Itchy & Scratchy & Marge (S02, E09-022)

Nightmare fuel, in its purest form.

Plot Summary
Censorship, always a controversial topic.  Most of the controversy stems not so much as to how much of something should be censored, but rather if one thing should be censored over another.  This episode... doesn't get to that point until the end, but before then it chronicles one woman's quest to end cartoon violence.

Marge's motivations for doing so begin when Maggie bonks Homer on the head with a mallet, an action Marge determines Maggie learned from the Itchy & Scratchy show, the ever-so-lovable violence central.  While banning Bart and Lisa from watching the show (they go elsewhere to watch instead), she tries writing Krusty, an animator for some reason, and Roger Meyers Jr., the head of Itchy & Scratchy Studios, asking them to cut out the violence.  Meyers in particular shrugs her off, and calls her a screwball in a reply letter.  Angered, Marge leads a campaign against the studio, which quickly gains steam.  After a television appearance where Marge pleads viewers who dislike the cartoon's violence to write to Meyers, tons of angry letters get swamped to I&S Studios, and Meyers has no choice.

Indeed, the Itchy & Scratchy cartoons become tamed.  Instead of the two inflicting pain on one another, they instead share lemonade, dance, or tell bedtime stories, which was the best part of the episode.  Marge notices the immediate impact: Maggie imitates the nice cartoons and gives Homer a glass of lemonade.  Meanwhile, given the cartoons are awful now, kids all around Springfield have no reason to stay inside, and head back out and go on all sorts of grand adventures.  It seems the Marge did the town real good.

A short time later, an incoming presentation of Michelangelo's David prompts Marge's protest group back into action.  However, Marge is actually fine with the statue and sees no reason to join along.  Its soon after that, on TV again, that Marge is faced with the realization that she can't be fine with not censoring one kind of thing (the nudity on David) while going all in on another form of censorship (TV violence).  Disgusted, Marge gives in, and soon thereafter Itchy & Scratchy are back to their old violent selves, but at least the school will be forced to visit David on a field trip which is only fair.

Quick Review
It was a fun episode, really.  This was the first episode where Itchy & Scratchy gets a good amount of attention and, as a result, we good a fair amount of I&S cartoons to look at, even if a couple of them were of the 'be nice' variety.  Homer, who was a background character in this episode, still made a lot of good jokes as well.  A good episode overall.

Final Score: 7.9

Bart the Daredevil (S02, E08-021)

Well, at least he enjoyed it while it lasted.

Plot Summary
Homer and Bart both see an advertisement for a monster truck rally featuring "Truck-o-saurus."  While Lisa's recital delays the family's arrival to the rally for a bit, they eventually get there intact.  There, the night finishes with a daredevil stunt from Lance Murdock, which Bart finds absolutely amazing.  Murdock makes the jump, but falls in the pool anyway while grandstanding, but still Bart is so impressed with the act, he makes it a goal to become a skateboarding daredevil.

His first jump doesn't go well, and he goes to the hospital for stitches.  While there, Dr. Hibbert tries to discourage Bart by showing him other kids who hurt themselves imitating things.  Bart says he understands, but goes back to trying jumps anyway, which he starts succeeding at.  Eventually, Bart finds himself bored of jumping over cars, pools, and pets, and decides to jump over Springfield Gorge, where failure to do so would likely mean Bart's death.

Lisa, overhearing the announcement, tries to discourage Bart herself.  She takes him to see the hospitalized Murdock, however he only encourages Bart because the body heals and the United States has the best doctor to daredevil ratio in the world.  Lisa then tells Homer and Marge, with Homer immediately forbidding Bart to attempt the jump.  Bart, however says that they can't watch him 24/7, and the instant they turn their back, he's gone.  Homer tries to reason with Bart, but that fails.  Ultimately, Homer decides that to get Bart to stop, he'll have to understand what its like to see a loved one do something dangerously stupid.  Bart finally gets it and promises he won't jump again.  The two reconcile, but with Homer still on the skateboard, he starts rolling down the ramp into the gorge anyhow.  Homer falls into Springfield Gorge, then after being rescued, falls into it again after the rescue truck crashes into a tree.  At the hospital, he sees Murdock and lets him know that there's nothing more death-defying than raising kids.

Quick Review
Bart the Daredevil is best known for the classic Gorge bit near the end of the episode, truly a wonderful moment that really got the series going.  This sequence puts a strong finish on what ends up being a great episode.

Final Score: 8.4

Bart vs. Thanksgiving (S02, E07-020)

Look at Bart carry that turkey with just one hand.  Truly masterful.

Plot Summary
Its Thanksgiving, and various members of the family are passing the time in their own ways, Maggie in particular.  Homer picks up his dad while jamming to some wholesome, Western Hemisphere-glorifying music, while Marge's sisters and mother drop in to have Thanksgiving dinner.  Lisa, meanwhile, spends the day painstakingly creating a centerpiece for dinner.  When dinner is ready, she proudly presents her work, but as Bart brings in the turkey, there's hardly any room for both.  Bart tries to push the centerpiece out of the way, but Lisa won't let him.  A tugging match between the two happens, with the centerpiece eventually being thrown, by Bart, into the fireplace.  Bart is sent to his room, with Marge proclaiming he "ruined" Thanksgiving.  Upset, Bart runs away with the dog.

Bart eventually winds up at a homeless rescue, which is serving meals for the holiday.  There, a TV crew with Kent Brockman is doing a "be thankful for what you got" piece, and he happens to interview Bart, which the family sees back home.  Bart, perhaps realizing that he's still better off than some, returns home, but hesitates to open the door, fearing the consequences of his previous actions.  He heads for the rooftop, hears Lisa crying, and ultimately finds it within him, literally, to apologize.  Then the family has turkey sandwiches late at night as the holiday is salvaged.

Quick Review
This is a type of episode where a lot of the hilarity and good jokes come early in the episode, then as the episode settles into its main plot, the jokes are more sparse and/or less funny.  Its something that happens way too often in the later seasons, and I guess this is the first episode I've come across in this run with the same problem.

Its a somewhat heartwarming ending, but there wasn't a lot to laugh about as the episode progressed.  Still, its another solid episode, with plenty to enjoy, especially early on.

Final Score: 7.7

Dead Putting Society (S02, E06-19)

As a kid, I though infinity+1 was an actual thing because of this episode.

Plot Summary
Ned's success, or the perception thereof, threatens Homer early in the episode.  Ned reacts badly to it, and later writes Homer a letter full of his feelings.  Getting a good laugh out of that, Homer takes the family mini-golfing.  Its there he and Flanders meet up again and they notice an ad for a mini-golf tournament for youngsters.  Ned notes that Todd is a pretty good mini-golfer.  Homer, eager to one-up Flanders in something, has Bart live out his dream for him by signing him up for the tournament.

Homer's obsession with beating Flanders has him poorly training Bart in mini-golf.  Lisa, perhaps sympathizing with Bart's predicament (and also somewhat thankful Homer doesn't care about her interests in the same manner), decides to help him by going about the game in a more zen-like manner.  The approach works, and Bart quickly improves his game.  Things take a turn, however, as Homer practically forces Ned into a bet: the father of the loser - no - the father of the boy who doesn't win has to mow the other father's lawn, in his wife's Sunday dress.

Soon enough, the day of the tournament arrives, and somehow Bart and Todd are all that matters for the match.  After Homer and Ned have one last boasting match, Bart and Todd are dead even throughout the match, when at the end, when both need to make a chip shot, or else likely lose, they decide the pressure is too much for them (Bart particularly is not fond of the character building taking place), and the two decide to settle for the draw.  Ned is happy with the conclusion, but Homer reminds him that because neither boy won, the bet still stands, and Homer is more than willing to embarrass himself to see Ned do the same.  Turns out, Ned enjoys it (its a call back to his fraternity days, apparently), and Homer loses out, yet again.

Quick Review
Dead Putting Society is the first real episode in which Ned Flanders has a huge role.  The Call of the Simpsons featured him early in that episode too, but all it really established was that he was more successful than Homer.  In this episode, several more things are established that stay with the character from here on:

1) He's religious
2) He's usually the nicest guy around and is normally well liked
3) The only person that can really get to him is Homer
4) He often calls Reverend Lovejoy for advice about almost anything
5) He, his wife Maude, and his two sons Rod and Todd are one big happy family

and, of course

6) He's more successful than Homer, which is partly why Homer hates him so.

This was a great episode.  Ned's character, and his relationship to Homer, establishes itself well, and there's plenty to laugh at throughout the episode as well.  Bart's role as a pawn, as he eventually figures out, is slightly out of character, but him and Lisa teaming up in a non-Sideshow Bob episode continues to show how good a team they can be (when written well).  Another solid entry in Season 2, this episode was.

Final Score: 8.0

Dancin' Homer (S02, E05-018)

The guy in the suit looked so... tired, I guess you could say.  Tired of life.

Plot Summary
The episode begins with Homer telling his bar mates the story of how he became a minor league sensation: at a plant-sponsored trip to a Springfield Isotopes game, Homer - despondent that the Isotopes were one out away from losing and the crowd just doesn't care - starts dancing to rile them up.  The Isotopes come back to win the game, and Homer is given a job as the team's mascot.  The Isotopes go on a run with Dancin' Homer around, and he gains a lot of popularity in doing so, but they do lose eventually.  Afterward, Homer is informed that he's been "called up" to the major league team in Capital City, which can happen apparently.  With Marge's urging, Homer decides to take his act to the big city.

Giving a rather familiar-looking farewell speech at his last Isotopes game, Homer leaves for Capital City.  There, he meets up with that team's mascot, the aforementioned Goofball, and is slightly overwhelmed by the whole experience.  Eventually, Homer gets his chance to dance, but the Capital City crowd is completely unimpressed by the performance, only cheering when Homer is ushered away.  While Homer is despondent, even embarrassed over everything, he finds that everyone at the bar is enthralled by the tale, asking that he tell it again.  Happy that people are paying attention to him again, Homer gladly retells the story.

Quick Review
Dancin' Homer, the episode, portrays just how different small town folk and big city snobs can be.  How big city snobs could be into baseball in the first place whilst not also enjoying the between-inning entertaining is beyond me, but whatever.  The episode establishes a lot of things in Simpsons continuity: Capital City, the minor league Springfield Isotopes, the Philly Phanatic parody known as the Capital City Goofball, and one important thing that will establish a lot a later episodes both good and bad: Homer likes being the center of attention.

This episode had its moments, like Bleeding Gums Murphy's 26-minute version of the Star Spangled Banner at the start of the Isotopes game, or the callback to Lou Gehrig's famous speech.  Problem was that just not enough of it was really that funny.  Despite that, it is another solid episode.

Final Score: 7.5

Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish (S02, E04-017)

Burns loses because of this, not from any of his other atrocities.  Politics.

Plot Summary
In this rather lengthy titled episode, Mr. Burns feels the pressure on him as his plant fails a safety inspection brought on by the discovery of a three-eyed fish Bart caught in a river just outside of the plant.  Faced with the possibility of the shutdown of his plant (or paying millions of dollars in repairs), Homer inadvertently gives Burns the idea to run for Governor so he can decide what is or isn't safe.

As it turns out, nobody likes Mr. Burns.  Yet, with his money he buys the best advisers and political strategists he can, and slowly but surely he starts rising up the charts.  It creates a political divide at the Simpsons' home as well: Marge roots for the incumbent Mary Bailey because her priorities are correct, and also because she isn't Mr. Burns.  Homer roots for Mr. Burns so that Burns doesn't fire him.  Such heated controversy!

Eventually, Burns ties Bailey in the polls, and his advisers determine that a dinner with one of his plant workers (guess who!?) will push him over the top.  Homer convinces Marge to have the dinner, but she has a plan up her sleeve.  At the dinner, she offers Mr. Burns the three-eyed fish Bart caught earlier in the episode.  After previously mentioning how natural and delicious it is in a political ad, Burns is unable to stomach the taste of this one, and spits it out, and his bid for Governor along with it.

Quick Review
Ah, politics.  Its like sports, except without any of the fun.  They have big conventions showcasing their political stars like some big wrestling event, political parties mock one another like two cliques in junior high school.  Then somehow people from these sides get elected and it turns out showboating and making fun of people offer no help in actual lawmaking.  Go figure.

The episode, while fine on its own, is a weaker effort compared to the last two episodes from this season.  The inspection of the run-down plant and Burns' eventual bribe were the best parts of the episode, I believe.  Otherwise, there just wasn't too much to laugh at.

Final Score: 7.3

Treehouse of Horror (S02, E03-016)

Ironically, this is the only ToH that takes place in an actual treehouse.

Plot Summary
The Treehouse of Horror has been a Simpsons tradition ever since the second season.  With three Halloween-themed stories, it has often been used as season premieres following FOX's baseball broadcasts, and partly for that reason these episode are among the most anticipated each year.  However, there's another reason why that's the case: they're just so good more often than not.

The very first Treehouse of Horror, which aired way back in 1990, is no exception.  Like the other very early entries in the series, there is a subplot that connects the three otherwise unrelated tales.  In this one, Bart and Lisa are trying to scare each other by telling Halloween stories in the aforementioned Treehouse.  Homer, eavesdropping from outside, ends up being the only one scared from the stories, though.

With these episodes, I'll be rating each tale individually (using a score like +1 to show how much it aided to the overall score).  So, lets take a look at our three stories.

Bad Dream House
The Simpsons move into a new house, apparently for cheap, but it turns out it was built on an Indian burial ground and, as a result, is haunted.  The house attempts to influence the Simpsons into killing one another, and then threatens them with various methods of torture, but Marge has enough, and pretty much tells the house that they're staying, and the house just has to deal with it.  Instead, the house just destroys itself, preferring the abyss of death rather than sticking around to house the Simpsons.  James Earl Jones guest stars as one of the movers at the start of the episode.
Individual Score: +1.5

Hungry are the Damned
Here, the Simpsons are abducted by aliens: the Rigelian Kang and Kodos.  Initially fearing the worst, they are quickly met with feast after feast, prepared by Serak the Preparer.  Suspicious, Lisa investigates why this is happening, concluding that the aliens wish to eat the Simpsons.  However, her suspicions prove false, as the cookbook she finds, initially read as "How to Cook Humans", is dusted off to reveal its true name: "How to Cook for Forty Humans".  Disgusted at both this mistrust, and table manners disgusting enough to move Serak to tears, the aliens returns the Simpsons home, informing them that they've missed out on virtual paradise due to their actions.  James Earl Jones guest stars as Serak the Preparer.
Individual Score: +1.4

Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven
Lisa (or more accurately our friend James Earl Jones) retells one of Poe's more famous works, The Raven.  Homer is cast as the tortured main character, and Bart the title raven while Mr. Jones delivers a strong read of the tale.  Obviously Poe didn't write his story with the intention of humor, and the few instances of it doesn't really give it much of a score, but its still a nice addition to this inaugural Treehouse of Horror.
Individual Score: +0.4

Quick Review
With Homer sufficiently scared, the episode comes to a close.  Overall, it was a great episode, with the first two segments being funnier than some standalone episodes, while The Raven, while not all that hilarious, is still a fine ode to a classic tale.  Its no wonder there's been a Treehouse of Horror every year for so long: this first one created a strong precedent that only a few have matched in the years to come.

Final Score: 8.8