“I just got a bunch of fruity Easter eggs.” – Kearney
“Eww, another liver transplant!” – Dolph
“Oh, no, not again! . . . You’re not getting away that easy, little fella.” – Barney Gumble
It’s been almost a year since the last time I sat down for an extended Simpsons-Beer marathon, and it’s about time I did so again. Having already done every Season through 7, it’s time I got to the last two single digit Seasons: 8 and 9. As we’ve done in the past, there is now a poll in the sidebar at right so you can vote on which season I get to watch. Voting will be closed at 9pm Eastern (US) time on Friday.
As with previous marathons, I will watch the season from start to finish, drinking one beer per episode. I’ll start at 8:00am Eastern time, and drunkenly finish up around 5:00pm. (The episodes total about 8h:30m, plus pauses for typing and bathroom breaks.) While I reserve the right to pause or reverse a little to get a screen grab or a quote, the fast forward button absolutely, positively will not be pressed.
When I did the Season 7 marathon, I didn’t include “Marge Be Not Proud” because these are supposed to be about relaxing and just enjoying the show, and I find “Marge Be Not Proud” to be far from enjoyable. In that vein, I’ll also be skipping two episodes on Saturday, regardless of which season gets chosen. If it’s Season 8, I’m going to pass over “The Homer They Fall” and “Burns, Baby Burns”; if it’s Season 9, I’ll excise “The Principal and the Pauper” (obviously) and “Lost Our Lisa”.
Season 25 is just four days away. If one thing can fortify me for another year of forgettable mediocrity, it’ll be revisiting a year that was neither.
[Update 26 September 9:00pm EDT: I’ve been taking some well justified flack in the comments for wussing out on not doing the entire season. Having given it some thought, I can’t come up with a good counterargument, so, point taken. Season 8’s well ahead at the moment, which means that Larry and Lucius are back on Saturday morning’s course. I left them off because they are the only episodes in Season 8 that I rarely ever watch, but plenty of you seemed surprised by my choices, so maybe that’s just me. Besides, I actually like both of them better than “Marge Be Not Proud”, so screw it. And, yes, if Season 9 stages a comeback, I’ll do both Tamzarian and Risk Homer.]
