The Simpsons family continues their world domination by visiting Denmark.

Overview:

A mistake that not just Homer is responsible for causes a significant flood in the house.  Thankfully, they have a surprisingly good house insurance plan that covers the cost of repairs and enough left over.  However, Grampa Simpson drops the news that he is in need of an operation. Unfortunately, the price is still way too high which leads the Simpsons to a country with free healthcare, Denmark.

While exploring the happiest country in the world, Bart, Lisa, and Marge quickly fall in love.  Homer helps Grampa rip-off the countries healthcare system so that they can leave, but Marge is ready to stay for good.  After Homer dances with a local girl at the pub, it may mean the end of their marriage for good.

Our Take:

When the Simpsons go traveling internationally, it can always be a great episode.  When the family went to Australia, Japan, and even to an extent, Canada, they each became fan-favorite shows.  Taking the Simpsons to a country like Denmark is even better than nations that already have a massive influence on our culture- I mean, I live in Canada, so I didn’t learn much from the Simpsons episode.  However, this Denmark episode offered me some entertainment and knowledge.

There were a couple of stand-out moments in this episode that pushed it above just being ‘Simpsons in Denmark’.  To begin with, there is a special cameo of someone we have not seen in a long time, Bender of Futurama.  Second, I really started to worry when Lisa met the young prince of Denmark that we would have yet another episode where Lisa finds love in the strangest of places. Instead, the writers seemed to have noticed their own clichés and wrapped the scene up quickly, and with it ending with Bart as a ninja, it was a memorable piece.

As I mentioned, I live in Canada myself, for my healthcare is a free universal right as a citizen.  As a concept, I understand the struggles that many Americans face with outrageous healthcare bills.  But, honestly, I have no idea.  It genuinely confuses me that a country so far ahead in many ways could be a century behind when taking care of its citizens.  Tonight’s episode not only faced these issues but also showed how many benefits that come with it, and how many places in the world are far more advanced.

The conclusion revealed Grampa’s secret surgery and why he couldn’t tell his son earlier.  Not to spoil anything, but it has another connection to Homer’s mother.  While I feel like we have gotten a lot of this in the last couple of seasons, it does always melt the heart when Homer and his father share this connection.  Maybe I am making a bit of a bold prediction when I say that all this mending of their relationship could be leading to Grampa Simpson’s last appearance soon.

There was a lot to enjoy from beginning to end.  This episode blends a perfect Simpsons recipe: political commentary, situational comedy, family feel-good, and some plain old dumb Homer humour.  Wrap that all together with a change of scenery and you have a successful episode. Sure, when the Simpsons leave town, we always miss the characters of Springfield, but just like real life it’s nice to get away once and a while.