This week’s episode ended the season on a sour note, with an unbelievable and boring plot and characters that acted way out of character.
The episode centered around Ned Flanders and Edna Krabappel and their budding romance. This was the main problem with the episode. The plot was stupid, with the bland odd couple romance the series has done several times with other tertiary characters. If you’ve seen the episode where Comic Book Guy and Agnes Skinner start to date, this episode is nothing new.
The plot was also pretty bland. Ned and Edna hook up, so what. This is not the type of material one expects out of a season finale. The episode lacked and punch and seemed phoned in. The couple’s relationship played out very similar to Principal Skinner’s and Edna’s relationship with Ned being uptight and Edna more free. If they wanted to play an angle with Edna and a boring man, I would have rather seen Skinner and Edna get back together or something. That episode would have had history, and would have made me care a little more.
Another problem with the episode was the characters. One of the best things about the Simpsons is its characters. They are these beings that have been with us for twenty or so years and have never changed. This consistency has been the series’ strength and weakness, with characters you really know, but never really change.
This week, Ned just didn’t seem like Ned. He didn’t do his usual catchphrases or anything. Like I said earlier, it could have easily been Skinner in the episode.
Another weakness with the episode was it tried to be emotional. Halfway through the show, Ned reminisces about his dead wife, and you can see that the episode was trying to be heartfelt. The problem was by that time, I was no longer invested in the episode, and this along with Ned’s lack of character made this feel like a shallow attempt to get a reaction from the audience.
The last, minor problem with the episode was the guest star, Joey Kramer, of Aerosmith fame. You know its bad when you have to introduce the guest star by name and occupation for the audience to know who it is. Its the type of guest star you’d expect on episode 14 of the season, not the finale.
You can actually on the Simpsons website to vote if you want Edna and Ned to stay together or if you want them to break up. Please vote to end this mess. Please.
Overall, a dissapointing end to the season. The show has been back and forth for the past couple of weeks and I was hoping the show would end on a high note, but it was not to be. Next week, I’ll be counting down my favorite episodes of the season in order to remember some of the good parts of an inconsistent season.
