This is the talkback thread for "The Simpsons: The Complete Tenth Season": Turn Your Brain Off and Laugh.
Speedy's original review was much longer, and it included thumbnail reviews of each episode on the Season 10 collection. Here is what he had to say about each episode:
Disc 1:
* Lard of the Dance: Plot: A new girl at school, Alex, gets more attention than Lisa due to her trendy fashions and "grown-up" behaviors. Lisa organizes a school dance but is dismayed when she can't get a date, not even with Milhouse. Meanwhile, Homer and Bart collect grease for their latest "get rich quick" scheme.
Review: A good season opener. The plots collide nicely in act three, and there are relatable gags concerning grade school popularity and growing up too fast. It also contains one of the funniest "Homer deformity" gags, with Homer's protruding eye ball (trust me, it's funnier than it sounds on paper).
* The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace: Plot: Homer realizes his life is half over, so he sets out to accomplish something: Make more inventions than Thomas Edison.
Review: Homer's distress that he's wasting his life is executed much better here than in the next season's "Kill the Alligator and Run". The gold material is in act two when Homer tries to think of inventions, and fails miserably. His make-up gun, the "Everything's OK" alarm, and the toilet recliner are great, and many of the jokes in the basement hit. And it was a nice touch to see that Edison was competing with Leonardo Da Vinci, just like Homer was competing with Edison.
* Bart the Mother: Plot: Despite Marge's orders, Bart goes to Nelson's house. While there, he shoots a bird, which greatly disappoints Marge. Bart secretly raises the bird's eggs... only they aren't bird eggs, they're lizard eggs.
Review: In a way, this was like the finale to classic Simpsons. Not only was it the last episode to feature Phil Hartman (due to his tragic death earlier that year), but it showcases genuine emotion in a plot that's similar in execution to season 7's "Marge Be Not Proud": Bart lets down his mother and tries to show her that he's not some evil hooligan. Granted, things get a little more wacky in act three, when the carnivorous lizards become the focus, but it's well-done and mirrors the Cane Toad issue in Australia.
* Treehouse of Horror IX: Plot: -"Hell Toupee": After Snake is executed, Homer gets his hair in a transplant operation. But Snake's hair takes a hold of Homer's brain and starts controlling him from beyond the grave.
-"Terror of Tiny Toon: Bart and Lisa magically enter an Itchy & Scratchy episode, but soon realize they could be killed by the duo's violent antics, so they try to find a way to escape.
-"Starship Poopers": It's revealed that Kang, not Homer, is actually the father of Maggie. To settle this dispute, The Simpsons and Kang & Kodos go on The Jerry Springer Show.
Review: This was the last Treehouse of Horror special where all three segments worked. Of the three, "Terror of Tiny Toon" was my favorite, as it gave some visual variety when Bart and Lisa had to adapt to the more cartoony Itchy & Scratchy landscape. "Starship Poopers" had some great material during the Jerry Springer taping and the flashback to when Marge was impregnated by the alien ("Warning, warning, prepare to be abducted!"). "Hell Toupee" is a pretty straightforward story but has a great finale, with Bart and evil Homer in the claustrophobic bedroom. The toupee's death scene is classic.
* When You Dish Upon a Star: Plot: Homer stumbles upon a house owned by Kim Basinger, Alec Baldwin, and Ron Howard. While he initially keeps their status secret, he eventually caves and dishes to the townspeople, who bombard their mansion.
Review: This episode is often unfairly criticized for being nothing more than a guest star vehicle. But it's really not, because the guest stars are an integral part of the plot and not easily interchangeable with other celebrities. Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger's little married tiffs and exchanges with Homer are funny, and Homer's eventual betrayal of their secret residence makes for some good bits like the random bearded man in his thought cloud who taunts him to tell the secrets, and Homer's bewildering anger at Ray Bolger.
* D'oh-in' in the Wind: Plot: Homer desires to become a hippie with two older juice farmers, Seth and Munchie. When he's rejected by the duo for causing trouble to their factory, Homer tries to make it up to them by sending out more juice. What he doesn't know is that he accidentally sent out a drug-filled drink instead, causing the whole town to trip out.
Review: After a funny first act (such as the poorly-acted Burns commercial), the episode kind of goes on cruise control with predictable behavior by Homer when he tries to act like a hippie. The third act has some cute hallucinations from the stoned townspeople, as well as one of the funniest "screw you" gags of all time, but that's about it.
Disc 2:
* Lisa Gets an "A": Plot: Lisa decides to cheat on a test in a moment of panic. But when she passes with flying colors and everyone praises her good work, Lisa's conscience takes over and she confesses. Too bad nobody cares and wants her to keep it quiet so the school can get some grant money. Meanwhile, Homer adopts a lobster, not wanting to eat it.
Review: I'm absolutely amazed this premise hadn't been used in the series before this point. It couldn't have happened to a better character, either; if it were Bart, somehow I couldn't see it having the same impact. Lisa, with her moral compass, may be the only person in the episode who comes out clean, as everyone else is covering up to get the grant money. Homer's subplot with the lobster is fun but doesn't accomplish much. At least it has a fitting conclusion, with him accidentally boiling it and then enjoying eating it, despite his tears of sadness.
* Homer Simpson in: Kidney Trouble: Plot: Due to Homer turning a deaf ear, Grampa's kidneys explode. Homer decides to give one of his kidneys to Grampa, but chickens out during surgery and ditches him.
Review: This is actually a favorite of mine from this season. The point is that Homer's a selfish oaf who doesn't learn from his mistakes, and to that end the episode works. I wouldn't even call it out-of-character; we've seen these traits from the beginning; they were just taken to bigger extremes here. And all the material from act one, when the family is at the western town, is pretty humorous, like Homer's face on a wanted poster and the repeated use of the word "prostitute", even in the context of a church mission.
* Mayored to the Mob: Plot: After Quimby's guards abandon him at a Sci-Fi convention, Quimby fires them and hires Homer as his personal bodyguard. Homer uncovers a plot by the Mafia to sell rats' milk to school children. Mob leader Fat Tony wants to kill Quimby for revenge.
Review: Despite jittery animation throughout, this one's hilarious, one of the high points of season 10. OK, so it's yet another "Homer Gets a New Job" plot, but it's executed well, as Homer stumbles upon the mob conspiracy. It's seen that whenever Homer puts his mind to something, he actually has quite a lot of motivation and energy, and that's clearly evident in his quest to protect Quimby from Fat Tony's hit. And all of Mark Hamill's appearances are great, poking fun at himself relentlessly and looking very out of place in the local "Guys and Dolls" stage show.
* Viva Ned Flanders: Plot: Ned wants to live a little, so Homer takes him under his wing in Las Vegas, where the two paint the two red and accidentally get hitched to two floozies.
Review: Even though this episode has quite a few funny moments, the hardest part is even buying the premise. Ned is sixty?! Fifty I could see, but sixty? In 1999, he would've had to be born in 1939, and that seems highly unlikely, especially since his parents in "Hurricane Neddy" were revealed to be Beatniks, which was more of a mid '50s thing. If you can ignore that strange twist in back story, there are quite a few laughs in this one, especially Homer's "Program" and some of the Vegas antics.
* Wild Barts Can't Be Broken: Plot: A curfew is in effect, but Bart and the other kids willingly break it. To get back at the adults, they start revealing the townspeople's secrets on a radio show, inspired by a horror movie they saw.
Review: While the musical number is a parody and not an original creation, it's highly enjoyable and one of the last good songs in the show. There's always something relatable about these underdogs vs. authority plots, too. It's pretty unfair that all of this was started by Homer's drunken escapades, although he gets his comeuppance eventually, since he too is forced to obey curfew by the end, due to a new law which only allows the senior citizens outside after dark.
* Sunday, Cruddy Sunday: Plot: Homer and Wally, a travel agent, organize a trip to the Super Bowl with many Springfield-ites. Unfortunately their tickets are counterfeit so they have to break into the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, Marge and Lisa paint eggs.
Review: The Marge/Lisa subplot doesn't accomplish much, the main conflict(Homer and the gang try to sneak into the Super Bowl) doesn't kick in until the end of act two, and it's got no emotional center that the show often has. It's basically a wacky, mindless adventure. And yet, I like this episode. Despite being purely a gag-driven vehicle, a lot of the gags work, like the beer glass covering up the characters' mouths so you can't see their lips when they speak, and the screw-you joke with Homer shoving the band uniforms at the security guards instead of the obvious punchline: Wearing them to sneak into the stadium.
Disc 3:
* Homer to the Max: Plot: A fictional TV character is named after Homer, but it turns out to be a nightmare, since the character is a clumsy, fat doofus. Homer changes his name to Max Power, with a new attitude to boot, but gets in over his head when he accidentally joins a protest group that chains themselves to trees.
Review: Homer's an ass in much of this episode but what can I say? I find most of his behavior a riot, like his descriptions of how confident Max Power acts. On the other hand, the episode suffers from what I call "back to normal"-itis; we pretty much know Homer will go back to being Homer at the end. And for that matter, why was it necessary to chain him to a tree to get him to learn the lesson of "you've gotta be yourself"? To me that climax seemed tacked on.
* I'm With Cupid: Plot: Apu has a fight with Manjula, his new wife, but makes it up to her with a week of elaborate gifts, leading up to Valentine's Day. The men in the town get jealous because he's making them look bad, so a few of them set out to ruin his big plans.
Review: The second Apu/Manjua episode starts off very well, but around the third act, the episode loses something and ends with a lengthy plane fight scene. In fact, that's a common trend that began around this time: Strong first and second acts, but weak third acts. Guest star Elton John doesn't add much, either.
* Marge Simpson in: "Screaming Yellow Honkers": Plot: Marge warms up to a colossal SUV that Homer accidentally bought, but takes it too far when she becomes an aggressive driver, being forced to attend traffic school. When she doesn't learn anything, the cops tear up her license. However, elsewhere Homer and the kids are in danger as the zoo animals have cornered them. It's up to Marge and her road rage to save the day.
Review: One of the few Marge-centric episodes this season, this one succeeds in pretty much every sense. We see Marge gradually get cocky with her new vehicle, pay the consequences for it, and then have to use her road rage for good, which is a nice twist. The funniest moment in this episode is the appallingly bad teacher talent show.
* Make Room For Lisa: Plot: Due to mangling the Bill of Rights at a museum, Homer is forced to install a cell phone transmitter through Lisa's room. Thus, Lisa must live with Bart, which gives her ulcers. Homer and Lisa visit a new age clinic to cure her ulcers, where Lisa learns what it's like being in Homer's shoes.
Review: This is quite a controversial episode amongst the Simpsons fanbase, and it's largely because Lisa is the one to apologize in the end, despite Homer acting foolishly throughout the whole episode and not learning anything. And while that's true, think of this: Lisa is almost always the better person, and this is proven by her willingness to give Homer's activities a fair shake at the end. In addition, Lisa realizes that, despite Homer's complaining, he does take her to a lot of places he hates. Yeah, it would've been nice to see Homer realize something in the tank as well, but that would be unlikely because not only does Homer not buy into that spiritual enlightenment stuff but it would've felt really overkill to see the same situation that Lisa went through, only in reverse. Besides, this episode is so full of rapid-fire gags that it's hard to hate, despite how insensitive Homer acts throughout.
* Maximum Homerdrive: Plot: After a trucker dies from a steak-eating contest, Homer proudly takes over his route, with Bart in tow. He stumbles upon a secret device that causes trucks to drive themselves, but gets in trouble with the other truckers when he gives away the secret. Meanwhile, Marge and Lisa buy a new doorbell but can't get anyone to play it. When they finally press it, it won't shut off.
Review: Part of the issue many had with the Scully era, particularly season 10, was that the climax involved a getaway or chase. After a couple instances it got to be a cliche in this show, and so the finale when Homer is driving away from the other truckers holds no real tension or impact. Some of Homer's trucker antics are funny, though, like tailgaiting on the car of a boy who wanted him to honk his horn and the pep pills vs. sleeping pills scene. And hey, the Marge/Lisa filler subplot works better than the one in "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday", due to having more (and better) material to work with.
* Simpsons Bible Stories: Plot: Three Bible-themed shorts: A recreation of Adam & Eve (starring Homer and Marge, and Ned as God); the Exodus of the Jews; and Bart (David) vs. Goliath (Nelson). The wraparounds are the family in church on a hot day, falling asleep to Lovejoy's sermons.
Review: This is my least favorite of season 10. Not only did it begin the bad trend of "three 7-minute stories" anthology episodes outside of Treehouse of Horror, many of which are substandard, but there are very few memorable jokes. And even though it's probably not meant to be canon, I hate the ending where the family goes to Hell during the apocalypse. It's such a downer, no matter what comedic spin Homer puts on it. And maybe I'm being too serious about a cartoon, but Homer being strong enough to keep Lisa out of Heaven? Sorry, no.
Disc 4:
* Mom and Pop Art: Plot: Homer inadvertently becomes an artist after screwing up a grill project. Marge gets jealous of Homer being able to walk into success so easily, but changes her tune to helpful when Homer's latest artwork is dismissed as "same old, same old". Homer goes for one last work of art.
Review: One of the better episodes of season 10; Homer isn't particularly obnoxious, and the conflict with Homer getting recognition for what Marge wishes she had is engaging. It also has a great dream sequence, mixing in lots of famous paintings, all designed to hurt Homer. While the conclusion is very unrealistic, it serves the point: To not only have Homer redeem himself as an artist but to make up with Marge.
* The Old Man and the "C" Student: Plot: After Bart screws up the Olympic committee's agreement to let Springfield host the Olympics, Skinner sends Bart to the retirement home for community service. While there, he allows the old people to "escape" and have a little fun. Meanwhile, Homer wants to sell his Olympic mascot, a spring.
Review: There's nothing offensively bad about this episode (well, except for maybe Lenny getting a spring in the eye), but for the most part it's pretty forgettable. The "Gone With the Wind" dubbed ending and the various community service projects (Milhouse picking up dirty needles from the beach; Martin coaching an inner city basketball team) are funny, but the plot has little momentum or material, and most of the jokes just don't have anything to make them stand out.
* Monty Can't Buy Me Love: Plot: Mr. Burns worries that nobody loves him, so he devises stunts to raise his status as a fun billionaire, with the help of Homer.
Review: The first act is decent, with the various happenings at the new mega mall, but once Monty tries to paint a good image of himself it goes downhill, as Burns is very out-of-character throughout and the Jerry Rude segment is nothing but low brow jokes. And trying to capture The Loch Ness Monster can be seen as a definitive "Jump the Shark" moment.
* They Saved Lisa's Brain: Plot: Lisa, irritated with the low brow antics of the town, joins a smart club and, once Quimby flees Springfield, helps to change the town for the better. Meanwhile, Homer makes a sexy set of photos for Marge.
Review: I loved all the various changes the nerd crew made to the town, like only red and yellow traffic lights, Metric time clocks, and breeding limitations. The geek in me also chuckled at many of the exchanges between the smart group. Unfortunately, this episode suffers from two riots which, while not invented during the Scully era, seemed to become more commonplace (and, like the getaways, lose their impact).
* Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo: Plot: Due to recent money-saving tips, the family has enough money to afford a discount vacation. The destination turns out to be Japan, although while there, Homer loses all their money. The family must work to get enough money to return home... or.... just win tickets on a sadistic game show.
Review: In my mind, this is the last great vacation episode. True, it doesn't have the good set-up for the family going to a foreign country that "Bart vs. Australia" did, but their problem of being unable to get home was nicely played, and there are some humorous digs at Japan, like the camera in the toilet and the running gag of Homer nonchalantly walking through paper-thin Japanese doors.
Speedy's original review was much longer, and it included thumbnail reviews of each episode on the Season 10 collection. Here is what he had to say about each episode:
Disc 1:
* Lard of the Dance: Plot: A new girl at school, Alex, gets more attention than Lisa due to her trendy fashions and "grown-up" behaviors. Lisa organizes a school dance but is dismayed when she can't get a date, not even with Milhouse. Meanwhile, Homer and Bart collect grease for their latest "get rich quick" scheme.
Review: A good season opener. The plots collide nicely in act three, and there are relatable gags concerning grade school popularity and growing up too fast. It also contains one of the funniest "Homer deformity" gags, with Homer's protruding eye ball (trust me, it's funnier than it sounds on paper).
* The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace: Plot: Homer realizes his life is half over, so he sets out to accomplish something: Make more inventions than Thomas Edison.
Review: Homer's distress that he's wasting his life is executed much better here than in the next season's "Kill the Alligator and Run". The gold material is in act two when Homer tries to think of inventions, and fails miserably. His make-up gun, the "Everything's OK" alarm, and the toilet recliner are great, and many of the jokes in the basement hit. And it was a nice touch to see that Edison was competing with Leonardo Da Vinci, just like Homer was competing with Edison.
* Bart the Mother: Plot: Despite Marge's orders, Bart goes to Nelson's house. While there, he shoots a bird, which greatly disappoints Marge. Bart secretly raises the bird's eggs... only they aren't bird eggs, they're lizard eggs.
Review: In a way, this was like the finale to classic Simpsons. Not only was it the last episode to feature Phil Hartman (due to his tragic death earlier that year), but it showcases genuine emotion in a plot that's similar in execution to season 7's "Marge Be Not Proud": Bart lets down his mother and tries to show her that he's not some evil hooligan. Granted, things get a little more wacky in act three, when the carnivorous lizards become the focus, but it's well-done and mirrors the Cane Toad issue in Australia.
* Treehouse of Horror IX: Plot: -"Hell Toupee": After Snake is executed, Homer gets his hair in a transplant operation. But Snake's hair takes a hold of Homer's brain and starts controlling him from beyond the grave.
-"Terror of Tiny Toon: Bart and Lisa magically enter an Itchy & Scratchy episode, but soon realize they could be killed by the duo's violent antics, so they try to find a way to escape.
-"Starship Poopers": It's revealed that Kang, not Homer, is actually the father of Maggie. To settle this dispute, The Simpsons and Kang & Kodos go on The Jerry Springer Show.
Review: This was the last Treehouse of Horror special where all three segments worked. Of the three, "Terror of Tiny Toon" was my favorite, as it gave some visual variety when Bart and Lisa had to adapt to the more cartoony Itchy & Scratchy landscape. "Starship Poopers" had some great material during the Jerry Springer taping and the flashback to when Marge was impregnated by the alien ("Warning, warning, prepare to be abducted!"). "Hell Toupee" is a pretty straightforward story but has a great finale, with Bart and evil Homer in the claustrophobic bedroom. The toupee's death scene is classic.
* When You Dish Upon a Star: Plot: Homer stumbles upon a house owned by Kim Basinger, Alec Baldwin, and Ron Howard. While he initially keeps their status secret, he eventually caves and dishes to the townspeople, who bombard their mansion.
Review: This episode is often unfairly criticized for being nothing more than a guest star vehicle. But it's really not, because the guest stars are an integral part of the plot and not easily interchangeable with other celebrities. Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger's little married tiffs and exchanges with Homer are funny, and Homer's eventual betrayal of their secret residence makes for some good bits like the random bearded man in his thought cloud who taunts him to tell the secrets, and Homer's bewildering anger at Ray Bolger.
* D'oh-in' in the Wind: Plot: Homer desires to become a hippie with two older juice farmers, Seth and Munchie. When he's rejected by the duo for causing trouble to their factory, Homer tries to make it up to them by sending out more juice. What he doesn't know is that he accidentally sent out a drug-filled drink instead, causing the whole town to trip out.
Review: After a funny first act (such as the poorly-acted Burns commercial), the episode kind of goes on cruise control with predictable behavior by Homer when he tries to act like a hippie. The third act has some cute hallucinations from the stoned townspeople, as well as one of the funniest "screw you" gags of all time, but that's about it.
Disc 2:
* Lisa Gets an "A": Plot: Lisa decides to cheat on a test in a moment of panic. But when she passes with flying colors and everyone praises her good work, Lisa's conscience takes over and she confesses. Too bad nobody cares and wants her to keep it quiet so the school can get some grant money. Meanwhile, Homer adopts a lobster, not wanting to eat it.
Review: I'm absolutely amazed this premise hadn't been used in the series before this point. It couldn't have happened to a better character, either; if it were Bart, somehow I couldn't see it having the same impact. Lisa, with her moral compass, may be the only person in the episode who comes out clean, as everyone else is covering up to get the grant money. Homer's subplot with the lobster is fun but doesn't accomplish much. At least it has a fitting conclusion, with him accidentally boiling it and then enjoying eating it, despite his tears of sadness.
* Homer Simpson in: Kidney Trouble: Plot: Due to Homer turning a deaf ear, Grampa's kidneys explode. Homer decides to give one of his kidneys to Grampa, but chickens out during surgery and ditches him.
Review: This is actually a favorite of mine from this season. The point is that Homer's a selfish oaf who doesn't learn from his mistakes, and to that end the episode works. I wouldn't even call it out-of-character; we've seen these traits from the beginning; they were just taken to bigger extremes here. And all the material from act one, when the family is at the western town, is pretty humorous, like Homer's face on a wanted poster and the repeated use of the word "prostitute", even in the context of a church mission.
* Mayored to the Mob: Plot: After Quimby's guards abandon him at a Sci-Fi convention, Quimby fires them and hires Homer as his personal bodyguard. Homer uncovers a plot by the Mafia to sell rats' milk to school children. Mob leader Fat Tony wants to kill Quimby for revenge.
Review: Despite jittery animation throughout, this one's hilarious, one of the high points of season 10. OK, so it's yet another "Homer Gets a New Job" plot, but it's executed well, as Homer stumbles upon the mob conspiracy. It's seen that whenever Homer puts his mind to something, he actually has quite a lot of motivation and energy, and that's clearly evident in his quest to protect Quimby from Fat Tony's hit. And all of Mark Hamill's appearances are great, poking fun at himself relentlessly and looking very out of place in the local "Guys and Dolls" stage show.
* Viva Ned Flanders: Plot: Ned wants to live a little, so Homer takes him under his wing in Las Vegas, where the two paint the two red and accidentally get hitched to two floozies.
Review: Even though this episode has quite a few funny moments, the hardest part is even buying the premise. Ned is sixty?! Fifty I could see, but sixty? In 1999, he would've had to be born in 1939, and that seems highly unlikely, especially since his parents in "Hurricane Neddy" were revealed to be Beatniks, which was more of a mid '50s thing. If you can ignore that strange twist in back story, there are quite a few laughs in this one, especially Homer's "Program" and some of the Vegas antics.
* Wild Barts Can't Be Broken: Plot: A curfew is in effect, but Bart and the other kids willingly break it. To get back at the adults, they start revealing the townspeople's secrets on a radio show, inspired by a horror movie they saw.
Review: While the musical number is a parody and not an original creation, it's highly enjoyable and one of the last good songs in the show. There's always something relatable about these underdogs vs. authority plots, too. It's pretty unfair that all of this was started by Homer's drunken escapades, although he gets his comeuppance eventually, since he too is forced to obey curfew by the end, due to a new law which only allows the senior citizens outside after dark.
* Sunday, Cruddy Sunday: Plot: Homer and Wally, a travel agent, organize a trip to the Super Bowl with many Springfield-ites. Unfortunately their tickets are counterfeit so they have to break into the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, Marge and Lisa paint eggs.
Review: The Marge/Lisa subplot doesn't accomplish much, the main conflict(Homer and the gang try to sneak into the Super Bowl) doesn't kick in until the end of act two, and it's got no emotional center that the show often has. It's basically a wacky, mindless adventure. And yet, I like this episode. Despite being purely a gag-driven vehicle, a lot of the gags work, like the beer glass covering up the characters' mouths so you can't see their lips when they speak, and the screw-you joke with Homer shoving the band uniforms at the security guards instead of the obvious punchline: Wearing them to sneak into the stadium.
Disc 3:
* Homer to the Max: Plot: A fictional TV character is named after Homer, but it turns out to be a nightmare, since the character is a clumsy, fat doofus. Homer changes his name to Max Power, with a new attitude to boot, but gets in over his head when he accidentally joins a protest group that chains themselves to trees.
Review: Homer's an ass in much of this episode but what can I say? I find most of his behavior a riot, like his descriptions of how confident Max Power acts. On the other hand, the episode suffers from what I call "back to normal"-itis; we pretty much know Homer will go back to being Homer at the end. And for that matter, why was it necessary to chain him to a tree to get him to learn the lesson of "you've gotta be yourself"? To me that climax seemed tacked on.
* I'm With Cupid: Plot: Apu has a fight with Manjula, his new wife, but makes it up to her with a week of elaborate gifts, leading up to Valentine's Day. The men in the town get jealous because he's making them look bad, so a few of them set out to ruin his big plans.
Review: The second Apu/Manjua episode starts off very well, but around the third act, the episode loses something and ends with a lengthy plane fight scene. In fact, that's a common trend that began around this time: Strong first and second acts, but weak third acts. Guest star Elton John doesn't add much, either.
* Marge Simpson in: "Screaming Yellow Honkers": Plot: Marge warms up to a colossal SUV that Homer accidentally bought, but takes it too far when she becomes an aggressive driver, being forced to attend traffic school. When she doesn't learn anything, the cops tear up her license. However, elsewhere Homer and the kids are in danger as the zoo animals have cornered them. It's up to Marge and her road rage to save the day.
Review: One of the few Marge-centric episodes this season, this one succeeds in pretty much every sense. We see Marge gradually get cocky with her new vehicle, pay the consequences for it, and then have to use her road rage for good, which is a nice twist. The funniest moment in this episode is the appallingly bad teacher talent show.
* Make Room For Lisa: Plot: Due to mangling the Bill of Rights at a museum, Homer is forced to install a cell phone transmitter through Lisa's room. Thus, Lisa must live with Bart, which gives her ulcers. Homer and Lisa visit a new age clinic to cure her ulcers, where Lisa learns what it's like being in Homer's shoes.
Review: This is quite a controversial episode amongst the Simpsons fanbase, and it's largely because Lisa is the one to apologize in the end, despite Homer acting foolishly throughout the whole episode and not learning anything. And while that's true, think of this: Lisa is almost always the better person, and this is proven by her willingness to give Homer's activities a fair shake at the end. In addition, Lisa realizes that, despite Homer's complaining, he does take her to a lot of places he hates. Yeah, it would've been nice to see Homer realize something in the tank as well, but that would be unlikely because not only does Homer not buy into that spiritual enlightenment stuff but it would've felt really overkill to see the same situation that Lisa went through, only in reverse. Besides, this episode is so full of rapid-fire gags that it's hard to hate, despite how insensitive Homer acts throughout.
* Maximum Homerdrive: Plot: After a trucker dies from a steak-eating contest, Homer proudly takes over his route, with Bart in tow. He stumbles upon a secret device that causes trucks to drive themselves, but gets in trouble with the other truckers when he gives away the secret. Meanwhile, Marge and Lisa buy a new doorbell but can't get anyone to play it. When they finally press it, it won't shut off.
Review: Part of the issue many had with the Scully era, particularly season 10, was that the climax involved a getaway or chase. After a couple instances it got to be a cliche in this show, and so the finale when Homer is driving away from the other truckers holds no real tension or impact. Some of Homer's trucker antics are funny, though, like tailgaiting on the car of a boy who wanted him to honk his horn and the pep pills vs. sleeping pills scene. And hey, the Marge/Lisa filler subplot works better than the one in "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday", due to having more (and better) material to work with.
* Simpsons Bible Stories: Plot: Three Bible-themed shorts: A recreation of Adam & Eve (starring Homer and Marge, and Ned as God); the Exodus of the Jews; and Bart (David) vs. Goliath (Nelson). The wraparounds are the family in church on a hot day, falling asleep to Lovejoy's sermons.
Review: This is my least favorite of season 10. Not only did it begin the bad trend of "three 7-minute stories" anthology episodes outside of Treehouse of Horror, many of which are substandard, but there are very few memorable jokes. And even though it's probably not meant to be canon, I hate the ending where the family goes to Hell during the apocalypse. It's such a downer, no matter what comedic spin Homer puts on it. And maybe I'm being too serious about a cartoon, but Homer being strong enough to keep Lisa out of Heaven? Sorry, no.
Disc 4:
* Mom and Pop Art: Plot: Homer inadvertently becomes an artist after screwing up a grill project. Marge gets jealous of Homer being able to walk into success so easily, but changes her tune to helpful when Homer's latest artwork is dismissed as "same old, same old". Homer goes for one last work of art.
Review: One of the better episodes of season 10; Homer isn't particularly obnoxious, and the conflict with Homer getting recognition for what Marge wishes she had is engaging. It also has a great dream sequence, mixing in lots of famous paintings, all designed to hurt Homer. While the conclusion is very unrealistic, it serves the point: To not only have Homer redeem himself as an artist but to make up with Marge.
* The Old Man and the "C" Student: Plot: After Bart screws up the Olympic committee's agreement to let Springfield host the Olympics, Skinner sends Bart to the retirement home for community service. While there, he allows the old people to "escape" and have a little fun. Meanwhile, Homer wants to sell his Olympic mascot, a spring.
Review: There's nothing offensively bad about this episode (well, except for maybe Lenny getting a spring in the eye), but for the most part it's pretty forgettable. The "Gone With the Wind" dubbed ending and the various community service projects (Milhouse picking up dirty needles from the beach; Martin coaching an inner city basketball team) are funny, but the plot has little momentum or material, and most of the jokes just don't have anything to make them stand out.
* Monty Can't Buy Me Love: Plot: Mr. Burns worries that nobody loves him, so he devises stunts to raise his status as a fun billionaire, with the help of Homer.
Review: The first act is decent, with the various happenings at the new mega mall, but once Monty tries to paint a good image of himself it goes downhill, as Burns is very out-of-character throughout and the Jerry Rude segment is nothing but low brow jokes. And trying to capture The Loch Ness Monster can be seen as a definitive "Jump the Shark" moment.
* They Saved Lisa's Brain: Plot: Lisa, irritated with the low brow antics of the town, joins a smart club and, once Quimby flees Springfield, helps to change the town for the better. Meanwhile, Homer makes a sexy set of photos for Marge.
Review: I loved all the various changes the nerd crew made to the town, like only red and yellow traffic lights, Metric time clocks, and breeding limitations. The geek in me also chuckled at many of the exchanges between the smart group. Unfortunately, this episode suffers from two riots which, while not invented during the Scully era, seemed to become more commonplace (and, like the getaways, lose their impact).
* Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo: Plot: Due to recent money-saving tips, the family has enough money to afford a discount vacation. The destination turns out to be Japan, although while there, Homer loses all their money. The family must work to get enough money to return home... or.... just win tickets on a sadistic game show.
Review: In my mind, this is the last great vacation episode. True, it doesn't have the good set-up for the family going to a foreign country that "Bart vs. Australia" did, but their problem of being unable to get home was nicely played, and there are some humorous digs at Japan, like the camera in the toilet and the running gag of Homer nonchalantly walking through paper-thin Japanese doors.
" but I just cound't find it funny... it's a really bland episode.