I thought the episode was pretty good even without Al. Granted the premise was a tad farfetched, but there have been some really contrived episodes lately. This one was at least a little more grounded in the Simpsons reality (Al's surprise appearance not withstanding).
And hey, Scott Thompson was in it...it couldn't have been all that bad!
So, this means we have, what, six more years before it's on DVD?