The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season

If you're like me, you're pretty careful what you spend your money one, researching what people have said, what the price is, whether or not you've seen it, read it, or heard about it. You add it all up. I do that with everything and usually I'm not disappointed. The DVD of the FRIENDS season was a sure hit, as was the novel THE BARK OF THE DOGWOOD and my magazine subscriptions to PEOPLE and SPORTS ILLUSTRATED. So, as usual, I was right on the target and THE SIMPSONS is first-rate. Below are just a few of my favorite episodes.

[2F03] Treehouse of Horror V
The Shinning: No TV and no beer makes Homer go crazy.
Time and Punishment: Homer's toaster transports him to the past, where he inadvertently changes the future.
Nightmare Cafeteria: When detention becomes overcrowded, Skinner & Lunch Lady Doris come up with a unique solution.

[2F04] Bart's Girlfriend
Bart falls in love with Reverend Lovejoy's daughter, however, she turns out to be more troublesome than him.

[2F05] Lisa on Ice
Lisa is going to fail gym, so she takes up pee-wee ice hockey and turns out to be a better player than Bart.

After listening to every commentary track in this set, I have a newfound respect for James L. Brooks. Apparently for these first few seasons (this one in particular), he was the emotional backbone of the show. He came up with Mr. Bergstrom giving Lisa the note that says, "you are Lisa Simpson" and other equally touching and hilarious moments. In one episode someone quipped, "if it's a line you remember, Jim probably wrote it."
This season was/is awesome. This one has some really great episodes (the first "Treehouse of Horror", "Bart Vs. Thanksgiving") and episodes that are among my favorite of all time ("Dead Putting Society", "Bart the Daredevil", and "The Way We Was"). It's funny and emotional stuff, the only problem with this season is that the blend of humor and emotion is not perfect yet. I like the episode "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish" but it's really too emotional. I think in later seasons they would've put more humor into it. Although nothing beats Larry King reading the Bible.
And the same can be said for the entire season, but the show was still coming into form but was already excellent. Look for the third season for true brilliance but this one is awesome as well.
The extras are great. The only thing bad about the commentaries I can say is that I don't think a single cast member is in any of them, but they're otherwise very funny and informative. None of the other extras are as cool as Season Three's "Pop Up Simpsons", but they round out the package nicely.
Overall, this is a hilarious DVD set that might bring a tear to your eye (I know it did for me). It only gets better, however.

What started out as crude filler material for the Tracey Ullman Show has now become part of animation and pop culture history. With the 13 episode first season under it's belt, the producers expand to the standard 22 episode format. The porducers also made the dramatic change of taking away the show from the aura of Bart to make the show slightyly Homer-centric.
The epsiodes of the second season have a broad range of styles, from the slapstick humor of "Three Men and a Comic Book", to the ephemeral nature of a life on the verge of death in "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish" as Homer must find time to live his "last day" with his loving family while coping with the prospect of death.
The producers also managed to attain the musical prowess of pop culture mainstay Ringo Starr in "A Brush With Greatness", and Hollywood's flamboyant actor-playwright Harvey Fierstein in "Simpson and Delilah", as Homer reeps the benefits of his new life in the corporate fast lane as junoir executive with his new, suave look.
The DVD set also contains the long extinct music videos "Do the Bartman" and "Deep Deep Trouble", as well as the requisite commentaries by various show producers and vocal talents.
The second season DVD collection is an relic from the past, but an essential for any fan who has lost interest in the Scully-Graham era of The Simpsons.