The Simpsons (TV Series) Habeas Tortoise (2022) User Reviews

Great opening to 34th season

[ducera · 8/10 · 27 September 2022]

No, the Simpsons aren't what they were in the first 10 seasons, but for the season premiere of the 34th season the show is still doing pretty good. The writers of the show are clearly aware of current events. This episode revolves around conspiracy theories (and their followers). It's basically a thinly veiled critique of conspiracy theorists in society. Some of the jokes were well thought out, particularly the opening scene. This isn't a "peak" Simpsons episode, but still, it's a solid, enjoyable half hour.

The Simpsons has always been a reflection of American society. The references are too many (including the chronically underfunded Springfield Elementary). Some people may not like this episode's focus on conspiracy theorists, but I feel that has more to do with where American society is now than with how the Simpsons has changed.

Funny take on current topics

[tylermerrigan · 8/10 · 26 September 2022]

I really enjoyed this episode. Sometimes the show can not hit the mark when it try's to take on a current topic, but I think they hit the mark on this one. There were some really funny jokes, especially in the opening, and the couch gag was cool, I'm glad they started doing those again. Overall, this was a very solid episodes, with funny, relatable jokes relating to conspiracy theorists. Don't let the current rating fool you (as I am rating this the rating is a 4.3), I got here as the episode ended, so likely these people didn't watch the episode and are just hating on the current episodes and seasons.

A good start to Season 34

[jal-35413 · 8/10 · 9 October 2022]

Now, a lot of people think this episode was a bad one, but I think they're going too harsh on it. Sure, Poorhouse Rock was easily one of the worst episodes ever, and a horrible ending to Season 33, but I don't see many reasons why so many 1 stars were given to this episode!

Sure, the episode starts with Homer whining about him being stupid, which does get annoying, but after the whining, Homer gets better and so does the episode! It's very original with great ideas, but it will most likely fade into obscurity alongside many episodes from Seasons 21-33.

After the part where Homer creates the Facelook club, it gets WAY better, and becomes a great episode! Of course, The Simpsons were never amazing after Season 21, but they still have good scripting and good ideas. Homer becomes a great character in the ending parts and easily got a lot of development in this one episode, and may lose or gain some later on.

In conclusion, I do believe that this episode had its flaws, but was also a great idea, and had great scripting. Despite this, it will most likely join many other episodes like Poorhouse Rock and Bart the Cool Kid (Season 33) and become forgotten.

A very delicate take on a very sensitive subject.

[demoustierfrancois · 7/10 · 4 November 2022]

I dont comment very regularly, and it's too often when I profoundly dislike a movie or show episode. But the treatment that the Simpsons gave to a very sensitive subject in this S34Ep1 felt very appropriate to me, without any heavy moralistic and judgemental stance taken but a more "wholesome" and restrained one, maybe - and really worth commenting on.

There is a fine and intelligent exploration of what is too commonly and dismissively called "complotism" these days, but also a great character exploration and development for Homer. And Bart and Lisa, heck, even Marge! Are surprisingly "philosophical" and poundered on this one.

The episode might not be packed with humor but it's still present, and strikes hard when it does (the very last joke omg!). Overall, I'm surprised by the mastery, soundness and maturity. Very well done. I can only hope that there is room for much more goofiness in other episodes of the season though ;-)

Homer just wants some friends.

[patanu · 7/10 · 9 April 2024]

A lot of homer episodes revolve around him being selfish or wanting something at the expense of others, but in this case I enjoyed the episode because it was a rare showing of Homer just wanting to find folks he can relate to. Even if it is a bunch of conspiracy nuts who have tendency to go a tad too far.

Much of the conspiracy jokes were well done and the group of characters to find a lost turtle was a decent plot for the episode even after the later half reveal. Its nice to see homer just doing something for others and not just being a jerk for the sake of some lame goal or topical bit for the episode. They didn't even include a pointless B plot for the episode and had it focused on the main story the whole, something I hope they keep doing in the future episodes.

Classic

[komodo46 · 10/10 · 28 September 2022]

Very nail-on-the-head in its analysis of our prevailing sociopolitical climate yet diverting and entertaining. For the last three decades, I have looked forward to the multilayered comedic writing crafted by the brilliant Simpsons' writers. Every detail matters to this viewer experience: the names of landmarks in the background, special guest cameos, "Easter Eggs" and callbacks to episodes from years before...The Simpsons is the perfect show that is timeless yet current. I feel the same way I did watching when I was 10 years old (i.e. The point in my consciousness where I could understand the references and allusions) as I do now as a jaded 35 year old who is still watching cartoons. For this specific episode, anyone who doesn't resonate with its joy and sentimentalism is the same person they're making fun of. The truth in comedy is that humans need (and go to great lengths) to create and maintain connection, albeit if the pretense of that said connection is predicated on willful ignorance or on a more enlightened cause.

Who greenlights scripts like this?

[xroo-73772 · 1/10 · 28 September 2022]

A terrible start of a new season: Homer whines that he is just stupid and dumb, that everybody is laughing at him, because he is that stupid and dumb ... Seriously? Yes, he's always been doing goofy things, but this is just hateful and mean. If you hate the main character of a show that much, you should not work for it.

Homer is not stupid, he's just written stupid. That's true with this whole episode about "conspiracy theories". They have been an interesting topic during the early years of the internet. While many people lived under the illusion that all things said on the TV were factual and true, it was clear from the very beginning, that everything on the internet could be a lie. Those theories were a good way to exercise your skills in sceptical thinking. What are the arguments, is there any proof, is someone relying on unreliable sources -- those are some of the first questions to differentiate a theorist from a storyteller. While some conspiracy theories turned out to be true, the overwhelming majority were baseless inventions and therefore - mostly - utterly boring.

This episode contains some of the most baseless and boring conspiracy claims ever. There is no misinterpretation of clues, there are no clues. It is not about the validation or falsification of theories, there are no theories. There is a brainstorming session with people coming up with new stories and ideas, and Homer tells them: "There are no bad ideas." That is probably how an editorial meeting at the Simpsons' factory works, nowadays, but it has nothing to do with even the insanest of conspiracy theories. This is just stupid people acting stupid. In the end they are one step away from turning into terrorists. Of course they are.

Today, "conspiracy theorist" is more often than not just a slur against everyone who talks about topics shunned by the mainstream media, regardless of his reasonings, used by people as intellectually challenged as those believing in baseless conspiracy claims. This slandering is basically what this episode is all about and this makes it extremely annoying. It is completely uninspired, stereotyped, lazy writing, unfunny, maligning the characters.

Yes, there are bad, bad, really terrible ideas - and equally bad authors. The Simpsons have big problems. Whoever greenlit this script is one of them.

Haters will always Hate.. Regardless

[MrMovieReviewer · 8/10 · 24 October 2022]

I have long disliked what the Simpsons have become, However i will admit when a fun Episode comes alone unlike haters we see in the reviews of this episode. This episode was a genuine fun episode, I enjoyed it, It was the first time in a long time where the whole family seemed supportive of each other, And no one tried to ruin things for their own agenda.. Looking at you MARGE.. With that said this episode was interesting, Fun, And a good viewing experience..

So why the Hate.. Well the Simpsons has become an easy target for haters.. Fans who hate Anything past season 8 come onto everynew new ep and bag it regardless, I refuse to be like that and If an episode is great i'll admit it if it sucks; I'll admit it sucks, This was a good episode..

As for the Ep Basically a Turtle goes missing from a Zoo and Homer and a few locals go Sleuthing. It's a fun little ep.

Being so explicity topical was never the Simpsons.

[firebird-91528 · 1/10 · 27 September 2022]

A big part of the Simpsons, emphasized in one of the worst episodes ever last season, is that the world has changed immeasurably since the Simpsons started. The single income family doesn't really exist anymore, making The Simpsons a bit of a fantasy.

The show should've stopped long ago, but since it's clear they're not going to stop until one of the main cast dies (and since AI voice synthesis has already replaced Darth Vader in some areas, I'm not even sure that will stop it.) they're doing whatever they can to keep the show modern and relevant. Unfortunately the writing talent is so poor that they think Homer name dropping Tik-Tok is a good means of accomplishing this.

The Simpsons has always been an escape for me, and don't want America's awful current political climate echoed to me in cartoons. It's not even cleverly done, so every plot beat is incredibly predictable. It ends up being a boring slog where you watch returning Simpsons characters navigate a re-framing of our current reality, but without any stakes and with average at best jokes thrown in.

The couch gag was OK, but a tech reference like Google Chrome's lost connection game just seems to me like more evidence of their desperation to stay relevant.

Extremely unfunny episode

[natural4 · 5/10 · 27 September 2022]

Honestly, this was an extremely forgettable episode. There was nothing special in it. The plot itself was very uninteresting and I didn't laugh once. It's a shame since the older episodes make me constantly laugh but these new episodes ...they simply aren't just funny.

A very weak start for the new Simpsons season. The new episodes are weakening at same rate as Marges voice (seriously, compare the current Marges voice to older episodes, the current Marges voice sounds like she constantly has sore throat).

But in my opinion, this episode is Simpsons at its worst. The show is barely even watchable anymore.

An episode made with love, but not spontaneously

[santifersan · 4/10 · 28 January 2023]

"Habeas Tortoise" is one of the more tolerable episodes from the later seasons of The Simpsons, but it's clear that the episode was crafted with a specific agenda in mind. The episode seems to be made with love, but it's clear that the plot is not spontaneous and the episode is primarily intended to mock current conspiracy theories.

While it's always been a staple of the series to poke fun at current events and societal issues, it feels as though this episode was made with less care and effort than previous episodes tackling similar themes. The episode's reliance on current events as the driving force behind the humor takes away from the credibility of both the episode and the series as a whole.

It's disappointing to see The Simpsons, a series that was once a cultural phenomenon, resort to cheap jokes and lazy writing. While "Habeas Tortoise" may be one of the better episodes from the later seasons, it's a far cry from the show's glory days and it's a shame that the series has devolved to a point where this is considered one of the better episodes.

Awful.

[niallmurphy-30051 · 1/10 · 17 June 2023]

I would like to start off this review by saying that I have seen so many terrible episodes of The Simpsons over the past twenty or so years but this episode was easily the worst one yet. Instead of taking some time to create an episode that might actually be funny the makers of The Simpsons just created an extremely unfunny 20 minute episode poking fun at conspiracy theorists and paying lip service to Tiktok. If this is the best that they can do then I think that it would be in everyone's best interest to just cancel The Simpsons. This show has been terrible over the past 20 years but this episode was the worst one of all.

Last one

[carlstar-87626 · 2/10 · 5 October 2022]

The last season final was awful, with its song and dance about one side being bad and the other side being good. We all know what sides I am talking about and the fact you would, shows how poorly written things are now. I gave this one last chance but it failed miserably.

After 30 years I'm out.

The Simpsons used to just be overly formulaic but now it is overly formulaic and anti anything mainstream media and politicians say is wrong.

The show seems to be this. If you agree with anything Lisa would believe, then you are good and on the right side of, whatever the writers think. If you don't, you are an uncultured and naive buffoon.

A fall that has gone splat on the ground.

Pull the plug already

[ThunderKing6 · 1/10 · 1 October 2022]

I can't believe we are still at this. Are there 40, 50 year olds still watching the Simpsons? I have Simpsons on demand and I don't watch it. Back in the day I would watch it daily Monday to Sunday on cable.

There is a problem when I choose to skip this show. Sometimes after a few years you have to revisit my roots.

Please go read my original Simpsons review. I'm a prolific reviewer. Press F3 + shift, then search my name. Thanks.

Geeez!!

I saw this episode on the cable, I had the unfortunate opportunity to watch this hasbeen show. My gosh. It's bad. And I mean it's bad. I felt a surge of dumb as I watched it. And it hurt.

Back in the day, Simpsons had some intelligence, moral, Aww Haw episodes, moments and times.

Now it seems very dumb. Landing unfunny "jokes" and the animation looks worse than the 90s. This episode looks like they aren't trying. So why continue on with this disgrace.

By the time, this show RIPs. No one will care because its original fans will be dead or just not care.

Continuity doesn't matter either... who want to remember everything after 34 hash seasons anyways?