This The Simpsons review contains spoilers.
The Simpsons Season 31 Episode 1
The title of The Simpsons, season 31, episode 1, “The Winter of Our Monetized Content,” may speak loudest towards where the series is headed. At 31 seasons, the series is now in fairly uncharted territory. No scripted show has lasted this long, certainly no comedy, a genre which has to stay fresh and relevant even as most of the jokes will become dated. The season opener appears to know this and pulls out every trick in a bid for relevancy.
Lisa’s story begins as a takeoff on the Netflix true crime series Making a Murderer. Titled “Making a Misbehaver,” in the episode, it gives Lisa the chance to expose Misbehavior Solutions, a Torture 500 company which has privatized detentions, effectively outsourcing the breakfast club. Kids are given detention for even the most minor offenses and forced to labor in a workplace so horrible it hasn’t been seen in Springfield since the days of Camp Krusty. Yes, even worse than the conditions the outsourced animation team of The Simpsons even has to endure. This is a first offense for Lisa, who is given a week in scholastic stir. But she doesn’t do her time sitting down. She dips into Sally Field’s performance in Norma Rae to stir back. What’s not to like?
In a world where judgment is meted out in likes and clicks, “The Winter of Our Monetized Content” is a share-worthy start for season 31, though it isn’t exactly breaking new ground. The Simpson family should have been social media celebrities years ago, and a lot of the commentary is a little behind the time, though not particularly dated. The social commentary is inherent without being overbearing and the laughs add up, maybe not to the viral contagion of early seasons, but steady enough to keep watching.
“The Winter of Our Monetized Content” was written by Ryan Koh, and directed by Bob Anderson.
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The Simpsons episode “The Winter of Our Monetized Content” aired Sunday, Sept. 29 on Fox.
Keep up with The Simpsons Season 31 news and reivews here.
Culture Editor Tony Sokol cut his teeth on the wire services and also wrote and produced New York City’s Vampyr Theatre and the rock opera AssassiNation: We Killed JFK. Read more of his work here or find him on Twitter @tsokol.
