10 great episodes of the greatest television show of all time. Plus, my favourite of 300 reasons to love the Simpsons: “Ideally, you should be able to watch each episode anew at five distinct stages in life. As a toddler, marvelling at all the bright colours; as a teenager, enjoying the tilts at authority; as a student, relishing the in-jokes and movie references; as an adult, musing on the truths about life, love and death; and in your dotage, marvelling at all the bright colours.”
3F18 22 Short Films About Springfield - the showcase of stories for the various secondary characters. “‘An Aurora Borealis? At this time of year?… Localised entirely within your kitchen?’ ‘Yes’ ‘May I see it?’”
4F18 In Marge We Trust - Marge becomes the ’listen lady’, Homer is Mr Sparkle. “Baboons to the left of me. Baboons to the right.”
5F18 Natural Born Kissers - the one where Homer and Marge can’t stop having sex outdoors. “It was people! People soiled our green!”
CABF06 Skinner’s Sense of Snow - a snow day leaves the kids in school. “You did it Nibbles! Now chew through my ball sack.”
2F09 Homer the Great - the Stonecutters episode. “Who controls the British crown? Who keeps the metric system down? We do! We do!”
4F11 Homer’s Phobia - the one where Homer thinks Bart may be gay. “Dad, why did you take me to a gay steel mill?”
2F12 Homie the Clown - Homer becomes a Krusty knockoff. “The same Benedict Arnold that plotted to surrender West Point to the hated British?”
3F05 King-Size Homer - the one where Homer gains weight to be on disability. “‘It’s like a lottery that rewards stupidity.’ ‘Stupidity, eh?’”
4F20 Treehouse of Horror VIII - including the one where aliens take over Clinton and Dole. “We are merely exchanging long protein strings. If you can think of a simpler way, I’d like to hear it.”
BABF19 Behind the Laughter - the Behind the Music spoof. “They told us what to wear, how to dress, which clothes to put on.”