Retro Review: Homer Badman

Original Airdate
November 27th, 1994

Or the One Where
Homer is accused of sexually harassing the kids' babysitter. 

The Setup 
After losing the rare gummi Venus De Milo he stole from the candy convention, Homer discovers it stuck to the babysitter after he takes her home. But when he retrieves the candy, the babysitter is left thinking he was trying to grab her ass. 

Notable Notes
Rock Bottom, the sleazy tabloid show Homer goes on to try and clear his name, is a fairly direct parody of Hard Copy, though it stands as a parody of pretty much all those kind of tabloid-based "news" shows in general that were all the rage in the 90s before being mostly replaced by the internet.  

Future King of the Hill, The Office and Parks and Recreation co-creator Greg Daniels wrote this episode.

Retro Review: Lisa On Ice

Original Airdate
November 13, 1994

Or the One Where
Bart and Lisa compete on rival hockey teams. 

The Setup
After being told she's in danger of failing gym, Lisa is forced to join an extracurricular team and discovers an aptitude for hockey.

Notable Notes
Bart's hockey team, the Mighty Pigs, is obviously a reference to The Mighty Ducks, which was arguably at the height of its popularity when this episode was created (it aired a few months after the second film was released).

This episode is responsible for another oft-quoted Ralph Wiggum-ism: Me fail English? That's unpossible!

Retro Review: Bart's Girlfriend

Original Airdate
November 6, 1994

Or the One Where
Bart falls for Reverend Lovejoy's daughter Jessica.

The Setup
After a rousing game of Cowboys vs. Indians, the kids are dragged off to church, where Bart encounters the newly-returned-from-boarding-school Jessica.

Notable Notes
Queen of the Oscars Meryl Streep provides the voice of Jessica, and the actress reportedly recorded her lines in session with Nancy Cartwright, rather than on her own (as many big name stars do when recording voice over work). Obviously, because Streep voiced her, the character hasn't ever made a significant return appearance to date (this episode does make a point of writing her out, ending with Reverend Lovejoy contemplating sending her back to boarding school), though like many other voiced-by-big-star characters, I'm pretty sure she's made some non-speaking appearances since this episode.

Retro Review: Treehouse of Horror V

Original Airdate
October 30th, 1994

Or the One Where
"The Shinning" - No TV and no beer make Homer something something.
"Time and Punishment" -  Homer mucks up time via a time machine toaster.
"Nightmare Cafeteria" - Facing a lack of funds and overcrowded detention halls, Principal Skinner begins cooking the troublemakers and serving them for lunch.

The Setup
Marge addresses the audience warning them about the nature of the episode, saying it is so scary that Congress won't allow it to be broadcast, before Bart and Homer take over the feed to broadcast the episode. 

Notable Notes
This is the first Halloween episode to lack a framing sequence before and after each segment (ie telling scary stories in Bart's treehouse or nightmares triggered by too much candy), though it still contains the "worried Marge warns away the audience" intro, the last such episode to do so.

A framing sequence was devised for this episode, but it was ultimately cut to allow each segment more time. While probably a wise choice in the long run, I do miss the framing sequences, as they gave each episode an air of Halloween even if the individual stories weren't always that Halloween-y.

Retro Review: Sideshow Bob Roberts

Original Airdate
October 9th, 1994

Or the One Where
Sideshow Bob runs for mayor.

The Setup
After calling in to a conservative radio show, a groundswell of public outcry leads to Sideshow Bob being released from prison and set against Mayor Quimby in the mayoral election.

Notable Notes
This episode contains the first usage of the word "meh" on the show, which has since been added to some dictionaries and become ubiquitous all over the internet. 

This was also the first episode of the series to feature no chalkboard or couch gag; after the show's title flashes on the screen, we zoom right into the episode, a technique that would be used in greater frequency in later years. 

Oddly enough, in Lisa's rundown of Sideshow Bob's greatest hits to Homer, she leaves out the time the family had to enter Witness Protection because of him, after which Bob stepped on a ton of rakes and nearly killed Bart on their houseboat.

Retro Review: Itchy & Scratchy Land

Original Airdate
October 2, 1994

Or the One Where 
The Simpsons visit Itchy & Scratchy Land. 

The Setup 
After seeing Krusty's commercial for Itchy & Scratchy Land, Bart & Lisa convince their parents to take the family there on vacation instead of the bird sanctuary, promising lots of family togetherness and good memories.

Notable Notes
This episode was created in response to newer, more stringent censorship laws, which had led to a decrease of Itchy & Scratchy cartoons on the show. The goal was to craft an episode that was as violent as possible, and showrunner David Mirkin had to fight Fox to keep much of it intact. 

Retro Review: Another Simpsons Clip Show

Original Airdate
September 25th, 1994

Or the One Where 
The Simpsons family shares tales of past loves. 

The Setup 
Marge worries that she and Homer have neglected the kids' education in matters of the heart.

Notable Notes
As the title suggests, this is another clip show, the second of four (to date) pure clip shows the show has done. It features clips from episodes from all five previous seasons.

In true commitment to the form, pretty much all the footage in this episode is recycled: even the framing sequences are cut from existing footage, with new audio recorded for those sequences.

Retro Review: Lisa's Rival

Original Airdate
September 11th, 1994

Or the One Where
Lisa's academic supremacy is threatened while Homer attempts to become a sugar baron. 

The Setup
New girl Allison comes to town and immediately challenges Lisa, while Homer discovers an overturned sugar truck and claims the cargo. 

Notable Notes
Winona Ryder, near the height of her popularity as a movie star, guest stars as Allison Taylor, Lisa's titular rival. Apparently, she was a fan of the show and the creators fans of hers. Though I don't believe she speaks again, Alison does appear in later episodes, usually amongst crowd shots of the students.

Retro Review: Bart of Darkness

Original Airdate
September 4th, 1994

Or the One Where
The Simpsons get a pool. 

The Setup
With Springfield gripped in a heat wave and the kids enticed into swimming thanks to a teasing one-day-only visit from the Pool Mobile, they pester Homer into buying a pool for the family. 

Notable Notes
As of the start of this season, Fox moved The Simpsons back to it original Sunday night timeslot, where it had debuted before airing on Thursday nights for the previous four seasons. It has remained in that timeslot ever since.