The Simpsons Season 21 Episode 1: Homer the Whopper

Here we go! Will The Simpsons be good in their first full season of HD? Let's find out.

When Bart and Milhouse see Comic Book Guy's comic book titled Everyman, which is about a character that absorbs superpowers from the characters of comic book he touches, they convince him to publish the comic. It becomes an instant hit, and many Hollywood studios become interested in making it into a movie. 



Comic Book Guy agrees to let Everyman become a movie, but only if he can pick the star. He picks Homer for the role because he wants Everyman to be played by a middle-aged fat man (lol). But the studio executives need physically fit actor for the role, so they hire celebrity fitness trainer Lyle McCarthy to get Homer into shape. After a month, Homer becomes fit and the movie begins production.

But when McCarthy leaves Homer for another client, Homer starts eating again and gains all the weight back. He can't fit into his costume or even his trailer, and the movie begins to go over budget. The studio executives and CBG worry that the film will not be successful. The final version of the movie has fat Homer and the physically fit Homer merged, and that confuses the audience. 

After the premiere of the film, McCarthy returns and offers to get Homer into shape again, which Homer accepts. The studio executives offer to let CBG direct the sequel, should CBG lie to the fans and say he liked the film, but he rejects it and instead writes a negative review online, and Everyman never returns.



My thoughts:

How many times have I watched it: Once, on a bus ride. (301 Newton Exchange!)

Blackboard Gag (NEW): If I Kill You, You Don't Pay - Dr. Nick Riviera. Haha (A)

Chalkboard Gag: The class hamster isn't just sleeping. Nice reference to a Season 12 episode. (B+)

Couch Gag: The Simpsons arrive at a subway station, where the subway doors open to reveal their living room. The subway station/sign looks like NYC. (A-)

Comic Book Guy was good, and was probably the best thing about the episode. Every scene he was in felt pretty natural and typical of CBG, and a lot of the dialogue was funny. I liked the pointed observation about how CBG would cover up his own work so it doesn't get ridiculed. The plot did feel kinda derivative and tired in some places, though. Also, the plot was a bit predictable. The moment the trainer left, I knew Homer was going to get fat, and I knew it was going to screw up the movie. Seth Rogen's character was pretty annoying and him whispering under his breath got old really fast. 

The actual Everyman comic rough draft was entertaining. Some other jokes I liked were the Kwik-E-Mart scene, the montages, and all the superhero-movie cliches (that also appeared in "Radioactive Man") were high points in the episode. But that's it.

In conclusion, it was below par of an episode.

My grade: C