Simpsons Season 14 Review

• 9th Oct 2011

Doo-do-do do-do, do-do, do-do-do-do-do. Do-do-do-do-do. Do-do-do-do. Even a series of nonsensical noises is enough to evoke this all-American family with their crazy antics and shenanigans. Their small beginnings seem worlds away from the empire they’ve amassed over the years and come their multiple award winning 14th season (including the illustrious 300^th episode) they’re showing no signs of slowing down.

As you’d expect, 14 seasons down the line it’s becoming more difficult for these four-fingered fiends to create stories with as much originality and imagination as they once could (these days if there are any linear character/plot consistencies from one episode to the next, you’re doing well) so season 14 really comprises an amalgamation of the craziest, most unpredictable and (dare I say it) downright ‘kooky’ plot contrivances yet. 

The season kicks off with Treehouse of Horror XIII, made up of three self-contained stories, as usual. Opening with a ‘Homer One’ is always a good move in my books and clearly in the storywriters’ as well. This story sees Homer ending up with a magic cloning hammock, soon leaving Springfield running amuck with these ‘gassy’ clones. Definitely this season’s ghostly highlight. The less spooky episodes which follow are a mixture of the realistic, mundane happenings of day-to-day life (in Simpson terms, of course) such as Lisa and Bart ending up in the same class at school in ‘Bart vs Lisa vs The Third Grade’, and plain off-the-wall concepts, which see Homer owning the rights to Springfield church in ‘Pray Anything’.

There are a couple of highlights of the season worth mentioning, particularly ‘The Strong Arms of Ma’. In this episode, Marge develops agoraphobia after being mugged outside the Kwik-E-Mart and takes up weightlifting to combat her sense of weakness, before ending up a steroid-ridden, aggressive she-man. Aside from its Rocky montage (I do love Rocky), it sees the Simpsons doing what they do best: addressing real life issues with a timeless blend of sensitivity and hilarity to create highly watchable storylines that don’t come across as even a bit far-fetched (unlike the frankly inane ‘Brake my Wife, Please’, a definite season low-point).

Also due a mention for their favourable writing are ‘Mr Spritz Goes to Washington’ and ‘The Three Gays of Condo’, the first highlighting the corruption of congress (can’t go wrong with an episode about the corruption of congress!) and the second landing Homer in the ‘gay district’ of Springfield, with surprising and status-quo challenging results (lame interjection from Weird Al Yankovic aside).

In all honesty, Simpsons fans should know full well what they’re getting from Season 14. There’s nothing startlingly new or memorable which marks this out as a season of real note, and nor is there anything so terrible which makes it missable. Add it to your collection for the sake of completion and dip in from time to time for yellow bellied fun and chuckles a-plenty.

The Simpsons Season 14 is out on DVD on the 10^th October courtesy of 20^th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Dani Singer