“The Simpsons.” I talked about it last week, I’m talking about it today, and I’m probably going to talk about it from here on out… until I decide not to, at least.
Recently I told you all about how I started watching the show from its first season, and last time I was on here, I did a quick review of that. So now it’s time to talk about season two… and boy, is there a big difference between the two.
Whereas the animation in season one was still a bit primitive and the characters weren’t quite themselves, season two sees a complete shift. Everything is pretty much as you remember it: Homer’s an idiot, Bart is causing trouble left and right, and pretty most of the regulars of Springfield that you remember are on full display.
Like last time, I’m going to talk about some of my favorite episodes, but I plan on going a bit more in depth on them this time around than last.
“Old Money”
This one is all about Abe “Grandpa” Simpson falling in love with someone at his nursing home. When she dies, she leaves him a bunch of money that he then has to decide what to do with. This is the first time we really get to follow Abe in an episode, and it’s a genuinely good episode. It’s no secret that my favorite episodes of this show are all the more emotional episodes, and seeing Abe deal with the death of someone he truly cared about is great. Add on to that Lisa’s speech to her grandfather and the reveal of what he decided to use the money on, and this is one of the better episodes of the season.
“A Car in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish”
This is the first episode to really focus on a character who’s not a member of the Simpsons clan… It’s all about C. Montgomery Burns. And it’s full of “Citizen Kane” references. The episode follows Burns’ campaign for governor of… whatever state Springfield is in, and the only reason he’s doing that is because otherwise he’d have to spend money on making improvements to the power plant. The episode is one of the show’s funniest, and has one of my favorite, yet most blasphemous, lines. It also has a great third act twist.
“Bart Vs. Thanksgiving”
This is not just a funny episode, but also one that’s good at pulling at the heartstrings. When Bart ruins Lisa’s centerpiece for the Thanksgiving meal, instead of apologizing, he takes off running from the Simpsons house. From there, he eats dinner with the homeless and begins to realize just how good he has it. While the episode has a lot to say about how the homeless are treated, it also manages to be a really funny episode on top of that. The extremely meta Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade joke is also one of my favorite jokes from the first two seasons.
“Lisa’s Substitute”
Lisa is my favorite character, and this episode really cements that. When Lisa’s teacher is out for the foreseeable future over an illness, a substitute comes in and quickly wins Lisa over. But then, the teacher comes back and the first positive male role model Lisa has really had (aside from Bleedin’ Gums Murphy, that is) is gone. The substitute in question is easily likeable and you can tell how Lisa would attach to him. The scene towards the end when Lisa has to say goodbye chokes me up every time I see it.
“One Fish Two Fish Blowfish Blue Fish”
Like I said earlier, the episodes that pull on the heartstrings really get me, and this is one of the best of those… and one of my favorite episodes of the series as a whole (though ask me about that later when I’ve rewatched most of the series). This follows Homer after he eats what he thinks is the poisonous part of a blowfish and thinks he only has 24 hours to live. The episode’s all about what he chooses to do with his last hours. That of course brings out some of the series’ saddest moments, and seeing Homer truly want to spend time with family is great. It makes up for a lot of the dumber Homer moments the show would later go on to make.
There are also a couple of lesser episodes in the season, with the last two or three episodes not really measuring up to what came before it. Other highlights in season two include a stellar re-telling of Poe’s “The Raven” in the show’s first “Treehouse of Horror” Halloween episode, a squirrel based on Marge getting descimated in an Itchy & Scratchy episode in “Itchy & Scratchy & Marge” and Homer accidentally jumping Springfield Gorge in “Bart the Daredevil.”
Overall, season two is a great improvement over the first, and the show really becomes what we all remember it as with these 22 episodes.
I’ll see you all on the other side of season three!
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