OP, I agree with you on the timing (I think a month is long enough) and the parody aspect. I hated CoC so much. I had just started really getting in TSTO and CoC killed it for me. Took me a while to recover. Looking back, I think the mechanics of the event weren't bad as upgrading the castles didn't use up the currency to start all over again (I think) which I liked. But I love the Simpsons, so I'd prefer the game to be as themed as possible. I also prefer classic seasons to the new ones, so episode tie ins don't really excite me.
I enjoy crafting in the events and I think Halloween 2014 had the best balance of difficulty and reward. Compared to this event, where I seem to still be so far from crafting anything decent, even though I'm playing regularly.
Ultimately though, EA can't please everyone and I'm pretty happy with the game 95% of the time. :)