# What's the WORST Episode of The Simpsons? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 18, 2002, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-episode-of-the-simpsons/137263 "2002-11-18T03:56:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Super\_Gnat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Super\_Gnat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Super_Gnat)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-episode-of-the-simpsons/137263/41 "2002-11-19T02:43:42Z")
With all of these, I can think of at least some redeeming bits, at least one random joke or sequence that makes me laugh. I cannot think of a single redeeming bit of the one where Lisa became a Buddhist. There was not a single funny bit, not even a little one. I mean, it was _Simpsons_, but it wasn’t _funny_. The only reason I sat through it was because it took a while for the concept of Simpsons = unfunny to percolate through my brain. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-episode-of-the-simpsons/137263/42 "2002-11-19T03:20:18Z")
Similarly, the one I sat through today, in which Ned Flanders goes through the trials of Job and lands in the funny farm is absolutely laugh-free. If this were the first episode of Simpsons you ever saw, there would never be a second. ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-episode-of-the-simpsons/137263/43 "2002-11-19T03:32:58Z")
My Sister, My Sitter. Hands down. I will not argue this. “But you missed a lot of episodes…” Doesn’t matter. Nothing could possibly anywhere near as that 23-minute torture device. “But Bart was _supposed_ to…” Gad, I’m sick of this argument. “It was a steaming pile of dreck and an assault on your senses from beginning to end, but _there was a point to it_, so that makes it perfectly all right!” Uh, no, it doesn’t. There may be a very important purpose for Eric Cartman always getting his way and treating everyone around him like dirt; that doesn’t make it a good thing. “But…” LOOK, people, Bart acts like a damn psychopath, and Homer’s even more brain-dead than usual, and Marge is even more moronic than usual, and the plot was insane, and about 20 people were completely out of character, and there wasn’t a single redeeming moment, and there wasn’t a single funny moment, and, in all, this looks exactly like the kind of episode that should’ve been thrown into the incinerator before they ever came close to completing it! Why is it that so many of us cannot use our damn eyes and ears? I say if it looks abysmal, sounds abysmal, and feels abysmal, _it’s abysmal._ End of story. Runner up: The hockey episode (don’t remember the title). My Sister, My Sitter lite. ---
**Author:** ![typhoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed8c4c/32.png) [@typhoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typhoon)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-episode-of-the-simpsons/137263/44 "2002-11-19T03:36:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Exapno Mapcase \* > \*\*Similarly, the one I sat through today, in which Ned Flanders goes through the trials of Job and lands in the funny farm is absolutely laugh-free. If this were the first episode of Simpsons you ever saw, there would never be a second. \*\* Is that the one that begins with the hurricane? You didn’t think Santa’s Little Helper getting swept away by the storm and Homer commenting, “Somehow the animals are always the first to know” was funny? ---
**Author:** ![Gr8Kat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gr8kat/32/18668_2.png) [@Gr8Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gr8Kat)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-episode-of-the-simpsons/137263/45 "2002-11-19T04:41:34Z")
I have to agree with almost every episode on this list EXCEPT!!! for the episode where Bleeding Gums Murphy dies. OMG, that episode is so funny! I know it’s a sad subject, but it has so many classic moments. Grandpa: When you’re my age, death stalks you at every turn. DEATH!!! Lisa: Grandpa, that Maggie. Grandpa: Oh, right, what was I saying? DEATH!!! Lisa: That’s the cat. Grandpa: Oh. DEATH!!! Lisa: That’s Maggie again. Grandpa: DEATH!!! Krusty: To prove this jagged metal Krusty O is harmless, I’ll eat one. Oh, it’s shredding my insides! Sideshow Mel: That’s a regular Krusty O. Krusty: It’s poison! Bart: If it helps, I think when you die you come back as whatever you want. I’ll come back as a butterfly. Lisa: Why a butterfly? Bart: Because no one suspects the butterfly! Oh, I could go on, but I won’t. However, you are all right about the other episodes. Except Shari Bobbins, that one’s all right, too. ---
**Author:** ![Gr8Kat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gr8kat/32/18668_2.png) [@Gr8Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gr8Kat)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-episode-of-the-simpsons/137263/46 "2002-11-19T04:45:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by typhoon \* > \*\*Is that the one that begins with the hurricane? You didn’t think Santa’s Little Helper getting swept away by the storm and Homer commenting, “Somehow the animals are always the first to know” was funny? \*\* Yes it was. So was the part where little Neddie said, “I’m Dick Tracy! Take that, Prune Face! Now I’m Prune Face! Take that, Dick Tracy! Now I’m Prune Tracy! Take that, Dick–” Most of the rest of it stank, though. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-episode-of-the-simpsons/137263/47 "2002-11-19T05:37:09Z")
Imho, the Simpsons crossed some sort of line when Maude Flander’s died. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-episode-of-the-simpsons/137263/48 "2002-11-19T05:39:39Z")
Damned apostrophes! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-episode-of-the-simpsons/137263/49 "2002-11-19T06:07:11Z")
I stopped watching it every week several seasons ago, but I do watch it now and again even still. The one from last season when Moe makes over his bar, and Homer has his own bar in the garage is the worst I’ve ever seen. Even REM couldn’t make it funny. Which reminds me, what was that episode where they divided up springfield (by area codes, I think) and conned a band into playing? That one sucked too. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-episode-of-the-simpsons/137263/50 "2002-11-19T10:42:10Z")
Wasn’t there a whole season where Moe was suicidal? That was cheery. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-episode-of-the-simpsons/137263/51 "2002-11-19T11:39:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Raygun99 \* > \*\* > All Singing, All Dancing > \*\* > [@](#): > > all singing, all dancing. > > Blech! > [@](#): > > And the singing one sucked, too. Heretics! You’re all heretics! I’d also like to echo whoever said that most of these episodes are my all time favorites. Maybe you guys are just dumb or something. The worst episode ever is probably either Homer’s Odysee or Pokeymom (the one where Marge gets the guy out of jail.) But even those two had their redeeming qualities. This thread is kind of like asking “what’s the worst sex you’ve ever had?” ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-episode-of-the-simpsons/137263/52 "2002-11-19T13:36:56Z")
I saw the episode last night where Homer becomes a boxer managed by Moe. Is there anything funny in there? ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-episode-of-the-simpsons/137263/53 "2002-11-19T14:48:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by YappingPoodle \* > \*\*…and I generally dislike an Sideshow Bob centered episode. \*\* GAAAAASP!! Even the “Cape Fear” episode??! That’s my all-time favorite. Homer: “I think he’s talking to you.” And Sideshow Bob stepping on all the rakes? That’s gold, Jerry…gold! It just goes to show you that not everyone has the same taste in Simpsons gags. But it also shows that they are great at pleasing at least some of the people some of the time, which accounts for their longevity. ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-episode-of-the-simpsons/137263/54 "2002-11-19T15:33:13Z")
> [@](#): > > And Sideshow Bob stepping on all the rakes? That’s gold, Jerry…gold! I remember reading somewhere that even the _writers_ admitted that this scene was a time filler, nothing more. But, to paraphrase **Cisco** (watch it with the “dumb” comments, BTW, this ain’t the Pit), only the worst episodes have absolutely no redeeming qualities to anyone. That’s a problem with trying to find the worst episode, there’s usually at least one good joke in each one. Like the oft-mentioned Florida-Spring Break one, where the warden is whipping Homer: “No listening. You hear me?” “Ummmm… no?” “You just don’t learn do you?” \ ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-episode-of-the-simpsons/137263/55 "2002-11-19T17:07:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cisco \* > \*\* > This thread is kind of like asking “what’s the worst sex you’ve ever had?” \*\* Are you comparing **The Simpsons** to sex? Because I distinctly remember telling my husband “after **The Simpsons** , dammit!” on our honeymoon. (Yes, I’d rather watch even the worst episode than have good sex – less cleanup involved in most cases.) There are a couple episodes I really hate, but mostly because I’ve seen them so many times that they bore me, rather than any fault of the writing. Even bad episodes have great moments or funny lines. That having been said, my least favorites are some of the **Treehouse of Horror** episodes. I did like the one where Homer cut off his thumb, because I tuned in late and didn’t realise it was supposed to be the Halloween episode, lol. (“Run, Lisa, Run” I think?) ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-episode-of-the-simpsons/137263/56 "2002-11-19T17:58:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by av8rmike \* > \*\*I remember reading somewhere that even the _writers_ admitted that this scene was a time filler, nothing more. > \*\* I didn’t know that! It’s pretty funny that everyone I know who likes that episode _always_ brings up that scene. You just never know what people will find funny, huh? When I first saw it with my roommate, we were laughing like we were stoned or something. Years later, it still makes me giggle. Oh, I forgot to contribute to the topic…I vote for _Saddlesore Galactica_ as Worst. Episode. Ever. But I, too, am under the impression that they did it on purpose, so I’m not so sure it counts. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-episode-of-the-simpsons/137263/57 "2002-11-19T19:08:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by typhoon \* > Is that the one that begins with the hurricane? You didn’t think Santa’s Little Helper getting swept away by the storm and Homer commenting, “Somehow the animals are always the first to know” was funny? No. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Gr8Kat_ > So was the part where little Neddie said, “I’m Dick Tracy! Take that, Prune Face! Now I’m Prune Face! Take that, Dick Tracy! Now I’m Prune Tracy! Take that, Dick–” No. It wasn’t. Neither of those compare to the “No listening” gag from the Spring Break episode, which was a great and brilliant line. Sorry, guys. Everything about that Flanders episode stank. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-episode-of-the-simpsons/137263/58 "2002-11-19T19:23:40Z")
> [@](#): > > Sorry, guys. Everything about that Flanders episode stank. Oh come on: “That’s a load bearing poster.” “We’ve tried, like, nothing, man, and we’re all out of ideas.” For years those little gems were the only thing that was keeping me going on the Simpsons until a few years ago when I just forgot about it. Still watch on occasion (caught the past two episodes) but if there’s something else to do at 8pm on Sunday I’ll gladly do that instead. The Flanders episode was okay, not the greatest thing ever but there are so many worse episodes that I can’t call it the worst. episode. ever. Even the Spring Break episode which made my worst list and definitely ranks at the bottom had the Logan’s Run riff on MTV which got a laugh out of me. Of course I spent most of the rest of the episode wishing for a power drill to get my lucky charms… ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-episode-of-the-simpsons/137263/59 "2002-11-19T20:41:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by voguevixen \* > \*\* I did like the one where Homer cut off his thumb, because I tuned in late and didn’t realise it was supposed to be the Halloween episode, lol. (“Run, Lisa, Run” I think?) \*\* Ummm, it wasn’t the Halloween episode. ---
**Author:** ![Kang\_and\_Kodos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8baadc/32.png) [@Kang\_and\_Kodos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kang_and_Kodos)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-episode-of-the-simpsons/137263/60 "2002-11-19T21:27:24Z")
Sweet Jesus. No one has mentioned the utter wretchedness that is the Mel Gibson episode? Whoever that piece of crap should be sterilized to prevent future generations of unfunniness. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-episode-of-the-simpsons/137263.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-episode-of-the-simpsons/137263.md?page=4)