"Tis the 30th Season" is the tenth episode of the thirtieth season of the American animated television series ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

'', and the 649th episode overall. It aired in the United States on

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

on December 9, 2018.

Plot

After

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...

dinner,

Bart Bart is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive of Bartholomew, sometimes of Barton, Bartolomeo, etc. Bart is a Dutch and Ashkenazi Jewish surname, and derives from the name ''Bartholomäus'', a German form of the biblical name ''Barthol ...

and

Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer * Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...

give

Marge Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret (name), Margaret. Notable Marges include: People *Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist *Marge Anderson (1932� ...

and

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

their Christmas lists, asking for only one present: a smart TV that costs $2,400. Seeing a commercial for a Black Friday sale at the Sprawl-Mart, Marge and Homer plan a strategy to take advantage of it. Marge waits in line overnight at the store, giving

Gil Gunderson The American culture, American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even ...

some of her winter clothing so he can keep warm. Homer wakes up at 2:30 in the morning to take her place as planned, but gets his scarf caught in the front door and knocks himself unconscious. When the Sprawl-Mart opens at 6:00, Marge hurries to get a smart TV, but stops to help Gil get a present for his granddaughter. By the time she finishes, the shelves have been picked clean. In addition, Gil immediately sells the present to

Reverend Lovejoy Reverend Timothy "Tim" Lovejoy, Jr. is a recurring character in the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Harry Shearer, and first appeared in the episode "The Telltale Head". Rev. Lovejoy is the minister at The First ...

at a greatly inflated price. As Marge becomes increasingly stressed over the approach of Christmas, Homer and the children secretly book a vacation at a theme park and resort in Florida. They drug Marge's tea to put her to sleep. By the time she wakes up, the entire family is in the car and driving through

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

on the way to Florida. Upon reaching the resort, they find themselves booked into a cramped hotel room with an extremely low ceiling. Homer urges Bart and Lisa to act as if they are enjoying themselves for Marge's sake, but the theme park turns out to be full of bizarre, frightening rides and obscure cartoon characters. Bart and Lisa complain to the manager, Jeanie, saying that the site looks nothing like the pictures on its web page. When she ignores them, Bart vows revenge. The Simpsons finally admit to each other that they are not enjoying the trip and decide to leave quickly so they can make it home by Christmas. Bart scares Jeanie by removing the heads from the animatronic figures in the Hall of

Vice Presidents A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

and putting them in her bed. The car runs out of gas just outside Springfield, leaving the Simpsons to walk the rest of the way in the snow. Upon reaching town, they find

Moe Moe, MOE, MoE or m.o.e. may refer to: In arts and entertainment Characters * Moe Szyslak, from the animated television show ''The Simpsons'' * Moe, leader of The Three Stooges, played by Moe Howard * Moe Higurashi, supporting character in ''Yash ...

hosting a dinner for the old and needy at his tavern. They join the dinner, along with Grampa, having gained a new appreciation of the importance of being with family and friends for the holidays. Jeanie refunds the Simpsons' money and adds $2,400 in exchange for their promise never to visit the resort again. They buy the smart TV and begin watching ''

Yule Log The Yule log, Yule clog, or Christmas block is a specially selected log burnt on a hearth as a winter tradition in regions of Europe, and subsequently North America. The origin of the folk custom is unclear. Like other traditions associated with ...

'' in HD, ignoring the actual log burning in the fireplace nearby.

Reception

Tony Sokol Tony Sokol (born March 23, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York (U.S. state), New York, United States) is an American playwright, writer and composer, best known for writing the theatrical horror series La Commedia Del Sangue: Vampyr Theatre in New York Cit ...

of ''

Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gan ...

'' gave the episode 2 out of 5 points ranking, stating Tis the 30th Season" has a better premise than an execution, not to be confused with a crucifixion. Marge does a good deed in the spirit of the holiday and it costs her the perfect Christmas gift for the kids. It's kind of like the gift of the Maggie without even any

Oh Henry Oh Henry! is an American candy bar containing peanuts, caramel, and fudge coated in chocolate. History There are multiple versions of the Oh Henry! bar origin story. The manufacturer Nestlé says that the bar was introduced by George Willia ...

bars for Homer. The Simpson family sacrifice personal happiness to the least fortunate, former salesman Gil, the unluckiest man in town, only to see it crassly discarded for a better offer. The casual cynicism sends Marge on an implosive breakdown, which is the best part of the episode, but ultimately gets caught in a chimney.' Dennis Perkins of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' gave the episode C− ranking, stating "''The Simpsons'' makes use of family sitcom plots and its own fluid and comically inventive reality to take those hackneyed plots and bend them into something satirically subversive, while still remaining true to its core of recognizable humanity. Or, you know, it should. Tis The 30th Season", however, shows what ''The Simpsons'' is like when the inspiration's left out—a blandly pleasant family sitcom with a few lazy surreal touches thrown in.' Tis the 30th Season" scored a 2.8 rating with an 11 share and was watched by 7.53 million people, making ''The Simpsons'' Fox's highest rated show of the night.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tis the 30th Season The Simpsons (season 30) episodes 2018 American television episodes American Christmas television episodes