Filmday Fridays: Season 2, The Simpsons Season-by-Season

This season was very consistent in its tone. While the best episodes stand out clearly, the worst ones are not the kind that are irritating or even actively disappointing. I think this is because the characterization is much stronger in this season, so the "bad" episodes are really only bad because they are less funny than other episodes. The other problem with the bad episodes in this season is that they tend to have an inconsistent plot. Most of my bottom episodes start strong and fizzle out at the end, leading to some entertaining scenes at the beginning and a slightly underwhelming conclusion. In terms of the general flavor of the season, I would say that it was very down to earth with its storylines and humor. In some ways, moreso than Season 1. Most of these plots could happen in the real world, even if there are moments when the show continues to subvert the tropes of a standard sitcom. When the humor in this episode fails, it is usually because the depiction of the family or the real-world scenarios are so relatable that the scene moves from observation comedy to just plain observation. This season was pretty funny, but what stands out to me is how emotional it is. The characters were much more defined in this season and many of the episodes focused on their emotional connection to one another. While the fights in between Homer and Marge in Season 1 made me wonder why they cared for each other at all, their connection is so much clearer in this Season. Even in episodes like "The War of The Simpsons," you can see that they still care for each other deeply. The emotional core of this season also makes it so that it has an emotional gut punch or even just a strongly emotional center to almost every episode. If we go through the episodes in order, we see: 

Bart's heartbreaking tears after he tries so hard and fails at the test anyway, 

Marge comforting Homer after he loses his hair once again,  

Homer reflecting on his failed career, 

Bart reconciling with Lisa after breaking something she cares about, 

Bart promising Homer not to do any more daredevil stunts, 

Homer assuring Marge that he loves her more than ever, 

Homer vowing to live life to the fullest, 

Marge picking up Homer off the side of the road and telling him she should have gone to the prom with him

Homer's brother losing everything, 

Bart saying goodbye to his dog, 

Grandpa's girlfriend dying on her birthday while he is stuck on a family activity, 

Mr. Burns saying Homer is the fattest man he had ever seen after Homer was excited about losing some weight on his diet, 

Lisa receiving a touching note from her inspiring teacher, 

And, Homer throwing back a record-breaking fish to show Marge how much he loves her. 

Even episodes that don't have a gut punch like this still revolve heavily around interpersonal relationships like the Homer and Lisa bond in "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment" or Patty and Selma's connection in "Principal Charming." While I think there are sweet moments in later seasons, this season is filled with the most sweet and emotional moments of any season. Now on to the ranking! I am starting with the best and I am also not including the show's first Treehouse of Horror in my consideration because I would like to rank all of the Treehouse of Horror episodes in October. As always, let's start with the best!

Top 7 Best

7. "Three Men and a Comic Book"

This episode has a bit of the opposite problem of many of the episodes on my worst list. While many of the worst episodes in this season have a strong finish and a weak ending, this episode has a bit of a fragmented start but has an absolutely hilarious third act. I like some of the scenes at the Comic-Con in the opening but I think the episode spends too much time with Bart trying to save up money for the comic. The episode is going for a bit of a subversion here by having a standard sitcom plot of a young boy trying to earn money for something he wants only to have the process be torturous and unrewarding. It just seems a bit pointless, especially since the best part is the night when the three boys fight over the shared comic. The effort it took to get the comic may add to the comedy a little, but I would have loved to the moments in the treehouse with Bart, Millhouse, and Martin to be even longer.

6. "Bart Gets Hit by a Car"

This one has some great scenes, especially when you see Bart and Mr. Burns' differing and equally false versions of the accident. It also does a good job showing Marge's growing discomfort with all the lies, so it does not come as a surprise that she ultimately cannot lie when she is on the stand. It is also has a relatable moment with Homer's anger making him fear that he no longer loves Marge. It is a crisis with high stakes that make sense in light of the tensions and money concerns throughout this episode. Of course Homer loves Marge more than ever, but sometimes our emotions and frustrations can cause us to temporarily lose sight of the love.

5. "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish"

This one is not exactly a laugh riot, but it is a deep an sincere appeal to live your life to its fullest. Homer's efforts to make the most of his final day always made me wonder what I would do if I knew that I only had one more day left. It is sweet that Homer devotes most of the day to sweet little moments with his family and friends instead of doing something crazy or impulsive. It is also amusing that Homer asks for a ticket when he is pulled over and instead they lock him up and Barney needs to bail him out. Or the fact that he agrees to a BBQ with Flanders because he knows that he won't be alive for it. The scene he has with Lisa is especially sweet. One of Homer's dreams that remains consistent throughout the show is his love for music, so it is sweet to see how much he is moved by Lisa's playing. First she plays a sad song that makes him even more depressed, but then she decides to cheer him up by playing "When the Saints Come Marching In." It is a little bit like that scene in "Bart the Daredevil" when he starts to hum Lisa's concert music while he is driving.

4. "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment"

Many of Lisa's most interesting episodes are the ones where she needs to take a stand or fight for her convictions and this episode is great at delivering an issue that Lisa would fight for. While it is wrong for Homer to steal the way he does in this episode and Lisa is clearly in the right, I think the episode still makes him relatable character who wants to enjoy entertainment that was outside of his budget. There are so many funny moments in this episode as well including Lovejoy's declaration that stealing bread to feed a starving family is fine, but putting butter on it would be unethical, or the way the two boxer's start fighting because they both want to dedicate the match to the recently deceased manager for one of the boxers. Lisa imagining the family in hell inviting her to join her is also both funny and ominous (Funny that this is the second time that we see hell in this season). There are also some good observations about the way that cable changes things in their house, including Bart's continued attempts to watch an inappropriate channel. This episode is great at showing an ethical disagreement between loved ones without seeming heavy-handed in the process.

3. "Lisa's Substitute"

I love how this episode shows the way that a teacher can inspire you and make every class period into the highlight of the week. We see Lisa play her saxophone at home and in a few concerts, but Mr. Bergstrom's inspiration is one of the things that gives her the confidence to play jazz solo in public. These episodes are not necessarily sequential, but I like to think that Bergstrom, along with Bleeding Gums Murphy are two of the voices of inspiration that change the who trajectory of her life. That scene at the end with the "You are Lisa Simpson" note, is such a sweet testament to self-confidence and a reminder that she can shine and has a lot to offer the world. There are teachers that do that, and I hope someday to become a teacher who can inspire others in a similar way. This episode plays up Lisa's affection for Mr. Bergstrom as a childhood crush with maybe a little bit of an effort to make him into a replacement father figure as well. The episode is good at showing the innocence of Lisa's fondness for Mr. Bergstrom while also showing that Mr. Bergstrom cares about her and wants her to get the support she needs from her father. The B Plot is not as interesting to me, but I love the part at the end when Homer is able to cheer up all three of his children in the way that they need in that moment. It is a sweet episode that is almost tied with the other two, but there are a few things that bring the other episodes up slightly more for me.

2. "Bart Gets an 'F'"

Season 2 had a lot of strong characterization and interpersonal moments, but one of the best episodes in capturing the essence of a character is the first episode of the season. The episode is great at capturing the fact that Bart genuinely wants to do well in school but that time gets away from him, especially when he tries to juggle homework with family time and fun times at the arcade. Then, he gets the miracle of an extra day to do the work he needs to do and he forces himself to study. I also just love the humor of Bart imagining the founding fathers, only for them to ditch him for a snow day as well. He keeps smacking himself so that he can stay focused and seems to have done everything in his power to pass the test and avoid repeating the 4th Grade. This then leads to the saddest moment in the show. After all the work Bart does to study on that snow day and get Martin's help, he still fails the test. Maybe it is because of my academic background, but that moment makes me cry because Bart gave his all and it still was not enough. The fact that he remembered obscure information is such a victorious moment that comes on the heels of Bart's tears and makes for the ultimate satisfying moment! It is totally fine for Bart to be mischievous, but I like the episodes that show his vulnerable and creative side as well. 

1. "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge"

While "Bart Gets an 'F'" has one of my favorite moments in the entire show, this episode just slightly edges it out because I love the theme it addresses and the way it goes about doing it. Like "Bart the Daredevil," this episode looks at the effect that media has on people's thinking and actions as well as the best way to address this problem. It shows how sometimes children can imitate the things they watch on TV, but instead of suggesting that the best approach is to ban that media, it shows the complexity of the issue and the harm caused by censorship. Marge's efforts to recruit the support of the community work perfectly and she is able to remove the violence from Itchy & Scratchy, but the sanitized version of the show is bland and artistically bankrupt because the creators are not allowed to lean on the storytelling that they know best. Marge's efforts to censor things ultimately leads to people who cannot recognize the value of an artistic work like Michelangelo's David because they are too horrified by the nudity of the piece. While this episode doesn't offer any easy solutions, I think it illustrates that discernment is really the best way to address problematic media instead of banning it or cutting parts out. You can never build a home that completely shuts out all questionable media, and even if you could, children are eventually going to be exposed to some of those things and if they are not taught to think about what they are watching, it will create the same problems these parents were trying to avoid. In fact, these children will probably be worse off because they never learned to reflect on what is around them and will go from being exposed to none of it to being exposed to all of it once they are adults. This episode also shows that people who want to censor media can often lose sight of the larger beauty, merit, or insight posed by a work of art because they fixate on one or two issues that do not encompass the entirety of the artwork. I think most films and books offer a bit of trash and a bit of treasure. While there are a few things that are wholly trash (like pornography), I think as long as you are exposing yourself to material that contains more treasure than trash and you are seeking out the insights that you can find, it is better to examine media instead of silencing it. The fact that this show can raise so many complex issues about the relationship children have with media shows how thought-provoking this show can be, even while it is also being hilarious.

Top 7 Worst 

7. "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?"

This one is really just more average than outright bad. I think it makes Homer into a very likable character as he works hard to locate his half brother. I also like the part when Homer is working to build a new car design. It is funny when he lets the scientists push him around and cool when he works to design a car that will address a lot of problems common to family road trips. I occasionally find Herb's voice a little irritating, but the larger issue I have with this episode is that it doesn't have that many moments between Homer and Herb. As a result, it is much easier to see the bond between Herb and Marge or the kids than it is with his reunited brother.

6. "Bart's Dog Gets an 'F'"

This episode is mostly fine and has a few fun moments. The only issue is that when Santa's Little Helper is misbehaving, it is relatable but also a bit irritating. The dog destroys valuable heirlooms and expensive items throughout the episode. While I have a dog that used to destroy films and I understand the concept of wanting to keep your dog while others are angry at her, but I think this episode depends too much on the attachment people have for this dog from the first episode. I don't really like or care about Santa's Little Helper in this episode, they are much better at getting people invested in later episodes like Season 3's "Dog of Death"

5. "Bart the Daredevil"

The scene at the end of this episode where Homer keeps falling off the gorge is an iconic one that the show has brought several times. I also love all the jokes that they get in with Truckasaurus and with Lisa's concert performing Schubert's Unfinished Symphony. The only issue is once the actual plot gets going. While it makes sense for Bart's character to be impressed with the daredevil and want to do the same thing, I think the larger commentary that this episode makes about media and impressible children is simplistic and a bit of an odd choice given that the show likely received similar scrutiny for being a bad influence on children. The role of media and children is analyzed with much more depth in other episodes, even other episodes in this season.

4. "Blood Feud"

This episode also starts in a compelling way as the viewers worry about Mr. Burns health and Homer forces Bart to donate his blood to save Mr. Burns. The fact that Homer is only doing this for the potential reward makes sense for his character. It is also hilarious to see him fly into a rage for only receiving a note from Burns and writing that insulting letter. I also like all the funny measures that Homer and Bart take in order to get the letter back. The problem with this episode is that the ending really loses both the humor and the cohesiveness of the early portions of the episode. Burns' rage makes sense, but his change of heart and the gift he gets for the family come a little suddenly. This episode sets up some of the similarities between Bart and Mr. Burns that will come into play in later episodes, but it could have done a little more to establish why they were both drawn to the Olmec head.

3. "Old Money"

This episode opens with a  strong beginning as it features the sweetest and most believable romance for Abe Simpson. I like the way that they connect and it is such a tragic gut punch that Grandpa isn't able to be there with her when she passes away. His anger makes sense as the Simpson family keeps him from being with his love when she needed him. All of this makes for some strong dramatic tension in the first part of the episode. The first issue is that none of this is particularly funny, I feel for Grandpa and it is so sad to see his happy romance snatched away from him. The second issue with this episode is that it really loses its direction in the last portions of the episode. The plot of Grandpa trying to find a good way to use the money Bea gave him features some interesting suggestions from the people of Springfield, but it drifts far away from Abe's sense of grief. Also, Homer saving Abe's money is nice, but doesn't really provide a good setup for Abe to forgive Homer. 

2. "Dancin' Homer"

I think the main issue with this episode is that it is pretty bland and forgettable. Homer's work as a mascot isn't particularly out there or memorable and even the family moving from Springfield lacks the gravitas it should have. I like the story being told in flashback because it makes you wonder how Homer is going to fail and how everything is going to go wrong. The problem is that Homer's failure isn't entirely clear beyond the general idea that what might work for a small town is not as a larger metropolis. A big fish stands out in a small pond, but it doesn't really do that in a large lake filled with other big fish. This episode suffers from the Thor: The Dark World effect of being an episode that I constantly forget immediately after watching it.

1. "Principal Charming"

This episode sets up a cute romance between Skinner and Patty, but what bothers me is that there is very little indication that Patty ever reciprocates Skinner's feelings. Because of this, the episode plays like an unrequited love story where Patty even potentially strings Skinner along. In the end, Patty says that she has to break up with Skinner because she cannot leave her sister behind, but this seems like a weird excuse given that Selma leaves Patty on several occasions to get married in later episodes. This makes Patty's break-up seem like an excuse that is just to make Skinner feel better (Which kinda makes sense given that the show later reveals Patty as a lesbian). While it is kinda interesting to have the dynamic of Patty in a romance she does not want while Selma wrestles with feeling happy for her sister but also a bit lonely and envious of the romance Patty gets to have. Both sisters have a believable experience and even Skinner has the all too real, but sad experience of liking someone who doesn't like you back, even when the person you like tries going on a few dates to see if those feelings change. I think the episode would have worked better if Patty had said that she didn't like Skinner (Although maybe this would be too similar to "I Love Lisa," which was a much better executed version of this concept). All of the feelings in this episode are relatable, but the episode isn't particularly funny. The only jokes I really liked were Homer's Terminator vision when looking for a date for Patty and Bart being surprised at getting caught for burning his own name in 50-ft Letters on the grass.

Well-Read Wednesdays: Freedom and Determinism in A Wrinkle in Time

Earlier this year, I read Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time as part of a Christian Literature class that I was teaching at the time. Overall, I think it was an interesting book. It was weird, but an entirely different species of weird from the Disney Adaptation that came out a few years ago. At some point, I may discuss this book in more detail because there is a lot to appreciate about how this book conveys linguistic differences and how this impacts communication. Also, the way it integrates passages from the Bible is fascinating at some points and breathtaking at others. But today, I wanted to focus on the part that I loved the best about this book. In only a page or two, it manages to provide a fascinating and compelling exploration of fate and free will that I find rather compelling.

I have been watching Loki for the past few weeks (Don't worry, no spoilers here!) and Fate vs Free Will is one of the ideas that this show introduces in the very first episode. The TVA works to prevent the timeline from branching into other directions and punishes those variants who take a different path from the one that has been foreordained for them. Predestination and Free Will is a major point of division in Christian denominations, and there are many movies that muse about the extent to which humans are able to make their own choices. Those on the Free Will side often argue that determinism and fatalism make people into cogs in a machine or robots and that this removes some of the beauty and relationality from humanity. If Loki, for instance, only serves the role of being a threat who allows heroes to band together, then what is his worth beyond this one limited part he supposedly must play? And would he ever be able to redeem himself or become something more than that? On the other hand, those who believe in Predestination point out that if God is outside of time and omniscient, Free Will would not technically be possible. If people can make decisions that would surprise God, then he would not be omniscient. In essence, it seems to leave a division between either limiting God or limiting people. 

That is why I think this scene in A Wrinkle in Time is so special. It points to humanity's limits while also showing the beauty that can be found within those limits. At the end of the book, right before Meg leaves to save her brother from the Darkness, she has a discussion about the nature of Free Will and Fate that I would like to quote here in its entirety:

“If we knew ahead of time what was going to happen we’d be—we’d be like the people on Camazotz, with no lives of our own, with everything all planned and done for us. How can I explain it to you? Oh, I know. In your language you have a form of poetry called the sonnet.”

“Yes, yes,” Calvin said impatiently. “What’s that got to do with the Happy Medium?”

“Kindly pay me the courtesy of listening to me.” Mrs Whatsit’s voice was stern, and for a moment Calvin stopped pawing the ground like a nervous colt. “It is a very strict form of poetry, is it not?”

“Yes.”

“There are fourteen lines, I believe, all in iambic pentameter. That’s a very strict rhythm or meter, yes?”

“Yes.” Calvin nodded.

“And each line has to end with a rigid rhyme pattern. And if the poet does not do it exactly this way, it is not a sonnet, is it?”

“No.”

“But within this strict form the poet has complete freedom to say whatever he wants, doesn’t he?”

“Yes.” Calvin nodded again.

“So,” Mrs Whatsit said.

“So what?”

“Oh, do not be stupid, boy!” Mrs Whatsit scolded. “You know perfectly well what I am driving at!”

“You mean you’re comparing our lives to a sonnet? A strict form, but freedom within it?”

“Yes.” Mrs Whatsit said. “You’re given the form, but you have to write the sonnet yourself. What you say is completely up to you.”

In this scene, Mrs. Whatsit starts by referencing the concerns that come with people having no choice at all, pointing out that people who have no ability to choose are like the creepy, almost robotic, inhabitants of Camazotz who have had all their liveliness and color drained out of them. After this, she discusses the form of the Sonnet. I love the fact that L'Engle goes with an example of literary form to explain the complexities of choice in a universe with all-knowing beings. There are strict rules for what makes a sonnet. If there are more than 14 lines, it cannot be a sonnet. Sonnets must also follow a specific rhyme scheme with only a few small variations between the Shakespearian, Spenserian, or Petrarchan Sonnet. But in spite of, and to some extent, because of these limitations, poets have written hundreds of sonnets that are beautiful and thematically complex. While venturing outside the limits of the form will make it so that you are no longer writing a sonnet, within this form, there is room to experiment and innovate. And I just think that is beautiful. It is one of those valuable gem ideas that I hope to carry with me for quite some time. 

I think this understanding of fate and choice works well with humanity as well. I can make so many different kinds of decisions, but if I venture outside of what gives me my identity, then it is no longer me. These are decisions and actions that fall outside of my "form." This is a complicated issue that people are probably going to wrestle with for a long time, but for me, I think there is a certain degree of both choice and predestination. I believe in an omniscient God, so he must know and have a path for my life and the individual choices that I am going to make, but I don't have this knowledge, so I will continue to make choices for the words that will go in my sonnet. I will make the individual choices in each moment that allow me to continue to pursue knowledge, truth, and inspiration. While it may seem limiting to be confined to this form, I think it is a testament to all of the things that we do not have control over and yet shape us or constrain us all the same. We are limited to a certain extent because to choose otherwise would also make us other than who we are and I don't think we can fathom the choices that are outside of who we are and what we believe. This moment with Mrs. Whatsit is a small one, and not even one that really is central to the book's major themes, but it is an important moment to me. I think there is something beautiful in imagining our lives as sonnets where we craft individual moments of beauty within this frame. We are not cogs in a machine, we are poems in progress!  

Filmday Fridays: Season 1, The Simpsons Season-by-Season

Now we are getting into the actual show and beginning with the season that started it all! The first thing I would say is that in this season it was clear that they were still trying to figure out these characters and how they bounced off each other. The family was clearly dysfunctional, to the point where George H.W. Bush even said that Americans should be "more like the Waltons and less like the Simpsons" a few years after this show started. The main difference is that later seasons are clear that the family members truly love each other, even if they fight. I would say that some of these episodes are better at establishing the dysfunction than the underlying love. This issue is particularly prominent when showing the difficulties in Homer and Marge's marriage. I think the flashback episodes in later seasons are better at illustrating why Homer and Marge love each other and stay together during the hard times. It also didn't help that the season included 3 episodes with a marriage crisis in the last 5 episodes of the season. The Simpsons is an episodic show, so it is not like these episodes are featuring events in sequential order, but clogging up the last few episodes with that much marriage trouble makes it seem like Homer and Marge's marriage is hanging by a thread. This season also spent a lot more time focusing on the family's troubles with money. It makes them very relatable and while money is certainly an issue in later episodes, they address it in almost every episode here, showing that the family wants to get great gifts and make good memories but that they also need to balance that with staying financially afloat. It would limit the show if they had to address money in every episode, but it does play a role in making the family seem more grounded. 

In terms of specific character changes, I would say that Homer was the character they had the most trouble establishing at first. It seems like the show started off with Homer as a generally responsible, image-conscious man who wants to prove himself to his boss and make sure his family looks perfect. His obsession with how others perceive him is something that shows up prominently in episodes like "There's No Disgrace Like Home" and his sense of pride also propels him to beat Bart in a video game in "Moaning Lisa." He has his trusting, dumb, and angry moments as well that are more consistent with his later characterization, but his desire to establish a good image does not match with the man who will lie naked in a kiddie pool in his backyard in later seasons. It leads to some weird episodes of characterization in this season.  

The characterization for Marge was pretty strong in this season, especially when we see the childhood flashback of her mother telling her to smile no matter how she is feeling inside. Later episodes show her explosions of emotion when she reaches a breaking point, so it makes all too much sense that she represses her feelings until they explode. The only thing that does not fit is the moment where she gets drunk at the Power Plant picnic. This was a mistake and she does not have a drinking problem in most other episodes, but it is a bit weird when you are watching this season.

I have heard that Bart was the most popular character in the early seasons of The Simpsons and I think these episodes do a great job showing that he is a bit of a troublemaker, but that he has a sincere, sweet side to him as well. This means that he is less evil and more morally grey in his depiction. I also love that this season has several instances featuring Bart's active imagination. This imagination comes into later seasons as well, but it was nice to see that they started early with this depiction.

Lisa is depicted as a smart character, but it is also clear that she has strong emotions and convictions as well. One of the things that makes her character particularly funny in this season is the way that they juxtapose the side of her that is clearly a child with her intellectual side. She may enjoy a show like The Happy Little Elves that was clearly intended for young children, but the next moment will have her explaining to her aunts that they shouldn't malign her father. As she explains: 

I wish you wouldn't because aside from the fact that he has the same frailties as all human beings, he's the only father I have. Therefore, he is my model of manhood and my estimation of him will govern the prospects of my adult relationships. So I hope you bear in mind that any knock at him is a knock at me and I'm far to young to defend myself against such onslaughts.

There is something intrinsically funny about having someone who seems like a young child say something so eloquent. In later seasons, they try to make Lisa act so much older than her age that they have less opportunity for jokes like this. 

This season had a very consistent tone, so while there were a few standouts on both the good and the bad side, many of the middle episodes might fluctuate for me. Since this season is so much shorter than a standard season of The Simpsons, I have decided to rank all the episodes, but in future seasons, I will mainly be doing a Top 7 and Bottom 7 list, this also helps because every season is bound to have a few "meh" episodes and it can be hard to explain which qualities make something "meh," it is much easier to explain what makes an episode work and what doesn't. It also will make it easier to see the general trend or "flavor" of the season in both its highest and lowest moments. I think countdowns make the ranking more fun and suspenseful and I think I will start with the best episodes.

Top 7 Best

7. "Some Enchanted Evening"

This episode is a fun adventure as the children try to escape from a truly threatening character. It is suspenseful to see the babysitter's face on America's Most Wanted and great to see the kids defeat her. The marriage crisis that prompts Marge and Homer to go on their enchanted evening seems forced to me and makes their marriage seem extremely rocky due to the marriage episodes all falling toward the end of the season. Also, the fact that the agency refuses to send a babysitter to the Simpsons, but sends one to the Thompsons when it is clear that they are the same people makes me wonder if they were in on it and sent the evil babysitter on purpose. 

6. "Life on the Fast Lane"

Out of all the marriage crisis episodes, this is one of the better ones and definitely the best one in this season. Jacque is a good temptation for Marge because you can see how his classiness would appeal to her. I also love the hilarious part at the end when Marge is driving down an ironic street with so many images of happily married people. The part where she visits Homer at the end is also very sweet. The only downside of this episode is that Homer's decision to buy Marge a birthday gift that was clearly intended for him makes him look extremely self-centered. It becomes especially sad when Jacque buys Marge a bowling glove with her name stitched in and Marge is so happy to finally receive a gift that was made for her. This makes you wonder why Marge and Homer love each other at all, which undercuts some of the sweet emotional moments in this story.

5. "The Crepes of Wrath"

This episode has a lot of funny moments like the political debate between Lisa and Adil about America's potential. I also love that Adil is clearly a spy but Homer thinks that he just wants to bond and learn more about his job. Homer innocently does not consider the security concerns that come with working at a nuclear power plant. This storyline is good at making Homer seem sweetly oblivious rather than dumb. It is also such a great payoff at the end of the episode to see that Bart's immersion in France has allowed him to learn French and free himself from horrible mistreatment. The only downside is that the evil winemakers that Bart is sent to live with torture him a bit too much. It becomes a bit meanspirited and it is hard to believe that two unscrupulous men like that would be able to work as a host family for a foreign exchange student. 

4. "Bart the Genius"

This one has a particularly hilarious scene where Bart is trying to visualize a math problem but his overactive imagination causes this to be more of a distraction than a help. It is also fun to see Bart pretending to be a genius. It is actually a good visualization of how imposter syndrome feels when you are in graduate school. There are also some fun jokes at the opera and some great observational humor when the family is playing scrabble. Also, the fact that Bart confesses everything at the end is a great testament to the goodness that is inside of him. He might do bad things, but episodes like this show that Bart has a conscience and is willing to confess and make things right.

3. "Krusty Gets Busted"

This is the episode that starts Sideshow Bob on his vengeful quest and also establishes the way that Bart refuses to believe the worst about Krusty the Clown. While some of this could be a mistaken belief that he knows who Krusty is, Bart is also a good judge of the lines that Krusty will not cross. I also love the way that this episode features Bart and Lisa's detective skills, the episodes where they team up together to solve a mystery are always fun and clever. This episode is particularly good at leaving clues that make you feel like you could solve it as well. I also find it amusing that the children are just as fond of Sideshow Bob's show as they are of Krusty's when Bob's show is clearly a great deal more intellectual than Krusty's. To be honest, I probably would do a similar show if I were a children's entertainer. I really don't like talking down to children and they can do a lot of great things if you just speak honestly to them. 

2. "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"

The first episode of The Simpsons is certainly a classic one! Even though I started watching The Simpsons after several of the seasons were on DVD, this was still the first episode I ever saw. I think it is funny how Ned Flanders is unintentionally competing with Homer but putting up fancier decorations or getting better gifts. It would be mean-spirited if Flanders was trying to rub it in Homer's face, but instead, Flanders is just going about his life. It is also amusing to see Bart's imagination as he imagines that his mom will like the Mother tattoo that he gets when she certainly never would like him getting a tattoo at his age. I also think this episode is good at subverting the standard formula for Christmas movies and specials: Instead of getting Christmas money by winning the dog race or through the kindness of the community, the Simpson family is able to have a great Christmas by taking in the dog who lost the race. It is a charming episode and is still a fun one to watch at Christmas time! 

1. "The Call of the Simpsons"

This episode is so much fun! I love how it brings back both Homer's competitive streak with Flanders and the Simpson family's financial difficulties. The family buys a very cheap RV and it is so fun to see Homer try to taunt Ned with his purchase when Ned has already bought a superior RV. Once the family is stranded in the wilderness, it opens things up for so many great jokes! It is funny that Marge and Lisa can build a shelter and a fire while Homer and Bart shiver almost naked in the woods. It is hilarious to see Homer set a trap for a rabbit and the trap instead launches it over the forest. I also love the series of misunderstandings and accidents that make Homer look exactly like Bigfoot. And the confusion from the media when Marge says that Homer is her husband. This leads to a series of funny news headlines while the scientists try to prove Homer's humanity. Maggie also has a cute storyline in this episode when she generally fell to the background in this season. On a deeper level, this episode is great at making you feel like you are enjoying a camping trip with them. It reminds me of my family vacations where little things might go wrong, but it usually makes for a fun and memorable experience. In the end, no matter what goes wrong on the trip, the main things that you take away are the fun times you have with your family. 

Top 6 Worst

6. "Moaning Lisa"

This episode explores some interesting ideas, including the effect that inspiring people can hold in brightening our lives. It also explores depression (It's odd how many season 1 episodes do that), in particular, those days when you are feeling blue and cannot precisely figure out why. It also makes a good point that you should not repress your emotions to be more socially acceptable. Marge tells Lisa to hold her sadness inside like she was taught as a little girl and she quickly realizes that this is a mistake. But there are some things that bring this episode down for me. The first thing is that Marge unplugs Homer and Bart's game so that they can pay more attention to Lisa, but Homer was just about to win and only would have needed another minute or two to do so. This bothers me because we spend so much time with Homer as he trains to win this game and it is frustrating to see him fail in this way. If he had sacrificed by unplugging the game himself or allowing Bart to kill his character so that he can give Lisa the attention she needs at this moment, that would have made sense to me. Marge unplugging it makes it seem like Homer's goals are less important than Lisa's vague emotions. It also bothers me that Lisa does not have a specific reason to be sad. I know that many people have days where they just feel blue and cannot put their finger on why. There are times when I need to figure out what my emotions mean, so if Lisa eventually realized what she was upset about, that would make sense to me. Just allowing Lisa to feel sad makes some good points about emotional honesty with yourself and others, but it also makes Lisa seem a bit wishy-washy and mopey. Especially since her song makes it sound like she is upset at Marge for giving the last two cupcakes to Bart and Homer when she told Marge that she didn't need one. I think Lisa is likable and relatable in this episode, but to me, she comes very close to falling into unlikability.

5. "Bart the General"

At this point, the episodes are not bad, they just are not as good as others. For this episode, I enjoyed the military strategy and the way that they used military imagery and training on what would otherwise be a fairly standard "facing your bullies" kind of story. It also shows Bart's good heart, because he only gets into trouble with the bullies because he is trying to help protect Lisa's cupcakes. I find it a bit strange that Lisa fades from the story in the second half of the episode since she indirectly was such a prominent part of the early conflict in this film. I think this episode would have been stronger if Nelson was picking on Bart for a reason more directly connected to him or if Lisa had played a more prominent role in the story. 

4. "The Telltale Head"

For this one, I enjoy the flashback storytelling and I think that Bart's crisis of conscience is good at showing that Bart is decent and principled deep down. This one has a few funny moments, but it doesn't really shine in the humor department. The only exception is the way that it exaggerates the heartbreak the whole town feels about the decapitated statue. What bothers me about this episode is that it does not make sense for the bullies to advocate for decapitating the statue and then claim they want to pummel the person who did it once it actually happens. It reminds me of a bad short story I wrote in college where the main character's father is suddenly disappointed with her for making too many compromises when she was trying to make him proud. It's the kind of sudden turn that makes sense if you want to hammer in a point but does not seem consistent with the way people actually act. It could work, in principle, but would require more set-up and discussion than the episode actually gives it. I think the only point of having it was so that the episode could point out that peer approval is fickle and ultimately not worth it.

3. "There's No Disgrace Like Home"

This episode is pretty funny and has a lot of scenes I like. I enjoy the contrast between the nice family at the plant that he imagines as angelic and his own family that he imagines as a bunch of demons. I also think it is amusing that Homer takes his family to go observe other healthy families through the window and then afterward, the police are on the lookout for "a creepy family of Peeping Toms." It is also funny to see how every member of the family draws Homer as the source of their unhappiness and that they ultimately "earn" their new TV by failing to achieve family bliss at Marvin Monroe's clinic. With so much to like, why is this one midway through my bad list? The first reason is that it highlights the family dysfunction without fully showing that the family members truly care for each other and why they care. The other issue is characterization. It is strange that this episode has Homer worrying about the family's image and how this reflects on his job and Marge getting drunk and making a fool of herself at the picnic. In any other season, Marge would be the one trying to fix the dysfunction and pawning the TV to get them into therapy. The episode is fun in many ways, but the mixed characterization bugs me and the dysfunction can seem a bit mean-spirited at times.

2. "Homer's Odyssey"

This episode is a strange one that gets a lot darker than you would expect in such an early episode as it addresses the issue of suicide. I saw a great video essay on this episode and the way that it depicts the way that depression and dark thoughts can compel someone to make some tragic choices. (I will include that video here because I think it does a good job analyzing the deeper messages in this episode). The main issue with addressing that kind of subject matter is that the majority of the episode is not particularly funny. Other than the occasional dark joke here and there. Also, while it is sweet to see how Homer's dedication to safety ultimately gives him his joke as the nuclear safety technician, later episodes show that he is not particularly safe and that this position is rather ironic. As a result, the darker themes make it less fun to watch this episode on its own while the depiction of Homer's job in later seasons goes against this supposed canon and makes a lot more sense for the character. 

1. "Homer's Night Out"

What bothers me about this episode is that it is the second episode showing marriage issues between Homer and Marge and for some reason, they decided to put the two episodes back-to-back. This episode is definitely the worst of the two, but both of them make Homer extremely unlikable. In later seasons, Homer gets into fights due to mistakes he makes or dumb things that he does, but he clearly means well and cares about Marge. These episodes are much less clear about that, so Homer often comes off as a jerk who only cares about himself. Another thing that bothers me about this episode is that the progression of the story does not make much sense. Homer dances next to a woman at a bachelor party and then Marge is upset about how this objectifies the woman in the picture. While Homer would never cheat on Marge and so I am glad the episode does not go in that direction, Marge is extremely angry and not for a reason that makes sense, like thinking that Homer was lusting after this other woman. Also, many Simpsons episodes are able to be hilarious while also making a good point, but this one tries to suddenly tackle sexism in the second half of the episode. It would take a whole episode to address an issue like this with humor and nuance, so instead the episode seems preachy and heavy-handed.