LogFAQs > #928425949

Simpsons - "Homer at the Bat"
Nominated by: Great Paul

In an episode that, to me, is reminiscent of the MLB lockouts of the 80s and 90s, Mr. Burns buttresses a weak roster for a local softball team with real baseball players.

Now, I'm not sure what people want from me here. The concept is good, but the episode, like every Simpsons episode, is pretty toothless. However, in this case, the episode is able to overcome its general fluff thanks to a very concentrated story. The usage of the players is simple, quiet, and surprisingly effective. I have to imagine these are actual voices here, given that some of the players sound pretty wooden and lack the animation of most voice actors. Still, the idea of bringing in voices as stunt casting is generally amusing, and I'm able to overlook the quality of work in these small roles.

Homer, as always, proves to be the weak link here. His doddering, stumbling, mumbling character dumbs down every moment in which he appears. As the main character focus, the ensemble of guests have a difficult time enlivening his staid, one-note antics, but Darryl Strawberry has decent chemistry with Homer. In fact, Strawberry really comes off as the best character in this episode. There's a certain whimsical excellence to all of his actions.

In the end, Mr. Burns takes a larger role as the world seems to crumble around him, and Homer steps up to the plate in the final moments for a moderately humorous final punchline to the episode.

I think this episode is about on par with the more average South Park episodes over all, though.

Writing: 7/10
Characterization: 6/10
Scarlet Factor: 7/10
Overall Rating: 20/30
---

"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful