Review: The Simpsons ‘Friend with Benefit’

Spoilers Below:

Lisa befriended a new student named Harper, whose father got them tickets and VIP passes to a concert because he owns the venue. Homer was enjoying the rich life perks for a while over the next couple weeks, but Lisa wasn’t sure if Harper was actually a good friend. For the sake of her family and a free Caribbean vacation, Lisa put up with her condescending companion, but Homer ended up standing up for his daughter, calling Harper spoiled, and leaving.

In Case You Missed It:

1) No blackboard/couch gag: Just a sequence about Santa’s Little Helper dying and going to fat dog hell.

2) Homer referred to $1100 as “eleventy-hundred.”

3) The school’s clubs included: The French Kissing Club, Children without Phones, the Stolen Bicycle Society, Club Meds, Golf with Dolph, Ralph’s Hug Club, and Magic Club.

4) Lenny’s advice: “season three of anything is the best.”

5) Homer was reading Crowdfunding: The New Panhandling, and using FriendMoocher.com.

6) Ironic that Helen Lovejoy – Mrs. “Won’t Somebody Please Think of the Children” herself – was the one to launch Maggie off the new chair.

7) “YVAN EHT NIOJ” made an appearance at the concert.

8) The David Copperfield show’s sign advertised: “You won’t believe what he charges for a t-shirt.”

9) The island’s activity options included swim lessons with Michael Phelps, be in a movie with Adam Sandler, and making your decision with Dr. Phil.

I feel as if all too often The Simpsons is content with floating a bunch of jokes on a story that’s weak and full of holes. This is one of those examples.

Let’s start off positive though. There were a ton of good laughs throughout this episode. They really packed them in at the beginning, and it tapered off a bit after that, but almost the entire runtime was covered. Sight gags coupled with a throwback and some guest voices made for a lot of amusement.

However, this story was all over the place. The chair thing was very drawn out, Lisa’s friendship seemed awkward the entire time, and the ending was quite abrupt.

Think about it.

First, the whole episode could have probably been focused on Homer’s pursuit of the almighty chair, or it could have been taken completely out and something shorter & simpler could have led to Homer’s taste for the high life. Why give it so much time when it really plays a small role?

Second, Lisa is way too principled to waste that much time with a spoiled rich kid (as she has proved multiple times in the past) and that came off unnatural for her character throughout.

And finally, Homer ended the friendships of his daughter and himself in a good fatherly moment, but it was very quick and we saw nothing of the aftermath. I suppose this isn’t so bad in general sometimes, but it seems odd for Simpsons episodes, which usually have a nicer conclusion bow on top.

Again, the show is proving that it can still dish out the laughs and stay alive after so many years, but they’re not as hearty as before, and the installments just aren’t as consistently enjoyable as fans should expect. I think it’s too easy to say that the Simpsons writers are running out of ideas – even though this has a similar moral to “Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield” – because we still see a lot of unique plots. But the lack of available ideas that are simple might lead to the use of more complex stories that just aren’t very good – especially when they start with some weird overly-artsy introduction.

It’s a hit-or-miss world in Springfield nowadays, and this one was a funny near-miss.