My top 20 Simpsons episodes

Hello Enthusiasts,

Anyone who knows me knows that I love The Simpsons. I've been watching the show for years and, even though the more recent seasons don't seem to capture the magic that the earlier years had, I still try to catch every episode. It's a show that has defined a generation's sense of humor and story-telling. But what episodes stand out as the best? That opinion certainly differs from person to person, as not every joke hits everyone the same. With that being said though, I have listed out my top twenty episodes below. Because of the number of episodes I'm listing, I'm going to limit how much I write for each of these to a sentence or two.

20. "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala[Annoyed Grunt]cious"(S8, ep13)

This episode is a parody of the hit Disney classic "Mary Poppins", music and all. Most of the humor outside of the songs is good, but the songs are really what puts this one on the list. 

19. "Bart the General" (S1, ep5)

This episode shows Bart fighting back against the biggest bully at Springfield elementary, Nelson. This episode is a great parody of military films and coming-of-age movies, plus it introduces the character of Herman, the one-armed military surplus store owner. 

18. "Homer the Great"(S6, ep12)

This is an episode that likely wrote itself after coming up with the premise of Homer being the prophesied leader of a secret society. The jokes are awesome here, as is the song Stonecutters' song, "We Do". 

17. "The Way We Was" (S2, ep12)

The first origin story put out there about how Homer and Marge ended up getting together. Their meeting and eventually getting together is as funny as it ends up being sweet, with Homer being the pinnacle of a lovable idiot. 

16. "A Fish Called Selma"(S7, ep19)

 This is a Troy McClure based episode that is mostly on here for the Planet of the Apes play that is invented for the episode. The musical, titled, "Stop the Planet of the Apes, I Want to Get Off!", is a stroke of brilliance, even for this show. The episode is great from start to finish, but that musical really kicks it up to another level.

15. "Beyond Blunderdome" (S11, ep1)

 Mel Gibson releases a remake of Mr. Smith goes to Washington, Homer hates it, and they try to change it to be more appealing to the everyman. It's a great episode with a lot of Hollywood references (Mel Gibson, John Travolta, Adam West, Burt Ward, and Robert Downey Jr. to name just a few). 

14. "Deep Space Homer"(S5, ep15)

 "Homer in space" is enough of a selling card, but it only goes further when you have Buzz Aldrin as a guest star for the episode. Add in a timeless joke of Kent Brockman hailing our new ant overlords and you have an instant classic. 

13. "Homer The Moe" (S13, ep13)

 While it is a late episode, it's an enjoyable story where Moe tries to rediscover himself and Homer takes over the bar. Solid pacing and jokes, though it does drop off just a bit once Moe takes the bar back. 

12. "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?"(S2, ep15)

 If I was to quote all of the great lines from this episode it would be a whole post in itself. This is classic Simpsons with some if their best work, and it guest starred Danny DeVito as Homer's half-brother Herb!

11. "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish" (S2, ep11)

 This episode doesn't focus so much on the laughs, instead deciding to be heavy on the sentimentality. Most of the episode involves Homer thinking that he is dying and he tries to get as much done in his final day as he can. Every once in a while, the Simpsons will take a more serious turn like this and it often works very well. 

10. "Marge vs. the Monorail" (S4, ep12)

 The town gets conned into building a monorail after a big song and dance number. It's full of laughs, a cameo by Leonard Nimoy, and is said by many to be one of the best episodes ever. 

9. "The Mansion Family" (S11, ep12)

Mr. Burns has to go to the Mayo Clinic and leaves the Simpson family to watch his house. It's another episode that basically writes itself, and so many of the jokes land so perfectly that it has become a must-watch. 

8. "Homer's Enemy"(S8, ep23)

We find ourselves at another serious episode, but this one focuses on a new character: Frank Grimes. The episode is a statement about how some people can skate through life and do well while others have to work hard just to get by. 

7. "Kamp Krusty" (S4, ep1)

A parody of "Lord of the Flies", this episode sees Bart and Lisa go to a summer camp that is "run by" Krusty the Clown. It's funny on several levels and is one of the earliest episodes that really showcases how greedy and careless Krusty can be. 

6. "And Maggie Makes Three" (S6, ep13)

This is an episode that will tug at your heartstrings the first time you watch it, and maybe after that too. It's a story of sacrificing for your children and the last shot of the episode is a real kick in the stomach. 

5."Bart Gets an 'F'" (S2, ep1)

 It's an episode that we can all likely relate to, because we've all tried our best at something and still failed. It's an episode that does have some laughs as well as some emotions, and is still the most viewed episode on its premier night to-date. 

4.  "You Only Move Twice" (S8, ep2)

 Homer gets an offer for a job in a new city, and his new boss is a man named Hank Scorpio. It's one of the funniest episodes out there, and I wish Hank Scorpio was at least a rarely recurring character. 

3. "Lisa the Vegetarian" (S7, ep5)

This episode features a cameo by Paul McCartney, who refused be in the episode unless Lisa remained a vegetarian for the rest of the series. It's a funny episode, with a side-splitting educational video by Troy McClure. 

2. "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge" (S2, ep9)

 This episode is not only funny, but has some solid commentary about censorship in cartoons. The show doesn't really take a side either way, but it's a excellent entry regardless. 

1. "Itchy and Scratchy Land" (S6, ep4)

Alright, I know this isn't everyone's favorite and might not even crack most top 10's, but I love this episode. It's a parody of "West World" and a reflection of theme parks overall. I might have a bias as someone who had worked in theme parks for several years, but I still laugh at these jokes and this is a solid #1 for me. 

So those are my top 20 episodes. I didn't include any of the "Treehouse of Horror" episodes, because that would have eliminated a lot of the episodes that got on this list. I may end up doing a post about those episodes specifically in the future.

Anyway, did your favorite end up on the list? Do you disagree with any of these? Let me know!

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Book Review - The Fold

Hello Enthusiasts,

I have really been enjoying the work of Peter Clines. You can see my review of the Ex-Hero series here, and his novel 14 was excellent (I still need to read Paradox Bound). So I picked up today's book, The Fold, excited to see where Clines would take us. Of course, as always, you can expect some Spoilers Below. 

The story follows our main character, Leland "Mike" Erikson, a man with perfect memory who has resigned himself to teaching English in Maine. This all changes when his old friend and DARPA official, Reggie, asks him to review a project. The project itself, called the Albuquerque Door, folds the space between two locations to allow someone to travel instantaneously. However, something seems to be wrong with the door, and the team of scientists that invented it refuse to tell anyone anything about how it works. As Mike is reviewing the project the problems only seem to get worse, and it seems that the world itself may be in danger if something isn't done.

There is a lot that works in this book. As always, Peter Clines doesn't treat his audience as if they're idiots. He's very good at not explaining everything right up front, allowing the reader to figure things out before filling them in on details. For example, he slowly introduces the idea that Mike has a flawless memory through small actions before outright stating it for the reader. It's also hinted as the story moves forward that this book is a tie in to 14, and it isn't until the end of the book that it is almost referenced outright. Most of the characters are pretty relatable as well, though the ones that aren't are obviously written that way intentionally. The book has a nice pace to it as well; it doesn't linger on anything for too long, but also isn't moving at a break-neck speed. The story of folding space may have been done before, but having it tie in with 14 adds a new element, and one that ends up making it all feel pretty fresh. I also feel that one of Peter Clines' greatest strengths in writing is his ability to take something complex and break it down in a way that isn't too difficult to understand. He could have easily made it more difficult for the reader to get an idea of how Mike's memory works, but he instead creates a visual of an ant colony that brings out different memories that can be stored or used whenever Mike needs them. I can't really do it justice here, but the way it's laid out in the story works very well.

While I like a lot about this book, there are a few drawback to this title. One of the problems was somewhat out of the writer's control, and that's having a character like Mike. It can be difficult to have a character like that and not have them come off as at least a little obnoxious. They remember everything and will often cut people off to finish their sentences, or will go into far too much detail about something that happened or someone they met to show off how good their memory is. Now, to his credit, Clines does lean into this and has other characters call Mike out about how annoying he is after they've already been impressed initially, but it can still be a little annoying for the reader. Also, I didn't feel like all of the characters were fleshed out enough. To reference 14 again, I felt in that story like I knew what each character would say in a situation and just a bit more about all of them. The characters here aren't all the same, but I really didn't get the sense that I knew them all too well. Now, that could very well be intentional as part of the twist of this story, which I won't spoil here, but it still felt like it took something away from the book.

Regardless of any negatives, I would recommend this book to friends, though not to the same level as some of Clines' other work. It's not his best, but it's still better than a lot of other stories out there. It has a lot going for it, just not as much as 14, and certainly not as much as the Ex-Hero series. So I say pick it up for a read, though you'll get more out of it if you do read 14 first.

I give Peter Clines' The Fold a 7.5 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast