The Simpsons Forum

I'm reviving this page. Deal with it.

 Hands down, "Homerpalooza." I agree with others that it is impossibly difficult to pinpoint (My Dad recorded the first ten seasons through my childhood on VHS), let me put it another way: Some people say that their favorite parts of old Simpsons is using actual emotional change and detail in these characters, while the problem with new episodes is that the unbearable popularity has forced the premises of the shows with "whacky" antics perpetrated by "whacky" characters, although some can also argue the over-the-top comedy can work if used subtly. In "Homerpalooza", they successfully used emotional involvement (Homer representing middle-aged adults realizing they've dropped out in the swing of things; is no longer considered "cool", now thought of as "old".) and managed to weave a ridiculous notion to it (Homer's gut being so colossally strong that it can withstand cannonballs, and thereafter becomes a freak show sensation). The episode manages to emulate every middle-aged person's desperation to "get bakc into the groove" as Homer called it, while also mocking the then-modern vibe of youth culture. To completely epitomize 90's culture:

 (Homer gets on stage, applause ensues)

 Slacker #1: (In audience, in smarmy, deanpan speech) Oh hey, there's that cannonball guy. He's cool.

 Slacker #2: Are, you bein' sarcastic, dude?

 Slacker #1: ...I don't even know anymore.

 Great. Plus, they guest-starred the entire ensamble of Smashing Pumpkins and Cypress Hill in their prime, the London Symphony Orchestra plays "Insane in the Brain", and Grandpa says one of my favorite quotes in Homer's flashback, when a 70's teenage version of himself tells his uncool Dad he's not "with it."

"Well, I used to be with it, but then they changed what it was. Now, what I'm with isn't it, and what's "it" seems weird and scary to me. And it'll happen to you..."

It's funny because its a universal fact.