DVD Reviews: The Simpsons Season 3

20th Century Fox has finally released season 3 of The Simpsons on DVD that features America's most watched, loved and hated cartoon family. The Simpsons revolves around the anecdotes of an average American nuclear family whose members include Homer, TV's most funniest and stupidest fathers of all time that has unwillingly insulted just about every person on the planet. Marge Simpson is the loveable mother of the family that could only be considered the conscience and moral lynchpin of the family. The three children of the family include the mischievous and underachieving Bart, the politically correct and overachiever Lisa and the cute and loveable baby Maggie. Although these characters make up the core of The Simpsons, there are hundreds of other supporting cast members that help keep the humour of the show fresh and entertaining.

Season 3 of The Simpsons is probably one of the more varied seasons of the series and features a variety of episodes that will entertain and amuse both Simpsons junkies and those that appreciate family humour with a touch of adult innuendo. Although all the episodes in this collection are quite memorable, "Flaming Moes" is one of my favourite episodes that after Moe steals Homer's idea for a new cocktail, Homer literally goes mad and vows to destroy Moe. "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" is another classic episode that features one of my favourite Homer moments as he is daydreaming about the land of chocolate because when the Germans purchase Mr. Burns nuclear power plant, Homer thinks the Germans are only known for their chocolate prowess.

Episode listings

Disc 1
Stark Raving Dad
Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington
When Flanders Failed
Bart the Murderer
Homer Defined
Like Father, Like Clown

Disc 2
Treehouse of Horror II
Lisa’s Pony
Saturdays of Thunder
Flaming Moe’s
Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk
I Married Marge

Disc 3
Radio Bart
Lisa the Greek
Homer Alone
Bart the Lover
Homer at the Bat
Separate Vocations

Disc 4
Dog of Death
Colonel Homer
Black Widower
The Otto Show
Bart’s Friend Falls in Love
Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?

The video quality of season three is a little on the "dated" side but considering that the entire season has been painfully created by hand, it can almost be forgiven. The colour quality also fluctuates during the season but it's a small price to pay for having the entire season of Simpsons on four accessible DVD's. The sound quality of The Simpsons has finally been upgraded to Dolby Digital 5.1 and sounds quite clear and audible when compared to the reruns that have flooded the TV.

Extras extras EXTRAS! The Simpsons is virtually an extras collection made in heaven and EVERY episode contains commentary by Matt Groening and a plethora of actors, writers, producers and directors who also grace the audio commentary. The audio commentary is extremely entertaining and you can tell that everyone involved is having a ball from once again lending their voices to this awesome television series. The extras section also includes a Featurette entitled "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade", various TV spots, Featured Songs Jukebox, Foreign Language clips (always a blast), promos with unseen footage, storyboards, scene specific sketches, pop-up Simpsons (trivia) and of course Easter eggs.

The Simpsons season 3 DVD collection is a must have series for any Simpsons fan or for those people that love comedy, cartoons and extremely witty and entertaining writing. With 24 episodes, excellent sound quality and a plethora of extras, there's no reason why this shouldn't find a place in your DVD collection at home. Highly Recommended!

- Andrew B