The Simpsons

TOP 10 SEASON FIVE EPISODES OF THE SIMPSONS!
(OR DAVID MIRKIN: YEAR ONE)

#10 - BOY SCOUTZ `N THE HOOD
Written by Dan McGrath
Directed by Jeffrey Lynch
Original Airdate: November 18, 1993



Bart joins The Junior Campers and everything is great till Homer goes with him on a river-rafting trip. In Season 5, many people have complained that Homer is a bit of a jerk but in this episode it's not too bad and we get some good comedy out of it.


#9 - TREEHOUSE OF HORROR IV
Written by Conan O'Brien, Greg Daniels, Dan McGrath, Bill Oakley, Josh Weinstein and Bill Canterbury
Directed by David Silverman
Original Airdate: October 28, 1993



In a tribute to the works of Rod Sterling, Bart introduces three tales: Homer selling his soul in exchange for a donut, a spoof of Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, and in a change of pace, Dracula. Overall, it's a very good Halloween special. FUN FACT: This is the first Halloween special without Sam Simon. So, it is here where the running gag of Sam "Sayonara" Simon in the opening credits began.


#8 - MARGE ON THE LAM
Written by Bill Canterbury
Directed by Mark Kirkland
Original Airdate: November 4, 1993



In an episode inspired by Thelma and Louise, Marge and her neighbor Ruth Powers become female empowering outlaws. Meanwhile, Homer feels empty without Marge by his side. Oh, and Lionel Hutz is the worst babysitter ever. Wow! With Al "pad the episodes" Jean gone, there's a lot going on in this episode. Overall, it's a very good episode.


#7 - LADY BOUVIER'S LOVER
Written by Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein
Directed by Wes Archer
Original Airdate: May 12, 1994



Grandpa and Marge's mother start dating which freaks out Homer cause it's super creepy. But he doesn't have to worry for very long because Mr. Burns shows up and steals away Marge's mom from Grandpa. But here's the funny part: Mr. Burns is usually portrayed as a very weak old man but here he's a very energetic and hip old guy. It's so out-of-nowhere that I can't help but laugh.


#6 - BART OF DARKNESS
Written by Dan McGrath
Directed by Jim Reardon
Original Airdate: September 4, 1994



During a heat wave, the Simpsons build a pool in the backyard and Bart becomes the most popular kid in the neighborhood. But when he hurts himself doing a stunt, he has to spend the remainder of his summer vacation indoors. That leads to a Rear Window spoof where Bart suspects that Ned Flanders murdered his wife. So once again, with Al "pad the episodes" Jean gone, David Mirkin creates a meaty episode that fills up the 20-minute running time.


#5 - DEEP SPACE HOMER
Written by David Mirkin
Directed by Carlos Baeza
Original Airdate: February 24, 1994



If you thought Conan O'Brien wrote some wild episodes then brace yourself for David Mirkin. In perhaps the most ridiculous episode of The Simpsons 25 year history, Homer goes to space! In order for Mirkin to get away with the episode, he had to revolve the story around Homer doing something to make his family proud. But that's all nonsense. The highlight of this episode is all the jokes about NASA and Homer as an astronaut. That's what made this episode a classic.


#4 - HOMER LOVES FLANDERS
Written by David Richardson
Directed by Wes Archer
Original Airdate: March 17, 1994



Homer's hatred for Ned Flanders is one of the biggest running gags on the show. But in this episode, Homer befriends Flanders and becomes so obsessed with him it drives Flanders crazy. Overall, the writer's pull-off this concept beautifully.


#3 - THE LAST TEMPTATION OF HOMER
Written by Frank Mula
Directed by Carlos Baeza
Original Airdate: December 9, 1993



If you thought Colonel Homer should have been - you know - FUNNY then this is the episode for you. Here, Homer has a very attractive female co-worker who has the same personality and interests as him. So when he develops a crush on her, he feels guilty cause he has a wife and three kids. Then like in Colonel Homer, the episode ends with a bulls--t resolution. But the episode is SO funny that it doesn't really matter. Ultimately, the episode doesn't standout as much as Colonel Homer but it's definitely better and more enjoyable to watch.


#2 - HOMER THE VIGILANTE
Written by John Swartzwelder
Directed by Jim Reardon
Original Airdate: January 6, 1994



This is the only Swartzwelder episode on the list but it's one of his best nonetheless. In the episode, a cat burglar is robbing almost everyone in Springfield so Homer starts a very violent watchdog group. The episode is filled with great social commentary and there's even room for a spoof of It's a Mad Mad Mad World at the end.


#1 - LISA'S RIVAL
Written by Mike Scully
Directed by Mark Kirkland
Original Airdate: September 11, 1994



In perhaps the first truly Family Guy style episode, a series of events occur. First, Lisa gets a new classmate who's better than her at everything so she tries to sabotage her at the school's diorama contest. Secondly, Bart, for s--ts and giggles, sends the FBI after Milhouse. And finally, Homer steals hundreds of pounds of sugar and tries to sell it. In a strange way, this episode is more ridiculous than Deep Space Homer and that's why I love it. Under the direction of David Mirkin, The Simpsons finally became a cartoon. Some people hate that and prefer the early sitcom-y days of Sam Simon, Al Jean and Mike Reiss. But to me, this is when I had the most fun watching The Simpsons.

This might be my favorite season of The Simpsons, and as a result, it was a very difficult list to make. Several classic episodes had to be left-out. So, I apologize if one of your favorites was excluded.


#10 - WHO SHOT MR. BURNS? (PART TWO)
Written by Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein
Directed by Wes Archer
Original Airdate: September 17, 1995



In The Simpsons' 25 year history, there has only been one two-part episode and it centered on a spoof of Dallas' famous Who Shot J.R. cliffhanger. In order to justify this, David Mirkin created a summer contest to see which hardcore fan could identify the right shooter. So with this episode we get to explore the thought process that went into that contest and they did a very impressive job.


#9 - BART VS AUSTRALIA
Written by Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein
Directed by Wes Archer
Original Airdate: February 19, 1995



The Simpsons was a groundbreaking animated series but it was, and continues to be, quite tame by today's standards. Shows like South Park, Family Guy, and Archer have created a new landscape for "adult cartoons." So The Simpsons, alongside shows like King of the Hill, have gotten a reputation for being "sophisticated." The Simpsons have been put on a pedestal for having high-brow humor and multi-dimensional characters. But here's an episode where that is thrown out of the window. In this episode, they insult a country for no reason whatsoever and the Simpsons family does nothing redeeming whatsoever. And yet, it works because the comedy is at a very high level. If it's funny it's funny. There's just no way around that.


#8 - RADIOACTIVE MAN
Written by John Swartzwelder
Directed by Susie Dietter
Original Airdate: September 24, 1995



This episode is a good representation of the David Mirkin years. Under Sam Simon, the show was very sitcom-y. And then with Al Jean and Mike Reiss, the episodes suffered because they struggled to fill the 20-minute running time. Or at least that was the case before Conan O'Brien joined the writing staff. But with David Mirkin in charge, The Simpsons became a full-fleshed cartoon and he packed every episode with lots of jokes and storylines. In this episode alone you have the Hollywood production of Radioactive Man, Springfield taking advantage of the production, Milhouse being miserable as Fallout Boy, Bart being jealous of him, some Homer shenanigans, AND there's even time to throw in some VERY EARLY Internet jokes. You may like or dislike this episode, but we can all agree that it wasn't boring.


#7 - HOMER THE GREAT
Written by John Swartzwelder
Directed by Jim Readon
Original Airdate: January 8, 1995



In one of the most classic episodes of The Simpsons' 25 year history, Homer becomes the leader of a secret society and when he pisses them off they start a No Homer's Club. Most people would put this episode at #1 or even in their overall #10, and while they do have valid reasons for that, I don't love the episode THAT much. It's a very funny and clever episode but it's missing certain elements that would have helped it resonate on an emotional level.


#6 - BART'S COMET
Written by John Swartzwelder
Directed by Bob Anderson
Original Airdate: February 5, 1995



In another example of David Mirkin packing it in, we get an episode that begins with some funny shenanigans between Bart and Mr. Skinner. Then it transitions into a story about a comet hitting Springfield and how the government handles it. And when they fail, it becomes an observation of how the people of Springfield deal with impending doom. It's a funny episode. It's a creative episode. And it's very strong in the story and character department.


#5 - LISA ON ICE
Written by Mike Scully
Directed by Bob Anderson
Original Airdate: November 13, 1994



This isn't a particularly funny episode or even a creative one, but it's VERY relatable. Mike Scully does a wonderful job of exploring certain truths behind sibling rivalries, competitive sports, and other related issues that many of us have experienced. We're gonna see more of these down-to-Earth type episodes in the Oakley and Weinstein years coming up next.


#4 - ROUND SPRINGFIELD
Written by Al Jean, Mike Reiss, Joshua Sternin and Jeffrey Ventimilia
Directed by Steven Dean Moore
Original Airdate: April 30, 1995



Season 6 had 25 episodes which was a bit over-whelming for the writing staff so Al Jean and Mike Reiss were brought in to help out. Their most famous episode for this season was the cross-over between The Simpsons and The Critic, and while that's a very fun episode, this one is much better. Basically, it revolves around the death of Bleeding Gum's Murphy and Lisa's crusade to give him a proper memorial. It's a very touching episode with lots of great music.


#3 - TREEHOUSE OF HORROR V
Written by Bob Kushell, Greg Daniels, Dan McGrath, and David S. Cohen
Directed by Jim Reardon
Original Airdate: October 30, 1994



This is the first Halloween special without an introduction to the segments. Although there is a running gag featuring Groundskeeper Willie trying to save the day. It's also the first special where violence becomes a prominent feature. But most importantly, it's the first Halloween special that can be considered GREAT. The segments which are all CLASSICS include: a spoof of The Shining, Homer turning a toaster into a time machine and Springfield Elementary turning its students into lunch meals. Many people consider this to be the best of the Halloween specials and I might agree.


#2 - HOMER BADMAN
Written by Greg Daniels
Directed by Jeffrey Lynch
Original Airdate: November 27, 1994



Once again, David Mirkin packs these episodes with a lot of stuff. First, we get an hilarious segment where Homer takes a trip to a candy convention. Then, we get an exploration of feminist over-reaction with Homer being accused of groping Bart and Lisa's babysitter. And finally, the meat of the episode is a critique of the tabloidization of TV news. Overall, it's a beautifully executed episode that's still relevant to this day.


#1 - WHO SHOT MR. BURNS (PART ONE)
Written by Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein
Directed by Jeffrey Lynch
Original Airdate: May 21, 1995



Before David Mirkin could turn this two-part episode into a contest, he had to get people hooked and create a compelling argument about who could be the shooter. He and his writing partners accomplished that by giving almost everyone in Springfield a legitimate reason to shoot Mr. Burns. Also, this is the ultimate Mr. Burns episode because we get to explore his evilness and how it's a burden for everyone in town. So I'm giving this the #1 spot for its strong writing and great use of characters.