Rate & Review: "The Wayz We Were" (QABF19)

How would you rate this episode?

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Brad Lascelle

Brad Lascelle

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Season 33, Episode 4
Original Airdate: October 17, 2021

Writer: Joel H. Cohen
Director: Matthew Nastuk
Showrunner: Al Jean

Synopsis: Evergreen Terrace is overrun with traffic and Moe has a fateful choice to make.

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R&R Poll Average Score: 2.72 / 5 (as of September 24, 2022 / 54 votes)
IMDb User Rating: 6.8 / 10
 
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Unfortunately my usual go-to site for the new episodes as soon as they're airing screwed up and all links that are supposed to be for this episode are instead for The Last Barfighter! Looks like I'll have to wait until tomorrow when it shows up on one of the other third party sites.
 
@John95 Probably not a good idea to reference piracy in the episode threads. Unless you're talking about Steal This Episode... because it was the principal plot point.

As for tonight, thumbs up for both the couch gag and the status quo change. Thumbs down for just about everything else. But hey, a status quo change is a big deal for folks stuck in a 33 year rut rehashing old material from better episodes and bloating the rest with list jokes about phone apps... so that rates a 2.5 / 5 from me because the bar of excellence for Jean-run fare is barely off the ground these days.

At least they nailed the ending.
 
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@Brad Lascelle, Without spoiling anything if said status quo change is what I think it is than hopefully this means an end to most of the "Jokes" for one specific character being based around their depression which stopped being funny a while back. And I guess they figured seven years was long enough since the last major status quo change (don't count Flanders as Bart's teacher as they haven't acknowledged it in more than two years).
 
John95 said:
Unfortunately my usual go-to site for the new episodes as soon as they're airing screwed up and all links that are supposed to be for this episode are instead for The Last Barfighter! Looks like I'll have to wait until tomorrow when it shows up on one of the other third party sites.
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Looks like we're having the same problem lol. I usually try to catch the episodes live, but couldn't because I had actual things to do tonight.
 
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Nothing aggressively terrible, but still very boring to watch. I got one genuine laugh with Moe hiding in Bart’s treehouse because there were “no girls allowed.” Otherwise, just bland garbage full of jokes that went on too long (like Lisa going through all the highlight the x pages.) 2/5, I suppose.
 
Yeah, I kind of find tonight's episode a bit disappointing for me. Probably because of lots of traffic on Evergreen Terrace and something else like that. I go for 2/5 as well
 
I thought Moe and Maya's episode from years past was one of the best one of current era Simpsons and I'm happy they placate fans every now and then by actually delivering on feel-good stories and moments. We'll see if this marriage lasts. It's 30+ years, I wouldn't this new arc in Moe's character development.

3/5 as far as the overall episode.
 
I actually liked this episode. It was a sweet Moe and Maya episode, that didn't go off into gags as severely as other Jean-showrunned episodes have. The B-plot with Homer was pretty boring, and if I recall correctly didn't actually have a final payoff or solution to the mob attacking Homer. I also enjoyed a lot of the callbacks this episode had to previous ones. That's something I wish Selman-run episodes had. There were so many this episode: Maya and Moe flashbacks scenes, Moe's previous relationships, and of course the best callback was Ruth talking about how the Simpsons haven't visited her in 25 years which is a pretty accurate statement lol. The ending was also very sweet with Moe proposing to Maya and her saying yes. I'm glad they made this change with Moe, even though I believe there are other ways to change the status quo besides giving characters a new love interest. I actually found myself laughing and smiling a lot this episode which I haven't done for a while with Simpsons episodes. As a side note, has Kevin Michael Richardson been promoted or something because now he has his own Also Starring slot in the end credit, instead of with the rest of the supporting cast like Chris Edgerly, Grey Griffin, and Alex Desert. It's not that big of a deal, I just thought it was kind of odd. Anyway, my final grade for this episode is 3.5/5 bumped to 4/5 for the poll.
 
I thought the main was a little rushed simply because of the subplot. I thought the subplot was nothing and could have been deleted. If they had focused fully on the main plot of Moe and Maya this would have easily been a 9. But it's still pretty good regardless. I liked Maya and Moe becoming a thing and hope they make it official in future episodes. 7/10 rounded up to 4 for the poll cause why not.
 
TheRealJims touched on an astute point via his observations on this episode over at Resetera... musing over whether Maya had experienced a lobotomy between her appearance 12 1/2 seasons ago and tonight. And I can't say that I disagree with him.

A lot of what made her stand out in that earlier episode was non-existent tonight. In her first appearance, she was quirky but amicable. She had ideals and neuroses that she felt strongly about. We saw why she found Moe attractive with his cornball sense of humour and his blanket acceptance of her own limitations and ultimately how he put her at ease as they played off one another in their double date with Homer and Marge. We got none of that here.

Maya shows up again out of the blue "after years" (because time is relative in Springfield) and pretty much throws herself right at Moe for no rhyme or reason. I mean, hell, Moe may have forgotten her address but if she really had regrets about breaking things off, it's not like he's hard to find. He's got a damn tavern with his name on it.

And if anyone were to happen to watch tonight with no knowledge or recollection of her earlier appearance... which, is undoubtedly the case for 95% of the casual fans that tuned in... what were they given by the writers to invest in this relationship. Not a whole hell of a lot. We got a musical number with Barney about life being great, a traffic/neighborhood affection subplot that went nowhere and Lisa apparently spent the entire episode filling out inane captcha queries.

Contrast that with how past episodes have taken the time to fully flesh out each character's motivations while facing an impactful life-changing decision. Nedna was handled so much more gracefully than this.

Now I'm not begrudging the decision to make a bold status quo change-up... provided they don't simply sideline Maya as some trophy girlfriend/fiancee/wife as they've done so many countless times before. I'll trust other writers and showrunners to write Maya better and make her feel more like her Season 20 self and less like the cardboard cutout we got tonight that simply threw herself at Moe out of the blue. This was almost Homer and Burns throwing themselves at Lily in The 7 Beer Itch bad.

Maybe if they actually spent the time developing relationships instead of taking them for granted and bloating an episode up with crap they'd resonate a little more. This really should've come off more special as a moment for Moe. Married to the Blob was handled much more tactfully than this... and I don't CARE about Comic Book Guy as a character. Whereas Moe I actually give a damn about. So I really shouldn't be feeling this way.
 
Brad Lascelle said:
TheRealJims touched on an astute point via his observations on this episode over at Resetera... musing over whether Maya had experienced a lobotomy between her appearance 12 1/2 seasons ago and tonight. And I can't say that I disagree with him.

A lot of what made her stand out in that earlier episode was non-existent tonight. In her first appearance, she was quirky but amicable. She had ideals and neuroses that she felt strongly about. We saw why she found Moe attractive with his cornball sense of humour and his blanket acceptance of her own limitations and ultimately how he put her at ease as they played off one another in their double date with Homer and Marge. We got none of that here.

Maya shows up again out of the blue "after years" (because time is relative in Springfield) and pretty much throws herself right at Moe for no rhyme or reason. I mean, hell, Moe may have forgotten her address but if she really had regrets about breaking things off, it's not like he's hard to find. He's got a damn tavern with his name on it.

And if anyone were to happen to watch tonight with no knowledge or recollection of her earlier appearance... which, is undoubtedly the case for 95% of the casual fans that tuned in... what were they given by the writers to invest in this relationship. Not a whole hell of a lot. We got a musical number with Barney about life being great, a traffic/neighborhood affection subplot that went nowhere and Lisa apparently spent the entire episode filling out inane captcha queries.

Contrast that with how past episodes have taken the time to fully flesh out each character's motivations while facing an impactful life-changing decision. Nedna was handled so much more gracefully than this.

Now I'm not begrudging the decision to make a bold status quo change-up... provided they don't simply sideline Maya as some trophy girlfriend/fiancee/wife as they've done so many countless times before. I'll trust other writers and showrunners to write Maya better and make her feel more like her Season 20 self and less like the cardboard cutout we got tonight that simply threw herself at Moe out of the blue. This was almost Homer and Burns throwing themselves at Lily in The 7 Beer Itch bad.

Maybe if they actually spent the time developing relationships instead of taking them for granted and bloating an episode up with crap they'd resonate a little more. This really should've come off more special as a moment for Moe. Married to the Blob was handled much more tactfully than this... and I don't CARE about Comic Book Guy as a character. Whereas Moe I actually give a damn about. So I really shouldn't be feeling this way.
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Huh. Y'know, this reply so far has been the most interesting thing abut the episode. Mostly because I'm writting a little piece I may or may not keep to myself regarind how women get treated in the show especially Jean era and onward (feels like it needs to be said somewhere but do I want to be the one to unpin that grenade?)
Amd well, one thought of that was going to be about how a lot of the time characters get treated like waifus. And Married to the Blob was definitely a part of it (I mean, Kumiko was literally created as a big tiddy anime waifu) and Nedna for that matter. And well, this sounds like such a blatant case I almost wanna sit though it. It sounds so on-brand for the show.
 
I thought the Nedna relationship was a reasonable attempt at fleshing out a real relationship, especially since Edna as a whole is a pretty complex character. The romance is shown to both have its perks and its downsides (Edna is a little more liberal while Ned is very conversative and prudish). They didn't entirely succeed (Ned 'n Edna's Blend was meh), but I can't agree on it fitting into the waifu archetype.
 
Can one be disappointed when their expectations are already rock bottom? I certainly was even though mine were. I firmly believe that Eeny Teeny Maya Moe is one of the very best examples of HD Simpsons yet this episode could barely muster a fraction of its charm or effort. The worst sin it commits is stripping away every trace of characterisation and agency from Maya. Seriously, there's nothing there. Where has she been? What has she been up to? Why does she want Moe back after all this time? Why does she no longer care about his inability to see her beyond her stature? Where was her intelligence and quirky humour? The more questions I think of, the angrier this wasted opportunity makes me. This episode could have been something and the change in the status quo could have had real weight. Decades of lonely, depressed and suicidal Moe comes to an end and all it compels me to do is shrug? What the actual fuck!? I feel so little for Moe's triumph because Maya, the personification of that, is less than a cardboard cutout. To say the subplot and the abominable list gags throttled this story would be a colossal understatement. What a waste.

For the decision to shake up the status quo and the potential (however limited) therein, I'll give the episode a 2 but I'm being extremely generous. Al Jean retire bitch. Seriously, when you a fumble a sequel to a HD episode for crying out glavin, it's time to pack it up. Please make better use of this development, Selman.
 
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Men Behind The Sun Tzu said:
I thought the Nedna relationship was a reasonable attempt at fleshing out a real relationship, especially since Edna as a whole is a pretty complex character. The romance is shown to both have its perks and its downsides (Edna is a little more liberal while Ned is very conversative and prudish). They didn't entirely succeed (Ned 'n Edna's Blend was meh), but I can't agree on it fitting into the waifu archetype.
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I'll probably be rewatching those eps, just to double check things but... I do already think you're half right. Nedna wasn't as blatantly obvious as Kumiko and Edna herself, absolutely great, one of the few women on the show given a fair shake and she was one of the best characters for it.

Buuuut it still really feels like Nedna fell into the same pattern as Married to the Blob and, by the sounds of things, this. Namely "this male character is broken/sad/whatever and needs a wife to fix them". I mean there was Skinner and Edna before but they had far more of a connection whereas Nedna felt just felt... random. Maybe if Ned had become a more cynical and less uptight character they might've had something more to bond over. Just feels like Edna was used as a "fixer" woman even though Edna herself was great. It also made it all the more pointless to break her and Skinner up. Aside from a rumour I think some people have brought up that Al Jean is just petty and disliked Oakley and Weinstein.

And on that note gonna have to second B-Boy. I don't really like either of the runners and if it was all-Selman it'd probably have a lot of the same issues but... fuck it, I could go for another Selman ep (except the Shauna one). And well, if I'm saying that then you know it's bad. Dude ain't any good with stories, he's god-awful at hiding his biases and the whole thing starts to feel like his own fanfic more than an actual show. Maybe there was a good reason the classic seasons are seen as fresh and tended to swap showrunners a lot.
 
Finally saw it. Might add more later but for now I have to get this off my chest:

So... They brought back Pamela Reed for one self-referencial line that was as "Funny" and subtle as the Disney jokes from the past two episodes? Not worth it.

Though I guess the joke's on them as they still paid her meaning she got the last laugh.
 
Venomrabbit said:
Buuuut it still really feels like Nedna fell into the same pattern as Married to the Blob and, by the sounds of things, this. Namely "this male character is broken/sad/whatever and needs a wife to fix them". I mean there was Skinner and Edna before but they had far more of a connection whereas Nedna felt just felt... random. Maybe if Ned had become a more cynical and less uptight character they might've had something more to bond over. Just feels like Edna was used as a "fixer" woman even though Edna herself was great. It also made it all the more pointless to break her and Skinner up. Aside from a rumour I think some people have brought up that Al Jean is just petty and disliked Oakley and Weinstein.
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I may have been pro-Nedna... and I do feel that was a fun albeit brief exploration of both characters... but the best post-Maude romance dynamic with Ned was via Sara Sloane in A Star Is Born Again and I don't think it's even a close contest.

I often wonder whether it was the fact that Sara was a one-off character that could be written out immediately afterwards afforded them the opportunity to make her a well-realized, multi-dimensional personality. But I kind of think that at least making them or their relationship the focus of a consequential episode like this one is pretty darn crucial.

Kumiko may have been largely treated as window dressing before and since, but she drove the first two acts of The Dad-Feelings Limited and I'm not at all confident that episode would've been regarded as affectionately if it wasn't for that focus and Jenny Yokobori's impassioned performance. And that was still a thoroughly Comic Book Guy-centric episode that delved into both his childhood and why his sensibilities around fatherhood had become so warped.

Moe's such a thoroughly established character by this point that I'm not at all certain we needed to reduce Maya to a stock paper-thin caricature and focus on his tendency for self-sabotage for two acts. We got a sweet moment at the end and there's a world of potential for future story ideas (many of which I rhymed off in the Season 33 OT as soon as promo pics for this ep came out) but Moe may as well have married his bar rag for as much development as Maya received last night. I'm just grateful that Jeremy Irons (don't play the anagram game with him) is more expensive than Tress MacNeille so we could forego that outcome.

John95 said:
So... They brought back Pamela Reed for one self-referencial line that was as "Funny" and subtle as the Disney jokes from the past two episodes? Not worth it.
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This was another "Herb Powell says he's broke again on an answering machine" or "Mr. Bergstrom shows up to butter Lisa's broccoli" moment for me. I think they expect us to feel warm and fuzzy about these Classic era callbacks but they just cheapen those priceless memories when they pull stunts like this. They'll get no back pats out of me for doing that. I'd rather see a 22-minute character exploration of Shauna Chalmers over blatant nostalgia pandering. At least I know she'll still have some relevancy once the episode ends.
 
Found it to be an enjoyable enough episode in terms of humour. But when Maya showed up again, I asked myself "why did they break up, again?" and was shocked that the show never reminded me. I spent most of the episode confused about why she's immediately so affectionate towards Moe after it was her who broke it off. I felt like I was missing something - and I'm a hardcore fan. So I can't imagine how confused less invested fans were. Also, I remembered Maya being a deeper character, with strong morals but a fun sense of humour. Didn't get any personality from her this time. It was just confusing to me why they'd make such a major life-changing episode for Moe, and invest nothing in the woman herself. Felt a bit like Kumiko in "Married to the Blob", but given she was a new character in that episode, it didn't bug me as much. In this case, they actually regressed a previously good character, and never explained why she re-invested herself in Moe.
 
Tomacco said:
Found it to be an enjoyable enough episode in terms of humour. But when Maya showed up again, I asked myself "why did they break up, again?" and was shocked that the show never reminded me. I spent most of the episode confused about why she's immediately so affectionate towards Moe after it was her who broke it off. I felt like I was missing something - and I'm a hardcore fan. So I can't imagine how confused less invested fans were. Also, I remembered Maya being a deeper character, with strong morals but a fun sense of humour. Didn't get any personality from her this time. It was just confusing to me why they'd make such a major life-changing episode for Moe, and invest nothing in the woman herself. Felt a bit like Kumiko in "Married to the Blob", but given she was a new character in that episode, it didn't bug me as much. In this case, they actually regressed a previously good character, and never explained why she re-invested herself in Moe.
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They broke up because Maya didn't like that Moe was planning to change his physical appearance by becoming smaller and was upset that he couldn't love her for who she was.
 
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