The Simpsons
Summary
AlthoughThe Simpsonsstill has its defenders , one infamous instalment indicated the end of the show ’s famous Golden Age . The Simpsonshas been around for 35 years and over 760 episodes , so it is fair to say that the recreate kinsperson sitcom is doing amercement . However , whileThe Wallis Warfield Simpson ’ time of year 36 renewalproves the show will preserve for the foreseeable futurity , there is no denying that its critical report took an irreparable strike long ago . The Simpsonsseason 35 is excellentand , even then , the best new episodes are only a shadow of the show ’s former glory . The Simpsonswas sinful .
InTV : The Book , critic Matthew Zoller Seitz calledThe Simpsons“Ambitious , sexual , classical , experimental , coxa , [ and ] corny , ” and even this sprawl summation struggles to explain the shock of the show ’s Golden Age . From season 3—9,The Simpsonspioneered an anarchical elan of TV funniness authorship that went on to influence every subsequent major work in the genre . Without this era , there would be noSouth Park , noFamily Guy , noBob ’s Burgers , noBojack Horseman , and even noRick and MortyorGravity Falls . However , althoughthe Simpsons do n’t age , this era finally had to come to an end .
“The Principal & The Pauper” Signaled The End Of The Simpsons' Golden Age
The Controversial Episode Started The Show’s Gradual Critical Decline
The Golden Age ofThe Simpsonsbegan with season 3 , episode 17 , “ Homer at the Bat . ” Although the show was already democratic with critic and viewer at this phase , this unrelentingly funny sashay saw the serial experimentation with a young style of comedy . The joke menstruate quicker and grow more dreamlike , drawing inspiration from sources as diverse as classic Tex Avery and Chuck Jones cartoons , the Marx Brothers , and the picture show of Zucker , Abrahams , and Zucker . This chaotic style came to dominate the show ’s action in the ensuing seasons , with tarradiddle growing zanier , more determinedly weird , and more tight - pace .
time of year 9 , sequence 2 , “ The Principal and the Pauper , ” bespeak the ending of the Golden Age ofThe Simpsonsonly five years after “ Homer at the Bat ” aired . Ironically,“The Principal and The Pauper ” is very funny , and its condition as a hangover from time of year 8 proves that season 9 did n’t herald some disconnected , incomprehensible decline for the serial publication . That tell , the instalment ’s high-handed attitude toward the show ’s canon and its misanthropic ego - sentience never sat well with looker or critic . Later episodes that were singled out as the end of the Golden Age were accused of amplifying these same morphologic fault .
Why “The Principal & The Pauper” Is So Controversial Among Simpsons Fans (& Matt Groening)
The Episode’s Many Major Retcons Didn’t Sit Right With Everyone
The problem was that viewers had grown seize to Seymour over the twelvemonth thanks to classic outings like season 5 , episode 19 , “ Sweet Seymour Skinner ’s Baadasssss Song . ”
“ The Principal and the Pauper ” revealed Principal Skinner was an imposter when the existent Seymour , a Vietnam oldtimer flirt by Martin Sheen , returned to Springfield to reclaim his life . finally , the townspeople discover they prefer the impostor and the real Skinner was expatriate while the interloper was welcomed back into the residential area . This grim gag could have been funny sinceThe Simpsonshas pulled off dark eccentric arcsbefore and after this episode . The problem was that viewers had grown attach to Seymour over the twelvemonth thanks to classic junket like season 5 , episode 19 , “ Sweet Seymour Skinner ’s Baadasssss Song . ”
In an interview withRolling Stone , The Simpsonsco - Lord Matt Groening call the episode a “ Mistake ” years after he yield that it was one of his least favorite outings in a season 9 DVD comment . fan online and critics echoed similar sentiments , articulate that the revelations about Skinner feel like a betrayal of the fiber . Ultimately , The Simpsonswas a dupe of its own successas the show ’s goofy , no - rules approach path to writing backfire when looker grew unexpectedly attach to Springfield ’s citizens . The Simpsonspointedly void the sloppiness of most sitcoms , but this episode proved viewers had still gotten vest in Skinner .
The Simpsons Never Properly Recovered After “The Principal & The Pauper”
The Divisive Outing Ushered In A New Era For The Once Universally Acclaimed Show
Although there have been deal of great episode since time of year 9 andThe Simpsonsseason 35 has hugely improvedon its precursor , the serial never recapture the unbelievable strike rate of its Golden Age after “ The Principal and the Pauper . ” Although many blame the episode itself , this ignores the bigger issue with the show ’s world - edifice . The show ignored its own canon and rewrote its dominion constantly throughout the Golden Age , but“The Principal and the Pauper ” proved viewers wanted consistent storytelling fromThe Simpson .
It was difficult for the series to equilibrize its wacky comedic instincts and the pre - existing traditional knowledge of an increasingly elaborate Earth in the seasons that followed . critic ofThe Simpsonsfrequently complained that the show forgot its established history or characterizations , which is almost inevitable in a show with thousands of characters , one C of episodes , and an pliant canyon that switch constantly and without explanation . The earth ofThe Simpsonsgot too big and , as a result , the show ’s blasé posture toward supporting stars ended up vexatious looker who were once amused by this same subversive expressive style .
Episode Number
Episode Title
Air Date
1
" Homer ’s hybridization "
October 1
2
" A Mid - Childhood Night ’s Dream "
October 8
3
" McMansion and Wife "
October 22
4
" Thirst Trap : A Corporate Love Story "
October 29
5
" Treehouse of Horror XXXIV "
November 5
6
" Iron Marge "
November 12
7
" It ’s A Blunderful life sentence "
November 19
8
" Ae Bonny Romance "
December 3
9
" Murder , She Boat "
December 17
10
" Do The Wrong Thing "
December 24
11
" Frinkenstein ’s Monster "
February 18
12
" Lisa Gets An F1 "
February 25
13
" Clan of the Cave Mom "
March 24
14
" dark of the Living Wage "
April 7
15
" Cremains of the Clarence Day "
April 21
