Review: The Simpsons “Poorhouse Rock”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

After Bart humiliates him at church, Homer finally teaches his son to admire his dad – until a visit from a magical, singing janitor changes everything.

Our Take: 

Well, isn’t this a coincidence? The thirty-third season started with some singing and dancing, with Marge and her old classmates reviving their high school play. Now, the season is coming to a close with more musical shenanigans, courtesy of its latest guest star, Hugh Jackman. It’s a good thing I enjoy musicals. It has been quite a journey revisiting The Simpsons for the first time in a few years. Despite the changes that I missed out on, I’m happy to see that it’s still the same show I remembered watching years ago. Today sees my journey reaching its conclusion with another father/son episode that sees the two at each other’s throats again.

The season finale begins with Marge and the other mothers having a girls’ night out watching “Tunnelton”. Unfortunately, their binge-drinking antics while watching muscular men on television resulted in Marge having a massive hangover. As a result, Homer is forced to take the kids to church. After getting out of the preachment, Homer overhears Bart highlighting his embarrassing moments in his Sunday School presentation. Upset of being seen as a loser, Homer decides to take Bart to the Nuclear Power Plant to show him he’s a winner, resulting in Bart hoping to be like him. That is until he meets a magical janitor, who takes him on a musical journey to 20th Century America to warn him about the economic system.

Much of the humor consists of Marge and the mothers watching “Tunnelton”, referencing the iconic historical drama series “Bridgerton”. While I haven’t watched that show myself, I got a kick out of seeing the moms go crazy over the muscular men and Marge protecting Bart from their sexiness. Additionally, Bart wants to be a nuclear safety inspector, not knowing that the future isn’t looking bright for the family, economy-wise.

Like “The Star of the Backstage”, the episode is a musical with the characters singing and dancing about economic issues. Unfortunately, it features only one song that appeared in the second half, so in hindsight, I don’t think it should be classified as a “musical”. Regardless, it’s a playful jab at the “Schoolhouse Rock” format that sees Bart learning about economics through music.

Hugh Jackman has been one of my favorite actors for a long time. The actor can do it all, whether he’s showing off his claws as Wolverine or singing his heart out in a few movie musicals. Jackman is the main reason I was looking forward to the season finale. Unsurprisingly, he did not disappoint. Jackman delivered a performance worthy of his singing talent regarding his portrayal of the janitor. The appearance of Robert Reich as himself was also a nice addition to its economic-filled musical extravaganza.

Overall, “Poorhouse Rock” doesn’t have enough songs to be considered a musical, and its themes struggle to match the perkiness of its melody. However, it has enough moments in its plot and comedy to provide an enjoyable tuneful trip through the world of economics. The humor involving a “Bridgerton” rip-off was a decent distraction until it gets to the “Schoolhouse Rock” parody in the second half. The inclusion of a singing Hugh Jackman also makes this season finale a melodic treat for people who enjoyed his harmonious talents. This season is full of ups and downs, and I’m glad to see that it ended on an optimistic and humorous note rather than a sour one.