Change Your Image
BradenLambdin
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Lists
An error has ocurred. Please try againReviews
The Simpsons: AE Bonny Romance (2023)
Keep 'em comin'
Solid! The writing was pretty good actually; no plot point seemed to go to waste. I was impressed at whole well the destination wedding angle and Willie/Bart angle intertwined. I'm glad they kept bringing certain points back, or at least, giving them extra significance. Like the random tiktok sequence, for example. I was not expecting that to play any role in the plot whatsoever but props to them for adding some substance. I may always cringe when i see an app like tiktok or twitter mentioned in the show, but i cringe a little less when it actually has meaning aside from being a pointless reference. Jokes were good overall, nothing killer but hardly any filler either. Also really loved the song by Belle & Sebastian at the end! Pleasant surprise to see them included. I miss the couch gags & title sequence but these post-credit shorts we've been getting is not a bad trade!
The Simpsons: It's a Blunderful Life (2023)
Genuinely reminiscent of the classics!
Genuinely great! The joke pace was reminiscent of classic era. It was one after the other and 90% of them were great. I LOVE the inclusion of all the quick little "blink and you miss it" visual gags that i feel like haven't been present in years. I'm happy to see them make use of them again and i'm open to more in the future!
While we've seen several instances of the family being ran out of town, this time, the flashback/Lisa storytelling method provided the fresh new twist needed. Props to Averick on this one! An instant classic Thanksgiving episode and a season 35 highlight to beat! Happy thanksgiving everyone!
The Simpsons: Iron Marge (2023)
Another addition to the mediocrity pile
Not a lot of laughs in this one. Homer's b-plot was one of the most eyeroll-worthy of the last couple seasons, or maybe i'm just inclined to think that anytime he spends the entire episode referencing an app. The ending of that storyline felt lazy too, or maybe i'm just inclined to think that anytime they pair with him with another Springfieldian we've never seen him cross paths with before. The a-plot was fine but felt verryy rushed. Everything just felt very rushed imo. Scully script that had big-time Jean energy (not a good thing). Poor follow-up to a relatively solid TOH last week. Maybe we'll get another highlight next week...
The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XXXIV (2023)
Two out of three ain't bad
Wild Barts Can't Be Token: incredibly awful. Nothing about this felt like the simpsons...well aside from the pointless celeb cameos, meaningless 'hip' jargon, and flat jokes. Also, small nitpick, why couldn't the three hooded people reveal themselves as the three nerds from Homer Goes To College? Would've been a great callback, actually funny, and would've made a lot more sense than 3 random celebs since the nerds would probably be into NFTs! Ughh...what if.
Eig8t: great Cape Feare ref! Great twists! Great jokes! I genuinely would pay for this to be fleshed out into a full episode. I was cheesing the whole time! If the first segment was a 2, this was a 10. It felt like a completely different show written by a completely different crew with a completely better understanding of the show. LOVED IT!
3: funny concept. I enjoyed it. Leagues better than the first segment but not as good as the second. I think we could've used an actual ending where a cure was developed, but the ending we got was funny too. Good segment!
Overall, solid TOH but man that NFT segment really did a number on me. I don't think i'm overreacting either; i think it was that bad. It dragged the whole episode down a letter grade for me.
The Simpsons: The King of Nice (2022)
As of now, the worst Simpsons episode i've ever seen.
I'm not one to give 1/10 scores whenever i remotely dislike a show. In fact, i've tried to have mercy on Season 34 considering how solid Season 33 was. However, this episode drove me over the top. Jokes consistently flop and come off as incredibly cringe. Writers are trying wayyy too hard to write relevant/modern material. They place more emphasis on the audience recognizing cultural references than actually attempting to write clever comedy. I know the show has had this issue for years now but it feels like this episode is the culmination of everything the show SHOULDN'T be about. Just because you're airing in 2022 doesn't mean you have to remind your audience of that with every episode. Leave it to modern Simpsons for making a joke about TikTok feel incredibly dated. Also, just as a side rant, Bart's little jab about the show still making episodes is such a tired piece of writing. Why do the writers keep going back to this specific joke as if they haven't made it multiple times already?? Frustrating and not as witty as they think.
Saturday Night Live: Paul Simon/Randy Newman/Phoebe Snow (1975)
Heaven for Paul Simon fans / Hell for comedy fans
The actual comedic sketches were few and far between but all were actually hilarious, so at least it wasn't a compete Paul Simon worshipping service. Despite that, it is a stretch on what the show was supposed to be: a series of comedic sketches. Regardless, it's a decent second episode with a lot of great music...if you don't mind sitting through basically an hour-long concert.
Middlemost Post (2021)
Seems like another throwaway kids' show
The plot/concept is nice. The characters aren't very likable but they're least have minimal merit. They come off as tropey and annoying at times. I'm not the demographic for this show but I can recognize a GOOD kids' show when I see one, and this isn't particularly "good". It is simply not terrible and that's about it. Something else to hold a kid's attention. It is certainly better than The Patrick Star Show, which premiered on the same night and is significantly more brain-numbing.
The Goldbergs: 1990-Something (2018)
WTF?
An example of a show dumping a handful of new characters on us without warning while expecting us to care about them even slightly. I don't know these new characters! How am I supposed to care about them?? I get that this is a back door pilot, but it does not belong in the Goldbergs slot. Terribly written and terribly planned out.
The Goldbergs: Dinner With The Goldbergs (2018)
Highlight of the season
Season 5 was off to a slow start. All of the previous episodes weren't bad, but nothing great....until this episode. This is one of, if not the best episode of the series so far. Hilarious gags, excellent writing, and believable situations. Each of the characters' worst, yet funniest traits are on display.
Resident Alien: End of the World as We Know It (2021)
YES YES YES! FANTASTIC EPISODE!
Last week, I claimed that last week's episode was my favorite so far. However, that is now untrue because this week's episode has just topped it! It was the culmination of a couple of the most tense storylines of the series (although it was sort of a bottle episode, since the main cast were basically stuck in the ice for the majority of the episode). The writing was just too good! However, i thought that Asta's dad's reaction to finding out Harry was an alien was a little...unrealistic. He acted like he had seen aliens before (maybe he has? 😳) but i assume he hasn't, and if so, they could've made him freak out a little more. Also, I'm confused as to how quickly Harry went from being appreciative of Asta for basically saving his life, to "I will kill the human race tomorrow!". Like, I get that was his mission initially, but has he no hesitation after all this? I assume he will have to make a typical moral choice about this in the future. All in all, a great episode. Can't wait until next week. Not to mention, I loved hearing "Helplessness Blues" by Fleet Foxes starting the episode!
Resident Alien: The Green Glow (2021)
Probably the best episode so far!
"The Green Glow" might be my favorite episode of the series so far. Every episode has been at least good, but this one takes the cake! Perfect blend of humor, emotional plot lines, and of course, Harry's plot line to find his ship! Huge payoff in this episode. Not to mention, i'm glad Isabelle is out of the picture now (didn't care for her character) and I loved seeing Sheriff and Deputy get more screen time. Seeing Deputy go off on Sheriff in the diner was great.
Clarice: Are You Alright? (2021)
Lowest point thus far...
Wow, I may still be in shock from the garbage I just watched, but I truly think that this is one of the worst episodes of "serious" television I've ever seen. The entire plot...the entire story...the entire episode...was a suspect interrogation. That's basically it. Literally, NOTHING else happens until the last 3 minutes of the episode, and even then it's just that the suspect is poisoned. Episodes like this are the exact opposite of what I was hoping for in the future. A suspenseful, quick-paced plot like the last episode is what this young series needs more of if it hopes to keep my weekly viewership. This episode was opposite of that. It was SLOW AS HELL, incredibly uneventful, boringly-written, and even a little cliched. Not to mention that the timeline and separate plot lines for the entire series are absolutely all...over...the...place; it was apparent in this episode. At this point, I am really losing interest in the series. I was incredibly disappointed in the first episode (which was also uneventful and all-over-the-place), surprised by the decent second episode (which was actually suspenseful and had believable stakes...something a crime show is actually supposed to have), and incredibly disappointed in the third episode.
Clarice: Ghosts of Highway 20 (2021)
Solid follow-up to the poor pilot
I don't have a whole lot to say about the second episode of Clarice except that it was much better written, better paced, and better structured than its preceding episode. This episode grabbed my attention from an early point and effectively held onto it until the end. I still think there are some major writing issues in the series, particularly for certain characters. However, i'm confident that, if we continue to get more suspenseful plots like this, the series will fall into a stride and the character development will work itself out. But for now, we can only hope...
The Twilight Zone: The Sixteen Millimeter Shrine (1959)
Rip-off of Sunset Boulevard ??
Is it me...or is this almost the exact same plot as the film Sunset Boulevard (1950)?? Think about it...a former star actress of the silent age still thinks she's the leading lady in Hollywood, until someone points out that she is washed up. The only difference in these versions is the endings (which i will not spoil but Sunset Blvd. has a much more realistic ending). I don't know if this was intentional, but the fact that The Twilight Zone episode came out 9 years after the film with a strikingly similar premise is sorta suspicious in my eyes.