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The Simpsons Season 8 Review

The eighth season of The Simpsons is another pretty strong season that started off very weakly, but then became excellent toward the end.

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“Yeah! And that’s another thing:

I resent you people using that word.

That’s our word for making fun of you!“

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Treehouse of Horror VII is far from my favorite Treehouse of Horror episodes, but it’s still quite strong. The first segment with the evil twin was the best and actually rather creepy for this particular show, the second segment is fine but not that scary, and the third one is overly political, but it’s very interesting seeing its future influence on ‘Futurama’.

You Only Move Twice is another very good episode that benefits from a changed setting for the family, and a highly interesting eerie atmosphere to this town. The Homer They Fall is a mediocre episode where Moe trains Homer boxing, and I was utterly unimpressed with how unfunny and dull this sports episode was. Burns, Baby Burns is another weak, very odd episode that unnecessarily gives Mr. Burns a son.

Bart After Dark is of course thematically strong, but to me it’s one of those episodes that are overly sophisticated and never funny enough or even at all. A Milhouse Divided is another odd episode surrounding the titular characters’ parents and their quarreling. Finally, after a couple of very troublesome episodes, we got Lisa’s Date with Density, an absolute classic which sees Lisa fall in love with Nelson, and a very interesting, well explored relationship blossoms. It’s such a fun, sweet episode with a particularly funny ending with Milhouse who is especially pathetic this time around.

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Hurricane Neddy is a fabulous episode that finally gives Ned Flanders a backstory, and a terrific one as it shows us how he became so timid and polite. I loved his explosion at everyone, and how emotionally satisfactory it was for him. Such a great character finally getting a full episode for himself, of course I loved that. El Viaje Misterioso de Nostro Jomer is a very weird, but positively peculiar episode that benefits from excellent world building and fantastic imagination in it.

The Springfield Files is a fantastic, highly underrated alien episode that is incredibly entertaining throughout while also managing to give us a proper explanation near the end. The diet joke made me chuckle quite a bit. The Twisted World of Marge Simpson is such a boring mafia/economics episode that is wholly forgettable whereas Mountain of Madness is one of my all-time favorites from my childhood. Mr. Burns takes all his employees to a mountain retreat, and the pairing of himself with Homer produced many fun moments, and the setting’s gloriously utilized.

Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious isn’t the funniest episode, but it does parody ‘Mary Poppins’ solidly. It’s amusing, but it could have been stronger overall. The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show is a terrific tackling of long-running shows and the introduction of terrible new characters. It’s smart and also quite funny.

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Homer’s Phobia takes on homophobia and the gay experience in 1997 no less, and the result is a very respectable episode that is never too on-the-nose, but consistently inspirational and hilarious in many of its scenes, though Homer felt overly aggressive for sure. Brother from Another Series is another very dull, annoying Sideshow Bob episode. When they got rid of him chasing Bart storyline, I lost interest in all of his episodes.

My Sister, My Sitter is an excellent Lisa showcase full of great character growth for her. The premise where she gets to babysit Bart was perfect for this show, and the execution was up to the task thankfully. Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment is a very dull prohibition storyline that was not funny to me while Grade School Confidential is a fantastic Skinner/Edna episode which pairs them off interestingly enough, and the whole situation that arises from it was greatly explored.

The Canine Mutiny isn’t the funniest episode out there as it’s more dramatic in tone, but it works as it explores just how important a dog is to a family, and that he can never be replaced despite all of his flaws. The Old Man and the Lisa is a sophisticated Mr. Burns/Lisa outing, but it wholly lacks fun in it. In Marge We Trust is a boring Reverend Lovejoy showcase that I did not need, but Homer’s Enemy is amazing as it gives him an enemy in Frank Grimes, a guy who worked hardly his whole life and who cannot stand lazy, irresponsible glut such as Homer.

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It’s a different episode for how dark it becomes in its ending, but that’s why it ranks among the show’s most well-remembered works. The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase is an annoying clip show too many, but The Secret War of Lisa Simpson is another superb episode starring Lisa where she has to endure the hardships of a military school. She stole the episode away from Bart, but it was worth it in the end.

Overall, though the eighth season started off quite badly, it ended up being fantastic, especially in its second half. It features some hilarious episodes, but also many great character-rich stories and superb dramatic works.

Worst Episodes: The Homer They Fall, Bart After Dark, The Twisted World of Marge Simpson and The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase.

Best Episodes: Lisa’s Date with Density, Hurricane Neddy, Mountain of Madness, Homer’s Phobia, My Sister, My Sitter and Homer’s Enemy.