Disney+ has dropped its second exclusive The Simpsons episode, "The Past and the Furious," on February 12th. It was meant to act as a "supplement" to fill fans in until the mid-season 36 premiere in March. Yet "The Past and the Furious" was another gifted gem that unveiled some Simpsons history we didn't know about.
Mr. Burns is young, Homer (surprisingly) doesn't pull any foils, and Lisa discovers that she has a strong connection with the past, which is still very much alive in the present.
Reviewing The Simpsons "The Past and the Furious" on Disney+
"The Past and the Furious" might not be canonical in terms of the traditional The Simpsons storylines, but it was a jazzy little number to watch. We got a new page of the Springfield history book to absorb.
Lisa feels down that no one in Springfield seems to care about its agriculture, as the town is literally concrete with no visual flora or greenery. When a lone daisy blossoms in the middle of a race track, it lifts Lisa's heart but quickly drops when Mr. Burns kills it.
Homer and Marge take Lisa to a therapist specializing in child psychology. She gives her a pair of EMDR tappers, which takes Lisa back to 1923, when Springfield was living in the Roaring 20s. In her journey to the past, Lisa meets a much younger and kinder version of Burns, who goes by his jazz name, Monty B.
Lisa takes the form of her great-grandmother, Edith Simpson, who was also a sax player for Monty B's band and a progressive Flapper. For the latter, Marge kept the fact a secret, as she thought Flappers were "troublemakers" or a bad influence.
Turns out, that what Lisa envisioned and felt in her hypnagogic state, was real, and not just a mental painting of imagination. Perhaps, deep down, the 8-year-old already knew in her subconscious, and it took a current trauma to hook it out.
Lisa learned that Springfield's early 20th-century ecosystem thrived on the Mini Moose. These adorable creatures are also the town's invasive species, as people think they get in the way of their everyday lives. On the plus side, Monty B. is a green thumb with his own greenhouse, caring for an exotic orchid named after his mother.
Lisa returned to 1923 multiple times, despite her parents' objections, and tried to save the Mini Moose with Monty B's help. Yet, each trip proved disastrous, eventually leading to the premature extinction of the poor animals. In an alarmed flurry, the moose destroyed Monty B.'s orchids, and he vowed to become the tycoon his family wanted him to be.
The only benefit to that is having your own Smithers, and everyone should have a Smithers, in my opinion.
Luckily, on Monty B.'s last purge of good, he leaves behind orchid seeds in the basement of Moe's Tavern, the original location of his jazz club, The Mini Moose. She uses the money from the antiquated baseball cards she found with the seeds to start a garden and restore the ecosystem.
One year later, it's still thriving and filled with Monty B.'s beloved orchids, which the older and now billionaire version of him approves.
The sepia-toned aesthetics and period music brought "The Past and the Furious" into full swing, and while Bart had a much smaller role in this episode, he made his presence known with his pranks and quirks.
It was a great take on The Simpsons lore and a fun trip into the dynamic of Burns and Lisa. Plus, Monty B. is voiced by Gordan Joseph-Levitt, who, unbelievably, sounds like Harry Shearer.
Check out the trailer for the Disney+ exclusive below!
Monty B. should be the King of Swing.