User blog comment:Mattalamode/A Second Opinion: The Slap/@comment-30307603-20180103014031/@comment-31194372-20180103220518

I think that you bring up an interesting point - whether or not "The Slap" is the greatest episode out there, it has this instantly rewatchable quality to it. It's one of those rare episodes that really cracks some impossible formula of never getting old (at least if you're able to appreciate it at all), and I assume a lot of that has to do with the relative simplicity of the episode and just how realized it is. If it's not a masterstroke, it's still an exceptionally-executed bit of comedy, and that's something the show has come to embrace for the better.

I also concede that the juvenility was a large factor in my initial skepticism as well. I think it came with the realization that the humor in "The Slap" isn't really low-reaching at all; it utilizes its silly premise in a meaningful way to overcome that trap and elevate into a higher plane of existence. "Immature doesn't equate to lazy," I suppose, was the real lesson I ultimately took away, and it's something I put under consideration a lot...

As for "Stay Alive," I like that it properly ties into the narrative as integral to the plot instead of being a fun digression, and it does a great job with exploring its character interactions. I enjoy it, but I wouldn't listen to it without the rest of the episode to frame it.

Wow, an unironic :D, you really are excited! I hope I can get lightning to hit twice!