Springfield goes medieval.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
As The Simpsons kicks off its 29th season, there's literally nothing the show can attempt that it hasn't done at least once already. That includes kicking off the season with a gimmicky themed episode that transplants the citizens of Springfield into a strange and unfamiliar world. "The Serfsons" basically played out like like the show's answer to Futurama's "Bender's Game" - an amusing but ultimately forgettable detour into a world of fantasy tropes.
Watching this episode, I was torn over whether the writers would have been better off focusing on spoofing one particular fantasy franchise rather than the "one size fits all" approach we see here. This episode included nods towards Game of Thrones (the White Walker character, the George R.R. Martin cameo), Lord of the Rings (Hobbits, Ents, palantirs and Sauron's nose), the Chronicles of Narnia (Aslan) and the menagerie of Dungeons & Dragons. There was even a random He-Man reference thrown in thanks to Duffman's distinctive armor. At the same time, the writers focused at least as much time poking fun at medieval feudalism and the fact that modern life isn't always as different as we'd like to believe. It was fun to see this episode cast such a wide net, but you have to wonder what the show could have accomplished with. say, a dedicated Game of Thrones parody.
If nothing else, there's always a certain amount of fun to be had in seeing the familiar cast given a temporary makeover. There were plenty of amusing little touches in this episode that took advantage of the medieval setting. My personal favorite being Bart and Milhouse's raven message prank and Moe's furious but dedicated response. After 29 seasons, there's one gag that never seems to wear out its welcome. The general concept of Milhouse being not one character but an entire group of expendable goblins was played to strong effect. And naturally, the show's goofy sign humor was on-point. From Victarion's Secret to Banana Monarchy to an Apple Store that literally sells half-eaten apples, you could always count on the episode's background humor to entertain even when the main storyline fell short. Plus, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau had a terrific but very brief cameo as Marge's incest-loving twin brother.
The most glaring flaw with "The Serfsons" is that it never really felt like the writers were clear on what story they were trying to tell. The plot featured a mishmash of different elements. On one hand, there was Marge struggling to save the life of a mother who didn't necessarily want to be saved. On another, there was Lisa manifesting magical powers and catching the unwanted attention of the town's band of child-snatching wizards. And finally, there as Homer's struggle to accept the notion that just because feudalism is the only political system he knows doesn't make it the best. The latter two elements often felt like afterthoughts compared to the Marge/Jacqueline storyline.
If anything, I was disappointed that the writers chose this gimmick episode to explore the Marge/Jacqueline relationship rather than focusing on the "in-continuity" versions of the characters. After all these years, it often seems as though the writers have explored and re-explored every possible character dynamic Springfield has to offer. But Mrs. Beauvier is a rare exception. She appears so rarely on this series that it's easy to forget her character is even still alive. There's something genuinely interesting in Marge's unwillingness to accept that her elderly mother is ready to move on, but exploring that relationship in the context of medieval fantasy adventure cheapens it.
I will say that "The Sefsons" ended on a pretty strong note. In true Lord of the Rings fashion, no great victory over evil can be achieved without the world losing some vital part of itself in the process. There's something oddly touching about Homer reigniting the dragon's flame because he'd rather live in a world of goblins and elves and magic than one with science and technology. Who's to say we really have the better end of that bargain?
The Verdict
As with any themed gimmick episode of The Simpsons, half the fun in "The Serfsons" comes in seeing how all the familiar characters and locales have changed to fit the new setting. That said, it's hard not to wonder how the episode might have fared had it stuck to spoofing one particular franchise rather than an entire genre. It's also a bit frustrating to see a fruitful conflict between Marge and her mother wasted on a spinoff story like this. This episode is hardly the worst season premiere the show has delivered, but it's far from the best, either.
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