In this week’s episode of the Simpsons, enchanted marinara sauce assists Homer’s journey through the “what-ifs” in his life. How would his life be different if he’d become Senior Class President? “Take My Life, “Take My Life, Please” has the details! 

Kredit Kookies: The entire opening has been revised for the show’s HD debut – think of it as an expanded version of the classic credits, with sharper details and more background gags. Chalboard Gag: HD Is Worth Every Cent. Couch Gag: An extended adventure in which OFF head into space to track down their wayward couch.

Meh Or Woo Hoo?: OFF attend a plaque ceremony at the Springfield Hall Of Fame for Homer’s rival in high school politics (no, really!), Vance Connor. Vance has become a successful, rich businessman since the election, and Homer wallows in self-pity until Lenny and Carl reveal that they struck a deal with Principal Dondelinger the day of the election and, in truth, buried the strongbox filled with ballots in the woods.

Homer retrieves the box and, at Lisa’s count, is declared the winner. Homer tracks down Dondelinger to confront him, and the Principal reveals that he hid the ballots to save Homer’s feelings – a group of popular kids were planning on pulling a Carrie on Homer by stuffing the ballot boxes with votes and then mocking him throughout high school (and at all the reunions).
 
In spite of this revelation, Homer’s depressed. Marge takes him to dinner at Luigis, where a mystic chef with the ability to present versions of the future through a pot of magical spaghetti sauce reveals that, had Homer won the election, he would have been rich and successful, still married to Marge…and childless.

Homer sinks into an even deeper depression, until Marge and the kids set up a plaque over at the Springfield Hall of Fame (and for his purported Vice Principal, the school's mascot Butthead).
This cheers him up just enough to allow him to accept the events of the election.

Red Dress Press: An entertaining addition to Simpsons canon, and vital due to the new credits sequence, "Take My Life, Please" is interesting in that it doesn't pursue the obvious feel-good conclusion of Homer deciding that everything's just fine even though he's not a millionaire. While his family's love is vital and important to him, his family as it is still isn't his ideal, and the show doesn't sugar-coat this point of view.

On the other hand, I've found it rather anti-canonical for Homer (yet again) to be portrayed as wishing his kids didn't exist. They were once portrayed as his motivating force in life - now they're unnecessary obstacles on his way to a life of big money.

If you believe Marge and Homer are truly destined, then the continued notion that absolutely nothing in the universe will ever keep them apart for long will add to your enjoyment of the episode.

It's always good to see Principal Dondelinger, and the little nods to past canon (Homer to the Max - Debbie was Homer's high school crush pre-Marge). Yes, Homer and Marge still went to high school in the 70's - a refreshing reverse-retcon from "That '90's Show".

Yet I rarely laughed aloud - the biggest chuckle I got out of the entire episode came from Homer's early line about Sunday being "the Lord's day, not God's!" to Bart, with small chuckles for Debbie's declaration that she would have allowed Homer to go to fifth base with her and Marge's exchange with the sauce soothsayer ("What do you see?" "I see a hair!" "You see too much!") In fact the ordinariness of the episode really struck me.

The show's HD debut deserved a more auspicious episode. Nevertheless, a historical milestone was reached Sunday night, and that alone makes it worth watching.

Did It Fail At Masonry?: An ordinary, semi-boring, inoffensive episode, this one's worth watching for the opening credits in the least, and the decent continuity between it and "The Way We Was" .

What The Screwballs Think: The episode pulled a 6.8, coming in fourth overall in its period and the second-highest rated program in the block.

Springfield Shopper: The next new episode the Simpsons will be How The Test Was One, Set to air March first. Check back here on the second for a full review!