Worst Episodes Ever

Some episodes are just bad, due to childish jokes or lame plotlines. But there are several which make me turn my head in shame. I shall list them for your entertainment. Please save the scorning until you are done reading. Hate mail will be taken promptly at the above address.

7) [I'm Goin' to Praiseland] -- (Christian Amusement Park) - Good premise, many funny religion jokes could have been made, however, they weren't. Natural gas induced hallucination?! Not good.

6) [Viva Ned Flanders] -- (Las Vegas Trip) - Polygamy, The Moody Blues, Polygamy. Very unfunny chase scene. Polygamy, buzzards.

5) [Missionary: Impossible] -- (Homer is a Missionary) - Very funny beginning (PBS British night is very true) but this suffers from Family Guy syndrome; chasing Sesame Street characters, Rupert Murdoch, and a horrible ending.

4) [Lisa's Wedding] -- (Hugh Parkfield) - Considering the children don't age, this is a very unfunny episode. I don't like looking into the future and seeing what everone is doing. The psychic then reveals that she tells not the tale of Lisa's true love. Me no like. Bad medicine.

3) [Saddlesore Galactica] -- (Duncan the Horse) - Repititive horse idea, CBG points out this fact... and Jockey Elves??! I'll just pretend this was a Halloween episode.

2) [Principal and The Pauper] -- (Armin Tamzarian) - This episode never happened, but if it did it would be very bad.

1) [Bart to the Future] -- (President Lisa) - The cream of the crap, another flash-forward episode. Very very unfunny. Everyone out of character. Deplorable to watch..... what else is to be said?

All in all, for a series with so many episodes, I am happy that these are the only ones I feel confident in listing in this shamelist. Discuss, or flame, but keep this in mind... this is better than racial postings.

M. Santino C. wrote:

"What else is to be said?"

That you have no taste in episodes. At least three or four of those episodes are "classics" IMHO.

Adam

I have to disagree....most of these are excellent episodes. Missionary Impossible provided what I believe to be Homer's funniest line ( "Save Me Jebus" )

Just my opinion

Milhouse

"M. Santino C." wrote in message news:[email]...

there

your

mail

many

gas

beginning

syndrome;

age,

seeing

tale of

CBG

another

Deplorable

the

flame, but

Yeah, screaming on an airplane is real funny.

(Especially in these times.)

Just MY opinion

M. Santino C. wrote:

another

Deplorable

Agreed. Could've been very funny. But makin' Bart a goddamn PARROTHEAD? WTF? Definately the only episode to deserve the Worst Episode Ever "award". I don't think I agree with the others, though. "Saddlesore Galactica" gets ragged on all the time, but I thought it was damn funny (okay, except the jockey parts). And "The Principal and the Pauper": while I hated it upon first viewing because of the whole "continuity" deal, subsequent viewings have warmed me up to this episode. I'd be a hypocrite for bashing that bizarre plot twist, while laughing whenever I watch Hans Moleman die his many hilarious deaths. Taken for what it is, "The Principal and the Pauper" has many funny moments... (up yours, children).

"May I see your copy of Smut, Armin?"

*Swank

Austin

"tape! he said tape-o!"

David

"Simpsonien Patriarkka" wrote in message news:J1TX7.225054$[email]...

WTF?

Pauper"

"M. Santino C." wrote in message news:[email]...

there

your

mail

--- I dont agree here. This one had some CLASSIC jokes, and i laugh on repeated viewings.

beginning

syndrome;

--- This one is great also. "Now ive got ants on my testicle!" classic. This was a good one indeed SAVE ME JEEBUS!

age,

seeing

tale of

--- Who doesnt love seeing OFF in the future!? "Of course not, you're a robot!"

CBG

--- I agree, this one was weak. But CBG's shirt was great.

--- I dont understand. This episode never happened? This was a decent episode.

another

Deplorable

--- They were out of character. Yes, they were much older. You are not the same person you were ten years ago. Actually, "Smell ya later" and "Tape... He said taaaaaape-o" was good as well.

the

flame, but

--- You are correct. this is better than racial postings.

<--- This one is great also. "Now ive got ants on my testicle!" classic. This was a good one indeed SAVE ME JEEBUS!>

What the hell is so funny about this line?

"M. Santino C." wrote in message news:[email]...

many

gas

This one wasn't bad...had its moments. Dr. Nick's angry "BYE EVERYBODY" alone keeps it from the bottom 5.

beginning

syndrome;

Both of these were pretty good, imo.

age,

seeing

tale of

I'll agree on this one, but for different reasons. Don't have any inherent problems with flash-forwards, but this episode leaves me cold. Mostly because Hugh is a very humorless, un-simpsons-esque character. And there's just so much of him that it is hard to appreciate that good jokes going on around him.

CBG

I thought this one was weak -except for- the jockey elves. Not one of the best, overall.

Another episode under-rated unfairly, because of its character revisionism and general surreality.

the

flame, but

My own picks for "Worst. Episodes. Ever".......

5) Bart the General Lot of cliched jokes and moralising, and the klasky-csupo animation.

4) Bart's Dog Gets an F The characters are all unhappy or angry, the dog's wacky pranks aren't all that entertaining...just tepid and lifeless throughout.

3) Moaning Lisa Just not that funny. Lisa is a nice comic foil in the show now, but back then she was simply conflicted, cynical, intelligent...but not particularly funny.

2) The Telltale Head Cliches. Ugly animation. Lame jokes.

1) Stark Raving Dad Ugh. People who complain about the fawning kid-glove treatment of guest stars now should remember this one. Michael Jackson is the antithesis of the Simpsons, and to have him and his woeful lack of humor showcased for an entire episode as a sympathetic, sad mental patient....just unwatchable. The sad thing is, it starts out OK for the first act, but when Jackson enters the picture, the jokes come to a screeching halt, and then some.

I wish the DVDs were being issued in reverse season order.... the first season is classic and all, but...holds up shakily over time.

"Nim" wrote...

I will have to disagree heartily.

I'll give you the animation. Please show me the cliched jokes and moralising in this episode. Don't forget that this episode introduced Nelson, and that alone has a little merit, don't you think? Don't let the animation stop you from enjoying the early episodes.

One of my favorites of the second season, and probably one of the best animated episodes of the whole series. This is back when the show was about a normal family with normal family problems, exaggerated for the sake of humor and satire. And Bart's Dog Gets an F is very good at that, and also a wider variety of subjects than the average season 2 episode. If the dog jokes bore you, you still have Homer's Assasins, Lisa's sickness, the giant cookie, Lisa's teen magazines, etc. Plus lots of great one-liners (like when SLH is flipping the channels).

I agree, not a particularly funny episode. But still one of the best ever, and because of what you criticize. This episode created Lisa as we know her. Whithout Moaning Lisa she would be another Bart. Look at it as a much needed 'development' episode, whithout which the show wouldn't have lasted as long.

This is the season 1 episode that feels the most like from a different season. The animation isn't quite up to the standard, but it's getting there (there's a big difference in the animation with episodes like Homer's Odyssey). Lots of great jokes, like the footbal at the church.

I'm not so crazy about this one either. It shows that the episode was written around Jackson. But they did make him play a big bald white mental patient, which you can't say isn't creative.

I wish the DVDs were being issued together. I don't want to wait six years to have all the (current) seasons.

Watch the first seasons in context. They had to establish the show first so they could destroy it later.

Cheers,

"Nicol�s Di Candia" wrote in message news:a0qi84$mdi0m$[email]...

That's the beauty of opinion. Makes usenet interesting :-)

moralising

that

you

Alright, just a couple examples of what I was talking about. The whole "nightmare" sequence with Nelson, where he's an enormous monster. This was not, in fact, creative animation or direction. Showing exactly how frightened Bart is, with the surreal and nightmarish Nelson, isn't frightening, isn't funny, and doesn't add to the drama. It's just...a device. Maybe if it had been done 10 years earlier it would look creative. But by 1989, it wasn't. Nelson was a stereotypical bully. Bart was a stereotypical underdog. Grandpa and Herman were stereotypical war hawks. The characters weren't really characters.

The biggest problem, of course, was Bart's little speech at the end. That's just painful to watch, really screams "after school special." "Hey kids, we all liked laughing at Herman, but war is really bad, ok?" If they have a message to convey, and need a 2x4-in-the-face speech to get it across...then the writing in the actual drama wasn't effective enough. As far as the animation...there are some Klasky-Csupo shows that are pretty good. I just didn't think that they were right for the Simpsons, or did a very good job of it. As far as not letting it get in the way of enjoying the show, well....TV is a visual medium. The way scenes are drawn and animated can make me laugh, and they can keep me from laughing...which unfortunately they did back then. I guess you can qualify this all with "It's still pretty good, just not as good as other Simpsons."

there

There isn't a single episode that doesn't have at least a few great jokes. And uneven animation is just to be expected...almost every show needs a little time to find its voice and settle into a groove. But this is fundamentally an opinion poll, and the bottom line is, when I pick out a tape to watch, I skip over these episodes. Although it's much harder having them on DVD...the sound and picture quality is soooooo much better than broadcast, it's almost like watching a different show. Really can't wait for the later seasons!

Yes, it's a little better than if they were just fawning over him as Michael Jackson. But it was still laden with that saccharine-sweet schmalz that is so wrong for the show. I guess the fundamental crime was trading irreverant for reverant. I mean, compare it to the New Kids on the Blechh, where the whole thing was a complete mockery of their pop-sensation guests. This episode really did feel like "Wow! It's Michael Jackson!"....which is just not The Simpsons.

so

Yes, this is true...you can't play off the character types without establishing them at some point. Overall they did a good job of it. I just don't find the jokes as densely packed or creative. Growing pains...nothing more :-)

mental

Michael

irreverant

Even worse was when they cut down 8F07 (Saturdays of Thunder) so that bart could introduce the new Michael Jackson video "Black or White"

On Mon, 31 Dec 2001 22:51:33 GMT, "Nim" wrote:

I thought that was more a parody of an Afterschool Special, with Bart's remarks about "cool gory pictures" and "the Star Wars trilogy" as one of the "good" wars.

"Alan Hamilton" wrote in message news:8VqY7.1414$[email]...

That's

we

They threw a few jokes in, or tried to...but I don't think the whole speech was a parody. It seemed fundamentally sincere to me...hope I'm wrong though.

On Mon, 31 Dec 2001 13:03:53 GMT, "Nim" wrote:

No, no, this one really does stink to high heaven not because of surrealism, revisionism or any other ism, but because it is so unfunny. The rest on the list are okay in my book, however.

Scott

"M. Santino C." wrote in message news:[email]...

many

gas

I agree with you there

I agree there

beginning

syndrome;

I find this episode very pointless.

age,

seeing

tale of

This is one is average.

CBG

A load of crap

I wish it never did happen.

another

Deplorable

Yes this one is very unfunny, only highlight is the "tape-o" bit.

I like it when Armin, err Skinner says that all his dreams involved combing his hair.

Megan

in no particular order "Day of the Jackanapes" "E-I-E-I-(Annoyed grunt)" "Saddlesore Gallactica"

"megan" wrote in message news:[email]...

combing his

Drunk and full of pie, dan tsn wrote:

That's one of my *few* favorites from Season 11...

M. Santino C. wrote <snip>

many

gas

Not great, could have been better, but not one of the worst.

See above.

beginning

syndrome;

Sometimes unpopular here, but one of my favourites. Maybe that's because it does have a bit of Family Guy syndrome as you call it, but I am a huge FG fan too.

age,

seeing

tale of

I have no problem with futuristic episodes, they're different, that's all. The future episodes don't tell what *is* going to happen, they tell what *could* happen.

CBG

Well I certainly agree with you here, except this should be the #1 worst of all time.

This was kind of bizarre, but again not one of the worst. I liked how they strangly explained it all away at the end (...and noone shall ever speak of this again...), though it infuriates some.

another

Deplorable

Again, like Lisa's Wedding, I have no problem with this. How is everyone out of character? It's a natural extention of Bart being an underacheiver: he ends up a loser, Lisa is a smart perfectionist, she ends up president. Are you just upset because "Itchy and Scratchy: The Movie" showed him becoming chief justice of the supreme court?

If you want to know my opinion on the worst of the worst (and here's where we'll get some viscious flaming (you know who you are), I'd have to go way back to "Some Enchanted Evening" and "The Crepes of Wrath"

I agree that this episode wasn't that good, but I still think it's better than a lot of the crap they've shown recently. Comic Book Guy's hallucination was hilarious.

I'd put this in an average bracket. It still is by no means one of the worst of all time, though. The tapes of Homer and Ned getting married were pretty funny. "What'd you call me??" "Do you want to get MARRIED, MARRIED?" "Sure! Sock it to me, baby!" LOL

I agree that this episode was crap. The ending was ridiculous, but the "save me Jebus" line was funny. It's still not as bad as Homer the Moe.

I liked this one. It's cool to see how the characters develop and act in the future. It had kind of an odd ending. After Lisa and Hugh loved each other so much, it was weird to see them not get married over Hugh not wanting to wear some silly pig pins and making a few mean comments to Lisa. "You're like a flower that grew out of a pot of dirt" shouldn't break off a marriage.

This was very good until the jockey elves crap. That should have been saved for a Halloween special. I liked the part with Clinton at the end though. "Hey, I'm a pretty lousy President!"

This wasn't too bad. It was different to see how Skinner wasn't actually Agnes' son, but in the end it was legally declared by Judge Snyder for everything to be back to normal. "Can I see your copy of Swank, Harman?"

I agree that this was pretty bad, but does it really deserve the number 1 slot as the worst episode ever? I'll lay off the season 1 episodes because the show was still in its "developing" stages then, but Homer the Moe was 10 times worse. Simpsons Safari was also terrible. I hope that the rest of season 13 is much better than these 2 terrible ones.

Chris

<< 4) [Lisa's Wedding] -- (Hugh Parkfield) - Considering the children don't age, this is a very unfunny episode. I don't like looking into the future and seeing what everone is doing. The psychic then reveals that she tells not the tale of Lisa's true love. Me no like. Bad medicine. >>

I kinda liked this one. I liked that that Carl & Lenny were talking about conquering the international market, bald Milhouse was Homer's boss, while Homer J. is in the same position he was 20 years ago.

I can't argue with your other choices, however.

I'm not sure of the episode, but the one where Homer kills an alligator has to be on top of my list. ------------- G-Hound

• I like my women the way I like my beer - cold & bitter.

"Adventure is the champagne of life." - Chesterton

I agree with you on most of these episodes, but I love the Vegas episode with Flanders, The look on Sigfreid and Roys tiger at the end is hilarious. -Bob

I'll never forget what [email] said that day. He said:

This episode is simpsons insanity at its best. It's one of my favourites. Fuck normality.

I'm surprised you left out The Blunder Years (S13E04) - that was the first episode where I have literally winced in pain at how bad it was - the whole episode just didn't feel like a simpsons episode, and Marge was totally out of character for no good reason.

Yeah, these were quite bad.

beginning

syndrome;

I disagree here - it was a very good episode, but yes spoilt by the sesame street and teletubbies characters appearing. If they'd cut that bit out, I'd class it a great episode.

This one was ok I thought... but why is it that when British characters appear in american TV shows they invariably either have very posh accents and are all prim and proper, or are being drunken rowdy hooligans. Hmm.

CBG

Ew yeah, t'was awful indeed.

I dunno, this one was ok, had its funny moments and I wouldn't say it's the second worst episode ever.

another

Deplorable

Yeah, can't argue with that.

WHY in a worst episode ever thread has nobody mentioned THE unfunniest one ever, All Singing, All Dancing?

David "I'll plug YOUR hole! I mean, Eureka!"

"A small child" wrote in message news:[email]...

Very true, but what about the bag-boy strike/safari one?

"A small child" wrote in message news:[email]...

The "worst episode ever" title DOES belong to a clip show, but not "All Singing, All Dancing". The "Paint Your Wagon" sequence keeps this episode from being a total loss. And it's not "So It's Come To This...", which was done in a fairly clever way. No, "Another Simpsons Clip Show" truly earns the honor, not just because it's a clip show, but because the bridging sequences are TERRIBLE.

"Here comes Lee Marvin. He's ALWAYS drunk and violent."

Dr Music P.S. Parking was ample.

I think the worst episode was the one with 'N Sync. AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! They actually sung in that one. Oh the pain.

[email] (M. Santino C.) wrote in message news:...