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Hi all, Some time ago, I remember reading a PYF thread discussing what exactly made/makes "new" episodes of The Simpsons so bad. Seeing as I am now largely only doing small errands whilst waiting for return calls, I thought it might be fun to revitalise such a thread... but I didn't want it to be completely bitter (I'm in a good mood today apparently) so I've decided to just open it up to what your favourite and least favourite episodes of the show are. I had a look, but if there are any better threads/places to stick this sort of thing, please direct me to it and I'll post it there instead.  My top five to start off: Hedgehog Pie's (Extremely Loose and Overwritten) Top 5 Simpsons Episodes 5. "Much Apu About Nothing" (Season 7, Episode 23; first aired May 5th 1996) This is not an episode I see regularly on top lists, and I think that largely comes down to its political content. I think for a lot of people, this episode is almost too real and hits too close to home. I know the showrunners had this impression years later after they just narrowly cut a scene where Rainier Wolfcastle makes an anti-immigration campaign ad. However, I also think that the episode has only grown with age and that some of the more forceful satire is required to make its point. The episode goes from the sort of overreaction you now see regularly in comment sections and Twitter feeds ("I'M SICK OF THESE CONSTANT BEAR ATTACKS"), to political hijacking ("WE'RE HERE, WE'RE QUEER, WE DON'T WANT ANY MORE BEARS") and, finally, cynical resignation ("IT'S A LANDSLIDE, YES ON 24!"). Subtle, no, but then these things never materialise in reality with any sense of subtlety either. 4. "Marge Be Not Proud" (Season 7, Episode 11; first aired December 15th 1995) Apparently this is also quite a divisive episode, but this time I'm not entirely sure why. When Bart fails to get Marge to buy him Bonestorm or go to Hell, he decides to try his hand at shoplifting instead. This inevitably backfires, testing the mother-son relationship in the process. In my mind this is one of the more emotional and tender episodes that I tend to rate highly. It makes me think of the first time I willingly stole something and how scared/confused it made me. The scene where Homer yells angrily at the guilty Bart whilst Marge silently tries to digest what has happened has so many real life parallels - Bart realises all too quickly that it's Marge's reaction that has hurt him the most, and thus he swears to clear himself in the end. Lawrence Tierney is great as the store detective; such a mundane figure really would be terrifying to most children. 3. "Cape Feare" (Season 5, Episode 2; first aired October 7th 1993) Yep, it's the Sideshow Bob episode with the rakes. I think this is the best "total parody" The Simpsons has ever done, narrowly beating out "The Shinning" from the fifth Halloween special. What I like about it is that it's actually quite a respectful and observant send-up of the two Cape Fear films, as well as other classic thrillers like Psycho and Night of the Hunter, but it doesn't necessarily require the viewer to be intimately familiar with them. The problem with many of the show's parody episodes since then is that they seem somehow both lazy and obtuse. This episode isn't; knowing the films merely enhances what's already a very fun show. Funnily enough, it was actually criminally short to begin with... hence the insertion of an Itchy and Scratchy short, the rakes, and THE THOMPSONS to fill in the gaps, but it doesn't really feel like filler at all. Hey kids, wanna drive through that cactus patch? 2. "Homer Badman" (Season 6, Episode 9; first aired November 27th 1994) Pretty much a mainstay of most fans' favourite episodes lists. As such, I think it's safe to say that many viewers have overwatched it (the same goes for other common favourites like "Last Exit to Springfield" and "Bart Sells His Soul", both of which I also like a lot), but it's still one of the series' satirical high points that, like "Much Apu", isn't any less relevant now than it was over twenty years ago. The highlight is the "Rock Bottom" segment that mixes this spoofing of sensationalist media with pure comedy ("Mr Simpson, your silence will only incriminate you further...") but the rest is worthy too, even the slightly odd (in hindsight) opening act of a candy convention. This one might also be a little too dark for some - it's somewhat uncomfortably cynical that the whole world is convinced of Homer's guilt in molesting a young woman - but at the end most of the sentiments are tied up or located in the right place. 1. "Homer Goes to College" (Season 5, Episode 3; first aired October 14th 1993) Not a regular favourite of fans, but it's been mine for some time now. It was written by Conan O'Brien just before he left to become a talk show superstar, and it feels like the culmination of all of his college years. The episode is fast-paced and gag heavy, with some scenes lasting no more than just over half a minute for a handful of jokes, but the nature of the parody is, in my opinion, enough to hold it up. It essentially lampoons (get it) the depictions of college in film and TV. Rather than the expected hijinks of Animal House and Revenge of the Nerds, Homer (who is socialised through film and TV) is shocked to find that the students are more studious than wild, the dean more cool than grouchy. There's not much of an emotional core to this one, as much as Marge attempts to supply one at the end. Instead it's all about The Lovely Smithers, the clumsy professor dropping his notes, and Dean Bitterman. I still laugh at all the jokes in this one. And now... Hedgehog Pie's Least Favourite Episode "The Frying Game" (Season 13, Episode 21; first aired May 19th 2002) This is the episode that finally made me realise that this was not the same show I grew up loving. I had been holding out for a while (and it's worth noting that the thirteenth season was the first to be overseen by the returning Al Jean, meaning that I had already lasted through the much-maligned era of Mike Scully from seasons 9-12), but for some reason this one in particular tried my patience even as a teenager, and sure enough I would be watching less and less of the show from here on out, until the eighteenth season where my interest dropped off completely. The episode basically has all the negative hallmarks that had been building up for years: an awkward, contrived plot that changes direction completely after the first act; poor gags; a wacky game of cat and mouse revolving around one or two members of the family; a poorly-timed wacky twist that tries to be topical but fails; a meaningless celebrity cameo... I guess one of my reasons for making this thread is to also get opinions on some of the more recent episodes, which I'm not likely to have seen. Have I missed any diamonds in the rough/particularly stanky pieces of doodoo since, say, 1997? What are your favourite and least favourite episodes overall? Think I'm an uncultured swine for not including "Lisa's Substitute", or a humourless stick in the mud for not including Hank Scorpio? Share your thoughts!
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Apr 17, 2018 21:35
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I'd probably say my favorite episode the Springfield Files I was a huge X-Files fan growing up, so it always kills me, especially when Mulder shows his ID
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Apr 18, 2018 06:21
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Favorite - The City of New York vs Homer Simpson Least favorite - Moe Goes From Rags to Riches
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Apr 18, 2018 12:43
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I'm a fan of Season 4 as a whole with Kamp Krusty and A Streetcar named Marge As for episodes I dislike... A lot of the later ones 13's - 18's
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Apr 18, 2018 18:21
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