They have already passed more than three decades from the premiere of The Simpsons. Throughout these years many things have happened, and from time to time there is no choice but to “kill” a classic character even though the characters actually age. But we will always have the eternal discussion of “what is the best episode?” To try to answer it, the TIME magazine has decided to ask the opinion of three experts in the series.
Lyle Lanley, the key character in the best episode of The Simpsons
This particular committee has the presence of John Ortved, Ray Richmond and Chris Turner, three authors with quite in-depth analyzes of the series, its concept and its impact on society. The conclusion has not been any of the Halloween specialswhich sometimes hide messages such as that Homer is a mathematical expert as seen in another episode, but rather the best episode is Marge against the monorailaired in 1993 as part of season 4.
It is evident that the best episode is usually, in most discussions, one that include musical numbers. Several of them are among the 12 great moments that we chose years ago, and although many probably remember more the chapters of Mr. Burns’ song about his clothes made with animals or that of Moe’s Flaming, finally it has been the infamous hustler song the one that takes the top of the podium.
“The Simpsons have always maintained this kind of Aristotelian unity, They only do things that could happen in the real worlddespite being animated characters,” explains Ortved. It is possible that this decision is influenced by the real world itself, in which scammers like Lyle Lanley constantly deceive the entire society and also cause disasters, since among the reasons To consider him the best, they mention the dangers of using psychology to subdue the masses.
He podium is made up of two other classics. The second best episode for experts is The Scratch, Itchy and Poochie Show (season 8, aired in 1997), where Homer landed a lead role in the popular Scratch and Itch that ended with a space death. The bronze takes it Treehouse of Horror V (the Halloween special from season 6, 1994).
This is the well-known program that includes the parody segment of The Shiningwhere Homer uses the unforgettable phrase “Without TV and without beer Homer loses his mind”, and from which the group of specialists highlights the quality of the animation as a reason to value it positively.
