Plot: What’s it about?
Of all the DVD’s I get to review over the course of a year, I take many with a grain of salt. That’s not so with “The Simpson’s”. It is (and has been) my favorite show on television for the last 15 years. The first few seasons were a bit off, with odd coloring and the animation wasn’t top notch, however as the show hit its stride the stories became better, the characters more colorful and, of course, the emergence of Homer Simpson as one of the most popular characters on television. We’re now at the Eighth season and this contains some of my personal favorite episodes, one of which is entitled “You Only Move Twice” – a take off on an older James Bond movie with Albert Brooks voicing Homer’s sinister boss: Hank Scorpio. Brooks has lent his voice to a few characters over the years, but Scorpio takes the cake in my book. Naturally the four disc set has other episodes as well. The season starts off with “Treehouse of Horror” in which we discover that Bart has an evil Siamese twin named Hugo. There’s also a good Clinton/Dole parody that was right on the mark (bear in mind this episode ran just a few weeks before the 1996 election).
The season had its share of guest stars, Rodney Dangerfield makes an appearance as Mr. Burns’ estranged son. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson make an appearance on “The Springfield Files” as they try to deduce if there actually is an alien presence in Springfield. This is also the season where Homer gets to voice the infamous “Poochie” leading the Comic Book Guy to proclaim it the “Worst. Episode. Ever.” yet another phrase that has found its way into our vernacular. Suffice it to say that if you’re a rabid fan of “The Simpson’s” then this is one season that should fill your library. Then again, if you’re half the fan that I am you’ll ignore this review totally and buy the DVD set anyway. I would. “The Simpson’s” continues to be one of the most fresh and creative shows on television and I’m so happy that we’re getting good quality sets like these out of Fox. Best.Series.Ever.
Video: How does it look?
The shows are presented in their original full-frame aspect ratio and they all look fantastic. Even the older seasons have a new life and sound to them that make them look as if they’re half the age they are. The colors are rich and vibrant with no edge enhancement (it’s a bit difficult to have it with animation) and hardly any artifacting to boot. Animation always looks great on DVD, regardless of the age but this Eighth season of “The Simpson’s” just sparkles.
Audio: How does it sound?
Additionally, each new subsequent season of “The Simpson’s” is given a new Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack and though it is odd to hear something in 5.1 sound (that you’ve been accustomed to hearing in stereo), it’s not entirely a bad thing. Granted, most of the dialogue and “action” takes place in the front stage, but there are some surround effects that kick in from time to time. There’s a depth to the tracks that really hasn’t existed before and it raises the bar once again.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Fox and creator Matt Groening have made sure that when fans of the show buy these discs, they get what they paid for and let me tell you, they have done all of these seasons right. First and foremost, each and every episode of the season has a commentary by Groening and some various members of the cast and the producers. I listened to a few of these (on my favorite episodes) and I really admire the fact that they all still get such a kick out of the final product. You’d figure he’d be sick of this yellow family by now, but it’s not the case. Groening also provides a rather hyper introduction, trying to squeeze in nearly everything that happens during the season into 90 seconds. And he does it too. There’s also a feature on “The Simpson House” in which a real house was built and painted to look exactly like the one that was shown on the show. It had to be painted to “normal” colors because of codes, though. There are some deleted scenes (though not the final product), illustrated sketches and animator’s commentaries as well (just like previous seasons) and some promo spots as well. If you own the previous seasons, this one is already in your collection. Enjoy! I did. Best.Series.Ever.
