When it comes to artistic endeavors, one term that often comes to mind is the "sophomore slump". If a show or an album or second outing of a writer comes out and simply doesn't match the strength of the previous work, many suspect they will rebound on the third try.
I would say that there are certainly exceptions to this rule...and in fact, there are many. I will even go farther to say that when it comes to television that a lot of shows end up hitting their stride in their second season or at least maintain a strong consistency. In the last two decades, shows like The West Wing, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, and Mad Men all had very strong second seasons while a show like Breaking Bad arguably got better with each passing season.
Then you have shows like The Wire, in which its second season ended up being its most standalone and often least discussed season (even though it actually holds up pretty well to new viewings which I hadn't expected after viewing it for the first time in 15 years) or a show like Desperate Housewives which essentially defined the idea of a "sophomore slump" in its truest form.
Very few shows have had as an important of a second season than The Simpsons. After causing quite a commotion for its first season, the creative trio of James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, and Sam Simon took what worked in Season 1 and built upon while giving the show a bit of a touch-up in its presentation...and that goes for the writing and its visuals.
It is no secret that season 1 looks a lot rougher in comparison to the seasons that followed (it had been animated by the Klasky/Csupo team who would go on to make their mark designing the earliest of Nickelodeon's NickToons) but season 2 would refine the look of the show and also smooth over some of the rougher/darker edges the show. It isn't that it erased the darker edge but they managed to give the show a little warmth in the process.
In short, Season 2 is the year in which the legend is truly born. Whatever you love about The Simpsons and how it was for years after can be traced to what got developed that season.
The earlier seasons obviously focus a lot on the family as a whole but aside from a few appearances from Springfield citizens in season 1, this is the season when we get introduced to several mainstays of the community...not to mention, the further development of one of the more important and beloved supporting characters in the show's history: Charles Montgomery 'Monty' Burns...or Mr. Burns rather; Homer's diabolical boss at the Nuclear plant.
The writers immediately take him in season 2 and use him quite a bit in comparison to the other characters. Before I go any further, here is a list of Simpsons characters who made their debut in Season 2:
Mayor Quimby
Kang & Kodos
Maude Flanders
Bill & Marty
Dr. Hibbert
Roger Meyers
Sideshow Mel
Lionel Hutz
Dr. Nick Rivera
Blue Haired Lawyer
Rainier Wolfcastle
Troy McClure
Groundskeeper Willie
Hans Moleman
Professor Frink
Comic Book Guy
...that's quite the haul. A lot of these would not be developed much until the following seasons but their creations are certainly worth noting.
Aside from Mr. Burns (who had been seen in season 1), the supporting character to have the strongest display from this season is Dr. Hibbert, whom the show immediately treats as a parody of Bill Cosby's Dr. Cliff Huxtable....from his titular Cosby Show which was airing opposite The Simpsons on NBC.
Speaking of that, The Simpsons had been airing on Sunday nights in season 1 (where it has been airing since season 6) but for seasons 2-5, it was moved to Thursdays. With the strong ratings the show had received in season 1, FOX felt emboldened and chose to move the series to directly compete with The Cosby Show which had been the #1 show on TV nearly 6 years and was finally showing signs of maybe losing its power...not to mention, this was one of the shows that The Simpsons was looking to be the antithesis of.
Simpsons producer/co-developer James L. Brooks hated the move thinking that the show could've ended up maintaining larger ratings had it remained on Sundays but FOX moved it and despite still getting the largest rating the show would ever receive with its season 2 premiere, Bart Gets an F, it would still primarily lose to Cosby even if it did erode its viewership as it dropped from #1 to #5 in the ratings...while The Simpsons would only get ratings in the teens and high 20s as the season progressed. I do think moving the show to Thursdays hurt the show but it still maintained immense popularity for the next couple of years....and the ratings were massive when compared to the kinds of numbers shows get in today's streaming/dozens and dozens of dozens of options world we have today.
So anyways, regarding the season itself.
Season 2 is, like I said, truly important in what shaped how we would go on to view The Simpsons. It is still firmly entrenched in the lives of the family but we slowly but surely get glimpses of the citizens of Springfield and by way of that, we know that the show will be able to build upon them further in the years to come (which would become DECADES).
I also think Season 2 was better at giving characters like Lisa and Marge more flavor than they had in Season 1. If anything, I think Lisa benefits a lot because during season 1, I would argue that she fit in with the family more and less of her artistic and liberal traits were not as apparent.
Season 2 took the Lisa that we caught a glimpse of in Season 1's Moaning Lisa and found that having Lisa be the sensitive, artistic, and straight man of the family was where she worked best (and you could argue that Marge sort of fits that mold, too).
Marge is more problematic though. I often feel like the writers never quite give Marge a true chance to shine...or if they do, such as an episode like Itchy & Scratchy & Marge, her primary character traits are that of a repressed killjoy...but somehow, despite Marge being that, I do feel that Marge is a lot more of a lovable character than many realize...and actually, she would often provide great moments of humor born out of surprise as the seasons progressed.
Lisa being the family's most promising ambassador is certainly born this season but the show still smartly gives her a fun side, which is always apparent when we watch her enjoy Itchy & Scratchy with Bart or, my favorite, when she sings Theme from Shaft with Bart at karaoke while the finally dines on sushi during One Fish, Two Fish, Blow Fish, Blue Fish.
The ironic thing about Season 2 though is that you could even argue that it is The Simpsons at its most preachy or sentimental. Going back and watching these episodes, there is no doubt that they hold up remarkably well but it is kind of amazing to watch these early episodes and realize that this show was seen as "counter-culture"; the show that President Bush Sr. criticized and deemed that "families needed to be a lot more like The Waltons and a lot less like The Simpsons". You can see the irreverence in a lot of the episodes and how they are structured...and you cannot deny the revolution of the form. However, the show did maintain a very strong sentimental streak that arguably put it on par with the same sitcoms it was trying to poke fun at.
I think that the seasons immediately following season 2 are able to sort of cool down the sentimental/sappy tone to a more tolerable level but the thing about The Simpsons is that when it tends to get sentimental, it feels earned. I also think that a lot of the sweeter moments look better in hindsight when you have the concept of "Jerk-ass Homer" dominating the show over the last twenty years. The earlier seasons paint Homer as a big oaf but at his core, he does love his family even if he may get easily frustrated with Bart (though I know some people love to point out the strangling as being problematic) and he isn't the most understanding father to Lisa. The immense luck that Homer has had by managing to net Marge as a wife and be able to coast through life with a decent job and a good house and a family feels less baffling in the earlier years because you do see the endearing qualities of Homer, as opposed to the current years where he is more on par with Peter Griffin from Family Guy.
The problematic qualities of Homer along with what can be endearing about him are perfectly addressed in what is not just the best episode of season 2, but in what still remains one of my top 3 favorite episodes in the history of the series: Lisa's Substitute.
Lisa's Substitute is the show at its most bittersweet and sentimental and yet, it is the show in peak masterpiece form. In the episode, Lisa gets a temporary substitute teacher named Mr. Bergstrom, voiced by Dustin Hoffman. He is a quirky and fun loving teacher who instantly takes to Lisa, seeing her potential and her wonderful qualities...especially how she is incredibly adept at playing the saxophone at 8 years old.
Mr. Bergstrom is the father figure that Lisa longs to have and she is embarrassed by Homer's ignorance and lack of class. While at a museum exhibit that she was dying to go to, Lisa runs into Mr. Bergstrom who immediately senses that Homer lacks the qualities that could greatly aid to the well being of Lisa.
Marge also feels it might be a good idea to invite Mr. Bergstrom to dinner but before Lisa can extend the invitation, he is leaving Springfield for a new job in Capital City. As she rushes to the train station, she sobs at the idea of him leaving without saying goodbye. After a brief exchange, he hands her a note and says that whenever she is down and feeling sad that all she has do is read the note.
It reads: "You are Lisa Simpson".
This is the show at its sweetest and it still packs a punch every time I see it. I can even still vividly remember watching the episode for the first time as a 6 year old when it re-aired in syndication during what would've been the show's 6th season and it actually standing out to me at that young age.
The show ends with a sequence that is funny but also rather sad and then manages to rebound by being sweet.
As Homer sits at dinner, he is incredibly insensitive over Lisa's grief at Bergstrom's departure and she lashes out at him calling him a "BABOON!" before running to her room in tears. Marge has had enough and tells Homer that Lisa needs her father now more than ever. As Homer enters her room, we see him at what might be his most meek and nervous that we have up till that point. He tells her that he has never lost anyone special in his life (...granted, they haven't developed the storyline with his mother Mona yet so I will let that slide) because everyone he loves in his life lives in their home and he cannot comprehend where she is coming from. In order to cheer her up, he takes on her baboon insult and starts acting like a monkey to make her laugh.
When I think of Homer's good qualities, I think of this moment. I also think of the flashback episode of The Way We Was when teenaged Homer tells Marge that he is afraid that if he gives her a hug that he'll "never want to let go".
Even writing it now, I feel surprisingly sentimental.
Season 2 might have a couple of kinks to be improved upon...but my god, it is remarkable at times.
And with that, here are my top 10 episodes of the season (even though my favorite has already been spoiled)...and also, I realized how difficult this will be with other seasons because it is hard to rank these and I feel like a few other episodes could've easily made this list!
#10-Simpson & Delilah
-An episode greatly aided by guest Harvey Fierstein as Karl and, not to mention, his great line: "My mother told me never to kiss a fool". A perfect line for him to deliver.
#9-Dead Putting Society
-The true beginning of the hilarious and rather abusive dynamic between Homer and his ever-cheerful neighbor Ned Flanders.
#8-Bart v.s. Thanksgiving
-While perhaps a very traditional story with a child doing something bad and then running away from home, this episode's first act feels so refreshingly at ease that it is remarkable.
#7-Principal Charming
-Patty & Selma are pure gold, but having the celibate Patty be paired with the ultimate Momma's Boy in Seymour Skinner is a sight to see...along with Selma's bitterness because she wanted Seymour.
#6-Itchy & Scratchy & Marge
-Marge doing what she does best: nagging about something that is dear to her heart only for hypocrisy to rear its head when she is forced to combat her opinions which go directly against what she tried to protest before.
#5-Treehouse of Horror
-The beginning of the show's longest running themed episode and, frankly, I still love this episode. While they are all very simplistic stories, even down to one segment essentially being a direct recitation of Poe's The Raven, it is simply a classic.
#4-The Way We Was
-Flashback episodes are often a huge sitcom trope, but I do feel this episode explains very well why Marge took to Homer while also showing the best side's of Homer as a person.
#3-One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish
-A character being told he will die only to make it out of the ordeal alive...it's a typical trope but the writers find a way to make it feel fresh.
#2-Bart Gets an 'F'
-At a time when Bart was the show's most popular character, it was no surprise that this episode would be chosen to start the season. It is also an episode that gives us Bart as a character with true feelings rather than just a troublemaker.
#1-Lisa's Substitute
-As I have already stated above, it's simply one of the show's finest episodes.
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Please be on the lookout for my next post as I will continue onward to Season 3, in which the show manages to build upon season 2's success and also further takes us into the world of Springfield's wackiest residents.
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