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Julie Kavner: "The Simpsons"

 I'm a sucker for small-town stories where you see the entire town in action. "Broadchurch," "Friday Night Lights," "To Kill a Mockingbird": These are ideal choices for me.


For this reason, I'm in love with the Golden Age of "The Simpsons," and I'm especially devoted to Season Three/Four. 

This is one extraordinary episode after another. For example, in "I Love Lisa," little Lisa Simpson feels bad for Ralph, so she gives him a valentine: an image of a train, with the words, "I Choo-choo-choose You." Ralph falls deeply in love, and Lisa tries to wiggle out of this entanglement. Homer says, "I've heard every possible excuse. Tell him you're engaged! You have a rare fatal disease! You can't leave the house in the sunlight!" Lisa politely tells the truth, but Ralph's misguided father says, "Ralph, you must never let a dream die!" The pain and awkwardness in this situation makes me think of the unrequited love in "Les Miserables" (although I understand I'm just watching a cartoon).

I'm also impressed by "Separate Vocations." In this one, Mrs. Krabappel urges her students to really think about the future. "It's important that you plan and choose wisely. Otherwise, you might find yourself with a useless degree from Bryn Mawr. You might find yourself counting the days until your death, standing in front of a room of dead-eyed children....while your husband is out shtupping your former marriage counselor....." Lisa learns that she will never be a professional saxophonist--because her fingers are too stubby--and her ensuing depression causes her to act out. (In one bleak and funny scene, Marge says, "Housewife chores allow for creativity! See, I've arranged these eggs to look like a smiley face!") ....Lisa steals all of the teachers' guides from her school--"a theft of $125!"--and she comes close to expulsion. The end of this weirdly suspenseful tale is both surprising and inevitable.

Nuance, voice, clarity, humor: It's all there. Maybe not every week. But the era of Season Three/Four ("Bart the Murderer," "Treehouse of Horror II," "Black Widower") is a stunner.
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