The Simpsons DVD

Rated: Not Rated
Genre: TV Series
Length: 270 minutes
Director: Various
Year: (1989)

Britt Gillette's The Simpsons DVD (Season 1) Review

Starting with the very first episode (airing December 17, 1989), The Simpsons DVD (Season 1) is packed with some of the best episodes in the show's history. All of these early episodes exhibit a bit of amateurish (by later Simpson standards) animation, seeing as how the popularity of the show had yet to land it the massive budgets of subsequent years. However, this does not take away from the show's acerbic wit which is present and in full swing throughout all thirteen of the original episodes.

A few details do stand out. Homer's voice is slightly different, and he isn't as stupid as his character is later portrayed to be. But all the other Simpson family members are firmly established from the get-go. These initial episode witness the appearance of such beloved supporting characters as Krusty the Clown, Ned Flanders, Itchy & Scratchy (although they're just cartoons!), Monty Burns & sidekick Wayland Smithers, Patty & Selma, Martin Prince, Grandpa Simpson, Reverend Lovejoy, and a host of other highly regarded inhabitants of Springfield who have climbed their way into the hearts of America since the show's debut.

As the longest running animated show in history, and the longest running prime show of any type, The Simpsons is an American treasure - a combination of humor, wit, and satire that examines not just the lives of its eccentric characters, but also the society, culture, and world in which we live. Fun for adults and children alike, The Simpsons is a cutting edge television comedy that, like Seinfeld, change the television landscape in the 1990's by dictating a new genre of TV fun - spawning network investment in new series such as King of the Hill, Futurama, and The Family Guy.

Like all new things which smash the paradigm of life, The Simpsons is unrivaled by its knockoffs, and the show doesn't show signs of slowing down. If you haven't yet visited Springfield, then I definitely recommend that you pick up The Simpsons DVD (Season 1) to catch a glimpse for yourself. You have no idea what you've been missing…

Britt Gillette

Below is a summary of each episode of The Simpsons DVD (Season 1)…

Episode 1 (Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire): The Simpson family is completed in this first episode of the most popular animated series ever. As Christmas approaches, head-of-household Homer Simpson takes on an after-hours job as a local department store Santa. His hope is that he can buy all the gifts for his family that he feels they deserve. However, when Homer gets his paycheck (minus deductions for Santa suit rental, Santa training, etc.), he finds out that it isn't enough to buy the Christmas he wants. When his son Bart discovers Homer's moonlighting job, the two hurry off to the local dog racing track where they hope to win the money they need in some sort of Frank Capra-esque holiday miracle. Believing that a long-odds dog named Santa's Little Helper holds the key to such a holiday miracle, Homer puts everything on the dog. But The Simpsons is not a Frank Capra production. The dog loses. Miserably… But when the dog's owner kicks Santa's Little Helper into the parking lot, Bart and Homer discover a Christmas gift the whole family can enjoy - a dog to call their own…

Episode 2 (Bart The Genius): After he switches I.Q. exams with class brain Martin Prince, Bart is called into the principal's office where a school psychologist determines that Bart's bad behavior is due to the boredom he experiences as a result of his extraordinary intelligence. Principal Skinner can hardly contain his joy as Bart is moved to another school where geniuses run rampant. Meanwhile, Marge encourages Homer to take to the family on sophisticated, cultured outings, such as the opera where Bart can expand the horizons of his genius. When Bart experiences life in a school of genius, non-pranksters, he finds out that the student-run, no-grades curriculum is not all that it's cracked up to be. He confesses to cheating, and Principal Skinner's dreams are dashed forever when Bart returns to his old school…

Episode 3 (Homer's Odyssey): When Homer is fired from his job at the nuclear power plant for rank incompetence, he sets out to discover his true purpose in life. Deciding that a certain intersection should have a stop sign, Homer attends the local city council meeting where his recommendation is quickly voted into law. That burst of confidence leads Homer to engage in a spree of public safety works. When the entire town of Springfield is dominated by "Keep off grass" and "Beware of dog" signs, Homer sets his sights on the greatest public safety hazard of all - Mr. Burns' nuclear power plant. Organizing a major protest and galvanizing public opinion in his favor, Homer takes on Mr. Burns and manages to improve his job prospects in the process…

Episode 4 (There's No Disgrace Like Home): With the Simpson family dysfunction at an all-time high, Homer decides to take his family to a revolutionary counseling session he sees advertised on TV. With every Simpson blaming the other, the doctor decides to introduce them to a form of electro-shock therapy which the family use to shock each other with no improvement in their relations - prompting the doctor to refuse further treatment of this frustratingly dysfunctional family. But the family wounds are healed when Homer decides to better spend the money earmarked for counseling on a new TV. This a notable episode due to the first appearances of Itchy & Scratchy…

Episode 5 (Bart The General): When school bullies gang up on Lisa, Bart fights back. But as only one kid, he lacks the strength to take them on by himself. Enlisting the help of Grandpa Simpson (making his TV debut) and Grandpa's war veteran friend, Bart forms an army of school kids. They practice maneuvers, lay out their plans, and build up a cache of water balloons. It doesn't take long for a full-fledged war to break out, and only some homemade cookies can bring a truce…

Episode 6 (Moaning Lisa): When Lisa falls into a deep depression, Marge attempts to cover it up by telling her to put on a smiling face. Distraught by the lack of challenges in her life, and little understanding from her parents, teachers, or friends, Lisa turns to the lure of blues music on her saxophone. While on a midnight walk, she encounters "Bleeding Gums" Murphy - a hard-core, vintage Blues aficionado who teaches her the ways of saxophone blues. In the end, Marge capitulates to Lisa's point-of-view and allows her to be sad if that's what she feels…

Episode 7 (Call Of The Simpsons): When next-door neighbor Ned Flanders purchases a first-class motor home, Homer takes it as a sign of one-upmanship. In an attempt to outdo Flanders, he visits Bob's RV Roundup, the local RV dealership. But when Homer's credit turns out to be not so good, Bob sells him the worst vehicle on the lot. It doesn't take long for Homer to drive the new RV off a cliff while taking the family for a camping trip. When he does, the Simpson family is stranded in the wilderness, forced to survive on their own. Bart and Homer set out to find help, while Lisa and Marge make camp. But no one accounts for Maggie, who ends up becoming part of a family of grizzly bears. When Homer fails as a woodsman, his mud-covered body is mistaken for the Bigfoot - and Marge makes tabloid headlines as his wife…

Episode 8 (The Telltale Head): In an attempt to impress some cool kids, Bart sneaks out under cover of darkness and decapitates the town square statue of Springfield icon Jebediah Springfield. The hideous act of vandalism has the entire city in an uproar, ready to lynch the culprit. Even the cool kids threaten to beat up whoever did, prompting Bart to hide his secret from everyone. With talk of the vandal dominating everyday topics of conversation, Bart's conscience gets the better of him. When Homer and Marge find out Bart's secret, he's forced to confess. But will the town let Bart live?…

Episode 9 (Life On The Fast Lane): In his usual thoughtless way, Homer buys Marge a bowling ball for her birthday - a bowling ball that by mere coincidence fits his hand. Determined to teach Homer a lesson, Marge decides to take up bowling. While practicing at the local bowling alley, she's approached by Jacques - a suave bowling instructor who offers to give her lessons. But Jacques has more on his mind than teaching Marge about the seven-ten split. And the budding romance and Marge's thoughts of cheating threaten to split up Homer and Marge…

Episode 10 (Homer's Night Out): With Homer gone for the evening, Marge takes the children to the local fish house restaurant for dinner. But when Bart takes a trip to the bathroom, he overhears a raucous party in one of the private dining rooms. Taking a peek inside, he discovers a full-blown bachelor party - and Homer! Bart takes a snapshot of Homer dancing on a table with a stripper, and the picture makes its way around the schoolhouse, into kids home, and eventually the fax machine at their parents' offices. When Marge finds out, she forces Homer to teach Bart about proper respect for women…

Episode 11 (The Crepes Of Wrath): Principal Skinner and Homer conspire to send Bart to France as part of a foreign exchange student program. In return, the Simpsons take in Albanian exchange student Adil Hoxha, a fourth-grader who has an eye for Homer's workplace. When Bart arrives in France, two men force him to engage in slave labor in their vineyard - and (the highest crime in France) to water down the wine with anti-freeze. Eventually, Bart escapes and becomes a celebrated hero of France, while Adil is deported for spying at the nuclear plant (and exchanged for his American counterpart)…

Episode 12 (Krusty Gets Busted): When Bart's hero, Krusty the Clown, is videotaped robbing the Kwik-E-Mart, the entire town of Springfield turns against Krusty. With the media and public opinion lambasting the popular clown, Bart sets out to find the true culprit. The videotape reveals certain characteristics of the robber that Krusty does not exhibit, and Bart's attention to detail helps to imprison the true criminal…

Episode 13 (Some Enchanted Evening): When Homer and Marge go out for the evening, they can't find anyone willing to baby-sit their children (in no small part due to Bart's reputation). As a last measure, they decide to contact a babysitting service only to end up getting the notorious Babysitter Bandit sent to their house. When the Bart and Lisa find out who the woman is, they lay a trap and tie her up. But Homer, who thinks the kids were just acting up, unties the bandit, apologizes, and gives her a big tip. When the police arrive, he finds out the woman's true identity…

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Posted on 18 January 2005