Rate and Review: Season 3

Gladys the Groovy Mule

Gladys the Groovy Mule

Banned
Joined
Nov 29, 2011
Messages
490
LVQPf.png


some people call it the first of the golden era. A lot of people have it down as one of the best of all time. But how do you rate it?

Episode list:
Stark Raving Dad
Mr Lisa Goes to Washington
When Flanders Failed
Bart the Murderer
Homer Defined
Like Father, Like Clown
Treehouse of Horror II
Lisa's Pony
Saturdays of Thunder
Flaming Moe's
Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk
I Married Marge
Radio Bart
Lisa the Greek
Homer Alone
Bart the Lover
Homer at the Bat
Separate Vocations
Dog of Death
Colonel Homer
Black Widower
The Otto Show
Bart's Friend Falls in Love
Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?
 
1. Colonel Homer – 10/A+
2. Homer at the Bat – 10/A+
3. Separate Vocations – 10/A+
4. Radio Bart – 10/A+
5. Flaming Moe’s – 10/A+
6. Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk – 10/A+
7. When Flanders Failed – 10/A+
8. Bart’s Friend Falls in Love – 10/A+
9. Bart the Lover – 10/A+
10. Black Widower – 10/A+
11. Lisa’s Pony – 10/A+
12. Homer Alone – 10/A+
13. Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington – 10/A+
14. Lisa the Greek – 10/A+
15. Saturdays of Thunder – 10/A+
16. Like Father, Like Clown – 9/A
17. Bart the Murderer – 9/A
18. Treehouse of Horror II – 9/A
19. The Otto Show – 9/A
20. I Married Marge – 9/A
21. Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes? – 9/A
22. Stark Raving Dad – 8/A-
23. Homer Defined – 7/B
24. Dog of Death – 7/B

Average: 9.42

Season Ranking: 2nd
 
Last edited:
Stark Raving Dad - B-
Mr Lisa Goes To Washington - B+
When Flanders Failed - A
Bart the Murderer - A-
Homer Defined - A-
Like Father, Like Clown - B
Treehouse of Horror II - A-
Lisa's Pony - B+
Saturdays of Thunder - A
Flaming Moe's - A+
Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk - B-
I Married Marge - A-
Radio Bart - A
Lisa the Greek - A-
Homer Alone - A
Bart the Lover - B+
Homer at the Bat - C+
Separate Vocations - B+
Dog of Death - A+
Colonel Homer - B
Black Widower - B+
The Otto Show - B+
Bart's Friend Falls in Love - B+
Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes? - A-

Overall - B+
 
Last edited:
Went through season 3 a couple of months ago. I Was gunna make a blog post about it, but scrapped it. So this is where I got that list from. I edited some of the grades. (some up eg. Bart the Murderer, some down eg. Saturdays of Thunder).

Stark Raving Dad - B+
Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington - B+
When Flanders Failed - C+
Bart the Murderer - A-
Homer Defined - B/B-
Like Father, Like Clown - B-/C+
Treehouse of Horror II - C+
Lisa's Pony - B+/A-
Saturdays of Thunder - B/B+
Flaming Moe's - B/B+
Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk - A
I Married Marge - dunno.
Radio Bart - A
Lisa the Greek - A-
Homer Alone - B
Bart the Lover - A-
Homer at the Bat - A-
Separate Vocations - A+
Dog of Death - B+
Colonel Homer - A
Black Widower - B-
The Otto Show - B
Bart's Friend Falls in Love - A-
Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes? -B

Good season but to me it just feels a bit forgettable on the whole. It just doesn't seem to peak as much as the other seasons. 2, 6, 7 are definitely better. 5 maybe. The rest are about equal in quality (4, 8).

I think there's a definite difference between the first half (roughly) and second. Once it hits its stride, around "Krafterwerk" in terms of placing, it definitely picks up and establishes its own style. I'd say it's equal to if not very very marginally better than 4.

EDIT: Also, I'm the only person not to rate Flaming Moe's 10/10 or A+ so far......... I can't help but feel like I'm missing something
 
Last edited:
This is probably one of my favourite seasons:

Stark Raving Dad 10/10
Mr Lisa Goes to Washington 10/10
When Flanders Failed 10/10
Bart the Murderer 10/10
Homer Defined 10/10
Like Father, Like Clown 9/10
Treehouse of Horror II 10/10
Lisa's Pony 10/10
Saturdays of Thunder 10/10
Flaming Moe's 10/10
Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk 10/10
I Married Marge 10/10
Radio Bart 10/10
Lisa the Greek 9/10
Homer Alone 8/10
Bart the Lover 10/10
Homer at the Bat 10/10
Separate Vocations 10/10
Dog of Death 7/10
Colonel Homer 8/10
Black Widower 10/10
The Otto Show 7/10
Bart's Friend Falls in Love 9/10
Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes? 10/10
 
I just got this on DVD and haven't seen most of these episodes in several years. Looking forward jumping into them.

I just got through the 2nd season and it was way better than I remembered. Possibly even my favorite season. Really surprised Season 2 doesn't get more praise.
 
Stark Raving Dad: C-
Mr Lisa Goes to Washington: B
When Flanders Failed: C+
Bart the Murderer: B
Homer Defined: A-
Like Father, Like Clown: C+
Treehouse of Horror II: A-
Lisa's Pony: B
Saturdays of Thunder: A
Flaming Moe's: A+
Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk: D+
I Married Marge: A-
Radio Bart: A
Lisa the Greek: A+
Homer Alone: B+
Bart the Lover: A
Homer at the Bat: A+
Separate Vocations: F
Dog of Death: B-
Colonel Homer: B+
Black Widower: A+
The Otto Show: C+
Bart's Friend Falls in Love: A+
Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?: A
 
Stark Raving Dad B+/A-
Mr Lisa Goes to Washington A-
When Flanders Failed B+
Bart the Murderer A+
Homer Defined A-
Like Father, Like Clown B+
Treehouse of Horror II B+
Lisa's Pony B-
Saturdays of Thunder A+
Flaming Moe's A+
Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk A+
I Married Marge A
Radio Bart A+
Lisa the Greek A-
Homer Alone B+/A-
Bart the Lover A+
Homer at the Bat A+
Separate Vocations A/A+
Dog of Death B+
Colonel Homer A++
Black Widower A+
The Otto Show C+
Bart's Friend Falls in Love A-
Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes? A-

Probably my favourite season, it has my favourite episode (Colonel Homer) and a lot more from my top 50 (Black Widower, Homer at the Bat, Bart the Lover, Flaming Moe's, Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk, Radio Bart).
The Otto Show is pretty weak for season 3 but its still enjoyable.
I think season 3 perfectly balanced heart with comedy, great jokes and characterisation, only season 7 comes close.
 
Oddly enough "When Flanders Failed" eluded me during Fox reruns back in the late 90s and I only saw it recently. Was pretty frustrating trying to collect the last bit of eps after a while. grr. My favs include "Flaming Moes", "Lisas Pony". "Saturdays of thunder has that adventurous kid side that "Three Men and a Comic book" had in S2. I really enjoy that ep. This is also the season with the first of two major mistresses of Homers: Lurleen. (The Second is that redhead from the power plant).

When you watch these seasons what you realize is that the "Conan O'Brien-esque" type of humor is whats missing from the new eps. I know he didnt write all of these but theres a biting & zany wit the Simpsons have in common with his style & show. They probably need an ex writer of his show or something to help the Simpsons out imo.

Stark Raving Dad - B
Mr Lisa Goes To Washington - B+
When Flanders Failed - A
Bart the Murderer - A
Homer Defined - A
Like Father, Like Clown - B
Treehouse of Horror II - A
Lisa's Pony - A+
Saturdays of Thunder - A+
Flaming Moe's - A+
Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk - B
I Married Marge - A-
Radio Bart - A
Lisa the Greek - B+
Homer Alone - A
Bart the Lover - B+
Homer at the Bat - C+
Separate Vocations - A-
Dog of Death - B
Colonel Homer - B
Black Widower - A-
The Otto Show - B+
Bart's Friend Falls in Love - A-
Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes? - B+
 
Stark Raving Dad A-
Mr Lisa Goes to Washington A-
When Flanders Failed B+
Bart the Murderer A-
Homer Defined A-
Like Father, Like Clown B+
Treehouse of Horror II A-
Lisa's Pony B+
Saturdays of Thunder B+
Flaming Moe's A+
Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk A+
I Married Marge A-
Radio Bart A+
Lisa the Greek A-
Homer Alone B+
Bart the Lover A+
Homer at the Bat A+++
Separate Vocations A-
Dog of Death B+
Colonel Homer A++
Black Widower A
The Otto Show B
Bart's Friend Falls in Love A-
Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes? A
 
Stark Raving Dad 5/10
Mr Lisa Goes to Washington 8/10
When Flanders Failed 6/10
Bart the Murderer 8/10
Homer Defined 6/10
Like Father, Like Clown 4/10
Treehouse of Horror II 9/10
Lisa's Pony 5/10
Saturdays of Thunder 7/10
Flaming Moe's 10/10
Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk 10/10
I Married Marge 7/10
Radio Bart 5/10
Lisa the Greek 6/10
Homer Alone 8/10
Bart the Lover 9/10
Homer at the Bat 11/10
Separate Vocations 9/10
Dog of Death 2/10
Colonel Homer 5/10
Black Widower 8/10
The Otto Show 1/10
Bart's Friend Falls in Love 4/10
Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes? 6/10

Very mixed season. Some absolute gems but a lot of episodes I don't enjoy
 
Stark Raving Dad - B
Mr Lisa Goes To Washington - B+
When Flanders Failed - B-
Bart the Murderer - A-
Homer Defined - B+
Like Father, Like Clown - B-
Treehouse of Horror II - A
Lisa's Pony - A
Saturdays of Thunder - A-
Flaming Moe's - A+
Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk - B+
I Married Marge - A-
Radio Bart - A-
Lisa the Greek - A-
Homer Alone - A
Bart the Lover - A+
Homer at the Bat - A+
Separate Vocations - A-
Dog of Death - B+
Colonel Homer - A+
Black Widower - B+
The Otto Show - B+
Bart's Friend Falls in Love - A+
Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes? - A-

One of the best, really. Perfect balance of the first two seasons dramatic elements and the ensuing classic year's goofier side.

Season Ranking: 2nd
 
Season 2 is most definitely a classic...anyway Season 3 is just slightly better than Season 2 and I'd rate Season 3 as the 5th best season after Seasons 4, 5, 6 and 7.

Stark Raving Dad - 8/10
Mr Lisa Goes To Washington - 10/10
When Flanders Failed - 8/10
Bart the Murderer - 10/10
Homer Defined - 8/10
Like Father, Like Clown - 9/10
Treehouse of Horror II - 9/10
Lisa's Pony - 10/10
Saturdays of Thunder - 9/10
Flaming Moe's - 10/10
Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk - 10/10
I Married Marge - 9/10
Radio Bart - 10/10
Lisa the Greek - 9/10
Homer Alone - 9/10
Bart the Lover - 9/10
Homer at the Bat - 10/10
Separate Vocations - 8/10
Dog of Death - 7/10
Colonel Homer - 9/10
Black Widower - 8/10
The Otto Show - 8/10
Bart's Friend Falls in Love - 9/10
Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes? - 10/10

216/240, 90% and A+
 
Rusty_Shackleford said:
Stark Raving Dad 5/10
Mr Lisa Goes to Washington 8/10
When Flanders Failed 6/10
Bart the Murderer 8/10
Homer Defined 6/10
Like Father, Like Clown 4/10
Treehouse of Horror II 9/10
Lisa's Pony 5/10
Saturdays of Thunder 7/10
Flaming Moe's 10/10
Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk 10/10
I Married Marge 7/10
Radio Bart 5/10
Lisa the Greek 6/10
Homer Alone 8/10
Bart the Lover 9/10
Homer at the Bat 11/10
Separate Vocations 9/10
Dog of Death 2/10
Colonel Homer 5/10
Black Widower 8/10
The Otto Show 1/10
Bart's Friend Falls in Love 4/10
Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes? 6/10
Click to expand...
How come your ratings are so... extreme? I don't see how you can love Homer at the Bat and yet hate The Otto Show. They're both from season 3, they both have a certain level of quality. I know it's your opinion and all that, but I just find it odd that you can love one and hate another even though they're similar stylistically, looking at it from a broader perspective.
 
Gotta say, The Otto Show is definitely the worst of the bunch. I found it very boring compared to the rest. The Spinal Tap thing at the beginning went on for way, way too long.
 
It's a terrible episode. Otto is one of my most disliked characters, I find it hard to relate to kids getting on with their bus driver so well.
 
I would say that season three was the beginning of the classic era. Not to say that one and two aren't great, but the humor seems more....forced(?) in both of them. But I wouldn't disagree that the storylines in S2 are slightly superior to those of S3.


Stark Raving Dad - B+
Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington - B
When Flanders Failed - C (Basically the Dancin' Homer of season three. It's not exactly bad, but it's clearly the weakest episode of the season, imo.)
Bart the Murderer - B+
Homer Defined - A
Like Father, Like Clown - B+
Treehouse of Horror II - B-
Lisa's Pony - B+
Saturdays of Thunder - B
Flaming Moe's - B+
Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk - B
I Married Marge - A-
Radio Bart - A-
Lisa the Greek - B
Homer Alone - B+
Bart the Lover - B+
Homer at the Bat - B
Separate Vocations - B+
Dog of Death - A-
Colonel Homer - B
Black Widower - A
The Otto Show - B
Bart's Friend Falls in Love - B
Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes? - B
 
Well im not as bleak as many on the newer eps and I found most eps of this era to be absolutely amazing. Lisas Pony getting a 5/10... no likey lol. I absolutely love that ep.
 
The Spruce Moose said:
There is no way anything from Season 3 can be called a 1 or 2/10 and compared with the utter dregs of the show we saw in the Jean era
Click to expand...

Just remind me, who were the showrunners for season 3?

ANYWAY I have obviously ruffled a few feathers with my rating of the otto show, and it probably was a little harsh. Will rewatch later and give a more specific review and rating
 
Well sometimes episodes with characters that arent a favorite end up having excellent side storylines & moments that elevate the ep to great. Those are why its so hard to rate these eps from memory. I dont think any of our ratings are precise cuz we prolly forgot how funny/well done an ep was & judge it based on the synopsis.

Rusty_Shackleford said:
Just remind me, who were the showrunners for season 3?
Click to expand...

Al Jean and Mike Reiss according to this http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Season_3
 
Last edited:
It sure was a guy named Al Jean... wait a second... Al Jean... sounds familiar... Jean era.. sucks... and.. fucks balls... must kill Al Jean... OMG THIS IS THE SAME AL JEAN HOW CAN IT BE THE EPISODE IS GOD NOT BAD???!!!!
 
Come on people, you are all complaining about the ratings of Rusty Shackleford like he is going to change them just to fit your tastes.

 And I have seen nobody complain about the 4/10 for Bart's Friend Falls In Love yet. That is serious shit :gangstagator2: 
 
qwertyuio said:
Come on people, you are all complaining about the ratings of Rusty Shackleford like he is going to change them just to fit your tastes.

 And I have seen nobody complain about the 4/10 for Bart's Friend Falls In Love yet. That is serious shit :gangstagator2: 
Click to expand...

Bart's Friend Falls In Love is a good premise but in my opinion it is executed poorly. The story is slow and the fact Milhouse and Bart are drifting apart . The Good, the Sad and the Drugly has a similar (read as, the same) plot and delivers it a lot better. However BFFIL does have a terrific sub plot with Homer's vocabulary builder, we can only dream of Jerkass Homer learning such words
 
The story of The Good, The Sad And The Drugly is competent enough but I fail to see how the conflict is better written than Bart's Friend Falls In Love. Specially given that Milhouse during the last ten or thirteen years has been reduced to be the pathethic little boy to throw gay jokes in. Bart's Friend Falls In Love is probably the only characterization in the whole series that shows respect to the character and shows him to be a real kid and not a damn stereotype (and that without denying his weak pathethic side either: "Come on Milhouse, I have seen you crying many times" -was something like that). I also think the emotional moments are far more competent than in the The Good, The Sad And The Drugly, see no more than the scene at Milhouse's room or the ending.

I actually love the season 20 episode, but for me that story is as interesting as it is quirky, that is, I can accept the emotions handled in it because they are delivered very well but it doesn't hit me as close to reality as the season 3 did. It was one of the last episodes of the classic era that I watched and it got me absolutely in every way.
 
Stark Raving Dad - 3/5
Mr Lisa Goes to Washington - 3/5
When Flanders Failed - 3.5/5
Bart the Murderer - 4/5
Homer Defined - 3/5
Like Father, Like Clown - 4/5
Treehouse of Horror II - 4/5
Lisa's Pony - 3/5
Saturdays of Thunder 3.5/5
Flaming Moe's - 4/5
Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk 2/5
I Married Marge - 5/5
Radio Bart - 5/5
Lisa the Greek - 4/5
Homer Alone - 4.5/5
Bart the Lover - 4.5/5
Homer at the Bat - 5/5
Separate Vocations - 3/5
Dog of Death - 4/5
Colonel Homer - 3/5
Black Widower - 3/5
The Otto Show - 3/5
Bart's Friend Falls in Love - 4/5
Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes? 3/5
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top