S10 E9: Mayored to the mob Alright were getting a little weird with this one. Depending on who you ask we're out of the golden age and its not even secretly classic. I just like this one. Normally id find a plot like this lame. The opening setpiece and the main celebrity cameo (mark hamill) are mostly just gesturing at pop culture but Mark's performance is so weirdly charming and I like how the other charachters interact with him. This episode also has a lot of good stray lines. Such as "the gay robots from star wars." Once the bodyguard plot gets started this episode gets a lot funnier. Not the choke holds part, I could take or leave Homer knocking his family unconscious. The actual homer quimby back and forth is great, though I think homer takes a bit of a back seat. Even though hes the one who pushes the plot and finds the rat milk (by far one of the strangest bits they've done but I actually respect it for that), the humor is almost exclusively derived from quimbys shenanigans for me. Homer just kinda idly exists in the vicinity of the funny things happening. Like, they had a quimby vs the mob story and homer is just here because there has to be a main member in the mix and homer fits the most with the edgier bits their going for. This plot culminates in my favorite part, guys and dolls. This segment is so weirdly perfect and weird. The botched musical that has mark Hamill as Luke, legs' really well animated dancing, and okay honestly thats about it. I just really like the guys and dolls parody. Also quimby saying "au gratin potatoes, quality side." Overall this episode isnt winning any medals but I think its underappreciated and you should watch it. Its pretty good.

S6 E2 Lisas Rival: This episode is definitive proof that if you only have like ten minutes of substantive A plot, give homer some stupid bullshit to do that doesnt matter. Not to say I dislike this, Lisa's Rival is one of my favorites. I know I keep saying that and one day ill talk about a stinker but today is not that day. Lisa's my favorite charachter, and this is a super relatable plot. Lisa's bookishness is a tough quality to write correctly, but here its in the right place. She has no real support in her other areas so she puts a lot of value on grades. Allison is a perfect foil for her. For one, as an adult I can easily see that Lisa isnt seeing the full picture. Theres a bit of class divide here that I dont see talked about a lot. Allison is clearly from a family thats at least upper middle class, and her dad is an academic himself who fosters her intelligence. This doesnt mean Lisa should think shes better, but it is an extra bit of tension that makes competing with Allison impossible for Lisa in a way she cant really understand yet. I love how Lisa talks to marge about all of this. Her competitive side and marges sorta sideline "well okay sweetie" attitude is hilarious. Marge is supportive without trying to steer Lisa from the truth that she cant always be the best. Also "Lisa! I am nice." Is peak marge Lisa comedy. An honestly underutilized duo. Overall this A plot is fantastic and I wish Lisa and Allison could've done more together. Lisa really never gets to have any friends and that sucks. Now that im done talking about the Lisa part of Lisa's rival, I have to Segway to the rest of it. This shits hilarious. Homer's sugar plot is the quintessential "what are we even doing here." The other kids also get a lot of really good jokes. They really make good use of the ensemble. During the science fair it seems like every side charachter gets dynamite line after another. The running bit with milhouse is also one of my favorites. This fast paced humor adds a wonderful contrast to one of the slower A plots in the simpsons. Like if the crowd is falling asleep during jeremys iron they are immediately back when homer is by that stupid sugar pile. And I think its perfect. Most episodes with this structure would honestly feel sorta half baked, but this shits fantastic. Its white gold. Texas tea. Sweetener.

S8 e3 The homer they fall: Alright since I just reviewed something everyone loves its time to pivot to an episode I dont hear about much despite it probably being one of my favorites in season 8. Though, thats a pretty tough lineup so I can understand this one falling by the wayside a bit. It does feel like a season 6 episode oddly enough. The town is enraptured by Homer's upcoming fight and a lot of time is spent on showing how violent everyone is and how Marge is only one who can see past it. Sorta Lisa on Ice in that way. The opening bits are really funny, my personal favorite being “hes ragging on your cord.” The star of the show here though is Dredrick Tatum. He always gives the best deliveries and he makes the most of every moment. He will make orphans of your children. This episode just has a lot of really good bits, though I dont think they quite flow as well as some other episodes. Especially in season 8 where the best episodes are so precisely constructed.

season 4 ep 17: Last exit to Springfield is generally considered one of the best episodes in the show and I dont really disagree. It balances its political satire with wacky homer shenanigans perfectly. While episodes like sideshow bob roberts can feel more substantive in their satire, they dont quite retain the wacky. Homer's role in this episode always kills me. I love the bit of him obliviously doing everything right is hilarious. The way he just screams upon being asked a question on TV. Thinking Burns is coming on to him. Hired goons? Not to just repeat jokes I liked but its hard not too. The union plot adds much needed stake but overall this is a pretty light affair. I guess id describe this episode as the most "accessible" of simpsons plots. It presents the very real working class struggle for Healthcare, but It goes down easier with a healthy dose of reference gags and character humor. It isnt my personal favorite, but this is still one of the best simpsons episodes, if that makes sense. It would be an easy reccomend to anyone not familiar with the show.