A Simpsons a Day – Week 3

Week 3 and we get into Season 2 fully which features the first “Treehouse of Horror” Halloween special. A few episodes to remember this week so let’s get into it.

2×02 – 015 – “Simpson and Delilah” – 7F02

Watched date – 15/01/24 / Original Air Date – 18/10/1990

We start the week with Homer seeing an ad for a “miracle” new product for hair loss “Dimoxinil”, Homer seems to take miracle quite literally and thinks it will work compared to all the previous products or “fads” already filling up the bathroom cabinet. Homer heads to the “Hair Clinic” in the mall to discuss and finds out it is $1000 which he is unable to afford. Also, what doesn’t their mall have??

After discussing it with his colleagues at work they advise Homer to just put it on the company health insurance plan. Homer returns to the mall and a back alley deal later and Homer receives his miracle tonic! Homer prays and applies it and as if by magic the following morning he has lovely long locks. He runs through town rejoicing and meets a fellow Dimoxinil user and they celebrate together.

Homer now with a renewed lease on life first heads to the hairdressers for his first cut in 20 years, at work, he gets noticed and given a promotion. He then has to interview for an assistant one of which is a female who only seems to be interested in the position because of Homer’s hair and “looks”. Eventually, he hires Karl who guides him on his new path in his new role and pretty much does Homer’s job in the background.

Homer gets noticed more and more and is eventually asked to give a presentation on increasing profitability. Meanwhile, Bart sees Dimoxinil as an opportunity to look older by growing a beard and moustache, mid application Homer walks in on Bart and he spills the remainder on the Dimoxinil leading to Homer going bald once again.

Despite being bald again Homer still tries to give the presentation as Karl tells him it wasn’t the hair all along helping him to succeed it was inside him all along. Even with Karl’s full presentation, nobody wanted to pay attention to Homer and walk out leading Mr. Burns to have a heart-to-heart with Homer with an unexpected look into Burn’s back story. Mr Burn’s advises they are alike as Burns used to have a full head of hair until his senior year, and instead of firing him gives him his old job back.

Back at home Home can’t sleep as he can no longer spoil his family now he’s back on his old wage and thinks the family won’t love him as much. Marge reassures him that no matter what his family will love him and be grateful for whatever he can provide.

Another fun episode with a “what-if” type story that goes over the top with a looks are everything message.

Fun fact: Dimoxinil seems to be an anagram of Minoxidil which is a real-life drug used to help pattern hair loss. The first and only real appearance of Karl.

2×03 – 016 – “Treehouse of Horror” – 7F04

Watched date – 16/01/24 / Original Air Date – 25/10/1990

The start of the yearly Halloween special “Treehouse of Horror I” I always loved these specials and looked forward to them each year and to see how far they could push the violence! There’s always a parody of something and always split up into 3 segments.

The special starts with a warning from Marge then a special opening credits, and then finds Homer returning home from a successful trick-or-treat haul overhearing the kids telling each other scary stories in the treehouse each trying to outdo the other.

First up is “Bad Dream House” The Simpsons move into a new house and learn why it was inexpensive. The walls ooze blood, there is a vortex in the kitchen and a voice tells them to get out, Homer states it’s a fixer-upper and for them to sleep on it. That night a voice speaks to the family and tells them all to kill each other, they all chase each other with knives until Marge breaks the evil spell. Lisa discovers an ancient burial ground in the basement, the voice then threatens the family and Marge yells at it to show some manners. Put in its place the house chooses to destroy itself rather than live with the Simpsons.

Next up “Hungry are the damned” The Simpsons are abducted by aliens more specifically: Kang, Kodos and Serak. They seem to be treated well with constant meals which leads Lisa to suspect something is up as she never sees the aliens eat. She finds a cookbook called “How to Cook Humans” which the aliens advise has space dust on blowing to reveal “How to Cook for Humans” Back and forth they each reveal “How to Cook for Forty Humans” & “How to Cook for Forty Humans”
The aliens are insulted that they thought they were going to eat the Simpsons and swiftly return them home and state they offered paradise and experienced emotions a hundred times greater than what they call love and a thousand times more than fun. Lisa concludes that they were the real monsters.

Finally “The Raven” Lisa reads Edgar Allan Poe’s classic tale of horror with Homer listening visualising himself as the narrator, Marge as Lenore and Bart as the precocious Raven.
After telling the stories the kids head to bed and doze off peacefully but Homer frightened by what he heard cowers under his sheets.

A fun start to the yearly tradition and the introduction of the Halloween Specials

Halloween Special Opening

Fun facts: The first of the yearly Halloween Specials.
“Bad Dream House” Marge wears bunny slippers. A moat encircles the new house. Maggie’s pyjamas change colours from blue to grey to pink throughout the segment. Maggie turns her head all the way around á la “The Exorcist” The house’s behaviour and the Indian graveyard in the basement parody “Poltergeist” Blood oozing down the wall parodies “The Amityville Horror” The house’s shape recalls “Psycho” The house implodes á la “The Fall of the House of Usher”
“Hungry are the Damned” The first appearance of Kang & Kodos and the only appearance of “Serak the Preparer” A parody of the 1950 story by Damon Knight from Galaxy Science Fiction (and its 1962 Twilight Zone episode adaptation) titled To Serve Man. The “ow” heard when the fly hits the bug zapper parodies “The Fly” The angle of the shot that features Homer & Marge discussing the great feast makes it appear that their heads are on platters.

2×04 – 017 – “Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish” – 7F05

Watched date – 17/01/24 / Original Air Date – 01/11/1990

The episode kicks off with Bart and Lisa fishing outside the Nuclear Power Plant when a journalist stops by to chat, whilst chatting Bart catches a three-eyed fish who ends up being named “Blinky” This leads to the power plant being inspected and Burns handed a list of improvements needed to get back into shape. Rather than wanting to get the 42 violations rectified, he runs for governor under advisement from Homer when he finds a depressed Mr. Burns in the parking lot. A long campaign later Burns is neck and neck with his competitor Mary Bailey. The campaign team decides to have dinner at an employee’s house and choose the Simpsons. Marge who votes for Mary Bailey ends up cooking Burn’s Blinky which he takes one bite and spits it out across the room. Caught on camera this ends Burns’s run for governor and we assume he rectifies the problems at the plant but it is never mentioned and the plant never seems any better.

Fun facts: First appearance of Mary Bailey

2×05 – 018 – “Dancin’ Homer” – 7F05

Watched date – 18/01/24 / Original Air Date – 08/11/1990

Homer sits in Moe’s and tells the gang what happened in Capital City, he says it started at the “Nuclear plant employee, spouses and no-more-than-three-children night” down at Springfield stadium. Burns ends up sitting next to The Simpsons and they get drunk together. It gets towards the end of the game and the Isotopes are losing and the crowd isn’t very loud and supportive. Homer gets up and starts dancing and the crowd starts reacting, leading to the Isotopes winning a game. This leads to Homer being the mascot of the Isotopes and helping them win the games. Eventually, he is sent to Capitol City to work alongside their mascot and the whole family packs up and leaves. Unfortunately, he isn’t as well received at Capitol City which leads to a shortlived trip and the family returns home.

Fun Fact: First appearance of “The Capitol City Goofball” First appearance of Helen Feesh the organ player. When Homer spells out “Springfield” with his body he spells it “SPRINGFEELD”

2×06 – 019 – “Dead Putting Society” – 7F08

Watched date – 19/01/24 / Original Air Date – 15/11/1990

Homer is struggling to mow the lawn with his manual mower and muttering it was supposed to be the “Boys” job. Marge comments that Bart is busy with his science project but in actual fact he is just in his room reading a comic. Ned pops his head up and starts commenting on the state of his lawn, Homer yells for a beer from Marge but she says they are out. Ned invites Homer in for a beer and shows him to his basement converted into a rumpus room. Ned has beers on tap and his wife Maude brings down refreshments Homer eventually protests against Ned and accuses the Flanders of having things better than them. In a rare example of anger, Ned asks Homer to leave. After discussing things with Marge she reminds him that Ned is a perfect neighbour. Homer goes for a walk, meanwhile, Maude suggests Ned patch things up with Homer so writes a note with humorous “Flanderisms” Homer doesn’t take the note seriously and Bart and Lisa laugh at it.

Later on at miniature golf Homer runs into Ned and the boys, he continues to have a bad attitude towards Ned eventually they pit their boys against each other in a putting tournament with the team parent of the boy that does not win having to mow the others lawn wearing their wifes Sunday best. Bart ends up getting “Math” lessons from Lisa on how to get the perfect shots. In the tournament, Bart & Todd are evenly matched and by the final hole, they are both nervous and decide on a tie. Because of the way the bet was written meant both Ned & Homer had to mow each other’s lawn in their wife’s Sunday best, but Ned being Ned enjoyed it.

A fun episode that shows how much Homer dislikes Ned and how he thinks the Flanders always have it better.

Fun Facts: Parts of this episode are also based on the film The Karate Kid (1984), including the way Bart practices for the miniature golf tournament by balancing on a trash can in a “crane position”. First episode to prominently feature Ned and the rest of the family and the first appearance of Maude and Rod Flanders. Bart has a trophy from “Everybody gets a trophy day”

2×07 – 020 – “Bart vs. Thanksgiving” – 7F07

Watched date – 20/01/24 / Original Air Date – 22/11/1990

In a Thanksgiving episode, Lisa is busing making a centrepiece for the meal whilst Homer is watching the parade and Marge is prepping dinner. Grandpa, Patty, Selma and Jacqueline arrive and Lisa brings down her centrepiece and places it on the table proudly. Bart brings in the turkey and complains Lisa’s centrepiece is taking up real estate chaos ensues and the centrepiece ends up on the fire. Lisa runs to her room in tears and Bart is sent to his room without dinner.

Sometime later Marge goes up to check on the kids, she tries to console Lisa who is still upset and free to come down when she is ready. When Lisa finally stops crying she doesn’t come down but writes a poem called Howl she reads it out to the family expressing how badly Bart has hurt her. When Marge spoke to Bart she said he wasn’t allowed down until he had apologised and meant it.

Bart still thinking he had done nothing wrong and fed up with his family treating him like this escapes out of his window at the same time Santa’s Little Helper is evicted out of the back door for stealing some turkey. Together they both head out to find food, after walking for some time they find themselves outside Burns Manor and a tempting pie cooling on the window ledge, tempted Bart tries to steal it setting off an alarm and unleashing the hounds. Bart manages to escape and wanders onto the wrong side of the tracks. He comes across a blood bank offering $12 for blood he goes in and uses Homer’s I.D. to pass as an 18-year-old. Bart leaves with his $12 but collapses due to the donation, he is found by two homeless men who take him to a soup kitchen and Bart finally gets his meal. At the same time, Kent Brockman is reporting at the soup kitchen and interviews Bart first.

Back home Lisa has barely finished reciting the first sentence when they spot Bart on TV, Kent asks if he has anything to say to his family and Bart laughs mockingly and declares he is still not sorry and managed to get dinner anyway. Marge distraught with what she heard blames herself for what she said to Bart which made him run away, the police are called and Lisa and her poem are forgotten. Bart not wanting to hang around gives the homeless guys his $12 and heads home as they ask if he had somewhere to stay and Bart realises he did and how lucky he is compared to others.

Back home Bart climbs onto the roof as he is prepared to apologise but then imagines it would all be thrown back in his face and be blamed for everything else in the family’s lives. Meanwhile, the police check the shelter but Bart is long gone and the rest of the Simpsons family has left, While Homer & Marge are giving a statement to the police. Lisa is in her room writing in her diary admitting defeat and starts crying. On the roof, Bart can hear Lisa crying and Bart asks her to come outside, they discuss what happened and Bart still refuses to apologise. Eventually, Bart realises that he has hurt her feelings by destroying something she holds dear and he apologises.

Homer overhears from a window and says to Marge they are great parents, they finally have the meal together which Homer blesses and is thankful for Barts’s return.

Thanksgiving isn’t celebrated in the UK so probably not as impactful for us but shows that the day is all about forgiveness and is the heart of this story.

Fun facts: First appearance of Jacqueline Bouvier in her present-day appearance. Bill and Marty, make their first visual appearances, although they were heard on the radio in previous episodes, including “Bart Gets an ‘F'”. A Springfield retirement home sign reads “Thank You for Not Discussing the Outside World”

2×08 – 021 – “Bart the Daredevil'” – 7F06

Watched date – 21/01/24 / Original Air Date – 06/12/1990

Last up this week one of the more memorable episodes for me, we start with the boys watching wrestling on TV, Bart at home and Homer at Moe’s. They cut to a commercial for “Truck-o-Sarus” which has Homer & Bart transfixed when it is over Homer drives straight home and Bart meets him in the driveway and both excitedly say “Truck-o-Sarus” together.

They discuss going to the event dinner only to find out Lisa has a recital the same night but luckily not at the same time so they would be able to do both. At the recital, Homer impatiently watches as the performance never seems to end, finally, it ends and Homer picks up Lisa from the stage letting her bow and speed off to the Monster Truck Rally. They arrive late, take a wrong turn and end up in the arena and the target of “Truck-o-Sarus” Whilst prying Homer out of the vehicle the owners apologise and write a check for repairs to the vehicle and a half bottle of champagne.

The family enjoy the rest of the show and watches as daredevil “Lance Murdock” jumps over a tank full of various dangerous animals, he makes it but then falls in celebrating at the edge of the tank. Bart is enamoured and dreams of becoming a daredevil, his first stunt puts him in the hospital and is advised not to carry on or he could be injured worse. Cue a montage of Bart doing stunts at grander scales and eventually realising he needs some greater and more fulfilment and finds his next stunt on a school trip to Springfield Gorge.

Lisa ends up telling their parents and they forbid Bart from continuing and take Bart to see Murdock in the hospital, having broken every bone in his body Murdock still encourages Bart to go ahead with his trick. Homer begs Bart not to do it and that they can’t watch him every moment of the day. Bart sneaks off to the gorge, meanwhile, Homer goes to check on Bart to see if he wants to play catch but finds he is gone. Homer rushes to the gorge to talk Bart out of it and that he would jump the gorge himself which Bart stops him from doing as he realises how dangerous it is and realises this is how Homer feels about him. Homer who was on the skateboard throughout the conversation starts rolling down the slope over the gorge, unable to stop he flies over thinking he might make it but stops mid-air and falls and falls and falls. The rescue helicopter carries him out of the gorge and hits his head against the wall on the way up puts him in the ambulance which then crashes into a tree and Homer rolls back down into the Gorge again. I always loved this scene for its slapstick nature and the fact Homer should be dead. He is taken to the hospital and put in a room next to Murdock whom Homer remarks “You think you’ve got guts? Try raising my kids!” to him.

All in all a fun episode and as stated above one I remember fondly due to Homer’s fall at the end.

Fun facts: First appearance of Lance Murdock which was based on Evel Knievel. First appearance of Dr. Hibbert.

Bonus – Do The Bartman – Single

Listened/Watched date – 21/01/24 / Original Music Video Air Date – 06/12/1990 / Single Release Date – 20/11/1990

Fun facts: Again Milhouse’s hair is black in the music video due to when the video was produced

Bonus – The Simpsons Sing The Blues – Album

Listened date – 21/01/24 / Album Release Date – 04/12/1990

The Simpsons foray into the music world and part of the ongoing campaign to take over the world! The song genres are Hip-Hop, Blues and Gospel. Most songs were covers performed by the show cast with a few originals like the previously discussed “Do the Bartman”, “Deep, Deep Trouble” “Look At All Those Idiots” and “Sibling Rivalry”. It was a fun mix of songs and genres and a must for any Simpsons fan.

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Bit of a change to end the week with some music and a music video. Hopefully, I will be able to find more insights outside of the show to add to the weekly recaps.

See you next week!

Link to Week 1 Here
Link to Week 2 Here
Link to Week 3 Here
Link to Week 4 Here
Link to Week 5 Here
Link to Week 6 Here
Link to Week 7 Here
Link to Week 8 Here
Link to Week 9 Here
Link to Week 10 Here
Link to Week 11 Here
Link to Week 12 Here
Link to Week 13 Here
Link to Week 14 Here

The link to my schedule is below:
Simpsons 1-a-Day