The Simpsons: Season 2

COOL! (Name the character and episode of that hysterical line.) Plenty has been said about the technical aspects of this DVD set, both good and bad. Personally I find the color and focus suspect. But all hardcore Simpsons fanatics should let these limitations slide because you may not be seeing the forest for the trees. Here we have the full second season of the Simpsons, and this was the season when the show really took off. Of course during the first season the Simpsons, and especially Bart, became a cultural phenomenon. But the show itself was still developing, with the animators and voice actors still ironing out the kinks of the classic Simpsons style. In this second season, not only are the animation and voices solidified, but you can see the writing and characterizations getting better with each passing episode. Bart was moving into a more complex and subversive brand of hell-raising, the true depths of Lisa's strange intelligence were coming to the fore, and Homer most of all was becoming deeper and more quotable. Also notice that this season was when Homer started to surpass Bart as the true star of the series. The second season gave us great classic episodes like "Oh Brother Where Art Thou" (first appearance of Unky Herb), and the politically subversive "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge." A surprising amount of emotional power, which would later become standard for the show, is revealed in "Bart Gets an F" where Bart shows true vulnerability, and "Lisa's Substitute" in which we start to plumb the depths of Lisa's character.Some editing seems to have taken place with these episodes, showing that we are watching post-syndication versions. The most blatant example is the deletion of a scene from "Bart the Daredevil" - that being the second time Homer falls down Springfield Gorge. This may be anathema to superfanatics. The DVD extras still contain a few throwaways but are generally better than the first season package. Included are the two videos from the "Simpsons Sing the Blues" album, which are reminders of what a huge cultural phenomenon the Simpsons were back at the beginning of the 90's. The best bonus offering is an interview with Matt Groening in which he describes the inspirations for the characters and the philosophy behind the show.

Simpsons season 2 brings us 22 great episodes with some holiday inspired episodes as well. Episodes that continue on in the series today like The Treehouse of Horror series (my personal favs) I feel they did a great take on Edgar Allen Poes "The Raven". Although they don't have a Christmas episode this season, they do have a Thanksgiving episode "Bart vs. Thanksgiving" where Bart runs away after being scolded by the family after he destroys Lisa's centerpiece for the table. This episode has a heart warming feel to it as Bart and Lisa overcome a fight and their sibling bond grows a bit stronger. This season is also the first to have a blast from the past in the episode "The Way We Was". This is when Marge first meets Homer in high school detention and Homer tries to win her heart... or at least a prom date at the time.The Simpsons also won another Emmy in this season, The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program for episode "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment". Homer gets free cable in this episode and Lisa protest against it. Feeling like his daughter lost respect for him, Homer does the right moral thing and cuts the free cable. This season also introduces quite a few Simpsons characters that made a permanent home in Springfield such as Comic book Guy, Dr. Nick Riviera, Sideshow Mel, Kang and Kodos, and many others.Special features include 2 music videos. "Do the Bartman" and "Deep Trouble" Butterfinger commercials with the Simpsons, The Simpsons presenting at the Emmy Awards and the American Music Awards. There are also interviews with the creators Matt Groening and James L. Brooks. As the earlier season had, the commentaries are here as well on the episodes and are great to listen to as in the first season. Hope you enjoy your Simpsons season 2 set.