User blog:Jeffrey Spicoli/Season 1 in Brief (Part 1 of 23)

In order to prevent burnout caused by numerous freelance writing jobs, I've decided to blog about what I think about every Simpsons episode to date. I'm proud to say I've watched all of them and stayed loyal to the show despite The Principal and the Pauper, Saddlesore Galactica and all those remarks about the show having jumped the shark.

Oops, did I just give away my two choices for the Worst Episodes Ever? Eh, I dunno. Let it be known this may serve as a template for bigger things to come, when I fully dissect each episode and provide more elaborate reviews. I'll probably expand on the reviews, but this should be good as a start. I may also do a lot of edits, as a lot of these episodes are 20+ years old, so I'll need to jog my memory a bit when it comes to those earliest seasons.

So without further Apu...

1. Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire (7G08) - The Homer, or should we say, the daddy of them all. I still contend this is the best of the Christmas episodes ever, complete with a realistic premise and a heartwarming ending. A bit low on the laughter department, though. (B)

2. Bart the Genius (7G02) - In those early seasons, I loved the Bart episodes the best. This is a great episode because of two things - the storyline and the greatest made-up Simpsons word of all time - KWYJIBO. Loved the parts where Bart struggles to fit in with his new genius classmates. (B+)

3. Homer's Odyssey (7G03) - Here, we see how Homer became safety inspector. Interesting story, but a tad meh-lodramatic like a lot of the episodes in this first season. But it's still considerably better than... (C)

4. There's No Disgrace Like Home (7G04) - I honestly don't understand why so many people love this episode. It's Bizarro Simpsons, if you ask me - drunk/lazy Marge, sensible/self-righteous Homer, Lisa acting like a female Bart, Bart being Bart, Maggie not saying a word. Very, very unfunny. (D-)

5. Bart the General (7G05) - I related to this episode as a pre-teen struggling with my own bully problems. Man, if only I could've gathered an army of kids and taught those thugs a lesson! The ending, however, smacks of "Very Special Episode" preachiness. Otherwise, my Season 1 favorite. (A-)

6. Moaning Lisa (7G06) - Another unfunny downer of a clunker of a weepy early episode. At least we don't have Homer and Marge acting Bizarro - Homer's his usual boorish self and Marge naively tries (and fails) to make things better. Nice little song at the end, as well. (C-)

7. The Call of the Simpsons (7G09) - Probably the earliest ancestor of all those modern-era Simpsons episodes with ridiculous premises. I don't remember chuckling much to this one, even if Homer is arguably as hairy and as mentally-challenged as Bigfoot. (C-)

8. The Telltale Head (7G07) - Told you I like early Bart episodes. The "worst kids in school" (Jimbo, Dolph and Kearney) are still more juvenile delinquent than bully - more proof that a lot of the characters' personalities weren't fully developed yet. Still one of the highlights of Season 1. (B+)

9. Life on the Fast Lane (7G11) - The first "marriage on the rocks" episode ever, and far from being the last. Albert Brooks is brilliant as the amorous bowling instructor Jacques, and Homer's finally settling in as the selfish, clueless (yet hilarious and occasionally lovable) lout we know from the "classic" seasons. (B+)

10. Homer's Night Out (7G10) - And here's another "Homer and Marge's marriage is in trouble" episode, TWO IN A ROW! The scenes where Homer and Princess Kashmir's picture gets passed around are still funny (especially with the nameless hypocrite dad), and it's too bad we never saw that dork Eugene Fisk again. I also like it that this episode isn't melodramatic despite the underlying theme. (B+)

11. The Crepes of Wrath (7G13) - Another ancestor of the modern-day "ridiculous plots", but at least this one had me laughing a bit harder than on 7G09. And it's an early Bart episode! (C+)

12. Krusty Gets Busted (7G12) - Aaaaahhh!!! Sideshow Bob! Need I say any more? Classic debut for a classic television villain, with an entertaining, fast-paced story to boot. It would be a while, though, before Krusty would become the sleazy, corny-joking, reporter-punching clown we're more familiar with. (B+)

13. Some Enchanted Evening (7G01) - Classic "slice of American life" Simpsons episode with a few genuinely funny moments in it. Average across the board, but for what it's worth, it's technically the first-ever Simpsons episode. (C)