The Simpsons Christmas 2

with Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner
Directed by Neil Affleck, Chris Clements
(Fox Home)
by Evan Solochek

Being only six-years-old when the first episode of The Simpsons aired, I can barely remember a time in my life when those yellow faces were not flickering on the television set. As I’ve grown up and faced the typical challenges of life, The Simpsons have, well, remained trapped in time. Such consistency is a rare comfort in a television age of actors leaving shows with misguided Hollywood aspirations and soap-operaesque plot lines that live action sitcoms must rely on for ratings. Bart will forever be in the

4th grade, Homer will never leave his post as safety inspector of the power plant, and I know Maggie will never utter a word. Like Coca-Cola and McDonalds, The Simpsons have become an American institution, and while too much of the former can unquestionably be harmful, no one can argue the same for the latter.

The Simpsons Christmas 2 DVD compiles four vaguely holiday-related episodes picked from the four most recent seasons: Two from season 12, one from season 14, and one from season 15, which is, in my humble opinion, The Simpsons‘ twilight years. With other cartoon sitcoms, like The Family Guy and Aqua Teen Hunger Force, stretching the bounds of decency and political-correctness to extremes that The Simpsons never would even consider (Homer’s homophobia seems pretty tame when compared to Peter Griffin’s “When I Wish upon a Jew” ditty), their edgy luster has been lost. Although, I suppose every television show must choose between longevity and crassness and should not be criticized for their choice.

However, it’s still hard to bet against them. While these four episodes do not encapsulate The Simpsons‘ sixteen years of genius and wit, they’re an easily accessible holiday time-capsule that makes a perfect gift for The Simpsons fan on your Christmas list.
(www.foxhome.com)