The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XVII

Only candy corn has lasted more Halloweens than The Simpsons without getting stale. The newest Treehouse follows the recipe begat by its 16 ancestors, toeing the line of character absurdity and political chest-stabbing without becoming a film school project. It is the departure from normality without repercussions on continuity that makes the annual Hallows Eve episode as anticipated as the Great Pumpkin. Homer is more gluttonous and less ashamed of it than ever before, yet Springfield is more concerned with an unprovoked, preemptive alien invasion. Both segments pass as unmistakable frontal assaults on the U.S., and it is possible the episode may have been written on Take a European to Work Day.