Review of Simpsons, The: Season One

Introduction

Matt Groening was working on his comic strip "Life In Hell" when he was approached to make an animation short for The Tracy Ullman Show. At first he wanted to convert his current project from paper to the silver screen, but then thought that if the short failed - so did his fairly successful comic strip he had built up.

So, he decided to choose a fresh angle: a fresh story to premiere on the show. And he decided to write a short about a very dysfunctional family, the Simpson family. The short, or soon to become shorts, were a huge success - so successful in fact that Fox decided to let Groening have his own primetime show.

The Simpsons was daring in many respects: from its slightly risqué humour, especially considering it is a `family` programme, and the fact that Groening and co tried to create a primetime cartoon that would appeal to kids and adults. And he, and the rest of the team, pulled it off.

This boxset contains all 13 episodes from the first season, shown in the early 90s, and already it is clear to see a somewhat cynical yet highly enjoyable formula emerging. Below I have picked one episode from each disc which is the best for a variety of reasons...usually because they stick to that exact formula.

Disc 1 - Bart The General
This not only is great because of the plan the `good guys` hatch to get back at bully Nelson and his cohorts (hence the `General` of the title) but it also has some great humour in it, such as Grandpa Simpson visiting Nelson the recluse in his military store.

Disc 2 - The Telltale Head
After Bart vandalises one of Springfield`s most notable landmarks, he must reap the consequences. A story of morals, truth - and of course, humour.

Disc 3 - Some Enchanted Evening
The final episode of this season is also one of the most entertaining: an evil babysitter comes to the Simpsons` house, and it is up to the kids to stop her and report her to the police. Witty, enjoyable and the ending shows off Homer`s ignorance - great stuff.

Video

All the episodes are presented in 4:3 Fullscreen - the standard TV-DVD transfer. The visuals aren`t great: the print isn`t particularly crisp, and dust appears now and again, but the main problem is that the transfer isn`t a widescreen one. If this was a tarted up anamorphic print, its final score would have most definitely reflected that.

Since this is the first season (and now at the time of writing there are fourteen), the quality of the animation isn`t the best, and it is clear to see how it progresses over the years that followed. The main ideosyncrasy viewers will have with this season is how the characters do not look - nor sound for that matter - what they evolved into in later years: the image that viewers have accepted as being `true` symbols of The Simpsons mania. But, on another level, the actual animation savvy is not as good as later years - everything evolves, everything gets better, but you`ve got to start somewhere.

Audio

All the episodes come with DD 5.1 tracks, and considering all the episodes are all dialogue-driven, it seems that 20th Century Fox have been rather generous (or it might be that other, DD 2.0, distributors have instead ripped us off) - and fortunately, the soundtrack quality is good, with crisp and clear dialogue and good ambience levels throughout.

The scripts are all good, if a little pale in comparison to what is to come. But, for what we get - and as said before, everything has to start somewhere - they are involving, enjoyable, and boast some classic moments.

Features

The main extra is a commentary on each episode from Matt Groening, and he is insightful and interesting, adding some depth to the production process. Well worth tuning into on a repeat episode viewing.

As well as the commentaries, there are a few featurettes, mainly focusing on where the idea of the show came from, and these are good, but way too short.

There are four scripts from you guessed it, four episodes, so fans wanting to examine the material fully can do some with their remote and a pair of binoculars.

There are some outtakes which are OK, taken from "Life On The Fast Lane", and whilst not bad, they`re not that good either.

A partial unaired episode and a short from the Ullman show is present, and they are good, as you can see how the animation evolved.

To finish off, there are some sketches from various people, most notably Groening, and other interesting things to waste away your spare time!

The menus are static with music in the background, and are easy to navigate.

Conclusion

This is classic show, with classic, memorable moments, that appeals to all ages, with a combination of humour and overall enjoyment. However, this is far from being the best season - but the theme running through this review is that everything has to start somewhere, and it just so happens that where the first season started is good.

The DVD itself is good presentation wise (albeit it with a few flaws visually), but the extras are the most lacking feature of this package. The best, and main extra, are the commentaries on each episode, but these need to be backed uo by other strong material: and this just isn`t the case. Yes, there are a few featurettes, but running times are minimal, and the other extras are just a bunch of static features - not ideal.

However, this will be bought for the content alone, and as you can see below, the marks I have given it are still respectable. My advice: buy it (it is readily available for around £30), enjoy it, and look forward to the subsequent, superior, seasons.