One of the best of this particular season is the impressive “Treehouse of Horror XII”. Whether it is the hype of just the fact that some of us feel the Halloween episodes should be perfect, they are generally less than thrilling. Thankfully, this is one that stands out, with Pierce Brosnan as a killer computer, a gypsy curse and a little bit of Harry Potter, there are thrills and chills and good times for all. This is a terrific way to start off the season.
For the most part things didn’t stray too far from good as this was an entertaining year with mostly strong episodes with a few that just miss the mark. Other notably enjoyable episodes include “The Parent Rap”, “A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love”, “The Blunder Years”, “Jaw’s Wired Shut”, “Blame it on Lisa”, “The Frying Game” and the season finale, “Poppa’s Got a Brand New Badge”. In between are mostly good enough moments that still carry that laugh out loud feeling of “The Simpsons”. The later seasons proved to have a few more bumps in the road.
It’s hard to go back and look at this creative series and not have a good time. Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie have brought so many people amusement. Again, this is a show that still offers enough laughs to keep me watching, and many others as well. Yes, things started to lose a little bit of freshness around thirteen years, but it was still an entertaining half an hour.
When it comes to the latest release itself, the cover of this disc is very inviting. Ralph Wiggum is the cover boy and a fan favorite. It’s hard not to be pulled in by his delightfully wacky character. Good old Ralph is used a ton in this DVD, including the engaging DVD menu with Ralph, Lisa, Bart, Homer and a number of other characters at an arcade. Generally DVD menus don’t excite, except when they are this freakin’ funny.
All twenty-two episodes include Audio Commentary, which is usually a good thing. Yet here, the commentaries are poorly recorded, leaving some of the people involved nearly inaudible. And they mostly just laugh at their own work. It would be nice to have a little more insight into the making of this legendary series.
A Token from Matt Groening offers up a quick and witty take on the season thanks to the wonderfully talented Groening.
There are a ton of featurettes that are pretty groovy. Of course, in celebration of Ralph, we have “Ralphisms” and “The Sweet Life of Ralph”. Less exciting is “The Games” where you get a glimpse at the many video games that have been inspired by the series. “The People Ball”, “The 13th Crewman” and “Blame it on the Monkeys” is worth checking out. The “Multi-angle Animation Showcases” and “Sketch Gallery” are also enjoyable.
Many of the episodes include “Deleted Scenes” where you can watch and click when you see a pair of scissors pop up. Or you can watch them separate with commentary.
This Blu-ray edition also includes commercials and a few different language choices. There’s a whole lot of Simpsons for you to spend a couple of days with.
iamROGUE’s Favorite Moment: “Treehouse of Horrors XII” and the Pierce Brosnan robot.
