An uneven season of The Simpsons streaks to an excellent conclusion
“Natural Born Kissers” (season nine, episode 25, originally aired 05/17/1998)
The Simpsons (Classic)
B+
Lisa gets lost, and so does The Simpsons
In which Lisa takes a detour on a trip to the museum…
Homer finds the inspiration to be a good dad—and it’s in bar form!
“King Of The Hill” (season nine, episode 23; originally aired 05/03/1998)
The Simpsons’ 200th ends by uprooting all of Springfield—you know, as one does
There’s something off-putting about Simpsons episodes that end on a serious note. Not necessarily a heartfelt…
The Simpsons asks you to pray for the very soul of Kidz Newz (also Mojo)
“Girly Edition” is at its best—well, it’s non-Mojo best, at any rate—when it most closely fits into the long Simpsons tr…
A taxes-obsessed classic Simpsons parodies political satire
Given The Simpsons’ longstanding fondness for doing a self-contained first act that connects only tenuously with the…
The great “Simpson Tide” may be the most ’90s episode of The Simpsons
As American television’s sharpest comedy of the ’90s, The Simpsons understandably bears the marks of the decade that…
The Simpsons returns to the unbearable lightness of being Ralph Wiggum
“This Little Wiggy” (season nine, episode 18; originally aired 3/22/1998)
Lisa fears she’s slipping on a Simpsons, in fact, slipping
“Lisa The Simpson” (season nine, episode seventeen; originally aired 3/8/98)
The Simpsons schemes up a noir without a femme fatale
Moe Szyslak doesn’t have much luck in love. “It’s been four years since my last date with a whatchacallit—uh, woman.”…
Krusty The Clown tries and fails to stick it to the man
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: What’s the deal with guys who don’t seem to possess any integrity? I mean,…
Only one monkey butler on “Das Bus,” but he’ll train others
The kids of Springfield Elementary have long been one of The Simpsons’ most fertile subgenres. Take some combination of…
When The Simpsons made fun of that religion (you know the one)
Nearly 20 years removed from its original airdate, I’m not sure we can fully appreciate just how razor-sharp the satire…
The Simpsons (Classic): “Bart Carny”
In college, there was a guy—let’s call him Rider—who was always charitable to the homeless. Always. He never hesitated…
The Simpsons (Classic): “Miracle On Evergreen Terrace”
Early in the commentary track for “Miracle On Evergreen Terrace,” Matt Groening mentions that Christmas-themed episodes…
The Simpsons (Classic): “Realty Bites”
To paraphrase Lionel Hutz, there’s “the truth” about “Realty Bites”: I don’t want to be entertained by Marge Simpson’s…
The Simpsons (Classic): “Lisa The Skeptic”
In which Lisa is left strainin’ to do some explainin’.
The Simpsons (Classic): “The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons”
“The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons” (season nine, episode seven, aired 11/16/1997)
The Simpsons (Classic): “Bart Star”
“Bart Star” (season nine, episode six; originally aired 11/09/1997)
The Simpsons (Classic): “The Cartridge Family”
“The Cartridge Family” (season nine, episode five; originally aired 11/02/1997)