Maybe it was that we finally got to see Mr. Burns again; he was always my favorite. Yes, he only had a bit part, and in fact the part of maniacal boss was played by Carl instead of Burns, but his presence set up the stories of the entire episode. I’ll go so far as to say everything about that episode worked, from Marge’s sexy calendar to Ned Flander’s role in the final moments.<\/p>\n
Even the brief encounters with Bart at school fed the main story, and were handled perfectly. This is what The Simpsons is capable of, and despite a few moments that were a bit more crass than I recall the Simpsons of yore being, it was classic Simpsons all over again.<\/p>\n
Speaking of crass, I was a little surprised when “ass” came up on the dice. I know it’s a more accepted word today than it was when this show first started, but it still surprises me when the envelope is taken that far on certain shows. I’m certainly not offended by it, just surprised that The Simpsons has that kind of a censorship edge these days.<\/p>\n
I guess I shouldn’t be, though, because when the series premiered it was constantly under fire for pushing the envelope of what you could do in animation and on prime time. I guess now that the collective envelope is already further over the line than it was, The Simpsons can always push it a bit further.<\/p>\n