The half-closing of the eyes as he says "Guy Incognito" like he's cleverly slipping a double meaning past them is just the icing on that ridiculously funny cake.

'I had never eaten dog before, and I didn't intend to start now. "Just
give me some more of the copilot" I said, extending my plate.' — Jack Handey

That's a big a lock

So, in review, there were no new details in that story and no revelations.

I'm really fascinated by jokes, I love to break them down and study why they work. Obviously if you keep doing anything it becomes easier over time but some of Jack Handey's humour is still just a mystery to me and I think always will be, I can't explain what it is he's doing that's making me laugh hysterically and I…

Actually they were banned due to fears that, should there be a goal in every football league match at the same exact time, the combined force generated by the swinging of the whirligig noisemakers would take the Earth out of its orbit, dooming mankind.

I don't think I agree with this. The Simpson's moved on to less complex
stories, episodes with a ridiculous amounts of plot (the kind of "and then and then
and then" you write at school), the jokes didn't stem naturally from the story because the
'story' was just a string of outlandish and
in-themselves-supposedly-fun…

Sorry

Well looks like YOU are forgetting the first two noble truths of the Buddha.

Is this the episode with the funniest B story?

The thing that drives me extra crazy about that line is that as well as all the massive problems it has on the level of it being something the audience is definitely NOT thinking but a character saying that line makes absolutely no sense in-universe.

I've just had a thought - does Ben ever meet his sister Emma? I can't remember it happening.

I was feeling really positive about this one. And then the tag probably robs this episode of all its rewatch value.

I didn't really think Chang was being genuine but I really hoped he was. It's a character that has been written into a corner, and while hitting a reset button isn't the most elegant solution ever, it meant the show could use his zanyness in a less destructive fashion. It spoke of maybe a way the new regime could put…

"Oh My God, that game of paintball is getting completely out of control! Jeff is taking his shirt off, like in an action movie! Just around that corner! I bet you'd love to see what I'm seeing!"

Well, that gag was in lieu of showing us something worthwhile.

This season has broken the "show don't tell" mantra a lot. The prison break plot tonight was a particularly big offender. Show us what they are hiding from, show their attempts to escape, show why Shirley wanted the study group.

The research, while time-consuming for you, is exactly why they'd be such great things to write about. Everybody here can give their two cents about why a particular joke worked or didn't work but much fewer are so sure footed on things like production values or multi-camera directing.

@avclub-d5756748da7d4fc61bb0b1bcba6e6d4d:disqus Homer?? You mean the Robot Devil. I hope you can forgive yourself for that blunder but I certainly can't.

Oh I've got Bullet-Proof Legs
They cost me a fortune by now I can't die