Season 02 in Review

General Thoughts: What a difference a year makes. Starting with the very first episode and continuing on through the finale, season two is (for the most part) a dramatic improvement over season one. Now, again: I don't hate season one. It has a lot of good moments, but unfortunately most of them fall in like two episodes. Season one isn't as notoriously bad as I'd remembered it being. It's just that the bad, for the most part, far outweighed the good. With season two, things are immediately *so good* that I really don't have anything bad to say about a lot of these episodes.

The show is getting a lot more comfortable (and successful) with sentiment. Season one swung for the fences in a lot of ways - like having Homer try to commit suicide. Season two dials it back and focuses more on smaller issues that are more identifiable. Entire episodes are devoted to dissecting characters in some of the funniest (and most touching) ways possible. Very, very rarely is an episode ever less than 100% successful in what it tries to accomplish. 

Which, obviously, is both extraordinary and really surprising. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that they must have replaced the entire writing staff in between seasons. It's that noticeable of a change. However, something even better happened: these writers were able to figure out what the show is and what it has the potential to be and were able to hit the ground running in the new year. I don't know that something as good as season two could exist if they hadn't made (and obviously learned a great deal from) the mistakes of season one.

There are still misses here, but they're all generally more enjoyable than the misses from season one because A) they're often a great deal funnier, and B) the pace is dramatically improved. Gone are montages where we get one joke every thirty seconds or so. The pace still isn't quite as "break neck" as it will eventually become, but it also isn't the glacial pace of certain episodes of the past. The show is also getting a bit more comfortable with the types of jokes that it's telling. We're getting a combination of great visual gags, snappy dialog and great pop culture references - all often within a few seconds of one another.

The humor is also coming directly out of the characters and plot, for the most part. There aren't any "references for references sake" to be found, even in something as pop culture reference heavy as "Three Men an a Comic Book."

It's clear that the writers still have a little bit of learning to do, but they've more than proven that they're capable of doing it.

This season has some really, really great guest appearances. The highlight is obviously Dustin Hoffman, under the pseudonym of "Sam Etic" as the wonderful Mr. Bergstrom, Lisa's substitute teacher. However, people like Danny DeVito and even Jon Lovitz all turn in wonderful performances throughout the year. The show is both letting these people play to the best of their strengths and using them to tell some wholly unique and really satisfying stories. Nobody shows up in a "Hey, isn't it WACKY that _______ is visiting Springfield?!?" capacity. The closest we get to that is Ringo Starr, and even he's worked into the plot in a way that is both funny and plays off a few great Marge-centric character moments.

The animation is really working itself out. There are still some signs of "early in the season jitters," but all in all everything looks very smooth and polished (note: those are synonyms, so the previous sentence might not make much sense).

A major theme of the second season is, surprisingly, love. We get a lot of episodes in a row, especially towards the back half of the year, that deal with relationships between characters. Patty (or Selma, I can never remember) tries desperately to find a husband. Lisa experiences her first crush (sort of). Homer and Marge continue to have marriage issues. Even though the show is animated and even while all the funny jokes are going on, the writers still manage to ground these characters in a sense of reality and have them go through genuine experiences.

All in all, with the type of consistent quality on display coupled with the fact that the writers are clearly interested in telling interesting stories beyond just fishing for laughs, "The Simpsons" has set itself apart from almost every other show on television almost immediately with its second season. Three of my top ten favorite episodes in the history of the series (at least for right now) are in this season. Three. That's a damn good record.

Is "season two" the best that "The Simpsons" will ever be? No. But that really does say quite a bit about just what's about to happen to this show in the coming years.

Best Episode: If "Bart the Daredevil" was one of my favorite episodes of "The Simpsons" ever, "Lisa's Substitute" is one of my favorite episodes of anything, period. It's so, so good. It's a story that single handedly makes little Lisa Simpson one of the most interesting residents of this entire fictional town. It makes her unique, identifiable and REAL. And at its core it's kind of a really adult story pulled off in a shockingly successful way for not just an animated comedy series but for a half hour television show, period. The writers don't waste a single moment and, thankfully, don't miss a single mark, either.

Worst Episode: "Principal Charming." It's not bad as in "this sucks", but bad as in "this does nothing for me." I don't find Patty and/or Selma all that interesting, and certainly not interesting enough to want to watch an entire episode devoted to them where Sideshow Bob isn't trying to murder one or the other.

To be honest, there really isn't a truly "bad" episode in the bunch. There are ones that I like a lot more than others. There are ones, like "Principal Charming," that don't really do much for me or I don't think are as effective as they could be. There was nothing that made me cringe, though. Nothing out and out "bad" in the strictest definition of the word. So when your bad isn't even really technically bad in the strictest definition of the word, you know you're in good shape.

Season High Point: For me, Dustin Hoffman as Mr. Bergstrom. Not only does he turn in a wonderfully subdued performance that manages to make me forget that he's Dustin Hoffman, but he also has one of my favorite lines ever AND his character gives me one of my favorite moments of all time: "You are Lisa Simpson."

Season Low Point: Homer's "Terminator Vision" from "Principal Charming." I get the joke. Really, I do. I just don't think it's funny. And it's a weird break from reality that isn't really worth it in the end.

Episode Scores (out of 10):

1. Bart Gets an F: 8
2. Simpson and Delilah: 8
3. Treehouse of Horror: 8
4. Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish: 8
5. Dancin' Homer: 7
6. Dead Putting Society: 7
7. Bart vs. Thanksgiving: 9
8. Bart the Daredevil: 10
9. Itchy & Scratchy & Marge: 9
10. Bart Gets Hit by a Car: 8
11. One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish: 7
12. The Way We Was: 9
13. Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment: 8
14. Principal Charming: 6
15. Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?: 8
16. Bart's Dog Gets an F: 8
17. Old Money: 8
18. Brush with Greatness: 8
19. Lisa's Substitute: 10
20. The War of the Simpsons: 9
21. Three Men and a Comic Book: 10
22. Blood Feud: 7

Season Score Total (out of 220): 180


Final Season Score (Average): 81/100


Letter Grade: B-

22. Blood Feud

Episode Title: Blood Feud
Episode Number: 35
Original Air Date:  July 11, 1991

Plot Synopsis: When Mr. Burns misses the dedication of his new "Springfield Nuclear Reactor Status" warning sign, Smithers suspects that something must be wrong. His suspicions are soon confirmed when he finds Mr. Burns on the floor of his bedroom, writhing in pain. It seems that he's got something called hypohemia, which is where your body naturally runs out of blood. Mr. Burns has a very rare blood type, so a transfusion is very difficult to get. Homer soon finds out that Bart has that same blood type, so a transfusion is set up and Burns is saved.

Instead of the monetary reward that Homer was expecting, Burns sends the Simpsons a basic "Thank you" card because he's an evil dick. Homer is super annoyed and writes him an angry letter that will likely cost him his job. Marge urges him to sleep on it before sending it, which he does. Bart is impatient, however, and mails the letter anyway. Homer, horrified, attempts to get the letter before it is delivered but Burns ends up reading it. Because he's Mr. Burns, he demands that Homer be beaten in retribution.

Smithers ends up calling off the beating because he thinks (rightfully so) that Homer should be thanked for saving his life, not bludgeoned for it. Mr. Burns turns into the Grinch from the end of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and buys the Simpsons a giant, $30,000 Indian head statue as a gift. The Simpsons end the episode debating about what the moral of the last few days really was, and end up landing on the "it was just a bunch of stuff that happened" camp.

Overall Thoughts: A solid episode. It doesn't really have a ton going on by way of actual "story," as it squanders two pretty cool ideas (more on that in a minute), but on the whole this episode is totally funny enough to make up for it.

What Works: This episode starts out as a really fun story. I like the idea that Homer holds the key to essentially saving Mr. Burns life and the morality issues he sort of has to struggle with later on.

The  question of "Do we do nice things to do them, or to be rewarded?" is essentially handled very nicely when Homer expects a reward from Mr. Burns and ultimately gets nothing (for a little while, until he gets that giant head statute later on). Homer's disappointing is understandable, as is Marge's insistence that doing the right thing is important.

Bizarrely and awesomely, the biggest morality struggle in the entire episode belongs to Smithers. He has to grapple with the fact that Mr. Burns wants to rough up Homer even though Homer basically saved his beloved Mr. Burns. It's a nice character touch.

As I said before, this episode is very funny. There are a lot of great jokes, and even if the plot isn't all that strong the jokes still manage to tie directly into it. Thus far, "The Simpsons" has been really good at building jokes out of both character and plot instead of complete randomness.

Burns regaining his strength after his blood transfusion is a fun moment. I don't have a ton to say about it, but it's a great character bit and it's worth nothing.

Lisa teaching Maggie about random, non-barnyard animals is adorable. I also don't have a lot to say about this one, either. The first time Lisa teaches Maggie and Burns regaining his strength are probably my two favorite moments in the episode.

What Doesn't Work: Like I alluded to earlier, the episode kind of comes off the rails a little bit towards the end as far as the plot is concerned. I guess everyone learns their lesson, but it just kind of happens. Smithers tells Burns that he shouldn't be mad at Homer, so he's not anymore. Homer gets the point of "we do the right things because they're the right thing to do" kind of automatically. It's a little ho-hum and it ties up a bit too neatly and arbitrarily.

Burns giving the Simpsons the giant Indian head as a token of gratitude is such a bizarre idea. It's funny-ish, but it's not really strong enough to stand on its own as a great punchline for the entire episode.

Also, the idea that he suddenly turns into Mr. "I Love to Give People Giant Gifts" is a weird one. I know that Bart saved his life, and that's cool, but he's still Mr. Burns. And he presumably gives up being Mr. Generosity immediately after this episode ends. It's a sudden character shift that is never really worth it.

One big morality question that never really comes up is the most obvious one: whether they should save Mr. Burns at all. I mean, obviously they should save him. But remember, even by this point Mr. Burns is already an evil dick. He's already hit Bart with his car, for which they were not compensated. It would have been nice to at least have someone ask the question.

This is also the second episode in a row where the characters end the piece by discussing the moral. Settle down, there, guys.

Closing Thoughts: This episode is not as great and memorable as the last few, but still manages to be very funny. I do wish the season could have gone out on a higher note, though. One giant positive: even the sort of pointless episodes from season two, like this one, are still hilarious, which is a lot more than you can say about season one.

Final Grade (out of 10): 7

21. Three Men and a Comic Book

Episode Title: Three Men and a Comic Book
Episode Number: 34
Original Air Date:  May 9, 1991

Plot Synopsis: The Simpsons attend a local comic book convention where Bart spots a copy of "Radioactive Man #1" on sale for $100. It's the first appearance of his favorite superhero and he simply has to have it. The proprietor of the Android's Dungeon comic book shop, the fabled Comic Book Guy, won't budge on the price. His parents won't just give him the $100 and insist that he has to work for it. In a misguided attempt to do just that, Bart starts doing chores for Mrs. Glick, an impossibly old lady who lives... somewhere around town. It's not clear, exactly.

Anyway, Mrs. Glick's chores suck and Bart only gets paid fifty cents for them anyway. Completely dejected and now possessing the true knowledge of the value of a dollar (it's essentially worthless), Bart returns to the Android's Dungeon to try to haggle over the price. He spots Martin Prince doing the same, and Milhouse trying to buy a stupid baseball card like the dopey nerd that he is. Bart realizes that if they all pool their money together they can buy the comic and each own a third. Which they then proceed to do. They also proceed to almost immediately begin fighting over where the comic gets to "live" as all three of the boys insist that it should be kept in their respective homes.

The boys all spend the night in Bart's treehouse to try to figure out what to do with the comic. They end up reading it, and quite frankly it's a pretty honest representation of the quality of superhero comics from the era. Anyway, all three boys get more and more paranoid about their intentions. Bart thinks that Martin and Milhouse are conspiring against him to take the comic for themselves. Martin devises a system where they have a kind of "time share" system for the comic, but for the night the issue is staying put.

When Martin gets up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, Bart thinks he's trying to take the comic and ties him up. Milhouse tries to go talk to Marge about how crazy Bart is getting and Bart attacks him. Right around this time a storm rolls in and it starts getting windy. Milhouse falls out of the treehouse and is saved at the last second by Bart. At the same time, the window blows the comic up against the treehouse wall. Bart has to choose between saving his friend and saving the comic. He ultimately chooses his friend, and the comic is blown out onto the ground. The combination of rain, a well-timed lightning strike and Santa's Little Helper completely destroy the issue. The episode ends the next morning as the boys both reveal that they know what the lesson that should have learned is (that they lost their new favorite thing because that couldn't share it properly) and that they didn't actually learn that lesson at all because they're eight and eight-year-olds are stupid.

Overall Thoughts: This is the third of my "Top Ten" episodes of the season. Season two has been pretty consistently good overall, but these three episodes (the other two being "Bart the Daredevil" and "Lisa's Substitute") are the ones that I consider GREAT. Like, shockingly great.

What Works: This episode marks the first appearance of Comic Book Guy who is immediately a lot of fun, even if his voice isn't quite "right" just yet. Hank Azaria quickly figures out how to tweak his performance and make it just a little bit funnier than it is here. Still, for a random new character, he makes a hell of a first impression.

On a nerdy personal note, this episode really captures what going to comic book conventions as a kid was like. I've been to a few in my day, though I was a bit older than the kids in this particular episode, and they're all more or less pretty much as represented.

I really like Marge's flashback with her stupid tiny oven. It's nice to see flashbacks to a Young Marge in a period of her life where hopes and dreams hadn't been beaten out of her yet. Maybe that's going a little too far, but Young Marge always seems a lot happier and care-free than Current Marge. It's an interesting dynamic.

This episode has so. Many. References. It's legitimately difficult to keep track of them all. From "The Wonder Years" to the 1960s "Batman" TV series to the Fantastic Four, a wide variety of different pop culture icons are all represented, and they're all spot on. I know that the conceit is that we begin the episode at a comic book convention, which is a bit different from the situations the Simpsons usually find themselves in, but the show has never been this reference-heavy before. Even still, it all manages to work and it doesn't feel like "references for references" sake. None of the jokes are "Hey, remember that thing? Wasn't that thing funny?!" Which is good.

All told, this episode is very, very funny from top to bottom. I can't really think of a joke that doesn't land just right. It may actually be the most joke-heavy episode of the season, now that I think of it. There's SO MUCH that happens in such a short amount of time, and all of it's funny. It's kind of like the comedy equivalent of "Lisa's Substitute" in that that particular episode packed a shocking amount of sentiment into such a short run time.

This episode also has its morality on display in ways that fit really comfortably in between all of those jokes. Bart (sort of) learns the value of a dollar though hard work and pain. It's also a "Learn to Share/Something Coming Between Friends" episode that is told in a really effective way, even though I'd hardly call Martin their "friend" but more of an "acquaintance" at this point. I don't know if he ever actually becomes a true "friend," to be honest.

Bart Simpson is a such sarcastic little bastard, but he's so genuine in certain aspects of his personality. We've previously seen just how much he loves Krusty the Clown. Here his love of Radioactive Man is on display. When Bart says that he needs to own that comic, I believe him. It's a great "little kid" aspect of his personality that helps to ground the character in reality, even if he does talk like the most sarcastic adult I've ever met for most of the series.

What Doesn't Work: The animation is still doing that weird thing where their faces twist in half sometimes. It's happening less and less as season two goes on, but it's still happening just enough to creep me out.

Closing Thoughts: I don't know why Bart doesn't just say that he's Batman to get in to the comic book convention. He's basically dressed exactly like Batman. "Bartman" isn't exactly the most original idea he's ever had. I think it totally would have worked.

It's interesting that Milhouse is depicted as just a tiny, tiny bit smarter than Bart. The scene I'm referencing is when Milhouse is the first to figure out that Martin is kind of screwing the other two out of getting to hang onto the "Radioactive Man" comic. I'd never really thought of him quite like that. In my mind, he's always just been the sycophantic Smithers to Bart's Mr. Burns (minus all of that gay stuff).

There's also a hilarious amount of smoking in this episode. Even a guy in the background at Krusty Burger is smoking at one point.

Final Grade (out of 10): 10

20. The War of the Simpsons

Episode Title: The War of the Simpsons
Episode Number: 33
Original Air Date:  May 2, 1991

Plot Synopsis: At Marge's insistence, the Simpsons invite just about everyone they know over for a nice party. Because Homer also lives there, the party quickly turns into a bit of a mess when Homer gets loaded and makes a giant fool of himself. He runs around being obnoxious, looks down Maude Flanders' dress and generally just really, really embarrasses Marge. It gets so bad that Marge makes them to go a weekend marriage counseling retreat hosted by Reverend Lovejoy.

When Homer and Marge get to the retreat, it's quickly very clear that theirs is the only marriage that is suffering from any real problems. Meanwhile, Grandpa is babysitting Bart and Lisa, who quickly figure out how to take advantage of the old timer. They manipulate him into letting them do whatever they want and even end up throwing a party that wrecks the house.

Back at the lake, Homer tries to go fishing secretly but Marge catches him. Marge is mad, and Homer fakes like he understands and tries to go for a walk, but really he just tries to sneak in some fishing. There's a local giant catfish called General Sherman that Homer really wants to catch. Homer ends up kind of sort of accidentally catching General Sherman, who drags him in a boat all around the lake. Marge ends up attending that day's counseling sessions alone.

Bart and Lisa see Grandpa crying over how messed up the house is after the party and feel really bad about it, so they do their best to clean the house before their parents come home. Marge confronts Homer over his desire to go fishing and he releases General Sherman back into the lake without hesitation. Homer is shocked by this, and realizes that he only did it because he loves Marge so much. The two go home to a clean house as happy as can be, where it is quickly revealed that Grandpa totally tricked Bart and Lisa into cleaning the house. The episode ends with a local bait store clerk recounting the legend of "that one time that guy caught that fish," and describing Homer as "seven feet tall" with "arms like tree trunks" and "red hair like the fires of Hell."

Overall Thoughts: This episode covers a lot of the same ground as season one's "Homer's Night Out," albeit in a completely fresh and interesting way. After I finished this episode I couldn't help but think how crazy it must have been to see animated characters treated with this level of importance and sincerity in 1991. Then, a second later, I realized how crazy that concept still is in 2012.

What Works: This episode has lots of really funny lines, especially at the opening party. Two of my favorite bits from this sequence include Patty (or Selma) macing Barney and Homer's flashback sequence to how he thinks he acted when in reality he just turned into a drunken mess.

This episode is another successful "Homer and Marge have a troubled marriage" episode. It's interesting to see what everyone in town thinks of Homer. Not only does Dr. Hibbert basically tell Marge how to kill Homer if she wants, Reverend Lovejoy also kind of hints that she should divorce him. It's a very sweet examination of their relationship, though: Homer and Marge desperately want to make their marriage work, but Homer's personality and general behavior keeps getting in the way time and again.

The image of Homer beating a fish to death with a oar will never not make me laugh.

Grandpa Simpson also gets a bunch of great moments in this episode. My favorite, though, is the reveal that he completely manipulated Bart and Lisa into cleaning the house after their wild party. Don't count Grandpa Simpson out. He's a feisty one.

I really like that the episode ends with Homer essentially becoming a local legend, and it's even better that the "legend" in no way matches up with the reality of the events we just watched.

What Doesn't Work: Nothing here really stands out as egregious, to be totally honest.

Closing Thoughts: This is just a super funny and somewhat touching John Swartzwelder episode from beginning to end. One thing that you need to keep in mind is that the show is still super, super young at this point. This is only the 33rd episode aired, and it's the third that dealt head on with Marge and Homer's marital problems. It's great to see these writers treating the Simpsons as if they're real people with real problems, even if (in my opinion) they only have a 66.6% success rate with this particular topic.

Flanders still likes alcohol, as evidenced by his insistence at being the bartender for the Simpsons party. Am I completely misremembering that at some point he becomes a staunch anti-drinker?

Also: a guy who looks exactly like Hitler goes to church with the Simpsons, which is super weird weird.

Final Grade (out of 10): 9

19. Lisa's Substitute

 

Episode Title: Lisa's Substitute
Episode Number: 32
Original Air Date:  April 25, 1991

Plot Synopsis: When Lisa's teacher Miss Hover comes down with Lyme disease, she is quickly replaced by a substitute in the form of Mr. Bergstrom. Bergstrom is quick to make an impression on the entire class and on Lisa in particular, who almost instantly develops a crush on him.

Right around the same time, Bart gets the wacky idea that he should run for class president. His opponent is Martin Prince, who would do a legitimately okay job. Bart, always needing to be the center of attention, doesn't care about any of that and decides to throw his hat into the ring. The two boys launch smear campaigns against run another in the days leading up to the election. Bart, it seems, is a lock for the popular vote.

Mr. Bergstrom asks Lisa if Homer helps her with her homework on the grounds that her homework is always so "neat" and "correct." Lisa immediately lets her disappointment in Homer be shown, which surprises him. Later on, Homer and Lisa run into Mr. Bergstrom at a museum. Bergstrom tells Homer that he needs to be a better role model for his daughter, which is advice he takes to heart but ultimately doesn't really know what to do with.

Soon Miss Hover returns, much to Lisa's shock. It seems that her Lyme disease fears were psychosomatic, and she's fine. This crushes Lisa, who heads to Bergstrom's apartment to try to talk to him. She finds out that he's already moved out, and catches up with him at the train station. He understands that she's disappointed but knows that she'll understand why he needs to leave. He gives her a note saying "You are Lisa Simpson," which is designed to encourage her whenever she's feeling down and alienated.

Oh, and because nobody actually bothered to vote except Martin and one other person, Martin wins the election much to Bart's shock and horror.

So anyway, when Lisa gets home that night she ends up taking out all her grief on Homer and calling him a baboon. At Marge's insistence and with what Bergstrom told him firmly in mind, he heads up to Lisa's room later on and fixes everything. He also manages to help Bart get over his election loss and he helps Maggie get to sleep, which leads him to proclaim that he's on "the biggest roll of his life."

Overall Thoughts: This is my favorite episode of the series as of right this second. I know that I haven't seen every last episode, but this one has always been my favorite and it remains so after getting the chance to watch it again. This is one for the books, for a wide variety of reasons that I will explain in painful detail starting right now:

What Works: This episode features a truly amazing guest appearance from the great Dustin Hoffman. He's perfectly cast as Mr. Bergstrom and manages to somehow elevate already well-written material. I mean, I know this shouldn't come as any surprise. He's Dustin Hoffman. But still, it's worth noting that yes, he's even good in animated form.

I believe I've said before that Lisa episodes are always among my favorite, and "Lisa's Substitute" is why. She goes through quite the little emotional shift in this episode and comes out the other side a much stronger character. There is so much packed into these twenty-odd minutes, and the episode isn't even entirely devoted to Lisa's story. It's a "Lisa's first crush" AND "Lisa doesn't see Homer as a role model" episode rolled into one. The result is that there isn't one moment that seems wasted. On paper, I can see this one being a tough sell because it's heavy on emotion, but in my mind that makes it all the more impressive that it was pulled off as flawlessly as it was.

Speaking of, Lisa's perception of Homer versus her perception Mr. Bergstrom is pretty fascinating. I like that Mr. Bergstrom almost immediately sees the issue at hand and even confronts Homer about it. The result is that Homer and Lisa's relationship examined quite perfectly. The episode gives Lisa something - Mr. Bergstrom - and then immediately takes it away. The result is that we get to see Lisa's true feelings about what is left - namely, her own father. Again - this isn't only a shocking amount of sentiment for an animated show, but it's also shockingly well done.

There isn't one moment in the episode that seems forced to me. The plot requires Mr. Bergstrom to be awesome so that we believe that Lisa could develop a crush on him, and it succeeds in accomplishing that goal immediately. Mr. Bergstrom is genuinely awesome and it's easy to see what Lisa sees in him.

This episode also features a really wonderful Lisa and Marge bonding moment. Lisa is talking about the way Mr. Bergstrom makes her feel and Marge keeps insisting that Homer makes her feel the same way. Lisa is annoyed by this, to which Marge replies "We can talk, but you're just going to have to accept the fact that I feel that way about your father." It's great.

If you don't at least fight the urge to tear up by the time you get to "You are Lisa Simpson," you are likely some sort of soulless robot who hates love. Like a Terminator.

Even the B-story from this episode is solid. It never overstays it's welcome, and it always comes along at just the right times. It's hardly my favorite part of the episode, but I definitely think it's necessary to help prevent the piece from getting too bogged down with anything overly touchy-feely. It's a really nice juxtaposition.

Also, I think it's important to note how great the entire cast is in this one, particularly Yeardly Smith and Dan Castellaneta. This is the kind of episode that proves that the cast isn't just filled with good voice over actors but good actors, period. Now, I'm not trying to take anything away from great voice over actors and I'm certainly not trying to separate that profession from actors in general.

My point is this: when "Lisa's Substitute" aired in 1991, the show was already hugely popular. It was a cultural phenomenon. Bart is everywhere. The show doesn't have to do an episode like this to be successful. Yet it did. And it wouldn't have been able to do such an episode without an amazing cast to back it up. So not only is the idea that this episode exists crazy, but the idea that it's so good is also pretty mind boggling.

This is such a good episode, you guys.

What Doesn't Work: Not a goddamn thing. Really, I mean it.

Closing Thoughts: I'll say it again: this episode is really touching, funny, and wonderful. If someone were to ask me for an example of how powerful the show can be, this is the episode that I'd show them. 

As a kid in 1991, I'm sure I wouldn't have liked this episode because it isn't laugh-out-loud funny from beginning to end. Watching it later on as an adult, however, this was the episode that made me go "Shit. I think I identify with Lisa more than anyone else."

Mr. Bergstrom also has a really great quote right before he gets on a train and rides out of Lisa's life forever: "That's the problem with being middle class - anybody who really cares will abandon you for those who need it more."

Final Grade (out of 10): 10

18. Brush with Greatness

Episode Title: Brush with Greatness
Episode Number: 31
Original Air Date:  April 11, 1991

Plot Synopsis: Bart and Lisa see a "Krusty the Clown Show" episode that was recorded at the fabled Mt. Splashmore water park and immediately beg Homer to go there. Reluctantly, and only to stop them from repeatedly asking, he agrees to take them. While there, Homer gets stuck in a water slide and realizes just how fat he is. He's "must be removed from a water slide via a large crane" fat. The bathroom scale confirms this and Homer pledges to lose weight.

Meanwhile, Bart finds a bunch of old paintings of Ringo Starr in the attic that Marge had made years earlier. Marge was quite the little artist, it seems, but was ultimately discouraged by a dick art teacher when she was younger. She also sent one of the paintings to Ringo asking for his opinion, and he never responded. These events together made her give up the paint brush for good. However, at Lisa's insistence she enrolls at an art class in the local community college. This goes well and she ends up winning an art show and local praise.

Mr. Burns finds out her name via the newspapers and commissions a portrait of himself for the Burns Wing of the Springfield Art Museum. Mr. Burns comes over so she can paint him (which makes less sense than if she were to go to his mansion, but whatever) and ends up making fun of Homer for being fat while just generally being a dick all day long. Marge boots him out of the house and tries to give up painting again, but Homer encourages her. At the same time, she finally gets a reply from Ringo saying that he loved the painting. He hadn't replied earlier because he replies to all fan mail himself and is only up to the early 1970s. Marge finishes the painting, but with a twist: she paints Mr. Burns nude to make a statement about his general state and personality. People end up liking this a great deal, including Mr. Burns himself.

Overall Thoughts: Okay, so this is happening so often that I'm just not going to mention it any more after today: I remembered this being the "Marge paints Mr. Burns naked" episode, but that's totally only like 30% of this episode, tops. The rest is a lovely story about Marge's artistic side, and a somewhat less lovely but still enjoyable B-story about Homer's desperate attempt to lose weight.

I have nothing to follow that up with. I continue to be surprised, day after day, as I watch these episodes. Which I suppose was the whole point.

What Works: In addition to me not remembering what this episode was actually about at all, this episode is also much, much funnier that I'd remembered it being. Even an extended "Will you take us to Mt. Splashmore?" sequence manages to be really funny, and it's just Bart and Lisa literally asking "Will you take us to Mt. Splashmore?" for easily a solid minute or more.

A quick side note: I love how genuinely Bart and Lisa love Krusty the Clown. He really is their idol, to the point where they hold hands while watching an episode. It's a great, great touch.

This episode features the return of Mr. Burns as a part of the story instead of just being bizarrely interjected somewhere in the mix like in the last few episodes. Mr. Burns is evil here, but it's on a really small and intimate scale. The most egregious thing he does in the whole episode is make fun of Homer for being fat, and it somehow manages to be one of the worst things he's ever done. We, the audience, are allowed to call Homer "fat." Mr. Burns had better watch his mouth if he knows what's good for him.

Ringo Starr appears as himself, which conceptually is kind of dumb, but in execution it's surprisingly perfect. I've never been a fan of most episodes where celebrities appear as themselves, especially from episodes much later in the run. It typically never makes much sense and is rarely ever worth the trouble. However, this is a celebrity appearing as themselves in a way that is both tied directly into the story and also that makes sense and is very, very touching. Ringo himself never says anything that isn't funny, but the act of responding to Marge and encouraging her to continue with her art is great.

Additionally, the idea that Ringo Starr never replied to Marge because he's been meticulously responding to every fan letter he's ever received for the last twenty years is goddamn hilarious.

What Doesn't Work: Jon Lovitz has a brief cameo (well, two, but only one is the issue) as an art teacher, and here he's unfortunately "Hey everyone look at me I'm Jon Lovitz!" Jon Lovitz. It's super brief, so ultimately it isn't a huge deal, but still. However, this does make his incredibly restrained performance as Artie Ziff from a few episodes ago all the more impressive.

Closing Thoughts: All in all, a totally solid episode from the show's second season. I don't know why I'm surprised by how consistently good these episodes are anymore. I really shouldn't be by this point. We're quickly settling into a "Golden Age" of the show, and it's totally amazing that it started so early in the run.

Also: Lenny's voice comes out of Carl's mouth at the nuclear power plant, which is something I didn't notice until I listened to the DVD commentary, which means I'm an unobservant ass.

Final Grade (out of 10): 8

17. Old Money

Episode Title: Old Money
Episode Number: 30
Original Air Date:  March 28, 1991

Plot Synopsis: Homer, Marge and the kids drop Grandpa off at the Retirement Castle after what is apparently another in a long line of disappointing Sunday "Simpson" family outings. After a slight mix-up with his pills, Grandpa meets a lovely young (old) lady named Bea. They hit it off and quickly become boyfriend and girlfriend. Bea's birthday just happens to fall on a Sunday, which means that Grandpa has to go out with the rest of the family instead of spending it with his new beau. They end up going to a safari, which he hates. When he gets back, Grandpa finds out that not only did he miss Bea's birthday, he also missed her death. Because she died.

Grandpa is super bummed and immediately disowns Homer for making him miss Bea's birthday. During the grieving process, Grandpa quickly finds out that Bea left him $106,000 and a message to go "enjoy life." He does a few things (like buy a fancy fez hat and go on a roller coaster), but he finds absolutely no joy in any of this. At Lisa's insistence, he realizes that the only thing that would give him joy would be to give the money to people who need it. Based on that, he holds interviews where people can come up to him and state their case. Otto, Bart and even Mr. Burns all ask for the money. Right around this time Grandpa also forgives Homer.

Grandpa realizes that he doesn't have all the money he needs to help all the people he wants, so he decides to try to gamble to turn his $106,000 into as much as possible. Horrified, Homer tries desperately to stop this. He does, and ends up saving Grandpa from losing it all on a bad bet. Grandpa then turns around and dumps the money back into the Retirement Castle, complete with a "Bea Simmons Memorial Dining Room." He ends the episode by telling his friends that "dignity is on me."

Overall Thoughts: This is another episode that I had literally no memory of. I'm sure I've seen it at some point in the past 21 years, but I wouldn't exactly be able to prove that if you tried to make me right now. Again, that's not really of concern to anyone but myself, but I thought it was interesting. One thing that I'm learning as I go back and watch every episode is that I might not necessarily know this show as well as I thought I did.

What Works: I've always liked Grandpa, and it's nice to spend a full episode with him. We've seen a number of episodes this year devoted to secondary characters, and I think it's really great that the writers were willing to branch off from the core family members almost immediately.

This episode isn't hugely funny by any means, but it does have a few really good lines and gags. My favorite thing in the episode might be a quite bit where Homer initially thinks that Bea is invisible.

I love darkness (again, darkness that isn't bizarre cartoon suicide attempts), and this episode plays to that love pretty well. It's very touching and emotional that Grandpa misses Bea's birthday to go out with stupid Homer on his misguided family bonding trip, and then Bea ends up dying suddenly while he was away. It's just another of the many examples of how this show really is unlike most other shows on television, and certainly all other animated shows of the time.

Also, Grandpa makes a really funny noise during a quick montage of him not having fun in various places after Bea dies. It's hard to describe in text, but it really makes me laugh and I think I'm going to try to start using it as an expression of discontent in my everyday life.

I also like that, from the perspective of the core characters, this is fairly honest portrayal of taking care of an elderly family member. Homer's part of the story is essentially "I feel obligated to spend time with my father but I don't really want to or know how." It's a very relate-able angle to take. Later on, when Grandpa briefly disowns Homer for making him miss Bea's birthday (and eventual death), Homer is legitimately upset and that's really nice.

The finale of the episode is a lovely sequence in which Grandpa puts all of his/Bea's money back into the Retirement Castle. It's lovely sentiment and not at all what I expected to happen when a Simpson inherits hundreds of thousands of dollars.

What Doesn't Work: The safari trip early on in the episode (the trip that makes Grandpa miss Bea's birthday) isn't funny and breaks with the believability for no great reason. Now, as I said, I really love that Grandpa misses Bea's birthday because of Homer's misguided attempt to spend time with him. I just wish that misguided attempt was funnier.

Speaking of, the whole episode really isn't that funny. I'm not sure if I should necessarily hold that against it, though. I will, because it's still a comedy show, but for the most part "laughter" is replaced by something I often enjoy just as much: pain. So it's a kind of give and take thing with this episode, I guess.

From the "Small nitpick" category: Mr. Burns begging for Grandpa's money doesn't make sense, and the writers don't make any attempt to justify it. It feels like it's an excuse to have a popular character show up for a second and little else. Though, to be fair, I can't see Burns ever being so popular that they would try to shoehorn him into an episode like this. If anything, I think they just assumed that one old man begging another old man for money would be funnier than it really is.

Closing Thoughts:  Wikipedia tells me that this episode isn't really liked by a lot of people. It has its supporters, which I now consider myself among, but a lot of people think this is the worst episode of season two. It's been called overly sentimental to its detriment, which I absolutely don't agree with. I like the sentimentality on display here, so I think that's probably why I like it more than most. I don't love it, though, as I wish it was funnier.

One thing that I keep noticing throughout all these season two episodes: 

Jacques from "Life on the Fast Lane," who is by far my least favorite character from the show's history, keeps appearing in the background of episodes as if to taunt me. It happens again in this episode. Quite frankly, it's happening so often that it's getting hard not to take it personally. They even added him to the main credits sequence in season two.

Final Grade (out of 10): 8

16. Bart's Dog Gets an F

Episode Title: Bart's Dog Gets an F
Episode Number: 29
Original Air Date:  March 7, 1991

Plot Synopsis: As the episode begins, Santa's Little Helper is going through his day inadvertently causing as much trouble as possible. He eats Homer's breakfast and then later escapes from the backyard and goes into a random elderly neighbor's pool for a swim. He's not the most well-behaved dog on the planet, is the point. Right around this time we also find out that Lisa has the mumps and is going to have to stay home from school for at least a week. Additionally, Homer sees Stupid Flanders out and about for a jog and is immediately jealous of his new "Assassins" sneakers.

Because Santa's Little Helper is destroying everything in sight, the family sends him to obedience school. The "Assassins" shoes cost $125, which in 1991 was the equivalent of about $10,000 in today's money. Homer heads to the mall and, after imagining Flanders giving him an order to waste his money on dumb sneakers, buys them. Meanwhile, Marge is filling Lisa's time by teaching her to sew. They work on Marge's family heirloom quilt together. A short time later, Santa's Little Helper manages to destroy both Homer's shoes and the quilt (and Homer's awesome-looking cookie). Homer proclaims that they're giving the dog away. Bart makes him a deal - he gets to keep the dog if it passes obedience school. Homer, not seeing a scenario where the dog could ever do that, agrees.

No matter how hard Bart tries, he just can't get the dog to do anything right. The end appears to be nigh - Homer is going to give the dog away. Lisa urges Bart to bond with the dog in their last hours together. Bart plays with him, and as a result Santa's Little Helper begins to respond to Bart's commands. The dog passes obedience school by the skin of his teeth, and Lisa starts a new quilt to replace the one the dog destroyed. Meanwhile, Homer still doesn't have his awesome new shoes or his awesome cookie.

Overall Thoughts: An entire episode almost entirely devoted to Santa's Little Helper is kind of daring. I mean, I know it isn't entirely devoted. There are both "B" and "C" stories here with Homer and his dumb shoes and Lisa staying home from school. And the episode isn't ABOUT Santa's Little Helper so much as it is about how everyone feels about Santa's Little Helper. But still. I'd be terrified to write an entire episode focused on a character that doesn't speak. But not only did they go for it, I think they pulled it off. Is this one of the best episodes of the season? No. But it's a solid "double up the middle," to use football terminology.

What Works: There are few things funnier than Homer when he thinks he's right in the seconds before he realizes that he's absolutely wrong. The notable example in this episode is when the Simpsons' old neighbor calls to bitch about Santa's Little Helper, who Homer insists is tied up in the back yard. Homer is fighting this particular point SO HARD, and it's very funny when he realizes that the dog escaped.

"Santa's Little Helper vision" is a fun mixture of half "serial killer," half "Raimi-cam from THE EVIL DEAD." I think it's supposed to be a PREDATOR reference, actually, but I like my explanation better.

Homer's story doesn't have a lot of payoff, but it ties into the main story of the episode quite nicely and doesn't overstay its welcome. Homer is jealous of Flanders' fancy new shoes. Homer wants fancy new shoes of his own. He goes to the mall, can't afford them, buys them anyway after he imagines Flanders ordering him to, and Santa's Little Helper eats them. It's very simple.

By the time Santa's Little Helper ruins Marge's family quilt late in the episode, it legitimately hurts. When Marge Simpson is sad, the audience is sad. That's the signs of a great, fleshed-out character.

This episode also proves that Bart legitimately loves Santa's Little Helper, and it's quite touching. We haven't seen a ton of Santa's Little Helper since "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire," but I really do like that he's not forgotten. Every once and awhile I think you need an episode like this to reaffirm a character relationship, even if one of the characters in question is arguably the world's stupidest dog.

There is a GREAT payoff to "Santa's Little Helper vision" towards the end when, after an entire episode of hearing people speak as variations of "Blah blah BLAH blah," the dog finally hears Bart say "Blah blah blah SIT." It's really pretty terrific.

What Doesn't Work: A surprising amount of this episode is just Santa's Little Helper destroying stuff and causing trouble. I like the stuff at the beginning, and I really like when he destroys the quilt, but all the stuff in the middle I can take or leave, to be honest.

Also, the episode ends with a really half assed "Animal House" homage that doesn't work. The title cards for all the dogs graduating from Canine School go by too quick, aren't funny and the other two are referencing dogs that we barely ever saw. A nitpick? Absolutely!

Closing Thoughts:  Santa's Little Helper has long since outgrown his role as "Bart's dumb dog," but it's nice to see that he actually advanced to his current position naturally by way of episodes like this rather than arbitrarily coming to fill that role after the writers didn't really have a use for him anymore. Even the animals on "The Simpsons" see more character development than what is found on most other sitcoms.

One last notable item from this episode: Troy McClure appears on television, very briefly, and isn't voiced by Phil Hartman! That's wacky!

Final Grade (out of 10): 8

15. Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?

Episode Title: Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
Episode Number: 28
Original Air Date:  February 21, 1991

Plot Synopsis: Grandpa Simpson suffers a mild heart attack after watching the latest "McBain" movie in a theater. Despite the fact that it was a super, super mild heart attack, Grandpa is now confronted with his own sense of mortality and decides to reveal to Homer that he has a long-lost half brother. It seems that ol' Grandpa had an affair with a carnival worker years back. Homer goes to the orphanage where his brother was adopted and ultimately finds out that he lives in Detroit. After making a few calls (four, to be exact), he gets in contact with one Herbert Powell, bastard son of Abe Simpson and unbeknownst to Homer, a rich car manufacturer.

So the Simpsons go to see Herb and quickly find out about that whole "rich car manufacturer" part. Herb quickly finds out what his life has been missing - a family - and gives the Simpsons everything they want and desire. He's great with the kids, he pampers Marge and he even puts Homer to work designing a new car that average Americans will love. Homer has a hard time working with Herb's team at first, but after an ultimately misguided pep talk Homer is fueled with self value and gets to work. Not surprisingly, the car that Homer designs ends up being something that a seven-year-old would think was really cool. Herb, who was completely absent from the design process and just let Homer do whatever he wanted despite warnings from his staff, is caught off guard and totally shocked by this.

Because the car is so impractical, awful-looking and ridiculously expensive, it ends up bankrupting Herb's company and costing him his fortune. As Herb prepares to get on a bus and get out of their lives forever, he tells Homer that he "has no brother." Homer is disappointed, but is slightly less so when Bart reveals that he really liked his dad's car.

Overall Thoughts: I had almost no memory of this episode, which is very weird to me. Literally the only thing I remembered about this episode going in was the car that Homer designs in the third act. It's weird to me because there was a decent-sized period of my life where I'd fall asleep to three or four episodes of the show every night, week in and week out, and they were all exclusively seasons two through eight or nine. So somehow, I completely missed this episode for years and years.

I understand that doesn't have any relevance to my thoughts on the episode, or to you, dear reader, or to anything really. It just kind of warped my mind for a second and I wanted to mention it.

What Works: This episode is filled with lots of great one-liners and just funny jokes in general. I really like the running joke that has been running throughout the season (that I also didn't remember at all) that Homer always thanks the Lord for nuclear power whenever he has to lead grace before a meal.

The fact that Dr. Hibbert has an identical twin brother who is searching for him and that Homer could really easily tell him exactly where his brother is if he were self aware enough to realize what is going on, but he isn't so he doesn't, is a wonderful joke.

I enjoy the deathbed confession angle of the story. Grandpa Simpson having an affair with a carnival worker is surprisingly dark territory for the show. Now, there is that whole "Homer tries to commit suicide" episode from season one that is crazy dark and certainly much darker than this, but that was "Bad, Uncomfortable and Bizarre" dark. This is good dark.

This episode features another terrific guest actor holding his own amidst a cast of professionals. Danny DeVito is PERFECT casting for Homer's long lost half brother. His voice just sounds related to Homer Simpson.

The stuff with the Simpsons interacting with Herb's rich lifestyle isn't really advancing the plot, but it doesn't feel wasted, either. It's all funny, and a lot of it is rooted in character, so I don't mind spending time in these areas of the story one bit.

More than anything, I like the idea that Homer really just can't get ahead. I like that aspect of his character quite a bit. Even when he tries really hard, as he does in this episode when he's given the opportunity to design his perfect car, he just can't help but screw everything up somehow.

Additionally, Self Confident Homer really is a terrifying thing. Herb gives Homer a pep talk at one point to try to boost his self esteem for the car designing process. Homer almost immediately gets drunk on his own ego and turns into a one-man wrecking ball. Self Confident Homer may be funny, but I think it's a very sweet aspect of the character that even he realizes that too much self value can be a bad thing.

I really, really enjoy that there's no real "catch" with Herb. He doesn't turn out to be some rich monster bent on ruining people's lives. He's not a secret serial killer or any other contrived thing that would force him out of the family's lives at the end of the episode. He's just a shrewd guy who knows how to run a business who got ahead in life. End of story. Nothing else needed. It's very, very restrained and it allows for much better storytelling.

As with a lot of these, this episode ends on a very sweet note. Even though Homer has literally ruined his half brother's life, he still takes comfort when Bart tells him that he really liked the car that Homer designed. It's very touching.

What Doesn't Work: Nothing in particular stands out as "not working." There's some wonky animation when Herb and the kids are rolling around on the floor, laughing at an episode of "Itchy & Scratchy," I guess.

Closing Thoughts:  Something really crazy happens in this episode and it's so goddamn masterful that it's worth noting. At one point, Herb requests that Bart call him "Unkee Herb" instead of "Uncle Herb," as the latter sounds too formal. Now, it's never explicitly stated that Bart is doing it to appease Herb because he's super rich and is giving Bart anything he wants. There is no scene that nails "complete selfishness" as the reason that Bart is calling him that. But something in Bart's character, coupled with the fact that he calls him "Unkee Herb" SO MUCH, lands the idea that "Bart is only doing this because if he does, Herb will continue to let him do and say whatever he wants."

THAT is writing, folks.

I really like that, apart from one episode next season, Herb is never really seen or heard from again. Such is the affect that the Simpsons have on people - even half family members.

I also like that Herb is, essentially, a victim in the story. His only crime was trusting his half brother to not be a complete moron. Lesson learned.

This episode also features another clip of  "McBain," which is always a good thing.

All in all, another fine half hour from "The Simpsons" season two. We're a little more than halfway through the season, and at this point I feel like it definitely would have become appointment television for hypothetical "27-year-old living in 1991" Me.

Final Grade (out of 10): 8

14. Principal Charming

Episode Title: Principal Charming
Episode Number: 27
Original Air Date:  February 14, 1991

Plot Synopsis: Homer gets Marge to get Patty and Selma to watch the kids so that they can try out a new all-you-can-eat barbecue restaurant. In return, Marge calls in a nigh-impossible favor: Homer has to find Selma a man. Patty and Selma recently attended a wedding and she realized that her time to find a suitable mate is running out.

Bart burns his own name into the grass at school like the dummy he is, and while meeting with Skinner Homer realizes that he may have just found Selma a husband. Homer invites Skinner over for dinner with the intention of setting up Selma. Instead, Skinner inexplicably falls for Patty. Wakka wakka wakka. At Selma's insistence, Patty ends up going out with Skinner regardless of the fact that she doesn't really care about him at all. Selma says that this is her last chance to find a man, so she might as well make the best of it (more or less).

Skinner tries to get to Patty through Bart. Bart, in turn, uses the opportunity to vandalize more things at school because "Skinner works for him now." Meanwhile, Homer's still trying to hook Selma up with just about anyone, and she and Barney Gumble go on a date to Moe's. Marge really doesn't think setting Selma up with Barney as a good idea which, to be fair, is totally not a good idea.

Skinner proposes to Patty, who flat out turns him down due in equal parts to disinterest and an undying loyalty to her sister. Patty heads to Moe's to save Selma from Barney, and the two go off together. Skinner returns to his former dictatorial glory and makes Bart re-sod the grass at school.

Overall Thoughts: I've never loved Patty and/or Selma when one of them isn't almost getting murdered by Sideshow Bob, and this episode is certainly no exception. Look, I get what this episode was trying to do, and in that regard I suppose it's successful, but it just isn't for me, I guess.

What Works: I like this episode a lot more in concept more than in execution. So to focus on the good things:

I like that we're spending time with secondary characters. I've gone on before about how fleshing out the background characters is a great, effective way to really build up a believable and real environment for our main characters. So I like that. I just wish those characters weren't Patty and Selma. I like those two when they're serving their primary function as "Marge's annoying sisters who hate Homer." I'm not against them becoming "real people," for lack of a better term, but again: I just don't like them enough to spend a whole episode with them.

I like that, even though it isn't the focus, Bart and Skinner's relationship is further explored. Bart very quickly decides to use Skinner's love of Patty (or Selma - who can remember) to his advantage to get away with more vandalism-related things at school. When Skinner and... let's go with Selma call it quits, Skinner bounces back and returns he and Bart's relationship to its normal status. It's a solid B-plot.

The performances in this episode are good. Harry Shearer in particular is great. I think this is the most time we've spent with Skinner thus far, and I do like seeing his hopeless romantic side.

There are a few, and I mean a FEW, solid jokes here. Marge has a great line about celibacy being thrust upon Patty (or Selma, as I can't remember now). I also like the idea that Bart's desire to cause trouble is greater than his own sense of self preservation as he burns his own name into the yard at school. Skinner points out that "there are no other Barts," and that he must have known he would be caught.

What Doesn't Work: It's a sweet enough story, but again: I've never really cared for Patty and Selma, like at all. So on the whole, this episode doesn't do a whole lot for me. When I'm basically saying that I didn't care at all about the primary story of the episode, that turns into a problem (for me, at least) pretty quickly. Likewise, this episode doesn't do anything to make me care about Patty and Selma. It's not really fair to call that particular part a "failure" per say, as it's my issue that I don't like Marge's sisters, but it's still an issue.

It's also not that funny, and it has jokes that are falling flat for the first time this season. The extended "Terminator" parody/homage as Homer hunts for a man for Marge's sister, in my opinion, just doesn't work at all. It's not that funny, and it's breaking from the established reality of the series in a way that totally isn't worth it.

There's also a bizarre/dumb callback that I don't like. Bart prank calls Moe's with a request for "Homer Sexual," and later on during the "Terminator" bit Homer lists one of Skinner's downsides as being a "possible homer sexual." It's just a dumb joke that I don't think is funny. Those are just a few of the examples of jokes that really fail to land in this episode.

This is definitely not one of the best of this season, and in fact is the low point thus far.

Closing Thoughts: According to Wikipedia this episode has its fans, but I definitely can't say that I'm among them. Honestly, early-looking animation notwithstanding, if you showed someone this episode and told them it was from about ten years later they'd be hard pressed to argue. I just don't think it's very good, and it marks the first real blemish on an otherwise stellar season two.

Also: Hans Moleman appears here for the first time, and he's much creepier than ever before. He's so tiny, and he looks more like a tiny brown turtle than he will in the future. His name is also Ralph Melish, apparently, according to his driver's license.

Final Grade (out of 10): 6

13. Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment

Episode Title: "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment"
Episode Number: 26
Original Air Date:  February 7, 1991

Plot Synopsis: We begin with a flashback to Bible times as Bible Homer sees Moses bring the 10 Commandments down from that giant mountaintop. Moses gets to the whole "thou shalt not steal" bit, which really annoys Bible Homer.

In the present day, Homer sees Stupid Flanders angrily reject a cable installer guy's offer for an illegal cable hookup. Homer, not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth, chases after him and gets one of his own. Homer and Bart love having all channels for essentially free, while Marge feels a little easy. Lisa feels super uneasy, especially after learning about the 8th commandment in Sunday School. Lisa thinks that Homer is going to hell because he's stealing cable, and that freaks her right out.

Lisa continues to see examples of stealing in the world around her. She goes as far as to seek advice from Reverend Lovejoy, who recommends that she not turn Homer in over the cable because of that whole "honor thy father and thy mother" bit. Lisa instead chooses to stop watching television as a method of nonviolent resistance. Homer continues loving the shit out of free cable, and Bart starts charging neighborhood kids to come over and watch pornography.

Homer invites everyone in town over to watch a big fight on TV, which results in him having to hide all of the mugs he's stolen from Moe's over the years and all of the junk he's "borrowed" from work when Moe and Mr. Burns show up. Lisa refuses to even be in the house while all this is going on to try to boycott the party. Soon Marge follows, then Homer. Bart also goes outside, but not so much because he cares but because he's literally dragged outside by Homer. After the fight is over and everyone leaves, Homer climbs up on the utility pole and nobly cuts off their illegal cable hookup - but not before also cutting the power to every house on the block accidentally.

Overall Thoughts: This is a totally fun little episode that deals heavily with the morality of the Simpson family members. While the idea of stealing cable (and analog cable, at that) is really outdated at this point, the actual themes present in the episode as well as the vast majority of the jokes are able to remain fresh and relevant. I have to wonder, though, if we're at that stage where kids will watch this episode and go "wait, how is he stealing the cable? Where's his set-top box?"

As a bonus, this episode is super Phil Hartman heavy and features the first appearance of the wonderful Troy McClure. As a bonus bonus, we get another appearance (albeit a quick one) of Dr. Nick Riviera.

What Works: I've said before that I like episodes dealing with Simpson money problems, and this episode continues that tradition. The financial woes of Homer aren't necessarily a major focus, but they're basically the catalyst for the story that follows. Homer is poor and can't afford cable, so he steals it. Quick and easy. I think these types of issues make the Simpson family members feel real and grounded, despite all of the zaniness going on around them.

This episode deals heavily with Lisa's sense of morality. Maybe my favorite aspect of her character is just how wise beyond her years she really is. Lisa is a little girl, but she's worrying about some really heavy issues. While Bart is concerned primarily about whether or not there are pirates in hell, Lisa is consumed with fear over the idea that her or her family might get sent there due to the aforementioned cable stealing.

This episode also focuses on the Simpsons as a religious family. Look, I'll be honest - religion isn't really my thing. However, it's always been a firm aspect of their characters and I think it's a really strong and interesting stance to take for an animated show. Religion plays an important role in the lives of these people, and it adds another layer of realism to the whole ordeal.

I quite enjoy the "slippery slope" aspect of the story, here. Homer starts out by stealing cable, and soon he has to hide all the stuff he's stolen from Moe's and work over the years as people start to come over to the house to watch the big fight. Homer makes a decision and pays very much for it. It's a good little idea that is executed (for the most part) really well.

My favorite moment in this episode, hands down, is Marge and the grapes. While at the supermarket, Marge eats two grapes with no intention of paying for them. Lisa witnesses this and warns her mother that stealing is wrong. When they get to the checkout counter, Marge tells the clerk about the grapes and asks to be charged for them at Lisa's insistence. Even though Marge is horribly embarrassed and the clerk is horribly annoyed that he has to get a price check for two grapes, Lisa is clearly proud of her mother. It's a wonderful moment.

What Doesn't Work: I've never loved old-timey recreations of historical or religious events with the Simpsons, like the one featured in the opening of this episode. I don't know, they don't really do anything for me. I get the idea of it - it's setting up the 8th commandment and the story that follows. However, I just don't think it's a very good storytelling device. I've seen other shows do similar things, and I've never liked it in either live action or animation. But that's just me, I suppose.

The story stretches itself just a little thin towards the end of the episode. I get the point when Mr. Burns shows up at the house for the fight. Having the Springfield cops also show up to try to watch the fight on Homer's illegal cable hookup is just overkill.

Closing Thoughts: This episode is a great, funny and sometimes touching example of what a strong sense of morality "The Simpsons" really has, which is precisely what separates it from other shows. This may not be the strongest episode of the year, but it's without question another in a long line of really solid television from the second season.

Final Grade (out of 10): 8

12. The Way We Was

Episode Title: "The Way We Was"
Episode Number: 25
Original Air Date:  January 31, 1991

Plot Synopsis: After the Simpson family television breaks unexpectedly, Marge decides to fill the time by telling Bart and Lisa how she and Homer first met. We flash back to high school in 1974, which is when Homer and Marge were both seniors. Marge is depicted as a good student, but a bit of a crappy feminist. Homer and Barney (who are now suddenly lifelong best friends) are essentially the exact opposite of that. Homer and Barney get sent to detention for smoking. Marge gets sent to detention for causing a ruckus by burning her bra at a feminist rally. Homer and Marge meet, and Homer quickly falls in love.

Homer launches a campaign to try to impress Marge. He starts by joining the debate team, where he ends up mooning everyone. During a debate meeting we are also introduced to Artie Ziff, voiced by Jon Lovitz. Homer asks Marge to the prom, and she surprisingly accepts. Homer keeps trying to win her affection and pretends to be struggling in French so that she'll tutor him. To be completely fair, Homer IS struggling in French - it's just that he doesn't take a French class of any kind. A technicality, sure, but still. Regardless, Marge finds out that Homer essentially lied and tells him she hates him. She's also mad because she had a debate meeting the next morning and Homer kept her up until like 1:00am.

Right around this time, Artie Ziff asks Marge to the prom and she accepts. Homer shows up to take her out, as he didn't want to ruin anything so he skipped school and stayed away from her for three weeks, and is heartbroken when Artie Ziff shows up, too. Homer gets to the prom in just enough time to see Marge and Artie get crowned King and Queen. Bummed out, he heads home on foot. Marge and Artie go to make out in the back seat of his car, and Artie gets a little uncomfortably frisky. Marge, not one to get frisky in any way at this point, gets Artie to take her home. Once her and Ziff have parted ways, she gets in her car and looks for Homer. The episode ends with Young Homer saying that if things go on the way they're going, he's going to hug her and kiss her and never let her go. Present Day Homer concludes with "and I never did."

Overall Thoughts: This is a fun, touching little episode focusing on the early days of Homer and Marge's relationship. As a kid, I never really liked these flashback episodes as they weren't particularly filled with wall-to-wall laughs. While this remains true with the perspective of age, the story is still quite effective. A running theme that I'm running into as I go back and watch the series from the beginning is "episodes that I used to hate I now really enjoy." I'm glad to say that this episode continues that tradition. The tradition means that I was a stupid little kid, but whatever. Baby steps.

What Works: I love the idea of "the TV is broken, so I guess we'll tell a story." It's a great, "Simpsony" device to set up a flashback. It isn't the strongest excuse, but it's just enough to satisfy me. That, and the fact that Bart basically hates everything that's happening the entire time.

I enjoy the fact that the writers really decided to flesh out Barney. They've begun expanding his character to make him less of "that loud drunk at Moe's" and essentially Homer's best friend. It's a good role for him, offers good opportunities for some great jokes and really helps make him feel as real as possible.

I really like that Young Marge is the worst feminist ever. When asked if she thinks that women shouldn't be paid the same wages as men, she replies with an honest yet misguided "not if I have to do heavy lifting or math."

The way that Young(er) Grandpa Simpson is depicted is uncomfortably close to members of my own family. I know it's a generational thing, and a lot of men from the time were probably exactly like this, but it's still kind of crazy to watch.

This episode features a wonderful guest appearance by Jon Lovitz. The Artie Ziff character is just so hateable, and Lovitz plays him to perfection. He's very (and surprisingly) restrained. He's not "I must be the center of attention" Jon Lovitz the way he kind of typically comes across. It's just an all around solid performance.

What Doesn't Work: I'm really thinking of removing this section from these reviews, as there isn't anything that "doesn't work," necessarily. There are episodes that are funnier or more touching than others, and there are ones that I like more than others, but nothing is out and out not working here.

Closing Thoughts: Marge legitimately brings out the best in Homer, as evidenced by their French lessons. When Homer remarks that he's actually retaining all the things she's trying to teach him, he's legitimately surprised. It's a wonderful aspect of their relationship.

Of note, this episode also marks the first appearance of "McBain." I don't really have a story or a comment to go along with that. I just wanted to point it out. I've always thought the "McBain" parodies were really funny.

Oh, and also, this episode features the first appearance of Marge's father in the flashback. I can't remember him ever appearing again (though, to be fair, I haven't remembered a lot of stuff that ended up happening almost immediately), so I'm curious to see if we ever find out more about him. Now that I've said that, I guarantee we do. Probably in the next episode, because I'm an idiot.

Final Grade (out of 10): 9

11. One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish

Episode Title: "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish"
Episode Number: 24
Original Air Date: January 24, 1991

Plot Synopsis: At Lisa's insistence to try something new, the Simpsons venture out to a Japanese restaurant to try some sushi. Initially hesitant about the whole thing, Homer ends up really loving sushi as he does most food. He ends up demanding sushi made from fugu, which is a scary type of blow fish. If prepared improperly, fugu is poisonous and can result in death. As the Japanese restaurant is in Springfield, Homer eats poison fugu and is soon diagnosed with 24(ish) hours to live.

Homer makes a list of all the things he wants to do before he dies. He has a customary father and son talk with Bart, listens to Lisa play her saxaphone and even heads to the Retirement Castle to make peace with Grandpa. Because he overslept for his last day on Earth, he's running a little behind and ends up getting pulled over for speeding. After attempting to give the cops the business, he gets hauled into jail for... something. Being a jerk, I guess. Anyway, he calls Barney, who bails him out.

Homer tells off Mr. Burns and heads to Moe's for one last drink. When he gets home, he says a quick "I love you" to the kids and "gets intimate" with Marge. As the hours past, Homer gets out of bed. He says a peaceful "Goodbye" to each of the Simpsons kids and heads downstairs to listen to a book on tape version of the Bible recorded by Larry King. As the sun starts to come up, Homer appears to collapse. Marge wakes up sometime later and sees Homer. She initially thinks he's dead, but in reality, he's the opposite of that. He's still alive for some reason. Whatever, though. It's good that Homer's not dead. Homer also thinks it's good that Homer's not dead, and vows to live life to the fullest from now on. The episode ends with Homer watching a bowling tournament and eating chips for an extended period of time.

Overall Thoughts: I love the idea behind this episode, but the actual execution kind of leaves a lot to be desired. The episode hits the emotional beats quite effortlessly, which I guess is the most important thing. At its core, it's a legitimately touching piece about a man who thinks he's about to die. The problem is that the episode isn't really that funny (though it does have a few really solid jokes, including the essentially silent final scene of Homer just watching a bowling tournament), and it's plagued by a few weird bits (more on that later) that prevent it from being really great.

What Works: Like I said: this episode is funny enough, but it's real strength lies in the emotion of Homer's story. Homer working his way through the items on his "Last Day on Earth" list is a great deal of fun in the beginning and kind of naturally transitions to being really, really heartwarming by the end. We move effortlessly from the silliness of Homer agreeing to go to Flanders' cookout only because he thinks he'll be dead by then to Homer making peace with his father. By the time we get to Homer quietly saying his goodbyes to the sleeping Simpson kids, if you don't feel at the very least a little legitimately moved you're probably a cold, heartless robot who hates and/or fears emotion.

Watching a character move through the last day of his or her life isn't the most original story, but it leads to a lot of good jokes and a lot of great character moments for the entire family.

What Doesn't Work: While I think that the story itself eventually leads to a lot of great things, the inciting incident for that story is kind of balls. I really like the "Homer is dying, tries to quickly live a full life" aspect, but "Homer is dying because he ate poison blow fish" is stupid. I wish it were literally anything besides that and I'd rate this episode higher.

Bart and Lisa singing the "Shaft" theme at the Japanese restaurant just strikes me as a weird bit. As does Homer coming across Mr. Burns and Smithers staring at women in the park through binoculars. This episode feels like it suffers a bit from "brand new writer" syndrome. I wish they would have had time for one last rewrite to iron out some of the kinks.

Closing Thoughts: If there was a better conceit for the episode than "Homer ate poison sushi," and if it were a bit funnier, this episode would probably rank higher. As it stands it's a solid episode, but few episodes have suffered from a more obvious case of the "Missed Opportunities" (I just made that up) than this one. Despite that, it still manages to show a lot of emotion and is therefore a fine episode.

Final Grade (out of 10): 7