The seven: Best Simpson’s Endings

Today’s list is from Best Week Ever and it is the seven best Simpson’s endings of all time. I would think this list will start some chatter and if you want to see the top 10 go here.

7. Home Sweet Home-Diddily-Dum-Doodily (Season 7)
In the dramatic conclusion to the frustratingly amusing Child Welfare episode, Homer and Marge rescue Bart and Lisa from a Ned Flanders baptism (and Maggie from a symbolic baptism into the Flanders family), then the four walk off together, confident in their shared imperfections, with Homer laughing at the old paint cans in Flanders’ garage with the pointless insult, “Ha ha, Old Painty-Can Ned!” Not only a terrific new take on the old “we’re a crazy family, but we’re family” idea, but it also perfectly sums up the “no faults whatsoever but you still want to hate him” character of Ned Flanders.

6. Lisa’s First Word (Season 4)
The hubbub surrounding the show bringing in Elizabeth Taylor to deliver Maggie’s first word sort of overshadowed the episode’s independently touching ending; after a full flashback documenting Marge and Homer’s problems handling baby Bart and Lisa, as well as both children only referring to Homer by his first name, Homer tucks Maggie in and secretly confides, “The sooner kids talk, the sooner they talk back. I hope you never say a word,” after which Maggie manages to formulate the word, “Daddy,” delivered to an empty room, before she falls back asleep. It’s cute enough to make you want to push that first baby lamb out of the way.

5. Treehouse of Horror IV (Season 5)
The Simpsons has always had a flair for the occassional absurd twist, and while the device became trite and lost its impact in the later seasons (what wouldn’t after a damn decade?), there is perhaps no more inane — and yet, weirdly satisfying — turn of events than at the end of the fourth Halloween special, when the entire Simpsons family of vampires converges on Lisa, then they all stop, turn to the camera, and shout “Happy Halloween, everybody!” and the show fades to credits with everyone Lu Lu Lu’ing a tune from “Charlie Brown Christmas.” On any other show, it might have seemed like a cop-out, but in retrospect, can you think of any other way to end a story about vampires? Coast Guard?

4. Duffless (Season 4)
The reason I have such trouble fully embracing episodes like “Homer’s Phobia” and the Frank Grimes episode is because the character of Homer, while fluctuatingly stupid, lazy, and prone to anger, was never really a fundamentally ‘bad’ person. This fact is never more clearly illustrated than in the episode when Homer gives up drinking for thirty days, then when the thirty days are up, he rushes back to Moe’s out of habit but has second thoughts, and the episode ends with Homer and Marge riding a bike together and duetting “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head.” It’s impressive enough when a show like “The Office” makes people believe that two fake human beings are perfect for one another, but when an animated show can do that?? Groin-grabbingly transcendent.

3. Lisa’s Wedding (Season 6)
The majority of Lisa’s future episode is just a series of (hilarious) gags one after the other, usually involving supporting characters and their terrible future selves. The ending, however, is a complete sucker punch; after being ashamed of her family in front of her future fiancee and struggling to withstand their constant, grating quirks, Lisa ultimately realizes how important her family, for better or for worse, is to her life. The episode returns to the present and fades out on Lisa walking away with Homer, listening with genuine loving enthusiasm at her dad’s stories of eating fudge and riding the teacups.

2. Bart Gets An Elephant (Season 5)
There’s nothing especially touching or inspiring or meaningful about the ending to this Season Five gem, it’s just simply one of the funniest gags in the show’s history. When Bart’s elephant enters a wildlife refuge and immediately just starts butting all the other elephants, the refuge director explains to Marge, “Some of them act badly because they’ve had a hard life, or have been mistreated… but, like people, some of them are just jerks. Stop that, Mr. Simpson,” then a pan out reveals Homer butting the director with his head for no reason. Rivals the “No HomerS” ending from “Stonecutters” as the best flat-out punchline in the show’s history.

1. And Maggie Makes Three (Season 6)
Through all of Homer’s on-and-off parenting skills throughout the run of the show (and within even this episode), he is never exposed to be more tender and lovable than at the very end of this flashback episode, which also might be my favorite overall episode of all time. If you manage to make it through the ending without tearing up, after Homer has placed photos of his unconditionally beloved third child over the demotivational plaque at his workstation to make it spell “Do It For Her”, and you’re not in a desert somewhere with no moisture left in your body, then you are a more cold-hearted human being than I ever believed this planet could produce.

A huge painted doughnut at the base of the CN Tower feeds the hype surrounding the Simpsons movie.