Review: The Simpsons “The Road to Cincinnati”

 

 

Overview:

Superintendent Chalmers is delivering a key speech at the upcoming National Administrators Convention, Edu-Con, in Cincinnati. Allowed to bring one guest, Principal Skinner finds a way to get some one-on-one time with his boss.  

However, they will get more time than expected after being kicked off their flight and being forced to drive the 800-mile distance. Overcoming obstacles along the way like misguided hitchhikers, and a healthy gang of bikers. The only thing that can stop the mismatched pair of characters is their fragile relationship.

 

Our Take:

For something completely different, voice-actors Harry Shearer and Hank Azaria relieve The Simpsons’ actors of the starring role. The titular family characters only appear in supporting roles. Even Homer narrowly missed being absent from the episode all together before landing one line in the epilogue.  

Instead, the episode puts the beloved odd couple of Principal Skinner and Superintendent Chalmers in the middle of a buddy road trip plot. A classic trope that has been featured in dozens of films including Planes, Trains and Automobiles, The Blues Brothers, and Beavis and Butthead Do America.  

We have seen many memorable scenes and stories from Chalmers and Skinner since the former landed in Springfield in season four. Most familiar would be the “Steamed Hams” clip that has become one of the shows most viral moments. The two overly serious characters work well to create silly content with commentary on the boss-employee relationship.

Combining the lovable pair for an entire episode paid-off in spades. The simplified and familiar storyline left room for an onslaught of jokes and references. There is a good spin on the road trip biker gang cliché, plenty of Skinner confronting his mother, and even a subtle nod to steamed hams. The highlight came early when the awkward Skinner mishandled a high-five to land his hand in Chalmers groin. A-grade Simpsons humour.

Of course, any good buddy road trip film must reach a climactic argument and the resulting reunion that bonds the characters closer than ever. This episode delivers in fashion having the broken friendship lead to a physical fight resulting in the destruction of a bed and breakfast. The scene was almost uncharacteristic for the series. But it was a beautiful culmination of the long-lasting uncomfortable relationship between the characters.

The most exciting thing to come out of this episode was that it allowed the supporting characters the full run-time to tell their story. We have become accustomed to two-plot episodes that feature characters like these having their adventure whilst something else is occurring in the Simpsons home. Not surprisingly, this was preferable. 

There is no denying that last week’s “Three Dreams Denied” would have been better had we gotten 22-minutes of Comic Book Guy running around a comic-convention and getting into his own antics.

Though I would not get used to this type of storytelling, it is more of a refreshing break from the standard episode. This is still The Simpsons after all, and the show must remain focused on the family. 

In fact, the classic steamed hams bit was born from the show playing with an idea of a spin-off that would feature the rest of Springfield’s strange residents.

That only helps to make this episode that much more special. It is something that alters from the sitcoms traditional formula without having to go all-out as they do for a “Treehouse of Horror” or the like. This was a stand-out episode that is very much grounded in The Simpsons universe.

I am not saying that this was the best episode of season 32 of The Simpsons. However, it may be my personal favourite thus far. Just as some meals are better with only a few ingredients, “The Road to Cincinnati” is a three-ingredient dish: two friends and the open road. Simplified, presented well, and allowing the flavours to shine, this was a delicious little episode.