Season 13...The Al Jean Era Begins, Halloween moves indefinitely to Novembe
"When did the Simpsons start to lose its steam?" Such is a timelessly debated question amongst nerds, and the responses couldn't vary more over the years, from assertions that Mike Scully turned the series into a 'cartoon,' that episodes like 'The Principal and the Pauper' nailed closed the coffin of the show, that once Dave Mirkin rolled in, the series began moving away from emotionally centered stories, even the infamous quote 'Worst episode ever," came from a blogger scribing his hatred for the episode 'Itchy and Scratchy: The Movie," from season 4; but these days most fingers start to point to Al Jean's tenure as showrunner for a clear illustration of the family's fall from demanding adventures that commanded viewing. In 2004, during the series' 15th year, Harry Shearer was infamously outspoken at what he saw was a declining quality within the series over the previous three years. With Season 13, you can judge for yourself, as that is year one of Al Jean's tenure, and would be the first of those declining shows.
Truly the Simpsons has never stopped offering funny adventures for our classic characters, however its tone has surely shifted as time has passed, but as such it has managed to keep itself capable of renewing its palate of comedy and expanding its universe. It has managed to produce great episodes even during this past decade, but in contrast to the consistency within the first ten years, the show has certainly given justification to comparative criticism. Season 13 is filled with humorous offerings and many explore mature and inspired themes like spirituality, medicinal marijuana, reality television executions, and the infamous skewering of Rio. There is a lot to like here. Many episodes are wonderful examples of the series thumping its chest with refined wit and social criticism, and most are creative continuations of various setups that have worked to great effect in the past. Apu gets a nice infidelity tale, Homer takes on the role as the new Moe, Lisa flirts with adulthood, Bart falls in love again, a clip show, and the three act offering 'Tales from the Public Domain,' which is a nice alternaverse collection of re-purposed classics, even Homer and Ned's Vegas wives return.
While the 22 episodes included here are a certain source of mirth and continued adoration for the series, there is certainly more than enough room for reflection on the seasons' illustration of fans' indifference towards the show. The series has, since season 12, began to air the Halloween adventure, a long standing tradition of the holiday, on the first Sunday in November due to Fox's broadcast pre-emption by the World Series. This seemingly inane action has sadly influenced the perception of the show's urgency. Fortunately, season 21 has rectified this error, but nine years too late. Also, many episodes here feel to be the antithesis of the series' usual approach to storytelling, with nearly every episode using a broad setup that feels like traditional sitcom territory. While in said territory, the series was once reliable for reflexive comedy and biting satire, here the comedy seems to be relying on physical humor and passing sarcasm more than usual. Many episodes feel light in laughs, and our characters all seem to engage in scenarios where they learn lessons they've learned before.
While there are signs that things are becoming much more mechanized in the creation of episodes, and that perhaps the days of the show as the forefront for cuttRead full review
