The Simpsons: 10 Best Episodes From Season 30 Onwards

Season 32, Episode 4

The episode opens on Election Day 2020, careful to have an equal number of billboards for both main parties. However, the voting centres are supervised by “heavily medicated [Republican] octogenarians” under the watch of a manically laughing Roger Stone. The section also features scrolling text which critiques Trump’s actions from putting children in cages to calling white supremacists “fine people”. It is a nice nod towards the show’s role as an adult animation show, made all the funnier if viewed after reading right-wing reactions online.

Toy Gory, a Toy Story parody, is a sensible choice. The franchise is relevant for ‘90s kids and present-day viewers alike. Also, its 3D animation is an impressive technical feat. After Bart sadistically tortures his toys, they strike back and mutilate their owner. In a suitably macabre ending, Bart ends up lifeless with Tinkertoy bones, a Build-A-Bear heart, and Pop Rocks and Silly Putty for a brain.

The other two stories are mostly successful parodies of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Into the Homer-verse) and Russian Doll (Be Nine, Rewind). The battle between the Burnsiverse and the Homerverse (with the Smitherverse taking notes) stands out.