Simpsons by the Season: 8

"We should thank our lucky stars they're still putting out a program of this caliber after so many years."

This blog will be a little more doom and gloom than it ought to be. After all, I don't think a season of The Simpsons could possibly start off better; an always funny "Treehouse of Horror", followed by the appearance of Hank Scorpio, followed by "The Homer They Fall" in which Homer becomes a boxer. The lattermost two episodes I would imagine would fall into many Simpsons fan's top ten lists, and with good cause. So what is it that bothers me this season?

At this point it's eight seasons in and I don't believe they've had an episode you can honestly call "bad". It's not that this season breaks that record - it's that it's showing some signs of wear. First, there are some significant signs of desperation in the search for their plots. There's a spinoff episode that's not all that bad but definitely offbeat; "El Viaje Misterioso De Nuestro Jomer" has Homer going on a mystical journey after eating a number of far-too-hot chilli peppers - red hot ones if you will; "The Springfield" files, while not necessarily part of the Simpsons canon due to an introduction from Leonard Nimoy stating it's not true, has Mr. Burns as a radioactive alien for a time; and finally, you have Mr. Sparkle's "In Marge We Trust" episode which is 50% funny and 50% painful (I know that this episode can be a fan favourite, but that's because most will forget the terrible Marge plot with her as the "listen lady"). These episodes still hold up, don't get me wrong - but the plot-lines are more of a stretch than they have been. This isn't a problem, however, as long as it stays funny, and they don't go too far. For now, it hasn't.

Overall the odd plot-lines are more of a warning sign of things to come rather than anything. The same issue comes into play with how they portray some of their characters as they lose some of what they are. I've long said this is a sign of a shows deterioration. We've seen this in Malcolm in the Middle, this one is in part due to Dewey growing older and no longer being cute, but they changed a number of their characters as the seasons passed as well. King of the Hill had the same problem by stretching too far what their characters already were; one example is Bill becoming too sad and thus no longer funny. The Office did this by systematically destroying Jim and Pam by making them boring and happy, and then forcing them into unhappiness through Jim's creation of the comically ridiculous business 'Athlead'. The Simpsons doesn't have this problem yet, but it's starting to seep through. For example, in "The Twisted World of Marge Simpson" Maud (part of the rival team against Marge's pretzel business) hires the Yakuza to come after her. First, this falls into the ridiculous plot-line category, but it also is wildly out of character for her. She would never hire mobsters - she is married to Ned Flanders. Ned. Flanders. It makes no sense. She banned sugar from her kids...

Add that to the fact that in the last two seasons Mr. Burns has tried to kill two people (Bart, by kicking a safe with him inside into a lake, and Homer when they were beginning to go crazy in the snow-locked cabin in "Mountain of Madness), and Reverend Lovejoy fighting apes in the Mr. Sparkle episode, it's not so much a major deal but just a sign that maybe things are coming off the rails. My final negative here is that, as you'll see in future episodes, when The Simpsons adds animals things go horribly awry. Remember that - a reverend kicking an orangutan in just the beginning.

In spite of all of this, the season still has some of the greatest episodes you'll find. In addition to what I mentioned earlier, it also has "Homer's Enemy", the appearance of Frank Grimes. This is top notch stuff. Seasons three to eight are the golden years - but is this the last season at the peak?

Best Episode:

As much as I love Frank Grimes, Poochie, and Homer the boxer,  "You Only Move Twice" with Hank Scorpio is the top of the line. It's an easy candidate for a top ten episode. 

Best Quotes:

"He's a good man, I like him, but I'm definitely going to make orphans of his children."

-Drederick Tatum on fighting Homer

"Cheating is the gift man gives himself!"

-Mr. Burns justifying cheating on his way to the cabin at the end of his Power Plant getaway competition

"To alcohol; the cause of and solution to all of life's problems."

-Homer toasting alcohol post prohibition

"If life has taught me one lesson repeatedly, it's to know when I'm beaten."

-Principal Skinner

Simpsons by the Season: 7

"A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man."
 

It's not that I regret writing one blog post for every single season - I don't. But it's much easier to write complaints than it is to sing praise. [Note: I'm rereading these blogs for editing purposes after having written for season 20, and I could not be more wrong about that statement.] Honestly, there's only so much to say about season seven - it's consistently funny, there are few weak episodes if any at all, and as the previous four have been, it's top notch television. There are a few notes, however.

Lisa is always sad. In fact, I think it was in "Moaning Lisa" (correct me if I'm wrong, non-existent readers) where she literally says "I'm sad." She was disenchanted with her father in "Lisa's Substitute", she was rebellious but alone in her mission in "Lisa the Vegetarian", she's turned on by those that should appreciate her in "Lisa the Iconoclast" and heck, look at the title of the first one I mentioned. It's called "Moaning Lisa". The last two are season seven episodes, and the season finale is "Summer of 4'2" in which Lisa is so tired of being friendless she tries to change her personality entirely. These are just the ones off the top of my head. The problem here is The Simpsons doesn't write for sad characters particularly well - at least not consistently sad characters. Yes, Moe is great, but he's a side character rather than a main player. Few and far between works well there. Lisa herself, however, has few great one-liners in what has to be the most quotable comedy you're going to find. I challenge you to think of three top-tier Lisa-centric episodes. I bet you'll come up short.
 

Second, the show has hit a point now where it has been running long enough that it can be self-referential. There's a scene in "The Day the Violence Died" that actually goes through a number of the various schemes and plots of Bart and Lisa - foiling Sideshow Bob, reuniting Krusty with his father, helping Dr. Nick give Homer a triple-bypass, etc.. The show's old enough that it can make lists of previous episodes all with a central theme, and it's still shy of a third of the way through the series. 

Lastly, some of the strongest emotional episodes - if not the two strongest - come through in this season. One, when Bart steals Bonestorm and in the end shows he's a good kid in "Marge Be Not Proud". The second in "Mother Simpson" when Homer is reunited with his mother only to lose her again. It's arguably the most touching moment in all Simpsons history, one of the few real tearjerkers in the series. "Mother Simpson" ends with a beautiful piece of music as Homer sits on the edge of his car, looking up at the night sky. While I can't find the final clip, you can listen to the music here. 

So in one season they have their touching moments that I just described. They tackle immigration policies in "Much Apu About Nothing." They have a plethora of big name stars that cameo on the show - Paul McCartney, Peter Frampton, and my personal favourite, Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins all in one season alone. This is all amidst episodes that are incredibly funny time and time again, and this is at the point where many shows would have run out of ideas entirely. There's a reason the show carries the praise it does.

Quotes:

"I am familiar with the works of Pablo Neruda."

-I don't feel I have to explain this quote any better other than explaining Bart said it.

"If I could only say a few words... I'd be a better public speaker!"

-The beginning of Homer's speech in trying to get Springfielders to vote against deportation of their illegal immigrants.

"Billy Corgan, Smashing Pumpkins."

"Homer Simpson, smiling politely."

"And since I've achieved all my goals as president in one term, there was no need for a second."

-George H. W. Bush's memoirs.

Best Episode:

Considering just how good this season is, there are few real standouts. I'll give it to "King-Sized Homer", where Homer gains a huge amount of weight in order to go on disability and work from home. I'll also give a nod to "Homerpalooza" and "Radioactive Man".

Simpsons by the Season: 6

"Let's have less Homer Simpson and more money for public schools."

Season six still feels like early Simpsons. It's understandable, seeing as it's in the first quarter of the series, but it's still six seasons into the show. Take a look at the American version of The Office; six seasons into its nine season run, they're already adding new and frequently unnecessary characters, some of their main plotline wells have run dry, and the show is quite clearly running out of steam. It marks the swift and decisive decline in the series which pushed out another three seasons which were for the most part were one nightmare after another. So when you say "early Simpsons" bear in mind that it's by no means early - it's a show that's been around longer than most would last at this point, and still not only going strong but in its prime. 

There are, however, signs that ideas may not be coming as fast and loose as they had in the past. A few of the plotlines don't really make sense, and they're closer to outlandish one-off episodes that, while funny, are maybe reaching in the realism department. I spoke in the last blog posting about a few episodes that stretch that line but at least bring it back to reality in some sense - Bart getting an elephant through demanding a ridiculous prize from a radio show, and Homer becoming an astronaut but at least due to the fact that they wanted to show that just about anyone can go into space. In this season you'll find one of my favourite episodes, and perhaps a candidate for the all-time top ten, having precisely this problem. 

In "Homer the Great" we're introduced to the Stonecutters, a secret society of Springfield (of which pretty well every major character is a part). The more you think about it the less realistic it is, and they didn't try too hard in reaching for how it could actually be tied to reality. It's a hilarious episode, and worthy of the praise it receives, but it's a sign that for new ideas they have to start reaching now and then. It's been six seasons and now over a hundred episodes, and maybe it's time for some not to make total sense. There are a few minor grievances in some episodes as well, in "The Springfield Connection" and "Lisa on Ice". Marge as a cop, suddenly doing a bunch of physical feats and pulling guns on people just doesn't look right, and Bart and Lisa playing hockey for the first and last time strikes me as a little odd as well. Mind you, this is a minor crime as long as it sticks to the most important rule of comedy shows: it stays funny. "Homer the Great" at the very least knocks it out of the park, even if "The Springfield Connection" and "Lisa on Ice" are left wanting in comparison.

It's also showing the length of the series in once again going to the flashback and flash-forward wells. Having the backstories of Marge and Homer meeting, Homer's barbershop quartet, the birth of Lisa, and young Bart, they finish off the trio with "And Maggie Makes Three". They also throw in a future episode in which Lisa meets a smart Brit and gets engaged - an episode that shows its age by having the "futuristic technology" that's essentially just Skype.  What's important with these time-bending episodes is they stay consistent with the Simpsons canon - not all do, as we'll see in later seasons.

Overall, it's a great season. It's six in, and still just as strong as ever, and that's no easy feat. The only issue here is that there's the occasional crack that's starting to poke through every now and then, but they're still few and far between.

Best Quotes:

"My hobby is secretly videotaping couples in cars. I didn't come forward because in this country it makes you look like a pervert. But every Scottish person does it!"

-Groundskeeper Willy on filming Homer's innocence when accused of sexually harassing the babysitter

"Gambling is the finest thing a person can do - IF he's good at it."

-One of Krusty's accountants, giving him financial advice

"Your guilty conscience may force you to vote Democratic, but deep down inside you secretly long for a cold-hearted Republican to lower taxes, brutalize criminals, and rule you like a king."

-Perhaps Sideshow Bob's finest quote, once he has been ousted for rigging the election 

"It took the children fourty minutes to locate Canada on the map."

Best Episode:

I know I was half complaining about it earlier, but it still goes to "Homer the Great." It's an incredibly funny episode, and at the core that's what the viewer wants to see. A nod also goes to "Sideshow Bob Roberts", an episode made much funnier when old enough to understand it (which was just a few years ago, really). A second nod goes to "Homer Badman", in the case against Homer accidently sexually harassing the babysitter. The episode is full of great stuff, specifically the "Rock Bottom" segment. (Note: I have since changed my mind upon writing the Top Ten blog, and "Homer Badman" takes the throne.)