The show is back after the winter hiatus, expectations in check, and I was surprised: What was this? This was solid. So this time, it's all about a wilderness survival story with Homer & Marge who after a car accident on their way to a romantic resort to strengthen their mellowed-out romantic relationship and overall, it's really something different: A surprisingly minimalistic story (with four visible recurring characters: Homer, Marge, Bart & Lisa, not counting a brief vocal by Milhouse & two locations, the house & the wild) and ending up being a survival adventure with drama, romance & emotion & where the humor is mostly character & dialogue based. This is modern 'Simpsons' really doing something new and fresh without being gimmicky or tacky and really succeeding, firing on all cylinders with a solid script, great direction & sublime showrunning. This was a surprisingly fresh and quite entertaining outing in my opinion.
Nice opening with Homer & Marge loafing around at home on the weekend, being couch potatoes & cleaning the house, acting as a pair of close friends, not really going outside and having little to no romantic spark. While it is great to see the couple actually being on the same page, happy and content, and there's some funny moments (such as their house cleaning), it als set up the "conflict" well, with Lisa being worried of how much time they spend inside feeling "off" with how much of an agreeable friend duo they are & even getting Bart to worry (and Bart's vision with the "I wash myself with a rag on a stick"-style Homer & Marge was amusing). I can understand the kids and their worries, in that while Homer & Marge did have a good dynamic here, they are two peas in a pod and did lack the certain romantic spark that especially Lisa (as a child) would be used to, worrying they might get stuck in a bland, safe rut.
I like how the 'Togetherness Center' resort came into the plot, with Lisa finding the invitation voucher having been stuck to the fridge for a year (would be amusing if the producers went back and added it into previous episodes), and Lisa suggesting they go there to re-connect their love started off the main story well. It was nice how it wasn't intentionally some survival adventure event but it due to Homer trying to turn the car around on a icy road, which causes a crash into the wintery forest. Here, the tone changes to something dramatic with the car in the river rapids, with the story now becoming all about Homer & Marge in the woods: The humor is very nicely character and dialogue-centered (with some jokes being about things that happen to them or what they do), such as them losing their wet clothes (prompting some pixelated censoring, which also end up censoring Homer's chest area, an amusing little subtle gag).
The remainder of the plot then has us following them as they try surviving in the woods & try to keep it somewhat grounded and plausible, with the comedy, as said, coming from the two characters and their sayings (a lot being pretty funny) but the drama is also strong, being both amusing and interesting with some enjoyable happenings, such as them coming across the withered remains of a run-down romance retreat and creating makeshift warm clothing and a cabin from the wreckage (and cleverly constructing a fireplace). They have a lot of good interactions and interplay (Dan & Julie do great) and their romantic bond builds naturally. The fishing scene was surprisingly funny (the fishnet stocking joke was great) & the vicious wolverine attacking was a neat bit of acting, ending a bit surprisingly violently and realistically, with Homer forced to beat the ferocious animal to death. That grounded realism was interesting).
I do like how the last 1/4th unfolds, with Homer in one morning spotting a park ranger and briefly considering not immediately run forward and yell for help, but actually looks back at a happy Marge, their little improvised "love shack" & remembering of how they re-ignited their love, ending up shouting for help too late: I was really worried this would kick off some stupid conflict, but the episode surprised me with Homer actually confessing his brief hesitation and kicking himself for it & Marge doesn't tear into him for it but understand & they follow the tracks left by the ranger ATV to the ranger cabin as a couple. Wow, the story really surprised me there and made me like it all the more. It ends really well with them embracing and crying a little before they go to the cabin, with the credits scene not being some silly joke but just depicting the two watching the next sunrise together, romantically so. That was a very sweet finale.
I think this is a 5/5 for me (*gasp!*). I really enjoyed it and didn't really find anything that bothered me. It was a very nicely written and fairly grounded minimalist/bottle show story focusing on Homer & Marge in a survival crisis that sees both humor, drama, romance & adventure with no intrusive cutaways, big cartoonish jokes butting in & a dose of realism, but also entertaining and great character work with Homer & Marge (that share some really good interactions and a gradual build to getting close again as a spousal couple. I loved their co-operation as shown here). It was also very well paced (even with the build-up in the first act) with great direction and gorgeous animation and lighting effects (Iove how the forest looked for one thing). I think this is my favorite episode of the season thus far.
I'm surprised this was a John Frink script but I have my suspicions he had uncredited help, plus Carolyn Omine's oversight and Selman's showrunning probably tied it together. I get why some arent as sold on this really is different, a minimalistic full-on dramedy story (and I have full understanding for those who found it dull and boring), but I thought it was really intriguing and kept my attention. The show need more human, laser-focused episodes that put the characters front and center and use them to drive the humor without unnecessary filler and cartoonish wackiness (and I suspect it needs more hardcore moments like Homer killing a wolverine. Where was this Homer when they had a badger in the doghouse?). Anyhow, a good show overall that exceeded my expectations.