"The Simpsons" General Series Discussion (Spoilers)

[VladDraculi]

Hi, I am new to this board, but I have this itching to talk about The Simpsons. First off, it is my second favorite cartoon of all time, but the main reason for this is because I have spent the last month watching every episode in order from Season 1 to currently working between 12 and 15 (long story, boring details).

Anyway, what happened with this show? The first season, while pretty weak, had some great moments and great episodes like "Bart the General," "Krusty Gets Busted," and "The Tell Tale Head." It wasn't the best of the series, but it was a good beginning and showed promise. Then we get to Season 2, which is where things really got off the ground, and continued to be good, but not perfect until Season 4 came along. Season 4 is my absolute favorite season of them all because I do not think there is a single okay episode, everything is golden. Some of my favorites include "Homer the Heretic," "Kamp Krusty," "Marge vs the Monorail," "Mr Plow," and "Duffless." The following seasons gave us "Cape Fear," "Homer the Great," of course the "Who Shot Mr Burns?" two parter, "22 Short Films About Springfield," "Homer's Enemy," and "You Only Move Twice." All of them fantastic.

Then we come to Seasons 9 and 10, which were great for the most part, but they really seemed to have two okay to bad episodes for every truly great episode. I mean, for every "The City of New York vs Homer Simposon" we got "The Joy of Sect" and "Simpsons Tide." Or Season 10 had "Homer to the Max" matched by "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday," and "D'Oh-in in the Wind."

Of course, even the bad episodes cannot compare to what awaited us with Season 11, which, until I started to rewatch 15, I thought was the worst thing ever conceited for The Simpsons. Out of all of Season 11's episodes, "Hello Fadder, Hello Gutter" is the only one I actually enjoyed. The rest of them were down right awful, unfunny, and a lot of them just ended on a random note without any rhyme or reason. Not to mention there seemed to be a lot of sub stories that went nowhere (such as Bart and Milhouse's venture in the mall in "Last Tap Dance in Springfield.").

Currently, I am in Season 12 for DVD and Season 15 for episodes recorded from tv. First off, Season 12 is an improvement over Season 11, but what is up with the last minute of every episode? "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes" and "The Great Money Caper" were pretty enjoyable episodes until the randomized ending just completely ruined the episode. For example, Lisa is about to tell Homer and Bart how they set up the scandal towards them when Otto runs in with a surf board and everyone is just randomly surfing for no reason. What did that have to do with the rest of the episode? NOTHING!! On the other hand, "HOMR" was a well done episode with a nice plot, that, while odd at times, was quite entertaining and it had an ending that fit with it. Even "Pokeymom" was not that terrible, but then you had the worst idea ever for "Worst Episode Ever." Oh, and did a panda seriously do what I think it did to Homer in "Homer vs Dignity?" Or was it just made to look that way but nothing actually happened?

And of course, like I said, I am also viewing Season 15, and I forced myself to watch the first eleven episodes of it today. In all honesty, I do NOT remember it being THAT bad. The episodes are down right BORING! I laughed once during the robot episode and then twice during the Krusty episode (the part where Lisa pulled out the Simpsons book and then when Krusty told the Fox executives they always put on crap.). I really thought the lowest point of the show came from Season 11's Tomacco episode and "Saddlesore Galactica," but "The President Wore Pearls," The Fat and the Furious," and the Marge vs episode put those two to shame.

Anyway, I have gone on long enough. Do you still watch The Simpsons? At what point do you think the series completely fell apart? Do you feel it picked back up?

[Cartoon X]

I still like The Simpsons, although everyone else seems to hate it now.

There are a couple of bad episodes, I agree, but I still find a lot of enjoyment in the series in any season. Then again, I wasn't watching The Simpsons when the "Golden Age" episodes were first airing, so I don't have those same expectations for the series that many others do, and I'm not as concerned with the series' realism, continuity, or "flanderizations" because upon rewatching the series from the beginning this summer, I've seen evidence of these in early season as well.

I'll continue to be a fan of The Simpsons because I do enjoy the new episodes, and no amount of alleged "bad" episodes can ever nullify the brilliance of the amazing episodes between seasons 2-10 and 18.

[J. B. Warner]

I've been keeping up diligently with Mike Amato's superb Me Blog Write Good, an episode-by-episode analysis of the show from the beginning. He's nearing the end of Season 13 right now, and his write-ups are just excellent, really zeroing in on the fine details that either make or break each episode. As one might expect, he's been much kinder to the first eight seasons, but he's not afraid to point out the flaws in the classic era too (he genuinely dislikes much of Season 5's "Secrets of a Successful Marriage").

I've tried to watch some recent Simpsons episodes. Some kind of morbid curiosity keeps drawing me back to the show, even though I keep quitting again for the exact same reasons. This time has been no different. Crap like "Replaceable You" and "The Falcon and the D'ohman" did nothing but confuse and irritate me with their nonsensical plots and horrible disjointed dialogue. I also watched "The Food Wife", which seems to be highly regarded by many, but just kinda made me scratch my head a lot and go "Huh?" And then there's "Lisa Goes Gaga", easily one of the worst episodes of the entire series. Am I the only one who remembers a time when this show actually made fun of their guest stars, instead of putting them on a pedestal and fawning endlessly about how awesome they are?

But hell, the classic episodes are still some of the best television ever produced. I was watching some of my favorite Season 6 episodes this morning ("Itchy and Scratchy Land", "Sideshow Bob Roberts", "Treehouse of Horror V", and "Bart's Girlfriend"), and they still make me laugh as much now as they did when I first watched them. Maybe even more.

[VladDraculi]

I actually thought the Lady Gaga one was one of the better guest star episodes of the recent years. They actually did stuff with her instead of just having her there for one random cameo bit and that was it.

I cannot say I am that crazy about "Sideshow Bob Roberts" as I am with "Cape Feare," and "Brother from Another Series," but it was still good. I think they did go overkill though when they started to have him come back every season for a while. That is probably my only complaint on seasons 6-8.

Oh, I did finally watch an episode of Season 15 that was excellent. It was where Milhouse moves away and Lisa and Bart start to hang out with each other. Outside of the whacky ending with the Jeffersons lady, it was a well done episode and so far is the only one worth remembering in Season 15.

[Raguoc]

In all honesty, I haven't been crazy about the Simpsons. I mean, I like the occasional new episode (Please don't hurt me, fans of the older seasons), but I've never really enjoyed the Simpsons as much as other adult comedies (Ironically, my favorite cartoon of all time is Futurama). My question is: What are considered the good seasons of the show and why should I start really watching the show again?

[J. B. Warner]

My question is: What are considered the good seasons of the show and why should I start really watching the show again?

The first eight seasons are widely regarded as the best, but most fans consider the true Golden Age (the era when the show was just consistently brilliant) to be Seasons 2 through 7. Season 1 was still working through some kinks, and Season 8 is when the strain of being on the air for so long first began to show, but they both still contain some truly great episodes.

The Simpsons revolutionized the TV cartoon. Prior to its existence, the only animated sitcoms had been stuff like The Flintstones, which relied pretty heavily on worn-out TV tropes and easy puns. When The Simpsons came along, it turned everything on its ear. It was a cartoon that was about real life, warts and all, and it was extremely well-written - the density of humor was unprecedented. Nothing like this show had ever been done before.

Now, of course, it's basically mutated into "The Wacky Adventures of Homer Simpson", and it's painful to see what this once-great show has become. Homer used to be a put-upon everyman who was ruled by his impulses and wasn't all that bright, but still wanted to do the right thing and provide for his family. Now he's an unlikeable out-of-control jerk who goes on crazy adventures and thinks he can get away with anything, and the rest of the family is just along for the ride. Watching the show de-evolve between Season 8 and Season 10 is a horrifying experience.

[Classic Speedy]

I've been keeping up diligently with Mike Amato's superb Me Blog Write Good, an episode-by-episode analysis of the show from the beginning. He's nearing the end of Season 13 right now, and his write-ups are just excellent, really zeroing in on the fine details that either make or break each episode. As one might expect, he's been much kinder to the first eight seasons, but he's not afraid to point out the flaws in the classic era too (he genuinely dislikes much of Season 5's "Secrets of a Successful Marriage").

The blog isn't perfect, but it's certainly one of the better Simpsons blogs out there- much better than Dead Homer Society. I like how the author points out jokes he liked in otherwise bad/mediocre episodes, something which not all Simpsons viewers do.

Now, of course, it's basically mutated into "The Wacky Adventures of Homer Simpson", and it's painful to see what this once-great show has become. Homer used to be a put-upon everyman who was ruled by his impulses and wasn't all that bright, but still wanted to do the right thing and provide for his family. Now he's an unlikeable out-of-control jerk who goes on crazy adventures and thinks he can get away with anything, and the rest of the family is just along for the ride. Watching the show de-evolve between Season 8 and Season 10 is a horrifying experience.

Well I wouldn't exactly call it "horrifying"; that seems a bit melodramatic. Reason I say that is because despite some issues with the characterization, the show could still be funny during seasons 9 and 10. In fact, season 9 is rather underrated and I'm not sure why it isn't always lumped in with the "classic" seasons.

[VladDraculi]

In all honesty, I haven't been crazy about the Simpsons. I mean, I like the occasional new episode (Please don't hurt me, fans of the older seasons)

Don't get me wrong, there are still some great episodes in the newer stuff. "Gone Maggie Gone," "24 Minutes," and "The Debarted" definitely come to mind when I think of the great episodes from the recent stuff, especially "24 Minutes," which is in my top 10 favorite episodes of all time.

Now, of course, it's basically mutated into "The Wacky Adventures of Homer Simpson", and it's painful to see what this once-great show has become. Homer used to be a put-upon everyman who was ruled by his impulses and wasn't all that bright, but still wanted to do the right thing and provide for his family. Now he's an unlikeable out-of-control jerk who goes on crazy adventures and thinks he can get away with anything, and the rest of the family is just along for the ride. Watching the show de-evolve between Season 8 and Season 10 is a horrifying experience.

See, this I have to disagree with that. Yes, he is more of jerk now than before, but you had the episodes like, "Secrets of a Successful Marriage" and "A Streetcar Named Marge" where Homer was being a jerk.

I also do agree with Speedy, that even the bad episodes can have good moments. I still love the scene in "Moe n Lisa" when everyone is driving to Virginia, and Moe slides a beer down the dashboard of the car to Homer and Marge yells at him. As such, Homer says, "Fine, I will drive in between sips," and stops to drink, drives, stops, drinks, drives, etc.

Anyway, I finished Season 15 last night and I will say that the last few episodes of the season redeemed it from being a total crapshoot, so Season 11 still ends up being the worst. I liked the episodes "Milhouse Doesn't Live Her Anymore," "Catch'Em If You Can," and "Simple Simpson." Not to mention "Fraudcast News" and "Wandering Juvie" were not bad. I love the cancellation of Futurma suicide jumper in the last one.

[J. B. Warner]

See, this I have to disagree with that. Yes, he is more of jerk now than before, but you had the episodes like, "Secrets of a Successful Marriage" and "A Streetcar Named Marge" where Homer was being a jerk.

The key difference, however, is that Homer didn't know he was being a jerk, and when he realized it, he felt genuinely sorry for it and tried to make amends. "A Streetcar Named Marge" has that great moment where Homer and Marge are in bed and Homer admits he just can't build up any enthusiasm for Marge's participation in the play, despite the fact that he's usually willing to fake an interest in her hobbies. Marge is offended, naturally, and asks Homer why he never told her this before. Homer explains "You know I would never do anything to hurt your feelings." At the center of it all, Homer's still got his heart in the right place, even if he's thoroughly inept at actually expressing it.

In recent episodes, Homer seems to delight in being obnoxious. The show has an ugly self-awareness to it now, as if all the characters know that they're on the longest-running animated sitcom in history. Homer in particular always acts as if he knows he's the star and can do whatever he wants, and everyone else will just have to sit there and take it. I always point to that moment in "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily" where Marge tells Homer that he needs to be mindful of Ned's feelings in the wake of Maude's death. Homer replies "I know...no more being a jerk" - and then sheds a tear at the notion that he will no longer be able to be an unlikeable pig to his next-door neighbor for no reason. Annoying people actually makes Homer happy now, and that's never a quality you want to have for your main protagonist.

[Luna]

I've been watching The Simpsons on and off since I was 10 (which was around the time the series started...I missed the initial airings for some of the earlier season episodes (when the show moved to Thursdays instead of Sundays),but caught them when the series went into syndication,and I've also missed seeing many of the season 15-19 episodes (except for the Halloween episodes...At the time,I usually wasn't home Sunday nights,and didn't feel like recording them)...
I wouldn't say it's the greatest cartoon ever made (my personal favorite is Futurama),and It's not even in my top 10,but I still enjoy watching the series...I do agree that most of the best episodes are from the first 8 seasons,and that the writers of the more recent episodes seem to enjoy making the characters unlikeable (Homer and Flanders seem to be the hardest hit by this) ,but at the same time,I don't think the show has gotten as bad as many people seem to claim...Even in the worst of the new episodes,there's usually a good joke or two...

[VladDraculi]

I can see what you mean about Homer. There was even an episode I watched today where he mentioned about him being a jerkass.

Anyway, I watched Season 16 today and my god, it was just as bad as Season 11, if not worse. There was not a single enjoyable episode in the entire season. They had enjoyable moments and one liners, but that was about it. I think the only episode I had the most laughs in was the American Idol rip off episode, but that was because of how stupid some of the things that occurred in it were. Same goes for the one with the girls renting a room in Ned's house.

I'm going to be starting Season 17 this weekend, and I pray that it actually has at least one really enjoyable episode to it.

[J. B. Warner]

I'm going to be starting Season 17 this weekend, and I pray that it actually has at least one really enjoyable episode to it.

I feel like I should warn you, Season 17 is the season that initially broke me. After struggling through junk like "Milhouse of Sand and Fog", "The Italian Bob", "Homer's Paternity Coot", "We're On the Road to D'oh-where", "Homer Simpson, This is Your Wife", and "Million Dollar Abie", I finally just threw up my hands and said "I can't deal with this anymore - these are some of the worst episodes I've ever seen, and this show is never going to be good again." I didn't even finish it and I still remain confident in my assertion that it's the worst season of the entire series. (Of course, I've only seen handfuls of what came after it; for all I know, it may have been dethroned. But I'm not in the mood to find out.)

[Classic Speedy]

Season 17 was indeed an ordeal to get through upon initial airing. My theory is that the writers were more focused on the movie during that time, and the series suffered as a result. Can't prove that, of course, but it wouldn't surprise me given the below average nature to these episodes.

J.B.: There was a worse episode than what you watched in season 17. It's called "That 90's Show". Awful.

[VladDraculi]

Why does everyone hate "That 90's Show" so much? I mean, it was hilarious when Homer creates a grunge band and then Kurt Cobain's cousin calls him up and Kurt pretty much steals the sound. How can you not like that? Well, I guess we'll see what happens when I get to Season 19.

Anyway, I finished Season 12 yesterday, and for the most part, it was pretty terrible. "Trilogy of Error" is truly the best episode in the season (and one of the best episodes of the entire series) as it feels like I am watching a Tarantino movie (specifically Jackie Brown, whereas "22 Short Films" felt like Pulp Fiction). Outside of that, "HOMR" is the only other episode in the season that is watchable. Oh yeah, and why did they feel the need to bring Sideshow Bob back? He was my favorite character of the show, and the episode with his brother and he redeemed himself was the perfect finale for him. Now he is back and the show just recycled old jokes to make you laugh out of nostalgia rather than actually being funny.

From there, I also plowed through most of Season 13 today (only have 4 episodes left) and it is also pretty bad. The only episode that had anything remotely interesting in it was "Jaws Wired Shut," but the random opening and the craptastic Popeye rip ruined it. The Angry Dad episode is probably the best up to this point, but it had so many moments that made me angry. One of the biggest moments being the whole, "And now Bart's friends dad," from Skinner. I nearly shut off the episode after hearing that right at the beginning. Fortunately, the rest redeemed itself for the most part, but I have no idea how Homer caused millions of dollars in damage. Of course, then I ended the night on the worst clip show the series has dished out. I mean, I found the one from Season 6 to be boring, but it still had thought put into it, along with some great jokes. This one was just awful and showed the worst of Homer instead of the best.

As for Season 17, I also found time to watch the first five episodes over the weekend, and all I am going to say is at least it is an improvement over Season 16.

To be honest though, I am not sure if I can really make it much longer on this show. I think I have accomplished what I was aiming for, but I would love to get through the entire series before Season 24 premiers. Plus, I have yet to watch Season 20, and I want to see how the HD episodes look in 1080P, but I really want to watch every season in order. Well, that really isn't true, since I am watching Seasons 11-14 out of order, but I do not want to watch the HD episodes until I am done with all of the episodes animated in SD.

[TnAdct1]

Why does everyone hate "That 90's Show" so much? I mean, it was hilarious when Homer creates a grunge band and then Kurt Cobain's cousin calls him up and Kurt pretty much steals the sound. How can you not like that? Well, I guess we'll see what happens when I get to Season 19.

Simple really: the episode pretty much retcons all the classic "flashback" episodes (i.e. Lisa's First Word, Homer's Barbershop Quartet) all so the show can do an unnecessary "flashback" episode set in the 1990's.

[Cartoon X]

Simple really: the episode pretty much retcons all the classic "flashback" episodes (i.e. Lisa's First Word, Homer's Barbershop Quartet) all so the show can do an unnecessary "flashback" episode set in the 1990's.

The Simpsons has always had a negative continuity when it comes to recounting past events, even in classic episodes, so the idea of "That 90's Show" as the only flashback episode to retcon the others is preposterous. If you dislike a Simpsons flashback episode, it has to be on the merit of it's quality, not on its continuity. Afterall, this is the same show that claims Mr.Burns is both 80 and 102 in different episodes (an error between different episodes of the classic era, no less).

[J. B. Warner]

I have not seen "That '90s Show", but just from reading its page in Simpsons World: The Ultimate Episode Guide, I can tell that this one hurts. All the classic era flashback episodes were genuinely heartfelt stories about the history of this family and how major life-changing events affected them. "That '90s Show" is just an excuse to make 1990s pop culture jokes for a half-hour. The other flashback shows referenced the culture of the time too, but it wasn't the entire point of the show.

And yes, The Simpsons has always played fast and loose with backstory, but usually for the sake of a joke. Those flashback episodes, where the entire half-hour is dedicated to a look back at the characters' past, feel much more canonical than, say, the cutaway joke in "Marge on the Lam" where a young Homer takes part in that military experiment that makes him lose his hair. But "That '90s Show" dumps that canon out the window, as if to say that fan-favorite episodes like "The Way We Was" and "I Married Marge" never happened. It's another example of the writers' "We're so much better than you" mentality towards the fans. They can bend and twist the series at will, and they expect us to just sit there and take it.

Also, rewriting the characters' backstories would not be necessary if the show had ended after Season 8. Just saying.

[Cartoon X]

Also, rewriting the characters' backstories would not be necessary if the show had ended after Season 8. Just saying.

Rewriting the backstories isn't necessary at all. I assume the writers only do so for the convenience of making an easy joke and an attempt to be "timely," and they've done so regardless of the season.

[VladDraculi]

Simple really: the episode pretty much retcons all the classic "flashback" episodes (i.e. Lisa's First Word, Homer's Barbershop Quartet) all so the show can do an unnecessary "flashback" episode set in the 1990's.

See, that is not completely true. In the second flashback, Bart was born in 1980, shortly after Homer spoiled the ending to ESB for everyone. However, in the next flashback, they said Lisa was born in 84, which means Bart had to be born in 82, meaning the continuity was changed to fit in with the year of that season. "That 90's Show" aired in 2008, meaning Bart had to have been born in 1998, so Homer and Marge would have graduated high school in 92, giving them the six year gap for the events of "That 90's Show" to happen. In fact, even the episode from the early seasons when they talk about Maggie's birth, it was in the 90s per Hibbert's hairstyle.

Anyway, my decent into madness continues.

First, I finished Season 13 and my god, the episode where Homer and Marge are accused of murder, making jokes of it, and then it turning out to be a reality tv show was an insult to not only the viewer, but the writer's should be ashamed of that episode. It had some decent ideas going on in it, but that ending just completely left a sour taste in my mouth. I am never rewatching Season 13 again just because of that episode. As for the season finale, I liked it better when it was called "Homer the Vigilante."

Then I watched the first disc of Season 14. Seriously, what is up with the reality tv show jokes? We have ANOTHER episode where they are doing one like 5 episodes into the season. And what a boring episode it was. The best episode on the disc was the Sideshow Bob episode, but his antics in the end also ruined that one. Sideshow Bob was my favorite Simpsons character, but Season 12, 14, and 17 have turned him into a joke.

I also finished Season 17 yesterday and once again, it was lame. While it was a better season overall than 16, the show got extremely boring towards the end that I was just happy to have it over with. I mean, they are really repeating the same plotlines over now, and doing a poor job at it. In fact, I cannot even remember the majority of the season anymore, and I watched the majority of it yesterday. The only episodes that I found to be anything redeemable was the one where the cemetery was put next to Lisa's room ("The Girl Who Slept Too Little") and the outsourcing one ("Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" or something). However, I need to make mention that this season contains what I have determined to be the worst Simpsons episode ever. Even worse than the one from Season 13. It is the one where Abe might not be Homer's dad. It is hands down the most painful and insulting episode in the entire series that I could not even watch it. The entire concept does not make any sense and I stopped watching it the moment Homer read that letter from his mom. I have sat through countless garbage episodes, episodes that were okay but ruined by their random endings, and episodes that had nothing worthwhile to them, but this takes the cake. This episode just spits over anyone and everyone watching the show and Al Jean should have been fired just for allowing this episode alone. In fact, the more I think about it, Season 11, 13, and 16 are down right dreadful, but I might just place this as the worst season of them all just for that one. Moving on though...

Finally, I have also watched the first 7 episodes of Season 18 today and it is driving me nuts. The one with Fat Tony's son was not terrible, but outside of the drunk driving joke in "Moe n Lisa" and the White Stripes chasing Bart in the jazz episode, the season has been just down right boring. The episode where Homer joins the army was over the top and ridiculous, and it was nothing new. I nearly fell asleep during this episode. I guess I should just be thankful I haven't run into an episode as insulting as the one I refuse to mention, but I cannot wait until I get to "24 Minutes," because unless something has changed since I last watched it, that is one of the best episodes of all time.

EDIT:

I finished the rest of Season 18 and it was by far better than the last several seasons. There are some really bad episodes to it, such as "Kill Gil" and the one with Abe and Selma was just down right disgusting. However, the Helm's Deep parody with Bart and Lisa and the UPS guys was awesome and the only redeeming factor in that episode. Even the one with Nelson and Bart was not bad, and as I said before, "24 Minutes" is one of the best Simpsons episodes ever. I have never watched the show 24, so that might also be why I found this episode to be very original and the best since "Trilogy of Error." "Homerazzi" was quite enjoyable as well as the Kent Brockman episode. Oh, and who can forget about the awesome "Marge Gamer" episode? That one is just down right hilarious since it makes fun of Warcraft. It is unfortunate that there is no way to just get the episodes I find to be the best of Seasons 11-19 onto an official Blu-Ray, because I really only want a season's worth of episodes between the 9 seasons (The Debarted, 24 Minutes, Homerazzi, Trilogy or Error, HOMR, Catch'Em If You Can, The Girl Who Slept Too Little, Hello Gutter Hello Fadder, Simple Simpson, Marge Gamer and a few others). Overall though, the season was an improvement over the last several seasons, but it still could have been a lot better. Nevertheless, I may end up buying this season when it does eventually come out on BD (in like 4 more years) just for "24 Minutes" if nothing else.

Moving on to Season 19, right now I only watched the first episode and it was okay. Colbert was the only thing that really stopped it from being a total crapfest (similar to how Ricky Gervais saved the wife swap episode).

Tomorrow I am either going to continue 19 or watch the movie (even though I am now out of order).

[VladDraculi]

Well I finished Seasons 14, 19, and 20 over the last few days and I do not know what to say.

Season 14 was almost as bad as 11 and 13. In fact, unlike Season 12, it did not even have a single redeeming episode that makes me want to keep the BD I bought outside of the fact that it has HD versions of Tree House of Horror V and VI. Those two episodes are the only reasons I will keep it, at least until Seasons 6 and 7 see BD releases. "Moe Baby Blues" was not horrible, and part of the episode with Sideshow Bob was decent, but that is about it. The Marge episodes of this season were down right terrible (especially the real 300th episode, never understood the incorrect numbering during that season even though it was fixed for the 400th), but the worst has to go to that reality tv show episode. In fact, the problem with this season was not that it was down right dreadful, it was the fact that the episodes were just boring to watch. That might even be the problem with all of the following seasons, being boring more than anything else.

Anyway, moving on to Season 19, this one had some good stuff in it, but the majority of it was not memorable at all. As I said a few posts ago, "The Debarted" an excellent episode and a great parody of The Departed. I also could not believe how great "Eternal Moonshine in the Simpson Mind" was, as I vaguely remember it, but not that much. I've already given my opinion on "That 90's Show," but I will admit it did not leave as much of an impression on me now as it did back then. I still don't think it messed up continuity at all since there is a 6 year gap between them graduating high school and Bart being born, but I will admit that the series itself was already mocking pop culture during its run in the 90s, so this episode was pretty much useless. It was like the guys said, "Hey, you know what we forgot to mock during the golden age of the show..." and ran with it. On the other hand, what is up with the constant episodes where Bart gets a new girlfriend that is voice by a movie actress each season? We have had Amy Pohler, Reese Witherspoon, Natalie Portman, and this season gives us Zoey Duschandel (or however it is spelled). Not to mention Season 20 then has Anne Hathaway. Do we really need this plot done over and over? The only other highlights I can give this season belong to Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, as their parts were great. The rest of the season and guests appearances were meh. Overall, after Season 18 showed promise, this season went right back into the dumpster, but at least it is better than 11, 13-17.

And now of course, I have to mention Season 20. Oh what a crapshoot this season was. It tried to be better than its predecessors, and yet, it fails because almost every episode plot was already done before and better. I mean, yay, we have another Lisa enters some type of contest episode. We have another Lisa vs Mr Burns episode. Lisa buys an iPod episode, Lisa gets a psychotic friend, Lisa this, Lisa that. What was up with all of the Lisa focus in the first half of the season? There is nothing really worth mentioning for the first half, but then when the show goes all HD, "WOW, that opening was awesome, I cannot wait to see how revitalized the show gets!!" We get a decent what if episode, followed by a pretty enjoyable episode with Skinner taking the low kids away from the school, and then another okay episode. However, the highlight of the season comes with an incredible parody on The Davinci Code, and I have to say, "Gone Maggie Gone" is fantastic. Its jokes, animation, plotline, over the top puzzles that annoy Lisa, and its ending with Bart are all down right incredible to watch. This episode showed that the writers can actually come up with something as awesome like they did with "24 Minutes" in Season 18 and "Trilogy of Error" in Season 12. So how do they top it off? By making the eight following episodes lackluster. Like the one where Lovejoy finds out he was not a minister during the time he remarried Marge and Homer TWELVE SEASONS AGO!!! That was incredibly lame and is almost as bad as Homer not thinking Abe was his father. The remaining episodes pretty much sucked.

Sadly, I have also watched the first 6 episodes to Season 21 and outside of the first Halloween episode segment, they have also been pretty lackluster. I am just so thankful that I am almost done with the series. Only 61 more episodes to go, and if I play my cards just right, I will be done with the show by the end of the week.