Review: The Simpsons “Livin La Pura Vida”

 

 

Overview:

Picking up Bart from a sleepover, the Van Houten’s extend an invitation to Marge for the Simpsons to join them on their family vacation. Stretching the finances, they agree to go to Costa Rica. They are joined by the Hibberts, Chalmers and his daughter, and Patty with her new girlfriend, Evelyn. Arriving they stay within Van Houtens’ inherited dream home.

At first, upset that Patty would be joining them, Homer quickly befriends Evelyn. The two end up causing a lot of issues with their heavy drinking. When Patty realizes that she is dating a ‘Homer’, she calls things off with her. Marge will need to step in while maintaining her own expectations of the vacation.

With Lisa unable to get over worrying about her parent’s spending, Bart agrees to help her find a way to save the cost. Attempting to forge Kirk’s finance ledger they end up ruining the holiday for everyone. That is until they find out the truth about the Van Houten vacation home.

 

Our Take:

Thirty years of Simpsons content are now available on Disney+. The feature-length film and all, available for under ten dollars. And, everybody is on board for watching some episodes of The Simpsons. Hopefully, we will once again see a rise in popularity for the longest-running scripted television series. But, with that in mind, we must peel ourselves away from classic episodes like “Flaming Moe” and check in on what The Simpsons are up to today.

Wouldn’t you expect it, but the Simpsons are on another international vacation. This time grateful for the Van Houten’s to invite them; or, as Marge puts it, the only reason she allows Bart to stay friends with Milhouse. But, this episode of The Simpsons is not quite like what we have seen played out in episodes about Australia, Japan, or last seasons “D’oh Canada”. Instead, we got something entirely in the other direction.

With the family headed to Costa Rica, it would be assumed that Lisa would protect the forests, Bart would raise havoc, Homer would find some drunken monkeys, and Marge would keep everyone in line. Though we did get some of that in this episode, it does not centre around the country itself. There is a lot packed into this story, but sightseeing around Costa Rica is not one of them. Funny, because just last week’s “Marge the Lumberjill” was all about the sightseeing of Portland.

In place of a glorious money shot of some travel destination, “Livin La Pura Vida” is an episode all about family dynamics. And, not even the overly-tested relationships of the Simpsons themselves, but of their friends and extended family. The Van Houten’s once again get to prove why they are the worst. We even get to explore Super Intendant Chalmers’ relationship with his daughter.

The Hibberts also join along for the trip, despite not playing any role. This is the second week in a row where the Hibberts has been highlighted after they stole the seat in last week’s couch gag. Is this part of the series trying to push these characters into a more significant role? It would be a strange choice since most of them have been nothing more than background faces. Though, that may be part of the joke here. On the other hand, they may be preparing us for a dive into their own family dynamics soon. Could you imagine a spin-off much in the same vein as The Cleveland Show? I can’t.

This episode mostly features that of Patty’s new relationship. Guest-starring as her new partner Evelyn is Fortune Feimster, the hilarious comedian from Bless the Harts. Very much the female version of Homer, he makes the perfect friend for this trip out of the country. Of course, Patty would hate that with a passion, but these Bouvier women just can’t resist sloppy. Whether or not Feimster will make a reappearance will have to remain a mystery for now, but as it ended, the women ended up together.

While on the topic of Patty, I am pretty sure this was the first time her middle name was canonically voiced. While reaming her sister out, Marge calls her “Patty Maleficent Bouvier”, a fitting name after all.

Besides these multiple themes and plots running through the show, there was still plenty of room for great humour. In fact, there were more clever jokes than usual or at least stronger ones. Everything from Marge’s Instagram page is full of nothing but pictures of laundry to the mad search for the selfie stick charger, there were plenty of subtle lines. There was nothing that made me laugh as much as Milhouse’s attempt to be best friends with Dr. Hibbert’s son JJ. But, Homer’s visioning of Evelyn’s Southern euphemisms was enjoyable as well.

With Disney+ giving us unlimited access to The Simpsons archives we literally have the best episodes at our fingertips. However, when it comes to The Simpsons as it is today, this is as good as it gets. It was a thickly layered episode with different plots and themes happening. Also, the deep dive into the world of Springfield and the lives of side-characters has been the theme of the series for some time now. When it comes down to it though, this was just a fun new adventure for the best family on television. And, tonight they remind us why we are lucky the show continues to be released.