"You have destroyed all human life on earth. Level 1 complete!"
Well, I was pleased, I am surprised at the negative reviews so far. I do generally agree that the subplot was better than the main plot. I thought Bart's subplot was really enticing. The story at the beginning was Bart at his finest. They really nailed his storytelling. I thought his relationship with Ms. Swanson was done well and their friendship seemed genuine. It almost reminds me of Good Will Hunting in a way. The "don't have a cow" talk while Bart was in the room by himself also seemed to help create the bond that had been lost when Bart had stopped going.
Death Kill City II, obviously from the quote above, was the joke highlight of the night for me. I thought the Snake and Apu joke was funny at first when they both walked into the room, but I kept hoping "please, don't bring attention to it!" Of course, they spent half a minute bickering. Classic Jean era ruining of a joke. A few lines would've sufficed. The sequence with how the rumor spread of Stanley from student to student was good too. I wasn't a huge fan of the Willie scene, but it was pretty cool.
Oh yeah, there was a main plot. The main plot was good, not great. I think the early songs weren't memorable at all, but the first song with Cletus' kids was by far the best. The way Chalmers and Skinner busted into song was sorta forced, but I suppose what else could they do? I imagine knowing the Sound of Music for this episode would have helped, but I feel it will only get better on rewatch. There was a ton of stuff I felt I missed. Andy Dick's appearance was great (one line!), Sondheim's was good, Patterson's was pretty bad though. I enjoyed the ending with Brandine's return and the revelation that almost none of the kids were Cletus'.
I do want to give credit to Krusty, for being the best he's been in years. When Lisa said "Good to see you back," I thought the same.
4.5/5 or around a B+. Third or fourth best of the season. Better than My Fair Laddy, less than The President Wore Pearls, as far as Jean era musicals go, I thought.