B-Boy's Abridged Post-Classic Simpsons
Season 9
My version of season nine isn't too dissimilar from the one we have now. I consider season nine to be semi-classic – a rather strange yet curious interbellum signalling the end of the comparatively brief golden age and the dawn of the interminable post-classic era. Only a few minor adjustments seemed necessary. As such, this will be the least interesting of my revised seasons. Some episodes have been re-positioned and others have been replaced with analogues plucked from later Scully seasons.
Without further ado:
1. The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson
Original Season: Season 9
Director: Jim Reardon
Writer: Ian Maxtone-Graham
IMDB Score: 9.1 / 10
Personal Score: 5/5
Comments: Probably my favourite ‘travel’ episode of the series, avoiding pitfalls that have tarnished others like it in the years since. It's surreal to think that this show was nearing the end of its first decade on the air and the twin towers still existed. As such, it feels atypically dated for a classic episode and generates some rather uncomfortable feelings especially during the scenes set at the towers themselves. In any case, as a season eight holdover, it unequivocally qualifies as a classic episode and I see no reason to change it.
2. The Principal and the Pauper
Original Season: Season 9
Director: Steven Dean Moore
Writer: Ken Keeler
IMDB Score: 6.8 / 10
Personal Score: 3/5
Comments: Another season eight holdover and therefore deserving of a place regardless of its problematic nature. The episode has attracted significant controversy over the years and earned an unfair reputation for heralding the decline of the show, but I can appreciate Ken Keeler’s attempt at deconstructing our basic assumptions of one of its characters even if that
did create a dangerous precedent. Like
Homer’s Enemy, the thesis may have worked better had
The Simpsons ended when it was supposed to.
3. Lisa the Simpson
Original Season: Season 9
Director: Susie Dietter
Writer: Ned Goldreyer
IMDB Score: 8.0 / 10
Personal Score: 5/5
Comments: Lisa the Simpson - the third and final season eight holdover - originally aired as the 17th episode of season nine. It was a bizarre choice, effectively separating it from the body of work Oakley and Weinstein produced and conflating it with Scully's. The relevance and potency of the episode's themes are also diminished as a result. Disney+ has corrected this anomaly, repositioning the episode to third spot which is exactly where it should be – where it should
always have been.
For all intents and purposes,
Lisa the Simpson is the swan song of the classic era. It's a lovely meditation on the fear of getting older and the inevitability of decline, reminding us that all things are finite and to celebrate them in the brief moment of time that they exist. It's the show reflecting on its mortality, anticipating its downfall, refusing to rest on its laurels, and warning against compromise. I believe this to be one of the best episodes O&W produced and it's certainly the last breath of the golden age firing on all cylinders.
4. Treehouse of Horror VIII
Original Season: Season 9
Director: Mark Kirkland
Writer: Mike Scully, David X. Cohen & Ned Goldreyer
Personal Score: 4/5
Comments: As the best all-round Halloween special of the post-classic era, this one remains intact. The third segment is a bit weak, but the overall package is pretty strong and I felt it was unnecessary to chop and change it.
5. The Cartridge Family
Original Season: Season 9
Director: Pete Michels
Writer: John Swartzwelder
Personal Score: 5/5
Comments: One of the best Scully episode. Despite some heavy-handed satire, the comedy is off-the-chain and the ending does enough to redeem a clueless rather than Jerkass Homer (who isn't any worse than he was in, say,
Homer Goes to College or
Boy-Scoutz ‘n the Hood).
6. Bart the Mother
Original Season: Season 10
Director: Steven Dean Moore
Writer: David X. Cohen
Personal Score: 4/5
Comments: My first big change. The original episode here,
Bart Star, indulged in many of the egregious excesses we now associate with the Scully era – including, but not limited to, pervasive mean-spiritedness and Jerkass Homer.
Bart the Mother fares much better. The characters are more likable and the focus on the mother/son relationship is refreshing (even if it’s a slightly poorer retread of
Marge Be Not Proud).
7. The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons
Original Season: Season 9
Director: Steven Dean Moore
Writer: Richard Appel
Personal Score: 4/5
Comments: A pretty straightforward sitcom story with all the typical clichés therein, but without any of the mockery that previously defined the show. It’s an important episode though, permanently shaking up the status quo. Most of these early Scully episodes are more restrained and easier to stomach which, in turn, makes it easier to gloss over their shortcomings. I really enjoy this one for the most part despite its relative banality and it’s easily the best of the Apu/Manjula stories.
8. Lisa the Skeptic
Original Season: Season 9
Director: Neil Affleck
Writer: David X. Cohen
Personal Score: 4/5
Comments: I realise this episode isn't too popular in some circles. It’s true that Lisa is irritatingly self-righteous and dismissive. Her open-mindedness and curiosity is conspicuously absent. That said, I think the heart and mind of the episode is in the right place – the execution is just a bit lacking. I enjoy the satire about easily influenced masses and predatory commercialism plus Homer’s get-rich-quick scheme is delightfully understated and the final moment is nice.
9. Realty Bites
Original Season: Season 9
Director: Swinton Scott
Writer: Dan Greaney
Personal Score: 4/5
Comments: Not bad for a post-classic Marge-centric episode. Phil Hartman always elevates the show and even Homer's wacky antics don't spoil the episode too much for me so I’m happy to include it in the list.
10. Grift of the Magi
Original Season: Season 11
Director: Matthew Nastuk
Writer: Tom Martin
Personal Score: 3/5
Comments: This episode is a bit weak, but I’m saving
Miracle on Evergreen Terrace for later and I still want a Christmas episode. There aren’t many to choose from in the Scully era and,
Miracle on Evergreen Terrace notwithstanding, this is probably the best of them. The corporate satire is serviceable, the Springfield Elementary scenes are pretty good, and the sequence with Homer and the kids stealing the Funzo toys is, well, fun.
11. Lisa’s Sax
Original Season: Season 9
Director: Dominic Polcino
Writer: Al Jean
Personal Score: 5/5
Comments: All Singing, All Dancing was a perfunctory clip-show and I much prefer to watch this instead. It’s the weakest of the classic flashback episodes, but I still love the story and it caps off a stellar pentalogy that began with
The Way We Was. Homer is in top form, the story effortlessly juggles multiple character threads, and the ending is very affecting.
12. Homer to the Max
Original Season: Season 10
Director: Pete Michels
Writer: John Swartzwelder
Personal Score: 3/5
Comments: A thin and directionless story lifted by some great humour in its memorable first half. I really enjoy the Police Cops stuff and even though the third act loses me a bit, there are still plenty of laughs (the Clinton appearance is especially good).
13. The Joy of Sect
Original Season: Season 9
Director: Steven Dean Moore
Writer: Steve O'Donnell
Personal Score: 5/5
Comments: This episode, run by David Mirkin, delivers a scathing critique of cults with relentless hilarity and is a 'joy' to watch. I really like how it’s Marge who turns out to be one of the few people who are resistant to the Movementarians. This could easily slot into seasons five or six and is an instant inclusion as far as I'm concerned.
14. Wild Barts Can’t Be Broken
Original Season: Season 10
Director: Mark Ervin
Writer: Larry Doyle
Personal Score: 5/5
Comments: Y’know, I don’t mind
Das Bus, but it’s unquestionably outlandish and has no real conclusion. I’m still not sure what, if anything, that episode is about aside from being a collection of lazy references to
Lord of the Files. It’s also hampered by yet another Homer get-rich-quick-scheme.
Wild Barts Can’t Be Broken, on the other hand, is significantly better with its equally prominent focus on the children of Springfield. The satire is clear and purposeful, the musical number is truly memorable (and one of the last to qualify as such), and the ending is a stroke of comedic brilliance that mocks the absurdity of the curfew.
15. The Last Temptation of Krust
Original Season: Season 9
Director: Mike B. Anderson
Writer: Donick Cary
Personal Score: 5/5
Comments: Low-key one of the best episodes of season nine, offering some great satire of stand-up comedy and a definitive summation of who the talentless comedian really is and what he really stands for. The celebrity guest stars are abundant, but their presence feels natural rather than gratuitous and their idiosyncrasies are captured quite well. The Canyonero advertisement at the end is among my favourite skits of the entire series.
16. Dumbbell Indemnity
Original Season: Season 9
Director: Dominic Polcino
Writer: Ron Hauge
Personal Score: 3/5
Comments: Mostly unremarkable, but it represents a significant turning point for Moe as a character. If
The Love-Matic Grampa was a test to see how successful Moe could be as a sympathetic lovelorn outcast rather than just an unsavoury bartender, then this is the full commitment to that direction – one that defines the character in the post-classic era for better or worse. It therefore has its place even if it doesn’t rise above middling due to a stock sitcom story, an unmemorable guest character, and an excess of ‘sidekick Homer’ shenanigans that are all too common in the Scully era.
17. Lisa Gets an ‘A’
Original Season: Season 10
Director: Bob Anderson
Writer: Ian Maxtone-Graham
Personal Score: 5/5
Comments: Lisa struggles with an internal dilemma and has to make a decision about what kind of person she is. It sounds like
Lisa the Simpson, but it isn’t. Instead, it’s probably my favourite episode from season ten. I’ve always loved this one – the moral quandary is a relatable one, there’s some decent satire of school funding, and the Comptroller Atkins fake-out is effective. The Pinchy B-plot is a bit ridiculous and the ending is mildly unsettling, but it’s just so wholesome and never fails to bring a smile to my face.
18. This Little Wiggy
Original Season: Season 9
Director: Neil Affleck
Writer: Dan Greaney
Personal Score: 4/5
Comments: Really good up up until one of the most disgraceful endings of the series. I love the pairing of Bart and Ralph, the bullies are put to great use, and Ralph himself is in fine form. That is, until things unravel in the final moments when the show makes the shockingly mean-spirited suggestion that he’s psychotic and violent. It was completely unnecessary, deeply offensive and irrevocably harmful. Still, I really like the episode up until then and it’s probably the best use of Ralph in the post-classic era (aside from a few one-liners here and there). Just turn it off before the leprechaun appears.
19. Simpson Tide
Original Season: Season 9
Director: Milton Gray
Writer: Joshua Sternin & Jeffrey Ventimilia
Personal Score: 4/5
Comments: The heavy contemporary references and some audacious gags prevent the episode from being a great one, but it’s still worthwhile for some solid moments. This includes the
“it’s my first day” gag that bookends the episode and the Grampa interview, both of which are among my favourite gags of the series.
20. The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace
Original Season: Season 10
Director: Mark Kirkland
Writer: John Swartzwelder
Personal Score: 3/5
Comments: I debated whether to retain
The Trouble with Trillions or substitute it with this, both of which are unremarkable and problematic for different reasons. I ended up choosing this if only because it has a more grounded third act and an actual resolution that doesn’t expect the viewer to do the work. Plus, Homer is relatively tame in this - there are certainly more egregious examples of his Jerkass behaviour throughout the Scully era.
21. Girly Edition
Original Season: Season 9
Director: Mark Kirkland
Writer: Larry Doyle
Personal Score: 5/5
Comments: A criminally underrated episode. It mind-boggling that Scully and the team were capable of producing episodes of such quality – not classic-era levels of greatness, but more than good enough for a show a decade old – yet flew off the handle so quickly in less than a year.
Girly Edition is a lot of fun, making great use of the sibling rivalry dynamic. The soft news satire is just as relevant today, Crazy Cat Lady’s inaugural appearance is one of her best, and the B-plot is hilarious. In fact, Homer is great here as is usually the case when he's used in small doses.
22. Hungry, Hungry Homer
Original Season: Season 12
Director: Nancy Kruse
Writer: John Swartzwelder
Personal Score: 5/5
Comments: In
Trash of the Titans, Homer goes on a populist crusade against public office and callously destroys the town with his ineptitude. In
Hungry, Hungry Homer, he goes on a moral crusade against corporate greed and heroically saves the local baseball team from being relocated. I know which one I prefer to watch. There’s something mildly fickle about Homer’s principles (
“that’s the kind of guy I am this week”), but his admirable commitment to uncovering the truth and the triumphant ending that vindicates him seal the episode as one of the best that Scully produced over the course of his four-year tenure.
23. King of the Hill
Original Season: Season 9
Director: Steven Dean Moore
Writer: John Swartzwelder
Personal Score: 5/5
Comments: John Swartzwelder sure took a nosedive after this. I’m a sucker for episodes in which Homer genuinely strives to be a better husband and/or Dad. The desire to improve himself in this one is believable and well-motivated even if it's reminiscent of
Deep Space Homer. It stands well enough on its own though with its focus on the father/son relationship, some fantastic bait-and-switch gags, and an ending of understated sweetness and levity.
24. Lost Our Lisa
Original Season: Season 9
Director: Pete Michels
Writer: Brian Scully
Personal Score: 5/5
Comments: I reckon this gets a bad rap. Homer is reckless, impulsive and seemingly impervious to damage, but he’s not an asshole and the moment he shares with Lisa at the exhibit is quite beautiful. Despite some sitcommy elements, I find it very endearing and watchable.
25. Natural Born Kissers
Original Season: Season 9
Director: Klay Hall
Writer: Matt Selman
Personal Score: 5/5
Comments: Matt Selman’s first writing contribution to the show is a winner for me. It’s a great variation of the marital troubles trope without any contrived conflicts. The story rings true, the adventure is hilariously bold, and the set-pieces are suitably epic for a finale. Plus, I won’t lie, I piss myself laughing every time Homer slides up the Church. I’ve got simple tastes.