Rate & Review: "My Mother the Carjacker" (EABF18)

How would you rate "My Mother the Carjacker " ?

  • 1/5

    Votes: 6 2.0%

  • 2/5

    Votes: 23 7.8%

  • 3/5

    Votes: 47 16.0%

  • 4/5

    Votes: 120 40.8%

  • 5/5

    Votes: 98 33.3%
  • Total voters
    294
Cole

Cole

where is everyone
Joined
Nov 21, 2001
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huntsville, al
Glenn Close returns as Homer's mother, this time on her way to jail - at least she was before Homer decides to hijack the prison bus she's on
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Thread will open after the episode airs.

Mods: feel free to edit the poll with clever voting options.
 
Ok, I dont want to get into a big long speech. I just thought it was a great episode. It had great jokes, a good story, emotions, good characterization, and it didnt ruin a classic episode. I think it deserves a 5/5
It seemed to me like a classic episode. From the good years.
 
great episode

the ending was a little uneven (as i felt it should have been more emotional then funny as it was)

its good to see an episode with a developed story

jokes were great, i'll have to watch it again to catch them all

overall i grade the episode

4/5


P.S. was that glenn close playing mona because it sounded different from the last time we saw her
 
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Act I
The plot moves fast and things are given questionable explanations to get them out of the way quick (Homer accidentally finding the message is pretty unbelievable, the macaroni pencil holder). It didn’t quite flow from scene to scene properly either. People were worried Bart came along as a straight-man, but in fact there’s really no reason for him to be there at all. It’s pretty pointless. Homer also has a bit of jerkishness in a few bits but nothing major. I loved the Tokyo Rose thing.

Act II
There’s some questionable Burns characterization. The courtroom scenes were tedious and unfunny. The fact that Mona Simpson is busted twice is stupid and really only slows down the episode. Cut it down to one bust, on the germ charges and not the national park thing, and it would be better. The montage of bonding moments was pretty good but should have taken place before the bust on Mona. What really bugs me is the last scene: it started emotionally but the ‘stop n’ go’ gag ruined the moment.

Act III
The only really emotional moment comes early here with the One-Hour Photo/Picture Montage. I enjoyed this quite a bit. Mona’s death and the funeral scene are pretty pathetic, and only slightly redeemed by the fact that Mona isn’t dead. The ending was okay, but still pretty lackluster: it looked like they were trying to have an ending similar to Mother Simpson, with Homer not knowing if he’d ever see his mom again, but it just didn’t work on the same level as the original.

Overall I give it an 8/10; it improved just enough on the second viewing to earn that.
 
Good, they didn't ruin "Mother Simpson"
Pretty good stuff 4/5
Lenny's last name is "Leonard"

"I hope this bus ride never ends.....Because I'm getting executed when I get off."
 
The ending? Probably one of the better ones, considering the fact they decided to do that right turn at the end. Not as good as Mother Simpson, but still a decent follow-up. Good, funny, and that montage at the third act was pretty cool. Very impressed.
 
The episode started out good with jokes like Maggie playing with the rat, and the line "This counts as a bath". I didnt like the strt of the Homer hugging a bum loke, but it was saved when Homer sotle his wine. I liked all the jokes in this episode. I thaught it was sad when Homer lost his mom again and whwn he didnt get to read the last hidden message she sent to him. I was expecting not to like this episode because I absolutely HATED THOH XIV, but I loved this episode. 5/5.
 
2/5

Terrible, terrible, terrible.
How could anyone consider this good?
I thought it was really bad.
Sure, it didn't completely ruin Mother Simspon, but

Some people will say it did.
U liked it more than I did.
Crap, this was crap.
Kent Brockman had the only funny parts.
Erection instead of election was low, even for FOX in 2003
Disappointing.
 
This episode was alright, not great. As far as the jokes go it was like most recent episodes (which is saying very little). But one thing that i thought was bad was that there was no sub-plot of secondary story. This has been the case in many recent episodes and i think is the main reason i have not been as into it as i was in the good ol days.

2/5
 
I thought it was fairly good... some parts didn't flow very well (seems Tomacco's source was right) but I did enjoy seeing Mother "Mona" Simpson again, and I felt it definetly did not ruin 'Mother Simpson'. Most of the time it was funny, and I was glad that it did succeed in being emotional at most times. It could've been better... but it was pretty fine as is.

And, the "A Beautiful Mind" parody was wonderful.

B+ (Better than last week)
 
Multiple occasions of scenes going off on wild tangents, bad one-liners, a terrible ending that went no where, and (a current trend that's REALLY bothering me) sitcom-esque delivery.

2/5
 
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I thought it was great, personally.
Starting backwards, my only problem was the final lines of the episode. Having her talk about clam chowder wasn't really how I would like to have ended the episode, but it didn't really change the story. I think it would have worked better if they had just showed the message and ended it. But this is a minor problem.
I laughed a lot at many jokes, such as Homer writing to TV shows, all the Beautiful Mind stuff, some of the courtroom stuff, 60's references, etc etc. I also thought it had some good emotion in it, and the chaotic scenes really never got overly chaotic. Sweet episode.

5/5

PS: Why'd they cut the bedtime scene (Mona kissing Homer to sleep).
PPS: We know her name's Mona now.
 
Voodoo Monkey said:
2/5

Terrible, terrible, terrible.
How could anyone consider this good?
I thought it was really bad.
Sure, it didn't completely ruin Mother Simspon, but

Some people will say it did.
U liked it more than I did.
Crap, this was crap.
Kent Brockman had the only funny parts.
Erection instead of election was low, even for FOX in 2003
Disappointing.
Click to expand...

OMG! Did you even see this episode? It was awesome! And FYI the erection instead of election thing is parodying Jay Leno's "Headlines" segment. And hey! You stole my wine!
 
:-O What the--?! Did I really just witness that? Huh? What was going on? That was probably the worst editing and plot pacing of any episode ever. There were only a handful of laughs, and everything else was mostly just weak smiles. Glenn Close sure didn't sound like she wanted to be there, and the ending was terrible. A completely nonsensical, run-of-the-mill, and utterly bland episode. 5/10
 
4/5 I thought they did a good job. My only gripe like many others, is how poorly the ending was handled. I wish they had ended it at the point where we see "Homer Your Mother Loves You" in the paper.

Judge Snider had me laughing out loud with his lines, "Give me a break, my wife divorced me this morning!"

Oh and the shot at Leno when Homer had his crappy headlines on the black bristol board was classic stuff.
 
Act 1: Started off a little iffy, with some mediocre writing in spots. I really liked Homer's attempts at finding a good headline, but the stuff before that involving Marge's T-shirt kinda dragged and didn't really have many funny gags. The table scene where Homer is showing the various headlines was good. I liked how they showed throughout the episode how much Mona meant to her son, and that Homer would do everything in his power to protect her. The first act, however, wasn't terribly funny overall. Nice idea with the first-letter thing. 3/5

Act 2: It picks up a bit here...for some inexplicable reason, I loved that section of the courtroom scene where Homer and the rest of the people are just staring at each other. Is Gil still their lawyer? Mel was pretty funny, but I think it went on for a bit too long (like many things in the episode)...I kinda liked the fact that it was Mel, though. Burns and the ether wasn't too good, but he went back to his classic evil self by the time he arrested Mona at the steps. I could actually empathize with Homer by the end of the episode, but one less stop and go gag would've ended it better (AGAIN, something going on for too long!). Good montage scenes. 4/5

Act 3: As opposed to many new episodes, the THIRD act of this episode was actually the best! The writing was smoother, the plot flow was good, and a chase scene actually WORKED. Again, I thought they did a really good job with Homer's emotions when Mona's bus went off the cliff. The funeral was just too short for my liking, but...by the time Homer was speaking to his mom's casket, something about it all made me feel really depressed. I thought they actually killed her, and the show suddenly had a dark overtone. I may be alone in this, but I loved the last scene (IMOK), with the family's reactions (funny Grimey grave). The entire death thing made me sad, really, and that was quite impressive (the last episode to do that was the last act of The Frying Game). The episode ended sweetly though, with Mona's "Homer, your mom loves you" message...it could've been a little warmer, but good ending overall. 5/5

Overall: The last act saves this episode with some good emotion and good lines. 4/5 or maybe even 4.5/5...somewhere between B+ and A-. It doesn't ruin the first Mother Simpson episode, but it's not as good as it. Good premiere, just a little uneven in quality throughout.

EDIT: Yeah, it would've ended better with just "Homer, your mother loves you" --CREDITS-- Oh well, at least they put that line in.
 
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No post-Scully episode can ever top 3F06 "Mother Simpson".


BUT THIS EPISODE CAME DAMN CLOSE! This is undoubtedly the best thing I've seen since EABF17 "Moe Baby Blues" last season. The episode started great - I expected Marge's T-shirt bit to get tedious, but it worked fine. Some superb animation when Homer searches for headlines, and a very funny bit with Bart in the car. Very touching reunion, and more funny stuff at the diner. Trial was good (though it'll probably be a prime target for syndication cuts), and Sideshow Mel will undoubtedly become the episode bio for this one when we see Season 15 in a guide book. The montage of Homer and Mona together was hilarious, and I really felt sad for Homer when Mona got arrested again. I din't think they'd be able to pull off real emotion in this one like they did last time, but the scene at the kitchen table nearly moved me to tears. Homer hijacking the bus was handled well, and Mona faking her death is exactly the way I expected this episode to play out. The ending was as close to perfect as it could get without ripping off 3F06 at all.

Overall, an absolutely superb start to the 2003-2004 season. To paraphrase myself a year ago tomorrow, "It's the start of Round 15, and the champ is comin' out swinging!"

5/5
 
Well, I got what I expected. It wasn't a Mother Simpson by any stretch, but it was a solid, above average episode. The episode's beginning left me skeptical as there was a lack of creativity with Homer and Marge fighting over a meaningless t-shirt. Nevertheless, the Beautiful Mind homage was done very well and Homer's meeting with his mother was also well done. The first act was well developed and got the episode going and the plot moving, while providing plenty of laughs. As it went to commercial, I was still a bit concerned about where it would go from there.

The second half started out well, though. The courtroom scene was good, providing amusing appearances by several minor characters. The scenes with Homer and his mother were touching, and that aspect was done every bit as well as it was done in Mother Simpson, IMO. Mona's capture saw some good, old fashioned, evil Burns, which is what everyone had been hoping for.

The third act brought it down a bit, but just a tiny bit. The parts everyone had bene worried about such as the actual carjacking, weren't particularly wacky and didn't subtract from the episode. The other prisoners were hilarious and helped the scene work. The "death" was a bit lame, but once again, it didn't bother me. The ending closed the book well, and while a tad abrupt, ended with a touching moment rather than a failed gag, which would have been much more detrimental.

Overall, the humor was excellent. The characterization was good as well, with the exception of Marge at the very beginning. But Homer was never in Jerkass mode, Mona was the same person she was in Mother Simpson, and Burns was a tyrant again. The pacing was about as good as it could be. A couple issues bogged it down (Mother's reason for returning, Homer taking Bart to the overpass with him, Homer's reaction upon seeing his mother) weren't significant, and that equation adds up to a good result. Not as good as Mother Simpson, but damn good.

Grade: B+
 
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It was a fairly average episode especialy for a premier. It could have been really great but it had some terrible jokes. Homers peeing under the overpass and the whole thing with his moms casket was just awfull. There where some great jokes to make up for it though. The 60's montage rocked my socks and Homer kicking frank Grimes headstone was great. The ending seemed a little off, I dont know why. Im glad they didnt kill her off..very glad, the ending just had a wierd feal to it. All and all I give it a 7/10 or a B-.
 
Right now, I'm not quite sure what to think of this episode. I really loved the premise and story. This is the best season premier in a few years (not that thats saying much), and it was great seeing Homer's mother again. However, there were still flaws...

This episode suffored from the same problems many episodes these days do: the plot going a million miles an hour, too much shock humor and "zing!" -type jokes, general annoying attitude of Homer, etc.

There were also a lot of childish, out of place jokes that I thought spoiled several spots of the episode, such as the two cops teasing Homer by stopping the car as his mother was being taken away again, and Homer losing his own mother's casket (even though she wasn't in it). It all further supports the theory that they can no longer do a serious moment on the show without spoiling it with a stupid joke, because heaven forbid there not be a joke every 5 seconds, yadda yadda yadda.

The pacing of the end was a little awkward and quick. I think the ending would have worked better if Homer had found that 2nd message from his mom in the newspaper, although I guess its safe to assume that he will later on. Also, Tomacco is right, the last few lines of Mother Simpson were lame and out of place - clam chowder? It would have worked much better if she had just said something similar to what she did in "Mother Simpson."

Ok, my complaints aside, it was overall a good episode. 4/5

On a side note, can you believe "Mother Simpson" first aired EIGHT years ago??
 
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3/5, nothing special. I personally didn't care for Mother Simpson's rushed explanation at the end... and I saw that coming anyway since finishing the episode with her death would've been way too depressing. Didn't think the episode would wrap up with an explanation like that though... meh.

Many chuckles and a couple LOL moments in the episode however, such as the 19th century wood etching of Burns and Homer going down the highway exit ramp on his bike.

also, a nice nod to "a beautiful mind" with homer going through the papers
 
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Well, I never remember anything. The beginning? I don't remember it. The end? Distant memory. But I remember laughing. Not all the time. But a lot. B+
 
5/5

I probably enjoyed the first act the most with the Beautiful Mind parody, Homer writing to movies, Mona meeting Homer and Bart... For second act, I liked the 60's montage, Gil as lawyer again, Judge's comment about his wife, Sideshow Mel, Mona and Homer spending time together, Homer chasing after the car (it got old the last time though). Third act was probably the weakest. Mona's "death" was not done well at all. They shouldn't have had any jokes about it. I liked Homer kicking over Grimey's grave. I agree with Tomacco on how it should have ended with the HOMER instead of talking about her unbelievable escape and clam chowder.
 
The pacing of the episode was pretty insane. I feel exhausted from just watching it. Nothing could sink in and I often felt as if I couldn't enjoy a moment because another plot twist was about to be introduced. The pace could have been slowed down by cutting out some of the unnecessary t-shirt scenes at the beginning and overused jokes about the sixties. Glenn Close was decent, but gave nothing close to her performance in "Mother Simpson." Not a bad episode, but not a memorable one either. I didn’t think the erection joke was in that poor taste. You act as if you’ve never heard the word used before. These are the types of headline jokes you see on television, so it wasn’t that absurd. Some good use of music to set up the 60’s vibe and some pretty good jokes and gags spread throughout. There was so much going on that I need to watch it several more times before giving it a final grade. I'd give it a 3.5 or a 4 out of 5 right now.
 
Very meh episode indeed. Had a pretty clever plot, gets credit for that but other than that meh. Really wasn't all that funny, only laughed out loud a couple of times (Homer writing to Die Hard, Gil's appearance, a few one liners). Wasn't impressed in the least, 6.5/10.
 
An average episode with some good laughs and very little groans. The Beautiful Mind-esque parody was done fairly well at the beginning and at the end. 3/5
 
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