As for the story, wasn’t it kind of silly of Marge to expect that sending a $12 cheque to a movie studio for watching a pirated movie to go by consequence free. Bart calls it when he says that Homer’s crime here isn’t exactly the worst thing the big guy’s ever done, “It’s not even the worse kind of pirate dad’s even been,” he adds. If the worse thing Homer’s ever done is to hold a “Cinema Piratediso” in his backyard, then I think that’s progress. But Hollywood says stealing from Hollywood is wrong, and thus Marge is a heroic American snitch.
Eventually, Homer manages to get out of things with a speech that could have been ripped from the trailer of just about any number of films. His was the tale of an ordinary man that tried to give a little bit of happiness back to the people. He was standing up to a corrupt system, a system of the powerful fuelled by greed and protected by the swift, jack boot of the government. He stands defiant, and has no regret about his actions, and, to secure four quadrant appeal, he will do it all with the love of a good woman who stands by his side no matter what.
The episode’s one astute observation comes when Homer’s story becomes the big screen movie “Streaming Valor” starring a 300-pound Channing Tatum (the last celebrity cameo in this episode, we promise). The Springfield gang pirates the movie for a backyard screening in Homer’s honour, but he’s not having it. There’s profit participation at sake, so everyone better pay for a ticket to see “Streaming Valor” and no bargain matinees either! Hollywood may love a story about an average man who fights “city hall” and wins, but the average man will also fight to protect the profits from his story, too.
Finally, one other thing to note this week is that the show cut the couch gag entirely. Has that ever happened before? I’m not sure, but I can only assume it was to make more room for pot shots at Hollywood. Admittedly, I liked all the bizarre details revealed about the Radioactive Man movie, and Homer’s idea for a sequel to Taken where The Hangover gang is kidnapped and the Fast and Furious gang have to rescue them has merit, but like the cameo-filled episode it felt like random details to cover for the fact that this episode is about seven years past due. People who watch pirated movies online might have once been rebels, but we’re at the point now where the “everyone’s doing it” defense applies. But before we go any further, let’s cut to a NASCAR race…
Tell us, what did you guys think of “Steal this Episode?” Let us know in the comments section below.
