Mike Drew Flynn joins me this week, to discuss "Principal Charming," which originally aired in the US on February 14, 1991. Valentine's Day is an appropriate day, in any case, to air the sweet story of how Principal Skinner dates Marge's sister Patty... Flynn and I acknowledge this. We acknowledge that this is a charming, effectively romantic episode.  But we also acknowledge that the Police Academy franchise is a good series of comedies. We acknowledge that the fifth entries in a horror...

Chris (Moltisanti) Prentice is back on the podcast to talk about the classic episode "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment," which originally aired in the US on February 7, 1991. It's another winner of an episode full of classic moments, witty gags, and basically all the good stuff you expect out of the series' golden age...proving the adage from a couple of episodes ago, that this show really began its uptick once they "jumped the gorge."  And the episode gave Chris and I a lot to...

Josh Fein is back to discuss "The Way We Was," which originally aired in the US on January 31, 1991. It's the first of The Simpsons' many flashback episodes...this time focusing on how Homer and Marge first met and fell in love.  More than anything else, it got us thinking about the 17-year difference between 1974 and 1991 - how clear that difference was in aesthetics, culture, trends, etc... And it got us pondering on how unclear that difference is between 2020 and 2003. Of course things...

Natalia Castro once again calls in from Colombia, and we discuss "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish," which originally aired in the US on January 24, 1991. Despite the dark subject matter, it's a very funny episode that balances its sentimental aspects with humor very well. And, besides, we know Homer's not actually going to die because this is not the series finale. It's not even the season finale. It's just another Simpsons episode - half way through a season on the uptick. Natalia...

Arianny calls in from New Jersey and we talk about "Bart Gets Hit By a Car," which originally aired in the US on January 10, 1991. This episode has some historic firsts. Principally: Lionel Hutz makes his first appearance, which means Phil Hartman makes his first appearance and the wonderful funnyman would go on to be an almost mythical presence on the show from this point on.  The episode itself is pretty funny until a maudlin, out-of-nowhere ending that all but ruins it. Arianny and I...

Natalia Castro joins me this week, to discuss Itchy & Scratchy & Marge, which originally aired in the US on December 20, 1990. The episode is funny and everything, with Marge taking on The Itchy & Scratchy Show after its violence influences Maggie to attack Homer with a mallet. But, above all, it is a strangely topical piece of television history...touching upon issues of well-intentioned censorship, which were relevant then and are relevant now - as we see people and...

Petrus Silon is on the line this week, to discuss "Bart the Daredevil," which originally aired in the US on December 6, 1990.  This is Matt Groening's favorite episode, and it's probably the first really "classic" episode of the series - certainly in the first two seasons - as it's one of the few episodes from those first two years that people in general remember; and was made even more of a perennial by continuous references within the show itself...right up until the movie.  Petrus and I...

Troy Anderson makes his Simpsons Countdown debut to discuss "Bart vs. Thanksgiving," which originally aired in the US on Thanksgiving itself in 1990, which was November 22. The episode, despite some customarily "edgy" Simpsons humor, is basically a pretty traditional holiday special all things considered - with equal doses of sass and sentimentality, but making sure to end on a heartwarming note. It doesn't represent the series at its best quite yet, but it still gave enough fuel for a...

Fellow ex-pat Dan Lebofsky returns this week, to discuss "Dead Putting Society," which originally aired in the US on November 15, 1990. Neither of us much care for the sport of golf. Though Dan has at least played it once upon a time, while I have not. But whatever... The most interesting aspect of the episode is Homer's extremely aggressive desire to upstage Ned Flanders and how that has repercussions when he tries to egg Bart on to "destroy" Todd Flanders in a mini golf competition. Did...

Jason Pollock is on hand this week to discuss "Dancin' Homer," which originally aired in the US on November 8, 1990.  The episode achieved massive ratings at the time, was well reviewed, and is fondly remembered by fans...but is it really that great? We discuss that briefly. And then we get sidetracked, of course, talking about why European (and Latin American) sports fans are so much more "badass" than American ones - in particular Soccer Hooligans. We ponder what the fictional Capital...

And so, my fellow expat Dan Lebofsky and I sit down to talk about "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish," which originally aired in the US on November 1, 1990. And so, inevitably, the first outwardly political episode of The Simpsons takes us to a highly political place more focused on the current environment, which includes a global pandemic and the worldwide protests in solidarity with the victim of a brutal murder at the hands of a police officer in gross violation of his...

It's the very first Treehouse of Horror! Which originally aired in the US on October 25, 1990. This is probably the quaintest of the now perennial Simpsons Halloween specials. But, nonetheless, the three-story format is already established up front. As is the basic hallmark of the writers putting their own spin on a classic film or piece of literature; or episode of The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits... Appropriately, this podcast also switches things up a bit. As three guests - Jason...

Chris (Moltisanti) Prentice is here to discuss "Simpson and Delilah," which originally aired in the US on October 18, 1990. This is the episode where Homer discovers a miracle hair growth formula that changes his life...briefly.  It's a very good, funny episode with a bitter edge - and a cynical worldview as far as elements of the common male self-image. So we spend a bit of time discussing the episode's merits, which include a wonderful supporting character - Homer's secretary named Karl -...

Season 2 is off to a compelling start, as Josh Fein and I sit down to discuss "Bart Gets an F," which originally aired in the US on October 11, 1990. This heartwarming episode came on the heels of a summer hiatus in which "Bartmania" had taken American kids by storm - and everybody wanted to either "be" Bart Simpson, or wear him on a t-shirt. Josh and I recall this pop culture powder keg as best we can. And it also gives us an opportunity to reminisce about our own scholastic adventures in...

Mike Drew Flynn returns to the podcast, and we close out the first season discussing "Some Enchanted Evening," which originally aired on May 13, 1990 - paving the way for Simpsons Mania to take America by storm over the summer hiatus. I guess Flynn and I don't really like this episode very much, which is probably why this laid back conversation finds us discussing everything from 24 to Brian De Palma to the goddamn Earth Day Special from 1990. Remember that one?  You probably don't. But we...

Chris Prentice returns to the podcast, to discuss "Krusty Gets Busted," the penultimate episode of the first season, which aired on April 29, 1990. This classic episode is the formal introduction of Sideshow Bob, which is a fan favorite character, brilliantly brought to life by the dulcet Mid Atlantic tones of Kelsey Grammer. Both Chris and I happen to be huge fans of this fine actor, and we spend quite a bit of time singing his praises. Tracing his career from Cheers through Frasier and...

My good friend Natalia Castro makes her podcast debut. Literally: as in this is the first podcast she's ever participated in. And it is an honor to have here here, discussing, "The Crepes of Wrath," which originally aired on April 15, 1990. The episode, on the surface, is about Bart participating in an exchange program and being sent to France, where he is forced into slave labor. Meanwhile, his counterpart back home turns out to be an Albanian spy. Now, all of that - in and of itself - is...

Arianny Pilarte is on the line this week...bringing a valuable perspective to the episode "Homer's Night Out," which originally aired on March 25, 1990.   The optics are a little weird here, let's be honest. I mean... Is a belly dancer the same thing as a stripper? And, for that matter, is a stripper the same thing as a prostitute? Furthermore... Is sex work inherently a bad thing? Does having innocent fun at a stag party count as cheating? Is Homer an a*****e or is Marge overreacting?  So...

Please welcome Chris Prentice to the podcast.  Veterans of Chud.com might remember him as Moltisanti. And it's great to have him here. We are discussing "Life on the Fast Lane," which originally aired on March 18, 1990.  In this episode, Marge comes very close to having an affair with a French bowling champion named Jacques. And so we discuss the show's realistic portrayal of marital strife, the concept of infidelity and how these things can affect a family as a whole, particularly the...

Jason Pollock returns to the podcast to discuss the momentous episode "The Telltale Head," which originally aired on February 25, 1990. The episode is a classically structured fable in which Bart decapitates the statue of the town hero and learns that becoming popular isn't all it's cracked up to be when coupled with the infamy of committing a crime against humanity. But, is it though? Do statues of historical figures really matter all that much? We ponder this. We also talk about Apu,...

Petrus returns to the podcast, to discuss  - "The Call of the Simpsons," which originally aired on February 18, 1990.  This is an episode he really cares about. Because, to be fair, when he sat down to talk "Homer's Odyssey," he was just doing Erix a favor.  But this episode has a special place in Petrus' heart. It's the first one he remembers watching...way back when he was just a little tyke. And that's rather appropriate as the episode - a wilderness adventure starring The Simpsons - is...

Erix is once again joined by Josh Fein, and they discuss “Moaning Lisa,” which originally aired on February 11, 1990. Well… There are a few tangents, let’s be fair.  Maybe the episode doesn’t inspire quite the same level of enthusiasm of other episodes. So they need to talk about stuff like video games - specifically Konami’s classic Simpsons Arcade Game. And there is also a brief discussion about The Simpsons Sing the Blues - a novelty record that has maybe been wisely forgotten after...

Erix is joined by Dan Lebofsky, a Canadian expat - also living in La Paz, Bolivia. He's a good musician and a good friend...making his podcast debut. They discuss "Bart the General," which originally aired on February 4, 1990. They discuss that for a few minutes, until they go off on tangents involving retirement homes, treatment of the elderly, and so on...before doubling back again and discussing The Simpsons in general; and its cultural impact both in the US and abroad. Yes, Metallica is...

Erix is joined by Josh Fein, and they discuss “There’s No Disgrace Like Home,” which originally aired on January 28, 1990. There’s a lot to unpack in this episode, it seems… with its unusual portrayal of family therapy - climaxing in a scene so classic, it was featured as a prominent button in the summer blockbuster Die Hard 2. No, they don’t talk about Die Hard 2. But they do discuss the general development of The Simpsons, as well as its cultural impact. Far as bonus personal details?...

Erix is joined by Petrus (Pedro Pablo) Silón - lead singer of the Bolivian rock band Oz.  They discuss the rather forgotten episode "Homer's Odyssey," in which Homer goes into a funk after being humiliatingly fired in front of his son. But, after briefly contemplating suicide, he finds a new purpose in life - becoming a crusader for safety. It's an odd episode with a surprisingly dark and heavy emotional core for a sitcom, more so for a cartoon. It may not be a "classic," but it certainly...