The Simpsons: "The Simpsons Christmas Special" AKA "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"

Premiered December 17, 1989.

"If TV has taught me anything, it's that miracles always happen to poor kids at Christmas.
It happened to Tiny Tim, it happened to Charlie Brown, it happened to the Smurfs and it's gonna happen to us!"
-Bart Simpson

It's Christmas time in Springfield and the Simpson family is gearing up for the holiday season.

Homer (Dan Castellaneta)  is anticipating a Christmas bonus from his job at the nuclear power plant.  His hopes are dashed when his boss Mr. Burns (Harry Shearer) announces that there will be no bonus this year for "semiskilled" workers.  Homer is upset, but comforted by the fact that Marge has a stash of Christmas funds.

Unfortunately, Bart gets a tattoo at the Springfield Mall.  The tattoo-removal operation is successful, but it wipes out all of the Marge's Christmas money.

I like how the tattoo parlor is decorated for Christmas. 
Doesn't the proprietor look a bit like "Comic Book Guy?"

Homer is crushed, but doesn't tell his family about the cancellation of his holiday bonus.  Instead, he takes a job playing Santa Claus at the mall in order to earn more money for presents.

When his Santa "salary" amounts to only $13.00, he takes the advice of his friend Barney (Castellaneta) and decides to gamble his paltry wages at the dog track.  Homer bets on a longshot named Santa's Little Helper.  Will Santa's Little Helper win the race and save Christmas for the Simpsons?

J.A. Morris says:

The Simpsons is one of the greatest TV series of all time.  “The Simpsons Christmas” special is considered the first episode of the series.  After revisiting this special 30 years after it premiered, I can tell it was excellent from the beginning.

It tells a very relatable story.  Lots of people have Christmas experiences that are similar to Homer’s problems.  Either you don’t have enough money to get that special gift, or stores run out of the item your loved one wants.  It seems like the end of the world.

However, when all hope is lost (SPOILER ALERT), Santa’s Little Helper jumps into Homer’s arms and Homer brings home the greatest gift, as Marge says “something to share our love and frighten prowlers.” 

“The Simpsons Christmas Special” features the perfect combination of humor and holiday sentiment and it's just as great today as it was when it first aired.

J.A. Morris' rating:

4 candy canes!

RigbyMel says: 

I remember watching and enjoying "The Simpsons Christmas Special" when it first aired back in 1989.   As the oldest of four children,  I related strongly to the sibling rivalry between Bart and Lisa. 

I also loved its skewering of some of the more saccharine elements of holiday entertainment coupled with the portrayal of a family that has lots of problems but genuinely loves and cares for each other.  The Simpsons have been around for so long now, that I don't know if current audiences necessarily appreciate how revolutionary and subversive the show was back in the late 1980s/early 1990s. 

The special successfully satirizes and pays tribute to the typical Christmas special, a feat that is not always easy to pull off.   Bart cynically tells Lisa that "there's only one guy who brings us presents",  but also cites Tiny Tim and Charlie Brown while invoking Christmas miracles and it doesn't feel inconsistent or out of left field because of the clever writing. 

Since this is the first "official" episode of the (now) long running series, there's some evidence of the show attempting to find its way -  for example Homer sounds a bit more like Walter Matthau than his current incarnation does.  But the wonderful snark and joy of the show is already present.   

We are introduced to a lot of characters including The Simpson family themselves, Mr. Burns, Barney (with yellow hair!), Patty & Selma, Flanders, and of course, Santa's Little Helper.    

I find that this special holds up extremely well after 30 years and tend to watch it at least once every holiday season.  Highly recommended. 

RigbyMel's rating:

4 candy canes! 

The Simpsons: "Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment"

Premiered March 16, 1997.

"Oooh, it's been St. Patrick's Day for hours and I'm still not drunk yet!"
-Homer Simpson

It's St. Patrick's Day in Springfield.

Marge Simpson takes her kids Bart, Lisa and Maggie to the annual St. Patrick's Day parade.  Bart sees a man selling plastic horns and asks for one.  Marge is reluctant, reminding that Bart that he's gotten similar horns in the past and thrown them away before he got home.  She buys him a horn anyway.

At the same time, parade devolves into a drunken brawl.  The Duff Beer float shoots beer into the crowd with cannons.  Bart just happens to to be blowing his new horn near the Duff float so beer goes directly into the horn (turning it into a beer bong!) and Bart swallows enough to get quite intoxicated.

Bart's drunkenness is captured on camera and airs on the local evening newscast.  The citizens of Springfield are enraged and some even call for banning alcohol.  At City Hall, a clerk discovers that Springfield passed a prohibition law a century earlier and the law is still on the books!  Alcohol becomes contraband in Springfield!

In order to enforce this law, the city brings in a lawman named Rex Banner.  He arrives and takes over, dismissing the ineffective police Chief Wiggum.  The chief is crushed.

The prohibition law gives Homer Simpson an idea.  He visits the dump and collects Duff's discarded barrels of beer, which still contain alcohol.  He takes the beer and conceals it in bowling balls as part of an elaborate alcohol distribution scheme.

Homer sells beers to Moe and others and makes lots of money in the process.  The press learns of this, but Homer's identity remains a mystery.  He is branded "The Beer Baron."  Rex Banner is aware of his existence and is determined to bring the Beer Baron to justice.

J.A. Morris says:
As we've said here before, there aren't many St. Patrick's Day specials, episodes or movies, so this Simpsons episode is an nice addition.

Like most episodes of The Simpsons, "Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment" begins with a story that is dropped by the end of the first act.  The St. Patrick's Day portion of the episode ends at the 6-minute mark.  But the holiday serves as the fulcrum that sets the prohibition storyline in motion.

"Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment" is an homage to classic gangster movies and the TV show The Untouchables.  I've long been a fan of Dave Thomas, best remembered as Bob McKenzie on SCTV.  He does a great job voicing Rex Banner.

Dan Castellaneta is great as usual voicing Homer, who gets most of the good lines of the episode.  In fact, the end of "Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment" features one of Homer's best quotes of all time.  Sorry, but you'll have to watch to find out what it is.

In addition to the St. Paddy's parade and the prohibition plot, "Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment" opens with Lisa and Bart going to school on St. Patrick's Day, with Bart failing to wear green.

Bart suffers the way kids did in my elementary school when they didn't participate in "the wearin' o' the green."

"Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment" is a great episodes of one of the best series of all time and is highly recommended for St. Patrick's Day viewing.

J.A. Morris' rating:

4 shamrocks!

The Simpsons meets Edward Hopper!

RigbyMel says:

I am a big fan of The Simpsons and this is a great episode.   As J.A. Morris mentions,  the homages to gangster movies are pretty brilliant.   I particularly liked that Moe's Tavern masquerades as a pet shop to shake off the cops and various Springfieldians reaction to the return of Prohibition (collapse seems  to be a popular response).

The St. Patrick's Day portion of the episode is also pretty darned funny and really plays with the notion that this is really a holiday for amateur drunkeness with a veneer of Irish heritage.   It's well worth pausing during bits of the parade to see what is going on with each float and in the crowd.  

That being said,  I am going to deduct a bit from my rating since the St. Patrick's Day portion really only lasts for the first couple of minutes of the episode!

RigbyMel's rating:

3 shamrocks

The Simpsons: "Bart Vs. Thanksgiving"

First aired November 22, 1990

"I hope you're happy, Bart! You ruined Thanksgiving!"
-Marge Simpson

It's Thanksgiving in Springfield.  Marge (Julie Kavner) is prepping the Turkey. Homer (Dan Castellaneta) is watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.  Bart (Nancy Cartwright) is watching the parade too, he asks Homer who Underdog and Bullwinkle are and why they have balloons.

"If you build a balloon for every flash in the pan cartoon character, you'll turn the parade into a farce."

Lisa (Yeardley Smith) has made a Thanksgiving centerpiece that celebrates the contributions women (such as Georgia O'Keefe and Susan B. Anthony) have made to American society.

Homer picks up his father Abe (Castellaneta) at the Springfield Retirement Castle.  Marge's sisters Patty and Selma (both voiced by Kavner) arrive, they've angered Marge by bringing additional food (because some people say that Marge's turkey is dry and might enjoy an alternative).

Everyone has something to do except for Bart.  He pesters his mother, wanting to help her prepare the meal, but he just ends up getting in the way.

"Ah...Cranberry Sauce A La Bart."

Marge's mother Jacqueline (Kavner, yet again!) finally shows up, and the family is ready for the Thanksgiving feast.  Lisa brings out her centerpiece, which impresses the whole family.

A minute later, Bart brings out the turkey.  He has no place to put it, so he tells Lisa to "move it or lose it".
Bart tries to remove the centerpiece from the table and Lisa tries to take it from him.

They have a tug of war over the centerpiece and it ends getting flung into the fireplace, burning to ashes in seconds.

AAAAAAAUUUGH! 

Lisa attacks Bart, slamming him into the table, spilling food and drink on the tablecloth.  Lisa is heartbroken over the destruction of her centerpiece.  Homer sends Bart to his room with no food.  Marge is furious and tells her son that he's ruined Thanksgiving.

Marge attempts to console her daughter. Lisa wonders why things like this always happen to her.  Marge says Bart can come to dinner when he's ready to apologize.  He sees no need to apologize and refuses.  Bart then sneaks out of the house just as the family dog, Santa's Little Helper gets thrown out for stealing turkey.

They go on an adventure that takes them all over town, from Mr. Burns' (Harry Shearer) mansion to the local Rescue Mission on skid row.  Local news anchor Kent Brockman (Shearer again) is doing a story at the mission about the way society treats the homeless.  Brockman interviews Bart and his family sees him on television.  Homer, Marge and even Lisa are worried for Bart's safety.

J.A. Morris says:

A good Holiday episode from one of the Simpsons' best seasons.  Season 2 is an interesting season to look back on.  Dan Castlenetta's voice for Homer is somewhere between his "Walter Matthau impression" and the one we know and love today.  The writers still gave us glimpses of Homer as a good father (like we see at the end of "Bart Vs. Thanksgiving") that we've rarely seen since.

Hello, operator! Give me the number for 911!

No matter how many times I see it, I still get a bit sad when I see Lisa's centerpiece go up in flames.  We all probably had a moment (or moments) like that when we were kids.  And the criticism Marge receives from her sisters and mother (Jacqueline tells Marge "You never do anything right") is something family members do every year on Thanksgiving.

"  I have laryngitis. It hurts to talk. So I'll just say one thing... You never do anything right."

The scene at the end featuring Bart and Lisa is one of the best in Simpsons history.  When asked why he wrecked her centerpiece, he struggles to answer, saying he doesn't know why he did it or why he enjoyed it.  A lesser series would have simply had him apologize and roll the credits.  But in this case, Bart is forced to look into himself and think about why he was wrong.

"Alright!  Twelve bucks and free grub to boot! Viva skid row!"

Read more tv spoilers at: http://www.tvfanatic.com/quotes/shows/the-simpsons/episodes/bart-vs-thanksgiving/page-2.html#ixzz2DfvBcUYr

Alright! Twelve bucks and free grub to boot! Viva skid row!

Read more tv spoilers at: http://www.tvfanatic.com/quotes/shows/the-simpsons/episodes/bart-vs-thanksgiving/page-2.html#ixzz2DfvBcUYr

The combination of family drama and culinary issues makes "Bart Vs. Thanksgiving" a holiday classic that I've watched every year since its premiere.

J.A. Morris' rating:
4 Pumpkin Pies.

RigbyMel says: 

I am in agreement with what J.A. Morris has to say above.  This is an extremely funny and well-written episode.  I remember watching it when it first aired twenty-two years ago (!!!!)  and it still makes me laugh.   It addresses Thanksgiving tropes like family squabbling, someone ruining the meal, the Macy's parade and even Thanksgiving football games (and accompanying halftime shows) with wit & aplomb.

"Oh, we have lots of names for these people. Bums, deadbeats, losers, scums of the earth, we'd like to sweep these people into the gutter, or if already in the gutter, to some other out of the way place. Oh we have our reasons. They're depressing, their ragged clothes, they're crazy, they smell bad. So every year on one conscience salving day, we toss these people, a bone. A turkey bone. And that's supposed to make it all better."

Bart's experiences on skid row are pointed and clever,  as are many of the lines delivered by other characters, like Grandpa Simpson's declaration that he has to be back at the nursing home by 9pm so the home won't declare him legally dead and collect his insurance. 

I also really love the fact that Lisa references Allen Ginsberg's poem "Howl" while writing in her journal about the incident. ("I saw the best meals of my generation destroyed by the madness of my brother. My soul carved in slices by spiky-haired demons.")   As the oldest of four children (and the only girl), I certainly can relate to how Lisa feels in this episode and remember similar arguments of a less extreme nature with my brothers.   

I also sympathize with Bart feeling like he has been unjustly picked on as well (that's an emotion that should be familiar to anyone who has ever been a kid).

This episode definitely captures some of what is important about family (and about Thanksgiving) without being saccharine about it. 

This is an episode I try to watch every year! 

RigbyMel's rating: 

4 pumpkin pies