Simprovised

"Simprovised" is the twenty-first episode of the twenty-seventh season of the animated television series The Simpsons, and the 595th episode of the series overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on May 15, 2016, and includes a three-minute live-animated segment in which viewers were able to ask Homer Simpson questions.

"Simprovised"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 27
Episode 21
Directed byMatthew Nastuk
Written byJohn Frink
Production codeVABF13
Original air dateMay 15, 2016 (2016-05-15)
Guest appearance(s)

Plot

Homer is going to make an annual speech at the Nuclear Plant. His original plan is to repeat the comedy speech he did every year, but most of his punchlines were already used or they would be offensive, including jokes about Lenny's grandmother who is sick. This makes him so nervous that he passes out on the stage, leading to a trauma of public speaking. Trying to cheer Homer up, Marge takes him to a standup comedy show.

At the show, Homer is amazed by the actors' talent to improvise. He, Lenny, and Carl then choose to join an improvisation class, where Homer learns that he has a talent for improvising scenes. They decide to form their own stand-up comedy troupe at Moe's Tavern, where Homer's act is acclaimed by the public and the critics.

In a secondary plot, Bart and Lisa go to Ralph's birthday party, where Bart realizes that Ralph's new treehouse (built with money that Chief Wiggum took from the evidence locker) is much better than his old current treehouse. Feeling envious, Bart destroys his treehouse. However, when he says that mothers can't build a treehouse, Marge plans to work hard and build him the best treehouse she can.

Later, at the new treehouse, Marge overhears Bart saying to Milhouse that there isn't any need to thank her, because she is only doing her job. Marge gets irritated at him, and storms off during dinner when Bart offends her, where Homer learns that he is invited to perform at the Springfield Fringe Festival. When Marge complains to him about Bart and learns about the fringe festival, she accidentally makes Homer insecure about his own act.

The next morning, Bart takes Marge's breakfast into her bedroom and apologizes (with Homer's help), and they reconcile. Later at the festival, Moe advises a still insecure Homer that he should cheat on his improvisation act, letting Moe pick his premises. However, Lisa finds out about their plans and convinces Homer to make his show the proper way. He does so, and his on-the-spot act is well-received by the audience.

In a segment advertised as "Homer Live", Homer puts his improvisation skills to use by taking questions from viewers during the credits. This segment was performed live twice by Dan Castellaneta, for both east and west coast broadcasts. In the international version, Homer gives a three minute monologue chronicling his intentions to run for presidency, only to talk himself out of it by the end of his speech. Different characters (including Bender from Futurama picketing for another revival of his show) pass by him throughout the segment.

Reception

"Simprovised" scored a 1.2 rating and was watched by 2.80 million viewers, making it Fox's highest rated show of the night.[1]

Dennis Perkins of The A.V. Club was positive on "Simprovised", giving it a B+. He explained "What’s so entertaining about Homer’s journey in 'Simprovised' is how it grows out of his character. Sure, the episode is pretty streamlined, since those last three minutes were set aside for the big ratings-grab, but lopping off the opening credits entirely helped. There’s even time for a truncated but effective B-story, with Marge getting pissed at Bart for not appreciating her building him a new treehouse. Honestly, underdeveloped, gag-happy storylines are a sad fact of life in modern-day 'Simpsons' but 'Simprovised' proves that—even when compressed—a simple story well told and rooted in the characters can be both funny and affecting."[2]

IGN reviewer Jesse Schedeen gave the episode a 6.4/10. He criticized the episode itself, but enjoyed the improvised part, adding "For the most part, this episode was very textbook, late-era Simpsons fare. There were some humor to be had (mainly in the first act), but mostly a lot of missed opportunities and well-worn Simpson family drama. However, the live segment that closed out the episode was definitely a welcome change from the norm. That segment proved that this show still can take risks from time to time, and furthermore, that those risks can pay off."[3]

Den of Geek's Tony Sokol was critical, giving the episode 2.5/5 stars, writing "The episode moved, but for a comedy show doing a show about comedy, the laughs were slim."[4]

References
  1. Porter, Rick (May 17, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: 'Once Upon a Time' finale, everything else hold". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  2. "The gimmick is the least impressive part of a funny Simpsons". The A.V. Club. May 15, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  3. Schedeen, By Jesse (May 15, 2016). "The Simpsons: "Simprovised" Review". IGN. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  4. "The Simpsons: Simprovised Review". Den of Geek. May 15, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
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