The Simpsons #6 - "It means he gets results, you stupid chief!"

5.1 - 5.8

            Season 5 opens with one of the best strings of episodes in Simpsons history (probably). The first four episodes are a non-stop barrage of classics - Barbershop, Cape Feare, Homer Goes to College and Rosebud, the Citizen Kane episode. Seasons four and three are often held in higher esteem, or at least used as the go-to examples for Simpsons perfection, but so far I've found this season to be more reliable - you're guaranteed some belly laughs in pretty much any episode. Even eps that I didn't really remember that well, or wasn't looking forward to, had some real in-stitches moments. For example, the quote above comes from "Bart's Inner Child", the second or third Albert Brooks episode, and certainly the Brooks character I remember least. Turns out, though, it's packed with gems - vintage McClure, "Tramampoline!" and the ending that contains that quote. The next episode up is the Mindy one, with Michelle Phiefer. As I recall, this is one of the episodes I've seen the most; I think I had it on video when I was younger. In fact I probably still have it somewhere. So it's not one of my most anticipated episodes. But based on the gag rate so far, I think there's probably a lot to look forward to.

As a side note, I own seasons 3-5 on DVD, so I've seen these episodes many times more than the average Golden Age episode. So after this season (up til 9, though I've seen 8's episodes about as many times as these ones), I'll be treated with vintage Simpsons that I may not have seen in years, which I'm honestly incredibly excited about.