D’Oh! The top 10 ‘Simpsons’ episodes ever

4. “Deep Space Homer”
Because of struggling TV ratings for its shuttle launches, NASA decides to send average Joes into space. Homer and Barney compete to be the lucky “average-naut,” and Homer wins by “De-fault. The two sweetest words in the English language!”
The best (and oft-quoted) moment of a great 22 minutes happens during the NASA press conference announcing the new program. Homer is asked by a reporter about the risks of sending civilians into space: “The only danger is if they send us to that terrible Planet of the Apes. Wait a minute … Statue of Liberty … that was our planet! You maniacs! You blew it up! Damn you! Damn you all to hell!” Pure genius.

3. “Homer the Great”
After stalking Lenny and Carl, Homer discovers the secret society of the Stonecutters. Homer joins, then is kicked out of and finally becomes the chosen one of the heavy-drinking club. Though the episode as a whole is (almost) unsurpassable, two near-throwaway gags are worth mentioning: Upon joining the group, Homer is told not to call 911 anymore; the real number is 912. Later, Homer has convinced his Stonecutter brethren to do good deeds by repainting a building covered with graffiti. If you look closely, you’ll see that all the graffiti consists of the word “graffiti.”

2. “Lisa the Vegetarian”
Lisa becomes enamored of a cute little lamb, which leads to her decision to become a vegetarian. Homer can’t fathom her disgust with his meaty ways, particularly after Lisa ruins his pork- and beef-riddled barbecue.
It’s a testament to the writing of this episode that the interpretation of one of the more memorable lines — Ralph Wiggum’s “Oh, boy, sleep! That’s where I’m a Viking!” — was recently the subject of an extensive online debate (does he mean he’s great at sleeping or that in his dreams, he plays a Viking?). At another point, Homer tells Lisa, “You don’t win friends with salad,” which leads the family to form an impromptu conga line, repeating the line in singsong. It’s one of those archetypal “Simpsons” moments, one in which the writers hit a joke so long that it goes from funny to unfunny and back to funny again.

1. “Last Exit to Springfield”
When Lisa needs braces, Homer becomes the head of the power plant’s union to keep the dental plan. Burns tries to freeze out the union, resulting in a strike.
Simply unbeatable, from the scene in which Homer fears Burns may be coming on to him to his “Godfather”-esque daydream (“Mmm … organized crime …”) to the sadistic orthodontist who hooks Lisa up with braces that “predate stainless steel, so you can’t get them wet.” It’s also got the requisite drug sequence when Lisa gets nitrous oxide, along with cleverly integrated references to everything from “The Grinch” to “Batman” and “Yellow Submarine.” This is the episode that every self-respecting “Simpsons” geek must be able to recite verbatim.

Patrick Enright is a freelance writer and editor whose work has appeared in MSNBC.com, Mr. Showbiz, Wall of Sound, Movies.com and Seattle Weekly.

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