The Simpsons – The Complete Tenth Season

Lets face it, at one point or another we’ve all watched The Simpsons, and I’m sure at points we’ve all loved it. But I don’t think it’s a matter of debate that as the years went on the show seemed to have lost its touch, its uniqueness. With shows like Family Guy and American Dad pushing the envelope it’s hard to enjoy The Simpsons as much as we get older. But nonetheless there are millions of you who still love this show. For me its hard to pinpoint when The Simpsons took it’s turn for the worse, does Season 10 get classic status, or is it on the downside of the slope?

Simply put Season 10 gets thumbs up from me; these episodes still had the ability to make me laugh. Included are some classics like When You Dish upon a Star, Tree house of Horror IX, Lisa gets an “A”, Homer Simpson in: “Kidney Trouble”, and much more. These journeys take The Simpson family everywhere from Las Vegas, the Super Bowl, the open road, Tokyo, and all the way back to biblical times. The laughs don’t seem as cheap or predictable as the newly aired episodes do; these 23 episodes are uniquely enjoyable. So whether you’re buying every odd season of the show, or your buying them all in order, Season 10 isn’t one to pass up on. It sure is hard to believe that since this season aired nearly 200 more episodes have been drawn up. But this is back when the show had the ability to keep me captivated and surely not many more seasons beyond this will be able to get me to laugh.

Video

Season 10 is nearing its tenth anniversary, but you wouldn’t know that by looking at the 1:33:1 full screen transfer. Granted The Simpsons was never a show to showcase superb animation, the DVD however provides a noticeable upgrade over the original airings. Colors, which I expected to be washed out, remained vibrant and crisp. The transfer it self just has a much cleaner look to it compared to the TV airings, fans will not be disappointed.

Audio

Fox has included a 5.1 Dolby Digital track with the release of the tenth season one that yields expected results. The track is extremely front heavy but this is a TV show so that is expected. The quality of the sound however is quite good. The opening score from Danny Elfman sounds as good as ever, and Homer’s belching sounds crystal clear. You will get the occasional sound effects coming from rear channels but like I said earlier this is pretty much a front channel presentation. There are no balancing issues throughout the entire season, which is always a good thing. Fans of the show already know what to expect, this season is no different in terms of sound.

Special Features

Season 10 comes jam packed with special features. Like other season I recommend watching all of them.

• Audio Commentary – Watch every episode with commentary tracks from writers to actors.
• Deleted Scenes – A monstrous set of 35+ deleted scenes (spread over 4 discs) that deserves a peek. Although some of the deleted scenes were rightly scraped there were a few worth keeping in.
• Multi-Angle Animation Showcase – Found on Disc one and three this feature provides a picture in picture look at the story board and finish scenes.
• Commercials – We are given several Simpson related commercials. I remember most of these being played back then, especially the Butterfinger ads. Surprisingly this is one of my favorite features founding this set.
• The Crank Calls – Everybody remembers Bart’s prank calls to Moe’s over the years. This cool feature shows a collection of these classic scenes.
• Original Sketches – We are given five original sketches from the show. Nothing too interesting here but worth a look for those interested in the animation process.
• A Glimpse Inside – Found on disc 4 this 10 minute feature offers an interesting look on how the animation is done. This feature is extremely interesting and should be checked out.
• A Line From Matt Groening – Found on discs 1, Creator Matt Groening provides a brief 3 minute synopsis of the season.

Final Thoughts

The show was still on track back in Season 10, with a whole bunch of episodes that are sure to make you laugh. It’s still hard for me to believe that these episodes aired almost 10 years ago, where does the time go? But regardless this collection includes a nice handful of features that will please fans of the show, along with that is a good audio and video presentation. Simply put, I liked this season, it’s a worthy purchase.