#05 - Mom and Pop Art![]() S10/E19 - Much like Season 9, I tend to go against the grain a bit more on whether the whole season is bad or not. But while Season 9 is pretty well altogether salvageable for me, I do tend to agree that Season 10 does start to dip in quality. Admittedly, this one wasn't a hard season to narrow down to five favourites. Beginning with 'Mom and Pop Art', we get an interesting addition to previous episode, 'Brush With Greatness'. There, we learned that Marge has a past in art, painting several portraits of Ringo Starr. This episode expands on it with a "what-if" factor, when Homer accidentally almost manages to steal Marge's teenage dreams away from her. While at the Mom & Pop Hardware Store, Homer comes across a video ad for a barbecue being sold there, and decides to buy it. In his effort to put it all together - a frankly overall memorable Homer moment - he loses his temper at the already messed up barbecue that he makes messier in his anger. He tries to get rid of it, assuming it's nothing but trash. However, an art dealer by the name of Astrid Weller (Isabella Rossellini) ends up finding an artsy side to Homer's "sculpture", and agrees to display it at the Louvre: American Style Museum. Mr. Burns soon buys it for a hefty amount, and Homer decides that he's found his calling as an artist, thus stomping on Marge's dreams as mentioned earlier. Of course, this ends up causing tension between the two. Homer's ego gets a little too big, and Marge can't seem to convince him that he just got lucky - which is often the case with anything creative, to be fair. But we also clearly see Marge's jealousy about the attention Homer manages to get, and is understandably upset that he's basking in all of it. The episode is not complete with a few great Homer moments, which include aforementioned temper tantrum and his now relatively famous "shavin' my shoulders" song. But perhaps my favourite moment in this is Homer's dream. I've always had a thing for the way this show does hallucinations and dreams, and this is no exception. The dream takes place in an art world that utilizes works like da Vinci's 'Vitruvian Man', Picasso's 'Three Magicians' and Dali's 'Persistence of Memory' creatively. And that's just to name a few. It's a great scene for anyone who's ever been into classic art. It ends with, what in my opinion is, one of the most interesting scenes. Homer ends up losing faith in himself as an artist, and manages to pull something really weird and really creative together. This ends up being a not-so-famous scene, but does contain one of the most quoted 'Simpson' lines of all time - "everything's coming up Milhouse!". That line can even be found in the Urban Dictionary these days, defined as "A celebratory phrase used following one, or a series of, positive, though generally insignificant event(s)." At first glance, one might claim this one to be a throwaway, but considering some of he moments this one has, it really isn't. I daresay, it can be considered a classic of sorts, but more about the moments within the episode than the full episode itself. It's not perfect, but it's fun. #04 - Bart the Mother![]() S10/E03 - It almost feels weird to me, picking this one. There were two specific episodes of this show that I got tired of, due to syndication playing them all the damn time. Though I'm sure several other episodes are guilty of overplay, this one, and 'Lisa the Skeptic', for me, were the worst culprits. So why even put it on the list? Well, despite the overplay on this one, it's still a great episode that shows us, once again, that perfect balance of a character that Bart Simpson is. 'Lisa the Skeptic' is certainly good too, but it was a little heavy, dealing with angels, religion, whether it's all real or not, etc. This is just showing us a character's charm, and even asks the audience what they would do in Bart's situation (not literally, but still). Marge takes the family to the Family Fun Center, where she witnesses Nelson knock Milhouse off a go kart track, and win a BB gun for his efforts. When she sees Bart's interest in the gun, she swiftly forbids Bart to hang out with Nelson, as he'd be a terrible influence on him. Of course, as kids do, Bart disobeys his Mom and sneaks off to go hang out with Nelson and shoot that BB gun. Here, we kinda get to see how Nelson lives his life. He's in a drafty house, he's a latch-key kid, and we even see how he eats. It all sort of gives us a window into his behaviour, and I've always found that to be an interesting, never before seen aspect of Nelson for this episode. Anyway, upon shooting the gun, Bart ends up accidentally killing a mother bird. Nelson gives him praise for "compensating for the crooked sight", but really, Bart was aiming to purposely miss the bird. He's found out by Marge, dragged back home, and becomes guilt-ridden enough to go back for the nest to take care of the baby birds. It's another episode that gives us a deeper look into Bart's mind. He's edgy enough to want to shoot a BB gun (he's 10, so that's at least kinda edgy), but he's absolutely not a killer. It's a good way to see just how big Bart's heart is. He's all for causing destruction, but not at the cost of a life, even if it's "just a bird". I think the most appreciative thing I get from this one is the relationship between Marge and Bart, expanding a little. It all ends with an interesting reveal, having to do with these eggs Bart's protecting. Without ruining it, soon enough, we see Bart's attempt at protecting these eggs as a metaphor for the mother-son relationship Bart and Marge have always had. it's really kinda sweet, and not something the show does a whole lot of. It's refreshing to see Bart totally humbled, and Marge's endless love for her son, despite all the trouble he can cause. #03 - When You Dish Upon a Star![]() S10/E05 - I have mentioned this about celebrity guest stars for 'The Simpson' from pretty much the beginning, but this is another great example of celeb guest stars who are more than capable of laughing at themselves. This one features then-married Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger, as themselves. Shots are fired such as Baldwin not being able to get an Oscar, or Basinger's name (probably) always getting mispronounced. Ron Howard comes into things as well, and he pretty much becomes a willing punching bag for the episode, right down to pitching weird ideas to producer Brian Grazer - who likes the weird ideas, by the way. It all starts when the kids convince Homer to take them to Lake Springfield for a bit of a summer getaway. They engage in various activities, which include having Homer try parasailing. He insists on going higher, and in gunning the engine, Marge starts a fire, burning the rope. Homer then drifts straight onto the roof of a fancy summer home, only to crash through the skylight, landing on Baldwin, and next to Basinger, whom he immediately recognizes. The couple's idea was to get away from it all in a secluded town, choosing Springfield, which no one seems to be able to find - a running gag on the location of the town. Homer then volunteers to do their groceries for them, in an effort to keep them hidden from the public eye. Ron Howard eventually pops by to provide plenty of comedy relief as well. Things go great for a while, and no one is the wiser, until Homer finally lets slip that the celebrities are in town. As usual, the Springfielders get a bit crazy, and head as a gigantic group towards the summer home. This understandable upsets Baldwin, Basinger and Howard, and they banish Homer for disturbing their peaceful time. Eventually Homer gets up to his own thing, as a now-angered fan, and hilarity pretty well ensues. It turns out that Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger weren't actually the first celebrities the show runners had in mind for this episode. Bruce Springsteen was first approached, turning down the offer, but he was followed by Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, who also turned it down. Baldwin and Basinger agreed to do it, eventually, and hot off the Oscar trail with 'LA Confidential', Basinger could lend herself to a lot of decent gags following the film's success. What I really enjoy about this is how celebrities are seen by the common man, and it delves into how stupidly gossipy we get about them. 'TMZ' is all I really need to say, which unfortunately means it's only gotten worse since this '98 episode. This is also another one of those strange, prophetic episodes, "predicting" Disney buying Fox, when after the credits role, a visual gag on the Fox logo mentions "A Division of Walt Disney Co." They saw it coming, even in 1998 #02 - Sunday Cruddy Sunday![]() S10/E12 - Let's get one thing about me out of the way - I'm not a sports fan in any sense of the term. I will cheer my country on in the Winter Olympics (Go, Canada!), but that's about the extent of it. The sport I'm furthest removed from has got to be football, which probably seems crazy since this episode didn't only make the list, but made #2. How? We'll get to that in a bit. Things kick off when Bart and Lisa take a field trip to the Springfield Post Office. The trip is altogether about as boring as their trip to the Box Factory in 'Bart Gets Famous', but each of the kids is given a junk mail souvenir at the end. Bart is handed a coupon book, giving it to Homer for his birthday. In using a coupon for a "free wheel balancing", Homer's quickly conned into buying four brand new tires for his car. While waiting for the installation, he meets Wally Kogen (Fred Willard), travel agent and fellow "sucker". Wally mentions to Homer that his agency is sending a charter bus to the Super Bowl. If Homer can help fill the bus, he and Bart can get free seats to the big game. Homer then puts together perhaps the strangest collection of male Springfielders to head to the game together, and basically have one gigantic Super Bowl party every step of the way. The first thing I appreciate about this episode is that it's one for the guys. Marge and Lisa spend this whole episode at home, trying to find some sort of activity to do with the guys away, which in itself is pretty funny, but it takes a complete back seat to the Superbowl plot. Among the aforementioned characters are Krusty, Side Show Mel, Barney, Moe, Lenny, Carl, Chief Wiggum, Apu, Dr. Hibbert, Flanders, Sea Captain, Bumble Bee Man and more. Even that not-Lionel Hutz Lawyer guy is there! As the episode carries on, we get to watch the drunken camaraderie unfold with these guys, and the whole thing becomes a sort of "boys night out" themed episode. This one can also be seen as a football-themed answer to 'Homer at the Bat', which featured several pro baseball player voices. This features Troy Aikman, Rosey Grier, Pat Summerall and the more familiar names in my eyes, John Madden and Dan Marino (and yes, I know Madden was a coach/sportscaster). Rupert Murdoch and Dolly Parton also make appearances as themselves, thus making it all in all pretty star-studded, as any Super Bowl episode of something like 'The Simpsons' probably ought to be. There's not a whole lot more to say about it. Nothing gets deep here, it's just a super fun Superbowl party. I think that's exactly why I like it as much as I do. I'm not entirely sure about this, but I'm not sure there has really been a fun party-themed episode before this. After this, a Spring Break party episode would happen, but I feel like this is the start of that kind of thing. It could be seen as a bad thing, but I do have a strange thing for party themes, even in movies. So this is just no exception. #01 - Wild Barts Can't Be Broken![]() S10/E11 - As mentioned in a couple of previous posts, I do have this thing for kids being kids. This episode plays that idea very well, and doesn't need to be some sort of "what-if" episode to do it. It even puts the kids up against the adults, and even as an adult, myself, I can't help but route for these kids. It all starts when Homer and his friends go on a drunken, blackout spree, following the Springfield Isotopes winning the pennant. The group absolutely trashes Springfield Elementary in the process. The ruins of the school are seen on the news the next day, and kids are blamed for the entire thing. Homer, being completely wasted while driving, doesn't even remember enough of what he did to register and sort of guilt as he usually would. Soon, a curfew is put into place, and it's soon enough broken when the kids sneak into a Drive-In theater to watch the latest big horror movie, 'The Bloodening' - a sort of take on 'Village of the Damned', combined with a few other things, maybe? I dunno, I couldn't make it through that movie. But the white-haired, creepy kids are a dead giveaway. The kids are, of course, caught, and things begin to escalate when the kids take inspiration from the movie they were just watching. Don't worry, it doesn't get murdery, but they do take to telling deep, dark secrets over the radio about their parents. For example, Homer is targeted for "eating food out of the Flanders' trash can". Once again, this takes an almost 'South Park'-ish turn, putting the children's intelligence up against their parents ignorance and/or stupidity. It's not to say kids are just generally smarter than us adults, but it is to say that it pays not to jump to conclusions and blame kids without even looking into things. Much like 'The Springfield Files', I largely feel like this is an episode that could be watched as a Halloween episode without actually being one. It's not quite on the same level, but there's a bit of a creep factor in the idea that these kids see a horror movie and end up imitating it. The trailer for 'The Bloodening' alone is great, but once things take off with plot, it does take a bit of an eerie turn. It doesn't seem like much, but put yourself in these adults shoes - a nameless voice on the radio who knows your deepest darkest secrets, announcing them to the world? It'd be creepy enough having someone you know give that stuff away over something like Facebook. To me, this is easily the most fun episode of this season, and it's another one of these that brings it back to being localized to the town, without reaching too far for guest voices. Cyndi Lauper does appear at the beginning, but her whole role is to sing the American anthem in the style of her. It's also got a great musical number at the end, which leads to an interesting twist, and a hilarious Ralph Wiggum one-liner that you can't possibly fully hear, aside from the last two words. But trust me, it's a laugh and a half. Well, that does it for 'Simpsons September'! I hope that I have been able to provide unfamiliar audiences with some favorable episode titles. I further hope that those who only see a comedic surface can now delve a bit deeper into some of these aforementioned episodes, especially in the earlier days. Please note that you basically cannot go wrong from Seasons 2-8, Seasons 1 and 9 are still solid, but opinions will differ, and from 10 on is an almost immediate decline in quality. But honestly, the show is now on its 31st season, so it's probable that there are people out there still watching with that same passion they had in the early days.
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#05 - The Last Temptation of Krust![]() S09/E15 - This is yet another neat episode that ends up bringing together a good hand full of celebrities of a particular sort. This time around, it's stand-up comedians, largely playing on the stand-up popularity of the time (1998). Bart, with the help of Jay Leno, help to convince Krusty to star on a comedy special that Jay Leno is hosting. Among the guests, are real-voiced comedians Bruce Baum (whose popularity apparently grew after this), Janeane Garofalo, Bobcat Goldthwait, and Steven Wright. When Krusty goes on to do his act, it turns out dated, offensive, and downright unfunny altogether. After he bombs, he goes on the "bender to end all benders". This was a montage that apparently got the attention of the NHL, as Krusty is seen drinking from, and vomiting into the Stanley Cup here. The angry letter in question, however, was apparently ignored, which gives this episode a boost for me. In my eyes, that story kinda lends itself to the spirit of the whole episode. No offense to my home country's best sport, but I can't help but appreciate that little tidbit. Anyway, the next morning, Krusty is discovered by Bart, passed out in the Flanders' yard. Bart bring him in to recuperate, and upon looking around Bart's room, he realizes that he's been selling out instead of trying to improve his comedy. When Bart gets Jay Leno to help clean Krusty up, and get him back on his feet, he practices new material in front of the Simpson family, and sadly even ends up bombing there. Krusty soon holds a press conference in which he announces his departure from show business. However, in doing so, he ends up telling things like they are, and finds a new niche with his act. Before we know it, he's modeled after George Carlin and makes a triumphant, instantaneous return to comedy. His act is reflective of Carlin as well as his new look, with anti-commercialism and anti-corporate viewpoints. What i enjoy about the episode is probably the same thing people might dislike about it, and that's the overall ending. Where some may see it as an abrupt ending, making things seemingly pointless, I'd sooner take it as a "the more things change the more they stay the same" message. Either way, the closing credits are a funny gag on the unstoppable force of Ford truck commercials, and feature the singing voice of Hank Williams Jr., so it's worth sticking around until the very end. While Season 9 is apparently the beginning of the show's downhill spiral, there's still several salvageable episodes, but what can be seen as a classic anymore is up for debate. It's so much more down to personal taste now, but this was one for me that I've always enjoyed. Krusty is one of my favorite secondary characters, and to see him channeling one of my all-time favorite comedians is a real treat. It's not perfect, but it's a fun change for Krusty's character. #04 - Das Bus![]() S09/E14 - Ths one always struck me as a relatively strong episode altogether. It's able to be a "what-if" throwaway, and not bother with continuity of any sort. But at the same time, it's a neat focus on the students of Springfield Elementary without any sort of adult supervision. It turns out the school as a UN club, and the group has had a field trip arranged for them. Among the students are Bart, Lisa, Milhouse, Nelson, Ralph, Martin, Wendell, Louis, Sherry and Terri. While on the bus ride, Bart and Nelson decide to "race" their fruit from their lunches to the front of the bus. Ralph joins in with a banana and a hilarious cheer, but Milhouse ruins everyone's day with a grapefruit. Said grapefruit is lodged between Otto's brake, the bus crashes into the ocean, and Otto is swept away by the current, leaving the kids on their own. While at first the idea of no adults around seems promising, they soon find themselves in a survival situation, and a take on 'Lord of the Flies'. It all ends with a pan-out, and James Earl Jones' narrating voice telling us what happened. It's done in such a way that it's seemingly made up on the spot, and that lends itself to the episode being a "what-if" episode. Meanwhile, to fill in a side story, Homer learns through Flanders that one can start a business over the internet and make some decent money. This was '98, so imagine 'Windows '98' being the big, new standard operating system back then. Homer wasn't necessarily the only one out there learning about this idea at the time, and I feel this episode may have helped push that idea. Of course, I could be wrong about that. I think we had only just been hooked up with cable internet at the time. But I digress. While Homer's story takes a total back seat here, the rest of the episode is a real draw for me. This is particularly due to something I have about seeing kids just act like kids, in whatever situation. There's something in their naivety to what's going on around them. In this, these kids are caught up in survival, but still act like they would in the school yard. This one has plenty of great lines and moments. It's home to both "Go banana!" being cheered by Ralph, and "Zeppelin Rules!" being shouted by Otto as the ocean sweeps him away. It's actually kinda full of decent one-liners, and I daresay may be one of the most quotable episodes of the series - which is saying a lot! Interestingly enough, it's even used at University of California in Berkeley as study material. The idea is to examine aspects of American society, and how the episode addresses them. The whole idea of the UN club plays into this nicely, especially as it's a bunch of other countries being represented by American children. It's largely satirical, and plays with the idea of a somewhat ignorant American representation of other nations. For example Ralph representing my home country of Canada - largely seen as an almost childish stereotype. To me, it manages to parallel 'South Park' satire, which is some of the best you can find nowadays. #03 - Simpson Tide![]() S09/E19 - This is another favourite based on its overall fun factor. It steps outside the box a bit, and gives us the concept of Homer in the US Navy. Homer, Lenny and Carl are down to the last doughnut at work. Upon Homer attempting to enlarge the doughnut in a nuclear reactor, a meltdown nearly occurs, and he is swiftly fired by Mr. Burns. While sitting on the couch, contemplating things, Homer sees an ad for the US Navy. When he learns it would make Lisa "sorta" proud, he decides to join up. I've always kinda took this as a somewhat clever call back to so many previous episodes that were about their father-daughter relationship. Disappointing Lisa always hits Homer hard, so making her proud is always a big deal. It's as though they've gone through this so many times, it's now just a quick setup. Really and truly, Bart's more the focus in the beginning. Milhouse ends up getting his ear pierced, and when Bart sees how cool it seems to make him, goes and gets it done for himself. Homer sees Bart's new earring as a disappointment, and when Homer is called in for war games, Bart gives it up to him in a huff. The earring would come into play later, making it a pretty convenient subplot. But leading up to that, there's a lot of great laughs with Homer, Moe, Apu and Barney, the latter three joining up to support Homer. The hilarity ensues when Captain of the sub, Tenille (Rod Steiger) is fired out of a torpedo tube, and Homer is put in charge, having formed a close previous bond with Tenille. He then accidentally steers the sub into Russian waters, which is seen by the US military as defecting, and it causes a split between the US and Russia, who give us a pretty over-the top but hilarious reveal. At the end of it all, the lives of the crew end up in Homer's hands, and all we can hope is for Homer to make good decisions. Cultural references are fairly abundant in this one. Captain Tenille was actually modeled after 'Crimson Tide' character, Captain Frank Ramsey, (Gene Hackman), adding to the episode's title's significance. There are also references to 'The Deer Hunter', 'Planet of the Apes' and 'Star Trek'. The Village People perform 'In the Navy', and though it's not clear, I'd swear there are hints of 'Down Periscope' going on here, too (a movie I fully go against the grain with critics on, but that's a whole other list waiting to happen). It even references itself when Bart does 'The Bartman' on the bus, which Ralph claims to be "so 1991" - a clever gag. Again, this is really just a fun episode with nothing much deeper than gags and one-liners to offer. But I do love how its written, overall. One of the best things about this is how Homer speaks to his superiors. He's just very polite, and to see that piss off his drill instructor is always fun. Firing the Captain out of the torpedo tube is a gag that still gets me to this day, along with a lot of Homer's quick thinking, which obviously doesn't always pan out for him. It's great for a laugh, plain and simple. #02 - The City of New York vs Homer Simpson![]() S09/E01 - This episode is widely regarded, apparently, to be the last good episode of 'The Simpsons', before 'The Principal and the Pauper' came in with an absolutely pointless plotline, and began the show's downhill decline. But as I mentioned before, there's still plenty of salvageable material from this season - hence why "the last good episode" is a #2 for me. Homer, Barney, and the rest of the regular barflies arrive at Moe's for a night of drinking. Moe informs them that one of them has to be the designated driver, however, due to them causing way too many traffic accidents. Barney ends up being "it", and things are a torturous process for him. He's even met by Duff Man (in his debut), who has a bunch of free beer for him that he can't drink. In his sobering torture, Barney drops off the other guys, and ends up driving Homer's car to New York City, going missing for two whole months. Homer eventually learns that his car has been illegally parked at the base of the World Trade Center (no, I am not getting into any sort of controversial whatnot about it. This was 1998, after all). The Simpson family then heads to the big city on a cheap bus ride, although Homer is extremely hesitant, having had a terrible experience there some time in his past. Upon arrival, Homer is made to wait by his car in order to talk to an officer about his car being parked illegally. He runs into trouble like needing something to eat, and having to go to the bathroom, swiftly losing his patience with the city. I've always enjoyed this aspect of it, because Homer is just seemingly not allowed to enjoy New York in this at all. As if there's some force making his visits there a chore. Meanwhile, however, the rest of the family takes in the city by visiting a Broadway show, seeing the Statue of Liberty, Central Park and more. That's sort of where the clever writing comes in. New York can easily be seen as a beautiful, magical city, but at the same time, it can just as easily be seen as a place you don't wanna be. This episode offers both perspectives rather generously, and having been to NYC three times before, I can see both sides of the story quite easily. It probably also helps that the episode writer, Ian Maxtone-Graham, was a former NY resident. I find it interesting that this is seen as the last really "good" episode. I can actually come up with several that I appreciate after this, and would claim the real downhill spiral to start a bit more towards the next season. I'll tell you, Season 10's Top 5 was much easier to narrow down. This list was relatively simple, and I find the season kinda scattered between good and "meh". But if this is regarded as the last "good" episode by so many, what could my #1 possibly be? How about a focus on one of my personal favourite secondary characters that hasn't really been done before? #01 - This Little Wiggy![]() S09/E18 - So, in case it's not obvious, Ralph Wiggum is one of those characters that could easily qualify for a Top 5 position for yours truly. I've always loved how naive, slow, random, and almost baby-like he is. The episode 'I Love Lisa', which is pretty Ralph-centric, was very close to being on my Season 4 list. Another testament to how difficult that list was to make. The Simpsons visit a science museum, where the family splits up to each do their own things. Homer's chosen activity of operating a sperm simulator is probably the best laugh here, especially when Krusty comes in to take over. Bart eventually runs into Ralph while "skateboarding" on a giant replica of the moon. The typical bully crew come by, and stuff Ralph into a giant ear. Bart laughs at this, but the guys brush him off as a kiss-up, even going so far as to tell him to "go kiss the virtual ass". Marge sees this happen, and gets to know Ralph a little more with the help of Chief Wiggum. Here, we see that Ralph has a good imagination, and he just likes to have fun, even if he's playing by himself. Marge soon arranges a "play date" with Bart and Ralph, and the two contrast pretty much as expected. When visiting the Wiggum household, however, Bart learns about the Chief's "Master Key", which opens any door in Springfield. The fun really comes in when we see Bart and Ralph unlocking places like toy stores and candy stores, having the time of their lives - again, kids acting like kids. They could be robbing these places blind, but they're just enjoying everything these places have to offer. I can only imagine what would be going through a 10-year-old's head when they have full access to the whole city. So yeah, I appreciate this episode the most because it's Ralph-centric, and it was really a long time coming. Even though 'I Love Lisa' was pretty well focused on him, I felt more like Lisa was the main focus of that episode. Here, I feel like Bart is supposed to be the main focus, but Ralph steels the spotlight with his one-liners. I further appreciate that we actually get to know Ralph a bit more as a character. For example, he's got an imaginary leprechaun friend who tells him to burn things. There are also subtle things, like his love for chocolate and candy, claiming at one point that his toys are all sticky, and we see clearly why they would be. It even covers how Ralph reacts to dire situations, like the idea of facing his fears in order to enter an abandoned prison just to get his dad's key, which he knows he can't go home without. It's subtle, but it actually develops Ralph quite a bit. Of course, most of the laughs here come from Ralph's famous one-liners, which pretty well solidified him in the show as a one-line character. It even brings up a good point about Bart's character, when he's basically misunderstood by the bullies as a "sometimes cool, sometimes not" type of personality. That's genuinely true of Bart altogether. He often leads these kids, much like in the aforementioned 'Das Bus'. But at the same time, these bullies beat him up just as much. Bart was always a bad kid with a heart, and this is an episode that kinda brings that to the forefront. So perhaps there's a bias here, and 'The City of New York vs Homer Simpson' really ought to be #1, but this isn't like previous lists where the two are a coin-flip for me. I actually consider this episode to be grossly underrated. It struck a chord with everyone at the time, but since then, it has become a part of the "beginning of the end" for the great quality of 'The Simpsons', and that's pretty unfortunate. #05 - The Mysterious Voyage of Our Homer![]() S08/E09 - This one is also credited as 'El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer', and involves one of several "trippy" scenes the show has done throughout its history. In my humble opinion, probably also the best of them - bearing in mind that anything from Season 17 on is pretty much brand new to me. Who know what I've missed? Anyway, the show kicks off with Marge trying her hardest to divert Homer's attention away from the Springfield Annual Chili Cook-Off. It's an event Homer greatly looks forward to every year, where he's frankly become a legend of sorts. Marge, however, is hesitant because every time they go, Homer gets drunk and embarrasses her. Homer, promising not to drink, gets to eventually go. All goes well until Chief Wiggum lays some "Guatemalan insanity peppers" on him, which he can't handle at first. But then he discovers that hardened candle wax will help him ingest these things, and in doing so, Homer enters into a vision quest. Eventually he comes across a Coyote, voiced by Johnny Cash, who tells him that he needs to find his soulmate. While Homer considers the obvious answer to be Marge, the coyote makes him second guess himself. A fight with Marge furthers this pattern of thought, and a confused Homer leaves into the night in search of who his real soul mate might be. I think what I really enjoy about this epiosde is that it's not only Homer-centric, but it's also very personalized for him. This episode is about Homer, his understanding of how things work, and everything else takes a back seat. We all know by now that whenever Homer and Marge get into a fight, things are made up by the end. But I have to admit that this was one of the more effective times it's happened. I have to appreciate Homer being forced to second-guess what he thinks is incredibly obvious. It's not like it hasn't happened before, but second-guessing his spouse altogether is very non-Homer like. One thing we know about the guy is that he'd do anything for Marge, so this kinda steps outside the box a little. While we know they'll be fine, it still goes a bit deeper than their usual fights. The song 'At Seventeen' by Janice Ian plays while Homer is out, walking around in search of his potential soul mate. There is something so sweet and charming about that song playing during this little montage, that it kinda hits you in the feels just a bit. There's a part of me that always feels for Homer through this episode, as it's easy to empathize with his overall confusion about the situation. One particular treat for Lego fans, as a side note, is that Homer's vision in this episode is used for a specialized 'Simpsons' level in the game 'Lego Dimensions'. It does a pretty good job at making the dream sequence interactive and including everything from the tortoise to the snake. This furthers the idea that this is also one of the best-known episodes of the series, handing it out as a sort of sample for potential newcomers. #04 - Homer's Phobia![]() S08/E15 - Being that this was released in February of '97, I would have been 14 when it aired. At this age, I'll confess, I was still pretty close-minded about homosexuality. I never saw it as "bad" or anything, I just didn't quite get it, and there was a bit of a discomfort about it. I am, however, happy to say that I've grown out of that since then, and nowadays I'd sooner educate myself on the matter than distance myself from it all. I have made a few LGBTQ friends along the way, and I'm proud to call them friends. This episode of 'The Simpsons' was, pretty much the first thing I remember that opened my eyes a bit more. Bart ends up damaging the gas line at the house by playing with the dryer, and the repair cost is $900. In order to make this kind of money, Marge tries to sell what she considers a priceless family heirloom of a Civil War soldier. The family meets a store clerk at a collectibles shop named John (John Waters) who explains that the figurine is actually a liquor bottle. Around here, the whole plot of damage repair goes out the window completely. Though that's kinda bad writing, it's replaced with something a little more important - a plot about tolerance, The family takes a liking to John, Homer invites him over for dinner, they all have a great time, and the next morning Homer finally realizes that John's gay. This alters Homer's attitude towards him, and Homer soon becomes the "everyman" in the sense of close-minded intolerance. His biggest fear is that by spending too much time together, John will eventually make Bart gay, and the efforts taken to prevent this are kinda hilarious. Of course, it ends on a more or less positive note, and Homer tells Bart something just about any in-the-closet kid might wanna hear from their parent. The funny part is, Bart isn't gay, and the whole time represents the open-minded, seeing John as just another guy and never giving anything a second thought. Being that it was '97, and things are bound to change over time, it may be a bit dated or even offensive to the gay community at this point. But I really can't speak for them, either. All I know is that it effectively opened my mind to the whole thing a lot more. It's a great move on the show's part, considering how many intolerant people probably watch the show. It's a good way to say "we're okay with it, and you should be too." The episode won a Best Directing Emmy for its efforts, and is highly ranked as one of the more important episodes of 'The Simpsons'. It's certainly one I'd recommend to the masses as well, being that it's loaded with humor from both sides. Homer's intolerance is absolutely ridiculous, and John's just kinda accepting of it the whole time, not letting it really get to him. To me, this kinda illustrates that John has faced prejudice so much day to day that he's just kinda used to it, and how silly it all really is - and that silliness is something for people to really think about. Remember that this was over 20 years ago now. #03 - Homer vs the 18th Amendment![]() S08/E18 - Here we have another one that I appreciate mostly for the fun of it all, but it's also not without a few almost historical moments. High on the "recommend-to-everyone" list for me, it does a great job at establishing how crazy some laws can make people. During a St. Patrick's Day town party, Bart manages to accidentally get intoxicated. It makes the news, and in an act of desperation, the town agrees to reinforce a ban on alcohol that has apparently been in place for centuries - old enough that punishment, if caught selling alcohol, is "death by catapult". Moe ends up disguising his bar as a pet shop, and the alcohol manages to keep flowing. But with the cops not doing their jobs (and being actually being a part of things), Rex Banner (Dave Thomas) is called in to take place of Chief Wiggum. Banner's character is a take on Robert Stack's portrayal of Eliot Ness in 'The Untouchables', and I gotta say, I was convinced that Robert Stack did the voice here to begin with, until the credits rolled. Dave Thomas does such an amazing job here. When Banner manages to halt the flow of alcohol into town, Homer manages to figure out a way to keep Moe's in business, and it's one of the most intelligent things you'll ever see Homer do. Soon it becomes Banner vs a mysterious town figure known only as the Beer Baron. Homer gets away with secretly being the Beer Baron for quite some time, while Banner can't seem to figure things out. His character is gunny in that he acts like a big shot, but he's not quite as smart as he lets on. He's really just a hard ass. The whole plot of this episode is based on the US Constitution's 18th Amendment, alcohol prohibition throughout America, spanning 1919-1933. The era lends itself to the fast-talking narrator in this episode, whose based on Walter Winchell, a famous radio news commentator for around that time. This one is also home to super-famous 'Simpsons' quote - "To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to all of life's problems." I can only speak for myself and my observations, but I would probably place that particular line as #1 on an "All-Time Best Simpsons Quotes" list considering the rounds it has made on the internet. For my money, this one's almost a must-see if you're any sort of fan of Homer. It showcases how Homer's brain can work if alcohol is involved, as well as how he deals with prohibition altogether - a strangely untapped subject matter when it came to the show, up until this point. The closest thing would be the episode 'Duffless', where Homer has to give up beer for a month (another one that made my Season 4 list almost impossible). I appreciate that it shows Homer as an underground hero, going up against authority, and representing anyone who thinks prohibition is a silly law to begin with. #02 - The Springfield Files![]() S08/E10 - Much like the issue I had between my #1 and #2 for Season 4, this one and the next are very much a flip of the coin, and I went with a bit more popularity to establish #1 over #2. But for me, show me either, and I'll be happy about it. I appreciate that you could totally play this as a Halloween episode that isn't associated with the 'Treehouse of Horror' series. It plays on 'The X-Files', and it's complete with eerie music, and spooky moments that blend flawlessly with its comedic dialogue. It's a rare type of episode, and I'd feel hard-pressed to put any other episode I've seen in the same category. One night, after work, Homer heads to Moe's for a few drinks to unwind. Upon Moe giving him a breathalyzer test, however, Homer is over his limit, and ends up walking home through some dark forest. Here, we get to see a few great visual gags that play with horror tropes. Eventually, Homer stumbles on a strange, creepy, green, glowing creature who speaks to him, freaks him out, and sends him running home. Homer continues to claim that he has, indeed, seen an alien, and the people of Springfield brush him aside. Enter guest stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as their respective characters from 'X-Files', agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. They question Homer about his encounter, but don't really get anywhere, so Homer and Bart take matters into their own hands to try to prove the existence of Homer's alien. I remember this one being very special at the time of its release, and everyone was talking about it the next day. It was a deadly combination of two of America's best shows of the time. It was the third highest ranking show that week for Fox, following behind 'The X-Files' (which the whole episode was a tribute to) and the series premier of 'King of the Hill', which eventually went on to be a hit, itself. So it did well. It even won an Emmy for Best Producing of a TV Show for that year. I should probably also mention that Leonard Nimoy makes his second and last voice appearance here. Interestingly enough, I have chosen both of those episodes for my lists, and that might say something about the effect Nimoy has on my opinion. There's something about him that adds a hint of class to the whole thing, but it's refreshing to see how much he can laugh at himself. Though it's perhaps a product of its time, and the big reveal has been spoiled for everyone by now (though I'm still not gonna say what happens, just in case), it still stands out as an absolute classic in my head. I'm not sure I'd say everyone feels the same, but it was a big deal at the time, and it's a lot of fun to go back and revisit for a sort of nostalgia - especially if you are, or were ever an 'X-Files' fan. #01 - You Only Move Twice![]() S08/E02 - Easily one of the most memorable episodes in the show's history, 'The Simpsons' takes on James Bond in this farce from a villain's perspective - the catch? We love the villain! The episode opens with Smithers getting harrassed about a job opportunity at the Globex Corporation in a place called Cyprus Creek. Smithers puts his foot down on declining the offer, so the representatives go to the next most promising person based on years of experience, Homer Simpson. Homer manages to convince his family to move with him to Cyprus Creek for his new job, but upon arrival, each member of the family runs into some sort of problem with the new place. Marge can't do anything around the house, as it's completely self-reliant, Lisa ends up allergic to practically everything, and Bart is placed in a remedial classroom, where he basically can't get into any trouble. Homer, however, is sitting pretty with his new position, in charge of getting a nuclear reactor on line. Homer's new boss, Hank Scorpio (Albert Brooks) ends up being this Bond villain who I mentioned before. We end up really liking the character, however, as a combination of seeing the other side of things, and having him as a seemingly everyday person. It's always fun to see how clueless Homer is to the whole thing, and the dialogue between the two characters is hilarious. As the whole episode is a take on 'Bond' films, it even ends with its own Bond-like theme called 'Scorpio', written by Ken Keeler, who has done a lot of work for 'The Simpsons' in the past. The writers of the episode wanted Shirley Bassey, who sang several real 'Bond' themes in the past, to sing the song for them. However, they couldn't get her and got Sally Stevens instead, who also sang for episodes like 'The Homer They Fall' and 'Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?'. All in all, it's just a classic, especially if you're even remotely familiar with anything 'Bond'-related. I can't help but admire that a full-fledged James Bond style adventure is happening in the background of this episode the entire time. Homer's obliviousness to it is kind of the heart of the humour in this one, and maybe it's just me, but I feel like it speaks to our own ignorance about the overall destruction of the world. I also have to love the fact that every character of the family is included in this, and it really manages to bring the show back to its roots despite taking place outside of Springfield. Even Hank Scorpio was voiced by someone who had done several voices for the show already, as opposed to a random big named celeb guest star, which would have worked for something like this especially well. It just works on so many levels, it's fairly relatable to some, and Scorpio is easily one of the best one-off characters the show has ever hosted. Definitely check this one out! #05 - Homer the Smithers![]() S07/E17 - 'The Simpsons' is chock full of memorable characters, and the cast grows and grows as time passes. But throughout anything I've seen so far (I'm clueless on basically anything from Season 17 on), my Top 2 are well-established. At #1, I'd place Homer, but a very close #2 is Mr. Burns. This is an episode that highlights a generous combination of Homer's overall stupidity with Mr. Burns' behind-the-times ignorance - and it's all hilarious. Mr Burns hosts a company night out at the Springfield drag races. Afterwards, a drunken Lenny approaches Mr. Burns, sitting in his car, while Smithers is busy getting a replacement novelty finger. Lenny gives Burnsy a bit of a scare, but despite Burns' coolness about the situation, Smithers cannot forgive himself. Burns sends him on a vacation, but a replacement needs to be found so Burns can be taken care of in his absence. Not willing to be outdone, Smithers hires Homer for the job, assuming he'll mess up every step of the way - which he totally does. Without spoiling much, however, Burns soon finds that he has to fend for himself, causing him not to need Smithers much anymore at all. And to me, that's what makes this one kind of interesting. While Burns may not need Smithers anymore, we get to see just how much Smithers needs Burns here. It's pretty good about developing his character a bit more, and bringing his homosexuality out a bit more. Of course, what really makes this episode is Homer's relationship with Burns. You'll get Mr. Burns asking for impossible and/or ridiculous tasks, like a fried Dodo egg for breakfast. But then its contrasted with how hysterically Homer messes up the simplest tasks. The prime example is also one of my favourite visual gags in anything - Homer somehow setting a bowl of cereal on fire, which has since become a meme for "epic fails". 'Homer the Smithers' is an example of this season's show runners, Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein, "taking back" 'The Simpsons' to the family focus. One of the biggest charms about this day and age of the show is exactly that - things were a bit more grounded and relatable. My giving up on the show had a lot to do with how extreme it got with having to go to different places, and meet new celebrities, which became a somewhat annoying mainstay of the show rather than something very special. This has none of that. Just a situation between Homer, Burns and Smithers with the rest of the family popping up here and there. This is just a classic episode with some classic dialogue between Burns and Homer, character development for Smithers, and even a surprising moment here and there. If nothing else, Homer is a relatable character here for anyone who feels like they just can't do anything right. Here we see that sometimes trying hard isn't enough for some people, and in flipping that coin, what effect it can have on the person trying. It's not as deep as I make it out to be, but something to consider when watching it. #04 - Radioactive Man![]() S07/E02 - Nowadays, if it's announced that a movie is coming to my hometown to film, it's not that surprising. I hail from Hamilton, Ontario, which has been the setting for a hell of a lot of big-named movies. 'The Incredible Hulk', 'X-Men', 'Kick-Ass' and to a lesser extent, 'Resident Evil: Apocalypse' are just a few off the top of my head. But back around this time, if you were a kid and heard that a movie was gonna be filmed in your hometown, it was kind of a big deal. Hell, I even remember there being a casting call for extras involving kids from my high school for 'Finding Forrester', starring Sean Connery. It was always an exciting deal for us. Sure enough, this episode leads with the concept of a 'Radioactive Man' movie coming to film in Springfield. The kids of Springfield Elementary get to audition for the role of Radioactive Man's sidekick, Fallout Boy. Bart comes very close, but Milhouse of all people ends up getting the role. The catch - Milhouse doesn't want the role at all. The episode does a decent job at showing us that there are people out there who don't care much about stardom, and just wanna live their happy, comfortable lives. While Milhouse's role in this is all well and good, the overall comedic aspect of this episode is what really makes it. It's a behind-the-scenes farce on the movie-making industry, combined with the farce of a small town's overreaction to a big movie production knocking on its doors. The running gag of Mayor Quimby randomly laying taxes on all of them speaks to how greedy people in this situation can be as well. Let's not leave out Rainier Wolfcastle's amazingly memorable scenes and one-liners. This is, of course, home to "My eyes! The goggles do nothing!" - easily one of the most quoted lines from the show since its debut. Who doesn't remember laughing their ass off to that scene? Okay, maybe I'm only speaking for a few, but that scene alone helps put it on this list. To put a charming little cherry on top of the episode, Mickey Rooney makes an appearance as himself. While it IS one of those episodes that feels like "cameo for the sake of cameo", Rooney is the one who gives us our sort of "life lesson" at the end of it all. He ends on a gag, sort of taking a jab at himself, and his appearance is a good laugh altogether. Milhouse's reverse attitude towards stardom, the jabs at community vs film industry, and hilariously memorable moments make this one an easy entry for this Top 5. It's another one of those episodes I'd recommend to just about anyone, if nothing else, for "The goggles do nothing!". I'm telling you, that's one of the funniest moments in the show's history. #03 - Mother Simpson![]() S07/E08 - One of the most touching episodes of the series, this one makes my list simply based on the amount of heart put into it. While it's still loaded with laughs, it manages to tug on the heartstrings more than once. The episode begins with Homer faking his death, which leads to quite a few moments of hilarity. He does it carelessly, and ignores the idea that someone would declare him legally dead. Homer heads to the Hall of Records to fix the problem, and argues with the clerk, insisting that his mother is deceased while she's listed as alive. He points out a gravestone he believes to be hers, but is told to take a closer look. Upon learning the grave doesn't belong to her (but Walt Whitman), he stumbles into his own grave, dug for him after being declared dead. He then comes face to face with his mourning Mother, Mona (Glenn Close). She's brought back to stay with the family, but soon becomes suspected of being some kind of shady character. We then get a quick but effective back story for Mona. We learn that she was once an activist hippie type in the 60's, and attacked Mr. Burns' germ research facility. In an act of kindness, Mona is found out, and she has been on the run since. The whole flashback scene here is very well done, giving us all of that 'Simpsons' humor with a small dose of drama, as we see Mona leave Homer for the rest of his life up until this point. Admittedly, this one does kind of end abruptly. But I also can't help but feel that doing things that way was kind of how it needed to happen. The end scene is very sweet and memorable, and it fades into the closing credits with a seemingly famous shot of Homer sitting on the hood of his car, gazing up into the night sky, mixed with a really nice, mellow, slow tune. The scene was meant to stand out, showing a much more down-to-earth glimpse of Homer, and I have to admit that it's effective. Google "Mother Simpson", using the images option, and you will stumble on all sorts of different versions of it. I also have to appreciate that this is the first time we can develop an understanding of how Lisa fits into such a family, with her intellect. Mona is very intelligent as well, with the heart of an activist. The episode 'Lisa the Simpson' suggests that Lisa gets her intelligence just by being a girl with Simpson blood, so there's a bit of a continuity swap there. But I always enjoyed this version better - mostly because Mona is an incredibly likable character, and it's just a bit deeper having this scenario. There's a lot of neat pop culture references sprinkled throughout the episode as well. Three classic 60's songs pop up here, Cream's 'Sunshine of Your Love', Bob Dylan's 'Blowin' in the Wind' and Hendrix's 'All Along the Watchtower'. Following that, we have an appearances from 'Dragnet' characters, Joe Friday (Harry Shearer) and Bill Gannon (Harry Morgan - who also actually played him originally). Further references include a tribute to 'Laugh-In', a not to 'Apocalypse Now', and Mona's jobs for a handful of real-life American political activists, Jerry Rubin, Bobby Seale and Tom Hayden. But above all else, this is one to check out for people who are seeking something a bit more down to earth and dramatic from 'The Simpsons'. Make no mistake, there's still plenty of hilarity here. But it does leave you with this strange new sense of "Holy shit, 'The Simpsons' actually got to me a little". It has been seen before this, it has been seen after this, but this one has always stood out among others to me as, potentially, the saddest episode of the series ever. It's just an opinion, but try NOT to be at least a little bit touched by the end of this one. It's not Fry's dog or anything, but still, it'll tug on those heartstrings. #02 - Summer of 4 Ft. 2![]() S07/E25 - Once again, we have a Lisa-centric episode here, and in my humble opinion, probably the best one that I know of. Nine times out of ten, Lisa is playing some sort of activist role, or a voice of reason. In this one, she finally manages to step outside the box a little, and focus on herself. During the last day of school, Lisa recognizes how unpopular she is when no one bothers to sign her yearbook. Meanwhile, in a sort of meta way, Bart is seen with a lineup, signing yearbooks for different people - including Principal Skinner. To me, this is sort of a realistic representation of how it would be if Bart and Lisa attended a real-life convention. Anyway, in the meantime, Homer is offered the Flanders' family beach house, due to Flanders being called in for jury duty. Bart is told he can bring Milhouse, and Lisa is told she can bring a friend too. Knowing she doesn't really have friends (even though this is clearly challenged in the beginning of the episode), she attempts to change herself in order to become some sort of popular on her trip with some new kids. Eventually stumbling on some kids, Lisa quickly befriends them. A celebrity voice is snuck in here, with Christina Ricci playing Erin - the kid Lisa sort of gravitates towards the most, although the group is pretty well seen as equal. Bart quickly becomes jealous, however, and tries to sabotage her new friendships every step of the way. A lot of this episode harkens back to 'Lisa on Ice', in an attempt to show off Bart and Lisa's ongoing sibling rivalry. It's very similar in that Lisa succeeds at something, but Bart feels like that "something" rightfully belongs to him. And, like 'Lisa on Ice', it ends on a touching note. But this time around, also a hilarious note, with Homer showing up and screaming something at random. And speaking of Homer, he's actually got a side story here in which he's very into the idea of getting some illegal fireworks. By the way, this is a 4th of July themed episode, and it's executed without waving a gigantic American flag in your face. It's more about showing off what people actually do for the holiday as opposed to just being all about pride, as America's #1 TV show (at the time, at least). This one also marks the end of the season, being the finale, and it closes everything off very nicely. It's an episode that largely represents summer vacations in general, and it's cool that even though it steps outside the box, it doesn't go anywhere exotic. It's just a beach house a fair distance away. And the plot centers on the Simpson's family, and Lisa trying to fit in as opposed to something a bit more obscure. To cap it all off, as the end credits roll on this one, we get to hear 'All Summer Long' by The Beach Boys. This might just be a neat nod to a lot of viewers, but for me, that song helps capture the overall spirit of summer, also being the end credit music to 'American Graffiti' - just a classic summer tune to blend with a classic summer episode. #01 - Bart Sells His Soul![]() S09/E04 - Well folks, this is it. This is the episode I dub my all-time favorite, not of the season, but of the entire series. So this could make for a bit of a lengthy entry, but we're finally gonna find out just how deep this episode goes with yours truly. We open with Bart handing out hymns at church. The song is 'In The Garden of Eden', which is just 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida'. To find out who did it, the kids are told to recite a few lines about going to Hell if the truth is withheld. Milhouse snitches on Bart immediately, and both are brought in for punishment, by cleaning the organ pipes. After an argument about whether or not souls are real, Bart tries to convince Milhouse that they aren't by selling him his for $5. The soul is represented by a piece of paper with "Bart Simpson's Soul" written on it, and the exchange is made. Eventually, Lisa finds out and drops some philosophy on us. Aghast at the idea that Bart sold his soul, Lisa explains that whether or not the soul is physical, is still stands as "a symbol for everything fine inside us". I've always enjoyed this part of it, because it conceptually makes the soul a real thing. Before we know it, weird stuff starts happening to Bart that seems to suggest that the exchange really did take place. This is illustrated by him largely not being able to do things, like make the Kwik-E-Mart sliding door open, or even fog up a freezer door with his breath. Lisa helps Bart a bit further in concluding that he may very well have actually lost his soul. When Bart goes looking for it at Milhouse's... house... we see Milhouse playing with Bart's soul and a bunch of army men. The neat thing they did here was make Milhouse super hyperactive, as if Bart's soul has worked on him like some kind of drug. We further delve into things with things like a really neat dream sequence, and Bart running into the night in search of his soul. He even ends up at Milhouse's grandmother's apartment, looking for this thing at 2am. By the way, this scene is home to my all-time favourite 'Simpsons' line as well - "Milhouse, give him back his soul! I've got work tomorrow!" - it's just so dark, yet everyday. I should probably mention that there's a Moe-centric side story here. It involves him cleaning up his bar in order to make it into a family restaurant. It shows the more fun side of the episode, and we get to see how Moe contrasts to hosting such a restaurant. It largely takes a back seat to the "soul" plot, arriving late and ending early, but what little we do get is great comedy. The ending is what really gets me, as it shows Bart at his most vulnerable. But Lisa drops a little more philosophy on us here, ending things on a positive, but deep-thinking note. That's a big reason of why I like this episode so much - it dares to go as deep as philosophy about the soul, and it shows that the soul can mean much more than just some ghost thing within us all. It's an episode that makes you think, it's loaded with great humor and laugh out loud dialogue, it's relatively dark, and it all comes together in an interesting way. This is one I hold close to my heart. #05 - Itchy & Scratchy Land![]() S06/E04 - If you can believe this, at the time this was produced, censorship laws were getting super strict. The Fox Network even wanted 'The Simpsons' to refrain from making any more 'Itchy & Scratchy' cartoons (which is all one big strange real-life call-back to 'Itchy & Scratchy & Marge'). In response, the writing staff banded together to make this episode, and make it nice and violent. Showrunner, David Mirkin even had to threaten to tell the media about the Network's censorship when they threatened to pull any 'Itchy & Scratchy' material in the episode, themselves. This pretty well shut them up, and they were allowed to produce the episode. And thank God for that, 'cause even if it doesn't make one's Top 5 for this season, it's altogether very memorable as one giant farce on Disneyland meets 'Jurassic Park', with a sprinkle of 'Westworld'. It's timing was great, too, following on the heals of 'JP', which was released just a year earlier. But the main focus here is a jab at Disney altogether, especially during the story of 'Itchy & Scratchy' creator, Roger Meyers Sr.; a knock-off of Walt Disney, right down to the racism. Further Disney jabs can be seen with 'Scratchtasia'; a play on 'Fantasia', 'Pinnitchio'; a play on 'Pinnocchio', Parents Island is a take on Disney World's Pleasure Island. The basic plot of the episode is that the family goes to a new 'Itchy & Scratchy' theme park, and have separate experiences throughout the park - Bart with Lisa throughout the park, and Homer with Marge and Maggie on "Parents Island", where things are a bit more toned down. Eventually things go wrong, starting with Bart and Homer getting into mischief with the mascots, and ending in a big Simpson family showdown against robots. That's pretty much all there is to it, and the episode is played mostly for laughs, and to expand the backstory of 'Itchy & Scratchy'. It's kind of a middle finger to censorship laws in concept, but even the writers budged a little on the amount of violence shown in the episode, just giving it enough so it's not overboard. Once again, this one is played mostly for laughs, and has a pretty thin plot, thus perhaps not entirely belonging on a Top 5 for this season. However, in my eyes, it's still seen as one of the most memorable episodes of the series, let alone the season, and that's largely due to something I had mentioned in an earlier list - the show really shows its edginess here, and even steps it up a bit. If nothing else, it was made to go against the grain of censorship. 'South Park' would eventually replace it as the edgier cartoon, but it would still be another few years until that happened. #04 - Lisa on Ice![]() S06/E08 - Hey, guess what? Things are about to hit a deeper level again. This time, the focuses are on themes of sibling rivalry, and overbearing parents. It makes me thank my lucky stars that, instead, I had the "do your best" parents, instead of the "if you fail, you're a disappointment" parents. Once again, we have a more Lisa-centric episode going on here, but it's well balanced with Bart, and it's some of Lisa's best moments. Yes, it's a good development to her character, but I also have to admit that teamster Lisa is kind of hilarious - I mean, she even turns on perhaps the most innocent character of the show, Ralph Wiggum - "HACK THE BONE! HACK THE BONE!' Plot-wise, Lisa receives an "academic alert" for gym (meaning she's failing, and needs to pick up the pace). This sends her into a bit of a panic, because she's such a good, straight A student. But it does make perfect sense that gym might be something a character like Lisa wouldn't be the best at. We all have weak spots in our education, and for her, sports have probably always taken a back seat to the more important aspects of her education. So it's a neat look at Lisa's "weak spot", as up until this point, she was so "perfect" at school. Anyway, it's agreed that she can pass gym if she joins some kind of sports program outside of school. Among several attempts at several sports, she ends up being pretty terrible at all of it. Emotionally devastated about potentially getting an F that will haunt her for life (even though it's only a 2nd grade F), she finds a bit of luck with a fluke. The family attends Bart's hockey game, playing for the Mighty Pigs - a take on 'The Mighty Ducks'. They win against the Kwik-E-Mart Gougers, thanks to Bart knocking out Milhouse's teeth. When Lisa makes a crack about their winning circumstances, Bart starts launching garbage at her, she deflects it, and Apu soon finds a reason to make her his goalie for the Gougers. The sibling rivalry largely comes from Bart needing to be the best, and impress his Dad. If you look at this deeper, Bart has always been an underachiever. So when he finds out Lisa's also good at what he's good at, she's understandably seen as a bit of a threat, and Bart gets jealous of the attention she's getting for her achievements. The big triggering mechanism lies within Homer being the overbearing parent - right down to the end of the episode. His last words in this make him out to be a complete asshole of a parent, which I believe is meant to mirror just how much real overbearing parents can suck. But Marge offsets the balance very well, being the reasonable parent - proud of Bart for being good at something, proud of Lisa for succeeding at something she's knowingly not very good at. But what really, truly makes this episode is one of the most emotional endings in the show's history - at least I'd put it somewhere on a top 10. I won't entirely spoil it here in case you happen to be a newcomer (they do exist!), but suffice to say, it's incredibly heartwarming. It ends altogether on a gag, but what leads up to the gag is actually kinda beautiful. An all around solid episode for both the season and the series! #03 - Lemon of Troy![]() S06/E22 - You know that meme that's going around where it's Grampa sitting in front of a bunch of kids, telling them a story? It's generally something like "Me telling kids today about Atari" as a caption (not the best example, but the gag is about feeling old). Well this episode is that meme's original home. The episode opens with Bart enjoying a good skateboard run, only to stumble on some wet cement. He stops to write his name in it, Marge catches him, and she soon gives the family a really solid lecture about town pride. It really is a great speech, despite a crack from Bart, and one of the things mentioned is the local lemon tree. The next day, Bart's out and about, and finds that Marge's words stick with him. He wanders around, talking to locals, and taking in all the wonderful things about Springfield - like the local lake trout... that Nelson catches to huck at cars. Anyway, on this little journey of his Bart runs into Milhouse who has run out of lemon for his lemonade stand. They head to the lemon tree for more, and stumble on the Shelbyville city limit, and the likes of Shelby - a mirrored Bart Simpson type. A squabble happens, but not much else, and this is where the Grampa Simpson meme comes into play. Grampa ends up telling the kids about the history of Springfield and Shelbyville's rivalry, stating that some things never change. The next day, Nelson pulls everyone out of class (yes, Nelson), pulling them all towards something terrible - the lemon tree has been dug up, and has been dragged into Shelbyville. Bart then takes it upon himself to team up with Milhouse, Nelson, Martin, Todd Flanders and the fairly new Database (that's actually the name) to go find the tree. Meanwhile, the parents of Springfield catch word that the kids have wandered into Shelbyville as a sort of angry mob, but not knowing why. Sure enough, when the parents meet up with the kids, they find out why, and join the kids in a kind of awesome team effort to get the tree back, using the Flanders' family RV. I think what I like best about this episode is the odd team-up. I enjoy that kind of thing, and to combine those particular kids is like drawing names from a hat. But then when the parents get into it, it's all about the town pride Marge mentioned before. And they're not vandalizing Shelbyville in any way, they're just infiltrating it to get their tree back - the backbone of the kids' economy. This altogether kind of boils down to one most interesting thing about this episode - something Marge said got through to Bart, and it sets up the foundation of the entire episode. You'll see town pride show up in various ways throughout different series, but this has got to be one of my favourite ways its ever been done. There's nothing about Springfield's pride that's off here. It's about getting their flag back that the other town stole under their noses. Shelbyville is largely representative of those holier than thou towns, whose idea of pride elates more to a measuring contest. In my opinion, this is one of the more interesting episodes out there. The coming together of various Springfielders, getting to see Shelbyville on a bigger scale, and a subject matter that is seldom tackled on a full-episode scale are just some of the things that make this one stand out among others. #02 - Homer the Great![]() S06/E12 - Much like 'Marge vs the Monorail', or the 'Shinning' segment of 'Treehouse of Horror V' (also this season), this has gone down in history as one of the most easily memorable episodes of all time. At least among people I know. It's often quoted, and the Stonecutter's Anthem has kind of become one of the best known songs from the series. This one plain and simply sticks out like a sore thumb among a season of impossible decisions. In other words, I already knew this was gonna make this list. It was almost #1, but I have to admit, I find my #1 superior. More on that later, though ("Number One? That's a stupid name") The premise has Homer being suspicious of Lenny and Carl keeping a secret from him. He eventually stalks them, and finds himself at a secret club hangout. He's kicked out immediately, and finds himself upset at the idea of not being able to join their secret club - The Stonecutters. The only ways to join are to either save the life of a member, or be the son of a member. Soon we find out Grampa's a member, and Homer is in. We soon meet "Number One" (Patrick Stewart), the head of the club. Homer is initiated through means reflective of fraternity initiations, and he's eventually in, and having a great time. After the famous song takes place, however, Homer ends up using a sacred parchment as a napkin, and is once again kicked out - only to have the Stonecutters discover that he's the "chosen one" through a birthmark in the shape of the club's emblem. Homer is now seen as the Chosen One that will lead the Stonecutters to greatness, and here's where things take a turn for the interesting for yours truly. Because homer is now leading the club, everyone is being nice to him, kissing up to him, letting him win at everything etc. This ends up making Homer feel somewhat isolated and empty though, because he's just not having the fun he hoped would come with being crowned king. The idea that Homer is to lead the Stonecutters to greatness ends up taking on a whole new meaning soon enough, however, upon some advice by Lisa. The way it all plays out is kind of hilarious, but I have to appreciate that one person's idea of leading people to greatness can be taken very different ways. I think that's what makes this episode really hold up, as well. It's very reflective of how ignorant people can be who are just stuck on having a good time instead of improving something. Aside from anything deep though, as I mentioned previously, it's just an overall memorable episode. It's ultimately a farce on Freemasonry, with a bit of a hidden message on how society can function in all the wrong ways. If there's not better takeaway from this episode, its that Patrick Stewart once referred to it, and an appearance on 'Sesame Street' as the "most distinguished bits of work that I've done in the US". Gotta love the guy. #01 - A Star is Burns![]() S06/E18 - Some people closer to my age probably remember a short-lived prime time animated sitcom called 'The Critic'. It featured Jon Lovitz as Jay Sherman - a short and stocky film critic who hosts a show called 'Coming Attractions' that profiles a generous stream of movie parodies. The show itself is mostly his life in New York, and was created by former 'Simpsons' showrunners, Al Jean and Mike Reiss. 'The Simpsons' decided to do a crossover episode at the time of 'The Critic's popularity. We even get to see him later on in Season 8's 'Hurricane Neddy', where we see very clearly what ever happened to him. So Jay ended up being one of those gone but not forgotten characters. Springfield has a town meeting (boy these episodes end up as #1's a lot) to discuss the fact that they have recently been dubbed the "least cultured city in America". Marge voices her opinion that a film festival could really help bring in some tourism, and people could see that the town has a culture of its own. Needing a genuine critic for the panel of judges, Marge reaches out to Jay Sherman, who flies out from New York to perform his cameo. Upon Jay's arrival, he gets to stay with the Simpson family before the festival. Homer ends up getting jealous of his presence, however, since jay can seemingly do everything just a bit better than him. He even shows off all of his awards, which include one for burping. Assuming that Jay is no better than him at a lot of things, Homer insists that he gets to be on the panel of judges as well. Marge is hesitant, but does eventually let him, mostly to shut him up. But hey, the title is 'A Star is Burns', right?So where does old Burnsy fit into all of this? Well, truth be told, he sort of takes a back seat to everything. The Mr. Burns portion of this is very much a side-story in my eyes. His role is to try to win the film festival by making a ginormous production out of everything, and having it profile his life. This does end up narrowing the vote down between two films - the other is called 'Pukahontas'; a very artsy, touching film about Barney's alcoholism, despite its horrendous title. Of course, the tie-breaker is Homer whose opinion lands on a film where Hans Moleman gets hit in the nards by a football. And this is exactly what makes me appreciate this episode enough to place it at #1 - that is besides how memorable, quotable and hilarious it is altogether. Speaking as a critic (of sorts), myself, I see this episode very plainly representing the people out there within the movie industry. Marge and Jay are the good guys who think film should have something to say (Steven Spielbergs), Krusty and Quimby are the guys who don't care what's on the screen, as long as there's money coming their way, and they KNOW they'll get paid (Michael Bays). Finally Homer is that guy who finds entertainment in something very simple, but can still appreciate big budget vs storytelling, seeing the good and bad in both (Kevin Smiths). Those are my comparisons anyway, you might have better for yourself. This is an episode that I hold close to my heart as a movie lover, and an avid watcher of 'The Simpsons' as well as 'The Critic' when it was still playing. Apparently there was a Season 3 released in 2000 that I completely missed (according to the Wiki page). Maybe it's about time I go back and check that show out again to see if it still holds up. #05 - Homer the Vigilante![]() S05/E11 - Kicking off my Top 5 of Season 5, this one guest stars the then 'Jurassic Park' famous, Sam Neill as Malloy. He does a charming job with his character, was apparently a delight to direct, and considers it a "high point" in his career, which is pretty cool. We open here with the whole Simpson household getting robbed. Among items stolen are Marge's pearls, Bart's stamp collection, and Lisa's saxophone. We soon find out that the rest of the town is experiencing its fair share of burglary, and in response, arm themselves and install high tech security devices. A meeting is called at Flanders' house to try to form a Neighborhood Watch alliance. Homer is chosen to lead this posse, and is determined to get the people of Springfield their stuff back by any means necessary. The biggest motivation for him is Lisa's sax. Homer, of course, ends up abusing his vigilante powers, causing more crimes than are being committed in the first place. Meanwhile, the mysterious cat burglar (or maybe not so mysterious) is still robbing people blind. The whole episode is a look at how out of hand abuse of power can get, but it's all the while entertaining to see how Homer goes about it. This one has quite a few cultural references, perhaps most famously depicting scenes from 'Dr. Strangelove' and 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World', but hints of 'The Pink Panther' and 'Dragnet' also show up throughout the episode. However most of the overall humour here is derived from the people of Springfield, and how they react to the crime wave, while the police are very little help. The episode furthers this panic with its final scene, that basically just goes to show that the people of Springfield are just nuts, altogether. Though it's not the first time this has been revealed, it's certainly one of the better portrayals of it in my opinion, mostly because it shows fear at one point, but over excitement the next. a lot of the dialogue is really funny here, taking from things like news reports meant to scare, and Homer's interactions with the people of Springfield. Of course, those who have seen the episode probably remember the line "dig up, stupid!" which has been a fairly widespan favourite for ages now, and that puts a nice cap on the episode, as it leaves you with one good final laugh. #04 - Homer Goes to College![]() S05/E03 - There's so much to like about this episode, not the least of which is the fact that it's one of those golden episodes written by Conan O'Brian. Though famously known for having a hand some of the better seasons of the show, his writing credits are narrowed down to a mere three full episodes. He was always much more of a producer. Conan must have had a real thing for college campus movies like 'Animal House', as it's referenced many times. 'Monty Python' is thrown in here too, with a reference to 'Holy Grail', and the opening couch gag, featuring the famous Foot of Cupid from 'Flying Circus', stomping on them. As one of few times I can think of when Homer screws up impossibly, he manages to cause a nuclear meltdown from a simulator, during an inspection. As a result, Homer has to go back to college and take a course on Nuclear Physics. With a little push from Mr. Burns, Homer gets into Springfield University, and continues his semester with the idea that campus life is what he's seen on TV. It actually gets pretty funny when we find out just how unlike TV it really is. Homer is joined by three "nerds" who help him on his way, Benjamin, Doug and Gary (Dan Castellaneta, Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer, respectively). They provide a great contrast when they are forced to live with the Simpson family for a little while, and the only one they aren't driving nuts is Homer. Even Marge gets surprisingly and comedically blunt about it. One of the best gags here, you might have to be from the time ('94) to truly appreciate. This is when Bart and Lisa are watching an episode of 'Itchy & Scratchy' where Scratchy finally wins. The whole thing is interrupted when one of the nerds unplugs the TV, and they miss out on the cartoon. This doesn't mean much without realizing that neither DVRs or even Internet were really a thing. We didn't have much to go on back then. If you missed something you pretty much just missed it. For me, this is easily one of the funniest classic episodes. It kinda just has a good time, and it's kinda fun to see the campus life through Homer's eyes. While he genuinely thinks that things will play out like a Frat movie, nothing could be further from the truth. It's where he tries to make his newfound campus life into a frat movie that really makes this one stand out. The episode is a neat concoction of voice acting that never reached out to any celebrity guest stars, even though they had at least four new characters to work with. Castelleneta, Azaria and Shearer all take over these roles (Azaria doing Dean Peterson). It's proof of something they can do without the need to attention grab with a celebrity name, and that's just part of what made this era (seasons 1 or 2 through 8) the "Golden Years" of the show. #03 - Deep Space Homer![]() S05/E15 - Here we have an episode I hold kinda near to my heart. It stands out as a specific memory, watching it on a Thursday night and discussing it with my classmates to great lengths the following morning. We altogether realized how quotable it was, and it stuck out as something special due to them sending Homer to space. This particular episode would come up several times in further episodes, such as 'Mother Simpson' and 'Homer's Enemy'. It is pretty well known to this date to be Homer's single greatest achievement (except perhaps saving Springfield from a horrible fate in the movie). It's well remembered by many as a must-see episode, and I'm completely on board with that. During a Worker of the Week award ceremony, Homer gets excited about it finally being his moment. But despite a union requirement that says every employee must win at least once, Homer still manages to lose to a carbon rod. Feeling discouraged, he turns to TV, only to tune into another NASA space launch. Homer, Bart, and apparently a good portion of America find these launches incredibly boring, and would rather watch something else. This is enough to have Homer call NASA and complain. Meanwhile, NASA's TV ratings are incredibly low. It's proposed that they should try sending an average Joe into space in order to boost ratings. Upon receiving Homer's angry call, they decide on him. When NASA comes to Springfield to make Homer the offer, he blames Barney for making the call. But then when he hears about the opportunity leading to potential respect, Homer insists that he made the call. Both are taken in for testing, and the winner would be the one to go to space. Homer eventually wins by default, but it's fun to watch Barney contrasting him here, sobering up completely, only to lose himself to non-alcoholic champagne. Homer is eventually sent into orbit with astronauts Buzz Aldrin (playing himself) and Race Banyon (Hank Azaria), and we see what we all came to see, how Homer deals with it all. Though the time in space is really short, it's completely memorable, giving us one of the most prolific Homer scenes in the show's history - eating chips in zero gravity to the tune of 'Blue Danube', parodying '2001: A Space Odyssey'. The episode was inspired by a cancelled NASA program called 'Teachers in Space'. The idea was pretty well the same, sending civilians into space to increase interest in the Space Shuttle Program. It's the only episode written by showrunner, David Mirkin, and it makes me wish he had a hand in things a bit more 'cause this episode is just that good. Upon re-watching it for the umpteenth time, I think what stood out to me the most were the visual gags. The dialogue is great, but there is so much done here visually that's hilarious, including one of my personal favourite images of Kent Brockman showing his support to what he thinks are alien ants. It's a gag that gets a genuine laugh from me every time, and it's just one of several throughout the episode. I very nearly made this #1, but the next to outdo things for me just a tiny bit with certain things. But as far as a recommendation to literally anyone, this is by far the best Homer-based episode of the season (at least as far as my opinion goes). The next two have great Homer moments, but are based more around Bart and Marge, respectively, and have some more intriguing themes. For as big as Homer going to space is, the idea of sending the average Joe to space is officially a bit dated. It's mostly just an episode to see Homer at his Homerest, and laugh all the way through. #02 - Cape Feare![]() S05/E02 - For as enjoyable as the whole Sideshow Bob storyline is, all the way through, this is the last time it'll be mentioned on these lists. I figured I had to go with the one that started it all (back in Season 1), and my personal highest recommendation of them all. The episode opens with Bart receiving a threatening letter, written in blood. There are several suspects, including Moe, who gets unknowingly called out on another crime he's pulling altogether. But other red herrings include Mrs. Krabappel and Ned Flanders (sporting a Freddy glove, meant for hedge trimming). It's eventually found out that the letters are coming from Side Show Bob (Kelsey Grammar), when the family attends a movie called 'Ernest Goes Somewhere Cheap' and run into him. He was released without much of a struggle, and the whole scene leading up to it is a hilarious showing of how ignorant the system can be. However, the family now knowing that Bob is free, and after Bart's blood, goes into witness protection for a fresh start. The Simpsons are renamed The Thompsons, and even get a whole new intro, showing their new houseboat, complete with a couch gag. But while believing they're perfectly safe, nothing could be further than the truth, as Bob manages to follow them. This of course leads to the famous rake scene, in which Bob cartoonishly steps on several rakes, only to have the handle smash into his face. It's a gag that has stuck over the years, and certain further episodes would repeat it. I think what I like the best about this episode is that it plays with the horror comedy idea a bit more. It even references several slasher movies, like the aforementioned 'Elm Street' with Freddy's glove, and 'Friday the 13th' when Homer barges into Bart's room with a chainsaw and hockey mask (though Jason never really used a chainsaw, the image was popularized, blending Jason with Leatherface). The idea of it being simple revenge is the most appealing part. Bob isn't scheming here, he just wants to kill Bart. Whether or not it was done on purpose, the funny thing about further 'Bob' episodes is that Bob trying to kill Bart here is so often skimmed over 'cause it was the most basic of his revenge plots. If it is mentioned, it's done so very casually. But the funny thing about it is that this seems to be the Bob episode EVERYONE likes the best. Perhaps it's just that good that it doesn't need a big recap for it? Maybe it's an overthought, but something to consider. The episode is loaded with great dialogue, visual humour, and a sort of intensity that I'm not sure I've gotten with any 'Bob' episodes before, or since this. The idea that Bart is getting death threats from someone, written in blood, is pretty disturbing, giving this one a unique dark edge that is usually only seen in the 'Treehouse of Horror' episodes. In my opinion, it's the Best of the Bob. #01 - $pringfield![]() S05/E10 - To begin with, this actually has a much longer title - '$pringfield (or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)', which suggests what the episode is about much more than the simplified title. Truth be told, I just thought the full title looked ugly, so I omitted it. But I digress. We open here in the past, showing us an old news reel about Springfield being a growing and thriving city, where the streets are literally paved with gold. But we fast-forward to present day (or 1993, anyway) where we see that Springfield's economy is in severe decline. After a town meeting to discuss how to help pump money back into the economy, the idea for legalized gambling is put into action, suggested by Principal Skinner, and approved by Marge (literally the only person in town who might have a problem with it). Soon enough, Mr. Burns and Mayor Quimby team up to erect a casino on Springfield's boardwalk. The story soon splits into two. Marge finds a quarter on the floor of the casino, and immediately develops a gambling addiction. This provides us with a harsh reality that, while a casino can help an economy, it can sucker people into being addicted far too easily, and the whole episode is basically a commentary on that. The second side of the episode features Bart being kicked out of the casino for being too young, only to start his own casino in his tree house. Most of the truly funny material in this episode comes from that side of it, involving Bart booking acts (a Liza Minnelli impersonator really turns out to be Liza Minnelli) and people placing odd bets on things like "fat kid becomes cool". The idea is both cute and charming, but surprisingly funny all the same. Odds are, at this point, you might know of the idea that 'The Simpsons' has made predictions that have somehow come true. This was a huge thing after Trump becoming president becoming one of the best known incidents of the sort. This is one of those episodes. This one takes a jab at Sigfried and Roy, having their tiger maul them both. Fast-forward to 2003, and a very similar incident befalls the real Roy (who survived). But still, with 'Deep Space Homer' and 'Cape Feare', for as much as I praised them, this must seem an odd selection for my #1 spot. Well, the answer to that is that I find this to be one of the most interestingly widespread episodes, covering so much in it's 22-minute time slot. We get the blend of humour with what Bart's doing and the seriousness of what Marge is doing. But there's so much more! Side stories here also involve Lisa needing a costume for a pageant, and Mr. Burns slowly losing his mind. Lisa needing her costume ties in with Marge's addiction, as she's not there to make it for her, losing herself at the slots. The Mr. Burns thing is mostly just a jab at Howard Hughes, but it's some of the most memorable Burns material out there. This is when he thinks his model of the "Spruce Moose" is real. It's an episode that one might kinda skip over, figuring different episodes of the season to be much better. But for me, this one really strikes a chord. For one, Mr. Burns is pretty much my favourite character in the show who isn't Homer, and this one really gives him the time of day. Secondly, it covers so much in so short a time - I didn't even mention Homer working as a Blackjack dealer! And finally, it covers a little bit of everyone within the Simpson family. Yes, it's Marge-centric, but I really felt like everyone had their moment here, save maybe Maggie. It's just very well done, and a high recommendation from yours truly if you're kinda new to it all. #05 - Kamp Krusty![]() S04/E01 - This episode made the list for sheer enjoyment, much like the rest of the episodes on this list. For quite a few of these that I've formerly posted, I've been finding deeper meaning behind them. But after a while, the deeper meaning lies in the nostalgia of these Golden Years, and it all comes down to which ones I found kinda "legendary" in their own right. Now begins the almost impossible task of narrowing these seasons down to a Top 5. Seasons 2 and 3 were very difficult, but 4 was the first time I almost left it all behind because deciding was just too damn hard. Somehow I managed to figure it out, and it all starts with 'Kamp Krusty'. It's the end of school, and summer is at hand. Bart has been promised that if he gets a C average, he can join Lisa in going to Kamp Krusty - a summer camp owned by the clown, himself, with promises of meeting him in person. Bart gets a bunch of Ds, but Homer ends up letting him go anyway just because they didn't want him hanging around anyway. The kids get to Kamp Krusty, only to find out that it's being run by a corporate jerk named Mr. Black, and the counselors are known Springfield Elementary bullies, Jimbo, Kearney and Dolph. While the kids essentially go through a sort of living hell, Homer and Marge are finding themselves closer, happier and healthier than ever, with them away. Eventually the campers end up rebelling, and Bart leads them in a hostile takeover of the camp. Meanwhile, Krusty is kinda just off doing his thing, living the life of a celebrity with the camp way in the back of his head. When he is finally called about what's happening at his camp, he's actually being knighted at the time. So we very nearly got a Sir Herschel Krustofsky, which to me was always kind of a funny idea. This one makes a few solid cultural references throughout it, including 'Lord of the Flies', 'Camp Runamock', 'The French Lieutenant's Woman' and 'Ben-Hur'. But it's often mistaken as a take on a forgotten Gameboy Game called "Bart Simpson's Escape from Camp Deadly'. I actually had that game, and forgot about it entirely until writing this. One of the things that really puts the Donnie Brand Seal of Approval on this one, though, is one of my all-time favourite 'Simpson' quotes (of which there are many), "Shut up and eat your pinecone!" - something I still quote to this day whenever someone complains about their "bad" food. But of course, the whole episode, much like many of this era, is entirely quotable - yet another thing making this list very difficult to accomplish. #04 - Last Exit to Springfield![]() S04/E17 - In my mind, this was one of the most cleverly written episodes that shows that things aren't always what they seem. That particular reveal is well in front of our eyes the whole time, but it's fun to watch a clueless Mr. Burns all the same. While Mr. Burns awaits the union leader to discuss the proposed union contract, he reminisces about a simpler time, when disgruntled workers were dealt with a bit more harshly.. He then decides to take on the union, due to their demands, by taking away their dental plan. After a trip to the dentist, it's revealed that Lisa needs braces. Homer eventually realizes that if they give up their dental plan, Lisa's braces are gonna cost a lot more. He soon becomes head of the union, and the plant goes on strike. The worse Mr. Burns tries to make it for the town, the longer they strike, and they won't back down. Perhaps the best part of this episode, to me, is what it takes to send everyone back to work. I won't say much more, but it's one of those funny reveals that pretty well just puts everything where it was before the episode even started. In other words, the episode almost feels pointless. But the cleverness here lies largely in how Mr. Burns sees Homer throughout the episode, getting a completely false impression of him. This one largely makes the list for cleverness, but it's full of great and memorable moments as well. This is the one where you can find those "hired goons", a hallucination referring to The Beatles and 'Yellow Submarine', a reference to the Joker in 1989's 'Batman', and it even portrays Mr. Burns as The Grinch at one point. We can't leave out the gag that portrays Homer's train of thought, either. In fact, I bet that when I mentioned "Lisa needs braces", Marge's voice in Homer's head went through your own head, followed by Lenny's saying "dental plan!" It's an overall memorable episode that was well-received by audiences and critics alike. In fact, it has made a #1 of all time on a few lists. In 2003, USA Today chose it as #1 for 'The Simpson Archive', and in the same year, 'Entertainment Weekly' called it the best of the bunch. The actual quote - "this episode is virtually flawless, the product of a series at the height of its creative powers -- when the satire was savage and relevant". So while I wouldn't put it at the tippy top of my all-time list, it's interesting to find out that I'm not alone in finding it to still be one of the best. It has a lot to say about how simple a union's demands can be, and how corrupt upper management can be with those demands. It's an episode that pretty much any working person can relate to, and that's most of us. #03 - Krusty Gets Kancelled![]() S04/E22 - If 'Homer at the Bat' was the big star-studded episode of Season 3, then 'Krusty Gets Cancelled' is definitely its Season 4 equivalent. The episode features the likes of Bette Midler, Elizabeth Taylor, Luke Perry, Johnny Carson, Hugh Hefner, a brief appearance by Barry White, and all of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They all play themselves, and much like with 'Homer at the Bat', they all have fun parts that show these celebrities can laugh at themselves. We open with Homer and Bart watching 'The Springfield Squares' (where White makes his appearance). Out of nowhere, a flashy, attention-grabbing ad for something called 'Gabbo' flashes across the screen. The strange ad works, and all of the people of Springfield start talking about what 'Gabbo' could be. 'Gabbo' ends up being the name of a playful new ventriloquist's dummy, who is gonna host a new show with his puppeteer, Arthur Crandall. The show will parallel 'Krusty the Clown', and Bart and Lisa end up worrying that this new character will take the world by storm, and Krusty's show will get cancelled. Sure enough, that eventuality happens, and Bart and Lisa soon find Krusty competing with that "Old Gray Mare" man on the street. Upon learning that Krusty knows all of the aforementioned celebrities, Bart and Lisa offer to find them all for a comeback special. Krusty agrees to let them help him get back on his feet, and some hilarity ensues from there as one-by-one we're introduced to these various personalities. All of their parts are comedically written, from Midler being an over-the-top action hero to Perry being Krusty's "worthless half brother" (and eventual new sidekick, may he rest in peace), they each offer a decent laugh. The episode is chock full of visual gags as well, making for a lot of short but hilarious sequences. On top of that, the dialogue that was written for these celebrities is mostly hilarious. It sounds silly, but even Hef saying "no" to Bart calling him "Hef" gets a good chuckle from me. This is one of those episodes that still makes me laugh a lot today, and it's certainly one of the probable all-time funniest. That is, at least for yours truly. Lets face it, there's a lot to choose from here. While this one is a lot of fun to watch, upon doing a bit of reading, it seems apparent that filing it was kind of a nightmare. This includes things like Julie Kavner and Harry Shearer both objecting strongly to celeb voice cameos. This lead to Kavner not participating in the episode at all, boycotting it. There were also timing issues, that very nearly made them scrap the celebrity cameos altogether. But thank God they stuck to their guns, 'cause to me, this is easily one of the funniest episodes out there. #02 - Lisa's First Word![]() S04/E10 - Coincidentally enough, this one carries over from 'Krusty Gets Kancelled' and the length of time it took to film. To give you some idea, Elizabeth Taylor did a voice for Maggie for this episode on the same day she recorded for 'Krusty Gets Cancelled'. This episode aired twelve episodes beforehand. The family is seen at the beginning, trying to get Maggie to say her first words. The questions start coming as Bart asks what his first word it. We all learn it's "Aye-Carumba", but the context in which it's said leaves the kids in the dark. We then carry on to the "very cute" story of Lisa's first word. It all begins in March of 1983. The Simpson family of the time (Homer, Marge and a 2-year-old Bart) are living in a little apartment, and we get to see how life is kind of on cruise control for them. This is where the scene of a naked baby Bart swinging on a clothesline came from. YouTube it, you'll be satisfied. Marge tells Homer that she's pregnant, however, leading them to need a bigger home. So here's where we learn the origins of how the family moved into their famous house as well. Bart eventually kinda starts feeling overlooked, however, and the story really becomes how Bart, as an only child, takes to getting his first new sibling. It's a lot of negatives for him, but a LOT of laughs for us! In a way, we totally get his misery and confusion. Once Lisa is born, Bart really starts messing with her, even trying to mail her away. Because he's only two, it's easy to laugh at the things he does. It's pretty bad stuff, but cute all the same. Eventually Bart's behavior leads to Lisa's first word is, and the siblings seemingly form a bond. In a kinda wonderful scene, we flash back to the present once the story is told, only to see Bart and Lisa squabbling. Homer leaves the room with Maggie, putting her to bed, and without spoiling anything, we get a very cute and sweet scene of Maggie finally saying her first word. So here's where we literally learn all of the Simpson kids' first words, although the way 'Simpsons' continuity works, these first words are often debated on. For me, this is the one and only "first word" episode. For one, because it came first, and on top of that, it's just a really nice story. But this isn't quite like when I favoured 'Moaning Lisa' in Season 1, where I knew people would probably have strong disagreements. This one is in most of my friends memory as a sort of classic. There are so many great one-liners to take from this, like "Can't sleep, clown'll eat me!" and "Iron helps us play!" This one makes for one of my favourite and highest recommended 'Simpsons' stories. It's loaded with humour, sweet moments, great dialogue, and information about a good chunk of the family's past. We even learn things like how Grampa won his house in a crooked gameshow, and that Homer has a cousin, Frank, which is a whole story within a scene on its own. #01 - Marge vs The Monorail![]() S04/E12 - Topping it all off for Season 4 is an episode of near legendary status. This one was written by Conan O'Brian, and is often found topping, or nearly topping a lot of "all time" lists when it comes to best 'Simpson' episodes. In my eyes, it most certainly belongs up there in the list of highest recommendatons. A little known fact is that Conan actually only ever wrote for four episodes of the show. Two of these show up on my lists, one is a 'Treehouse of Horror' episode that I've omitted, and the last one was 'New Kid on the Block', which is another great Season 4 episode that didn't quite make the cut for me. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency, who would later play a huge role in the movie) fines Mr. Burns $3 million due to his gross negligence, when he's caught storing toxic waste drums at a park. The money is to be poured back into the town of Springfield, and a meeting takes place to figure out how to spend it. Marge's initial idea, which takes off pretty well, is to fix up Main Street's damage. Enter Lyle Lanley (Phil Hartman) who proposes that the town build a Monorail transportation system. With his catchy tune and singalong, he gets Springfield's attention quite easily, and the whole Main Street idea is completely scrapped in favour of the Monorail. Marge isn't exactly taken with the whole idea, and being concerned that the town has done the wrong thing, she does some investigating. Heading to North Haverbrook, she meets Sebastian Cobb (Harry Shearer) who worked on the Monorail for Lanley for his town in the past. It's revealed that Lanley is nothing but a con man, and the two rush back to Springfield to try to stop a terrible fate from happening. Meanwhile, on the funnier side of the story, Homer is busy trying to become a Monorail conductor. He's picked at random by Lanley, and Bart starts to look up to him as a success, leading to one of the great lines when Homer asks "Do you wanna change your name to Homer Jr? The kids can call you Hoju!" - it gets me every time. On the maiden voyage, we meet up with surprise guest Leonard Nimoy (as himself), and every little scene he's in offers a good chuckle, especially comparing his overall sophistication with an otherwise kinda silly show. Of course, he comes back for 'The Springfield Files', and the show appreciated him enough to give him a tribute in 'The Princess Guide' (a much more recent episode I haven't seen yet). He's certainly one of the most fun guest appearances this show gets, and that's speaking for both occurrences. In fact, 'The Springfield Files' also made my Top 5 for Season 8. But getting back to this episode, it's greatly appreciated by yours truly much in the same ways 'Lisa's First Word' is, but more on the comedic level. Truth be told, the two episodes are pretty much a coin-flip for me for this season. 'Monorail' makes #1 for me, however, solely based on popularity. Although these lists are based on personal taste, choosing between these two was just too damn hard, as they're greatly appreciated in different ways. 'Lisa's First Word' is appreciated more for the storytelling, whereas 'Monorail' just makes me laugh more. Let's face it though, It's a tough choice to narrow any of these down to a mere five. #05 - Saturdays of Thunder![]() S03/E09 - Not to get too deep with this, but I think I went with this episode largely due to my relationship with my own father. Only in that we didn't really get each other a lot of the time. As the episode starts, Homer's on the couch watching 'I Can't Believe They Invented It'. Bart asks him for use of the power tools, and Homer carelessly lets his 10-year-old son use them, unsupervised, because Bart's just a distraction from his show. This eventually leads to Marge bringing home a parenting test, which Homer fails with a 0. The National Fatherhood Institute takes him in for help, and after a pep talk, Homer ends up helping Bart with his soap box racer in an attempt to spend more time with him, and get to know him better. On the first race, Bart's car, "Lil Lightnin" falls apart upon several attacks from Nelson. Martin wins, only to crash, break his arm and be rushed to the hospital. He asks Bart to use his car, the "Honor Roller" to win, however, and Bart agrees, so long as it means beating Nelson. When Bart tells Homer about the situation, Homer ends up breaking down. Most would look at this as though Homer was merely being a childish pout about things, but I tend to look at it a bit differently. Homer realizes that he knows jack squat about his son, and in the effort to spend time with him, and be a good father, his son ditches him. But more importantly, he also ditches their father-son project together as well as their bonding time. It's a funny situation Homer is in here, because for as much as a jerk he's being about his son just wanting to win the race, I can empathize. In Bart's head, he wants to be a winner, and even impress his Dad, who told him winning was important (as Homer probably would). Meanwhile, all Homer's thinking is that his son isn't thinking of him at all. You can kinda see both sides of it. I'd have to say that this is probably one of the best episodes for any new fathers to watch at some point. It's not like it's a guide or anything, but there are some important basics covered here. Apparently the quiz Homer takes here is based on a real, similar one that producer Sam Simon brought in to the studio to show everyone. That was combined with a Bart line in 'Itchy & Scratchy & Marge' where Bart mentions building a soap box racer. Combined, it makes for one of the best father-son episodes in the show's running. #04 - Separate Vocations![]() S03/E18 - In a lot of earlier sitcoms and cartoons, the body-switching and/or role switching idea was a big deal. This is the 'Simpsons' answer to it, but, admirably, it's not so direct with it. The episode opens with the kids of Springfield Elementary taking the Career Aptitude Normalizing Test (or "CANT"). The idea behind the test is to inform the students, upon completion, what career they'll be best suited for in the future. Some of the results are pretty funny (Milhouse as a "military strong man" almost always gets a laugh), but when it comes down to Bart and Lisa, they're results say "police officer" and "homemaker", respectively. While Bart ends up getting a taste for police action on a ride-along, Lisa is basically told that she shouldn't bother following her dreams to become a jazz musician due to stubby fingers. Bart is offered the position of hall monitor at school after he busts Groundskeeper Willie, burning leaves without a permit. Meanwhile, Lisa, having had her dreams collapse on her, begins to rebel. So it's role reversal, but in the extreme. Bart ends up enforcing the school rules while Lisa even manages to outdo Bart (at least up to this point) with her bad behavior. I went with this episode mostly due to the fun of it. I've always been a bit of a fan of the role-reversal thing, and they're still doing great things with it. Just look at Jack Black in 'Jumanji' as a valley girl. Anyway, I am a big fan of how this was executed. It's not literal, it just makes Bart a good kid, Lisa a bad kid, and goes to certain extremes with them both. It's also just one of the funnier episodes in my book, and it doesn't end at whatever Bart and Lisa have to offer. Skinner actually gets in on things here as well, sort of becoming teammates with Bart, and they work together surprisingly well. Meanwhile Homer utters another one of my all-time faves (the list is huge) "The army said I was too heavy. The police said I was too dumb" (It's much funnier upon Homer's delivery). There's nothing particularly special or deep with this one, but in my eyes, it's easily one of the most fun of the earlier episodes. Some of the dialogue Lisa shares with others is actually kinda shocking, considering her character, and you can't really help but laugh at how blunt she can be here. Her moments are few and far between, but this episode shows a side of her we never knew she was capable of having until now. #03 - Stark Raving Dad![]() S03/E01 - I dunno if it still happens or not, but at least twice in the early days of 'The Simpsons', people guest-starred, hiding their identities. The first was Dustin Hoffman in 'Lisa's Substitute', and the second was Michael Jackson in this particular episode. These would be referred to later, in the 'Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie' episode. Here, we open with homer running around in a panic, getting ready for work, not able to find his shirt (as if he doesn't have a closet full, we all know what's up). He finds that his shirt was mixed up with Bart's lucky red cap, turning the shirt pink. He's eventually, unfairly hauled away from work because of this, and thrown into a mental institution. It's here that he meets Michael - a gentle giant type who thinks he's Michael Jackson, and is ultimately voiced by Jackson, himself. However, his singing parts were done by Kipp Lennon, and his credited name is altered to John Jay Smith, upon request for this episode. Michael was apparently very particular with his demands. He even wanted a full read-through of the script before committing to it, despite being a fan of the show. Eventually, he came through, and the episode was a hit for pretty much everyone. In the meantime, Lisa is having trouble, feeling overlooked. Bart has this tendency to neglect Lisa when it comes to her birthday, and being the middle child, she's starting to feel kind of alone. Lisa's story, throughout the episode, is completely overshadowed by Homer and Michael doing their thing, though. It even ties in with Bart more than Lisa's story, which is literally all about Bart treating her like she's invisible. This is some very clever writing, 'cause even as the audience, we're not paying much attention to her either. It's not until the end of the episode that it all comes together. Bart gets a call from "Michael Jackson", telling him Homer is coming home, and bringing Michael with him. He spreads the word, but everyone expecting the pop star is thoroughly disappointed when a random, big, white guy shows up who seems to believe he's Michael Jackson. The town is understandably upset at Bart, thus making Bart angry at Michael for lying to him. Michael, however, is staying with the Simpson family, and notices Lisa writing some pretty nasty things about Bart in her diary. This prompts Michael to try to help the siblings out, by writing a birthday song with Bart, and performing it for her. We all know it - "Lisa, it's your birthday. Happy birthday, Lisa". The real lesson to be taken away from all of this, at last for me, is that people aren't always who they seem to be. Here, it interestingly works both ways though. Leon Kompowsky (Michael's real name), clearly was never really Michael Jackson, thus showing a sort of betrayal. But at the same time, this man still wants to help, and without him in the picture, Lisa was pretty well ready to just write Bart off. He's not doing it because he's feeling bad about lying or anything either, he just genuinely wants to do good. So the guy you think sucks because of one thing, might actually be a good person in several other ways. Michael would continue doing a bit of work for 'The Simpsons', as he also write a good portion of 'Do the Bartman' (you can hear him quite plainly in the chorus). He decided one day that Bart needed his own song, and here we are.. This could eventually be found on 'The Simpsons Sing the Blues', and can currently be rocked out to via YouTube. Check it out, it's actually kinda catchy. #02 - Flaming Moe's![]() S03/E10 - For me, this is just another cleverly, comedic episode that tries a few new things. It's always stuck out to me as a strong episode, focused largely on a secondary character. Homer ends up heading to Moe's after Lisa's slumber party becomes a bit too much. I don't do the opening sequence justice, though. The whole build-up and payoff to Homer leaving is pretty hilarious, in my humble opinion. Business is slow for Moe, as he can't compete with the healthier lifestyle people are starting to lead (in 1991). Homer then introduces him to a drink he invented, while Patty and Selma were showing the family a slideshow. He mixes a concoction of whatever's left in several liquor bottles, and in his haste, adds some Krusty Brand cough syrup. It's okay at first, but it turns out that if set on fire, it gets much better. It's called the "Flaming Homer", and Moe steals it just about as fast as I'm revealing he does. Business really takes off for Moe. He hires a new bartender named Colette (Jo Ann Harris), and the place becomes a new hangout for Aerosmith, thus making it the place to be in Springfield altogether. But while Moe is living the dream, Homer is distraught at the fact that his invention was stolen right in front of his face. It results in Homer leaving Moe as a customer, and a clever tribute to 'Cheers'. All the while, some corporate fat cats are trying to buy the drink, but Moe refuses to sell. They even go so far as to warn him that if he doesn't sell, they'll figure it out on their own anyway. The only ingredient they can't seem to figure out is the cough syrup. This is an episode that ends on a bittersweet note, which is one of the many reasons I chose it for this list. It goes through the idea that even a close friend can stab you in the back, especially when money's involved. This episode was kinda like 'The Social Network' for the early 90's. In fact, I remember once relating it to the film in a conversation. I also mentioned that they do a few new things with it. Really, it's one thing in particular that stands out, as one of Bart's famous prank phone calls backfires. Moe's is busy enough that one of Bart's fake names comes into existence, named Hugh Jass. The exchange he has with Bart makes for a good laugh, and up until this point, those phone calls were just a running gag. So good on them for giving it a twist. #01 - Homer at the Bat![]() S03/E17 - For me, this was probably one of the most impressive episodes 'The Simpsons' managed to accomplish. The big deal being that they managed to bring in a good handful of pro baseball players to do their own respective voices. Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, Ken Griffey, Jr., Steve Sax, Ozzie Smith, José Canseco, Don Mattingly, Darryl Strawberry and Mike Scioscia all guest starred here as themselves. Every one of them does a great job, too, because every one of them has something to laugh about in their respective characters. Softball tryouts have started at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. Most of the employees are reluctant to sign up, at first, due to the previous year's abysmal failure. Homer, on the other hand, has faith that his secret weapon will lead them all to victory - a lucky bat. It turns out that Homer's bat really seems to do the job, however, and the team is lead to the championship game against Shelbyville Nuclear Plant. Mr. Burns makes a million dollar bet with Shelbyville Plant Owner, Aristotle Amadopolis, that his team would win against theirs. Burns being Burns doesn't wanna take any chances, and seeks out all nine of the previously mentioned players, with Smithers' help. The idea is to give them "token" jobs at the plant (security guard, cashier, etc.) so they can play on the team without any trouble. This, however, pretty well boots everyone else off the team, including the now well-respected "Home Run Homer". The real laughs come into play as seven of the nine players end up unable to attend the championship game. I'd go through them one by one, but then we'd be here all day. Best to just watch the episode and find out for yourself what happens if you haven't watched it yet. The only players to make it to the game end up being Mattingly and Strawberry. Mattingly is yelled at, and kicked off the team for not trimming his sideburns (the end result is pretty funny), and Strawberry is the only one of the pros allowed to stay on. This is partly due to his character being a brown-noser. However, he's still in Homer's position, so Homer's still out of the game while everyone else gets to play. What really makes this episode for me are these players, playing themselves, having fun with it, and seemingly being able to laugh at themselves. Most celebrity guest stars need to be able to do that, I'd imagine, but I'd also imagine that the voice experience must be different for an athlete than a TV or movie personality. I can't help but give them credit for just making this episode a lot of fun. And much like my #1 from Season 2, that's exactly why this sits at #1 for me here. There's no real deep, hidden message here, it's a lot of laughs all the way through, it's just plain fun. #05 - Itchy & Scratchy & Marge![]() S02/E09 - This is still one of the best interpretations I've seen of facing up to cartoon violence. I actually find it a very well-written episode, altogether, because it shows both sides of the argument fairly well. I dunno how much of a thing it is these days, but back in the early 90's, I remember a lot of cartoons being called out for their violence, and kids taking after it. Some of the more famous targets were the Looney Tunes and Tom & Jerry. If you watch the 'Tom & Jerry' movie, you can see what this standing up can do to something - sure, it's more family friendly, but what do we have here to laugh at if Tom isn't getting annihilated by a tiny mouse? The episode pens with the kids watching 'Itchy & Scratchy' as they've done for quite some time on a regular basis now. However, this time around, we see it affect Maggie when she attacks Homer with a mallet. An enraged Marge fights the studio in a back and forth, and actually does manage to eventually change things. It all works out great at first. The kids find the cartoon boring now, so they go outside and play, even develop manners that we never really saw before. That is until it's announced that Michelangelo's David is coming to be put on display at the Springfield Museum. The people who fought with Marge to get Itchy and Scratchy cleaned up, approach Marge to join in the cause to keep David away from Springfield, but Marge sees it as a piece of historical art. So the argument becomes how Marge can attack one form of expression and be perfectly fine and dandy with another. It's a fair point to be made, but with a Renaissance piece of art vs. a cartoon show, the argument is a huge stretch. Nevertheless, it all ends on a pretty funny note where it ended up being all for nothing. I think what I really like about this episode is that it doesn't go overboard with anything, and shows you some probable facts. The best thing they do here, in my opinion, is not have 'Itchy & Scratchy' affect Bart and/or Lisa. It's just part of their daily routine. Whereas Maggie is a very impressionable baby, and is the only one to really take anything from a cartoon. So is risk there? Kinda, but not as much as one might imagine. Along with that, I like how this episode depicts both sides of the argument against cartoon violence. Maybe it has an effect, maybe not. But at the end of the day, if you tamper with something people love, something with a gigantic mass of fans, you might end up making it super lame. On the other hand, the lameness might force your kids to go outside and enjoy the day. It was good at showing the winning and losing sides of each, and all in all, it has aged pretty well. #04 - Bart Gets an F![]() S02/E01 - Unlike some people out there, this is not my #1 'Simpsons' episode of all time - but that doesn't mean it's not still an important one to me. Much like with 'Moaning Lisa', this one manages to have a sort of direct link with the way my mind works. One of the first big problems I had was getting stuck in math. I got lucky, though. I was offered help, accepted help, and even ended up winning my one and only class award for "Most Improved Student" in grade 7. This is an episode that depicts, extremely well, how it feels to realize that you're not good at something. For Bart, it's school overall, and he's got an upcoming test on colonial history. He procrastinates, and soon finds himself woken up, having not studied. He fails his test, and his parents are brought in to discuss what to do with him. But he decides to straighten up and fly right when he's told he'd be held back if he didn't pass the next test. We watch as Bart does what he can to actually try, largely including bringing Martin on board to help him study. The trade off is Bart making him cooler to the other kids, but it gets out of hand, and Bart finds himself on his own. He even resorts to prayer, and skips procrastinating when his prayer for extra time is answered (based on Lisa's direction, though). In the end, we have one of the saddest moments in prime time television when Bart breaks down based on his "stupidity". He tried so hard, still failed, and that speaks so directly to anyone who has struggled in school at some point. Bear in mind that he's just 10 years old here. I was 12 when I was struggling, so it's totally relatable. You just feel useless at that point, 'cause you know you have so much further to go. But don't worry, it does end on a happy note, and Bart fully realizes that because he tried, he did better. In closing, however, let me just say that if you do find yourself struggling with something in school, there is no shame in asking for help. Teachers are there for that, and happy to do so. I went from having a failing grade to receiving an award when I asked for help, so that's something to bear in mind. That's the importance of this episode - we can all improve if we are willing to accept that we need some help sometimes. 03 - Lisa's Substitute![]() S02/E19 - This was kind of a weird choice for me, but I ended up landing on it largely due to it actually managing to cover a lot of ground in its 20-someodd minute time-frame. To begin with, we have the core story. Ms. Hoover is off sick due to Lyme Disease, and is replaced with a substitute named Mr. Bergstrom (voiced by an uncredited Dustin Hoffman). He proves to be a real treat for the kids; entertaining as well as educating, and Lisa develops an instant crush on him. The side story has Bart running against Martin for class president, while all the while Homer eggs him on, considering nothing in school to be more important than popularity. All the while, his focus on Bart takes away from his focus on Lisa, and one of the main underlying themes here is the relationship between Homer and Lisa, though it's not so in our face. It's there that I find the clever writing of this episode - it's not so much about Lisa's crush or Bart's popularity as it is about Homer's parenting skills. However, just to bring the focus back around to Bergstrom, the episode ends on a very encouraging note. As he's leaving town, Lisa finds him at the train station just in time. She's upset, but he ends up writing her a note, telling her that when she's feeling alone or scared, to keep the note in mind. The note simply reads "You are Lisa Simpson". I consider the note sort of open to interpretation, but the way I see it is that he's telling her that it's within her to face these problems head on like a champion. Adding to the character development Lisa receives in 'Moaning Lisa', this adds to everything that she becomes, because she really does face most of her problems head on, fighting for whatever it is she believes in. Lisa's an interesting character that way. She's one of the most interestingly developed, but her straight person role doesn't deliver the same laughs we get from Homer, Bart, or countless secondary or tertiary characters. We therefore kinda sweep her under the rug, especially when she eventually gets to be a bit too much. But in her beginnings, she's actually not that lame of a character to me. If nothing else, it's the tail end of this that really makes it. Bergstrom's letter to Lisa is nice and heartwarming, and for all intents and purposes, the episode probably could have just ended there. However, it goes on to see Lisa and Homer fight, but then Homer patching things up with her, further consoling Bart when he ends up losing (spoiler alert?) and even comforts an upset Maggie, showing one of few times that Homer, despite choking his son every now and then, can be a very good father. He's just a bit of a dope, is all. 02 - The Way We Was![]() S02/E12 - One of the more interesting routes this show takes is the flashback route. These stories harken back to the days of yesteryear, and pretty well cover either how the family forms, or some sort of forgotten music career for Homer. It kinda starts getting out of hand when it starts contradicting itself, but the mainstays for me are the four episodes that tell how the family comes to be. This is one of them, covering how Homer and Marge met. The other three cover the births of Bart ('I Married Marge'), Lisa ('Lisa's First Word') and Maggie ('And Maggie Makes Three'), respectively. This is the first of them, and the one that makes the most sense in terms of continuity. It takes a look back at the high school days of Homer and Marge. While Marge is well-learned, sweet, and starting to stand up for women's rights, Homer is kind of just a bumbling meathead who thinks he won't need English class because he's "never going to England". When Marge gets a little out of hand with her protesting, and Homer is busted (along with Barney) smoking in the boys room, they're all sent to detention. This is where Homer and Marge meet, and from there, Homer actively pursues her by taking an interest in one of Marge's after school activities - the debate team. It's here we meet Homer's all around rival for Marge, Arty Ziff (Jon Lovitz), who would become a recurring character in the series, but spread further apart than Sideshow Bob. I won't go into too much detail on how it all plays out, but it's obvious that Homer and Marge end up together in the end. So here was one I picked as another "first", as in the first flashback episode. This would prompt a trend that would go on once per season, at least for a while. It pretty well ends with Season 7 offering nothing quite as "flashbacky", but manages to give us even deeper backstory on characters like Grampa and even Homer's mother, who we don't meet until then. Mostly, though, this is just kind of a sweet episode that just about anyone can relate to on some level. Be it a crush or a high school romance, we've all been in some kind of situation where we're either trying to impress someone we like, or being careful about who we choose. But there's no deep message here, really. It's just a pleasant slice-of-life episode. It ends with Homer singing Steve Miller's 'The Joker' through the credits as well, so that kinda puts the cherry on top of it. 01 - Three Men and a Comic Book![]() S02/E21 - We're not gonna get deep here. For once, this is on the list simply based on personal taste. It has always been a favourite of mine, and one that speaks to the geeks. When the Simpsons attend the 12th Annual "Close Encounter of the Comic Book Kind" Convention, Bart is introduced to a copy of 'Radioactive Man' #1, which further introduces us to Comic Book Guy. Bart doesn't have enough money to buy it, but makes it his mission to get his hands on it. In a great tribute to 'The Wonder Years', featuring Daniel Stern in a voice over, Bart decides to start working in order to save to buy the comic book. He brings in empty bottles, exchanges coins, sells lemonade and beer, but none of it is really working out. This eventually leads him to working for Mrs. Glick (Cloris Leachman). He busts his hump and is offered a measly 50 cents for all his hard work. When Bart heads over to Android's Dungeon to look at the comic book in the window, he runs into Martin and Milhouse. They realize that if they pool their money, they can afford the copy of 'Radioactive Man' #1. It is then brought to Bart's tree house where the three boys find themselves greedily fighting over who gets to keep it for the night. This is one of those episodes that just offers so many laughs, partially due to relatability, but largely, it's just the writing. This one's got a few memorable lines and moments that stick out for me, in the long run. Homer "checking on the boys" still makes me laugh, and just about anything from Mrs. Glick's mouth is a laugh. I even love any moment Bart says something about her under his breath. Some of it is kinda harsh and unexpected, but in a good way. Again, there's nothing particularly deep or meaningful about this one. Even the end message ends up being a joke in and of itself. Basically, the lesson is supposed to be about sharing, but in the dialogue, it's kinda just left in the air as if to say "we're just gonna do that again at some point". When all said and done, it's really just one of those episodes I've always thoroughly enjoyed. With great one-liners and great visual gags, it's a high recommendation of mine. #05 - Homer's Night Out![]() S01/E10 - Kicking things off, we have not only a solid classic episode, but one of importance as well. In the beginning of the episode, Bart sends away for a novelty spy camera. This was back in 1990, before the days of Amazon, so he manages to receive it in six months time. Homer is invited to a stag party for his co-worker, and in the meantime, the family goes out for a nice seafood dinner at the Rusty Barnacle. Little does Homer know that this party is taking place in a room at the same restaurant. When Bart is served his squid platter with extra tentacles, he loses his appetite, heads for the bathroom, and manages to catch Homer dancing with a stripper. Upon snapping a shot with his new spy camera, he ends up foolishly handing out racy copies all around the school, all the while boasting that it's his Dad who's dancing with the sexy lady. Marge finds out about Homer's little jaunt, and gets pretty upset about it. On the one hand, she's seeing this picture spreading around town of her husband dancing with a stripper. On the other hand, Homer has unknowingly set a bad example for his son by objectifying women. What's most interesting about that is, as the series goes on, I can't think of a time where Bart really does. He gets his share of crushes and feelings and whatnot, but nothing really where you look at him as a Quimby-like character. I went with this episode largely due to the world we're living in today. It is a bit of an eye opener to think that the subject matter was being tackled at a time when I was just 7 years old, and we're only just now starting to see some progress. Don't get me wrong though, I can see that there's still quite a ways to go. The episode does end on a positive note when Homer gives a speech about who women really are, largely covering the fact that these women have families, just like the women in our own family. That's a good point, and certainly something to consider. Aside from all of the importance, however, this also still stands as just one of those classics we all remember. That photo alone became somewhat famous in my youth, if I remember correctly. It was just an image that stuck out, which is just as well, because that way Homer's speech could reach me as well. #04 - Moaning Lisa![]() S01/E06 - A Lisa-centric episode might seem like an odd choice, but much like with my #5, this tackles important subject matter. The episode opens with Lisa staring blankly into the bathroom mirror. We can see this as the episode that gave Lisa her first big character development, and it starts interestingly enough with a glimpse at depression. Lisa is just plain saddened and confused by all of the big life questions. She questions her existence, and the world's suffering vs our ignorance. Those big questions alone, to me, are the invention of Lisa Simpson. From here on in, her character is very much an activist who tries her best to stand up for those around the world, suffering, and enjoys getting the education that leads her to these conclusions. To most, an annoying and prying character. To me, perhaps a bit irritating, but also misunderstood. Lisa ends up finding solace by contradicting everything we're taught as kids, and running out into the streets of Springfield at night. She follows the sound of a saxophone, and meets (a stranger) Bleeding Gums Murphy. The interesting thing about this meet-up is that all it really takes is a bit of convo and jamming to give Lisa a bit of comfort. She's not exactly "better", but you can see that it means something special to her. It also illustrates that often telling your problems to a stranger can be a good way to go (but a professional, not some random jazz man on the street at night). It's not until we see Marge drop Lisa off at band practice that we get the big message of the episode. It's actually a pretty great scene, where Marge gives her the advice that smiling will make things work out for her. But then she sees what it does, and the episode means to simply say "If you wanna be sad, be sad. It's okay, 'cause you have people in your corner". I love this, because as someone with my own set of problems, the "simply smile" or "choose happiness" thing can really get on the nerves. It's not always that simple, and anyone who suffers understands this. It leads to wearing an emotional mask, and that's not a bad thing in order to keep up appearances. But it sucks to have to hold it in sometimes. To lighten things up, however, the other side of this episode balances out the fun factor. Homer is trying to beat Bart at a video game called 'Super Slugfest' - essentially a 'Simpsons' version of 'Mike Tyson's Punch Out'. It's especially appealing for those with a nostalgic mind, who remember owning a Nintendo Entertainment System, or even maybe an Atari 2600. This was a time when video games were huge, and the episode really lends itself to that nostalgia so many of us feel nowadays. Again, I actually kinda see this as an episode of general importance. The problem here is that despite my recommendation to check it out and understand a bit about how depression can affect people, it's more likely gonna be seen as "that one where Lisa keeps whining". Regardless, it's an easy entry into my own Top 5 due to it being one of few times I felt completely empathetic towards Lisa. #03 - Bart the General![]() S01/E05 - Okay, so now we're gonna talk about bullying. This is the introduction of Nelson Muntz, back when he wasn't yet saying "ha-ha". He was actually, at first, a pretty important character. We start with Lisa baking cupcakes for her teacher, Ms. Hoover. Bart makes an effort to tease her about it after not being allowed to have one. Realizing he may have crossed a line, he soon apologizes, and is given a cupcake. When Lisa is suddenly picked on by a couple of bullies (who I don't think we ever see again), Bart stands up for her. However, these kids are friends of Nelsons; the bully kingpin of Springfield Elementary, if you will. When he steps in, Bart pops him on the nose by accident, making him "bleed his own blood", which leads to an after-school fight. One thing I like about this episode is that it doesn't beat around the bush. Bart pretty much gets his ass handed to him after school for a couple of days, until Lisa refers him to Grampa (he's not "Abe" until season 4). But then, Grampa, being not so tough, brings Bart to meet Herman - the one-armed guy who runs the Military Antique store. Herman, Grampa and Bart then work on a strategy to band a bunch of school kids together to teach the bullies a lesson through "saturation bombing". There's a whole training montage here that takes references from films like 'Patton' and 'Full Metal Jacket' that's really well done. In fact, there's music lifted right out of 'Patton' as well. The funny thing is, I remember watching this episode as a kid and really taking it as a sort of lesson in dealing with bullies. I never received any bullying quite like this, but I did see it as something to keep in my back pocket. Bart was one of the coolest characters on TV at the time to us kids, so to see how he dealt with his bully was something to take into consideration. Not so much the water balloons, but maybe having enough friends around to help you out. Nowadays, bullying is a big deal in our society. But if you can believe it, bullying was pretty well standard back in the late 80's and early 90's. If you look at just about any family sitcom from that era of television, you'll find some sort of bullying episode somewhere within each series that addresses it. To me, this was probably one of the best executed ones, largely because it didn't really hold back. This one ends with Bart hanging out at a library, giving us a bit of a PSA on war. Again, going back to Bart being the coolest kid on TV at the time, it was worth a listen to hear him tell us how war just plain wasn't good, and the message was well-received... although he mentions The American Revolution, World War II and the 'Star Wars' trilogy being the only "good wars" (I feel like Bart was saying "good" as in "interesting subject matter"). But then he follows that up by telling us we should check out our local libraries if we wanted to learn more. So it's a weird PSA, but somewhat effective. #02 - The Crepes of Wrath![]() S01/E11 - While we're on controversial subject matter, let's also have a look at the Simpsons take on child labour! Nah just kidding. Well, kinda. I won't get so deep with this one, because controversy wasn't what made me choose it to be on the list. There are several reasons, but to begin with, it's kinda the first episode of 'The Simpsons' that starts to tip the scales in favor of real adult humor. Sure, it did so before this, but this is the first one to make me sort of cringe and say "you might not get away with that today!" Normally, that'd be a bad thing, but 'The Simpsons' was meant to be kinda edgy for its time. Before 'South Park' kinda took the torch in '97, 'The Simpsons' was your go-to for a cartoon with adult humour, and I feel like that trend more or less started right here, although that's perfectly debatable. After Homer wipes out on Bart's skateboard, and Agnes Skinner (in her debut here) becomes the victim of a cherry bomb explosion in the school's bathroom, the last straw is finally had. Principal Skinner, Homer and Marge discuss entering Bart into a foreign exchange program, sending Bart to Paris, France as a sort of punishment. Being that he gets to go to France, Bart thinks it's a cool idea and agrees. The Simpson family gets a well-mannered Albanian boy named Adil in return. Bart meets up with his new family, a couple of slave-drivers, César and his nephew Ugolin. They work Bart day and night, make him sleep on the floor, and it all leads to some great character development for Bart as we really see him struggling here both physically and emotionally. In the meantime, Adil ends up being a little more than meets the eye, but Homer also seems very happy with the trade-off. However, despite his manners, Lisa has a real problem with him politically. It doesn't really go anywhere, but the scene in question is neat 'cause it shows two innocent children debating very basic politics based on how America works. There's some interesting things about this episode, too. Creatively, it sort of stands out. It's the first time we see any foreign language really used, and it gets kinda multicultural in that regard with both French and Albanian (even if there are a few shots fired, especially against the French). It's also the first time we see Bart facing a dire situation on his own, which kinda ends up toughening him up in a way. On top of all that, though, it's one of the few episodes from Season 1 that can still encourage more than a few genuine chuckles based on how clever the writing is. #01 - Krusty Gets Busted![]() S01/E12 - The main reason I choose this for my number one slot is quite simply that it launches one of the most well-known side characters and overall story line. Adding to that, we also have our first celebrity cameo who becomes known so well as that character - Kelsey Grammar IS Side Show Bob. Fast-forward from here a few years and we see David Hyde Pierce lending his voice to Bob's brother, Cecil. The whole thing becomes very self-aware, and to my knowledge, there hasn't really been a character quite on the same level as Bob. He's a sort of once-per-season guy, and it's almost always entertaining. For those who may be younger and haven't quite reached back this far because you were told "season 1 is crap" (it isn't!), Side Show Bob is Side Show Mel's predecessor (which I'm sure everyone figured out just by the name), and very much a background character for those first few episodes. Bob's more common character all starts with this episode. Homer finds himself in the middle of a stick-up at the Kwik-E-Mart, only to see that it's seemingly none other than Krusty the Clown, Bart's personal hero. Krusty is arrested and hauled off to jail, but Bart and Lisa team up try to prove his innocence. By the way, the Bart/Lisa team-up also pretty well starts with this episode. In the meantime, Krusty's show is taken over by Side Show Bob, who up until now was just Krusty's assistant who he constantly shot out of a cannon, among other relatively degrading things. Bob becomes his own character here, and he's surprisingly sophisticated. The kids seem to like him, and he does all the right things to host a kid's show that any parent would happily approve of. Even Lisa finds herself kind of enjoying it. Of course, if you're a 'Simpsons' fan, unless you've been living under a rock for the past 30-some odd years, we all know what happens in the end, and everyone but Bob lives happily ever after until Season 3 when he makes his first of many reappearances. I also chose this one because of the day and age we're living in now. Celebrities left and right (although it seems to have died down, recently) have been getting accused of stepping over the line, largely women or race some time in their past, or even currently. Bill Cosby was one of my (former) personal heroes. When we all learned what we learned about the man, a hero tragically died in my eyes. All I could think was that if he could do it, anyone could do it, and that was a disturbing thought. I even quoted him in my graduating year book! Anyway, this episode is a good illustration of what that can do to a dedicated fan. The scene where Bart pulls on his Krusty doll's string, making him say "I didn't do it!" followed by Bart sadly saying "I wish I could believe you" is just about the perfect representation of any fans out there getting the rug pulled out from underneath them. At least in this, things end on a happy note. |