The hymnals are actually much funnier lyrically than the economic lesson suite. The call for the “praise, praise, praise” of God, goes on to include his hair and shape. Has God been working out? For sheer humor, they beat the theme of: All dreams die. The middle class is the last man standing.
This is exactly the kind of episode Fox News viewers and Tucker Carlson (the “Putin for President” line may not even be satire.) zombies complain about, so when The Simpsons specifically name them as the problem, it is a defiant preemptive strike. Reich already mentioned the decline of unions, so good luck with collective bargaining. The only payouts go to the firemen and the choir being sung to. This is obviously by design, and it is a good thing there is a high laughter quotient, because nasty medicine is being pushed down some hoarse throats with an off-brand sugar substitute.
The premise of the episode is perennial. Homer tries to earn Bart’s respect, succeeds, or fails or both. Who’s keeping score? This also isn’t the first time Bart has been in Homer’s office. The overall plot is well-done, with enough twists and suspense built in, and a rapping Lisa. The first segment moves very quickly between subjects to get to the central story. The second half is exceptional. The opening couch gag foreshadows the episode by flashing forward to a slacker future, even for Maggie. This ties in to Bart’s later suggestions for success in the gig economy.
The episode opens with Marge preparing a snack for her friends while they binge “Tunnelton,” a very classy English show. We learn biscuits are really just the British word for cookies, but the real takeaway is these aristocratic British historical dramas are just soft porn for Victorian fetishists. Sarah Wiggum is again voiced by Megan Mullally, who may be putting a little too much of herself into the role. The binge club ultimately drinks, gossip, and ogles. A later bit about women whistling as firemen walk pass is also a subtle nod to the Bridgerton (or Downton Abbey) crowd. The fantasy is the future. Fire isn’t going anywhere.
One of the lessons we get from the episode is that everyone’s going to be a firefighter someday because the whole world is on fire. This is a constant concern on The Simpsons, although “Poorhouse Rock” also uncovers other harsh truths, like how modern superheroes can fly but can’t process their own trauma. Homer’s realization that the Simpsons can’t be a two-hangover household is both self-revelatory, and an indictment on society as a whole. How come only part-time drinkers get to sleep it off, when committed drunks are forced to pay penance?
Homer’s act of proxy contrition, getting out of bed and taking the kids to church, leads to the central theme. Bart, singled out because he sniffs Jesus’s feet on a crucifix, is assumed to have skipped his homework. “For a woman of faith, you have none in me,” Bart says, before he shows a supercut of Homer’s fails to a room of Sunday school classmates, because kids just use cameras for shaming now. Homer is humiliated, and tries to win Bart’s esteem by taking him to work, and showering him with singles.
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