Rate & Review: "Pin Gal" (OABF10)

How would you rate this episode?


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Brad Lascelle

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Season 34, Episode 17
Original Airdate
: March 19, 2023

Writer: Jeff Westbrook
Showrunner: Al Jean
Director: Chris Clements

Synopsis: A "mysterious" figure from Marge's past returns to coach her for a bowling tournament.

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R&R Poll Average Score: 3.25 / 5 (as of September 25, 2023 / 36 votes)
IMDb User Rating: 6.4 / 10
 
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Boy oh boy, this episode was a blast tonight. Although I don't care if the whole ending credits didn't play throughout the black screen this time, but... I have to say, it was good to see Marge bowl again after 33 seasons ago, after what happened in her past of course. So I'm gonna go for 5/5 this time
 
The first act was solid, and I thought the episode had some decent potential. Marge’s talent at bowling wasn’t one of the show’s many “character randomly discovers a talent” since she actually had lessons. Unfortunately, the episode went downhill when Jacques became involved. The episode was really insistent on cramming as many callbacks to “Life on the Fast Lane” as possible, and Jacques was talking just to talk. His dialogue didn’t feel nearly as natural as it did in his initial episode (and comparing this with an episode that aired 33 years ago is pretty stupid, I admit), and it just became irritating eventually.

The way the episode got Grampa and the other elderly people involved in sort of “doxxing” Jacques was a good way to get more characters in, although the kids had very small parts. I did like Lisa cutting Marge’s nail, in a homage to…”Rocky,” maybe? Movies aren’t my thing. The whole bowling duel between Homer and Jacques was a little silly, but at least it wasn’t the episode climax.

It was pretty obvious that Jacques would be Marge’s competitor to keep the alley open, but it raises the question of why a professional bowler would be bowling for a guy wanting to close the alley. Ignoring that, though, I did like the match between Marge and Jacques and the dramatic music between them, and the aforementioned Lisa moment. Also, as a professional bowler, Jacques bowled a 182? That’s a little disappointing.

I think Jean has taken a bit from the Selman book and realized that Homer and Marge are much more wholesome to watch when there isn’t a marital conflict every episode. I did like that part.

I was somewhat entertained by this, but it wasn’t from Jacques; instead, he kind of brought the episode down. I keep teetering between giving this a 3 and a 4, but I’ll have to settle on a 3/5.
 
Guys, I liked a Westbrook/Jean

Before I get into Westbrook’s handy work, I’ll go over the visual side of this episode. There were a lot of great visual gags with this one. Marge’s Flintstone run to bowl, the “Stalk my Spouse” app, and Jacques kissing a car in one of his Facebook images were all some pretty funny gags. Speaking of Jacques, I’m glad to say that he translated well in a modern Simpsons style. I was worried for how he’d look after the Simpsons Twitter posted that image of him, but that was really just a very unattractive still. He pretty much looked fine for the rest of the episode

Okay, now to get to Westbrook’s work. I think the biggest task this episode needed to accomplish was to prove why it needed to exist. Why bring back Jacques after 30 years? Other than nostalgia bait, what is his purpose in this story? At first, I was unconvinced there was anything new and worthwhile to offer from bringing back this character. I think my biggest complaint with this episode is that Marge and Jacques’s dynamic is near identical to what we saw in Life on the Fast Lane, the main difference being that Marge is less receptive and more uncomfortable. I’m glad that they made this change with Marge since it spared us from yet another marriage crisis, but overall, the dynamic is the same, and throughout the second act, the conflict is the same. That’s when I really started to question what the point of this episode was

What changed my tune was the third act. I absolutely love that Homer wasn’t jealous in this episode once he connected the dots. Instead, he’s confrontational towards Jacques, which is so much more compelling. That scene where they’re sword fighting with bowling balls was great. Once Marge arrived, I loved the way this episode had her and Homer make up, it was just really sweet. And let me repeat this: THERE WAS NO MARRIAGE CRISIS! That is what was the most thrilling with this one. Jacques acting as Marge’s competitor was a very obvious twist that I kinda wish they revealed at the very beginning, but I am so happy that this is what they went with. I was saying a lot in the speculation forums that, if Jacques were to come back, I’d prefer to see him as a rival rather than a wedge in Homer and Marge’s relationship, and while we had to wait a bit, I’m so happy that this ended up happening. The competition itself was a lot of fun as well, though I have to question why the ending was so rushed and why Jacques needed to be arrested at the end

I think Pin Gal was able to justify its existence through using Jacques’ return as an opportunity to deepen Homer and Marge’s relationship. This episode builds upon the wholesome and healthy relationship they’ve had all season rather than tears it down. Jacques, while I wish he was more of a rival throughout, was a pretty decent antagonist, and I loved how slimy and unlikable he was throughout. Albert Brooks did a great job reprising his role as well. So yeah, despite everything going against this one going in, this Westbrook/Jean really won me over! Overall, this episode was a solid 7/10, and I really hope this bodes well for Clown v. Board
 
Not going to lie, this turned out to be more entertaining than I thought, however (and I had a feeling) it was mostly dragged down by Jacques. For the rest, hey! Surprise that Jean for once hasn't descended into marriage crisis territory and will actually take a page from Selman on how solid his marriage is without fighting.

I'll wait a while and see without this it doesn't turn into a 'The Many Saints of Springfield' situation, Also, I'm glad the bowling aspect has been used and it won't really take a backseat, and well... The Homer-Marge dynamic was entertaining and a little sweet! Also, I think the characters were used for the most part correctly... Except for Jacques, who I feel felt a bit unnecessary (at least until the third act, where he felt like they had something to say).
 
The opening act was surprisingly solid. Things went south a bit when Jacques was introduced... mainly for how reductive things got in terms of recycling plot elements from older episodes. Namely making Jacques another Marge-obsessive Artie Ziff clone (complete with a secret shrine). They also had him quip like past Albert Brooks characters... most notably Tab Spangler (albeit with a French accent). The plot point of an angry Homer barging unannounced into a man's apartment in order to engage in fisticuffs as the only means of retaining Marge's love was even lifted from One Angry Lisa earlier this season.

So yeah, there was quite a bit of rehash here. To say nothing of all of the forced Life on the Fast Lane callbacks.

That said, most of the gags at the bowling alley worked and there was more plot cohesiveness here than one has come to expect from a Jean-Westbrook episode in recent years. I thought Fred Armisen's Terrence was well-utilized. It's a nice trend to see a Selman original character repurposed by Jean. There honestly needs to be more of a back-and-forth harmonization on this front by both showrunners to evoke the impression that we're not dealing with two separate universes. We should be seeing introduced character elements from Jean episodes reflected in Selman's and vice versa. It's something I hope to see more of going forward.
 
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Eh.. I'm just not feeling it tonight. I didn't care for most of this episode, until Jacques entered the picture, then I thought the fight sequence with Homer was kind of entertaining. Most of the jokes were a little lame IMO.. I liked the animation for the Flintstones scene but felt like the added joke was unneeded. 2/5
 
5/5: it was an amazing and funny Simpsons episode filled with weird sexual vibes that got to the point where even I got disturbed at Jacques’ attempt to seduce Marge with that shoulder massage. Homer really understood (for the 50th time or so) that Marge stays with him despite his flaws and mistakes, but this episode didn’t go so far with the “marriage crisis” format that’s plagued the previous marriage trouble episodes in the past 12 years, in my opinion. Dare I say it, 33 years has gone by and Jacques still has that “rizz” towards other women to seduce them.
 
The bronto burgers joke and Lisa saying Homer spends more time in fantasies than real life got the biggest laughs out of me. I'm glad Marge saw Jacques as a creeper this time and that there was no true marriage crisis. The hipster guy I didn't mind. I'd kind of take him as a regular over Mike Wegman. A tentative 3/5 not funny enough to be classic but also not as boring or as explain the joke problem several jean episode have.
 
Rather bizzare episode as even though it's credited to Jean, it feels as though Selman had some uncredited involvement from the use of that hipster from The Day the Earth Stood Cool to the animation being more fluid at points. But either way it's as limp and dull as most episodes these days regardless of who it's actually attributed to.

I honestly thought the episode went a bit downhill once Jacques entered the picture but even then it wasn't all that strong to begin with. Once again, it felt like they just let Albert Brooks roll with it and didn't want to tell him "No!" leading to several scenes dragging. I won't say this was as bad as the agent in Yokel Chords, but it was still a pretty lousy use of him.

And really, acting like the clip show where Life in the Fast Lane was shown never happened? I know those episodes are easy targets, but come on!

Not sure what my rating for this is yet, but ideally it's lower than Life in the Fast Lane which is a 2.5 that would be rounded down on a poll.

EDIT: 1.5/5 rounded down.
 
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Awesome episode. Call it closure withJacque and Marge. Though, it was a long time, at least in my time, but it showed the connection Marge had with him and also really showed how pompous he is. Homer being clueless and Abe having to show him what's what. All the old people knowing how to master smart phones and the computer which probably will change and Abe will be yelling at it later.

Though, once again they ran into endless jokes that should have stopped earlier. The writers should have watched the first episode and went with more pompous and less of a joke that doesn't end. This is not Family Guy.

Jaques apartment is like Artie Ziffs home and office. Boy Marge attracts the whackadoodles. At least Homer loves Marge and just doesn't want to get her into bed.

The hipster loss, which is great since hipsters suck. Now let's never see him again.

Loved the call back to The Flintstones. Those who don't like it can sod off.

Hope bowling alleys aren't really closing. Had some fun times bowling with my friends, especially with alcohol. Oh well.

4/5
 
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In recent years the series has had a tendency to make Homer and Marge's relationship healthier, this is notable, since the last seasons (before the arrival of 33 and 34) had also begun to abuse the trope and the plot of marital problems. So much so that the same people began to get fed up and defensive about any plot involving Homer and Marge in the future.

Needless to say, that's the same reason why so many of us were skeptical of this episode, I mean... A Homer and Marge episode involving the return of a season 1 character who was a love interest of Marge? Not to mention, it was also a showrunning for Jean, who has been the main exponent of abusing this plot. So, there is no doubt that many of us were waiting for the return of this plot and that Homer and Marge's marriage (and their love) would once again be put to the test, but in reality (and to my surprise) they go in another direction...

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So what made this episode different? Well this episode (at least in my case) managed to subvert expectations. Like you, the first time I saw that they were bringing Jacques back I thought, why? And well, with good reason, a "popular" character from season 1 returning in season 34, in an episode of Marge and with a premise similar to the original episode.

It all pointed to three things: A plot recycling and disrespect to that classic episode, a nostalgia trick by Jean and company that was only back to remind us how good this show used to be, and of course, a marital crisis and an underlying theme that brought to light several of the tropes and clichés that Homer-Marge-centric stories had been subjected to for so long. In short, a setback.

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But then, which direction do they take? Well, with Jacques not a very different one, at least not in principle, which felt a bit unnecessary and a bit like the writers really can't get over what to do with him. Which, was definitely (on my first viewing) the weakest element of the episode.

... Until the arrival of the third act where it was felt the moment where the writers had something to say regarding his character. And after staying to think for a while and seeing it again, all the pieces began to fit with me and which all led me to a conclusion and this is related to the treatment of Homer and Marge's relationship that they have had in recent seasons. So I think what many of you are wondering at this point is: Was Jacques' appearance just another nostalgia stunt by Jean and company? Well, let me surprise you and tell you that the answer is... Nope! Jacques was not a nostalgia stunt, but rather a subversion. A subversion of the stories of Homer and Marge and what we are used to from them and also proof of how much their relationship has changed.

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In a way, this episode is aware of how dated this plotline is and also aware of how tiresome the conflicts between Homer and Marge can be. The episode uses Jacques as a way of telling the audience how much the characters have changed since Season 1. He is aware of the conflicts they have gone through and the degradation that Homer and Marge's dynamic has suffered and is aware of how different their relationship is from the first seasons and how strong their relationship has become and how their bonds continue. getting stronger. Jacques is treated as a craft and an iconic element of the series, do you know how he is not treated? As a source of conflict between Homer-Marge and as a threat to their marriage and their relationship. Instead, it is used as a mirror to the past and the present, it shows how nothing and no one can defeat them, because they have already overcome endless obstacles.

Things like Homer describing the troubled past between his wife and Jacques are proof of that. In previous seasons, this discovery may have caused friction, discord, and fighting between the couple. At other times, this plot point and such revelations could only be used to create conflict and tension... However, 'Pin Gal' takes a different direction and takes another perspective and way of looking at things. This episode is a reminder to the audience of how much Homer loves his wife, how even after so many years of failure and countless times Homer has screwed up, she still loves him and will continue to be by his side. . Things like the flashback are proof of this, they are an affirmation of their relationship and how much has changed. Because this is a culmination of all those years.

That's the lesson of 'Pin Gal', it's about how Homer will always choose to support his wife and how his wife loves him very much and has supported him all these years. Here, Homer realizes his mistake on that occasion, and says to go confront Jacques at his house and fight him, all over his wife. He discovers how much he has left her aside and how many times he has not supported her, the episode goes back on that and then reminds us that these characters have changed, how they are no longer the same and how we no longer have to be stuck in last. Now is the moment in which Homer decides to return the favor to her wife by supporting her (hers by supporting her in the tournament) and how he, too, will always be by her side. In a way, it's a fitting closure to 'Life in the Fast Lane' and in a way to their relationship as well, and a response to the trend of more recent characterizations of him. Because this episode shows the strengths of their relationship.

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The thing that definitely sold me and I loved about this was the scene of Homer confronting Jacques at his apartment. Compare this with the scene of him going to confront Jesse at his house in 'One Angry Lisa' where Homer does it for purely selfish reasons and out of mere envy and jealousy. Here he felt like a response to what he ignored and did not know for so long, what his wife hid from him and originated from his lack of sensitivity and his lack of appreciation / tact towards his wife. It is an indirect response to those moments in which he could not be there and could not make her wife feel accompanied by her, he made her feel unappreciated and how she did not pay enough attention to him. It is basically the moment where Homer decides that it is time to change and also support her wife, so that no jerk like Jacques will take advantage of her again and make her feel alone and unappreciated. That's the moment that sold me the whole episode.

Also, I won't change my opinion that this was not the culmination of Homer and Marge's marriage, especially since this episode recalls their first marital conflict on the show and the first proof of their love. The fact that this one also came out a day after its original broadcast is proof of that. In a way, this feels like closure and a response to the new relationship that Homer and Marge have had in recent seasons: it reminds us how much they have changed and how nothing and no one will be an obstacle, it is a metaphor for how not even the person that led them to their first conflict between them will be able to separate them again and as it no longer represents any obstacle.

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So, I still have a lot to say about this episode, but of course I couldn't miss a long and pretentious analysis from me. And well, in something more superficial I am glad that they have used the bowling aspect and it has not been in the background, plus the sight gags and a good number of jokes that hit the mark (surprised that this has not resorted to the strange and bizarre humor that Westbrook episodes often have). I can't believe I'm saying this, but I liked this episode and this will be the first Jean episode in a long time that I'm giving a rating higher than a 3. Surprising that this was a Westbrook script but yeah, fuck it. 4/5, not a 3, not a 3.5, or anything, but a full 4 because I really enjoy it and I don't want my praise to sound empty. I really, really enjoyed it, and very surprised that it came from the Jean-Westbrook tandem.

... 4/5 (Yep! I enjoyed this one and you will rarely see an episode of Jean receive this score).
 
I dont really check what all the Jean episodes in a season are and surprisingly It took me a while to realise this was a Jean episode (I dont think I noticed until the third act) but in hindsight it was pretty obvious, I found myself going "boy, this Selman episode sure has a lot more random one off gags than usual." They're mostly hits, a few things felt uneeded but the episode still turns out to be solid. Before I give longer thoughts a few small things came to mind, mainly that the gags that lost me the most are the ones that forget what bowling balls are, seeing one get broken over Homer's head and bounce off the floor to hit him were a bit too exaggerated for me.

Also something I never thought about before while watching this, the prevaling opinion is that at the beginning the show was mostly about Homer but after a while Bart and then Lisa became more of the main characters, and just thinking of these past two seasons off the top of my head I have to wonder if the scale has been tipped again and the show is back to being mostly about Homer and Marge (or at least, the adults). That might be a thought to expand in another thread though.
 
I was pleasantly surprised by Pin Gal, it gets a 9/10 (4/5 in the poll above) from me.

Marge is pretty awesome in this episode, and Homer has some cool moments too. I will say that while Homer not knowing who Jacques is would of probably hurt the episode for me, the fact that Al Jean stated on Twitter that clip shows aren't canon makes Homer not remembering Jacques make sense honestly.

Speaking of Jacques, while he was the reason why I disliked the "Life on the Fast Lane", I actually enjoyed his appearance in this episode, as he felt more antagonistic in this episode. I loved Homer's confrontation with Jacques, which is something that I never really thought would happen.

The main reason why I'm pleasantly surprised however, is that this didn't turn into a Marriage Crisis episode, Marge & Homer's relationship is shown to be pretty positive in this episode, it was nice to see Terrence again too. Another minor thing I liked about this episode is seeing Lewis, Richard & Wendell been part of Bart's friend group again.

The reason why it isn't a 10/10 is mainly due to with a lack of Gumbles, specifically Barney, aside from an image in the background, doesn't appear at all in this episode, and isn't even mentioned. Given the Bowlarama is owned by Al Gumble (or at least, was owned by Al Gumble), it would of made sense for Barney to appear or at least be mentioned.
 
Bad episode . Not only Homer does not remember Jacques, but i found his appearance useless as well as Terence.
 
I haven't seen the episode yet, but… technically Homer had never met Jacques (not counting brief mute appearance in the same place - that's silly) and if considering "Another clip shows are non-canon" he still didn't know about him (until yesterday)
 
This episode was hilarious! I literally lost track of how many times I just burst into laughter. Hans Molemen getting hit by the ball, (which is even funnier when you remember his victory in Carl Carlson Rides Again), Marge breaking the screen and Homer's imagine spots . Jacques shouting "Help me clean up!" and Homer's "No!" had me DYING!

I score this episode a 5/5 with no gutterballs!
 
I haven't seen the episode yet, but… technically Homer had never met Jacques (not counting brief mute appearance in the same place - that's silly) and if considering "Another clip shows are non-canon" he still didn't know about him (until yesterday)
Why should it be non-canon just because it's a clipshow? I can understand 138th Episode Spectacular since it operates on a different level, but nothing particularly crazy is going in Another Simpsons Clip Show to suggest it shouldn't be canon. If Homer doesn't remember Jacques that is either because his memory is bad, or more likely it's a serious continuity error. He may not know how he looks like, but he does know of his existence.

I don't buy Al Jean's statement. He wasn't a showrunner anymore by the time that episode was made and I don't think David Mirkin has spoken up how he feels about the matter. It's an opinionated stance that I refuse to take seriously. Selman has a bad habit too of explaining away bad writing by random rules he makes up on the spot.
 
nothing particularly crazy is going in Another Simpsons Clip Show to suggest it shouldn't be canon. If Homer doesn't remember Jacques that is either because his memory is bad, or more likely it's a serious continuity error.
Yea, Homer never "met" Jacques, he's only heard about him. And The Clips Shows are canon, not counting the 138th Episode.
 
Yea, Homer never "met" Jacques, he's only heard about him. And The Clips Shows are canon, not counting the 138th Episode.
Canon is whatever the writers decide is canon. And that changes on a week-over-week basis.
In the case of last night's episode, the clip show isn't canon. Next week it might be canon again.

It's largely just an excuse to excuse the fact that the writers forgot about the clip show's existence... which I said they would ahead of time in the S34 thread.
 
Canon is whatever the writers decide is canon. And that changes on a week-over-week basis.
In the case of last night's episode, the clip show isn't canon. Next week it might be canon again.

It's largely just an excuse to excuse the fact that the writers forgot about the clip show's existence... which I said they would ahead of time in the S34 thread.
Well, it's pretty obvious when some episodes aren't canon, like Treehouse of Horror. But most TOH is set up in the same sense as the Clip Shows, telling the story of older episodes. And most of those episodes are considered canon. Jacques shouldn't be a surprise to Homer having heard about this from Marge in an episode talking about all canon aspects. The Treehouse of Horrors were never involved in the Clip Show Discussion
 
Honestly feel like this episode's gonna suffer the same problem as The Many Saints of Springfield where in a few months some people might come back to it and see that it wasn't as good as it was the first time because of even further lowered expectations than usual due to the initial fear of this being a possible wedding crisis episode.
 
@John95 you seem to hate most of the new episodes, what keeps bringing you back? is it the characters? wanting to know what they do with them?
 
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@Meko1432 Well at this point, The Many Saints of Springfield was the last episode I saw as a regular viewer and have since skipped two episodes that I just had no interest in watching and knew there wouldn't be anything there to appeal to me. Nowadays, I only come back if the episode is a season premiere, a THoH, a finale, a milestone or the premise is interesting. The last was the case for this episode and Bartless. Already spoke about this episode while latter ended up being decent but slightly overrated despite mostly living up to it's "What if" gimmick.
 
@John95 yeah i get that, i dont expect anyone to catch up with 34 FREAKING SEASONS like that's a big ask even for a fan, and it's not like half of them are that good (or atleast not as good as the originals)
 
I thought it was surprisingly decent up until Jacques shows up in person. Initially, I didn't mind how he was used, as some sort of trauma haunting Marge and forbidding her to play bowling (although the fact that she is THAT good at bowling now is... pretty lazy considering that the initial episode wasn't as much about her learning how to play bowling like a professional), but his actual appearance feels like a watered down follow-up to Life on the Fast Lane, getting rid of the charming ambiguity of the aforementioned episode. Jacques feels more desperate than sensual - I haven't thought about it but Brad nails it calling him an Artie Ziff clone here (he's constantly taken down a peg - he's even arrested at the end) - and everything goes full speed ahead, unless they want to let Albert Brooks be a chatterbox for the sake of a "comedic" scene. On its own, this episode is competently structured, having Homer talk Marge into his situation until Jacques makes him realize that he's been taking his wife for granted, but the typical climax involving an angry Homer engaging a cartoonish fight with the man trying to steal his wife... Meh. Too much jam for that little piece of toast, if you will.

It's a reasonably entertaining episode though (had a big unexpected laugh at Homer handing over a beer to Marge and Marge giving it back to him - and I felt targeted by Jacques' thoughts about cheese being either an appetizer or a dessert) and it's still nice to see how supportive to each other Homer and Marge are, but I'm not convinced by such an soft way to close something the past opened. 2.5/5 rounded down for the poll.
 
Yea, Homer never "met" Jacques, he's only heard about him. And The Clips Shows are canon, not counting the 138th Episode.
That sounds like a very thin argument on paper. If all the clip shows (except the 138th Episode) where do the criteria come from to say that? 'Grump Roast' is also a clip show and has the CANONICAL clarification of Kang and Kodos. The same with 'So It's Come To This' which includes clips from Treehouse of Horror (something that also caused outrage among fans at the time). And 'All Singing, All Dancing' also has some inflections of logic and nonsense, I mean the family gets shotgunned while they sing along.

'Another Simpsons Clip Show' is ironically the only one that doesn't have any of these things and is the only one that can easily pass as a "normal episode". But that can be confusing for other people, when there is no clear line or set criteria that say which clip show is canon and which is not. That too is random rules and especially as a potentially messy continuity (which the classical era could already have).
 
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