Review: The Simpsons “King Leer”

 

Who will reign as the Mattress King in this Simpsons tragedy?

Overview:

Bart picks up a new musical instrument, of which he holds the damage deposit over Homer’s head.  Driven by the passion not to lose $430 out of the deal Homer almost loses his mind keeping Bart’s violin safe.  However, with a violent end to the violin, Homer is free of his suffering which gives him the opportunity to go to Moe’s.

Moe is acting suspiciously angry- more so than usual- and Homer and Marge discover Moe meeting up with his father.  Morty Szyslak has come to make amends after kicking Moe out of their home and family business decades ago.  Marge forces Moe to bond with his family, and as a result, Moe is taken back by his father and given the keys to his own Mattress King store.

Morty’s other two children are also given their own stores, and war breaks out amongst the siblings.  In a last-ditch effort, Moe intends to destroy his brother and sister once and for all, revealing his father for who he is, while Moe learns how far he is willing to go.

Our Take:

Moe, the lifetime bartender of Homer Simpson, gets some serious background into his character.  Typically, a Moe heavy episode involves some sort of get rich quick scheme or the loner looking for love in the wrong places.  Background on this disgruntled barkeep that we have known for nearly 30-years is welcome, and a bit overdue.

The Szyslak family operating a mattress franchise is a brilliant move on the writer’s parts, and it shows a lot about where Moe learned to keep his grungy bar running for how many years.  Moe’s siblings are pretty much what you expect them to be and didn’t add much but adversity to the story.  Even Moe’s father could have used more originality in his character and relied less heavily on stereotypes- though Ray Liotta did a great voice.

Reimagining a Shakespeare title like King Lear in the Simpsons Universe would seem impossible to do without Moe Szyslak.  The aging bartender is the Simpsons epitome of tragedy. If bad things are going to happen Moe is a good target- or Milhouse.  However, Moe acts more the hero in this tale, which is a welcome change and makes for a heartwarming show.

Though this is a great episode to add to The Simpsons canon, it did lack on the humour.  There were plenty of quick laughs crammed to the start, but not enough carried through. The story had grounded morals and was a classic Simpsons feel-good.  Overall, it was enjoyable enough with nothing pushing the bar.  Honestly, The Simpsons cannot be around forever.  At this point does this long-running series need to exceed expectations or is it better to ride out on the winning formula that we fell in love with?