TheRealJims hey jim just came by to say you are my favourite RU-vidr. I wouldn’t love the Simpsons as much as I do if I hadn’t discovered your channel.
my list: 1. radio bart 2. homer at the bat 3. separate vocations 4. lisa's pony 5. bart the murderer 6. treehouse of horror II 7. black widower 8. flaming moe's 9. stark raving dad 10. when flanders failed 11. barts friend falls in love 12. brother can you spare 2 dimes? how you put bart the lover and lisa the greek on the top 12?..their not top 15.....but no separate vocations or when flanders failed?...or brother can you spare 2 dimes or stark raving dad?......come on now...separate vocations and stark raving dad are top 10 worthy....im sorry... ... Show less
It's curious how they keep changing around with the standard finalised dim Ralph and this strange philosophical gag bit player Ralph for the first few seasons, they even keep changing his voice despite always going back to his usual one. My guess is different writers took different preferences on how to use him, and by the time of I Love Lisa they solidified which one stuck.
Ralph's first appearance was much more off. He had a different voice and his design was unrecognizable (Ralph's original design was seen in "Moaning Lisa" when he asked Lisa to come over to his house and do his homework).
@@strawberrysoulforever8336 Well, it's *almost* Ralph, but not quite. Here's what it says on the wiki: "Ralph is Ralph Wiggum's early prototype, but in later episodes, he is a separate character. " His last appearance was in Bart's Comet.
We have completed our evaluation of the season. We regret to announce the following cuts from our top 10 list. Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk ...That is all.
Realistically, the cut episode would be Stark Raving Dad, thanks to that Michael Jackson documentary. If it weren't for sites like IMDb and Wikipedia (and other assorted wikis), not to mention Dark Simpsons, then newer generations who want to see the older episodes wouldn't know that this exists.
The moment in Radio Bart that always hit me wasn't when they finally get to Bart in the end, but it was when Homer hit his "Popeye Point" and started digging. That felt more emotional to me than the ending when they finally rescue him and I loved the stuff Bart was lamenting the idea of never getting to do. Also this was my favorite episode as a kid and definitely still among my favorites now.
The Bart Friend cannot fall in love! The Bart Friend is asexual! Why? I’ve been watching The Bart Friend for 2 seasons and he never fell in love before! So therefor he’s asexual! He should never fall in love!
I just only recently got into the old Simpsons. Born in 99 in Czechia, I watched all with the Czech dub and never really cared for the stories or whatever, just kinda put them on when I watched the TV after school. But I found your channel, and damn I couldn't be more thankful. Currently binge watching the golden era Simpsons in the original dub and having so much fun. Glad I discovered how much love people have for the 90's seasons, and I can clearly see why. Thank you, TheRealJims
Do not discount the later seasons. I have been a fan of the Simpsons since it started, but became a hardcore follower during my junior year in high school. Nostalgia moves us to glorify the older episodes, however I think it also blinds us to the gems in the post-survival stage (when the creators were writing and developing in hopes of keeping their jobs"; I would direct you to the second half of season 19, although the early half has a few gems, the second half was brilliant; it coincided with the Simpsons Movie production wrap up, The energy and feel of these episodes are similar to the earliest episodes, the story telling is very tight and layered. Season 20 and early season 21 follows the same trek, though season 21 was noticeably less energetic than season 20. Season 14 and 15 also have some gems that shouldn't be discounted. Remember, there was a lot of personnel turnover during the shows second decade, so the quality shifted dramatically. I am so glad I saw your comment, it's great to hear how The Simpsons are reaching an international audience.
@@vphiameradisogaarwa Agree with this. I watched allot of Simpsons in the early/mid noughties, it was before I got satellite TV so I was stuck with a small pool of much older episodes on BBC and Ch4. When my parents finally got Sky (ie satellite tv) it was amazing to have almost brand new episodes to watch, (by new many were a good 5+ years old, but that was new enough for me). My favourite series is probably 15, not classic Simpsons, but not really new, particularly because they visit London (where I'm from)!
@@davidmoncholi6746 I have been subscribed for like 6-7 years to realjims so I love his content I support him and I get hes opinionated and imo you can rank the correct 10-13 consensus eps in any order you like based on personal preference but at least get the 10-13 eps right before you change the order on me...cause some of his choices on this list are wrong for season 3....hes missing 5 classics in his top 12 including like you said the top 10 worthy separate vocations but also the iconic I married marge and stark raving dad plus they may not be top 10 worthy but I have both brother can you spare two dimes and when flanders failed top 12-13 worthy with bart's friend falls in love throw those three in a bag see what comes out first cause they are so close for me in that area...and then he had the nerve to put on 5 ok to meh to bad episodes on his list including the horrible lisa the greek, the mediocre like father like clown, the boring bart the lover, the horribly overrated for one iconic scene burns verkaufen der kraftwerk and finally the hilarious albeit mostly generic pointless bart's friend falls in love which I have less so an issue with cause I really like that episode too its like top 12-13 range for me I don't mind it being top 10-12 its in there somewhere...the other 4 can't be on this ranking imo some are fine but they're not top 12 worthy...like please..get out of my face with those eps ...i'm a real hardcore fan seen these eps 5-6 times including when they aired live reruns on syndication 15-18 years ago and then on dvd the past 15 years and even with commentary I know these episodes by heart and trust me theres a clear cut off line between about 13 episodes and the other 11 and theres 4 he put in there that don't make the cut they aren't funny or as memorable their very serious drama story based emotional and this is a comedy your suppose to leave a comedic impression forever on me and those eps just didn't for the most part or they leave less impact on the show as a whole like bart's friend falls in love is very much a one off episode with no lingering effect whatsoever and like I said 5 of the best episodes he left off and 3 that are top 10 worthy he didn't even have top 12 lol..what a joke of a list....i'm sorry thats how I feel
My Top 5: Homer at the Bat, Lisa's Pony, Like Father Like Clown, Colonel Homer, Separate Vocations. I think "Separate Vocations" is an episode that's really underrated. I love storylines where Bart and Lisa help each other out (e.g. Lisa the Beauty Queen, Dead Putting Society) and that ending is one of the show's very best ("Sounding good, Lis!").
Totally agree with Separate Vocations. That episode is totally underrated and has the brilliant balance of a great, heartwarming plot with some very well put together jokes.
My only problem with separate vocations is like you only move twice. They both want to focus more on the main thing. (The lisa th8ng is ok, but I love the bart stuff. Similar to how you don't really care for the Simpsons being tortured, but hiemr is hav8jg a blast with scorpio)
Season three isn't one of the seasons that I remember immensely well, but once I saw it was in the finalists I was rooting REALLY HARD for Homer at the Bat. I'm Australian, I was literally incapable of knowing anything about these baseball players (or the sport at all), but that doesn't matter, because it's just a fantastically written episode that's got plenty for everybody. Although I have learned that it gets even better if you DO know baseball. The Everything's Coming Up Simpsons podcast's episode on Homer at the Bat had a sports journalist as the guest, who explained how basically every single joke about a baseball player had roots in who they are, and it's stunning how they managed to do all of that while still making it hilarious to people who don't know it. Hell, even the super old-timey baseball players Burns names to Smithers were actual real baseball players from like, the twenties!
I’m a HUGE fan of Mr Lisa goes to Washington honestly - I really like the Homer setup in act 1, there’s some really funny and over the top political commentary, and Lisa’s character arc I feel influences her for future episodes to come, as she becomes less of a goody two shoes and more of an independent thinker with strong moral values
It’s funny - as a kid I was always more partial to season 4 with it’s more refined personality and punchier dialogue, but I’ve grown to really like season 3 for having the best of both worlds - it’s punchier than season 1 or 2 while retaining their wholesome spirit somewhat. The Simpsons in general is great but early Simpson’s ironically aged beautifully because the edgier later seasons basically reshaped the entire media landscape in its image. It stands out from the crowd for traits likely influenced by the saccharine media environment it was trying to stand against.
I think it a debate 3 and 4 are both right there at the very top as a consensus 1a and 1b for best season of the show depending on taste an mood on average..I say its the top 2 for sure I just prefer a couple more eps in season 4 so it wins by volume cause while about 16 of season 3 are perfect gems a couple are meh and a couple are flat out bad lowering the impact of the whole season while season 4 has closer to a full 18-19 run of classics and less bad eps just meh eps... ...I think season 6 is right behind them in 3rd place then season 2 and finally season 7..thats my top 5....not trying to hate on season 5 but wait yes I am its overrated season 1 and 8 are ahead of it for me personally season 5 is at 8th and it can easily switch with season 9 at times depending on my mood if I feel like letting season 9's bad eps slip by and the weird endings not annoy me ….but we an all agree season 10 is 10th ...
I liked lisas pony more....I dont like lisa the greek..its boring...and way worse...feels to simple...I don't feel anything at the end ..the end of lisa's pony gets me every time
I completely disagree. I LOVED Lisa the Greek with a passion, because the Homer-Lisa relationship is so good. I don't care at all about football, but their relationship carries it enough. Lisa's Pony has a few standout moments, but overall, I found it one of the worst episodes of Season 3. My only clear memory of it was the Dreamland sequence.
on his top 12 separate vocations stark raving dad brother can you spare two dimes mr. lisa goes to washington when flanders failed all mssed the cut...
Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk would've gotten my top spot for that amazing Land of Chocolate sequence. And I think Stark Raving Dad is underrated too. Season 3 has so many amazing episodes in it. All ten of your top spots are fantastic episodes.
Is there anything worth watching apart from that scene? I remember nothing about the episode except for the Land of Chocolate and one or two lines of dialogue.
I agree that I thought that one would be top three for sure. Not just for the Land of Chocolate, while that's funny it's really the Burns stuff I love. "Oh no, the Germans are angry, I'm so scared..."
It's interesting to consider if people would pick episodes for their Top 10 / top spot based on just a scene, or overall quality. I have to say, I'm of the latter camp - just because one scene may be great, it doesn't necessarily mean the rest of the episode is of such high quality. Personally for me, '...Kraftwerk' a decent episode, but not quite up there with my personal s3 greats.
The sideburns joke was specifically for mattingly because george steinbrenner ( owner of the Yankees ) had a big beef with mattingly over facial hair no beards only mustaches for some reason so mattingly grew ridiculous side burns at one point.
I'm genuinely surprised by the absence of Saturdays of Thunder... to me, that was the funniest episode of the show up to this point. It's brilliantly written.
I'm never sure if they picked random names or if it was an insanely nerdy joke, but when people debate Britain's best old timey Prime Minister it tends to be Gladstone or Disraeli. Any fans of 18/19th century British politics on the writing staff?
S3 is one of my favs. I personally think my fav episode is Colonel Homer, just love how it explored Homer's love for Marge as well as introducing probably my fav guest character in Lurleen.
Separate Vocations is definitely a better episode than people realize! Bart is amazing as the Hall Monitor and he actually likes it but then he sacrifices it for his sister! That is really deep in my book. Bart the Lover is really amazing too! It’s definitely one of the episodes that made me really appreciate Edna. You gotta admit that she is just amazing in this episode and also secretly hot! But seriously she is also really sweet! RIP Marcia Wallace, we miss you very much! This season has so many good Bart episodes. Also yes I’m including Stark raving dad in that category! It’s my own personal guilty pleasure! Yep I know it’s controversial but I still love it!
Fun baseball fact since you're a fellow Nintendo fan: Nintendo used to own the Seattle Mariners, and even had an app you could run on an original DS that let you order food while at a ballgame in person. Neat. Yes, I do spout Nintendo facts any time someone says something even the slightest bit related to Nintendo.
@@Sammie_Sorrelly Have you seen the episode? It follows Season 11 logic. If you don't know, Season 11 seemed to be trying to imitate the wackiness that made Season 5 such a success (I found that season a bit hit-and-miss myself, but at least it was mostly hits), except it backfired nearly every time (a few other seasons did it better, but still couldn't top Season 5). Two words for that one: Jockey elves.
@@strawberrysoulforever8336 I've been watching Simpsons for literally as long as I can remember. I understand and basically respect why people hate that episode, I just think it's still pretty decent on the whole.
@@Sammie_Sorrelly It's Season 11 on the whole, really. I could forgive the jockey elves if there was no not dead alligator, no tomacco, no poisoned eclair, etc.
@@wtxcrazydonut especially with episodes like Duffless where he actually can go without drinking for a month, with no changes in attitude or mood. Or The Mysterious Voyage of Homer, where Marge forbids Homer from drinking at the chili festival (even when its to put out the fire in his mouth), and he still does it so he doesn't disappoint or embarrass her (but she's still mad at him anyways because reason)
My favorite thing to do while watching these videos is trying to figure out which episode is in each spot based on the music that starts playing before the reveals. Your ability to pick perfect songs for each topic is second to none. Keep up the great work, Jims!
Haha, I always wonder if some of them are a big giveaway. Especially this list that has so many musical callbacks to other videos! I was really excited when I realized I could use that ragtime piano song for Flaming Moe's, it suited the breakdown of that episode really well.
Just having a whole night of going through your Simpsons videos. I absolutely love the presentation, the commentary style and the memorable quotes & in-jokes sprinkled across these types of videos. Just a massively funny & relaxing watch, Mr. RealJims.
Homer at the Bat has the distinction of being something that made me laugh as a child that still makes me laugh as an adult (and not just because of nostalgia). As a kid, the obvious humor of the misfortunes was definitely what grabbed my attention, but as an adult, I can also appreciate the humor of the parody elements and the more subtle jokes. That's when you know you've made a good episode of the Simpsons.
A very underrated episode of Season 3 is Saturdays of Thunder. Just like Like Father, Like Clown, it's a very emotional episode between a father and son (in this case, Homer and Bart). My father passed away last year so that's why I brought it up. :(
I watch all these top 10 Simpson's episode lists repeatedly. Also all the other Simpson's lists on this channel. The episode versus battles, the single character analysis, homer and Flanders relationship. It's all great. Thank you for the content. Supporter from Canada ( America Jr ) as Homer calls it.
A mixed bag is my opinion of your choices. Season 3 has a lot of great scenes in almost every episode, but the parts I like can't always save the episodes I don't like. Plus Colonel Homer is in my top three, but I know it doesn't stick out to most people.
I'm a bit surprised "I Married Marge' wasn't even on the bubble. Maybe I need to rewatch it, but I absolutely love all the flashback episodes in the golden years and "And Maggie Makes Three" is my undisputed favorite episode of the entire series. Moe: "Hey, Homer: way to get Marge pregnant, heh heh heh!" Homer: "This is getting very abstract, but THANK YOU! I do enjoy working at the bowling alley."
My favorite Season 3 episode is obviously an underrated one, "Homer Alone". I was obsessed with that episode, and I thought Marge's mental breakdown at the beginning of the episode relates to me if I don't take my medications or anything that girls can have. Some of the moments were funny, especially with Bart making faces that bothered Lisa, Marge saying *"G E T O U T!"* in a hilarious way, and Marge roaring at the bus driver with the Leo MGM roar. However, this episode got depth and is so relatable to not only mothers, but people that got stress, bad days, and mental breakdowns. I do want to thank Marge for planning to take a break when she saw something on TV and went to do so to relax and meditate. That's an important strategy in your life, so you will feel the peace and comfort in your mind and senses. Maggie did miss her mom, Marge, while Homer tried to babysit her, while Lisa and Bart were with Patty and Selma at the time, which kind of made them uncomfortable, a little disgusted, and miss Homer. I felt that the latter is a weakness to the episode, but otherwise, this episode is a must-watch to anyone that wanted to see what's relatable and so important to us. That's why the "Golden Age" of the Simpsons is the best!
Firstly I love your videos! Keep up the good work. Secondly I agree with all you said about Bart’s Friend falls in Love, it maybe the most underrated episode of the “classic” era. My top 10 would be (in broadcast order): Stark Raving Dad, Bart The Murderer, Like Father Like Clown, Flaming Moes, Radio Bart, Bart the Lover, Homer at the Bat, Colonel Homer, Black Widow and Bart’s Friends Falls in Love. A really excellent year of the show. Looking forward to your Season 4 reviews.
My favorite episode might be Bart the Lover, since it gave Edna Krabappel some very welcome depth to her character, and I always did appreciate how Bart treats what he did to Edna like one of his typical pranks, only to realize that this time he went too far and immediately tries to fix things. However, I've increasingly grown a fondness for Like Father, Like Clown, since the writers of that episode, Jay Kogen & Wallace Wolodarsky, are both Jewish and it allowed them to have fun with their heritage along with Jackie Mason, the voice of Rabbi Krustofsky and was a former rabbi himself. Indeed Jackie Mason's comedy routine was often informed by his Jewish heritage, so it's cool to see these people use The Simpsons as a means of not only getting their culture out there to an increasingly broad audience, but also making clever jokes and gags about it and the people within it (then again, maybe I just appreciate both episodes more due to the deaths of Marcia Wallace and Jackie Mason respectively...). Also really like Homer at the Bat, though there's not much to say about that episode other than it's a good premise to tell a lot of really funny jokes. (the funniest joke being Mr. Burns tempting fate by saying there's no way all 9 players would be taken out of commission somehow, then proceeds to come up with elaborate, ridiculous reasons why eight of them are out-of-commission, but Darryl Strawberry is still available, so he was technically right in that regard).
Love Homer at the Bat for top episode ever...but god damn does Cape Feare and You Only Move Twice are pure comedic genius...also it's such a crime how they didn't use more Hank Scorpio, top 5 best guest star character ever !
@@kanegarvey848 yeah, I feel like 8 seasons into the (or any) show, it’s a bit too late to introduce a new, recurring character, especially when you know that they’d bring him back to pander, due to the popularity of his first appearance. Definitely agree with you.
I don't know why, but I love that episode. I even wrote a fanfic that featured someone who actually was against Marge's POV. It's like, we as an audience are rooting for Homer to stick with her, but not every character would see her the way we do.
Great video as always Jim. I used to love The Otto Show, but I guess it's because Otto used to be one of my favorite characters back in the day. Interesting how interests change overtime. I still like the episode though. I would have included Separate Vocations in my top 10 list, but that's me, and this is your list. I knew Homer at the Bat would be number 1, and why shouldn't it? It's freaking awesome. It was also great to see episodes like Radio Bart, Black Widower, Flaming Moes, and Bart the Lover on the list since they're all amazing episodes. Great job as always, and I look forward to your retrospective on Season 4. I've been awaiting to see your thoughts on that season for a while now.
I love these videos even just for the music choices. Took me a while to notice Rose Town from Mario RPG behind Flaming Moe's but it's an excellent tune.
Man, my favorites are the radiation poisoning and the "another dimension" one. One is pretty grounded and the other is totally nuts, in the same segment!
Excellent video as always, TheRealJims - Season 3 was IMO the start of the Golden Era, with some big hitter classic episodes, and as such is seriously hard to choose my Top 10 from. Some of them I'd have really revisit as even the lesser episodes this season have at least a few good moments, and whilst there's a couple I like lesser , even those are reasonable in themselves! Putting this list together, there's several episodes I'm intrigued didn't make your list as I consider them classics... and that's why I love hearing other's views on such matters. :) 10. Homer at the Bat - (narrowly nudging 'Dog of Death' - I'm one of those rare breed fans - out of my Top 10) - 'Homer at the Bat' was an episode that I fully "discovered" on an early repeat showing. Baseball isn't much of a big 'thing' here in the UK, so I think on my initial viewing I might have felt slightly alienated by that. However regardless of whether you are a baseball fan or not, it is just so much fun for so many reasons. Mostly a light-going, breezy story, for once Homer is just an innocent participant with no particular motives other than for he and his team to play baseball... and in many ways it is an episode that took Mr. Burns to the next level of what writers could do with him. 9. When Flanders Failed - A season two holdover production-wise and has much of that s2 "earnestness" about it, yet I've always loved this episode. It is still that 'early Flanders' before he became a bit of a same-joke "religious" nut, and it is that 'Mr. Perfect' early Flanders that sees Homer's child-like wishing bad on him... then in the end going all out to see that his friend (in essence) is okay after all. A nice character piece episode. 8. Flaming Moe's - Maybe offensively high up on this list... maybe I'd over-watched this episode over the years - before the series reached 'proper TV' here in the UK, there was a few "big" episodes we'd hear about, of which this was one of them. Maybe over the years I'd got a little over-saturated with it and it lost some of it's fun (similar to 'Radio Bart', another great that is just nudged off of my list)... but it is still a classic, iconic episode. It sums up "someone or something in Springfield gets famous for something, but it's a storm in a teacup and it blows itself out by the end of the episode", a basic template that would be used in various guises throughout the Golden Era and beyond. 7. Separate Vocations - I've always really liked this episode; some good jokes and some nice role reversals for Bart and Lisa which, whilst slowly evolving away from the characters we'd seen in the first season, doesn't feel too far fetched (later post-Golden Era episodes take note!). Bart's "sacrifice" at the end to save Lisa is well handled and satisfying, and a good way to revert to the usual status quo. 6. Saturdays of Thunder - An episode that in some ways reminds me of 'Homer at the Bat' for it's easy-going enjoyment and it's sporting-rivalry-to-extremes plot elements. 5. Bart the Lover - One of the Season 3 greats, a wonderful capsule of the odd but actually very charming "relationship" of shorts between Bart and Ms. Krabappel (in a a way a companion piece to s2's 'Bart Gets an F'). After 'Stark Raving Dad' and 'Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment' (long before episodes were shown mainstream on British TV) this was one of the first episodes I ever saw, and I still regard it as one of the greats. 4. Bart's Friend Falls in Love - I'm with you Jims this this is an oft-overlooked classic; I've always seriously liked this episode and never consciously realised how it wasn't recognised as one of the greats. Well written, very funny, is a sign of how episodes were slowly starting to sometimes focus on regular non-Simpson characters, but not pushing the "main cast" aside, still giving Bart a lot to do and react to. The b-plot with Homer's vocabulary builder cassette, also basic in some regards, is also great. And then... there's the AMAZING Indiana Jones parody opening. Perfectly plotted, each shot exquisitely planned, totally unrelated to the rest of the episode (in the days when they could do this in a good way!)... one of the best 30-odd seconds of 'The Simpsons' of all time! 3. Treehouse of Horror II - Although the first TOH had been decent, IMO it is TOH2 that cemented the format and the possibilities, with three classic segments, not a weak one among them. They're all solid, but I think 'Bart's Nightmare' is my favourite - and one of the best TOH segments of all time. Although it doesn't always seem considered as such, personally I've always believed TOH2 is a possible contended for best overall TOH episode of all time. 2. Black Widower - An excellent episode, solidly written and plotted, and countless laugh-out-loud moments along the way. 1. Stark Raving Dad - Overlooking the whole Michael Jackson awkwardness (which you handled and summed up so well in your S3 overview, Jims), and the fact that I'd never much been a fan of Michael Jackson "even before all of this blew up", this is regardless a classic episode in terms of the series. I'll admit there is a tinge of nostalgia with this - as I've mentioned before, it was the first episode I ever saw, long before the series was shown properly in the UK - but, despite being an s2 holdover production-wise - it starts s3 (and thus "The Golden Era") so spectacularly, with such great humour and so many things that would continue in various forms - not least Homer's pink donut!
I tend to agree that Homer at the Bat is one of the funniest episodes they've ever made. I was eyeing its thumbnail hard when you announced #1 and was so pleased with your analysis.
Love ya Jim, going to do a remix of your voice and the Simpsons one day soon, regardless lol, great video, been subbed to you for years and forever more dude, Season 2 is def my favorite i think, and again don't want to rant on but love your pure heart invested into the art and spirit of the Simpsons, lol right on dude!
Great vid , Homer at the bat is definitely of my favourite episodes ever, Bart the murderer, Bart the lover, are some of my favourites from season 3. Do any of you have a favourite season mine is season 6
Thanks RealJims, My list is: 1. Homer at the Bat 2. Bart's Friend Falls in Love 3. Radio Bart 4. Bart the Murderer 5. Black Widower 6. Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk 7. Bart the Lover 8. Separate Vocations (I only recently added this to my top 10, it's worth another look) 9. Flaming Moe's 10. Lisa the Greek Always nice to see overlap with an expert's opinion like your own, keep up the awesome work!
I think possibly my most unpopular Simpsons opinion is that I don't really rate Homer at the Bat particualrly highly (strictly in relation to other episodes). I'm genuinely surprised it's almost always considered the best of season 3
1. Homer at the Bat 2. Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington 3. When Flanders Failed 4. Bart the Lover 5. Lisa's Pony 6. Flaming Moe's 7. Burn Verakufen der Kraftwerk 8. Bart's Friend Falls in Love 9. Stark Raving Dad (Probably an unpopular opinion right now, but I enjoy it.) 10. Separate Vocations
props for putting Homer at the Bat at #1, one of my top ten episodes by far; I'd probably have had Burns Kraftwerk in the top ten, but having a real hard time deciding what else would have to be cut for it...
My quickly put together top 10: 1. Radio Bart 2. Bart the Lover 3. Homer at the Bat 4. Flaming Moe's 5. Bart the Murderer 6. Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk 7. Mr Lisa Goes to Washington 8. Separate Vocations 9. Homer Defined 10. Lisa the Greek Seeing Bart the Lover so low on your list hurt, I was swaying between it and Radio Bart for my top spot.
This is the first season of the Simpsons I remember excitedly anticipating. I'd enjoyed the show since Tracey Ullman, but Simpsons-mania didn't strike me until Season 2. That's when I started craving periphery stuff, like the video games. I remember getting the special 3D issue of Simpsons Magazine and bringing it to a slumber party. I read it transfixed as I learned that Bart's middle name was JoJo and maybe, just maybe, Lisa would be getting that pony soon.
I would've put "Verkaufen" much higher--who can say no to The Land of Chocolate?--but great job once again. Also, hearing Chrono Trigger music really made my day, so thank you for that :)
My Top 10 Simpsons Season 3 Episodes: 10. Homer Defined: Lots of great jokes in this one. The Homer dictionary is Hilarious and the fact that Homer uses blind luck to get through any situation. The B Plot with Bart and Milhouse is pretty solid. 9. Saturdays of Thunder: Any Bart and Homer episode (With the exception of the Bart and Lisa ones) grabs my attention in a good way when it comes to the early seasons of the show. The National Fatherhood Institute scenes were pretty funny and Homer's trying to do the Fatherhood quiz are hilarious. Bart getting revenge on Nelson works for me too. 8. Like Father, Like Clown: Another well-done Bart and Lisa episode where they help Krusty reunite with his father. The Itchy and Scratchy cartoon and Krusty at the Simpsons house are comedy gold. 7. Lisa the Greek: This is Probably my absolute favorite Simpsons episode of all time that is devoted to the game of Football. Every Homer and Lisa interaction is well-written and the side plot of Bart hanging out with Marge was Hilarious too. 6. I Married Marge: Now we get to the really great stuff. Another excellent flashback episode of the young Simpson Family from Homer and Marge's early 20's until the Birth of Bart. Very hilarious moments with Homer trying to find a job and when Homer and Bart meet for the first time. The Power Plant scenes were awesome too. Classic. 5. Radio Bart: This was actually my favorite all-time Simpsons episode as a kid but obviously that opinion has changed since. Still a classic episode though. Typical funny romp about Bart being Bart and we all know what early season Bart was all about. The "Property of Bart Simpson" gag was wonderful, "We're Sending our Love Down the Well" gag was well-played and the Timmy 'O Toole stuff was gold. 4. Homer at the Bat: Any episode that feels like an underdog story like this one deserves to be up there as an all-time great like this episode. A Mr. Burns episode that feels more like a Homer episode and that's a good thing. All the celebrity cameos and their "Shenanigans" that force them out of playing the Championship game was gold and it was wonderful to see Homer actually win at the end. Highlights were "Talkin' Softball" and the Simpson Family mocking Darryl Strawberry. 3. Stark Raving Dad: Perfect episode from start to finish. Homer in the mental hospital due to having a Pink shirt is a hilarious plot and the whole guy pretending to be Michael Jackson plot works very well. Special mention goes to the excellent "Lisa, It's Your Birthday." 2. Bart's Friend Falls In Love: A Classic. The Indiana Jones Parody is one of my all time favorite moments in the series. The Bart and Milhouse dynamic is very well played with a girl being the center of attention. Samantha is also great as a one-off. The B Plot with Homer trying to lose weight but learns a new vocabulary instead is a riot. 1. Lisa's Pony: If there's any episode so far that is considered top 5 of all-time in the series, it's this one. Every single joke hits and hits hard. The dreamland segment is gold. "Homer Sleep Now", Homer Trying to Cheer Up Lisa and even the bad rendition of Stormy Weather is a pretty well done scene. Homer and Lisa episodes don't get any better than this one.
The Michael Jackson episode should have been on there for the "Lisa it's your birthday" song alone. And Burns verkaufen der Kraftwerk belongs in the top 3.
Sounds like a good time to do a Simpsons Histories on Moe- he's had some weird timeline additions and family stuff in these past few seasons, but is definetly worth delving into =) . Something interesting a friend of mine told me a few weeks back is that she actually found Moe very scary of a character in the first handful of seasons- and remembers feeling actually frightened by him as a kid. I could imagine New Kid On The Block being somewhat of a cause of that.
Homer at Bat is the same kind of conundrum as Marge vs the Monorail. The way they are structured have all the problems that would end up ruining the show and turning it into Zombie Simpsons, and yet the writers at the time were able to pull them off so well that they're considered the best episodes of the series.
true, but early on The Simpsons could balance between having slightly wacky moments and still be grounded in some kind of reality. these days you tend to see very wacky stories i.e Sideshow bob gaining superpowers or Homer meeting The Loch Ness Monster. with little or no grounding in reality.
I'm from England and have zero knowledge of baseball but I love this episode as it is just so funny and well written that you don't need to know about baseball to understand it.
