5.1 Homer’s Barbershop Quarter
“Baby on Board” is a great song and I love the parody of the Beatles (including Barney’s Yoko lookalike and a rooftop concert). I love Wiggun’s attempt to finagle his way back into the band and their Grammy win. The throw away gags at the beginning at the swap meet are top notch. The show is now firmly in the familiar pattern of set up then swerve into the real plot. What a great start to the season!
5.2 Cape Fear
Another Sideshow Bob episode equals another classic. Bart asking Bob to sing HMS Pinafore is inspired. The rake scene is ridiculously fun and I always laugh when Bob says his message of “Die Bart Die” is just German.
5.3 Homer Goes to College
Someone finally notices safety inspector Homer doesn’t have a college degree. Of course he just got his high school diploma last season. He goes to college and meets a group of nerds. Homer’s idea of college is a rehash of Animal House and he wants to help Gary, Doug, and Benjamin experience his college dream, while they want to help him pass. I love the nerds and this episode has some funny moments, but it’s middle of the road for me.
5.4 Rosebud
Mr. Burns Citizen Kane style, but instead of a sled, it’s his childhood teddy bear, Bobo. Unfortunately, Bob is now the property of Maggie Simpson, who won’t give it up. I love the throwaway gag of George Burns as being Monty’s brother. I love Smithers absolute and creepy devotion to Monty. Homer’s refusal to take the bear away for money and the subsequent eventual decision of the angry townspeople to value Maggie’s happiness over their own financial security is touching (if misguided). And the coda, future cyborg Burns and cyborg dog Smithers finding Bobo once again is a classic Simpsons moment.
5.5 Treehouse of Horror IV
The first portion, “The Devil and Homer Simpson” is one of my favorite Treehouse segments. The denouement of Marge producing paperwork proving she already owns Homer’s soul is fantastic. The jury is a comic highlight, especially Nixon compelled to jury duty even though he’s still alive. The devil as Ned Flanders is a nice touch, and the twist ending when Homer is punished with his head transforming into a donut is an iconic moment. The second segment was, however, a too easy Twilight Zone parody. The final segment is an okay Dracula segment, and I enjoyed the twist of Marge as the head vampire, but the last two portions could have been amongst the worst ever and it would still be great because of the first ten minutes.
5.6 Marge on the Lam
Ruth Powers could / should have been a more prominent figure in The Simpsons universe. But as the show honed its focus on Homer, Marge would be more relegated to the sideline. Tied to Marge, Ruth was gone as a result. The episode’s Thelma and Louise references are nice, but somewhat dated. It shows promise, but feels unfulfilled.
5.7 Bart’s Inner Child
When self-help guru Brad Goodman praises Bart’s irreverent, do what he wants attitude, everyone in Springfield emulates him. Chaos ensues. The episode is a nice lesson about the need for self-restraint, but while I love Albert Brooks, Brad Goodman is a forgettable character and a waste of his talent.
5.8 Boy-Scouts ‘n the Hood
After a Squishee induced brain freeze, Bart accidentally joins the Junior Campers under scoutmaster Ned Flanders. He’s initially bummed, but grows to like it, especially the promise of learning how to use a knife. Homer is roped into a scout rafting trip, and, despite his ineptitude, his keen sense of smell for cheap fast food saves the day. This season marked a decisive focus on Homer and a lot of time was spent on the Homer / Ned dynamic. Ned as a parental rival to Homer is always good and the Ernest Borginine cameo is spot on, but Bart’s adventure with the Junior Campers was not as good as it could have been.
5.9 The Last Temptation of Homer
Michelle Pfeiffer as Mindy Simmons is perfect stunt casting, but how may times can you believably put Homer in a situation where anyone other than Marge finds him attractive? This game has been played out.
5.10 $ringfield (or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)
Burns builds a casino, Homer gets a job as a blackjack dealer, Bart starts a makeshift casino in his treehouse, Marge develops a gambling problem, Lisa embarrasses herself in a school presentation, Mr. Burns’s mental state deteriorates. There’s a LOT going on in this episode. I enjoyed Marge being the problem for once. I liked the Robert Goulet cameo and I enjoyed the Burns / Howard Hughes comparison, but overall it was too unfocused.
5.11 Homer the Vigilante
I love Molloy. I love the reference to It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Detective Homer is fantastic. This is one of the better episodes from this season.
5.12 Bart Gets Famous
The punchline of the episode, a meta joke about the show’s various catchphrases, is a classic moment. Conan’s guest spot is very funny. I love the longstanding joke of Krusty forgetting who Bart is. The box factory is perfect, but the joke of Bart’s catchphrase, “I Didn’t Do It,” takes too long to pay off.
5.13 Homer and Apu
After Homer gets Apu fired, he lets him live with his family, then travels to India to the Kwik-E-Mart headquarters to win Apu’s job back. James Woods’s cameo as Apu’s replacement is top notch and the song “Who Needs the Kwik-E-Mart?” is one of my favorite moments of any television show. This is a gem of an episode.
5.14 Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy
The beginning, with Matlock as a mega celebrity at the nursing home is great. Grandpa getting a job is fun. Waylon Smithers as a doll collector is too perfect. Kathleen Turner is great as Stacy Lovell the creator of Malibu Stacy, but Lisa crusading for social justice is always hard for me to really like. Episodes which make her more subtle are preferable.
5.15 Deep Space Homer
This is frequently cited as a major turning point in the show. The point at which they began to divorce themselves from reality and emphasize fantastical elements. NASA decides they need ordinary people in space to increase ratings. It comes down to Barney and Homer, and when Barney goes on a bender, Homer is chosen by default. Buzz Aldrin is a great cameo, and the carbon rod as the hero is really funny. I liked it, but don’t find it as groundbreaking as some do.
5.16 Homer Loves Flanders
Flanders wins tickets to a big football game and invites Homer to come along. Unexpectedly, the two hit it off. Soon, Homer’s devotion and friendship is driving Flanders crazy. It’s a fun role reversal and Homer slowly backing into the hedge has become of the most useful GIFs on the internet.
5.17 Bart Gets an Elephant
Bart wins a radio prize and demands an elephant (which the radio announcers intended as a joke). Stampy proves too expensive and the family needs to unload it. They flirt with selling it to an ivory trader, but eventually send it to a shelter. Stampy has been often referenced to remind everyone how untethered the show was from reality. This is a better than average episode.
5.18 Burns’ Heir
After a brush with death, Mr. Burns is looking for someone to take his money when he dies. After a series of auditions, he settles on Bart. For awhile, Bart enjoys the money and privilege this brings, but eventually misses his family and returns to them. Burns’ affinity for the Simpsons (especially Bart) is weird. There’s some funny stuff (especially Hans Moleman conditioned to think he’s a part of the Simpsons family), but it’s a lesser episode of the season for me.
5.19 Sweet Seymour Skinner’s Baadasssss Song
Bart’s hijinks get Skinner fired by Superintendent Chalmers and replaced by Ned. I like seeing Skinner and Bart explore the notion they could be friends under different circumstances and the role reversal reminds me of Homer Loves Flanders. This season, the writers were pushing the boundaries of relationships with the characters. Guilty Bart is much more interesting that smug Lisa and I enjoyed Skinner as a reenlisted army captain.
5.20 The Boy Who Knew Too Much
Bart plays hooky from school and witnesses what really happened when Fred Quimby supposedly beat up a waiter for mispronouncing chowder. Bart can exonerate Fred, but to do so would mean admitting he skipped school. I love the scene where a truant Bart and Homer pass each other on the street in ridiculous disguises and I loved Skinner’s pursuit of Bart and the numerous cinematic echoes. I’m a sucker for Lionel Hutz and Phil Hartman’s performance in the climatic courtroom scene is great in this fun episode.
5.21 Lady Bouvier’s Lover
Oddly, Marge’s mother is a relatively obscure character in the show’s canon, while, on the other hand, Grandpa, Patty, and Selma are there all the time. In one of the few episodes which gives Mrs. Bouvier a moment in the sunlight, Marge decides to set her up with Abe. They hit it off, but then, Mr. Burns is interested and pursues her as well. She agrees to marry Burns, but after Abe objects, she decides she’d rather be single. I loved The Graduate references, and I like Abe episodes, but Grandma Bouvier is not a character I care a lot about.
5.22 Secrets of a Successful Marriage
In a contrived series of events, Homer winds up teaching a class on the secrets of a successful marriage. Failing to hold the attention of the class, he tells revealing personal details of his home life. Written by Greg Daniels, there are several fun moments, and the end when Homer pleads with Marge is a perfect summary of their relationship.
- Cape Feare (5.2)
- Homer and Apu (5.13)
- Homer’s Barbershop Quartet (5.1)
- Treehouse of Horror IV (5.5)
- Homer the Vigilante (5.11)
- Rosebud (5.4)
- Homer Loved Flanders (5.16)
- Deep Space Homer (5.15)
- Bart Gets an Elephant (5.17)
- Sweet Seymour Skinner’s Baadasssss Song (5.19)
- Secrets of a Successful Marriage (5.22)
- Lisa vs. Malibu Stacey (5.14)
- Bart Gets Famous (5.12)
- Burns’ Heir (5.18)
- The Boy Who Knew Too Much (5.20)
- Lady Bouvier’s Lover (5.21)
- The Last Temptation of Homer (5.9)
- $pringfield (or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling) (5.10)
- Homer Goes to College (5.3)
- Boy-Scoutz ‘n the Hood (5.8)
- Marge on the Lam (5.6)
- Bart’s Inner Child (5.7)