A blog called “No Pun Intended” has been, amongst other things, watching and reviewing Simpsons episodes from the before time, the long long ago.  I’ve linked to a couple of them in Reading Digest but they deserves a little bit more attention than that (and they sent us an e-mail).  Here they are discussing “Mr. Plow”, “Life on the Fast Lane”, and “Lisa the Iconoclast”.  Tim, the guy who writes these, has a very keen bead on things.  There’s too much for me to quote, but this response to a reader comment ably demonstrates that he is on the side of the righteous:

Yeah, I consider The Simpsons canon as nothing really past the 12th season, so I don’t really “count” those later episodes.

Yes, yes, a thousand times Yes! 

There are certainly a few things I don’t agree with.  For example he argues for Jacques as the best Albert Brooks guest voice whereas I have no favorite.  Picking a “best” out of Cowboy Bob, Jacques, Brad Goodman and Hank Scorpio is like asking whether you prefer joy, bliss or happiness.  But I digress.  The point is, they’re an enjoyably thoughtful read. 

(Notice: E-mail submissions are always welcome!  If you’ve created (or just come across) something Simpsons related on the internet, we want to know about it.  Links don’t cost anything and we’re happy to send whatever small amount of traffic we can to any good natured Simpsons content.)