Sorry for the rather long layover between videos, the sheer size of this video project (and doing holiday stuff) made this one take awhile. This ended up breaking my record for the longest video on this channel, so I hope you enjoy this super-sized Simpsons video for me. (Also I listened to waaaaaay too many winter-themed video game mixes for this thing. The soundtrack of this video is kind of ridiculous.)
Homer's speech about Police Academy is one of the funniest moments ever for me. "STEALING! How could you? Why do you think I took you to see all those Police Academy movies, FOR FUN? I DIDN'T HEAR ANYONE LAUGHING, DID YOU?" Absolutely brilliant.
With how much I was waiting for the "Honk" to occur at the end of Skinner's Sense of Snow review, I absolutely loved the long pause and abrupt cut of 20:46
I am very glad to hear this, as I debated right up to the upload time whether to keep it. I loved the joke but didn't know if people would put up with it 🤣
It’s weird that it took the Simpsons until season 7 to do another Christmas episode after Simpsons Roasting. It always felt like there were more inbetween
Back in the classic days, they didn't want to do another Christmas episode unless it was something that could stand against the first episode. Obviously they no longer worry about this.
Marge be not proud hits so hard. It gets me when he stands there and says “ Everybody thinks I'm the black sheep.. I'll show them what the black sheep can do”
Julie Kavner was fantastic in conveying Marge's deep sorrow that turning Bart's behavior around seems to be a lost cause. She's practically in mourning.
She managed to make the role more than just another funny voice. That’s why it’s a shame that she sounds like she’s having so much difficulty doing it now. She didn’t think she was going to be doing it indefinitely when she took the job.
When I was a kid my friends dared me to steal a candy bar from a store and the Try-N-Save episode is what made me scared to do it for some reason lol, I thought some old man was going to drag me onto the back of the store and yell at me if I did haha
I was pressured into a back room by a store detective about two years ago. I would have much preferred to prove to her right at the exit of the store that I had not stolen anything, but she insisted on going to that back room because "it would be more comfortable for everybody". That would have applied had I actually stolen anything, but I knew I hadn't and had to go with her to that back room and was seen by other customers. This was in a store in my neighbourhood where people I know and people I am very likely to run into repeatedly in the future live. Back there, she told me I'd "acted weirdly" as an excuse for why she'd thought I'd stolen something. The way she'd stopped me from exiting the store - using her store detective ID like some kind of magic barrier she help up right in front of my face - had definitely been an example of much weirder behaviour. I mean, she hadn't even said anything, just suddenly shown up right in front of me with her arm stretched out right at my face, store detective ID in hand. When I told her I wouldn't shop there anymore when actually leaving the store, she told me she didn't care.
The first Christmas special has a lot of heart to it, and I think that's one of the reasons people love it so much. For a second, I thought it was going to be #1 but I agree with the choice that was.
@@therealmrmago9077 Well at the time it was the best looking of the episodes and I think it was the most polished of the first season. and of course, the series started around Christmas too.
It’s kind of weird how the classic era only has 2-3 Christmas specials (depending how you count season 9) when nearly every post-classic season has one. I mean, a Christmas special is how the series started!
I don’t think it’s weird, just a shift in the show’s direction. Growing up during the Golden Years, I always thought it made perfect sense to only have one solitary Christmas special, because that’s exactly what it was supposed to be: a one-off special (as opposed to an annual commitment like Treehouse of Horror). Then they decided to do Marge Be Not Proud in S7 because a long time had passed and they thought it was a really good story that was worth telling, and I’m very glad they did. This may be because the showrunners of Seasons 2-6 knew that the quality level was so high that they felt they didn’t need to pander to the Christmas TV market as much, and also they were reluctant to steal any nostalgic thunder from their first ever episode. As years went by, the show became increasingly more desperate to claw back ratings so they then felt the need for “more Christmas specials! More random celebrities! More songs!” So now it’s basically an annual thing and therefore no longer “special” in the traditional sense. (I’m not basing this on anything, just a speculation!)
@@alexneill130 Mike Scully hit it big with his first holiday special but doing 3 almost in a row seems a bit much, even if the latter 2 are one of the better ones.
I guess they just didn't have that many Christmas episode ideas in the classic years, and when the show kept going, looking for ideas the creators started also adding more Christmas episodes.
@@chrisrj9871 And that came from a time when video game references were actually pretty rare. The best part is, the Lego Dimensions game actually makes a callback to that appearance. If Sonic interacts with Bart, Sonic actually says the "takeittakeittakeit." line.
I think the reason I’m drawn to your channel so much is the overall positivity in your reviews. It seems like most “critic” channels are just always focused on the bad stuff, “when ___ show died” or “why this show is terrible”, etc., but you give reviews without feeling the need to be really critical and point out everything that isn’t perfect, and I think that it’s very refreshing
I always rank grift of the magi as one of my favorites. The part where Gary Coleman is on the phone and Lisa goes “it’s not even plugged in” gets me everytime
Skinner's Sense of Snow is the best. It's the most quotable, and most memorable. I stopped watching the show in 2008, so all these high-def episodes passed me by.
"Special shout out to Richard Kind, who should probably be in every animated everything" Considering he's in Big Mouth, I think this was a Monkey's Paw wish.
Miracle on Evergreen Terrace has always made me super uncomfortable. There was a point in my life where I would always watch a Simpsons episode on cable if it ranged anywhere from season 2-15, but that was one I generally tried to avoid when I could. Marge Be Not Proud had a similar effect, but at least there the discomfort has a purpose, and it gets you with that heartfelt ending.
I just rewatched Miracle on Evergreen Terrace this weekend, and after the tv crew shows up I didn’t like it. It’s just the tree burning down on accident and then every thing that could get worse gets worse. Having the town just come and rob the Simpsons in the end was so sad that it’s hard to really see the bright side in the end.
I kinda hated it too, it didn't really feel like 'dark humour', which I am generally a big fan of, it just felt sadistic and mean spirited for no reason.
It's the rare Simpsons episode with a TV-G rating, so I'm temped to believe it was all a deliberate meta prank. Like Homer's Enemy or The Principal And The Pauper.
@@caitlinmccloud7431 I kinda thought the town going 'Aww we can't stay mad at them, we'll just loot our money's worth of stuff and call it even' at least kinda crossed the line into absurdity, though yeah, most of the episode beforehand was rather uncomfortable. It is a 'liar revealed' plot with upped mean spiritedness after all. In fact all three of the earliest specials revolve around a deception of some kind, though at least the first one was something out of Homer's control. It's not just all building up to everyone realising this horrible thing he did.
Yeah, Miracle and n Evergreen Terrace and Marge be not Proud are easily one of the meanest episodes of The Simpsons. I also greatly dislike Homer they Fall, mainly because Bart gets beat up by Jimbo and the gang and has something stolen from him and they get no karmic comeuppance.
i'm glad we are on the same page about marge be not proud being one of, if not the best simpsons episode. the whole thing is just so damn well-written and has such great and effective symbolism throughout. absolute favorite part when bart is feeling guilty and trying to hide the security footage from marge and stands in front of the tv while the footage of him stealing plays on a loop on a wall full of tvs behind him
I think putting the original Christmas special high up is exactly where it belongs. When I think about Simpsons and Christmas, that's the episode that comes to mind. It just shows a heart to the characters that we haven't seen in a long, long time because it's been explored so thoroughly. Other Christmas specials in the series might be better in objective ways, but that episode is one that has aged like fine wine.
The Funzoa doll chokes out Krusty the Clown doll. Priceless maybe somebody should have set that Krusty the Clown doll to evils so it could have had a fighting chance.
Manger Things is a fine episode for Modern Simpsons, but one surreal detail I can never get over is the fact that Lisa has already been born in a story about Todd's birth. Of course the Simpsons breaks open their own continuity all the time and I always did feel like Todd was supposed to be younger than Lisa, but this continuity shift feels extra strange since the classic episode about Lisa's birth features Bart having to stay with both Rod and Todd (Who could forget the iconic "Iron helps us play!" line?) It doesn't impact the quality of the story much, but surreal details like this are why I almost have to view Modern Simpsons as a reboot for a show that was never cancelled, rather than a continuation of the same series.
That is a weird detail. Todd is supposed to be Bart's age isn't he? Is he in the same 4th grade class? The mini golf episode and Lemon of Troy always sort of set the idea that Todd is Bart's age to me.
After reading through these comments, I’m surprised at how polarizing Miracle On Evergreen Terrace is. Personally, I’m in the “it’s terrible” camp, but just for how strongly people seem to feel about it, I’d love to see an Extra Seconds review of it. Thanks again for another great video, Jims! Marge Be Not Proud is one of my all-time favorite episodes too, mainly because I grew up (and still am) a momma’s boy who still feels bad for all the times I let her down.
i was really surprised too, as it would be in my top 5 xmas episodes, with the exception of the dog pov episode, the s9 wrting/acting in general is just better than the later hd seasons. what makes it a terible episode for you?
I didn’t mind MOET so much when it was new, but the one thing about it that bugged me is that it depicts the gameplay of *Jeopardy!* inaccurately. There is no way Marge would have been allowed to play Final Jeopardy if she was in the red. They violated the rules of the game for the sake of the plot. There were still some very funny lines, though, especially the conversation between Sideshow Mel and Apu.
@@Attmay "There is no way Marge would have been allowed to play Final Jeopardy if she was in the red" That's the Rule of Funny. It's a rule every piece of fiction with any kind of humor follows. Like the Twin Towers being parallel in some scenes so that Homer could witness his car being fined from the top floor, or Nick being able to swap someone's arms and feet and the victim being able to use them with dexterity despite that being impossible. Needless to say, this isn't a thing unique to MOET.
@@comradesXcosmos "what makes it a terible episode for you?" I can't speak for them, but in all probability, it's likely the episode being sadistic and having no real emotional payoff. It was written like an episode of South Park, though most South Park festive episodes tend to end on more satisfying notes than whatever this episode aimed for. Frankly, the family chasing a rag around the house felt more appropriate for a scene to close a second act than an ending, which is just really jarring and not indicative of how good the writers supposedly were. It's like we watched the first half of a longer episode and we never got the second. Marge Be Not Proud is a similar episode and doesn't spend much time _not_ being sad, but it still stuck the landing with a proper payoff instead of ending abruptly and blowing off the need to cap the events off properly. There are many examples of The Simpsons resetting the world after each episode, but this episode was the first time the status quo ever felt like an excuse from the writers to not write a proper ending for the episode.
The older I get, the more I appreciate Season 1. It's just so charming and soulful, even if it's not laugh out loud hilarious yet. "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" is definitely my #2 Christmas episode as well... and not for nostalgia's sake.
I didn't have access to the earlier seasons until I'd already watched most of the classic Simpsons episodes, so I hope I come across as 100% genuine when I say that Series 1 blows some of the golden and middle age seasons out the water, and that focusing on the drama more than the comedy gives it an edge none of the other seasons have and a look at the characters we don't see anywhere else. I'm really not sure where people are coming from when they deduct points just for being a little rough.
Christmas special Miracle on Evergreen Terrace. When those two kids that have tuberculosis. Told Bart they donated to their family their Christmas savings. And Bart was like I don't like where this is going. And of course when he melted the Christmas tree and was like fresh pure snow covers up everything.
That scene of Homer walking outside his house and looking at The Flanders' house, then back to his own then looking at the ground in disappointment... One of the most subtley emotional moments ever.
"It's a misunderstanding plot but the ending treats it as a Homer atonement story" - this is a perfect explanation for why I dislike the chilli episode too
Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire always makes me cry. Heck, I started to tear up just during the description in this video. Don't you dare apologize for ranking it well!
Over the years I've learned to appreciate Skinner's Sense of Snow. He slaps his Wille around and asks Nibbles to chew through his ball sack. Classic holiday fun!
Unpopular opinion: I think Miracle on Evergreen Terrace is a hilarious episode with an ending that, while maybe a bit full-on with the bitterness, captures the core idea of the series; a true dysfunctional family who manage to hold together despite not achieving the idealistic American life. Would've made for a great finale.
I like when Bart's two sons were like, oh do we have to stay with Dad, it smells like dog but there is no dog. Bart was like you do know I can hear you during transfer.
I saw Marge be not proud for the first time this year and I'm not going to lie, when Bart asks milhouse's mom to tell him he's good i burst into tears right there.
I absolutely love Skinner's Sense of Snow. My girlfriend who has only seen some Simpson's episodes watched it with me for the first time last december and she loved it to. She also agrees with me that it mostly feels like an earlier season episode.
As an atheist who loves Christmas to give their family presents, I really appreciate how the Simpsons handles the idea of what Christmas as a holiday as what it means to a family without the religious stuff that makes ill the entire month of December.
Skinner's Sense of Snow would have been a great episode to end the show on. It’s like poetry, starts with Christmas, ends with Christmas, and last really funny episode to boot.
I think one of my favourite things about Marge Be Not Proud is the DVD commentary's description of working with Lawrence Tierney, even for his age being a pretty intimidating guy, and them struggling with him not understanding the zany meta jokes he's delivering. They mention actually having to get Julie Kavner to record lines for him to play off despite the joke being that marge didn't even answer and he's talking to the answering machine as if someone did.
Marge Be Not Proud is one of those episodes that ALWAYS makes me tear up a little no matter how many times I watch it. Had no doubt that it'd make the top of this list
An interest list, Jim. However, I do have a question for you... have you ever did a Sideshow Bob episode ranking video on your channel? If not, I totally recommend it. Great video tier list, dude. Ho, ho, doh Merry Christmas! 😁👍🎄❤
I really love the opening to this video. How the images sync up to the great music and the grandsons energy that you give with the list of Christmas episodes. And that ending where all the episode appear one after another with the video title coming in soon after, and the music continuing on for the next segment, perfect. And nice layout of the images themselves, always changing it up and avoiding the whole thing from becoming stale.
I get that floating timeline, but in Manger Things Bart would have to be younger than TH-cam. Seeing the Simpsons in a post-90s settings will never not be weird to me. Also, it aired in March?!
Modern Simpsons might have good episodes, but it will never not be creepy when watching them to think Bart's been in the 4th grade for a third of a century. Give Bart a break, I really hope they fuck the status quo one day.
We had a fire on our farm a couple years ago that burnt down one of our barns and it was a month before Christmas that year and because of that Miracle On Evergreen Terrace has been a hard episode for me to watch since but I do appreciate it because The Simpsons always been one of my favorite shows to watch to take my mind off real life
A bit weird putting an episode about Dog psychology before Christmas favourites like Miracle on Evergreen Terrace, Skinners Sense of Snow, Tis The Fifteenth Season but I just prefer episodes that are more old school writing and more Xmassy, instead of episodes that are just set at Xmas but not actually about Christmas! Still I enjoyed watching your list all the same thanks for making it! x
"I'll warn you, there's a Baby Shark reference in this." You say that, but I still think of "Play this at my funeral!" every month. It's just permanently stuck with me.
So has anyone noticed the sheer amount of Christmas episodes that have been in the past decade alone? Seriously, it's like half of all the ones the Simpsons have done and I'm sure it'll become over half very shortly. It reached a point where they faked us out with the Hallmark episode because it aired in December - which I thought was the one for last season, and it technically was, yet they *still* managed to do another one with Manger Things - which aired in *March!* 6:17 Also somehow that gag never gets old or something
Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire will always be my favorite of the Christmas episodes. I loved this one so much. It always brings a smile to my face, and gives me that warm tingly feeling inside that Christmas brings.
Interesting how Marge Be Not Proud, Miracle on Evergreen Terrace, Grift of the Magi and 'Tis the Fifteenth Season all have stealing as a crucial plot element. Associating Christmas with theft seems to have been a recurring theme in the show. Even the first episode has Homer stealing a Christmas tree.
I'm really liking the direction you are going Jims, I like these top/ranking episodes. Also, Marge be Not Proud is my favourite Simpsons episode ever, no competition.
Thank you for this great rundown of the christmas episodes. I just watched "Way of The Dog". It's interesting because it actually feels like a modern retelling of "Bart's Dog Gets An F".
I was a little scared about the placement of Marge Be Not Proud on this list, only because I grew up in fear of my mother and the disobedience therein, Bart's theft and subsequent disappointment of his mother hits just a bit too hard with me, so I can never enjoy this episode. I'll grow up soon, I promise. And Lee Carvalo's Putting Challenge is a great joke.
I’m ngl I think I won’t be home for Christmas is my favourite, whenever I think abt rewatching the Christmas episodes every year it’s always that or skinners sense of snow that pops in my head, it’s just a vibe and makes me feel nice idk
I'm glad to see "Holidays of Future Passed" so high on your list. Of all the post-classic Simpsons episodes, I think I've re-watched this one the most times.😁
Do a Simpson mysteries episode going over firearms in Springfield. Why do so many people own guns? Where could they be getting them other than Blood Bath and Beyond or Herman? How did Moe fire 3 shots out of a double barrel coach gun?
Marge be not proud is one of the only simpson episodes to make me cry, I saw it as a kid and it hit super hard with the fear of peer pressure, stealing, letting down your mother and was scarily relatable with the fixation on a new game and desperation for it, like it's super funny and has some of my all time favourite jokes (Lee Carvello's putting challenge alone is incredible) but the emotional scenes always hit so much it's such an artistic simpson episode :)
Really glad you put this list together, i remember always having trouble keeping track of which episodes counted as christmas episodes. Even disney plus doesnt categorize all these as such
i had a rlly fun time rewatching these episodes as you went through the your ranking, it was a neat little holiday activity - to go thru and see what my impression of the episodes were before hearing your take. i mostly stick to seasons 1-9, so half of these were ones i’d never seen at all, and it was kind of heartwarming in and of itself to watch a newer simpsons episode that didn’t suck.
I actually ended up watching ‘Way of the Dog’ and ‘A Springfield Summer Christmas for Christmas’ because of this video and I was genuinely surprised about how much I enjoyed them.
I realized something about the episode “Team Homer”, been wanting to share it. That episode makes the unintentional point that the devil is more powerful than God. We know that Mr. Burns “credits his long life to Satan”, and that the “Holy Rollers” team can count on God himself to intervene when needed. Yet, Burns’ team wins in the end, much to the shock of the “Holy Rollers”. Just something I noticed.
I think my favorite joke in Marge Be Not Proud is Homer saying "I don't remember saying that!" when looking at the family photos, lol i laugh every time
I can say, while people, apparently, are disappointed at large at "Manger Things" and Maude & Homer's moment bothers some, I found it interesting at part conceptually, with its effort in defining Maude's character retroactively and pinpoint the core of her and Ned's personal dynamic, it offered convincing version of it, Maude being no-nonsense person who puts up with her husband's eccentricity for most part because of genuine love he brings her. (Plus, here was thay additional lore considering Maggie's second name, which I wonder if will be brounght up again and given closer inspection, considering Christmas eps may exist in their own pocket dimensions.) "Tis the 15th Season" is another which, while mediocre on scale of "great", both in sense of Simpsons ep and Christmas special, I've found one that pretty rewatchable, and maintains some level of proper Christmassy feeling about it (in the sense, other Christmas TV specials generally do), and I appreciate that meta angle, which is not so far from Classic Simpsons Christmas Special, which also explicitly called out traditional tropes. Not having to go through Christmas Carol routine or spoof, but making Homer's "redemption" being established quickly and then letting his misdirected shenanigans ensue is pretty clever. "Bobby, It's Cold Outside" is one I was sceptical about, mostly because I foung all latest contributions to titular character not exactly positive and worthy. This is still not very decent SB episode, but not falling to lower-than-average level, just run-of-the-mill one, but as Christmas episode with inclusion of Bob, it's not bad, and first direct interaction between two major villains of the series has mildly compelling ending. I have to rewatch it to sum my opinion on it properly, but among the recent Christmas episodes it's kind of stand out one. "The Way of The Dog" is another from S31 I just caught one viewing so far, but all and all I liked it, and tie-in with very last episode didn't feel strained. I generally liked going through that season and got impression it managed to balance typical Simpsons surreal hijinks with some down-to-earth matter in good proportion, and I enjoyed most of it. TWOTD is good capper for it. And then, I'm probably in absolute minority (among those who tolerate HD seasons, at least) by not ranking "Holidays of Future Passed" that high. Too much distraction with futuristic jokes (and some unrelated nonsense for padding) before actually focusing on the family, and I consiser too manipulative move to making basically everyone miserable in future (expect, I guess, Maggie? even then, she, probably, dumps her clearly accidental child on grandparents afterwards and goes back touring), just to bring up family matters. Scene of Lisa and Bart finding solace in sibling love is nice, but unresonably making their own family lives dreadful for that was unnecessary and unfair (especially for Bart for whom modern series seems to lose any respect to my chagrin). One thing I admire about it is briefly shown evolution of Homer into lovable grandpa, but that's about it, really. And it demonstrates why Simpsons Christmas Special aka first ever episode by chance is working so well and gives great introduction to the characters: they not quite have their lifes together, and attempts in having neat comfortable family time results in blunder, but they're good-intended enough to earn their unconventional happiness. The ending is actually hopeful and reassuring without trying too hard, and it helped for series to get its start and blossom. Additionally, first time I've seen it was during our own family holiday going slightly awry, so I've felt compassion for the characters and also realised Simpsons can be wholesome and likable compared to what I've seen before it of them as a child)) And I also conflicted on "Marge Be Not Proud": it's strong classic one, with a lot of jokes that memorable and sharply executed, but when it boils down to its "heart", it'd quite frustrating, on par with "Life On The Fast Lane" to me, out of all classic episodes, primarily because of Marge/Bart conflict. I can't but see mother neglectful and barely knowing how to handle her child, and then pulling "surprised Pikachu" because he ended not raised properly, and starting ostracize him out of helplessness. Given it's first episode examining her relationship with son, it gives upsetting picture. Despite that pairing getting focus very sparcely on the show (apparently, writers struggle with writing material for two), I feel like "Bart The Mother" gives them more compelling and powerful portrayal as mother-child duo, and in less time. Plus, knowing it's Scully/Jean episode and how their contribution to the series affected Bart's character, it's even more depressing seeing that snowmen scene as apt presentation of Bart's place in family dynamic for following years. Out of all these, one I'm yet to see is Hallmark spoof, so I'm going to see for myself how it turns, concept is quite curious. Add to list of "watch first" in my catching up with recent season.
I'm surprised (pleasantly) that Grift of the Magi rated so highly. I like it, but most other people seem to hate it, so nice to see SOMEONE other than me likes it
Glad to see The Way of the Dog got so much love here, definitely deserves the spot you gave it - it was a real surprise one for me when I watched, genuinely got me teary at several points (even if it was almost a little cheap at times... you can't make the dog THAT sad!!, he's a good boy and did nothing wrong!!). Being the season finale as well, it was also a little heartwrenching in the sense that another "as perfect a final episode as we might get" has passed us by, what with it being a direct sequel to the very first episode. I will say the Hallmark parody episode was good, but as someone who HASN'T seen those movies (only absorbed what they're like through other parodies and cutural osmosis) I definitely wouldn't rank it in the top 10. I'd also definitely put the anthology with the Muppets section dead last at 20. It's one of my least favourite episodes, literally only had one joke in it that made me laugh (the "I pooped my pants!" bit... for the hilarious immaturity of the propaganda filmmakers I mean, not the line itself!) and the entire muppets segment is uncomfortable from start to finish. No disagreements with your top 3 whatsoever though. I put the first episode on while decorating my christmas tree this year and the warm fuzzies were overwhelming. But I immediately had to sit down and watch Marge Be Not Proud afterwards because of just how dang good it is.
"I highly recommend Way of the Dog" Okay! >watches Way of the Dog >cries What I really love about Way of the Dog is that they could've very easily gone down a dark route, but they didn't; they actually had the courage to make a genuinely happy ending. I really hope Santa's Mom becomes a recurring character from now on. I know she was in the latest episode (which AFAIK is Mother and Other Strangers, which I've also just watched and is also very good), but it would be so nice to see her as a new face in the Simpsons family. And yes I'm aware of the irony of suggesting a dog as a new Simpsons character =P
Kill Gil always bothered me because of how a whole year passed. I get that you could make several cases where single episodes take up months of in-show-time and we shouldn't think about it. Not to mention, assuming that some episodes take place in the same time frame, adding up every episode would mean Bart & Lisa would have to be in their twenties, by now. Still, there is just something off about a whole year going by in "Simpsons-Time". Its like Ash Ketch'em is always ten, despite all his adventures but then having an episode in which Ash & friends are stuck somewhere, for a year. It just kind of urks me, for some reason.
It's hardly the worst example of them doing that. All's Fair in Oven War just abuses the fact it took an entire year to remodel the kitchen for a lame throwaway joke that didn't further the story. And I think it also made Bart's odd Playdude magazine obsession B-Plot last an entire year as well. At least Kill Gill was ambitious in having an entire year pass as an integral plot point.
There was that short film that was shown with the third Pokémon movie where Ash states it has been a year since he and Pikachu met. However, theres an argument that it should be seen as its own thing, separate from the series. But then there's also Professor Burnet who's pregnant in the end of Sun & Moon and in Journeys is shown to be a mother to a kid that seems to be about the same age as Maggie.
The other day I was picking a bunch of Christmas specials and episodes of various shows for when my son visits this weekend. For Simpsons "Marge Be Not Proud" was my pick, too.
The whole *"Homer gets kicked out of the house for events outside of his control or fault"* reminds me of the *"Marge Amnesia"* episode where, again, Marge kicks Homer out because she cannot remember who he is (after she gives herself Amnesia from breathing in toxic cleaning chemicals and passing out), and apparently that justifies her kicking Homer out of HIS house - until she magically remembers who he is because Beer is mentioned.
I always loved Maggies Star coat its so cute and ridiculously impracticable doesn't fail to get a chuckle out of me, Merry Christmas and Happy holidays to all.
Just when i think there isnt any more quality, interesting Simpsons content for a jaded Family Guy enjoyer you go and post something like this. Excellent content, Thank you and merry Christmas.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 82 วันนี้!! คู่เอก | ยอดไอคิว vs อับดัลลาห์](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/hSsyTl_9bqs/mqdefault.jpg)
Sorry for the rather long layover between videos, the sheer size of this video project (and doing holiday stuff) made this one take awhile. This ended up breaking my record for the longest video on this channel, so I hope you enjoy this super-sized Simpsons video for me.
(Also I listened to waaaaaay too many winter-themed video game mixes for this thing. The soundtrack of this video is kind of ridiculous.)
You good
The effort put into this one is clear to see. Thanks for making these!
Quality over quantity, especially when I can rewatch all your older videos on repeat and still enjoy them
Your time on this shows in the intro alone. It’s all good.
No need to apologise lol, merry Christmas
Homer's speech about Police Academy is one of the funniest moments ever for me.
"STEALING! How could you? Why do you think I took you to see all those Police Academy movies, FOR FUN? I DIDN'T HEAR ANYONE LAUGHING, DID YOU?"
Absolutely brilliant.
Where was I? Oh yeah, stay outta my booze.
Abso-positiva-lutely neighborino
Haven't you learned anything from that guy who gives sermons at church, Captain what's his name?!
"We live in a society of LAWS!"
That line has some prime real estate in my head.
With how much I was waiting for the "Honk" to occur at the end of Skinner's Sense of Snow review, I absolutely loved the long pause and abrupt cut of 20:46
Same that really cracked me up
I am very glad to hear this, as I debated right up to the upload time whether to keep it. I loved the joke but didn't know if people would put up with it 🤣
@@TheRealJims I think in the end you made the right choice, lol
Love the honk!
@@TheRealJims I did it simultaneously with you (not realising you were going to do it). Nice little moment for me!
It’s weird that it took the Simpsons until season 7 to do another Christmas episode after Simpsons Roasting. It always felt like there were more inbetween
Back in the classic days, they didn't want to do another Christmas episode unless it was something that could stand against the first episode. Obviously they no longer worry about this.
As a kid, I used to consider Mr. Plow as a Christmas episode, just so I could have more Simpsons episodes to watch around the holiday season.
@@spongejoseandres anything with snow is fair game
especially if it’s actually ABOUT snow
Maybe they didn't want to confuse the timeline. So much for that.
Marge be not proud hits so hard. It gets me when he stands there and says “ Everybody thinks I'm the black sheep.. I'll show them what the black sheep can do”
Julie Kavner was fantastic in conveying Marge's deep sorrow that turning Bart's behavior around seems to be a lost cause. She's practically in mourning.
@@palaceofwisdom9448 Kavner and Cartwright were both at the top of their game here. Their performances were perfect.
It reminds me of when I shoplifted when I was 6. I stole Skittles and I had to return them. I haven't shoplifted since. In case any cops are watching.
@@palaceofwisdom9448 I really love how the family tries to make sense of this. It feels genuine.
She managed to make the role more than just another funny voice. That’s why it’s a shame that she sounds like she’s having so much difficulty doing it now. She didn’t think she was going to be doing it indefinitely when she took the job.
When I was a kid my friends dared me to steal a candy bar from a store and the Try-N-Save episode is what made me scared to do it for some reason lol, I thought some old man was going to drag me onto the back of the store and yell at me if I did haha
Good thing you didn't, or you would have to live through "Marge be not proud"
Oh, Sheheqazaramesh, will you ever learn?
I was pressured into a back room by a store detective about two years ago. I would have much preferred to prove to her right at the exit of the store that I had not stolen anything, but she insisted on going to that back room because "it would be more comfortable for everybody". That would have applied had I actually stolen anything, but I knew I hadn't and had to go with her to that back room and was seen by other customers. This was in a store in my neighbourhood where people I know and people I am very likely to run into repeatedly in the future live. Back there, she told me I'd "acted weirdly" as an excuse for why she'd thought I'd stolen something. The way she'd stopped me from exiting the store - using her store detective ID like some kind of magic barrier she help up right in front of my face - had definitely been an example of much weirder behaviour. I mean, she hadn't even said anything, just suddenly shown up right in front of me with her arm stretched out right at my face, store detective ID in hand. When I told her I wouldn't shop there anymore when actually leaving the store, she told me she didn't care.
@@camelopardalis84 sus ngl
@@camelopardalis84 Are you deleting your account to get rid of the evidence that you did steal something in that store two years ago?
The first Christmas special has a lot of heart to it, and I think that's one of the reasons people love it so much. For a second, I thought it was going to be #1 but I agree with the choice that was.
Sure it has heart but football in the groin has a football in the groin.
@@Cyril29a that is true.
there is a reason it was the episode they picked to be the first to air
@@therealmrmago9077 Well at the time it was the best looking of the episodes and I think it was the most polished of the first season. and of course, the series started around Christmas too.
Having a lot of heart is very suitable for a Christmas episode
It’s kind of weird how the classic era only has 2-3 Christmas specials (depending how you count season 9) when nearly every post-classic season has one.
I mean, a Christmas special is how the series started!
Season 9 is a good season in my opinion
I don’t think it’s weird, just a shift in the show’s direction.
Growing up during the Golden Years, I always thought it made perfect sense to only have one solitary Christmas special, because that’s exactly what it was supposed to be: a one-off special (as opposed to an annual commitment like Treehouse of Horror).
Then they decided to do Marge Be Not Proud in S7 because a long time had passed and they thought it was a really good story that was worth telling, and I’m very glad they did.
This may be because the showrunners of Seasons 2-6 knew that the quality level was so high that they felt they didn’t need to pander to the Christmas TV market as much, and also they were reluctant to steal any nostalgic thunder from their first ever episode.
As years went by, the show became increasingly more desperate to claw back ratings so they then felt the need for “more Christmas specials! More random celebrities! More songs!” So now it’s basically an annual thing and therefore no longer “special” in the traditional sense.
(I’m not basing this on anything, just a speculation!)
@@alexneill130 Mike Scully hit it big with his first holiday special but doing 3 almost in a row seems a bit much, even if the latter 2 are one of the better ones.
And only one of the post-classic ones is any good (Holidays of Future Past was quite enjoyable) so maybe they should have stuck to it.
I guess they just didn't have that many Christmas episode ideas in the classic years, and when the show kept going, looking for ideas the creators started also adding more Christmas episodes.
I like it when the Donkey Kong knockoff told Bart that it's the company's fault for making you want the game so much.
I went pretty crazy inside when the Sonic parody showed up.
_"Just takitakitakeit! TAKE IT!!!"_
@@chrisrj9871 And that came from a time when video game references were actually pretty rare. The best part is, the Lego Dimensions game actually makes a callback to that appearance. If Sonic interacts with Bart, Sonic actually says the "takeittakeittakeit." line.
...I think that was a Furby, not a Kong
@@jabber1990 He's referring to this:
th-cam.com/video/QcExdwkClEc/w-d-xo.html
@@chrisrj9871 I mean, it was the 90's, when Sonic was unironically the big competitor to Mario.
I think the reason I’m drawn to your channel so much is the overall positivity in your reviews. It seems like most “critic” channels are just always focused on the bad stuff, “when ___ show died” or “why this show is terrible”, etc., but you give reviews without feeling the need to be really critical and point out everything that isn’t perfect, and I think that it’s very refreshing
19:37: "I'm going to try to avoid repeating myself too much"
Very nicely done...don't think it went unnoticed!
I always rank grift of the magi as one of my favorites. The part where Gary Coleman is on the phone and Lisa goes “it’s not even plugged in” gets me everytime
That one traumatized me when I was like 7
Skinner's Sense of Snow is the best. It's the most quotable, and most memorable.
I stopped watching the show in 2008, so all these high-def episodes passed me by.
"Special shout out to Richard Kind, who should probably be in every animated everything"
Considering he's in Big Mouth, I think this was a Monkey's Paw wish.
Miracle on Evergreen Terrace has always made me super uncomfortable. There was a point in my life where I would always watch a Simpsons episode on cable if it ranged anywhere from season 2-15, but that was one I generally tried to avoid when I could. Marge Be Not Proud had a similar effect, but at least there the discomfort has a purpose, and it gets you with that heartfelt ending.
I just rewatched Miracle on Evergreen Terrace this weekend, and after the tv crew shows up I didn’t like it. It’s just the tree burning down on accident and then every thing that could get worse gets worse. Having the town just come and rob the Simpsons in the end was so sad that it’s hard to really see the bright side in the end.
I kinda hated it too, it didn't really feel like 'dark humour', which I am generally a big fan of, it just felt sadistic and mean spirited for no reason.
It's the rare Simpsons episode with a TV-G rating, so I'm temped to believe it was all a deliberate meta prank. Like Homer's Enemy or The Principal And The Pauper.
@@caitlinmccloud7431 I kinda thought the town going 'Aww we can't stay mad at them, we'll just loot our money's worth of stuff and call it even' at least kinda crossed the line into absurdity, though yeah, most of the episode beforehand was rather uncomfortable. It is a 'liar revealed' plot with upped mean spiritedness after all.
In fact all three of the earliest specials revolve around a deception of some kind, though at least the first one was something out of Homer's control. It's not just all building up to everyone realising this horrible thing he did.
Yeah, Miracle and n Evergreen Terrace and Marge be not Proud are easily one of the meanest episodes of The Simpsons. I also greatly dislike Homer they Fall, mainly because Bart gets beat up by Jimbo and the gang and has something stolen from him and they get no karmic comeuppance.
i'm glad we are on the same page about marge be not proud being one of, if not the best simpsons episode. the whole thing is just so damn well-written and has such great and effective symbolism throughout. absolute favorite part when bart is feeling guilty and trying to hide the security footage from marge and stands in front of the tv while the footage of him stealing plays on a loop on a wall full of tvs behind him
“That boys mother must have made some terrible mistakes…..”
“SHUT UP MOM!”
Underrated line! 😂
I think putting the original Christmas special high up is exactly where it belongs. When I think about Simpsons and Christmas, that's the episode that comes to mind. It just shows a heart to the characters that we haven't seen in a long, long time because it's been explored so thoroughly. Other Christmas specials in the series might be better in objective ways, but that episode is one that has aged like fine wine.
The Funzoa doll chokes out Krusty the Clown doll. Priceless maybe somebody should have set that Krusty the Clown doll to evils so it could have had a fighting chance.
Hows come frogurt never caught on?
From Krusty and M. Stacy's point of view it is a horror movie.
They need more horror cartoons.
That episode traumatized me when I was like 6 or 7,so I can't like it
Manger Things is a fine episode for Modern Simpsons, but one surreal detail I can never get over is the fact that Lisa has already been born in a story about Todd's birth. Of course the Simpsons breaks open their own continuity all the time and I always did feel like Todd was supposed to be younger than Lisa, but this continuity shift feels extra strange since the classic episode about Lisa's birth features Bart having to stay with both Rod and Todd (Who could forget the iconic "Iron helps us play!" line?) It doesn't impact the quality of the story much, but surreal details like this are why I almost have to view Modern Simpsons as a reboot for a show that was never cancelled, rather than a continuation of the same series.
That is a weird detail. Todd is supposed to be Bart's age isn't he? Is he in the same 4th grade class? The mini golf episode and Lemon of Troy always sort of set the idea that Todd is Bart's age to me.
Holidays of Future Passed should've have been the shows finale as originally intended
Better than the earlier intended finale of Behind The Laughter.
@@strawberrysoulforever8336 never knew that
After reading through these comments, I’m surprised at how polarizing Miracle On Evergreen Terrace is. Personally, I’m in the “it’s terrible” camp, but just for how strongly people seem to feel about it, I’d love to see an Extra Seconds review of it.
Thanks again for another great video, Jims! Marge Be Not Proud is one of my all-time favorite episodes too, mainly because I grew up (and still am) a momma’s boy who still feels bad for all the times I let her down.
i was really surprised too, as it would be in my top 5 xmas episodes, with the exception of the dog pov episode, the s9 wrting/acting in general is just better than the later hd seasons. what makes it a terible episode for you?
I always really enjoyed the episode
I didn’t mind MOET so much when it was new, but the one thing about it that bugged me is that it depicts the gameplay of *Jeopardy!* inaccurately. There is no way Marge would have been allowed to play Final Jeopardy if she was in the red. They violated the rules of the game for the sake of the plot. There were still some very funny lines, though, especially the conversation between Sideshow Mel and Apu.
@@Attmay "There is no way Marge would have been allowed to play Final Jeopardy if she was in the red"
That's the Rule of Funny. It's a rule every piece of fiction with any kind of humor follows. Like the Twin Towers being parallel in some scenes so that Homer could witness his car being fined from the top floor, or Nick being able to swap someone's arms and feet and the victim being able to use them with dexterity despite that being impossible. Needless to say, this isn't a thing unique to MOET.
@@comradesXcosmos "what makes it a terible episode for you?"
I can't speak for them, but in all probability, it's likely the episode being sadistic and having no real emotional payoff. It was written like an episode of South Park, though most South Park festive episodes tend to end on more satisfying notes than whatever this episode aimed for. Frankly, the family chasing a rag around the house felt more appropriate for a scene to close a second act than an ending, which is just really jarring and not indicative of how good the writers supposedly were. It's like we watched the first half of a longer episode and we never got the second.
Marge Be Not Proud is a similar episode and doesn't spend much time _not_ being sad, but it still stuck the landing with a proper payoff instead of ending abruptly and blowing off the need to cap the events off properly. There are many examples of The Simpsons resetting the world after each episode, but this episode was the first time the status quo ever felt like an excuse from the writers to not write a proper ending for the episode.
The older I get, the more I appreciate Season 1. It's just so charming and soulful, even if it's not laugh out loud hilarious yet. "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" is definitely my #2 Christmas episode as well... and not for nostalgia's sake.
I didn't have access to the earlier seasons until I'd already watched most of the classic Simpsons episodes, so I hope I come across as 100% genuine when I say that Series 1 blows some of the golden and middle age seasons out the water, and that focusing on the drama more than the comedy gives it an edge none of the other seasons have and a look at the characters we don't see anywhere else. I'm really not sure where people are coming from when they deduct points just for being a little rough.
Christmas special Miracle on Evergreen Terrace. When those two kids that have tuberculosis. Told Bart they donated to their family their Christmas savings. And Bart was like I don't like where this is going. And of course when he melted the Christmas tree and was like fresh pure snow covers up everything.
"Snow covers everything, pure white snow."
That scene of Homer walking outside his house and looking at The Flanders' house, then back to his own then looking at the ground in disappointment... One of the most subtley emotional moments ever.
Unpopular opinion: Miracle on Evergreen Terrace is a guilty pleasure of mine.
I agree. It's one of my favorite episodes.
Simpsons fandom has left me feeling guilty about finding any episodes funny after a certain point.
"It's a misunderstanding plot but the ending treats it as a Homer atonement story" - this is a perfect explanation for why I dislike the chilli episode too
Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire always makes me cry. Heck, I started to tear up just during the description in this video. Don't you dare apologize for ranking it well!
Over the years I've learned to appreciate Skinner's Sense of Snow. He slaps his Wille around and asks Nibbles to chew through his ball sack.
Classic holiday fun!
Unpopular opinion: I think Miracle on Evergreen Terrace is a hilarious episode with an ending that, while maybe a bit full-on with the bitterness, captures the core idea of the series; a true dysfunctional family who manage to hold together despite not achieving the idealistic American life. Would've made for a great finale.
I like when Bart's two sons were like, oh do we have to stay with Dad, it smells like dog but there is no dog. Bart was like you do know I can hear you during transfer.
I saw Marge be not proud for the first time this year and I'm not going to lie, when Bart asks milhouse's mom to tell him he's good i burst into tears right there.
"Holidays of Futures Passed" is sooooo underrated!
I absolutely love Skinner's Sense of Snow. My girlfriend who has only seen some Simpson's episodes watched it with me for the first time last december and she loved it to.
She also agrees with me that it mostly feels like an earlier season episode.
I'm shocked how low Miracle on the Evergreen Terrace is. It's my favorite Xmas special
Marge Be Not Proud is in my top 10 favorite episodes, top 5 on a good day. Ending never fails to get me emotional.
As an atheist who loves Christmas to give their family presents, I really appreciate how the Simpsons handles the idea of what Christmas as a holiday as what it means to a family without the religious stuff that makes ill the entire month of December.
Yeah even if im not of the same beliefs as my family I can still spend time with them.
Skinner's Sense of Snow would have been a great episode to end the show on. It’s like poetry, starts with Christmas, ends with Christmas, and last really funny episode to boot.
I’ll always have a soft spot for Simpsons Christmas Stories because I’ll always have a soft spot for The Nutcracker.
yeah same...
Same lol
I think one of my favourite things about Marge Be Not Proud is the DVD commentary's description of working with Lawrence Tierney, even for his age being a pretty intimidating guy, and them struggling with him not understanding the zany meta jokes he's delivering. They mention actually having to get Julie Kavner to record lines for him to play off despite the joke being that marge didn't even answer and he's talking to the answering machine as if someone did.
Marge Be Not Proud is one of those episodes that ALWAYS makes me tear up a little no matter how many times I watch it. Had no doubt that it'd make the top of this list
An interest list, Jim. However, I do have a question for you... have you ever did a Sideshow Bob episode ranking video on your channel? If not, I totally recommend it. Great video tier list, dude. Ho, ho, doh Merry Christmas! 😁👍🎄❤
I feel like he did that already with the Sideshow Bob history vid where he covered how he felt about the episodes during that one.
I really love the opening to this video. How the images sync up to the great music and the grandsons energy that you give with the list of Christmas episodes. And that ending where all the episode appear one after another with the video title coming in soon after, and the music continuing on for the next segment, perfect. And nice layout of the images themselves, always changing it up and avoiding the whole thing from becoming stale.
These videos have always been very comforting to listen to and to watch, the stellar editing and music choice really brings it home.
Using one of my favorite FF tracks as the BGM to one of my favorite Christmas specials of all time? You, sir, are a sir.
I get that floating timeline, but in Manger Things Bart would have to be younger than TH-cam. Seeing the Simpsons in a post-90s settings will never not be weird to me. Also, it aired in March?!
So I'm not the only one who noticed Lisa was before Tod in this
Modern Simpsons might have good episodes, but it will never not be creepy when watching them to think Bart's been in the 4th grade for a third of a century.
Give Bart a break, I really hope they fuck the status quo one day.
My #1 is Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire one of my favorite Christmas Specials of all time
We had a fire on our farm a couple years ago that burnt down one of our barns and it was a month before Christmas that year and because of that Miracle On Evergreen Terrace has been a hard episode for me to watch since but I do appreciate it because The Simpsons always been one of my favorite shows to watch to take my mind off real life
A bit weird putting an episode about Dog psychology before Christmas favourites like Miracle on Evergreen Terrace, Skinners Sense of Snow, Tis The Fifteenth Season but I just prefer episodes that are more old school writing and more Xmassy, instead of episodes that are just set at Xmas but not actually about Christmas! Still I enjoyed watching your list all the same thanks for making it! x
Fun fact: Marge Be Not Proud got me into Sonic the Hegehog.
Just take it!
…. TAKE IT TAKE IT TAKE IT!!!
Take it!
"I'll warn you, there's a Baby Shark reference in this." You say that, but I still think of "Play this at my funeral!" every month. It's just permanently stuck with me.
Seiken Densetsu 3, Lufia 2, Final Fantasy VIII...loving all these JRPG musical references just as much as the video itself!
The one where Bart steals the video game has real heart to it. That’s peak Simpsons and it’s my #1 Christmas episode too.
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So has anyone noticed the sheer amount of Christmas episodes that have been in the past decade alone? Seriously, it's like half of all the ones the Simpsons have done and I'm sure it'll become over half very shortly. It reached a point where they faked us out with the Hallmark episode because it aired in December - which I thought was the one for last season, and it technically was, yet they *still* managed to do another one with Manger Things - which aired in *March!*
6:17 Also somehow that gag never gets old or something
Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire will always be my favorite of the Christmas episodes. I loved this one so much. It always brings a smile to my face, and gives me that warm tingly feeling inside that Christmas brings.
Interesting how Marge Be Not Proud, Miracle on Evergreen Terrace, Grift of the Magi and 'Tis the Fifteenth Season all have stealing as a crucial plot element. Associating Christmas with theft seems to have been a recurring theme in the show. Even the first episode has Homer stealing a Christmas tree.
*What’s Happening!!* and *Diff’rent Strokes* (coincidentally) already did it.
I'm really liking the direction you are going Jims, I like these top/ranking episodes.
Also, Marge be Not Proud is my favourite Simpsons episode ever, no competition.
TheRealJims, I don't use the word "hero" very often but Nibbles the hamster is the greatest hero in American history.
Thank you for this great rundown of the christmas episodes. I just watched "Way of The Dog". It's interesting because it actually feels like a modern retelling of "Bart's Dog Gets An F".
Marge Be Not Proud, Grift of the Magi, Skinner's Sense of Snow and Tis the 15th Season have always been my favorite Simpsons Christmas episodes.
Same
Surprised how many newer episodes ranked above Miracle on Evergreen Terrace. But yes, I agree that Marge Be Not Proud absolutely deserves #1.
A lot of people don't like that episode. I'm not too surprised.
I was a little scared about the placement of Marge Be Not Proud on this list, only because I grew up in fear of my mother and the disobedience therein, Bart's theft and subsequent disappointment of his mother hits just a bit too hard with me, so I can never enjoy this episode.
I'll grow up soon, I promise. And Lee Carvalo's Putting Challenge is a great joke.
Side Note: I always love this channel's use of OCRemix for music. The opening track is a particular Christmas Favorite of mine.
I love Maggie's star snow-suit. She looks so cute!
What an awesome Intro, I got goosebumps a little.
I’m ngl I think I won’t be home for Christmas is my favourite, whenever I think abt rewatching the Christmas episodes every year it’s always that or skinners sense of snow that pops in my head, it’s just a vibe and makes me feel nice idk
Happy Holidays TheRealJims!
Nothing will ever be cool about Baby Shark.
I'm glad to see "Holidays of Future Passed" so high on your list. Of all the post-classic Simpsons episodes, I think I've re-watched this one the most times.😁
Marge be not proud is one of my all time favourites. Glad to see it on top
Do a Simpson mysteries episode going over firearms in Springfield. Why do so many people own guns? Where could they be getting them other than Blood Bath and Beyond or Herman? How did Moe fire 3 shots out of a double barrel coach gun?
Say "please", manners
Because that’s America
Marge be not proud is one of the only simpson episodes to make me cry, I saw it as a kid and it hit super hard with the fear of peer pressure, stealing, letting down your mother and was scarily relatable with the fixation on a new game and desperation for it, like it's super funny and has some of my all time favourite jokes (Lee Carvello's putting challenge alone is incredible) but the emotional scenes always hit so much it's such an artistic simpson episode :)
I remember being a little kid and dad putting on Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire on the VCR and it just feels like Christmas.
Bobby, It's Cold Outside is the second best Christmas episode, with Holidays of Futures Passed beating it slightly for me.
Really glad you put this list together, i remember always having trouble keeping track of which episodes counted as christmas episodes. Even disney plus doesnt categorize all these as such
i had a rlly fun time rewatching these episodes as you went through the your ranking, it was a neat little holiday activity - to go thru and see what my impression of the episodes were before hearing your take. i mostly stick to seasons 1-9, so half of these were ones i’d never seen at all, and it was kind of heartwarming in and of itself to watch a newer simpsons episode that didn’t suck.
Loved the "is he gonna do the honk thing" moment!
The camp granada bit is one of my favourite simpsons jokes ever
I actually ended up watching ‘Way of the Dog’ and ‘A Springfield Summer Christmas for Christmas’ because of this video and I was genuinely surprised about how much I enjoyed them.
You've done it again Jim's. Merry Christmas! Your content is the tops!
Glad you picked some modern episodes for us to look at as we open presents or celebrate the winter holidays together.
Happy anniversary to the Simpsons
I realized something about the episode “Team Homer”, been wanting to share it. That episode makes the unintentional point that the devil is more powerful than God. We know that Mr. Burns “credits his long life to Satan”, and that the “Holy Rollers” team can count on God himself to intervene when needed. Yet, Burns’ team wins in the end, much to the shock of the “Holy Rollers”. Just something I noticed.
Oh, wow. I never thought about that.
I think my favorite joke in Marge Be Not Proud is Homer saying "I don't remember saying that!" when looking at the family photos, lol i laugh every time
I can say, while people, apparently, are disappointed at large at "Manger Things" and Maude & Homer's moment bothers some, I found it interesting at part conceptually, with its effort in defining Maude's character retroactively and pinpoint the core of her and Ned's personal dynamic, it offered convincing version of it, Maude being no-nonsense person who puts up with her husband's eccentricity for most part because of genuine love he brings her. (Plus, here was thay additional lore considering Maggie's second name, which I wonder if will be brounght up again and given closer inspection, considering Christmas eps may exist in their own pocket dimensions.)
"Tis the 15th Season" is another which, while mediocre on scale of "great", both in sense of Simpsons ep and Christmas special, I've found one that pretty rewatchable, and maintains some level of proper Christmassy feeling about it (in the sense, other Christmas TV specials generally do), and I appreciate that meta angle, which is not so far from Classic Simpsons Christmas Special, which also explicitly called out traditional tropes. Not having to go through Christmas Carol routine or spoof, but making Homer's "redemption" being established quickly and then letting his misdirected shenanigans ensue is pretty clever.
"Bobby, It's Cold Outside" is one I was sceptical about, mostly because I foung all latest contributions to titular character not exactly positive and worthy. This is still not very decent SB episode, but not falling to lower-than-average level, just run-of-the-mill one, but as Christmas episode with inclusion of Bob, it's not bad, and first direct interaction between two major villains of the series has mildly compelling ending. I have to rewatch it to sum my opinion on it properly, but among the recent Christmas episodes it's kind of stand out one.
"The Way of The Dog" is another from S31 I just caught one viewing so far, but all and all I liked it, and tie-in with very last episode didn't feel strained. I generally liked going through that season and got impression it managed to balance typical Simpsons surreal hijinks with some down-to-earth matter in good proportion, and I enjoyed most of it. TWOTD is good capper for it.
And then, I'm probably in absolute minority (among those who tolerate HD seasons, at least) by not ranking "Holidays of Future Passed" that high. Too much distraction with futuristic jokes (and some unrelated nonsense for padding) before actually focusing on the family, and I consiser too manipulative move to making basically everyone miserable in future (expect, I guess, Maggie? even then, she, probably, dumps her clearly accidental child on grandparents afterwards and goes back touring), just to bring up family matters. Scene of Lisa and Bart finding solace in sibling love is nice, but unresonably making their own family lives dreadful for that was unnecessary and unfair (especially for Bart for whom modern series seems to lose any respect to my chagrin). One thing I admire about it is briefly shown evolution of Homer into lovable grandpa, but that's about it, really.
And it demonstrates why Simpsons Christmas Special aka first ever episode by chance is working so well and gives great introduction to the characters: they not quite have their lifes together, and attempts in having neat comfortable family time results in blunder, but they're good-intended enough to earn their unconventional happiness. The ending is actually hopeful and reassuring without trying too hard, and it helped for series to get its start and blossom. Additionally, first time I've seen it was during our own family holiday going slightly awry, so I've felt compassion for the characters and also realised Simpsons can be wholesome and likable compared to what I've seen before it of them as a child))
And I also conflicted on "Marge Be Not Proud": it's strong classic one, with a lot of jokes that memorable and sharply executed, but when it boils down to its "heart", it'd quite frustrating, on par with "Life On The Fast Lane" to me, out of all classic episodes, primarily because of Marge/Bart conflict. I can't but see mother neglectful and barely knowing how to handle her child, and then pulling "surprised Pikachu" because he ended not raised properly, and starting ostracize him out of helplessness. Given it's first episode examining her relationship with son, it gives upsetting picture. Despite that pairing getting focus very sparcely on the show (apparently, writers struggle with writing material for two), I feel like "Bart The Mother" gives them more compelling and powerful portrayal as mother-child duo, and in less time. Plus, knowing it's Scully/Jean episode and how their contribution to the series affected Bart's character, it's even more depressing seeing that snowmen scene as apt presentation of Bart's place in family dynamic for following years.
Out of all these, one I'm yet to see is Hallmark spoof, so I'm going to see for myself how it turns, concept is quite curious. Add to list of "watch first" in my catching up with recent season.
I DIDNT THINK HE WAS GOING TO DO THE "HAWWW" SOUND EFFECT AND THEN ... BAM!!! SECOND ENCORE!!!
I'm surprised (pleasantly) that Grift of the Magi rated so highly. I like it, but most other people seem to hate it, so nice to see SOMEONE other than me likes it
The ending with Gary Coleman subduing the rogue Funzos was effective because it was a joke about his then-recent legal troubles.
Glad to see The Way of the Dog got so much love here, definitely deserves the spot you gave it - it was a real surprise one for me when I watched, genuinely got me teary at several points (even if it was almost a little cheap at times... you can't make the dog THAT sad!!, he's a good boy and did nothing wrong!!). Being the season finale as well, it was also a little heartwrenching in the sense that another "as perfect a final episode as we might get" has passed us by, what with it being a direct sequel to the very first episode.
I will say the Hallmark parody episode was good, but as someone who HASN'T seen those movies (only absorbed what they're like through other parodies and cutural osmosis) I definitely wouldn't rank it in the top 10. I'd also definitely put the anthology with the Muppets section dead last at 20. It's one of my least favourite episodes, literally only had one joke in it that made me laugh (the "I pooped my pants!" bit... for the hilarious immaturity of the propaganda filmmakers I mean, not the line itself!) and the entire muppets segment is uncomfortable from start to finish.
No disagreements with your top 3 whatsoever though. I put the first episode on while decorating my christmas tree this year and the warm fuzzies were overwhelming. But I immediately had to sit down and watch Marge Be Not Proud afterwards because of just how dang good it is.
My favorite Christmas special is *The Christmas That Almost Wasn't But Then Was,* classic mirth-making is what it is.
This is exactly the type of video I’ve been looking for! Thank you!
"I highly recommend Way of the Dog"
Okay!
>watches Way of the Dog
>cries
What I really love about Way of the Dog is that they could've very easily gone down a dark route, but they didn't; they actually had the courage to make a genuinely happy ending. I really hope Santa's Mom becomes a recurring character from now on. I know she was in the latest episode (which AFAIK is Mother and Other Strangers, which I've also just watched and is also very good), but it would be so nice to see her as a new face in the Simpsons family.
And yes I'm aware of the irony of suggesting a dog as a new Simpsons character =P
Kill Gil always bothered me because of how a whole year passed. I get that you could make several cases where single episodes take up months of in-show-time and we shouldn't think about it. Not to mention, assuming that some episodes take place in the same time frame, adding up every episode would mean Bart & Lisa would have to be in their twenties, by now. Still, there is just something off about a whole year going by in "Simpsons-Time".
Its like Ash Ketch'em is always ten, despite all his adventures but then having an episode in which Ash & friends are stuck somewhere, for a year. It just kind of urks me, for some reason.
It's hardly the worst example of them doing that. All's Fair in Oven War just abuses the fact it took an entire year to remodel the kitchen for a lame throwaway joke that didn't further the story. And I think it also made Bart's odd Playdude magazine obsession B-Plot last an entire year as well. At least Kill Gill was ambitious in having an entire year pass as an integral plot point.
There was that short film that was shown with the third Pokémon movie where Ash states it has been a year since he and Pikachu met. However, theres an argument that it should be seen as its own thing, separate from the series. But then there's also Professor Burnet who's pregnant in the end of Sun & Moon and in Journeys is shown to be a mother to a kid that seems to be about the same age as Maggie.
The other day I was picking a bunch of Christmas specials and episodes of various shows for when my son visits this weekend. For Simpsons "Marge Be Not Proud" was my pick, too.
Really thoughtful job, thank you! Great job of looking at them honestly without much early season nostalgia getting in the way
Marge not proud is so good, after watching it as a kid I ever wanted to do anything to have my own mum treat me like how Marge treated Bart
The ending of The Way Of The Dog genuinely made me cry.
The whole *"Homer gets kicked out of the house for events outside of his control or fault"* reminds me of the *"Marge Amnesia"* episode where, again, Marge kicks Homer out because she cannot remember who he is (after she gives herself Amnesia from breathing in toxic cleaning chemicals and passing out), and apparently that justifies her kicking Homer out of HIS house - until she magically remembers who he is because Beer is mentioned.
regarding margie
@@NickLogoAbk2913 Thankyou.
I always loved Maggies Star coat its so cute and ridiculously impracticable doesn't fail to get a chuckle out of me, Merry Christmas and Happy holidays to all.
One of my favourite bits in Marge be not proud is when they're going to the store and Lisa and homer are so excited
Amazing episode overapl
Just when i think there isnt any more quality, interesting Simpsons content for a jaded Family Guy enjoyer you go and post something like this. Excellent content, Thank you and merry Christmas.