The Simpsons - Season 9 (Ltd Edition 'Lisa' head) [DVD]

The ninth series of the Simpsons (1997-98, 25 episodes) was the season after the golden age (Season 3-8) finished. Looking back at this season, it was when the show's standards starting to slip but not such as point as Season 11. In fact, Season 9 come across as a good season, on a par with 7 & 8 but maybe a bit more wackier.

It is also noticeable in this season that celebrities started to creep in even more and focusing around the main point of the storylines instead of just simple camoes, one of the factors which lead to the Simpsons's downfall. Also the characters started to change as well, Homer felt more out of character, shifting from a dumb-but nice family man to an more selfish and loud-mouthed lazyabout and Bart becoming less of an complex character to more of an typical brat. Besides all this, good episodes are sure to be found with the likes of "Miracle of Evergreen Terrace", "Bart Star", "The Cartridge Family", "All Singing, All Dancing" and "Realty Bites".

However though, the number of poor episodes are up on last season, with duds like "Lisa the Simpson", "The Last Temptation of Krust", "Girly Edition" and "This Little Wiggy".

All in all through, I have to say that Season 9 was not one of the Simpsons's best, espicially compared to the likes of 6 and 7 but still an reliable season with a good laugh in mind.

This is the last series of the simpsons where the quality is consistent throughout the run, after which the episodes are very hit and miss. With series 9 we get the best run of episodes ever. The stand out ones include: The city of new york vs. Homer simpson, treehouse of horror viii, the cartridge family, the two mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons, lisa the skeptic, dumbbell indemnity and trash of the titans and while the remainders are not as memorable, they are still better than most of the later offerings. My favourite episode of the simpsons is also present within this series, with it being dumbbell indemnity - in which homer is asked to 'steal' moe's car - this is because it contains one of the best visual scenes in the show, where homer jumps out of moe's car, roles over a rock and is forced back into it as it goes over the edge of the cliff. Series 9 also has some great gags - the motorboat one spring to mind. As well as this there are some good lines by homer himself, these include:'That's it i am getting out of this city alive even if it kills me''Wow that was a nice candy bar i wish i was eating another one right now (sees apu and apu's mother arrive at the simpson's house) oh crap!''Now can i please have my motorboat''Oh i don't know marge trying is the 1st step towards failure''Where's christmas? (Starts to weep) lisa where's christmas?''Oh they have the internet on computers now!''Must kill moe!! Weeeee!! Must kill moe!!!!'And my favourite of the lot:'(Sings) up, up and away in my beautiful, my beautiful motorboat, da, da, da, da.'
In all; if you don't own this and you like the simpsons then you should buy it, it's definitely worth a watch, well if i am honest more than one watch - it's so good. Now before i ramble some more i will end this review as my boating arm is starting to hurt!

As the 'Golden Age' of The Simpsons ended indefinitely with the fantastic Season 8, Season 9 (this product) started the decline and fundamental attributes that make The Simpsons as it is today; an overly wacky, zany affair with less character development. But the quality of the decline seemed to drift on a down-curve, and while the previous Season may well have been the last of the Golden Age, Season 9 is still a good affair compared to later efforts.

The only problem with purchasing these more mixed affairs is that they don't appear as good value for money when you're only to re-run particular favourites, rather than all the episodes. It's annoying, but there really is little way to get around it. The Simpsons was starting to become the very thing it had always avoided; a typical cartoon. Episodes include:

The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson
The Principal and the Pauper
Lisa's Sax
Treehouse of Horror VIII
The Cartridge Family
Bart Star
The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons
Lisa the Skeptic
Realty Bites
Miracle on Evergreen Terrace
All Singing, All Dancing
Bart Carny
The Joy of Sect
Das Bus
The Last Temptation of Krust
Dumbbell Indemnity
Lisa the Simpson
This Little Wiggy
Simpson Tide
The Trouble with Trillions
Girly Edition
Trash of the Titans
King of the Hill
Lost Our Lisa
Natural Born Kissers

Arguably, the most controversial episode of this Season (and possibly, one of the most controversial of The Simpsons history) is "The Principal and the Pauper", which see's Seymour Skinner apparently having a fake identity... His 'real' identity being Armin Tamzarian. Episodes like this are not only completely unnecessary, but they end with more questions than answers - something on a running theme for future episodes. "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace", "Bart Carny" "Das Bus" and more take another negative angle by distancing themsevles too far from the traditional mode of The Simpsons, with their often poor gags and ridiculous scenes. Again, it's still a mixed affair, but you'll just need to ask whether it's worth paying out for.

Highlights of this Season include "Lisa the Simpson", in which Lisa questions her identity after being feared into believing their is such thing as a 'Simpson' gene that makes the family dumber as time goes on. Episodes like this are more of a step back to the classics, along with "This Little Wiggy", "Lost our Lisa" (an excellent episode for Lisa and Homers bond) and "Natural Born Kissers" - a more modern, but ultimately daring episode that is likely, I dare say, "the" last classic Simpsons episodes. Funnily enough, its on the last DVD and its the last episode of it too.

In short, I would question the value of buying this brand new, but to those who aren't concerned about the cost (you lucky bunch!), this is a descent purchase if you're collecting the best of The Simpsons. From here on, the trend of quality only continues to decline...