Most of you will know that I'm a huge fan of The Simpsons. It's roughly my age (I turned one during season 1, and therefore I am turning 28 during its 28th season), so I've always felt a kinship with it.
Anywho, I thought I'd start a Friday tradition by having a Simpsons related post. I'll be aiming for every 1st and 3rd Friday of the a month. We'll see how long that lasts (I don't want to get overly critical of myself, but don't hold your breath).
So I'm kicking things off from the beginning: ugly ole' season 1.
Here are some of my favorite moments:
Homer forgets Lisa when skimping on Christmas presents
It's an easy to miss joke: Homer is going through a store, finding cheap gifts that he can buy without having a Christmas bonus. He buys maggie a chew toy, he buys Marge some pantyhose, and buy Bart some paper ("There's a million things he can do with these!"). What about Lisa, you might ask? He skips her, in true Homer fashion, because he forgets he has 3 kids. It's far from the last time that happens, and it's a great subtle joke that sets the tone of the series: No matter how terrible these people are, you root for them and laugh with them.
Dr. Marvin Monroe's refund
The Simpsons are undergoing shock therapy because they're a terrible family. Dr. Marvin Monroe promised to fix them or pay them some amount of money (in his TV ad). They are so terrible he shuffles them out the door with cash in hand, happy with their disfunction. This is a great example of The Simpson family being comfortable with who they are, for better and for (much) worse. It's sweet in a sick sort of way, just the way I like it.
Battle planning with Herman
Herman helps Bart plan an all out assault on Nelson with water balloons in a standard war movie style scene. It's a great kick off to the theme around taking a serious topic (bullying) and turning it goofy (a big water balloon fight) and making it serious again (war style prep and strategy), then making it silly again (they all eat together after the fight and the treaty). So many ups and down make scenes like this work.
Marge realizes she's a terrible mother
When marge is giving Lisa her pep talk about pushing feelings down and smiling on the outside, it's hard for me to watch. I can't stand how insane and stupid Marge is sometimes. But after she watches Lisa acting how she was instructed, Marge freaks out and tells her to be herself, sadness and all. It's a great moment because Marge fixes herself and in one grand instant, you think she understands her daughter (although further seasons have eroded my optimism).
Brunch and Cantaloupe
Not really a super important scene, but it's one of my favorite jokes in the series. "What's brunch?" "You'll love it. It's not quite breakfast, it's not quite lunch, but it comes with a slice of cantaloupe at the end." And sure enough, when they're eating brunch later, there's definitely a slice of cantaloupe.
Bart knows french
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I love watching Bart suddenly rant in french, realizing he can tell the french police officer how terrible his foreign exchange family is (and how many crimes they've committed). It showcased exactly how talented Bart is. And who doesn't love rooting for someone who puts up with evil caretakers.
Stay tuned for more Simpsons articles! Come back on December 2nd!
Until next time,
Ryan
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