The Simpsons - The Complete First Season (1989) DVD
A Trip Down Memory Lane
November 2, 2002
The first season of many TV shows can be very different from the later seasons. Characters are being introduced for the first time. Some characters that were originally intended to be major characters don't work out, and some minor characters steal the scenes. And the central characters are often not very well developed. The Simpsons are no different in that regard.
Chief Wiggums is fairly competent the first time we meet him. Ned Flanders is the neighbor who has all the best material things, and has not yet dedicated his life to God. Apu is practically just a prop in his store. Homer’s voice changes during the first season, and Lisa starts out as a normal kid.
The pace of the shows is slower than the more recent seasons, and some of the backgrounds are more cartoonish than now. The floor plan of the Simpson house changes constantly, as does the layout of the town.
However it’s not hard to see how the writers and the animators are blazing new trails in the first season. We see camera angles and shots that before the Simpsons were more likely to be in a cinematic movie than a TV show, let alone an animated feature.
Having seen these shows many times in syndicated reruns, the first time I watched the DVD I used the soundtrack that included commentary from Matt Groening with the directors, writers and animators of the various episodes. To hear their reactions to these old classics, along with the back stories the told was fascinating. I feel I’ve walked away with a deeper understanding of The Simpsons.
At first blush, one might think that it’s a waste of money to buy a DVD of a TV show that’s still seen every day, sometimes multiple times a day, in syndication. You can see The Simpsons every day for free! But you can’t get the commentary if you don’t have the DVD, and the syndicated reruns are not rerun in the original order. (Seeing them in the original order also allows you to see how things develop over time.)
It would have been better if there were more DVD-only features, but I really have to say that the commentary is a very strong feature all by itself. I would not buy this set on tape, but the DVD version is worth it because of that commentary. The Simpsons first season DVD is a keeper.
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The Simpsons - The Complete Second Season (1990) DVD
A Great Season
November 30, 2002
While the first season, like many TV series, had some oddities before they nailed-down things like Homer's voice, and their home's floor plan, the shows from the second season can run side-by-side with shows from later seasons. We're still meeting some regular characters, like Comic Book Guy, for the first time, but for the most part, The Simpsons are in full-swing this season.
As with the first season, the real value of the DVD is the commentary from Matt Groening, Al Jean, and the various directors, writers and animators. Occasionally they get so involved in a discussion of The Simpsons and the old days that they seem to forget we've got an episode running, but that's okay. A real fan has seen the episode many times already (and can turn off the commentary with the press of a button), but I think the commentary connects us more with The Simpsons than simply watching the episode again.
Each time I see a Simpsons episode I see things I never noticed before. The episodes all work on so many different levels. While the idea of studying an episode of a TV show over and over again sounds pretty geeky, The Simpsons is one of a small number of shows I can imagine doing this to. And when there's nothing on TV to watch, a quick 22-minute Simpsons episode can fill a void.
If you're interested enough to have read this far, and if this isn't the first customer review you're reading, then I would say you're interested enough in The Simpsons that you will find value in this 4-DVD set.
Have you bought it yet? Have you bought it yet? Have you bought it yet? Have you bought it yet? Have you bought it yet? Have you bought it yet? Have you bought it yet? Have you bought it yet? ...
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