I also wonder which episodes Alex thinks have bigger laughs. This episode has a ridiculous story, but for me, it's redeemed by being, laugh-for-laugh, one of the funniest things the show did in its twilight.

His motivations in running for sanitation commissioner are, as someone said earlier, sweet and naive and in character, with Ray Patterson as the new Crusty Old Dean who Homer is trying to rebel against just because he thinks that's what he's supposed to do. But I can see where things like tampering with Patterson's…

The use of the "Sanford and Son" theme there is excellent, because it's a clever real-world reference to something Redd Foxx did, but even if you don't get it (or, like tweenage me when this episode aired, know what "Sanford and Son" is), it's funny for what it is: band plays a silly, jazzy tune, and then Ray…

Agreed. This episode has a horrible, too-cartoony-even-for-a-cartoon plot, and a few truly cringeworthy, this-should-not-be-happening-on-The-Simpsons jokes. But it also has Ray Patterson. Relative to what The Simpsons was for its first nine seasons, this is C- stuff. But relative to the entire body of The Simpsons,…

It seems less impressive given that you just managed to condense it into two words, one of which was "Hoor", but I'll allow it.

Thank you! This is, overall, one of my favourite episodes, but that Oscar moment is the shark-jump moment of the series for me.

We're gonna live like kings! Damn hell ass kings!

Yeah, Ray Patterson is perfection. I don't know how Martin could have possibly been used better; with the exception of Hank Scorpio, I can't name a guest star/character who delivered better.

I suppose if your only choices are "an actual character" and "just themselves", what happens on modern Simpsons is closer to "an actual character". But if we were offered a third option - "an awful non-character who is, often as not, something implausible like 'Bart's wife'" - then, yes, I'd argue that Ray Patterson…

Hey, Jughead, didja hear?

YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH

If I had to pick a single shark-jump moment for this show, it'd probably be Oscar the Grouch showing up in this episode.

It's weird. I can't stand any of the characters on this show. In a season and a half, it's yet to make me laugh or to make me think (I don't find the "annoying, awful people have feelings too" motif quite as unique or as profound as some seem to). I don't find it especially well-written, well-acted, or…

Okay, never mind this stupid movie. Mike D'Angelo watches "The Good Wife"?

I only watched the first few minutes (will catch up with the rest later), but when Gloria said this is her first American Christmas, that kind of lost me. Is it her first Christmas since becoming a citizen? Has she gone home every other Christmas?

I'm a semi-regular, but I didn't know that. Thanks, GoochExtensionstanciano!

"Half of these simply sum up there feelings with "Kill Lisa""

How many of the replies you get are "Thanks, Benevenstanciano!"? If it's any less than 90%, I don't know the AVClub.

This enormous woman will devour us all!

We discussed this, and I said no.