The Simpsons (TV Series) In the Name of the Grandfather (2009) User Reviews

Not the best, not the worst

[freemantle_uk · 6/10 · 18 March 2009]

Since the ninth series the Simpsons has sadly been going downhill to the point where the new episodes are nearly impossible to watch. This episodes adds Ireland to the Simpsons international trips which have included England, Australia, Canada Italy, Japan, Brazil, India, Tanzania/Kenya and China (the worst of the Simpsons' foreign trip episodes) and Bart going to France.

The episode starts with the Simpsons buying a hot-tub and becoming increasingly lazy and forgetful, leading to them forgetting to visit Grandpa and his family event at the retirement home. Grandpa lays a guilt-trip on the family and shows them his list of things he wants to do when before he dies. Homer takes him to do the one he thinks is easiest, to go to a pub, but guess where it is? When in Ireland Homer and Grandpa get drunk at the pub and get conned into buying the pub, they try to make it successful. At the same time the rest of the family go site seeing in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The plot is similar to the Regina Monologues, the one where the Simpsons go to England (and it wasn't a good episode). They are some stereotypical jokes about Ireland, but also shows the modern Ireland. Some jokes work like Bart in Blarney Castle, some don't, like Grandpa's dream sequence. This also suffers from the Simpsons lack of originality now and it seems that the writers just have a map of the world and point to a random place. What next, Germany? Syria? Laos?

It's a hit and miss episode.

The Simpsons in Ireland

[safenoe · 6/10 · 12 May 2023]

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova voice the Irish Guy and the Irish Girl, respectively in this "Simpsons travel to Ireland" episode which played on a lot of stereotypes (mostly gentle), like its reliance on alcohol and also how it became the Irish tiger with high tech industries and the like.

I think Glen and Marketa were an item by the time this episode was produced, but I'd have to check online.

The stereotypes here were certainly more gentle and affectionate compared to the "Simpsons goes to Japan" episode where the stereotypes were just plain nasty (I wonder of the one of the writers had a father in a POW camp or something).

In the Review of the Reviewer- It's Good

[e_daneva · 7/10 · 14 January 2024]

In the Name of the Grandfather is a good episode. I have watched 16 other season 20 episodes, and there is 3 bad, 5 okay, 5 good, and 5 really good episodes. This episode is obviously one of the 5 good episodes. This is known as a bad Simpsons episode. But I don't agree. When a Simpsons episode is underrated, there is usually a reason behind it. For Little Big Girl it's its ridiculous plot. For Marge Be Not Proud it's how it blends in with other episodes in the season. For Grift of the Magi and Behind the Laughter it's the season they are made in. And for this episode, it's how the Simpsons go to a new country again. But to me, this isn't a bad episode. Even though the Simpsons are going somewhere again, it's still not bad. This episode actually has a lot of laughs. It's obviously not the best episode of the season, it's far from it, but it's an average episode in the season. It's not the funniest episode ever but it does have some really good moments. In all, I give this episode a 7.1 out of 10.

Underrated Episode that Always makes me Laugh,

[lesleyharris30 · 8/10 · 24 March 2015]

In the Name of the Grandfather is a terrific Simpsons episode with a well written storyline and loads of very funny scenes. I find this episode very underrated as many fans dislike it, but i've seen it many times and each time I enjoy it. I live in Ireland, so seeing my favourite characters visit my country is a lot of fun, of course they have a lot of the exaggerated Irish themes, such as the accents and Leprechauns, but it really dosen't bother me, I know the writers are just having fun and they do a good job of it. It is also quite a sweet episode at times, as we see Homer take his father back to the one place he wanted to see again before he died, it is another great bonding episode between the two of them, something that always works on this show. In the Name of the Grandfather is a fun and very enjoyable Simpsons episode.

At Grandpa's request, the Simpsons go on a vacation to Ireland so that he can visit a bar he once had great times in. He is devastated to discover it is gone out of business, and himself and Homer buy the pub and try to lure customers.

The Simpsons are going to {Does anyone even care any more?}

[zacpetch · 3/10 · 15 January 2015]

I remember this one was a big deal because it aired here in the UK before the US, its country of origin, got to see it. Turns out, they weren't missing out much.

The plot sees Homer agree to fulfil his father Abe's wish of one last trip to a bar only for this to mean they have to cross the Atlantic and go to Ireland. That's right, it's another travel episode! After getting drunk and buying the bar the two of them decide to turn it into a smoke-easy due to smoking in public places being illegal but they get caught and arrested. They are sentenced to deportation to America. There's your whole episode, now try to drag it out for 22 minutes.

To do this we have some unnecessary filler material such as when the family buy a hot tub or the overly self-indulgent flashback Abe has about the bar during WWII. Oh yes, also the obligatory sightseeing gags. There's Bart replacing the Blarney Stone with his butt and there's some kid who decides to carve his name into the 'stone' which is just stupid but could have been funny if there wasn't such an unpleasant punchline to it. Then they discover the secret recipe for Guinness, a company that has their brand appear a lot in this episode due to a marketing deal being made with FOX. There's not all that much more material for these bits which is why one of the other sights is made up (an Irish statue of liberty with a leprechaun instead) and the other, Giant's Causeway, is not actually in Ireland. At least it gives us a nice video game reference but it does feel a bit forced and lasts for too long which is just typical of what's often known as Zombie Simpsons.

If you can think of an Irish stereotype you can guarantee it features in this episode: The judge in the final scene is Mr Potato Head for goodness sake! There are some upper class leprechauns as well, which are referred to as (I kid you not, this is an actual joke) yupprechauns. Not a lot to like here but there's nothing that's quite too bad. A very mixed bag of jokes that fall flat and a weak story but it somehow manages to not fall apart in the same way as most of season 20. Very 'meh'. 3/10