Every Tuesday, I will be attempting something unique. I will look through the pantheon on TV and determine what my favorite season of any show is. The goal is to explore the heights of these shows and better understand why they are beloved, at least by me. This is an experiment that I hope will last for awhile, though I am sure around the 30th entry, things will look a lot different and I will be grasping at straws. Anyways, join me for as long as this last and feel free to share some of your favorites with me as I go through this wonderful medium.
THE SHOW
The Simpsons (1989-present)
When it comes to TV series, there were very few as influential in the 90's as The Simpsons, which skewered American family values and even revolutionized the way that series handle hard hitting topics. It addressed family dysfunction alongside religion, homophobia, vegetarianism, and alcoholism. It didn't so much animate the sitcom format, it took it and tried everything imaginable with it. There is nothing that the series won't do. While this eventually became a problem and people turned away, its poignancy remains indelible all of these decades later. It's funny, candid, and often profound in ways that animation aren't really supposed to be. It is an institution of unfathomable proportions.
MY FAVORITE SEASON:
Season 8 (1997-1998)
EPISODES:
1. Treehouse of Horror VII
2. You Only Move Twice
3. The Homer They Fall
4. Burns, Baby Burns
5. Bart After Dark
6. A Milhouse Divided
7. Lisa's Date with Density
8. Hurricane Neddy
9. El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer
10. The Springfield Files
11. The Twisted World of Marge Simpson
12. Mountain of Madness
13. Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious
14. The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show
15. Homer's Phobia
16. Brother From Another Series
17. My Sister, My Sitter
18. Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment
19. Grade School Confidential
20. The Canine Mutiny
21.The Old Man and the Lisa
22. In Marge We Trust
23. Homer's Enemy
24. The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase
25. The Secret War of Lisa Simpson
HIGHLIGHTS
5 Reasons Why It's the Best
1. To date, there hasn't been an episode stranger than "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer," even simply from a design place. While it begins as an ode to Homer getting drunk at chili cook-offs, it quickly dives into some of the most hallucinatory animation of a series in its eighth season. Johnny Cash as a talking coyote and the ability to control the sun are many reasons why this episode is not only their creative peak, but their ability to convey such a trippy concept and tie it back into Homer and Marge's romance is the icing on the cake. This is wonderfully weird in ways that later seasons would embrace, but never go as far.
2. It dealt with divorce ("A Milhouse Divided") in ways that felt more earnest than comedic and gave the show a deeper core. While it seems like an after school special in theory, its complications between the Van Houten family paves the way for a lot of compelling character moments later on.
3. Between Hank Scorpio ("You Only Move Twice"), John the Antiques Dealer ("Homer's Phobia"), Sherry Bobbins ("Supercalifragalisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious"), Cecil Terwilliger ("Brother from Another Series"), Rex Banner ("Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment"), Larry Burns ("Burns, Baby Burns"), and Frank Grimes ("Homer's Enemy"), this season has the best collection of one-off characters in the show's run to date.
4. While the show has always had an implicit stance on homosexuality, the episode "Homer's Phobia" remains a watershed moment for the series, as it explored homophobia in elaborate detail while not sacrificing any of the scathing humor and allowing John Waters to guest star on the series effectively.
5. Where some series will stall by the eighth season, provided it gets that far, The Simpsons took the opportunity to satirize their legacy TWICE with "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" and "The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase." In the former's instance, it was more blatant with the show using the character of Poochie to talk about the show's ability to stay fresh and entertaining. In the latter, it expands on the issue by making a hilarious parody of spin-offs, including a reference to how Fox basically had The Simpsons and The X-Files and nothing else. This is extra poignant because "The Simpsons Files" aired earlier that season with both of the series.
BEST EPISODE
"You Only Move Twice"
In a season full of some of the best episodes, it is impossible to summarize which one is exactly the best. However, this one wins solely because with returning guest actor Albert Brooks as Hank Scorpio, it launches into one of the most surreal, exciting episodes in the series' run. It features Homer working for a man who will bomb either Italy or France and has his kids in a school that they don't belong in. It is packed with great moments and has plenty of moments, such as an ad for the Hammock District on 3rd. While some episodes are more hard hitting and the season talks about divorce, failing beliefs, stress, prohibition, and much, much more, this episode has the best gag-per-scene ratio of any episode.
WORST EPISODE
"My Sister the Sitter"
While it is only in relation to these 25 episodes, I feel like this one is lacking great moments on par with any other episode, including runner-up "In Marge We Trust." In this episode, Lisa becomes a babysitter and has to take care of Bart. While it allows the sibling characters to have their rivalry moments, it is more of a serious episode in which Lisa goes existential about her credibility and Bart reaches his most obnoxious. It is funny, but the immediacy isn't quite there. There also isn't a lot of particularly memorable moments beyond a phone call that results in the arrival of people involving UFO sightings, a sisterectomy, an emergency AA meeting, and a large sub sandwich.
FAVORITE PERFORMANCE
Lisa Simpson in "The Secret War of Lisa Simpson"
If you have ever doubted the sincerity of The Simpsons, then you're not looking hard enough. The show continues to endear because its characters love and support each other. Very few compare to the vulnerable whirlwind that is the finale episode. Lisa wants to challenge herself by going into the most masculine situation imaginable. She joins a boot camp with Bart that leaves her stranded and alone. In the final act when Bart becomes supportive, the series manages to get to its most poetic, sincere moments of the season. It doesn't drown in sap, but focuses on a realistic portrayal of siblings bonding over the need to support one another. Lisa's performance may be that of a bumbling misfit, but her struggle is so wonderfully written that it adds weight to the emotions and gives the show its strongest performance of the season.
IS THE REST OF THE SERIES LIKE THIS?
Simple answer is yes. While I am a fan for life, choosing to watch the entire series, many would suggest stopping at season 10. In a sense, this is the final hurrah of perfection for those that think like this. It not only captures the pop culture-referencing satire and pushes it over the edge, it also commentates on its own legacy while experimenting with visual effects, cartoon violence, and more socially conscious issues. The previous seven seasons are especially strong and worth checking out and while many will go with season four, this is more indicative of why people love the show and remains the shining achievement. After all, the show had been on the air for eight years at this point. Nobody expected it to more than triple that. Do whatever you like, but this is the best season in that it encapsulates every aspect of the show at its most realized.
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