Fox’s centerpiece animated series, and currently the longest running primetime sitcom, The Simpsons, will once again come to DVD as a box set for The Complete Third Season. The set consists of four discs containing all 24 episodes as well as a slew of special features to satisfy the mass population that are fans of this show.
For anyone needing an introduction to exactly who The Simpsons are, you should be smacked and dragged out from the rock you’ve been living under. Anyhow, here is a brief introduction.
The Simpsons are the ingenious creation of Matt Groening. Homer, the father, is a buffoon who works at a local power plant ran by the incomparable and ever-dying Mr. Burns. Marge is the stay-home mother who attempts to keep the family, especially Homer and Bart (the son), all in check. Bart is an underachiever of epic proportions. His greatest thrill in life is to cause trouble, especially anything that would upset Homer. The father-son fights portrayed throughout the course of this show are hysterical. However, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Enter Lisa, the anti-Bart. She is an ubber-genious and an overachiever, who loves the saxophone and school as well. The end of the immediate family is Maggie, the infant daughter who mostly just sucks her pacifier. Also joining the inner cast of Simpsons is Selma and Patty, Marge’s sisters who entirely disapprove of Homer, and Grampa, Homer’s equally foolish father. The rest of the gigantic supporting cast includes the do-good neighbors the Flander’s, Mr. Burns ambiguously gay assistant Smithers, Homer’s drinking partner Barney and their trusty bartender Moe, Apu the quickie-mart operator, local police chief Wiggum, Bart’s idol Krusty the Clown, Otto the bus driver, Principal Skinner, Willie the janitor, and Edna Krabappel, the teacher. There are other even smaller supporting cast members, as well as many guest appearances throughout the course of the series, but for the sake of time and space, I will mention no further.
Since The Simpsons is not a show of season-long themes, it would be pointless to compare storylines of this season to any other. Seasons of The Simpsons should be measured by one criterion only. How funny is it?! If you all can remember back, Season Three does not disappoint (not that any season of this show has). I am not an ultra Simpsons fanatic, so forgive me if I am incorrect, but I remember Season Three being the season where the stories change focus from Bart as the main character to Homer. I feel this transition has made the show the mainstay that it has become. You can only center a show around a 10-year-old misfit for so long, but watching a grown man as an over-ripe moron with multiple idiosyncrasies – now that can be funny forever.
Nearly all the episodes of the entire show are worth watching, but there are a few that rise above the rest in my view. “Dog of Death” where The Simpsons’ loyal dog, Santa’s Little Helper, undergoes an expensive surgery that causes everyone to break their routine, and “Homer Defined,” where Homer goes from hero to goat are examples of my favorites from Season Three. The best episode however, is the episode that includes the biggest special guest appearance of the show’s entire history in my view, when Michael Jackson adds his talents as an unaccredited guest-voice as Leon Kompowsky in the episode “Stark Raving Dad.” Leon is, ironically enough, a large white man claiming to be Michael Jackson. You can’t help but love this episode.
So now comes the truth – You’ve seen the episodes; you see the reruns every night – Why should you buy this box set you ask? Yes I know, you’ve all been waiting to hear about the special features. I only received a 2-disc screener so forgive me as I can only give you my firsthand opinion of the special features included there. They are:
- Commentary: This was done for each episode by an abundance of cast members, really worth a listen to, especially on the “Stark Raving Dad” episode.
- Unseen Commercial from “Colonel Homer”: I don’t think I need to tell you this is no big deal.
- Storyboards and Sketches: great for the hardcore Matt Groening fan, and can be seen with the audio of the episode playing, which is very interesting, but can get extremely boring as the sketches switch slowly.
- Pop-ups: imagine The Simpsons on VH1 pop-up video. That’s exactly what this is. Highly recommended, very entertaining and fun to watch.
- Jukebox feature: You hear songs that are sung throughout the entire season. I don’t find this to be anything extraordinary, but if there is a song you particularly enjoy, this is your chance to listen to it over and over without having to search the episodes.
- Other special features include Baby Translator, Audio Outtakes, and Text/photo galleries.
All in all I have always enjoyed and continue to enjoy this show. I just don’t understand one thing: Why is Season Three coming out now? We are about to enter season 15!!! The episodes from Season Three are 12 years old, time for Fox to catch up. Simpsons fans deserve better than a 12 year layover on these seasons. Hopefully Fox will get at least a few seasons a year out to get up to speed.
Honestly, what bad things can you say about The Simpsons unless you are closed-minded with no sense of humor? I’m just kidding, I know the humor isn’t for everyone, and if you don’t like the humor of the show, your loss! If you are a Simpsons fan, the third season will not disappoint. My final verdict: With episodes that are hilarious, and special features that are more than sufficient, The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season is a must-own DVD for any fan of the show.
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