Review: The Simpsons “Haw-Haw Land”

Ed Sheeran plays Lisa’s latest crush.

Overview (Spoilers):

There is no mistaking that this is going to be an all-out parody of hit movie La La Land, as the episode begins with the films signature traffic jam musical number. Somehow, Lisa has convinced her family to attend a STEM Conference, where she meets her latest crush, Brendon, played by Ed Sheeran. Her interest in the new kid with the English accent has old flames like Milhouse and Nelson seeing green. Nelson strikes back with a sudden passion for jazz himself, and he faces off at the talent show against Brendon for Lisa’s hand.

Meanwhile, Bart has a new interest himself, in chemistry. Naturally, Bart learning chemistry begins to make his parents and Principal Skinner anxious but, Marge is inclined to trust him- Homer is content he’s not ‘Breaking Bad it’. It takes a leap of faith for Marge to show that Barts intentions are in the right place, yet in the end, she is proven wrong as Bart just cannot help himself.

Our Take:

Attempting a La La Land parody is a bit of a stretch as far as storytelling goes. The love triangle is a trope that I would hope even The Simpsons had put away as a plot. La La Land did not gain popularity for an in-depth story; it was all about the music. The Simpsons answered this by injecting seven short musical numbers into the episode. Unfortunately, not one of the songs were catchy or stood out, and the big opening sequence fell flat. Honestly, it felt like the episode was put together simply for the ending punchline when they mock last year’s Academy Awards, by saying this was meant to be a parody of Moonlight.

Bart’s storyline was much more entertaining and had the opportunity for a lot more content. We may have been better off with a Breaking Bad parody. Everything to do with Bart’s story was cut short or involved Homer and Marge discussing their distrust in his new hobby. It is a missed opportunity to add commentary on some significant social issues, having Bart mistaken for making drugs in the treehouse. In the end, it felt like this episode told the wrong story.

Out of all the popular movies from the last couple of years to parody, La La Land was not the best choice. Ed Sheeran was okay but, it was predictable that he would be playing another of Lisa’s long list of love interests. For being a musical episode with a famous musical guest star, this episode failed to sing out.