The Simpsons - The Complete Tenth Season Collector's Edition [DVD]

A lot of Simpsons fans tell people that Season 10 (1998-99, 23 episodes), was the real turning-point in the Simpsons's quality and creative decline and by what this season comes by, it is easy to see why.

By this season's standards, it was all-right enough but the episodes here just didn't come close to the quality and wit of classic gems like "Bart v Australia", "Homer the Great" and "Cape Feare". One of the problems is, like 9, the best writers has moved on and sadly, Phil Hartman, who provived the voice for Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz, was murdered (R.I.P.), which meant those great characters were removed from the series. I really think the show suffered from his loss. Comedy-wise, the seasons isn't without good episodes, with such chuckles as "Homer to the Max", "Viva Ned Flanders" and "When You Dish Upon a Star" but they are simply not classics and certainly won't hit you like the older ones. Only "Mayored by the Mob" comes close to that standard. However, once again, poor episodes has probably doubled from Season 9 ("Sunday, Cruddy Sunday", "Mom and Pop Art", "Bart the Mother", Lisa Gets an A" and "I'm with Cupid") but for probably for the first time, we are introduced to some bad episodes like "Thirty Minutes over Toyko", "The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace" and "Monty Can't Be Me Love". The straw that broke the camal's back for Homer going from an lovable ditwitted family guy to an selfish, idiotic yob was "Homer Simpsons in "Kidney Trouble".

Overall, this was an probably the first average Simpsons Season. I would still recommend this to Simpsons collectors as it would be another important part of their collection has it still has it's moments but the rot only continued from there as with Season 11, it felt like an completely different show.

The otherwise very sympathetic Mike Scully, who ran "The Simpsons" for something like four seasons, has been criticized for turning the show into "a cartoon". And rightly so, apparently.
I have all the first nine seasons of "The Simpsons", and yes, it is some of the greatest, cleverest, pointiest American television ever produced. And the first ten episodes of season ten are really funny as well, although it becomes clear that from around episode five, the characters no longer have the same depth to them; they become more cliched and, yes, cartoonish. Perhaps that's when the holdover episodes ran out or something.

I'm looking at the list of season ten episodes right now, and episode ten of season ten is the last really funny, really clever episode of the season. Sorry guys, but it is. You can't honestly tell me that you think 'Marge Simpson in: "Screaming Yellow Honkers"' and "Mom and Pop Art" is up there with "Krusty Gets Kancelled" or "Bart of Darkness".

Halfway through season ten is where the Simpsons stopped being something truly special. Surprisingly few really clever and funny episodes can still be found scattered throughout the following seasons, but season nine was the last great Simpsons season, and season ten is the last DVD set I'm going to buy. It's half a great season, and it's worth getting, but season ten is also where "The Simpsons" lost it.

Something went wrong after Season 8; not disastrously or earth-shatteringly so, but certainly a little askew. The early seasons stick in the mind, and bear repeated viewings...but after Season 8, episodes will make you laugh a lot at first but not so much the next time or the time after that. On the one hand, I have a lot of love for some episodes but there are just too many, sometimes more than one per disc, that I don`t feel warmly towards. Actually, it`s a frustrating season as the animation has become just about spot on (not too perfect like it is now), and the voices and characters are all established, almost every episode has some classic moments and a really good idea, but they run out of steam and end in a bit of a mess at times. There are quite a few with actual emotional depth, but some are superficial and stupid. I go through my Simpsons boxsets in rotation, but am never particularly excited when 10`s turn comes around...but it`s not all bad, as my rating of each episode suggests -

"Lard of the Dance", **** - Lisa tries to fit in with the new girl (played by Lisa Kudrow). Homer tries to achieve financial independence - with savings and wise investments? No, "of course through grease".

"The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace" ***** - Lovely episode, and Homer`s inventions are fantastic.

"Bart the Mother" ***** - Bart undertands his mother better after his experience with Bolivian tree lizards.

"Treehouse of Horror IX" ***** - Three crackerjack THoHs, Homer gets new hair, Bart and Lisa become - gasp! - animated cartoon characters, and Maggie loses her baby legs.

"When You Dish Upon a Star" *** - Meh, Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger are befriended by Homer.

"D'oh-in in the Wind" ** - Not good, although the Homer origin story is nice.

"Lisa Gets an "A"" ***** - Brilliant. Even Lisa is seduced by Bart`s video games.

"Homer Simpson in: "Kidney Trouble"" **** - Good idea that slightly runs out of steam.

"Mayored to the Mob" **** - Always nice to have Fat Tony in a starring role.

"Viva Ned Flanders" *** - Fairly stupid events lead to Homer and Ned finding new wives.

"Wild Barts Can't Be Broken" **** - A curfew is put on the children, even though it was Homer, Carl, Lenny and Barney that did the crime.

"Sunday, Cruddy Sunday" *** - Nearly good, but a very strange subplot with Lisa and Marge.

"Homer to the Max" **** - Homer changes his name to Max Power, because Judge Schneider declines his request to be called Hercules Rockefeller, or Rembrandt Q. Einstein.

"I'm with Cupid" *** - Apu`s efforts to show Manjula his love embarrasses other Springfieldian men.

"Marge Simpson in: "Screaming Yellow Honkers"" **** - Road rage costs Marge her licence, but saves her family.

"Make Room for Lisa" ***** - Brilliant episode, trust me.

"Maximum Homerdrive" **** - Quite fun, as Homer loses an eating contest but learns the trucking fraternity`s dark secret.

"Simpsons Bible Stories" **** - Like a THoH but with themes from the bible.

"Mom and Pop Art" ** - I like the allusions to Art and artists, but it`s a fairly dumb episode.

"The Old Man and the "C" Student" ** - This episode contains my least favourite Simpson`s moment - when the residents of the
Retirement Castle dance to "Can`t Buy Me Love". Why???

"Monty Can't Buy Me Love" *** - I think they thought of the title and then wrote the episode. At least Burnsy gets to star at last, after a quiet season.

"They Saved Lisa's Brain" *** - Yes, we know, Springfield is dumb and fat except for a few Mensa-qualified inhabitants.

"Thirty Minutes over Tokyo" *** - Weird, and not that funny, but the fish-gutting song is great!