TV Recap/Review: Homer Chases Emma Thompson Through a Gauntlet of Picture Books in "The Simpsons" Season 38 Premiere

Season 38 of The Simpsons kicked off tonight with an episode that pays tribute to the power of children’s literature. Featuring guest star Emma Thompson (Cruella, Beauty and the Beast, Saving Mr. Banks), the episode’s title draws on a Season 23 episode from the same writer, “The Book Job,” amended here as “The Children’s Book Job.” Here is our recap and review of this season premiere.

Season 38, Episode 1: “The Children's Book Job” — Written by Dan Vebber

In the Springfield Elementary gymnasium, Marge Simpson (Julie Kavner) is named PTA President by Superintendent Chalmers (Hank Azaria) just as he announces that this is the school’s final year of operation, due to its low test scores and an owl infestation. As the parents and Principal Skinner (Harry Shearer) panic, Marge starts thinking of a way to save the school.

At home, Marge asks for advice from Bart (Nancy Cartwright), Lisa (Yeardley Smith), and Homer (Dan Castellaneta), who is more concerned with a bowling mobile game on his phone, to Marge’s disappointment. Bart suggests that the school just needs to “suck less,” with Marge correcting that they don’t say “suck” in the Simpsons house, replacing that word with “sudge.”

At the next PTA Meeting, music teacher Dewey Largo (Shearer) reveals that his boyfriend, Geoffrey (also Shearer), has an acquaintance with someone who knows acclaimed British children’s author Constance Clavinger, who hasn’t made a public appearance in 30 years. She is interested in debuting the long-awaited sequel to her classic, The Plucky Little Goat, at Springfield Elementary’s Book Fair!

Cut to Marge dressed to impress, ready to head to the airport to pick up Constance Clavinger when Bernice Hibbert (Dawnn Lewis) calls with a Book Fair emergency; Helen Lovejoy (Maggie Roswell) is burning any books she deems unfit for children, such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar for promoting gluttony. Marge is the only one who can talk some sense into Helen, so she has no choice but to ask Homer to go to the airport. He is once again devoted to a mobile game, and she begs him to focus to save their kids’ school.

Homer stands at the gate with a sign that reads “British Goat Lady.” Thankfully, Constance Clavinger (Emma Thompson) understands that it’s for her, excusing herself for a moment to “freshen up.” While he waits, Homer plays a mobile game. The next thing he knows, Constance is drunkenly serenading a group of pilots at an airport bar. Homer says they need to go, and she offers to drive, grabs an electric buggy, and drunk-crashes it into an airport bookstore.

Homer weaves through traffic, handing Constance some coffee to help her sober up. She refuses, but begins throwing up out the window, ruining her blouse and insisting they stop at an outlet mall. Homer loses track of her, and when he finds her, they are both under arrest because she shoplifted. Thrown in outlet mall jail, Homer gets a call from an anxious Marge, asking what’s taking so long. Homer explains what happened, and Constance grabs the phone and tells Marge they are on their way.

Also in outlet mall jail is Snake Jailbird (Azaria), who recognizes Constance and reveals he's a big fan of The Plucky Little Goat. Learning that she’s written a sequel that she’s about to debut, Snake breaks them out of jail and offers to help drive them to Springfield Elementary. But when Homer tosses him the keys, he takes off, stealing his car, which contained Constance’s manuscript. Thankfully, Homer had a tracker on a sandwich in the glove compartment, so he steals Hans Moleman's (Castellaneta) car to follow it. 

In a grungy warehouse, Homer and Constance find Homer’s car has been loaded onto a car compactor. Homer dives in, grabbing both the manuscript and sandwich before they are destroyed. Constance is impressed, hugging Homer and thanking him for saving her manuscript. But when the pages drop and scatter, Homer is shocked to see images of the famous goat getting murdered and turned into meat. Constance reveals her plans to make the world hate her most cherished work, which she has come to despise in the wake of her husband cheating on her with a younger woman who had a tattoo of her character on her hip.

When Homer refuses to take Constance to Springfield Elementary, she runs across the street and hitchhikes a ride with helicopter traffic reporter Arnie Pye (Castellaneta), who's gassing up his chopper. Homer chases after them on the ground in Moleman’s car, and when he hears Arnie’s report on the radio that he’s taking Constance to the book fair, pending any breaking traffic news, Homer begins a string of hit-and-runs to divert him. Constance uses an umbrella to jump from the helicopter like Mary Poppins, taking off on foot. 

With Moleman’s car totaled, a concussed Homer chases after Constance on foot. In his delirium, he sees the world as a rotating series of classic and current children’s books. Constance becomes her own goat character, while Homer appears as a hippo. He chases her through worlds inspired by Richard Scarry (Busy Busy Town), Roald Dahl (James and the Giant Peach), Crockett Johnson (Harold and the Purple Crayon), Ludwig Bemelmans (Madeline), Mo Willems (Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!), and Eric Carle (The Very Hungry Caterpillar). When his hallucinations fade, he is outside of Springfield Elementary, watching Constance rush inside.

In Constance Clavinger’s absence, Marge booked Colin Jost (himself) to do a reading of his new children’s book, Cap’n Colin and his Fabulous Ferry. Everyone is relieved when Constance arrives. Homer tries to stop her, explaining that reading The Plucky Little Goat to Bart and Lisa is one of the few memories he has of being a good father before losing his mind to mobile games. He begs her not to take that away from him, but she ignores him, taking the stage to read The Further Adventures of the Plucky Little Goat. 

Constance begins reading her new book with sadistic enthusiasm, but stops when she sees the fearful look in Homer’s eyes as Bart, Lisa, and Maggie hug him and listen intently. On the fly, she makes up a happier story about the goat taking a trip and having an adventure with a “smelly hippo” that sounds an awful lot like Constance and Homer’s trek through Springfield. “The wait was worth it,” a book critic enthusiastically declares when she finishes.

Marge hugs Homer, thanking him for being present today. “For once in our marriage, I didn’t sudge,” he smiles.

The end credit tag finds Homer and Constance getting tattoos on their hips. Constance gets her goat, while Homer gets his hippo.

“The Children's Book Job” Review

While not the splashiest season opener, “The Children’s Book Job” feels coincidentally timely, coming on the heels of the first Dolly Parton Day. After her passing, September 25th (9/25) became a day of giving to the country music icon’s Imagination Library, which fosters pre-K literacy by gifting a free book each month to children from birth through age five. So having the first new Simpsons episode since her passing focus on the collective touchstones of picture book classics resonates in a way producers couldn’t have planned for when they prepared this episode a year ago.

The highlight of the episode is Emma Thompson’s guest role, with The Simpsons’ roster of A-list celebrity guest stars continuing to grow. Colin Jost’s appearance was a funny payoff, with his name dropped earlier in the episode when Marge allows Helen Lovejoy to burn a few copies of Jost’s fictitious book. But the standout comedy moment goes to “sudge,” which further underscores one of the episode’s biggest themes: perception. Helen Lovejoy trying to save children from the dangers of The Little Engine That Could, Constance Clavinger trying to undo her own success, and Homer realizing that life’s most important moments are happening outside of his phone screen. These cohesive narratives feel poignant by the end, even if they play more like jokes in the moment. The only thing that sudges about this season opener is that it airs with the shortened opening credits, meaning Season 38 kicks off without a new couch gag.

Season 38 continues next Sunday, October 4th, at 8/7c on FOX, with “Diary of a Chimpy Kid.”

Bart and Lisa adopt an abandoned baby chimp and clash over their surprisingly different parenting styles. When the chimp is abducted by a private wild animal zoo, the family goes on a mission to rescue him. Homer is conflicted about saving the ape, because he’s convinced the chimp will tear off his face and groin.