Dan CastellanetaThe Simpsons - The Complete Eighth Season [DVD]

All discs included and all work great.

Is there a better TV cartoon out there than the Simpsons? Perhaps the better question would be is there a better TV show than the Simpsons. Consistently well-written with a wide variety of characters and stories that transcend the merely sit-comic, the Simpsons is arguably one of the best TV shows ever. The shame of it is that when it comes to awards, the Simpsons is not allowed to compete with live action shows, which actually may be just as well for the competition. In around 18 years, it probably could have won a Best Comedy Emmy a dozen or more times if not for a general anti-cartoon bias. The Season Eight collection - another five star set - would have one of those winners. Among the 25 episodes, some of my favorites include:You Only Move Twice: Homer gets a new job with evil genius Hank Scorpio. Scorpio may want to conquer the world, but he's a great boss. Ironically, this new perfect life doesn't agree with the rest of the family. This is a perfect parody of James Bond films, twisted to make the bad guy seem like the hero; in the end, Scorpio outdoes folks like Goldfinger and Blofeld in villainyEl Viaje Misterioso De Nuestro Jomer: Homer goes on a psychedelic trip after eating a Guatemalan insanity pepper. This hallucinogenic journey leads Homer to search for his soul mate, culminating in near-disaster at a lighthouse.Homer's Phobia: When a new gay acquaintance becomes a role model for Bart, Homer panics (especially when Bart chooses a pink snowball over a cupcake). His efforts to "straighten" out his son include a hunting trip and some interesting revelations about the steel industry.Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment: Homer becomes a bootlegger after booze is banned. This episode shows Homer at his smartest, with a scheme so cunning even Marge approves.The Old Man and Lisa: When the evil Montgomery Burns goes broke, he turns to Lisa. She helps him, but learns that Burns is so naturally sinister, even his attempts at benevolence are destructive. This episode includes some delightful references to the old sit-com That Girl and the classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers.In Marge We Trust: This one is great not so much for the "A" story as the "B" story involving a Japanese detergent called Mr. Sparkle which has a logo resembling Homer.Homer's Enemy: This is probably the most darkly humorous episode ever. New power plant employee Frank Grimes is a hard worker who has struggled his entire life; he naturally resents Homer's success through pure laziness. His anger will eventually fester into a plot for revenge.The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase: This episode offers three previews of alleged spin-offs, all of which are wonderful genre parodies, including spoofs on crime dramas, situation comedies and variety shows.And these are only a fraction of the episodes, all of which are great. In addition, there are wonderful commentaries on all the episodes (including some interesting guest commentators), plenty of deleted scenes and a little bit of behind-the-scenes stuff. Even if you catch these episodes on regular TV (where they are often edited for syndication), it's better to watch them on DVD.

Streaming may have taken over now... but this was one of my favorite seasons and needed to have it physically!

The Simpsons seasons 5-8 are the best example of what DVDs should be. The menu animations provide just a taste of new content while celebrating the most memorable episodes and characters of this season. Many episodes here are some of my favorites, Mr. Sparkle, Marge's Pretzel Wagon, Hank Scorpio, Lisa's tub of tiny people, Homer and Burns trapped in remote mountain cabin (and going mad with cabin fever in minutes). These were the episodes on air as I was coming of age. At a risk of sounding too heavy these episodes defined my adolescence and taught me to try to find the humor in almost any situation. I think I am a better man for having watched them during such a turbulent time in my life. Enough with the heavy stuff, on to the special features.On this set, the special features aren't so special. A short clip of the Simpson's (real-life) house doesn't include a walk through. Many of the "special features," are short, 15 second self-promotional commercials. Matt Greoning's Introduction is nice and would be missed if excluded, but is interesting only once. The Animation Showcase is a fun, indebt look at a particular scene from an episode. The show's creators pause, rewind and slow-mo the video to reveal animation flaws and interesting details. They also provide insight into filmmaking with animation. However, the animators sometimes get distracted by the telistrator, signing their names during their introduction, and drawing pictures of unrelated characters on screen. I would like to see more deconstruction and less diversion by the creators. Indispensable though, are the commentaries. I can't prase them enough. Listening to them all, I got a real sense of connection with the show's creators.One last thing. I want to thank the Graphic/Product Designer(s) for doing such a good job with the box art, disc art, menu art, and the included booklet. The theme of a family photo album is done very well. If there were awards for such art, I would highly recommend they win. The discs themselves are kept in easy-to-access "album style" disc holders. This keeps all the discs together and continues the "album" theme, but I'd like to see future Simpsons DVDs in individual slim cases like the Futurama DVDs.Bottom line: Buy this set for the episodes and commentaries alone.On a side note, if you're the kind of person who can use a credit card responsibly, I highly recommend the Amazon Visa. The rewards point never expire, and every $2500 charged to the card equals a $25 Amazon gift certificate. I average one gift certificate every four months. I haven't paid full price for a box set since!

Très bonne état, une des meilleures saison

Reçu rapidement dans ma boîte aux lettres, parfait

Fantastic series

Coffret reçu en parfait état et rapidement pour un prix très raisonnable. La saison 8 des Simpson est excellente. Je la recommande vivement.

This is another great season of arguably the greatest tv phenomenon ever, The Simpsons. There's a general consensus among most Simpsons fans that Seasons 4-8 are the show at its pinnacle, and that's a fair assessment in my opinion. Season 8 is certainly great but this is where some cracks start to form in the show. The plots become zanier, the characters begin to behave differently (especially Marge, in my opinion), and the writers start throwing in self-referential jabs about running out of creative steam. The entire episode of "The Itchy and Scratchy and Poochy Show" is about trying to save a cartoon that's past its prime by uncomfortably throwing in a new gimmick, and the Spin-Off episode near the end of the season is another signal from the writers that all they really have left is cheesiness. And that's pretty much what the Simpsons have been for the last 15 years, notwithstanding occasional flashes of genius and Season 9, which I'll admit is another great season, but definitely the last. For Simpsons at its absolute finest, I recommend Seasons 2-7, but Season 8 is still better than most shows could ever dream of being.