No Good Read Goes Unpunished
| "No Good Read Goes Unpunished" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| Episode no. | 633 |
| Directed by | Mark Kirkland |
| Written by | Jeff Westbrook |
| Showrunner(s) | Al Jean |
| Production code | XABF07 |
| Original air date | April 8, 2018 |
| Chalkboard gag | April showers did not date the President |
| Couch gag | A hand does a connect the dots of the family, but Homer is drawn with three eyes and he says "D'oh!" |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
| |
|
Season 29 episodes
| |
| Seasons | |
"No Good Read Goes Unpunished" is the fifteenth episode of the twenty-ninth season of the animated television series The Simpsons, and the 633rd episode of the series overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on April 8, 2018.
Plot
After Marge forces everyone in her family including her husband Homer, son Bart, daughters Lisa and Maggie to give up their electronics and force the family to take a trip to a old time book store, Bart discovers that he can use the book The Art of War to manipulate Homer into allowing him to go to a Tunnelcraft convention. Homer reads the book to in turn manipulate Bart by acting like Flanders.
Meanwhile, Marge purchases an old book called The Princess in the Garden that used to be a favorite of hers in hopes of reading it to Lisa, but realizes it is culturally offensive. Marge decides to edit the story in order to lessen the offensive stereotypes and clichés, but after she reads it to Lisa, the two agree that it has lost meaning. Lisa decides to bring Marge to Springfield University, where she is told that modern critics read the book as a subversive satire of conformity. However, Marge is not entirely convinced, and the critics admit that they do not completely believe it either.
Reception
Dennis Perkins of The A.V. Club gave this episode a D+, stating, "Irritating on several simultaneous levels, 'No Good Read Goes Unpunished' would be more bothersome if it were more memorable. It's still pretty bothersome. We'll get to the side issues presently, but, man, is this episode unfunny. Not in an offensive way, or even a disastrous way, but in its utter lack of jokes that reach for any laughs whatsoever. The script commits some of the signature latter-day Simpsons sins, but more than any other, it's just comically inert. The story doesn't drive forward, it lounges like Homer in a hammock and wobbles. There was one—and only one—joke that roused itself to at least cleverness, if not laughter. Homer, rattled behind the wheel by Bart's Art of War-inspired campaign of manipulation, rear-ends Wiggum's cruiser. Producing a balloon, presumably for a sobriety test, Wiggum has Homer make a bunny, then hauls him off to provide the entertainment for Ralph's birthday party."[1]
"No Good Read Goes Unpunished" scored a 0.9 rating with a 4 share and was watched by 2.15 million people, making it Fox's highest rated show of the night.[2]
Allusion to The Problem with Apu
The episode alludes to the 2017 documentary The Problem with Apu written by and starring Hari Kondabolu, which addressed the issues surrounding racial stereotypes seen in Simpsons character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. While a framed photo of Apu sits in the foreground, Lisa turns to the audience and says, "Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive is now politically incorrect. What can you do?" Marge replies, "Some things will be addressed at a later date." Lisa adds, "If at all."[3]
Kondabolu was disappointed that the show reduced the film's "larger conversation about the representation of marginalized groups" into a specific complaint, vocalized by Lisa, that the character is "politically incorrect".[4]
Later that week, Al Jean stated that he would attempt "to try to find an answer that is popular [and] more important right."[5]
References
- ↑ Perkins, Dennis (April 8, 2018). "The Simpsons gets into books and forgets how to tell a story". Avclub.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
- ↑ Porter, Rick (April 10, 2018). "'America's Funniest Home Videos' rerun adjusts up: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
- ↑ Jackson, Gita. "The Simpsons Pokes Fun At Documentary That Criticized Apu". Kotaku. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
- ↑ Rahman, Abid (April 9, 2018). "'The Simpsons' Addresses Apu Stereotype Controversy". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
- ↑ Parker, Ryan (April 13, 2018). "'The Simpsons' Showrunner Vows to Find "Right" Answer to Apu Controversy". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 13, 2018.