Season 10
Part 1
Now things start to get interesting.
Let me say upfront that I dislike at least two thirds of the 72 episodes from the season ten, eleven and twelve production cycles. It was no easy task whittling that number down to 26. There are only five episodes from this era I would consider instant inclusions and three of them are already in my version of season nine. Quite a few of the episodes that survived barely qualify as more than watchable and nearly all of them suffer from the problems that are endemic to the Scully era. I think this selection (two episodes notwithstanding) represent what I believe to be the strongest work from the era – which isn’t saying much, but them’s the breaks. I’ve tried to strike a balance with the selection and sequence of episodes here – a tall ask you can imagine given how Homer-dominant these three years were. Let me know what you think!
1. Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo
Original Season: Season 10
Director: Jim Reardon
Writer: Donick Cary & Dan Greaney
IMDB Score: 8.0 / 10
Personal Score: 3/5
Comments: A family-centric travel episode with a high-stakes plot, celebrity guest stars and a litany of fun gags seems as good as any to start with. I've never been a big fan of
Simpsons travel episodes and the Scully era is full of stinkers. This is probably the best of the lot (a low benchmark indeed) and the only one included in this list. Don’t expect to see
Kill the Alligator and Run or
Simpson Safari. No siree Bob.
2. Brother’s Little Helper
Original Season: Season 11
Director: Mark Kirkland
Writer: George Meyer
IMDB Score: 7.5 / 10
Personal Score: 2/5
Comments: No single episode can be singled out as solely responsible for or representative of the decline of
The Simpsons. Rather, it was a series of cascading failures over the course of three or four years after which things mostly settled and plateaued. From the listless humour of
The Canine Mutiny and the lazy parody of
Das Bus to the character assassination of Homer in
Trash of the Titans and the sickening reverence of celebrity in
When You Dish Upon a Star, different episodes from season 8 through to season 11 dismantled and distorted different elements of the show as it once was. Bart Simpson, once emblematic of the show's counter-cultural spirit, isn't spared and the damage he sustains in
Brother's Little Helper is both severe and permanent. There are few other Bart episodes in the Scully era that are any better than this one so I'm forced to include it by default if I want to keep things balanced.
What happened to the rebellious yet fundamentally goodhearted 10 year old whose worst premeditated behaviour involved tagging school property or spitting off the overpass? He no longer exists at the start of this episode, replaced by a hyperactive sociopath hell bent on causing wanton destruction and mayhem with no regard for others. As for chalking it up to ADHD? Ooo, ahh, hmm. I mean, yeah, I can see that being the case as Bart has demonstrated serious attention and impulse control issues as far back as
Bart Gets an 'F' and
Bart the Daredevil. However, I have serious issues with the way it's presented. Examining neurodiversity and mental health issues requires sensitivity and subtlety and the show simply isn't up to the task, grossly misrepresenting ADHD and treating it with a flippancy that borders on offensive. The first and third acts are horrible mostly, but the second isn't too bad relatively speaking. The few scenes with Bart as an attentive student are good, buoying what might otherwise have been a total shipwreck, but there's little to salvage on either side of those and the ending is completely baffling.
3. They Saved Lisa’s Brain
Original Season: Season 10
Director: Pete Michels
Writer: Matt Selman
IMDB Score: 7.3 / 10
Personal Score: 3/5
Comments: Competent and watchable, but quite anaemic overall. The humour is
really flat and, despite some astute characterisations and sharp observations, I walk away feeling a bit ambivalent. Compared to other Scully episodes,
They Saved Lisa's Brain displays some modesty and restraint which certainly goes in its favour. I think it qualifies for inclusion on that basis alone.
4. Treehouse of Horror IX
Original Season: Season 11
Director: Pete Michels
Writer: Donick Cary, Tim Long & Ron Hauge
Personal Score: 4/5
Comments: I actually found it a bit challenging to choose just three Halloween segments from the remaining twelve in the Scully era. I'd say half of those are worthy of consideration, but alas. I've decided to stick with
X, so
I Know What You Diddily-Iddily-Did,
Desperately Xeeking Xena, and
Life's a Glitch Then You Die. Honorable mentions to
Hell Toupee,
The Terror of Tiny Toon, and
Starship Poopers from
IX. I care little for any of the segments from
XI or
XII.
5. Mayored to the Mob
Original Season: Season 10
Director: Swinton O. Scott III
Writer: Ron Hauge
IMDB Score: 8.2 / 10
Personal Score: 4/5
Comments: 'Homer gets a job' episodes proliferated during the Scully era and most were awful.
Mayored to the Mob is arguably the best of a bad lot with some fairly decent gags, set pieces and character moments. Plus, Mark Hamill is also one of the better post-classic celebrity guest stars and there's no wacky third act.
6. Marge Simpson in “Screaming Yellow Honkers”
Original Season: Season 10
Director: Mark Kirkland
Writer: David M. Stern
IMDB Score: 7.3 / 10
Personal Score: 4/5
Comments: Now it’s Marge’s time to shine. This is my second favourite Marge episode of the Scully years. Her aggression and hostility might seem wildly out of character, but I like it. Unlike
It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge, I think it's rationalised and developed reasonably well. I also like that Marge gets to participate in the action and save the day which doesn’t happen very often.
7. I’m With Cupid
Original Season: Season 10
Director: Bob Anderson
Writer: Dan Greaney
IMDB Score: 7.3 / 10
Personal Score: 4/5
Comments: Our gaze widens to the greater Springfield population with the second best Apu and Manjula episode. It’s not a bad take on the marital troubles trope for two reasons. Firstly, it's not about anything Homer
does but what he
doesn't do that disappoints Marge. Secondly, Homer and Marge aren't the only couple in the spotlight. The gang of upstaged and disgruntled Springfieldian men working together to sabotage Apu is entertaining and there are some freaking great quotes (
“Manjula means some kind of spaceship”). I think Homer fighting with the skywriter is stupid and over-the-top, but the unintended romantic gesture that follows is brilliant. The closing moments with Apu and Manjula are also lovely – sadly, it’s all downhill from here for both characters.
8. Days of Wine and D’oh’ses
Original Season: Season 11
Director: Neil Affleck
Writer: Deb Lacusta & Dan Castellaneta
IMDB Score: 7.4 / 10
Personal Score: 4/5
Comments: Our focus on other Springfield residents continues with one of the very few truly worthwhile episodes of season 11 and probably the best of the episodes penned by Dan Castellaneta and Deb Lacusta. I really like this one even if it was indicative of a show that had run out of things to do with its characters. The focus on exploring and adding some depth to a tertiary character is closer in spirit to the Oakley and Weinstein era. While the comedy is flat, the character work is pretty good and the ending (in which the A-plot and B-plot converge) is deftly executed for this era.
9. Eight Misbehavin’
Original Season: Season 11
Director: Steven Dean Moore
Writer: Matt Selman
IMDB Score: 7.0 / 10
Personal Score: 2/5
Comments: We return to the Nahasapeemapetilons in a follow-up episode that I wouldn’t include if I didn’t have to. It starts off okay, but eventually falls off a proverbial cliff once Larry Kidkill is introduced and the octuplets become a literal zoo attraction. It’s disappointing that it wasn’t more down-to-earth (rather surprising for a Selman-penned episode), but it’s essential for continuity reasons. I have nothing more to say about it.
10. Skinner’s Sense of Snow
Original Season: Season 12
Director: Lance Kramer
Writer: Tim Long
IMDB Score: 7.9 / 10
Personal Score: 4/5
Comments: Might this be one of the last episodes in which Principal Skinner feels like a genuine authority figure with backbone? Anyway,
Skinner's Sense of Snow isn’t too bad. It’s got some great quotes (
“That’s the last time you’ll slap your Willie around”) and even though the sub-plot is more of the usual Captain Wacky stuff, it’s at least underpinned by some heroic goals and motivations.
11. The Blunder Years
Original Season: Season 13
Director: Steven Dean Moore
Writer: Ian Maxtone-Graham
IMDB Score: 7.7 / 10
Personal Score: 3/5
Comments: Look, I know, this is one of the least consequential flashback stories of the series. There are quite a few oddities, inconsistencies, and bizarre moments. In fact, it’s very Jean-like with its flat humour and languid storytelling. But, gosh darnit, I’m strangely fond of it. I must have seen this as a teenager when I first discovered
The Simpsons and it left an impression. I like that the entire family is involved (even though Homer is at the centre of things as usual), the mystery elements are entertaining (even though they’re quite impotent), Chief Wiggum is used well (even though it feels a bit tacked on), and I enjoy the Burly intro (especially how it becomes relevant later on).
12. Lisa the Tree Hugger
Original Season: Season 12
Director: Steven Dean Moore
Writer: Matt Selman
IMDB Score: 7.2 / 10
Personal Score: 4/5
Comments: We begin a second round of episodes focusing on individual members of the Simpson family. For a late Scully-era episode, it's quite down-to-earth both in terms of humour, character and storytelling. I like that Lisa isn’t too pushy and acts like an eight year old (something Matt Selman gets right more often than not). The episode clearly and correctly supports environmentalism but, to its credit, doesn’t exclude the teenage activists from mockery which stops it from being too preachy. It’s a muted and overlooked success.
13. Homer vs. Dignity
Original Season: Season 12
Director: Neil Affleck
Writer: Rob LaZebnik
IMDB Score: 7.0 / 10
Personal Score: 4/5
Comments: Surprise! Weren’t expecting this one, right?
Homer vs. Dignity sure has one hell of a reputation. Personally, I'm far less incensed by it than others, many of whom predicate their distaste for it on what is now the infamous ‘panda rape’ scene. Sure, it’s the worst scene of the episode, but y’know, like they say, it’s not what you think man, and in my opinion it's been vastly overblown (I mean, come on guys, Homer wasn't
actually raped). There are some thoughtfully considered if imperfectly executed ideas here, most notably Homer sacrificing his dignity in public to earn the respect of his family and provide for them. It's a fairly interesting take on a well-worn trope in that Homer is willing to subject himself to some pretty demeaning things to ensure they're financially supported. He takes their perception and opinion of him quite seriously, which is evident when Lisa expresses her dismay and he immediately refuses to continue humouring Mr. Burns.
It’s good stuff and I think it humanises Homer in a way that doesn’t happen very often during this era. The bait-and-switch ending is very effective for this reason - based on everything Homer has done during the Scully era up to this point, there's no reason to think he
wouldn't acquiesce to Burns and do something despicable. We're talking about the guy who callously destroyed the town, left his father to die
twice, got Maude killed, and shot his wife with a tranquilliser dart. It’s almost surprising and certainly heartening to see him do the right thing instead when it truly counts. When I walk away from a Scully episode feeling good about Homer and not experiencing whiplash from an absurd third act that came out of nowhere, that’s a minor miracle. Admittedly, wanting a prank monkey seems beneath Mr. Burns, but it’s consistent with his cruelty. Plus, gotta say, love the intro with Bart revealing how he got an ‘A’ (
“It was like a whole different kind of cheating”).
Addendum (05/10/21): The following changes have been made:
- Lowered the score of 'Brother's Little Helper' from a 3 to a 2. The comments were also re-written from scratch.
- Removed 'Hell Toupee' from 'Treehouse of Horror X' and replaced it with 'Life's a Glitch, Then You Die'.
- Extensive edits to the comments for 'Homer vs. Dignity' which were previously pretty shoddy.
- Minor edits to and general tidying up of the comments for every episode.