The Simpsons - The Complete Fourth Season : As good as Television can get

I have been a fan of The Simpsons for quite a while now. In fact, I can still remember watching the first episode on Fox all those years ago. Every time reruns come on television and I have nothing better to do, I flip them on, and sit back for a little half-hour of comedy. With fox now, I get two shows per day, everyday, so I am always really close to my next Simpsons fix. Owning the DVD's is just the next step in a chain of things I do regarding the show. When Season 4 finally came out, I knew it was something I would want to own, because this is where I think the best stories in the show started to come out. Not only had all of the characters finally developed their own personalities by then, but the episodes had started to become more complete, and even more funnier than usual.


The Simpsons is a cartoon television show that currently has an 8pm time-slot on the Fox Network. It is based around a family of 5, that live in a town called Springfield. Homer is the name of the Father, Marge the wife, Bart the oldest son, Lisa the middle sister, and Maggie the baby. The town is full of interesting characters that interact with them on a daily basis, and the show is always based on an adventure involving one or more of the family members. The cartoon stays in one year, and the characters do not age as in other sitcoms of the type, but the characters do evolve, and each episode builds upon the last like a soap opera. It is a very funny show, and the episodes have finally started coming out on DVD.

Here is a quick listing of the Season 4 Episodes:


1. Kamp Krusty

In the first episode of the 4th season, Bart and Lisa spend six weeks at Camp Krusty. However, the dream camp turns out to not quite what they expected. Hilarity ensues as they deal with a run-down camp that is being used only to make more money for an absent Krusty.


2. A Streetcar Named Marge

In Episode 2, Marge takes on a part in the musical version of “A Streetcar Named Desire”, a musical which has a strange resemblance to the Simpsons' own home life.


3. Homer the Heretic

While dreaming, Homer ends up getting permission from God to skip church. It has been something that has always bored him, and this is much to Marge's objections. The moral ends up being not doing anything you wouldn't want to.


4. Lisa the Beauty Queen

Homer enters Lisa into a beauty contest, and Lisa finishes in 2nd place. The only problem, is that when the original winner is injured, Lisa becomes Little Miss Springfield. Being a girl that cared nothing about her image to this point, she is forced to deal with new situations. ---Bob Hope guest stars.---


5. Treehouse of Horror III

This is the 3rd installment of what has become the regular episodic formula for Halloween episodes. In this one The Simpsons hold a Halloween Party, in which three stories are exchanged.

In "Clown Without Pity", Bart receives, as a birthday present, a talking Krusty doll....from the House of Evil 'Your One Stop Evil Shop'.

In "King Homer", as you can guess from the title, Homer becomes King Kong, and carries out that story in Simpsons methodology.

Lastly, in "Dial 'Z' For Zombies", after being assigned to read a another book, Bart picks out an item from the occult section, and tries to raise the dead Snowball I, but instead causes the dead people to rise from the grave


6. Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie

This episode is based around the new Itchy and Scratchy movie that is coming out. Both Lisa and Bart want to see it more than anything, but when Bart fails to keep an eye on Maggie and her life ends up in danger, Homer puts his foot down and says that Bart can never see the movie.


7. Marge Gets a Job

Marge has always been a housewife, but when the Simpsons home needs about $8,000 worth of foundation work, Marge gets a job at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. However, things start getting a bit sticky when Mr. Burns develops a crush on Marge. The Power Plant is also the same place that Homer works, so he can see what is unfolding. ---Tom Jones guest stars---


8. New Kid on the Block

A new girl moves in next door, and Bart develops a crush on her. Unfortunately he has his heart broken when she dates Jimbo, a local kid. ---Sara Gilbert guest stars---


9. Mr. Plow

After Homer wrecks the two family cars during a snowstorm, he buys a snowplow, and starts up a snow-plowing company called "Mr. Plow". However, the competition gets pretty intense when Homer's best friend Barney, starts up a competing plowing business, "Plow King". ---Linda Ronstadt and Adam West guest star---


10. Lisa's First Word

This is a very good flash-back episode to a time from before the show. While trying to get Maggie to say her first words, Homer recalls what happened a few years back when Lisa was born. It was back when they first moved into their present home, and we see just how the family was back then.


11. Homer's Triple Bypass

Homer has a heart attack from all of the fat-filled foods he has been eating over the years. Now, Homer is faced with a big choice; either spend $40,000 for Dr. Hibbert's bypass operation, or $129.95 for Dr. Nick Riviera's operation. One is sure to save his life, but could break the family, and the other is from a shady doctor.


12. Marge vs. the Monorail

The town wins money from a fee that Mr. Burns is forced to pay, and they decide the best way to invest it is to build a monorail in the city. Of course nothing can go right, and it becomes more than comedic when the monorail goes out of control. ---Leonard Nimoy guest voices---


13. Selma's Choice

After aunt Gladys Bouvier dies, Selma (Marge's sister) decides to try and get married and have a child. The suitors are many, but she has to look long and hard to find someone she can love.


14. Brother From the Same Planet

When Bart feels that Homer is neglecting him, he signs up to have a bigger brother who will do things with him. Homer seeks his own revenge and replaces Bart with a little brother. In a sub-plot, Lisa becomes addicted to the Corey hot-line, a 1-900 number that is based on one of the teens of the time.


15. I Love Lisa

Lisa feels sorry for a boy (Ralph) who does not get any Valentine's, and sends one of her own. This ends up having her chased by the boy who is now in love with her.


16. Duffless

When Homer gets caught drunk driving (again), he promises Marge to stay beer drinking for one month. Also, when Bart ruins Lisa's science project, Lisa vows to take revenge by determining which is smarter: a hamster or Bart. This is an extremely funny episode which has a couple of lines in Simpsons history such as, "Owe, quit it!."


17. Last Exit to Springfield

When nobody else wants to do it, Homer becomes the Union boss and negotiates a new contract with the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. Knowing that Lisa needs braces, he has to make sure they get a dental plan. ---Dr. Joyce Brothers guest stars---


18. So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show

A practical joke by Bart goes too far and Homer gets injured, leading to the Simpsons recalling at the hospital, various moments from past episodes. These are the types of episodes that I hate, because they are the easy way out of having a real story.


19. The Front

While watching an Itchy and Scratchy cartoon, Lisa and Bart decide that they can do much better, and ghost write their own using their grandfather's name. Homer also decides to take night school to make up a missing science credit. ---Brooke Shields and David Crosby guest star---


20. Whacking Day

In an episode where Bart gets expelled from school, Lisa protests the annual day of whacking snakes that Springfield has. ---Barry White guest stars---


21. Marge in Chains

Osaka Flu hits Springfield, and everyone is suffering from it. Then Marge accidentally shoplifts at the Kwik-E-Mart, and is forced to spend 30 days at the local prison.


22. Krusty Gets Kancelled

The Gabbo show causes The Krusty Show to get cancelled, and Krusty seems to be completely washed up. But, his biggest fans, Lisa and Bart, vow to help Krusty out by organizing a comeback special starring everyone that has been in his life ---Bette Midler, Elizabeth Taylor, Hugh Hefner, Johnny Carson, Luke Perry and Red Hot Chili Peppers all guest star---



All 22 episodes are very funny, and make this DVD set well worth the purchase price. Being the 4th season, they have worked out the kinks, and know just what makes a scene with the characters funny. It is rare that a television show comes along that can not only last this long, but can still be funny 15 years after it got started. Take a trip back in time, and enjoy the 4th season which I highly recommend. In addition to the episodes that are present, the DVD set also provides some additional bonuses as well.


DVD Extras

--Commentary on all episodes.
--Easter egg bonus commentary and sketches.
--Deleted scenes.
--Animation Showcases: picture in picture, storyboards, animatics, commercials.
--The Cajun Controversy.
--A word from Matt Groening.
--Promotional syndication reel.


I highly recommend this DVD set to anyone that has ever been a fan of The Simpsons. All of the episodes have their moments, and without having to deal with the commercial breaks, you are able to enjoy the show even more. This is also one of those DVD sets where you can see the episodes again and again, and each time they are just as funny as the last. Of the first 4 seasons that are now on DVD, I highly recommend this as the best one of the 4.