This was posted on Thursday 22nd January at http://happydude88.livejournal.com/
Last Thursday, America’s favourite family, ‘The Simpsons’ celebrated its 20th anniversary. It seems like yesterday, when the yellow stars, Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa & Maggie first appeared on the Tracey Ullman show, as a sketch in 1987. Fox turned it into a 30 minute cartoon from 1989 and it has been on UK screens since September 1990, thanks to Sky 1.
‘The Simpsons’ have had a rousing success including a star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame and 25 Primetime Emmy Awards. Catchphrases like ‘D’oh!’ ‘Eat My Shorts’ and ‘Ay Carumba!’ are used regularly in today’s standardised UK language and despite the popularity of newer episodes waning in recent times, it has the memories to keep millions of fans talking for years to come.
In September 2009, Fox premiered the 21st season and there have been 451 episodes. Though it has been difficult to choose, here are brief summaries of my favourite 20 episodes: (In No Particular Order)
Whacking Day SEASON 4 1992
Springfield’s annual holiday, Whacking Day angers Lisa Simpson, who despises snakes being used as objects for whacking by the residents. Fortunately, she and Bart (expelled from Springfield Elementary) hatch a plan involving the late Barry White which saves the snakes and with some home truths, keeps everyone happy. Bart’s knowledge on the subject gets him back into school.
Mother Simpson SEASON 7 1995
In order to not work on a Saturday, Homer fakes his own death and eventually, Marge forces him to march down to the record database to straighten the situation out. It is here when he finds his mother Mona (played by Glenn Close), having previously been told she had died whilst at the movies. Soon, Lisa gets suspicious of Homer’s mum’s whereabouts and under intensive interrogation from the family, she reveals all. Mona reveals she had been on the run from the FBI and Mr. Burns for destroying his germ plant. Eventually, Burns catches up with her, but Mona, with help from Homer gets away from his clutches again, before saying an emotional goodbye to her son.
Homer’s Enemy SEASON 8 1997
A new employee at the Nuclear Power Plant, Frank Grimes takes immediate dislike to Homer’s ignorance and sloth at work. He quickly becomes Homer’s Enemy, but is amazed to see that everyone else doesn’t notice Homer’s slack attitude. Eventually, after Homer wins a Power Plant competition for kids, Grimes goes mad and goes on to be electrocuted. Classic episode!
Homer’s Triple Bypass SEASON 4 1992
The salty snacks catch up on Homer and following a stern telling-off from Mr. Burns at the Nuclear Powerplant, he suffers a heart attack. Later, it is revealed he needs urgent triple bypass surgery to stay alive. Finding the cheapest option possible, Homer has the surgery from Dr. Nick Riviera, who needs assistance from Lisa to make it a complete success
Secrets of a Successful Marriage SEASON 5 1994
Homer becomes a marriage counsellor teacher for an Adult Education Class, but needs to dip into his and Marge’s private marriage secrets to keep his class satisfied and intrigued with his lack of knowledge. After a hostile family dinner, witnessed by the class, Marge kicks Homer out. Homer begs for forgiveness from his wife, and once Moe tries and fails to woo Marge again, Homer & Marge agree to forgive and forget.
Brawl in the Family SEASON 13 2001
A game of Monopoly during an Acid Rain downpour in Springfield sees The Simpsons have a major brawl and they end up in jail. It is up to the Angel Gabriel to reconcile the family. However, his work is torn apart, when Homer & Ned’s Vegas Wives from (Viva Ned Flanders, Season 10) turn up and Homer confesses to the revelation. Kicked out by Marge, Homer gets ready to start a new life with Flickers, but Marge, Homer & the kids come up with a plan that get Flickers drunk and married to Grampa which saves the family and sees the Vegas wives run away back home.
Brother’s Little Helper SEASON 11 1999
After destroying the Fire Safety day with a destructive plan, Bart is pressurized by Marge & Homer to take a new drug, called ‘Focusyn’ to keep him concentrating. Bart takes a dramatic change in his behaviour, but is soon losing his mind, detecting that Major League Baseball is spying on him. After taking more drugs, Bart goes on a rampage through the town, which ends up with him blowing up the MLB satellite. Baseball ace Mark McGuire turns up and steals the information when Lenny discovers Bart had been telling the truth all along. Bart returns home, and is now prescribed on Ritalin.
Barting Over SEASON 14 2003
The 300th episode sees Bart find out he starred in commercials as a small baby. When he finds out that Homer spent all the money made, Bart wants emancipation from his family and leaves home. Bumping into skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, Bart settles down on the SkuTour, but Homer wants his son back and challenges Hawk to a skateboarding contest, which he wins. Bart returns home and Homer starts making commercials for Viagra Gel.
Bart the Daredevil SEASON 2 1991
After seeing Captain Lance Murdock produce a death-defying stunt at ‘Truckasaurus,’ Bart wants to follow in his footsteps. Despite Lisa and Homer’s reservations, Bart defies both and heads off to jump Springfield Gorge. Homer stops him in the nick of time, only to end up accidentally jump the gorge on Bart’s skateboard, with painful consequences….
Lisa on Ice SEASON 6 1995
Lisa looks set for her first ever F, after failing at sports. Suddenly, Apu spots her stopping Bart’s shots on a hockey rink and makes her the ice-hockey goalkeeper for the Kwik-E-Mart Gougers. Soon, Lisa becomes so good at the game; Bart is pushed out of the spotlight and starts a bitter rivalry with his sister. In a match between the Gougers and Bart’s hockey squad, coached by Chief Wiggum, Bart has a shot to win the match. However, he and Lisa put aside their differences and the game ends in a tie, leaving the crowd frustrated and in the mood to start a good old riot.
Lisa’s Wedding SEASON 6 1995
At a fortune-telling stand, Lisa is giving a vision of her future which sees her fall in love with British student, Hugh Parkfield. They get engaged and Hugh makes the trip to Springfield, to see Lisa’s family. As ever, Homer & Bart cause their usual mayhem which pushes Hugh to the limit. On the day of the wedding, he refuses to wear Homer’s cufflinks and tells Lisa he wants to cut off her family from their lives. Lisa is horrified and calls off the wedding. Back in real-time, she is told that the future cannot be changed, but try and act surprised.
Treehouse of Horror VI SEASON 7 1995
Undoubtedly, the best ever Halloween Special created. Tale no.1 sees Springfield being terrorised by advertising mascots and hoardings, which starts with Homer nicking the large donut off LardLad. Part 2 sees the grim story of Groundskeeper Willie getting revenge for his death, by attacking the children of Springfield in their sleep. When Bart & Lisa fall victim to the janitor, it’s up to Maggie to save the day. Finally, in effort to avoid a restless presentation from Patty & Selma, Homer escapes into the 3rd dimension and disappears into oblivion.
Three Gays of the Condo SEASON 14 2003
When Homer finds a postcard from Marge about a horrific night out from the early days of their relationship, he moves out in disgust of Marge’s resentment. Homer moves in with a couple of guys in an apartment together, who are ‘gay.’ Marge makes vain attempts to get back with Homer, who agrees to a date. However, he ends up arriving hours later, after drinking marquita with the lads. Homer returns home and is kissed by one of the guys. He runs away and then Moe poisons him with alcohol, eventually reuniting Homer with Marge.
24 Minutes SEASON 18 2007
In the style of American drama ’24,’ Marge attempts to make the perfect cake, to win a baking contest at Springfield Elementary school. Meanwhile, Dolph, Jimbo & Kearney plan to wreck the contest by releasing the ‘ultimate stinkbomb.’ The plan is eventually foiled in this well-written plot by Bart, Lisa & Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland.)
Marge on the Lam SEASON 5 1993
Upset by Homer’s lame excuse not to go to the ballet, Marge ends up going with neighbour, Ruth Powers and on a second excursion into town, end up on the run. Homer, on his own night out, bumps into Chief Wiggum and together, the pair chases Marge & Ruth all night, leaving under-qualified Lionel Hutz to look after Bart & Lisa. As the women head for a chasm, Homer makes one last plea to Marge, and they stop on the cliff-face, but Homer & Wiggum jump off it, fortunately landing in some solid waste.
The Old Man & the Lisa SEASON 8 1997
Poor investments leave Mr. Burns with no money, loses the Power Plant and his mansion home. After gentle persuasion, Lisa feels sorry for Burns, and introduces him into the world of recycling. A recycling plant is built, but Lisa is horrified when Burns pulls all aquatic life out of the sea, and turns it into goo. Lisa is sick and runs off, whilst Burns buys back his Power Plant and regains his fortune.
Wild Bart’s Can’t Be Broken SEASON 10 1999
When Homer, Carl, Lenny & Barney trash Springfield Elementary on a drunken rampage, Chief Wiggum blames the kids for the irresponsibility and places a curfew on kids. Furious, Bart, Lisa, Millhouse and co break the rule to see ‘The Bloodening’ at the Springfield Drive N Thru, but are arrested by Wiggum. The movie gives the kids inspiration to tell the adults secrets in revenge on the radio. It leads to a final showdown, which sees the old relatives join in and enforce a curfew regulation for anyone under 70!
Separate Vocations SEASON 3 1992
Following a Career Amplitude Test, Bart gets the passion to become a member of the Springfield Police Force. On the other side, Lisa’s future career comes out as a homemaker. She becomes disillusioned with life, and turns into a rebel at school, including stealing all the copies of the ‘Teacher’s Edition.’ The books are found by Principal Skinner and Bart following a random locker search. Bart, seeing what Lisa did, decides he doesn’t want to see his sister wreck her potential, to owns up to the crime and takes her punishment with good grace.
Mommie Beerest SEASON 16 2005
Moe’s is shut down after failing a health inspection, so Homer takes out a second mortgage in Marge’s name without consultation. Furious with her husband, Marge becomes the owner and helps re-open Moe’s and turn it into a bar. Homer’s jealousy nearly costs him his marriage, but on a plane for a weekend away, Moe reveals his feelings for Marge and is rejected, saving The Simpsons.
The Regina Monologues SEASON 15 2004
After making $3000 dollars from a brief museum opening, Bart treats the family for a vacation to London. The main objective is for Grampa to find an old love from World War I, but Homer causes havoc and gets arrested for crashing his Mini into the Queen. A deal is eventually compromised which means Homer can get away scot-free in exchange for Madonna to return to the States. This episode guest starred Tony Blair and Sir Ian McKellen.
The Simpsons success has seen a series of guests star appear. Leonard Nimoy, Stephen Hawking, Kelsey Grammar, Cyndi Lauper, Dolly Parton, Simon Cowell, Serena Williams, Tony Blair, Tony Hawk, Sir Elton John & Sir Paul McCartney just to name a few of many to have graced Springfield over the past two decades.
Worldwide, The Simpsons Movie made fortunes of money when it broke onto the big screen in the summer of 2007. Its reviews were mixed. A long-lasting storyline over 90 minutes didn’t quite fit in with the producers and creator, Matt Groening. However, its comedy element throughout meant it was still a quality piece of film material.
So, what is the next for The Simpsons? I certainly think that maybe the time has come to draw a line under the amount of time still being put into newer episodes, which don’t have the same charisma as the older classics. However, what can’t be denied is the legacy that the town of Springfield has left in our lives. The Simpsons have already become America’s longest family sitcom and they should be safe and secure in our TV schedules for many years to come.
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