"Oh, Marge," Homer pooh-poohs his wife in "Mr. Lisa Goes To Washington," "cartoons don't have any deep meaning. They're just stupid drawings that give you a cheap laugh." Not The Simpsons, which in its third season confirmed its status as television's gold standard for comedy writing and performance. Fulfilling the promise of its first two seasons, The Simpsons hit new heights the third time out with a number of essential episodes. To name but a few: "Stark Raving Dad," with an unbilled Michael Jackson (although the audio commentary still does not clear up whether the King of Pop actually does the singing); the aforementioned political satire "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington"; "When Flanders Failed"; the surprisingly poignant "Like Father Like Klown," with Jackie Mason as Krusty the Klown's rabbi father; "Flaming Moe's"; "Bart the Lover"; "Homer at the Bat," with an all-star cast of actual ballplayers, including the now-disgraced Jose Canseco and Darryl Strawberry; and "Black Widower," which contains arguably the greatest dialogue of any episode of The Simpsons. When asked to suggest an hors d'oevure for his sister-in-law's ill-fated wedding, Homer responds with relish: "You can't go wrong with cocktail weenies. They taste as good as they look." This essential, extras-laden DVD set (with entertaining commentary for all episodes, pop-up bonus trivia, audio outtakes, and more) is illustrative of why The Simpsons is, in the parlance of Comic Book Guy, the funniest show ever. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (K. Lee Benson)
The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season
Fox, 4 discs, 672 min., not rated, DVD: $49.98 Volume 18, Issue 6
The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season
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