Chalkboard, Couch and Billboard: Chalkboard: “The Class Hamster Isn’t Just Sleeping”; Billboard: Dr. Nick advises that if you die, your operation is free! Couch Gag: The Simpsons are spirited away in a subway car decorated to look like their living room.

Review: The verdict’s in on the Simpson’s twentieth season premier, and – at least from this reviewer – it’s a resounding ‘meh’.

“Homer The Whopper’s” basic plot was interesting. It featured Milhouse and Bart stumbling across Comic Book Guy’s meticulously-drawn sample panels of his comic book hero and encouraging him to self-publish an issue. “Everyman” feels like the sort of character eternal fanboy Comic Book Guy would create (delivery guy Avery Mann, who uses osmosis and any comic book to become Everyman, a superhero with “every” superpower). This is actually fairly novel, and Avery Mann would make an interesting friend for Radioactive Man. The series becomes a mini-phenomena locally, and all of the details within the path that leads into CBG getting a movie deal ring true. The best parts of the episode deal with the conflict between his fantasy of what he wants his movie to be and what it turns into: a big-budget disaster.

While this makes for a decent first act, the second wobbles with the introduction of the smarmy Seth Rogan-voiced Lyle McCarthy, who helps Homer get into shape for filming. The Rogan character is appropriately slimy, and his VA work was decent, but we’ve had so many double-talking Hollywood types on this show. It would have been more interesting to see a different angle on the typical Homer-loses-weight plot, but we were deprived of this. The Homer parts suffer from been-there-seen-that-itis. We’ve seen him struggle with his body – we’ve seen him struggle against the lures and temptations of show business. Throwing in vomit jokes doesn’t make the concept fresher (though the one used was surprisingly tasteful). Homer’s will being weak once out of the sight of his trainer makes sense, as does the production company’s insistence upon continuing the shoot as Homer expands, ruining any hope of maintaining continuity in the editing room.

Even though Comic Book Guy finds the entire production “an embarrassment of Jar-Jarian magnitude” (the projectionist at the preview screening commits suicide), he’s given the option of directing the second Everyman movie if he’ll take to the web and give the flick his official endorsement. He’s unable to turn in his web cred for such an offer, however, and lambastes the movie. Homer, meanwhile, meets up with Lyle, who agrees to help Homer get rid of the extra pounds.

We later learn that the movie’s been permanently shelved, with the Lyle/Homer plot left dangling uncomfortably. The entire experience is a hopelessly average one for the viewer – the very example of an “alright” episode of The Simpsons. You’ll smile a couple of times, laugh once or twice, but it won’t be considered a “classic” anytime soon.

Letter Grade: C+

Rating: The show got a 10.7 in the ratings, third place overall for the evening and the third-highest rated show for Fox this past Sunday.

Preview: In next week’s episode, “Bart Gets a ‘Z’”, Bart – resentful over Mrs Krabappel’s confiscating her class’ cell phones, as well as her inability to relate to her Twittering, Facebook-obsessed students - spikes his teacher’s coffee with liquor, hoping to ‘loosen her up’. Unfortunately, she makes a fool out of herself, and Principal Skinner fires her. She’s replaced by a modern, ‘hip’ teacher, but Bart feels guilty and tries to get Mrs. K her job back.