The 7 Beer Itch

"The 7 Beer Itch" is the fifth episode of the thirty-second season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons, and the 689th overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on November 8, 2020.[1] The episode was directed by Michael Polcino, and the teleplay was written by Joel H. Cohen and John Frink, and Al Jean wrote the story.[2]

"The 7 Beer Itch"
The Simpsons episode
Title card; spelled as "The Seven Beer Itch"
Episode no.Season 32
Episode 5
Directed byMichael Polcino
Story byAl Jean
Teleplay by
Featured music
Production codeZABF15
Original air dateNovember 8, 2020 (2020-11-08)
Guest appearance(s)
Episode features
Couch gagThe family as astronauts sit on the couch on the moon. However, Homer hits a cushion and falls into gravity.

Olivia Colman guest-stars in the episode as Lily, who moves to Springfield and falls in love with Homer.[1] The episode received generally positive reviews and was watched live in the United States by 1.74 million viewers.

Plot

Lily, a beautiful Englishwoman banished for being too exciting for her countrymen, decides to begin a new life in Springfield. At Moe's Tavern, she enthralls the barflies, but decides that the only man she wants is Homer, who is feeling down because Marge took the kids on a vacation without him. However, Homer is cold and insensitive towards Lily, which only makes her want him more.

Meanwhile, Bart gets Lyme disease after absent-mindedly running into a forest filled with ticks and Marge, already growing tired the vacation, takes Maggie to the dock where a crazy mob of tourists almost runs them over.

When Lily tries to connect with Homer again, they kiss, much to Homer's dismay. Elsewhere, Mr. Burns is spying on Lily, and decides that he must have her. He commands Homer to lure Lily into meeting him on his boat, to which Homer agrees. However, when Lily runs away from the date, Homer begins to feel bad and consoles her.

Later, Marge comes home early due to the failure of her vacation and Homer gets a call from an unknown number, which turns out to be Lily. Homer decides that he only wants to be with Marge. Lily decides that there is nothing left for her in Springfield and she returns to England.

Back in England, Lily turns down the advances of the pubgoers until she meets a British Homer lookalike.

Production

Casting

Olivia Colman appeared in the episode as Lily.[1] Colman recorded her lines remotely from London over three sessions.[2] Also, Alex Désert, who voices Carl Carlson, dubbed over all of Hank Azaria's lines as the character, as the episode was produced before Désert replaced Azaria as the voice of Carl.[3] The various Englishmen in London and the pubs at the start and end of the episode were voiced by veteran English actors Robin Atkin Downes and Brian George.[4] Downes tweeted following the episode's original airing with pictures of the characters he voiced stating he was "so thrilled to be a part of this iconic show" and that he still could not believe it.[5]

Release

On 2020, Fox released eight promotional pictures from the episode.[6] The episode was originally scheduled to air on November 1, 2020,[7] however, due to being preempted by "Treehouse of Horror XXXI", which was preempted by game seven of the 2020 National League Championship Series, the episode was rescheduled to air on November 8, 2020.[1]

Reception

Viewing figures

In the United States, the episode was watched live by 1.74 million viewers.[8]

Critical response

Tony Sokol with Den of Geek said, "In the past, Homer was more self-conscious of the temptations. He really isn't a witting partner tonight. He almost exhibits a thoughtful obstinacy, it takes so long to register. This robs the episode of friction, and tips the balance. It turns Lily into more of a predator than she needs to be, but it also makes it all the more predictable. ‘The 7 Beer Itch’ is loaded with funny lines and sight gags, but it doesn't cover up how many times they've given us this premise. They can dress it up with a British accent, but it offers a performus interruptus payoff." He also gave the episode three out of five stars.[9]

References
  1. "(SI-3115) "The 7 Beer Itch"". The Futon Critic. October 20, 2020. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  2. Schneider, Michael (November 6, 2020). "Olivia Colman Steals a Kiss From Homer in Exclusive 'The Simpsons' Clip". Variety. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  3. @AlJean (November 8, 2020). ".@TheSimpsons As this is a "holdover" episode all of @Alex_Desert lines were recorded to picture—excellent work" (Tweet). Retrieved November 9, 2020 – via Twitter.
  4. "Al Jean". Twitter. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  5. "Robin Atkin Downes". Twitter. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  6. "The Simpsons". FoxFlash. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  7. "(SI-3115) "The 7 Beer Itch"". The Futon Critic. October 7, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  8. Metcalf, Mitch (November 10, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.8.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  9. Sokol, Tony (November 9, 2020). "The Simpsons Season 32 Episode 5 Review: The 7 Beer Itch". Den of Geek. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
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