In the Name of the Grandfather

Season 20, Episode 14, Aired
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Episode Summary

The Simpsons travel to Ireland so that Grampa can have a final drink at O'Flanagan's Pub, an old watering hole of his. But when the small town of Dunkilderry isn't quite what Grampa remembers it as and O'Flanagans has become a rundown, empty pub, he and Homer decide to buy it and fix it up.moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (7)

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  • Best of season 20!

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Kingcheese26, Feb 20, 2011 Report Abuse
    What a great episode! from the joke with the simpsons flopping around like fish (someone said it was like family guy, but i don't watch family guy so i wouldn't know) to chief wiggum being electrocuted at the end, the whole episode was jam-packed with hilarious humor (derry air). Probably the best episode of season 20, followed by lost verizon, mypods and boomsticks, how the test was won, gone maggie gone, and double double boy in trouble. anyway, a fantastic episode. I like these travel episodes (the crepes of wrath,where bart went to france, the regina monologues, where they went to england, goo goo gai pan, where they went to china). they're always able to poke fun at the cultures. now they have ireland too.moreless

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    5 0

  • In the Name of Mediocrity.

    5.0
    "Mediocre"
    By amazingwebhead, Feb 20, 2011 Report Abuse
    Following last week's contrived mystery episode, this week sees the Simpsons take part in a story much more focused on the unit as a whole. Involving Abe however, In The Name of the Grandfather takes the family to the island of Ireland where Grandpa hopes to rekindle his love for the old, romantic ways of slums of Ire. Met with a sleek, modernised metropolis however, the Simpsons (that is, Homer and Abe, with the help of Moe) try to extort the people's need for certain forbidden luxuries.

    It's a story that at times works and at times doesn't. The forced, stereotypical culture play on Ireland is tepid at best with jokes on the lazy, drunken, no-good Irish in abundance with little to no wit presented outside of the usual irksome banality that pollutes most of the show's recent episodes. Again, the outing works best when things get a little edgier and jokes are coming from the supporting characters rather than the obvious pens of rejected prospective Family Guy writers. As a whole, it's nothing as bad as we witnessed last week, offering some decent character humour and tighter focus on much more tangible plotting, but the laughs are still few and far between. The promise that was glimmering at the start of the series' year is now dimming in the wake of these two poor-to-mediocre outings.moreless

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    2 11

  • This episode was perfect and one of my personal favorites.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By KingBoo112, Feb 20, 2011 Report Abuse
    Why do some people hate this episode? I thought it was great! It felt like I was watching an episode from the early seasons. I actually lol'd at this episode while watching, and can call it a rare gem from the mediocre season 20. My favorite part of this episode was when Homer and that Irish old coot had a drinking contest and got drunk, I just "LOVE" to see Homer drunk :p. One thing was, I think they sort of tried to use Family Guy's humor *cough* the leprechaun cutaways. Yeah! Way to go Simpsons! You could kick Family Guy's @#*%! any day! Also, keep up the good work! Episodes like this can bring The Simpsons back on the right track! So keep on making these good epis!

    Grade:A+++++

    Keep it up!moreless

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    2 1

  • An episode that at times could be very funny. One of the top episodes of season 20

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By Iverson82094, Jul 29, 2009 Report Abuse
    The Simpson family travels to Ireland to take Grandpa to have one last beer at his beloved O'Flanagan's Pub in Dunkilderry. However, when they arrive, the little town of Dunkilderry isn't the quaint little Irish village that Grandpa remembers. It has become a gentrified yuppie enclave filled with hipsters on laptops and Bluetooths, surrounded by swanky stores and coffee shops. When they track down O'Flanagan's Pub, the bar is run down and nearly empty. After a few spirits, Homer and Grandpa buy the pub from Tom O'Flanagan (guest voice Meaney), and they are left with trying to bring the bar back to life amidst an ultra-hip, hardworking and sober Irish town. With a little help from Moe, they find the perfect scheme to bring the pub back to life and put "Simpson & Son" on the map.moreless

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  • Higher quality that episodes from even two weeks ago.

    8.0
    "Great"
    By emceelokey, Mar 29, 2009 Report Abuse
    I was working on some other stuff while I was watching this but I noticed that the animation quality was better in this episode. It looked very hi def and was very noticeable compared to episodes from even a few weeks before. The images seemed more crisp and the over all art direction seemed to be better as well. Much like when Family Guy did the Star Wars episode. It wasn't in the same quality of the Simpsons Movie but it was definitely an enhanced episode. To get a person that watches as much animation as I do means they must have spent some extra time on this.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • German Krusty Krusty: Heil, heil. Mel: Ach du lieber. Krusty spritzen the Gaswasser. Krusty: Ja, ja. Krusty spritzen the Gaswasser. While the meaning is easy to understand the lines are not really German. Starting with the greeting 'Heil' which was used while the Nazis where at power. Its usage is probably intended though. The line "Krusty spritzen the Gaswasser" translates to "Krusty is spraying gas water" while containing several mistakes. Spritzen is the basic form like spray, should be spritzt. In Germany the term 'Gaswasser' is not used, at least not in this content. Usually its Sprudelwasser. The English 'the' is probably just left to mock on the complicated German usage of der/die/das. Edit
    • While in Ireland Marge and the kids visit the Giant's Causeway. This geological formation is actually located in Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom and therefore a different country. The Giant's Causeway is about four hours drive from Dublin. Edit
    • During the scene where Bart watches German Krusty, in the background of the pub is what looks like a portrait of former Simpsons writer Conan O'Brien. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • Blackboard Joke: Four leaf clovers are not mutant freaks. Couch Gag: Each family member is walked into the room on a leash like a dog in a show. Bart is declared the winner and Homer attacks him. Billboard Gag: Pay For Septuplets, Get Octuplets Free! (with Dr. Riviera pictured holding a set of babies hanging upside down in each hand) Ralph: None. Edit
    • This episode was broadcast in the UK and Ireland on St. Patrick's Day (17th March) before it is was transmitted in the US for the first time in the show's history. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • (After Homer opens a shipping crate) Grampa: Moe?! You shipped yourself here? Moe: No, it's how you fly coach on Delta now. Edit
    • Irish Policeman #1: So, it's a smoke-easy you're running then? Homer: Uh-oh! (tries to flee with Grampa) Irish Policeman #2: Toots! It's escaping you're thinking of then? Homer: I can't tell if those are questions or statements! Irish Policeman #1: So, it's our syntax you're criticizin' then? Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Barney Rubble A scene outside Blarney Castle, which houses the famous Blarney Stone, shows a family taking a picture of a small pile of rocks called Blarney Rubble, a mock name of The Flintstones character Barney Rubble. Edit
    • Once Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova guest star and appear as their characters from the 2006 film Once. Hansard also sings the song "Falling Slowly" from the film. Edit
    • American Commerce While the Simpsons drive through Dunkilderry several American businesses are parodied with an Irish name. Victoria's Secret is Colleen's Secret, Saks Fifth Avenue is Mac's Fifth Avenue, Hard Rock Cafe is Sham Rock Cafe, Hewlett Packard is Hewlett Fitzpackard, Microsoft is Mick-rosoft, Cisco Systems is Cisc O'Systems, Bed Bath & Beyond is Bog Bath & Beyond, and Taco Bell is Taco Belfast. Edit

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