The Dad-Feelings Limited

Last updated

"The Dad-Feelings Limited"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 32
Episode 11
Directed by Chris Clements
Written by Ryan Koh
Featured music"Ooh La La" by Faces
Production codeQABF04
Original air dateJanuary 3, 2021 (2021-01-03)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
"A Springfield Summer Christmas for Christmas"
Next 
"Diary Queen"
The Simpsons season 32
List of episodes

"The Dad-Feelings Limited" is the 11th episode of the thirty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons , and the 695th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on January 3, 2021. [1] The episode was directed by Chris Clements [2] and written by Ryan Koh. [3]

Contents

The episode's title is a reference to the Wes Anderson film The Darjeeling Limited , which has a similar story of doubtful fatherhood.

Plot

Comic Book Guy and his wife Kumiko enjoy a lazy Sunday while Marge and Homer attend multiple children's birthday parties. Desperate for adult company, Marge and Homer leave the kids with Ned Flanders and go to Moe's for trivia night. Teaming up with Comic Book Guy and Kumiko, they win first place, and Marge and Kumiko relate over having overweight husbands. When Kumiko visits Marge, she bonds with Maggie and tells her husband she wants to have a child. Comic Book Guy, who works with children at his store every day and knows that he is an emotionally distant man, does not want to become a father.

Kumiko arranges for her husband to attend a movie with the Simpsons, and he finds he truly enjoys introducing Bart and Lisa to classic movies. When the children become upset, however, he is unable to comfort them, and returns to his family home, where his philatelist father and other obsessive relatives live alone with their collections. It is then revealed that Comic Book Guy took solace in comic books as a child solely because his father never attended any of his beloved baseball games, causing him to choke during the championship. His father later admits that he did not go to the game for fear he would not know what to say if his son lost, but produces a ball autographed by his son's hero, Sandy Koufax, that he had intended to give him. The pair play a game of catch, and Comic Book Guy returns to his wife, telling her that he is now ready to start a family.

Production

Casting

Dan Aykroyd guest-starred in the episode as Postage Stamp Fellow, Bob Balaban appeared as the narrator, and Jenny Yokobori appeared as Kumiko. [1] The episode marked the first appearance of Yokobori as Kumiko, replacing previous actor Tress MacNeille. [4] [5] This followed the show's announcement that white actors would no longer voice non-white characters. [6]

Development

In 2020, Fox released eight promotional pictures from the episode. [7]

Release

The episode originally aired on January 3, 2021, at 9:01 PM. [1]

Reception

Viewing figures

In the United States, the episode was watched live by 1.89 million viewers. [8]

Critical response

Tony Sokol with Den of Geek , said "The Simpsons goes back to the past to make way for the future on Season 32, episode 11. “The Dad Feelings-Limited” is an origin story, revealing the sad and lonely tale of Comic Book Guy. No, it isn't done in panel layouts, and his super strength turns out to be his greatest weakness." He gave the episode 4.5/5 stars. [9]

Jesse Bereta of Bubbleblabber gave the episode a 7.5 out of 10. He was surprised by the story about Comic Book Guy and enjoyed the deeper look into the character. He liked how the Simpson family was involved in the plot instead of having its own story. He also thought the Wes Anderson parody format balanced the dramatic elements. [4]

It was selected as one of the best TV episodes of 2021 in the New York Times . [10]

Awards and nominations

The episode was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program at the 73rd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, but lost to the Primal episode "Plague of Madness". [11]

Related Research Articles

"Married to the Blob" is the tenth episode of the twenty-fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons and the 540th episode of the series. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on January 12, 2014. The episode was written by Tim Long and directed by Chris Clements.

I Wont Be Home for Christmas (<i>The Simpsons</i>) 9th episode of the 26th season of The Simpsons

"I Won't Be Home for Christmas" is the ninth episode of the twenty-sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 561st episode of the series. The episode was directed by Mark Kirkland and written by Al Jean. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 7, 2014. It is the thirteenth Christmas episode of the show.

"Springfield Splendor" is the second episode of the twenty-ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 620th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Matthew Faughnan and written by Tim Long and Miranda Thompson. It aired in the United States on Fox on October 8, 2017.

"The Hateful Eight-Year-Olds" is the 21st and penultimate episode of the thirty-first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 683rd episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on May 10, 2020. The episode was written by Joel H. Cohen and was directed by Jennifer Moller.

"Diary Queen" is the 12th episode of the thirty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 696th episode overall. The episode was directed by Matthew Nastuk and written by Jeff Westbrook. The episode follows Bart’s discovery of his former teacher's diary.

"Wad Goals" is the 13th episode of the thirty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 697th episode overall. The episode was directed by Mike Frank Polcino, and written by Brian Kelley. In this episode, Bart becomes a successful caddy, but Marge worries that it is ruining his character. Stephen Root guest-stars as Bildorf.

"Yokel Hero" is the 14th episode of the thirty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 698th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on March 7, 2021. The episode was directed by Rob Oliver, and written by Jeff Martin & Samantha Martin.

<i>The Simpsons</i> season 32 Season of television series

The thirty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons premiered on Fox on September 27, 2020, and ended on May 23, 2021. This season contained twenty-two episodes. On February 6, 2019, the season was ordered along with the previous season. This season includes the series' 700th episode "Manger Things".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror XXXI</span> 4th episode of the 32nd season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror XXXI" is the fourth episode of the thirty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 688th episode overall as well as the thirty-first "Treehouse of Horror" episode. It aired in the United States on Fox on November 1, 2020. The episode was directed by Steven Dean Moore, and written by Julia Prescott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I, Carumbus</span> 2nd episode of the 32nd season of The Simpsons

"I, Carumbus" is the second episode of the thirty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 686th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on October 4, 2020. The episode was directed by Rob Oliver, and written by Cesar Mazariegos. Mike Duncan was the Roman history consultant.

"Now Museum, Now You Don't" is the third episode of the thirty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 687th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on October 11, 2020. The episode was directed by Timothy Bailey, and written by Dan Greaney.

"The Last Barfighter" is the 22nd and final episode of the thirty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 706th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on May 23, 2021. The episode was directed by Timothy Bailey and written by Dan Vebber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The 7 Beer Itch</span> 5th episode of the 32nd season of The Simpsons

"The 7 Beer Itch" is the fifth episode of the thirty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 689th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on November 8, 2020. The episode was directed by Mike Frank Polcino, and the teleplay was written by Joel H. Cohen and John Frink from a story by Al Jean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three Dreams Denied</span> 7th episode of the 32nd season of The Simpsons

"Three Dreams Denied" is the seventh episode of the thirty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 691st episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on November 22, 2020. The episode was directed by Steven Dean Moore and written by Danielle Weisberg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Springfield Summer Christmas for Christmas</span> 10th episode of the 32nd season of The Simpsons

"A Springfield Summer Christmas for Christmas" is the 10th episode of the thirty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 694th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on December 13, 2020. The episode was directed by Timothy Bailey and written by Jessica Conrad.

Jenny Yokobori is an American voice actress. She is best known for voicing Yoimiya in Genshin Impact and Kuromi and Cinnamoroll in Hello Kitty and Friends Supercute Adventures.

"Do Pizza Bots Dream of Electric Guitars" is the 15th episode of the thirty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 699th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on March 14, 2021. The episode was directed by Jennifer Moeller, and written by Michael Price. In this episode, Homer attempts to reunite an animatronic band from his youth, but TV and film producer J. J. Abrams gets ahold of them first. The episode was given positive reviews. The title of the episode is a play to the dystopian novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick.

"Uncut Femmes" is the 17th episode of the thirty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 701st episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on March 28, 2021. The episode was directed by Chris Clements, and written by Christine Nangle. In this episode, Marge participates in a jewel heist, and Chief Wiggum's wife Sarah receives a retcon and voice change for this episode as being an ex-criminal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Serious Flanders</span> 6th and 7th episodes of the 33rd season of The Simpsons

"A Serious Flanders" is a two-part episode of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It is the sixth and seventh episodes of the thirty-third season and the 712th and 713th episodes overall. Part One premiered on the Fox network in the United States on November 7, 2021, while Part Two premiered on November 14, 2021. Both parts are written by Cesar Mazariegos. Part One is directed by Debbie Mahan, while Part Two is directed by Matthew Faughnan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror XXXIII</span> 6th episode of the 34th season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror XXXIII" is the sixth episode of the thirty-fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 734th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on October 30, 2022. The episode was directed by Rob Oliver, and written by Carolyn Omine, Ryan Koh and Matt Selman. This is the first Treehouse of Horror episode to not have an opening sequence, and instead just opens on a book of the episode before going straight into the first segment. This is also the first Treehouse of Horror since season 14's to feature a different writer for each segment. This is the first Treehouse of Horror to air closest to Halloween since 2011 without going into November.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Listings - SIMPSONS, THE on FOX | TheFutonCritic.com". The Futon Critic . Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  2. Jean, Al [@AlJean] (January 21, 2020). "Bob Anderson" (Tweet). Retrieved August 17, 2020 via Twitter.
  3. Garbutt, Herb (August 16, 2020). "'Simpson, eh?' GTA man writes episode for long-running show after pitching executive producer on Twitter". Toronto Star . Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  4. 1 2 Bereta, Jesse (January 4, 2021). "Review: The Simpsons "The Dad-Feelings Limited"". Bubbleblabber. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  5. Porter, Rick (February 22, 2021). "'The Simpsons': Harry Shearer to Stop Voicing Black Character". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  6. Petski, Denise (June 26, 2020). "'The Simpsons' Will No Longer Have White Actors Voice Non-White Characters". Deadline . Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  7. "The Simpsons". FoxFlash. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  8. Metcalf, Mitch (January 6, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.3.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  9. Sokol, Tony (January 4, 2021). "The Simpsons Season 32 Episode 11 Review: The Dad Feelings-Limited". Den of Geek . Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  10. Poniewozik, James; Hale, Mike; Lyons, Margaret (December 20, 2021). "The Best TV Episodes of 2021" . The New York Times . Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  11. Travers, Ben (September 12, 2021). "'Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal' Wins Best Animated Series at the 2021 Emmy Awards". IndieWire . Retrieved June 11, 2023.