‘The Falcon and the D’oh Man’ opens the season with the results of the cliffhanger ending that asked fans to vote on whether Ned and Edna would end up together permanently, but is a mostly forgettable episode other than that.
‘At Long Last Leave’ brings The Simpsons to the remarkable achievement of a 500th episode, and the opening couch gag is a nostalgic treat. However, the rest of the episodes is all a bit of a rehash of themes explored just a couple of years ago in The Simpsons Movie (2007).
An increase in quality and memorable episodes from the last season, and while the show is still much more inconsistent that it once was, it still has some real highs.
Rating = 3.5/5