Rate & Review: "Poorhouse Rock" (UABF14)

How would you rate this episode?

  • Total voters
    57
Well, I never thought I would be saying this but season 33 was actually not as eye-gougingly bad as the dozen seasons that came before it.

Of course, it still wasn't good, but a big chunk of this season's episodes actually felt like they had some effort and thought, thanks in no small part to Matt Selman, who appears to be taking Al Jean's place as showrunner as he ran over half the episodes this season.


And you can really tell the difference between a Jean show and a Selman show-- the Jean shows (The Wayz We Were, Mothers and Other Strangers, A Made Maggie, and Marge the Meanie) are the same old lifeless trash we've all grown accustomed to over the last two decades.

Selman shows, on the other hand, are somewhat competent (barring a few exceptions, like the terrible "You Won't Believe...", "Pretty Whittle Liar", and "My Octopus and a Teacher").

They at least kept my attention most of the time, and I could tell that unlike Jean's slop, they did have care and effort put into them, even if they weren't good overall. Mediocre is still better than awful.


I think Selman should just replace Jean altogether, because this season's Jean-run episodes were the same brand of television tedium as when he was running full time, while Selman's content is by and large at least somewhat interesting and well written.

If season 34 is once again mainly Selman-run, then I'm totally on board. And if it's COMPLETELY Selman-run, then I'm definitely on board! Almost anything is better than Jean's material.
 
@Duderocks5539 Dude, seriously, stop it. Megan is doing a perfectly fine job as Sarah and she's a great actress in general. If you've never watched Will & Grace, her performance as Karen always brings a smile to my face. Your comments prove you need to visit a psychiatrist given what garbage you're spewing out of your mouth.

If anything, you're the toxic one.
 
Just watched the episode. That entire musical sequence launched it into the stratosphere. When was the last time the show was that socially or politically incisive? It demands a few re-watches before I can start formulating cogent thoughts. Wowzers. For now, on the back of its satire alone (can't believe I'm saying that), I'll score it a 5/5.

What a season for this show! I'll have more to say on it in the next couple of days.
 
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Hilda Fanboy said:
Selman shows, on the other hand, are somewhat competent (barring a few exceptions, like the terrible "You Won't Believe...", "Pretty Whittle Liar", and "My Octopus and a Teacher").
Click to expand...
Pretty Whittle Liar is a Jean episode.
 
@B-Boy , i have the almost same point of view, except i give 4/5 because of some scenes like Bart's sniffing Jesus (not christian, but still).

@BlitzPhoenix98 , understand, i spoke about me. I did not answer to this member otherwise i could have been angrier.
 
My take on the whole thing:

Selman's reasoning for entirely revamping Sarah is dumb. If you think a character needs to be evolved or expanded upon, that's fine. But implying that not only the character is boring, but the voice actor's performance also is and needs to be replaced with a random big star definitely reeks of disrespect to me.
DudeRocks claiming Megan Mullaly is just acting out her real self and essentially going off on personal tangents about her private life though is a bit too much and doesn't help his case. We don't want to imitate Mr. Enter here.

I haven't followed the show in at least 2 years, just thought I'd say something since these review threads have become increasingly annoying or unpleasant to read.
 
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This episode made me wonder what if there were an alternate universe where another Tim Long musical episode, Elementary School Musical, were to be run by Matt Selman instead of Al Jean. Because if anything, this episode made me appreciate The Star of the Backstage a little more now.

So let's be honest, who knew we would get a 3rd knockout finale in a row? And even a musical that feels very light-hearted and motivational? I must salute the staff for this one.

Because I won't be blunt: This is the best episode written by Tim Long since Skinner's Sense of Snow. Yes, the same person who wrote Elementary School Musical now writes what in my opinion is my favorite Musical-Themed episode since Wild Barts Can't Be Broken. Yep, it's been a while since there was a Musical where The Simpsons were firing on all cylinders here. Particularly Nancy Cartwright, who even perfectly demonstrates her singing chops as Bart -- she is 100% confident here. No pretense behind emotions. No overacting. If anything, if this performance doesn't nab her an Emmy nomination at least, I don't know what will. That's not to say everyone else shouldn't be snubbed either - Yeardley Smith's snarky rapping, Dan Castellaneta's worrying moments, the supporting cast forming in choirs... everyone here has their shining moments.

But what is really that makes Poorhouse Rock work? A good father & son (Homer & Bart) relationship episode? A clever satire on the middle class workers in today's society? Every single voice actor here in top form? A gorgeous, 3rd act where the entire Springfield singing launches into the upper echelons of heaven? Bart realizing what his true dreams are? A fantastic guest star performance from Hugh Jackman? It's a miracle! Honestly, there are way too many points here to praise regarding Poorhouse Rock. Even if you were to just ask me enjoyment-wise how much I appreciated this episode, the answer would remain the same. It provides a motivational lesson of how you should pursue your own dreams instead of being influenced by others. A strong story, memorable musical numbers, characters who all feel 3-dimensional and some of the best performances from the cast (especially Nancy Cartwright) this Season! Not to mention the animation here by Jennifer Moeller ticks every box, from the Bridgerton parody to the musical sequences, not a single pixel or second is wasted here.

One only flaw I would probably point out is Homer was a little harsh to Bart at the start of the 2nd act with him throwing Bart's phone into the Power Plant's Entrance, he could've even broken it having done it. Besides that, I really don't want to make a full essay of this episode and I have no real qualms so I'm just gonna stop here and give it a 9/10! (though really, this is even closer to a 9.5/10, so 5/5 on the poll!)
 
"Half-Decent Proposal" is for me but yes! I'll still need to watch it a few times but this has almost certainly been the best season finale of the HD era and also the best episode written by Long in decades.
 
Half-Decent Proposal is a 8/10, Skinner's Sense of Snow is about a 9-10/10 for me. And I don't know if I would say it's just as good as The Way of the Dog or Flanders' Ladder, but there is potential.
 
I like "The Way of the Dog" but I think it's an episode that would have benefited from having a little more family in it. Don't get me wrong, I really like the guest star on that one but I think it would have benefited from having a little more of the family and less of the guest star (despite being one of my favorites from the HD era).

I had forgotten about Flanders' Ladder! Though to be fair I haven't seen that episode for a while so I might change my mind. But for now this is in my opinion the best season finale of the HD era.
 
This episode by all rights should be a 3/5 from me and I mean that in the most literal sense. The first half was so good, it gave off a smooth air like in Pixelated and Afraid and all the jokes were landing one after another. Then the janitor showed up.

Don't get me wrong. I know the Simpsons is satire and can't really blame them for discussing (or this case singing) about such a doom a gloom subject as our shitty government system. They've been doing that since the 90's. But I watch shows like this to get away from such harsh realities. I'm depressed and uncertain enough as it is without it being shoved down my throat like that. So I should give it a 3/5 but I won't. I'll give it a 4/5 instead for one reason and one reason only.

THE. FUCKING. COUCH. GAG!

It lasted less than a minute and didn't have anything note worthy happen but I loved it just the same. I don't know why but when I watched that couch gag, I felt hype. A kind of hype for the Simpsons I haven't felt in years. I felt it when I saw The Longest Daycare in theaters. I felt it when Simpsorama and The Simpsons Guy premiered. And I felt it when Halloween of Horror premiered. For the first time in a really really long time, I felt the same genuine love for the show I did as a teen. And up until the song started, the hype stayed with me.

Spiker Monster's artstyle is simply beautiful and I had to replay the couch gag quite a few times because I loved it that much. I've ranted for way too long but I just needed to get this off my chest.

So 4/5. And prepare to see me here more often!
 
4/5, and while I think there's a better episode for the show to submit for the Animated Program Emmy, that song is the kind of thing the musicians in the Academy would vote for in the Music & Lyrics (i.e. Original Song) category. IIRC, the show hasn't won in that category since "We Put the Spring in Springfield" (4F06), back in 1997.
 
Just got back from watching "Poorhouse Rock", and I enjoyed it, I give it a 9/10 (4/5 on the poll). I do like musicals, which is a reason why I rank it so high. The reason why it isn't higher is due to some nitpicks I have if anything. Another thing I want to comment on is the Couch Gag. I haven't talked about the couch gags yet, at least from what I remember, but the couch gag of this episode was definetely one of my fave. The main reason why is that it depicts Bart & Lisa having friends other than the usual gang (Milhouse, Nelson, Martin & Ralph). The fact that Sherri, Terri & Janey are there is pretty cool. Hubert & Jimbo were interesting choices too. Of course, Spike Monster did an amazing job at it. The songs were pretty good too, but if I were to be honest, there were better songs in the classic era. Don't have much else to say about the episode really. I liked how all the characters were written in this finale
 
I’ll say something one more time since some keep going on about it, if anyone has a problem, shoot me a DM, since clearly some are so damn triggered as if I attacked anyone on here personally, yet insults are flung at me which makes all kinds of sense 🤣

Just can’t take the heat and I need to be like everyone and like every episode now no matter what the outcome is, and be forbidden to say any sort of criticism only to get ripped on. If you ask me, that’s real classy…

@Marioburgercream If you got something to say, tell me in DMs then, and that goes for anyone else that has a problem.
 
There will be a point where these things become standard enough to not even be worth mentioning anymore but I also just liked the nice moments between Homer and Marge in this, especially them at the end just talking about their yard. Its the kind of mundane married couple stuff that I love.
 
So, after writing my thoughts on the Season overall, I decided to return so I would explain my nitpicks, and some interesting stuff I got from this episode:

  • Interesting Thing 1: Marge gives Bart a Nintendo Switch, which is a moment in the episode that I love
  • Interesting Thing 2: The jug Marge has says "Property of Bernice Hibbert", which is funny if you think about how many times Homer has stolen stuff from Flanders
  • Interesting Thing 3: Helen Lovejoy is now the Church School teacher, which seems to have been redesigned since. Meanwhile, Ms Albright is now the babysitter.
  • Nitpick 1: So, when we see the Church itself, we see Rod, Todd, Martin, Ralph, Sherri, Terri, Nelson, Hibbert's kids, Hubert Wong, Allison Taylor, Brittany Brockman, Wendell, Janey & Milhouse, but in the Sunday School, we only see Janey, Sherri, Terri, Nelson, Rod, Todd, Milhouse & Wendell (don't remember if Ralph & Martin also appeared or not). While I slightly understand why the Hibbert Kids & Brittany wouldn't be there, part of me was confused as to why Allison & Hubert didn't appear in the school.
  • Nitpick 2: Where was Jessica Lovejoy in this episode, or has she returned to Boarding School? Or did she manage to sneak away from church
  • Interesting Thing 4: More relationship trouble hints between Helen & Tim
  • Nitpick 3: The Angelica Button book Marge gives Lisa
  • Nitpick 4: We see young Homer & Mr Burns at the end in the crowd scene as the song ends, which confuses me
 
-I agree with those praising the couch gag. This was a very good one. It shows that you don't need a 2-minute long "couch movie" to showcase a guest animator.
-Eh, I'm alright with the new Sarah. She was such a minor character before it's hard to complain that she's changed. It's really just that they've started doing something with her now, whereas they never did before.
-"Chest chips" :lol:
-I like the idea of Helen being amused by Bart's irreverent presentation rather than scolding. Homer and Maggie teaming up to get out of church was pretty cute.
-Willie says "I hate the Welsh, but I hate you even more!"
-So that's how Bart's hair maintains its spikiness...
-Bart's come a long way from wanting to change his name to "Joe Kickass" :p
-Burns' bear is smaller. Lol
-This musical is pretty spot-on and hilarious. This episode's taken a weird turn but I don't dislike this.

So this sure had two very different halves. The first half was an excellent character-driven story. Every part worked, especially Bart's new-found respect for Homer. Of course I knew something was going to ruin it, but I wasn't sure exactly what. The "what" couldn't have been less expected (okay I read that a musical was coming, but had I not read that, nothing in the episode would've clued me in to the entire second half being a political satire musical). The musical was funny and very accurate in its satire, but I can't give it full points for being such a heavy-handed didactic moment on this show. Okay, we're being browbeaten with the "lesson" here. Doesn't matter that I agree with it, it's just not really what I want to see from this show and it never has been. That said, it was done so well that I can't really complain too much about it. Their previous attempts at political satire in the HD era have mostly been hot garbage (Caper Chase, Bart vs. Itchy & Scratchy). Maybe because this was a slightly less controversial topic (think we can all agree the middle class is getting screwed even if some moments in this will piss off conservatives)? But it was fun, it was catchy, and overall this was a pretty good finale (even if The Simpsons couldn't help but end on a "everything's going to shit" note).

4/5
 
What an amazing episode! What an amazing down-to-earth (even too down) story! And not sure it's about the song…

The 1st half (non-singing) had lots of funny moments and I love how Homer gradutionally makes Bart respect love him (just like my working day😜 shh)

The story of we all getting poorer is true. It is, sadly, worldwide tendention.

I really laughed, when Moe started singing! It was weird, silly wtf.:lol: However I didn't like much the part of seniors (well, technically I like voice-actors' efforts in singing).

The ending with Bart's rescue is my favourite moment - I literally cried.😭 Plus that meta-funny credits scene.

What to said - the best season finale in years, where strong story part overcovered all the minor imperfections. Without doubts 5/5 (from 4.5, but Pixelated and Afraid was also great in its way and better for me so far)
 
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