The Simpsons 14.10/11
We actually get two new installments of “The Simpsons,” and the 301st episode (14.11) turns out to be the funniest since that “Treehouse of Horror” segment featuring all the Homer-clones. (Still, if they aired 301 eight years ago, it’d likely be that season’s worse. That is to say, it’s better than your typical installment of, say, “The Critic,” but nowhere near as funny as the average “Futurama” or “King of the Hill.”)
Episode 300, teleplay credited to Andrew Kreisberg, is actually a trying and meandering effort. Even if it elicits a few smiles, many may feel used and betrayed by its conclusion. Homer must combat skateboarding legend Tony Hawk for Bart’s affection.
Episode 301, teleplay credited to Kevin Curran, is the far better of the two, dealing as it does with Lisa getting caught up in a quiz-show-style spelling-bee scandal while Homer and Otto relentlessly pursue Krustyburger’s elusive limited-time-only Ribwich. (“I don’t mind the taste!” Krusty hilariously enthuses in one commercial.) There’s also some funny stuff with guest star George Plimpton as the overseer of the “Spellympics.” Of course, like all contemporary “Simpsons” episodes, it has its share of real groaners: “It’s about three days since I’ve had [a Ribwich],” moans a fidgety Homer. “I’m getting the shakes. And I’m getting the fries.” It ends most oddly, with a Rushmore-like sculpture of Lisa overlooking Springfield.
Both of the new episodes are preceded at 7:30 p.m. by a repeat of the episode with Homer’s rock & roll camp. Herc thought it a pretty tepid affair, but it was the only post-1997 installment to make Entertainment Weekly’s recent “25 best 'Simpsons' episodes” list.
Kingpin 1.5
What TV Guide isn’t telling you is that tonight Miguel’s brother Chato is jailed and anally raped by engorged law enforcement officials. All the unpleasantness seems to stem from a Juarez newspaper declaring Chato’s family the area’s most powerful, and the effects will still be felt on Tuesday’s season finale.
It’s worth tuning into if only to catch the highly amusing circumstances of Chato’s release, but we also finally get a sense of where the series is going with the Angela Rosa and Brian Benben characters.
The show continues to evoke “The Godfather” and “The Sopranos,” but the muscular longform continuity also puts one in the mind of CBS’s excellent “Wiseguy” series, with its fondness for depicting bizarre criminal behavior. Let's hope NBC gets around to greenlighting a whole season. 10 p.m. Sunday. NBC.
Herc’s rating for “The Simpsons” 14.10?
**
Herc’s rating for “The Simpsons” 14.11?
***
Herc’s rating for “Kingpin” 1.5?
***1/2
The Hercules T. Strong Rating System:
