NEW Season 5 (DVD)

The Simpsons DVD sets so far have been jam-packed with extras, commentaries, and creative menu pages, which may be the reason the seasons are fairly slow in coming out. I am getting a bit antsy because the next 7 seasons or so are so great, but good things come to those who wait. Season five has some of my favorite episodes. Some were pretty rare to see in syndication and now almost impossible to see as the current reruns seem to concentrate on the later seasons. Here are my season five highlights:

"Homer's Barbershop Quartet" with an appearance by George Harrison. This parody of the Beatles is very clever, especially Barney's girlfriend, "the Japanese conceptual artist."

"Rosebud" is in my top 10 Simpsons episodes ever. Mr. Burns is obsessed with finding his boyhood teddy bear Bobo. It is one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. The best part is when Smithers dresses like Bobo to try to, uh, cheer up Burns.

"Bart's Inner Child": Self-help guru Brad Goodman is impressed by Bart's "do what you feel like" attitude. Springfield puts together a "Do What You Feel Festival," a welcome change from the "Do As We Say Festival" (started by German settlers).

"Boy-Scoutz in the Hood": Another favorite of mine. A sugar high causes Bart to join the junior campers, lead by Ned Flanders. Enduring Homer's constant teasing, Bart dreads telling Homer about the father-son rafting trip (Homers response: "Ha, you don't have a son."). Ernest Borgnine guest stars.

"Homer and Apu": Apu gets busted for selling tainted meat and loses his job at the Kwik-E-Mart. At one point, Apu and Homer travel to India so Apu can seek forgiveness from the Keik-E-Mart CEO who resides in not the most conveniently located convenience stores. James Woods guest stars.

"Lisa Vs. Malibu Stacy": Lisa is on a rampage when her talking Malibu Stacy doll says things like "Don't ask me, I'm just a girl." She meets with the doll's creator Stacy Lovell to design a more politically correct doll. Lovell had been forced out of the company because her ideas were not cost effective (oh, and she was also "funneling profits to the Viet Cong"). It is hilarious. Smithers' start-up page on his computer is a must-see.

"Deep Space Homer": A classic where Homer goes into space. Buzz Aldrin and James Taylor are guests.

"The Boy Who Knew Too Much": Bart plays hooky and witnesses an incident that causes a trial against Mayor Quimby's nephew Freddy. On the jury is Homer "how many s's are in innocent" Simpson.

"Secrets of a Successful Marriage": Homer feels important teaching a class on marriage but Marge is not happy with his "tell all" lesson plan.

These are my favorites of this DVD set. Other episodes include: Cape Feare (starring Springfield's criminal mastermind Sideshow Bob), Homer Goes to College, Treehouse of Horror IV (where Homer sells his soul for a donut), Marge on the Lam (a Thelma and Louise parody), The Last Temptation of Homer, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling, Homer the Vigilante, Bart Gets Famous (Bart as the "I didn't do it" boy), Homer Loves Flanders, Bart Gets an Elephant, Burn's Heir, Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song, and Lady Bouvier's Lover (with a parody of The Graduate).

Seems like Fox Studio is getting faster at pumping these DVDs out. The fifth season might be where the simpsons jumped the shark pit, but I'll leave that discussion to the ubernerds. The fifth season includes the following episodes:

Homer's Barbershop Quartet: While looking through old records, the kids discover their dad was in a barbershop quartet. Guest appearnce by George Harrison.

Cape Feare [sic]: Side show bob is out to kill Bart and the family is put in the witness relocation program. Includes the famous "hello Mr. Thompson" scene.

Homer Goes to College: After a nuclear plant inspection, Homer has to go to college. The episode is a send up of popular college movies of the 80's (e.g. Revenge of the nerds or animal house). Homer falls in with the nerd crowd.

Rosebud: In a long turn of events, Mr. Burn's childhood teddy bear ends up in Maggie's hands. Burns and Homer negotiate for the return of the bear. Special guests: the Ramones.

Treehouse of Horror IV: Homer sells his soul for a donut, Bart spies a gremlin on the side of the school bus (ala twilight zone), and Homer kills the vampire Mr. Burns (ala Braum Stroker's Dracula).

Marge on the Lam: In a spoof of Thelma and Loise, Marge and her neighbor go on a cross country chase, when her neighbor steals her ex's car.

Bart's inner child: A self-help guru uses Bart as an example of freeing one's inner child. A "do what you feel like" style festival ensues. Guest stars James Brown.

Boy Scoutz in da Hood: After a sugar binge, Bart and Milhouse find themselves enrolled in the boyscouts. Hilarity ensues.

The Last Temptation of Homer: When a beautiful woman starts working at the plant, Homer's faithfulness is put to the test. Guest starring Michelle Pfeiffer.

$pringfield: Mr. Burns opens a casino in Springfield. Homer works at the casino, while Marge develops a gambling problem.

Homer the Vigilante: A catburglar is loose in Springfield. Homer forms a watch group (read mob) to catch the thief.

Bart Gets Famous: While working on the Krusty the Klown show, Bart inadvertantly steals Krusty's thunder and has his 15 minutes of fame. Guest starring Conan O'Brien (who used to write for the show).

Homer and Apu: Homer gets sick after eating rotting meat from the Quickie Mart. As penance, Apu moves in to be a servant for the Simpsons. Homer and Apu then try to get Apu's job back.

Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy: Lisa fights back against corporate America's barbi-style image by producing a doll designed to give girls a positive image for themselves.

Deep Space Homer: Homer competes for and wins (by default) a spot on the spaceshuttle. His incompetence nearly kills them, and then saves the crew. Stars Buzz Aldrin and James Taylor.

Homer Loves Flanders: Homer sucks up to Flanders when he learns Flanders has football tickets. His relationship grows with Ned (uncomfortably so for Ned), until Homer realizes that Flanders is a jerk.

Bart gets an Elephant: Through a wacky radio contest, Bart wins an elephant. Unable to care for it, he is forced to give it up to a wildlife refuge.

Burn's Heir: Bart competes for, and wins a spot as the heir to Burn's fortune. But he renounces the throne when Burns wants him to fire Homer.

Sweet Seymore Skinner's Baadasssss Song: Bart's hijinks finally get Seymore fired as the school's principle. He re-enlists in the army. Bart and Homer try to get him back as principle when Ned Flanders becomes the new school principle.

The Boy Who Knew Too Much: When Bart skips school he witnesses a crime, allegedly committed by the Mayor's brother. Bart's testimony can clear him, but Seymore will know Bart cut class. Homer serves on the jury ("I know you can read my thoughts boy...meow meow meow meow...")

Lady Boivier's Lover: Marge's mom falls for Homer's dad, only to fall for Mr. Burns.

Secrets of a Successful Marriage: Homer teaches class as a marriage counselor, but ends up dishing the dirt on his own marriage. Marge kicks him out, and Homer is forced to look after himself.

Finally! A great holiday gift for myself. This is the Simpsons at their peak. Seasons 4, 5, and 6 were the prime of this series. There have been great shows since, but this period was consistantly the smartest, funniest, fastest paced era of the Simpsons, and I consider season 5 to be the master piece. In my opinion, 5 of the top 10 episodes of all time, are in this set. The Beatles parady set to early 80's Barbershop quartet. Deep Space Homer's Classic 2001 Homage with the potato chips. Homer improvising dinner for the kids while Marge is out gambling. The Animated Open to "The Tompson" in Cape Fear. And perhaps the greatest episode of all time, The Citizen Cane Parody with "Bobo."