This being the first episode of a new production line, I notice they seem to have augmented the four-act structure so that Acts III and IV can be pasted together into one act with no ill effect on the pacing. It's now "joke-commercial-follow up joke", continuing with the same scene, with no establishing shot at the start of Act IV. Perhaps when Season 21 comes to DVD, we'll see the three-act format restored.
As for the episode itself, wow, really good! Solid humor all the way through, and good character-based stuff. The writers have been handling Bart really well this year - he's equal parts mischievous and inquisitive. I love that this episode takes place during the winter - the snowstorm sets up the opening set piece of the blackout, but it remains an effective device throughout the story, culminating in Bart and Charlie hiding out in the snowdrift. It also makes for some neat gray-and-cloudy atmospherics, like Jimbo, Dolph, and Kearney sitting on top of the drainage pipe. I tell you, it'll be a shame once "The Simpsons" stops using layout artists; they're gonna lose a lot of nice stuff like this.
That "South Park" joke was great. I'm surprised they'd never done it before.
Eight guest voices this week; very close to their all-time record of nine. I knew Charlie sounded familiar, but I couldn't place where I'd heard him until I saw Jordan Nagai's name in the credits. Russell!