The Simpsons (TV Series) Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind (2007) User Reviews

One of The Season's Best

[jojo_the_retard · 9/10 · 17 December 2007]

Much like the statement of "The End" on the back of the boat followed by a question mark at the end of the episode, if this really was the end I would be happy instead of mad.

If you are like me, then you might have noticed the decline of the show over the past few years. Then came the Simpson's Movie and the Simpsons were back, or as back as they possibly could be. But then the 19th season started and even though it started strong, that idea was quickly swept away. But the season has taken a slight turn for the better, Episode 8 gave us Sideshow Bob and his family, which is always pleasant, then came this episode. Episode 9 is the closest they have come to bringing back the charm of their former selves in a very long time. Yes the plot is crazy, but they wrap is all up. Everything gets explained in its own crazy way. But there is also the emotion factor which is back. There have been many episodes where Homer might loose Marge (tons), but none quite like this. The plot itself involves Homer drinking a forgetful shot, possible domestic violence, Flanders, suicide, realization of faults and clips from every previous episode to show what Homer has gone through in his life (yes, they show something from all of them). Frankly I would have liked to see Homer travel back to an episode from the first season to seek help, that would have made the episode timeless, but what they did I can also settle for. The whole time lapse seen of Homer's life flashing before his eyes was damn good as well.

If the rating system went to 9.5 I would give it that score (only seasons 3-7 are 10s in my book) but 9 for what I've seen of late is amazing. Lets hope this is a welcome change for the new year, but deep inside I fear it will not.

A touching and suspenseful Homer-centric episode

[sharky_55 · 9/10 · 2 January 2015]

Many people will agree with me in saying that the main character of The Simpsons is Homer Simpson. Early on around season 4, Matt Groening made the conscious decision to shift the focus from Bart to Homer, citing his stupidity, impulsiveness and rash decision making as having the potential for a whole new range of humour. Of course, the characterisation of Homer hasn't been constant throughout the show's many years, but one thing has. His relationship with Marge.

We've seen their marriage tested quite a few times before, one example being Homer's co-worker Mindy in "The Last Temptation of Homer", which was a realistic and heartfelt look at Homer's attraction to another woman. Another is Season One's "Life on the Fast Lane" where Marge is wooed by the smooth talking Casanova Jacques. Of course, we know that Homer would never actually hurt Marge in such a way, so this episode is offset slightly by the fact that the audience already knows one of the answers to the puzzle.

"Eternal Moonshine of the Spotless Mind" feeds its plot to the viewer little by little, as we follow Homer unveiling clues along the way to figuring out what happened the night before. The episode does a great job of placing Homer within a very tight spot, missing his family and desperately trying to convince himself he didn't actually hit Marge and ruin his marriage. Of course, it seems fitting that such an oaf like Homer would go to such lengths in order to forget everything and ensure that his surprise party is a success. We know Homer in the end means best.

Humour and drama are juggled surprisingly well. A short and simple scene like Homer, Bart and Lisa sliding down the hill and knocking over snow sculptures does this perfectly. It's a heartfelt and funny memory that Homer manages to single out amidst the clutter as he laments on possibly losing his kids forever. Later, even as he prepares to jump off the bridge, there's a tinge of sadness and regret that resonates back to the audience even though we know he won't actually die. He brings up the old cliché of your life flashing before your eyes and a flashback begins. The two minute slideshow of his life from birth to the present features hundreds of stills and is the best part of the episode. From his parents splitting up, Abe slowly becoming an alcoholic, struggling with grades, acne, a young Marge entering his life and many many cans of Duff, the 'photo a day' hits a spot of sentimentality not often visited with the character of Homer.

Season 2's "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish" has Homer eat a poisonous fugu fish and finding out he has less than 24 hours to live. In his last day he spends time with each of his children, reconciles with his father, has one last drink at Moe's and spends his final moments with Marge. After all that, he survives and goes back to drinking and watching TV on the couch. Confronting Homer with his mortality is a very heavy theme but nevertheless some suggest that the episode could be a fitting finale, if not for Homer's tale. "Eternal Moonshine of the Spotless Mind" hits similar themes with a slightly more cheerful ending while showcasing Homer for the caring bumbling father and husband he is, in spite of his flaws. When the time comes for The Simpsons to finally end, Matt Groening would do well to remember this.

A few of my favourite lines from the episode:

• Wiggum: Walked into a door? That is the lamest excuse in the book. (Walks into door). All right, door. You're coming downtown.

• Flanders: Well, I can't say for sure, but as a Christian, I assume the worst.

• Lisa: Dad, you just destroyed your first kiss.

Homer: Really? Who was it with?

Bart: Uh... Apu.

Homer: Oh, yeah.

My Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind Review

[StephenBurg · 8/10 · 10 June 2012]

Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson is an episode of The Simpsons that won an Emmy that is a parody Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and It's a Wonderful Life. In this episode, Homer wakes up with no recollection of the prior night due to drinking a powerful drink from Moe and, with the help of Frink, revisits his past memories with Bart and Lisa. They piece together that Marge might be having an affair with Duffman. Feeling depressed, Homer thinks about killing himself in It's a Wonderful Life style. (only the bridge scene is parodied, though) I found this episode a little emotional and funny, especially the part where we see Homer's entire life flash before his eyes. If you're a Simpsons/Spotless Mind fan, then you should watch this. My Rating: 8/10

Has probably the most beautiful scene in all of The Simpsons

[jen-877-379822 · 10/10 · 4 August 2021]

This episode has a hauntingly beautiful parody of Noah Kalina's project where he took pictures of himself every day for six years with Everyday by Carly Comando, his former girlfriend, playing in the background.

It's also a fairly well done parody of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and I liked it since it is one of they only few times they let Homer do something clever in the later seasons. 10/10.

One of the best new Simpsons episodes

[briancham1994 · 8/10 · 9 August 2020]

This episode is one of the best episodes of the modern (i.e. post-90s) era. It plays with memory and plot in a mysterious way that slowly unfolds and teases many possibilities.

Different in a good way.

[zacpetch · 8/10 · 17 December 2014]

The first ten seasons of The Simpsons are classics. Then it declined. When 'The Simpsons Movie' showed up we thought that maybe, just maybe, they'd sorted things out. Alas, it was not to be. Season 19 is mainly a mess, but this is a little ray of light in the darkness.

The opening is a clever spoof of Ice Age with a squirrel trying to get an acorn and failing miserable when Groundskeeper Willie takes it from him. The episode doesn't do the usual Zombie Simpsons thing of dragging out the joke for too long and what we get with the joke is just right. One joke in and we're off to a good start.

The episode's plot and namesake are reminiscent of the excellent movie 'Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind' but it's not a direct copy which is good. It sees Homer wake up to find his family gone and he has only a few scattered memories of the previous night. It appears he might have actually hurt Marge! Homer knows he'd have never done that... Or would he, if he had a really good reason? It looks like she might be having an affair of some sort and he sets out to see if he can work out what happened.

It manages to resolve all these various questions in a satisfying manner and even finds a way to fit in a clip from every single episode from the show's run so far without feeling like a gimmick which is certainly an achievement. My only issue is the scene with Patty & Selma pushing him off a bridge: Why would they go to that extent? It's no secret that they dislike him but this is too far. Still, I can chose to overlook such an issue for the sake of the episode due to how it's otherwise very good.

Season 19 won't do many good episodes but it does contain a few of them every so often and this is one such example. 8/10

A must see!

[volstar-09200 · 10/10 · 22 May 2020]

One of the best Simpson episodes I've ever seen! This one will keep you guessing right up to the end. The writing is clever and there are plenty of funny moments to keep the show going at a good pace. This is one that should be in the Top 10 all time of Simpson episodes.

Funny and clever

[catherine-ringwood231090 · 8/10 · 20 January 2020]

Homer takes a forget me shot and erases his memory from the last 24 hours. He then tries to remember in the form of flashbacks and the help of a memory bubble. This episode is cleverly written by giving enough information at each flashback to keep the story going at a good pace, but small enough to make it tangible and make you want to watch more. Good for a late series. More reminiscent of early Simpsons. Well worth the view

A great 'ending'?

[studioAT · 9 January 2020]

Could this have really been the final episode of the show ever? The ending does allude to that...briefly.

If it had I would've been happy, because this is a great episode, one of the best in a patchy s19.

I haven't seen 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind', so the parodies of that went over my head, but for good storytelling and laugh out loud moments this episode proves that 'The Simpsons' can still deliver, albeit not every single episode.

Best of the Season So Far.

[e_daneva · 9/10 · 18 December 2023]

Eternal Moonshine of the Simpsons Mind was an amazing episode. I have watched 9 other Season 19 episodes, 3 bad, 3 okay, 1 good, and 3 really good. This episode is obviously in the really good category. This episode is a just really creative episode. The recipe for a good Simpsons episode is heart, creativity, good humor, and an interesting plot. Really all Simpsons episodes should be like that. This episode has 3 out of 4 of those qualities, and this episode is great. This really shows that if you use most of these qualities then you get a great episode. This episode is really good, but it would never make my Top 50, maybe barely make my Top 100. Eternal Moonshine on the Simpson Mind was also a really funny episode. In all, I give this a 8.7 out of 10.

Dream-like entertainment

[gizmomogwai · 7/10 · 25 November 2008]

The combination of this episode winning an Emmy, good word of mouth and seeing- and loving- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) made me want to see this episode. I was somewhat disappointed- it is a strong latter day effort for The Simpsons, like The Simpsons Movie, but that doesn't make it an equal to the episodes of the golden age, or to the movie the title references.

Homer finds out he took a drink to make him lose a memory, and wonders what he did that was so bad he'd want to forget it. He finds evidence he gave Marge a black eye after catching her with another man, and horrified, contemplates suicide. But it turns out that Marge wasn't having an affair with this man and the black eye was the result of an accident. Her real aim is to throw Homer a surprise party, and Homer takes the memory loss drug to make the party a surprise again.

What's good about this episode is that it scores some laughs, though not all of the jokes are great. Was I really supposed to laugh at "new bubble smell"? Homer seeing his life flash before his eyes was also done in an artsy way. I looked it up, and sure enough, it was a parody, but even though it's not original, I'll give The Simpsons credit for taking a good idea and making it its own. (Kind of like how the endings of Life on the Fast Lane and When Flanders Failed were actually parodies but worked on their own, by which I mean, enjoyable and touching even if you don't get the reference). On the other hand, speaking of spoofs, although I loved Ice Age (2002), I'm not sure I would have parodied it as they did in this episode. I'd only parody movies that have been or are guaranteed to be around forever to make sure the parody stays timeless. Ice Age may not be remembered in twenty years.

The down side of this episode is that it doesn't have the depth of the classic episodes. Take the episodes I've already mentioned- Life on the Fast Lane (s. 1) dealt with Marge nearly having an affair and When Flanders Failed (s. 3) has Homer wishing misfortune on his neighbour. These episodes thus explore the characters' dark side while making them understandable, sympathetic, and human. Eternal Moonshine looks like it will explore the Simpsons' dark side through the hint of infidelity and domestic disturbance, but it doesn't actually do this. Of course, not all episodes have to, and I'll give the episode a passing grade, but I won't give it the same regard that I give to older episodes.

Overrated gimmick episode

[Rectangular_businessman · 1/10 · 14 March 2021]

Honestly, it seems to me the only reason people are praising this episode is because that sequence portraying Homer's life near the end ( Which personally,I didn't found it to be that good either)

The rest of the episode is the typical "zombie" Simpson nonsense: Unfunny jokes, shallow hipster cultural references, poor characterization, the typical premise of Homer and Marge having trouble in their marriage (Seriously, are the writers unable to think in something else?) just to get back together at the end without nothing ever changing...

It's just tiresome, annoying drivel. The Simpsons will never recover the "magic" the series had during the 90s, and cheesy montages with sentimental music playing on the background are not going to make viewers forget about that.