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. 

Happy Presidents Day!

It's sort of a holiday in the US today, as most banks and federal offices are closed and the History Channel is running fun documentaries about the Presidents in celebration of America's leaders through the years (well, specifically, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, whose February birthdays got smooshed together into one "President's Day" for national celebratory purposes).

I'm a huge Presidential trivia nut, so to celebrate, here's some past posts I've written on the subject (nothing new, of course. Because it's a holiday).

Here are some (mostly accurate) fun facts about Washington and Lincoln.

Meanwhile, this post contains some fun trivia on America's lesser known and not-as-talked-about Presidents.

Finally, here's an old favorite in which I compare America's Founding Fathers to the founding Avengers.

Enjoy, and remember, if you're going to give a long speech in freezing, rainy March weather, wear a damn coat! No one will think less of you. 

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.

Retro Review: Secrets of a Successful Marriage

Original Airdate
May 19, 1994

Or the One Where
Marge kicks Homer out after he shares intimate secrets about their relationship. 

The Setup
Realizing that his family and friends consider him dumb, Homer decides to enroll in an adult education class, but ends up teaching one on marriage instead. 

Notable Notes
This is the second episode Greg Daniels wrote for the show, and it was built around the idea of Daniels trying to come up with something Homer could be really good at it (being a husband).

One of the secrets Homer tells his class is that Marge dyes her hair, and is, at this point, naturally gray. Though seemingly a throwaway bit like so many others, later writers will remember this fact and occasionally reference it, even building the plot of an episode ("The Blue and the Gray") around it. 

Retro Review: Lady Bouvier's Lover

Original Airdate
May 12, 1994

Or the One Where
Grampa dates Marge's mother, until she falls for Mr. Burns instead. 

The Setup 
After they attend Maggie's birthday party, Marge realizes that both her mom and Grampa are lonely, and suggests they spend some time together.

Notable Notes
Though by no means her last appearance, this is pretty much the last time Marge's mother is directly featured in a story until, arguably, season 21's "Moe Letter Blues". Most of her subsequent appearances are in the background of scenes or briefly in flashbacks. 

Retro Review: The Boy Who Knew Too Much

Original Airdate
May 5, 1994

Or the One Where
Bart witnesses a crime while skipping school, then must decide whether or not to come forward in defense of the accused.

The Setup
On a particularly gorgeous day, Bart skips school but is pursued by Principal Skinner, only escaping him when he sneaks into the Quimby Compound.

Notable Notes
The Quimby/Kennedy connection really gets hammered home in this episode as Bart visits the Quimby compound, introduces himself as "Bart-Bart" to Mayor Quimby, then interacts with Arnold Schwarzenegger stand-in Rainier Wolfcastle, whose wife, like actual Kennedy Maria Shriver, Schwarzenegger's wife at the time, is named Maria.

Retro Review: Burns' Heir

Original Airdate
April 14, 1994

Or the One Where
Mr. Burns names Bart heir to his fortune, prompting a rift between Bart and his family.

The Setup
After nearly drowning in the bathtub, a child-less Mr. Burns holds auditions for a child to be named his heir and carry on his legacy.

Notable Notes
A scene involving Mr. Burns unleashing a robotic Richard Simmons on Homer was cut from this episode, but was included in the "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" episode.

Retro Review: Bart Gets An Elephant

Original Airdate
March 31, 1994

Or the One Where
Bart, uh, gets an elephant (the episode titles of late have been particularly descriptive in terms of plot).

The Setup
Trapped in the house by Marge for a vigorous bout of spring cleaning, Bart wins KBBL Radio's call in contest. Given the choice between $10,000 or the gag prize of a full grown African elephant, he chooses the elephant.

Notable Notes
Though not named, this is the first appearance of Cletus Spuckler, as one of the "slack-jawed yokels" who pays to interact with Stampy. Cletus will, of course, earn a name and become one of the show's recurring supporting characters.

Retro Review: Homer Loves Flanders

Original Airdate
March 17, 1994

Or the One Where
Homer, uh, becomes friends with Flanders.

The Setup 
After Ned wins tickets to the big Springfield vs. Shelbyville football game and invites Homer, Homer has such a great time that he begins spending more time with Ned.

Notable Notes
This is the last episode to have been pitched by Conan O'Brien before he left the series.

Retro Review: Deep Space Homer

Original Airdate
February 24th, 1994

Or the One Where
Homer becomes an astronaut.

The Setup
Angry at suffering through another boring space shuttle launch on TV and feeling disrespected after being passed over for a union-mandated "Worker of the Week" award by an inanimate carbon rod, Homer calls NASA to complain, just as NASA is looking for an average Joe to send into space to boost ratings.

Notable Notes
This episode was written by David Mirkin, who was the show's executive producer at the time. It is his only writing credit on the series.

Retro Review: Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy

Original Airdate
February 17, 1994

Or the One Where
Lisa teams up with the creator of Malibu Stacy to create a new, more female-empowering, doll. 

The Setup 
Confronted by his own mortality, Grampa decides to give the family their inheritance earlier, prompting a speedy trip to the mall. There, Lisa is excited by the new talking Malibu Stacy doll, until she actually hears it speak. Incensed by the blatant sexism spouted by the doll, she vows to seek out Malibu Stacy's creator. 

Notable Notes
Kathleen Turner guest stars as Stacy Lavelle, the creator of the original Malibu Stacy.

Retro Review: Homer and Apu

Original Airdate
February 10, 1994

Or the One Where
Apu comes to live with the Simpsons after Homer causes him to lose his job. 

The Setup 
After Apu's questionable practices (and his own questionably choices) give him food poisoning, Homer goes undercover to expose the said practices, causing Apu to lose his job at the Kwik-E-Mart. 

Notable Notes
This is the first of a what will eventually become a subset of Apu-centric episodes, which will find the Simpsons playing host to Apu's wedding to Manjula and being involved in the birth of their octuplets, amongst other things. In the process, both Homer and Marge develop a friendship with Apu and Manjula that far exceeds the customer/shopkeeper relationship in place at the start of this episode, to the point where the Nahasapeemapetilons are arguably Homer and Marge's closest married couple friends, a rare bit of ongoing continuity for the show.

Retro Review: Bart Gets Famous

Original Airdate
February 3, 1994

Or the One Where
Bart enjoys fifteen minutes of fame after saying "I didn't do it" on Krusty's show. 

The Setup
During a field trip to the box factory, Bart sneaks off to visit the nearby Krustylu Studios and ends up becoming Krusty's personal assistant, eventually appearing on an episode of his show and declaring "I didn't do it" after accidentally knocking over the set. 

Notable Notes
Conan O'Brien, who was of course a former writer on the show before leaving to take over Late Night, appears in this episode as himself. The writers decided to write him into the episode and put Bart on his show before they knew for sure whether O'Brien got the gig, and O'Brien himself believed his show would be cancelled before this episode aired.