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See what the other Simpsons fans think about these episodes Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire Bart The Genius Season Six Two Dozen and One Greyhounds Season Seven Summer of Four Ft. Two Season Twelve Homer vs Dignity Simpsons Safari Season Fifteen The Regina Monologues Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens and Gays Margical Mystery Tour Milhouse Doesn't Live Here Anymore Smart and Smarter Co-Dependant's Day The Wandering Juvie My Big Fat Geek Wedding Simple Simpsons The Way We Weren't Fraudcast News Season Sixteen Treehouse of Horror XV Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire By Jared Munson Ah, the first Simpsons full episode ever aired. What to say about a show like this? Well, first, Bart getting a tattoo, very cool. But then Marge goes and gets it laser removed, spending all the Christmas present money, hoping Homer would get a big bonus. Of course, he gets none because Mr. Burns is cheap. Homer then becomes a department store Santa to try and earn some money to get the family some presents because he wants them to have the perfect Christmas. He barely gets anything. Homer's bar buddy Barney gets Homer to bet his earnings on a race dogˇKwhat a smooth move. Of course the dog loses and Homer has nothing. The dog's owner gets rid of him and Homer takes the dog home and the family thinks it is the best gift ever. What a perfect ending to a so far sad story. But of course, it always ends up happy at the end in cartoons and in worlds of fiction. Why couldn't the writers have just left it where Homer is dirt broke and they ended up depressed as in recent episodes? Well, I guess it was only the first episode. The writers do improve folks, if this is the only episode you've seen thus far. Grade: B- Bart the Genius By Jared Munson At last, seeing Bart Simpson at his greatest. Ok, here's the thing: Who doesn't hate the class genius? Bart, being Bart, steals Martin Prince's test and writes his name on it and writes Martin's on his own. Bart then is told he is a genius and is sent to a school for gifted children. Bart loves the new school because there are no rules, but finds out that he does not fit in. Bart blows up the lab and confesses in a letter where he misspells almost every word. When Homer finds out, boy was he mad! Well, for a first season episode, this one was probably the best. We finally get to see Bart do something disastrous, although this is only one of the first few episodes shown in the series. Bart shows first hand that he is devious, and that he is the prankster among pranksters. For changing the IQ tests, that was pure genius. If this episode was the opener for the show, they would have known right off the bat what a series they had. The writers showed here what they were capable of doing. Grade: A Two Dozen and One Greyhounds By Jason Although sandwiched between two fantastic episodes, 'Two Dozen and One Greyhounds' should not be overlooked. The plot didn't pick up right from the get-go, but this is just one of those episodes that prides itself on the laughs, with the plot structure as a sidenote. Like most season six episodes, the laughs were flowing throughout the half hour. Mr. Burns was right on the money, providing his classic evil touch, and a fantastic musical number. There were signs that Homer's IQ was dropping as the episode progressed, but once the focus turned to Bart and Lisa, the excitement and humour picks up another notch. Mike Scully does an excellent job (there's something you don't hear everyday) in writing for the Simpson children, and the result is very clever dialogue between Bart and Lisa. The storyline rapped itself up nicely, and although there were hints of a more unrealistic Simpsons, the numerous gags peppered throughout was a constant reminder of just how funny the show really is. A fine episode in a season that could do no wrong. Grade: A Summer of Four Ft. Two By Jason The finale of any season, good or bad, can manipulate the overall outlook of the previous 21 episodes. In an outstanding season 7, 'Summer of Four Ft. Two' was given the job of ending on a good note, and completely surpassed that challenge. When thinking of some of the Simpsons greatest episodes, this one is often overlooked, but the truth is, this half hour excels in every category you can think up. There wasn't one noticeable flaw or moment that made the viewer cringe and is one of a select bunch that can be labelled as a perfect episode. Lisa's character, while at times underrated, is the most complex of the Simpsons family which makes an episode revolving around her an easy task to manage. Her less than popular personality is finally fully explored, and some well executed emotional scenes makes you forget that you're watching a cartoon. The constant stream of laughs acts as a reminder, as the subplot displays the classic version Homer without overshadowing the main storyline. A touching ending and hilarious gags caps off one of the greatest seasons produced in a way that few others could accomplish. Grade: A+ Homer vs Dignity By Jared Munson We learn a lot about Homer J. Simpson in this episode. But we also make a lot of assumptions on the way. While Smithers goes to the Malibu Stacey play Homer becomes Mr. Burns's monkey and does practical jokes for money, lots of money actually. At first it seems like Homer is a greedy man doing all those things for Mr. Burns for money and just goes along with it, even if he does humiliate himself in the process. But then we realize something else. He loves his family and after being caught by Lisa when Homer pretended to be a famous Panda, he gives up the life of doing Mr. Burns's meaningless jobs, even if he would become a very rich man. So Homer finally put his foot down and he returned to his everyday life, a prouder, and somewhat of a richer man. This episode is probably my favorite in The Simpsons history. It isn't the funniest episode, which most past this season aren't, but I think this one has probably the most plot, and shows the true side of Homer: That he loves his family (yes, including Bart) with all his heart and would do anything for them. He also shows that he does have a greedy side, but what honest man doesn't? Grade: A+ Simpsons Safari By Jason This episode goes against everything that made the show great, and what separated it from the pack some fifteen years ago. It's not only difficult to watch, but also to comprehend how a man who once wrote gems like 'Itchy and Scratchy Land' and 'Homer at the Bat' could not only forget his roots, but forget the fundamentals that are needed in any Simpsons episode. We've seen the family go to Australia, Japan, and others far-off countries, but never have they stereo-typed a culture like they did in this half hour. Every joke (if you can call it that) was either a cheap shot at Africa, or a slapstick gag to force a laugh. Homer led the way with pointless comments, a three year old attention span and a personality that questioned his entire character. The constantly changing storyline had problems of it's own, and once it was established, the credits rolled on to conclude the episode. From the bagboy strike to traveling to Africa to the diamond mine, this episode hopped around, and finally landed way out of bounds. It doesn't feel like the Simpsons, and it certainly isn't the style of humour that the show had prided itself on for so many years. 'Zany' officially took over, and the end result lands near the bottom of the barrel, rotting beside 'Tennis the Menace' and 'Pokey Mom'. Grade: F The Regina Monologues By Gary This episode is History in the making for UK viewers like myself. The opening started out well, The 1000 dollar bill flying out of the machine, and the Hockey Dad scene was quite funny. Also the theme though out the episode was "Do something kind for Marge" that stuck all the way through. The Part in the tree house was funny but feel that the Sideshow Mel part wasnt really needed. The flashback with Edwina and Grampa, was really uncalled for, but it did lead into why the Simpsons went to England. Tony Blair and J.K. Rowling making guest appearences were only used to get to the press, and make sure people watch the show. The scenes in Harrods (For those outside of UK, Harrods is a very expensive store in Central London.) Bart and Lisa go Hyperactive on British sweets, was funny and the Mullenium Eye, was funny with the Eject switch (Just to let you know, I have been talking to my friends who have been on it and there is NO eject switch on the real thing) The two gay lords were not really needed, that just grossed me out. The fact that Homer rear-ended our queen was funny and the trial was funny too. (No, disrespect your majesty!) And the tunnel from the Tower of London to the queen's chamber in Buckingham palace, was quite entertaing, and it did lead into the ending nicly. Grampa meeting Edwina was a nice re-union but that fact that Homer has a half-sister, Abby was a stange thing to do indeed. Grade: B+ Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens and Gays By Gary Many people have said that Marge is not funny alone; this is true in Marge vs. SSCCATAG, as she is aided mostly by Maggie. The Pig Latin part was quite funny, when Marge intercepts Bart and Lisa saying that she was young once too, meaning she knows what they are saying. Maggie running (well crawling) away from Homer and using the tongs on Homer's nose were quite funny. The Roofi concert lead very well into the story and the image for the Channel 6 News was surprising and funny. That also led into the main story. Lindsey Neagle I think took it a little too far banning kids to just be kids. The Scene with Lindsey, Marge and Lisa was interrupted by Bart probably to help extend the episode, but it did make it funny. The scene in Luigi's restaurant was funny. The Families come first commercial featuring "Marge" was just yuck! Homer's commercial was inaccurate and funny at the same time, he still doesn't know Kirk Van Hoten's name, Jeez I'd of thought that by now he would of, after knowing Milhouse! Homer's use of Rudi Juliani (Or what ever his name is) and Lisa's plan to pass on some kind of contagious disease from kids to adults was not as great as the rest of the episode. Grade: C+ Margical Mystery Tour By Jason A rather flawless Season 15 has been given it's first real goose egg in 'Margical History Tour', the fourth instalment of the history-based trilogy. Previous three-parters (Simpsons Bible Stories, Tales from the Public Domain and Simpsons Tall Tales) have been given mixed reviews, but there should be no questioning about this one. Each act seemed to follow a similar trend - repetitive, zero feeling of direction, and an overall lack of humour. Act one turned out to be the best, but that's not saying very much. Homer as King Henry VIII provided few chuckles, and more questions to just how far are the writers will go to get a few cheap laughs. The following scenes proved yet again that the subtle Simpsons are long gone, and a new era where cutting the heads off of women and trying to grow a penis is considered funny. I hope I'm not alone in this, but it's not. The second story featured Lisa as Sacagawea, and similar problems plagued all six minutes. It seemed like the writer didn't know what he was writing about, and it was highlighted by an unsettling plot, and a flow that was nowhere to be found. The third and final act provided no bright side for a dark episode, and was nothing but a horrible attempt at summarizing the movie 'Amadeus'. This is not near the quality the show can reach, so lets just hope Al Jean decided to stuff one of the weaker 30 minutes opposite the Grammy's, hoping that no one would really notice. Grade: C- Milhouse Doesn't Live Here Anymore By Jason In an effort to bounce back from a dismal 'Margical History Tour', Fox plugged away at this week's episode with an end product falling just short of the endzone. The plot got started right from the get-go, but for once, that seemed to have a negative affect on the episode. Milhouse moving away came on rather abruptly, and before the idea could sink in, a dark subplot took up the screen. Homer was again hit and miss, and although there was potential for some quick laughs, his gags landed off the mark. The episode progressed away from a subpar first act, as Bart and Lisa stole the show just in time, and provided some much needed emotion and realism. The combination isn't used enough as it is, and when handed the torch, they ran with it as usual. Both characters were bang on for the first time in years, making their dialogue even more pleasing. Impressive directing and the conclusion (although I don't think there was one) to the subplot made the final half of the episode a more enjoyable one, but still not enough for an 'above standard' rating. Grade: B Smart and Smarter By Jason For the first time in years Maggie is given more than three seconds of airtime and the result is a nearly flawless episode which still manages to fall short of the 'fantastic' label. Once again, a quick script editing could have erased repetitive gags and flat lines but it looked as though the time just wasn't put in for perfection. Bart and Homer kick off the episode doing what they do best and storyline is intertwined nicely. Simon Cowell's guest appearance may not have been needed, but it added an extra touch that for once actually fit with the episode. A constant stream of laughs and a nod to Mr. Bergstrom was a delightful change from last week, and the emotion that so many fans crave was followed shortly after. But alas, the half hour wasn't entirely perfect, as the episode shifted gears completely for the final act. Lisa searching for a new identity was scrapped when she ran away, and although it may seem like a suitable progression, the mood and overall feel of the episode changed considerably. Problems with the Police Chief Wiggum and Company continued yet again, and Principal Skinner who randomly appeared to make useless comments also seemed like a waste of airtime. A great Homer/spelling toy gag and other laugh out loud moments were able to cover up most of the show's blemishes, but poorly executed characters and one liners still shone through. A decent effort, but it will probably get lost in the bunch. Grade: B Co-Dependant's Day By Jason For the second time this season, Marge and Homer's ongoing marriage problems were put under the microscope and the result was an episode that fell flat too many times to secure a place in the upper quarter of the season. Giving Marge a chance to enter Homer's alcohol-filled world was a fairly unexplored concept but unfortunately the first act was wasted with an overdone shot at Star Wars. Yet again, the first segment concluded with the plot underdeveloped. Once the storyline got pushed along, Homer and Marge were given a brief time to shine, with gags that worked, and of course, those that didn't. Where Homer might have pushed Marge behind the wheel without caring in a Season 11 or 12, at least now he is at a stage where he understands what he is doing. The rehab centre scenes jumped around far too much, tilting the storyline back and forth, and never fully settling down. The episode is half-saved by an ending that reassures the viewer that Homer still has a conscious and when reaching uncharted low territory, he can still pick himself up, and dust himself off. Surprisingly enough, a drunk Marge was the best her character has been portrayed this season, as she finally felt like a real character with real emotions. Some funny lines and gags failed to recover the episode from a first act blunder, and adds another notch onto a slipping season. Grade: B The Wandering Juvie By Jonny Bart as a Juvie was fantastic. The idea that this boy who has often thought he was cool is really scared, and even comes into bad contact with the girls. This was done well. If Bart were the bully then it would have been horrible. Thank God it wasnˇ¦t. When Homer becomes a Guard, it is believable ˇV I canˇ¦t see a normal person going to those lengths ˇV but I believe Homer would, and thatˇ¦s what matters. When Bart meets Gina, it is done nicely because the writers didnˇ¦t make it a religious thing. Sarah Michelle Gellar is probably the best use of a Guest Star this Season ˇV because she is playing a believable funny character. When Gina kissed Bart I started to get a little concerned this was going to be romantic, but was relieved when it didnˇ¦t. Bart and Gina escaping together, and their relationship after the escape was lovely ˇV it was nice how Bart got on with a girl without being romantically involved (as good as in Milhouse doesnˇ¦t liveˇK) The fact Gina was still trying to be horrible was even sweeter. When on the run, the Cletus gag also had me laughing. The ending was very sweet, and apart from the minor problem of Bart having two weeks still to do in Juvie, it was once again believable. I wasnˇ¦t sure whether the Guard at the end was the best card to play, but I think either would have worked well. Overall, The Wandering Juvie is a fantastic Season 15 episode, filled with well placed humour, an excellent plot, great guest star, great directing from the excellent Lauren MacMullan, and superb writing. Kudos! Grade: A My Big Fat Geek Wedding By Jonny I wasnt entirely sure about the plot for this episode when I read the descriptions and it finally became clear a couple weeks before the airing. I was not entirely looking forward to this episode, but The Wandering Juvie (TWJ) proved to be one of the highlights of the Season. Filled with great gags, a brilliant storyline, good use of Guest Stars, TWJ did almost nothing wrong. The First Act in Costingtons was quite funny, and enjoyable, nothing wrong there, yet the Wedding scene seemed a little unlikely. The Wedding Prank was very unlikely, even for Bart, and I doubt that the guests would have all fallen for that. For me, the low point in this episode was there in the first act. But at least it was out of the way! I am willing to forgive the prank that seemed made up on the spot because of the rest of the episode. Grade: C+ Simple Simpsons By Gary The episode took a few minutes to get into the main part of the story but that is okay, (for now.) The County fair was intresting with the large vegetables.(and ribbon). Homer juding the pigs and Lisa in the place setting contest both lead into the story quite well. Chief Wiggum informing why Homer needs a disguise to help Lisa, hence the birth of Pie Man. Homer's shadow was funny to me as his shadow had a cape and a pie which he parcially ate. The crappy comics lead to the real birth of Pie Man. Nichelle Nichelles was not really needed in the story and only appeared for ten seconds. Marge being rescued by Pie Man was probably how she got the idea that Pie Man is Homer, which she hides as part of the story, the bullet in Pie Mans arm reveals to Lisa than Homer is Pie Man. The talking Pies lead to why Homer pies Mr. Burns, Homer in the employee prison leads to the first assignment who is himself, and the Hamsters/Girbils were funny. Burns in the baby disguise and Smithers in the Mother costume was funny, I think. When Springfield discovers that Homer is the Pie Man they dont belive him because of his stupidity, when the Dali Llama flies out of the window, that was funny to me until the next scene. When Marge tells Pie Man and Cupcake Kid to take the leaves out of the gutter that was quite funny too. Over all not a bad episode. Grade: B+ The Way We Weren't By Jonny Conturary to popular belief this is not a parady of "The Way we was" in season 2. The story opened very well. With Milhouse wanting to kiss a girl and ends up kissing Homer instead. The Family court also led into story very well too. When Homer reveals to Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie, SLH and Snowball V, they were suprised, but if you havent seen this episode yet then you will be shocked by the result! Homer, Lenny and Carl working in the girl camp kichen lead into how Homer met the girl he had his first kiss with. Homer and the girl his it off very well and lead into the story and it also left the girls name in mystary. The Eye patch and the switch blade were not needed. As is the Sea captains appearance in the Simpsons house later on. When Homer says that she was the prettiest girl ever seen, Marge reveals that it was her! (Bet you didnt see that one coming!). Homer on the swing was funny for two seconds and Homer being lame was funny for a second too, as it Marge walking strangly. Marge ironed her hair, meaning she was a brunette which is one of the reasons why Homer never knew that it was Marge, as was the eyepatch for Homer. Marge being able to read Homer's mind was stupid as was showing Marge and Homers imaginations wasnt needed, yet the music was nice. The stone heart represents something that this discovered over the years. The Fat Camp relates to the story, the references to the future that Marge made a call to Moe, and the kiss Patty came as a suprise. The things that Homer said that he had done worse include a future reference! Which was funny. Grade: B- Fruadcast News By Jonny Last week was a let down. It was too zany and crazy, and the whole idea was just stupid, but this episode showed exactly how craziness could benefit an episode. Fraudcast News is not an entirely realistic idea, but it was still superb and worked well. Why? Because episodes are allowed to be crazy as long as they are BELIEVABLE. Fraudcast News was excellent. It started off a little slow, but improved immensely, and by the end I was very impressed. It just shows the contrast between the famous writing partners John Frink and Don Payne. Fraudcast News was a fantastic plot covered with excellent satire, and a nice ending. The First Act appeared to be slightly bizarre, and out of place, but in the end there seemed to be a reason for the rock. Once again, I was disappointed in some form with Homers antics, which were just not realistic. Why would Homer climb on a huge rock to remove a tree? Why would he care? Nevertheless, this did not spoil the episode for me. In Act Two, Lisa makes her newspaper. Fantastic, in the fact it was really realistic. Although not every eight year old would perhaps make their own newspaper, I could totally believe Lisa would because she is very intelligent, and this did seem entirely in character. I love Act Three. I was happy with the way that the story ended, and the way things mapped out. The whole montage seeing peoples newspapers was great, and there was plenty of satire and gags to keep your average reviewer happy! The only thing I could pick at was the very ending. I found the ending of Smithers and Burns was unnecessary, and a different more serious ending before the resolution with Homerˇ¦s Paper may have worked better. The ending would have been nice if it was Lisa just happy and proud of Homer, as I think this is a wonderful aspect of the show, and would have just been the perfect ending. In Fraudcast News, there were many jokes and gags that got me actually laughing out loud, which is a rare occurrence in newer episodes. The re-appearance of Booberella from Season 14, the Townspeople's Newspapers, everything was brilliant. For me, Fraudcast News does not top the season, but it is one of a few that will be remembered as a Season 15 representative, and probably one of a few recent episodes that perhaps could become a classic. Grade: A Treehouse of Horror XV By Jason Overall Consensus: A disappointing start to the season. With the World Series pushing back Fox's premier schedule, it seems like Simpsons fans have to wait an eternity for the following season to begin. Eventually, November rolls around and we find ourselves asking, was it worth the wait? Judging by the fifteenth instalment of the annual THOH, no, it wasn't. The show started strongly with "In the Ned Zone' but failed to deliver anything noteworthy past the first commercial break. An utterly dull "Four Beheadings and a Funereal" was outdone by the final act "In the Belly of the Boss"; a laughless 5 minutes with zero plot direction. The biggest disappointment of all was the continued trend of Halloween Specials having no relation or connection to Halloween itself. If it wasn't for a random remark by Lisa in the waning seconds of the episode, you'd have no idea this was a THOH. These episodes have become excuses to write absurd storylines and kill off a dozen characters without repercussions later on in the season. The formula that made these segments great some ten years ago has not only been forgotten, it has been thrown away altogether. The episode had some highpoints early on, after a quick slip-up, it never regained balance. A bad THOH is nothing new when you look back at recent years. Let's just hope the staff's energy was concentrated into the official season premiere. Grade: C |
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