I have been feeling a bit lost on what to watch as of late. Feeling the itch to watch something a bit different to what I usually would but also not wanting to put in the effort to search for it. I have been watching the third season of American Horror Story -- I did start the most recent season which is currently airing, but that really failed to pull me in -- and sometimes an episode of Ghosts when a new episode is out. For some reason I decided to check out Star Wars: Andor merely out of curiosity in regards to the lighting given I know someone that worked on it, with much of its production taking place in the United Kingdom. Other than that? Well, not much, really. A few episodes of Vienna Blood, but not really anything else. I haven't felt like browsing through streaming services and their libraries, nor have I really been in the mood for watching anything all that serious.
Well, plastered across the main page of Disney+ is of course going to be The Simpsons. Everyone's favourite, but a favourite that has definitely fallen from its mighty high as the seasons have dragged on and the creators have gone the route of agenda pushing and politics. Heavily ignoring the modern seasons so far, I have decided to go back into The Simpsons and enjoy its earlier seasons. Not starting from the very first episode and season, but instead picking random episodes from random seasons and just relaxing with it. Though I admit I did watch some of the Treehouse of Horror episodes going into Halloween!
I'm not new to The Simpsons, however. This cartoon series has been one very close to me growing up. I recall spending evenings watching it when it aired around 6PM. Always searching for channels that would air multiple episodes rather than just one per day. If I was lucky, I could catch a few airing around 8PM on a different channel. I was pretty into the show, as many others were at a young age. I even still have a Bart Simpson pencil case that I discovered recently. Though in better quality than it should be given I hardly bothered attending classes, but that's a different story!
The Simpsons
Revisiting The Simpsons has been a really refreshing experience, being capable of choosing a random episode and just sitting down to enjoy it knowing nothing is being missed makes the whole viewing experience more relaxing. It has made me long for more shows like this that just do their own thing each episode with a wide range of characters and stories, but ultimately cycling back to the realisation that the show can do anything it wants while still being serious sometimes. In a way it makes the world it takes place in feel more alive, full of stories and events taking place all at once. Sometimes focusing on these less important characters as to not exhaust the potential of others. I guess I can understand why the decline of the show took place, given it seems there is only so much you can do with it all until you run out of ideas and need to pull inspiration in from real life. Though The Simpsons always did this to some degree, mocking real people and events, sometimes being a bit political but in a way that doesn't push an agenda. This makes those moments easy to ignore and brush aside. Which is nice if you want to just laugh and enjoy some dumb humour.
And dumb humour is everything in The Simpsons. I find it interesting how easily a series of characters have been built each on their own silly characteristics while still offering something to the show. It shows the creative strengths of a good set of writers that knew the characters and really thought about how to go about telling their stories in these many episodes, but also making them very human at the same time. It is easy to feel something for them, to end up loving them despite their many flaws. They may be used to poke fun at and get cheap laughs, but we often cycle back to them on a human level that shows emotion, growth, and how they persevere in the face of challenge. It ensures we have characters that we can also learn from and relate to, being capable of looking at characters and saying: "Hey, I know someone just like that!". This strong writing extends beyond giving an audience the ability to laugh at, relate to, and feel for characters of varying types. It reaches us as the audience to such an extent that we can sit down and watch the showa and find solace in it.
Though we see the show take on directions that allow it to relax and just have fun, showing episodes and stories of everyday life, while also pulling interest from fantasy stories and references to freshen things up and pull focus away from the more serious tones of character development. Those Treehouse of Horror episodes being a great example: holiday themed episodes that take inspiration from media we all love, but taking its own spin on things to still loosen up and have fun. I really struggle to think of shows that are similar in this regard, and perhaps the only ones I can really think of and compare it to are Psych and Futurama -- but I would say Futurama hardly counts given it has the same creator!
It is the show's ability to relax and have fun with its characters that allows it to be a classic. Something you can revisit multiple times throughout the years and still feel as if you have never actually seen it before. Sure you may remember some episodes and their general themes, but the comedy finds a way to seep through and humour you in a way you hadn't noticed before -- that includes the more adult themes that you definitely would have missed watching it when you were younger. This show really managed to get away with some jokes! Part of me remains curious as to how those very recent episodes are, but having seen some, I know that same magic definitely isn't there anymore. So if you're looking to watch the show, I would suggest just starting from the very first episode or sticking to watching the episodes before a certain season. I have seen a lot of people excited about that Death Note themed episode, however. I might check that one out myself too out of curiosity.
Have anyone of you revisted The Simpsons? How're you finding it now you're older? Do you have any fond memories of watching it growing up? Have you seen the more recent seasons of the show, if you have, what do you think of them?
