Full music credits are listed at the end of this video. For your reference, they're listed in sequential order for when they show up and labeled them with screenshots.
im shocked theres no disgrace like home didn't make the cut but homer's night out did?....I always thought some enchanted evening, homers odyssey and homers night out were the weakest of the season..wow you shocked me there even if I understand why no disgrace like home Is relatively boring and out of character for marge and homer and even lisa sorta and it doesn't get good until act 3.....also krusty gets busted is too underrated by the fanbase...everyone knows bob but they know him from season 3 or as late as 5 as his start points yet their not where he debuted...
One thing I like about Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire is that Santas Little Helper is the culmination of Homer's failure to give the family a happy Christmas. They tried all of the TV cliches to get a happy Christmas, and with failure after failure, eventually that led them to the dog race. After one last failure, SLH, the dog who just failed them as well, came into their life and finally gave them their happy Christmas. It's just so tightly written, I love it.
who could forget the classic bart line..one mother please..lol..i though you'd like it...smdh...lols...and ouch quit it...and of course is marge there..this is her sister isn't it..marge please....its your sister...lols...why is there a birdhouse in it....and thats nice dear go and watch your cartoon...
It was meant to be that Homer and Bart be at the dog track. All I remember is Santa's Little Helper was chased off by his original owner because he came in last therefore costing him money. He then jumps into Homer's arms and Bart exclaims, "Aw! Can we keep him, Dad?" And of course Homer started to object to the idea until the dog licked his face. We don't see the original owner again until seasons later when Santa's Little Helper became a spokesdog for Duff Beer. Then the man manipulated the family into giving the dog back to him! In the end the Simpsons did get Santa's Little Helper back. And from what I saw who really loved him!
One thing I notice about Season 1 is that it does a lot of subtle little worldbuilding, like Jebediah Springfield being said to have killed a bear when the bear probably killed him, or the Simpsons having French heritage from Marge's side. It establishes a lot of these little idiosyncrasies of the town and it's characters that are generally too broad in scope for later seasons to capitalize on.
I really like Homer's odyssey. Watching Homer almost commit suicide is a genuinely dramatic and well written moment, and there are some pretty decent jokes. When I was younger, I laughed so hard at the "I won't stop at that Stop Sign" joke
it just doesn't feel like the simpsons though you know?...its weird...its early series weird uncanny valley stuff...homer isn't homer in that episode....the way the family is so bizarre in the disgrace ep and how weird they are in some enchanted evening...I think he chose the right top 10..the 3 he didn't choose are still funny and heartfelt but really weird at times..like strange....I really feel uncomfortable rewatching those 3 eps ...they don't seem right to me..
@@razkable I may be late but..... This exact feeling is why I think this is such an incredible episode.... I don't know..... It has a pretty unique feeling and it's incredibely dark, I really like it
In There’s No Disgrace Like Home, Homer being the driving force for improvement and change in the family instead of Marge felt so wrong. I agree with the comment that his last three ranked episodes in this season do not truly feel like The Simpsons to me.
i just think its fucking insane that the third episode of the entire show has the (arguably) main character try to kill himself, and its played for laughs. its a great farcical episode, you can gain a lot of enjoyment from it if you dont take it seriously. although admittedly i dont really enjoy the first minute or two - sherri and terri always pissed me off edit: also the design of the crowd characters aint that bad, i see no way that the more ridiculous ones werent added as jokes
I know Some Enchanted Evening was supposed to be the first episode, but Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire makes for a much better pilot. Not only does it give us a suitable introduction to the family, it also introduces us to major side characters like Mr. Burns, Smithers, Principal Skinner, Ned Flanders, Patty, Selma, Barney, and Santa’s Little Helper.
"Hey Homer what'll I tell the boss?" "Tell him I'm going to the back seat of my car with the woman I love, and won't be back for 10 minutes!"-a quote from my favourite story of the season.
Only 10 minutes, but said with such triumph! I get that it’s just a quickie… but maybe I’ve been spoiled by being a lesbian! I think quick is 30-45 minutes lmao
When I started doing Simpsons reviews, this was the first video I attempted to make, a Season 1 Top 10 list. After writing all of the reviews, I decided doing a full Top 10 list was too much upfront work on something I wasn't sure I was even competent at... A very ambitious project for a first attempt. So they turned into separate "There's No Disgrace Like Home" and "Moaning Lisa" 60 Second Simpsons reviews. Top 10 entries basically are like 60-90 mini-reviews anyway. It's been fun to circle back and trying to project after having more experience making videos. Hope you enjoy the video! (#5-#2 were robbed.)
You've been killing it with the video ideas recently. Not surprised at all to see what took #1. Probably one of the, if not the single, best drama episodes in the series. Bart the General didn't just introduce Nelson Muntz. It also introduced everyone's most beloved, favorite, iconic character: Herman. How could we forget Herman?
Herman was such a good character I wish they would have put him in more episodes I always loved Bart the general probley because of the iconic team of Bart grandpa and Herman
I was thinking the same thing. I actually forgot the ninja outfit was used this early; I thought it first showed up in that episode where Bart gets a job distributing Chinese take-out menus everywhere.
How about just a review of The Simpsons Hit and Run? It still has to be the best Simpsons game ever made, The Simpsons Game may be more cinematic but it was nowhere near as ambitious.
Yeah, growing up in the 90s that scene where Homer carries Marge out of the power plant always felt like *the* defining Classic Simpsons moment. There were a few others (the Raiders of the Lost Ark parody, the leap over Springfield Gorge, etc) but this one always felt like *the* moment. Possibly because Homer and Marge splitting up threatens the entire show in a way nothing else does, so their reunion is the most satisfying return to the status quo it's possible to have. It just hits perfectly.
You can rank them by giving them a score add up the scores and dividing by the amount of episodes in the season also do all episodes not just the top 10
Season 1 is really interesting, it's really different from the rest of the show. The animation style and the storytelling style differs greatly from the rest of the show, in a good way.
simpsons roasting on an open fire life in the fast lane bart the general bart the genius moaning lisa krusty gets busted war of the simpsons tell tale head all feel like classic simpsons..sure homer's night out theres no disgrace like home homer's odyssey some enchanted evening and crepes of wrath are all strange eps to look back on but they are neat too..i like how different they are...
Honestly, I watched season 1 all the way through for first time a few weeks ago, and Homer's Odyssey has become one of my favourite Simpsons episodes. You want to talk about a feels episode? This is it. Realizing he's hit rock at bottom as he catches himself trying to rob his son to buy beer, thus driving him to suicide, then finding a new purpose in life in keeping the town safe which subsequently leads to him becoming Safety Inspector of the nuclear plant. I love this principled Homer who has a purpose in life, and I hate how they retconned it later on, making it so that not only does he not care about his job, but he's had it since the beginning. There's bit of nostalgia there as well, because the last time I saw this episode was 20+ years ago, and the attempted suicide scene must have made quite an impression because it's always stuck with me. I also enjoyed the joke that a Technical Supervisor and a Supervising Technician are completely different, and being one doesn't qualify you for the other.
That shot of the bunny getting flung away in "The Call of the Simpsons" still gets me every time even though I've seen versions of it so many times since then. I think a lot of it has to do with the bunnies unique design. I definitely second it's place as the best joke of the season.
Moaning Lisa will always be one of my favourite episodes just because it captures how I used to feel a lot as a child so well and the scene where Marge tells Lisa "if you want to be sad honey, be sad we'll ride it out with you" just always resonated with me as a message I needed to hear. Is it objectively the best episode? Probably not but it just always has that special place for me
This one was very important for me too, especially since IRL I didn’t get that - it was all “have you tried yoga?” stereotypical stuff but from my own mum ._. in fact IIRC I don’t think she liked that ending at all. But I think it’s perfect, and much-needed. Marge’s emotionally repressed childhood always brings tears to my eyes tbh.
It's so weird how different Krusty Gets Busted is compared to the rest of the season. The jokes are so ahead of their time, and plenty of moments actually make me laugh out loud.
im not gonna lie..why I love season 3 5 6 and 7 heck even 8 humor more season 1 may be the 2nd best season next to season 2 behind 4 for me...season 4 has too many great eps moments humor to be topped and while season 2 has more clunkers it has more eps so more good too but season 1 is right there in my top 3...its so memorable and the stories are timeless..a season 5 ep for example just needs to be seen once while a season 1 2 4 ep can be seen over and over and never get tiring imo
My Top 5 Episodes of "The Simpsons" Season 1: 5. Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire 4. Bart the General 3. Moaning Lisa 2. Life on the Fast Lane 1. Krusty Gets Busted
I have my top three for the season because I can only think of three at the moment, but In no particular order Bart the general, Bart the genius, and Homer’s night out.
You probably won't see this. But every now and then I go back and rewatch your season analysis and top episodes. I haven't watched the Simpsons in about 15 years, but I love your videos. Nostalgia and great memories.
I never liked the "homer gets kicked out" part in Act 2, and how Marge forces Homer to go find the stripper so Bart can see she's just a person and not an object. I never got the impression that was Bart's impression, it seemed more like he was a kid with a spy camera and he was taking pictures of things that caught his eye. It's also an absurd request given how hard it would be in the early 90s to track down 1 person who Homer only knows by her stage name, and really, Homer didn't do anything to warrant getting kicked out. He was at a Stag Night with some friends, that's kind of what you do, it's not like he and the stripper did anything, they just danced and Bart took a picture. Maybe I just don't understand why Marge reacted so strongly (even implying Homer has no soul and not letting him explain what happened), she just freaks out, kicks out, then demands he fix a problem he did not intentionally set up. I get the early 90s was a more conservative time, but it just makes me feel bad for Homer, who was the victim of circumstance, rather than a guy who did anything malicious, selfish or immoral.
Even worse executive meddling toned down the stripper into just a belly dancer, making the reaction even more overblown. Plus you know, Marge herself playing around with Jacques in Life In The Fast Lane. I admit one detail I liked about the episode was Homer finally catching up with Kashmir. She looks uncomfortable at first, likely thinking he's a stalker, but then Homer opens up to her. There's this sweet pattern in early episodes with Homer being able to reach out to female professionals, especially ones that aren't used to being treated like human beings. I think the fact the earlier episodes kinda designated Homer forcibly as the tactless oaf of the couple who always needs to be humbled might be why later seasons start to slowly make Marge out to be a stick-in-the-mud in-universe. Like it becomes a running gag she finds offensive or daunting undertones in nearly EVERYTHING, thus there was a clearer point whether Homer was in the wrong or Marge just needed to chill out.
@@razkable It would have been nice to get a scene that implied Bart may have taken away the wrong lesson from what he saw, but we don't really get that since the focus goes over to Homer and Bart loses much of his agency or focus. And again, Homer didn't intentionally do anything to give Bart the wrong impression, or even know Bart saw anything.
I agree that all Homer did was dance with the stripper at the bachelor party and put money down her G-string. He even tried to explain to Marge that there was nothing going on between him and her. However I do agree with Marge that Homer is Bart's role model. And he should set a good example for Bart. I do agree that requesting Homer to actually track down the stripper is over the top. As for Bart he was being a typical kid who let curiosity get the better of him.
@@PlanetZoidstar get your point but bart is 10 so he isn't going to think anything of homer and her dancing at this age......when hes older this moment would of been remembered in his head..its a bad message homer sent to his son...marge tells him to fix it....its one of those subconscious things..its actually very proactive for once and the show being subversive just not executed the right way...instead of the joke being shes embarrassed or mad at homer alone for being dumb lying and dancing she is more upset that he set a bad example for bart..I kinda like that...
Call of the Simpsons sort of feels like an extended Tracey Ullman short, you know what I mean? The way the family keeps on running into mishaps due to the decisions Homer makes and the way the third act plays out all reminds me of the shorts, like the echo canyon one and the one where Bart and Lisa act like they live in the jungle
I love how "Funky's Tricks" is just kinda your theme song now. When I heard that song come up towards the end of the video, I just had a moment of relinquishment.
My list goes like this: 10. I don't know. Life On The Last Lane? 9. The Telltale Head - The music is remarkably good in this one. Bart's guilty concience eating up inside him is superbly executed. It's a nice touch to have the head talking to him as an inner voice, as a way to demonstrate how you can't just move on from something you did that you know was wrong. 8. Bart The Genius - It gets severely underrated since it's a tough act to follow up Roasting, but this episode demonstrates why I used to think Bart was one of the best characters on the show (in current episodes they don't even know what the hell to do with him). Him trying to solve a math equation in a daydream (which by the way looks incredible visually) is pretty much how I felt trying to make sense of math in high school. His struggles with both schoolwork and fitting in is relatable, and just like in Bart Gets An F he gets a lot of pressure put on him and feels like a failure when everything comes crashing down. His pleading to Homer near the end that he hopes he can forgive him for cheating since they've had so much fun together is one of the most adorable moments in the series. Of course however, that's followed up by the hysterical moment of Homer getting outraged and furiously knocking on Bart's door looking to punish him. 7. Homer's Night Out - It does have flaws thinking back at it such as Carl and Lenny's voices switching places and Marge being too harsh, but it makes up for them by being very funny, like with Bart's spy camera mayhem and Barney's apartment. I also like the conversation between Mr. Burns and Homer, showing that if there wasn't the boss & employee tension, they could possibly be friends. 6. Homer's Odyssey - People call Moaning Lisa a sad episode, but this one might be even more so. After Homer loses his job, his life loses all meaning. He has no sense of purpose, no goal, nothing has any point to it anymore. When he gets so desperate he realizes he just stole money from his own son, he thinks even lower of himself than before. So he decides his family would be better off without him. The scene where he's saved from his suicide attempt feels scary in how real it is. His wife and kids are absolutely terrified of losing him. Thankfully, at the end, Homer's life has found some meaning again. And that's why I think this is a fantastic and emotional early entry in the series. I went back and forth between putting it at number 5 or 6. 5. Some Enchanted Evening - The bonkers animation (especially with that hilariously scary moment of Marge lashing out at her kids) and the obvious traces of Tracy Ullman type of humor makes it very entertaining even through its lowkey stature. Penny Marshall's guest role as Mrs. Botz is also one of my favorite celebrity guest appearances that nobody talks about. 4. Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire - One of Homer's most admirable characterizations. He just wants his family to have a damn good Christmas, and hurdles just keep getting into his way all the way time. So when he does manage to give the family some sort of happy ending after all, it's heartwarming. 3. Krusty Gets Busted - Here's where we are closest to agreeing. Kelsey Grammer's first performance as Sideshow Bob is excellent, and I love how the mystery element is handled. Bart's disappointment feels very true to life. It's hard to find out your biggest idol is far from spotless, but it's probably even worse if you're a kid. 2. There's No Disgrace Like Home - Only number 11!!! What! Just like my number one pick, there are a lot of great jokes here, and I really like the family following along on Homer's little adventure spying on other families just so he can prove a point. The way psychological procedures are depicted is some clever satire as well, showing how absurd and kinda silly some methods can be. 1. Bart The General - A very creative and hilarious episode. Herman makes a hell of an introduction, and I love all the dream sequences, which because it's season 1 look more surreal due to the odd animation.
Call of the Simpsons ending has a redeeming quality. When Homer's sad that the news said he was either a very stupid human or a brilliant beast, Marge makes him feel better by calling him "my brilliant beast" and that's pretty sweet
One of the aspects about Bart The General that doesn't get talked about enough I feel is that for all of the bickering Bart and Lisa did, when Lisa has her cupcakes get stolen, Bart jumps in immediately to defend her. It's something that pays off really with their Thanksgiving episode. It makes them feel like very real siblings. They may fight, but they will be there for each other during the tough times.
Moaning Lisa hands down. It's so relatable and Lisa and Bleeding Gums Murphy's friendship in all of his appearances reminds me a lot of mine with my art teacher
Just have to point out, the Homer/Bart b-plot ties in with the main plot in a major way: Homer getting advice from the video game expert is an inverted version of Lisa getting advice from Bleeding Gums Murphy, complete with a mom dragging the kid off at the end of the scene.
The way Marge was characterised in "Life in the Fast Lane" has confused me for a long time. For a good chunk of the scenes with her and Jacques she seemed either naive or oblivious that she was being hit on and flirted with. It seems she only caught on when he drives her home and makes it blatantly obvious he wants her. After that point she seems like she doesn't want to be around him...So why does she go to Brunch with him? Why does she consider going to his hotel? It was bad enough she fainted when he propositioned her...So it confuses me why she feels conflicted when she's shown almost zero interest in him that's obvious. It's almost like originally Marge's attraction to Jacques was going to be more obvious, but it got downplayed so she remained sympathetic. So half the time it seems like she has no idea Jacques has ulterior motives beyond teaching her to bowl.
@@zaciguess3700 That much is clear, by that part of the episode you can tell Marge is feeling guilty over the affair (Lisa even comments Marge is overcompensating because her marriage is failing), but up until Jacques propositions her in the car I don't get the feeling she was even aware he was hitting on her. I never got the impression she was tempted due to how oblivious she seemed at first, and clearly guilty she felt once she caught on what was happening. Besides laughing at his joke there's not much of a hint she's even into him.
bingo ...dont forget its better for joke telling purposes to rewrite her as more naive to spicen the comedy up during the otherwise boring bonding scenes plus it just seems more sleazy that way on jaque the gigalos part as a villain so you don't feel bad when marge stands him up..hes not some innocent guy he claims to be he just wants sex and to move on...if marge was content with that from the start then it makes him seem in the right and it makes less sense why she gets mad at him and why she ends up not seeing him...its a tough subject im sure..they didn't want marge to seem like a bad wife
Season 1 is one of my favorites, so it's been great watching you examine it in depth in these videos! I 100% agree with your top three picks; 'Life In the Fast Lane' is probably in my all time favorites. Can't wait to hear about Season 2!!!!!
I'm really glad you've been covering Season 1 lately. I got that on DVD when it first came out for Christmas when I was a kid and had a great time watching it, I had never seen any of its episodes broadcast on TV before
I was one of those people that absolutely LOVED season 1, and it brought me my all time favorite Simpsons characters, Bleeding Gums Murphey... Even though he only had 2 major appearances and the 2nd one was his final one. That said, Moaning Lisa is my favorite episode of this season for that reason, the way him and Lisa played off of each-other was always a treat to see.
I'm sorry, but “Homers Night Out” is one of my most hated episodes of the entire series. It’s possible that I may have remembered a few things wrong, since I rarely re-watch it due to how much it annoyed me. First of all, what exactly did Homer do wrong? He danced with a woman. How does equate to treating her like an object? The way the situation played out, it seemed like Cashmere was the initiator in the situation, since I’m pretty she picked Homer to dance with her. Homer didn’t force her into anything. She’s a professional dancer; it's literally her job. There could be an argument made about workplace conditions, but even that wouldn’t work since no one at the bachelor party was mistreating Cashmere. What’s worse is the reaction everyone has to the photo. What’s so scandalous about it? Literally all the photo showed was a man and a woman dancing next to either, with no physical contact. The only “sexual” thing is debatably Cashmere’s outfit, except there are literally Disney Princesses who wear more revealing outfits than that! Does that make Disneyland a secret sex cauldron? What even worse is that Marge somehow jumped to the conclusion that Homer and Bart see women as objects. Every relationship is different with varying boundaries, so I’m not going to fault her for being upset that her husband is dancing with a woman. However the fact that she equates dancing with a woman as objecting women is where she loses me. She doesn’t even let Homer explain the situation. The only reason Homer was at the club was for a friend's party. Does Marge expect Homer to not support his friend on the off chance that a woman might dancer near him? The worst part was that condescending speech at the end. Homer basically interrupts a show people paid good money for, and performers who spent weeks rehearsing, just so he can tell them that women are human beings. At what point was anyone denying women of their humanity? By watching consenting dancers dance? So any men who watches a woman dance sees women as objects? What about Marge who was in the club about to watch that very same performance? Interestingly, I actually agree that Bart did something wrong, but the issue had nothing to do with seeing women as objects. The problem was that he was taking pictures of people without their consent and spreading them around, the kind of behavior that ruins people’s lives and has driven people to suicide. If the episode had focused on that, it would have made much more sense and actually would have become even more relevant today. Let’s play editor for a second and make some revisions so that this episode could possibly work. Let’s change Cashmere into a stripper and the belly dance into a lap dance. The town’s reaction would actually make sense, and Marge’s anger would be understandable. Thing is, Homer still wouldn’t be objectifying women since Cashmere would still be a willing adult who initiated the situation in the first place. How on earth is that Homer's fault? The real kicker is that “don’t treat women like objects “was already taught in an earlier episode. In Bart the General, a random boy runs up to Lisa and kisses her without permission and Lisa slaps him. That’s right, a three-second gag in episode 5, was funnier and taught a lesson far better than the entirely of episode 10 (talk about peaking too soon). TLDR Homer did nothing wrong, Marge assumes the worse of Homer Bart gets away with invading people’s privacy The moral is condensing and mismatched at best
I agree with your final few points but your not looking at it from 1989 or from an outsider perspective ...marge has a point homer has to learn a lesson ..bart may take the picture but hes a kid...if homer wasn't dancing with her there Is no picture to take...no scandal..the dancer was actually a stripper but obviously in a kids show you cant say that and the groom didnt want a lap dance so she wasn't gonna take off her clothes anyways
I agree with a lot of your points actually, but I do feel that the year this episode came out really does play a role into why people see the photo as something scandalous. Strippers or exotic dancers or burlesque dancers were seen as *very* inappropriate and sleazy back in the late 80's early 90's. The view of these woman/men/non-binary friends has certainly changed now, but back in the day when a majority of the population was conservative and saw sexalization/sex in general as huge public no-no's. So it's totally understandable that seeing a married family man dancing with an exotic dancer could easily blow up into a huge thing back in the day. I also understand Marge being upset because, again the time it came out AND Marge is a Christian woman. Seeing my boyfriend dance with a stripper with 0 context would also make me kind of upset (not to the point I'd kick him out but I'd be pretty upset) But one line I think everyone seems to miss is Marge blatantly asks Homer is "some sort of stag party". So in a way she feels lied to cuz it totally was a stag party. Now, while I totally get all of that, I'm not huge on the episode either, the second act just feels so forced and overdone. I also don't like the message of "seeing women as objects" because... well it's her job, it's not like they just harassed some woman on the street. So overall I agree with a lot of your points but I do feel there's slight logic to the episode, just not enough to redeem it either.
I love when you do longer videos. This was great. Moaning Lisa will always be my fav season 1 episode though! I genuinley like Homer's Odysee too but maybe not how it ends so much... but the melancholy in it I think is really great and something I miss from later Simpsons episodes.
I just want to say that your editing is spot on and you have a good eye for storyboarding. You tell a really good story with the way you sequence the footage and sync it with your dialogue-- huge props!
I was soooo confident Some Enchanted Evening was going to be number one, but I feel like that might only be because it’s been my number one from this season for soooo long. Even though the animation is a little wonky, it’s extremely interesting to look at. Especially that one shot where the babysitter hands Bart back the tape. Probably the most fluidly animated shot in the show’s history. Plus, it’s really fun to see Bart, Lisa and Maggie work together for, pretty much, the first time. (And them including Maggie in their plan at the end was really cute.) Oh and Homer’s Odyssey is trash. It doesn’t even feel like the same show, not even a little bit. 😂😂
I think what I love the most about your videos is that I recognize literally every piece of music you put into it Makes me feel like you get me, y'know?
Awesome video, TheRealJims. I saw it ping up online earlier and could not wait to get home and watch it! Season 1, as I've commented elsewhere, is such an underrated gem. Very different to The Simpsons we'd come to know and love (even somewhat to Season 2, with which it does share a lot of elements, in hindsight), but taken "as it's own entity" it does have some very strong episodes. When the series was first shown on terrestrial TV here in the U.K. in 1996, it was hard to get a feel for as they showed a seemingly random line-up of first season eps in amongst second and third season ones; and on that basis, I (understandably) didn't take to the first season episodes back then - you can't compare an s1 episode to an s3 one. But in the years since I've heavily re-evaluated s1 and love it on it's own merits. My thoughts on your choices (baring in mind I haven't seen most of these eps, or much TV at all, for 10+ years now) - "Homer's Night Out" - One of s1's many slower, less rapid-gag episodes (in fact, when first shown on BBC One near the series' premiere on terrestrial TV, this episode was seen as a ratings disappointment, beaten my 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch' on ITV!') Already at this early stage, the "Homer and Marge marital crisis" seems a bit limp, and Homer's well-intentioned speech near the end is too corny even for s1 Simpsons. "Call of the Simpsons" - Although much-forgotten now, this was once quite iconic, as a demonstration where the series could go and how "wacky" it was seen as back then. It's a decent watch, but more for the planting seeds of what sort of things would come in many other episodes. It's great for early, pre-over-religious 'perfect' Flanders and his new RV. Oh, and 2:34 - strange how, post-Golden Age, that whole "Weak third act" thing would kick in again, with episodes often having decent set-ups and by third act decending in the "here comes the wacky stuff!". "Bart the Genius" - the second episode both produced and broadcast, this one is still highly regareded by many. I like the plot but it feels like it's lacking maybe a b-plot to fully round it out. Some nice character moments and very early character building, though. "The Crepes of Wrath" - I actually really like this one, and it's a strong contender for my favourite of the first season. Probably because it's a bit more biting, for this era of the show. Homer's compete naivety about Adil is hilarious and the highlight of an episode. A great example of how to do a "far out" plot but still reign it in to some sort of believability, ish. "The Tell-Tale Head" - I believe the most key s1 episode in terms of the series forming. The jokes are snappier, pacier, and the characters are more on form. It's an early "all the townspeople together" effort, and shaped things to come in many ways. Possibly my third, occasionally second, favourite episode of the series. "Bart the General" - Another s1 episode that still seems regarded a classic by many. I have to be honest, I'd have to re-watch this one to fully evaluate it, but I do recall it having some very funny moments, just with that slower s1 pace. And that awkward Bart tag about books... urgh. Very well meaning, but very un-Simpsons. "Simpons Roasting on an Open Fire" - A classic, and yet not one I race(d) back to to watch much. Of course, it was technically the first episode gets merit on that alone, and has a fairly decent plot. One of the stronger first season episodes for sure. "Moaning Lisa" - I'll be honest, at one time I would have probably ranked this as my least favourite s1 episode. I didn't hate it, but it felt very slow, even flat, to me. It was your previous review of it, Jims, that changed my mind on it, and made me decide that I must re-visit it some time soon. Again, taken on the "s1 as a seperate entity" view, I have a feeling this is a great character piece I've overlooked for many years. "Krusty Gets Busted" - A key episode, both in terms of Sideshow Bob's development, and in terms of general characters and humour development, and indeed the story telling. "Life on the Fast Lane" - Hmmm. This one did rival "Moaning Lisa" at one point for my least-favourite of the season, but I'm open to re-assessment on that. I recall Matt Groening for many years citing this as his personal favourite episode of the entire series. Marge episodes have always, generally speaking, been weaker entries, but I in terms of character I can see why you'd rank this so highly, Jims. So, very interesting list. Also interesting in that it doesn't feature my own personal s1 favourite episode, "Some Enchanted Evening". I love it not only for being the first "proper" episode, but also because it always struck me as one of the overall funniest episodes of s1 (though I know this is an uncommon view). "Some Enchanted Evening", "The Crepes and Wrath" and "The Tell-tale Head" have always generally stood as my Top 3 favourite episodes of the first season (in variable ranking order). Such a great video, Jims, and very well put together. Will you be doing more... I "long" to see a Top 10 Season 2 Episodes" list - it was kinda like season 1 mark 2, very similar in many ways, but more developed and sharper in other ways!
Globgogabgalab it sure will be on December 17th 1989 was when it marks the 30 year anniversary of the Simpson’s remember when Homer had a different voice and was a Strict authoritarian of the household,When Mr Burns was a Evil Angry ruthless tycoon,Skinner a tough authocratic no nonsense principal,Wiggins a hard smart head of police who never took any shit from anybody,or a grumpy miserable Grandpa who was the tough father of Homer? Geez times have changed all them characters are more wacky,silly and more mellowed compared in today’s Simpson’s particularly Jerkass Homer,would you know when Homer changed from his Walter Matthau voice to his current fairy voice? he sure sounds different in seasons 1 and 2.
Great video as always, I can always see the work that goes in to them. I'd love to see a video about all the characters in the show that have disappeared with time
Obviously it's be great to do one of these for each season, but something I'd like is more analysis of some of the characters from the early years who didn't stick around.
"I've worked with a crack team of a mathematician, a different kind of mathematician and a statistician..." But NOT a scientitian? That's it, this video is completely uncredible! Edit: I guess we're just lucky these smarties didn't just tell him "It's a cartoon show; please leave me alone."
Great video. Thank you for the bottom three as well. If you continue doing these (and I hope you do), it would be good if you could also put your bottom one or two episodes from series two onwards. Krusty Gets Busted for me, but I understand your reasoning for picking Life On The Fast Lane for number one. Let’s go Mr. Driver.
Every time I see a rundown, beat up RV/Camper in someone's yard just collecting rust and dirt I think of that clunker from Call of the Simpsons. EVERY time.
Good list, you did a really great job explaining your thoughts. Though seeing how there are 13 episodes in the season and this is a top 10, I think it would’ve been better to just review every episode
Life on the Fast Lane might be my favourite episode too, but that might be because I watched that particular episode a lot when I was a kid. There used to be a little family run video rental place in my village, and my mother used to take me there most weekends, and I would often rent an old Simpsons Video with two episodes on it (the other being The Telltale Head). Good memories!
Ah, renting 2-4 episode VHS tapes… DVD box sets with AN ENTIRE SEASON always seemed the height of luxury to me as a kid. I wonder if modern kids would think “ONLY one season?” lmao
Great list. Krusty gets Busted is number 1 for me, but I see why you love Life on the Fast Lane, and I too think it's a great Season 1 episode. I would rank Crepes of Wrath higher than you did though, and I don't know if Moaning Lisa would be at number 3 for me, but I thought your placings and all the explanations were well said, and I really enjoyed this countdown. I cannot wait for the next ones, and I think you are a very underrated RU-vid personality who should be more known.
I like to give the babysitter a pretty big chunk of credit because the babysitter, while being a very down-to-earth, realistic-ish sort of threat, manages to be very intimidating to Bart and Lisa. Also, that clip of the babysitter telling Bart to watch the tape is such a perfect combination of oddly excellent animation (for the Simpsons in general, let alone the FIRST SEASON), an extremely good line delivery, and a really funny reaction from Bart. Honestly that moment alone is what makes the episode stick out in my mind. I wouldn't say it's the best episode of the season by a long shot but that might be the best moment of Season 1.
I find it intriguing that most of the antagonists in early Simpsons besides Sideshow Bob are pretty mundane, but they never get quite too 'real'. Guys like the two French winers and Ms Botz are horrible child abusers, but they're so darkly over the top about it and keep having little comical fluctuations without turning into cartoony super villains. I also love how in most cases it ends with the implication that trying to antagonise Bart earned them a very nasty scar. Ms Botz actually gets away but is still left souring over the....morbid payback she suffers from him beforehand.
For future seasons just rank all of them also ranl the seasons themselves you can do this by giving each episode a rating of 1 to 10 then add up all the ratings and divide by the amount of episodes in that season also love your vids man
It's actually been a while since I've seen all of season 1's episodes, I'll have to go back and rewatch them all to know my exact opinions are, but I will say I've really grown to appreciate "Life on the Fast Lane", in particular how Homer's characterization in the episode. I feel like later Simpsons would make Homer completely oblivious to what Marge is up to and act completely childish and selfish throughout, giving Marge a hard time for not being committed to him, while being oblivious to his own shortcomings. Instead, what I find fascinating is that Homer suspects that Marge is seeing someone else, but doesn't call her out or even confront her about it. It's almost like he realizes he messed up big time by getting her a gift for her birthday that he clearly intends to take for himself, and thinks that is what's driving her away. It'd like he feels he's getting what he deserves for being a bad husband, but is still sad that Marge is drifting away from him, hence why he has a hard time finding the right words to say to her about it. That bit where Homer awkwardly says how he appreciates the way Marge prepares his sandwiches is him trying to say how much he loves Marge and respects what she does for him and the family in his own words, without actually trying to win her back over; there was no secondary motivation for why he said that, he just wanted to compliment her and let her know how he feels before it's too late. It's stuff like that in which I don't think it's possible to see in The Simpsons anymore, because so much of modern Simpsons feels so detached and disingenuous a lot of the time, most likely in an attempt to maximize the potential comedy of an episode... Although, a recent episode I watched DID feel mostly sincere and less funny in a way that felt reminiscent of season 1, so maybe it is possible in this day and age... Who knows.
It would be cool if you could use the top 10 format for character based commentary like ‘top ten Lisa episodes’ etc, it’s always interesting to see people’s opinions when it’s based around a specific character rather than generally
I really love your videos - could you make one about the layout of the Simpson house? Like, speaking about the history of the different rooms or talking about the inconsistency between the videogames and stuff like that.
@8:17 Jims, how can you say this episode lacks emotionality??! The scene of Bart's emotional meltdown in the bathtub, that scene for me is one of the most emotional scenes in Simpson history. Wow !
The telltale head is probably one of my favorites Simpsons episodes of all time. I remember having the first season on vhs when I was a little child and watching that episode over and over again. Total classic.
Brett Smolski there actually 30 but if your talking the classic era there’s nine seasons while many would say season 8 was the end of the shows golden era season 9 still feels a big part of the classic era.
Anyone with a RU-vid account should automatically be linked to this channel, it's awesome on so many levels. (Okay, I mighta gone a little OTT there, but even so...)
most people i know sit there and say "new simpsons is better", and couldn't give a shit about anything historical and educational. sadly, media like this isn't cut out for everone.
My favorite in this season is probably "Krusty Gets Busted" I make no secret of how much I love Sideshow Bob and his first appearance is one of the best
I think your list is pretty accurate with where I'd rank them overall. Life on the Fast Lane, and Krusty Gets Busted are really the stand out episodes of this season I think.
My Top 10 would be: 10. The Call of the Simpsons 9. Homer's Night Out 8. Life on the Fast Lane 7. The Telltale Head 6. Bart the Genius 5. Homer's Odyssey 4. Krusty Gets Busted 3. Moaning Lisa 2. Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire 1. Bart the General
What I love about season 1 is that most of them are realistic, with smart dialogs that do not aim for the quick easy joke and have serious topics. But still there are quirky offbeat moments. I also think that Life on the fast lane is the best Marge-Homer marriage crisis episode.
In fairness (not wanting to speak on behalf of Jims), it's his least-favourite of s1, he hasn't said he doesn't like it. Also to bear in mind is that s1 only has 13 episodes, as opposed to the standard 22-ish episodes of most seasons, so it's bottom place doesn't necessarily mean it's terrible. Personally, I quite like 'Homer's Odyssey', very funny in places, especially with Homer's sudden new obession with putting signs up (a gag that could be done, and work, in just about any season), but they writing does sag a little in places as things were still finding their feet. The first half I found very funny, the second half I always felt wasn't so strong. Still a nice ep, though.
homers odyssey is funny and good..its top tier quality outside of seasons 1-10..but in that era its trash an just doesnt feel like the simpsons we know and love....its weird but I like how different It is..its good it exists for a season 1 ep but its just odd....its a typical homer being good at another job and liking it but with very little polish story..@@pjgathergood6987
@@pjgathergood6987 its good for a non classic season episode..but when compare to those gems its just not in their league...its sloppy ...but its good on its own
Season 1 is my absolute favourite of all time! The animation, the characters and the stories are all fun. My (probably controversial) list would be: 13. Call of the Simpsons 12. Crepes of Wrath 11. Homer's Night Out 10. Life on the Fast Lane 9. Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire 8. Homer's Odyssey 7. The Telltale Head 6. Krusty Gets Busted 5. Moaning Lisa 4. There's No Disgrace Like Home 3. Some Enchanted Evening 2. Bart the Genius 1. Bart the General I overrate Bart the Genius & General, but they're seriously good and fun episodes. But, I understand your ranking and respect it.
