Honorable mention: Mr. Plow, Treehouse of Horror V, Bart Sells His Soul, 22 Short Films About Springfield, Homey the Clown, Homerpalooza, Summer of 4 Ft. 2, Sunday, Cruddy Sunday, Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo
10. Homer at the Bat: This episode is really quirky, but fun. I saw Darryl Strawberry in the Crown Room at LaGuardia in December, after just seeing this episode a few days earlier. It was rad.
9. Homer the Heretic: One day I will try the waffle recipe.
8. Trash of the Titans: One of 2 musical numbers I don't despise. Also totally priceless when the band plays the theme from "Sanford and Son" for the Sanitation Commissioner.
7. Marge vs. The Monorail: The other musical number I don't despise.
6. You Only Move Twice: Heh heh, cream and sugar.
5. Whacking Day: This has the memorable "remember when daddy hit the referee with the whiskey bottle?" "Yeah." "Yeah." quote that makes me think of darling Hyperion every time.***
4. The City of
3.Bart on the Road: Every time my dad goes to
2. Lisa's Wedding: So full of quotes: "I don't know if I should wear white. I mean...Millhouse." "Millhouse doesn't count!" Also highlights the love that Lisa has for her father.
1. Mother Simpson: This one is full of funny stuff (" I hate John Knowles." "Me, too.") but what really makes this one stand out is you get to see a sweet, vulnerable side of Homer that isn't steeped in his usual idiocy and general boneheaded-ness. This is the only episode of the Simpsons that actually made me cry, from Homer's anguished "Then why did she leave me?" to the end, where Homer watches his mother drive away. The credits roll and he's sitting on the hood of his car looking at the star-lit sky. And then I lose it.
*** [Hyperion’s note: I just watched “Whacking Day” last night. It is truly a classic episode. Ten minutes in I started writing down all the great moments: “It’s always the children’s fault isn’t it;” “What’s a battle?” Ninja Homer; The Fundamentalist school kids shaking their fists; “They should call it ‘Johnny Deformed;” “It’s part of our oh-so-human nature”…(cue Evil Homer dancing over Good Homer’s grave singing, “I am Evil Homer…” “Do you want me to whack slow, or fast?” The fickle crowd after Quimby snaps: “Give us hell, Quimby!” and on and on. ]
Up next: more Simpsons!
