The Classic "Simpsons" Episodes No One Lists When Making Lists Of Classic "Simpson" Episodes

The Simpson movie opened this weekend. If you were paying real close attention, you might have heard something about it. This movie is something I will have to see, but I feel no need to rush out and see it.

Leading up to the movies, many pop culture entities on the web felt the need to make a list of Simpsons related material. MSNBC made a list of their best episodes. TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly had done the same in the past.

These lists seem to confirm two things: 1. Everybody thinks the best episodes are in the past and 2: There is some general agreement as to what the best episodes are.

I want to shine a light on some excellent episodes that never seem to make these lists. I certainly think these episodes are better than the "Stonecutter" episode that everyone other than me thinks is hilarious.

In order to keep with my policy to write as much from memory and do as little research as possible, I will identify the episodes by their major events instead of researching through imdb and a thousand other Simpson related sites in order to make sure I didn't screw up some minor plot point.

Overlooked Episode #1: Homer meets Frank Grimes. Frank Grimes (or as Homer calls him, "Grimey", ) gets a job at the nuclear power plant. Frank's had a hard luck life, and is less thrilled that Homer's lifelong incompetence keeps being rewarded.

Why It's Excellent: Yes, we all know The Simpsons is a cartoon, and the characters interact in a cartoon-y (i. e. not real world) manner. But Frank Grimes is the closest thing to a real-world person that has ever entered The Simpson's universe. He's had a life of hard work and little reward. He thinks Homer is a complete moron, and can't believe that Homer has had a series of incredible adventures (going into space, meeting The Smashing Pumpkins) that do not mirror Frank's ordinary experiences. Frank is less than amused at this irregularity, and is incredulous that the other (cartoon) characters around him don't see bothered by (or even notice) Homer's stupidity. Frank's speech to Homer about Homer representing what's wrong with Americans (Homer coasts through life doing as little as possible, and seems not to consider any other approach to life) is a rare "real world" moment in any cartoon.

Overlooked Episode #2: Bart "sells" his soul, then tries to get it back.

Why It's Excellent: There is a lot of controversy over who had the most overall influence in shaping The Simpsons. This storyline mirrors the thematic interests of Matt Groening. Going back to Life In Hell, Groening always had an interest (and talent) in exploring common childhood themes/fears that we tend to forget as adults. (See the books School is Hell and Childhood is Hell for numerous examples.) These themes also popped up in early episodes (the episode where Homer steals cable around the time Lisa learns in Sunday School that stealing is breaking one of The Ten Commandments), but as the show got less plot-driven and more jokey, these themes faded away. The "soul" episode is a rare exception, and shows the normally care-free Bart worrying about a concept that most adults would dismiss as ridiculous (how could you sell a soul, much less find a buyer), yet is done in such a way that it reminds the viewer of the intensity we believed certain things when we were children. (Another great episode that has a similar theme is the one where Bart is caught stealing a videogame.) Plus, they finally made the joke I have been waiting for someone to do since I was a kid: slip the church organist the music to In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, and see if anyone can tell the difference.