The Simpsons Season 4 Review

Kamp Krusty

We kick off the season with a memorable episode that at one point in its production was considered strong enough to be expanded into the first Simpsons movie. While 1992 would have been a great time for such a thing, I'm not sure this story has the scale or emotional depth a full length outing would require. It's one of the last episodes in the original character and style of the show, with all the ups and downs that entails. There are some great one-liners and the premise is classic but the central plot is thin while the sub-plots just taper off completely. Bart begins the episode as the main character, but once he and Lisa get to Kamp Krusty he moves into the background and doesn't really have an arc. He starts off dreaming of getting the grades Homer has demanded to go to summer camp (and burning down the school of course). In reality he doesn't get them, but gets to go anyway and has a miserable time thanks to the shoddy conditions and absence of Krusty the Clown himself. He does rise up to take over the camp, but this happens out of nowhere and ends just as soon as Krusty actually shows up. People like to say this episode parodies Lord of the Flies – it doesn't, it just name-checks it.

Rating: 3.5 Stars


A Streetcar Named Marge

The Simpsons at its absolute finest. A perfect blend of character, absurd humour, satire, parody & genuine emotion. An episode that features a musical version of A Streetcar Named Desire would be awesome enough, but how it manages to make this just a detail in the background of a story about Marge and her anxieties is amazing. Marge is not usually the best lead in a Simpsons episode, usually because when she's featured it's only to nag or complain on a grander scale than she does at home. Here however the main plot is driven by her private emotions – she auditions for the lead in a play because she is bored and lonely, then she get it because it is able to provide an outlet for her justified anger at an uncaring Homer. Also unlike usual episodes this one has a Marge/Homer relationship crisis that doesn't go through the tired break-up/reunion plot, which gives Marge some dignity as it shows some insight into how she stays with him despite his selfish, ignorant behaviour.

All of this dramatic weight is camouflaged by some of the funniest moments in Simpsons history. If you know the real play, “Oh Streetcar!” is one of the best things The Simpsons has ever done. The songs we hear are catchy, funny and enjoyable for their own sake but also demonstrate good knowledge of the material. When you can't watch the real thing without thinking of the parody you know it's done it's job. I can never see the paper-boy scene or hear the final line again without laughing, or singing to myself “You can always depend on the kindness of strangers, to buck up your spirits and shield you from dangers!” The last number works on so many levels; an ironic twisting of the plays central themes, a mockery of musical theatre itself and as just as a damn good cheesy show-tune. The Simpsons is known for its great original songs, but after all these years this one might still be the best.

Rating: 5 Stars


Homer the Heretic

Ever since the show began, The Simpsons has always made back-handed criticisms of organised religion. For the first time the show now makes religion, especially that of the Simpson family themselves, the subject of a whole episode. This is the first episode of the fourth production season (the first two were hold-overs), and the first animated by Film Roman, so it's the nicest looking episode to date and the first of a new era of The Simpsons. This is another episode this season that, like the last one, challenges the popular notion at the time that The Simpsons was a dumb show about dumb people doing dumb things. Oh, it's about some dumb people for sure, but the writers are clearly anything but. Not many prime-time sitcoms would dare tackle the ideas brought up in this episode; concepts that challenge a conservative, religious middle America. One frozen Sunday morning, Homer decides he'd rather stay at home in bed than go to church. This decision upsets Marge but after Homer has the best day of his life he decides he's never going to church again. The scenes of his morning are like a grown-up's 'Home Alone', taking joy in all the freedoms being alone in the house can bring. This joy was clearly the big idea the producers wanted to express and it's great.

Unfortunately the episode looses steam once Homer decides to start his own private religion and is unconvinced by his family and neighbours to rejoin the church. His ignorance and sloth soon causes a house fire, and it's Flanders alongside a fire crew of various faiths who save his life. There's lots to enjoy in these scenes for sure, but the way the story is resolved is a bit forced and overly PC. His life saved by Flanders, he decides to rejoin the church – only it was never the moral quality of the church that was in question. In fact, although Homer is used to broach the subject of atheism, he isn't used in an intellectual way. His decision to give up his faith isn't one he makes with reason, just with the self-serving gluttony typical of the worst caricatures of atheism drawn by the conservative right. The questions he does ask – why this God and not any other? - isn't answered beyond the vague idea that God is in the heart of all good people of any/no faith. In the end, it's an oddly blunt moral message from a show that at it's best can be razor sharp.

Rating: 4 Stars


Lisa the Beauty Queen

The Simpsons getting their hands on the topic of children's beauty pageants ought the be the set up for a fantastic episode, but despite some memorable highlights this one fails to have anything important to say. The funniest moments are more often isolated, peripheral gags such as the opening with Principle Skinner and the Disney lawyers. The problems stem from Lisa as the main character. Her motivations are fairly thin and really just exist to impact the other characters. Homer's sacrifice of a blimp ride to get Lisa into the beauty pageant and the way the family come together to help her is sweet, but it's never really followed up. While I accept the idea that Lisa is insecure about her looks, the main conceit the episode makes is that Lisa would be SO insecure that she'd desire to be a part of a beauty pageant in the first place, and that she and her family would have no issues with this whatsoever. She seems to have no problems with the practice itself, just with being used as a corporate spokesperson for a tobacco company after she wins it – and that's not the Lisa I know.

Rating: 3 Stars


Treehouse of Horror III

I love Treehouse of Horror, they're a deserving tradition and a chance to let the writers be a little more fantastical and surprising. This freedom allows for even more absurdity and chaos, a comedic style that would later become the heart and soul of Futurama. This one has three great segments – Clown Without Pity, King Homer and Dial 'Z' for Zombies. The first segment contains one of the best conversation scenes ever in any comedy between Homer and an Evil Shop owner. The plot itself is a take on Child's Play, only the evil doll goes after the parent rather than the child. The second segment is always better than I remember it. King Kong is not the most obvious horror story to do, but the humour is excellent and it condenses the plot down remarkably well. I love Mr. Burns in this episode – his interactions with Smithers, his Gas song and his presentation of the monster are all brilliant. The final segment is the weakest but a classic premise they had to do sooner or later – zombies. While the plot is boring, it does have one of the most memorable exchanges on the show - “Dad! You killed the Zombie-Flanders!” “He was a zombie?”. The framing story of the kids Halloween party is the weakest ever and would be dropped entirely two years later.

Rating: 4.5 Stars


Itchy and Scratchy: The Movie

Before South Park actually did it, I thought this would have been a great plot for a Simpsons feature film. The show-within-a-show getting it's own movie is a good launch pad for self-satire, criticism of the film and entertainment industries and a story about fandom itself. As it stands it's a memorable episode that has a good premise but lacks focus. In principle the episode is about Homer coming to terms with disciplining Bart, failing many times before dishing out a fairly harsh one. He forbids Bart to see the film that will, in Lisa's opinion, mean as much to her generation as the moon landing did to Homer's. This episode ought to be about Homer as a character and as a father, but spends too much time on the idea of an Itchy & Scratchy movie and not enough on Bart and Homer themselves. I love the ending however where, years later and after he has grown into a good man, Bart convinces Homer to go see the film together when they see it is back in theatres. While it's full of silly sci-fi dressing, it makes me yearn for a Simpsons that did grown and change with time. The show is still on today but Bart and Homer are just the same. If only...

Rating: 4 Stars


Marge Gets a Job

This episode is an assembly of great moments around a plot that has potential, but no pay-off. These moments include all-time-best highlights from Mr. Burns, Smithers, Flanders and Lionel Hutz, so there is certainly value here – but the characters at the centre are lost to the comedy. There is just too much happening to fit into the short time they have. Not only is there the story of Marge getting a job, there's also Homer's anxieties about working with his wife AND Mr. Burns' infatuation with Marge (clearly the least necessary, but obviously the most entertaining). None have room to develop and everything manages to go back to the status quo through an ending that feels irreverent and forced. Hard to rate as there are lots of laughs to be had, but The Simpsons can do better than this.

Rating: 4 Stars


New Kid on the Block

A classic Bart-centric story about a boy's first crush backed up by a fun sub-plot about Homer's quest for justice after failing to have “all you can eat” at a seafood restaurant. Sara Gilbert is great as Laura, the new girl next door to the Simpsons along with her mom Ruth. Being a tom-boy and a bit older than he is, you can instantly understand Bart's attraction to her. The scene where he learns of her new boyfriend (Jimbo) is spot-on, as are his frustrations when he asks what women see in someone who's “just a good-looking rebel who plays by his own rules.” There aren't as many gags as usual, the episode is happy to just enjoy the comedy in Bart's infatuation. The conclusion is also sweet and lets Bart down gently without leaving the narrative too open. It does feature one of the best Grampa moments ever though - “I wore a fifteen-pound beard of bees for that woman, but it just wasn't enough...”

Rating: 4 Stars


Mr. Plow

“It may be on a lousy channel, but the Simpsons are on TV!” - Homer

Over the course of the series Homer has had many jobs, but few are more memorable than his time as Mr. Plow. After being convinced to buy a $20,000 snow plow, he turns his purchase into a business to pay for it. Heavy snow turns him a quick profit and unexpected celebrity but also incurs jealous competition from best friend Barney. This episode features some great interaction between the two old friends as well as a telling flashback to Barney's pre-drinking days. Dan Castellaneta is always fantastic, but he won an emmy for this one and deservedly so. Here he's got more work than usual and mostly carries the episode from start to finish. I love how quickly the town abandons Homer once a bigger plow is on the scene, especially Mayor Quimby who seems to spend all his time just passing the Key to the City around for publicity. I also love how The Simpsons seemed to make it their mission this season to have snow-based episodes without holiday attachments. As snow-based episodes go, this is one of the best of any series.

Rating: 4.5 Stars


Lisa's First Word

I find that more often than anything else it's comedies and animation that make me cry. I think the reason for this lies in the powerful characterisation in both narrative styles. Both forms are built on bold characters who communicate concepts with elegance – comedy is often quick, animation expensive; there isn't much time to mess around establishing things. There is great power then when these characters are used to express something more serious or deeper than the norm. There is an unusual level of contrast that can hit the audience harder than in a straight drama.

'Lisa's First Word' is one of the few episodes of television to bring me to tears, such is the understated power of its ending. It's a moment that isn't born of much and isn't remembered by the characters involved, but it's stayed with me all my life and is one of the things I think about when I recall The Simpsons. The episode that precedes this is probably the best ever flashback episode in the series. As the family try to coax Maggie to speak, Marge recalls the story of Lisa's birth and her first word. Jeff Martin brings the same nostalgic touches he did to 'I Married Marge', satirising current events from 1983-84 such as the McDonald's Olympics promotion that cost them millions. More so than the last flashback episode, this one details the foundations of the Simpsons status quo we see today. We see the family move into their current home, meet the Flanders and enjoy Bart's early days as a brother to Lisa. It's a wonderful tapestry of mythology and humour, held together by the strong cast of characters we know and love. Bart's reaction to Lisa is exactly as you'd expect, but hers is a nice surprise that feels right, even if it isn't obvious.

The ending then. After failing to convince his first two children to call him Daddy when they were young, his youngest does, but Homer isn't there to hear it. It's just one word, but it says so much. It's funny, deeply touching and in a way, tragic. It's a moment you couldn't do with the same grace in a show that took itself any more or less seriously than The Simpsons. Family Guy can only dream of having a moment such as this, but these are what makes The Simpsons something that will last for generations. For all the humour and satire, it's the characters and the warmth and respect with which they're written that holds the true power of this series.

Rating: 5 Stars


Homer's Triple Bypass

After my praise for serious moments in The Simpsons comes this episode, one which mostly deals with the family's anxieties concerning Homer's health and soon his impending heart operation. There are less gags than usual, but despite the plot no mark out emotional moments either. It deals with Homer's unhealthy lifestyle in a serious way for once which is nice, and we get some great scenes early on where we see his heart respond to various stimuli, including being fired by Mr. Burns. Unlike in 'One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish' though, Homer seems less concerned with the idea of his possible death than he ought to be, but then again we never see him really talking about the subject apart from the kids. It's always a rare treat to see Dr. Nick too, but we also get a fair amount of Dr. Hilbert who I've never been a big fan of so it's a wash. We never get to know if/how Homer got his job back, something that probably ought to have been a bigger thread than it was, but likely cut for time. This is a premise that could have been easily extended, but it's still a good story as it is.

Rating: 4 Stars


Marge Vs The Monorail

Quite possibly the funniest episode ever. It's certainly the most irreverent and absurd, firing out visual gags and puns at almost every turn. (You know it's going to be good when it starts with a full-on parody of The Flintstones that comes crashing into a chestnut tree.) There are many more fantastical elements in the jokes than usual, from the radiation-powered squirrel at the start to the “Escalator to Nowhere” at the end. These would normally turn me off an episode, as at times the humour is very un-Simpsons like, but they're all amazing and you just laugh out loud in every scene. Beyond the visuals, the dialogue is legendary. One of my favourite moments ever between Bart and Homer, which you wouldn't notice if it was even cut, is Homer's line “Do you want to change your name to Homer Jr.? The kids can call you “Ho-Ju!”. Dan Castellaneta's delivery and the beat before Bart's response is solid gold. The town meeting is also a classic scene, complete with Phil Hartman's song 'Monorail!' that gets the town behind the idea of building an elevated train. The idiotic, mob mentality of Springfield isn't something we've seen so clearly before, and arguably since. This was Conan O'Brian's crowning achievement as a writer on the show in my opinion, an image of Springfield as a place and a group of people which would come to define it.

Rating: 5 Stars


Selma's Choice

Ah Duff Gardens. Of all the Disneyworld parodies to appear on the show, this is certainly the best. The satirised commercialisation, “Surly” from the Seven Duffs, the Duff song... What's even better is how it's all based on the original history of Busch Gardens, first built to tie in with the adjacent brewery. Of course Duff Gardens takes its theme much more seriously – even all the water is beer. It's a shame then that this setting is a bit wasted when there could have been material here for a whole episode, ala 'Itchy & Scratchy Land'. Instead it's just the ending to a plot centred around Selma's desire for a child. After getting some great gags out of a funeral (best of all Homer's tears of hunger after the service), we follow Selma's quest to have a baby before she dies alone like her aunt. Her story is funny, but she's such a tertiary character it's hard to really care about her anxieties. It's only when we get to Duff Gardens, which is where the kids wanted to go from the first scene, that the episode takes off. It'd have been nice for this story to have worked itself out entirely within the park somehow, and I'd have liked to have seen Homer's time there.

Rating: 4 Stars


Brother from the Same Planet

This episode has plenty of funny and sweet moments, but never quite ascends to greatness. After Homer forgets to pick him up, Bart decides he has no father and signs up to the Bigger Brothers scheme where underprivileged kids are paired up with generous adult volunteers. When Homer finds out about Bart's great new “father”, he does the same and takes on the adorable Pepe. The material between Bart, Homer and their replacements is cute, but the humour is very scatter-shot. The best scene is where Bart tells his dad he was “faking it” when he used to push him on the swing - “Remember this? Higher dad! Faster! Higher! Wooo! Push harder dad!”, leaving Homer in tears. The fight between Homer and Bart's bigger brother is also fun and has a great ending. The sub-plot with Lisa's phone-line addiction however is forgettable, and when you combine it with the many cut-away jokes and non-sequiturs you get the feeling they needed to do a lot of padding to get this plot to meet the running time.

Rating: 3.5 Stars


I Love Lisa

Yet another episode this season to get the balance between humour and emotion exactly right. It's a story about rejection, which is not always nice to watch but cements Ralph Wiggum as a sympathetic character for years to come. The story of his infatuation with Lisa is really well told. It starts with a gesture of kindness and escalates at just the right pace, bringing in the side elements early and evenly so there's never a feeling of disconnect between the acts. Krusty's 29th Anniversary Show is another great look at the public persona of a Springfield icon, his interview with Robert Frost being the highlight. KBBL also frames the story with an inappropriate song for both Valentine's and President's Day – Monster Mash! I always hum it to myself on Valentine's Day even now, such is the impact of the association. What's funny is that it's actually a better joke for President's Day as in that context it takes on an air of satire. The work done in this episode in fleshing out the Wiggums is excellent and would prove definitive. This is the first time we see that Ralph is Police Chief Wiggum's son, and he's just as good a father as he is a cop. I suppose my only complaint isn't to do with this episode but future ones. The character of Ralph here is spot on – he's dumb and bumbling but also thoughtful and kind. Years later (much like Homer), his deeper human qualities are brushed aside leaving only the idiot. It's a real shame because the character presented in this episode is one of the best of the series and could have become The Simpsons' own Butters Scotch before there ever was one.

Rating: 4.5 Stars


Duffless

A sweet little episode with two good stories that both contain memorable moments. While I don't quite buy the idea that Homer is a true alcoholic, this episode does establish that beer isn't as important to him as it sometimes may look. After getting a DUI (for driving a very over the limit Barney home), Homer promises Marge he'll give up beer for a month, something he does begrudgingly but ultimately successfully. The song he sings as he pours his beer down the sink is something I sing any time the phrases “When I was 17...” or “A very good beer” come up in conversation. On the other side is Lisa who is experimenting on Bart after he destroys her first science project. There's some great school-related content to be had, not to mention a wonderful and unexpected reference to A Clockwork Orange. The only thing holding this episode back is that both plots feel like sub-plots, and both move along without much drama.

Rating: 4 Stars


Last Exit to Springfield

Much like 'Marge Gets a Job' earlier in the season, this episode is a collection of comedic highlights that never really click together. While The Simpsons is built on it's awareness of pop culture, this one takes it a bit far leading to sections that are reference after reference. It does contain some classic original humour (“First thing tomorrow morning, I'm going to punch Lenny in the back of the head!”), and a plot concerned around one simple idea (“Lisa needs braces!/Dental plan!”), but the way Homer floats through the events around him keeps the episode from building some drama. If anything, this premise was another good candidate for being expanded into a feature film where more of the ideas could have been explored. The thought of Springfield during a power cut for example could have been an episode in itself, but here it's just a scene that leads into a Dr. Seuss reference...

Rating: 4 Stars


So It's Come to This: A Simpson's Clip Show

“Why did you bring that up?” - Marge
“It was an amusing episode! ...of our lives.” - Bart

How do you review a clip show? Wait – scratch that; how do you write one? For most programmes, the clip show format is a chance to be nostalgic and lazy, and while this first attempt by The Simpsons is certainly the former, it definitely cannot be accused of being the latter. It's over a quarter of the way through the episode that the first clip even appears - until then, it ticks along like any other, with Homer and Bart feuding on April Fools Day, escalating to the point where Homer lands in the hospital. These early scenes are as funny and as quotable as the rest of Season 4, and when the clips do arrive, they're often in the form of super-cuts – a form which had a lot of value in the days before fans were able to make and share such things. As an episode itself, it's hard to recommend, but as a clip show? It's one of the best I've ever seen.

Rating: 3.5 Stars


The Front

The second episode this season after “Duffless” that feels like it's got two B-plots and no A-plot. The proof? The writers were stretching so far to fill the time, that the ending is a 40 second, completely unrelated “The Adventures of Ned Flanders” short, complete with two jingles. As with “Duffless”, there are many laughs to be had, and lots of unexplored potential, but nothing ever clicks in a memorable way. Bart and Lisa take one narrative strand as they write Itchy and Scratchy episodes under Grandpa's name, which turns out to be a great excuse to lampoon the industry and get in a few creator cameos. On the other side, Homer goes back to education to earn his high school diploma after being embarrassed at his 20th Anniversary reunion. The first thread is obviously the stronger one, but neither really have anything big to say or anywhere to go, resulting in an episode content to just sort of exist.

Rating: 3 Stars


Whacking Day

Despite the title, this episode isn't really about Whacking Day; the annual holiday where Springfield gathers to bludgeon snakes to death in the town square. No, it's more about Bart being expelled from school and his home tuition by Marge – a classic Simpsons set up if there ever was one. Not only do we get the introduction of Super Intendant Chalmers to kick things off, complete with Skinner's toadying – we get some sweet moments between mother and son, as well as an excellent recurring gag involving the garage. When Whacking Day finally does take centre stage, it's all done in a nice, focused way, if not a particularly funny one. And yes, Bart's new found love for education does ultimately resolve Lisa's festive moral protests, with some help from Barry White... Okay, so as a story it all trails off a bit in the conclusion, but it's redeemed with brilliant ending that, for me, completely sums up the Principle Skinner/Grounds-keeper Willie relationship. A very flawed classic.

Rating: 3.5 Stars


Marge in Chains

“Gotta get a juicer. Gotta drink juice. Lose weight. Won't get chest pains from answering the phone any more.” - Homer

It's a simple thing, but the major difference between old Simpsons and new Simpsons isn't really the stories – it's just how funny they are. With a title like “Marge in Chains”, you'd assume this episode was about Marge's experiences in prison, an episode that riffs on every cliché and touchstone all “Women in Prison” fiction has to include by law. But no. For the most part, it's actually the story of how she ended up there instead, and that means courtroom scenes, THAT means Lionel Hutz and that means this is a very very funny episode. Legendary lines are spewed thick and fast, from Dr. Nick's shilling of a crappy juicer (“IT'S WHISPER QUIET!”) to Bart's fantasy dance with a Warden (“Down I go...”). In the end, this one turns out to be more about how much the Simpsons, and Springfield as a whole, need Marge in their lives. It's all very sweet, but it does have the unfortunate side-effect of making her sort of peripheral to everything that's going on, an objectified and idealised character; rather than a human one. Regardless, this is still one of the most quotable half-hours of the season.

Rating: 4.5 Stars


Krusty Gets Kancelled

Wow. Such a mixed bag of an episode. Part parody of an entertainment era gone by, part puff piece for a rag tag bunch of celebrity voices – this has to be one of the few classic-era Simpsons episodes that's dated really badly. Which isn't to say it's not funny – this is The Simpsons moving into its peak years after all; but so much of Krusty Gets Kancelled is about people and ideas no one cares about any more. From the likes of Luke Perry to Elvis – you'd be forgiven for feeling a bit lost, especially during the OTT live show that dominates the second half. As usual, this is a story of things going wrong for Krusty the Clown, and Bart and Lisa's attempts to save the ungrateful schmuck. One of the things I've always felt about his character and the world around him is that it's really incoherent. One moment, the show casts Krusty as a local network's children's entertainer, the likes of which didn't even exist back in 1993 on U.S. Television – and the next he's a nation-wide Late Night talk show host ala Johnny Carson or David Letterman, a star with a known history and many A-list relationships. Even this episode sort of has the first bit first and the second bit second – making it not really feel like one story, and not even bothering to resolve the first half's key conflict. I can see why some would enjoy it, but to me it's an early harbinger of the show The Simpsons would ultimately become – more showcase than satire.

Rating: 3 Stars


The Simpsons: Season 4 Final Score: 5 Stars

Considered by some to be The Simpson's greatest block of episodes, Season 4 was the first step in a triumphant little run the show would embark on from here until the mid-90s. While I think there are too many average episodes to call it perfect, there are also enough classics to ensure that it will be revisited for many more years to come. Lisa's First Word, A Streetcar Named Marge and Marge Vs The Monorail stand out as highlights, which in turn really help support the idea of this being Marge's best overall season. This was also the season that put that finishing touches on the core Simpsons universe, with characters like Ralph Wiggum and Super Intendant Chalmers fleshed-out and introduced respectively, defining this world pretty much once and for all. Things were only getting better for the show, which had by this point cleaned up it's look, found it's voice and figured out what it really wanted to be. Where would they go from here? Well for a lot of the team – out. Season 4 would mark the end of the line for many of the shows original writers, causing a changing of the guard going into Season 5. Would that mean the end of The Simpsons? Here's a hint: No.