have to give it an average 3/5
 
4/5

Lot of good stuff in the background, which I always like. I always liked how it wasn't just 3 separate stories, but they were all connected in a way with the same subject. I should note that Don Pardo being in this, makes him the oldest person to ever guest star in an episode. Age 92.
 
Wow, I always seem to have the opposing opinion to many of you. I really enjoyed this episode, it didn't fall apart in the last act like the episodes usually do, and the story was really well put together. Some great jokes, too.

4/5 (my first score this high yet)
 
Is it just me, or where there an unusually large number of background gags in this one, like with Bart and the octuplets or Ralph getting launched off the spinny thing?

I liked that aspect of it, myself, those gags didn't draw attention to themselves (that's something that they've done quite well this season, IMO)

that line from Homer "penis curling she-devils" is a new low for the simpson's writers

I laughed at that line myself (hey, I'm a sucker for lowbrow), but as I did so I thought, "That one's getting ripped on the board tonight!" Hey, Homer does have a point there

Anyway, I liked the episode, didn't vote 5/5 on the poll like I usually do because the description for 4/5 matched the episode better--it wasn't perfect, it was good with some flaws, which is what I expect out of the show this season. Overall, it was an interesting episode, I really liked Moe narrating, and there weren't really any gags that missed for me (the parson and the black guy singing was a little weird, but whatever). It seemed a little light on the gags at times, but they made up for that by the way the stories all weaved together. Some things I really liked were the aforementioned background gags, Moe calling Manjula "She-Pu", Jackie's line about Patty and Selma (correct me if I'm wrong, but is that her first line since Lady Bouvier's Lover?) It was nice to see them focus on Apu again, and Lovejoy finally gets a good spotlight, seeing as he's an interesting character that's only really gotten to shine in one episode. It wasn't a perfect episode (like I said, not quite enough gags), but it was a good story that kept its focus well throughout. 14/15
 
It was an ok episode.
It was kind of dull, I think I liked last weeks episode better.
I did laugh a bit at some jokes.
give it a 3/5.
Here comes next weeks episode :)
 
I called this one! Moe got beat up in the end.

The intro was very nice. The Weasle Island advert was particularly wonderful. I'm glad this wasn't a clip show.

Nasty Matt Nastuk gives us some particularly nice visuals here. I've always considered him the WORST director of all, but this was surprisingly interesting, lacking most all signs of his usual blandness. Like McClure mentions, lots of Background distraction gags here, too. Nastuk deductable need not apply. Matt Nastuk was working with Oscar Cervantese, Mike Polcino's assistant director.

All in all, B-(3/5). That was okay.
 
Last edited:
I think this episode turned out great. I loved the premise of Homer, Reverend Lovejoy, and Apu receiving a letter from Moe saying that he will run away with one of their wives, sending the three into a spiral to find out who's wife it is. I loved that Reverend Lovejoy was featured more, other than what I had expected, with him showing up at the last ten minutes. I loved the moment with Homer, Reverend Lovejoy, and Apu receiving the letter from Squeaky Voiced Teen (whom falls into the water), and Homer tries to call Marge. His phone falls after Marge says "We're breaking up," so he grabs a fishing pole and tries to text her. I laughed a little at that, as it seemed funny...to me, that is. I liked the appearance of "Just Dance" in the episode, having Moe and Manjula dance to it. I loved the speaking appearance of Jacqueline Bouvier, Marge's mother. Even if not sounding like it did in "Lady Bouvier's Lover," it was a nice moment to hear Marge's mother talk again....after that terrible bout of laryngitis. I was surprised at the ending, with Moe saying he wrote that letter to scare some sense into the three husbands, saying for them not to take their wives for granted. We then flash out to the overlook of Springfield, with Moe saying: "You know, it's Mother's Day. Go call your mama. Take her to the diner on third street. Get her a ham on rye sandwich. Make sure she gets a fruitcup side. She deserves it." After saying this, we flash to black and see Marge with her mother, Luann with Milhouse, Seymour with Agnes, Bernice with her family, Apu with his mother, and finally, Homer with Mona, in a past photograph. I loved that photo, as it was very emotional and heartwarming. Anyways, I hope you all watched this episode, because I did.

Overall Rating: 5/5
 
I watched the first half of this episode with my right eye closed, then watched the last half with my left eye closed,.. both eyes ended up happy and well entertained.
I rate this episode 2 eyes open!
Yea for Moe!
 
Lots of love for the background gags popping up in the show lately; less love for what's feeling like format bender after format bender after format bender.

A huge problem with this episode was that there was no suspense. It was obvious that Moe wasn't going to steal anyone's wife. Furthermore, to me, at least, uh... Moe doesn't really seem the type to go out of his way to warn people about their crumbling marriages. I know his position was explained at the end - another point I figured out right from the start - but it still doesn't feel like Moe to me.

I guess the episode can be given some prompts for being nicely interwoven, rather than having things pop up out of nowhere, though some of it was trying to be much too obvious (how long did we need to see Apu staring through that church window?). Some good gags, nothing too groan-worthy... I dunno. The whole thing felt deflated because the conflict was basically non-existant from the start because it's so damn obvious nothing is going to happen. It's really hard to care in that scope.
 
A huge problem with this episode was that there was no suspense. It was obvious that Moe wasn't going to steal anyone's wife.

Couldn't the same be said of just about any episode of the show that involves a marriage crisis (classic or postclassic) or, hell, anything that would alter the status quo? Even in a well-done marraige crisis episode it's obvious they're going to make up in the end, so isn't it just the route they take to get there? Now, I'm not defending the generic marriage crisis episode (which have thankfully gotten less frequent than their gross Season 17 heights where it seemed like every fucking episode was Marge going batshit about a very minor Homer transgression), but I don't mind the concept when it's done in an interesting way (and, IMO, this was)...I knew from the beginning that Moe obviously wasn't going to actually steal any of their wives, but I didn't know how they were going to make the story tie together. Now, maybe I'm stupid for not realizing that, but the way it was set up worked to keep me interested in the episode
 
Clearly the episode was going for "format bender" excellence, but it doesn't come near hitting a home run.

While the episode was nicely layered with a finely-structured and briskly paced plot (compared to recent episodes), just like others have said, the ending was horrifically obvious. Somewhat engaging with a few decent gags and set pieces (Homer with Patty and Selma, Apu throwing out his own CD, Krusty commercial and I&S "Trip to the Moon" short), there were a handful of big clunkers (devil Homers, Lovejoy outside the church). I really liked some items in the background that you'd have to rewatch to fully catch, and the editing was pretty neat at times.

The Moe narrating stuff was cute at first, but quickly grew tired, so it was a relief to see it be put to rest early. I like the idea of Moe trying to fix marriages, but even his reason was a tad weak. If he had a struggle between repairing and stealing like as was alluded to, there would be far more drama and excitement to the episode. Otherwise, cute, but dull.

3/5

EDIT:

Couldn't the same be said of just about any episode of the show that involves a marriage crisis (classic or postclassic) or, hell, anything that would alter the status quo? Even in a well-done marraige crisis episode it's obvious they're going to make up in the end, so isn't it just the route they take to get there?

Not necessarily. The episode is structured specifically as a mystery episode, whereas "martial crisis" is merely used a way to add drama to the plot structure. We're supposed to be on "pins and needles" wondering which one of the three will be leaving with Moe, as the episode intends, and it ends up failing at that because of the obvious answer. An easy comparison would be "Gone Maggie Gone", last season's format bender, which legitimately had a mystery that was somewhat hard to figure out.
 
Last edited:
According to the Moe voiceover, the Springfield zip code is 58008. That's Barney, ND. Obsess away, nerds!
 
I thought it was all right. The "penis curling" quote really shocked me, but I was pretty good besides that. I liked the little devils on Homer's shoulder. I gave it a 3/5. My stepfather stopped watching about ten minutes into it. He said he was DONE with The Simpsons.
 
Just so I don't get accused of liking every new episode, I'm one of the four peeps who gave this week's ep a 2/5.

This week stuck out as an inventive concept stretched out beyond belief with background gags (well-executed), 3D camera fly-bys (also well-executed) all to a non-impactful payoff. Homer was in all of his post-classic era obnoxious glory. In fact, I'd have to say the most well-realized character this week was Manjula.

I did like how Maggie subdued her lobster roommate and the Mom's Day slideshow during the end credits. I did not enjoy the delusional carny/ride operator. In fact, they couldn't have made Weasel Island seem less appealing if they tried.

I like format benders. But I did not enjoy this one. If you're going to roll with a mystery format such as this one, you've got to have suspense and/or a logical rewarding payoff and this ep lacked both. Moe's motivations just weren't explained despite how heavy-handed they went with his narration. And all of the eyewitness encounters of Homer/Tim/Apu seeing Moe in compromising situations with the others' wives came across as forced.
 
I would have dug this episode a lot more if it had turned my expectations upside down and had Moe actually hooking up with Helen or Manjula. It would be stupid, but ballsy enough for me to respect.

As it is, I was bored by the non-drama. There wasn't much comedy to be found, and most of what did work was in the background. "Penis-curling she devils", the latest attempt at being "edgy" like Family Guy, was a new low. I liked some of the jokes about cricket, as a helpless anglophile, but it was mostly just meh.

2/5
 
I loved it. I thought it was something different and enjoyable to watch the entire way through. some of the jokes were very meh but it definitely had "moe" simpsons feel then some of the other episodes this season.

4.5/5
 
I liked this one, quite a bit actually. It's not the funniest episode by a long shot, and yes, when it all comes down to it, it is a marriage crisis episode, meaning that the ending is fairly predictable, but I just liked how well-structured the plot was in this episode.

I was a little afraid that the entire episode would revolve too much around Homer and Marge's marital problems and that he would shove the other two into the background. Instead, even with the first act moments that seemed like they would be throw-away scenes at first, all three men got a fair shake of the story, and they all had some pretty funny moments with their wives. They were also all integrated enough into each others stories that it didn't feel like a trilogy episode format where it was just one story, then another, then another, with no real connection. Instead, the plot unfolded very nicely, to the point that it would have been believable enough for any of the three to be the one Moe was talking about (and at one point I was even suspecting Kirk Van Houten to be the one to go home and find his wife gone).

It may not have been the most suspenseful moment when the husbands returned home, but it still came off as sweet to see the spouses reunite and bond. In the end, Moe's behavior did seem a little off, but I guess that was the point, you wouldn't see it coming. Humor-wise, I actually liked some of the more subtle background humor in this episode, like the sight of Bart getting overtaken by Apu's kids, and the images of the kids on the rocket ride at Weasel Island. Still, I do have to say that Weasel Island as a whole felt a bit inspired and boring, the families really could have been anywhere and not much would have changed. Also, I am really getting tired of how many Zii jokes there have been. This is what, the fifth one this season?

Again, this was by no means a hilarious episode, but I really dug the story, and it was sweet. It's a bit flawed and lop-sided, but I gave this episode a 4/5.
 
Back
Top