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The Simpsons smartly subverts traditional family sitcom convention, but anyone who thinks the show doesn't have a heart is advised to watch "I Love Lisa" and "New Kid on the Block," two fourth-season gems that absolutely nail the agony and ecstasy of unrequited crushes ("You won't be needing this," a heartbroken Bart fantasizes his babysitter saying while dropkicking his heart into a wastebasket in "New Kid"). While the Simpsons' celebrated ensemble gets all the glory, we must pause now to praise the peerless writing staff, among them, George Meyer, Al Jean, Jon Vitti, John Swartzwelder, David Silverman, and Conan O'Brien. One can only marvel in astonishment at the alchemy that went into creating, week after week, such essential episodes as "Kamp Krusty," "Streetcar," the profane and profound "Homer the Heretic," and "Lisa the Beauty Queen" (And that's just disc 1!). The animators, too, rose to the occasion, particularly in "Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie," with its dead-on, ultra-violent sinking of the seminal Disney cartoon, "Steamboat Willie." And another benchmark in The Simpsons' rise to the TV pantheon: Its very first clip show. What Homer says about donuts in "Monorail" holds true as well for The Simpsons itself: Is there anything this show can't do? --Donald Liebenson
1) Kamp Krusty - Bart leads a revolt at Krusty's summer camp
2) A Streetcar Named Marge - Jon Lovitz guest stars as the director of the musical "Oh, Streetcar!"
3) Homer the Heretic - Homer discovers the benefits of skipping church
4) Lisa the Beauty Queen - a junior pageant sponsored by Laramie Cigarettes
5) Treehouse of Horror III - includes an evil Krusty doll, Homer as King Kong, and some zombies
6) Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie - Homer punishes bart (other than by strangling him)
7) Marge Gets a Job - at the power plant, and Mr. Burns falls for her (features Troy McClure hosting "The Half-assed Approach to Foundation Repair", and Smithers kidnapping Tom Jones)
6) New Kid on the Block - girl of Bart's dreams is stolen by Jimbo (features a great prank call to Moe's)
7) Mr. Plow - a classic episode - Homer and Barney compete as snow plow operators
8) Lisa's First Word - continuing the trend of flash-back episodes that provide Simpsons history (featuring Elizabeth Taylor as the voice of Maggie)
9) Homer's Triple Bypass - Homer tries to save money by going to Dr. Nick for surgery
10) Marge vs. the Monorail - con-man sells Springfield a monorail, and Homer is the driver
11) Selma's Choice - Selma goes on a date with Hans Moleman, later takes Simpson Kids to Duff Gardens (also features Homer's beloved 10-foot sub sandwich)
12) Brother from the Same Planet - Bart and Homer abuse the "Big Brothers" program
13) I Love Lisa - Ralph Wiggum reads too much into a valentine from Lisa
14) Duffless - after a tour of the Duff Brewery leads to a drunk driving arest, Homer promises to quit driking for a month
15) Last Exit to Springfield - Homer becomes a union boss (includes a scene where Burns parodies the Grinch)
16) So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show - some new, some old - centers around Bart's April Fools prank that nearly kills Homer
17) The Front - Bart and Lisa use Grandpa's identity to submit "Itchy and Scratchy" scripts
18) Whacking Day - a Springfield annual tradition of clubbing snakes
19) Marge in Chains - Marge spends time in jail for accidentally shoplifting, and the Simpsons home is a shambles without her
20) Krusty Gets Kancelled - loaded with guest stars (Johnny Carson, Bette Midler, Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Sideshow" Luke Perry) and still manages to be a very funny episode
The commentaries are not great. I can't believe that they delay the release of episodes specifically for this reason. The commentary for "A Streetcar Named Marge" is awful. It basically consists of Jon Lovitz and Hank Azaria shamelessly plugging "The Critic," "The Stepford Wives," and "Along Came Polly." The commentary for "The New Kid on the Block" includes Conan O'Brien, but all they do is sit around and laugh at each other. There are hardly any insights to the episodes, and often, there are many blank moments where it seems as if no one can think of anything to say. It's very annoying. I say, release the seasons faster by only doing commentary for a few episodes.
So - 5 star DVD, 2 star commentaries. This is a definite must-have for Simpsons fans, but skip the commentary. Let's hope the creators have exhausted themselves and will release season 5 soon.
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